by Andi Feron
Peeling skin from my hand rolled in layered piles, creating a large, red, blistering circle. Agony shot up my arm. I pulled my hand into my stomach and looked around. I shouldn’t have assumed the red door equaled the glowing door; just because it was different didn’t mean it was right. Perhaps I should find the crow again and ask for it to clarify its riddle. The pain began to dwindle until I looked down and saw that my hand had repaired itself. I heard a loud beeping, and the simulation ended. I waited for my piece of paper and was sent out the side door.
I opened the folded paper and saw: healer—fast healing time. I wasn’t a heightened after all. In the next room, I showed a soldier my paper, I was directed to the red door. My hand hesitated. I knew better than to touch the handle this time.
“That won’t hurt you. Proceed,” the soldier said.
I cautiously, with my hand shaking slightly, reached for the handle. I relaxed as soon as the metal felt cold against my palm. Inside the room, there were comfy seats arranged much like a theater. Chairs and beds were placed on a stage at the front of the auditorium. There were five others already seated. After waiting for about twenty minutes, another recruit came and joined us.
We were called to the stage and given frogs on trays. The frogs had significant cuts in their back legs. We were told to heal the wounds. I concentrated, hoping I could bring the poor frog some relief and was astounded that at my simple touch, the frog leaped from my tray with completely healed legs. A young, dark-haired girl sitting next to me also made her frog jump up.
A couple of scientists rushed in to collect the frogs. All except one were able to heal their frogs and he was asked to leave. I heard them tell him he was tier-one. He put his head down and walked out. As he left, Kais came in. They hurried a frog to him, and he was able to heal it quickly.
Next, they brought in some cats who we were told had been injected with a poison. The cats seemed listless. Mine flopped on the table, having what looked to be a seizure. I concentrated and my body began to heat up.
Fire seemed to flow from the inside of my core to the inside of the cat. I pushed the poison out of the cat’s bloodstream. My cat got up and walked off the table. The dark haired woman and Kais’ cats also leaped up. Two more did the same thing, but it took them longer. I heard a thud and turned to see a man collapse on the ground. His cat jumped up and walked off.
“Take him to Dr. Monroe and tell him he is a tier-three healer,” one of the scientists told a couple of soldiers.
The rest of the group was unable to heal their cats and were sent on their way as tier-twos. Next, they brought us dogs. We were told they were recently killed, and we were to try and bring them back. My mind latched onto the dog, and it was as though I could see through his nervous and circulatory systems.
I made my way to his heart and felt an electrical pulse escape from my hand. My dog jumped up and began licking my face. He seemed to know I was the one to help him. He was a golden retriever, and I was relieved that he was no longer dead. I envisioned keeping him and Talon being as annoyed as he was when I brought home strays as a child. He would always insist our Akita Achilles was enough.
Kais and the dark-haired girl were also able to bring their dogs back. The others either weren’t able to or passed out. The ones who weren’t able to heal the dogs were labeled threes while the ones who passed out were labeled fours. Only the three of us remained in the room. I recalled Talon had said anything five and above was considered valuable. They wheeled injured humans in front of us, and my mouth hung open. The sight appalled me, and I blinked tears away.
One man screamed loudly as his detached leg lay in front of him. Two more were missing arms but were passed out, most likely from either shock or blood loss. I was given the man with the missing leg. My hands shook as I forced myself to grab his leg. The smell of blood and flesh assaulted my nostrils.
Nausea turned my stomach, but I grappled with the strong desire to end this man’s agony. I pushed his leg into place, then placed my hand to seal his leg back on. Kais reattached his woman’s arm, and the girl was only able to do so partially, and she stumbled back, weakened. She was labeled tier-five and sent out a different door than the others had been.
Without being asked, I reached over and finished reattaching the arm that the girl was unable to finish. This was met with a stern reminder to keep to my own table. The next two men brought in were covered in dozens of stab wounds. They appeared delirious. I focused on the body as a whole, sending warmth, and as I moved up, each injury healed quickly. Kais did the same, and the men were able to walk out of the room.
