Natalia nodded. “And that’s wrong. That’s not what you and I fought for as politicians.”
“Yes, so that made me consider this scientist’s proposal. I asked that he bring his project here and show it to me personally. I allowed him and his people to make a lab beneath the Consortium, but I still haven’t pledged my support,” Jet said. He gulped. “When I saw the full extent of this project, it left me uneasy. That’s why I contacted you.”
“Jet, what is the project?” Natalia said. She retained her calm composure, but Sora saw the uncertainty in her eyes.
The elevator stopped. The doors swooshed open again. Jet pointed outward. A dark corridor sat at the end of his fingertips. Blue lights illuminated the darkness to a certain degree but Sora couldn’t make out anything inside. He stepped beside Natalia as they both took their first steps off the elevator.
“Governor, what is this?” Viktor said, identifying their surroundings quicker than Sora. Sora pressed forward, trying to make out the source of the blue lights.
As they proceeded further into the corridor, the blue lights turned into wide, circular tanks of water or some other liquid. They sat on both sides of the crew and Sora thought he saw more behind these tanks. Computers and slabs sat to the right of every tank. Light bulbs sat on the top and bottom of the tanks. Male and female bodies floated inside of them. They had muscular builds and they looked unconscious. Their faces looked frozen.
In fact, they all looked very similar. Close to identical.
Viktor asked the right question.
“What the hell?” Scout said. Her eyes darted around the corridor, which seemed endless. “How many of these guys are there? What are they?”
“This already isn’t going well,” Naos said. Sora glanced to see him tugging on Scout’s arm. “This wasn’t a good idea. Scout, Nait, you gotta listen to me.”
“Yeah, maybe Naos did have the right idea at first,” Nait said. He shuddered as they passed more bodies.
“Answer Dr. Atkins’ question,” Fi said, staring at Jet.
Another blue light appeared at the end of the corridor. Sora didn’t even know if he should call this place a corridor. Perhaps it functioned as a tunnel or one large lab center. Looks had deceived him at first but this place held more than he could have imagined or predicted.
“I will let him do that,” Jet said, pointing forward again. The crew stopped as they reached the end of the lab. Two men stood in front of one tank at the head of the room. Their backs faced the crew.
Gray suits covered their bodies. Their skin and bald heads contained a light gray tint. Sora noticed their hands, each containing two, wide fingers. These fingers sped across their respective computers. Red diagrams displayed on the screens.
Talek stopped behind Sora and Sora craned his neck toward him. “What kind of people lived on Catalan?”
“An alien race, I believe,” Talek said, scratching his chin. He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know much about them.”
The two men hadn’t acknowledged the presence of the crew. One stood several inches taller than the other. The taller man stood on the right. “Increase the stamina of this squad. The last group’s speed fell beneath the mark.”
“Yes, Chief.”
“We’re beginning to run low on elements. The pirates need to expedite their next shipment. Hopefully, the clay of Wantim will fix our issues,” the tall man said. He sounded robotic. “Begin the DNA animation.”
“Yes, Chief.”
A beeping sounded, filling the lab. Sora winced as a bright light shone from the tank. Trika and Nait stumbled back, while Scout, Naos, Talekand Fi held their arms in front of their eyes. Natalia, Viktorand Jet didn’t allow the light to break their focus.
Particles of matter formed in the tank, combining into one small, green blob. The light brightened and Sora closed his eyes. The beeping grew louder. Sora opened one eye and winced again. He fought his reflexes, forcing his left eye open. He watched muscular arms appear in the tank.
“My goodness,” Viktor said, gasping. Legs appeared next.
The beeping loudened again. It grew faster, too. Sora struggled to keep his eye open, feeling the room spin as the bright light shook. The beep took on the sound of a fast shriek and Sora grabbed his ears. He no longer paid attention to the actions of everyone else. Suddenly, the sound died. The light dissipated.
Sora opened his other eye. A male body floated in the tank. It looked just like the others.
