by Project Kyle
The inside was much more appealing than the hut he was given, at least to the point where he didn’t lose his appetite, but it was still far more run-down than what he was used to. There was a long table, set up for 20 people, in the center of it. All the guests had arrived, including Henry and Sophia, who were already seated at the table. Nerd was given the guest of honor seat in the very middle of the table—which was the last seat he wanted, given his social anxiety. However, he was still in a non-confrontational mood, so Nerd just accepted his position.
Alcanore sat in a large seat at the far right of the table. There was also an open spot on the far left side, where Grunt sat. General Rice was on the opposite side of Nerd, at the table’s center. Next to him was a man who looked like the town’s medic. He had dark skin, green eyes, a short buzzcut for his hair, and looked to be in his early twenties. He seemed to have a very kind way about him, and Nerd didn’t feel as threatened around him as the others. He was still too emotionally distraught to really start a conversation or, for that matter, carry one on, but he tried regardless. He knew he may only have a few moments left with Sophia, and he continued to attempt to make small talk with her. At first, she had no problem talking to him, but after a while, she got a little irritated.
“Nerd!” she said to him. “Please let me talk to some of the other table guests. It’s not like you’re never going to see me again.”
“I’m not sure about that…” Nerd responded.
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“…It’s nothing. I’m just really nervous talking to people I don’t know.”
“Well, here’s your chance! Gotta break out of your shell sometime.”
Nerd began moving his leg up and down nonstop. It was very noticeable, and the table began vibrating with each stomp of his foot. General Rice noticed Nerd was uncomfortable and wasn’t communicating with any of the dinner guests but Sophia. He attempted to get Nerd’s attention, as many of his tribe members were eager to hear more about him.
“Nerd!” He said. “I want you to meet my chief medical officer, Mr. Tom Brown. He’s been a bit of a fan of yours for a while. He wouldn’t shut up about you when he read the book that you published last year.”
Nerd was distracted and did not respond.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir!” Tom said. “Tales of your space travels have intrigued me since I first entered the medical field. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time…although I thought you had brown hair in your online pictures. I guess it doesn’t matter! It is truly an honor to meet you in person.”
“Yeah…” Nerd responded, still distracted by his situation. “Nice to meet you too, Dr. Brown.”
“Please call me Tom. It’s only Dr. Brown when I’m on medical duty.”
“Okay.”
“Um…so…what do you think of this planet? It is a prison, no doubt. But there is something about the atmosphere that I must say I find intriguing.”
“Yeah…”
Tom was very confused and a little discouraged at Nerd’s lack of interest. He didn’t seem to like him very much, and this was upsetting, given how long he had waited to meet someone he had looked up to for so long. He sighed and went back to eating his Ja-gore meat.
Suddenly, Nerd processed something that General Rice had said before.
“Wait!” He said in a loud voice. “You read my book?”
Tom was completely taken off guard. He paused for a moment, and then answered Nerd’s question.
“Yes,” Tom said.
“And you understood it?” Nerd asked.
“Yes. ‘Knowledge is endless, and we as humans have barely scratched the surface of it. No matter how smart we are, we will always have the ability to learn, and that’s okay! Because what good is life if you can’t continue to grow?’ I was inspired by that statement, because so many intelligent people today act like they have all the answers. Their ego burns inside of them like a fire ready to consume any trace of reason that dares challenge what they teach. You, on the other hand, are arguably one of the smartest humans in this galaxy, and through the entire book, you seem to compare yourself to more of a child, rather than a wise man. It was humbling, but not at a level where it was discouraging. You have proved that we all have much to learn, and always will.”
“Impressive. I appreciate that you’re willing to take a look at that. I was in a bad place when I wrote it, and I wrote the entire book within a week. I was suffering from depression and was bedridden. So, I had a lot of time on my hands, and when I obsess over a project, I tend to go all out.”
“You wrote that in a week? That’s insane!”
“I have my gifts…but they come at a price. What about you? What’s your story?”
“There’s not much of a story for me. I had a simple upbringing within the once beautiful landscapes of Zecarah. I had good parents who raised me to respect the universe and all the wonderful gifts it has to offer. I chose to get into the medical field as a means of helping people and to use my knowledge as a means to prolong life in a galaxy that seeks to devour it. That’s about it. I’m really nothing special.”
“You seem to have your head screwed on straight. That’s rare to find these days, especially in this galaxy. I’m glad you chose the medical field. It is a good feeling when you can help someone to recover.”
“Isn’t it! It is my dream to one day be just like you. I have looked up to you for so long, and I hope you understand how many people feel the same way.
Nerd grabbed his head with both his hands as the morbid flashback repeated like a broken record through his mind. These exact words were once spoken to him by his friend Ronald, who he had ordered to his death.
Nerd’s leg began bouncing up and down again. Everyone was concerned, as they knew he was not doing well, and they didn’t know what to say to make it better. Even Alcanore was watching him very carefully, which made Nerd feel even more nervous. But unknown to Nerd, Alcanore was not trying to intimidate him. He was starting to realize that Nerd was more vulnerable than he came across, and for the first time since they met, he felt concerned.
