by Andi Feron
Another explosion threw me forward, causing Gabriel to lose his grip on my hand, which made me fully visible again. I didn’t stop to reconnect. I kept running. I climbed to the top of the rubble pile and down to the other side, calling for Zalseph. I gasped as I saw the Loctorian children laying in the rubble, not moving.
“Zalseph!” I screamed his name over and over.
I dug through several large stones. I screamed. Protruding from the rubble, I saw his tiny three-fingered hand, the green and blue bracelet still attached to his wrist. I began to dig faster. I would free him and heal him. I reached for his hand and began to start the healing process. The heat generated from my body into his. I tried to dig while simultaneously healing his tiny body. I heard a high pitch squeal go over my head and a thud in the rubble. I looked up to see a dark green and brown creature collapse onto the rocks of the once standing orphanage.
Mrs. Monroe yelled, “Grab her!”
Two soldiers moved forward, and one picked me up. I screamed and kicked him. I socked him in the jaw and bit his arm.
“I need to heal him, please!” I shrieked
I felt a small prick on my neck, then everything turned black.
Chapter Eight
Gabriel-January 17, 2013
We were headed back to base, and Althea was still unconscious from whatever tranquilizer the soldier had used to subdue her. The one-room ship had beds that pulled down and they laid her on one of them. There were blankets tucked to the side on a shelf, and I covered all but her face with one before anyone could say anything.
I thought it was creepy having everyone look at her while she slept. They were lucky that I hadn’t informed her if she could heal, she could kill with the same precision. It was a simple reversal, but then again, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Althea seemed more intent on saving everyone than killing.
John was my friend, and I would take care of his girl until we could find him again. I could see what he saw in her; there was a unique beauty to her. Her eyes drew you in and kept you mesmerized with the deep purple. I suspected that they were contacts until John insisted they were very much her natural color and not to bring it up because she was sensitive about it. She had a good spirit, albeit a little foolhardy.
She hadn’t even thought about us being blown to bits by running straight into the attack. I wasn’t about to let her run in without cover. She definitely stood more of a chance with my camouflage. I wagered that I’d be able to hide her too and fortunately it worked. I think that put me at a higher power tier because I failed that part of the test when I was assigned my level.
In high school, I ran a paranormal and current events blog. I maintained around five hundred followers. I took a break when I left for college, but I would have plenty of material if I started it back up now. The blog made me paranoid. Everything from government conspiracies to violent poltergeist encounters were always at the forefront of my mind. Even with all of my paranormal digging, aliens and superpowers never seemed plausible.
Hopefully, Althea would sleep the rest of the ride home. I wished she wasn’t waking to the reality that her little friend was very much still dead and that there was no way to get back to him to even attempt to bring him back. I wondered who the evil in this war really was. Perhaps both sides had washed themselves in the depravity of a war fought for too long. The reasons it began were most likely buried long ago.
I thought about my grandma back in Pueblo, Colorado. She raised me since I was dropped off by my mother at two. I had never known who my father was, and my mom was too into drugs to notice she had a kid. I was lucky that she cleaned herself up long enough for me to be born drug-free. I worried what my grandma was thinking about me not calling her for so long. She was the main reason I wanted to get back to Earth. I needed to make sure she was taken care of, otherwise I could get lost in this space travel game.
I was debating exposing this entire war to Earth. The journalist in me couldn’t help but think of the magnitude of such a story. They might kill me, but I pretty much would have broken the biggest news story in history.
When we arrived back on base, a soldier picked up Allie and carried her out of the docking bay. I decided to head to my quarters. I made myself a sandwich from the things I had picked up from the galley. A warehouse on base stored all of the food.
I couldn’t help but wonder where the fresh fruits and dairy arrived from. Anyone was allowed to go and take whatever they wanted, and there never seemed to be a shortage. I devoured my sandwich. I guzzled water and sat back on my black leather couch. I decided to see if I could find John. I went over to a console and played around.
I learned the base was called Saturn base due to its close proximity to said planet. I opened up the search for people on base and was granted restricted access, I could do a basic search. John Trammel was listed, much to my surprise, and he was two levels down from me. It seemed almost unsettling that it had been that easy to find him. I tried to see if I could find Allie’s quarters, but hers were not listed. I shrugged it off, doubting very much that they would have eliminated her. I decided to see if talking to John would prove as easy as finding him in the database.
I slipped into chameleon mode and strolled to the elevator. I found the floor that John was supposed to be on. I rang John’s doorbell four times and was about to give up when the door opened, and John stood before me. He looked like a mess. Bags were under his eyes, and his previously clean-shaven look had been replaced with dark stubble.
He wore a dark blue bathrobe and black sweatpants. He looked down each side of the hall. Before he shut his door, I slipped inside and made myself visible, causing him to stumble back and nearly trip on the large fern he had growing behind his couch.
“Gabriel?” he exclaimed with a hoarse voice.
“You look rather wonderful.”
“How did you just appear here?”
