S69Q-1 (The Cosmic Inferno Book 3)

by Riva, Aline

  Desperation shone in his eyes.

  Sin shook her head.

  “I don't think you can save them, Rik. Neve said she thought it would be too late. She got to you just in time. The others could be past that point by now. Do you really want to risk your life to find out if your theory is right or wrong? We could both die!”

  “We won't. Just tell me what I was like before, on Shyra-K1. I can pretend, I can fool them.”

  As they stood together on the flight deck and the ship went on its way locked on target to land back at a place Sin had never wanted to revisit, fear shone in her eyes, then as Jinx caught her expression he was hit by a terrible realisation.

  “Was it me? Did I have you pierced with the zestion? Did I cause all that damage?”

  Tears filled his eyes.

  She looked away.

  “Tell me!” he demanded.

  “Yes you did,” she said quietly, slowly turning back to look at him, “You wanted to modify me to look like an alien woman. I begged you not to – you made a deal, I get to stay as I am but you get to own my ability to reach orgasm. You get to own my body.”

  “How could you love me after I did something so terrible?”

  She shook her head.

  “Because I saw the real Jinx, because I knew something was influencing you? I don't know, a combination of both, maybe. I was sure the cause was physical. You were being controlled by the parasite but somehow fighting to reach me. You wept in my arms! I knew I had to help you, so don't blame yourself for anything you did while the parasite controlled your mind, I could still reach you even then, I knew Rik Jinx was trapped!”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders, a look of pain and regret reflected in his eyes that ran so deep no reminder of the alien infection and its blame could lift it.

  “I am so sorry for harming you, I'm sorry for all the terrible things I've done – I think there must have been many. But I do mean it when I say I regret it, even though I was infected, I still feel to blame and if going back to Shyra-K1 can somehow make up for all I've done, if I can take some good from this, save Mack and the others – even if I fail, at least I know that when I had the chance to be free of the parasite, I did the right thing and tried. I'm not an evil man, Sin. I've done terrible things but like you said, it wasn't my fault. And even before the infection, I was no saint. I've been irresponsible, dangerous flying with passengers on board, got a way with it al the time so I thought it was no big deal... I was a bit of a gambler, you see. That was the culture in my youth, every space pilot who was trained around twenty five years ago will know what I mean - we were all the same, orbit wasn't high enough. Space wasn't high enough.”

  Sin's eyes filled with a look of confusion.

  “I don't know what you mean.”

  Jinx paused for thought.

  “But... that's got nothing to do with this situation..no, it doesn't matter...I'm rambling again...I'm not even sure why that came to mind...I'm going back to Shyra-K1, I'm going to try and save them. I owe it to Mack, he's my best friend and like you said, the infection is to blame – not the host. I have to try and save them all.”

  Sin's face was still pale. He looked at her blood spattered clothing and then to his own.

  “We should get cleaned up,” he told her, “We can't arrive looking like we've been inside a slaughter house – they might expect that behaviour back on the private planet, but they'd be very suspicious if I flew in from the outside looking like this.”

  “You're really going to take this chance?”

  “Yes, I am,” he replied, “And if you don't want to come with me I can leave you on board the ship – one of us needs to stay safe to take the warning back to earth, it makes sense for you to wait here – I want you to be safe, anyway.”

  “But you wouldn't leave me on board your ship alone. The crazy Jinx would never have let me out of his sight. You have to take me with you.”

  In that moment he silently regretted the decision he had made but knew there was no other way – with Mack and the others left at Shyra-K1, there was always a risk they could hail a passing ship, leave and seek out victims when the food supply ran low... It had been almost four months. The freezer stock would be dwindling soon. There was also the fact that the private planet was registered as owned by Ritchie Jinx. If their activities were discovered he would be held accountable along with them, or at least, be forced to live the life of a fugitive for the rest of his days if he went on the run.

  Putting his own needs aside, strong loyalty burned in his heart as he thought of Mack, knowing he was his best friend even though most recollection of their friendship was gone, he knew he had to save him, he had to get him out of there. The fact that Sin was now also in danger was something he didn't want to think about but he knew she was right, he had to carry on as if nothing had changed - and that would mean taking her with him back into a house full of maniacs...

  “I'll keep you safe, Sin,” Jinx promised her, “Even if it kills me – I won't let anything happen to you.” Then they left the flight deck together, to get cleaned up and wash away the blood from their clothing, a reminder of the devastation of the parasite and perhaps a warning of what was to come...

  They showered together, Jinx took Sin in his arms as the blood washed away and they kissed beneath the hot water. He wanted to take her to bed and make love to her again, but they both knew of the coming dangers and there was little time to spare with the ship on full speed and locked on course for Shyra-K1.

  After getting dressed, Jinx opened up a wardrobe and handed her a short, sheer gown of satin and transparent fabric that floated with delicacy and told her to put it on, because the infected Jinx would have expected her to wear it. He didn't mention he was sure it used to be Cora's, or that his heart was aching for his lost love as they grew closer and closer to their destination.

