by Luna Hunter
“What do you think? Pretty nice model, huh? Made her myself. I have to admit; I didn’t think it would work that well. I figured a jaded man like yourself would be a little more cautious. But no, you fell for it. Hook, like and sinker.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I growl through clenched teeth.
“You still haven’t figured it out, hm? So much for your instincts. Do I have to spell it out for you?”
Siya takes another drag of her cigarette, and blows the smoke into my face. I don’t want to show any emotion, I don’t want to give her the satisfaction she craves, but I can’t control myself.
Not when Lily is right there, when the proof of my failure is looking me in the face.
“I’ve manipulated you from the start, Marcas,” Siya says. “Every single step of the way has been planned by me. Lily here? To me, she’s Y-014. That’s right. Your little human fucktoy? I created her.”
My breath falters. “A cyborg?” I can’t believe that.
“Not quite,” Siya answers. “Y-014 is purely biological, which makes my accomplishment all the more impressive. I genetically engineered her to make her irresistible to a Zoran dog like yourself. Y-014 is perfect: highly intelligent, but also highly obedient. And, of course, implanted with a tracker so we could follow her every move. Your predictable, animalistic instincts did the rest.”
The smile on Siya’s face makes my stomach retch. It’s all twisted and wrong, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“To say it went well is an understatement. We’ve been monitoring her vitals; it looks like you gave her quite the workout these past seven days. Classic Zorans, thinking only with those big cocks of yours.”
“You’re lying,” I say, but even I don’t believe myself. It makes too much sense. The lost memories…
“You know it to be true, Marcas. I’m sure she suspected it herself — her anxiety has been through the roof at times. You asked her about her past, didn’t you?”
The look on my face tells my tormentor all she needs to know.
“That’s what I thought. We didn’t wipe her mind or anything like that — she simply had no memories! Only some vague outlines that I gave her, just enough to make her think she’s truly alive without rousing suspicion. I’ll have to make some final adjustments before I take the Y-models into mass production. That’s right, pinkie. Mass production. I’m going to create an army of her. I’ll alter her looks a bit with every copy, of course. No one will suspect a thing, until a decade down the line, all the leadership positions within the Federation are taken by our army of obedient worker bees. The entire universe will be ours!”
The look on Siya’s face is pure megalomania.
“Already we’re close to solving the problem of aging. Once we’ve got that out of the way, well, we’ll have cheated death itself. The Onyx family will lead an galactic empire unlike anything that has ever existed!”
“Galactic empires have a tendency to crumble,” I growl. “You won’t win.”
Siya laughs. “You think I haven’t studied every empire that has ever existed? I won’t repeat any of their mistakes. With an army of obedient clones, I won’t be betrayed. My plan is foolproof.”
“The universe will unite against you,” I say. “You’re crazy!”
“They would, if they had the chance. Which is why I’m snuffing out the rebellion before it can even start.”
She presses a button and a familiar planet fills the screen.
New Exon.
The planet Zorans now call home.
A small ship in the distance also draws my attention. Could that be…
“That’s right — those are your friends. Egon, Kane, Torin, and a few other criminals. They’ve evaded us for months, but you’ve lead them right to us.”
My face turns pale. No…
I didn’t just fail to save Lily — I failed my friends, my squad, my brothers. The universe could very well be lost this day, and it is all my fault.
I should have died.
The shame that courses through my veins is so potent it feels like every inch of me is burning.
Siya Onyx is studying my face as she takes another drag of her cigarette. The bitch is enjoying seeing me squirm, seeing me die from the inside out.
“Now, with them out of the way, all that is left… is destroying New Exon itself.”
A cold shiver runs down my spine. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong.
“The Zorans are the only ones strong enough to oppose is — if they were united. Now, thanks to us, we’ve got them all exiled from Earth to this world, all of them shepherded into one place, which will make this next step so much easier.”
“Lily won’t help you build your weapon,” I say, cutting in. “She won’t!”
Siya and Basil Onyx both laugh at me.
“You fool,” she says, “We’ve had that weapon all along. Lily’s job was just a cover story. Face it, you beast. We outsmarted you every step of the way. You may have the strength of an ox and the speed of a cheetah, but how good is all that when you’ve got the brains the size of a peanut?
“We’re going to release FERAL on New Exon, and you’re going to watch as your kind tears itself apart like the debased monsters they truly are. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”
I squeeze my fists as hard as I can. I try to bend the metal, to tear it off, to do something — but I can’t. I simply can’t move.
“Don’t you worry that pink head of yours, though,” Siya says, rapping her knuckles against my forehead. “I’m planning on cloning you as well! Of course, I’ll be sure to strip out all those pesky independent thoughts you have. Once I’m through with you, you’ll be nothing but a shell, a drone, my muscle. Can you imagine? A whole army of obedient Zoran soldiers — cloned from your DNA — supported by millions of worker bees with Lily’s DNA. The two of you will be together for all eternity, just not in the way you imagined,” she sneers.
