I woke and knew immediately that something was wrong. I looked around groggily trying to remember where I was. The place looked familiar, but the memory was just out of my reach. I was in a dark room and as my hands felt around the surface upon which I was resting I realized I was lying on a real bed, not the thin pad that most slaves were forced to sleep on.
“What the hell?” I muttered and gasped when I heard my voice. That voice–a light soprano wasn’t even remotely close to my regular medium tenor! Then the memories of the previous day came flooding back to me.
I reached up to touch my face and traced my hands down my neck and chest. I sighed with relief when I found that, on the outside at least, nothing had changed. Whatever the K’teth had done to me while I slept the only change that I was able to find was my voice. I sat up and felt something fall across my face. Hair, I brought my hand up to brush it away and realized that one other thing had changed. My hair was longer, it had grown at least another seven and a half centimeters overnight. I shuddered and slipped off the bed and moved to the door. It was dark, but light was coming through the cracks in the door and it provided just enough illumination for me to see.
I pulled the door open and on the other side I found a figure seated on the floor fiddling with a small mechanical device about the size of my fist. He looked up and once I saw his face I realized that it was just Jaysen.
“Morning, sleepyhead.”
He grinned scratched at his chin, his eyes lingering on my face just before he returned to the device. He didn’t seem at all disturbed by my female face and he didn’t say a word as he continued to tinker with whatever the hell that thing was.
I watched him as he toyed with the device for a moment before speaking. “Jaysen what time is it?”
He stared up at me with wide eyes as if I’d startled him then he pursed his lips. “Oh, well if I had to guess I’d say about ten… probably.” he said then returned to his gadget.
“Ten?!” I asked in disbelief. As a slave I’d always been expected to wake at the same time, five in the morning. It was strange to think that I’d allowed myself to sleep so late.
Jaysen nodded absently, but didn’t give any other indication that he’d heard me. “Hey, look…” I started, but Jaysen cut me short.
“You’re probably hungry,” he said frowning up at me. “I doubt there’s any warm food, but I think we could probably scrounge up some cold bread and maybe some cheese or something if you like.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
“Well, look who it is Farris,” the tall muscular man said as we stepped into the kitchen slapping the back of his hand against the chest of a shorter man with platinum blond hair that was so light it was nearly white.
“It’s the sissy and what’s this…” he said grabbing the underside of my chin with his left hand then pushed me away. “I think I’ll call you the freak.”
Farris grinned. “Quite a pair these two make, eh Pyramus? The sissy who wants to be a girl and the man with the face of a woman and… God! Look at those fucking eyes and that hair. I don’t know what Mara was thinking when she recruited ’em.”
“Why don’t the two of you just fuck off?!” Jaysen said shaking with impotent fury.
Pyramus snarled glaring down at the much smaller man. “That wasn’t very nice! Apologize! Now!”
Jaysen opened his mouth, but Pyramus pounced before the other man could so much as squeal. I wanted to intervene, but both bullies were larger than me and I doubted I’d be able to do anything but get myself hurt. Then the whole world came to a screeching halt and I stared at Pyramus as his fist hung motionless in the air.
“What the hell have you done?” I gasped looking around the room to find that Pyramus wasn’t the only to have been frozen in place.
‘I slowed down your perception of time,’ the symbiote answered back.
“Well, undo whatever it is you did. This is damned creepy!”
‘You can beat him,’ the K’teth whispered within my mind.
“What the hell do you care?”
‘I do not like bullies,’ the symbiote replied just before the world lurched into motion, but at a snail’s pace.
Pyramus’s fist moved as if it were passing through molasses and I only hesitated a second before making my move. I grabbed his arm and threw it aside then I slammed my open palm into his chest. The world erupted back into a full boil, returning to full speed and Pyramus went flying to the ground with far more force than I had anticipated. Hell, the blow had hit with more force than I thought I was capable. I looked down at my hand in disbelief and shuddered. It was that damned thing inside of me it had to be. Just like it had done for the Overseer, it had given my enhanced physical capabilities.