  As he took the flight off auto and sat there at the controls, the sight of the planet looming closer seemed to switch his mind to a different frequency, and he wondered if the faded memories were trying to claw their way back... perhaps it was possible, Sin had told Neve that she had shot him full of the antidote by accident while she had been his prisoner. Maybe that was why strange memories that did not feel familiar were bleeding through some kind of crack in his mind, seeping through enough to be heard, then enough to be seen as the black starlit void ahead stuttered in and out as Jinx froze, his senses overtaken by flashes of another time and place:

  Cora was crying. He could hear her sobbing as she tearfully managed to speak, her sentences punctuated by sobs.

  “No... I can't take this, not after all this time! Promise me, Mack...please, promise me!”

  “This has been going on for three years,” Mack told her, “We can't be certain of anything...we always had to wait, you know that.”

  “I just want him back...I want him back!”

  The view of starlit space vanished as white light hurt his vision, Jinx blinked and it was gone.

  “Jinx...” Cora's voice echoed in his mind, “I know this sounds crazy but I think I love you. That's got to be worth something, right? What do you think of that? Please, say something...”

  A sound filled his ears like static and the view of space once more appeared before him as he sat in the pilot's seat, taking the cruiser closer to Shyra-K1.

  Thoughts of purple skies filled his mind. He was sure the skies on the approaching planet were blue like earth, but pitted with clouds that tinged crimson and green at sunset. The skies here were not purple, yet he saw it in a blaze of neon glow.

  Suddenly he recalled years ago, being a trainee pilot and the rush building inside his head as he took the ship through earth's atmosphere. Getting high with the skies. There was no feeling like it.

  Jinx drew in a breath, taken over by a memory of feeling superhuman, a sweet and pure high that made him feel he could take on the entire universe.

  “No one is dying today!” he stated.

  “What?”

/>   He turned his head and looked to Sin, who wore an expression of utter bewilderment.

  “I...I was just thinking about landing on the planet...the risk. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you.”

  She accepted his reply and he was glad of it, because the flashbacks were out of place thanks to the memory wipe and he had no clue why he would suddenly be hit with memories of Cora weeping. Then he wondered why she was weeping and Mack was comforting her – Mack was with Jody, always had been – Cora had been his, entirely his, he had never shared her once their bond had been established, he felt it in his heart. So why would she be saying it was crazy that she loved him? Because at the time he had been crazy because of the parasite?

  His head was full of questions that found no answers, Jinx was still thinking on those lack of answers as he took the ship into descent, cutting through the atmosphere and once again heading into land at Shyra-K1, a place that had been his home for three years, a place he could now barely recall.

  As the ship touched down on the expanse of green a short distance from the white mansion that stood alone on the private planet, Jinx felt a certain amount of familiarity that was cloaked by vagueness that refused to lift. He checked his weapon and holstered it, then got up from his seat, turned to Sin and glanced down at his clothing.

  “What do you think? Do I look the same?”

  She ran her gaze over his black jeans and polished boots, then she got up and joined him, pausing to unbutton his shirt all the way down.

  “Now you look like crazy Jinx,” she replied, “Apart from the necklace.”

  “What necklace?”

  She hesitated. He looked hard at her, silently demanding an answer.

  “Human teeth.”

  “Oh fuck, no...No way!”

  “You had it when I met you. After you decided to fight the parasite's influence you ripped it off and threw it away back at the space port.”

  “What space port?”

  Now it seemed to late to hide answers, because Jinx was about to step into the unknown and memories would be valuable weapons.

  “You flew two people to a nearby colony planet. You freed two prisoners. They had a shot of the memory wiping drug so they only know you as the guy who helped them when their ship got in trouble. You didn't even tell them where you were from.”

  He breathed a relieved sigh.

  “At least they can't lead anyone back here! I'm going to leave the ship now, remember, I'm still crazy Jinx. If I mess that up try and help me out somehow.”

  She nodded, managing a smile even though the thought of returning to Shyra-K1 filled her with dread.

  “We'll get through this,” she promised him, wishing she felt as brave as she had sounded. Right now Jinx needed reassurance, it was the best she could offer considering she would not be able to arm herself, because that would look suspicious. It was all down to Jinx now, a man who barely recalled life on this planet or his companions, or the terrible deeds they had carried out whilst he was infected with the parasite. He was more or less walking into danger blindfolded thanks to the missing memories and now all she could do was hope for the best, but after witnessing Neve's death at the hands of an infected maniac, she didn't hold out much hope that they would be getting out of this place alive...

  She walked with Jinx to the hatch and he opened it. Sunlight flooded in along with fresh clean air that carried no trace of the stink of blood, nothing yet reminded her of the carnage they had seen back at S69Q-1, but as they went down the steps and then began to head towards the house, a man came out through the open door, he waved and Jinx waved back. Sin felt her throat go tight. It was Mack, the one person around here who knew Jinx better than anyone – and if any of the residents of the maniac mansion would notice a sharp change in Rik Jinx, it had to be his best friend...

  Chapter 8

  “Its been months!” Mack exclaimed, throwing his arms around Jinx and hugging him tightly, “We've been worried! Are you okay?”

