Essence: Book 1 - Septima

by Nick Braker

  “How was this possible since Tohmas was killed and his essence captured by Borit’un years ago?” Troy asked.

  Geoff shrugged.

  “The only way to transfer essence is by injecting it,” Geoff said.

  “I feel like everything is out of control,” Troy said.

  “And I know you. You hate being out of control,” Geoff said. “I wish I had better news but at least you’re back. Skyler wanted me to make sure you knew.”

  “Thanks,” Troy said. “Oh, we’re going to have to figure a way to keep Alta from killing Skyler. That video made it clear, she hates Skyler. Soul Transfer? Reptauran Parasite? What the hell are those things?”

  Geoff shrugged.

  “I asked Skyler the same thing,” Geoff said. “She’s not sure, but we have a plan to keep her safe. Let’s talk about it when you get a chance. It’s involved.”

  “Let’s hurry this up,” Troy said.

  “Let me know if any of us can help.”

  “I will.” Troy said, holding the comm-device up with the sled over it. “I’ll think about what you said later. Right now, I need to get back on the grid, so to speak.”

  Troy listened to Geoff’s footsteps after he got out of sight and to the door that opened and then closed behind him. Troy steeled himself, removing the sled that surrounded his device so that everything he said would now be relayed back to Alta, if she wanted to listen. It would also report his position.

  This is going to sound corny.

  “I’m finally in control,” Troy said, pretending to get out of bed. “The pathetic human is no more.”

  Chapter 25

  ALTA AND TOHMAS

  Troy had spent as little time on the main floor of the compound as he could since learning of their treacherous actions. He still hated them, though Septima’s actions after the fact had given him pause. Alta had infected him with the suggestion parasite from the very beginning and Septima had been a part of it. Her fear of Alta had driven her to keep that secret from Troy but did that matter? Alta had hoped to use him to get herself safely off the planet. It was never anything noble like saving the Piran race. It all boiled down to one simple basic instinct, survival. Alta, Cienna and Septima were stuck on this planet and she wanted out alive. Troy couldn’t blame her for that but using others and being willing to sacrifice others was another matter. She was psychotic and so was Cienna. Troy had to stop them.

  Troy moved through the military compound, heading toward Alta’s office. His plan depended on him convincing her he was Tohmas. If he blew it, the ruse was over and she would likely take action. It would certainly be covert because she would never allow anyone to know the truth about her. Tohmas may be loved by the people, but a political war would brew and the Piran people would take sides. Those who trusted Alta against those who trusted Tohmas. With all the good Tohmas had accomplished during his life, it was also filled with bad and Alta would certainly deliver up proof of his evil. The video Skyler showed him wouldn’t be enough proof against her. He would have to destroy her covertly.

  Alta’s facade was perfect, like everything she did. Troy had to admit she was good and the only way to defeat her would be through deception. He had to make this work by doing things he never dreamed of doing. She was devious and ruthless. Her tirade on the video had changed his mind about her but it was Tohmas’ memories of her that weighed more with him. Things were going to change and Troy would be the instrument of her downfall.

  It took several minutes to reach the upper level before Troy arrived at her office door. It was closed as usual, but this time he didn’t knock. Troy activated the door and it slid aside. He knew this would irritate her but it was something Tohmas was known for. She didn’t move her head while looking up from behind her monitor. She stared at him, irritated.

  He grinned.

  “Learn to knock,” Alta said.

  Troy grabbed one of the other desk chairs and spun it around. He sat down facing her, having never taken his eyes off hers.

  “You’re up early,” she continued, disinterested, “and feeling better too, it seems.”

  “What’re you working on?” Troy asked.

  Alta ignored his question.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here this late at night,” she said. “Or this early in the morning, depending on your point of view.”

  My point of view is quite nice from here. No, that is something I would say, not Tohmas.

  “Sleep is for the weak. Time enough for that when I’m dead,” he said.

  Alta’s eyes blinked and fluttered wide before recovering. She didn’t respond for several seconds but, unlike before, it wasn’t her work that distracted her. It was Troy.

  “How did you do it?” Alta asked.

  Shit. Make something up.

  “Backup plan, in case I died,” he replied. “Courage is for the reckless.”

  “I asked how. Not why.”

  “Feel like sharing your backup strategy with me first?” he asked.

  She rose. Her movements were slow and deliberate. She kept her eyes on him as she ran her finger along the desk, walking around it. Her catlike grace was seductive and it immediately lit a fire in him. Tohmas’ memories of her rose up unbidden. Troy swallowed seeing it in real life for the first time. Memories of what came next nearly overwhelmed him. This was not why he came here. He had wanted to convince her he was Tohmas, not have sex, especially the way they did it. The things Tohmas did with her had no limits, but Troy had to admit it had its appeal. It was sick on many levels but he wouldn’t let that stop him. Inwardly, Troy wanted to explore this.

  “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” she told him, grinning.

  His heart raced, skipping a beat.

  “Funny, I don’t remember you ever asking before,” Troy said.