“Chief Bosnan,” Jet said, breaking the silence. “As I told you earlier, Senator Natalia Valie is here to see you. She and her allies would like to know more about your project.”
The tall man shifted his position. Sora saw the right side of his face. A small, thick tentacle protruded from his cheek. “What is it that you wish to know, Senator?”
Natalia didn’t look at the rest of the crew. Without hesitation, she stepped forward. “We want to know what it is.”
The man, Chief Bosnan, spun around. He folded his speckled hands behind his back. A matching tentacle protruded from his other cheek. His huge, dark eyes blinked, examining the crew. His barely noticeable lips did not smile or frown.
“It is an army.”
9
Army?
Talek tilted his head, resisting the migraine that rushed toward him. As soon as this Chief Bosnan spoke those words, Talek’s brain started crawling. The inside of his head itched. Craning his neck in every direction paused it for a second, but then it began again. He could not stop it.
Unacceptable. He had to stop it and maintain control.
Natalia stared at the man that had just formed in front of them. She blinked. “How is that possible? These are soldiers?”
“Governor, I had hoped for a more formal presentation,” Bosnan said, eyeing the crew. Talek could tell that he assessed every one of them. “A proposal to you and other planetary leaders. These people were not my intended audience.”
Jet sighed. “Chief, no governor will allow themselves to hear this out. Not in the current climate of fear and control. Senator Valie is your only chance at help.”
“Chief Bosnan, sir,” Sora said, half-bowing as he stepped forward. “My name is Sora Trok. I am the captain of a freighter crew. We rescued Senator Valie and these teenagers and have fought against Queen Bettina’s forces. We want to fight back and it sounds like you do, too.”
“The Queen has made a number of enemies, hasn’t she?” Bosnan said. He still seemed unmoved. “You should not be asking how Catalan can help you. You should be asking how you can help Catalan.”
The throbbing increased. Talek rubbed his temples. Beside him, Naos shuddered. He tapped Scout again. “Scout, I really don’t like this.”
“Shut up. I want to hear it. We need to know what this guy is doing.”
“Quiet,” Talek said, gritting his teeth as he rubbed harder. Scout’s and Naos’ eyebrows shot up.
“I am afraid I don’t know much about Catalan,” Natalia said. She examined Bosnan. “I’ve never seen one of your kind before.”
“The world of Catalan is a forgotten one, Senator. The nebula discarded us long ago,” Bosnan said, motioning to the man beside him. The man turned. He looked similar but lacked face tentacles. “Very few of us remain. Decades ago, the Queen’s father decimated our planet. Demolished its natural beauty and environment. He committed genocide. A few dozen natives remain in the last four buildings still standing on Catalan.”
Talek shoved his right fist against his chest plate. His chest twisted. Talek buckled his feet to the ground and resisted the urge to bend over. His head pounded. He heard a buzzing that he had not heard in years.
A hand touched his shoulder. Talek raised his left fist to slap it away out of reflex but paused when he saw Fi’s white hand on him. He exhaled.
“Stay centered, Dano,” Fi said. Her voice sounded like a hiss and whisper mixed together. “Stay that way.”
He nodded. For the sake of the crew, he had to remain centered
.
Natalia stammered, shaking her head at Chief Bosnan. “That’s-that’s impossible. Absolutely impossible. Nowhere is that recorded in galactic history and Parliament would have never allowed—”
“I watched it, Senator and your dead predecessors in Parliament never knew about the operation. The King would have not listened to them,” Bosnan said. He folded his hands behind his back again. “Do you think that your Queen became strategic and manipulative on her own, without any example to follow?”
“He is telling the truth,” the other man said. He bowed. “I am Kasco, Chief Bosnan’s second-in-command. Our people are desperate. This is all we have.”
Natalia threw her hands up. “That can’t be true. How could our government miss a genocide?”
“How could they miss a slaughter and takeover?” Scout said, scoffing. She stepped forward and stood perfectly straight. “Why did he wipe out your people?”
