by Teya Tapler
“That must have been the reason. I don’t tolerate well some types of food and it was hard to tell what was on my plate. Otherwise we had a great time.” Alex said.
“I’ll pretend I accept that as an accurate representation of what really happened,” Ranshen hissed again. “What else did you do? Did you run your test?”
“Yes, and she passed with flying colors. Lin is the one I am after.” Alex said.
Chapter 11
As soon as they were back to the New York apartment Evan hurried to get out. The realization that she has been part of something terrible caught up with her once more. That time she didn’t see the faces of the potential victims but the victims were much more than in their first real life target: the list included all the inhabitants of the Eastern Australian Coastline in 2425.
The whole time Kevin was standing uncomfortably close to her. Whenever she lost her balance for a second his hands were there to catch her, touching her body to assure she was safe. On the inside, she cringed with fear and disgust, while on the outside she smiled politely and thanked him.
From her place in the hovercraft Evan didn’t see the pearls customary red glow or the crimson ray. She didn’t see the red sparks or the scarlet dust dispersing after the hit. She also wasn’t able to see the size of the metropolises or how densely populated the area was but she remembered seeing maps of Australia back at home in the 21st century. There were some really big cities there, from Cairns in the north to Melbourne in the south, including Brisbane and Sydney. The ray from the pearls had incinerated a 200 mile wide strip at the eastern part of the Australian continent.
Evan could barely stomach the event. Relieved that it was over she excused herself saying she needed some fresh air to relieve her headache from the trip and hurried outside. Finding a few seconds when Kevin was not around looking after her, she rushed down the permanently cold corridor, entered the elevator and pushed the ground level button. When the doors closed she pressed her back against the wall and took a deep breath with eyes closed. The flow of air through her lungs made her feel a little bit better. Interestingly there were no horrible images rushing in her mind. All she was seeing was the endless empty darkness she felt settling inside her heart. Her mind was still calm but the darkness was slowly making its way there too. Evan was on the verge of crying.
The elevator took her quickly to the ground floor and she rushed through the entry doors on the sidewalk. It was spring outside. The leaves of the trees in the park have just started to come up. Their buds were opening under the gentle late April sun. The park looked transparently green. You could see between the trees and the branches all the way to the other side of the park and yet you were aware of the still tiny leaves that were standing in the way of your sight.
She walked eastward on E26th street to Park Avenue South then followed it downtown for three block and swerved on E23rd street all the way to the parking lot near the cement plant by the water. Evan ran more than half of the way there and speed walked between her sprints. When she reached the place she was out of breath, her hair was sweaty, her red cardigan half unbuttoned and showing one of her t-shirt covered shoulders. She sat on the ground facing the water. She combed her hair with all ten fingers and adjusted her cardigan to make herself presentable.
Her heart was beating in her throat. Panic was about to set in. She needed someone to calm her down to tell her that everything was going to be all right, that what happened on the Australian coastline was only a dream and that she would wake up from the nightmare feeling normal and refreshed. Evan pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. The brisk run had tossed some of the creeping darkness and emptiness. Now her recovery was only a matter of time.
That parking lot was Evan’s secret place: the one spot where no one from the 906 Inquisitors was daring to come. They didn’t like walking on the streets, didn’t like the smell of the air close to the water, and were always sending her and Amanda to stock up the kitchen cabinets. It was on one of those shopping trips that Evan discovered the place. She noticed it from the other side of Ford Drive the day she and Amanda made a detour to see the coastline. It was cold and that triggered Amanda’s bad mood. If it was a warm or sunny day she would have agreed with Evan to go closer and even touch the water. That day all wrapped in her thick coat Amanda had looked and sounded grumpier than ever. Even though she had promised Evan to take her to see the water, Evan had to talk her into that again, promising her that she would make it up to her back in the apartment. Then Evan had thanked her for the opportunity to glimpse at the sea even from afar and had lugged all their purchases back on her own.
Evan liked the place and in the following weeks she had started to go there on her own. The scent of the water, the feeling of the wind against her cheeks, and the warmth of the seasonal sun were giving her strength to return to the apartment and continue pretending to be a reader.
The view returned her thoughts to the latest events. There she could see the other coast, distinguish the silhouettes of the structures and people there. From the hovercraft in Australia she wasn’t able to see anything other than water. The water was all around them. With the sun right above the hovercraft it was hard to say where was north or where was south. Sitting on the ground looking at the peers and the buildings at the opposite side of the East River she started sensing the weight on her shoulders. She felt personally responsible for what Mort and Ranshen had done. That time they didn’t ask her to choose the target, they had already agreed on that. That time they asked her if it was the right thing for them to do and whether that would elevate the image of their gang. They sounded like pop-stars wondering whether wearing red or blue on the stage would increase their fan base. Evan had accepted their question and later faked having a vision. Of course she had told them what they wanted to hear, that it was the thing to do. She already knew from Zander that was the second explosion the brothers had organized. Regardless of everything, regardless that those people were already doomed, regardless of the fact that it was impossible to prevent such a thing from happening Evan felt responsible, she felt as if she had personally killed every single one of the people who were on the East Australian Coastline at the time. She felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and guilty. She was ashamed.
