"Wow." Gordy looked up. "Do it again."
She took a deep breath and mastered the single note before letting her fingertips toy with the other holes. Soon she got the hang of what sequence sounded best and the tune she played was pleasant even to her ears.
"Can you show me how?" Gordy took a step towards her.
"Of course." She dropped down into one of the sphere chairs so that she could be eye level with him. "The trick is to put this in your mouth and press your lips together so tight...as tight as you can. This way, when you blow, it will all go into the—" she struggled to recall the name, "—Tak wand, and not leak out. Here." She handed Gordy the instrument. "Put it in your mouth and press tight."
Gordy took the Tak wand and put his lips around the fishhook mouthpiece.
"Squeeze your lips," Aimee emphasized. She took a gamble and added, "Pretend you're eating Sumpum."
The boy's nose wrinkled up in distaste and his lips flattened around the mouthpiece.
"That's it! Now blow."
Gordy’s cheeks puffed slightly, but he kept his lips pressed firm and the air flew through the instrument, emitting out of the fluted end with a melodic sound. He jumped back wide-eyed.
“Perfect!”
Within seconds she was immersed in a crowd of children, all crying, “Show me!”
* * *
Distracted by the flourish of activity, Aimee realized that someone was standing in the shadows watching her. She didn’t see him at first on account of his dark suit, but he stepped forward into the ring of light. He was an intimidating profile that dwarfed everything in his perimeter. Even from the shadows she could feel his eyes on her. One more step and he was close enough that she could see them, so sharp and intense.
“Zak.” Chara broke the spell.
Zak strode down the aisle. In this group he looked like a giant. He cast a quick smile at Chara and then his eyes returned to Aimee. His lips dropped into a straight line. She swallowed self-consciously.
Around her, the children all tipped their necks back and stared up at him, slack-jawed. Gordy stirred at her side and braved a step forward. "How many ships did you get, Zak?"
Zak crossed his arms. The form-fitting black uniform glistened over muscular shoulders. With his focus on Gordy, Aimee stole the opportunity to stare. His hair was dark and short and looked much different than the flaxen style that seemed predominant amongst the males of the ship. His jawline was sculpted into a permanent look of conviction. His cheekbones were high and lent an exotic air to his face. When he smiled at Gordy, Zak's profile was truly handsome, so much so that Aimee realized she was holding her breath just waiting to hear his husky voice.
"At least four, Gordeelum."
"Were you scared?" Gordy asked.
Zak grinned. "Oh yeah. I was scared. But I couldn't let you down now could I?"
Gordy giggled. "You did good. I can't wait until I can be a Warrior." He pointed his finger and his cheeks puffed up to make explosion sounds.
"If you're as good in the seat of a terra angel as you were on that Tak, you'll be a great Warrior."
"You heard me?" Gordy beamed.
"Yeah. It sounded great."
Gordy glanced up at Aimee. "She taught me."
Aimee felt the golden eyes converge on her. Again his grin slipped. Why? She tried to over-compensate with an exaggerated smile. "He had it in him all along. I just gave him a little guidance."
Zak said nothing.
"Thank you for saving our lives today," she added. Oh God, that sounded lame.
Again he remained mute. After an awkward moment of silence he addressed Chara. "I managed to board the Koron’s ship. I have some samples for the atrium."
Chara's eyes rounded in sympathy. "Oh Zak, you didn't have to board their ship. Are you alright?"
Zak's expression was strained and his answer was curt. "Yes."
Uncomfortable under Chara's compassion, he continued. "Vodu wants me to take her there." He jerked his head at Aimee.
Aimee came alert.
"That's a great idea," Chara agreed, rising to her feet. "Alright, everyone, show me what you've learned today."
She stood tolerant as the circle of children wrapped around her.
Aimee glanced at Zak and he gave a curt nod. “Follow me."
* * *
Out in the corridor, Zak reached for a floating table. Atop it rested an object concealed beneath a cloth. He touched the chrome corner of the table and set it into motion as it progressed down the corridor at a measured pace before him. Aimee quickened her step to match his stride.
"That came from the Koron’s ship?" She nodded at the ambiguous lump.
"Yes."
"How did you get on board their ship?"
A snap of his wrist opened the linear transport. "I flew into their landing bay."
"And they didn't shoot you?" She followed him and his portable table inside.
Zak tapped the second green button. Hah, she knew that already.
"No." He leaned back against the alabaster wall, looking like a black exclamation point. "We had already disabled all their war-crafts."
"Were you hurt?" Aimee studied the lean lines of his torso, searching for any tinges of color in the onyx suit.
"No." His eyes dropped to her chest and traced down to her stomach. "Were you?"
Aimee's hand splayed over her stomach and the butterflies flitting around inside it. "No," she whispered.
They traveled in silence, the horizontal inertia setting her on edge. She mimicked his stance and leaned back against the wall.
"I get it," she whispered.
Perhaps it was the soft pitch of her voice, but Zak turned to look at her. "What do you get?"
"That I'm a big inconvenience to you. That you're some hotshot Warrior and you don't have time to be showing some...some..." Heck, what should she refer to herself as? "Some alien around."
