“If they think they’re safe, they haven’t seen anything yet.”
Novelette: Mindwalk
Author’s Note
When the third book in D’mok Revival’s Invasion Trilogy, Descension, was completed, it was 104,000 words strong. As my amazing editor, Arlene Robinson, reviewed the manuscript, one section jumped out as a potential trouble spot. The segment in question was a two-chapter mini-arc that dealt with the character of Katen mindwalking the Nukari beast that had been captured at the end of Book 2.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the segment; her main concern was with the fact that, by Chapter 7 in Book 3, Mencari and his crew were finally back together and major events were starting to happen with the Nukari. Taking the reader away on this sidebar seemed to dilute the story, and could give the impression to readers that I had lost my story focus in Book 3.
She also had concerns with the length, over 13,000 words, compounded by the fact this mini-arc introduced a myriad of new characters and locations to the reader in a side story that provided more background than relevant, immediate, current-day action.
She, of course, was right. When I excised the segment and smoothed over the transitions to plug the hole, the story flowed very well. My only concern: critical information, originally obtained from the mindwalk, was referenced later in the story. I worried that these references, even when qualified as having come from the mindwalk, would seem jarring or out of place since readers didn’t experience the mindwalk firsthand. Worse yet, that some readers might see the remaining information as an overly convenient catchall of knowledge and/or a weak story advancement tool.
Regardless, the information and events from the mindwalk are essential to a reader’s understanding of the D’mok Revival universe. In fact, this segment truly pulls back the curtain, revealing what the Nukari have been doing covertly. In addition, the reader learns a great deal more about Katen and his two mysterious mental personalities, Fio’tro and Fia’ra.
So below you’ll find the two chapters removed from the D’mok Revival: Descension manuscript. Think of the following as bonus material from a collector’s edition movie DVD. Their placement here assumes you’re already familiar with the story, at least through the end of Book 2. For reference, this segment originally takes place at the end of Chapter 6 in Book 3. I’ve also included a brief primer that provides the high concept of the story to that point.
As always, I love thoughts and feedback. Please post on the D’mok Revival Facebook page, or send me email directly to [email protected]. I hope you enjoy this side trip into the mind of the captured Nukari beast!
Primer
The Nukari were an infamous, ancient, and aggressive alien race. Eons ago, after eradicating the space-faring and superhuman D’mar, the Nukari abandoned this region of space.
Eons later, Rhysus Mencari, a member of the Human Coalition, stationed on their deep space platform, detected the presence of ships in phased space. Within hours, a viscous attack destroyed the deep space platform and slaughtered thousands, including Mencari’s family. The attack ended when Mencari manifested an uncontrolled blast of energy destroying several ships, marking the emergence of superhuman abilities. In the aftermath, it was determined the attackers were Nukari in origin.
After being trained to use his abilities by Osuto, a surviving D’mar, Mencari set out to find others like him and hunt the Nukari.
During his travels he formed a team called the D’mok Warriors. Each member wielded their own unique abilities. Among them: a tech-geek and catgirl, Toriko, her robotic canine creation Spark, a child assassin and her morphing companion Ichini, an ancient D’mar, Seigie, with crystal skin and the ability to summon power from gems, a brutal, single-minded warrior named Naijen, the exotic dancer and empath, Nikko, her priestly husband, Cogeni, who manifested power from holy relics, the military scout and sniper Kiyanna, the ability boosting Speru, the towering and statuesque power-transmuter Cerna, and finally the mysterious Nukari beast and turncoat, Katen with the abilities of telepathy, molecular manipulation, and plants control.
Mencari also found additional allies like: Eyani and Tenrl, leaders of a xeno-intelligence organization called Eden, Ghn’en, commander of the Be’Inaxi space force, Ujaku, and weapons designer and equipment diviner, the eclectic band of aliens known as the Nomads, and a new superpower group of Humans led by a man called Anrik.