“Fuck!” Pyramus yelled between clenched teeth.
I walked over to where Farris was standing and grabbed him by the collar, “All we want is to get something to eat. Leave now and everything between us is square, but so help me if either of you try anything like that again I’ll beat your asses down,” I said glaring at him with all the false bravado I could muster.
Farris gulped and nodded. I released my hold on his collar and he promptly booked it out of the room. I glared down at Pyramus and he glared back up at me before shaking his head and stumbling back to his feet.
“Shit, I don’t know what the fuck you are, but just keep the hell away from me,” he spat and followed Farris out the door.
“Holy freaking hell! That was awesome! I don’t think I’ve seen anyone put Pyr in his place well except maybe Mara, but hell that woman could boil water with a look. Not that your way was less impressive. God I wish I could have gotten a rec of that! The look on his face!” Jaysen proclaimed with a huge grin on his face.
I wasn’t really sure what to say to that, and I didn’t have to because Jaysen spoke first, “It’s because of that thing in you isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I said bowing my head and running a free hand through my hair. “How did you know about that?”
Jaysen scratched his chin, “Well, Mara told me. I guess it explains why you were able to pilot the Overseer’s ship. And god, it probably won’t be long ’til those two jackasses find out too.”
“And, what do you think about that… the K’teth I mean?”
“Well, to be honest I don’t know what to make of it, but what I do know is that you saved us from those patrol ships, which is something I’m not going to forget!” He shook his head and looked at me with a grateful smile.
I swallowed and bit my tongue. I wondered what Jaysen would say if he knew it had been the K’teth that had piloted the transport and fought off the patrol ships and not me.
“Is it… is it going to change you all the way?” he asked suddenly fidgeting with his hands and staring at me with a nervous smile.
I nodded, “Yeah, so I’ve been told.”
“Oh, well… um why don’t we get you something to eat?” he said with a smile that didn’t quite hide the flash of envy mingled with revulsion that passed across his face.
I felt my eyes grow wide and for a very brief moment I let myself believe what Pyramus had said about Jaysen wanting to be a girl. If it were true it might explain the look he’d just given me, but then again I had to consider the source. In the end I decided to let the matter pass and watched as Jaysen turned away and moved to the center of the room where a line of cupboards were mounted to the wall.
The room had the look of a kitchen, but it was much larger than any kitchen than I’d ever seen. There were rows of cupboards, metal counters lined with dozens of cooking implements some of which even I didn’t recognize along with half a dozen ovens, automatic dishwashers and sinks. The compound the rebels occupied was huge and clearly was intended to house several thousand people.
“Jaysen, what is this place?”
Jaysen who had opened up a cupboard and was looking inside turned back to me with a rueful smile, “Well, Mara’s the one that found this place. She s
aid it was built many decades before the war with the Qharr back when the world was still divided and the threat of conflict between the nations was a constant threat. This place was built in case the worst should happen and the North American Union got obliterated. Once the United Republic of Earth was formed this and other places like it were abandoned and forgotten about.”
“And how did Mara know about it?”
“Beats me. You’d have to ask her,” Jaysen shrugged and returned to the cupboard.
“Here,” he said suddenly tossing a bread sack at me.
I grabbed it out of the air and set it down on the counter then caught the next as it came soaring through the air toward me. “How many people live here in the compound?”
Jaysen walked slowly across the room and set a container down on the counter next to the others. “Well we’re up to twenty-three, counting you.”
“It’s getting close to lunchtime,” I mumbled with a quiet whisper. I looked around the kitchen and smiled, “Well they didn’t call me master cook for nothing. Might as well put my skills to use.”
And so I did.
I always liked to cook, but was constantly frustrated at the lack of nutritional eats that I had to work with. The Qharr gave us food, but only to fill our stomachs. They didn’t care how long we lived or if we were living healthy. The only thing that mattered to them was that we continue to work and the food they gave us was enough, in their eyes, to do just that.
