The Tale of the Blood Diamond

by Laveen, Tiana

  “How do you plan to stop Xzion? You said yourself that would be almost impossible,” someone asked in a meek voice.

  Jatorn smirked.

  “I have several strategies in the works. I will handle Xzion personally. If I need assistance, I will let you know. Now look, none of you have anything to fear. Human behavior is very predictable. They behave in lieu of their environments. Washington D.C. houses America’s president, so once again, we’ve been fortunate regarding Xzion’s place of residence. This location will get us the most human media coverage. Anything near the president will garner ten-fold attention, and that’s what we want, to spark mayhem, which is easy to do with humans.”

  “Why is Xzion residing in Washington D.C.?”

  “Of that, I’m not certain.” Jatorn chose his words carefully. He had told the truth. He wasn’t certain what Xzion was doing and his efforts to extract the information had not yielded much. He deliberated for a few moments and decided to throw a morsel in the ring after all…

  “It is believed he has a high regard for a female Earthling that he appears to be residing with.”

  Murmurs and hushes filled the room.

  “Oh, please.” Jatorn rolled his eyes and let his wrist fall dramatically limp. “Don’t act this way.” He huffed. “Alien and human relationships have been going on forever and you all know it!” He laughed loudly. “Morphitians have a horrid reputation for taking human females away in your portals and having your way with them, pretending to be their mates while their true mates are slumbering or elsewhere.” He saw no looks of ill ease from them after his outburst, and he didn’t expect to. “They wake up back in their beds, telling shocking stories of probes and end up on some crazy paper they call a tabloid, which deals with half truths, speculation and absurdity. The Earcets have done the same. Their large, bulbous heads, skinny necks and pale green skin are the prototype for alien caricatures and drawings all around planet Earth, and that is because they were some of the first ones to land there. They were trailblazers. We don’t discuss it.” He shrugged.

  “It’s taboo, I suppose, but sexual relationships with our kind and humans are as common as birth and death. Some do it for experimentation, others for more. The motives don’t matter. Nevertheless, Xzion is with the woman and she has a young child. She appears to be a single mother he has gotten an interest in.”

  Jatorn didn’t divulge he’d discovered she now had Xzion’s last name. He was surprised that Xzion had legally married a human in her own land. He surmised they had some sort of arrangement to protect each other’s interests. He looked around the room.

  They want more information before going forth regarding Xzion. Fine, here is another taste.

  “I imagine he feels protective of her and the tiny one and has now forged some understanding with the Zarkstormians, in that they will protect Earth from an invasion.”

  There has to be another angle however for the Zarkstormians’ involvement, and I will personally find out what it is…

  “So.” Vex’s voice boomed. “Xzion has female companionship with an Earthling. They have some sort of relationship, apparently. The Zarkstormians have obtained an alternative cure from Earth, possibly from their resources; of that, no one is certain but regardless, these are two reasons for the Zarkstormians to come against us, once they realize we’ve invaded the planet.”

  “Correct. Are there any further questions at this time?”

  Jatorn clasped his hands together and gradually scanned the room. Slowly, like dust rising, various people stood to their feet.

  “Very well. This meeting is adjourned. Bosi, I truly hope I have your cooperation with this venture. It would be well worth your while.” Jatorn looked sternly at the big, hairy giant, his expression manufactured in a twisted web of ersatz sincerity.

  “You do.” Bosi nodded, but not without a sheen of guilt over his expression. The creature was in need. Their soil was much like Earth’s on their planet, and anyone in the galaxy with similar soil was either an arch enemy or too much trouble to try and come against. Earth would be easy. The beasts could get in and get out, and have their loot, chock full of worms and the sweet stench of decomposition and decay. Jatorn would ensure they had all they needed; their worries would be no more.

  “Excellent.”

  Jatorn nodded and shook hands as they all filed out. After a while, he glanced around the empty room, quite pleased with the day’s events…

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Vex slid his finger inside the shallow dish, swirling the grayish blue sludge around before dipping it into the corner of his crooked, wide mouth. Gertu sat before him, still twisted in anger over the previous day’s events. Vex had an adoration for Gertu; after all, he was his half-brother’s only child. Vex’s father was an outcast, their mother, of royal blood — but his brother had received all the accolades, being of royal birth. Regardless, Vex never held this against any of them. Most were dead and even if they weren’t, such things didn’t concern him.

