by Jason Parent
“I knocked,” Kazi protested. “Anyway, I’m not just any guest. By now, aren’t we old, trusted friends?”
“Kazi, I’m no fool. I know what you’ve done. You’ve killed a lot of people.”
Kazi seemed amused. “Then that will make this go much easier. I won’t insult your intelligence, though you humans seem short on it. I won’t tell you my actions were unintentional or caused by some misunderstanding. No, that was Lenyx’s way. I just kill those who get in the way.”
“They’ll hunt you endlessly for what you’ve done.”
“And I’ll kill everyone they send at me.” Kazi smiled. “I’m beyond your government and your army’s reach. There is no one I cannot eliminate should I choose to do so. Admirals, generals, even world leaders… no one can stand against me. They’d be foolish to try, bugs waiting to be squished.”
“We have words for humans who talk like you: insane, megalomaniacal, narcissistic, psychotic and tyrannical.”
“That’s a mouthful,” Kazi said, laughing. “Is that your professional opinion?” His expression turned serious. “Your more primitive cultures wouldn’t hesitate to name me their deity.”
“Even gods can fall.”
“But I won’t.”
“Why are you here?” Connor asked, his defensiveness undermining his caution. “What do you want?”
“Right to business? Fine. You know what I can do. And you know there are no lengths to which I won’t go to get what I want. So, tell me where they are, and I won’t kill you.”
“You already know where they are,” Connor said, tiring of the alien’s games. “I have no doubt that you’ve already looked inside my mind for that answer.”
“There’s just no fooling you, is there?” Kazi gave Connor a look that bordered on respect. “You’re fairly intelligent… for a human, that is.”
Kazi cleared his throat. “When they call you tomorrow night, I want you to convey a message.”
“Why can’t you tell them yourself?”
Kazi glared at him, nostrils flaring. “Because they respect you,” he said as if the words themselves were bitter. “Far more than they ever respected me.”
“What’s the message?”
“Tell them that I’ll give them one opportunity to pledge their subordination to me before I destroy them. Tell them that this world is ours to rule, and if they want to be gods, if they want to stop hiding, rolling around like dogs in human filth, they should do as I say.”
“They’ll never agree to serve you.”
“You’re probably right. Give them the message anyway. Fail to, and, well, I don’t need to tell you the consequences.”
“I’ll give them your message,” Connor said, the words spitting through his clenched teeth.
“Good.” Kazi walked by Connor, dangerously close. It was almost as if he were daring Connor to take his best shot. Perhaps he was.
At the doorway, he stopped. “Take care of yourself, Connor. Who knows? If you serve me well, there may just be a place for you in my new world order.”
“Get out!” Connor shouted.
“Have it your way,” Kazi said, vanishing as the sentence concluded. His parting words hung in the air. Once again, Connor found himself staring blankly into the night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Living in a deserted warehouse was a far cry worse than living in an abandoned cottage. The scenery went from bold, beautiful and majestic to decrepit, desolate and vile. Tryst was thankful she still had her spiders, but there were scourges of other vermin: rats and roaches mostly. They repulsed her. Most kept their distance from her and Milliken as if sensing the danger. The few that didn’t were pests no more.
The warehouse and the cabin had one thing in common: silence, especially in the late hours. But where life blossomed all around the cabin, the warehouse was dead. It offered little peace, hardly fit for a home. Tryst’s earthly home was gone. Her home world was gone. Lenyx was gone. She had nothing left except Milliken and a host of regrets. She was thankful for Milliken, not so much for the regrets. Where did her guilt, shame and sadness come from? In learning about humans, had she accidentally learned to feel like one? Could it be undone? If so, Tryst hadn’t figured out how.
Milliken tried to comfort her, to raise her spirits, failing in most respects. But it was his unfaltering effort that won her appreciation and, on rare occasions, made her smile.
That morning, Tryst vomited bile. Her hunger had returned with a vengeance; her craving became unbearable. How long had it been since she last fed? Months? A year? She filled her body with water until it bloated, the only safe substance she knew. It was a temporary fix to an insatiable need. She hadn’t yet had the courage to try anything human.
