by Elin Wyn
When I saw that the clearing ahead was empty, I moved out of my cover and proceeded with great caution, eyes and ears—okay, ear—strained for any sign that I was not alone.
The only problem was, in the jungle you’re never alone. Supposedly, our deal with the Puppet Master meant that we were off-limits to the local flora and fauna, but with the Ancient Enemies raising their ugly, incorporeal heads, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
I kept expecting to run into one of the newly possessed at each and every turn of my path, but so far that day, boredom had been my main adversary. Constantly being on high alert can really take it out of you, even if it hadn’t been freezing cold.
My mind kept drifting back to Sybil and her father, Mayor Anatosian. It had to be hard for Sybil to have seen her father act like a savage animal. I wanted to be sympathetic to both of them, but the mayor had bitten me.
Of course, on a logical level, I realized that it wasn’t his fault. The Ancient Enemies had possessed him, taken control of his body like a marionette.
My feelings for Sybil complicated the matter even further. Seeing me brawl with her father and ultimately drag him away in restraints had to put a crimp in any potential relationship.
Maybe that’s why I hadn’t complained about being sent out on patrol all by my lonesome in the jungle. I didn’t feel very chatty at the time, and if Jalok had been along for the trip, he probably would have been going on and on about Dottie this, Dottie that.
Such musings only served to underscore the fact that I was feeling quite alone and miserable that day.
Sybil kept coming back into my mind, resisting all attempts to banish her. I would see a shadow move in the jungle as the wind stirred stray branches, and it would appear to me as her glorious dark mane of hair.
Or I would see the delicate legs of a hunting avian and it would remind me of her tapered lower limbs. Truly, Sybil was the loveliest member of the human species I had ever seen.
Of any species. Anywhere.
Not just lovely, but kind. She’d been worried about my arm, even though her father was injured.
Sybil was different, warm.
I found time and time again I couldn’t get her bright and perky smile out of my head. Maybe because I didn’t want to.
I came around a dense copse of trees and was confronted by the sight of a spiky, serpentine creature with a vicious-looking stinger in its tail.
The Narrisiri had been a plague upon us until we’d made peace with the Puppet Master. Still, I decided to give the thing a wide berth, just in case.
The Narrisiri spotted me, and its frilled neck flared up, an intimidation display meant to keep me distant. Or so I thought. It slithered off the branch it had been resting on and made a beeline for me.
They were small creatures, but dangerous, so I hastened to move out of its path. But every time I changed position, it altered its trajectory to continue the charge. In a moment, it would have been right on top of me, so I did what I had to do.
I slung the assault rifle off my shoulder and held it at waist height. Just one squeeze of the trigger sent a three-round burst into the Narrisiri’s path. But the stupid thing just kept on coming.
It was almost in striking distance when I took off the kid gloves. I sent another short burst of fire its way, only this time I aimed to kill. A moist popping sound accompanied an explosion of spikes and scales as the creature was torn asunder by bullets.
No sooner had I celebrated my victory to myself than I noticed three more of the creatures coming at me, bending the foliage aside as they came in for the attack. My lips peeled back in a snarl, and I took aim again. Three bursts went outward, and three more of the spiked serpents exploded into goo.
I slapped a new clip into my weapon as I turned this way and that, searching for more enemies. A hissing, liquid sound sizzled in the air behind me. I ducked, barely in time to avoid a stream of green venom as it squirted through the space where my head had been a second earlier.
I knew the sound, and the smell, of that particular venom. Peering through the gloom of the jungle, I spotted a seven-foot-tall tree with spindly limbs tipped by razor-sharp leaves.
A stained knothole on its trunk dripped with venom, and even as I took aim, it sent another deluge of toxic goo my way.
Something wasn’t right, not at all. The Puppet Master was supposed to keep these things under control. Even as I dodged away from this newest attack, two more of the Sorvucs walked out of the undergrowth on their spindly roots.
I scrambled around the trunk of a thick tree as their venom streams hissed and bubbled through the air.
My finger snapped the weapon over to fully automatic. If these damn trees and snakes wanted a war, I was by god going to give them one.
With a thought, I flexed my scales to the surface and leaned my upper torso out around the stout trunk. I sent a barrage of deadly lead at one of the Sorvucs. My aim was true, and the trunk exploded into gooey shrapnel as my rounds found their mark. I managed to duck back behind my cover just before another hissing stream of venom hit the trunk where I’d been a second earlier.
The damn things were moving fast. They were nearly upon my position, so I beat a temporary retreat to another, larger tree.
The Sorvuc’s leaves rasped against the rough bark, digging deep grooves as they lumbered—no pun intended—toward my new position.
I was done screwing around. Reaching down to my belt, I tore off a grenade and pulled the pin with my teeth. I sent the explosive twisting through the air to land at the feet-roots of the closest Sorvuc. The tree-thing recoiled from the impact, then continued on, undaunted. Right when its center mass was over the grenade, it exploded.
I ducked behind my cover as poison-covered bits of bark and weird, fleshy gobs that had no place in plant life decorated the jungle floor and canopy.