  He sat beside Gertu under the cave stalactites. Droplets of warm water plopped all around, running down the muted gray walls.

  “Gertu, I have called you to me to explain to you the meeting with Jatorn. You must take me for a fool.” He grinned as he ran a hand along his nephew’s back.

  “Vex, I know your desires, however —”

  “No, you don’t understand, Gertu.” Vex gleamed as he spoke softly, as if to a child. “I have a plan!”

  He watched Gertu’s eyes light up in pure delight.

  “Listen to me.” He held one finger up. “We will let the Yuledrakes and Bosi do all the grunt work. I will not settle for a playground. The Earth was ours first, not the Yuledrakes’!” he said sternly. “I will not allow them to go in and take it, and then control how and where we play! After they’ve got the human population under control and have taken care of Xzion, we will take over!” His voice shook. Gertu smiled. “You see, you know that ‘off button’ I spoke of regarding the Zarkstormians?”

  Gertu nodded.

  “Well, the Yuledrakes have one as well…and I know what it is. I’ve known since I was a young boy. It’s called distraction from their main goal. They are like gluttonous, spoiled offspring. You present them with a gift, and they clamor all over it, but present them with one even better, and they will forsake each other at all costs, for the new gift. Jatorn embodies this flaw. Now, all I need to find is that second gift. Keep this to yourself. It’s a secret.” He placed his finger up to his smiling lips and blew. “Shhh…” He grinned, showcasing short, double rows of pointy teeth. “Like a good Morphitian, I only show what I know, when I need to…and now, I need to. So,” he tapped Gertu’s thigh affectionately, “let this run its course and then we will not only take over Earth, we will have Drakenard, too, and their people will be dead and gone!”

  “In that case, I reconsider my previous opposition. I would like to travel to Earth with you. I too would like to have a little fun, after all, Uncle.”

  Gertu looked into his eyes, and they both burst out laughing, clinging onto one another with infectious exuberance…

  ****

  Jayme gripped her ink pen so tightly, she was certain it would snap in two. The news was breaking with odd stories of victims with their throats gouged and their bodies thrown about in alleys or inside stinking sewers. The more she pressed Xzion for information, the more tight-lipped he became.

  I can not sit by and let this happen…

  She was briefly distracted by another news story regarding a jewelry store that had been robbed of all of its diamonds.

  Damn thieves!

  She’d been on that case for the past forty-eight hours, and the oddest part about it was that the perps appeared to wear no disguises, no gloves, yet also had no fingerprints. The three men on the footage had stark white hair, possibly dyed, and their skin made her believe they may have been albino…or it could’ve been make-up. She wasn’t certain, and they were coming up on dead end after dead end.
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br />   She snatched a piece of paper from another pile to sign off on, but was startled by her door bursting open. There Captain Jasper stood, breathing hard, his face clammy and marked with a look of defeat. And it was only six in the evening.

  “What’s wrong, Captain Jasper?”

  “We’ve got three more dead bodies, and one of ’em is the Senator’s daughter. We’re in deep shit, Jayme…deep shit.”

  ****

  Aton, two Zarkstormian soldiers and Dr. Iszox, the neonatal physician that delivered Zachary, stood against the cool white wall of the elaborate laboratory on Earth. The workroom was impressive — fit for any systematic experimentation the adept Zarkstormian would need or desire. They’d been there a total of four hours, and in that time, Aton felt a bit queasy. No matter how he tried, adapting to the Earthly climate was a chore. At least he wasn’t overheating, but it was still a struggle. He took a deep breath, ran the back of his hand across his forehead and focused, hearing the words of the doctor, clear and succinct, as the man spoke to Xzion.

  “So in theory, yes, I suppose that’s right.” Dr. Iszox coughed into his fist and rocked on his heels as he glanced down at the computer monitors. “I agree with your hypothesis, Xzion. Your son is in fact of Warrior blood. He suffers from latency of the symptoms and signs, but they are now manifesting.”

  “So.” Xzion sighed and met eyes with Aton. “This means he will need training. I can do it.”

