A Human Element

by Donna Galanti

  "Yes, I did interfere once because I saw the future. I saw those men in Hawaii would indeed kill you and then you and Laura would not meet. The survival of the Elyon people depended on your meeting. I want the Elyon people to continue. Interference then rose above the law. I must only interfere to change the course of the future if it is vital to the desired end result. This is a moral code Elyon Seekers abide by to keep order within their world. A code I have adopted and abide by. I did not interfere with your foster father because I knew you would escape and survive. This is why I did not become involved."

  Ben sighed. "When did you start watching me?"

  "You were fourteen years old and in foster care."

  "Did you know what happened to me in those foster homes?"

  "Yes."

  "You saw me with Frank too, later. You were at my foster mother's funeral."

  "Yes."

  "You knew then what Frank did to me? Was going to do to me?"

  "I did, but I also saw you escaped from that awful place and went on to survive it. I saw you after the Navy too, living in squalor and drunk in Florida."

  "If you're so like God, why didn't you rescue me then? I could have drunk myself to death."

  "But you didn't and I knew you wouldn't. I knew you would overcome and go on to have a successful career. Besides I would not have been able to rescue you if I could."

  "Why not?"

  "From that kind of evil only you could be rescued from yourself. And you did. You are stronger than you think, Ben. And I am not God. What I can do is a curse as well as a gift."

  "And my family, my friends?" Laura took in Felix's massive outline against the back window now while his green eyes flickered as they passed under street lights.

  "I'm sorry for your losses, Laura, but I saw you too would continue and survive these great tragedies. If I interfered it might have changed the future so your brother did reach you and kill you before I could stop it. That could not happen. We need our Elyon race to continue. I have spent years learning about them. They are a beautiful people, full of courage, talent, and love. Most are good beings. It would be a great tragedy for them to die out. I am honored to be part Elyon. I was lucky enough to grow up in a facility where I was well taken care of. I would have preferred a home, parents, siblings, but I had to accept I am a government experiment. Now it is up to you to fulfill your destiny. Our destiny."

  Laura reached over and placed her hand on Felix's arm. He flinched when she touched him but didn't pull away.

  She closed her eyes. "I see your life. Women in white coats drawing your blood. Doctors in blue playing a game with you as a boy. You're in a yellow room. It's where you sleep. You like it as it reminds you of the sun you can't see. There are toys, books, movies, games. Yes, you were taken care of but there was sadness. You wanted a normal human life. And I sense…I sense emotion."

  Laura opened her eyes but didn't remove her hand. Felix placed his large hand over hers.

  "Yes, I feel things but not with the intensity you do. I am a dispassionate bystander who follows the authority that created me. It's all I know, all I can do if I want to survive."

  She gazed into his green eyes and felt sorry for him. Like her brother, he too was tormented, imprisoned in the cell he sprung from. Imprisoned within himself.

  "Why are you here now then, if you shouldn't interfere?" Ben banged the steering wheel.

  "Because Laura's brother is coming to kill her this time. There's no mistake he's after you, Laura. And he will kill us too, Ben, unless we protect ourselves."

  "Does he have a name?" Laura needed to know.

  "X-10. It's his project number. It's all he has ever been called."

  "He never had a name," she whispered to herself.

  "Don't feel sorry for him. He is the monster you have dreamed about, Laura. He will kill you with no remorse. He will torture you and rip out your throat too. He's done it before. And he'll enjoy doing it to you."

  Laura shook her head and put her hands over her ears.

  "Stop it, for God sakes," Ben yelled, hitting his fist on the dashboard. The car swerved. "Why tell her these things?"

  Felix looked at him in the rear view mirror as Laura sat with tears streaming down her cheeks. "She must realize what he is, as she must realize what she is. If she doesn't then it may be her death sentence. Don't feel sorry for this being. I know what he has done. I saw into the future what torment and death he would come to cause, not only with your loved ones, Laura, but with others. He is sick and twisted and enjoys killing. He is a product of genes and environment. A concoction of rage, remorselessness, and inhuman strength."

