by C. S. Nelson
The president leaned back in his chair, eyebrows raised. “Summer?”
“I overheard her conversation last night. She told a couple of breeders that she wanted me dead. To spread the word to kill me.”
The president didn’t appear to be overly surprised. “And you’ve come to me looking for…?”
Annie turned and gave Zed a look for a brief moment. She didn’t know if the president was playing his usual tricks, or if he genuinely wasn’t going to do anything. “I mean, I would love some help. Considering that we’ve become such good friends.”
The president made a face. “What are you expecting me to do?”
Annie had to take a deep breath to prevent herself from snapping at him. “You’re the most powerful man in the Shield. Please do something.”
“Annie, I may be the most powerful man in the Shield, but I am not the most powerful person. Summer calls the shots. In fact, the only reason I initially made any advances towards her was in hopes that I would gain some sort of power, which has ended up backfiring massively. It got me my presidency, yes, but I still follow Summer’s orders. She controls me, not the other way around.”
That wasn't the way it had sounded when Summer had been describing their relationship to the breeders the night before. One of them was lying. Somebody had to ultimately be in control. “So you’re telling me there’s nothing you can do for me?”
The president shrugged. “The Henderson family has owned the planet since the invention of the Shield. We all owe that family our lives. If Summer and I give the guards conflicting orders, they will follow Summer’s requests one hundred percent of the time. There is absolutely nothing I can do for you.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
The president swiveled back and forth in his chair, his fingers raised to his mouth. “Annie, I invited you to our meetings because you’re different,” I’m fiery. “You’re fiery. You’re wise beyond your years; you see the big picture. But more importantly, you got under Summer’s skin. I knew that I would have at least one person who stood behind me no matter what, someone that hadn’t been poisoned by Summer. You are one of the only people I trust in this fucked up place.”
Annie stared at the president in disbelief. He was saying a lot of kind words to someone who he was simultaneously telling that he couldn’t protect.
“There is no way for me to help you without putting myself in serious danger.” Annie opened her mouth, but the president held up a finger. “However, I am willing to make a deal with you…” Annie felt her body relax for a moment. “But your friend needs to leave the room.”
Annie turned and looked at Zed, who didn’t move a muscle. “I’m comfortable right here.” Zed said, his arms still crossed. Annie smirked at him. How he had become such a convincingly stubborn human being, she had no idea.
The president laughed. “Aren’t you two a feisty duo.” He motioned for Annie to come forward. She leaned closer. “I need you to kill Summer for me,” the president whispered so quietly that she wasn’t even sure she heard him properly.
Annie leaned back again. She wasn’t surprised by his request. No amount of betrayal could surprise her anymore, especially between those two. “No,” she said. She wasn’t going to be a part of their power trip. She wasn’t a pawn in their chess game. Annie had her own life to worry about.
“You didn’t let me finish.”
Annie threw her hands up into the air, ready to tentatively hear the president out.
“If you take care of this for me, there will be room on the ship for one of your friends to fill.” That stopped Annie for a moment.
“Anyone I want?”
The president grinned. “Well I don’t know who this fellow is.” The president gestured towards Zed. “But I know how desperately you’ve been wanting to save your boyfriend.”
Kevin. Annie had a chance to save Kevin. “If I kill her, I replace her on the ship,” Annie stated again, trying to run it through her mind. She needed to make sure he wasn't attempting to trick her. Were there any loopholes she was missing?
“You got it.”
Annie stood very still. What was she supposed to do? She wasn’t that person. She had never wanted to kill anyone. She hadn’t even taken enjoyment out of killing soul suckers. But the person that she was being asked to kill was someone who was also coming after her. A defensive move. Could Annie just murder someone in cold blood? The thought of holding a weapon to Summer’s temple made her skin crawl.
“I don’t know if I can,” she admitted.
“I know you can,” Zed said from behind her.
Annie looked up at the president, who was wearing the same sleazy smile that he always had on his face. She realized that she was falling right into his trap. She was going to follow through with exactly what he had befriended her for. But she didn’t care. She would do anything to save Kevin, who only hours before she thought she would never see again. “If you go back on your word, I’ll kill you too.”
The president laughed, holding out his arm to shake Annie’s hand. She grasped it firmly, staring him straight in the eye. She wasn’t joking. “Summer will be starting her town meeting any minute now. If you’re interested in taking her out, I suggest that would be a good place to start.” He dropped his hand from hers and clasped them together in front of his smile, as though he were in disbelief that his plan to take care of Annie had actually gone exactly how he had been hoping it would go. “I’m so thankful to have met you, Annie.”
Annie didn’t respond. Instead, she knocked over the inkpot that was on the president’s desk. She dipped her fingers in the ink and drew two lines on each cheek and one down the bridge of her nose, just as he had done for her a month before. She was an ace. She was not going to be fucked with.
Chapter 19: The Announcement
“That was the most bad-ass thing that I’ve ever seen.” Zed was excited. He had been waiting for a time like this. He felt like he was part of something, but more importantly, he was part of something with the humans. Annie was an outcast now, too. Annie needed to hide along with him.