Two down, one to go. I charged around the other side of my cover and planted my feet. A guttural scream escaped my scarred and twisted mouth as I emptied the remainder of my clip at the last Sorvuc. It staggered about, oozing from dozens of smoking holes, before collapsing in a heap to shiver and die on the jungle floor.
I glanced around myself, making sure that I was finally bereft of foes. Nothing stirred other than the wind. The only thing I could hear was my heavy breathing and the pounding of my own heart.
I found a dense thicket to shelter in, holstered my weapon, and closed my eyes. My hand reached out to touch the living trees. My mind reached out to the ancient force which ruled—and was—the planet.
The Puppet Master had spoken to me in the past on a single occasion. I was hoping he would remember and speak to me again.
Puppet Master. Can you hear me? Puppet Master.
I repeated the call several times. Then I felt a stirring in the front of my mind, a sort of prickly sensation which meant that the Puppet Master was trying to connect our minds.
A sudden rush nearly swept me off my feet. For a moment I could feel myself connected to the planet, as if I could feel every leaf, vine, and burrowing root.
Then the sensation left me, replaced by a presence, a consciousness, sharing my brain with me.
You are Cazak.
Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. What’s the deal? How come your buddies are attacking me?
I got the feeling of my mind being searched.
Some of the children do not heed my call. I believe the Ancient Enemies to be responsible. Those under their thrall roam my jungles. I was forced to build a dome over one of your quake stations to protect it from their depredations. There are a number of humans as well as your people caught under the dome. I have just informed the one you know as Rouhr about that, as well.
So, you’re saying there’s nothing you can do? Thanks, I guess.
Your anger is understandable. I sense great turmoil in you, that—
I forcibly broke the contact, shoving him out of my mind. Anger surged through me.
I couldn’t fight the Ancient Enemies, all I could do was hu
rt the innocent life forms they’d taken over.
And not even the Puppet Master, with powers that beggared the imagination, was going to be able to help me.
Sybil
Dottie was kind enough to let me stay in her apartment in Nyheim while I waited.
If I understood correctly, it technically wasn’t hers. It was made available to her whenever she was in the city for an extended period of time. I had the place to myself whenever Dottie was at work, which was most of the time.
She’d posted her schedule on the food storage unit so that I’d know when she was coming or going. She didn’t stick to it, though. According to the schedule, she was supposed to be home at three this afternoon.
Around four, I got a message on my comm that she was going to work late again. I wasn’t sure how often working late really meant spending time with her alien lover. Dottie knew I didn’t judge her for falling in love with someone who wasn’t human.
She could tell me if she was staying out with her man. Knowing Dottie, she either thought she was sparing me from feeling left out or she really was working late. If I had one-tenth of her work ethic, my dad wouldn’t get so mad at me.
I paced the living space for the millionth time that day. I felt like I was going to jump right out of my skin. Nothing was worse than being cooped up like this.
If I were home and everything was normal, I’d be out on the town. I had a talent for sniffing out a good time.
I didn’t want a good time right now. I just wanted a slightly better time. Even if I walked out the front door and stepped into the party of the century, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself. Not with my dad locked up like a criminal.
I thought about calling Vidia, the mayor of Nyheim. She and I had met a few times over the course of her political career. I wasn’t sure what my dad thought of her.
He was always polite when they talked, but that was how politics worked. He could hate her guts but would still shake her hand.
Vidia seemed nice. The people who weren’t part of that anti-alien nonsense seemed to like her a lot. Maybe she could do me a favor and transfer my dad to a more comfortable place.
The least I could do was arrange for him to get better pillows and blankets. Maybe a better-quality sleeping mat, too. And some music. Dad liked music. A couple of datapads filled with stories and biographies wouldn’t hurt, either.
I was about to call Vidia’s office when I realized it was after seven. She probably wasn’t there. I decided to send her a message instead.
Feeling a tiny bit accomplished, I decided to go out. I had no intention of partying or even getting a drink. I just needed to get out of this apartment for a little while. I wasn’t familiar with Nyheim. I might as well do a little exploring while I was here.
I bundled myself up in a thick winter coat, tugged on my gloves, and stepped into a pair of Dottie’s snow boots. I hadn’t brought anything with me that was ideal for walking through snow. I could use the navigation chip built into my comm unit to find food, but in the end, I decided against it.
I’d rather stumble across something naturally. It was more fun that way, and I could use a small win.
Any kind of win at all.
When I stepped out into the city streets, the sky was lit up with brilliant shades of orange, pink, and dusty purple. I couldn’t see the actual sunset, the city’s buildings were too tall. Seeing fractured reflections of the sky in every one of the city’s windows was just as good as a full sunset.
Snow fell lightly, catching on my hair and eyelashes as I walked in a random direction.
I thought I’d feel more excitement. The idea of exploring a new city unsupervised would’ve appealed to me a few days ago, before dad got sick. I didn’t think sick was the right word for what’d happened to him, but it sounded better than possessed.
