Frostarc

by Arthur McMahon

  Kozz threw his empty dart gun at the guard. The man fired a dart and then ducked behind the wall, hiding from what he thought was a dangerous weapon heading in his direction.

  The dart hit Kozz in the foot. Drowsiness sunk into him and his head felt like it was full of lead. He focused all of his remaining attention on the computer screen. The transmission only contained one short paragraph.

  “Presider Conway,” it read. “The scientific community hired to solve this infestation has unanimously agreed upon a hypothesis. Attached are all of our current findings.” More guards approached the north and south entrances to the lab. Kozz found Red in his hand and he raised her into the air. An ocean of water slashed in his head, its currents rocking his mind from side to side. Red fired into the air, her deafening blast echoing throughout the level. The guards backed away for a moment more. “In the reports listed below are the reasons behind our conclusions. We hypothesize that the parasite responsible for the abnormally aggressive behavior has been created by, and is being controlled by, an outside source. The unfathomable scope of complexity surrounding the parasites leads us to believe that this cannot possibly be man made. Humanity is centuries away from the complete understanding of femtotechnology, or beyond, required to create such a unique and structured life form. Therefore, we hypothesize that the parasites are under the control of a more advanced sentient society. We believe this is out first contact with intelligent alien life forms.”

  Kozz had enough time after reading the report to inhale a deep breath before the guard who scaled the wall behind him fired a dart into the back of his neck. Kozz slumped forward over the terminal and stared into the screen until his eyes closed and his head sank into his folded arms.

  Kozz awoke in his room. His belongings had been ransacked, and much was missing. Red was gone as well. Feels like a dump truck slugged me across the face. He stood up and opened the door to leave his room. Two guards waited for him outside.

  “You're not going anywhere, big man,” said one of them. They were both almost as large as he was.

  The other guard raised his communicator. “He's awake,” he said, then directed his attention towards Kozz. “Get back in your room. Officer Batoon will be with you shortly.”

  Kozz did as he was told because he did not have the strength to put up a fight at the moment. He pondered his thoughts on what he had experienced, trying to separate the reality from the drugs. I know what I saw. It was real. Conway was informed, and he must be taking action. I have to get to him. I have to be a part of this. I can't let bugs or aliens or anything else threaten the people I love.

  And that message was dated only days ago. That means Conway is still alive. Maybe they've found a cure.

  But what if there is no cure? Aliens, really? Are we under attack?

  It looks like we're in the middle of a war we didn't even know we were fighting.

  “Lord, I could use a stogie right now. Shitheads took those from me too.”

  Thin, beautiful, merciless Marissa opened the door. Two guards followed her in. Kozz stood to respect her presence, but one of the guards ordered him to sit down.

  “You are good, Mr. Kozz.” She stood tall, knowing she was in charge of the situation. The woman demanded attention with her bright eyes, but their intensity kept Kozz from staring for too long. “Getting all that way, knowing that this entire ship was keeping an eye on you, and all on your first night! Marvelous.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Now where's my gun and smokes?”

  “We have them. Do not fret. You will get everything back once our trip is at an end. Well, maybe I'll let you have your cigars a little sooner if you behave yourself.”

  “So am I under arrest then? I saw what I was looking for. I don't need to go prowling around for anything else.”

  “Under arrest? Oh, no. You are not under arrest. We simply request that you remain in your room for the duration of the trip. Your clearance level is too high for us to simply arrest you, even if it is voided. It just seems that you are too important of a person, Mr. Cochran.”

  Kozz's body tensed. He shot a glare at the woman. “How do you know my name?”

  “Guards,” said Marissa. Her proud demeanor did not change. “A little privacy, please? Don't worry. I'll be fine.” The guards left the room and closed the door. “I know more than just your name, Cosmo. I know all about you. I wasn't sure it was you when we first met at the elevator, but the expertise you displayed last night proved who you are. I have been searching for you for a long time. A little over a decade, in fact.”

  “Narnkazi,” said Kozz. Her eyes revealed everything she knew. Her confidence was manifested in the fact that she had finally found the prey she had been hunting for the last ten years. “You killed him.”

  “Him? Oh, you mean your boy? Goodness no, I've never killed anyone. I simply ordered it to happen. You destroyed most of my father's organization and killed many of his men. Don't you think he deserved the retribution?”