For the final test, they brought covered bodies. A frosty chill radiated off of them as though they were wheeled out from a freezer. I began warming the core of the body placed in my control. I quickly moved on to spark the body back to life. I heard the man gasp as the last of the frozen haze escaped from his mouth. He stood up and looked around confused. He was wheeled out.
I could see Kais concentrating, but he seemed unable to get past the warming. The body he was working on remained lifeless. He was asked to leave out the same door as the dark-haired woman and was told he was a tier-six. I reached over and touched the man that Kais had been working on, and he sprung to life. I expected more admonishment but instead was met with stunned silence. The scientists ran over and began scanning me.
“How are you feeling? Any weakness, exhaustion, nausea?” one asked.
I shook my head. “No, I feel fine.”
They both glanced at each other and ran out of the room after instructing me to stay put. The woman with dark hair who spoke to the group earlier waltzed in armed with a clipboard. She appeared to carry herself more confidently than the others.
She shook my hand. “I’m Mrs. Monroe. You have shown immense promise and the soldiers you rescued thank you. You are quite exceptional. Your healing ability out of the gate is incredible. It usually takes even the highest healers years to build up even close to the skill you showed. We almost want to put you in a tier all by yourself. The first-tier eight. You will prove valuable to the Loctorian campaign. You were right in signing up for this, and you and your recruiter will be compensated generously.”
“I didn’t sign up for this,” I said.
“I know things can be a little overwhelming, but I promise you, we will expect no more than the terms outlined in your contract.”
“No, you don’t understand, all of this was forced on me. I was sedated for capsulization because they knew I was an unwilling participant.“
“Cold feet?”
“No, I was kidnapped and had forcible gene activation.”
Mrs. Monroe frowned and looked at her notes. “I’ll be right back.” She hurried from the room.
I sat in the theater, waiting. I noticed a couple more guards were placed by the door. Perhaps they were to keep me in upon the realization that I had been kidnapped. Now that my abilities surpassed expectation they probably would not be taking any chances on their prize fleeing. According to the clock on the wall, fifteen minutes had passed before Mrs. Monroe returned, the excitement on her face replaced with a somber grimace.
“Come with me, Ms. Cooper. I would like to show you to your new quarters. You’ve certainly earned them.” She tried to sound upbeat, but I could hear the tension in her voice.
“Are you still going to hold me prisoner? What about my friends?”
This time Mrs. Monroe kept walking without a single word as a response to my inquiries. I thought about asking about why I couldn’t return to Talon’s quarters, but decided that it was not smart in one way or the other. If she already knew all about Talon it wouldn’t matter, but if his part in this matter wasn’t fully discovered then I would do my best to keep it that way. The door opened to my new home. The dull gray walls needed some work.
“You may alter it however you like. Once you get settled, someone can show you the canteen where you can purchase decor and fix it the way you want.” Mrs. Monroe left.
I didn’t know what to do now. I was so tired, so perhaps sleep was in order. I climbed under the covers and felt the bed adjust in comfort and temperature. Sleep flowed quickly to me as the day slowly faded from my thoughts.
Chapter Seven
Althea-January 13, 2013
Eleven weeks went by since I was brought on base and the people running the base seemed to have forgotten about me. At first I resisted them at every turn, and I thought maybe that was why they no longer made any attempts. I would fight them until they let me see John and Gabriel.
I didn’t know how to function without John, and missing him was almost too much. I had never been apart from him for more than a couple weeks at a time since we were three. I was not allowed to leave my quarters, and my food was brought to me. There was a panel I could use to order whatever I wanted from the list.
I attempted to escape several times but the door appeared fortified. There were no windows to attempt escape elsewhere. I was granted limited computer access and did as much research as I could. I wasn’t even allowed to see Talon since tier assignments and felt frustrated that he seemed to have given up on me.