I was supposed to be looking for food, or at least paying attention to where I was going, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the sky. I stepped into the street without realizing, just as a zooming hovercar came around the corner.
I realized it was coming, but for some reason, I couldn’t react quickly enough. Every fiber of my being was telling me to hold still or curl up.
A large hand wrapped around my bicep and yanked me back onto the paved walk. The driver of the hovercar made a rude gesture as he drove by.
“Wow.” My legs shook as my body finally caught up to the situation. “That was a close call. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Thanks for your help.”
I turned to face my rescuer. To my surprise, I knew him.
“Cazak!” He didn’t look at me. He kept his stony gaze fixed on some point over my head. “What are you doing here?”
Dumb question. Nyheim was his general’s base of operations. I knew that, but I couldn’t seem to act sensibly around him.
“Be more careful.” He didn’t say anything else. He just shoved his hands deep into his pockets and started walking away.
What the hell?
“Hey, wait up!” I had to jog to keep up with his long strides. I knew he could hear me. He was just ignoring me.
“Excuse me!” I said too loudly when I finally caught up to him. He didn’t react, so I reached out and grabbed his arm. He didn’t like that, but it made him stop walking, so I considered it a win.
“What’s your problem?” I asked.
“I just saved your life. I don’t have a problem,” he muttered.
“You’re acting like you wish that hovercar had run me over.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. Did I do something to offend you? If I have, please tell me what I did. I promise I didn’t mean it. I say stuff without thinking sometimes.” I knew I was rambling, but I didn’t care.
“You haven’t offended me,” he replied. I let out a frustrated groan.
“Then what did I do to make you so mad?” I exclaimed.
“I’m not mad.”
“Do you just not like me? I don’t think that’s fair, since you don’t know me.”
“I have no opinion of you.”
“Wow.” I took a step back and folded my arms over my chest. “That’s even worse than not liking me. Why did you save me since you clearly don’t care?”
“I never said I don’t care,” he said. “And having no opinion of someone, and standing by while they get run down, are two completely different things.”
“So, you’re only obeying some kind of moral code?”
“I’m a soldier. Moral codes are our lives.”
“That’s not true. Soldiers follow orders against their moral codes all the time.”
“General Rouhr’s a good leader with good morals. I find it’s not often an issue,” he shrugged.
“You’re getting off topic. Or are you trying to annoy me so I’ll go away.”
“I’m not trying to annoy you.”
“If you want to be left alone, just say so.”
When he didn’t say anything, I smiled.
“We should go somewhere warmer and talk.”
“About what?” he asked.
“Nothing. Everything. Anything.”
“It’s not possible to do all three.” At that point, I was pretty sure he was trying to get under my skin.
“If you truly, in your heart of hearts, want me to leave you alone just say so. I’ll go away.”
“Heart of hearts? I only have one. So do humans. What are you talking about?”
“I’m not hearing you tell me to go away,” I pressed.
“Why do you want to talk to me in the first place?”
“Because you’ve been helpful through this ordeal with my father. It seems only right that I take the time to get to know you better.”
“So, this grand gesture stems from a false sense of obligation.”
“Why are you being so difficult? You don’t want to talk to me. You don’t want to not talk to me. You’re making everything ten times harder than it happens to be and I don’t understand why. If you have an
y decency, will you please just agree to talk to me?”
“You’re really fired up.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Yes, I am,” I admitted. “So, what do you say?”
He stood in silence for several tense minutes.
“Sure. We can talk.”
“Great. Let’s get out of the snow. Any suggestions?”
“Yeah, I know a place.” Without another word, he turned and started walking at a brisk pace.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I said under my breath. “I’m up for a jog.”
Cazak
There had been many times that week that I’d fantasized about taking Sybil out to dinner. However, none of them had begun with her being angry at me.
The walk from where we’d bumped into each other to the restaurant seemed interminably long. Instead of walking like friends, or something closer, we moved like angry cats.
Not quite looking at each other, but still keeping pace over the snow-strewn streets of Nyheim.
“Wait.” Sybil slowed to a stop and pointed at a sign over a cozy little restaurant. It depicted a human word I wasn’t familiar with. “Let’s eat here. I’ve been dying for some pasta.”
“Pasta?” My mouth formed around the unusual word. “Is that some kind of fruit?”
Sybil chuckled, though I could tell she was still annoyed with me.
“Not hardly. Come on, my treat.”
I remembered vaguely that I was supposed to pay, but it’s not like we were on a real date. I followed her into the restaurant’s warm interior.
Black and white floor tiles, polished to a gleam, reflected the overhead lights. Each of the small tables had a red and white checkered tablecloth draped over their square surfaces. Savory smells emanated from the kitchen area, causing my mouth to water.
A square-jawed human with a pot belly smeared a greasy rag over the counter. He flashed us a smile with some of his teeth missing, but seemed friendly enough.
“Two?” He didn’t bat an eye at the sight of a human and an alien together. But when I turned my head and he saw my scarred face, his eyes briefly widened. He pulled himself together handily, though, and made no mention of it as he led us to a table in the corner.