“I was at your door. That’s my ability, I can blend in anywhere, making myself invisible. I’m guessing you have an ability now, too?”
“I went through that capsule thing, and they sent me here to rest about three days ago but about a day in it was like everyone was yelling their feelings in my head. Anyone who comes within twenty feet of my quarters, I can hear how they feel and sometimes their thoughts. I can’t sleep a bit. They are all too loud.”
“Aw, you’re an empath.”
“A what?”
“An empath. You can tell people’s emotions. Didn’t they explain and test your level?”
“No, they put me through a sort of boot camp, then through the capsule, and finally here to rest.”
“Hmmm… I haven’t heard of them doing that. You may be set for a different purpose.”
“I need to find Allie,” he said.
“I’ve seen her. She’s okay. Mostly.”
“What does mostly mean? Is she being tortured endlessly with her new ability?”
“Not exactly. She is a healer. Pretty high-level, which makes her valuable.” I filled him in on the planet we went to and the orphanage. He stared at me, and I realized that he was unaware of the alien plight. They had kept him in the dark pretty well.
“You know where she is now? I need to find her and get us out of here.”
“Good luck with that. They have eyes everywhere, and we’re located pretty close to Saturn, so it’s quite a trek back.”
He squinted his eyes. “Saturn? What? You know what, never mind. How did you find me?”
“I looked into the directory, and they had you listed. I was surprised at the ease of the whole thing. My assumption now is either they want us talking, or they simply don’t care at this point because they know it doesn’t matter. We are stuck here under their control.”
“Let’s look up Allie then.”
“You can try. I did, and she’s not in the database.”
“What about Talon or Seraphine?”
“I didn’t try either of them.” I led John to the console on h
is wall.
He searched for Althea again but with no success. We didn’t know Seraphine’s last name, but we thought it might still work with only her first. Seraphine and Talon both showed up, but we both glanced at each other when we realized they had the same quarters. Also, Seraphine’s last name was no longer a mystery. She was a Cooper as well.
“I guess that’s our next stop. Should we go stealth mode? I can make you invisible too.”
John shook his head. “Let’s try walking normally. I’ve had enough with these abilities. I feel like my head is going to explode.” He pressed his hand to his forehead.
I was confused. When I thought I finally understood this facility and its personnel, I was thrown a curveball. The fact that John had been left in the dark about the war and his ability made little sense. They seemed to be conditioning him as a soldier more intensely than the other groups I’d observed.
We left John’s quarters and walked to find Talon and Seraphine’s. It was becoming obvious that Seraphine hadn’t been taken like John, Althea, and me. We rang the bell, and on the second try, it opened. Talon told us both to sit on his couch.
“I suppose you both have a lot of questions.” Talon started things off in a more open manner than I anticipated he would.
“Yeah, first let’s start with why you and Seraphine are listed as having the same quarters and last name,” John said.
Talon sighed. “She’s my wife.”
“Does Allie know?”
“Yes, she’s not too happy with either one of us. The truth is trying to explain how I had a wife that Allie could never meet seemed too complicated. Seraphine was sent on assignment to recruit Allie. I was unaware, and she couldn’t report what was going on to me. She was chosen because of her unique projection skills. Her skills along with Lucius being a manipulator were perfect for luring Allie to base.”
“You angry at your wife for bringing Allie into this?” I asked.
“No, we are trained to follow orders, and Seraphine was doing just that. Keeping Allie out of this war had been my personal agenda.”
The temperature in my brain seemed to be rising, and I jumped up and grabbed my head. Talon’s attention turned to John. He jumped up, looking ready to stop John if necessary.
“John, you need to calm down. Let go of the anger you are feeling. Your new ability is not under control, and your emotions can hurt other people if too strong.”
“Talon, how could you lie to Allie and then bring all of us into this?!” John was nearly yelling now.
“I understand why you are angry, but right now, I need you to relax. Look at Gabriel, your anger is physically hurting him.”
John’s attention turned to me, and my head begin to cool as if a release valve was opened and the rising steam could finally escape. I sat down and relaxed. I made a mental note not to ever tick John off.
Talon sat back down on the couch. “You have every right to be angry. But I’m telling you I did all I could never to have any of this happen. Most of this has been out of my control and done without my knowledge or approval. Even with that said, I take responsibility for my part in all of this. I failed both of you and Allie.”
“We can deal with hurt feelings later, right now we need to find Allie. You know where she is? We tried the database with no success.” I wasn’t trying to downplay the damage, but we had all the therapy my brain could take for the day.
“I don’t know what their plan is for her. They are keeping me in the dark because of everything I did to try to get her out of here and prevent capsulization. Now there is not much I can do. She’s a healer, and her level is one they’ve never seen before. There’s no way they’ll let their newfound weapon go. Ideally, they’d like to acclimate all three of you into this war. And right now they see that best done by keeping Allie for whatever agenda they have brewing.”
“I guess for now we sit tight. I need to talk to my grandma. Can you make that happen, Talon? I’m sure she has to be worried,” I said.
