Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

  “Don’t do anything weird and you won’t have to worry about it.”

  She looked amused and it made me wonder how she could be so nonchalant about all of this. “Aren’t you saddened by the fact that you’re helping to kill your own race?”

  “What they are doing is far worse,” she replied. “They take selfishly and don’t care who gets hurt, as long as they are allowed to live. I refuse to be part of that.”

  “Too bad you’re alone in that.”

  She smiled. “Actually, I’m not. There are others like me.”

  “Are they here on the ship?”

  “No. They’re on our home planet, watching our progress.”

  “Oh. Do you have a name for your… species?”

  “Cylf.”

  “Cylf?”

  She smiled. “Not what you’d expected?”

  “I don’t know what I’d expected.”

  She patted my shoulder as we entered the cafeteria. “Well, thank you for directing me to the cafeteria, young lady,” she said loudly. “I must say it’s quite the coincidence that we’ve met again.”

  “It’s definitely a small world.”

  “Well, enjoy the rest of our journey. I’m going to grab a bite to eat and let you get back to whatever it is that you teenagers do.”

  “Okay. Goodbye, Ellie.”

  “Goodbye… I’m sorry, what was your name again?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

  “Alex.”

  “Alex. Yes. Have a very good evening, Alex. I’m going to try and catch up with my friend over there, Margie.”

  I looked over at the woman she was referring to and smiled. It was another older woman with bright red hair and a walker. She was standing in line for the buffet.

  “Uh, is she a Cylf host?” I murmured under my breath.

  “No,” said Ellie. “Just a dear friend. Goodbye Alex.”

  “Goodbye.”

  I watched as she hobbled away with her cane, greeting people everywhere as she passed by. She looked like a kind, frumpy old lady who was about as intimidating as a ball of yarn. In reality, she was probably mankind’s biggest hope.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I hurried back to our cabin and found Jimmy staring off into space.

  “Hey,” I said, closing the door.

  He looked down at me from the bunk-bed. “Hey.”

  “Did Mom and Dad stop back here?”

  “No. I’m sure they’re at their meeting.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How is Ellie?”

  “Fine,” I said.

  He climbed down the ladder. “I’m going for a walk.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked, slipping off my shoes.

  He shrugged. “Just out.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Duh, because Mom and Dad wouldn’t approve.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said, walking toward the door.

  “Jimmy, I really think that you should stay here.”

  “Goodbye,” he said, ignoring my warnings.

  Sighing, I watched him leave the room. Normally, I would have stopped him, but I wasn’t quite sure what he’d do and it made me more than a little nervous. I decided to leave him be.

  Overwhelmed by everything, I began to pace as I thought about my conversation with Ellie and what it all meant. After a while, I found myself thinking about the air ducts and Blayze’s idea of moving freely through them unseen. I looked at the entrance near the bunk bed and then to the camera. There was no way that I could even try here. But, there was the supply room… I remembered seeing a vent there, too.

  I put my shoes back on and snuck back over to it, closing the door behind me. I spotted the opening right away, but just like the other air duct, I knew I would need a screwdriver to gain access to it. Determined to gain access, I left and began walking through the ship, looking for someone with tools. When I found an entrance to the engine room, I smiled in relief. There had to be tools there. I opened the door and stepped inside but was immediately approached by one of the ship’s crew.

  “This area is off limits,” said the man. He was about my dad’s age, but had a long beard and tiny spectacles.

  “I’m sorry. I’m looking for a screwdriver. You wouldn’t happen to have one that I could borrow?”

  He scratched his chin. “For what?”

  Does it matter?

  I smiled. “For one of my brother’s toys. One of the small screws came out and we don’t seem to have any tools on us.”

  Sighing, he reached into his tool belt and held up a screwdriver. “Is this the kind you need?”

  “There are other kinds?” I asked.

  He smirked. “Yes.”

  I looked at the end of the screwdriver. It would work. “Okay, this is definitely the one I need. Thanks. I will bring it back when we’re finished.”

  “My shift is over. Just bring it back tomorrow, before eight p.m. I have no use for it tonight.”

  “Okay,” I said, relieved.

  “You’re Paul Logan’s daughter, aren’t you?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “I thought so. I’m Hershel Flannigan.”

  “Hi.”

  “Okay, well, you should get out of here. The engine room is a dangerous place to be.”

  “I’ll get this back to you tomorrow,” I said, walking away.

  “I’m sure you will. See you then.”

  I left and headed straight for the supply room. Fortunately there was a metal ladder tucked away in the corner. I opened it up and climbed above to the vent. After removing eight screws, I was able to pull the metal cover off and look inside.

