D'mok Revival 4: New Eden

by Michael Zummo

  His memories shifted to the last time he saw her—the initial Nukari attack against the Coalition. He relived seeing the glow of the Nukari cannons moments before firing on her escape ship, then the flash that changed everything. The woman he loved, and their child, had perished. As a husband, father—as a man—he had failed utterly to protect those he loved, something that haunted him every day.

  He’d never forget Toriko’s find in the data stolen from the defeated Nukari, or the three words spoken by Osuto when he saw the picture of his family: Rhysus, they’re alive.

  He thought back to the newly abandoned Nukari base where they found prisoners. They looked like animals ready for slaughter, lashed to pyramids, soaked in their own waste. Was this what Anaka and Rhyiel endured? His heart lurched in agony. This was all his fault.

  “Entering normal space in 3 … 2 … 1 … mark,” Una said, the craft jostling as the tunnel of light dissolved into a starry blackness.

  He gazed out the window. In the distance, an impressive station turned in high orbit around Jupiter. The smooth, sleek Coalition construction looked alien to him now. The races to which he’d become accustomed seemed far more inventive with their creations.

  Ships swarmed in and out in a well-choreographed dance. Everything appeared in its place, operating efficiently as always. The Coalition had impressive discipline with how it ran its operations. But right now, no accomplishment of the Coalition compared to the fact that they’d saved his wife.

  What will she look like? Will she be angry? Happy? Relieved? He caught himself fidgeting with his wedding band.

  She would probably already know Rhyiel had yet be found. He’d deal with that topic when the time came. A burning anxiety filled him. Couldn’t they go faster?

  “We’re cleared to dock. Anrik will meet us there,” Una said.

  * * * * * *

  “I’ll be here when you’re ready,” Una said.

  “We’re not waiting. We’re coming with you,” Allia insisted, hopping off her chair, Ichini in tow.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Mencari said with a smile.

  “Commander Mencari,” a familiar voice called from outside the open airlock. An athletic man, classically handsome with chiseled jawline, blond hair, and gentle blue eyes, beckoned. In place of the white Coalition jumper, the man wore a charcoal-gray Victorian-styled vest with an ornate black pattern. Large silver buttons contrasted against the dark fabric. Extra fabric around the sleeves and waist wrapped around and were held in place by larger buttons. Along with the vertical rank bars on the neck and chevrons along the shoulder, a crest sat above his heart adorned with a star emblem similar to that on ancient nautical compasses. Unlike the vest, the pants were simple black, with polished black shoes. A unfamiliar band of metal ran around his throat, with some sort of an emblem carved into it. Perhaps it was a new accessory fad in Human culture? “Anrik,” he said, stepping out through the airlock.

  “It’s good to see you again, sir,” Anrik said, with a salute.

  “Likewise,” he said, wanting to hug the man. “I can never repay you for what you and your team have done, Anrik.”

  “Right time, right place, sir. We were lucky.”

  “Anaka and I are the lucky ones.”

  “May I inform my team they can unload the pod, sir?”

  The pod? He’d been so consumed thinking about Anaka, he’d nearly forgotten about the Coalition woman they transported. “Yes, she’s in the rear room. Who is she, Anrik?”

  His eye twitched. “A member of my team, sir.”

  “What was she doing so far out of Coalition space? From what I understand she was headed back to your territory.”

  “She was on a mission, sir. She was hurt, and was en route to receive help. That’s all I can say, sir.”

  “Whatever she was doing, the Nukari knew about her.”

  “Thank you for preventing her capture, sir. It seems we both have fortunate timing.”

  Mencari smiled. Anrik had a point. Ignoring the random luck of the universe, he appreciated Anrik’s gesture.

  “I’ll inform my team they can retrieve her from the pod. In the meantime, let’s take you to your wife.”

  “We’re with you,” Allia said. He looked his friends over and nodded.

  Anrik led them through a winding maze of corridors, into an area marked “restricted.” From the stark white walls and monitoring stations it looked like a hospital wing. They followed Anrik to an unmarked door.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Now we’ll wait,” Allia said, backing against the wall.

