The Survivor

by J.C. Harker

  Her worsening headache sent her to bed early. Again her dreams were filled with voices. Murderer, they called her. She woke up heaving and covered in sweat. “I didn’t mean to,” Fiana whispered.

  As days slipped through her fingers, her appetite diminished and patience weakened. One time she threw the lunch plate Maya brought right back at the girl. “What are they waiting for?” She shouted. “Kill me or release me already!” Maya ran out with tears in her eyes, and no one brought Fiana dinner that night.

  Muscle aches joined the migraines, and she kept losing track of time. When she hobbled to the kitchen the next day, she found the plate already on the table. She wanted to apologize for before, for the Navi, for... no, she wouldn’t admit to that. But no one would let her. In a fit of rage, Fiana smashed another plate.

  “Get up, Navi. The council will see you in an hour.” Her eyes opened to find Brynt standing in the bedroom door.

  “Finally. Are you here to take me to my trial?”

  “No. There won’t be a trial.”

  “Are you letting me go then?”

  “No.” She turned away from him and sighed. “The Navi will judge you when the time comes. The council needs you to call them.”

  Fiana burst out laughing. Still shaking from the laughter she sat up on the bed and turned toward Brynt.

  “Let me get this right. I’m to see the council to arrange the arrival of my death squad?”

  His face turned red. “Um, yes… no, when you put it that way… Just be ready in an hour.”

  His words turned cold and he walked out the door.

  “Thank you for seeing us Navi.” Not like I have much choice. Fiana observed the people gathered in front of her. They seemed uncomfortable.

  “Council members.” She greeted them with a nod.

  “We have been divided about what to do with you. Some wanted you executed, but you are still our Navi.” Nice of you to remind me I am at your mercy. “We have decided that you will remain in custody until a starship arrives, so you may be judged by your own people.”

  She stood silent. Where is this going?

  “In the meantime you are still our Navi, and you are required to perform your duties. Brynt will supervise your work starting tomorrow. Many things got destroyed in the accident, and we were unable to establish manual communication with the ship drones. You will use the backup Navi connection to order a drop. Brynt will have the list ready.”

  Blood drained from Fiana’s face. They actually want me to be a Navi.

  “Of course.” She replied, while her mind sifted through all the possible escape routes.

  Yet again he stood at her bedroom door. She felt nauseous at the very idea of being exposed as a fake. She had a whole sleepless night to think about the consequences.

  “I don’t feel well. Can we start tomorrow?”

  “With all due respect, Navi, you look well enough to me.” Did he just tell me off? The tapping of his foot against the floor brought back her migraine.

  “I’m tired.” She yawned and covered her forehead with her hand.

  “Tired of doing nothing?” He snapped. “While you smash your plates and throw out food, people have been starving. While you lie in bed till noon, we fight for every inch of this settlement. We lost men, tools, supplies and a Navi in the crash. The cause of which is still unknown, might I add, so who knows what else might pop up any moment.”

  Fiana sat up and squinted at him. She saw the tired faces of the colonists through the window, but she didn’t think much of it. They resembled her kin under the Slavers’ rule. Was that not how life looked in colonies?

  “And who locked me here with nothing to do?”

  “You did.” Came the blunt reply. “Now you have work, so get ready Navi. A walk will do you good.”

  Something in his ice cold stare and the way he pronounced her title worried her. Did he suspect?

  The communication station was all the way across the village. Brynt didn’t cuff her. His large frame was intimidating enough, though she wasn’t sure who the passersby feared more.

  The buzz inside her head increased the further they went into the settlement. By the time they reached the dome-shaped station she was leaning on Brynt’s arm and fighting off the nausea.

  They went straight into a large, circular room. Screens covered nearly half of the wall opposite the entrance. In the center, facing them stood a chair, a throne—and above it hovered an electrode crown, a web of cables connected to it.

