by Alta Hensley
As I walked by all the others, I finally saw the number five etched into a metal post. Unlike all the other numbered bays, no one stood there to join me in the journey to wherever my vessel took me. Actually, it was better that way. I had no desire to talk with anyone unless I had to. Friendships did not exist in my world. Killing machines did not have connections, bonds, or any feelings toward another person—unless you counted your twin. Your twin being the one person you needed…for lifeblood.
Approaching the landing pod, I saw what I could only assume was my transport vessel coming in for a landing. It seemed older than some of the others, and definitely much smaller. This ship wouldn’t have a chance in transporting the larger numbers of Unins who waited on different bays, and I actually wondered if there would even be enough room for me with the crew. I didn’t care. It didn’t matter what my ship looked like, how big it was, or where I was even going. I just wanted to leave Unin and all the sadness this planet possessed. Disappointed, defeated, and dead. That is all that remained. Anything would be better than this.
Standing with my hands behind my back, legs shoulder-width apart, as any good soldier would do, I watched the ship’s cargo hold open and a man walk out from the depths of its belly. His dark hair, dark eyes, and muscular body were all lost on the fact that his prismatic skin shone bright with a golden glow. The lifeblood ran beneath his skin. This man…was a Lifeblood Twin. What was he doing working as a slave carrier? He was one of us! Why was he not on the battleground fighting for his people and fighting for the cause?
He marched forward, squinting against the bright lights that beamed down onto the landing strip, blinking and then focusing his gaze on me. Taking a quick moment to size me up, he continued to walk until he stood right in front of me.
“I guess you are the lucky Pallid Slave who gets to come with us.” He didn’t reach out to grab me, or seize my arm or anything of hostile nature like a Drenken would, but merely stood awaiting my next move. He didn’t smile, but he did have a somewhat pleasant demeanor about him.
“You’re a Lifeblood Twin,” I said, almost accusingly so.
“Yes,” he simply stated.
“Your twin?”
“Inside. Waiting. And he doesn’t like to be delayed long, so let’s get going.” He offered his hand for me to take. I looked down at his palm and studied the way the golden lifeblood flowed beneath his skin. The lustrous effect almost took my breath away. It had been too long since I last saw such flowing beauty. His body lit up from within, much like mine once did.
“Where are we going?” I asked, not wanting to take his hand, but still walking toward the ship.
“They didn’t tell you?”
“I didn’t ask.”
As we crossed the cargo threshold, I turned to look at my planet one last time. I silently said goodbye to the place I’d called home. Trees were long gone, birds now extinct, and a constant white haze hung low in the horizon. This was no planet. It was just a white box threatening to suffocate anyone who remained. Swallowing back the lump in the back of my throat, I looked up at my carrier, who seemed uncomfortable and uneasy.
He pointed to a door to my right. “Go on inside, and prepare for takeoff. My brother hates this planet and doesn’t want to be docked here any longer than he has to be.” He put his hand on my back gently to lead me in the direction, but I flinched against his touch and walked a little faster to avoid any contact.
Crossing the threshold of the control room, I could actually taste the electricity in the air. The metallic smell singed the hair in my nostrils, and the thick odor of diesel caused tears to form in my eyes. I wondered if the simplest spark would set the entire ship into a big ball of flames.
A deep command came from the pilot’s chair. “Sit down and buckle up. We’re leaving now.”
“That’s my brother, Pike,” the first twin said as he gently guided me to an empty seat that was bolted against the far right side of the bridge. “I’m Cross by the way. We saw on your stats report that your name is Truth. Is that correct?”
I didn’t respond and silently took my position, taking hold of the straps and latching them across my body. The frayed edges, and the musty smell proved the brothers had transported many a slave to their final destination. But with the inadequate size of this ship, clearly one slave at a time.
Cross took the seat next to his brother Pike, and they both prepared for takeoff. With the bulkiness of the chair, the shadows in the room, and the way all the lights of the control panel lit up the area, I couldn’t make out the color of Pike’s lifeblood. Not that it really mattered I guess, but curiosity caused me to strain my neck to see if I could catch a glimpse. His brother Cross had a magnificent shade of gold, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Pike had the same level of vividness.
The rumble of the engine shook my body as the ship readied for takeoff. Lights, bells, and the sound of the brothers pushing buttons and flipping switches would be the last thing I would hear on the planet of Unin. A very sad ending and sendoff.
Cross looked over his shoulder at me and asked, “Are you all set? Ready to go?”
I nodded in response, then I closed my eyes and silently bid farewell to a planet, to a life, and to a sister that were all no more. From this moment on, I would be Truth—the Pallid Slave.
Chapter 2
Saying I was tired would have been an understatement. The fact that by simply closing my eyes for a second, sent me into a deep dreamless sleep, proved my level of exhaustion. I had slept entirely through takeoff and exiting the atmosphere. I could only assume that with a ship of this size and age, entering into space could not have been a smooth process—and yet, I slept through it all. It wasn’t until I was being shaken awake by Cross that I finally stirred from my slumber.