  Mencari held his breath. A door—one single door—separated him from his wife. Now back from the dead, freed from capture, she wasn’t just somewhere out in space, but rather imminently before him. Never before had he both wanted something so badly and feared it at the same time.

  You need to be prepared. Anrik’s words made him worry. What would she look like? He’d never asked how she was physically. Perhaps she had some deformity, or even lost a limb. Perhaps she was malnourished, skeletal? Or maybe she’d been beaten so many times he wouldn’t recognize her? He found himself fidgeting with his wedding ring again.

  “Commander Mencari?” Anrik prodded.

  The answer was no. He wasn’t ready. But that didn’t matter. No matter what lay beyond the door, his wife waited there. No matter what would come, he’d be by her side forever—and nothing would keep them apart again. “I’m ready.”

  The door opened and his heart skipped as he stepped inside. Small feet tented the plain white blanket draped over her. Monitors bleeped a digital chorus, each with a cord or set of wires that tethered to her.

  My God, is she…?

  Her hands lay at her side, motionless. Deep marks gouged her wrists and ran up her arms, telltale signs of the restraints she certainly fought against. Fear cut into his soul.

  What did they do to her?

  His body trembled as a wellspring of emotions ravaged his ability to contain them. He stepped closer, cautious, fear mounting.

  Her long black hair looked frayed and disheveled. If he could just get a glimpse of her eyes. She needed to see him here, to feel his love. He’d make her feel better.

  Instead she lay appearing to sleep, facing away. The sight of her chest rising and falling brought some comfort. At least she was alive. Now that he was here, he’d make sure no one ever hurt her again. Going to her side, he took her icy hand and lightly squeezed.

  With a gentle voice he said, “Sweetheart?”

  He waited patiently, the seconds feeling like minutes, but she continued to lay quiet.

  “Honey?” he said, trying again, eyes misting at the lack of response. Say something—anything. Please … Even the slightest acknowledgement would suffice.

  Anrik placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’s on some heavy medications.”

  The perfect storm of fury, torment, and guilt ravaged him.

  How could I have allowed this to happen? Why didn’t I find her sooner!

  His voice wavered as he took her hand again. “Baby, I’m here. Anaka, open your eyes. I’m right here.”

  Nothing. As if the air had been sucked from the room, he couldn’t breathe. Her body remained unresponsive. She seemed a shell, barely alive and breathing.

  “What did they do to you?” His eyes scoured her malnourished, yet still-beautiful form. “I’m so sorry.” He brought her ice-cold hand to his cheek. “Please forgive me.”

  Her hand squeezed ever so lightly back. The sensation rippled through his body. A gasp of anguish escaped.

  Anrik patted his shoulder. “Take your time. I’m going to be outside, if you need me.”

  He could only nod. She heard him. Maybe she would be okay? His arms reached around her limp body, and he snuggled carefully against her.

  Was this really happening? How long had he yearned to have her in his arms again? His head laid on her chest, listening to her heart beating. The sound that could calm any storm thumped in hi
s ears. He held her tighter. This moment was both a dream and a nightmare sadistically fused into one, a beautiful horror.

  Why is she sedated so heavily?

  Coalition interrogation techniques entered his mind and knotted his stomach. Was she questioned? Did the Nukari know about her association to him? No, they never would have let her go if that was true. A desperation grew within him.

  “Rhy.” Nearly inaudible, the beautiful sound reached his ears. Looking up, he saw her beautiful blues, as faded as they were, struggling to see him.

  “Anaka,” he said, trembling. He choked trying to speak, tears escaping. “I’m so sorry. I’m here.…” He didn’t know what else to say. “I’m here.”

  She squeezed his hand again, and he felt her arm wrap around him. Pulling toward her, their lips met. Energy surged through his body. For an instant, time lost its meaning. The entire universe lived in a kiss. An elation believed lost forever vibrated in every cell of his body. He wanted it to last forever.

