The Deadliest Earthling

by Gibson Morales

  There was motion in the window’s reflection.

  “Here to apologize?” Hamiad said dully from the doorway. He pocketed a candy bar that he’d probably gone to buy.

  “I already apologized,” she said with a hint of impatience. She quickly chided herself. He clearly enjoyed the moral upper hand. “You don’t have to forgive me, but you should think about what you’re doing.”

  He stayed in the doorway, clasping the frame. “I’ve thought about it enough.”

  She didn’t have anything to say to that. He had his reasons, she knew. She couldn’t begin to pretend she understood them all perfectly. And yet, Ibdan’s demise was the trigger for this decision. So whatever he did, she’d caused it in a way.

  She drew a slow breath, deciding there was only one thing left to try.

  “I have something to show you.” And she revealed the designator. “You can set bombs around the Anunnaki base. Or you can turn this in. It’s evidence on the Ascendi’s coup plans. Do they even walk around their bases?”

  “They patrol on foot sometimes.” Hamiad leaned in. “That’s a nice watch. Now will you get out? I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

  An obvious lie. But she could see this wasn’t going anywhere, and she had no answer to that. This was his booth.

  “Everyone else is on the roof, huh?” she asked, getting off the seat.

  He nodded, dropping his arms for her to leave.

  She would’ve checked the train roof if she thought he’d go up there. But he wouldn’t. He’d had the whole ride to join Skunk and Levi. That he remained in the booth only showed how hurt he still was by what they’d said on the roof of the Utbashi hospital.

  Krem’s face implored an answer from her. She cast her head from one side to the other.

  “I was kind of hoping maybe he’d come with us,” Krem said, dropping his chin.

  The next few hours passed fast. Nightfall ushered in a level of exhaustion Sarah didn’t expect. She only knew she couldn’t give in to it. She could always try persuading Hamiad again. Maybe bring Krem along for support. But deep down she knew that would only pester Hamiad.

  Over and over she caught herself pinching the bridge of her nose, the way her mom would sometimes at the end of the days that she had to restrain Tobias. What advice would she give to her now?

  She didn’t even know what she wanted to do. Going to that Anunnaki base with Hamiad would mean delaying a reunion with her mom. Abandoning her to an indefinite amount of heartbreak and worries. A couple of days had passed since the firestorm. A few days more would pass before they actually saw her. That was if they stayed on this train. If she left with Hamiad, she might not see her mom for another week. Maybe more.

  Two days and a firestorm, tigers, Anunnaki soldiers, and the Ascendi’s mind slave had all nearly killed her. Could she even afford to risk a week’s delay? In a week, her mom would worry herself half to death.

  She tried to open to the reality that she’d have to let Hamiad go. Let him choose his own path. Maybe that was the right thing to do now. But she found rationalizing that impossible. Because if Ibdan didn’t die, Hamiad probably would’ve made a couple of different decisions. She could’ve shown him a life with her mom and brother. And the other recruits if they’d wanted to come. A life without the people close to you dying.

  She asked the old man the time.

  “Eight o’clock,” he said, emphasizing the “oh.” A couple of times, she swore it was Tobias sitting there. She hated when her eyes played tricks on her.

  It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t reunite with her mom now. More than anything the thought of staying separated from her much longer proved agonizing. Her mom still had so much to show her.

  When she wasn’t traveling to speak with New Bagram’s funders, Sarah’s mom taught two classes at New Bagram’s high school. For obvious reasons, Sarah couldn’t take those specific classes. So her mom taught her on the side. She introduced her to all things art. Acrylic, pastels, charcoal. Painting portraits, landscapes, still life. She had devoured hours in her room with her easel, canvas, and brushes. Practicing, experimenting.

  Painting was hands down her mom’s favorite kind of art, but she’d been working on tiling and sculpting small clay pieces in the weeks before she traveled to see the benefactors. Naturally, Sarah wanted to learn those techniques too. The day she left, her mom promised to bring a few special clays and some pots so they could try something new.

