by Calinda B
There are pipes pumping all things foul beneath the city. Piss and shit spews through one culvert. The stench of polluted water streams through a Fresh Smoker. It’s disgusting down here. But no one is going to think to look here. Reve’s right—he’s in a place where nobody wants to be.
I curl beneath one of the pipes and unfold my uniform. I don’t bother to look at what I’m going to eat. Filling my belly is my only desire. I hold my nose, bite, chew, and swallow. It’s the only way I can get it down. When I’m as full as I’m going to get on someone elses’ food remains, I tuck my Uni-nourish into a crack in the wall for later, fold my arms, and close my eyes. I’m heading for dreamland. I’m heading to be with my love, Thrasyllus Blüthe.
There’s so much fear and distress to wade through, it takes me forever to reach him. When I find him, he’s frantic, edgy.
“Oh, gods. I didn’t think you’d come.” He clutches me to him, kissing me deeply. The kiss deepens as we grind against one another, strengthening our bond.
Finally, he releases me and looks into my eyes. “We don’t have much time. I’ve discovered some things. Paki’s the one responsible for me being under arrest.”
“Isn’t he still off-planet?” I say.
A loud clang rings out, followed by a hiss.
“Oh, no! That’s the sound the Fresh Smokers make. Someone will be in Negative-One space, soon, flushing out the system. I have to wake up before they arrive.”
Thras looks as breathless as I feel. He strokes his jaw, plotting.
“Okay,” he says. “I have an idea. Paki’s still at the helm. I’m sure of it. I heard some other prisoners talking. They didn’t know I was listening. They spoke of rumors rumbling through the Complex that Paki Tchepikov is still wielding power. He and my opponent, Wiesner are in cahoots. Paki hates me. We were in the war together. I became commander. He could never get past sergeant. Not only that, he was in love with my fiancé. He’s been jealous and vindictive all these years. When Paki found out Wiesner would be my opponent, he bribed him.
I’ve tried to rid the planets of him. He’s always evaded me. He’s a sneaky bastard. We’ve each tried and failed at destroying one another at numerous times. We’re well matched. I thought I finally finished him off, but no. I intend to win this time. He probably hates me even more now, if that’s possible. And he despises you, love.”
“Why me?” I ask.
“He knows your abilities. He made sure to be your Wacher when he found out you were coming here. And, he’s the one stalking you in your dreams. I’ve been guarding you from day one.”
“The one crashing through the woods?”
Thras nods. “You’re too smart. You wake up every time. And he knows I’m in love with you. If he can’t have you for himself, he intends to kill you.” His face grows scarily serious. “I’m going to ask you a favor. You can say no but it might be our only chance to glean information.”
I nod earnestly, scanning his beautiful face. “What is it? I’ll do anything for you.”
“I want you to enter Paki’s dreams,” he says.
I step back. “What? No! Never!”
“Sakhi, you can do this. With your unique powers, you can find out what he’s up to. The gunmen who took me out…apparently they’re being manipulated by one of Wiesner’s henchmen. This guy—his name is Mink—he pretends to be Human, on their side. But he’s the eyes and ears of Weisner. He’s feeding them orders communicated directly from Paki.”
“Oh, no! I met him. He was in Reve’s room! If Reve knew that…” I bite my lip, not wanting Thras to know that my brother’s one of the gunmen.
“Is he…?” Thras’ face blanches.
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
“Yes,” I say, my arms hanging limply at my side. “He’s one of the Obliterate gang. If he knew Paki was at the wheel…” I shake my head.
“It doesn’t matter. It is what it is.” Thras takes my face between his hands and looks intently into my eyes. “Will you do it? Enter Paki’s dreams? It’s going to be dangerous. He could sense you. He’s extremely aware of energy, especially if you’re afraid. You’re going to have to be strong.”
“What do I do if he senses me? Is there any way of protecting myself?” I shiver. “I’ve always had Reve around to protect me.”
“You’ve got me now. But you’ve also got yourself. You can do this, sweetheart, I know you can. Ward yourself. Shield your mind.” Thras’ face is somber and intent.
I’ve been dependent on Reve practically my whole life. I’ve never stood on my own. “I’m scared.”
Another loud hiss blasts through the air. This means the polluted water from the Fresh Smoker is being channeled through the filtration system in the next room over.
“I’ve got to wake up,” I say. “I’ve got to find a new hiding place.” My entire dream body tenses. I don’t want to be caught.