  “That is a large undertaking.” Aton stepped closer to the man. “I know you are capable, but please understand, Xzion, you still don’t know completely what you’re dealing with. He is half human. This is an experiment based partially on observation. We have no former data to help us along here…trial and error.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Xzion crossed his arms, his legs far apart as he took a defensive pose. Aton was afraid of this. It meant the man would resist him.

  “We need to first find out if Zachary can withstand the Zarkstormian atmosphere with no apparatus and artificial oxygen. Based on these tests,” he casually glanced down at the computer run offs, all buzzing and jumping, “he more than likely can however safety precautions and procedures will be ongoing. You know where I’m going with this, Xzion.”

  “Then just say it.”

  “He needs to be in the academy once he reaches the age of seven, at the latest. I need him under my care to ensure he gets the proper resources. Earth can not manifest the best in him.”

  “I am his father, and that is for me to decide.” Xzion pointed at his chest. “Furthermore, he has a mother who has a say in this, and I can tell you, without even consulting her, that her answer would be, ‘No.’”

  “Xzion, please be reasonable.”

  “This isn’t up for discussion. I will train my son myself. You are more than welcome to visit him and I will ensure he goes to receive the necessary Warrior training as well as visit Zarkstorm for the required courses, should it be physically possible. However, he will not reside there and I will be with him his entire visit. This topic is closed.”

  Xzion marched past the crowd and walked out, leaving them alone with their own thoughts. Aton knew better than to keep pushing. He hadn’t expected Xzion to be so possessive of the boy. The man had changed. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but as he looked at those reports, he knew they had something monumental on their hands. He needed to get Zachary on Zarkstormian soil and see what the lad could do.

  “Let’s prepare to leave,” Aton said to the group, pulling the doctor aside. “Look, I’m not going to try to make Xzion bring me the boy,” he whispered. “If I do, he will shut me out altogether. Instead, let’s work with the compromise he offered. It is better than nothing and though I’m having a hard time understanding his resistance, I am not completely surprised in retrospect. He is acting more like a human father than a Zarkstormian one, but nevertheless, this is where we are at with this.”

  “I agree.” The doctor nodded. “We still want to be in Zachary’s life and assist him, so we will need to respect Xzion’s requirements. In the interim, I will take the samples back with us and run other tests, per your requests. This is exciting.” The man beamed. “I am eager to find out more about the boy’s potential.”

  “And I as well.” Aton grabbed his dark cloak and wrapped it around his tall, sturdy frame. The men marched out of the laboratory. As they passed the kitchen, Xzion stood there holding his son protectively in his grasp, his brows low, his expression vexed.

  “Goodbye, Xzion. We have what we need and will contact you with any information as soon as we have it.”

  Xzion simply offered a nod and turned away.

  My Xzion is a father now…an openly loving father, showing unstable emotions and tightfistedness regarding his offspring. Hmmm. How interesting, even a bit bizarre…

  ****

  Jatorn spun the shiny crystal ball around in his palm, manipulating the sphere just so. The rapid twirling caused the miraculous globular beauty to catch the prism light just right and spark spherical splendor before his and Vex’s eyes. They sat in silence for a while, admiring the sight in Jatorn’s parlor. Jatorn tried to hide his disgust at the sight of the creature who seemed comfortable wrapped in filthy folds of green fabric.

  “What have you been doing today?” Jatorn grinned. “That is quite an interesting get-up you have on,” he taunted.

  Vex’s thin, black lips curled.

  “Having a bit of fun, of course. I am excited about our business plans. When shall we proceed?”

  “Patience, Vex. I already have my foot-soldiers on Earth. I do, however, have a toy for you to practice on.” Just then, a steel door slowly opened and two Yuledrakes dragged in a shaking human, his ankles and wrists shackled and a wild look in his hazel eyes. Vex’s head snapped in the young Earthling’s direction, and his greed and lust for the specimen was unmistakable. He immediately rose to his feet, waiting impatiently as the soldiers dragged the poor soul near.

  “Please!” the man screamed. “Please, let me go!”

  Jatorn laughed, shoved his legs onto his desk and crossed his ankles leisurely.

  “Hello there. I am certain you are confused, dear one. My American English is not the best, but please bear with me.” Jatorn smiled as he leaned slightly back in his seat.