Instinctively her hands covered her chest and she pressed the medallion hidden underneath closer to her heart. That was the same sun-shaped medallion she discovered in the lab coat pocket. Everyone knew that she had found it but no one had claimed it so she used a shoe lace to hang it around her neck. When she wore it, she felt protected from all the evil around her. She felt safe.
She wasn’t sure if it was protecting her that day. Her emotions and feelings were all over the place. That burden she had was too heavy for her and she felt crumbling under the responsibility and drowning in remorse. Looking for help, her eyes focused on the water closer to the other coast. There its deep blue color had a distinctive purple tint. The sun glistened off the surface leaving bright white spots while underneath the water was calmingly deep blue with that touch of deep purple. It made Evan wonder whether the water was actually blue with purple tints or purple with deep blue tints. It looked just like...just like ...Zander’s eyes.
It has been so long since she saw him last.
Evan stared at the water for a while, remembering the last time she had really gazed into his eyes. It was the night after Brittany’s party. She was driving back home in her car when she saw him at the side of the road … She remembered how at the time his words hurt her but his beautiful eyes soothed her pain, convincing her that everything was going to be all right, that they have a future together…
Evan tossed her head forcing herself to stop remembering. The memories that followed that beautiful moment were not pleasant at all. She didn’t want to think about the car crash or Zander in the hospital. She looked up at the sun, took a deep breath, then rested her head on her knees and started to cry quietly, her whole body trembling as she sobbed.
***
“Are you okay?” Evan heard a familiar voice and looked up. Emil was standing in front of her looking uncomfortable. The warm sun had made him unbutton the jacket and a t-shirt with a 70’s “Save the Planet” logo was peeking through the opening. His face looked worried. He was watching her like the big brother asked to oversee his younger siblings playing on a driveway close to a busy street. He was wondering if she was contemplating doing something crazy in the next five minutes.
“Are you okay?” Emil asked her again and sat down on the ground next to her. His hair was wet. He looked as if he had run around New York City looking for her.
Evan tossed her head and combed her hair with all ten fingers to remove the mixed-emotions, the bad memories and the rest of her dreadful thoughts. She looked at Emil. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and a few reddish spots from resting her head on her knees were covering her cheeks and forehead.
“Here take this one.” Emil pulled out a crisp white cotton handkerchief from the top pocket of his red jacket and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” Evan accepted the handkerchief and quietly blew her nose. When she looked up Emil was still nervous.“I’m all right.” She quickly cleaned her face. It was all so weird. She knew who he was when he hadn’t recognized her at all and yet he was so worried about her.
“Next time please let me know up front that you want to come here. This way I’ll come prepared with a lifesaver and a boat.” Emil tried to joke but his concern that she might be contemplating a suicide was hard to hide. “Would you like a cup of coffee? My treat,” he added still glancing nervously at her and at the nearby deep water.
“Sure. I promise to invite you along next time when I come to watch the water.” Evan made an effort to smile as she got up. Even if she couldn’t tell him the truth and had to build that relationship on a lot of lies, the thought that someone in that time period was honestly worried about her made her feel better already.
***
“Where have you been? Usually a headache disappears in less than two hours.” Ranshen hissed at her ignoring Emil’s presence. “My brother looked for you all over the place. He needs you in the lab to document our latest success.”
“I was in the park outside.” Evan lied into his face.
As she disappeared in the direction of Zull’s lab, Ranshen’s phone bracelet rang and he headed to his room. Alex was sitting on the bed waiting for him. When Ranshen entered Alex got up and started talking.
“There are some interesting developments you may want to hear about.” Alex said.
“I’m listening.” Ranshen said and offered Alex to sit down on the soft recliners in the corner.
“She was not in the park outside; she was staring at the water again. Just like every other time when she visited the same place.”
“Staring at the water?” Ranshen asked. “But she’s a reader, isn’t she?”
“I’m sorry to say sir but she’s not. I’ve personally verified that the rebellious reader group was casted into the open space and you also know that the readers never liked huge water spaces.” Alex said.
“Their vague explanation had always been that the vastness of the space was dangerous for their powers, mental control and sanity.” Ranshen said to himself. Dragging her to the hovercraft was a test. The only test Ranshen put in front of her and the only test that she failed. If after their return she had locked into her room, or hidden underground he might have believed her, somewhat, but she chose to run outside. She chose to go close to a vast body of water and stare at it. A real reader would have never done that. That girl was not a reader.
“She was very upset and cried for quite some time before Emil showed up,” Alex continued, “I think she was contemplating to kill herself.”
“This is very nice Alex. We might only have to force her into more sadness and depression and she’ll do us the favor of committing suicide.” The crocodile like smile graced Ranshen’s face as he hissed the last words.” As usual you have delivered an excellent service. I’ll personally take care of our little friend. You may consider your mission complete.”
