The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 51

  Nom squatted near the Admiral. He cocked his head as he pondered the man before him, wondering to himself how a ranking officer had come to this pit of disgusting overuse of putrid technology. Simply breathing the air and feeling the pulse of the superstructure made him want to vomit.

  "What brings you to me?" Nom asked quietly, not daring to touch his new prize. "How will you serve me?" he watched the man stir fitfully. Yes, there was a torment to this one. Nom smiled to himself. He would enjoy dissecting the mind of this man, and using it for his whim.

  "What is it that you seek?" Nom asked, just slightly louder than a whisper. Silently he moved to the other side of the Admiral, not wanting him to be able to focus on one point. "You seek vengeance? Restitution maybe?" Nom cackled lightly as he spoke. He delighted in the thought of breaking this symbol of authority.

  "Who's there?" Admiral West asked, his eyes opening for the first time. His head hurt, his world spun out of control, and now he heard voices coming from nowhere. It must have been his imagination, or possibly the pain talking, as there was no reply to his query.

  Nom watched the Admiral in silence for several minutes before he continued. "What do you want?" he whispered like a soft breeze. A plan began to form in his mind. This would be fun, tormenting this pitiful creature. He grinned to himself, pleased with what he had done, with what he thought. Yes, he was going to enjoy this.

  "Whoever is there, this is Admiral Nigel West. I demand that you answer me and show yourself!" the Admiral screeched into the darkness. He rose to his feet, spinning around as he did so, searching desperately for the source of the voice.

  "What's inside your head Admiral?" Nom cackled in the abyss. He disengaged his cloak as he launched himself at the helpless man. He tore at him mercilessly, continually smashing the Admirals head against the cold, hard floor.

  Admiral West tried futilely to fight back. His meager strength quickly left him at the mercy of the much stronger foe. He was unconscious when Nom succeeded in cracking his skull like an egg.

  Nom giggled when he saw the blood pouring from the top and back of the Admiral's head. The ecstasy of the moment filled him like a rushing river. Taking the other man's head in his hands, he squeezed, and then gently pulled his hands, and the skull apart.

  Smiling, Nom peered inside the crack. Taking a finger, he playfully poked the thin veneer covering the Admiral's brain. The thin membrane stuck to his finger, stretching and sucking away from Admiral West's grey matter.

  Thinking for a moment, Nom removed a small creature from the pocket at his waist, and placed it in the crack. Taking another creature from another pocket, Nom pressed it to his victim's neck. He then dropped the other man to the floor and watched as his wounds healed.

  Yes, he was enjoying this. His Masters would see his victory yet. With his new toy, he would be able to track down and find T'Sula Mir. He would be able to finally kill her, put her out of his misery. Yes, it would be bliss, Nom thought as a smile crept across his face.

  Nom sat in the silent abyss studying his new toy. The Admiral lay unconscious, propped against his wrecked shuttle as he healed. The symbiote that Nom had implanted in the man's mind was growing, getting stronger with each of the Admiral's heartbeats. Soon it would be strong enough for Nom to control the man with only a thought. This Admiral West would become the ultimate remotely controlled device for Nom to do with as he pleased.

  There was much for Nom to do while the Admiral slept. Carefully he picked through the bodies of the men he had killed. Surely, there was a suitable one among them. Finally, he settled on two. One was the right size, and the other the correct rank.

  Nom removed the uniforms from the bodies, and laying them side by side, he meticulously exchanged all of the decorations and insignias, so that the uniform he needed was now the right rank for his new task. When he was done, he quickly removed the bodies, taking them deeper into the ruins of Olcai, before he simply dropped them and walked away.

  Cloaked in shadows, Nom removed his cloaking suit and dressed in his new uniform. It was the proper size, but he chaffed at the thought of wearing it. He hated what it stood for. The Resistance fought his masters, trying to kill them with every tick of the clock. This was unacceptable. The Resistance had to die. If he couldn't accomplish his dream of killing T'Sula Mir, at least he would be able to hurt or kill the Resistance. There was a measure of consolation in that at least.

  Nom forced himself to sink into his new identity and walked over to the Admiral. Kneeling down, he gently shook his 'superior' officer. He held his revulsion in check, knowing that his control over the man was not yet absolute.

  "Admiral, are you alright?" he asked gently. Sitting back, Nom watched as the other man stirred. His mind began to race, plotting and planning his moves. Biding his time would be inherently difficult, but worth every moment.

  "Who's there?" Admiral West opened his eyes. Pain ravaged his senses and mind, leaving him open to suggestion, even without the creature imbedded beneath his skull. Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching his aching muscles as he moved. He wasn't sure where he was, or why he was there. The only thing that he knew was that Captain McWilliams was responsible.

  "Are you alright Sir?" Nom asked, keeping a mock sincerity in his voice that he could not feel.

  "I'll be fine Captain. Where are we?" the Admiral fussed with his uniform as he struggled to his feet. He vaguely recognized Nom, but did not know from where.

  "We're in the remnants of Olcai Sir." the truth felt strange to Nom. It hadn't always been that way, but now the truth was anathema to him. What was truth anyway? It seemed to Nom that truth depended on one's perspective more than anything else.

  "Wonderful. Contact my ship, they'll send a shuttle for us." Admiral West started to pace in the darkness. There was something wrong. Who was this man? Where were his escorts? He absently began to scratch his scalp. When did he get an itchy scalp?

  "It's no use Admiral; the communications equipment has been destroyed. I think that we should move on and find another means of escape." Nom suggested, emphasizing the thoughts through his new link with the Admiral.

  "Never mind Captain. The communications gear was destroyed anyway. Let's move on and see what we can find." Admiral West looked into the distance with vacant eyes as he spoke.

  Bringing his puppet with him, Nom ventured into the wreckage of Olcai.