by S. S. Segran
Nageau continued, “We are all well-versed with our ancient prophecy, are we not?” He observed the crowd for a response, seeing the nods across the village square. “As we know, the prophecy paints for us a picture of the future. Its sanctified content, divinely inspired, guides, warns and protects us. The prophecy, in conjunction with our sacred scriptures, is a fortress for our spiritual and physical wellbeing and has guided our thoughts and our actions for ages. One of the salient indicators given to us through this prophecy is the coming of a dark and destructive force that will befall all civilization.”
The villagers began to murmur again. A few who had been sitting rose to their feet, ears strained, trying to make sense of every word. Noting the need for reassurance, Nageau said, “As troublesome as that may seem, the prophecy also tells us about the arrival of five special souls destined to vanquish this darkness. They will fulfill the signs given in the prophecy and will learn the secrets of our ways.” His voice rose and his face was lit with reverence. “Combined, the powers of the five will far exceed anything we have ever known.”
Saiyu stepped in. “As many of you are now aware, since the last full moon, there have been amongst us five youths who were brought to our valley by the Guardians. This happened after we witnessed the flaming craft fall from the sky.”
A ripple of anticipation rolled through the crowd.
“A lot has happened since the five younglings arrived in our village,” Tayoka said. “We have observed many signs and seen convincing revelations in this brief span of time. Through lots of meditation and discussion, and having witnessed the pace at which they are able to grasp their training and realize their innate capabilities, we have come to the conclusion that these five youths were sent to us to fulfill the prophecy.”
The growing murmur cascaded into a cacophony of voices as the villagers grappled with the meaning of the momentous announcement. Some appeared relieved and even euphoric while others looked skeptical. They all had thoughts to share, but Nageau raised his hand for silence. “Please, my friends, settle.”
Someone from the crowd called out. “Do these youths know that they are the ones to fulfill the prophecy?”
“Indeed, we have had discussions with them. They are learning the importance of their role with each passing day.”
Exclamations punctuated the village square. The Elders took the time to enlighten their brethren and provided further explanation. The overall atmosphere gradually evolved from skepticism, to acceptance, and finally jubilation as the Elders brought to bear their rousing insights.
As the joyful acceptance grew, Nageau signaled Saiyu to call upon the friends to come and stand with them. As the group walked out from behind the amphitheater, all eyes turned to them, inspecting them closely. The friends, though exceedingly nervous, somehow managed to put one foot in front of the other and positioned themselves in a row facing the Elders. As they had learned to do in their training, they bowed to their mentors. When the Elders returned the gesture, the friends turned to the crowd, placed their hands over their hearts and dipped their heads. The villagers broke into a roar of approval. The friends blushed furiously but straightened with smiles all around. Glancing back, they saw the beaming faces of Nageau, Tikina, Saiyu, and Tayoka. Even Ashack broke into the smallest of grins.
In the shadows at the far end of the village square, a pair of cold, dark blue eyes narrowed. A few of the youths with Hutar tried to assess his state of mind, but his expression remained unreadable. He watched as the friends were showered with attention, then jerked his chin at his group and together, they slunk away. No one noticed them leaving, caught up as they were with the Elders and the five.
Once they were out of sight, they broke into a jog and headed for the stable, slowing to a walk as they entered to avoid alarming the horses. Hutar’s companions jostled each other for places to sit on the bales of hay.
Hutar rubbed his forehead. “I had not expected the Elders to announce that the outsiders’ training has begun so quickly. Nor did I expect them to be introduced as our saviors.” He hissed the last word derisively.
“To be fair, no one called them our saviors,” one of the younger boys said innocently.
Hutar snarled at him and the boy fell off his bale. “It was implied, you idiot.”
“Sorry,” the boy whimpered.
“What are we going to do?” one of the other boys asked. “Since we last met, we have not heard any plans from you.”
Hutar shot him a warning glare. He rested against one of the stalls, tilting his head back. “That was several days ago. I have something now.”