Most days the best I was able to make was soup broth and simple unleavened bread, and the sort of food the rebels had access to wasn’t really any better. God, I didn’t know what I was expecting. It wasn’t as if they could go find an empty field and start planting crops. The Qharr would never allow that sort of thing and the rebel farmers would be found out in short order.
So, I ate a little bit of the bread–which was a few days old and very dry–then I got to work cooking the meal. I was in the process of cutting up a few stunted carrots when I heard the door creak open and turned to look and see who it was. Kaya was standing in the doorway and she looked pretty surprised to see me. She stood there with her mouth hanging open and I half-expected her to turn her back and disappear back through the door, but she did just the opposite.
“Jellfree…” she stepped through the door and let it swing shut behind her.
“What do you want Kaya?!” I snapped feeling that familiar anger boil up to the surface.
“I-I didn’t expect to find you here. It was my turn to prepare lunch and I thought I’d get an early start,” she responded looking back and forth between me and Jaysen. “Mara told me what happened to you but, God, I don’t think I really believed it. Shit, Jellfree I’m so sorry. I can’t help thinking that it’s somehow my fault. If I had included you in our plans maybe… maybe it wouldn’t have happened.”
I glared at her and said nothing. Jaysen grimaced and scratched his head, “I’m sure Jellfree doesn’t blame you. It might have happened even if he’d known. Right, Jellfree?”
“Why don’t you mind your own damned business?! This is between me and Kaya!” I yelled rounding on him with knife in hand my anger exploding out of me suddenly and without warning.
Jaysen eyes grew wide and he shook his head, “You know what… I think I’m going to step outside for a minute. Obviously something has happened between the two of you and I really don’t want to get involved.”
“Yeah, I think that would be a good idea!” I growled at him as he fled the room.
“There’s no need to pick on Jaysen, Jellfree. I’m the one you’re mad at so take it out on me!” She yelled.
“Alright then I will! What the hell am I supposed to do Kaya?! I loved you and it was all a damned lie! You put my life in danger and now everything is going to hell! I trusted you and you took advantage of that trust Kaya and now… God, Kaya… what am I supposed to do now? I just don’t know anymore!”
Kaya moved across the room and took my head in her hands. I tried to protest, but when her lips unexpectedly locked around mine all my anger suddenly fled. When we broke for air I stared down at her flabbergasted as she started to weep.
“Oh hell, if you hated me before you’re really going to hate me now. Jellfree, I-I love you and before you started to change I would have fought with every cell in my body to try and convince you that I wanted to be with you, but now… Hell I can’t. I do love you, but… God this is so hard. I wish there was some other way, but that kiss it didn’t feel right. I’m not attracted to women, and I can’t fight to be with you knowing that you’re changing into one.”
I started at her and slowly started to shake my head, “So that’s it? It’s over between us?”
She nodded and pursed her lips. Tears were flowing freely down her face and I wanted nothing more to scream and yell at her, but she looked so vulnerable… so sad standing there that it was all I could do to keep myself from wrapping my arms around her and tell her everything would be alright then I came to my senses. I glared at her, “It’s not fair.”
“I know,” she whispered. “We can’t be lovers, but maybe we can stay friends. I want to help you through this, Jellfree. It’s the least I can do after everything I’ve put you through.”
“I don’t know,” I scowled. “It’s going to take time Kaya. I can’t just pretend like nothing happened!”
She nodded tears flowing freely as she spoke. “I will do whatever it takes.”
I shook my head then grabbed some supplies out of the cupboard and turned back to her. “Well, I could use some help with this meal.”
Kaya sat down across from me and smiled as she set her plate down. I tore off a piece of food and held it out with my fingers before slipping it in my mouth and savored the taste of the freshly baked bread. “So, I guess I’m a rebel now. What exactly am I supposed to do?”