  “I'm going to fucking strangle you!” Kozz lurched forward and grabbed the woman's thin throat. “You killed my son! You killed my beautiful Jake!” He squeezed her throat, twisting his hands back and forth to make sure she felt the pain. His rage tightened his face and swelled his muscles. The guards outside heard the noise and burst through the door. They raised their weapons and ordered Kozz to stop, but he would not.

  “Priscilla,” squeaked Marissa. She mouthed the name again. “Priscilla.”

  Kozz read the name off her lips and released her. The guards swarmed around him and tackled him to the ground. “What about her?” he yelled. “What have you done to her? You better not have fucking touched her!”

  Marissa muttered something no one could hear. She tried to speak several times, but Kozz had squeezed hard. She managed to make a sound. The guards did not understand her at first, but she repeated herself. “Leave us!” she demanded. The guards did as ordered and closed the door once more.

  “Where is she?” demanded Kozz.

  “We have her. We've had ever ever since you abandoned her. She's been at my father's side since the day you left her. She's been our slave and our whipping board for the last ten years.”

  She was lying, and Kozz knew it. He did not let it show. He played along. “I told her to run away. I told her to change her name. I told her how to lose herself in the crowd so that you would never track her down.”

  “And we did anyway! She ours, Mr. Cochran. Mr. Enforcer. My father is holding her, knowing that you'll one day come to her rescue. He wants you to come. He wants you to try and save her. He wants you to watch her die as he watched his companions die on the day you invaded our complex, and then he will kill you. Painfully. Slowly. Then he will send both of your heads to the Presider, letting the galaxy know to never challenge Narnkazi! We have rebuilt since your attack, and we are stronger than we ever were before, especially with the current weakened state of the Cooperation. If you want to find your wife, you are going to have to let me live. I will be your guide.”

  “And if I kill you right now?”

  “Then she remains my father's slave. He enjoys her company, and my brothers love using her for a punching bag. Keep this in mind. I'll give you instructions at the end of our journey to Erde.”

  “You're a fucking bitch.”

  “Compliments are unnecessary, Mr. Cochran. Enjoy the next three weeks in your room. The guards will keep you company, and your meals will be brought to you. If you are lucky I will check in on you from time to time. Farewell.”

  She closed the door behind herself. Kozz thought about what she had said. She lied. Jammer had run into Priscilla a few years ago and she was fine. That means they don't have her. Marissa wouldn't have lied about having my beautiful wife for so long if she had her at all. They found me and they want me to lead them to her. They still hold their grudge after all of these years.

  I thought that it had been long enough. I thought they would have forgotten about me. I thought we were more safe now in
the midst of all this carnage happening in the galaxy, but I was wrong. They'll never stop hunting Priscilla, and they'll never stop hunting me.

  It's time to stop running. I'm going to have to end Narnkazi once and for all. I'm going to take him and his entire organization down, and I'm going to make sure Marissa is there when all hell breaks loose.

  But I still have to get to Conway and help him solve this crisis. Priscilla is only one of many people I have to protect. Caleb and Luciele are depending on me, as are Richard and Kelly, and all of humanity is under threat.

  I have to do what I can. I have to stop anyone else from suffering. I have to save everyone, for Caleb. For myself.

  Good thing I have three weeks in solitary to plan out what I need to do.

  “Guards!” shouted Kozz. “How 'bout throwing me a damn magazine or something. And where's my razor? I need to shave.”

  About the Author

  Arthur McMahon is an independent author of fiction and non-fiction, publisher, and host of the Paracosms podcast.

  Arthur’s passion for writing began as a child when he found that he preferred writing essays to taking exams. Having graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Arthur enjoys recording the world which surrounds him. His backpacking journeys and other escapades have been recorded in numerous articles and in his own published trail journal, Adventure and The Pacific Crest Trail.

  Fiction never loosens its hold on Arthur’s thoughts, especially the realms of science fiction and fantasy. Frostarc is Arthur’s debut novel, and his Shadow Assassin series is in the same space-pioneering universe. Reviews have praised Arthur for his suspenseful writing and exciting action.

  As a self-proclaimed nomad and traveler, Arthur will always have new stories to tell. His works can be found in print, audiobook, and ebook. You can stay up to date on Arthur McMahon’s latest projects at ArthurMcMahon.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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  Also by Arthur McMahon

  Seclusion

  Frostarc

  Shadow Assassin

  Vengeance of Humanity

  Deceit of Humanity

  Watch for more at Arthur McMahon’s site.