[scifan] plantation 06 - plantations origins

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  ERIC

  Eric stormed into command deck, wielding a mini cyclone in his left hand. Every muscle in his face and body was taut. Veins throbbed in his temples.

  He walked over to Zarok who sat at the flight console. The Lagerian lord did not betray shock to see Eric so enraged. He merely motioned the rest of his officers to leave.

  Zarok took a sip from a Lagerian goblet. “Wine,” he said, swirling the liquid under his nose to take in the aroma. “It would redeem humanity even if it was their only creation.”

  It was clear that Zarok already knew what had happened with the orb.

  Eric raised his hand. His energy cyclone hissed. “Blink the wrong way, Zarok, and I will let loose.”

  Zarok turned to face him. “I hear there was a showdown in the Dark Chamber this morning. Oddly, our sensors failed to record sound or image. We only have what the orb mirrored.”

  Eric braced for swift action. Everything Freya had said rang true. He could feel Zarok’s true nature now, as if a veil had been removed. He was a ruthless master of deception, much like Eldaria and her minions.

  “Nalok was soft on you,” Zarok said. “His exposure to human emotions impaired his judgment.”

  Eric made every effort to cool his temper. “You can keep your precious dark stone,” he said. “I’ll even let you keep Aspis, but I will not be joining you in your quest for supremacy.”

  Zarok stared at Eric for what seemed an eternity. “Do you not think I would have ways to keep you here, son of Nalok?”

  Eric grinned as the cyclone’s speed doubled. “Call me that one more time,” he warned Zarok. “I dare you.”

  “You dare me? The manner of your speech seems foolish. You might not believe it, Eric the hybrid, but I would die before I let my species perish. Would you not do the same for the Earth tribes?”

  Eric shrugged. “It depends on the day.”

  Zarok turned his attention back to the flight console, as if the matter with Eric was of little importance. “You will fulfill your destiny. I am patient. You are genetically susceptible to the powers of the stones, Eric. You can fight that if you choose, but in time you will claim your birthright.”

  “See it any way you want,” Eric said as he extinguished the cyclone. “Freya and I will be leaving. If you try to stop us, we will destroy Aspis and everyone on it.”

  Eric marched to the door determined to find Freya and get off the damned space vessel as soon as possible.

  “There are things we could do,” Zarok’s voice thundered behind him. “And then there are things we have to do. Leave now and you will never learn how to extend the lifespan of Freya, the self-named mutant of the woods.”

  Eric stopped cold in his tracks.

  “Yes,” Zarok taunted him. “I know about her expiration date. In fact, the bit of genetic editing that turned her into a time bomb was my contribution.”

  It all made sense now. Zarok and Eldaria had been working together against Nalok. Aspis had come out of stasis long before they had claimed.

  Eric spun around to grab Zarok’s arm. “You chose the wrong side,” he told the alien. “You’ll regret both your words and your actions.”

  The Lagerian lord put his hand on top of Eric’s hand. “You are making a mistake. Without my help, Freya will die and it will have been your choice.”

  Eric pulled away from Zarok. “What would stop me from extracting the information to override your genetic editing from you? If you have been watching, you’ll have discovered I am no stranger to violence.”

  Zarok chortled. “I’ve already told you I would die to ensure the future of my species. You would do good to believe me.”

  A deep line creased Eric’s brow. “And I’d happily kill you to ensure the future of my species.”

  “As well you should, Eric, but I am necessary to the survival of both species as are you. I will save the girl. She will have a long life. In return, you will restore Lageria’s glory and sit on the throne. There are worse fates.”

  Eric felt an invisible noose tighten around his neck.

  “I would not intervene to save a human,” Zarok went on. “Especially the leader of a rebellion that claimed Lagerian lives. Your connection to Freya will only slow you down. But if it is the only way, so be it.”

  “Go to hell, Zarok. Lagerians don’t sacrifice themselves. You are not wired that way. The moment you feel the jolt of my electromagnetic field, you will forget your promise.”

