The silent monitor offered no clues to what the praying mantis said to the man, but the oversized insect was seen flipping a switch on the machine. The man slumped, seemingly unconscious.
Haruto didn’t know exactly what the man had just endured, but it was obvious he was being tortured. Without thinking about the consequences or the Galactic Council’s instructions, she left Commander Guado’s post and entered the torture chamber just as the praying mantis fiddled with a knob on the machine, sending a jolt of electricity throughout the man’s body, surging him awake. He cried out in pain.
The praying mantis sneered in a raspy voice, “Are you ready to summon her yet?”
The man breathed heavily beneath the hood, but didn’t answer.
The arthropod creature taunted him, “Until you tell us where she is, this will continue.”
The man remained silent.
Taking advantage of the lull, as well as the victim’s conscious state, the undetected Haruto floated beside the man, sending her thoughts into his mind. I can save you. Do you want to come with me?
The forlorn man lifted his head slightly, silently asking, Haruto?
Billy? Haruto’s heart jumped with joy! Billy was alive! For a moment, guilt overtook her. She realized she should have tried again and again to connect with his mind, because eventually she would have caught him at a moment when his consciousness wasn’t overcome by the torturer’s machine. But then she concluded this self-admonishment was a foolish waste of time. The only thing that mattered was she had found him alive.
Billy’s thoughts called to her, Thank, God, it’s you! Get me out of here! No, wait! He shared his concern with her, I’m chipped. You can’t risk leading them—
It won’t matter. Trust me. All right?
All right.
She put her unseen hand on his shoulder, making him invisible. Next, she imagined the black hood and microchip becoming physical. The black hood dropped onto the chair; and the microchip, which had been implanted under Billy’s skin, fell to the floor. The room was silent as the microchip rolled across the floor, coming to a stop at the praying mantis’s spiny foot. A small tap rang out, inadvertently mocking the torturer.
When Billy arrived at his new home in Alteria, the beauty of the lake and surrounding forest astounded him. This place was a splendid dream compared to the nightmare he had just endured within the aliens’ grasp.
He gazed at Haruto, her dark brown eyes meeting his. They hugged each other tightly. After a long moment, Billy held her at arm’s length, asking, “Where are we?”
“Inner earth.”
He shielded his eyes to glance at the red ball in the odd-colored sky.
“It never moves,” she told him. “Day or night, it stays right there at the top.”
Billy was confounded, trying to soak it all in.
Zachary was relaxing under the shade of a tree, watching Eva play with her furry friends, when he noticed Billy’s arrival. A smile swept across the young man’s face. He jumped up, briskly strolling across the grass. He reached the newcomer, cheerfully saying, “Hello, Billy!”
They firmly shook hands.
Although normally a reserved man, Billy had tears in his eyes. His emotions were on overdrive because of all the torture and trauma he had endured. “Man, I’ve never been so glad to see you. Those aliens are fucked up!”
Zachary laughed. “Glad to see they didn’t break your spirit, even if you do look like shit. And smell like it, too.” He held his fingers under his nose to emphasize his point.
A look of concern crossed Billy’s face. He stretched out his t-shirt, bringing it to his nose, taking a whiff. He winced, becoming self-conscious. Without saying a word, he jaunted down the lush knoll toward the lake.
Haruto and Zachary watched him wade into the water until it was waist deep, then dive beneath the surface.
Inspired by Billy’s spontaneity, the two chased after him, rushing into the lake, laughing.
Billy came up for air. He undid his tangled braid, running his hands through his hair while dipping his head back into the water to wash it.
Zachary called out, “Hey! Stinky! Washed that smell off yet!?”
“What’d you say?” Billy swam toward his friend.
“Stinky!”
Billy splashed him.
“Hey!” Zachary splashed him back.
A full-fledged water fight ensued between them.
Haruto laughed until she cried. The water sprays cascaded around her.
Zachary dove into the water to escape the barrage.
