by Mikayla Lane
“Wow,” Deanna whispered as she counted on her fingers again and watched the area go dark in her brain. “So it doesn’t turn me into a zombie or anything when it takes control, does it?”
Tryne snorted, earning a glare from Haruki.
“Of course not,” Haruki assured her. “It only acts to make sure you’re safe and not in need.”
“But isn’t that what you do? You fix the ones who go bad? Like, Ainsley? How do I know if mine is defective?” Deanna asked Haruki.
“My daughter was an extraordinary circumstance brought on by a Dark Prime and not because her beast was anomalous. It is rare that a beast is . . .” Haruki had begun before he was interrupted by Tryne.
“The Dark Prime is on Terra?” Tryne demanded.
Haruki narrowed his eyes at the man.
“How do you know of him?” Haruki shot back.
“We’ve heard much of him through the legends of other worlds and had hoped he was dead. He corrupted your child? For what purpose?” Tryne asked.
“He’s been capturing our hybrids and corrupting their beasts to seize power over Earth. My daughter was one of his victims,” Haruki admitted, wondering what they knew that might help him defeat Satalis.
“That is the child that Alderic helped at the Talunaha?” Tryne asked.
“Yes. My brothers and I rescued her and a few others Satalis had harmed,” Haruki agreed before figuring it was his turn for questions. “Is there anything in those legends or rumors that talk about a weakness or a way to find and kill him?”
Tryne sighed and shook his head.
“I wish there were. All we’ve heard are horror stories about what he did on other worlds before he was captured. I will have a few of our brethren seek out those with knowledge and see if they know anything that can help you,” Tryne offered. “Alderic said it was a Prime child. Are there many Prime on your world?”
“Yes, Ainsley is a Prime. We have quite a few of them, including their leader, Abexis. She’s been working with us to catch Satalis,” Haruki admitted, sensing that the Dranovian knew something.
Tryne shook his head and sighed heavily.
“We’ve not seen many Prime on any of the other beast worlds. To have so many as well as the dark prime with the convergence coming, doesn’t bode well for Terra,” Tryne said with concern.
“What is a Prime? I don’t have one do I?” Deanna asked.
Dr. Chatok took Deanna’s hand and pulled her away from the two men.
“A Prime is a highly evolved beast. They are very rare, and you don’t have one,” Dr. Chatok assured her. “Your beast is in perfect health, as are you.”
“This is all so crazy,” Deanna said as she looked at the walls where her brain had been displayed earlier.
“Come, let’s go back to your friends and I will answer any questions you have,” Dr. Chatok offered.
“Yeah, I want to see them. Does Dog or Harry have a beast?” Deanna asked the doctor as they headed towards the door.
Deanna stopped and looked back at Haruki to make sure he was coming with them. Being on this crazy world was well and good, but only so long as he was beside her.
Haruki nodded at Tryne.
“I’d like to learn more of what you know of the Prime if you have the time,” Haruki said, hoping Tryne would follow them back so he could pick his brain.
Tryne nodded and moved towards the door where Deanna and the doctor were waiting for them.
Haruki reached Deanna’s side and smiled down at her when she took his hand and pulled him out the door. Tryne kept pace beside him.
“I’m not very familiar with the Prime. No one really is. If you’re working with Abexis, you probably know more than we do about them,” Tryne said, continuing their earlier conversation.
“Are they as powerful here as they are on our world?” Haruki asked.
Tryne laughed and shook his head in amazement.
“You must tell me of the power the Prime used. Here, no one has ever done anything to make a Prime display their abilities. I think it’s the fear of the unknown that allows the prime to go into the most dangerous of our communities unscathed,” Tryne admitted.
“You’ve never seen any of their power?” Haruki asked in surprise.
So much for getting any information out of him, Haruki thought in frustration.
“Never. I can’t think of anyone who has. The few we have on the Tri-Worlds keep to themselves, and no one has dared to disturb them. They also don’t get into any trouble so they don’t exactly cross paths with the Order,” Tryne explained.
“Do you have a lot of problems with so many beast species? I’ve seen more Dranovians here than I ever thought existed,” Haruki asked.
“There is 20 billion beast bound on Dakken’, 11 billion here on Dranar, and another seven billion on Daetz’. At least 24 billion are from every other beast world, and four are from other worlds entirely,” Tryne explained as they went back into the other building. “Some came here to avoid the punishment on their world for being anomalous, others because the rules were just too strict for their free-spirited ways, and many others because they are damaged in some way and are looking for the freedom to disappear. Most are peace loving and law abiding, the rest make enough trouble for the entire population.”
Haruki shook his head at the numbers. He hadn’t realized just how many beast bound inhabited these three worlds or how lawless it could be.
“Why would you have any anomalous if you can fix them?” Haruki asked.
“Most are brought to us far too late to help them. Once the beast and host are matured, there is nothing that can be done. However, due to the unique energy of our worlds, the progression of corruption can be halted, and with determination and practice, a host can keep an anomalous under control more easily here,” Tryne explained, pouring himself another glass of Scilian. He offered another one to Haruki.
