Prophecy se-1

by T C Southwell

  "When will they be released?"

  "In a few more days, if the council approves. We want to wait for the implants to heal so they won't have headaches."

  Tallyn glanced at the pasty-faced doctor, hating him and his entire breed. Technicians were devoid of caring or compassion, the sort that would perform torturous and often useless experiments on helpless animals if it was allowed. The man's hair was almost monotone, indicating his low cast.

  "How thoughtful of you," Tallyn muttered.

  "Well, the council members thought -"

  "Spare me." Tallyn raised a hand. "I know what the council ordered, and it had nothing to do with thoughtfulness. You'll inform me when they're ready to be awakened, then I'll take over their care. Do you understand?"

  "Certainly, Commander."

  "And under no circumstances are they to regain consciousness while you lot are poking them with needles."

  "Of course not."

  "Good." Tallyn left, angrier with himself than the doctor. At times like this, he wished he did not have to follow the council's orders. It would have given him immense satisfaction to release the humans today. He was responsible for their predicament, and knew they would blame him for whatever was done to them. As he headed for the exit, he consoled himself with the fact that, had he left them on their world, they would have suffered a far worse fate.

  Rayne woke with a pounding ache just above her left ear. Grimacing, she sat up and rubbed the tender area. Swinging her legs off the soft bed, she gazed around. The room was furnished with the same sparse, functional furniture and pale walls as the ship. Rawn snored on a bed across the room, and she stood up, fighting a wave of dizziness. He woke with a snort when she shook him, and clutched his head with a grimace as he sat up. She wondered if she looked as pale and gaunt as he did. Odd that he rubbed the same spot she had. She looked around as the door opened to admit Egan, who wore a broad smile.

  "Have you slept well?" he enquired.

  Rawn frowned. "How long were we unconscious?"

  Egan looked a little uncomfortable. "Five days. It was necessary to carry out the tests and vaccinations painlessly, you see."

  "What did they do to us?"

  "Nothing harmful."

  "Did any of the tests include sticking red hot pokers in our heads?" Rawn snarled.

  "Ah, you have headaches." Egan dug into his pocket and took out two apparently empty plastic bubbles, which he held out. "Here."

  She took the bubble and studied it. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

  "Oh, here, I'll show you." Egan took the bubble and held it under her nose. "Now, breathe in."

  As she did, he popped the bubble. A strange, numbing scent invaded her nose, and the pain in her head vanished. Rawn popped his bubble and experienced the same rush of relief, judging by his blissful expression. Egan was eager to bring them whatever they wished, and they sat down to a gourmet meal followed by party snacks and tasty treats they had never dreamt to taste. It distracted them from the unpleasant aspects of their situation, and when they were full, they went back to sleep.

  The next day continued the trend, and Egan answered questions willingly, but they had no way of knowing how truthfully. He brought them holofilms and played the helpful host, but Rayne disliked his condescending air and stilted speech. The food restored their strength and the films were educational, but the rooms had no windows and the door was locked. After several fruitless hours trying to open it, they gave up.

  The following day, Rayne demanded to see Tallyn, and Egan balked. He claimed the commander was busy, and would be for some time. Rawn gripped Egan's his collar and almost lifted him off the floor, evincing a reluctant promise to try to contact Tallyn. It took another day and several more threats before Tallyn came, and when he did, Egan looked unhappy. Then they learnt that the commander had come of his own accord, to check on them.

  When Rawn told him about their request, Tallyn's brows knotted, and Egan was subjected to the commander's icy glare. "Who ordered this duplicity, Ensign?" he demanded.

  "The council, sir."

  "Of course. Who else? Inform them that I'm taking the humans to my dwelling, where they can stay for the time being. They can't be kept in this… prison."

  "But sir, they have to be monitored."

  Tallyn's brows rose. "They've been immunised, and they're fully recovered from the ordeal, it seems. Why must they be monitored?"

  "The council ordered -"

  "I'll deal with the council, Ensign. Dismissed."