“Come on. Let me show you to your quarters,” he said with a smile. A smile…I hadn’t seen a smile since…well, I wasn’t sure when the last time was.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked out the large windows. Nothing but black with far off shimmers of light. For the first time in my life, I was in space and no longer on Unin.
An overwhelming sense of sadness overtook me when I remembered that my sister and I had often fantasized about flying amongst the stars and planets. We wanted to leave Unin and explore what the vastness of the sky had hidden in the depths of blackness. As very young children, Trinity and I would talk about how we would eat the tiny little stars like candy.
“We’ll gobble them all up and let them sparkle in our stomachs,” she would say.
Such dreamers and so full of hope. A whimsical magic we shared until the years of battle destroyed it all. If only Trinity could be here to see the stars with me. If only for a moment.
“Where are you taking me?” My voice cracked, and I suddenly realized how thirsty I was. If I was asked when was the last time I drank water, I truly wouldn’t know the answer to that question.
“The planet of Canary,” Cross answered as he reached down between my legs and unsnapped my safety harness. I looked at his hand between the juncture of my thighs, prepared to rip it from his limb if he even dared tried to touch me there. He must have sensed my intention, because he paused, looked into my eyes, and removed his hand slowly. Looking back at the large seat that still concealed Pike, he added, “It’s roughly 720 hours away, so we have quite the journey.”
I quickly figured out the math in my head. A month? It was a month away?
“Why so far? And why only me?” I asked.
“Canary pays a lot for delivery and isn’t in need of large numbers of Pallid Slaves. They only need a couple a year unless their slaves die and they need to replenish.”
Cross walked toward his seat, pulled out a metal container, and handed it to me to drink. When I placed my lips to the edge and felt the wet coolness of water, it took all my might not to moan. Drinking the liquid was pure heaven.
“What will I be doing there?”
“Get her out of here,” Pike barked. “H
er fucking questions are annoying the hell out of me.”
Cross quickly responded by grabbing me by the arm, and helping me stand. “It’s this way,” he said, clearly not wanting to upset Pike any more than he already was.
Deciding it best to be compliant, I allowed Cross to walk me down a narrow corridor dimly lit in fluorescent lights.
Cross pointed to a closed metal door to my right. “That door leads to the head. It is the only one on the ship, so you will be sharing with Pike and me.” He pointed to the metal door across from the head. “That door is where Pike and I bunk.”
He continued to lead me a few feet further until we entered a circular compartment that clearly was the ship’s galley. A small table that sat four was the only furniture in the room. Cross didn’t say anything as he turned us to the right down another small corridor that led to another metal door. He pushed a large silver button as the door slid open, revealing a small room with a double-sized bed, a dresser with a mirror over it, and a metal high-back chair. There were no windows, no frills, and the room didn’t have much more to offer than a prison cell.
“There are clothes in the drawers that should fit you.” He sized me up, and then added, “The pants have drawstrings. They may be a little big.”
I walked in the room, with him following right behind, and stood there staring at him. He waited as if expecting me to say something or do something. What more was there to be said?
Clearing his throat, his eyes darted around the room. “It isn’t much, I know.”
I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. I hadn’t actually slept on a real bed in over six months…maybe even longer. Cots and whatever makeshift beds had become a part of my norm. It would be a luxury crawling in beneath the covers and falling asleep, not worrying about a battle raging all around me. I hadn’t slept without a gun by my side, or ready to defend myself on a moment’s notice in years. Glancing at the pillows, picturing my head melting into the fluffy white, I looked up at him to see why he was still remaining.
He stood there in silence, like he was on guard or something. He cleared his throat and said, “So the rules…”
It seemed like he was completely uncomfortable having to be in an authoritative position. So uncomfortable, in fact, that I actually felt bad for him. Whereas maybe if it were anyone else, I may have given a snarky retort, or even act combative. But with Cross, I could see he didn’t want to be in my room any more than I did. So, without saying a single word, I simply looked up at him to listen.
“You will have to be locked in your room unless escorted by either my brother or me.” He pointed to a button by the door. “Press this, and it will intercom us. So if you have to go to the head at night, or…”
I sat and stared in silence which seemed to surprise him. I think Cross expected me to act out in some way. Maybe he was used to the other Pallid Slaves melting down and throwing a fit about becoming a prisoner to the brothers. I, on the other hand, had accepted that as my fate the moment I boarded the vessel.
“If you try to resist us, we have chain hooks under the bed, as well as other restraints on the ship. I don’t want to put them on you, but my brother may feel otherwise. Just be good, and don’t give Pike any reason to punish you.”
I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head, studying how he said the word “punish.” It seemed to cause him distress. Even more so when the threat seemed to have little effect on me.
“Truth,” Cross swallowed hard before continuing, “I would suggest not challenging Pike. He has a severe temper and doesn’t have patience for any poor behavior. He expects things run a certain way—his way. I want to warn you that you need to obey his every command.” Cross paused and when I didn’t say anything in response, he added, “That’s not to say I’m not here to…to…” He ran his fingers through his dark hair with just the slightest undertones of gold. “Just don’t question him.”