The youths simmered with growing excitement. Despite himself, Hutar smiled. How he loved the being the article of awe. “Settle, all of you.” He leaned forward and they in turn leaned in, eyes bright and attentive.
The words rolled off his tongue, captivating his cohorts with his icy but charismatic ways. Delight arose from the group as he unfolded his plan. Once the scheme was laid out, he assigned each of them their task.
The sun had long since set when the youths exited the stable and dispersed to their homes. Hutar was the last to leave, and as he watched his group head their separate ways, he thought: Failure is but a step toward success. The wolf attack was botched, but that was just the start. This time—a sadistic growl worked past his lips—I will succeed.
36
The twin rotors of the strange aircraft whirled in unison as it descended through the thick morning mist that cloaked the mountaintop. The air beating down from its blades created a helical vortex in the cloud. The Osprey’s descent was gradual as it approached the landing pad. With its nacelles in their vertical position, the huge plane hovered like a helicopter for several moments as the pilot made fine adjustments on his flight controls right before a perfect touchdown.
Miners on their break came out to watch the landing, and some had their phones out to take pictures and videos. Most had never seen an Osprey up close like this and were impressed. A crew was on standby as the pilot killed the engines. Two Bobcats and a couple of forklifts stood ready to help unload the cargo.
With his hands in the pockets of his pressed pants, Ajajdif observed the proceedings from behind a pair of dark Ray-Ban sunglasses. The pilot stepped out of the cockpit and moved away from his plane, taking his helmet off as Ajajdif walked over to him. “Good morning,” he called out.
The young pilot looked up and smiled. “Morning.” He shook hands with Ajajdif, then removed his aviators and glanced around. “You guys sure are in the middle of nowhere. It was quite a flight getting out here.”
“I bet it was.” Ajajdif motioned at the cargo being unloaded. “I have to thank you for bringing all this. We’re in dire straits right now but this will help us get back on track.”
“Hey, it’s my job.”
“You’ve got another loop to do, right? To get what’s left at Mayo?”
“Yeah. Once your guys are done here, I’ll be off. Should be back within five hours.”
“Great.”
The radio clipped to Ajajdif’s belt crackled and the booming voice of the site’s head of security came on. “Sir, do you have a minute?”
Ajajdif grabbed the radio and, saying a quick goodbye to the pilot, moved off. “Yes, I do.”
“I’m heading down to check on the trespassers. What should we do with them?”
“Hold on, Elias. I’d like to see them myself. I’ll meet you at the holding cell.”
“Sure thing.”
Ajajdif replaced the radio on his belt and headed away from the landing pad toward the holding cell. As he passed the large processing vats on his left, he recalled his geologist’s concerns about using the leaching compound outside of the vats. He dismissed the thought. I’m hard-pressed for time and you want me to do things the slow way? Bah!
He brushed by the equipment engineer as the bigger man loped to where the cargo was being unloaded. “The equipment is here, and I want it all out of the plane, double-time!”
Ajajdif barked.
“Yes sir,” the engineer said. “Also, just so you know, my guys and I managed to lift the tunneling machine back onto its track.”
“Excellent,” Ajajdif muttered. “And not a moment too soon.”
He entered the mining tunnel. On the right was an open space occupied by a storage room meant to hold spare parts for various machines. At the very back, a door led into the mining foreman’s office-turned-holding-cell. While Ajajdif was furious that the site had been breached, he was also a tad curious. He’d only gotten a skeletal update from his head of security early in the morning and wanted more details.
He knocked and the door swung open, revealing a giant of a man with a shaved head who blocked Ajajdif’s view of what lay behind him. Elias Hajjar, the head of the operation’s security team, was a Lebanese-born ex-mercenary and a true tattoo enthusiast. His muscular arms and thick neck were heavily inked, and his eyes were dark abysses. Standing nearly seven feet tall, Hajjar was nothing less than intimidating.