  Fiana stopped, her knees softened. There were no other controls, buttons, levers, or any sort of input devices. One word from the many definitions of the Navi she had read rung loud and clear in her mind—telepaths.

  “Navi Fiana?”

  His words faded into darkness as her body hit the floor.

  She woke up briefly, shivering, eyes half open. Maya sat by the bedside, wiping the sweat from Fiana’s forehead.

  “How convenient.” Brynt’s voice boomed. “Just as she’s meant to actually do something she ‘falls ill.’”

  “She’s not pretending, marshal. The medic is on his way. You’re out of your mind if you think you can fake a whole bucket of sweat.”

  Maya wrung a cloth into the half-full glass bowl in her lap.

  “Better pray she gets well soon then. For all our sake.”

  Whether it had been hours or days, Fiana didn’t know, but her head had finally cleared. She sat up and reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, but it slipped through her feeble fingers and crashed on the floor.

  Two sets of footsteps neared the open door. Maya appeared first and Brynt right behind her.

  “Navi, you’re awake! We thought we’d lost you—”

  “Go fetch the medic, Maya. You can chat with the Navi later.”

  The girl nodded and ran out. Once the door slammed behind her, Brynt folded his arms and his expression grew serious.

  “You might have everyone else fooled, but I know there was an extra person on the shuttle. The weight in the crash reports just doesn’t add up.”

  She looked into his eyes and the familiar pulsing in the back of her skull returned.

  “What? How dare you insult your Navi?”

  He burst out laughing. “My Navi? Are you even Fiana, let alone a Navi? I can’t prove my theory yet, but I searched your crash site. I found the body.”

  “What body?”

  “Don’t pretend to be surprised. A Navi would have read my thoughts already.” A Navi would know… verge of starvation… and… drinking water… we need the supplies from the ship. Azalia would have fixed—

  “Who’s Azalia?” Fiana blurted out. His jaw dropped and he stared wide eyed. She imagined her face expressed a similar level of shock. Did she just…

  “Um, Aza… Azalia.” His face turned bright red and he fell down to his knees. “Forgive me Navi. Please forgive me for doubting you. It must have been the stowaway’s body I found. Please, Navi Fiana, I beg your forgiveness.”

  His hands were shaking and his thoughts were full of terror. From them she read the punishment for gravely offending a Navi, and she shivered too.

  They did not speak about that incident again, and after another day of rest she finally made it to the communication station. Brynt still escorted her, but his attitude had changed.

  Fiana sat in the chair and the crown of electrodes wrapped around her head. The screens in the room lit up, displaying the sky above the dome.

  “What did we need to get?”

  He stood beside her and handed her a tablet with the list of items. She inhaled and relaxed into the chair. She had a vague idea of what to expect from her earlier Navi research. Yet it didn’t mean she knew how to operate the thing, or even if she would be able to without any prior training.

  Relax, think of the destination. She pushed the image forward and indeed it obeyed. The bright sky gave way to the darkness of space and stars. The ship’s dark outline stood out against that background. Although the image wob
bled and occasionally lost focus, eventually she steadied it to get a good view of the vessel. That wasn’t so hard.

  “Open communication line with…” she glanced at the tablet. “Starship C62-97Y ‘Prometheus XII.’”

  Red lights woke up on the ship’s head, forming a pattern of concentric circles. Mesmerized by the large, brightening light in the center, she didn’t notice when the amplifier helmet lowered over her eyes.

  Silence and darkness swallowed her. A second later the back of her head felt as though it had exploded. Needles punctured her skin and dug even deeper, bringing tears to her eyes. But she couldn’t scream. She couldn’t move her body anymore.

  Then the darkness dissipated. Fiana found herself at the edge of a translucent bridge suspended in space. Her hollow, naked body formed from glittering dust stood on one end and a pulsing gate of red orbs floated around the other.

  Fiana pushed the pain away. Breath in, breath out. It’s just a short walk. Reach out to the ship, pass the gate and this torture will be over. Breath in, breath out. She took the first step.