After encountering the Nukari deeply embedded in numerous worlds, and squaring off against their mercenary allies, Mencari and the D’mok Warriors faced genetically enhanced Nukari beasts that wielded similar super powers.
Thanks to Katen’s intervention, a great battle ended in the favor of the D’mok Warriors. Their victory included the capture of a Nukari beast.
Eyani and Mencari wanted to discover what the creature knew. They decided to use Katen’s telepathic abilities to go into the mind of his brethren and learn what he could.
Part 1:
The Tormented
A flutter of excitement filled Katen’s chest as he saw the beast claw its radiant cell walls. It was trapped, and he already knew what Eyani wanted him to do to the creature. He liked how she thought. She was also right to fear Katen’s abilities. If they eventually came up with a way to keep him out of their minds, his days would be far less entertaining. Besides, he didn’t want to hurt them; he only wanted the Nukari destroyed. Working with her and rest of her Eden organization moved him toward his goal. He’d already demonstrated his value to them in past missions, something he verified directly from the minds of his uneasy allies. Without them knowing, of course. But he held no delusions they’d ever be at ease around him, not really.
The creature opened its mouth and unleashed a hellish breath of fiery plasma. Ichini moved in front of Allia, and Nikko shrank back with a yelp. The already radiant walls glowed brighter where the attack struck, and absorbed the energy.
“I have it,” Cogeni said, his face relaxed and serene. He sat cross-legged in a meditative posture, hands clasping a necklace of large, glowing beads.
“How long can you keep this up?” Nikko asked, gently moving behind her husband, wrapping her arms around him.
“As long as needed.”
“I kind of feel bad for it,” Allia said, taking a seat closer to the barrier to gawk at the creature as if it were in a zoo.
Katen observed Cogeni. From what he’d been told, Cogeni was from a line of priests. His own mother, De’Genico Omura, was the religious leader for their world, Argosy. The man indeed had a supernatural peace about him. The only thing on Cogeni’s mind was an image of a woman in ornate and flowing robes, who poured a gleaming light from her hands—the same light surrounding the beast’s cage. Most beings couldn’t attain such focus, yet this one held it with perfection. Curious.
Warmth filled Katen’s belly, making him smile. Eyani was approaching, and she’d soon request he invade the beast’s mind. He reveled in the thought. It was one thing to simply read minds; it was another to pillage them. And he was certain he’d have to push, more than just a little, to get what she wanted from the beast. But, who was he to refuse such a request? After all, a good ally would do whatever he was asked, even if it caused him excruciating pleasure.
A tone rang out, and the far door opened. Eyani and Mencari entered, eyes locked on the creature.
“How is it?” she asked.
“Contained,” Katen said.
“We want to find out—”
“—where they’re coming from?”
Her body grew rigid. Good, he thought. They still took him seriously. Reminding them he actively read their minds was a fun game, one he couldn’t do too frequently, but occasionally was just fine. “I’m assuming you’d like any additional details about the Nukari, if possible,” he added.
Eyani hesitated then said, “Yes.”
“By your command.” Katen bent down, placing his staff gently on the cell floor before mimicking Cogeni’s cross-legged posture. “Then I shall begin.”<
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A manic flurry hindered his focus. He inhaled a breath, and exhaled slowly. As calm came to him, the stimulus of the world dissolved away. He pictured himself falling into shadow, disappearing into blackness. No sounds could reach him, beyond the beating of his own heart and his blood rushing in his ears.
It had been a while since he’d fully entered another’s mind. He wondered what it would be like to touch the mind of another Nukari creation. He envisioned the beast standing before him, energy wrapped tightly around it, binding it. A spectral hand of wafting energy moved from Katen’s mind toward the beast. The creature grew still as the spectral hand wrapped around its head.
It didn’t appear to have any defenses of significance. The spectral hand pushed down through the creature’s skull. Elation filled Katen.
Ahhhhhhh.