Bosnan turned, gesturing to the tank in front of him. He pointed to the dozens that surrounded them. “Because he feared us, girl. Our species has amazing intelligence and we’ve given the nebula most of the gifts it now takes for granted.”
Talek’s head pounded. He grabbed his forehead, squeezing it as he looked to the ground. He heard the mental screams. Fi touched his shoulder again and pulled.
“Hyperspace travel, guns that use energy rather than bullets. The King saw that intelligence and knew we posed a threat to his power.”
The screams echoed throughout Talek’s mind. They sounded deep-throated and high-pitched at the same time. He looked at his surroundings. Viktor walked to the left, gazing at the tanks. He paced as his eyes started at the top of each tank and descended to the bottom. He tapped his fingers against his pants. “Dr. Bosnan, or Chief Bosnan, this is unheard of.”
Bosnan nodded. “Indeed. Little did the royal family know that our destruction would drive us to our greatest discovery yet: the creation of super soldiers.”
Finally, the screams peaked. “My super soldiers.”
The raspy, deep voice shrieked in Talek’s ears. He hadn’t heard it in years. He squeezed his forehead harder.
“Dude, are you okay?” Nait said, drawing closer to Talek. He blinked at the man. Trika and Sora both looked in their direction. Fi’s hand still hadn’t left his shoulder. “You look like you’re about to take your head off.”
“Talek?” Sora said, stepping toward him.
“Stop,” Talek said. His deep voice boomed more so than usual and carried more authority. “Stop talking.”
“Focus, Sora,” Fi said, pointing at Bosnan. Talek noticed that Bosnan looked unconcerned with this interruption. “I’ve got him. We need to finish this.”
“So, the army is to strike back at Bettina,” Scout said. She crossed her arms, shifting her eyes to the tanks. “How many do you have?”
“Roughly 60,” Bosnan said. He put his hands on the console in front of his new creation and keyed in a few commands. “I have been leading my people in this project for years, but the takeover presented a prime opportunity: reach out to local governments for funding and supplies to finish the work. Since arriving here, production has been expedited but I do not have everything I need to finish them.”
“I will give him what he needs.”
Talek hunched over. Fi’s hands didn’t leave.
“We may not have an entire government, but we can help you. Four of these people know the Queen and know how to fight her,” Sora said, pointing to Natalia, Scout, Naos and Nait. Natalia, Scout and Nait immediately nodded. “We can gather the supplies that you need.”
Bosnan pursed his lips together and shook his head. “We hired pirates months ago to collect our supplies. I need a specific substance. Governor, I requested your aid, not the help of individual freedom fighters.”
The throbbing quieted. Talek stood straight, swallowing hard. He knew he had the power to fight this. He could hold it at bay. He didn’t know how long he could, but he could do it.
“Wantim will not hear you out, Chief, I’m sorry,” Jet said. He stepped beside Natalia. “These people are your only option.”
Viktor still paced on the side of the room. Currently, he faced Bosnan. “Sir, I am a scientist as well. It cannot be possible to create life. It is illogical and beyond any mortal’s capabilities.”
Talek’s fingers twitched. The throbbing wanted to come back and press harder. He focused on the sensation from Fi’s hand. The cold feeling of her palm in this chilly room. The stability it had as it rested there.
“You are correct, doctor. We are not making life, we are making soldiers,” Bosnan said, nodding. “Soulless and lifeless. They only have the physical stamina to fight.”
Viktor gulped. He took several steps back and ended his pacing routine. “That seems to cross an ethical line, doctor.”
“You mentioned Wantim,” Natalia said, clearing her throat. She looked at the rest of the crew for a few seconds. Talek read the uncertainty in her eyes. “What do you want from them?”
Bosnan didn’t answer. He pursed his lips again and stared. His eyes blinked at Jet.
“They are your only option, Chief.”
“Wantim’s mines produces a clay that would stabilize the internal systems of my soldiers. We have had some complications,” Bosnan said, rolling his shoulders. The only discomfort that he had shown this whole time.