  For a moment, the pox that had befallen their lives seemed irrelevant and far away. The love he thought lost, that left him gutted and hollow, had returned. This was real, and Anaka was in his arms again.

  CHAPTER 23

  The Ruse

  “After all this time, it’s hard to believe. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling right now,” Allia said.

  “How about her?” Katen added.

  “Reuniting with a lost love—it’s kind of romantic….”

  Anrik exited the room and joined them in the hall.

  “How’d it go?” Allia asked.

  “As well as it could.”

  Katen glanced behind Anrik through the room’s window to see Anaka lying in the bed. The sheer length of her hair reminded him of Seigie’s. The longer he looked, the more an eerie sensation grew. She looked familiar. Did he know her? No, and yet … His mind churned, digging for answers, barely noticing two nurses entering the room.

  “The nurses are doing one final review before we move her,” Anrik said.

  As they sat her up, Katen got a clear look at Anaka’s face. Bemusement stuck him. In it, he saw the mind of the Nukari beast boy. How could that be possible? How did the Nukari have her picture in his mind? Perhaps he encountered her during her imprisonment. That wouldn’t explain why the boy saw a broken and dying version of the woman.

  Suspicion plagued him. Perhaps her mind would provide clues about the Nukari connection. Asking Mencari for permission seemed fruitless. He’d deal with the consequences later. Answers were needed now.

  The light in the corridor folded around him. His consciousness collapsed inward and in an instant he found himself flying through a tunnel of light, penetrating Anaka’s unguarded mind. He landed on a grassy knoll. Mere feet away, long-stemmed flowers stretched their petals, bathed in the gentle rays of a morning sun, and danced in a soft wind. Among all the mindwalks he’d done, this was among the most cheerful mindscapes he’d ever seen.

  On the other side of the flower field, a humble village sprawled. While in the sky, he saw a space station with a section of the interior exposed.

  He looked about, expecting to see Fio’tro and Fia’ra. Yet they were nowhere to be found. Perhaps her weak mind didn’t require their assistance.

  The echo of laughter drew his attention. Upon a grassy knoll, a family of three played. The woman, who faced uphill, wore a yellow skirt and white top; her long black hair draped past her waist—Anaka. An athletic man in shorts and simple t-shirt chased a small boy around up and down the hill. As the man drew near, Katen saw he had no face.

  With glee, the man said, “I’m going to get you, Rhyiel!”

  The boy squealed in delight. The man’s voice was unmistakable—Rhysus Mencari. But why was his face gone? And Rhyiel was the name of their son.

  He noticed Anaka’s mane of hair turn, as if listening to something behind her. Curious. Could she detect he was there, watching? Most creatures couldn’t detect a mindwalker unless they were trained. Or perhaps Anaka too had abilities like Mencari? That possibility hadn’t crossed his mind before.

  The boy broke away from the man and ran toward Katen, giggling. Unlike the man, the boy had a face. The closer he drew, the more curious he became about the child. Something about the face looked familiar. High cheeks, and that nose … An image appeared next to him, one from Siana’s mindwalk. At first he didn’t understand why. He looked back and forth between the image and the boy. Could it be possible? How deliciously ironic. Rhyiel, the little boy before him, and the image from Siana’s mindwalk were one and the same. Mencari’s son was the beast warrior called Jask!

  A universe of insight crashed upon him. It all made sense. Rhyiel and Anaka were captured at the same time. If the boy demonstrated any abilities, he would have been sent to Kajlit’ga. He’d become a pawn in her army of abominations. From their encounters, Rhyiel appeared to have manifested the same traits as his father. Which could also explain why the two couldn’t hurt each other. Father and son, both sharing the same abilities, are immune to the other’s attacks. An interesting curiosity! But that didn’t explain Anaka. Clearly she’d suffered during her imprisonment.

  As for the image of Anaka’s broken body in Jask’s mind, it seemed a form of motivation. Though was it was one of fear or retribution? The mindwalk with Jask severed before he could learn more.