  Zarok activated a hovering screen. “You asked once why we brought Freya to Aspis. The answer is for this moment. To ensure our survival, I performed further gene editing during her transfer to Aspis. I have accelerated her degeneration. Your recent battle only shortened her life. That is the very reason I wanted her to have the receptor.”

  Eric lowered his head. His mouth grew dry like sand. Ice sprang from his palms, turning into shards that flew from his hands to Zarok’s hands, knocking the receptor from the alien’s grip.

  Zarok reached for his console. The shards dissolved into a massive force field that lifted Zarok off the ground and tossed him over the console and into the wall with a thud.

  Eric smashed the glass case that contained the ancient three-edged sword, retrieved it and wielded it gracefully. He let the sword’s sharp tip come to a rest against Zarok’s skinny neck.

  Zarok groaned. For all his poise, he was no match physically for Eric. Degeneration was eating away his bones and muscles as well.

  “Understand this,” Eric hissed. “There is no curse or spell or black stone magic you could ever design that would keep me from protecting her. No matter what it takes, you will restore her genetic code.”

  “Kill me or anyone on Aspis and she dies. Walk away and she dies. I’ve had guards on her since she first woke on Aspis.”

  “You’ll not contain me, son of whatever dark force spawned you.”

  Zarok struggled to stay composed as the sword punctured the skin above his throat. “Take the dark stone and give me back my vitality. Then I will restore Freya’s genetic code.”

  The sword cut deeper. Zarok’s blood flowed freely, staining the blade.

  “Dying like this is more noble than letting you walk away from your destiny,” Zarok hissed. “Cut deep, young lord.”

  Zarok was not bluffing this time. Eric had to choose. Fast.

  The only thing he was sure of was that Freya must not die. If the only chance for that was with this vile Lagerian lord, then he must not die either.

  He lowered the sword, his eyes smoldering. “Nothing happens until you reverse all changes you made to Freya’s genes, she is returned to Earth and her genetic health is confirmed by my man Theo.”

  Zarok wiped the blood off his throat with his sleeve. “That’s better.”

  Eric retrieved Zarok’s receptor from the floor. “I am not under your control anymore,” he said. “My eyes are open. It will be much harder to manipulate me again.”

  “I will need that,” Zarok said, pointing at the receptor, “to heal the wound you inflicted.”

  Eric weighed the receptor in his hand. “The part I don’t get is why would you want me on your throne? I mean, if I restore your power, why?”

  “That will be obvious at one point,” Zarok said. “The receptor, please?”

  Eric considered the receptor once more before throwing it to Zarok.

  The leader of free Earth walked out the sliding door as he heard the receptor hum to life behind, healing the Lagerian high lord.

  Eric stopped at a viewing window. Inside a control room, he spotted a flight graph on the wall. He moved closer to the glass, mentally analyzing the encoded sequences. Fury returned to his cheeks.

  The Aspis was on course for Lageria.

  He slapped the glass hard, startling the crew inside. He stormed off, determined to come up with a contingency plan.

  Training with Freya had taught him a little about sensory receptors. Although they were weaker in battle, they did have specific technological advantage
s over him. He’d watched them easily unlock circuits, shut down online systems and reverse satellite orbits. They had organized control over surveillance systems and could alter sensor frequencies with a click of a button.

  When Eric had Zarok’s receptor in his hands, he made sure to embed as much of his own energy code as possible to the receptor’s core. He hoped it would allow him to alter what the Commander Supreme saw when attempting to spy on Eric and Freya. At least that was the theory.

  Eric walked by an officers’ lounge and descended to the lower levels. He produced a cloaking shield, blocking sensors and camera footage. He violently punched and kicked a man-sized hole in the wall. He crawled inside an air channel just big enough to fit a grown man.

  He had to work fast. Zarok stated he was patient, but the Merdigor horde was closing in fast. Whatever mechanisms Zarok had used to neutralize Eric’s powers, he would modify and try to use again.