The head of security moved aside so Ajajdif could enter. As Hajjar closed the door, Ajajdif studied the intruders for the first time. Four men sat with their hands tied behind their backs and their feet in chains. They looked weary and battered. Cuts and bruises covered most of what could be seen of their skin. As Ajajdif met their eyes, he noticed varying levels of defiance in each of them.
“Why are they restrained like this?” he asked Hajjar.
In a voice deeper than Ajajdif’s, the head of security said, “These are not your hospitable forest hillbillies, sir. Two of my men were severely injured when they tried to capture these four last night. They put up one hell of a fight.”
Ajajdif covered his face with a hand. “Continue.”
“The only way we were able to subdue them was by sedating them with tranquilizers.” Hajjar nodded at the intruders. “They’ve got a real nasty bite to them.”
Ajajdif slowly crouched in front of one of the men and searched his face. The intruder met his eyes and put up a fearless front even as his legs shook slightly. He regarded Ajajdif and Hajjar as if they were the outsiders, not the other way around.
“Where are you from?” Ajajdif asked.
The man said nothing.
“They don’t understand English, sir,” Hajjar said. “We tried to communicate with them through hand signals, but they either don’t want to cooperate or they’re playing dumb. They certainly aren’t stupid.”
Ajajdif scrutinized the intruder. “I can’t believe there are people actually living out here.” He got up. “Where are your injured men, Elias?”
“They’re in the infirmary.”
“Mmph. HQ won’t be pleased to hear about this intrusion and loss of labor.”
“Does HQ really have to know, sir?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll need to find out how they’d want us to handle the trespassers—and they’re going to have to deal with the family of my tunneling machine operator. In the meantime, keep these four here. I assume you know what to do if they put up a struggle.”
Hajjar cracked a merciless grin. “Yes, sir.”
Casting one last look at the intruders, Ajajdif made his way back into the tunnel. He watched the miners scrambling to repair the ore conveyor with the parts they’d just received, then exited into the sunny day.
A young woman hastened by him and he recognized her as one of the Marauders’ keepers. He swiftly caught up to her as she neared a stark metal building close to the landing pad. She jumped when he touched her arm. “Oh! Good morning, Mr. Ajajdif. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Have the Marauders had their breakfast yet?” he asked.
“No, sir, they haven’t.”
“Excellent. Listen, why don’t you let me feed them? You can take a short break.”
She faltered. “Really?”
“Really.”
“That’s real kind, thank you!” She flashed him an appreciative smile and trotted off to check out the Osprey.
At the steel door of the metal building, Ajajdif punched a code on the security keypad. There was a buzz and he pulled the heavy door open, grunting, and slid into a six-by-six room with another entrance, this one with a thumbprint reader beside the door. As soon as the system evaluated Ajajdif’s print, a small light on the door turned from red to a flashing green, and Ajajdif walked into the dimly-lit interior. A woman with a wrist-tied flashlight who appeared a little older than Ajajdif stood in his path.
“Credentials?” she asked, businesslike, as she shone the light in his face. When she recognized her supervisor, she lowered her hand. “Dear me! Hello, sir.”
“Good morning. I’m here to feed the Marauders.”
“Oh, really?” She sounded surprised. “Well, alright. If you could just step this way.” She led him down a narrow, metal-walled hallway and opened yet another security door at the far end. As they stepped through, they were immediately greeted by monstrous snarls.
The woman looked uneasy as she showed him where the creatures’ food was stored. Ajajdif noticed, and she pulled a face. “No matter how many times I step through that door,” she said, “I can never get used to the sound of these beasts.”
“That’s okay,” he soothed. “They can be quite intimidating. Thanks for bringing me. I can take it from here.”
“If you’re sure . . .”
“I am.”
The woman nodded and quickly left, closing the door firmly behind her.