  “It looks safe enough,” I told myself, although I was feeling quite apprehensive. I wasn’t worried about rats or spiders, as they’d been extinct on our planet for decades and I doubted they’d survived on the ship either. I was more worried about whether or not the air ducts could hold my weight. An image of me crashing through the ceiling and onto Hamilton’s desk flashed through my head, but I shook it off. I was being paranoid. I knew that if I proceeded slowly, I’d be able to tell right away if something was going to give. At least, I hoped.

  I exhaled and crawled into the entrance, telling myself that everything would be okay. That I needed to try and find Blayze, to at least tell him what I’d learned. To give him hope. Also, I wanted to let him know that I would do anything to save him, even if I had to find myself a weapon to do it. Ellie told me to hold tight, but Hamilton had already killed Blayze’s parents and I didn’t trust him. What if he suddenly decided that Blayze was too much trouble? I needed to know that he was okay.

  Fortunately, there was plenty of room to move and the metal containment seemed to be sturdier than I’d originally thought. As I began crawling forward, I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster and I considered where I was and what I was doing. Obviously, it was dangerous, and if I was caught, my memory would be tampered with again. I wouldn’t be able to help anyone and they might even find out about The Resistance. But something in my gut told me that if I kept moving, I’d find Blayze and right now, he needed my help more than anyone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Crawling through the air ducts proved to be a lot more interesting than I could have imagined. I snuck by people in compromising conversations as well as situations. One thing I learned was that aliens obviously enjoyed their intimate moments just as much as humans. After scurrying by the second couple enjoying their moments alone, I began to wonder how many on board were actually aliens and how many were still just human. I also wondered what the aliens were planning on doing once they’d used up all of their human hosts. As I thought about this, I heard a familiar voice in one of the new rooms I was approaching.

  “I’m not helping you anymore, Hamilton. You deceived both of us,” said a familiar voice. My dad.

  “It was out of my hands,” answered Hamilton, sounding frustrated. “We couldn’t have Jimmy running
his mouth. You know that not everyone on this ship is hosting a Cylf.”

  “You promised me that you’d leave our children out of it. You swore they’d never be hosts,” he replied.

  “And you both promised me that you’d keep them in line. I already gave you a chance with Alexandra. You supposedly wiped her memory clean but obviously, it didn’t work. You failed. In fact, you failed with Blayze, too. It’s been a nightmare trying to keep him from escaping again.”

  “There is something wrong with the machine,” he said. “Someone’s been tampering with it.”

  Hamilton raised his voice. “Then you need to find out who’s been tampering with it!”

  Dad grunted. “I need to? I’m not responsible for security. Heck, I don’t even have access to all of the labs. Don’t pawn that off on me.”

  Hamilton was silent for a few seconds. “I guess we need to interview everyone on this ship, then. Hopefully we can find the culprit.”

  “I want my son back,” said Dad. “Otherwise, I won’t help you anymore.”

  “Tell you what – fix the machine and you’ll get him back,” replied Hamilton.

  “No. Give him back to us, first,” he said gruffly.

  “You are not the one making the decisions around here. It’s me. Now, may I remind you that your son will die if you don’t do something soon. His young body won’t be able to sustain the new life-force inside of him for long.”

  “Paul, is that so?” asked my mother.

  “He has time,” he said in a calmer voice. “Don’t worry. We should have the machine fixed well before we have to worry about him dying.”

  “That being said, you’d better get to work. Oh, and don’t forget… we have an early meeting tomorrow.”

  Neither of them said anything.

  “One more thing. Let me know if you can find out anything on The Resistance.”

  “What’s The Resistance?” asked Dad.

  He laughed. “Apparently there is a group of vigilantes who believe that they can stop my species from inhabiting humans.”

  “I’ve never heard of them,” said Mom.

  “There are rumors that we have some on board this ship. Believe me, we’ll catch them. It’s only a matter of time,” said Hamilton.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure out who they are,” said Dad.

  “I plan to. But, if you can give me their leader’s name, I’ll free your boy even if you can’t fix the machine, and make sure that Alexandra is off limits on the planet.”

  “You already promised that she would be off limits,” replied my dad.

  “That was before everything started running amuck.”

  “Hamilton, our daughter will not be a host,” Dad said firmly. “I won’t allow it.”

  “Well then you’d better make sure we capture these vigilantes and their leader,” he snapped. “Now, I advise you to get back to work and fix that machine. If you continue to argue this with me, I’ll forget about our initial agreement and recruit someone else to aid me in my mission. I imagine you realize what that would mean to you and your entire family if you’re no longer needed?”

  They both murmured ‘yes’.

  “Very good. Now, go and fix that machine and then let me know if you hear anything about The Resistance.”

  My parents left the office and I sat there quietly for a few seconds, waiting for him to leave, too. Instead, he called Mara into his office.

