Alien Genes 1: Daughter of Atuk

by Petra Theunissen

  She stopped for a moment. The pain in her back seemed to get worse with every step she took. There was a warm dampness on her hand when she touched the wound and she looked down. It was covered in blood. The wound had started bleeding again. No wonder she was feeling so shaky.

  How much blood have I lost?

  She looked ahead at Karu, who was still moving rapidly through the tunnel. She hadn't expected him to be at the Great Council Hall. Why had he come?

  As if on cue, he suddenly stopped and pointed at a hint of light ahead. “There,” he said, “we're almost outside the city."

  Cathy breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally."

  Instead of moving on, he held up his hand, gesturing her to be quiet. Then she heard it too—the muffled sound of movement behind them.

  He spoke softly. “The guards. They have followed us."

  Cathy felt her heart sink. “They must have followed the blood trail."

  He didn't answer, but she knew she was right.

  Damn. If only she hadn't been injured. Then they would have been out safely. He motioned to her to hurry up, and she followed him as fast as she could, but it was a strain and she couldn't keep up.

  “I can't..."

  “You have to. Come,” he urged her on.

  Exhausted, she put in a last effort and when they broke through the surface, the icy cold hit her straight on. She gasped, trying to catch her breath. It was freezing, and she folded her arms in an effort to keep warm.

  He glanced at her. His yellow eyes seemed sympathetic. “We can't stay here. We have to go. There's transport waiting for us,” he said, and held out his hand to her. “Let's go."

  She took his hand. He had a point—if she stayed there, she would freeze to death. She stood up in the freezing wind. A few meters away she saw a light sphere. Putting her head down, she gathered her strength to fight the icy wind and snow.

  Suddenly a voice in her head.

  There they are!

  Behind them, breaking through the surface, were about a dozen guards. One waved his hand in the air and the next moment she heard the drone of several light spheres approaching.

  Don't move. A guard gave the order, his weapon targeted directly at Cathy. She reluctantly obliged.

  “You have to try and escape,” she said softly to Karu.

  “No."

  “I can take care of myself. You have to go and warn the others."

  He didn't answer, but judging by his demeanour, he wasn't going anywhere without her and, frustrated, she turned back to the guards.

  They were surrounded.

  “It will be dark soon,” Karu commented loud enough for the guards to hear. She could see them hesitate and look up at the darkening sky.

  Restrain them, the guard ordered, putting his weapon back in his pocket, And hurry up!

  Three guards rushed over and placed bonds on both Karu and Cathy. Her restraint was too tight and for a few moments she struggled to breath. The thought crossed her mind that she should be able to free herself, and she closed her eyes, reaching deep inside her. Somewhere, she knew, she had the key, but it seemed to escape her. Exasperated, she opened her eyes again and glanced at the dozen or so guards who were now looking nervously at the sky as the sun settled to the horizon.

  They were bundled aboard, and then the light vessels hovered a few minutes longer before heading off to land outside the city shield wall. The main guard gestured to his subordinates and they hurried towards the entryways. It was clear that they weren't about to waste any time outside the protection of the shield.

  Cathy struggled to keep up. The restraints prevented her from breathing normally, and she was starting to feel dizzy. She stumbled a few times, but managed to stay on her feet. Once, the guard behind her grew impatient and hit her on her wound. She gasped as the pain shot through her body, and couldn't prevent a yelp from escaping her lips. Karu's head whipped in her direction and she could see him labour to free himself from the restraints. She stopped, trying to catch her breath.

  Move! The guard hit her again on her wound.

  Suddenly an overwhelming anger took hold of her, and she spun around. “Stop that, you idiot!"

  The guard moved threateningly closer. What did you say?

  I said ‘Stop that'.

  As he lifted his arm to hit her again, an energy beam hit him straight on and he was flung back onto the snow-covered ground. There was a look of shock in his eyes before his head slumped sideways. More energy beams followed, and within seconds, none of the guards were left standing.