  "What about you?" She wiped her face.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Why don't you have children and carry on the Elyon line?"

  "Because I am sterile as a result of science experiments. Besides, I can never hope to find a partner and mate as you two have done."

  Laura blushed at his blunt words.

  "You are our only hope. You and Ben will make a healthy perfect child. I've seen it. There's been no communication from Elyon in a long while. The planet may already be dead for all we know. I have tried to seek it out without success. It's been months since I connected with it and found Elyon beings alive."

  "You can do that from here? Connect with Elyon?"

  "Yes." He explained no further and turned to the window to scan the dark streets they passed. Traffic pushed around them on all sides.

  "He's coming now." Laura felt it for sure.

  "Yes," Felix said. "But he's still far away. He's traveling on foot now. We must prepare for our fight with him. We could all die."

  "I thought you could see the future and know," Laura said.

  "Yes, but events preceding can change in a second, re-directing the course of events. It can happen, unluckily so."

  "Let's hope we're lucky," Ben said.

  "Indeed." Felix agreed. "Laura, I'm counting on your telekinesis powers as well to fight X-10."

  Laura put her head to her knees. "I don't know if I can do this."

  "How is this going to end?" Ben looked at Felix.

  "X-10 must die, of course. If you don't kill him he will keep killing. He'll continue his rampage until he is brought down."

  Laura jerked her head up. "You want me to kill my own brother?"

  "It's your destiny. Unluckily so."

  They sat in silence as Ben drove, bumper to bumper now in rush hour traffic.

  "Turn left at the light here and pull over," Felix ordered.

  "Why are we stopping here?" Ben pulled over under a street lamp. They were on a residential street with row homes.

  "I must go. I'll be back, soon, when I'm needed."

  "Wait," Laura cried and grabbed Felix's arm as he pulled up his duffel bag from the floor to leave. "You can't just leave us after all you've told us. What are we supposed to do now? Where do we go? And if my brother can kill from afar then he could kill us at any time."

  "But he won't. I believe he has been killing those around you all these years to feed his rage against you. But he wants to kill you in person for heightened revenge. And there is nowhere to go you can hide. He will find you. You must be prepared."

  "And what if we decide to take the chance of running away?" Ben demanded. "Why sit here like prey, waiting for the end? I have enough money. We can live comfortably moving from place to place for quite some time. Perhaps the FBI will catch him before he catches us."

  "If you take that chance you just prolong the same outcome. Don't you want this to be over? Do you really want to live in fear all the time? And what if he tires of chasing you and seeks you out and kills you with his mind powers? Together we can fight him and end this monster and go on."

  "How will we know when this X-10 is coming," Ben said. The fluorescent light from the street lamp leant a garish look to Felix, carving deeper shadows into his rugged face.

  "I will know and I will be there when the time comes. The time is soon, but n
ot today. I have things to do."

  "What things could you possibly have to do?" Laura still gripped his arm. Violent images flowed from him to her, of warfare, suffering, and death. The scene disturbed her. She eased off her fingers, leaving Felix to pull his arm free.

  "I need to focus on seeking out the future, immediate and long term. I need to ensure my visions are correct for now and the outcome will be the desired result. I need to be alone to do this. I have seen X-10's destruction. We need any detail of information as well that could aid us if we are not only to kill him but live afterwards. He is the one thing standing in our way of the Elyon race, our race, to carry on."

  "So, you're saying we'll be safe tonight at the cabin?"

  "Yes, as far as I can see you are safe, for now."

  "We can leave. Run. Keep running," Laura pleaded.

  "Again, he will find you. He will never stop. Trust me."

  "Trust you?" Ben grabbed his arm. "All we know is this science fiction story you've told us without much proof. How can we trust you?"

  Felix moved Ben's hand off him. Ben grabbed his jacket but Felix covered his hand mid-air with his fist, holding it steady. Ben grunted trying to move his arm but couldn't. Laura watched their struggle.