"Some alien."
She looked up, hoping he might have smiled at the depiction, but his jaw was locked and his eyes were trained on the far wall.
"I get that I'm a burden around here, but I didn't ask for any of this. I don't want to be an inconvenience. I want to go home."
He shifted, propping his shoulder against the wall so that he could look down at her. She waited for a sarcastic retort, and yet he remained silent. She chanced a look up and found herself locked in the hypnotic gaze of a lion. That stare left her feeling vulnerable. She was aware of his power. This man was not like the others on this ship. They were all fair, slim, and tepid. He was dark, dynamic, and commanding. Were all the Warriors like him or was it that he was an alien too?
The elevator jerked to a halt and she nearly collapsed into him. He made a motion like he was going to touch her, but stopped short. Instead, he tapped the floating table, ushering it out into the corridor.
They walked in silence until Zak halted before a wall. It was marked with symbols that formed a ring. Hieroglyphs—and a script that she could not decipher.
"What does it say?" she asked.
Beside her, Zak’s profile looked pained.
"It says, this will bring us home."
"Oh." A smile tugged at her lips. "Then I think I'm going to like this place."
Eager to see inside, Aimee reached up and waved her hand. She heard a deep chuckle from the man beside her.
"I see you're getting the hang of things around here."
"Apparently not." She settled her hands on her hips. "It didn't work."
"This door is locked," Zak stated. "Very few people have clearance to come in here. Only Warriors bringing back discoveries, and a select group of scientists."
Zak reached up to one of the symbols and molded his hand and fingers in the same pattern. The symbol lit up. He moved counter-clockwise and emulated another icon with his hand. It too lit up. He continued in a random sequence that she paid close attention to, until over half of the symbols were illuminated.
The wall dissolved, but there was no bright r
oom to enter into. Instead, they were welcomed by a dark tunnel. She could see light maybe twenty or thirty yards ahead, yet the murky shroud of the immediate area intimidated her. Zak stepped into the shadows and she wasn't about to be left behind. She trailed after him and felt a whoosh of air as the wall closed behind her, ensnaring her in darkness. She wanted to reach for Zak's arm, but felt uncomfortable doing so. Instead, she focused on the light ahead and followed the sound of his steps.
"What is this place?" she whispered.
"Just wait." His tone was deep. "You'll see in a minute."
It started to grow brighter, but not by much. The light seemed diluted. It rippled on the walls as if it reflected off of water. In fact, she swore she heard the sound of a rushing stream.
Zak paused and maneuvered his table up against the wall. Cast in shadow, he was a daunting sight as he turned towards her.
"This was where you were supposed to go when you were brought aboard the Horus." He stepped back and held his hand out.
Aimee followed his lead and gasped.
She walked out of the tunnel and located the source of the rushing water. A three-story waterfall cascaded down a series of stacked boulders into a churning pool. Something gold flashed beneath the surface, but it was the reflection from above that held her attention. She looked up and whispered, "Oh my God."
Above her there was no ceiling. For a moment she felt as if she was in the field behind her house, staring up into the night sky—only this black sky was filled with wondrous chunks of life so vivid that she lifted her hand in a mystified attempt to reach for them.
The engineer in her shattered the spell. "How can we breathe?" she challenged.
Zak chuckled. His head was tipped back as well, and for a second she was distracted by the bob of his throat as he swallowed.
"It's not open," he explained. "It may look like it, but there is a shield up there. It is of a composite that can't be seen by the naked eye."
Aimee lowered her head to marvel at the immediate environment. Before her lay a forest—a network of trees and exotic plant life that seemed to span as far and wide as the majestic cap of night.
"This is beautiful," she said in awe, stepping up to an odd tree. The trunk was gray, with a granular surface similar to cement, yet, when she tapped her knuckles against it, it had a spongy feel. The foliage looked like purple cabbages glued to squat branches. The branches resembled Tyrannosaurus Rex arms. Next to it was another unique tree with spindly twigs that appeared as if they had been burned and would disintegrate under a simple breath. Beyond that was a clump of foreign vegetation. Rows and rows of plant life lined up under the dome of the night sky. Aimee squinted and could even distinguish cliffs and more waterfalls dotting the forest, as an intricate canal system fed life to this unique world.
Aimee jolted when something moved in the underbrush beside her. A furry head emerged from the leaves and she gasped, retreating in fear. Its fur was white with roots that were nearly black. The front legs poked out of the leaves. They were stout, only a couple inches high with black spongy paws made to support a creature the size of an elephant—not this little furry fellow who appeared no bigger than a Koala bear. The animal had a round black snout, but the eyes were barely visible beneath the mop on top of its head. It took another step out from its fertile shelter and Aimee tripped backwards, feeling Zak's hand land on her back for support.
"He doesn't bite," he pointed out.
"What is it?"
"A Sumpum."
"A Sumpum. You eat that?" She felt the warmth of Zak's palm through her suit. The contact felt good. She didn't dare risk turning to look at him.
"Some people do. I'm not too fond of it."
