Beyond : Series Bundle (9781311505637)

by Miller, Maureen A.

  With his eyebrow cocked, the man gaped at their midsections.

  "Why are you here?” he barked. “You are not ready for this place yet."

  What surprised Aimee was that he was the first person to not recognize Zak.

  "I'm here to see Vodu." Zak explained.

  "You really want to go in there?" The man nudged his chin to the side.

  "Yes."

  "And her?” The man glanced at Aimee. “She will wait out here?"

  Zak turned towards her. His eyes conveyed the message, this is your last chance.

  She shook her head.

  "She's coming with me," Zak declared.

  Exasperated, the bearded man blew air out of his lips. "Your choice." He stepped back. "It's busy in there. They issued a ship-wide mandatory blood test. As if the mandatory blood test from two hours ago wasn't good enough...or the one from four hours ago. Bah, whatever, follow me."

  Uneasy, they trailed him through the doors.

  This was the anti-Oz, Aimee thought. Black marble columns towered five stories up into a massive vestibule. Each story was lined with black and gold spiked railings, the uppermost floors locked in shadow. With a trick of acoustics, voices drifted to them—the eerie whispers of mourning.

  Before them, a posh fountain plumed a cascade of water. It was a welcoming touch for this macabre hotel—this resort of the damned.

  To the right of the fountain a lobby desk stretched the length of the wall. Behind it stood a petite blonde, watching them curiously. The bearded man ushered them up to the desk and leaned against the obsidian counter as he announced, "They are here to see Vodu."

  The blonde’s lips formed an ‘o’. Her discreet glimpse at their uniforms registered surprise. "They'll need to be tested up there."

  "Yes. Yes. Imagine us walking five feet without being tested,” the bearded man quipped. “As if all these damn assessments really do anything. The results are all the same. Doom." He forced a quick smile for the woman who looked displeased with his sarcasm.

  Aimee could not see the woman's midsection behind the counter, but judging by the fatigue in her posture and the shadows under her eyes, she could surmise her fate.

  “Please excuse Selmak.” The receptionist extended a sympathetic smile towards them. “He has not quite mastered the hospitality aspect of his position.” She smacked the arm of the bearded man and he hefted from his slouch against the counter.

  “Vodu is on the third floor. He has a private chamber.” She glanced up into the atrium and added, “But, Selmak will have to escort you up there.”

  The ominous addendum gave Aimee a chill.

  Selmak tapped the counter and winked at the woman. He stepped back and was all professionalism again as he ordered, “Follow me.”

  Zak met Aimee’s eyes and offered silent encouragement. She nodded. She could do this. It was no different than a hospital visit, right?

  Passing the sprawling desk, Selmak strode onto a disc embedded in the marble floor. The disc depicted a sun with molten layers bubbling around the sphere. He backed up, inviting them both to join him. As soon as they did, Aimee jolted when the disc disengaged from its marble moorings and began a gradual ascent. The woman behind the desk grew smaller as Aimee shrank back from the edge, afraid of tumbling off. Zak reached for her arm to tuck her in close against him.

  Their ascent halted at the third floor, where her eyes were drawn to the sharp spikes along the railing. Was this a hospital or a prison?

  Selmak stepped off and Aimee was more than happy to follow. It was too disconcerting to stand on that little slip of rock, and she wasn’t very fond of heights. A hasty glimpse across the atrium revealed other discs in various states of transport. One floor above, a man and a woman boarded a disc. The man held onto the woman slumped against him. As they descended Aimee could see that the woman clutched him for support, her forlorn eyes staring up at him.

  It was a sad image.

  "This way." Selmak barked.

