[The Legend of ZERO 01.0] Forging Zero

by Sara King

  “Feel his arm,” Maggie said. “He doesn’t have any hair, stupid.”

  “Hair is a primitive trait,” the Ooreiki agreed. “More advanced species simply evolve ways to prevent evaporation and stave off freezing. Hair is not very effective, since only minor fluctuations in temperature can cause catastrophic damage.”

  “What are these?” Scott asked, touching the frills on the Ooreiki’s neck.

  The Ooreiki jerked back. “Never touch those. Sudah are an Ooreiki’s air supply. Many of my comrades would kill you for touching their sudah.”

  Battlemaster Nebil grunted his agreement.

  “So you’ve got gills?” a girl said.

  The Ooreiki stiffened. “No, they are not gills.”

  “They sure look like gills,” Joe said. “Hey, they even got the little red thingies!” He pointed.

  Scott added, “You know, on our planet, it’s the fish that are the primitive ones.”

  The Ooreiki scowled at Scott for so long that kids started to back away from him nervously.

  “This lesson is over,” Small Commander Linin barked. “Return to your rooms until your next class is ready for you.” Then Linin turned and marched away, leaving the battlemasters to take charge.

  “High five,” Joe said, grinning. “That was kickass.” Scott met his hand loudly, his impish face dimpling. Then they caught Nebil watching them with acute interest and their chuckles died in their chests. Scott cleared his throat and began to inspect the glossy black floor.

  “Fourth Platoon, form up,” Nebil said, still watching Joe. “Ground leaders, march your teams to the chow hall.”

  Joe could still feel Nebil’s gaze itching at his shoulder blades long after they were out of sight.

  #

  Joe was running one of the numerous errands Tril had found for him that evening, errands that just happened to cut into his sleep time, when an Ooreiki tentacle touched his shoulder. Joe spun.

  Battlemaster Nebil stood watching him, in one of his silent moods.

  “Kkee, oora?” Joe asked nervously. The last thing he wanted tonight was to go back to his groundteam a mass of bruises so he couldn’t get comfortable in the last hours he had to sleep before they docked at Kophat the next morning.

  “A battlemaster is never called ‘oora,’ Zero. Call us ‘hiet’ or ‘rogkha,’ but never that. ‘Oora’ means ‘souled one.’ Do you know why, Zero?”

  Joe found the conversation odd, especially since Battlemaster Nebil had rarely spoken more than two words at a time to him without cuffing him along with it. “No. Why?”

  “Battlemaster is ‘nkjanii’ in my language, which means ‘evildoer.’ Ooreiki had given up war by the time the Fire Gods went to the Jreet and helped form Congress. War,” Battlemaster Nebil said softly, “is evil, and since battlemasters are the ones who lead others into war, we are evildoers. Soulless. Thus you cannot call us oora. It is an insult. Every Battlemaster since the very first Draft has refused to allow themselves to be called ‘oora’ because we know we are betraying our own nature in doing what we do.” Then Nebil lapsed back into silence, still watching him.

  Joe fidgeted under the stare. He vaguely remembered Commander Tril saying something similar, but before this, he had never been called on it. “Sorry.”

  The silence stretched on, grating on his nerves, but Joe knew better than to move.

  “Why are you out of your room, Zero?” Battlemaster Nebil finally said.

  Joe held up the parcel Tril had given him. “Commander Tril wants this delivered to Commander Linin.” The parcel appeared to be a perfect globe of rock with one flattened side. Joe still hadn’t found a way to open it. “He said it was really important,” Joe added, hoping Nebil would take a hint.

  Battlemaster Nebil snorted. “That’s a paperweight. Tril bought it on Earth.”

  Joe stared down at the thing in his hand. The bastard was keeping him awake…just because. Then, furious, he lobbed it against the wall. It hit hard, but did not give him the satisfaction of shattering.

  Battlemaster Nebil made a froglike chuckle and picked it up. “You’ll still have to deliver it, since I’m sure he’ll ask Linin about it in the morning, but first I have something important to ask you.”

