by Eileen Sharp
He counted the bungalows until he came to Caina’s. Would she be there? Or was she with Joshua?
He stood by her doorway, the sound of palm tree fronds rustling in the breeze and the distant, muted thunder of the surf filling his ears. He reached up and knocked on her door. After a few moments, he was about to give up, then the door slid open.
His heart jumped at the blush that rose on her cheeks. Her shorts skimmed her thighs, her thin shirt clinging to her curves. Her pale, honey-colored hair hung down her back, a strand tucked behind her ear. She was so beautiful, and he was sure she didn’t realize it.
“Hi,” he said. He had more to say but he didn’t know where to start, mostly because he didn’t know where he should.
“How did the memory thing go? Are you…did you remember anything?”
“Everything.”
She put her arms around him so quickly he rocked backward and then held her close. Her warmth went through him, reaching into the dark places of his mind and making the pain fade. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“I think I know where they took me—we might be able to find your dad.”
She let go to look up at him, her eyes filled with tears, her mouth trembling with emotion. “You know where he’s at?”
He nodded. “We think we do, yeah. I’m going to go talk to Joshua about it. We’re going to try to find him.”
She bunched up his shirt in her hands as she cried, putting her forehead against his chest. He was glad she would probably never know what the Nostekoi had done to her father. She would certainly never hear from him. It was painful enough to know that he was in captivity; she didn't need the horrifying details.
The thought of going back there brought back the terror, but he held her tight to comfort her, and maybe himself. Eventually her arms wound back around him.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
The moment she said it he knew he’d found something worse than falling back into their hands—the idea of Caina being at their mercy. “Not you.”
“He’s my dad.”
“Caina, I’m begging you. I can heal…I c-can get better, maybe. But not if they get you. Understand? I can’t do it. I c-can’t. I’d be done.”
She stared back at him for a moment, her gaze going to his mouth and back to his eyes, and in her gaze he saw the realization dawning. She knew--she knew how he felt and she couldn't look away.
He leaned down, hesitating for a moment, and when she didn't move, he kissed her. Her mouth was warm against his, and a little tentative. A fever hot rush swept through him as he deepened the kiss and she responded. He couldn’t think of anything then, just the curve of her back against his hand, and warmth of the kiss. Her body in his arms was more intoxicating than any med, clearing his mind from fear for just one moment, freeing him in a way that nothing else could. He pulled away, his heart beating fast. She swallowed, looking up at him and he almost wanted to laugh. He wasn’t the only one whose pulse was racing.
He kissed her one more time and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers in his hair, sending shivers down his spine. Letting her go, he put his forehead against hers, though they didn’t say anything.
He knew she was afraid they wouldn’t be able to find her father, or that the Nostekoi might take Cristian and Joshua too. A lot of things could go wrong, yet they couldn’t give up on her father.
“I can’t make any promises about your dad,” he finally said. “Or about me and Joshua coming back. But I want you to make one for me.”
“That hardly seems fair.”
“It isn’t. I w-want you to go to your cousins if things go badly. I don’t w-want you to be alone.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Then don’t leave me alone.”
“I told you, I c-can’t—”
“I don’t care. Say it anyway. Say you’ll come back.”
He sighed. “I will try to come back.”
“No. You will come back.”
He kissed her instead. “Take care. Stay safe.” He paused, not because he didn’t want to say the next words, but because he couldn’t stop himself. “I love you.”
“Big deal. I love you, too.”
He laughed, picking her up off the floor. “Big deal? Do you know how many girls I’ve said that to?”
“It better be just one.”
“It’s just one.”
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “And if you love me, you will come back.”
“I do love you. Now I’ve said it two times.”
“But just to me.”
“Just to you. And I really do.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, completely self-assured now, all the hesitation gone.
As he walked away from her, he kept the picture in his mind of her standing in the doorway, her long hair blowing in the warm breeze across her face. Some part of him wanted to keep that image, in case he needed it if things went wrong.
Chapter Sixteen
The Exchange
HE WAS GOING TO NEED more plasma, Joshua realized. He snapped his gun into the cruiser’s wall, watching the gun light up, the charging indicators glowing. He didn’t have time to resupply, and from what he’d learned from Cristian, brute force wasn’t the answer. For some reason, the Nostekoi wanted Joshua West. Well, they were about to get him.
Cristian sat in the pilot’s seat going over the navigation calculations. It had only been hours since Joshua had returned, and he needed to rest, so Cristian would have to take them most of the way. “Are we r-ready?” Cristian asked, turning around. His knee stuck out straight, still in a flexible cast.
Between the pain meds and the latent trauma that kept surfacing, Joshua wished he could have left Cristian back at the clinic. It wasn’t an option, unfortunately. Cristian was the only one who had been on Daedalus.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Joshua answered.
The cruiser whined to life and began moving out of the landing bay. Joshua lay back on the bunk, his hands under his head. He was so tired his bones felt like they were melting.