“What if we went to Wantim and negotiated with them for you?” Natalia said. Sora and Scout both stepped forward and nodded. “I am a politician, after all. That is my forte.”
“That is risky, Senator,” Viktor said, returning to the crew. “Very risky for multiple reasons.”
“Yeah, Natalia, listen to the scientist,” Naos said. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Seriously.”
Natalia ignored them. Bosnan’s body shifted, but his feet remained in place. He didn’t move, but his body language said he wanted to. He released his hands from his back and let them fall to his sides. He glanced at Jet, before returning his gaze to Natalia, Sora and Scout. “That is an… interesting offer, Senator. Due to my lack of support, it would be foolish to instantly reject it. I will need some time to contemplate this.”
“We don’t have much time,” Sora said.
“Patience. You will have my answer soon enough. Leave me and let me meditate on your proposal.”
Good. Talek heard enough. It wouldn’t take long for the headache to come back either. He needed to muffle that voice before it had any more opportunities.
Fi’s hands slipped away from his shoulder. The whole crew turned and began to walk away. Talek smiled at Fi and gave her an appreciative nod. Her face, along with Trika’s and Nait’s, remained neutral. Talek found it surprising that Trika hadn’t spoken up more during Bosnan’s dissertation. However, considering everyone else’s reactions, perhaps these three knew not to air their thoughts yet.
Jet took the lead, stepping back into the elevator. “Come, we can wait and speak more in my office.”
The crew piled into the elevator, standing shoulder-to-shoulder again, but Naos stopped to the front of the group. As the doors shut and the elevator began to ascend, he held his hands up. “No disrespect, Governor, but enough talking. Guys, we just offered our help to some random mad scientist who is making people. This is insane and completely unreliable.”
“Naos, stop!” Scout said, raising her voice. She stood across from Naos and scowled. “We know. We don’t need a lecture. I don’t trust this guy and he’s probably crazy, but it is an opportunity. It’s the best thing we’ve found.”
“Scout’s right, Naos,” Natalia said, keeping her calm tone. She stepped in front of Sora and touched Naos’ arm. “It’s a risk, but we have to take it. If Chief Bosnan can use these people to fight against her and all the injustices, it’s a huge step for us.”
Naos pulled away. “We don’t even know if these so-called ‘soldiers’ work! In fact, he just about said they didn’t! This isn’t safe!”
“Who are you
again?” Trika said, snorting. “You’ve had a stick up yours since we left Puntan.”
“You know that we don’t want to be sitting ducks, Naos,” Nait said, shoving himself between Trika and Viktor. They stood behind Natalia and Scout. “I know this is scary for you and it’s scary for me, too. Yeah, it seems stupid, but I’m not going to let Bettina come and kill us instead. Trust Natalia’s judgement.”
“Captain, Senator,” Viktor said, clearing his throat. “I do question the morality of his work. Chief Bosnan is creating slaves to do his bidding and his logic is fallible: one cannot create an entire army of synthetic life.”
Talek swallowed again as itching crawled through the back of his head. He hoped not.
“Your concerns are valid, young man,” Jet said. He stood near the controls on the right side of the elevator. “That is exactly why I wanted Nat to assess the situation.”
“He’s building this, whether we are here or not,” Natalia said, glancing at Jet and Naos. She shrugged. “Maybe it’s better we are involved either way. Better than leaving him to his own machinations.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Sora said. Talek wondered when he’d throw in his insight. “We all need time to think this over.”
“You two already offered our help so I don’t know how much thinking there is left to do, Captain,” Naos said, accenting the sarcasm in his voice as he groaned. He turned around and faced the doors.
Travelling with teenagers proved risky in itself.
“Once we get off the elevator, we’ll go eat,” Scout said. She remained close to Naos. “Gives us more time to cool down and think.”
This girl, as troubled as she appeared, held promise. When her emotions or distrust did not overwhelm her, she had a sound mind. Talek saw why she had survived for so long on the streets and how she functioned so well at such a young age. Talek saw beauty in that. A dark beauty.
Survival, Dark Times Page 13