“Thank you,” Haruki said as he looked over to where Deanna was speaking to the doctor, Dog, and Harry.
“Haruki?” Mikal asked in his mind.
“Are you well? Is Ainsley all right?” Haruki asked.
“I’m sending her and the humans to you. We got some shit going down here, and I’d feel a lot better if you and your family stayed there with the humans rather than come back through the portal right now,” Mikal suggested.
“What is wrong?” Haruki demanded as concern overwhelmed him. “I should be there to help.”
“You’ll do more to help by making sure the humans are OK when they get to your end. I can’t make this long, so I’m asking you to trust me, brother,” Mikal said, the tension in his voice coming through clearly.
“With my life,” Haruki assured him.
“Then meet the humans and Ainsley at the portal,” Mikal said before their communication was broken.
Haruki looked at Tryne and knew by the concern on his face that Alderic must have said something to him as well. The Dranovian put his drink on the table and nodded at Haruki before he headed towards Dog, Harry, and Deanna.
Chapter Eighteen
Haruki weaved through the crowd of humans until he reached Deanna’s side. He leaned down to whisper in her ear when Tryne whistled loudly and clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“Alderic said the situation at the Terran Talunaha has become dangerous and he’s sending the other humans through the portal. We’re going to need everyone’s help there immediately. Call your teams. All of them,” Tryne ordered before the room erupted in activity and whispers.
Tryne moved through the quickly scattering humans until he stood in front of Haruki, Deanna, Dog, and Harry.
“Come, we need to head back before the humans get there,” Tryne said as he gestured to the main door everyone was leaving from.
“What’s happened?” Dog asked.
“Is everyone all right? What went wrong?” Harry probed Tryne as they headed to the door.
“The Sotier merely said that the situation was too
dangerous to keep the humans inside the mountain,” Tryne assured the nervous men.
They left the building and descended the stairs to the many monorail vehicles that were waiting at the bottom.
“How did they get here so fast?” Dog whispered as he looked at them.
“They are powered by the energy of the Talunaha so we are able to communicate with them, in the same way, we would if talking on the shengari’,” Tryne explained, though Haruki was the only one who appeared to understand.
Moments later they were once again speeding through the forest, heading back towards the pyramid and the portal.
“What happens now?” Deanna asked as she smothered a yawn.
“It would probably be best to get everyone to the welcoming center until the situation on Terra is stabilized,” Tryne said, obviously distracted as he looked out the window.
“That wasn’t the welcoming center?” Dog asked incredulously as he pointed back where they’d come from.
Tryne turned to Dog, giving them his full attention.
“No, that was the Council of Human Affairs Building,” Tryne replied. “The Welcoming Center is a fully functional replica of a Terran hotel. It’s where all humans spend their first weeks or months on the tri-worlds while they acclimate and learn about our society.”
“Why a hotel?” Harry asked, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“I believe Helena called it a one-stop shop where the humans could pretend to still be back on Terra while they adjusted. The food regulators are able to reproduce Terran cuisine, there’s vid centers in every room and common areas that show Terran television and movies. It’s also staffed solely by humans, doctors and counseling professionals to assist in their transition,” Tryne explained.
“You mean I can still watch all my shows?” Harry asked with a disbelieving snort.
“There is a delay on anything recently released, but we have just about everything ever recorded on permanent storage in our Terran library. Movies, music, TV shows, and even news reports, such as they are, can be watched at any time,” Tryne said with a small grin.
“Not a fan of human entertainment?” Haruki guessed.
“I’m a believer in what’s real. Nothing I’ve seen of Terran entertainment reflects anything born in reality from what our humans have told us,” Tryne replied.
“There're reality shows,” Dog countered.
“You’re amusing,” Tryne said with a laugh.
“I’m serious. There’s a few I’ve heard aren’t too bad, and reflect real people,” Harry replied.
Tryne looked at Harry like he’d lost his mind.
“Wow . . . you guys must really hate those shows,” Harry said.
“No! We consider them like the Terran cartoons for adults. How can they be real when all of the characters have about as much substance as an animated dog?” Tryne asked, truly curious.
“I don’t watch that shit either so I don’t know,” Harry admitted. “I was just curious why it irks you so much.”
“It is not your entertainment that bothers me,” Tryne said. “I’m just concerned over the situation at the Terran Talunaha and taking it out on your entertainment. I am a big fan of your rock and roll. We have many establishments on the Tri-worlds dedicated to some of your music genres.”
“You have bars?” Dog asked in surprise.
“Not like those on Terra,” Tryne assured them, thinking of that show he saw where everyone knew each other’s name in the bar. “They are more like eating, trading and shopping places, but a few will let you sing and dance.”
They reached the bottom of the pyramid just as Meeka and Strafe came running down the stairs towards them. Sensing something was wrong, Haruki opened the door and ran towards the two Dranovians.
“She’s a Prime! Get her under control before she scares the shit out of everyone!” Meeka snapped at Haruki the moment she saw him.