  More important than sleep? Joe wondered, perturbed. He took the paperweight back from Nebil and scowled at it. “Why’s he hate me so much?” He said it to himself, so he was surprised when Nebil answered him.

  “Each new recruit cycle, someone is chosen to dispose of the culls. It’s a hard task and nobody wants to do it. This last cycle, it was Tril. It was his first time and you made it very difficult for him.”

  Joe digested that in silence.

  “This morning Kihgl took you from the cafeteria,” Nebil went on after a moment. His words were startlingly…tentative. “What did he say to you?”

  Joe’s eyes lifted from the paperweight. Battlemaster Nebil was watching him too closely. Joe opened his mouth to lie.

  “Don’t,” Battlemaster Nebil said with an Ooreiki sigh. “I ask out of curiosity, not spite. If you’d rather lie, I’ll go.”

  Joe scanned Nebil’s face. Despite ruling his recruits with an iron fist, tossing Joe around whenever he didn’t move fast enough, the alien now somehow felt…trustworthy.

  When he didn’t answer immediately, Nebil turned to go.

  “He didn’t like the drawing,” Joe said, to his battlemaster’s back.

  Slowly, Nebil stopped and turned, his eyes dropping to the skin of Joe’s bicep, where the image was mostly gone. Commander Tril had forced him to stand in the noxious baths and scrub it until it was raw and bleeding.

  “Did he say why?” Nebil asked, almost softly.

  “He’s seen something like it before,” Joe hedged.

  “Ah.” Battlemaster Nebil ran his snakelike fingers along the wall. “Was it the one the Trith had given him?”

  Joe stared at him, stunned and wary.

  Battlemaster Nebil’s fingers stopped moving and he looked at Joe, saying nothing for a long time. Then, softly, he said, “Then he made his choice. I wonder if you’re worth it.” Without saying a word, he bent and touched the bluish ring around Joe’s ankle. When Nebil squeezed, there was a click, and the anklet fell into two halves, clinking metallically upon the glossy black floor.

  “I didn’t see the catch,” Joe said, feeling stupid.

  Battlemaster Nebil picked up the pieces and tucked them into a pocket of his Congie robe-like uniform. “You can’t. It is on a different light spectrum, one Human eyes cannot register. All the controls on the ship are.”

  At that, he left Joe standing in the hall, staring after him dumbly.

  #

  “Come on, Joe. Please? I’ll pay you back.”

  “With what money?”

  “She’s only gonna be at the fair another day. Kyle went last night and he said she gave him the creeps.”

  “Why do you wanna go see someone who gives you the creeps? I’d rather spend the fifty bucks on a ride.”

  “You don’t have to get yours done. Just me. That’s only twenty-five dollars. I can get you that back in a week.”

  “Man, stop bugging me. I wanna see the knife shop. Dad’s been wanting a Leatherman for Christmas.”

  “Mom said to let me do what I wanted. It’s for my birthday.”

  “Your birthday was two weeks ago.”

  “Please?”

  “Fine, but don’t expect to get your money back when she turns out to be a hack.”

  “Thank you, Joe! I won’t. She won’t be a hack. I promise.”

  “Whatever. Can I go in with you?”

  “Why?”

  “So I can make sure she doesn’t boil your bones and feed them to the ogre she keeps in her closet. Why do you think?”

  “Think she’d let us?”

  “It’s not like it’s a goddamn doctor’s office. I’m your brother. She’d better let me stay.”

  “Okay, you pay her. She won’t kick you out if you�
�re the one who gives her the money… Look, that guy just came out. She’s open! Let’s go!”

  “Calm down. Sheesh. Let go of my arm, I can get through the door by myself. Little shit. Hey, lady, you mind if I hang around while my brother gets his reading?”

  “Does he want you to hear it?”

  “He does if he wants twenty-five bucks.”

  “Very well. Sit down in front of me, Sam.”

  “You hear that? She knew my name!”

  “It’s on your T-shirt, dumbass.”

  “Oh.”