  Egan, who had a pale complexion with a silvery sheen, turned an interesting shade of pink, then retreated.

  Tallyn eyed the humans. "It's a good thing I have some authority over the more junior staff members."

  Rawn said, "I was getting sick of that pompous little fart."

  Tallyn appeared to riffle through a mental dictionary before understanding dawned. "An apt description. The council, it seems, intended to keep you in a comfortable, if sterile environment, but I think you'd rather see more of your new home."

  "Damned right," Rawn muttered.

  "Good."

  The door opened for Tallyn, and he led them down a corridor where several white-suited men watched them pass, muttering and frowning. Rayne stepped out into the open air and gazed around at Atlan's alien beauty. The sun was a hot white spot beyond the glowing roof of clouds, and verdant landscape stretched away in every direction. Only an occasional tower broke the carpet of greenery, and the air was sweet and rich.

  After a few minutes, Tallyn led them to a disk-shaped craft, and they sat in the two seats behind his. They skimmed away over the trees at an amazing speed, and Rayne studied the well-hidden buildings that nestled in the pristine forest below.

  Rawn asked, "How can billions of people live in such a sparsely built up world?"

  Tallyn glanced back at them as the craft swooped between two tall trees. "Billions of people don't live here. They live on fifty-two planets all over the galaxy. We're always colonising new planets, as long as they're not already inhabited by intelligent life forms."

  "What about the animals?" Rayne asked, gulping as they skimmed past a tree trunk with inches to spare.

  "We don't destroy the ecology; we live in harmony with it. The animals have no fear of us because they have no reason to."

  "But we've been eating meat," Rawn said.

  "That's grown in bio tanks, not from raising and slaughtering animals." He swooped and swung the hover car, oblivious to the growing discomfort in the back.

  "Where are your factories, industries and so on?"

  "Those are mostly underground."

  Rayne gripped her seat. "How far is it to your house?"

  Tallyn looked back at her. "Not too far." He shot them a brief smile, turning back in time to swerve around a tree.

  Rayne released her white-knuckled grip on the seat as they passed the tree. A few minutes later, they landed in front of a rustic log cabin in a glade, and quit the vehicle. The cabin's door slid open at Tallyn's approach, and it appeared to be a lot larger inside than it had looked from the outside.

  They passed through a long room that housed a heated swimming pool set amid rocks, ferns and palms. A transparent roof allowed sunlight to flood in, filling the house with cheerful warmth, and soft grey moss served as carpeting. Atlanteans, Rayne reflected, certainly seemed to like plants. They entered another spacious, sunlit room decorated in pastels and filled with alien foliage.

  Tallyn handed out fruity drinks and flopped into a comfortable chair with his own.

  Rawn settled on another chair. "How long were they going to keep us locked up in that damned room, anyway?"

  Tallyn shrugged. "I don't think they had given it much thought. Once you were safe and installed in what they thought was a suitable environment, provided with food and entertainment, they thought they had done enough."

  "I'd have thought they'd take better care of someone who might be their precious Golden Child."

  "Ra
yne is only a candidate. One of four, I believe, that have been found on other worlds. If she's the one, she'll be accorded the respect she deserves, but until then she'll be treated just like anyone else."

  Rayne asked, "What are the other girls like?"

  "Mostly children, except for one older girl, but I believe you are the oldest."

  "So there are another three planets dying right now, just like Earth is?"

  "No, we've found five or six. One might be saved. Two girls were taken from one of them, and none were found on the other three."

  "What are they like?"

  Tallyn looked thoughtful. "The two who were taken from Hendis seem to fit the prophecy's description better. They're young, five and eight of their years old, and they have golden skin, hair and eyes. There's biological warfare on their planet, and the people are dying from a disease they unleashed. But the planet itself is not dying, and the prophecy definitely says 'the dying planet'.

  "The other girl, who's sixteen, comes from a race of white-haired, brown-skinned people. She only has golden eyes. Her world is being destroyed by radiation released through the foolish testing of nuclear weapons, but again, the planet may recover, although grossly changed, and inhabited by mutated animals, mostly insects." He glanced at Rayne. "The council agrees that you're the most likely candidate, although Rawn fits the description better."