Haruki heard the screams and shouts of those in the plaza around them and looked up to where they were pointing. At the top of the pyramid, he could see blinding flashes of light, and he started running to the top, knowing that his daughter was there. He saw a flash of movement to his left and saw Tryne running beside him with Meeka and Strafe following close behind him.
“Don’t you touch my daughter!” Haruki growled.
“Hell, I wouldn’t dream of it! I want to see what she’s doing!” Tryne replied with a laugh.
“Dad!” Ainsley screamed.
Haruki ran faster until he reached the top and stopped short at the scene in front of him. The terrified scientists were all huddled within a large energy bubble that Ainsley had erected around them. The shield was sparking and popping dramatically from the power Ainsley was using while a ring of Dranovians and humans surrounded her at a cautious distance.
“Ainsley!” Haruki shouted to get her attention. “I’m here, baby. Everything is OK. You gotta quit with the power show, though because you’re scaring the nice people. Just sift their energy, and you’ll see we’re safe.”
Ainsley’s terrified eyes darted around the Dranovians that circled her, and she shook her head.
“No, Dad. They came rushing at us the moment we came through the door!” Ainsley protested.
“She’s right! I thought they were going to kill us!” one of the scientists inside Ainsley’s bubble whispered.
A few others piped in with their agreement, and Haruki sighed heavily at the misunderstanding that could have gone way worse.
“Honey, we were all rushing to get here before you came through the portal. We didn’t know you were already here or I would have warned you. Trust me, daughter of my heart, that I would never let anything hurt you,” Haruki whispered.
Without waiting for her reply, Haruki walked right up to her energy shield and began to move his hand through it. He only got within inches before the shield disappeared and Ainsley popped into his arms.
“We were so scared,” Ainsley whispered against his neck.
“It’s OK, honey. You did real good. We’re safe here, and the people are friendly,” Haruki assured her.
“You’re a very special girl if your first thought was to protect those who couldn’t defend themselves. You’d make an excellent Dranovian,” Tryne said with a smile before he bowed in front of her. “I am Tryne, welcome to the Tri-worlds, young Prime.”
“Oh! Thank God she’s all right!” Deanna huffed as she reached the top of the pyramid, then sank to the ground to sit.
“You ran to the top?” Ainsley asked as she saw the sweat on Deanna’s red face. “Is it that big?”
Deanna tried to laugh, but it came out kind of strangled as she attempted to catch her breath.
“For us mere mortals, it’s way too big to run up,” Deanna replied.
“Are you all right?” Meeka asked as she peered down at Deanna.
“Why the hell aren’t any of you even breathing heavy?” Deanna shot back.
She knew it was irrational, but she was annoyed that she was ready to pass out while everyone else looked like they had taken a leisurely stroll around a park.
“Once you bond with your beast you will be able to do the same thing,” Haruki assured her.
He and Ainsley walked over to her while Dog, Harry, and a dozen other humans finally reached the top of the pyramid and headed directly to the newly arrived scientists.
Haruki just reached a hand down to help Deanna up when Tryne whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“In less than 45 seconds a UFO will be landing on this platform,” Tryne shouted out and paused while everyone gasped. “We will all get inside and travel to the Human Welcoming Center where everything will be explained to you. Those around you that you don’t recognize are humans just like you, or Dranovians like me, and can begin answering any questions you may have. Please follow me.”
A much larger craft landed, this time, taking up half of the platform and the scientists looked at one another fearfully. None of them moved.
>
“This one is bigger than the other one we were in!” Dog shouted as he nudged Harry.
“Oh! Yeah! It is!” Harry said with a forced chuckle. “We’ve been here for hours guys, and this place has been awesome!”
“They’re right,” Deanna quickly agreed, seeing the hesitant interest in the scientists. “You should see the way they build their homes and buildings. Come look down at this and tell me it doesn’t look exactly like an ancient city on Earth.”
Three of the scientists took hesitant steps towards Deanna while the others remained where they were.
“Oh come on you old geezers!” Harry growled as he pulled two others towards the edge of the pyramid so they could get a better look.
It didn’t take long for the questions to start flying and the wonder in their voices drew the most reluctant to the edge to see what all the fuss was about. They were still standing there 20 minutes later when Tryne whistled again.
“We really need to go so everyone can get settled. If you enter the craft, you can see an excellent view of two of our major cities before we reach the Welcoming Center,” Tryne said.
Although there wasn’t much of an inflection in his voice, Haruki could tell that Tryne was getting irritated and he couldn’t blame the guy either. He was beyond exhausted, worried for his brothers and in need of food. He didn’t feel like standing out here all night.
“He’s right!” Haruki called out. “Let’s all get somewhere that we can talk comfortably.”
“I’m going in the UFO,” Harry called out as he headed towards the still waiting craft.
Dog strode beside him, and it wasn’t long before they were speeding through the sky with every available window space covered with a human face as they peered outside.
Haruki leaned back in his seat and sighed as he pulled Deanna closer to him on one side and Ainsley on the other. He closed his eyes, glad for the temporary peace and the rest.
He was also grateful that Tryne was standing in the middle of the oval-shaped craft and calling out the sites below to the humans who were taking it all in at the windows.
