The Mercenary's Dawn

by L P Peace

  ‘Anyone observing that feed?’ Keral pointed to the camera.

  ‘One,’ Deyuul said. ‘He’s seeing an empty hall.’

  Keral tried to step forward, but Deyuul stopped him.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I don’t see like you do,’ the Uunda said. He knelt. His longer appendages were back, folded into the hump of his back. ‘There is a beam of light,’ he hovered his hand around two fenth from the floor.

  Everyone stepped over the light and into the facility. Deyuul followed and the door closed behind them.

  The corridor went straight on, then turned right. About halfway up, there was a junction.

  ‘How does your leg things work?’ Keral looked at the Deyuul.

  The Uunda’s face eased. ‘They are usually in a state of desiccated suspension,’ he said. ‘When I need them, I open the arteries, and my blood is flooded with a hormone that lubricates and enlarges the cells of my muscles. The skin on my appendages hardens into a kind of chitin, which provides structural integrity.’

  ‘Hmmm, I thought you got bigger.’ Keral held his arms out at his side, indicating a bigger size.

  ‘The process makes me temporarily stronger,’ Deyuul acknowledged.

  They moved farther up the hall, towards the junction.

  ‘Makios is off the hall to the left.’ Deyuul said in a hushed tone. ‘He is the only one who hasn’t been experimented on.’

  Dairon went stiff. Beside him, Deyuul sighed.

  ‘I’m sorry, Dairon. I should have said before, but we need you to be calm.’

  ‘They’re experimenting on my sister.’ Dairon was horrified.

  ‘The Cealin in question is avoiding doing anything likely to permanently damage her.’

  ‘Is that supposed to comfort me?’ Dairon growled. He moved down the hall, away from Makios.

  ‘I’m in contact with her, Dairon. She wants us to get Makios first.’

  ‘Let me talk to her.’ He rounded on Deyuul. He had never had reason to be angry with him before, but now he found himself full of rage for the Uunda’s omission.

  ‘For a moment, while we walk,’ he said firmly.

  There was a long pause, then. ‘Dairon?’

  ‘Alethia?’ Dairon sighed with relief. ‘Where are you? Are you okay?’

  ‘In a room with Thanesh.’ Her mental voice was tired. ‘Get Makios. They’ve been buying all the human slaves, Dairon. There’s thousands being turned into Protectorate.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’

  ‘No time to explain. I’m in a lot of pain here.’

  ‘They’re changing you?’ He realised.

  ‘Everyone. Get Makios.’

  Alethia disappeared as the door in front of Deyuul opened. His mouth dropped open in shock, spurring Dairon to rush ahead and look inside.

  Makios was lying down, chained to the floor. His naked body was bruised in deep violets and dark blue, and there were burn and lash marks across his torso and back and several large, jagged gashes.

  Deyuul ran into the room. Despite the injury, Makios’s furious silver eyes followed his movements.

  Dairon followed Deyuul and pulled a small kit out of his pocket. The locks were old-style thumb imprints. He got out a small spray, highlighted the thumbprint, then with another tool used the existing print to open the locks.

  ‘How are they?’ Makios growled.

  ‘Alive,’ Dairon said, seeing the relief he felt reflected in his friend’s eyes.

  ‘Good,’ Makios said, pushing himself from the floor. ‘Now let’s kill everyone who isn’t us.’

  Dairon and Deyuul exchanged a look as Makios stalked from the room.

  When they caught up outside, Dabin was forcing the Kathen to drink water while he gave him an injection.

  ‘For the pain and a stimulant to keep you going.’ Makios nodded through gulps of water.

  ‘My clothes.’ He pointed to a door across the way.

  Dairon looked at Deyuul, silently asking if there were guards in the room. Deyuul shook his head. It took moments to fetch Makios’s pants and boots and another few moments for the Kathen to put them on.

  ‘There are over two hundred Cealin in the facility,’ Deyuul said before they continued on. ‘Most of them have found themselves needing to do things at the other end.’ He gestured in some random direction. ‘More of them are in their rooms, having lost something they can’t quite identify but desperately need.’

  ‘Vrok, Deyuul, how are you doing this?’

  Deyuul looked at him through black eyes.

