Baban whimpered. "Da? Where's my Da?"
"He's . . . he's busy right now." Ben bit his lip. How could he tell the toddler that his father was currently on Odyssia for a suicide mission and that he would never see him again? He could not even think about that. Instead, he stood and picked the little Biromian up to sit on his hip. "Don't worry. Okay, boys and girls, is there a place we can go to get some shelter? Somewhere not in the open?"
The older children began whispering to each other. "The cabin. Yeah, the cabin. He could be our new guardian."
"Guardian? What happened to the other one?" Ben asked.
"Dead. The soldiers who brought us here killed him then they left. We're all alone, mister."
One small girl with pigtails cried out. "Alone! Alone!"
"Shh, shh. It's okay. You're not alone now. I'm here and I'm not leaving you. Can you show me the way to this cabin you keep talking about?" Ben laughed when four children grabbed his arms and began pulling him along through the knee-high flowers. "How did I get here, anyway?"
The children began a debate between themselves. "Aliens."
"Aliens?"
"Not aliens. That's mean. Baban's an alien, but he's nice."
"Aliens are nice. Except the big ones with guns."
"I don't like aliens."
"Baban's an honorary human."
Ben listened as their discussion continued. "You children are hilarious. So, what kind of aliens brought me here?"
"Black ones with red wings. They were flying. Like dragons."
"Dragons?" Dragons? What dragons? "Huh. What else do you remember?"
A blond boy pointed to the sheet around Ben's waist. "You had a spacesuit. They took it."
"I see. So that's how I got out of the ship. But why would Tamir send me here?"
"Who's Tamir?" A girl in a pink dress asked. "What ship?"
"Oh, don't mind my rambling. It's an adult thing. You'll learn one day."
"Here. Our cabin."
Ben stepped up to the modest brick and wood cabin that sat in the middle of the Flower Fields. Small candles flickered in the covered windowsills and trailed down the narrow cobblestone pathway. Two of the children held the door open for him, so he stepped inside the bare single-room shack that was lit by bare light bulbs on the ceiling. Scraps of old tattered blankets were scattered around in the corners and against the walls with rolled-up curtains and piles of dirty paper towels for pillows.
The entire cabin smelled like urine, blood, and moldy stagnant air.
Ben covered his mouth as the children filed in behind him. "You all live in here? This place is horrid. Everybody come inside."
"You don't like it?" Baban asked.
"It's not that, it's just . . . filthy. I can't believe anyone would let children live in these conditions. After I find you something to eat, I'm going to scrub this place from floor to ceiling." Ben went to the kitchen area, brushing away cobwebs that hung across the room. That is when he spotted the one thing he needed. A communicator. He picked it up then wiped away the layer of thick white dust from the screen. "Oh, thank God. Please have a charge. Please have a charge. Yes! Okay, kids. Sit down and let me make a call right quick. Then I promise I will feed you." Ben dialed the number and waited for the voice to come over the speaker.
"Hola? Who is this?"
"Sandra, it's me. It's Ben!"
"Ben? You're alive? Leah, it's Ben!"
"Where are you? Are you okay?" Leah asked, sounding frantic.
"I'm fine. Hungry, but fine. I'm currently in a cabin in the middle of the Flower Fields on Elysia. There are a bunch of children here."
"So you're alive? And in one piece?" Sandra asked. "We feared the worst when we searched the entire ship and couldn't find you."
"Can you put me through to Vance?"
"Um . . . we . . . um . . ."
A shock of fear spread down Ben's spine. "Where's Vance? What happened?"
"According to Neon's report, Rav's Galaxy Glider went down over Star-World Zero Alpha. We haven't had any contact with him, Vance, or Nemo. Um . . . there's something else."
"What? Tell me. Please tell me. I'm a trooper. I can handle it."
"You know how the trackers keep up with vital signs?"
Ben's fear morphed into dread. "Go on."
"Vance's and Nemo's have stopped. They're . . . they're gone. I'm so sorry, Ben."
Ben drew an unsteady breath, but he choked back the ache in his throat. "Put my uncle on. I want to talk to him."