  “Vex, meet… I believe its name is Dennis. Dennis, meet Vex.”

  The human stared at Vex, his eyes growing wide with terror and shock. Vex glided towards the human and hunkered down close, making the specimen shake uncontrollably, his chains rattling and teeth chattering. It was quite a sight to see; rather exciting actually.

  With no further delay, Vex placed his hand on Dennis’ shoulder, causing an avalanche of hollering from the mere skeletal touch. Jatorn watched from the sidelines, enjoying the entertainment as he popped a succulent piece of silver fruit in his mouth. Vex began to breath heavy and before long, he’d squeezed Dennis’ head so tightly between his grasp, he all but squished the man to death. Streams of blood ran from the human’s eyes; he barely held on to life. Suddenly, Vex turned away from him, and the soldiers allowed the slave to fall to the ground in a helpless heap. Vex began to morph, his entire form manifesting into something magnificent. In the end, Jatorn found himself looking up into a dark gray haired man’s eyes, his smile pleasant, his demeanor kind.

  “Dad?” Dennis, who wasn’t at all dead, said shakily. A weak smile eased his face as he gingerly reached out to him.

  “Yes, Son,” Vex said, in the voice of the man — the tone pure, the accent just right. He hugged him, bringing him close, then closer as he lavished the human with kisses. After a few moments, Jatorn’s mouth watered with excitement, as if he’d taken a sip from a warm cup of bubbling liquid mirth. Yes, it pleased him to watch the emotional torture climb to its twisted climax. Dennis closed his eyes, holding the man so tightly, but after a few more stolen moments, he seemed dismayed. When the human opened his eyes once again, he was holding onto a pit of smoky, stinking blackness that
had the countenance of a horrible monster with red-tinged, jagged teeth. The odor was foul as the thing’s fangs dripped with something hot and rotten.

  “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” the human screamed, relinquishing his hold on the once pleasant and familiar paternal frame. “Ahhhhhhhh!” he continued to scream, kicking and dragging his own body across the floor in a fit of pure panic. Vex laughed loud, then louder. Jatorn couldn’t help but to join in. There was a hideous monstrosity at Dennis’ feet and in a matter of seconds, Vex encased the man, devouring him until all that remained were the blood-spattered chains…

  After it was over, Jatorn clapped his hands.

  “Wonderful! Did you enjoy yourself?”

  Vex trembled as he returned to his true form. He looked tired but exhilarated as he turned towards Jatorn.

  “I did! He was fabulous. Fear is such a tasty meal. Thank you for inviting me to dinner…”

  “You’re welcome.” Jatorn lifted his glass and waited for Vex to do the same. “Here is a toast to our merger, and all the good things to come.” The glasses clinked; the deal was cinched. Plans were made. Earth had never had it so bad…

  ****

  Xzion couldn’t believe what he was doing. He’d just dropped Zachary off at the babysitter and drifted downtown to circle around his wife like a crazed stalker. The woman was less in the street now, which hindered his observations, but he wanted to see her, get next to her. They were spending more time together, even under the circumstances and lack of spare time, but he still couldn’t get his fix. He felt as if he were riding around looking for something to inject into his veins or inhale up his nostril. He hated when he got like this, but he wasn’t sure what had driven it. He’d made love to her that morning. That could typically last him until she returned home, but he was thirsty, nevertheless. He checked the time and sighed woefully.

  “That’s right, shit!” He smacked his dashboard and caught his angry image in the rear-view mirror. “She has a meeting at this time,” he said aloud, pulling away from the precinct. He was supposed to be working, anyhow. The evening previous, he’d ran more tests on his son and Aton informed him that Zachary had some blood cell types they could not yet identify. Xzion had also had his hands full with the secret he’d been keeping from his mate: there were more Yuledrakes on the planet. He could sense them, as if Yuledrake sensors were embedded deep within him, and the alarms were going off left and right now. He hated the thieving, conniving bastards. They blended right in, though he knew them when he saw them. It seemed that, on a daily basis, they were scoping him, while he returned the favor. Aton had informed him of an attempted attack on their planet which, though minor, it still registered. He safely assumed it was a Yuledrake breach. As he maneuvered down Edmonson Avenue, someone caught his consideration.