Billy swam over to Haruto, his long black hair flowing behind him as he slid beside her. His handsome face glistened in the sun. With a low voice, choked by emotion, he said to her, “Thank you for saving me.”
Her rosebud mouth widened into a smile as she wrapped her arms around him.
Finding Shelter and Food
CECILE AND TOM appeared on a lonely strip of highway. Here, a Western trading post had been built out of logs, complete with a residential unit above the store. An oversized statue of a grinning cowboy, kicking up his heels, was affixed to the rooftop, its neon no longer glowing. A lone car was parked in the side parking lot. Behind the lot, a man stood at the base of a rusty windmill pumping water into a bucket.
At the opposite end of the trading post were numerous full-size teepees, which had been set up as models on top of the dusty ground. Display signs stated the teepees were capable of sleeping ten or more people. The canvas walls were hand-painted with Native American warriors riding bareback, soaring eagles and mountain scenes. The interiors were furnished with Southwestern-styled blankets and pillows. Dreamcatchers dangled from the ceilings.
“How do you want to do this?” Tom asked his wife. “Take ’em or trade ’em?”
Cecile answered, “Trade ’em.”
Thirty minutes later, the teepees were gone, and in exchange, loaded on the store’s front porch next to the sun-bleached rocking chairs, were shrink-wrapped pallets of beer, beans and rice.
A fair trade.
The well-crafted, almost luxurious, teepees were relocated to the Bear Claw’s new campsite in Alteria. The nomadic dwellings were positioned at one end of the lake—their nostalgic and noble presence beautifully complemented the natural surroundings, making the tribe members feel wealthy in spirit.
While Tom and Cecile assigned the living quarters, Zachary decided to make himself useful by getting food supplies.
He transported himself to an unmanned distribution warehouse still untouched by looters. Sunlight streamed through the sidelights near the multi-story ceiling, highlighting the particles of dust. Rows of metal shelving held cardboard boxes, resting on palettes filled with food items, clothing, kitchen accessories and bath products.
The desolate building was spooky. Zachary could hear the ghosts of the former workers—echoes of their footsteps, conversations and forklift engines. But the sounds faded when he got to work, walking down the aisles to assess his choices. Toothpaste. Toilet paper. Shampoo. Chips. Beer. Cereal.
He found a palette of canned pinto beans. These were a necessity, so he decided they would be his first delivery.
Zachary brought the load back to the teepee that had been designated as both the pantry and kitchen. He placed the palette beside the slanting wall. The teepee was roomy, but this delivery took up a big portion of it. He decided to limit the next trip to boxes.
Adeelah peered through the flaps. “Wow! That’s a lot of beans!”
Zachary chuckled. “It sure is, but I’m going back for more. Well, not beans. Other stuff. You want anything?”
“Yeah. I’d like to come.”
“Um…sure. I could use some help, I guess.”
He held out his hand. She shyly took it. Together, they went to the warehouse.
Adeelah looked around, mesmerized by the bounty of food and wares. She walked down an aisle, skimming the labels, mentioning each item, “Beets…spinach…green beans. You know, we barely had thes
e essentials on the rez before the viro hit? Now look. We have all we need.” She stopped talking, remembering the tragic events that had brought them to this place. She became ashamed. “All they needed” had come at too steep of a price. She solemnly said, “Things are never going to be the same. Are they?”
Not wanting to discuss the morose subject, Zachary changed it. “Did you know I used to live in the jungle?”
His out-of-the-blue comment snapped Adeelah out of her gloomy mood. She asked, “How’d you end up there?”
“Oh, the usual. I fell in love. Conchita was the shaman’s daughter—beautiful, kind and courageous. We met in the spirit realm as Earth Sentinels. After our attempts to save the world failed miserably, I left my home in Pennsylvania, and traveled through the Amazon to find her. We had two children together, but the virus took our baby and her father, and…I don’t know…she lost her mind with grief, I guess. She left me and Eva, and then the tribe threw us out.”