Tryst looked at Milliken, who rested in a corner, seemingly without a care. Did he understand their plight? Was he oblivious to the fact that the two of them were alone, foreign bodies in a hostile world? Kazi had abandoned them. No, he had betrayed them. His whereabouts were unknown. How could she and Milliken expect to survive against seven billion humans? She wondered if maybe the two of them should just give up, surrender to the humans and accept the consequences. She wouldn’t, though. She couldn’t. Tryst still had reasons left to value her freedom.
“Hello, Tryst,” a voice behind her boomed. “Miss me?”
Tryst spun around, instinctively swinging her fist as she did. She connected with Kazi’s chin, knocking him to the ground. She might have broken his jaw had his improved skin not been able to absorb most of the blow. The impact still rattled him.
“Now, Tryst,” he said. “Is that any way to treat a friend?” He paused, his nose twitching as though it had caught an appealing scent. He moved in closer to her and sniffed. His proximity, his every action, repulsed her. His breath on her was downright nauseating.
After he was done enjoying her fragrance, Kazi seemed puzzled. “You smell different,” he said. “Are you—”
“I didn’t expect to see you here so soon,” Tryst interrupted. “What brings you here? Connor conveyed your silly message. I suspect you already know our answer.”
“I do, but I was hoping to convince you otherwise.”
“What’s going on?” Milliken asked, the commotion rousing him from sleep. He frowned. “Kazi, what do you want? Here to finally put an end to this conflict, I hope.”
Milliken moved by Tryst’s side. His posture stiffened. His muscles were tense and ready. His mountainous frame foretold danger for any who dared cross him. All Tryst had to do was give the command, and Milliken would do her bidding. She found pleasure in the thought of him hurting Kazi.
“I want you two to yield to me, to accept me as your new commander,” Kazi said, sounding as serious as a funeral dirge. “You two are aimless. Without my direction, you waste your potential. Look around you. Is this really what you want? Follow me if you want more than this.”
Kazi waved his arm horizontally, highlighting their less-than-ideal living arrangements. Tryst told herself they were only temporary. She wanted to believe it to be true, and so she did.
Milliken laughed. He laughed long, and he laughed hard, the boisterous, obnoxious laugh of a drunkard. Milliken wasn’t drunk, but he seemed ready to be as boisterous as Kazi’s presence demanded. Both Tryst and Kazi waited for him to settle.
Finally, Milliken stopped laughing. “Why would I let you take command away from Tryst?” he asked. “And what makes you think you could take it? I have all your abilities, plus I’m bigger, stronger and more skilled in combat. Tryst wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. Your mutiny would be over before it could even begin. I suggest you fall in line before you find yourself in a situation your cunning can’t think its way out of.”
“So you wish to fight?” Kazi’s tone suggested he knew something they didn’t. Tryst hated the uncertainty. She suspected he was up to something. Kazi was always up to something.
“Let’s do it then,” he said. “Unless, of course, you’re afraid I might win.”
<
br /> “Come now, Kazi,” Milliken said. “Reverse psychology? I’m not the simpleton I was back home.”
“You will always be that simpleton.”
“You two,” Tryst interrupted. “Stop this madness. This is not our way. What’s happening to you? You’re becoming just like them.”
Am I? She hadn’t forgotten that Milliken had stopped her violence against Kazi a few days ago. She still wanted to lash out at Kazi, even then. But Tryst suspected a trap, and she’d not easily walk into it. She hid behind their creed as an excuse to avoid an ambush.
“I won’t fight you,” Milliken said. “Unlike you, I respect the chain of command.”
“By that logic, you should do as I say,” Kazi said.
“And I will, as long as it doesn’t contradict Tryst’s orders. If the day ever comes when you properly ascend to command, I will follow your rule without question. Until that day, however, I follow Tryst.”
“You’ve always been the loyal dog, nipping at your commander’s heels.”
Tryst had heard enough. She hated Kazi and would sooner throw him to the humans than accept him back into their depleted ranks. Knowing he’d already made his choice, Tryst made one last empty offer, a chance for Kazi to regain some semblance of honor. It was as pointless as offering a thick steak to a man without teeth.