  And once she was gone, Tobias berated her again for her breakup with Mitchell. It amazed her how he could defend him. Sometimes she swore it was all a conspiracy against her because Mitchell spoke way too kindly about him when they dated.

  After a few dates, she really opened up to him about her detesting Tobias. Instead of empathizing with her, though, he would bring up Tobias’s background as a soldier—his sacrifices being something to celebrate, of course. When that didn’t convince her, he pointed out that Tobias came from a different era, so she shouldn’t be too harsh on him.

  She never got Mitchell to budge on that or concede to any wrongdoings on Tobias’s part. Maybe she shouldn’t have tried, given that he even believed Tobias’s whole conspiracy theory about the Naga’s big plans to finally conquer the Earth.

  She checked on Krem. He sat sagging against the wall, head tilted at an odd angle.

  “All that stuff I used to tell you about Tobias’s study,” she began, leaning against Krem. “Remember that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It was true. The Ascendi’s symbol, the Conifers, the Anunnaki planning something. Does that mean the part about them taking over is true, too?”

  The possibility hadn’t occurred to her up until now. Not in a serious way at least. She’d spent so much time thinking about more immediate concerns.

  Without looking, she could hear Krem rustling his hair. “There was a rumor that when Mars passed close to Earth, the Anunnaki would activate some kind of doomsday weapon.”

  “I saw sketches of Mars in his study,” Sarah said. He must’ve used his telescope to watch for it. Out the window, stars glowed strong. She didn’t have enough view to determine if Mars was there, though.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Krem asked. “My point is that if the Anunnaki really believe they can win the war, they won’t let that opportunity go just because the Ascendi tried to revolt. Sure the Ascendi might be executed or something, but the Sinsers will just find another way to activate their doomsday weapon.”

  Sarah hadn’t considered that maybe it wasn’t only the Ascendi trying to gather Conifers and initiate a new world order. The Sinsers might have their own plans to wipe out humanity.

  That was where the Himalayas would come in, then. They’d have to hide out there when all hell broke loose. But until then, they could at least get payback on the Ascendi.

  “I’m going up,” she said, lifting the window.

  She clambered through the window, and halfway up, hands grabbed her by the shoulders and tugged her up. The sensation jarred her, and suddenly she found herself gazing at a canopy of stars. They shined stronger than in New Bagram. Lights had almost always ruined the experience to some degree there. But here they cascaded across the sky, carving hills and ripples of bright, brighter, and brightest stars.

  The experience soothed her. You can trust stars, her dad had begun to say in the months before he died. They’re simple, predictable, and never dangerous. They only twinkle and shine. Even the moon causes waves and alters animal activity.

  She didn’t know she still remembered this. Sometimes a single unexpected moment could unlock the best memories.

  At a cluster of stars that she thought might be a constellation, she begged herself to halt her search for Mars. Why ruin the moment? But she needed to know.

  She scanned the skies, skimming over the endless array of celestial bodies until something new popped up. She missed it and retraced her optical steps. Red and tiny, but visible. Mars.

  Chapter 20

 
; Part of her wasn’t sure if she would’ve gone with Hamiad before she saw Mars. But part of her knew she would’ve regardless. Mars’s appearance only confirmed that the Anunnaki really did plan to wipe out humanity.

  If they exposed the Ascendi as a traitor to the Sinsers, they would never let him carry out his plan. Of course, it didn’t mean the Sinsers couldn’t use the Conifers for their own purposes. It didn’t mean they’d stop the doomsday weapon Krem mentioned.

  “I think we should go with Hamiad,” Sarah said as she slipped back into her seat.

  Krem’s face lit up. “Really?”

  She didn’t know how Hamiad would react. But he couldn’t stop her, and why would he?

  The train stopped at a station with only enough light to see the faint outlines of buildings. Beyond that the landscape was next to black. Not many people alighted from the train besides Hamiad’s group. Not many people boarded either.

  Sarah and Krem stepped out into the aisle when the train stopped fully. Skunk emerged from their cabin first, then Levi and Hamiad.

  Instead of heading for the door, they made for Sarah and Krem. They would’ve meant to say good-bye to Krem before leaving, of course.