"I couldn't eat it. It's too cute." She smiled at the furry-headed creature. "Why does it have such huge feet when it's so small?"
She frowned when Zak laughed at her question. To her dismay, he released her back and leaned over with his hands on his knees and started to whistle.
Aliens whistled?
The Sumpum cocked its head in Zak's direction. It's plump, spongy feet took a few tentative steps towards them and Aimee started to stiffen. Zak was close enough to detect her resistance and whispered, "Don't worry. Bend over and call him. He gets intimidated if you're too tall."
Aimee mimicked Zak's stance.
Okay, how do you call an alien miniature llama?
"Come here, little fellow," she cooed. "Don't be afraid."
The Sumpun swung his head towards her and she thought she detected the shift of ears within the downy mass of hair. The thick feet took a few more steps until they were on the edge of the dirt.
"Should I go up to him?" she whispered, wanting nothing more than to pet this precious creature.
"No, he'll come to you."
"Come on, boy." She tried again and held her hand out in invitation.
The feet hit the surface with the sound of a wet sponge on a car. The Sumpum was longer than she expected, the back end of his body still tucked in the leaves, as a long dachshund-shaped torso stretched out two inches above the turf. It continued plodding towards her until finally its thick rear feet emerged from the underbrush. Except, that wasn't the end of the Sumpum. His long body kept going until finally a third set of feet accounted for the rear of the six-foot long creature. On its backside was a tuft of white hair and she swore it wiggled slightly as it approached.
"Can I pet it?" she asked.
"Yes, but be careful. If you scare him, he'll stand up."
"Stand up?"
"On his hind legs. If he feels intimidated by height he stands up on his rear feet. It's an awkward sight."
Aimee dropped down into a full crouch and extended her hand. The Sumpum shuffled over and nudged it with the top of his head.
"He's so soft!"
The creature tipped its head up inside her palm, the spongy nose tickling her skin. The Sumpum made a sound as if he sneezed and then the front half of his body turned back towards the underbrush. Eventually the back half fell in behind—and soon the creature disappeared into the bowels of the forest.
"How can anyone eat that?"
"If you're hungry enough you'll eat anything."
Zak turned back towards the floating table he had left just inside the tunnel. He hauled the cloth off to reveal a tiny sprig of life in a silver pot. It literally was a stick with a single pinkish leaf on it. It reminded her of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.
"You found that on the Koron’s ship?" she asked.
"Yes." He lifted the pot and inspected the sapling. "Come with me. We've got quite a walk."
He started down an aisle of trees and she had to rush to catch up to his long stride. If Sumpums were afraid of tall people, thank God Zak had stooped over.
"So you're collecting plants? You think that little stick might hold the cure to your disease?"
Zak halted. He turned and looked at her. "You've been talking with JOH."
"Yes. He told me how the whole planet was consumed by a disease and that they can't go home until they find a cure. How do you know the cure comes from a plant?"
"It was a plant that killed them. A vine that grew in the fields and destroyed the food. The disease came from a hunger that caused enough desperation to tempt everyone into eating the tarnished food. Then, the disease mutated and was transferred by touch, by air, by water-"
"But—" Aimee looked into his eyes. "You weren't from that planet. Aren't you immune?"
"No one is immune, Aimee." His tone was grave. "That's why we wear these suits. If anyone shows a sign of the disease they immediately have to be placed in a wing of the ship that has a separate ventilation and hydration system."
"Has it happened? Has there been an epidemic on the ship?"
Zak shook his head and stared at the little twig in his hands. "Not in many years."
"Are there still people living in this other wing?" Her question came out as a faint whisper.
"No," Zak answered. "No one lasts very long.
"
Aimee wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. "How will you know when you've found a cure?"
"Our scientists have the disease captured here in the labs. They test all the plants in this atrium against it. Everything we bring back is analyzed immediately."
"But it's not just plant-life. You were going to bring back my dog...and you ended up with me instead.”
Zak made a sound of disgust and turned at an intersection of exotic flora with phosphorescent leaves.
"That was Salvan," he argued. "He is rogue. He wants to be the one to find the cure. From what I understand, his father was a brilliant scientist on their planet. And Salvan," Zak shook his head, "Salvan did not possess his father's gift. In fact, in his efforts to try and emulate his father he ended up destroying more than he created.”
Aimee listened attentively. She did not know Salvan, but she believed Zak's depiction. It corroborated her own sentiments regarding the lanky stranger who plucked her from her peaceful world.
“What does his father say?”
“Salvan’s parents were on the mainland when the disease struck.”
Zak did not elaborate. He didn’t have to.
When Aimee tried to speak her voice cracked as she asked, “Did they test me when I came on board?”
His pace slowed. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and his jaw was tight as he responded bitterly. “Yes.”
Frowning, Aimee stopped. “Why do you look at me like that?” she asked his back as he kept walking.
Zak halted but did not turn around.
“I don’t understand your question.”
Aimee refused to catch up to him. She held her ground. “You look at me like I am an inconvenience. Like I am an enemy. I didn’t ask to come here. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home. I am not an enemy.”
Beyond : Series Bundle (9781311505637) Page 6