A minute later, a tired man's voice spoke to him. "Hey, Ben."
"Hey."
"What's up?" Tamir asked.
"You tell me. You're the one who attacked me, bound me, gagged me, nearly killed me, then left me here in the middle of nowhere. If anyone gets to ask what's up, it's me. You'd better get explaining."
"And you'd better get thanking me."
Was he serious? "Thanking you? For kidnapping me or selling me or whatever this is? Have you completely lost your mind?"
"I saved your life."
"What?"
"I handed you over to two Olonictic Valkyries so they could fly you to Elysia and leave you somewhere safe. If you stayed on the ship, you would have been in danger as soon as Krisharn's mission was finished. You don't know this, but Krisharn has been spying on you. He wanted to make you his queen. You wouldn't have had a say in it, either. He would have cornered you, overpowered you, then claimed you. I did what I had to do to get you to safety. I knew you would fight me if I tried to make you leave your command here, so I had to do it forcefully. I apologize for being so rough with you."
Sandra's voice came over the speaker. "Uh, we don't have to worry about Krisharn now. His vitals went dead. Something happened to him on Elysia, but I can't reach Visht or Camille to get answers."
He gained what little composure he still had left. "Can I talk to my sons?"
"They're asleep right now, Ben. Do you want us to wake them up? It took Leah four hours to get them to sleep."
"Then don't worry about it. Call me back when they wake up. Let them know I'm okay."
"Of course we'll do that. We will also keep an eye on Tamir to make sure there was nothing malicious with his plan. Do you need anything else from us, Ben?"
"Oh, I know something you need. My access code. I'm sure your ship has shut down by now from me not checking in."
Sandra growled in her frustration. "Yes, Ben. This has been the single most infuriating thing of my life. Give me the code."
"69V73A34N11C09E."
"Vance's name is in that."
"Yep."
She laughed at him. "I swear, you're like a lovesick teenager."
"Don't be jealous because I found the love of my life. I'm allowed to be happy about it and to remember him in any way I can. Hey, I'm gonna have to go. These kids are trying to tell me something. I need to tend to them."
"Stay safe, Ben. Don't worry about the war. We have everything covered here."
"Keep in touch." Ben ended the call then turned around to see the wide eyes staring up at him. "Okay, okay. I'm on it. Food. Let's see what we have in here."
"The stove is broken."
"Right." He tried to turn it on, but nothing happened. He had seen this before. He took a box of matches from the counter. "Ah. Here's the problem. It's not lighting. This is an easy fix with a match." Lighting a match, he held the tip to the burner, sending up blue and orange flames. "There."
"Oooh!" The children let out a collective gasp like they were witnessing magic.
Looking through the cabinets and the small refrigerator, Ben found six boxes of macaroni and cheese, a pot, and a smoked ham, still in good condition. "All right, kiddos. I'm gonna make some macaroni and cheese for you. We have plenty for everyone. Can one of the older boys or girls get this water boiling? I need a minute."
Ben handed the wooden spoon to the brown-haired boy then turned towards the front door of the cabin. He stepped outside into the golden sunlight and the beautif
ul blue skies that taunted him. Normally, he would have reveled in a clear warm day like that one, but not that day. Ben slid down the wall and buried his head in his arms as the pressure of tears in his eyes became too much to bear. He knew it was coming, that he would lose his husband and be alone, but he was not expecting it to happen so soon. They still had two days. They could have talked again. They could have said proper goodbyes. But now . . . now it was over.
* * *
"Good to see you're not in your homicidal mode, mate."
Rav let out an airy laugh as he dragged a chair across the floor of the ship Kalimis had taken over. He sat next to the tube of purple plasma where his friend was suspended inside, his head above the surface. "I'm sorry, Vance. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you and the others."
"That doesn't matter. This plasma is hitting the spot. Really, I can barely feel the cuts and bruises all over my body."
Rav frowned.
"I know you can't control yourself when you're in that state. That monster that comes out isn't you."