  The darkness around her exploded with lights and voices. She recognized the nearest as Brynt’s frantic thoughts. The rest of the colonists floated nearby, the whispers too fast, too many to understand. She was able to drown them out. But the bright lights just over the edge she could not dismiss. They pulsed and spat out words, cries, and screams. Accusations that attached to every fear that surfaced in her mind.

  She couldn’t cross the bridge. Hell, she couldn’t even take another step. The dust-form of Fiana stepped back and the needles slipped out of her real neck. She tore of the helmet and cast it aside, heaving.

  “Navi?” Brynt grabbed her arm, fear in his eyes. “Navi, you’re bleeding.”

  Her ears hurt. She touched her left earlobe and stared at the blood on her finger. She shivered all over, sweat dripping down her back. He led her down the few steps, where they sat in the massive chair’s shadow.

  “I… I can’t do it. I’m not…” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I mean, I’m just an apprentice.”

  “You can try again. I’m sure…”

  “No. You don’t understand. I can’t do it.” She shook her head. “It’s like being torn to pieces, shredded alive.”

  “It must get easier with time Navi. If you don’t try, we’ll all die in a matter of weeks.”

  Fiana paused and gaped at Brynt. Weeks? How dire was the situation? “If that’s your sick idea of motivation…”

  “No Navi.” He frowned. “I’m sorry to put this burden on your shoulders alone, but if you don’t bring down the supplies we are doomed.”

  “If only I had someone to guide me. I really didn’t mean to kill her, Brynt.” She sniffed. “I’d give anything to bring Navi Samare back.”

  At the old woman’s name the bracelet on Faina’s wrist lit up. Fiana’s heart rose as the glow brightened. But nothing else happened. She shook the bracelet and knocked on the metal. Great, maybe she accidentally broke her only chance of getting some answers.

  “What happened?” He pointed at her wrist.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Maybe it will make a difference in there?” He handed her a tissue, and she wiped off the blood before sitting back in the navigator chair. At least this time the needles didn’t take her by surprise.

  Her dust body appeared without the bracelet, but instead she clutched a fist-sized, glowing blue orb. Despite the whispers building up, with the talisman in her palm she made a step forward. Yet again unbearable pain exploded in the back of her head and across her temples from the high pitched shrieks. Instinctively, she tried to cover her ears and released the blue orb.

  Silence befell her and Fiana recognized the figure before her as it formed from blue dust.

  “Will you take me to the other side?” She almost begged Samare’s ghostly image.

  “I’m afraid not my child. I really meant it when I said the burden was yours to bear. I do bring advice, though. What you’re attempting to do is either done by a Senior Navi, or a pair. You’re unlikely to do it alone, thus you have two options—advance or find a partner.”

  “But there isn’t enough time for training, and weren’t you the last Navi here?”

  “True, I was the last, and there is only enough serum in my bracelet for a half-Navi. If you wish to advance release it with the word ‘Sybilla’.”

  “Half-Navi? So, when you said advance, you meant…”

  “Yes, it’s a physical transformation.”

  “So what’s the catch?”

  “Since you aren’t a genetically compatible candidate, I had to improvise. As you can understand, the transformation will kill you.”

  “What?! How is that an option?”

  “Oh, not straight away, my dear. It will eat at you slowly. You’ll get five, maybe ten years if you’re lucky.”

  “Any alternatives? A pair of half-Navi’s maybe?”

  “Even the half-dose has side effects. The initial transformation takes time, and creating a link between the two of you wouldn’t be easy or quick either. You’ll be better off with someone who’s already experienced a bond with a Navi. Someone like Brynt.”

  “But he’s not—”

  “Yes, it’s a lesser link when a non-Navi is involved, so it wouldn’t shield you completely. You’d need his absolute trust, and such a link goes both ways. But his previous experience will give you a fighting chance.”

  “Can’t I just make him a half-Navi? Seeing that the whole ‘Navi are born’ thing is a lie, why not a man?”