“Yes. And the guards will bang their segifs against my cell any moment. Will you do it?” Thras asks again, beseeching me with his strangely hypnotic eyes.
I think of Reve telling me I lack the courage to do what’s right. If ever there’s a time to prove him wrong, it’s now. “Yes,” I say. “I’ll enter Paki’s dreams.”
After one more swift kiss good-bye, I will myself to wake up in the nasty, stinky, disgusting bowels of the Complex. But worse is the task I’ve agreed to perform.
Chapter 27
After a day spent hiding in the sewers, ducking from the gazes of those working down here, I’m more than ready to dream-stalk the man I’ve grown to hate--Paki Tchepikov. I’m surrounded by noxious fumes, hot, smelly steam, deafening bangs, clangs and loud hisses. The sounds and smells make me ill. And even though hate is a powerful emotion, it doesn’t come close to what I feel for Paki. He took my mom, he almost wrecked me, he’s manipulated Reve, and he nearly destroyed the man I love. He’s going down.
I settle into my hiding spot, tucked into a crack near the pipes in Negative-One. I didn’t bother venturing out today—too risky. My belly’s fairly content. I parsed out my food supply, consuming only as much as would keep me going, so I think I can sleep well enough.
I visualize my white light faucet, amping up the flow so that it shoots all over me, clearing away today’s gunk. Once that’s complete, I get as comfortable as I can—given I’m in the constipated bowels of the Complex, surrounded by everyone’s shit, piss, jizz, vomit, and whatever else they washed down the drains. I imagine every cell in my body in a state of relaxation. And then, I start to drift, my consciousness flowing into ether-space.
I don’t really have a plan other than to find Paki. I don’t even know where to look. So I start with the obvious—Talon Weisman. I know his general whereabouts. I know what division he’s in—Thras informed me when I acted as his assistant, only a few short days ago, though it seems like a lifetime. So I let my mind coast, conjuring up the scant details I know about Division Sixteen—one of the levels where the privileged abide.
Picturing his bloated features and the orange hue to his skin, I find myself in a black room, lit by dancing fires. Talon’s body lays inert in the center of the room, on a simple palette, suspended a few feet from the floor. He snores as loud as the pipes pumping pollution in Negative-One. His etheric body hovers a couple inches outside the physical form. The etheric body vibrates a ghastly yellow, like quivering baby poop.
I stare at him for a moment, uncertain what to do next. I don’t know how to read auras but his seems tense. Either that or diseased. Maybe both. Tentatively, I take a stab at scanning his mental body.
His mind is fairly unremarkable. I sense greed…ambition…lust…but no plans or manipulation beyond that. This entire campaign seems to be a game to him. In the end, he’ll get some sort of reward—a hefty reward. But he doesn’t seem to be wielding the power he projects. He’s only a figurehead.
I cock my head, searching for ideas.
Loud footsteps echo through the space, as if in answer.
I press my etheric body into a wall, away from the flames.
The door opens. And in saunters my nemesis, Paki Tchepikov. He’s still handsome but he looks crueler, if that’s even possible. He’s not dressed in Uni-attire, no doubt since his physical form is still off-planet. Instead, he’s in his crisp green and gold military uniform, the colors worn by planet Pinao militia.
It’s probably the same uniform he wore when he killed my mom. Rage boils in my belly.
Stop, stop, stop. He’ll feel it. He’ll know I’m in here. Come on, think of Thras.
Paki stops his stride, inclining his head for a second. His face is tight, like it’s been under reconstruction lasers. The tightness pulls his lips into an evil-looking, perpetual smirk.
“Hmmm,” he says, tapping a finger on his lips. “Interesting.”
His feet propel him forward again, slower this time.
I tense with fear and revulsion.
He pauses and looks around the room. “Who’s here?”
Crap, crap, crap. Think of white light, think of…think of making love to Thras. A flood of pleasure, joy, and protective warmth replaces the fear.
Paki’s eyes narrow, giving him a sinister appearance.
“If someone’s in here, I’ll find you. Mark my words. It’s what I do.” He chuckles. It’s more of a cackle, the kind I’d imagine warlocks making.
He turns his attention to Talon. “There’s my little puppet.”
He stalks to the man’s sleeping form. He strokes his hair back, away from his forehead, almost reverentially. His pink tongue snakes along his lips.
The yellowish quivering of Talon’s etheric body increases, until it blurs.