  “Keep an eye on the Logan family. Especially the daughter, Alexandra. Something tells me she’s going to be causing us more trouble now that her memory is returning.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Also, have security bring Blayze to my quarters. I’m going to make the transfer earlier than planned.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  He sighed. “All of this stress has affected my host’s body. I need the new one before this one gives out completely.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until we land on Planet Z? It will confuse the scientists and other members of council.”

  “Obviously, most of them already know what’s going on.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m going ahead with the transfer. Just tell everyone that I’ve caught some kind of virus. Tell them that I’m bedridden.”

  “Okay.”

  “Believe me, if I could wait, I would. But, I’ve exhausted this body and I’m ready to move on,” he said, sounding weary.

  “I understand. I’ll have Blayze brought to your room immediately.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I can always count on you, Mara.”

  Smiling, she turned around and left.

  Two things went through my mind. The first being that Blayze was about to be invaded by Maelshuck. The second – I had the toxin in my pocket that might finally destroy him. Ellie had said that the poison wouldn’t work on Hamilton’s body because he’d been in there far too long. She never mentioned what would happen if Maelshuck changed hosts.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I was about to crawl away when another visitor entered Hamilton’s office. When I saw who it was, my heart stopped.

  “Jimmy. Come on in,” said Hamilton smiling.

  “I prefer Hartkish when we’re alone,” replied my brother.

  “Very well. Hartkish. How are things coming along? Are you enjoying your new body?”

  “Very funny.”

  Hamilton laughed. “What? You don’t like being a young human boy?”

  “Fortunately, I won’t have to be one for long. Have you found another host for me? This one obviously won’t sustain me.”

  “How would you feel about entering Jimmy’s sister, Alexandra’s body?”

  “I’d prefer a human male.”

  Hamilton sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. It might have to wait until we get the other humans shipped to the planet.”

  “How long will that be?”

  “Six months, tops.”

  “Six months as a boy. I don’t know.”

  “Make an adventure out of it, Hartkish. You just transferred from a middle-aged man. This should be much more enjoyable.”

  “Right,” he said dryly. “Speaking of Alexandra, she mentioned something about The Resistance.”

  Hamilton’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that right?”

  “She played it off like a joke.” Jimmy smirked. “You should have seen her backtrack when I started asking her about it.”

  “She obviously knows there is something wrong with her little brother.”

  “I agree.”

  “We found her with Blayze Watkins. Obviously, he told her everything.”

  “Weren’t both of their memories erased?”

  “The machine is apparently broken. No telling how long it’s been since they’ve regained their memories.”

  “Didn’t the girl break your nose?” asked Jimmy, smiling again.

  Hamilton scowled. “She got lucky flailing her fist around when we were trying to strap her down.”

  “I heard it told a different way.”

  “You heard wrong.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Back in the room.”

  “I doubt it. She’s probably getting into trouble,” said Hamilton. “Do me a favor and keep an eye on her.”

  “I told you I would.”

  “You’re here.”

  “Yes, but I thought it was important that you knew about our conversation.”

  “Did she give up any information to help us locate the members of The Resistance?”

  “No.”

  “You need to try harder with her.”

  “She knows I’m not her brother. I can feel it.”

  “Then make her believe that you are.”

  Jimmy sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “It’s important that we find out who they are.”

  “I understand that. How many plain humans are on this ship?”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “Most of them are unaware of what’s happening?”
r />   “Correct.”

  “Well, then it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who’s part of The Resistance.”

  “We still have to proceed with caution.”

  “Yes. I understand.”

  “Meanwhile, you need to gain Alexandra’s trust. Make her believe that her little brother hasn’t changed. That he’s still just Jimmy. Nothing more.”

  “I’ll do that. Don’t forget to find me a new host. Out of those twenty-four humans, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one more suitable than Jimmy or his sister.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Just so you know, I’m going to be switching bodies myself.”

  “I thought you were waiting until we reached the planet.”

  Hamilton explained how his current host was deteriorating. “It’s time. I can barely put my shoes on in the morning. I’m living on shots of adrenaline and those are running out.”

  “Understandable.”

  “It’s getting late. You need to go back to your room and I need to change hosts.”

  Jimmy nodded and walked toward the door. He turned around. “What about their parents?”

  “I soon won’t have any use for them. In fact, now that I think about it, Paul would make a suitable host for you. Don’t you agree?”

  He nodded. “He would work.”

  “There you go. Problem solved.”

  “That’s one problem solved. Hopefully we’ll solve the vigilante problem, too.”

  “Something tells me that Alexandra will lead you right to them. Make her trust you and she’ll give them up. Once she does, let Mara know.”

  “Do you trust Mara?”

  “Of course. She’s one of us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Hamilton was silent for a few seconds. “I was there when Cherlote took over her body.”

  “And she never left it?”

  “Why would Cherlote leave her host?”

  “I don’t know. It was just a question.”

  “Interesting question. Rest assured, Mara is controlled by Cherlote. She is like my right-hand, too. I count on her for everything.”