The guests finished dinner and left the big hut. Nerd shot out like a rocket, and Sophia noticed that he was indeed troubled by something. She quickly followed him out and chased him down.
“Nerd!” she said out loud. “Wait! What’s wrong? You seem upset about something.”
Nerd turned around and faced Sophia. He didn’t want to tell her that her life was threatened, as he wanted her to get to sleep that night. However, for all he knew, this could be the last time he ever talked to her. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. He was at the mercy of a heartless killer, and he was powerless to stop him.
“Sophia…” he responded. “If anything happens to one of us, I just want to let you know that you’re wonderful. I don’t always know how to express it…but I do feel that way about you.”
“I know. I’ve known for longer than you realize. David…I mean Nerd, there’s something I need to tell you, something that’s been bothering my conscience for a few days now. It seemed like a good idea at first…but I had no right to do it!”
“What’s wrong? What did you do?”
“When you went to what you thought was your court-martial, I…I looked through your diary…and I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done that. But I saw what you wrote about me, and it was very touching. You will never know how much that meant to me…but I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
“My diary? Sophia, I already knew you looked through it. I saw it was misplaced, and I began to get paranoid. So, I took some fingerprint scans, and I found your fingerprints on the pages. It was a bit sneaky, and I was upset at first, but I’m over it. I’m at least glad to know that you approve of what I wrote about you.”
“You took fingerprint scans? Why?”
“I just had to know if you had done it, that’s all. But that doesn’t matter right now. I just…I just wanted to say i
t to you in person. Until I met you, I was a wreck. But you have helped me to get better, and in case anything happens, I want you to know.”
A few moments of silence went by, and neither could think of anything else to say. To Sophia’s surprise, Nerd walked over to give her a hug. But…it was different this time. He wasn’t forcing himself to do it. In fact, he seemed to have a hard time letting go. Sophia knew that there was something wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what.
As soon as Nerd let go of her, he smiled and told her that she should get some rest. Sophia nodded her head and made her way to her hut. She turned to face him, as the question that had been floating around in her head for the last few weeks began nagging at her. She needed that final puzzle piece to complete the mystery that was plaguing her.
“Nerd, wait!” she said. “When I read your diary, I noticed there was a page ripped out that expressed your feelings after you…unintentionally killed someone. I was just wondering what that was all about. Why did you feel the need to remove the page?”
Upon hearing Sophia’s question, Nerd stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around to face his friend and realized that a moment of truth was about to commence. He wasn’t ready for her to know, but given Experiment-1’s threat, this could be the only opportunity. Sophia deserved to know; she deserved an explanation as to why he was so apprehensive about taking someone’s life, even if it was an accident.
Nerd took a deep breath and walked over to Sophia. He reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out the ripped page she was looking for.
“If you read this,” he said to her, “you will never quite view me the same way again.”
“I highly doubt that, sweetie. You’re the most noble man I have ever met…even if you are a bit of a dweeb sometimes. But you value life, and I trust you. I know you hate the thought of taking someone else’s life.”
“It’s not that simple. The reason I ripped out the page was so I could keep it close to me, to remind me of what happens when I kill, what thoughts go through my head afterwards, and why I always need to avoid doing so. My emotions are very real, and I need to remember why I can’t afford to become anything more than a doctor… Please try to understand.”
He handed Sophia the diary page with his trembling right hand. Sophia accepted it but was now a little concerned by how troubled her commander seemed.
“I’m sorry,” Nerd continued. “Really, I am so sorry!”
Nerd turned around and swiftly walked away from Sophia. He entered his hut and ducked out of sight. Sophia remembered what the end of the left page said and what the beginning of the right page had quoted. She kept the words in her mind and placed the words on the page that was in her hand in between like a mental puzzle.
“When it happened, when the life faded from my attacker’s eyes, I felt— pleasure! An overwhelming sense of satisfaction that I have never experienced before. I killed a predator, someone who sought to harm me. For the first time, I was not the victim. The predator had been slain by my hand, by the hand of its own prey, and it felt so good that I can’t keep my mind off it. I have already calculated 1,896 other possible ways in which I could kill again and get that rush! I thirst for it. I thirst for the power…power beyond what I have ever experienced before. I want more. I would do anything to be reunited with it, so much so that I honestly don’t even fear the consequences anymore. Every person I have seen since then is but an object to me, a statistic, an opportunity to retrieve that thrill. Though I know it will pass, at the moment, I long to kill again, no matter who I’m able to hunt down…but I know it’s wrong. I know it’s not me. I know that if I feed my impulse and get the sick thrill I crave, in the end, it will control me. I will be left powerless, empty, and completely dead inside, living as a slave that needs that rush to survive. I know this because I got to see firsthand how it affected Dr. Crimson. The rush was so desirable to him that he would go to any lengths to get his fix. When I think of it that way, I realize that is someone I don’t want to be remembered as. True, that drive may help me succeed in punishing the wicked, but I will also hurt the innocent. I know that lust will only grow stronger if I continue to feed it… —and that is why I will never intentionally kill someone. That is why violence will always be a last resort. Because the memories of what I experienced will forever stay with me, and I don’t ever want to go through that again! Never…never.”