“Kazi,” she began, her voice as soft as it could be toward him. “You were a valued member of our crew. If that means anything to you, stop antagonizing the humans. There may still be a chance to salvage our relationship with them. You’ll have to answer for what you’ve done, of course.”
“Answer to whom? The humans? Not likely.” Kazi scoffed. His fingers flexed against his palms. He’d always been difficult, disrespectful toward his superiors, but never to this degree. What had changed him? Was it true what the humans say, that power corrupts? Or was it the planet itself, its indigenous life that corrupted him?
“I’ve challenged you, Milliken,” Kazi said. “If you won’t fight me, then this should all be over quickly.”
The sound of splintering wood came from the wall to Tryst’s left. Long cracks appeared in it. Scraps of timber and plaster fell like pieces removed at random from a puzzle. A section of pipe emerged from the biggest hole that had formed. It hovered in the air briefly, then flew into Kazi’s hand.
“Stand still now,” he said, brutally swinging at Milliken’s head.
Milliken wasn’t taken unaware. Effortlessly, he caught the pipe with one hand, halting its momentum before it could cause any harm. He ripped it from Kazi’s grasp and threw it to the ground. Milliken was never quick to anger, but the unprovoked attack sparked something within him. He threw his shoulders back and gnashed his teeth. Tryst knew that if she didn’t act fast, he would retaliate.
“Stop!” she shouted as Milliken stepped toward Kazi with fists clenched. Milliken did as commanded, but he didn’t take his eyes off his attacker.
Kazi grinned. “So you are her dog.” Milliken growled, a low rumble coming up from deep inside him. Kazi pushed harder.
“Such a good dog you are, always doing as you’re told.” As if his words weren’t insulting enough, Kazi slapped Milliken across his cheek. “Obey your master, dog.”
Milliken’s growl grew louder, ferocious. Ironically, he snarled like a dog. But he was a collared dog, and Tryst held the leash. He didn’t attack.
With a flurry of punches, Kazi unloaded on Milliken. Punch after punch, Milliken endured the insult. His body flexed, his anger threatening to explode from within him. If Kazi kept it up, Tryst knew he’d provoke the result he strangely seemed to desire. Then, it happened.
Milliken snapped. Kazi had bludgeoned him incessantly until the giant fell to one knee. Tryst knew he couldn’t be hurt, but the barrage of punches must have been a source of incredible annoyance. Milliken released a swat that was so fierce, Tryst hoped it might extinguish the gnat Kazi had become. It sent Kazi flying. He hurtled through the far wall.
In the adjacent room, Kazi rolled across the floor. For a moment, he didn’t move. But he was back on his feet quickly. His smile dripped into a sneer.
“Come,” he said, summoning Milliken. “I’ve prepared a battlefield for us. We’ll settle this through sport. Then, we can move on with our directives.”
Milliken looked to Tryst for guidance. Kazi called his attention back to him.
“Come,” he repeated. “It’s just at the opposite end of the warehouse.” When no one moved, Kazi leered at Milliken. “Don’t tell me the great warrior Milliken has already admitted defeat. If you find your courage, I’ll be waiting.”
Kazi disappeared. Tryst’s brow furrowed. She still couldn’t figure out Kazi’s intentions, but she knew he was up to some trickery. To say she didn’t trust him would have been an understatement. A voice within her suggested more than caution; it screamed that Kazi was leading them down a perilous path, one that would end in tragedy.
She was wary of going to the other side of the warehouse for plenty of reasons unrelated to Kazi. The floor was unstable, and the walls were even more dilapidated than her and Milliken’s hiding spot. Tryst was uncertain if any of them could safely walk across the floor without falling through, especially someone of Milliken’s stature.
And then there was the vermin. The rot attracted an infestation. No part of the mill was fit for habitation, but the western section was by far the worst. Tryst shrugged. Perhaps Kazi belonged there with the rest of the appalling creatures.
Tryst felt Milliken’s eyes on her. She could read on his face how much he wanted to go. Still, he awaited her command.
“Don’t,” she said, her voice lacking the conviction required of a leader.