  Rayne glanced at her brother, who met her gaze with raised brows and a teasing smile. She wondered what lay in store for them on this alien world, and how much they could trust their new benefactor. Although he seemed genuinely concerned about their welfare, she clung to the old habit of distrust that had served her so well in the past.

  Chapter Seven

  For the next three weeks, they stayed at Tallyn's dwelling, enjoying luxuries like baths and hot meals, along with such delights as sweets and films, long strolls in the forest and swimming in the heated pool. The council summoned Tallyn, who returned with the welcome news that it had agreed to let them stay. He urged them to learn Atlantean, and provided them with the necessary material.

  Rayne found that she could learn at a remarkable rate, and retained the information with startling clarity. Rawn experienced the same phenomenon, but Tallyn would not explain the anomaly. It worried Rayne for a while, but then she accepted it and concentrated on her studies. By the end of the week, they spoke and read Atlantean, and practised on Tallyn. Some of their blunders amused him, but not sufficiently to make him laugh, or even grin. Rayne wonder if he did, in fact, have teeth.

  Rayne studied other interesting subjects, like space flight, the theories behind the transfer Net and anti-gravity. Tallyn brought holofilms that they watched together after supper. The trio grew comfortable together, and Tallyn eventually laughed at one of Rawn's tasteless jokes, revealing even white teeth and dashing Rayne's theory on his reluctance to bare them to the light of day. Life settled into an ordered rhythm, which seemed normal to Rayne. Tallyn was away most days attending his duties, of which he rarely spoke.

  After three weeks, Tallyn said he wanted them to meet an alien, ignoring Rawn's quip that there was one right in front of him. He took them to a little house, saying they would discover their talents, which intrigued them. Tallyn left them at the door with a parting smile.

  They entered a room with a round black pool in the centre, bare but for a few plants. Rawn became wary, his old raider instincts kicking in. Rayne had grown to trust Tallyn a little more over the weeks, and was less concerned.

  "A good thing too. He's earned it," a soft voice said.

  Rayne gasped and glanced around in alarm.

  "What's wrong?" Rawn demanded.

  "I… There's someone here."

  The honey sweet voice came again, and this time she realised that it was in her head. "So, you can hear me, but your brother can't. It's usually the females who have the power."

  A strange itching made Rayne want to scratch behind the bone of her temple, and she rubbed her brow. Rawn looked puzzled. The sensation of a voice speaking inside her head was unpleasant, as if vibrations quivered her brain.

  "Well, that's not a bad description," the telepathic voice said. "Don't worry, the itching goes away after a while."

  "Where are you?" Rayne asked, and Rawn frowned at her.

  "Over here."

  She glanced around. A creature sat beside the pool, and Rayne wondered why she had not noticed it before.

  "Because I did not wish to be seen before, my dear."

  This time it spoke aloud, and Rawn spun around, his hand dropping to his belt, where his gun had once resided. He scowled. "Who are you?"

  "I'm your teacher. My name is Callamindra-Falona, but you can call me Mindra for short."

  The alien spoke clearly, even though it had the split lip and muzzle of a cat, which had always been thought to prevent animals like cats from being able to speak. It spoke Atlantean fluently, without any trace of an accent. It rose and walked towards them, looking like an overgrown cat with wide ears, sleek black fur and a bushy white tail. Its slanted golden eyes were set in a grey-furred face that was long and pointed, rather like a highly bred Siamese. A white ruff encircled its throat like a fluffy collar.

  Mindra purred, "But you want to know what I am more than who I am, so sit down and I'll tell you."

  They sat by the pool, a little stunned, and the cat-alien settled in front of them, curling its tail around its paws.

  "First of all, I'm a she, not an it," she said. "I'm Shyanese. I come from the star system of Tryan. Many years ago, the Atlanteans came to our world looking for new planets to colonise. At first we stayed away, thinking they would leave, but when they started building houses we decided enough was enough, and made them leave. You see, we're the most powerful espers in the known universe, and that's what I've come to teach you. Tallyn asked me especially."