“You’re wrong,” I say coolly. “You’re wrong. Lily is her own person. She has her own thoughts, her own fears. You’re making one big mistake — you underestimate the power of love.”
Siya throws her head back and laughs.
“Love? Don’t make me sick. Love is just a chemical reaction, created by our brains to trick ourselves. Its purpose is to commit ourself to a single person so that we can be ‘happy’ with our fates. Love is an illusion, Zoran. It’s a lie. A trick.”
I shake my head. “I pity you, Siya,” I say. “You clearly don’t know what love is. Thought, I have to admit, you’re quite unlovable.”
“I’m perfect,” she bristles. “I’m perfect! And the whole universe will know my perfection!”
“You’re wrong,” I say, “I know that for a fact. Even if you kill me now, that won’t change a single thing. You can kill every single Zoran if you like. It won’t make a difference. You’ll lose in the end. People cannot be controlled. They will rebel.”
“You underestimate my powers,” Siya says, “and I will prove it to you now!”
She turns around to face Lily, who has been standing in the corner, her eyes turned towards the floor. My mate hasn’t moved since I woke up.
“Lily will be the one to pull the trigger. If you are right, she won’t be able to. But if I am right — and harbor no illusions, I am — she’ll do exactly as instructed. After all, I created her.
“Lily!” Siya snaps. “Release FERAL!”
My mate looks up at me. Her brown eyes are filled with a world of hurt, and I feel a stab of pain right in my gut. Despite everything Siya has said, I know for sure my baby, my mate, my chosen is still in there somewhere.
Come on, baby.
Fight.
Chapter Fourteen
Lily
My mind is a battlefield.
Every single emotion that I have is battling for control. I feel anger, hate, sadness, remorse and guilt, all at the same time.
Siya’s words cut through me like a k
nife.
My memories… they weren’t wiped — they were never there.
I’m literally no one.
A blank slate.
Not even a person.
Created in a lab to deceive Marcas, and lead the Resistance into a trap.
Are any of the feelings I have genuine, or all they all part of her plan as well?
The love I feel for Marcas…
No, that must be real. It has to be real.
The moments we’ve shared — there’s nothing more real than that. When I looked into his eyes, when his lips touched mine, when his arms held me…
Those moments were real.
And nothing Siya or Basil or anyone can say will change that.
“What are you waiting for?” Siya bites. “Release the FERAL virus!”
I stare into Marcas’s teal eyes, and it gives me the strength and the courage to fight. He’s shown me nothing but kindness, he’s always trusted me, and even now, even now that he has every right to hate my guts, I can see that he still believes in me. He still loves me.
His powerful gaze give me a jolt of energy. I feel strength rising from deep inside of me, radiating from the center of my heart to every fiber of my being. I move towards the console and take a deep breath.
Here it goes.
My fingers fly across the touch screen rapidly as I enter my commands.
“Do it,” Siya says, sounding hungry. “Release it!”
I push the button.
“Yes!” she screams. Siya turns to Marcas with a victorious smile.
“See, you pink swine?! You meathead! See the proof of my genius?! Now watch your species die!” she cackles. “Watch!”
Siya is totally out of her mind, her tiny fists balled up. I can't wait to see her ego deflate.
Beep.
“Siya,” Basil says cautiously. “You might want to take a look at this.”
The woman turns around, her eyes filled with crazy.
“What, father?” she snaps. “Don't ruin this moment for me!”
The screen flickers with an incoming message.
Checkmate, bitch.
She looks at the screen, not realizing what I've done. “The Federation? Why would they call me now?”
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep--
The messages come in one-by-one, until there's so many the computer just emits a constant hum. Next, both her and her father's private com-devices start ringing, until we're surrounded by a cacophony of sounds.
“What's going on?” Siya barks. “What... what did you do?”
I press the little button that says connect call. The screen is instantly filled with a close-up of the face of the President of the Human Federation.
“What's the meaning of this, Siya?” he snaps, his voice shaking with anger. “If this is your idea of a sick joke, I am not amused.”
“Wh-what?” The Onyx leader stammers. “I…”
“What's all this talk of a virus, of cloning, of genocide? Have you lost your damn mind?!”
Siya is frozen in place. Her victorious smile is still half-there on her face, unmoving, like her brain shorted out and her face doesn't know what expression it has to show next.
“You can consider every contract the Federation has with Onyx cancelled!”
One by one, more windows pop up on the screen. The scowling faces of presidents, kings and emperors of every race in the universe fill the entire dome. Siya and her father are surrounded on all sides by their anger, their company being ripped apart before their very eyes.
Their so-called empire crumbles before their very eyes.
“I broadcast a recording of every word you just said to every single com in the entire universe. That’s what you wanted me to do right, creator?” I say with as much venom as possible.
Her eyes narrow.
“You… you were a mistake,” she spits. “I gave you too much empathy. Not to worry — the next one will be better!”
I reach behind me and press a button. Instantly Marcas’s chains fall to the floor.
“There won’t be a next one!” I say.