  "I saved your life, isn't it proof enough you can trust me? Remember that night and what would have happened to you. I stopped it from happening, didn't I?"

  Ben nodded and Felix let go of his hand.

  "Laura, stay strong and work on your powers. You will need them soon. Ben, you must protect her. She must survive. Do you understand? Trust me and all will work out."

  "I trust you," she said looking at him with total acceptance.

  "That's good because right now, I'm all you have." Felix stepped out of the car and strode down the dark sidewalk. Where he headed she didn't know.

  "We're on our own," Ben said looking at the man in black retreat into the night shadows. Felix turned a corner and was gone.

  Laura took his hand. "Just for now. He said he'll come when the time is needed."

  "I feel like that time of need is now."

  She moved into his side, feeling his warmth and tried not to feel the same way as he pulled out onto the road.

  CHAPTER 27

  X-10 decided to stick to the woods and hike his way to New York. It could take days but the government had their people out there watching for him by now. He could kill a few humans if they caught him but it might be the end of him. He couldn't let that happen until he killed the girl. He crushed his hands together. He had to find her first.

  It had been twelve hours since he escaped and he felt fresh now from sleeping all day under a thick blanket of leaves. He wasn't sure where in rural Virginia he was but he believed he was near the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northern part of the state. He could follow the mountains north all the way to Pennsylvania. If he picked up the Appalachian Trail he could hike fast under cover as a through-way hiker. The human authorities wouldn't think to look for him on the Appalachian Trail. He laughed at his perfect plan.

  Dusk fell early in late September and it lent him the cover to be on the move. He stretched tall, shaking off the leaves. His white skin shone in the dark under the near-full moon rising. An owl hooted in soulful mourning somewhere above. He looked for it, but it disappeared in a shadowy swoop to catch its night prey. X-10 was hungry. He had to find food. He strode under the trees for a mile when he discovered the white, faded blaze of an Appalachian Trail sign. He had read hikers often left cans of food in the trail shelters. Perhaps he would get so lucky.

  He turned onto the trail and moved with speed over the rough path. His eyesight was so keen he could spot roots and rocks and nimbly stride over them. He stretched his long pod fingers outward to push branches aside as he raced toward the girl. Not so long now. She had no idea she had but a few days left to live. For miles he hiked, his stomach growling with hunger. He would have to find some animal to eat soon if he couldn't find other food.

  In his freedom, thoughts of beautiful Sabrina came to him, urging him on. If he'd only escaped to save her before Bjord killed her he could be with her now. Perhaps they could have made a life together, delved into the pleasure of flesh night after night. Perhaps he would not be hunting Laura. Sabrina's softness came to him and it fed his hunger. He let his hate subside as he ran through the woods, not seeing the trees but his cell full of her wondrous glow.

  At first she'd been terrified upon being thrown and locked into his cell. She was a whore there to initiate a virgin, but she hadn't expected a monster.

  She looked around the room then saw him in the corner. He stepped forward and she gasped, backing up into the door. She turned and pounded on it.

  "Let me out! Please. It's a mistake."

  She glanced back, her mouth a pink carving he yearned to touch. She was his game here in this cell for his easy taking.

  X-10 stepped closer. A whiff of buttery caramel and vanilla delighted his massive nose. His gray walls held so little scent. He savored the few scratch-and-sniff perfume ads he'd found in used magazines. He breathed them over and over, imagining them caressing a female's skin. And now it did. He inhaled deeply. She faced him and pressed her back up to the door.

  "No one is coming," he said. "I won't hurt you."

  She shook her head violently as her wide, blue eyes darted up and down his body. She was as young as he. Large breasts pushed up from her white blouse and tan legs were exposed all the way up to her mini-skirt. Dr. Bjord did a good job finding this one on the street. X-10 had killed uglier ones than this from his mind's eye.

  "What are you?" she whispered. She looked left and right but kept coming back to his face.