  Alta hesitated as her body quivered slightly. She continued around the desk pretending it hadn’t occurred. The subtle sheen on her forehead that wasn’t there before was one of many clues he easily picked up now. He wasn’t Tohmas but he was more than Troy and his reflexes, human strength and mental acuity were certainly unnaturally stronger now.

  It was early morning and they were alone in the lab. It would be hours before anyone showed up for work. He knew what they were about to do. His sexual tension flamed higher but he had to contain himself. Tohmas was a master at this and it was old hat to him. Troy had no experience with Alta nor the sick, twisted things they did together. It excited him. He was determined to play the part and, if this was the price he had to pay, so be it. Hell, he might enjoy it.

  “I didn’t ask,” she said.

  Alta slapped him. He wanted to cowl but he forced his eyes to keep looking at her. She would try to hurt him, make him give in to her. He stood, smirking.

  “I haven’t been gone that long and this is how you greet me?” he said. “You’ve grown weak.”

  In an instant, she reset into her Rohku first stance and punched him squarely in the eye. His head snapped back but she had already grabbed his shirt, ripping it as she tried to pull it off him.

  “Bastard,” she said. “You stupid bastard. You let Borit’un kill--”

  Troy backhanded her. He knew returning a Rohku move with another Rohku move would be a sign of respect but a simple backhand would hurt her more on a mental level and that would really piss her off. She touched her cheek where he had struck her and her face turned red. Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth.

  “You’ll pay for that,” she said.

  Alta leaned forward, preparing to leap at him. She did. Troy anticipated her move and sidestepped the attack while smacking the back of her head.

  “What the fuck?” she said, quickly getting her balance.

  She turned, holding up her arms.

  “Look, we can’t do this. The bruises and cuts will show,” she said, stepping toward him. “We have appearances to--”

  What? It’s not supposed to go like this. She’s backing down?

  She whipp
ed her leg up, kicking him squarely in the testicles. He dropped to his knees, covering them protectively. He wanted to cry out but he knew if he did his ruse would end right there. Tohmas would grin after an attack like that. He started to lift his head but she brought the same leg up and expertly put an axe kick to the back of his head.

  “That’s how you hit someone on the back of the head,” she taunted. “Who’s weak?”

  Alta put her finger under his chin and lifted his face, forcing Troy to look up at her. He could feel the tear rolling down his cheek. The pain was excruciating.

  “I’ve known little girls that hit harder,” Troy said, grinning.

  Alta lost her smile. She pulled back her fist and punched him. This time the blow landed across his mouth. His head was slammed to the side but he snapped it back and grinned at her again.

  “More?” she asked.

  Troy grabbed her top and ripped downward. His hand pulled shirt and bra, ripping both as he yanked. Most of her shirt came off but the bra shredded, leaving her left breast exposed. She instinctively covered it and he lunged at her. Troy pinned her protective hand while his left arm put an elbow into her jaw. The blow forced her back and she fell, sliding across the floor. Troy continued his forward movement and landed on top of her. She spat blood into his face and started punching him. She was a caged tiger and she hit him with everything she had. Troy fought her for control but he took several more blows before he pinned her arms. His face was on fire and his lip swelled. Blood dripped from his mouth, landing on her cheek. She didn’t try to avoid it and the look on her face told him she would kill him if she got free.

  “Damn your human density,” she hissed, squirming underneath him.

  His weight and skill controlled her midsection, rendering her legs useless. He put her wrists together above her head and pinned them there with one hand. He slid his other hand down and tore her pants. The light fabric ripped easily under his strength.

  “You do this and I’ll kill you in your sleep,” she screamed.

  Troy head butted her, making sure to hit her forehead. Her eyes glazed over and he took the opportunity to remove the rest of her clothing and to unzip his pants. He grabbed her wrists again and waited for the stun to wear off. Her dazed looked faded and she focused on him again, alert. He penetrated her and she gasped in pleasure. She had screamed and fought against him the entire time, but now her body told him a different story. Her threats were part of the game they played and, while she was capable of killing him, Troy knew that as long as she still needed him, there was an unspoken truce.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  Her eyes rolled back again but it wasn’t pain this time. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Let go,” she ordered, her eyes closed.

  He released his grip on her wrists and she pulled him into her farther. Alta bit him on the neck as he forced himself into her again and again.

  “I missed this,” she said.

  Blood from her mouth and the bite on his neck mingled together on her lips as she cried out in lustful passion. Her arms and legs had an iron grip on Troy as her body shook beneath him.

  She hit him again across the jaw.

  “You’ll never see it coming,” she managed through clenched teeth.

  Troy didn’t stop. Her punch was a token gesture and a symbol of her control over him, at least that is what he let her believe. She cried out one last time as he finished inside her.

  EPILOGUE

  Pira - Next Day - 06:00am

  Troy woke, having dreamed of Alta over and over again during the night. He lay there in his bed alone, continuing to think about what they had done together. It was his first physical encounter with her and frankly, it was the best sex he’d ever had. Nothing else came close.

  He remembered standing over her after they had finally finished, watching her on the floor, her eyes closed as she struggled to catch her breath. They were both drenched in sweat, mixed with their own blood. She had looked exhausted and, he had to admit, he had been too. For someone who sat behind a computer desk all day, he wondered how she kept her exquisitely shaped body. She was perfect in his eyes.