  ‘I am always capable of this,’ he said, ‘but my people have strict rules against it.’ His face tensed. ‘To my people, this is a despicable violation.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Dairon said.

  ‘It is necessary,’ Deyuul answered. ‘The old guard Protectorate are on this side of the facility, along with Alethia and Thanesh. Once we’ve freed them, we can begin an all-out assault.’

  Keral nodded his agreement. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  Deyuul took the lead as they wandered back to the main corridor and around the right-hand corner. They came to a large concourse that seemed to run most of the length of the facility. The passage was so large, the party could walk abreast if they chose, with at least double the room to spare. They were halfway down when Deyuul pointed to double doors up ahead.

  ‘You’ll find a lot of your people in here.’ Deyuul looked at Keral. ‘Yours should be the first face they see.’

  Keral stepped forward and opened the door.

  The room was a pit of darkness. A tapping noise repeated through the room, then one-by-one, line after line of lights came on in the ceiling.

  Lying in rows, strapped down to beds. Lines of tubing pumped chemicals into and carried waste out of their bodies. Hundreds, if not thousands, of naked Protectorates were restrained and unconscious.

  Dairon walked into the room behind Keral, both mouths agape.

  ‘I need help pulling all these lines out. A control panel, there.’ Keral looked at Deyuul. ‘Can you get a code?’

  Deyuul shook his head. ‘I can implant a suggestion, even a strong suggestion, in the mind of a person I’ve never met, but I can’t read their minds.’

  ‘How does that work?’ Keral grunted.

  ‘It’s like shouting into a room,’ Deyuul explained. ‘Just because people can hear me, doesn’t mean I can have a conversation with them. I need to meet them.’

  Keral frowned.

  ‘It’s an imperfect metaphor,’ Deyuul shrugged, ‘but I’m sure you get my meaning.’

  ‘How did you talk to Korren or me?’

  ‘Korren is telepathic, with powers that are growing. You are slightly telepathic, which allowed me to establish a connection.’

  Keral looked shocked as he took in the Uunda’s words. ‘Right, then,’ he said, before turning away.

  Dairon’s eyes swept across the room and landed on a shock of electric blue hair. As though pulled, he walked over to the half-Kuyon Protectorate and felt his world reorient.

  ‘Garen,’ Keral’s voice reached Dairon a moment before he did. Working quickly, Keral pulled the lines out of his arm and gathered the half-Kuyon in his arms.

  ‘Garen?’

  ‘My son,’ Keral croaked.

  Black eyes fluttered open and looked at Dairon sending a shock of awareness through him.

  My pre-bond.

  Thanesh had been unconscious for more than a day while Kallis pumped his body full of drugs to prepare him for today’s procedure. This was the nightmare, the one that would wipe his mind and make him what Kallis wanted him to be.

  Alethia tested her manacles again. Her wrists were slender, but her hands were small. She’d lost weight lying on this bed for a week with various bags tending to the needs of her body. If she didn’t care about pain, about losing some skin, she should be able to slip her hands out.

  Checking on Thanesh, she saw the steady rise and fall of his chest. He’d lost the little colour he had
in his skin, which had taken on a slight grey pallor.

  Determined not to lose him, Alethia pulled her hand against the cuff, feeling her hand slip farther out, the slickness of blood lubricating even as the metal sliced off layers of skin. She’d been at it for an hour. Ever since she’d spoken to Dairon. The promise of escape spurred her to action, and she hoped that she would be free, or they would arrive before Kallis appeared.

  The door opened and Kallis walked in. ‘It’s time.’ His voice was breathless with excitement. He smiled at Alethia, who tucked her hand under her body to hide the blood she could feel pooling there.

  He moved over to the stand next to Thanesh and hooked the new bag up. A line appeared from it and snapped out to Thanesh’s naked arm. He didn’t react to it even though Alethia knew it was painful. There were several lines hooked up to her for the procedures that were changing her from human to Protectorate. His lack of a reaction scared her.

  Kallis approached her and stroked a finger down her face before reviewing the feed on the terminal.

  ‘You’re almost ready.’ He smiled. ‘Tonight we’ll wash this grime from you when you move into my apartments,’ he whispered. ‘Our first time.’