Siya lets out a piercing scream and charges right at me, her sharp nails raised like claws. Before she can reach me Marcas grabs her from behind and throws her across the room — right into her father, who was trying to make a break for it.
“Leaving so soon?” Marcas growls. “I thought we were just getting started.”
The Zoran warrior pounces on top of Siya and drags her across the room by that stupid hair bun of hers. She kicks and screams, but she is no match for his strength.
He places her on the metal slab, and I press the same button again. The locks close around her wrists and ankles.
We’ve got her locked up tight.
“Now it’s your turn to watch as your world burns,” Marcas growls.
Strapped down tight she can’t do a single thing except watch as all her plans fall apart. Basil is in the corner, his ankle sprained, so he can’t escape us either. We’ve got them. We’ve really got them.
I fling my arms around Marcas’s neck and kiss him deeply, hot tears stinging the corners of my eyes.
“Do you still—”
“Of course,” he says, cutting me off. “I still love you, Lily. Forever and always, remember?”
“Forever and always.”
We watch Siya cry, plead and lie to the scowling faces on all the screens around her, until her face has turned white and she is simply numb. I cannot believe a woman as hateful as her could have created me…
A fist pounds on the metal door separating us from the rest of the ship.
“Open up,” a low voice growls.
“Onyx guards?” I ask my mate.
He shakes his head. “That voice… open the door, Lily.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m certain.”
I flip a switch, disengaging the lock on the door, and it slides open, revealing…
Three well-armed Zorans. One silver, one green, one turquoise.
“Egon!” Marcas says. “Torin! Kane!”
The Zoran in the front lowers his weapon.
“Marcas!”
Chapter Fifteen
Marcas
“You’re — you’re here!” I say.
Egon nods. “Time hasn’t dulled your senses, I see,” he smirks.
Still that same old smart mouth on him. I charge my best friend and fling my arms around him. He hugs me back -- it feels damn good to have his strong, Zoran arms around me once more.
“Kane! Torin!” I say as I greet my two other squadmates. “You've all made it!”
“Of course we did, brother,” Kane says.
“Wouldn't miss this for the world,” Torin says. “Seems you've got it all under control, though.”
All three of them are looking at Siya Onyx, fastened to a metal slab, her eyes wide with shock and fear. That woman was born into privilege. Everything has gone her way her entire life. The thought of her grand schemes failing must have never even occurred to her. Her arrogance has turned out to be her downfall -- like I predicted.
“We've got it under wraps,” I say.
Egon balls his fist victoriously. “The Onyx plot is worse than we feared, but thanks to you… you’re a damn hero Marcas. You didn’t just save New Exon, or the Zorans — you saved the entire galaxy from untold millennia of rule from some mad despot.”
“I didn’t do any of this,” I say. “It was all Lily.”
All three Zorans now turn to my mate. She has her arms folded, a shy blush on her cheeks.
“Hi,” she says.
“This is her?” Egon starts. “The one Onyx talked about?”
“Yes — and I trust her with every fiber of being,” I say defensively. “I will not tolerate any questioning of her loyalty, understood? If you have a problem with her, you’ll have to go through me.”
“That’s the Marcas I remember,” Egon says as he clasps his hand on my shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, brot
her. Real good.”
“Likewise.”
“They’re a lot of people you have to meet,” Kane says. “Like our mates.”
“Mates?” I ask, my ears perking up.
Torin has a lopsided grin on his face. “You’re not the only one who picked up a human female on their journey.”
“No way,” I say. “You did?”
“There’s a few kids running around, too,” Kane interjects.
“No way!”
“You’ll see all of that and more once we get back to our ship,” Egon says, “but first we have our mission to complete. We have to dismantle all of Onyx’s plans.”
“Good point,” I say. “We’ve got Siya locked up, but we still need to dismantle their FERAL-weapon, and their genetics program.”
“I can help with that,” Lily speaks up. “I have full access to the Onyx computer system.”
“Then you’re an invaluable ally,” Egon says.
“Delete as much information as you possibly can, Lily,” I say. “I want all of this erased from history.”
Lily moves towards the console and her fingers become a blur as she starts combing through the data.
“Is that the best choice?” Kane asks. “Could this technology be used for good?”
“Perhaps, but we can’t risk it,” I say. “It’s too dangerous. We broadcast the existence of this technology to the entire galaxy, and this falls into the wrong hands…”
“The genie is out of the bottle,” Torin says.
“Unfortunately, yes,” I say. “All the more reason for us to be watchful.”
“Got it,” Lily says. “I have found the location of the FERAL research facility, and the genetics facility. Both on Earth.”
Egon nods. “We should dismantle those labs before the Federation gets to them.”
“I’m sure they’re looking forward to a ship of well-armed Zorans landing on their shores,” I chuckle.
“Just like old times, right?” Egon smirks.
“Just like old times.”
I look over my shoulder at Lily. She is more beautiful than ever. I don’t care what Siya has to say, I don’t care where she’s from — none of that changes how I feel about her.