  Both Cathy and Karu looked up the same time to see where the beams had come from. Their gaze was met by a huge grin from Anya, who waved at them from her light sphere. It hovered next to them, and someone jumped off to free them. It was Eqin, and Cathy looked into his piercing green eyes in amazement. She could see her relief reflected in them, although neither said a word. She held on to his hand as he helped her clamber on board the vessel, determined never to let go again.

  “We have to hurry before they find out what happened,” Anya said. “We should be able to make it to a stopover in time. They shouldn't be able to follow us there. Not at night."

  No-one answered. She was right. The sun was setting, and it would be dark soon.

  Cathy watched intently as they moved at high speed over the windswept, snow-covered plains. They seemed deserted and she wondered what would happen if they became trapped out there. They'd probably freeze to death.

  Suddenly becoming aware that she was extremely cold, she rubbed her arms. Without a word Eqin handed her a jacket and helped her put it on.

  “Jackets are over there,” he said to Karu.

  “Thanks, but don't need it,” Karu said, pointing to his thick, furry skin.

  Cathy sensed tension between the two males and wondered what that was all about. Suddenly feeling dizzy, she held on tightly to Eqin.

  He fleetingly looked at her. “Are you alright?"

  She nodded. She noticed that he took a brief look at the wound on her back and saw the expression on his face change. His eye met that of Anya who, without a word, increased speed, and Cathy knew that her wound was not looking good.

  The sun had set and darkness was rapidly falling. Anya had a sense of urgency about her and Cathy knew why. She wanted to spend as little time as possible traveling in the dark. The first of the three moons was rising on the horizon, and Cathy marveled at its size. Its glow reflected off the white snow, providing an eerie light.

  “There,” Anya suddenly said, pointing at the illuminated entrance of a stopover in front of them.

  Cathy's gaze followed the direction she was pointing to. She could feel Eqin tense up next to her, and it puzzled her. “What's this place?"

  Eqin answered her question.

  “Centuries ago the Algidans travelled long distances between remote cities. A Stopover was where the travellers would stay for the night, but as planetary transportation became faster and more efficient, these places fell into disuse. Now they're mainly used by all types of societal misfits. No respectable Algidans would want to be seen at a stopover."

  “At least they won't be looking for us here,” Anya said quietly without as much as a look in Eqin's direction.

  Cathy didn't know what to say. She felt weak, and it was an effort to walk with the others once they had docked. She stopped for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. Eqin turned towards her. Without a word, he pulled up her jacket. She could see by the expression on his face that it was serious.

  “We have to take you somewhere where we can look at your wound,” he said.

  Anya motioned towards a side door. “Our quarters are that way.” And then, motioning towards Karu, she added, “The eating facilities are that way."

  He nodded and left them without a further word. Cathy and Eqin followed Anya as she showed the way. Outside their quarters, she stopped and indicated that they should go inside.

  Cathy recoiled at the sight. Not only were the quarters
dirty, they were hardly big enough to swing a cat. No wonder respectable Algidans avoided these places. But she was too tired to dwell on it.

  “How are you feeling?” Eqin asked.

  “Like I've been through a war."

  She saw a hint of a smile on his face and knew the wound couldn't be that bad after all. Not if he still managed to smile about it.

  He made her lie on the bed and carefully took off her jacket. Every movement hurt and she fought back the tears. Then, without ceremony, he tore her silken robe to more clearly expose the wound on her back. She cringed. Did he know how much trouble she went to to get that outfit?

  She felt the warmth of his touch as he placed his hands on her naked back, scarcely touching the wound. She felt his energy flowing into her wound and into the rest of her body. It was a comforting, warm feeling and she lay completely still. When he had finished, she felt his hand hovering over her exposed back and then brushing her shoulder blades before coming to a rest on her bare shoulders.

  Then he removed his hand, and said gruffly, “There. It's done. You should feel better now."