  Skunk sucked in a deep breath, barely blinking. “Well, Krem—”

  “I’m going with you,” Krem said. “We both are.”

  Skunk paused in midstep, the others almost crashing into him. Relief flooded his face.

  “You guys are going to fight alongside us?” Skunk tested, and twisted around to Hamiad.

  “Yeah,” Sarah said.

  Hamiad shrugged. “It’s up to them. But if they expect Zeke to pay them, they have to do things our way.”

  The five of them departed from the train station, Levi fishing a lamp from his backpack and lighting it. The streets were eerily deserted, the occasional dog barking or cow mooing. The jungle was alive with animal hoots, shrieks, and chirps, probably teeming with insects, monkeys, birds, and things she couldn’t even imagine. Just the same, it all sounded so distant and faint.

  Little by little, patches of jungle replaced the buildings down the dirt road. Soon fields of grass and brush framed them. That’s when she noticed Hamiad’s, Skunk’s, and Levi’s rifles. It was the oddest thing, watching Skunk and Levi fidget with their rifles. She’d almost gotten used to seeing recruits handle them with complete uniformity in New Bagram. Hamiad, among them, remained calm, like he knew their exact destination. He kept up a fast pace, always a good two or three feet ahead of them.

  As they trudged on, her ankle began throbbing. It didn’t surprise her. The battle offered a number of occasions when she might’ve twisted or sprained it without noticing.

  With each step, a stinging shot through her calf. All signs pointed to it worsening before getting better. She didn’t care, though. She would’ve made the same choice to follow Hamiad regardless of her leg. How could she abandon Hamiad after all he’d done to protect her?

  Half an hour later, Hamiad called for a rest stop.

  He and Krem disappeared around the other side of a boulder and a rise in the earth to use the bathroom.

  Skunk and Levi glanced at her uneasily from the log they were sitting on.

  “I heard you were going to see your mom,” Levi said with a hint of longing. In other words, why didn’t she?

  Sarah saw the opportunity and pulled out the designator. “Recognize this?”

  “I’m guessing that’s from the Anunnaki we rescued?” Skunk asked.

  “Yeah. If we can get it to the Anunnaki, it’ll expose the Ascendi’s coup plans.”

  Levi ran his hand over his bare, ripped forearm. “I don’t think Hamiad will want you doing that. Well, I mean, he wants the Ascendi dead, but this mission requires stealth.”

  “I’ll give it to them myself if I have to,” Sarah said. She didn’t know if she meant that. She couldn’t really know what she would do until the time came.

  “What if the Ascendi is at this base?” Skunk said.

  Sarah hadn’t fully considered that, but she also didn’t see it as a big possibility. Anunnaki used snake holes all over the planet. They could hop hundreds of miles in a few seconds. Just because the Ascendi had paid a visit to Utbashi didn’t mean he’d stick around the area. And Zatra said the Ascendi was keeping himself as isolated as possible. More than any of that, she trusted that Zatra wouldn’t have given it to her without a good chance of getting it to the right Anunnaki.

  Taking the words out of her head, Levi chided Skunk. “You’re thinking like a human. You have to think like an Anunnaki. The Ascendi could be on the other side of the planet right now if he wanted.”

  “So where is this base?” Sarah asked.

  “It should be a few miles away,” Levi said. “Hamiad has the map.”

  Sarah stared at a passing scorpion nervously, its exoskeleton glowing white from the stars.

  “The Anunnaki don’t spy with mechanical insects, do they?”

  “They rely on their aerial surveillance,” Skunk said.

  The exact answer she’d hoped for. Because surely they knew that if the Anunnaki had aerial surveillance, they would see them hiding the bombs around their base. It was only a matter of forcing them to confront the issue. If she could convince them this was the wrong approach, she might be able to convince Hamiad too.

  When he and Krem came back, they pressed on. Within a half hour the trail opened up to a field of dry clumps of grass.

  Her ears perked up at murmuring from Levi and Hamiad. The constant movement and all the noise of birds and jungle critters had numbed her hearing, so she didn’t even register what they’d said. But she caught Hamiad’s disappointed tone, giving her only guesses at what they’d discussed.

