The Sky is Endless

by Alexander W Meurant

  "Yes sir, completely sir" the Lieutenant Tayl replied before she sighed inwardly. Looking down the corridor, the Lieutenant noticed two soldiers standing outside a room. It was the room that the commander was headed straight for. As the trio reached the room’s door, both soldiers straightened their posture and saluted the commander who didn't even acknowledge the gesture before opening the door and striding in.

  Entering the room as well, Lieutenant Tayl swept her gaze around the room, inspecting it. Two windows with grates on the outside, a small number of chairs, two of which were occupied by another two soldiers, and four beds occupying the room, yet only one was being used, which was currently flanked by three doctors.

  The doctors had been having a heated discussion, which had ceased as soon as the commander had entered the room, and all the doctors where now looking nervously at the commander, who instantly made a gesture towards the door. Nodding, the doctors and the two soldiers filed out of the room, no questions asked. As they were leaving however, the commander snapped his fingers at a doctor irritably and held out his right hand. As the doctor passed he placed a medical clipboard into the commander’s outstretched hand and then promptly exited the room with his colleagues.

  Lesha locked her eyes on the sole occupied bed, and its occupant who was looking expectantly at the three newcomers with nervousness clear as day all over his face.

  The room fell into an eerie quiet as the commander flipped through the pages on the clipboard, scowling every now and then, and after a few minutes of silence, he raised his head and asked a question of the youth in the bed.

  "Your name, Sain was it?" He growled out with his irritation showing through brilliantly. Lieutenant Tayl guessed he found this whole thing tedious. The young man just blinked at the commander, not understanding.

  Scowling again, the commander spoke again, this time turning to address the Lieutenant.

  "Lieutenant Tayl, you speak Gestonian do you not?" he snapped in that same irritable manner as previously. He just stared at the woman, a finger tapping on the clipboard hinting at his bad mood.

  "Yes sir, I do" the young officer replied, meeting the commander’s irritation with a calm and cool attitude. At least she knew how to remain professional.

  "Then speak it" the commander ordered as he turned back to the young man in the bed who was now looking between the three newcomers with wide eyes. Lieutenant Tayl nodded her acceptance of the order and turned her attention to the youth as well. She stepped forward and smiled softly at the young man before speaking.

  "Your name is Sain, correct?" She asked of him, her smile and expression warm and in a way comforting. The youth seemed to relax and nodded, a weak smile on his face as he understood.

  "I am Lieutenant Lesha Tayl", Lesha said, gesturing to herself first. Then she gestured to the commander and then her colleague.

  "And this is Commander Sembak Fuldhouser, and Lieutenant Keu Hayes. The commander has a few questions for you if you would answer them" Lesha stated, that same warm expression on her face. Once again the youth nodded in acknowledgement and shifted his position in the bed so that he was facing Sembak fully. The manoeuvre was not lost on the man called Sembak, who locked his eyes on the youth.

  "Go ahead Sir, he will answer your questions" Lesha stated as she turned to Sembak and made a hand gesture at the youth on the bed.

  "Do you know what this says?" Sembak asked with a heavy scowl as he raised the clipboard and brandished it in the air.

  "I imagine it shows my test results sir" Sain answered mildly, an indignant look creeping onto his face as Lesha continued to translate word for word.

  "It says nothing, that's what. That no one knows what is wrong with you. All it has on here is the abnormalities currently affecting your body. Increased muscle density, incredibly high energy levels, and an unbelievable rate of physical healing. That's it, this offers nothing else but nonsense. Do you have any opinion on your state?" Sembak stated, the irritation in his voice heavy. Lesha perked a brow as she translated, having known very little about the situation before arriving.

  "Not really, as I’m not exactly the one that wants to find out. I'm just happy to be alive" Sain piped right back, irritation clear in his voice. He seemed to be getting fed up rather quickly.

  "Ridiculous. I've read every report made on you, and they offer no insight whatsoever as to what has happened to you, and as such we have no use for you. I wonder why you were even locked up in a damned laboratory in the first place" Sembak growled angrily and made some sort of gesture, throwing both his hands up in the air. Once Lesha translated, the youth became angry and snarled a reply.

  "Well that's not my damn problem. I'm not here because I want to be. For the last five years I’ve been imprisoned and experimented on, and then hauled halfway across the fucking world to a place I barely knew existed. If I'm of no use to you, then bloody well let me go" Sain damn near shouted, his voice loud and angry as he pretty much snapped. His angry outburst finished, the youth slumped back on his pillows and folded his arms whilst glaring at Sembak.

  Lesha looked at Sembak as she finished translating and waited nervously for his reply. Knowing his character, Lesha knew that Sembak would not like being spoken to as he had just been, but the commander surprised her by simply raising an eyebrow and then speaking quietly.

