by James McEwan
There were many kinds of fruits and lots of different types of dishes to sample. Kára was pleased that Mortlock had even added some Eli dishes to the mix. Thad filled his plate and then sat down to eat. He broke off a piece of flat bread and dipped it into a wonderful smelling mixture then took a bite. The flavors danced around in his mouth and for the first time in the last twenty for hours he experienced a little piece of happiness.
“The food is outstanding,” Freya said with a half full mouth of a purple fruit she had decided to try.
“Thank you, I’m honored that you like Orillia food so much, I wasn’t sure you would,” Mortlock replied.
“You’ll have to meet our Chef Carl. I think he’ll need to learn how to prepare some of these dishes,” Thad said realizing that in the midst of all the action he had completely forgotten about Carl.
It was Fiona who spoke next realizing that she too had forgotten about him. “Oh, I hope he’s okay.”
“Last we had seen of Carl was he was with Eve shopping and I’m sure that she will have kept him safe,” Thad said.
“Who’s Eve?” St. Claire asked.
Thad kept forgetting that he was new to this dimension and he hadn’t had time to explain everything yet. “Remember Eva?”
“Yeah, Doctor Hammer’s wife. Nice lady,” St. Claire smiled as he remembered how kind she had been.
“Well, Eve is an AI version of Eva. In this dimension, Eva was killed in an accident just before they were to be married. I think that’s one reason my Doctor Hammer was a recluse,” Thad said as he popped a piece of yellow fruit into his mouth.
“I hate to play devil’s advocate here, but how do you know she’s still alive?” St. Claire asked.
“She’s still alive because we’re still here,” Freya said.
“What does that mean?” Kára asked.
“I mean the planet’s still here,” Freya said. She noticed that Kára was still not getting her meaning, “I mean that when our home on Nome was overrun by Dreenoi, Eve used her original computer core to blow up the moon.”
“Ah, I see. Remind me to never upset your AI. Sounds like she has a bit of a nasty side,” Kára commented.
No one else spoke for a while. They sat in silence and enjoyed the meal. After everyone had their fill Mortlock set the maid bots to clean up the mess as each in turn retired to their rooms for the night.
Thad lay on the bed with one wife on each side of him, soft and warm. It felt good to be with them again, as even the last two days felt far too long a time to be apart. With all that had happened over the last two days finally coming to a moment of comfort and quiet, the twins quickly drifted away in his warm embrace. Thad was left between them, watching them breath as he struggled to find the sleep they so easily found, a sense of foreboding creeping through him.
When sleep finally came to him it was far from restful. Nightmares of killing people and the faces of the dead haunted him once again. It became too much to deal with and he tried to push it all away from his mind, but the nightmares wouldn’t go easily. Thad found the only relief to be had when he was awake. He sat straight up and his cotton top was soaked with sweat. He slipped from the bed doing his best not to wake the twins. Once he was out of the bed, he headed for the door, but stopped when he heard Fiona snort. He checked to see if he had woken her, but she just mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over.
Thad tossed his sweat soaked top into a laundry hamper and quietly made his way to the apartment’s balcony. It had only been a few hours since he had fallen asleep and the sun was just about to rise over the Capital District. The cool morning breeze felt good against his bare skin. He stood on the balcony ready to meet the new day in nothing but a pair of black pajama pants.
Just as the first rays of sunlight pierced the dark sky, the soft whoosh of the balcony door could be heard behind him. Thad didn’t look back instead; he continued to look out over the city. The sounds of combat were gone, but the smoke from fires caused by the fighting still tainted the air. He watched as some of the air traffic was starting to pick up. It seemed that the world had fallen to a new government, but that hadn’t stopped people from marching on with their lives.
“Good morning Kára,” Thad said, still watching the sunrise.
“Your senses are extraordinarily keen. I’m impressed. Few have ever detected me when I approach,” Kára said as she set down a tray of tea on a nearby table.
“Oh I wouldn’t be too impressed. It was your lack of sound that told me it was you,” Thad said as he turned to face her.
She picked up the teapot and poured out two cups. “Oh, do tell.”
“I heard the door then nothing. It was just a matter of elementary deduction. Only an Eli is so soft footed as to approach without making a sound. So, it had to be you,” Thad explained as she handed him one of the cups.
“I see, still impressive,” Kára said as she picked up her cup then moved to join him at the rail overlooking the city.
“Frankly I’m surprised you’re awake. I thought you would’ve been fast asleep, curled up next to Dom.
“And I thought you would still be sleeping next to your lovely wives, yet here we both are,” she said as she brought the cup of tea to her lips.
“Yep, here we are. I’m here because the sprits of the long dead won’t let me sleep. What’s your excuse?” Thad asked before he too took a sip of tea.
“Oh I don’t require sleep anymore. Ever since the incident in the time vortex, I mean. I can sleep of course and normally do to help pass the time, but it’s like eating I don’t need to do that anymore either. I eat because I enjoy food.” She paused to take another sip of her tea, “Case in point. Sometimes all you need is a great cup of tea and a friend to listen to your woes.”