I thought I would go insane from the torture of solitude. I continually played movies on the television to hear people talking. Finally, one morning, I was awoken by a loud voice on an intercom placed directly above my head. The location of the speaker seemed to ensure that even the deepest sleeper would be thrown out of bed with a start.
“Soldier, please report to deck nine. You have been selected for a mission,” the intercom said.
They were sending me on a mission with no training. The intercom declared me a nameless soldier. A soldier with no combat skills or experience of any kind. I turned over, calculating the statistical probability that the intercom would let me stay put. Five minutes and the intercom blared the message again. I threw the covers over my head and wondered how long it would take for Lucius and his baboons to come barreling in to drag me to the fate of a careless mission.
By the fifth round of blaring, I determined I was not going to be allotted anymore sleep and sluggishly dragged my feet across the floor. I went out to the living room, and spotted a blinking compartment. It looked similar to the mailbox slots where you deposited packages inside the post office. The large metal compartment had a handle that I pulled forward to reveal a neatly folded uniform waiting for me. I closed the mailbox and chose to fix a bowl of cereal instead.
The intercom continued to blare in five-minute increments. I thought that it would be more interesting to make someone have to walk to my quarters. I wasn’t willing to help in the slightest. I still wondered about John and Gabriel. They had probably undergone the capsulization process, and that brought on a load of remorse. I felt like I mixed them up in my unknown family drama. Their lives were altered forever because I had to fall for a stupid college guy.
John and I hadn’t left things on the greatest note and I needed to fix that. My anger had long ago subsided. I wanted to hug him and get back to forcing him into awkward social situations. The initial desire to stay and fight with my brother was evaporating. The war wasn’t even affecting humans. If anything, the war was going to bring the attention of humans to these evil aliens. My door began to buzz loudly, and my focus went back to my empty cereal bowl. The door buzzed twice more before I heard it opening. Baboon number one was standing there.
“Ms. Cooper, your presence has been demanded on deck nine, if you would please accompany me.”
“Would I have the choice to say no?”
“No, you have been ordered. If you fail to comply you will be taken to the brig.”
Part of me was stubborn enough to stand him off until they inevitably dragged me off to another holding cell. Another part of me wanted to hug him from the excitement of finally seeing another person.
I put my bowl in the dishwasher as the soldier barked, “Now!”
I reluctantly complied and followed the soldier to deck nine, but I kept a little independence as my pink long-sleeved pajamas and slippers were what adorned me rather than the uniform. Mrs. Monroe had her back to me as I entered a large office. There were still no windows anywhere but a pot with pink tulips brightened the room in the left corner. A large desk sat in the middle of the room and against the far wall were four large bowl vases lined side by side. Mrs. Monroe was looking through a large, red leather book when my footsteps made her turn around.
“Ms. Coop…” She stopped talking and looked me over. “Didn’t you get the uniforms I sent over?”
“Yes, and I felt my PJs were more comfortable.”
If my response brought annoyance, she didn’t show it. “Very well, then you can change when we get there. If a uniform is not to your taste that will be fine, but I suggest something more durable for where we are going.”
Leaving the dull gray fortress seemed appealing. “Where is that?”
“A Loctorian orphanage on Tenor forty-four.”
“Loctorian?”
“Yes, I’m guessing Captain Cooper filled you in on Loctorians?”
I nodded, unwilling to reveal anything further. Then it hit me that Mrs. Monroe had called him Captain; Talon was further in this thing than I thought. I tried to muster up images of Talon commanding a starship, but it all seemed too far-fetched for my imagination to handle. I followed Mrs. Monroe out of her office and into the elevator shaft. We arrived at an indoor landing strip and boarded a sleek silver craft that reminded me of a jumbo jet.