  "You are right in that regard boy, I fully intend to let you go. As of yesterday, Prince Bradley stopped harassing us with demands for you to be turned over, and appears to have given up any claim on you. So as of this moment you are free and can stop draining my damned resources" Sembak stated, his voice oddly level and even compared to his earlier tirade. Sains eyebrow's rose in surprise as Lesha translated once again, and then he mumbled an apology for speaking out as he had.

  Sembak ignored the mumbled apology and turned to Lesha, handing her the medical clipboard before speaking.

  "This youth is now your responsibility Lieutenant. You get him released, get some clothes on his back, find him a place to stay and counselling or advice should he need it, and not necessarily in that order either. Once you are done report back to me" Sembak said before simply turning on his heel. Sembak gestured to a silent Lieutenant Hayes and the both of them left the room leaving the door ajar. Both Sain and Lesha peered through the open doorway and saw Sembak speak briefly with the doctors and soldiers. The commander then disappeared from view as did the others.

  Turning back to Sain, Lesha smiled kindly and the youth smiled back before asking a simple question.

  "So, what happens now?''

  "Well, you are in my care now, but first things first, I'll have to find some clothes for you. Then we will have to get you released. There will be paperwork, but it shouldn't take long. In the mean time you just relax. I'll be back later today, and with good fortune, I'll have you out of here soon", Lesha replied in a kindly and professional manner.

  "Well, here's to good fortune" Sain said as he lay back on his bed, his hands coming to rest behind his head as he stared straight ahead at a turned off TV screen.

  Lesha frowned slightly and shook her head, turning on her heel and exiting the room. She didn't really want to babysit a temperamental youth, but the task had been given to her, so she didn't really have a choice. Stepping out into the hall, she looked around, noting that all the guards had disappeared. Shaking her head again, she simply strode towards the administration block, fully intending to get this thing over with.

  * * *

  Sain breathed deeply as he stepped out of the car and into the hot sun. He took a look at his surroundings. Dusty, dirty buildings, with ill repaired windows and doors. Dusty, dirty people with quite visible scars. And those very people started appearing out of everywhere, investigating this car that had come to such a rundown area, but as soon as Lesha exited the car from the driver’s seat, all the people saw her military uniform and immediately dispersed, which was duly noted by Lesha herself.

  Coming around the back of the car, the young woman came to
stand beside Sain, making him all too aware of her presence, Sain turned away so she would not see him embarrassed.

  "Well, it’s not exactly the nicest area, but it is a boarding house for travellers, and the people around here aren't as violent as elsewhere. If the locals do attack you, just use your magic, there is no mage law here. In fact, there is no law here. The warlord of this area follows the survival of the fittest theory. If you stay too long he will probably try to recruit you though" Lesha stated, enlightening Sain of the place he was standing even as the youth continued to look around, a sceptical expression on his face.

  "So what exactly am I supposed to do about my situation then" Sain queried as he hoisted his new back pack up over his thin shoulders.

  "There are a few things really. Find a job and earn some money, or you could steal. Just pick your targets wisely. You could even join up with a gang or even the warlord here, though I wouldn't advise it. If you want to, you could even get a commission into the army. That's not the warlord’s retinue, that's the SNDF, the Samite National Defence Force. It doesn't matter if you're an outsider, they'll put you through some tests and enlist you. No one ever fails" Lesha answered with a rather indifferent tone before looking around the area herself, and then pointing out some places.

  "Over in that direction is the local recruitment office. You can’t miss it, it's the only clean place around. Straight ahead is the boarding house. You have a room there, paid up in advance for a month. After that you will have to figure something out, you have money for food already, so you should be able to manage for a little while I suppose" the young officer stated with a frown on her face. Her eyes flitted around the place, no doubt taking in the curious locals.

  "Thanks I guess, I should be alright. I grew up in an area a bit like this, though it wasn't as hot and dry as it is here. But the people are the same regardless of which shit hole you live in" Sain replied, trying to put on a tough face as he too noticed some of the more curious looks being sent his way from many a hidey hole.

  "I guess that's true. Well, I have to get back to base. It was nice meeting you, and I hope you find your way here. I wish you all the best" Lesha stated as she turned to him and held out her hand. Sain took it and shook it briefly, his eyes flitting away from her dark, pretty face. Lesha smiled and then went back around the car and got into the driver’s seat once again.

  "Well take care" she said through the open left window and then started the car. As the engine rumbled, she drove slowly away, bumping over the damaged and broken road.

  Sain sighed and watched the car go, noting the exhaust coming from the vehicle. It was still a petrol car. He sighed again and heaved his new backpack onto his shoulder once more, readjusting it before he walked straight ahead into the boarding house in front of him.

  Entering the lobby, he immediately noticed the foul smell of the place, a dank and rotting smell. Looking around, he noticed some dead rats around some traps being swarmed by flies. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he walked over to the service counter, and with no one in sight, he rang the bell on the counter.