  No sooner did the question cross her mind than Krem gave an urgent cry.

  A set of black figures appeared over the top of a distant hill. As they crouched down, Levi killed the lamp, giving them a better view. The large heads were unmistakable.

  An Anunnaki patrol.

  For minutes they just watched in dread. Sarah counted seven of them. No chance of fighting them off with only a few rifles.

  If she listened hard, she could hear the clicks and grunts of Nebirian.

  “At least we know we’re getting close,” Skunk grumbled.

  Slowly, the sounds of the Nebirian faded into the ambience, and they relaxed. Sarah couldn’t even see the Naga anymore. Skunk was right, though. They were close to the base, which meant she needed to act fast.

  “Get the lamp running,” Hamiad said. “We’ll start looking for a place to bury the explosives.”

  Sarah saw no other way. Either she convinced Hamiad to stand down now, or she would watch him bury explosives that would incriminate all of them in the Anunnaki’s eyes.

  “Before you do,” Sarah interjected, “you might want to hear what I have to say.”

  Skunk and Levi ran their hands over their opposite arms like they sensed the growing tension.

  “We don’t have anything to talk about,” Hamiad snapped.

  “Yes, we do,” Sarah said as loud. Maybe louder. “This is about something bigger than you wanting to get revenge.”

  Hamiad shifted his weight.

  “Oh yeah? What’s it about, then?” he asked dully.

  “The Conifers. The Ascendi. His plans for a new world order. If you really want revenge, then help me get this designator to the Anunnaki. That’s going to do more than setting a few bombs outside their base.”

  Hamiad looked from her to the sky. And she knew he must be searching for Mars. And thinking that her plan to get revenge on the Ascendi would probably have no effect on the doomsday weapon. His eyes returned to Sarah, hard and piercing. A phantom in the dark light.

  “I can’t trust you,” he said with an exasperated breath. He was still mad at her, but maybe he wasn’t beyond reason. That much she could tell. Because at least he was being honest.

  “You don’t have to trust me. Trust yourself.” The little things that had
bothered her here and there gathered to finish her. The biting pain in her ankle. The pressure on her tired eyes. The layer of grime on her face, in her nails, and in her hair. All of this on top of Hamiad’s unwillingness. She couldn’t reason this out anymore. If Hamiad wanted to set bombs, he’d set them. But she also knew that lost somewhere among his anger and sorrow existed his honor. And she would trust in that now.

  “I’m taking the designator to the Anunnaki.”

  She began to walk away. A bluff, but not really. She would keep walking. Because she couldn’t go back to them now. Krem would figure things out for himself. He might follow them or follow her. She would find him again, though, because they were on the trail.

  The animal cries of the night threatened to drive her mad. She had no idea what lurked in the darkness ahead. She hadn’t really considered the danger of a wild animal springing out of nowhere. She flushed the thought from her mind and tried to focus on art instead.

  Thinking about the world of art engulfed her in a trance. Paintings, drawings, murals. Her mom hadn’t just taught her how to determine the proper brush and work it. She’d taught her how to use it as therapy. Art was the one thing that had helped her forget about her stepdad. At least until it was time for Nebirian lessons.

  Her mom had given her plenty of tips for using art to help her. The classic draw your feelings did the trick a lot of times when she wanted to tear Tobias’s head off. When drawing didn’t work, her mom suggested the eye game. If you’re feeling lame, you should play the eye game.

  Sarah would cross her eyes, and whatever she was looking at blurred into some new, inverted shape. Most of the time it helped her forget whatever she’d been worried about. She hadn’t played the eye game in years, though. She couldn’t even remember when she’d grown out of it.

  She reached a series of dune-like hills twenty minutes later. She climbed one, and a proxy rose into view. “Proxy” was a nickname for Anunnaki military bases in areas outside their territories.

  From a distance, it resembled a large hill. But staring hard revealed a massive ziggurat-like structure called a conoid. Even in New Bagram, Sarah couldn’t remember anything as big.