  Without a word, he had left her office. No one else had arrived and Troy was able to work his way through the military complex unseen. He had mused to himself that, had he continued, she might have passed out. In his eyes, that would have been a victory, though Alta, of course, would never have let that happen. She controlled him. He laughed.

  Never. It will be me that controls you.

  Troy brought his attention back to the present. He sat up on the mattress, putting a protective hand over his shoulder. Teeth marks, where she had bit him, inflamed his flesh, still oozing some blood. He was bruised in several places and actually injured in others. His face must look worse. She had hit him several times before he had gotten her under control, well mostly under control. The woman was bat shit crazy but he loved her...

  What?

  Troy laid back down, a realization setting into his consciousness. He did love her, more than any woman before. Was this something left over from Tohmas? Some memory that was now his? Troy struggled with the thought but everything about him said it was true. These weren’t Tohmas’ memories or feelings, these were Troy’s.

  I... love... Alta.

  What about Septima? Did he still love her too? Troy wasn’t sure anymore. He remembered being in love with her, but now he didn’t think so. Frankly, he really didn’t care. Troy’s dreams had been about Alta, they had been about power, and they had been about riches. Why didn’t those thoughts bother him more? It should bother him, right? He touched his shoulder again, smiling. The wound brought the memory of her and their night together to mind again.

  Troy grabbed his comm-device, setting it on his lap as he laid upon his bed. He scrolled down to the entry for Alta. He hovered his finger over it. All he had to do was push it and tell her to come to him. Would she? Would this crazy, power thirsty bitch actually come see him? Was it the right thing to do?

  Troy was sure this wasn’t some new genetic parasite she had infected him with. These thoughts were his and his alone. Geoff had warned him he might be different. No, he was different. His friend had told him Tohmas would be a part of him, some portion of him would remain. Tohmas was no longer in control, Troy was certain of that. No headaches, no aberrant thoughts, no conversations with himself; it was him, alone again in his own mind and body, a new body with new abilities and great power. There were no fears. They were gone. There were no rules, he had no one to answer to. There were no limits.

  Troy loved Alta and he wanted what she wanted. Overnight, after one sexual encounter with her, he understood what Tohmas had felt. Troy did want to control her, make her his, but this wasn’t who he was before he came to Pira, right? The thrill of dominating a woman who would not be dominated was not who Troy remembered of himself. Yet it felt so right and it seemed normal now. It was exciting and he looked forward to seeing Alta again. She was the perfect woman for him. She was insanely smart, sexy and uncontrollable. He wanted everything she had to offer and he believed she wanted him too, though he would be careful about completely falling for that. Troy would play it safe as she had changed from the woman he had met on their home world of Rohku. Borit’un had captured and tortured her briefly during the war and she had never quite recovered from it. Who could?

  The war had changed Troy, too. It was a war they could not win. He could see that now. The Reptaurans were systemic, vicious and calculated. If Earth ramped up its technology with the gift Ghetti had given them, they would still lose. His home planet, Rohku, had lost. Pira had lost. Earth would lose, too. Why try?

  Fuck ‘em all. Why keep doing the right thing in this hopeless situation? And what of the liquid Imagium?

  Troy knew where it was and Alta knew how to get it off the planet. They would follow Alta’s plan to build an army of essence-filled clones. They would attack the citadel that housed the stronghold of
Reptauran dominance of this planet, not to free the Pirans but to get the five of them off of it with the liquid Imagium. Between the two of them, they could do it. They would be set for life, do whatever they wanted.

  Why not?

  Troy smirked, tapping the screen. His device contacted hers.

  “Alta here,” she answered, her emerald eyes growing subtly wider on the screen.

  Regardless of what she said or did, her body queues told him that she was glad to see him. Alta’s hair wasn’t matted or covered with blood. She must have showered during the night and had already returned to her office. Her forehead though had a small knot on it from where he had hit her last night and her lower lip was puffy and red.

  “Come to my room,” Troy said, feeding her his location.

  Alta paused, studying him. Would she say no? Did last night mean anything at all to her? Alta’s delay in responding felt like an eternity and it seemed as if everything in the universe balanced on her next words. He wanted her and everything they could accomplish together. Nothing else mattered to him. Did she feel the same way? He believed she did, but he also knew that Alta, like himself, was driven by more powerful desires. He would always have to stay several steps ahead of her. It was a game he would thoroughly enjoy. If she needed him, it was an easy decision for her but if she didn’t, would she toss him away or perhaps kill him? Troy needed to find out.

  Troy understood Tohmas’ desires and motivations now. The two of them had melded together into one being that was now Troy. He was different and he liked it. There was no going back to the old Troy and he felt he understood what going forward meant.

  “Round two,” she said, cutting the connection.

  AFTERWORD

  Fate Beaten

  Fate had worked tirelessly throughout Troy’s life to control him. Had it won? Was Fate’s wakeup call even real? Hadn’t Troy resisted Fate, perhaps bested it?