“It wasn’t anything, really,” Annie said, feeling her face go hot. She had been impressed with herself as well. Months ago, she wouldn’t have dreamed of being so disrespectful towards the most powerful man in the Shield. But then again, she also wouldn’t have dreamed of being tracked down by Summer Henderson for sport. Annie missed the days when her biggest worry was getting caught sneaking out of the school to taunt the suckers with Dustan.
Zed snorted. “It was. Humans are so weak. No spine. Nobody ever wants to be the one to stand out in the crowd. I don’t get your species.”
“You’re telling me that there is no want to fit in among the…” She didn’t want to say soul suckers. She knew how much it hurt him. “What do you call your species?”
He smiled. “I guess translated to English you could call us the silver people.”
When they were in their soul sucker form, they did have a silver glow to their skin. But that was one of the last things an outsider would notice about their species. First, one would recognize the stomach-churning grin that was often spread across their face. Their teeth, sharp canines that filled their mouths, ready to tear anyone apart that dared to get close to them. It looked as though they were constantly mocking their enemy. They knew that they were going to kill the humans, the humans knew that they were going to kill the humans, and their smile was the last thing one would see as they took a life. Secondly, one would notice their long, knife-like fingers. Sharper than any razor blade created by man, just the touch of one of their fingers would draw blood. Annie’s eyes drifted down to the three scars running across her triceps. The last thing that she would use to describe the soul suckers was their silver skin. “That makes you sound a lot less dangerous than you are.”
“Is it possible that maybe we aren’t as dangerous as you think we are?” Zed asked.
Annie laughed aggressively. “No, I don’t think that’s po
ssible. Your people killed over eight billion of us.”
“Eight billion humans that were sent over in massive ships, who stepped foot on this land and claimed it to be their own. Eight billion people who poisoned the land, diseased the sky, infected the water. Eight billion people who put their own singular needs above an entire species. It was never for the good of the group, with you. Every decision made was a selfish one.
“My ancestors, my people, considered the jaguar to be sacred. The saddest day in our history was when the last one died off. In human time keeping, it was June 9th, 2127. Can you remember what was news that day for the humans?”
Annie shook her head. She hadn’t been alive. No one that she had known had been alive. “Something to do with World War IV?”
“There was news about the fourth world war, yes. There was also celebrity news, and stories about an upcoming election. There was nothing, anywhere, addressing the death of the final jaguar. The saddest day in our history, and your species wasn’t even aware of it. That was the day that we determined as a species that we needed to stop the humans. We couldn’t hide and wait it out anymore. We couldn’t wait for you to kill yourselves off.”
“And it was the next year that you had started your attack,” Annie thought out loud. She had been taught about the first day of the attack every year that she had been in school. The soul suckers had risen from the ground like worms, slicing and murdering and stealing the souls of everyone in sight. There was no place on Earth that was safe. Humans had known, before the sun had even set that day, that it was the beginning of the end. And here Annie was, two hundred years later, facing the end of the end.
“We couldn’t watch you destroy our planet anymore.”
“And you just realized you could suck the life straight out of us?”
“We always knew that we had that capability. We would do it for those of us who were dying, and some times for animals, but we worked hard not to abuse it. We chose to do it to allow souls to live on inside of us, as opposed to doing it for our own personal gain.”
“So…once you take someone’s soul, they’re still alive in there?” Annie felt her stomach sink. Had the creature that had killed Anthony have a piece of him still living on inside of it? Could they have somehow brought her best friend back had they not murdered the creature that had stolen him?
“No, once they’re gone, they’re gone. But we can feel the energy…” Zed looked off into the forest on the other side of the Shield. “The one time I…killed that boy…” He ran his fingers across his face. “I felt so strong, so powerful. Like all of the life that he had inside of him had been transferred over to me. I had never felt that amazing in all of my lifetime, and I doubt I ever will again.”
Annie watched Zed. His eyebrows were creased, and his mouth grimaced. She realized in that moment how difficult it must be for him, knowing that he would never feel that way again. It sounded like it wasn’t just an option for the silver people. It was an addiction.
“It becomes an addiction. The reason that I’m so against what my people are doing now, Annie, is because we’re no longer doing it to save Earth. We killed enough of you to bring the life back to the planet. Earth is slowly but surely healing itself. There’s no reason to keep murdering innocent beings. Now, we’re doing now to you exactly what we sought out to destroy in 2127.”
Annie was trying to understand it from the silver people’s perspective. And she realized very quickly how right they were. Humans had been put on this planet from the people of Mpho through selfishness. They were destroying their own planet, and rather than changing their ways, had determined that taking over another planet was their best option. Annie could only imagine the soul suckers seeing massive ships arriving, dropping off confused humans, and then watching as these people took over the planet.
“If it makes you feel so good, why don’t you just consume the animals?”
“We had made a vow, Annie. As old as time itself. We would never harm innocent creatures. We lived in harmony with the Earth. Nothing feared us on the planet. Every being trusted us with their lives, as we trusted them with our lives. Then you arrived and ruined the balance of things. You made us monsters.”
