Heliotropic 3: To the Light

by Mardi Ballou

  “Like that would stop him.”

  “He snuck onto our planet once. Despite what you think, we don’t roll over and play dead. We can respond effectively to any threats. Trust me on this, Val, if we banish Retkove from Apoll’ex, he won’t be back.”

  “I still say we should send the scum on a one-way trip to hell. It’s better than what he deserves.”

  “Trust me. Once you’ve been on Apoll’ex, permanent exile will seem like the worst ravages of hell.”

  Val couldn’t get his mind around that, but he figured he had nothing to gain by arguing with Paul. Now that he was on the verge of removing Retkove from the world, Val felt like the summit of a mountain he’d been climbing forever was at long last in view.

  “I just hope Chaleur Radiant is still all right,” Paul murmured.

  “I agree. I’d love to rescue someone from Retkove’s clutches.”

  “The entrance to the Springs is up ahead. Val, this part of Sun Ville is probably the ugliest spot on Apoll’ex. Just to let you know, the bleakness is not typical. It’s just this is the only spot the sun doesn’t completely warm.”

  “Funny place for the entrance to the Springs.”

  Paul nodded. “We make use of every bit of our terrain. The original settlers figured this spot had no particular attractive features. As I said earlier, the Springs usually require very little attention.”

  As soon as they stepped out of the Rapid Transit Pod, Val could feel the temperature drop at least ten degrees. Even more noticeable, the grayness of the atmosphere socked him in like a cocoon of fog. Though none of this bothered Val, hardened as he was to the permanently dreary atmosphere of Earth, Paul shivered and his face puckered into a grimace. “The entrance is here, on the side of this pile of gray blocks. Val, this is the only structure on Apoll’ex that has a roof,” Paul told him.

  Val sniffed. The roof consisted of what looked like hunks of moss-encrusted driftwood roughly nailed together. The smell of rotting vegetation clung to the slimy gray blocks and the haphazard roof. “If this is the Apollan conception of roofs, I can see why they’re not real popular on your planet.”

  “Evidently the building was thrown together as a temporary structure for the Springs when the planet was first settled. Despite periodic initiatives to replace this eyesore with something more appealing, Apollans dislike coming here so much, it keeps getting put to the bottom of the to-do list. Maybe as a sign of our good faith, the four of us should replace the building -- after we get rid of Retkove.”

  Val grunted a non-committal reply. He was totally focused on getting Retkove now. They could talk about other projects afterward.

  A steep staircase began right at the entrance. The atmosphere they stepped into was cold, dark and dank -- perfect for that smarmy reptile Retkove. Fortunately, with their vampiric vision, he and Paul could easily descend the stairs without benefit of light.

  At first, aside from the hiss of the Springs, silence greeted them. “Maybe Retkove took his victim to the Woods after all,” Val whispered. Though he knew the point of their exercise was to capture Retkove and stop his rampage, Val would have been very disappointed not to be in on the kill.

  “I think I hear something,” Paul whispered back.

  Both men stood still on a step. Hiss, hiss, hiss. The Springs, which took up half the floor space below them, sounded louder as they drew nearer. And then, coming very faintly between two hisses, they heard a faint groan. Val took Paul’s hand and squeezed it. Moving silently through the dark, they approached the source of the sound -- Retkove and his victim.

  * * *

  Retkove heard a strange sound. All his senses warned that Val Cutter was approaching. Bloody hell. Val Cutter, the man who’d forced him from the Earth. The man he’d loved forever, not that it had done him any good. The man he’d thought was dead.

  He’d been wrong about that. His heart did a funny tango. Val alive, and yet Val now primed to destroy him. How the fuck had everything gotten so twisted? Shit, to add to his agony, Retkove realized Val was probably hunting him alongside his lover, Paul de l’Astre. The two of them had found each other, and there’d never been room for him in Val’s life afterward. In his deepest self, Retkove admitted Val had rejected him completely even before Paul came along.

  Their being here must mean they’d been exposed to the serum -- and it had also made them both sun-tolerant, just like it had done for him. Knowing de l’Astre had hungered to return to Apoll’ex, Retkove figured he’d done them both a huge service.