“You don’t have to worry about that. They always cover family. A manipulator will have convinced your grandma you were selected for a special college program and it was an opportunity you couldn’t pass up, but you had to leave suddenly and don’t know when you’ll return. Eventually, if they feel you can be trusted, they will allow conversations.”
This was it, complete and total control by a hierarchy, something that I used my blog to speak against. Our freedom was now at the mercy of an organization that expected us to expel every ounce of energy into a war that had not yet touched humanity. We could very well be at the dawn of the annihilation of mankind, but at this point, it looked much more like we were livestock to be utilized how this institution saw fit.
We had already been kidnapped and transformed without so much as informed consent. What level would they go to ensure we used these forced skills to their advantage in a war where the lines of evil seemed ominously skewed? While I did feel relief that my grandma wasn’t worried, I was disturbed that they used a manipulator to make her think that I was fine. Mind control left a bad taste in my mouth, even if it was meant to relieve her suffering. A lie wasn’t fair consolation.
“Why did they send John to boot camp and not Allie or me? If we are all meant to be soldiers, why is the training varied?”
“A lot has to do with what the Loctorians refer to as glimpses. They can see shadows of things to come. They control all that goes on by trying to predict the best shadow to follow,” Talon explained.
“You’d think if they were psychic they would have better fortune on their side, maybe in the form of a won war or lack of race genocide.”
“It’s not an exact science, but everyone receives the precise training the council sees fit. The big players anyway.”
The door opened, and there stood Seraphine wearing a military uniform. She froze, glancing at all of us. The brief thought of sticking my head in the freezer as a precaution crossed my mind when I saw the glare John returned Seraphine’s way. Seraphine sent Talon a stern look.
“Someone will be sleeping in the dog house, or moon lizard dome or whatever it is you guys keep up here.” I thought maybe cracking a lame joke would smooth the tension and cool emotions boy off a little before my head bore the brunt again. They all looked at me, and Seraphine rolled her eyes.
“The two of you need to get back to your quarters before the higher-ups come to get you,” Seraphine said.
I snickered. “As if the higher-ups don’t already know.”
John crossed his arms. “We’ll go where we want, and that will be wherever Allie is.”
Seraphine glared at John. “You’ll get to see Allie soon, but first you need to join the rest of the infantry. You don’t have a choice. You’re a soldier now. Act like one.”
John clenched his fists as Seraphine spoke, but he seemed better at controlling his emotions, or at least at not frying my brain. Seraphine seemed so fiery and in charge. It almost made her more attractive, if that was even possible. I pondered about how I came so close to a double date, then Talon, her husband, crossed my mind.
It would take me time to get used to that. I spent so much time trying to get her number and felt I’d scored when Allie asked us to go with her and Lucius to the movie. I should have known alien war would prevent me from finally scoring that date. The alien war seemed much more likely than a date with Seraphine anyway.
John surprisingly complied with Seraphine’s soldier demands and left. I decided to leave the lovebirds be to do some argumentative exercises with one another. I watched John make his way to the elevator while I decided to see what else this level had to offer. I found a directory to locate the closest galley. I don’t know what I expected, maybe space food or rations, but I definitely didn’t expect a cheeseburger and fries.
If nothing else, I had to give this base credit for trying to make this place homier. The gray walls could use work, but comfort was given priority, and the food brought the familiarity of Earth. I wondered i
f I could find a taco stand for dinner. That was something vital I should have asked Talon before leaving.
Halfway through my meal two soldiers sat down at my table. Efficiency was given priority over personal space as the other tables appeared almost full. The four empty chairs at mine drew appeal.
“You’re new here? Civilian?” The presumption was probably from me not wearing a uniform and was made by a woman with a soft face and blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her deep brown eyes stared back at me awaiting a response.
“I guess you could say that. Been here a couple months or so,” I spoke between bites.
“Never seen you around.” The blonde squinted slightly as if suspicious.
“He’s probably been in training. You have to excuse Lila, she’s a bit nosy at times,” a man with short curly brown hair interrupted her. He continued, “I’m Kais. Nice to have you aboard.”
“I’m Gabriel. I’ve never made it to this area before. I’ve been trying to find my way around.”
“It’s actually pretty cool around here. About anything recreational from Earth and even elsewhere can be found on the promenade. The council wanted to be sure we were able to relax when not in battle.” Lila seemed content to give her life for a little entertainment being thrown in.
“I think it’s more or less a distraction, but who am I to complain when we get karaoke night.” Kais chuckled.
I nodded toward what was left of my dinner. “I have to say, I was surprised they have cheeseburgers in space.”
“That’s probably ’cause you think it’s actual beef.” Kais said it with a slight smile that grew bigger when he noticed my stunned reaction.
A siren began to sound, and Lila and Kais jumped up with about eighty percent of the room joining them. Trays and food were left strewn across the tables. I sat and watched the organized mayhem of soldiers running in various directions. Unwilling to deduce what the alarm was for, I took a bite of my cheeseburger. As unsettling as the thought of mystery meat sat in my gut, I was hungry.