  Jarred by his voice, Aimee yanked her gaze from the atrium only to be confronted with the onset of death. There were no rooms here. No privacy. It was an open floor that revolved around the atrium. And she truly meant revolve. Down below, the desk and fountain remained stationary, but her perspective towards them rotated ever so slightly. She was surrounded by rows of beds. Each bed possessed a single chair and table stationed next to it in a pathetic attempt to appear accommodating. All the beds were occupied, and some of the chairs were filled. The silence was pervasive enough to make her want to claw at her ears. There had to be hundreds of people on this floor and yet there was no sound. No talking. No coughing. Heck, couldn't someone sneeze? As she passed by the beds she saw men and women of varying ages dressed in their silver uniforms, their bellies aglow with the red hue of infection. Their faces were sallow and their eyes vacant. In some cases she wasn't even sure if she was staring at corpses already.

  Zak's arm around her could not ward off the disturbing images as they marched through the heart of this tomb and invaded the privacy of people who barely gave them a second glance. The ones that were seated, however, did watch. They watched with a lecherous zeal, their bloodshot eyes opened wide, searching their suits and believing salvation was imminent. One even stood up as they approached, but Zak pulled her in tight and urged her forward even as she swore she felt the ghostly touch of fingers on her arm.

  Aimee kept her glance averted by staring at the shiny toes of her boots. She didn't want to meet the hollow eyes, or the shadows where vibrancy once lived. Still, there was no way to avoid the relentless silence. Speak! She braved another glance up and realized that there was no medical staff milling about. That was why there was little communication. These people were laying here waiting to die.

  "My God, Zak. Why isn't someone helping them?"

  His expression was pained. He too kept his eyes averted.

  "They are helping them. The assistance is remote though. In the labs. And sedatives are released from the suits of anyone whose discomfort has reached a certain level."

  His summary was all so clinical. The hell with pain relievers. Where was the empathy?

  "Zak?" She didn't even know what she was pleading, but he seemed to recognize it and his eyes looked sorrowful.

  "Do you think I want this? Do you think I would handle it different?"

  His fist clenched, and he added. "This was the way they ran the first epidemic when it broke loose on the Horus. I was not here at that time. It would appear their laws are already defined."

  Zak halted and let Selmak continue walking until the man was out of hearing range.

  "Aimee, this is why I need to speak with Vodu. I can't sit by and watch the extinction of these people. It happened to my planet and I won't let it happen here."

  Emotion tampered with his voice. Around them, individuals perked up. Seemingly sightless, their heads inclined to feast on the sound.

  "Hey!" Selmak pivoted and stalked back. He kept his tone low, but not low enough. "Around here you have to hurry."

  Or else you will be too late.

  Zak glared at the man. Aimee could tell that he was in turmoil and apparently Selmak concluded the same thing. He bowed his head in reluctant submission. "It is what it is," he defended.

  "Well, it's going to change," Zak declared quietly.

  Selmak began to walk backwards. "Who are you? I have never seen a black uniform before."

  "You don't know Zak?" Aimee inserted. How could this man not be aware of him?

  "I live in the Jay-nine.” Selmak spread his hands in explanation. “We spend all our time preparing for an event like this. We don't get to keep up with what's going on aboard the main ship." He spun forward again, as if he knew they had reached their destination. "This way," he called over his shoulder.

  Aimee did a quick scan of the wall ahead, happy to turn away from the desolation behind her. The wall was void of symbols or doors. She squinted but came up blank.

  "There's nothing there to see,
" Zak whispered beside her. "I am as blind as you right now."

  That mollified her, but where the heck were they going? It looked like Selmak was about to walk straight into the wall.

  He stopped before it and crossed his arms. Aware of their questioning looks, he offered, "You have to be tested before going in, and again after coming out."

  "But this disease is not transmitted from contact." Zak pointed out.

  "No, but their tests have a rhythm, a formula for detecting boosting patterns and rates of progression, or regression. Although we haven't seen the latter...ever."

  He didn't know about her and Zak.

  A drawer slid out of the wall, startling her. It was a flat aluminum shelf with a compartment resting on the end, similar to a metal toolbox found in a mechanic’s garage. On the side of the case, a hole was bore.