  “That would make it easier, but men can’t survive even a small dose. So it’s not an option. Choose wisely, young Navi.”

  With that, the figure dissipated and the pain pushed Fiana back off the bridge.

  She weighed Samare’s bracelet in her hand. Brynt had just returned with it from the evidence storage.

  The key to our salvation. Now which door to open? She had been thinking about the choice while she waited for him. “Brynt, Samare mentioned you bonded with a Navi before?”

  His face turned red. “Yes, Navi.”

  “It seems I won’t be able to reach the ship on my own, but…”

  “Um, you want us to bond? I am flattered Navi, but it is a very, um, intimate experience.”

  Fiana blinked and stared, then she blushed.

  “Is there no other way? Something more… platonic?”

  “That’s the only way I know, but I guess there’s no harm in trying.” He scratched his head.

  “Well, tell me all you know, and let’s see if we can stick to the bare necessities.”

  “I still can’t find you.” Fiana’s eyes opened and she pushed away Brynt’s arm. They wore one Navi bracelet each and held hands as they tried to establish a mental connection. She stood up, leaving Brynt sitting on the bed. “It’s not working. Why don’t we just skip to the… non-platonic option? Everyone thinks that’s what we’re doing anyway.”

  Fiana sighed. She was getting impatient after three days of failed attempts.

  “It doesn’t work that way, Navi.” He avoided her gaze. “The physical connection only enhances the mental one.”

  “Is it a matter of time? You know we don’t have much…”

  “No. You’re holding back Navi. There’s a dark cloud around you I cannot pierce. I’ve opened up completely, given up my secrets and desires. You need to do the same if this is to work.”

  “Where is Maya?” She asked the boy who delivered her meager breakfast.

  “She is sick, Navi. The yellow ivy breached the southern wall, and she’s been badly burned.”

  “Will she be alright?”

  “The medics are keeping everyone stable, but without the supplies from the ship…” He fell silent.

  Fiana sighed. The attempts to scavenge some local food so far had failed. Most fauna and flora turned out not just poisonous, but aggressive too.

  “Come in Brynt.” She called him from the navigator chair. “I tho
ught it might be easier with the amplifier.”

  Fiana had mulled over her decision all night. She had told him about her childhood, her family, the rough life under the Slavers—and she even admitted to some petty crimes. She opened up about nearly everything except that one secret. She licked her parched lips.

  “There is something I haven’t told you.” She waved him closer and handed him Samare’s bracelet. “Remember, this is our only chance to save the colony. Without your support, I won’t... I won’t make it.”

  He stood behind the chair and placed his arms on her shoulders. “I’ve got your back, Navi.”

  She grabbed his bracelet hand with her own and leaned back. Familiar darkness surrounded her and the bridge appeared under her feet.

  Brynt? She reached out to him.

  I am here. He was just a voice. She still couldn’t find him.

  I have to tell you something about the crash.

  Yes?

  I really didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. Something stirred in the darkness. You were right. I was the stowaway.

  She took a deep breath. Are you still with me?

  Silence. Brynt? Silence.

  Brynt? Her voice broke down.

  Yes. Came a reply, somewhere close. A gray mouse made of shimmering dust sat on her shoulder.

  She stepped onto the bridge. When the pain and voices tried to reach her she grabbed the mouse’s tiny tail and wrapped it around a finger. She focused on his calm whisper. One step at a time. One step. Just one more. Brynt’s presence quieted the voices and spread a warmth that eased her pain. The experience was still excruciating, but she braved the full length of the bridge.

  Finally she fell through the orb-gate on the other end. With the link established, she could order everything from the ship’s computer. They were saved.

  Small orbs circled around the full length of the bridge, as she walked back. She realized she won’t have to go through the pain again to communicate with the ship next time. She should have trusted Brynt earlier.

  The needles came out, but something wasn’t right. As her senses returned she yelped.

  “Brynt?” She shook the cuffs around her wrists.