Sophia continued holding the page in front of her, even though she was done reading it. At first her emotions went numb…but then a grim feeling of fear and panic overcame her.
“What?” she said out loud. “No…that isn’t David. He would never…”
Sophia couldn’t even finish her sentence. She could not believe that all this was buried beneath the man who she felt to be the gentlest person she had ever met. This couldn’t be true. David wouldn’t feel pleasure from killing a man. He felt miserable about it, she was convinced of it, she was…no…this was the truth. This was reality. This was a key puzzle piece to the mystery of David Bell. He was indeed a good man, who fought bravely to bite down on his impulses, to become as good of a man as he ever could. He didn’t want what he was given, and that was a good thing. She needed to remember that. She needed to keep in mind that this was not David’s choice. The only choice David had was whether or not to act on the genetic code that he had inherited, whether or not to become the killer that burned within his veins, and thankfully, he chose not to.
On the other hand, David was correct. How could she ever view him the same way again? There was a violent maniac buried deep down within his soul, who had inherited impulses that were downright horrible, and if that killer ever decided to come out, would he actually consider turning on her? Was her life in danger, even though her friend had good intentions? These were questions that Sophia was not ready to answer, nor did she need to answer them just yet. It was terrifying, but she had to give David credit for one thing: he let her see that side of him. He did not try to hide it from her when she asked, and this meant that she could trust David on one thing: he would never lie to her, even when the truth was ugly.
Sophia took a deep breath and began making her way back to her hut, but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Alcanore exiting the hut where they had dinner. Her heart pounded vigorously. This was the perfect distraction to keep her mind off the mess she was now in.
Alcanore had barely said one word to her at dinner, but he was going to acknowledge her now. She wasn’t going to give him a choice.
She drew her sword and was ready to fight. She charged at him from the side, enough for him to see her attack coming, as she knew better than to sneak up on a Renex from behind.
Alcanore noticed he was being challenged, so he braced himself to fight his opponent. He drew his spear and pressed the button to extend it to its full length. He also armed his energy shield, which looked exactly like the one that Nerd used against Star-Creeper. The giant warrior was ready and armed.
Sophia went in for the first attack, but Alcanore pushed his shield into it. The force was devastating, and Sophia was thrown backwards. She lost her sword in the fall and was completely defenseless.
Alcanore leaped into the air, aimed his spear at Sophia’s head, pulled his weapon back to gain momentum for his attack, and dropped it down to finish off his opponent. Sophia closed her eyes as Alcanore went in for his finishing move…but he stopped his attack right as the tip of the spearhead was half an inch away from the gap between Sophia’s eyes. He then drew his spear away and put it back in its sheath, deactivated his shield, and offered his hand to help Sophia up. Sophia accepted and was pulled back to her feet.
“You’re a sprinter!” he said to her. “Your speed is impressive, especially considering you’re wearing those height extenders on your feet. However, you might not want to go in full force next time you challenge a tank. You’re quick, nimble, and agile. Use those abilities to hit and run. I would hate to see you fall to such a rookie strategy in your next battle.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sophia said sarcastically. “Also, they’re called high heels, not height extenders.”
Alcanore laughed at Sophia’s sarcasm.
“You definitely have spirit, and you were smart enough to attack me from the side rather than from behind. If you attacked me from behind, I would’ve taken that as a threat. But we Renex challenge each other all the time, to keep us alert and on our toes. I am flattered, but next time, give me more of a challenge. I do, however, want to apologize for ignoring you earlier today. It was nothing personal. I don’t trust outsiders very often.”
“I have looked up to you for a long time. I know I shouldn’t have taken it so personally, but I had to get your attention. I hope you understand.”
“Don’t worry, brave human! I had my heroes growing up too. So, please know that I am glad to hear that you have followed in my footsteps for so long. Now please, go get some rest, for tomorrow, we journey into the temple of Obian.”
Alcanore made his way to his hut. Sophia smiled; she felt giddy. Her dream had finally come true—a fight with the most feared warrior in the galaxy. Even if she did lose within the first few seconds, it was worth it. She walked over to her sword and put it in its sheath. She then made her way to her hut and retired for the night.
#
Nerd was a complete wreck. He had not slept in nearly two days, and it was breaking him down. He needed to get sleep if he was going to pull through tomorrow, but his mind would not shut up. He was worried sick about Sophia and knew that if he went to sleep, he would wake up to find out that his friend was dead.
An hour passed. Then two hours. Then three. Nerd’s thinking was getting worse, and he just couldn’t pass out. He was stuck awake, and he didn’t feel like there was anything he could do. However, as midnight approached, he received another text on his communication device.