Ajajdif grinned as he heard the hybrids growl. Clasping his hands behind his back, he leisurely marched down two rows of spacious cages—three on one side and two on the other—and caught glimpses of large shapes crouching at the far corners of their enclosures. Their dark yellow eyes scrutinized him with cold calmness as he grabbed their food. When they realized they were about to be fed, they rose to their full height.
The Marauders, standing close to four feet at the shoulder and six feet from their snouts to their cropped tails, were new creatures designed and created at Quest Biotech. They were the result of years of genetic manipulation, enhanced with reconstituted DNA from some of the world’s most fearsome predators.
It was hard to see the Marauders clearly in the low light, but the dimness allowed them to rest better due to their extremely sensitive vision. Ajajdif smiled. The Marauders were the most amazing creatures he’d ever seen and were the greatest asset to his security team.
They were violent and unpredictable. It would have been extremely difficult, not to mention dangerous, to train them using traditional methods. In order to have effective control, the scientists at Biotech had surgically implanted nano-transducers into their brains and nerve centers. A handheld transmitter gave their handlers complete control over these ultimate watchdogs.
The Marauders’ retractable claws, now unsheathed, scraped the titanium floor as they drew closer to the front of their cages. The enclosures had three-inch thick steel bars, as the hybrids had been known to bite through anything less than that.
“Hello, love,” Ajajdif murmured, crouching down by one of the cages. He stuck his hand through the bars to stroke the Marauder’s smooth head. He was one of only two humans the hybrids would accept any form of affection from, the other being Dr. Ina Deol, their creator.
The Marauder blinked slowly, allowing Ajajdif to fawn over her for only a few seconds before pulling away and retreating to the far side of her cage. He went around, greeting the other beasts.
He moved from cage to cage, feeding the beasts the last of the raw chunks of grizzly from the bear they’d killed some nights ago. Once he was done, he rested against the food storage door and closed his eyes, listening as the beasts tore savagely at the meat.
37
The morning after the village gathering, the Elders solemnly watched as a white sheet was pulled over a young woman’s face, covering her body. Saiyu attempted to comfort the man who sobbed uncontrollably beside the bed. “I am so sorry,” she whispered.
“Why her?”
the man moaned. “Why her?”
Saiyu reached for him but he pulled away and stumbled out of the convalescence center, weeping. Distraught, the Elders watched him go. Raw emotions that were rarely ever seen surfaced almost everywhere they looked. The people of Dema-Ki were strong by nature, but the epidemic they faced was something vastly alien and it caused many to lose their confidence and composure.
Huyani straightened the white sheet covering the woman and said, “I will take care of everything here.”
Nageau forced a smile and hugged her. Then, with the rest of the Elders, he left the center.
“Have you spoken with Magèo about the serum?” Ashack asked as they stepped out.
“I have,” Nageau replied. “He said he is still working on it.”
Ashack wasn’t satisfied. “How many more of our brethren must fall ill and perish before it is ready?”
“I know you are upset, but Magèo is working with the scarce information that is available. We have our men tracking the source of the contamination, and, if all is well, they will return soon. From there, Magèo will hopefully be able to do more with whatever news they bring back.”
The Elders found that their feet had reflexively brought them to the temple. They basked in the sacred structure’s healing ambience for a time. As he watched an eagle swoop overhead, Nageau frowned. “Tikina, has the courier falcon returned since last evening?”
Tikina shook her head. At Nageau’s troubled expression, she placed her hand on his cheek. “I would not worry just yet. It is not even midday. And let us not forget that the farther they are from the valley, the longer it will take for the bird to return. I am sure our kin are fine.”
* * *
Rikèq, Keno, Breyas and Aydar watched the man who guarded them with resentment. The villagers had lost all feeling in their chain-wrapped legs nearly an hour earlier and their arms were sore from being tied behind them.
“We must get out of this place,” Rikèq muttered.
“How?” Aydar retorted. “I have never been bound to such strong restraints. Even if we did manage to escape, we may be sedated again.”