  But was either of them going to thank him? Was either of them grateful? From the murderous look in Val’s eye, Retkove knew the answer to that one.

  Shit. For them to discover him here, like this, when he’d been playing with another Apollan. He hadn’t harmed any of his captives. Just fooled around with them, sucked a little of their blood before he set them back on their paths. But would Cutter or de l’Astre give him any credit for his restraint? No.

  Fuck. What was he going to do now? They had him backed into a corner. He wouldn’t be here -- none of them would -- if Val had only returned his love. On Earth, Retkove had exercised his power to try to get Val to give in to him. Retkove had figured he’d be able to get his balance back here on Apoll’ex, the planet of paradise. But even here, his obsession stayed with him. Seeing Val again, Retkove knew he’d never get over it.

  If he couldn’t have the man he loved, he’d see to it that everyone suffered.

  * * *

  Paul thought he’d be sick when he saw what Retkove was doing to Chaleur Radiant. Retkove’s captive -- tall, dark, gorgeous and completely naked -- stood with his wrists manacled overhead to a post. Retkove, cock in hand and fangs shiny with blood, alternately whipped Radiant and licked the stripes of blood that welled up. As he tongued Radiant’s wounds, Retkove furiously stroked his flaccid cock.

  “Come on,” Retkove taunted his victim. “A real man’s blood would get my cock hard. Get me hard, and I’ll let you go.”

  Radiant, whose back was covered with whip marks, whimpered.

  “Just as I thought, you Apollan wimp. Even your blood is weak.” Retkove lashed Radiant again, and the young man sagged, losing consciousness. Retkove gripped Radiant’s back and fastened his mouth to the raw flesh.

  “I’m going to kill the bastard,” Val muttered to Paul. Swallowing back his nausea, Paul restrained Val, though he could well understand where he was coming from.

  “I’m contacting Trey and Soleil to join us,” Paul whispered.

  “I’m not waiting for them.” Val rushed forward and pulled Retkove off Radiant.

  His mouth dark with his victim’s blood, Retkove struck out with his claws and scored Val’s face. Val smacked Retkove so hard, the bastard’s head swung back and forth like the clapper of a defective bell.

  Before Val could smack him again, Retkove went down, muttering the name “Cutter” before his head struck the ground and he lay silent.

  Val wanted to stomp on him, to crush any vitality he had out of him, but Paul stopped him. “He’s down, Val. He can’t do any more damage. Secure him to keep him there.”

  Val’s hands trembled with the effort not to tear Retkove into a hundred little pieces.

  “Trey and Soleil are on their way. I need to see to Radiant.” Paul tried to move Radiant’s arms down the pole but found the wrists were manacled so tight he’d need to find a key so as not to hurt him when he freed him. Poor Radiant remained unconscious. Paul figured they could deal with the wounds once they got the manacles off.

  “This scum isn’t going anywhere.” Val had bound Retkove with a chain he attached to a post.

  “You and who else are going to keep me here?” Retkove, returning to consciousness, muttered.

  Retkove always knew how to milk any situation for the maximum destructiveness. Paul felt some righteous Earthly anger rise in him, but he knew he had to keep a lid on such emotions in order to contain Val and lead Retkove to justice, Apollan style. When he also found
a sharp wooden stake, Paul knew he’d hit pay dirt.

  Though he abhorred the implicit violence of his act, without saying a word, Paul handed Val the stake. Whenever Retkove opened his mouth to say something, Val brandished it. “Go ahead, Retkove. Just say the word, and you’re toast on a stake.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Retkove crowed.

  Val traced the contours of Retkove’s face with the tip of the stake. “Paul wouldn’t, but Retkove, staking you would be one of the five best moments of my life.”

  Retkove kept quiet until Paul asked him for the key to Radiant’s manacles. Retkove snorted in response. “I have it on a string around my dick.”

  All three men looked at the chains burying that part of the creep’s anatomy.

  “Looks like I’ll just have to shove the chains aside and tear off his dick.” Val’s eyes glittered at the prospect, and Paul had to stifle a laugh.