“You talk like you were there,” Annie commented. She was quickly realizing that she knew nothing of the original inhabitants of the planet. She had been raised to hate the soul suckers. She had been told that all the pain and suffering in the world had been caused by them. But it was them. The humans. They had caused it all. They were the aliens. The more Annie heard about her own species, the less she felt the need to go home.
“I wasn’t, but I’ve heard stories. I’m a baby in my people’s time.”
“And what are you in my people’s time?”
“Well we don’t really do ages, per say,” Zed laughed uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head. “We do rankings.”
It took statements like that to make Annie realize just how different she was from the being standing in front of her. He looked just like her. If he had never cut himself in front of Annie, she would have still believed that he was a boy who wandered over from another Shield. But it was a façade. He had murdered someone to look the way he did.
“And what ranking are you?” Annie asked.
“I’m the lowest in my family. The youngest of my brothers and sisters.”
“Out of how many?”
“Twenty-six.”
Annie grinned. “So you chose the name Zed, then?”
Zed beamed; satisfied that someone had finally understood how clever he was. “It was my tribute to the English language.”
“So you’re the lowest ranking in your family. Do they know that you’re missing?”
Zed looked confused. “I’m not missing. I go back and visit my family all the time.” They had reached the crowd that had gathered in the town center. The citizens of the Shield were confused. It was supposed to be just an average day: why was a meeting being called? Often when impromptu meetings were held, it was due to a tragedy. Annie remembered the last one. A little girl had wandered outside of the Shield and had been missing for hours. They found her body eventually, so mangled that she couldn't even be properly identified.
“Well, you can’t keep going to see them,” Annie huffed angrily. People surrounded them now. They needed to be quiet.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You can’t keep traveling…” She pulled him closer. “Through our Shield,” Annie whispered. “What if one of them follows you? What if they realize that they can get through?”
Zed shrugged. “I’m not just going to stop seeing my family because you don’t think it’s safe for you. How am I supposed to explain where I went for an entire month when they ask? Once you leave, my life here continues.”
Annie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to argue with him about it in this setting. “We’ll talk about this later,” she hissed. Annie watched Summer Henderson walk onto the stage. “You need to keep watch, Zed. In case any of her ‘friends’ tries something.”
Zed nodded. Annie doubted very much that any of the breeders would be stupid enough to attempt an assassination at the most populated place in the Shield. But as Annie eyed her alien friend, she realized that it never hurt to be too careful.
Summer was wearing bright pink heels that looked as though they were brand new, with a matching pink dress covered with a white jacket. Her blonde hair was perfectly curled, and her lips were so brightly colored that Annie could see them from across the square. She wondered, as she always did when she saw Summer’s clothing, why Annie was forced to wear hand-me-downs that were stained and torn, along with the rest of the Shield.
But nobody else seemed to think the way Annie was thinking, because as soon as the audience noticed Summer on stage, everyone began cheering. Summer smiled, almost sweetly, waving her hand at everyone and mouthing the words ‘thank you’ over and over again. Why was she so popular? Because she was distantly related to someone that ha
d invented something that was barely working anymore? She had done nothing to deserve the celebrity status that she had been given.
The cheering eventually subsided, with no encouragement from Summer to quiet down. “Thank you all very much for attending today’s meeting. I’m sure you’re all wondering why you have been called here today.” Complete captivation from the crowd. “I have the great pleasure of letting you know that the ship from Mpho is arriving in twenty-seven days.”
There was a thunderous applause from the citizens in the Shield. Annie looked around, feeling the energy from everyone. She grinned and hugged people around her just as they were all doing. But inside she knew the truth. None of these people would be going home. Their nightmare was just beginning.
Annie turned and looked at Zed, who was also smiling. He was clapping hands with the boys, and picking up the girls. He just wanted to be one of the humans. He was content to simply interact with them. He knew, just as well as Annie did, that all of these people were going to be shipped off in twenty-seven days for another sick experiment. But he was so much better at acting than Annie was. He was truly amazing.
“This is truly a historical day for us all.” Summer grinned, throwing her fists up into the air. “I have even more good news for you, friends, family, neighbors. From this day forth, your careers will be forgotten.” More thunderous applause. “No breeders, teachers, guards, administrators, chefs, farmers, and so on and so forth. We will relax; we will share our food and drink. We will come together and bond like we’ve never had an opportunity to before. I want the next twenty-seven days to be the most relaxing of your lives.”
Not for Annie. The next twenty-seven days of Annie’s life would be the most stressful, the most on edge. How was she supposed to relax? When would she have time to sleep? Her only hope would be that Zed wouldn’t leave her side. But he had already told her that he needed to go home. He gained nothing from helping her, so why was he?
She watched him as he celebrated with the humans. Did he simply want to be one so badly that he was willing to do whatever it took? Or did he genuinely feel bad about the slaughter of the human race. Annie wasn’t even sure if she could blame the soul suckers anymore. If another species had come to Earth and destroyed everything that the humans knew, they would have done their best to slaughter the intruders as well. Hell, from the history books, the humans had been slaughtering each other over a lot less. Four world wars, terrorist bombings, shooting after shooting. Maybe humanity wasn’t as beautiful as they had thought. Maybe it was for the best that the human race disappears from the planet.