  When no one appeared after a minute, he rang it again. Another minute went by, and he started to get the shits. He started to ring it repeatedly in annoyance, causing a short thin woman to appear at the back of the office, who wasted no time to start yelling at him in a Samite dialect, which he obviously could not speak nor understand.

  Sain stopped ringing the bell and thumped his fist onto the counter instantly quieting the woman, his irritation evident. He then started to speak slowly, and told the woman that he had been booked a room in advance by the army. She obviously did not understand a word he had said, but she shouted something and after a few moments, an old Samite man with a shaggy white beard and bald head shuffled into view. He had a quick talk with the woman, then moved over to the service counter where he leafed through some papers.

  Finding what he was looking for, he tapped it with a finger and then tiredly lifted his head to look at Sain.

  "Are you Sain my boy" he asked in heavily accented Gestonian.

  "Yes, that's me" Sain dutifully replied.

  "What's your last name" the old codger demanded of him rather brusquely.

  "It’s Belford" Sain snapped back irritably at the old man.

  "Well, can't be too sure. You're in room seven, for a month from today" the man replied, and finishing his talk, the old man looked at the woman and spoke to her in their own tongue once again.

  The woman scowled and then grabbed a key off of a board covered with them and disappeared out the office back door. A few moments later she appeared out of a hallway and gestured for Sain to follow. He started after her scowling, not at all happy with the reception he was getting. But that was no surprise considering he was no doubt the only white man in an area dominated by those with black or dark brown skin.

  Halfway down the hallway, they came to a door, which the woman unlocked with the key and then pushed open hard, letting it slam against the wall, causing some loose plaster to fall off of the door frame and ceiling.

  Looking at Sain, the woman smirked and threw the room key inside before saying something in her own language and thumping away angrily.

  "Bloody bitch" Sain muttered to himself as he entered the room and threw his bag down on the mattress before he began searching for his key.

  Chapter 35

  * * *

  The place was a complete haze as Sain was wheeled down a seemingly never-ending hallway. The wheels of his bed squeaked ominously, and Sain squirmed and struggled against his bonds, faint whimpers escaping him. He could hear voices, but they seemed so far away, and yet the blurry outlines of his doctors were so close, but always at the edges of his vision. Then the door appeared, and he stopped moving, just staring at it.

  That one door seemed so clear, it was stark to the blurry movement and images of the doctors. He locked his eyes on the door. A set of double doors, completely white, a light above them as if to say, here I am. As the door came closer and closer, he struggled even more, but to no avail. He reached the door and it opened, seemingly pulled inwards by invisible hands. Through the door all he could see was a never-ending darkness, and as his feet passed through the door, they disappeared from his view. Then his legs were gone. Next his waist, hands, chest and arms. As the darkness reached his head he let loose a scream, a shriek of terror.

  Sain sat bolt upright, his heart pounding a million beats a minute and he stared around the dark room, the whites of his eyes showing. He sucked in breaths repeatedly, trying to place where he was. That’s right. He was in the hostel, not the ward. It was the hostel.

  He swung his feet out of the bed and sucked in a deep breath, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, his hands reaching behind his head and cupping it so that he appeared to be in a somewhat sitting foetal position.

  Sucking in another breath he shuddered a little and he felt a tear run down his cheek. Damn.

  He shook his head angrily and dropped his hands, cuffing his eyes angrily and wiping the tears away. He sat there in silence then for some time. He wasn't quite sure how long, recovering from the nightmare. It seemed so real, as clear as day in his memory, and he was pretty sure it was one of his memories, locked away by his sub-conscious.

  A sharp knock sounded on his door and he looked up sharply, rather puzzled. Had he screamed when he woke and attracted attention. Surely not. He stood up, dressed only in a pair of black briefs and a khaki singlet. He approached the door and grabbed the handle even as another hand lifted the chain from the door and slid it out.

  "What do you want" he asked as he opened the door, a frown on his face.

  Sain didn't even see who was there as a blunt object collided with his skull and he fell straight backwards, thumping straight into the floor of his room, his mind whirring and stars swimming in his vision. Everything went blurry and he saw three shapes enter his room, two stepping over him whilst another leant down and rolled Sain over. Sain idly felt someone
tying his wrists together and he groaned, pulling at his arms.

  A fist slammed into the side of his head and he grunted as his vision blurred again even as he went limp, lying on the floor practically comatose.

  Voices seemed to waft in and out of his consciousness and he somewhat registered things being thrown around his room. A few small objects rained down around him, clattering on the floors as his backpack was tipped inside out.

  After a short while his vision returned, and he came to full consciousness, sucking in a shallow breath. He listened clearly now, catching words from the Samite language. He could hear three different voices, and they sounded gleeful. They were laughing and not trying to be quiet in the slightest. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, summoning magic to him. He created a thin barrier around himself even as he guided magic down to his wrist and cut the rope that tied them together. Then he pushed himself up to a standing position and stared at his attackers, who stared right back at him with evident shock and rightfully so.