“My woes huh? So that’s why you’re out on the balcony with a half-naked married man having a cup of tea?”
“Half naked or fully nude makes no difference to me,” she said with a wicked smile. “But, yes I’m here to hear your woes. I’ve not known you long Thaddeus Hammer, but we’ve fought side by side and you fight with strength and honor. Among my people, this makes us more than friends, you’re my battle family.”
“Battle family?” He asked having never heard the term used before.
“Yes, the Eli have two families, the one we are born into and the one we join when we do battle. Often times the battle family ties are far stronger than those of blood.”
Thad took another sip of tea then took a long look at the city before him, “You’ve taken life. How do you deal with their sprits?”
“I don’t know. I do not bear the guilt you feel. Perhaps it’s because I feel that every life I’ve taken was deserving of that death, or maybe it’s just that I was made to believe that death is only the act of delivering ones soul to stand before their God so that they might be judged for their life’s deeds. You can take your pick I suppose.”
Thad thought on it for a while then took another sip of the tea before answering, “I guess that’s the problem. The spirts of the people that haunt me are the ones I killed when I was an assassin. These were people who didn’t deserve to die, but death came for them anyway and it did so in the form of me.”
Kára placed her soft hand on his, “Oh Thaddeus, you’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. Those souls were taken by Marcus, let them haunt him.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her, “But, I’m one in the same.”
“You remember I have met both men and I can say with absolute certainty that you are not one and the same. You may have one shared one body, but there is nothing left of Marcus in you. You killed him the day you refused to murder children. The transformation of your body came later, but it wasn’t what made you a new man. It was the moment you became more than what you were made to be.”
“That’s all fine and good, but it still doesn’t make the faces in my nightmares go away,” Thad said as he closed his eyes to check and see if they were still there.
“Then maybe they’re bothering you for another reason. Have you ever considered that?” She asked.
“I never thought of it that way,” he admitted.
“Well then let’s find out what they want,” Kára said as she set down her teacup.
“What do you mean find out what they want?” He asked wanting to know what she was up to.
“Come sit,” she took him by the hand and led him to a chair. He sat down and she took his other hand into hers. “It’s not common knowledge that certain Eli females have what you would call telepathy.”
“I never would have guessed,” Thad said shocked about her revelation. He thought he had been taught everything there was to know about the Eli. Now he was learning that what was known and what was true were vastly different.
“It’s not openly talked about because most Eli equate this gift with witchcraft from the early days of our race. To speak of it even now is to be branded a witch, and depending on the Eli tribe, it can be a reason for death.”
“I see why it’s kept secret. So what do I do?” Thad asked.
Kára held both of his hands and placed her forehead against his, “Just relax and let me in.”
He took a deep breath, “Okay… Is this going to hurt?”
“Not at all… in fact just the opposite. Now that I think of it, please don’t speak of this to Dominic as this can be even more intimate than sex and I have yet to join minds with him.”
“Sure no problem, this stays right here between us,” Thad agreed.
“Good, now relax and let me join your thoughts,” Kára said her voice trailing off.
At first, he felt a warm sensation and then he felt love, fear, hate and all manner of other emotions as their minds became one. He felt a strange new affection for St. Claire, a deep abiding love that he had never felt for the man before. Just as he felt it, Kára was experiencing the same feelings of love for the twins. The joining was intense, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
As she reached deeper into his mind the more he entered deeper into hers. It was a strange feeling to say the least as he could feel every curve of her body. He felt what it was to be her at that moment to be male and female, human and Eli at the same time and was beyond his ability to comprehend in words.
Then as clear as day he heard Kára’s voice inside his mind, “We are joined as one. Clear your mind so that we can face your nightmares together.” Thad did as he was instructed; he cleared his mind of all thought. Then it was as if everything in the world melted away and he stood in an open field of nothingness. Beyond the circle of light that encapsulated him there was nothing but darkness. He looked all the way around him and found himself alone, “Kára!” He cried out in panic.
“I’m here Thaddeus,” her voice was strong and reassuring, and just as the world had faded from view Kára faded into view next to him. Her long golden hair flowed in air even though there was no breeze to make it move. The long white following ribbons of cloth that were draped over her body moved just as her hair did.
“What is this?” Thad asked, unsure of what was happening.
“We’re in your dreams Thaddeus. It shouldn’t be long now,” she said as she pointed to the darkness. Slowly one by one the victims of Marcus stepped out of the darkness and into the light. They appeared as they always did before death’s kiss was placed upon them, only their skin appeared gray and ashen as they were dead.
“Ask them?” Kára said.
“What do you want from me?” Thad asked. Not one Spector moved. “Do you want me to be sorry that you died at my hand? Because I am truly sorry that I was the instrument of your death.” Again no movement. “What is it? What can I do to make it right, to make amends?”
This seemed to stir something in them as one by one they lifted an arm and pointed into the air. Thad still did not understand, “What is it that you’re trying to tell me?” They didn’t move and he felt fear creeping into his heart.
“It’s okay Thaddeus, turn and look,” Kára said as she gripped his hand.