  "Stick your arm in, please," Selmak ordered her.

  Aimee fed her arm into that dark opening with the trepidation that she was going to get bit.

  "Further," he prompted.

  She inserted her arm all the way up to her elbow.

  "Okay, hold still."

  She felt nothing. Maybe a brief draft.

  Selmak frowned, but she could not tell what he was analyzing.

  "Interesting,” he muttered. “From the last report I had, there wasn't a single clear case on the ship."

  Well, supposedly there were now three cases, but she refrained from stating that.

  "Your turn." He nodded at Zak.

  Zak thrust his arm in, looking impatient now.

  Selmak's rusty eyebrows hefted. "Well, if that isn't as strange as a two-legged sumpum. You are clean too."

  "Zak!" Aimee cried.

  Zak looked startled, momentarily reeling from the information. There were no smiles shared though. Each was aware of the imposing truth sitting directly behind them.

  The drawer slid back into the wall, its outline seamless.

  Selmak reached forward and placed his palm flat on the barrier. The area beneath his hand began to change colors as if a water leak stained the sheet board. That stain continued to expand until it reached eight feet in height and then transformed into an actual doorway. Selmak cast an edgy glance over his shoulder and stepped inside. "Hurry," he prompted.

  Aimee and Zak fell in behind him, and a breath after her foot cleared the entry, the wall slipped shut behind her.

  Now visibly relieved, Selmak explained, "The chambers back here are for the elite, but we don't like to draw attention to that fact. Most of the people out there are too incoherent to even guess that it is nothing but a solid wall behind them."

  Aimee turned around and she could gaze through that barrier as easily as if it were glass. The view was depressing. "We can see out but they can't see in?"

  "Right."

  "I would think the people in here have little desire to see the view," she mentioned.

  "This is just the foyer," Selmak explained. "The rooms are further in. Come on."

  Now, the architecture was similar to the main body of the Horus. Aimee could look into each room, although a few were locked. The ones that were not locked contained beds and simple seating areas. What struck her as odd was the presence of decor. Artwork hung on the walls versus being graphed into them. Several rooms even had plants set on the bedside tables.

  "There are plants in some of these rooms," she commented aloud.

  "Individuals can't take plant life from the main atrium, but the affluent are able to procure them. Knowing that a plant will ultimately be the weapon to battle this disease, it is considered mental medicine to have one by your side."

  Their traditions weren't too far off from hers. When someone was sick, you sent flowers or plants. But it was not a custom reserved for the rich.

  "Vodu is in there." Selmak pointed to a doorway to their right. "I will wait outside." His eyes darted between them both. "Please don't be long."

  Zak nodded and drew in a deep breath, no doubt preparing himself. With the flash of an anxious smile, she reached for his hand. He looked down at that connection and managed a sad smile before he flicked the door open.

  * * *

  The lighting was dim. It took Aimee a moment to acclimate. At first, all she could distinguish was the hulking shadow of the bed against the wall. Potted purple flowers sat on pedestals on either side. Their smell was sweet, but they reminded her of a funeral home.

  Then she saw Vodu. With his eyes closed inside shrunken sockets, and his skin sallow, she would have never identified the strong leader. His frame, which was once stately, now seemed frail beneath the thin blanket. That blanket muted the rose-colored light across his stomach, but the glow still filtered through. His resplendent robe was cast across the foot of the bed making him look shorter because it covered his legs. This was not their commander. This was a very sick man.

  Zak stood beside the bed with hands clasped as if he battled the desire to reach out and touch the inert figure.

  “Vodu,” he called quietly.

  Vodu’s forehead knotted in a frown, deepening the long grooves. His eyes remained closed.

  “Vodu,” Zak tried again. “Please. I need your wisdom.”

  The eyes stayed shut, but the thin lips cracked into a weary grin. “Wisdom is something I cannot give.”

  Aimee could see Zak’s shoulders slump in relief.