Kirk wanted to come with them, but he still had a normal life with parents who thought he was on a summer break, and a job waiting for him, so Joshua had said no. Shawn had buried himself in some hacking enterprise back at the clinic, plugging his ears with loud music and eating the junkiest food he could find. They all seemed safe enough on Apollux, to Joshua’s relief.
Behind his closed eyes, he could see red. When Cristian had described the way the Nostekoi soldiers moved in the training room, it was familiar. The red-eyed girl who nearly bested him in the landing bay back on Benning 5 had moved like that.
The girl he’d shot. Never in a million years did he imagine he could be so callous. He’d shot her without even thinking about it, some primal instinct he couldn’t control taking over him. Where had that come from? It was only green plasma, but still…his cold reflex surprised him.
His exhausted body claimed his brain, and he slept. It seemed like only moments later when Cristian woke him.
“I think I’ve f-found something,” Cristian said.
At first, Joshua thought the screen was malfunctioning. Half the screen was a pure, inky black. The other half was filled with red dust and sparkling suns. “Black hole?” he asked, taking a seat in front of the screen as Cristian navigated.
“Yeah….and I don’t want to get much closer.”
“Too bad about that. Let’s go in, follow that dusty stuff.”
They cruised towards the spiral galaxy, the inky black arms intertwining with the froth of galaxy debris. They moved closer to the sun in the middle of the scarlet haze. The first planet they came to was surrounded by countless rings of various widths that looked like sharp blades from a distance, and then melted into asteroid fields as they got closer.
“That’s one big planet,” Joshua said, awed at its mass.
They rode around the rings and swung out and back towards the steadily burning yellow sun. They passed two more planet
s before they found Daedalus, a benign little green planet with one moon.
“So, we’re looking for a b-big ship,” Cristian said, struggling to recall the view he’d seen outside the window when he was captive. It already looked exactly like it, and fear gripped him. It could be anywhere around here.
A communication indicator lit up on the screen. “They know we’re here,” Joshua said.
“W-we didn’t have to f-find them. They f-found us,” Cristian said.
The stutter was suddenly worse. Joshua put a steadying hand on his friend’s shoulder. Cristian’s terror must be spiking pretty high. “I’m not going to let them have you again.”
“Y-you don’t know th-them.”
“I’m getting my father back and they can’t have you, either.” He leaned over the console and opened the communications line. A voice came through, clear and authoritative.
“You’ve entered Daedalus territory. Your craft is not recognized. Please state your name and reason for traveling here.”
“Soooo unfriendly,” Joshua said softly. In a louder voice he said, “Joshua West. I’m here for my parents. I believe you are expecting me.”
“Stand by.”
“Yup,” he answered.
In a matter of seconds, the answer came back, “Please continue. An uplink is being sent you.”
When the data came in, he fed it to the navigation system and let the ship guide itself. To his surprise they were directed to the moon, not the planet. They stayed on the sunlit side, pulling in close to the surface.
Cristian was dead-white by now, his black hair making him look like a ghost.
“Did you bring any meds?” Joshua asked, hoping he didn’t sound condescending. He didn’t know how else to ask, and Cristian desperately needed something to calm down or he was going to explode.
Nodding, Cristian popped a cherry-colored strip in his mouth. “I’m s-sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re not here to do anything but get me to the surface. Don’t even leave the ship.”
“Y-you might n-need help.”
“Not today, Cris. Just relax. It’s going to be okay.” They both knew there was no reason for Joshua’s confidence. He should be afraid, but he wasn’t. His instincts were guiding him now, and he followed them recklessly, a curious blind trust that blotted out any rational thought.
They passed through the white haloed atmosphere, skimming down to the surface, the ship following the path provided by the Daedalus landing crew.
Getting closer, the surface rolled with black sandy dunes that glimmered darkly in the light of the sun. This might be the reason for the illusion of a hard surface. Two lights pierced the darkness and Joshua saw two towers. A landing grid lit up as they approached, and he eased down into it.
“If I don’t get out of this,” Joshua began, looking over at Cristian, “take care of Caina for me.”
Cristian didn’t hesitate. “I w-will.”
A voice over their speaker announced, “Land your craft at Dock 19. We have a crew waiting for you.”
“What about my father?” Joshua asked.
There was a pause, then the voice said, “I have no information on that at this time. Please land.”
Joshua’s fingers ran over the console. He glanced at Cristian. “Mind if I take over?”
Cristian took his hands off the controls and sat back.
“Control? That’s a negative on the landing.” He turned the ship around pulled off the surface. As he banked, heading toward space, he fought the urge to turn around. His father was there, he knew it. If they didn’t call his bluff he might never see him.
A different voice came back on. “We’ll have your father waiting for you when you dock.”
“I want to see him first,” Joshua said.
“Stand by.”
It didn’t take long before his father showed up on a small square of the Suki’s main screen. He looked haggard, bruises under both eyes. Joshua fought the anger and the desperation. He had to remain in control, no matter what they did.
“Dad? Are you okay?”
“Go back, son,” his father said, his voice strong and defiant. “There’s nothing you can do for me here!”