  Rhyiel giggled and danced around his feet. Strange to see how innocent the boy once was, given the monster he grew up to be. As if hearing his thought, Anaka turned to face him. That wasn’t the face of the woman lying in the bed; it was Kajlit’ga’s! A chill filled the air as dark clouds erupted in the sky. The ground rumbled as metal pylons thrust up around the woman. In moments, she stood inside a bunker of metal and stone. The man and boy returned to her side as an energy dome lowered around the structure.

  A strong wind whipped up, and in a flash of light Fia’ra and Fio’tro appeared by Katen’s side.

  “Brother,” Fia’ra said.

  “She has been corrupted,” he said to them.

  Before their eyes, Kajlit’ga’s face morphed back into Anaka’s.

  “Let us find out what’s happened to her,” Fia’ra said.

  * * * * * *

  “Anaka!” Mencari cried when she fell forward holding her head.

  She quickly regained her balance, and Mencari and one of Anrik’s crew helped her to a seat.

  “Rhysus,” Katen said. “We need to talk.”

  “Let me get Anaka—”

  “Now.”

  “Go ahead, I’ll take care of her,” Anrik said as two more of his teammates entered the room.

  Mencari walked over to stand next to him. “What’s going on? I want to get her back as fast as we can.”

  “She’s been compromised by the Nukari.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her mind …” Katen stopped.

  Her mind? What about her mind? Mencari wondered. Had he been in her mind? What would have made him do that?

  Katen’s voice filled his mind. I hear your questions. It would be easier if I just shared what I’ve found with your mind. May I?

  May he? Now he worried about asking for permission?

  Give me a chance to show you.

  “You better have a good reason for this.”

  The corridor around him folded in upon him. Along with it came a powerful wave of vertigo. When the spinning subsided he found himself in a wondrous place, a grassy field that sprawled over rolling hills.

  Anaka stood at the top of the highest one. Her smile twisted, and the ground shook. Her face melted into Kajlit’ga’s as the ground burst open, a bunker appearing around her.

  “What are you showing me?”

  “Images from Anaka’s mind. She’s been altered—with some connection to Kajlit’ga.”

  “What caused you to go into Anaka’s mind?”

  The environment around him faded into nothingness. A single cone of light appeared above them. On the ground, feet awa
y, Anaka appeared, broken and bleeding, sprawled like a shattered marionette.

  “Because I saw this before,” Katen said.

  “What is this from? Where would you have seen this?”

  “From a recent battle … but here, that’s not all.” More moments appeared in floating clouds around them. Mencari saw a scene of his son running around the same hill where Anaka was just standing; the image morphed into one with Rhyiel in a tented encampment surrounded by Nukari Beast Warriors. The final scene revealed his son donning the very encounter suit seen at the attempted trap in the Nukari asteroid base station.

  His mind cried out, rejecting the images. What did this mean? This couldn’t be.

  “These images … where did they come from?”

  “From many minds from recent battles.”

  No. Please let this be wrong.

  With a steeled voice, Katen said, “Rhysus, the beast warrior—Jask … is your son.”

  The world around Mencari filled with a hellish red light. The ground shook under his feet. He felt himself ripped from the mindwalk.

  He trembled as reality unwrapped around him. He looked up, into Katen’s eyes.

  Katen’s voice echoed in his mind. Did you pull yourself from the mindwalk?

  “Commander,” Anrik said, approaching.

  Looking beyond Katen, he noticed for the first time how many of Anrik’s forces had gathered in the hall.

  “Are you satisfied that Anaka is safely returned to you?”

  His tone held contempt, something he’d never heard from Anrik before. Though still reeling from Katen’s visions, he nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  Alarmed, Katen turned and faced Anrik. Before he could respond Anrik opened his hand, firing energized talons into Katen. Mencari watched in horror as his ally’s body thrashed about and an unholy shriek escaped him before he fell to the floor. Allia cried out and attempted to run to Katen’s side, but was detained by others within Anrik’s forces.