“Thank you, sir.” Alex said and left.
Ranshen opened the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled the note he had recently found on his bed. The words “kill the girl after the third success” were written in his handwriting and even though he didn’t remember putting the message together its content felt right. He didn’t have to do much to push their little reader over the edge. She would do that on her own. All he had to do is make her watch another devastation caused by the pearls. Now faced with the truth about her, Ranshen was convinced that it will be best for everyone if Lin disappeared. And according to the latest news it wouldn’t be long until she killed herself saving them all the trouble.
Chapter 12
The wave from the explosion shook the starship.
The bright red, yellow and orange colors of the initial outburst gradually changed to the green, blue and purple flares of the secondary bang that dispersed the planet into the dark vastness of the space in milliard pieces. The area recently occupied by the small, clouds covered, green and orange planet of Taharni was now vacant. The serene place the peaceful nation of Taharnians called home was gone. No one even felt when the tiny debris floated by the bay window, hit the starship and disappeared without a trace. The whole planet had vanished.
The members of the 906 Inquisitors gang were on the deck with sunglasses on to protect their eyes from the harmful emissions that usually followed such events. For the observers away from the epicenter those infrared like emissions were the only thing spoiling the view. The rays were easily penetrating the ship’s shield and without an old-fashioned pair of sun-glasses covered with a silver-like gel coating would be fatally damaging the spectators’ eyes.
The group which was standing motionless in anticipation just a few minutes ago was now agitated and various expressions of astonishment, admiration, respect, pride and happiness adored their faces. Everyone was dressed in numerous shades of red from head to toe, all according to the group's rules.
Ranshen stood with his sunglasses pressed at the window, looking into the emptiness. His piercing gray eyes were focused on the spot where the planet stood peacefully just a few minutes ago. The scar running down from his left temple seemed to be pulsating with enjoyment and satisfaction. From behind, it seemed that it was Ranshen’a stare that had destructed the planet not the pearl’s ray amplified by the starship weapon’s system.
Zull Mort was sitting at the table, amidst the rest of the gang. He was the first to take his glasses off. Behind his crocodile-like smile, his freckled face looked happy. The black pen behind his ear moved in synch with his words.
“Gentlemen,” he said emphasizing his pride in every word, gradually raising his voice as he spoke with pathos and enthusiasm, “this is a great time for us. Before today, only the people and governments on Earth knew about us. Today the 906 Inquisitors became known throughout the Galaxy!”
“I’d like to suggest a toast to the 906 Inquisitors,” Ranshen added. He had moved closer to his younger brother. He had a bottle in his hand and was showing the typical family smile to the congregation. As if on cue Amanda entered the room and leaned on his left side. She gently stroke the cape over his arm.
“To us!” Zull Mort raised his bottle followed by the other four men in the room. Everyone stood up. The show has ended and they were celebrating its success.
“Ho-o-oray,” a melodic female voice raised above the rest.
“Amanda, Amanda,” Ranshen said, “you’ve been a joy to my eyes and are now a joy to my ears too. “Say it once more, my precious.”
Amanda smiled and repeated the melodic “Hooray” prolonging the vowels and making it sound like an ending of an opera aria. The men applauded.
“To us!” Zull Mort raised his bottle once more and the others followed him in the cheer.
Then it was quiet as everyone drank.
“To the 906 Inquis
itors!” Kevin’s voice broke the silence and the cheer erupted once more.
Emil only opened his mouth repeating the words silently. No one noticed that he had raised his hand a little bit lower than the rest of the group. He smiled with difficulty trying to hide his frustration and disapproval of the recent act.
“D’you think that we should go ahead and select another target?” asked Grakhun after the group sat down to enjoy some snacks with their drinks. The bearded giant was in his formal burgundy suit that matched the hue of his shirt, tie and shoes. That business attire matched his favorite activities; he was recently responsible for the latest economic and financial calamity in eastern Asia that had resulted in the increase of the Earth’s debt on the Galactic Markets, an event that brought lucrative payments to the Inquisitors.
“What d’you think Zull?” Telagh asked stroking his bald head and sharing a smile with sporadically missing teeth. “Should we pick a new target now or enjoy the ransom?” He adjusted the top of his red track suit as his single blue eye sparkled at the thought of more carnage and another amazing spectacle like the one he had just witnessed.
“We could always use more money, couldn’t we guys?” Zull laughed looking at the group. “This transaction worked fine, didn’t it?
Most of the men shouted in approval while Emil only nodded.
“It is nice being paid twice,” Grakhun said.” We are so lucky that only we the humans can harmlessly travel through the time and space. Now all the others are paying us for their timely errands.”
Since the discovery of the time travel many experiments and sacrifices were made before it was determined that the time and space travel was gentle only to the humans, for the humans didn’t experience any harmful side-effects and kept their biological age as of the initial transcast point in time even after a ten years long mission at their target destination. The other galactic nations were affected in unpleasant and unexpected ways. Some of them aged faster, others were losing their memories.