The ship appeared to be one large room with a side door toward the back. I couldn’t imagine the space left held much, probably just the bathroom. There were about ten chairs, two at each station for a total of five stations. Panels and lights blinked around the walls. In the very front were blank, white, plastic-looking walls. Mrs. Monroe directed me to a station that was the farthest from the front. I sat, and a seat belt automatically strapped around me and latched.
I breathed deeply to stave off a bit of panic from feeling stuck. I was lost in a cave when I was little and for two hours didn’t know if I would ever make it out. It was a story I never told Talon because he would have disapproved that I went into the cave and grounded me. I struggled a bit with being claustrophobic ever since. It was manageable but required me to focus on breathing.
“We’re ready.” With Mrs. Monroe’s words I saw the plastic walls start to retreat into the ceiling and the large docking bay door lay in front of us. It began to open and I gasped. Nothing but dark space with endless clouds of stars clustered before us.
I couldn’t see if there were other people in any of the other chairs since the backs of the chairs were too high and wide. Occasionally I would see a hand reach over to a control that was off to the side.
“You might as well relax. We’re in for a couple hours today. There are headphones in the pocket of the seats if you’d like to listen to music,” Mrs. Monroe said.
I turned on some classical music to relax my mind and fell asleep. The ship bumping around bolted me awake.
“We’re preparing for landing,” Mrs. Monroe announced.
We began to descend into a swirling red atmosphere. The ship shook fiercely, and part of me felt like we would be rattled to pieces. I braced myself on the armrest, preparing to be shattered inside the sleek spaceship. As we descended, the jolting diminished, and the red haze began to disperse.
A city made from the natural landscape stretched on all sides of us. Large yellow rock towers appeared to be complete with windows and doors, and dark brown dirt covered the flat ground for as far as I could see.
Crew members checked screens and selected buttons to finish the stop. Mrs. Monroe stood up and waved me to follow. As I rose, someone caught my attention from the right front of the ship. I pondered leaping across the ship to get a clear look at his face. Gabriel turned his head and our eyes met. He looked about as stunned to see me as I was to see him. We’d been sharing a ride for the last two hours and didn’t know it. I wanted to hug a familiar face and also tell
him I was sorry for the galactic family drama he had been dragged into.
He mouthed my name and I nodded. Mrs. Monroe caught our interaction. She grabbed my arm to lead me to the exit. I stiffened from my personal space being invaded but followed her out of the craft. We were on some sort of landing strip with red golf carts waiting to drive us to the nearest rock structure.
I took a minute to breathe in the foreign planet. As a girl, I thought I might take vacations to the moon if they ever colonized it, but to actually be far from Earth on extraterrestrial soil seemed hallucinogenic. I climbed into a cart, and Gabriel climb into one ahead of mine. He glanced back then quickly turned around when he caught Mrs. Monroe’s glare. The carts drove us into a cave garage and inside were similar silver ships of various sizes. Strangely there were a few crafts that resembled small jets with barnacles attached to the side. We were greeted by the base admiral.
“Admiral Mason, good to see you, sir,” Mrs. Monroe greeted the man, and they shook hands firmly.
“We’ve prepared for your arrival and have set up some quarters for you in the east wing of the base.” I placed his accent and believed him to be from Jamaica.
“Understood, sir, we appreciate the hospitality.”
We were led to our quarters and I was told to take a shower, then put on the clothes that would be laid out in the front compartment by the door. I hurried into my room. It was a single room that seemed a slight upgrade from the cell I had been put in before. A full-size bed lay in the middle, and there was a shower, toilet, and sink. A compartment flashed on the wall, and I opened it to reveal another uniform.
Gabriel was wearing one which I felt was odd since he told me once that he was highly against conformity. Apparently they had gotten to him, but he kept some of his identity with his hair. The other soldiers all had buzzed heads while he kept his thick, black hair long. I took a quick shower and reluctantly put on the uniform. The boots felt heavy, and I wondered if we were going on a long hike.