The screen abruptly disappeared.
“You have thirty seconds to enter the landing area,” the new voice said.
“Got that. Landing in….fifteen seconds.” He headed back towards the landing lights, his former confidence vanishing. They had only pretended that he’d held all the cards to lure him in, but he had little choice.
The landing lights led them into a tunnel. Lights flashed by them as they slipped through until the tunnel opened up to an underground bay. Curving beams rose like a beast’s ribs around the massive hull of the bay, supporting the dark rock walls. The floor of the bay lay covered in formations of ship squadrons that stretched out as far as he could see. Cristian’s shoulders sagged. They’d entered into the heart of the enemy, and the enemy was immense.
He found the dock marked nineteen, and lowered the ship into the space. He landed and shut down the engine. As it whined softly into a disappearing hum, Joshua stood up and pulled a plasma gun off the wall. He flicked it on, contemplating the red plasma that filled the chamber.
He closed his eyes, willing his heartbeat to quicken, his senses getting sharper. He heard Cristian get up and move towards the plasma guns.
He opened his eyes and held a hand out to bar Cristian, who protested, “You might n-need my help. Actually, I know you will.”
“I’m not coming back. Take my father to Caina.”
“W-what?”
“As my friend, swear to me you’ll get my father out of here. “
Cristian shook his head. “When d-did you decide this?”
“Just now.” He opened the door without waiting for a response. Maybe he’d always known he wasn’t going to get out of this. It would explain his confidence in the outcome.
He stepped out, his eyes wide and focused. A pale man with an aquiline nose and blue eyes stood in front of him, five figures in black behind him, their heads lowered. His father stood next to the blue-eyed man, his hands bound. He wore a crisp gray jumpsuit, and there were dried cuts on his face. More than anything, the expression on his father’s face made Joshua’s heart jump faster. Pure anguish pooled in his eyes, his mouth set in a firm line.
“Dad!” he called out.
The pale man nodded, and his father began to walk towards him. Joshua let go of his impulses, and in a blur of speed he reached his father before his first step fell.
“Son, you shouldn’t have come.” The familiar voice was hoarse, and even though Joshua could tell his father was afraid, there was a bit of relief in his eyes as well.
“Go to the ship. You need to go to Caina.” He embraced his father, feeling the thin body compress in his arms. “It’s going to be all right now.”
“Your mother is dead, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help her.”
“I know.”
Joshua held his father for one more moment, both of them holding back tears, then he let his father go. Stepping back, his father started to leave, then stopped. He said in a low voice, “Son, no matter what you learn, you decide who you are.”
As his father’s footsteps faded, Joshua became aware of everything else. Black uniforms moved with determined purpose around the Suki, and more deafening than the mechanical sounds that echoed off the cavern walls was the disciplined silence that reigned. This was a place of hallowed obedience; he could feel it prickling on his skin.
The five figures behind the blue-eyed man slowly lifted their heads and gazed out at him…with red eyes.
Shocked, Joshua stared back at them. His father’s words echoed in his head. No matter what you learn, you decide who you are.
He hit his cell. “Cristian, go now.” He heard the ship whine to life behind him. The blue-eyed man did not seem to care as the cruiser lifted from the floor and rose into the air.
Staring at the red-eyed figure
s, Johsua answered, “So here I am. What do you want?”
Among the figures the black-haired girl stared back him, her round face impassive. If she remembered the plasma hit she did not show any animosity, only an eerie calm.
“To train you,” the man answered.
All the pieces of what he suspected fell into place. The moment he’d seen the black-haired girl’s red eyes and her impossible speed, he’d known he wasn’t alone. There were more like him, and they were gathered here. Not only that—he barely understood what he could do with his abilities, but they had explored their powers completely, and had reached levels of skill he could only imagine. It didn’t matter, though. So what if they’d found him? He wasn’t going to become one of them. He’d die first, his abilities never discovered.
“I don’t want to learn anything you could teach me. You murdered my mother. I’m not doing anything for you,” he said, grinding his teeth. In a blinding movement he raised his hand and shot the blue-eyed man. The red plasma leaped out from the gun, reaching towards its target. Just as quickly, the five moved, almost faster than his supernatural vision could follow, moving the blue-eyed man. They circled him in a ring of black as the plasma shot harmlessly into nowhere.
He didn’t even know how, but he was on the ground, a knee on his chest and a hand on his throat. The gun skittered across the floor. A man with red eyes and blond hair stared down at him. His face was thin, almost cadaverous.
“Plasma is not the weapon of the Nostekoi.”
Joshua let the rage fill him. He kicked the man off and stood up. A fist moved behind him and he blocked it. His eyes sharpened, and he noted that their speed was increasing exponentially. He jumped up and flipped out of the circle, pushing himself to match the blinding blurs around him.
The black-haired girl moved in front of him and threw herself at his body. He stared down at her in disbelief, her speed too much for him to match. Chest to chest, hip to hip, she coiled one leg around his and brought him down. He fell, staring at the black silky hair that fell around him, and her crimson eyes.