Pure ecstasy filled his body as he forced his way into the creature’s mind. With each moment he drilled deeper. Even the vision of the physical room waned as his consciousness began to travel. It was as if he folded in upon himself, into a spectral beam melding him with the beast.
He now traveled through a foggy tunnel of radiant clouds and shifting colors. A rumbling ahead burst into a cacophony of stunted cries, screams of agony, and angry slurs. Half-formed figures appeared in the shifting billows. Memories from the beast were weeping out. Trickles turned into a current, pushing against him, slowing his progress.
Fighting me? he thought, amused.
As the moments passed, the resistance increased. Grunting, he forced himself onward. It had been so long since he played in another’s mind, he would not be denied this pleasure.
Unexpectedly, a force came from behind, punched a hole through the fog, and sent him sailing into a dark void at the end of the tunnel.
He cackled happily, pleased with himself. Though his smile faded when he found himself walking on a cool, membrane-like surface. Dim, ambient light provided little illumination. Meaty walls, similar in appearance to the flesh-like floor, closed him in. The only difference, the walls appeared to have a thin membrane surface that flexed and weaved. Beneath the translucent surface, images and alien symbols churned in a gentle tide. Something dark also appeared to move among them. He strained to see it better, but couldn’t. He had walked many minds; this, he had not seen before.
Ancient procedures returned to him: study the mindscape, neutralize mental defenses, learn the visual metaphors encapsulating information. Yet, his procedures didn’t account for this strange place.
Where was the mindscape? He expected an open land, a tapestry of engrams creating a world in which he could roam—to pillage—and learn the secrets of the creature. Instead, he found this constriction. Was this another of the creature’s defenses?
His eyes traced slowly along the walls until the walls turned in a bend. Moving cautiously forward, screams and cries of agony began to echo again. They were the same ones heard during the connection leading into the creature’s mind. This was no defense. Something else was at play here.
A tingling ran up his spine, and spread across his forehead. The sensation grew until he was rubbing his temples in pain. Could he possibly be taxed already?
The sensation of gravity and pressure came upon him, as if a thick blanket wrapped around him. He knew this feeling. It wasn’t one of danger, but rather an awareness of another’s consciousness. Certainly not the beast’s. Could there be another walker in the poor beast’s mind? Yes, it felt close. It was another sentient entity … but not just one—two, and—behind him!
In a flash, a mental construct of his staff appeared in his hands. Even inside the creature’s mind he was far from defenseless. He spun, ready to strike, then gasped at the two beings that stood calmly, mere feet away. They wore simple silver outfits that fit snugly against their half-beast bodies. He shook his head in disbelief. “No!”
“Kah-Tae’un,” a gentle voice beckoned. Purest black eyes gazed lovingly at him. Long, raven locks streaked with teal flowed from under a bony skullcap with cranial protrusions that fanned backward. Outside of her unusually long clawed fingers, her svelte, shapely form was still alluring.
“Surprised?” the male said flippantly. His dark-brown skin appeared bark-like, with plump green roots for hair and smaller versions that formed a tight goatee. His muscular limbs were thick, and sturdy.
Katen snarled their names. “Fio’tro … Fia’ra …”
A flood of his own memories swirled around him, polluting the mindwalk. Confusion drove him to his knees, unable to maintain control. The woman, Fia’ra, gently glided to him.
“Sweet Kah-Tae’un.”
“That’s the name of a slave. I am Katen!”
His breathing erratic, memories long cast into obscurity attacked. Fio’tro and Fia’ra were fellow abominations: his minions in the first Nukari beast triumvirate created to hunt, interrogate, and kill the gifted D’mar. That name, Kah-Tae’un, burned him like a brand. He wanted to forget them as he wanted to forget his own pain. “Leave me!”
Fio’tro scoffed. “You can’t do this by yourself. We’ve always done this together.”
Fia’ra extended her hand. As she touched him the vortex of images spun thin, then disappeared. “How do you think you got this far?”
Katen snarled, slapping her hand away.
“Only we three combined could do such things,” Fio’tro said.