  Rayne tilted her head. "How did you make the Atlanteans leave?"

  Mindra's eyes twinkled. "We teleported them and all their equipment back aboard their ships, then teleported the ships about twenty light years away from our planet."

  "But they came back."

  "Oh yes, dearie, they did, but this time they came as friends, not colonists. They didn't try to invade us again." She gazed at them with wide, beguiling eyes.

  Rawn leant forward. "So you've come to teach us ESP?"

  "I'm going to teach you how to use more of your brains than you ever have before." Her ears twitched. "It's a shame to waste potential. So, let's not waste any time. I have a busy schedule. First, let's see what you can do now." She looked at Rayne. "You're already a little telepathic; an unformed talent. But you have more. Have you ever sensed people's moods in the past, and perhaps when they're lying?"

  Rayne nodded.

  "You have a slight empathic ability, most undesirable, although not too bad at such low levels." Mindra turned to Rawn. "You can't even hear me, which, considering how powerful I am, is amazing. I want you both to try to speak telepathically."

  Rawn looked puzzled. "How?"

  "Just think the words, dearie."

  Rayne recited a poem to herself, and Mindra's luminous eyes rested upon her. "You I can hear faintly, but Rawn I can't. Let's try teleportation."

  A rock near the pool floated over and landed in front of them. They gaped at it, and Mindra looked a little smug. "Lift it."

  Rayne concentrated and Rawn scowled at it. Once more Mindra's eyes rested on Rayne. "I can feel power from you, but weak. Again, Rawn, you have nothing. Now I want you both to lie down and make your minds blank. I'm going to unblock the channels in your brains. You must relax and trust me. It may hurt a little, but don't try to resist, or it'll hurt more."

  Rayne met Rawn's worried glance, sharing his obvious aversion to allowing an alien to do weird things to their brains.

  Mindra purred, "I'm not going to hurt you, but it's your choice. If you choose not to do this, I'll understand. The crude operation the Atlantean doctors performed on you is also a harmless, perh
aps even beneficial to you."

  "What operation?" Rawn demanded.

  "Ah." Mindra's ears flicked back. "Ask Tallyn.

  "That's about as much good as asking a brick wall."

  "Then I can't help you. Now, what have you decided to do?"

  Rayne bit her lip, but Rawn shot her a wry smile and lay down. "Hey, I'll try anything once."

  Mindra sat beside his head and gazed down at him. His trust surprised Rayne, for he was usually more suspicious of strangers than her, but the little cat-alien appeared to have inspired his confidence. In her, he seemed to sense an uncompromising integrity, and her gentle nature would not allow her to do him harm. Rayne sensed it too.

  Mindra said, "You're correct, Rawn, and I'm flattered by your perception. Now, please empty your mind."

  He smiled. "That's easy."

  Rayne took his hand and cast him an encouraging smile when he glanced at her, then he closed his eyes and relaxed. Mindra sat like a statue, staring into the middle distance. Several moments passed before Rawn gasped and gripped Rayne's hand. She chewed her lip, her eyes darting from his impassive face to Mindra's. He grunted, twitching, and Rayne leant closer to put a hand on his arm. He winced four more times before Mindra's eyes regained their focus, and she relaxed.

  "All right, it's over, you can think again."

  He stared up at her. "What did you do?"

  "I cleared a few blockages, but you'll never have any great ESP power. Now you have improved intelligence and memory. You might be able to hear telepathically, but that's about all I can do for you, I'm afraid. You just don't have the ability for more."

  Rawn sat up. "Why not? I mean, what gives some people the ability and others not?"

  "People with the ability have pathways in their brain through which the power flows, but you don't have them. That's the best way I can explain it."

  Rawn looked disappointed, but shot Rayne an encouraging smile. "Go on, it's not too bad. You can handle it. Maybe you'll get more from it than I did."