  Retkove rolled his eyes. “You boys always take everything so seriously. No sense of humor. The key’s in my jacket, over there, in the pile with Radiant’s clothes.”

  Val pressed the tip of the stake into Retkove’s lip, just hard enough to draw blood, and laughed.

  “What the fuck --” Retkove growled.

  “I guess I find different things funny than you do, pervert.”

  Retkove sucked on his bloody lip and looked away. Val wanted him to say or do something more, to give him a reason to hurt him. Shit, after all his years of dealing with Retkove, with the way the shit fucked up everybody’s life, Val couldn’t believe it was over. He and Paul had captured Retkove. The scum would never again be able to hurt Val or Paul.

  Val waited for the sweet taste of victory to fill him. Somehow, though, this moment didn’t live up to what he’d expected.

  Paul quickly got the key and unlocked the still unconscious Radiant’s wrists. Once his arms were free, he slumped to the ground. “We need to get him out of here so his wounds can be treated.”

  “He came voluntarily with me,” Retkove hissed.

  “Right. How did you entice him here?” Paul bit back the insults he wanted to heap on Retkove.

  “It wasn’t hard,” Retkove purred.

  “Just like your cock,” Val chortled.

  Retkove shut up again. Just as well. Hearing his voice brought back unwelcome memories.

  When Soleil and Trey arrived, the four of them made quick work of getting the chained Retkove and the still-unconscious Radiant up the stairs, away from the hissing Springs.

  “You owe me,” Retkove announced as they took in the air outside the structure.

  The four of them laughed. “It looks like Retkove’s going to plead insanity when he goes before the Tribunal,” Paul said.

  “Not insane,” Retkove hissed. “But none of you would be here if not for the serum I developed. I don’t hear anyone thanking me.”

  Val lunged for Retkove’s neck. “You bastard. You mean we should thank you for the serum you almost killed Paul and Soleil to develop? The serum we were exposed to when you set off the explosion in your lab that you figured blasted us all to hell?”

  “The means don’t count. Just the ends. Your exposure to the serum is the only reason you’re all here in paradise.” Retkove said the words with total conviction.

  Val shook his head. Retkove might not be insane, but clearly his worldview was warped. As far as Val was concerned, nothing would fix Retkove, and his evil dwarfed any possible good he might do. Despite their reputation for mercy, he hoped the Apollan judges threw Retkove the fuck off the planet and banished his ass forever.

  Soleil and Trey transported Radiant in their Pod; Val and Paul did the same with Retkove, dumping his chained body in the back, where Val kept vigilant watch.

  Chapter Five

  Retkove couldn’t believe it. Everything was crashing down around him. Here he’d figured all his dreams were finally coming true, all his hard work and the sacrifices he’d made over the years were paying off. He’d managed to come to terms with the fact that he’d never have the man he loved, Val Cutter. So he created his serum, he found a way to come to Apoll’ex. Only instead of achieving the happiness he’d been chasing all these years, his life was now more fucked up than ever. He risked being banished from Apoll’ex forever. Once a sentence like that was handed down, nothing even he could do would let him come back. No one honored him for developing his serum. And, worst of all, he saw the man he loved content with another. And it had been because of him that Val Cutter and Paul de l’Astre had come together.

  But shit, he couldn’t spend his time groveling in his misery. He’d have to figure out a way to pull himself out of this disaster. After all, he faced a miserable eternity if he didn’t come up with some way to get the judges to show him mercy.

  If only he could get his heart into it.

  * * *

  Up until they had Retkove, arms chained behind him, standing before the Tribunal of Justice, Val kept dreading the bastard would find a way to wriggle free. Though he wasn’t given to second guessing himself, he kept wondering if he’d made a big mistake not offing Retkove when he had the chance. On the other hand, seeing him publicly humiliated and punished afforded a certain satisfaction.

  Fortunately, Radiant had made a complete recovery. His testimony, along with that of the other victims, was expected to be damning, even though most of them remembered few actual details. The fact that Retkove had hypnotized them and made them forget what he’d done to them horrified the Apollans. Speculation ran high as to what Apollan justice would look like as it applied to Ideg Retkove. Paul kept trying to convince him Apollans were always merciful. Val figured Retkove would break that tradition.