Milliken sprang where he apparently saw doubt. “Let’s just hear him out,” he said, vanishing before she could protest. Tryst stood alone for a moment, knowing it folly to follow. Nevertheless, she did.
With a flash like that of an old-time camera, Tryst materialized in a large open room that had once housed endless rows of shelves, their weight having left imprints in the floor where they had stood. It now housed nothing but a few support beams, dust, mold and rats, lots of rats, crawling over each other in piles along each wall. But there was a new arrival; an aboveground swimming pool sat dead center, filled with a clear, still liquid. Somehow, the floor bore its weight.
Now that definitely doesn’t belong here, Tryst thought, immediately wary of the object before her. The floor must be stronger than I guessed. Her eyes focused on the pool with cautious curiosity. She couldn’t imagine how it had been placed there, only that it had to be Kazi’s doing. She felt the cool night air drafting freely through the room and looked up to see the sky, unobstructed.
Roofs don’t just disappear. Did he float the whole damn thing into here? Tryst couldn’t help but be impressed. Were their powers growing? She’d have to test out her own capabilities sooner rather than later.
For now, she had more pressing concerns. Tryst returned her attention to the pool. Kazi had obviously gone through significant effort to get it there, but why? Think, Tryst. She criticized her lack of clarity. The pool sat before her, unremarkable and unassuming, receptive to her thorough examination. Yet, other than the fact that it was there in the first place, Tryst could see nothing odd about it.
The pool was covered by a deep-blue tarp, stretched tightly like plastic wrap over a bowl. It resembled a trampoline’s surface. The tarp covered the pool’s liquid, so Tryst couldn’t see into it from above. But the pool’s siding was translucent. It was easy for Tryst to make out the waterline and its colorless quality. Colorless or not, she found the liquid’s presence foreboding.
“What’s in the pool?” she asked.
“Just water,” Kazi said. “And maybe some chlorine. I don’t know; whatever was in it when I found it.” He approached the pool and ran his fingers along the rail as if he were stroking a cat. He seemed fond of it, too fond for Tryst’s liking. She wouldn’t go near it.
“You sho
uldn’t worry so much,” Kazi said, apparently noticing her apprehension. “The pool is merely a means to resolve this conflict between us. We cannot continue fighting each other and the humans.”
“We didn’t ask for either.” Tryst’s words were said with spite, meant to pierce like daggers.
“Be that as it may,” he responded, seemingly indifferent to her accusation. “We are at an impasse. My solution is simple, and the odds are in your favor.”
“You can’t be trusted.”
“What’s not to trust? Milliken is to face me in unarmed combat.” Kazi clapped his hands together in front of him, showing off his exposed arms as if to suggest he couldn’t possibly have anything up his sleeves. “We will fight over this pool, Milliken and I. Both of us will stand at the center of the tarp and try to throw the other out of the circle. The humans call it sumo wrestling, and usually the bigger, heavier guy wins.”
Milliken laughed enthusiastically. “That’s your plan? It sounds like fun, but it’ll be over quickly.”
“This is pointless,” Tryst said. “Let’s go, Milliken. The humans will get him eventually.”
Milliken didn’t flinch. Kazi smiled. Tryst found it daunting. She tried to peek inside his mind, but Kazi was too well guarded. She knew his bait had been set, and Milliken was nibbling dangerously close to the hook. Soon, he’d bite, and Kazi would reel him in.
“What are the stakes?” Milliken asked.
“If I knock you off, the two of you agree to name me commander and follow my orders without question.”
“Absolutely not!” Tryst blurted.
Kazi seemed unfazed. “If you knock me off, I will agree to obey Tryst from that moment forward, including my surrender to the humans if Tryst sees it fit to command. Obviously, neither you nor I will be able to use our powers. It’s to be your strength against my speed. Any use of weapons or our abilities will result in immediate negation of our deal. Speaking of which, do we have one?”
“No,” Tryst said firmly. In a fair fight, she knew Kazi stood no chance against Milliken. She also knew Kazi would never submit to a fair fight. “We will make no bargains with you. You’ll pay for your crimes regardless. Milliken, seize him.”