  “Joe, you’re going to have to be silent if you wish to remain.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  “Sam, give me your hands, palms facing up. There. Now hold still while I peer into my crystal ball to— I will not say it again, Joe. Be silent or leave.”

  “I was only coughing.”

  “Shut up, Joe. Let her concentrate!”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  “The crystal shows me you enjoy music.”

  “I play the violin!”

  “Hmm, yes. Practice. You will make a lot of people happy with that someday.”

  “Really? That’s great! Dad says I have to be an accountant because I’m good with numbers.”

  “You will not be an accountant. You will be a thief and a gang leader. Now about this girl…”

  “Wow, lady, isn’t that, like, illegal to tell a little kid?”

  “Ignore Joe. Focus on the girl.”

  “Rosie?”

  “That’s the one. You have to stop letting her bully you. She’s not your friend, Sam. She is only a selfish little girl who is growing up in her mother’s footsteps. Your lunch is for you, not her. Stand up for yourself at recess. Don’t follow her around. Play with Wally, instead.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hmm. What would you like to know?”

  “Is Wally my soul mate? Mom says everybody’s got a soul mate and it doesn’t have to be a girl. I don’t want a girl for a soul mate. They’re all stupid and play with dolls.”

  “Your soul mate’s name is Leila. You will ensnare her with a pack of gum, then drag her home by her hair, much to your chagrin.”

  “Um…okay, but when? Like, sixth grade?”

  “You will meet her in your attempt to take over the world, and once you find her, you will stop at nothing to obtain her.”

  “I don’t want to take over the world.”

  “Yes you do. Deep down, you do.”

  “Hey, lady, that’s really creepy, okay?”

  “Shut up, Joe. So how do I take over the world? Wally says we need to make mind-control candy.”

  “Best-case scenario? You’ll steal money from banks and large corporations, then dose yourself with experimental drugs that render you impotent because you’re bored.”

  “Oh. Then will I at least get Starflight Jupiter for Christmas?”

  “Your mother doesn’t like video games.”

  “I know, but Wally’s parents let him play.”

  “Don’t worry about that. You’ll get something nice for Christmas.”

  “You’re not gonna tell me what?”

  “And ruin the surprise? No, child. Ask me something else.”

  “This isn’t very much fun. Kyle said it would be fun.”

  “The future’s not always fun.”

  “Well, what about my dog? He’s been sick. He ate some turkey bones at Thanksgiving.”

  “The bones punctured his intestines. Your dog is going to die in a week.”

  “…die? But we took him to the doctor!”

  “The doctor didn’t catch it in time. I’m sorry, Sam.”

  “You’re a liar! Come on, Joe. I don’t want to be here anymore. Let’s go.”

  “Sure thing. Seeya, lady.”

  “Goodbye, Joe.”

  “Come on, Joe. I want to go home and see Max. That stupid psychic was wrong. He’s not gonna die. Why did you stop? I want to go home.”

  “You go ahead. I’m gonna see if I can get your money back.”

  “I don’t care about the money. I just want to go home.”

  “Just stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Joe…”

  “Stop whining. We did something you wanted to do, now just hold onto your horses for one damn minute and let me see if I can go get you a refund for that bullshit, okay?”

  “All right.”

  “Good. Stay here.”

  “Welcome back, Joe.”

  “Hey, I want a refund. You really upset my brother. That’s really crappy, scaring a little kid.”

  “What does the sign read above the door?”

  “Don’t Ask Unless You Seek The Answer? That Buddhist or something?”

  “It’s a warning.”

  “Huh. Uh. Yeah, well. I guess I can’t get a refund?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. I’ll be seeing you. I just wanna know one thing before I go. How’d you know my name? You hear Sam say it outside the tent or something?”

  “I knew it the same way I know your mother’s name is Alice and your father’s name is Harold.”

  “Huh. Uh. You think I could get the rest of the thirty minutes’ worth? I mean, Sam isn’t gonna use it.”

  “If you wish.”

  “Cool.”

  “Sit across from me and put your hands on either side of the crystal ball, palms up.”

  “You really need to do that? I mean, it looks really stupid.”