  Much of the population turned out for Retkove’s trial. On Apoll’ex, three judges sat at the head of the court. All parties to any lawsuit spoke for themselves, which included answering questions posed by the judges and any members of the public in attendance. That said, there was a two-hour limit to testimony unless there were extraordinary circumstances. The judges would render their verdicts in half an hour or less.

  The court convened with everyone kissing his neighbor. Fondling and groping were also encouraged so everyone would be in a positive frame of mind for the presentation of the case.

  After the lead judge outlined the case, he also presented information about vampires -- now able to visit their planet because of a new serum. He pointed out two Apollans were now also vampires. Along with deciding the fate of Retkove, the Apollans would need to decide whether to allow vampires among them. Realizing they might become the first group ever banned from Apoll’ex, Val grew nervous. Though he wanted to see Retkove punished, Val dreaded the possibility of Paul’s being permanently exiled from Apoll’ex. If that happened, he’d have yet another grievance against the villain.

  Radiant, now fully restored to glowing health, testified first. Despite the warnings after the other men’s disappearances, he admitted he’d allowed himself to be seduced by Retkove’s offer of an exotic adventure. Now Radiant felt stupid, but extremely grateful to have recovered completely.

  His face frozen and non-reactive, Retkove listened. After all the harm Retkove had done, Val wished he could suffer more than he was going to. No justice could possibly punish Retkove in proportion to the horrors he’d perpetrated.

  “What say you, Ideg Retkove, to the accusations against you?” the lead judge thundered.

  “Please allow me to stay here on Apoll’ex. It’s been my dream, since my transformation two centuries before, to face the sun again. Not just the measly bit of light that penetrates the thick toxic clouds of the atmosphere on Earth. When I heard the legends of Apoll’ex, I knew I had to come here, the paradise built on sunlight.”

  When Val heard Retkove’s speech, he snorted. Backed into a corner, Retkove was able to sound decent. While the Apollans might be taken in, Val wouldn’t allow the villain who’d threatened his life for so long to con these innocents. “I object!” He jumped out of his seat. “Don’t believe anythi
ng he says. He’s a liar, cheat, murderer and guilty of just about every other crime.”

  The judges and the other Apollans in attendance broke into conversations. Over the buzz, the lead judge asked, “Good sir, can you point out which part of what he’s just told us is a lie?”

  Of course he couldn’t. For all he knew, everything Retkove said could be the truth. But he lied by omission. He made no mention of all the harm he’d done. Val insisted this be revealed to the judges and the other Apollans. Then they’d see how fast the Apollans wanted to boot him off their planet. Val and the other vampires had to make sure the Apollans knew how to differentiate the criminals among the vampires from the good guys.

  “What say you to the charges Val Cutter raises?” the lead judge asked.

  Retkove actually managed to look repentant. “He tells the truth. In my previous days, deprived of the sun, I was guilty of many crimes.”

  Everyone gasped. Val waited to see what trick Retkove was playing.

  “And what say you as to why you seduced and attacked Apollans? After you illegally landed on our planet, you compounded your crime with these acts. Why didn’t you present yourself to us? We have always welcomed newcomers.”

  Though Apollans didn’t officially get angry, this crowd hummed with outrage.

  Retkove looked sick. “My crimes are reprehensible, it’s true. I can only say, not that my words justify my deeds, that long years suffering the rejection and scorn of my fellows twisted me. Though I arrived in paradise on Apoll’ex, I couldn’t shed my former ways. I couldn’t believe the Apollans would accept one such as myself, so I continued acting as I always had before. Unfortunately, the young Apollans I victimized, unused to one such as me, had no weapons or defenses sufficient to fight me off. Carried away by their attractions, I succumbed to my baser nature.”

  Val and Trey rose and hissed at Retkove and demanded rough justice. The Apollans, confused, looked at the two of them as if they were the freaks. Maybe Retkove was so far beyond their limits of understanding, they couldn’t get their minds around how to react to him.