“That’s really sad.”
“Yes, it is. And I got bit by an anaconda, and almost died from an infection.”
“What!?”
“I know! Crazy, right? Well…the truth is, I didn’t almost die. I did die.”
Her eyes became wide with amazement. “Wow!”
“Yep, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and everything.”
Adeelah inquired, although she tried to seem casual about it, “So…you still married?”
Zachary hesitated to answer, realizing it would be the first time he said it out loud. “In the tribe, a woman divorces her husband by moving out. Pretty simple, really. She left. And that was that.”
“I’m sorry. Both of my parents died. And my aunts and uncles, younger cousins and my grandmother. God, I miss them all so much.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
He understood. Everyone had his or her own sad tale of woe and sorrow.
She lowered her head, letting her long black hair fall in front of her face to hide her tears. Zachary walked up to Adeelah, holding her. She sobbed into his chest. They stood in the middle of the gigantic warehouse, overshadowed by the tall racks, sheltering themselves from the pain of the past.
After she had a good cry, he released her, asking, “Ready to get to work?”
Adeelah gave him a slight smile as she wiped away her tears. “Sure.”
The pair made numerous trips back and forth. After the last one, Adeelah left to tell her friends about the snacks that had arrived. Meanwhile, Zachary examined their handiwork. The inner earth’s sun softly glowed through the canvas walls, illuminating the stockpiles of canned fruit and vegetables, tuna, flour, sugar, salsa, chips, juices, and bags of rice. He felt good about the food situation.
Eva peeked through the teepee flaps. Jabbar was perched on her shoulder with his tail curled around her neck. The spotted jaguar stood behind them making deep purring sounds, which caused Zachary’s heart to skip a beat. He fought against his instinct to run from the predator, instead smiling at his daughter, who asked him, “Did you get something for me?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.” He rummaged through the boxes, looking for a particular one. While his back was turned, the teenagers, led by Adeelah, appeared behind the little girl, jostling with each other, anxious to see what goodies would be handed out. When Zachary spun around with a lollipop between his fingers, he was surprised to see the older kids eyeing the treat meant for Eva, but he knew the situation could be easily remedied. He jokingly said to them, “But wait! There’s more!” as he motioned like a game-show host. He dug through the box again, grabbing a handful of lollipops, which he held out to the teenagers who eagerly snatched his or her favorite flavor.
Eva took one, although she wasn’t sure what to do with it until she watched Manuel unwrap a ball of flavored sugar and stick it in his mouth. She followed his example. As soon as the sucker touched her tongue, her eyes lit up. “Yum!”
The monkey pouted. His mouth turned down at the corners, the tips of his long white mustache coming together. He wanted a treat as well.
Eva pulled her sucker out of her mouth. “Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Can Jabbar have one, too?”
The monkey stared earnestly at the keeper of the food, who responded, “Of course.” Zachary rummaged through the box again, thinking, He’d probably like a fruity one. Ah, here’s pineapple. He removed the wrapper, handing it to the tiny monkey, who licked the lollipop, bobbing with excitement.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Ferta’s hungry, too.”
This comment caught Zachary’s full attention. Nobody wanted a hungry jaguar roaming the village. Ferta stared at the young man while licking her chops, which made him even more nervous. “Okay, pumpkin, I’ll go get cat food for her.” Before leaving, he emphasized, “Don’t go anywhere. Okay? I’ll be right back,” then he disappeared.
The big cat narrowed her eyes and flicked her tail, believing she had been left out. Eva consoled her friend. “Don’t worry,” she said, mimicking her father, “He’ll be right back.”
Revisiting Japan
THE MIKOS HAD gathered at a table in the vast dining hall meant for a hundred monks. They were quietly eating rice drizzled with honey, vegetable soup, and hard-boiled eggs laid by their own chickens. Steam wafted out of their mugs brimming with green tea.