“Or?” I didn’t ask because I cared what the answer was, but simply to show Cross that I wasn’t scared even the tiniest bit. There was nothing Cross or his brother could do to me that I hadn’t already experienced. Torture, mind games, starvation, sleep deprivation—I had gone through it all. Nothing intimidated me. Nothing at all. I had one fear in life, and that was losing my sister. Now that she was gone, Cross and Pike had no power over me at all.
“Or you won’t like the outcome. I can only protect you so much. So before you decide to do anything to test what I’ve said, I suggest you give it some serious thought.”
I was going to continue down this road of taunting, but decided I wanted my unanswered question from earlier met more than I wanted to see his discomfort. “So what is the planet of Canary, and what will I be doing there?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and paused for several moments. I simply stared and waited patiently. There was a part of me that enjoyed this little bit of control I had. Although minor, I felt like he knew he couldn’t frighten me.
“It’s a small planet that solely survives from the export of ilium. The precious metal is in high demand.”
“So, they bought me to become a miner?” It seemed like a long journey to just be a miner, and why was the planet only in need of a few Pallid Slaves? Wouldn’t a mining planet need a large workforce?
“No. Well, not exactly,” he said. “They buy Pallid Slaves to become their canaries.”
“Canaries? What are canaries?”
Cross shifted his weight from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact. “Centuries ago there was a type of bird called a canary. Long extinct, but plentiful at one time. Anyway, canaries were once used to go into mining shafts to test the level of methane and carbon dioxide before they would send in human miners. If the canaries died, then the miners knew it wasn’t safe.”
Narrowing my eyes, I leaned forward and placed my hands on my knees. “So they bought me to go into mines to see if I die from deadly gases?” I concluded from his statement.
Shaking his head, he said, “No, not exactly. At least not the same gases. They buy canaries,” he pointed at me, “to go deep within the mine to see if the air is toxic. Ilium can put off a highly toxic gas that—”
“Kills miners,” I interrupted.
Cross shook his head. “No. The gas will mutate the body. If a person comes in contact with the gas, a mutation happens that is far worse than death.”
“What type of mutation?”
“It’s hard to explain. The body mutates to a decomposed state. Walking dead of sorts. Cannibalistic, vicious, rotting creatures.”
“So if I mutate, I will have a rotting body for the rest of my life and want to eat you?”
“You won’t live to find out. Mutated slaves become deadly. They attack and kill anything and everything on sight. So if you do mutate, you will be shot immediately.”
Shaking my head and smiling, I said, “So basically what you are saying is that I am going to the planet of Canary to die.” I actually felt laughter bubbling up inside of me at the absurdity of my new situation. I went from being a soldier of war, to a slave, to now being a suicidal bird.
Cross took a deep breath, but did not answer the question. “It’s late, and you seem tired.” He turned to leave, but then stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. “Are you hungry? I’m not sure the last time you ate. Or do you need to use the head?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. I actually was starving, but exhaustion overruled my decision.
He nodded. “Goodnight then.”
I didn’t say another word as he exited my chamber.
When the sliding door closed shut, I realized that for the first time in my entire life I was truly alone. I had never spent a night without my sister until she died, and then after that, I remained locked up with large numbers of Pallid Slaves. I had never sat in a room with the only noise being my own breathing. Looking around, a sense of terror washed over me. The walls seemed to be closing in. I was alone. I was alone! My breathing turned ragged, and no matter how hard
I tried, I couldn’t regain a normal staccato. Panic attacked my body. I was alone! Nothing but metal around me. Nothing but the thick white of my skin to remind me that this was my new life. 720 hours of being alone in a small metal box. 720 hours until I became a canary. 720 hours until I mutated. 720 hours until I died.
The memories returned. Memories of fear. Memories of death. Memories of being attacked.
I could still smell the stench of my attacker’s breath as he pressed his weight on top of me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. His weight stole all the air from my body. Seven years later, the dark, small confines of a commander’s sleeping unit continued to haunt my nightmares. The feeling of panic, and horror of knowing that the man was not only going to take me sexually, but most likely kill me afterwards. I closed my eyes and recalled Trinity’s rage as she appeared from the shadows, throwing the man off me. Trinity’s strength and fury were terrifying, but I had never felt safer. This mysterious power and strength were saving my life. My sister had saved me. When she reached down and extended her hand for me to take...I knew I would always be safe with Trinity in my life. But what now? Where was Trinity now? Who would help me now?
Snap out of it, Truth!
I had to find composure. I was a trained soldier and could take anything thrown my way. I needed to find strength. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. I could do this. I could do this. Just go to sleep, I chanted internally to myself as I took long, gasping breaths. Crawling up the bed to put my head on the pillow, I closed my eyes and focused on blocking all the negative thoughts that ran unshackled in my mind. I needed sleep. I needed my sister.
Sleep I could have.
Chapter 3