  Alethia fixed her eyes on Thanesh, wishing Kallis would leave so she could get over to him and rip the line that was stealing him away from her.

  Kallis chuckled. ‘I want you to remember everything; that he loved you and can’t remember you.’ He looked over at Thanesh. ‘I want him to know that he’s mated to you but can’t remember you. It will be such sweet agony to watch.’

  ‘Fuck you.’ Alethia looked at Kallis. ‘Fuck you all the way to hell.’

  Eyes closing, head cocked to the side as his translator provided the meaning, Kallis smiled. ‘Hell, what an interesting concept. We have something similar, except it’s cold.’ He looked down at her, his eyes anything but cold. ‘I will fuck you and for you, it will be hell.’

  He leaned over her and took a deep breath. His grin was a dark promise. Alethia’s stomach revolted, churning and threatening to erupt. By the time she had gotten it under control, he was gone.

  Alethia pulled her hand against the restraint, looking over at Thanesh and the fluid feeding into his body. She wouldn’t let Kallis steal his life a second time.

  ‘Thanesh. Thanesh, wake up.’ No acknowledgement.

  The chemical needed a specific mass density, or so Kallis had explained. She needed to get across to him now, or she’d lose him.

  Alethia gritted her teeth and pulled her hand at the manacle. The sharp edge bit into her skin. She continued pulling, feeling the skin peel and concertina against the metal as she whimpered, swearing under her breath.

  As soon as the metal passed the meaty muscle beneath her thumb, her hand pulled free. Her legs weren’t chained. She slipped off the gurney and, one hand still cuffed, pulled her gurney across the room.

  Grabbing the tube Kallis had just placed, she yanked it out of Thanesh’s body and then started on the others.

  ‘Thanesh?’ She pulled the tubes from her own body then turned back to him.

  A hand shot out and grasped her neck. She gasped, but the air couldn’t get through her constricted throat. She looked in pale amber eyes that were filled with fear and fury.

  Touching her teeth with her tongue, she forced a noise similar to ‘Thanesh’ out of her mouth. One of her hands went to her throat and she tried to pry his fingers loose, the other went to his face. He seemed feral. Any touch might drive him deeper and prevent her from pulling him back in time to stop him, but he wasn’t responding to his name. She repeated it anyway.

  She stroked her finger over his lips gently, then snatched her hand away when his lips peeled back in a snarl to reveal his sharp fangs.

  She called to him again, but he still wasn’t responding. The edges of her vision went dark.

  Deyuul, she called out.

  ‘Alethia,’ Thanesh gasped.

  She was let go. She fell to the floor, dragging air into her lungs.

  ‘Alethia?’ She heard her name echoed; first Thanesh called to her, then Deyuul.

  ‘Alethia?’ Thanesh said, his voice alone this time and filled with panic. ‘Alethia?’

  ‘Alethia?’ Deyuul again.

  ‘I’m okay,’ she tried to answer both at the same time, but while Deyuul got the message, Thanesh was beginning to shout his frustration, pulling on his chains and making noise.

  Alethia dragged herself to her feet.

  He stilled as soon as he saw her. His eyes widened as he took her in.

  ‘I’m okay,’ she said, her voice barely there. Her throat was on fire. ‘I’m okay.’ She reached out to touch Thanesh.

  ‘Alethia—’

  ‘Help coming,’ she croaked through the pain. Thanesh watched her warily but nodded.

  Deyuul, how long?

  ‘Almost there,’ he said.

  Alethia reached out and stroked her fingers against Thanesh’s arm while he watched her as though waiting to be attacked.

  ‘It’s okay,’ she tried to reassure him. His body was stiff under her touch.

  The door opened, Deyuul entered with Makios, Dabin and a Protectorate Alethia didn’t recognise.

  The Protectorate walked over to Thanesh and stood over him.

  ‘You right?’ Thanesh looked at Alethia, his eyes unsure, then returned to the Protectorate.

  ‘I think so,’ he said.

  ‘He had a…’ Alethia’s throat hurt too much to speak. She looked at Dabin, who bumped his way around Makios and Deyuul and examined her throat.