“Not anymore!” Katen challenged. “You keep me from my task. I was offered this mind—”
“A mind you wish to pillage,” Fio’tro said angrily. “Do not feign altruism.”
“We know what brings you greater pleasure,” Fia’ra said lovingly.
“Leave me, specters. I will complete my task without you,” Katen spat out as he returned to his feet and walked away.
“You leave us no choice,” Fio’tro said. An eerie glow cast across the slick surfaces around Katen. A force dragged him backward. He doubled over, clawing at the ground, but failed to find purchase.
“Impudent dog!” Katen snarled.
“We go together, or your trek ends now,” Fio’tro said, as a rift opened behind him.
“No! No!” Katen cried, accelerating helplessly toward the rift.
“Together, then?” Fia’ra said.
“Fine, yes, together!”
The glow faded, and the rift disappeared.
Fia’ra shrilled with delight. “He does still need us!”
Katen eyed the claw marks in the fleshy ground, the realization of his dependence burning him like acid. They really could have broken the mindwalk, and he couldn’t have stopped them. He had no choice but to play nice—for now. With a snap of his wrist his staff vaporized.
“We’re wasting time,” he retorted.
Fio’tro and Fia’ra flanked Katen, and the three continued down the fleshy corridor in silence. A gentle illumination caused him to inspect a glowing shape trapped within the wall. Upon inspection he found it wasn’t just one shape, but a tightly bundled mass of images, shapes, and alien symbols. Some throbbed like a heartbeat, while others phased in and out. A sudden movement beyond the glow drew him to a blur deep within the walls. Dark tentacles appeared for an instant before disappearing. Was that the dark shadow he saw earlier in the wall? Was it following along with them?
“The danger is considerable here,” Fio’tro said, breaking the awkward silence.
“I’ve done this before,” Katen barked, continuing on.
“To D’mar.”
“This creature is like us,” Fia’ra said.
“It will have defenses,” Fio’tro added.
Of course there will be defenses. His two parasites were more annoying than he recalled.
The gentle swaying of the walls changed. They now vibrated, stress quaking along every edge. Even the images, shapes, and symbols within jittered in erratic rhythms.
“You see it too? How its mind is disturbed … in unrest … chaotic?” Fia’ra’s voice held a hint of sadness.
“We must be careful,”
Fio’tro added.
Fia’ra abruptly moved ahead of the others, arms outstretched, blocking their advance. “The ground.”
Patches of eerie violet light shimmered under the pulpy surface. Had she not stopped him, his distraction with the walls could have led to stepping on one of the unusual spots along the ground.
“There is a frailty to everything around us, as if a thin layer of sanity is keeping us safe,” she said. She pointed to the patches. “See how treacherous the way forward is? I can feel the torrents of anguish and agony ravaging this mind.”
“Engram Torrents?” Fio’tro said. “Would a beast like this be capable of having such complex constructs in its mind? Did not the Nukari researchers demand limitations on future beasts because of how we turned out? Or were our informants wrong?”
She gazed into the disturbed glow from the patches across the floor. “They’re there. I can sense it.”
Katen chided, “So we avoid the glowing spots.” Dismissive, he trudged forward, skillfully dodging around the violet patches.
“This mind space is unexpected,” Fio’tro said.
“And not useful,” Fia’ra added.
“We must have landed on the fringe of its mind…. We must go deeper,” Fio’tro said.
Fia’ra nodded. “Katen will lead us.”
Yes he would. He’d forgotten the joy of minions taking his direction. His enjoyment was cut short by the sounds of a brawl from ahead. The cold chill of dampness crept across his skin. With each step the corridor widened and grew taller. The fleshy surfaces took on a texture of stone while retaining their translucence.
They continued forward until the way opened into an expansive, cavernous opening. A confused mass of images appeared before them. Memories. Blurred humanoids tumbled, fists flying, with scaly, fanged creatures. The din morphed into a confused mixture of screams, curses, and everyday conversations.
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 95