Konomi gazed out the expansive set of windows, viewing the foothills in the distance. The young woman was experiencing pangs of guilt over the last argument she had with Haruto. She replayed the scene in her mind, remembering her demands that Haruto leave before the soldiers returned and detected her mutant DNA. Haruto’s sad face haunted her.
The young Miko was startled out of her thoughts when the semi-transparent Haruto appeared in the dining hall. A smile came over Konomi’s face as she rushed to her friend whose arrival somehow implied forgiveness. She wanted to hug Haruto, but was unsure of how to touch her spectral body, so she simply stood beside her, gushing, “It’s so good to see you!”
The other women got up to greet Haruto as well, crowding around their fugitive cohort.
The oldest, Hoshino, took the lead, inquiring, “Tell us, how have you been?”
Haruto replied, “I’ve been fine. And you?”
“We’re fine, thank you. Can you tell us what’s going on out there? We heard on the radio that martial law is still in effect, and they’re working to restore order.”
“The truth and what you’re told are two different things.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story. Please sit down, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
The women were apprehensive as they returned to their seats, wondering what bad news awaited them.
Haruto took her usual place at the head of the table, opposite of Hoshino. Her ghostly body hovered above her chair. “What I’m about to say is most unusual, so please keep an open mind.”
“Of course, we will,” said Hoshino.
“There is a much bigger problem in this world than just recovering from an epidemic and things returning to normal, which isn’t going to happen by the way, because the virus was purposely spread.”
Hoshino was skeptical. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Aliens. Aliens spread the virus.”
The women remained quiet, wondering if the virus had damaged Haruto’s brain or if the trauma of being taken by the soldiers had led to this bizarre claim of aliens.
Haruto continued, “The virus was meant to kill the humans least useful to their agenda—the youngest and the oldest. These aliens have been manipulating our bodies since the beginning of time. Their agenda has always been to create hybrids that connect to their hive mind—”
“Wait,” Hoshino interrupted. “Aliens? A hive mind?”
“I’m not explaining this very well. Perhaps I should start over.”
“No, please keep going.” Hoshino did not want to extend this conversation any longer than necessary.
&
nbsp; “Very well. These hybrids look just like us, except they are connected to the aliens’ hive mind and hold positions of power. For instance, the UN leaders overseeing our soldiers are hybrids.”
The Mikos had seen the fair-haired UN leader with their own eyes, and there was no doubt in their minds he was human.
Haruto sensed their reluctance to believe her, but she persevered, “Those who don’t connect to the hive mind are put into detainment camps or prisons, or made part of horrific experiments, and then eaten. Do you remember the Earth Sentinels?”
“Of course, we do,” replied Hoshino.
“Well, Tom and Cecile rescued their tribe from a detainment camp, and brought them to a safe place, and I would like to do the same for you. You could live with the others and me. I think you would like it there. It’s beautiful, much like here.”
Hoshino resisted the idea. She thought of her vegetable garden, and the way the sun shone in her room each morning. And how she felt like a queen when she descended the stone staircase. She didn’t want to leave this temple and go with Haruto to some unknown destination. “It seems silly to leave our home when we’re safe here.”
“I don’t think you are safe—not in the long run. The world is being run by aliens, who think of humans as a food source. And those UN leaders are aliens in human form. With them controlling the armies, nothing can stop them from doing whatever they want.”
“Haruto…” Hoshino sighed. “It’s hard to argue with something so ridiculous. This is crazy talk! The soldiers already came here after you left, and, as you can see, we’re fine. I think it’s far more dangerous to be wherever you are. Aren’t you the one the soldiers are looking for?”
The other women averted their eyes, embarrassed, because they agreed with Hoshino’s rhetorical question.
“I felt it was safe enough to take Billy there,” Haruto said, defending her offer to relocate her fellow Mikos.
“Oh, I’m so glad Billy’s all right,” Konomi politely mentioned.
Earth Sentinels Collection Page 33