  As Mack stepped back from him and looked at him oddly, wondering why Jinx seemed so stiff and strangely tense, he spoke again.

  “Talk to me, Rik! What's wrong?”

  “Nothing...” Jinx replied, looking at Mack intently, trying to recall as much as he could about their friendship. Now he was cursing the choice he had made to lose the bad memories, it had left him feeling utterly lost at how to respond, even though he felt sure this man was his best friend and had been for many years...

  “Let's go inside and see the others,” Mack said, then he turned away and walked up the steps, heading for the open doorway.

  As they followed, Jinx glanced at Sin and lowered his voice.

  “He's suspicious. What do I do?”

  “Be hyper.”

  “What?”

  “You used to be hyped up all the time. Go a bit crazy.”

  He gave a sigh.

  “This is going to be tiring.”

  Then as they reached the house and Mack went in first, Jinx dashed to catch up with him, passing him and then standing in front of him, holding up his hand, displaying his wedding ring.

  “I married my slave!” he declared.

  Then Mack laughed, all trace of suspicion gone from his eyes in an instant.

  “Good for you, why not!” he glanced to Sin, “We'll have to start calling you Mrs Jinx... I guess he was serious when he said he wanted to keep you!”

  Sin looked at him then looked away again.

  “She only speaks to me now!” Jinx said, perfecting his hyped up crazy act, “She's all mine! My absolute slave! My property!”

  Mack smiled warmly.

  “It's so good to see you back to your old self,” he told him as he put an arm around his shoulder, “Let's go and have a drink – then I''ll let Jody and Zeke know you're back.”

  Then the two men walked on towards a wide lounge as Sin followed, feeling sick. Mack had just fallen for the crazy act Jinx had put on, and been so happy to see him back and as crazy as the rest of them... She still didn't rate their chances of getting out of here alive too highly...

  They entered the luxurious lounge area and Jinx went over to a soft leather couch and sank back on it and gave a sigh.

  “It's good to be home! So, what happened while I was away?”

  He put his feet up on the coffee table and looked to Mack, who was pouring two large whiskeys.

  “Well, the food supplies are running low. How many bodies did you bring back?”

  “What?”

  Jinx felt caught out, then he looked to Sin, snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor and she sat obediently beside the couch, hoping his act of dominance would take some of the suspicion off his reaction to Mack''s question.

  “The bodies, our meat!” Mack exclaimed, “Don't tell me you haven't done the food run?”

  Jinx laughed. He ran his fingers through his hair, leant back on the couch and didn't bother reaching for the booze Mack had placed on the table in front of him.

  “I've been too busy playing with my toy,” Jinx replied, glancing to Sin as he smiled, “It's been a great four months!”

  “So you'd better go and get the meat before the end of the week, right?”

  Jinx nodded.

  “Yeah, yeah. As if I'd not bother with the food – I can't imagine being without the meat.”

  Mack smiled back at him as he sat down and raised his glass.

  “We all need the meat, I'll drink to that!”

  Jinx looked to the booze on the table and guessed he could certainly do with some liquid courage right now, but afraid of slipping up, he left the glass untouched on the table.

  “How's Jody?”

  “Beautiful as ever.”

  “And Zeke?”

  “His cooking is beautiful as ever!”

  Mack laughed and Jinx laughed too.

  “Don't forget me.”

  Jinx looked around sharply, sat up and blinked, his face paling as he heard Cora speak, but saw no sign of her.

 
; “Rik?” Mack was looking worried now, “What's wrong?”

  Jinx ran his fingers through his hair and then rubbed at growing tension building at the back of his neck. Sin had noticed too, she tried not to react as she sat there, still playing the role of slave as Rik's eyes widened and he looked about the room again.

  “Nothing...I ...I'm just tired.”

  Genuine deep concern filled Mack's eyes.

  “What the fuck did I just see?”

  “What?”

  It was all Jinx could think to say, because asking if he had seen or heard Cora would sound insane...

  “When you ran your hand over your hair – that fucking great scar on your head, what happened?”

  “I was cleaning out an air filter system and the casing fell on me – split my head open.”

  “Do you want Jody to take a look?”

  “No need, I got it sealed up, there was a clinic nearby, they saw me as an emergency. That was months ago. I'm fine now.”

  “You don't look fine,” Mack replied, “You just sat up and looked round this room like you'd seen a ghost!”

  “Stiff neck,” Jinx lied, “It was a long flight back. We've been all over the place.”

  “I'm still here.”

  Cora's voice sounded hollow, distant, but only he could hear it as he sat there, wondering if maybe this was a side effect of the drugs that had wiped his memory, or the surgery to remove the parasite – or both. There had to be a rational explanation because after regaining his sanity he was sure he wasn't about to lose it again – he had seen so much crazy, sickening shit since the parasite had been taken out of his head and he was certain he was not crazy now, even if hearing her voice suggested otherwise...

  “Rik,” she said, “Please look at me, I know you can hear me. Stop ignoring me, sweetheart.”

  Jinx picked up the glass on the table and took a sip of the whiskey, suddenly glad of it to calm his frayed nerves.