  He squirmed down the air channel, beads of sweat forming on his upper lip and forehead. A low growl emanated from the reactors that worked at full speed to propel Aspis through secret wormholes to Lageria.

  Eric couldn’t trust himself around the dark stone. He, too, was running out of time. If he wanted to get Freya back to Earth, he had to take risks.

  He reached the end of the piping and smashed through an air shaft into a dim storage area. He spotted alarm devices hidden in the shadows. None went off. His shield not only made him invisible, it made his motion invisible.

  His connection to Zarok’s receptor guided him to the items he sought.

  Eric molded an energy spear of white light. When he spotted what he needed, he extinguished the light. Liquid explosives could be very sensitive to even a fractional change in temperature.

  By his quick calculation, he could squeeze three boxes through the air channel without risking an explosion. Three boxes probably contained enough combustibles to blow through the lower decks of Aspis where the engines of the vessel lived and breathed.

  Through another air channel, he reached the cryostasis deck. Using both hands, he produced a small electromagnetic field that neutralized the guards and technicians. They fell down unconscious but breathing.

  Row upon row of open cryo capsules filled the vast area. Eric walked between the rows, searching. He stopped in front of a capsule. His hand glided over the embedded monitor, activating the capsule controls.

  He sifted through endless screens of code before he found what was desired. The Commander Supreme had lied, not only to Eric but his own crew.

  Zarok had been awake for 16 years, 3 months and 7 days.

  CHAPTER 17

  FREYA

  She sat on the handrail across from Eric’s room, gazing down the corridor. Her head throbbed, a vise-like sensation behind her eyes, no doubt an effect of days of sleep deprivation. Even her energy felt sluggish when she attempted to train with the receptor, as if a fuse had gone bust inside her.

  Eric had asked her to wait for him. He was with Zarok demanding he let them go home. She would believe it when she saw it.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t have faith in Eric and his unique set of skills—she did, which made it all the more painful to see him turned into a victim and stripped of his intuition.

  Freya knew Zarok had invested too much in his plan and in Eric to just give up.

  She shrugged off her concerns. In the end, the only choice available was to trust Eric and wait for him to show up, which he did, all flustered and sweaty, with disheveled hair.

  Doubts resurfaced in her heart. “What happened? Are we leaving?” she asked.

  “I’m staying,” he said, opening the door to his room.

  She followed him inside. “What are you talking about? We’ve been through this already.”

  “Things have changed,” Eric said.

  He opened a drawer and stuffed it with a few things he dug out of his pockets. He leaned over the drawer to obscure her view. All she saw was a small, black box.

  “Here,” he said, handing her a pulse gun. “Keep it on you.”

  She took the gun, then left it on the side table. “What is going on?”

  “Aspis is on course for Lageria. If I don’t get you out before it reaches capacity for wormhole transport, it will be too late.”

  Freya gripped his arm. “This is what you achieved? I told you there was only one way to do this.”

  Eric dropped his gaze. “We are beyond half-truths, so I’m going to give it to you straight. I’ll stay with the Lagerians, but you won’t need to share my fate. I’ve made sure of that.”

  Here we go again. She felt like smacking him. “I’m beginning to wonder…” she started to say but stopped in mid-sentence.

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “Never mind.”

  He grabbed her by the right elbow. “What did I say about half-truths? Tell me everything. I can take it and we don’t have any time.”

  Freya exhaled, even less sure now. “Okay. I’m wondering about your motives. Do you think there is anything to gain in cooperating?”

  “Gain?” He repeated the word as if it was a brand-new idea. “Yes, I suppose there is something to gain.” He paused. “Your life.”

  He let go of her arm. A cold wind skipped across her heart. There was more to his words, but she wasn’t going to ask. “They are playing you,” she said, with barely any conviction left in her voice.