"I was myself when I left you and Nemo on the Galaxy Glider. I planned to take Nemo with me. I did. But I panicked. I hit the button without thinking. I . . . I could have killed him and you. I'm so sorry."
"We've all done things we regret." Vance tried to sit up, but he groaned and sank back down in the plasma. "Where's Nemo? Is he okay? Tell me he's okay. After you ejected from the Galaxy Glider, I did all I could to keep Nemo safe."
"He's fine . . ."
"You don't sound confident of that answer."
Rav stared down at his sneakers. "He's as good as he can be, I guess."
"Rav, you have to do something. He's not getting any better."
"I know."
"Do you want my advice?" Vance asked.
"No, because I know exactly what you're going to say. I don't have the heart to do that to him."
"Think of it this way. Do you want Nemo to suffer for years until he dies? Do you want that virus to continually eat away at his brain until he stops functioning altogether? Don't you know how much pain he's in? He's not himself. You know what you need to do, but you need to do it before this war ends."
He held out his hands. "I don't have the supplies here. And why do I need to do it before the end of the war?"
"Because as soon as Tobias Desruisseaux becomes president, all of his laws will become active. One of those is an expansion of the Darkshot Cybernetic and Artificial Intelligence Protection Act. Erasing an android's memory and programming will be viewed as capital murder. If anyone finds out, you will be charged without trial and sentenced to the death penalty or life in prison. It's a mandatory sentence."
"I see."
Vance swiped his hand through the thick plasma as he spoke. "But you need to let him go. Reboot his system to eliminate the virus and do a full reset of everything. Wipe him clean and let him grow up without all of this pain. Doesn't Nemo deserve to not be haunted by all the abuse and the fear that has corrupted him? Doesn't he deserve to at least have what remains of his childhood? The good news is that he's seven. His childhood isn't over yet. Give him this. Let him go."
"But then he won't remember me. He won't remember anything we've done."
"Maybe that's for the best. Like I said. Let him go. He deserves happiness. Once you reboot him, he won't be the same boy ever again. Give him a new life, far away from you and far away from all the pain of the past. He won't be your son any longer."
Rav looked up, gasping for words. "But . . . but . . ."
"I know it will be hard for you, mate. I know. You know that it's the best thing to do, though."
"He's my life, Vance. He's my everything. I can't even imagine life without that boy in it. I went through so much to get him back. Now to just erase him? I don't know if I can."
"You can and you will. I'm not saying it will be easy, but it will be right. You can't be selfish with this. Give Nemo a future free of pain. Give him up so he can be happy. Think about what's right for him. That's all that really matters."
Rav reached into the healing plasma to take his friend's hand. They shared a silent few minutes as Rav resigned to the fact that Nemo needed to be free. Vance was right. Nemo deserved a life away from this fighting and the horrific things he went through over the past few years. No child needed that amount of pain to haunt them. If he could, he would have saved all the children who were harmed from their pasts, but there was only one he could help. He would set Nemo free.
Chapter 11
Rav sat next to the plasma tube and held Nemo on his lap as he patted his son's back. The boy had slipped back into the semi-conscious, motionless, soundless state since they had been giving him his medication again. It broke Rav's heart. When Nemo had good days, he was intelligent, wise beyond his years, and articulate with language in ways most boys older than him were not. He could not even look into Nemo's eyes. That is where the pain and the voiceless soul screamed to get out of the medicated barrier that kept him locked up inside with no way to freedom. The true Nemo was still in there . . . but he was dying and fading away.
A tiny beeping came from the communicator in Vance's hand, waking him up from his nap in the plasma. He grinned and turned the screen around to show Rav what it said. "Oh, look. I got signal."
"Call in to Sandra. I'm sure they're worried sick. Put it over the speaker so I can listen too."
"You know, it's been nice to get away from them for a bit, don't you think? Wait." Vance frowned as he stared at the screen. "It's Saturday? Already?"
"Early. You've been asleep for awhile. I figured it was best to let you get some rest and recover. Don't worry. I've been right here the entire time. It's not like I have anything else to do." Rav ran his fingertips across the stubble that was beginning to grow back on his son's shaved head. Still, the boy did not move. "Nemo is back in that awful catatonic state, so he just stares at the wall. You sleeping was more entertaining. At least you mumbled off and on."