  She turned over onto her back, and looked into his piercing green eyes. She wanted to be with him so desperately, to feel his body against hers and to never let him go.

  Eqin...

  She could see that he wanted the same. His fingertips touched her face, and then he leaned over and when his lips touched hers, she felt an instantaneous union with him. Her hand slipped behind his head and she responded with unbridled passion. How she hungered for him...

  Then he suddenly got up. “We can't do this,” he said brusquely.

  Disappointed she sat up, unaware that her robe had slipped off her shoulder, exposing the soft curve of her breast. “Why not?"

  “It's ... not right. This is neither the time nor place."

  She was silent for a while. Then she gently said, “What's wrong?"

  Avoiding her eyes, he picked up the jacket. “Put this on. It's cold."

  Reluctantly she took the jacket and did as he asked. “Eqin?"

  “You are the daughter of Atuk."

  “So?"

  He didn't answer. “You need to rest. Tomorrow's a long day. Good night.” And then he left.

  Devastated by his rejection, she sat motionless on the bed. What had just happened?

  * * * *

  The next morning Cathy found the eating facility virtually deserted. It was odd, and she vaguely wondered where all the travellers had gone.

  Walking to the first empty table, she sat down, and an automated waiter almost immediately came floating over to her. “What can I serve you?"

  “Bring me whatever is on your menu."

  She wasn't particularly hungry, but she felt she had to eat something. She sighed and rubbed the back of her hand over her forehead. She was still feeling tired and grubby, having hardly slept a wink the night before. Besides worrying about Eqin's strange reaction, she couldn't get comfortable in her dirty and small quarters. At least her back was feeling better. The pain was gone, and the bleeding had stopped.

  She wondered what time it was. Did they keep time on Krinis like they kept on Earth?

  “Morning."

  Eqin's voice was a welcome sound, but she suddenly felt awkward in his presence. “Morning,” she answered as evenly as she could manage.

  He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. “Feeling better?"

  She nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Yes, thank you. And you?"

  His hand slid over hers on the table and he held it tightly as if he never wanted to let it go. “There was a moment ... that I thought I had lost you,” he said almost inaudibly. “I wouldn't have been able to live with that."

  She looked up. “Really?"

  She saw sadness in his eyes. “Cathy...” he started to explain, but before he could continue, Anya and Karu entered the eating facility and headed in their direction. “I'm sorry,” he blurted.

  Seemingly unaware of the tension, Karu turned the chair next to Cathy around so that its back faced the table and then sat down on it. With his arms resting comfortably on the back of the chair, he said, “So, how is the Chosen One feeling this morning?"

  “Fine, thank you. Thanks to you and Eqin,” Cathy replied. “What were you doing there anyway? I didn't know you were part of the Resistance."

  “I'm not,” Karu said, without any further attempt at explaining himself. She didn't ask. She'd find out eventually why he was really there.

  The automated waiter brought Cathy's order and she was about to pick up her fork, when she noticed Karu looking at the food intently. He reminded her of a hungry wolf, and before she could offer her plate to him, he pulled it over to his side and started eating vigorously. Stunned, she glanced from him to her plate of food under his chin, and back to him. He had a cheek!

  Lifting her eyebrows, she caught Eqin's gaze and they exchanged a hidden smirk. Her spirit lifted. Eqin still felt the same about her even though he'd left so abruptly the night before.

  There was a sudden flash of light and Atuk appeared in front of them. It was clear as day that she was livid and Cathy shied away. How did the ancient woman know where to find them?

  a'Atuk! You have disobeyed my orders!

  Cathy squirmed. She'd hoped she would have more time to prepare herself to face the ancient woman. I'm sorry. I thought I...

  Atuk interrupted her with an angry gesture. Her dark, piercing eyes scanned each of the other culprits individually. Then she stepped back and addressed them all:

  And you—you all aided her. Especially you, Anya, and I trusted you.