  Alethia looked at Deyuul as Dabin went to work, taking things out of his bag to treat her.

  ‘She says he had a bit of a squiffy moment when he woke up, but he came back to himself quickly.’

  ‘Squiffy moment?’ the Protectorate asked.

  ‘A human term her mother used to use.’ Deyuul’s face relaxed at Alethia, and she smiled back.

  The Protectorate set something to the manacles on Thanesh’s wrists. Alethia recognised it as a device similar to one Dairon had.

  ‘It is Dairon’s,’ Deyuul said. ‘He loaned it to Keral.’

  ‘This is already healing,’ Dabin said, standing from his crouch. He pressed a medspray to her throat, she heard the hiss as it entered through her skin, leaving a small, stinging trail in its path. ‘This will help with the pain and bring down the swelling, but I think you’ll have your voice back in a few hours.’

  Alethia let out a small breath of relief. She needed to talk to Thanesh; she didn’t like the unsure, self-recriminatory looks he was giving her.

  ‘In the meantime, don’t talk.’

  Alethia nodded.

  Next, he turned his attention to her hand, drawing in a hissed breath when he saw the damage. Working gently, he moved the skin around, putting it back into place and cleaned her hand before covering it in a waterproof wrap that would speed healing.

  She wanted to take Thanesh aside and tell him about the treatment he had been receiving before she woke him, but everyone in the room was moving to leave. They were in the middle of an enemy facility, surrounded by guards and scientists. Perhaps now wasn’t the time for a heart-to-heart.

  She grabbed him by the hand and pulled on it. Reluctantly, he faced her, and she gave him an enquiring look.

  ‘We’ll talk when…’ His eyes moved to her throat. ‘When you can.’ He turned.

  ‘Anyone think to bring me clothes?’ He gestured down to the loose, short cut pants he was wearing. Keral shook his head.

  ‘I think your female prefers you like this,’ Keral said, winking at Alethia. She flushed and repressed an agreeing nod. Thanesh glanced at her, guilt still on his face. She reached out to him. He flinched, then walked away.

  ‘Lot going on in his head right now.’ Keral’s voice was quiet.

  ‘Not. His. Fault.’

  Dabin gave her a sharp look, she shrugged, unrepentant.

  ‘The first time we woke up here, we killed everyone
that were not us.’ Keral’s face took on a haunted look. ‘We will never know how many of them were like us, experiments that were in our way. We were not all.’ He tapped his head. ‘The rage were.’ He shook his head.

  Alethia understood. Thanesh wasn’t just afraid he might have killed her. He was also reminded of the people he had already killed here.

  They’d been mostly unconscious for the last few days. Alethia believed Kallis arranged it that way to prolong the pain that would come after if he were to get his way and take Thanesh’s memory. They hadn’t been able to talk at all. Alethia hadn’t known until now that he was carrying so much guilt from his first awakening.

  Alethia watched as, In small increments, Deyuul nudged the facility guard until they were all in the same area. They freed the Protectorate and left the remaining subjects asleep. Dabin found stimulants in a storeroom and administered them to the Protectorate the Cealin kidnapped. They were awake and eager for revenge, apart from one, a friend of Thanesh’s and the captain of the Calaia’s sister ship, whose memory was taken already.

  Kayvan woke up enraged and Thanesh calmed him. After, Dabin gave him a sedative to let him rest and two guards were left behind to guard him.

  When she tried to approach him, Thanesh flinched and walked away. It hurt like hell, but it wasn’t about her; he had an old pain to work through.

  Korren’s eyes were already on the door when they found him, an expectant look on his face. Deyuul entered ahead of everyone else.

  ‘I agree with Keral. We need Uunda.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Korren,’ Deyuul said. Korren nodded in response.

  ‘You too.’

  Keral entered behind with Thanesh following.

  ‘Sir,’ Korren perked up.

  ‘He did not bleach the colour from you then,’ Keral said when Thanesh didn’t respond.

  ‘He talked about it.’ Korren’s eyes were still on Thanesh, then skipped to Alethia as she followed him into the room. ‘Apparently, Inadiine skin is harder to get rid of than that.’

  ‘It’s awful that he’d try,’ Alethia said, unable to stop the words coming from her mouth.