Vance only sighed as he sank down deeper into the plasma. "Saturday. Isn't it funny how time goes so quickly when you don't want it to, but crawls along during the bad times? I'll say this, mate. You're gonna have one hell of a day tomorrow. I hope you're prepared for what happens."
"What do you think is going to happen?" Rav asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm calling in now."
A voice spoke cautiously from the other side. "I don't know who this is, but you are using a stolen communicator. If you do not put this back on the corpse where you found it, I can assure you that we will find you and we will kill you."
"There are no corpses, Sandra. It's Vance. I'm safe on Kalimis's ship with Rav and Nemo. We're all okay."
"Dios mío. You're all alive?" Sandra giggled in her elation. "That's amazing! Can Rav hear me?"
"Yep."
"Your tracker stopped working, Vance. According to my system, you and Nemo are dead."
"I can assure you we are very much alive. They must have shorted out when we fell through the electric barrier above the Star-World. We're fine, Sandra. We're fine."
"Leah is here, trying to rip the radio out of my hand. I think she wants to talk to Rav."
"Then put her on. He's right here."
Leah's voice could not hide her joy. "Rav?"
Rav's heart skipped a beat when he heard her speak his name. "Leah, I'm fine. We're all okay."
"I was so scared. I was so afraid that I had lost you."
"Everyone is alive and well. We're on Kalimis's ship and I think we're headed back to meet up with Sandra."
"I have to tell Vance something." She cleared her throat. "Ben is alive."
Vance smiled and ran a sticky hand over his short hair. "Oh, thank space."
"He's on Elysia, in the Flower Fields. There are children there who are taking care of him."
"Why would Tamir do this?" Vance asked.
"To keep him safe from Krisharn. You didn't know this, but Krisharn has been sp
ying on Ben while he was asleep and in the shower. He became obsessed with him. He had plans to steal Ben away and claim him to be his queen."
"That bastard! I'll kill him."
"Visht beat you to it."
Vance sat up in his surprise. "You're serious?"
"He killed his father on Elysia. He's with Camille now and they're hiding out for a while until tensions die down from the broadcast. Elysia is in turmoil. There are riots and citizens rising up to fight the police."
"Wonderful. That's great, really. But now we have another problem. Krisharn was supposed to take my place."
Rav patted his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "But Vance, you're gonna make it out of this war alive. We've got your back. There will be plenty of time to find another heir."
"Did you not tell him, Vance?"
Rav's eyes narrowed as he turned to his friend. "Tell me what, Vance?"
"We're done talking about this. I will call back in once I get a firm plan together. Goodbye, Sandra." Vance ended the call then dropped the communicator onto the carpet before sinking down into the plasma and closing his eyes. "I think I'm about ready to get out of this goop, mate."
"What did you not tell me?"
Vance stared down into the swirling purple goo as his lips silently moved, trying to form the right words. Before he had a chance to speak, the door to the room slid open and Kalimis barged inside with his laser pistol already on his hip and a look of stern anger on his lips. One of his orange horns had been broken off in the fighting outside the bar, but he appeared to be coping well.
"We've been betrayed."
"By who?" Vance asked.
"By Trilx. He took the bribe, gathered up his warbringers, then stormed the throne room. He has proclaimed himself to be Warlord Trilx. He just shot Neon out of the sky."
Rav jumped up to his feet, holding Nemo on his hip. "Dear space. Is he okay?"
"Neon ejected, but he's burned. He is hiding out down there and waiting for us to return to get him. We're gonna have to go back down there. I've already made a plan to control this. Jezzien and Slayven will go with me to the throne room and kill Trilx."
"No." Vance crawled out of the plasma then wrapped a bathrobe around himself. "I will go. This is my empire and I am still the warlord until I decide to hand over control to someone of my choosing or my death. This is my mess, so I will clean it up."
The Genesis Sequence Books 6-10 Page 61