  Atuk ... Anya tried to explain, but the ancient woman motioned her to keep quiet as she continued her tirade.

  I will punish you all for your insubordination!

  Another flash of light, and suddenly Cathy found herself alone in the stark surroundings of Atuk's Hall back at the Sanctuary. How on...

  Atuk's eyes were dark with rage, and for the first time since having met the ancient woman, Cathy felt terrified. Atuk had every right to be angry with her. Not only had she disobeyed this person who had claimed her as a daughter, but she'd also inadvertently destroyed the Great Council Hall and with it any possibility of reconciliation.

  I'm sorry, Atuk. I shouldn't have...

  “Quiet!” Atuk's furious voice resounded through the empty hall, and Cathy swallowed hard, waiting anxiously for the Antediluvian to speak again—but there was only a long, tense silence.

  When Atuk eventually spoke, her anger was palpable. You have disobeyed my order and you have caused disaster. For that you will be punished.

  There was yet another flash of light. Cathy was horrified to discover she was alone on a snow-covered, windswept plain. She'd landed in the middle of a blizzard, and an icy wind blew right through her clothes. Luckily, she was still wearing her snow jacket, but it hardly helped. She was also still wearing the sandals she wore to Judgement Day, and the thin and torn satin robe under the jacket.

  She started to shiver uncontrollably, and called out. “Atuk!"

  She knew Atuk could hear her, but her call was met by a sinister silence.

  Through the snowdrifts she saw a building half-hidden by snow, a few hundred metres away. It looked like a house—an odd house, but nevertheless a house. Perhaps whoever lived there could help her.

  Visibility was quickly diminishing as the blizzard picked up, and she started running in the direction of the house—but it was a useless effort. With every step she took, she could feel her energy levels falling, and her progress becoming slower. She knew she'd never reach the house and there was no way she was going to survive long in the snow storm.

  Every breath she took was a painful effort as the icy air entered her lungs, and every step she took was a challenge. She couldn't remember when last she had been so cold.

  A bitter snow gust nearly blew her off her feet and she stopped for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath. Then she stubbornly pushed on. If she remained ther
e, she would most certainly freeze to death.

  “Atuk! Is this really necessary?” she shouted into the icy wind. Her sandals sank into the snow and thick flurries of flakes covered her face. She knew she was in trouble.

  “Atuk!” But there was still no answer, and as the snowdrifts became thicker, she struggled on.

  Suddenly Atuk appeared next to her. You have disobeyed my orders, a'Atuk!

  “And for that you're going to let me die?” Her lips were numb, the words difficult to form.

  Will you disobey my orders again?

  Cathy opened her mouth to say ‘no’ but then she closed it. She couldn't. It wasn't her nature to simply comply. “I can't promise that."

  Atuk disappeared again, and Cathy had no choice but to forge ahead. Her hands and feet were turning blue. About three metres from the building she collapsed. The glacial wind was too strong and cold to continue.

  “Atuk...” she begged. She could vaguely make out Atuk's outline next to her. The Antediluvian was apparently unaffected by the snow and the wind.

  Will you disobey me again? The question was unavoidable.

  She was too weak to argue. “I can't promise that."

  Then you shall suffer the consequences.

  And the ancient woman was gone again.

  Cathy gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet. Challenging the snow and wind, she finally reached the house. With her last strength, she hammered on the heavy wooden door, praying there would be someone to open it.

  The door creaked open and she recoiled when she recognised the face. “Karu! How in heaven's name..."

  He seemed as surprised as she was, and looked around before helping her into the house. “She threw me out too. Lucky for me, it wasn't too far away from my home."

  She didn't answer. Couldn't.

  So, Atuk had no intention of letting me die in the snow. I should've known!

  Karu helped her to sit down next to the fireplace and brought a thick fur blanket. Then he took off her sandals and wrapped her feet in a layer of fur. She wiggled her toes. It felt warm. Cosy.