  “I certainly don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. Just get comfortable a moment. Ah. My. You’re a difficult one to read. Most couldn’t even do it.”

  “Let me guess. The image isn’t quite clear and you need another five bucks to solidify the picture.”

  “Oh no, it’s clear…for now. I said most couldn’t do it. Let’s see here. I’m going to go into a slight trance, and I want you to remain still, all right?”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “While on Ko-fat, you will enter Congress into a new Age.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Shh. Be silent and listen. You will make friends with a White assassin, and at his command, a Jreet heir shall remove your still-beating heart from your chest and deliver it to strangers.”

  “Lady, you’re really creeping me out.”

  “This is important. Shh. It has four parts, and you’ll only ever hear this once, for no one else will be able to see through your vortex once it starts. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. After a battle the likes of which the universe has never seen, you shall have the cosmos’ greatest mind helpless under your boot, and your mercy shall unmake him.”

  “Okay, how about we go back to talking about turkey bones. Seriously, are you on crack?”

  “And while you shall die in a cave, shamed and surrounded by dragon-slaying innocents, your deeds will crush the unbreakable, and your name will never be Forgotten.”

  “That’s…nice. You said Sam had a soul mate. What about me? I’m having a real hard time finding a girlfriend. Dude, why are you sighing? That’s a legitimate question, okay? That crap about Sam being a gang leader and me being in Congress is stupid. I hate politics. And Sam’s too smart to be in a gang.”

  “You will have a soul mate.”

  “Really? What’s her name?”

  “She doesn’t have a name.”

  “O-kaaay. Uh. Where’s she live?”

  “She hasn’t been born yet.”

  “Look, if you’re just fooling around, I’m gonna leave.”

  “Go ahead. You already paid.”

  “Yeah. Well, shit. Okay. (cough) So I’ve got this…thing…”

  “It’s called claustrophobia.”

  “Uh. Yeah. That. It makes it a little hard to get in a car, you know? Dad says I’ll get over it, but I don’t really see how. Like, it’s still just as bad as it was when I was little. I see blood. You know? Covering everything. I get in a tight space and I see blood everywhere. You think I’ll get over it?”

  “Of course. After you
spend a few hundred hours screaming.”

  “…”

  “I take your silence to mean you have no other questions?”

  “That’s really not cool.”

  “You asked.”

  “I’m really afraid of tunnels, lady.”

  “Of course you are. You’re going to die in one.”

  “…”

  “Out of questions, then?”

  “What am I gonna do for a living?”

  “You’re going to invade enemy planets.”

  “Dude. I’m not five, okay? What the hell kind of reading is this, anyway? We haven’t even been out of our solar system. How the hell are we going to invade other planets?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “You’re one hell of a psychic, lady. You take classes on being a pain in the ass?”

  “I went to Harvard, if you must know.”

  “What’d you do, cheat on the tests?”

  “I advise you to use the remaining time to focus on your own future.”

  “All right. After I’m done invading enemy planets, what’s gonna happen to me?”

  “I told you. You’re gonna end up disgraced and impoverished, living in a cave with a group of naked innocents who can slay dragons, telling bedtime stories to little girls who make delicious cookies out of dirt.”

  “Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough. I think your drugs wore off, lady. Keep the money. You’ll need it in the nuthouse. I hear if you’re really good, you can bribe the guards to let you play with crayons.”

  “Enjoying your monthly visits to your Aunt Caroline, Joe?”

  “Shut up. How’d you know that? Did Sam’s stupid friend set us up? You know what, how about I go tell the fair manager that you’re all drugged up? Won’t that be funny?”

  “Tell Max he’s a good dog for me.”

  “Screw you, lady.”

  “Joe.”

  “I said screw you, lady!”

  “Joe!”

  “Bugger off!”

  “Stop swearing! You want Maggie to learn to cuss? You stupidhead.”

  Joe sat up. The entire room was lit in shades of scarlet. He stared at Libby, wide eyed. “The dog died.”

  “What?”

  “The dog died. A week later, just like she said.”

  “You’re really creeping us out. What dog? There aren’t any dogs here.”