  “Humility is the first step to wisdom you once told me,” Zak recited.

  Vodu snorted and opened his eyes. For a moment the sharp blue irises stared straight overhead, and then they slanted towards Zak’s voice.

  “Zak. You should have not have come here. This is a bad place.”

  His shrewd glance narrowed on Zak’s chest and his white eyebrows vaulted. “Good. Good for you. I knew you would hold off the longest. You are strong.”

  "I am not alone. Aimee is healthy as well." Zak swept his arm out to draw her towards the bed.

  Vodu looked at her and the grooves on his forehead diminished.

  "Ahh, my two foreigners have avoided this cursed disease. This is wonderful news."

  "Vodu, there are others. Others who have had blood tests come back negative."

  "Really?” The old man struggled to gain leverage on his elbows. “Zak.” He looked earnest. “By now you know that I have named you next in command. Let us all plead that you stay healthy and can lead any survivors on the quest to return to Anthum. I know it is not your land, but—”

  “It is the land of the people who saved me. And once those people are returned to a safe Anthum—then I will return home.”

  Vodu nodded and one elbow collapsed. Aimee surged forward, but he held a gnarled hand up to stop her.

  “If my son were alive, he would have taken over the Horus. If he had lived long enough to bear a son of his own, that young man would have been a fine Warrior just like you.”

  “There are many fine Warriors on this ship, Vodu. Why me?”

  Vodu finally quit the battle and sagged back against the pillow. “When you first came on this ship you used to hide…” He smiled and closed his eyes. “…but you would hide somewhere close to me. You had to keep me in your sights at all times. I would pretend that I didn’t see you—”

  “And then you would bend over and smile at me while I was under the console,” Zak finished with a grin. “I would scowl to keep from laughing every time you did that.”

  “Oh, you were so good at scowling.” Vodu smirked. “It took a long time for you to talk, but I felt like I was reaching you. We had our own communication going on.”

  "You were older. You were different. You did not intimidate me as much as the others."

  Vodu laughed which turned into a throaty cough. When it subsided he said, "I must not be a very good leader if I can't intimidate."

  Zak smiled. "You intimidated others. Just not me."

  “You remind me so much of him. Of Jaspar. He would have been a fine Warrior had not this cursed disease claimed him and his beautiful mother.” Vodu’s v
oice was raspy now. "If anyone from the Horus survives…you will take care of them? You will lead them?"

  "Yes, but only temporarily, until you are back on your feet."

  Vodu snorted. "You are full of the diplomatic fodder of a leader already."

  "Aimee?"

  Aimee spun towards the soft voice at the door.

  "Chara!" She circled the bed and gave Chara a hug, trying to ignore how gaunt the woman felt, or how the red of her suit reflected off her own uniform.

  Aimee drew back and searched her face. The violet eyes were still beautiful, but they were eclipsed with yellow rings, and the beautiful olive-skinned face was sallow, with shadows clinging to her high cheekbones. These nagging traits aside, Chara was still stunning to Aimee.

  She set Aimee back, holding the tops of her arms. "You don't need to be here." She turned to Zak and added, "Neither of you."

  "Oh Chara," Vodu tutted. "No one can hide from this."

  She frowned at Vodu and then focused on Aimee again. "I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am happy to see you—" her glance dipped down, "—looking so healthy. It is actually why I am here. There is a JOH in the lobby asking for both of you. Raja sends word that you are to get back to the Bio Ward immediately." Pain filled her beautiful eyes. "I hope that does not mean that what I am seeing is temporary."

  Aimee's breath caught. Could it be? Was she misleading herself by thinking she had avoided the wicked talons of this disease? She met Zak's eyes and her worry was mirrored there. But his nod was confident. He was the leader now and he would face this deadly predator head on.

  "We better get back," Zak reasoned. "Vodu." He rested a hand on the blanket above Vodu's arm. "Stay strong. This is not over yet. You too, Chara. We will see you soon."