He slowly turned around and watched as a giant creature appeared from the darkness. Its features were twisted and horrible to behold and its glowing red eyes seemed to look right through Thad. He was transfixed with fear and a loathing that he had never felt before. He wanted to look away from those eyes, yet he couldn’t move.
“Avenge us,” the voices behind him became a chorus in chant. “Avenge us!” Over and over, they beseeched him, demanded him, begged him, pleaded with him, and cried out that he would hear. Thad felt their fear and hate as their voices echoed all around him. The face of the creature became angry. It opened its mouth and started to roar, then everything went black and there was a sharp pain in his head as if someone was trying to tear his mind in two. Just as quickly as it began it was over and he and Kára were staring into each other’s eyes. Tears flowed down both of their faces. Thad’s head was swimming and he felt like he had just made love to a high voltage socket. His whole body tingled as if electricity was pulsing through him, painful yet strangely enjoyable.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” she said as she pulled away from him and stood up. She then went to the railing and held on as if to steady herself.
Thad stood up and came to the railing next to her, “What was that thing?”
Still shaking slightly she took in a deep breath, “That was a Nephilim.”
“I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen one. So how is it that thing was in my dream?” Thad asked as he grabbed the railing to steady himself as well, feeling shaky from the experience.
“It will pass in a moment,” Kára said as she noticed him grab the railing. “It’s a result of the way I disconnected our minds.”
“Good to know, but what does that have to do with the Nephilim?” Thad asked already feeling better.
“You saw it because I’ve seen it. We were joined so you saw him from my memories. But that can’t be. All of them were destroyed thousands of years ago.”
“Why did you hate this particular one so much?” Thad asked as he had felt the hate coming from her mind while they were joined.
“Because he’s the one who shot me and sent me into the time vortex. I don’t understand though. There’s just no way that Nephilim can be here in this time and in this dimension.” Kára said trembling, not from fear but from hatred.
“What can this all possibly mean?” Thad asked.
“I don’t know Thaddeus. However, it’s clear to me now who’s actually responsible for the death of all those people. If you want to put them to rest then we must find this Nephilim and kill him. I just don’t know where to begin.”
“I think I do,” Thad said. He went on to explain to her about what the Terrain Emperor had told him about his encounter with the Nephilim.
“I’m not sure how he’s survived this long, but I’m looking forward to finding out so we can put a stop to it,” Kára said.
“Thank you Kára. Now at least I know what I have to do,” Thad said.
“Your welcome battle brother,” she smiled at him.
“Oh, one last thing?”
“Yes?”
“While we were joined I felt certain things for St. Claire, things that I don’t believe came from me,” Thad paused not sure what were the right words to ask. “I mean I love that man like I’ve never loved any man before and it’s a little unsettling. I guess what I’m trying to say is, am I going to pitch a tent every time I see the man now?”
Kára laughed at the idea, “No my dear Thaddeus. Joining with me didn’t change your sexuality. If you get aroused by him now then you had those kinds of feelings long before you ever met me.”
“Okay then why do I feel this way about him?” Thad asked.
“You’ve shared my love for him, just as I’ve shared your love for your wives. These feelings will always be a part of each of us from now on. I did warn you this was the most intimate thing two beings could share.”
“Man you weren�
�t kidding around, but if I find myself having dreams about St. Claire you and I are going to have some words Missy!” Thad said pointing a finger at her.
Kára laughed then gave him a hug and kissed his check, “Bring it anytime!”
Thad laughed and for the first time he could remember, he felt good inside. “I think I’ll go back to bed and see if I can’t catch a few more hours of sleep.” Thad took his leave from Kára and left the balcony to return to his room.
Kára picked up her tea and stood on the balcony overlooking the city, “I’ll find you and end your evil race once and for all, this I swear!”
Chapter 30
At the same time Thad had been on the balcony with Kára, across the city at the officer’s quarters of the former StarGuard fleet command Amanda sat with her knees pulled up to her chest while hot steamy water poured over her naked body. She sat in the shower not only to wash Drake’s smell off of her, but she needed a place to cry where no one would see or hear. The tears poured down her face and washed down the drain much as her sorrow and anguish as the water flowed over her.
Losing Thad was affecting her more than she wanted to admit, and even though she had gone to Drake’s bed without a fight, she still felt violated. Every time he entered her, it had felt like a dagger to her heart. She had only done what was necessary to spare her granddaughter. Now she sat in the shower trying to wash away the night and the horrific things she had witnessed in the last twenty-four hours.
“Damn it Amanda! Pull yourself together,” she said out loud. “Ruby needs you and the rest of the universe does too. So suck it up and play your part.” Again, she was speaking out loud to herself. Finally, she found the inner strength to stand up, breathing hard to calm her inner soul. She turned off the shower and got out. She used a towel to wipe the steam from the mirror. It had anti steam tech, but she had forgotten to turn it on when she got in the shower. She stood there looking at her naked self, “This is it girl, it’s all up to you. So put your big girl pants on and go out there and deal with it, no matter how much it hurts.”