  “I know that, Freya. I also know that if I don’t submit to them, your energy will quickly drain away and you with it.”

  His assertion knifed through her—what she had been feeling was more than fatigue—it was part of their plan. Or had it started earlier? The way Eric had treated her since they fought against the Lagerian Empire at Plantation-15, so gentle and watchful, had always made her curious.

  “Eric, what do you mean?”

  “Forgive me,” he said with a sigh. “I wish there was a better time to tell you this. I have uncovered evidence that what Eldaria told us about your sources running out was true. You have been programmed to expire.”

  Her lungs refused to take air. A nervous tingle raced up her spine. She had decided not to dwell on Eldaria’s many threats. She had decided to embrace all the love and the freedom and let the future play out, but now she felt cheated out of something vital.

  “How long have you known?” she asked, dreading his answer.

  “I had to confirm it.”

  The truth dawned on her. “That’s why you went back to the plantation.”

  “I struggled with the truth, Freya. I had to be sure. I had every intention of telling you.”

  Terror and disappointment stunned her. “And yet here we are,” she said with an empty laugh. “You must have had a hundred chances to tell me.”

  “You’ve been furious since we woke up on this damned ship,” Eric snapped. “I didn’t want to pile on.” An angry glint shone in his eyes. “If you want to blame someone, blame your boyfriend.”

  “Damian? What does Damian have to do with any of this?” As soon as she shot the question at Eric, she knew the answer. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

  Eric lifted his hand to touch her shoulder, but the look on her face convinced him it would be a bad idea.

  “You told him, but not me?” Her gaze could burn holes in his skull.

  “I thought maybe he should tell you. If anyone can handle you—”

  “Handle me?” She leaped to her feet and paced the room. “Really, Eric, if you keep talking, I’ll scorch your tongue with some blue light.”

  Eric plopped down into a chair. “What do I know? You two share a kid, I thought he should have the opportunity to tell you.”

  “What about me, Eric? Shouldn’t I have had the opportunity to know my own fate? You two muscled idiots playing god with my life… that’s just sad.”

  She recalled Damian trying to tell her something the last time they were together. She had sensed the urgency in his tone but had dismissed the idea that he was holding something b
ack. Damian didn’t mince words.

  Apparently, she was wrong. If she ever saw him again, she would make her disappointment clear.

  “Okay,” she said, softly. “I’m going to die. When?”

  “You’re not listening. You don’t have to die. If I do what Zarok wants, he will save you. He can override the genetic editing and restore your life force.”

  She tugged at her hair as the realization set in. “You’re doing this for me?”

  “Yes, and for everyone who cares about you.”

  “That’s dumb. I’d rather die than let Earth be ruled by Zarok.”

  Eric frowned. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself.” Her hands tightened into fists.

  “Freya, it’s going to be okay. I am more than what he says I am.”

  “My fate is my own,” she said, dropping her head.

  He used two fingers to lift her chin. “This is my fate, Freya. I do it gladly.”

  Eric reached out and pulled her close. His arms wrapped her up. She shivered in his warm embrace. Her bones felt brittle and forgotten. A scream was building deep inside her, but it could not get out. She sank into despair, floating in and out of understanding.

  His lips kissed the center of her forehead, a long, sweet kiss. She could feel his torment in the tenderness of that kiss. Freya pulled away and rested her face against his chest, puzzled and at a loss for words. Tears finally fell, flooding her heart and Eric’s shirt.

  “Freya,” he whispered in her ear. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  Had she really been blind this whole time? Had Eric been harboring feelings for her beyond friendship? Or was it just this damned ship?

  She wasn’t sure and probably never would be. All she knew was that she could feel his heart now that she saw the real man for the first time. She would not let him throw his life away, and she would not let Zarok have his way.

  Eric stroked her hair softly before taking his leave. “Freya, it’s not just for you. I have to do this for me,” he said with his hand on the door handle.

  He turned for the door and fell to his knees.

  “Eric!” she yelled.