  "Just a government experiment."

  "You have yellow eyes."

  "You have blue ones."

  "Contact lenses?"

  He shrugged, running his hands down his chest and legs. She shook her leg nervously and crossed her arms. "I want to leave."

  "You can't. You're bought and paid for."

  "I want my money back. It was only for an hour."

  X-10 stepped closer. Deeper he breathed. Something else was in all that buttery sugar. An earthy smell of pine and bark. Her smell. She didn't shrink away this time.

  He jerked his head at the camera on the wall. "He's watching us, you know."

  "The old man?"

  He nodded.

  "You sound like a normal guy, except…"

  "Normal." He liked saying that word.

  "You don't look it."

  He grunted.

  She sighed, resigned. "Don't you have clothes?"

  "They hurt my skin."

  "Oh." Her face softened. Her fear was fading it seemed. "What's your name?"

  He paused a moment. "Charlie."

  She smiled. Her white teeth between full lips dazzled him. "That's a nice name. I'm Sabrina."

  "Sabrina." He drank it in like hot chocolate. Rolled it around his mouth, warm and intoxicating.

  "Why are you in here? For…hurting someone?"

  "No. Scientific testing."

  "That sounds awful. Am I being tested too?"

  "Just me."

  She looked relieved. "He said it's your first time."

  X-10 nodded. He grew hard thinking about it.

  She looked down and her eyes widened. "You're big."

  He stood taller, feeling empowered. Her words poured over him coating him in unbearable yearning. Part of him wanted to push her down and throttle her, then bite into her soft neck and taste her insides. If she knew those thoughts she would start pounding on the door again. But part of him wanted to sink his rigid sex softly inside her and lick her smell. Could he make her want him?

  No one will ever want you, the doctor said. You're too different. A killing machine. Not all human. Unworthy. Dr. Bjord's words burned in his brain. X-10 would prove him wrong.

  Sabrina took a deep breath and walked toward him. "Okay, an hour." She placed her hands on his chest and looked up in
to his eyes. Her scent made him dizzy. His breaths came faster as her warmth infused him. No one had ever touched him except to plunge needles in his arm or clamp probes onto his skin. He shuddered.

  "Are you afraid?" She raised her eyebrows.

  He shook his head and tried to find his voice to say 'no' but only air floated out. She smiled at him then and leaned her whole body into him. He stood frozen at first then swam his broad hands through her soft locks. He tugged on them. They bounced back. Her lips touched his chest. Tingly explosions ripped through him. When she wrapped her arms around him and stroked his back he tipped his head back and moaned.

  And the wind moaning through the trees snapped him back to reality.

  No! Whore!

  All human females were whores. They pierced your flesh and heart with need then burning pain that infused you with weakness. He grunted and ran faster leaving that night behind, replacing his need for love with his need for revenge. He discarded Sabrina as Bjord had, tore her from his mind as her limbs had been torn apart to float down the river.

  The wind's moans died down and he heard another moan. He stopped to listen. There it was again. Not the sound of the wind but of a woman in pleasure. Adrenalin rushed through him, filling his massive body with a surge of anticipation and lust. And hate. Hate for having the pleasures of love be given and taken away at the whim of another, and hate for Laura who could have the pleasures of love any time.

  He scanned the woods. A small tent jutted toward the moon just off the trail ahead. Two campers, making love. How romantic. How unlucky for them. How lucky for him. He stepped closer, listening to the woman call out the man's name.

  "Jimmy, oh, oh. Right there, don't stop, please."

  X-10 moved closer, standing a few feet from the tent. He reached his hand inside his pants and pulled out his enormous hard cock. He stroked himself, listening to the woman's cries. It didn't take him long. He spewed violently, his thick jism gushing onto dry leaves. The couple stopped. X-10 tucked his relieved cock back in his pants when he heard the man speak.

  "Shh, do you hear something?"

  "What is it?"

  "Listen."

  "I don't hear anything. Keep going, please?"