Kaya held her spoon out in front of me and pursed her lips with a thoughtful frown. “Well, I’ve been discussing that with Mara. She wants us to take some time off and get you trained before we move on to the next mission.”
I shook my head and tapped my fingers against the table. “You mean she wants to wait to see if I can be trusted.”
“Of course, you can be trusted! After what you did I don’t know how anyone could not see that!” Jaysen protested from his seat at the table next to Kaya.
“Kaya’s not the only one who’s had a talk with my aunt. She’s afraid of that damned parasite inside of me. Hell I am too. I can’t blame her for not trusting me I’d probably react the same way in her shoes. Maybe it would be better if you just locked me up and threw away the keys. If that K’teth gains control of my body–” I shuddered. “–who knows what it might do.”
“Your aunt…?” Kaya asked staring at me with wide-eyed confusion.
“What, she didn’t tell you?” I asked looking from Kaya then to Jaysen and back to Kaya. They each shook their heads and I let out a long sigh. “Well she says she was married to my uncle Harold. I don’t really remember, but I think I believe her. It’s weird, until yesterday, I’d forgotten I even I had an Uncle Harold.”
“Well, that certainly explains some things,” she said waving her spoon around then dropped it into her soup. “Look Jellfree we’re not going to lock you up. We’re fighting for our freedom and we need everyone we can get.”
“And if this thing gains control of me?”
“Then… I’ll do whatever’s necessary,” she said narrowing her eyes and saw just a bit of that manic fire come to life inside of her again.
I shuddered and locked gazes with her. There was no doubt in my mind if she thought the K’teth had taken control of me she’d do whatever it took to stop it, even if it meant taking my life. I smiled… I couldn’t live being a prisoner in my own body and if I became a danger I wouldn’t want to go on living knowing what it might force me to do. I think if anyone could find a way to kill me it would be Kaya and in a strange sort of way I’d rathe
r it be her than some stranger.
“Sustenance!” a voice called from the other side of the bunker’s massive cafeteria. All our eyes turned to watch as Vakrexid came sweeping across the floor and halted in front of the large pot of soup I’d placed on the table in the next row over. He grabbed a bowl from the nearby stack and scooped some soup out of the pot. He lurched back into motion and plopped down at the table beside me.
“Hello Doctor!” Jaysen beamed.
“Hello all. It is most agreeable to see you,” he tooted and promptly dunked all three of his tubes in the bowl of soup. There was a strange sucking sound and within just a few seconds the doctor’s bowl had been sucked completely dry. Well, other than a few chunks of meat and vegetables that wouldn’t fit up his tubes.
The doctor cocked his head and touched me lightly on the shoulder. “Vakrexid would like you to pay a visit to my lab. I have unpacked some equipment that should allow Vakrexid to run tests on you without use of the scanner. Those tests will not be as conclusive, but there is little else I could do. ”
I nodded. “Sure thing doc.”
“Also, Vakrexid would like to encourage you to continue your transformation. I have procured a powercell which would be most suitable for this task,” he said absently rubbing at his tubes.
“You can’t be serious!” I protested staring at the doctor with my mouth hanging wide open.
“The process, it will be most unpleasant, I believe it would be a much easier adjustment if we sped it along. Vakrexid would much rather it be done under my supervision. If you were inadvertently exposed to a power source and the K’teth began to consume its energy the process could leave you weakened and unable to find aid.”
I sighed and pursed my lips. “Damned K’teth, I… I thought I would have more time.”
“The choice is yours of course. Vakrexid was merely suggesting what I thought was the most prudent course of action,” the doctor said running a finger along the inside of his bowl.
“I-I’ll think about it,” I muttered and promptly crammed another piece of bread into my mouth.
“Very well,” Vakrexid tooted then he suddenly lurched out of his seat and scrambled away with his empty bowl in hand.
Battle For Earth Page 6