Is Paki actually turned on? I squint through the gloom, catching a shadow of arousal in Paki’s trousers. Gah. Yep, he’s turned on by Talon.
“It’s time for a strategy session, my pet,” he coos to the unconscious male.
Talon moans in his sleep, and then mumbles, “No. Please, no.”
“Oh, yes,” Paki says. “Give it to me. Give me your fearful resistance.” He crawls on the table and positions himself between Talon’s thighs.
“No,” Talon cries.
“Oh, yes, my fearful pet.” His fingers clutch Talon’s uniform clad legs, digging his long knife-like fingernails into the skin. Droplets of blood appear. He works his nails deeper into the muscle.
Talon screams. His sickly aura seems to coagulate into a puke-like substance.
I start to dry heave. I’ve got to keep it together. I clutch at my tummy, telling myself I’m safe.
Paki shudders. His head falls back in apparent rapture. He lets out another chuckle. It sounds like a Wreston rattlesnake.
“What will you get when you win?” Paki asks his unwilling companion.
“S-Co,” Talon murmurs. “And whores.”
“In spades, my friend. Endless supply of both. And what do you have to do to win?” Paki asks.
“No, my wife…” Talon cries.
Your wife? What does your wife have to do with anything?
“She’ll carry the bomb to the door in her purse. Ka-boom,” Paki yells, sounding crazy. “Humans dead. Fearing Blüthe. Fuck Blüthe. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him,” he chants, sounding like he’s completely unhinged. “Give me your essence.”
“Stop!” Talon cries. He writhes underneath Paki’s grip.
“Oh, no,” Paki roars, his eyes rolling back in his head. “No stop, no stop.” He heaves in an enormous inhale, his head falling back.
Talon’s energy body seems to tear free from his flesh. It streams in a sickly-looking cloud toward Paki’s nose and mouth.
Paki shakes his head as he exhales, like he’s just snorted the finest blow in the galaxy.
I’m horrified, flattened against the wall. Paki wants to pin some kind of explosion on Thras. He wants to frame him. And he’s draining the life out of Talon.
The energy in this space is so repulsive, I can’t clear it fast enough. Bile fills my throat.
Paki stills for a moment. He scans the room. A grin forms on his face.
“Why, we’ve got a visitor. Someone’s spying on me. Are you a voyeur, my dear? Do you like to watch?”
I feel my spirit discombobulating, dissolving into fragments. White light, Thras, think of something else. My head is swimming. Little stars, like the kind appearing when I got a concussion, dance before my eyes. All the white light I blasted myself with before I began this journey begins to drain. My dream-legs tremble. I feel weak, like a premature kitten, abandoned by its mother in the woods of Wreston.
“Big boom, huge boom, right underneath District Five, apartment six hundred. We get the brother and then we get the sister—after I fuck the shit out of her for what she did to me.”
Oh, no! He wants to kill my brother! And then he wants me! What did I do? I’m vibrating with terror and rage.
“Keep the fear coming, girl. I know you’re listening,” Paki says, his eyes trained where I’m hiding, as if he can see me. “Want more? This is what I’m going to do to your boss, after I kill your brother. While I’ve been convalescing, I’ve been working on my technique. Growing stronger. Want to see?” He breathes deep.
Talon screams as wisps of his etheric body are drawn into Paki’s lungs. Then, he fades from view.
“Don’t worry he’s not dead. I’ll finish him off after the election. And then I’m coming for you.”
I can’t help it. I retch, vomiting clouds of yellow goo.
The room grows deathly quiet.
A few seconds later, Paki says, “Oh, that was the nicest meal I’ve had in quite some time.” He calmly slides from the table. Hands on his hips, he pivots his head to scan the room. “And where might you be, my little dream-voyeur?”
I’m nowhere. I’m everywhere. I’m completely drained. And I have no doubt, Paki is the bastard who’s draining the life out of the humans.
And I’m his next victim.
He inhales long and deep and all the energy in my body begins to vanish, leaving me weak, with no will to even live.
Chapter 28
Arching violently, I let out a huge, wheezing gasp, like I’ve just been saved from drowning. My dream-body’s supported in someone’s arms. And this someone is on the move. I blink, trying to orientate.
“Sakhi,” says a familiar voice. “I’ve got you.”
Thras’ face blurs before me, then comes into focus. He’s cradling me in his arms, hurrying down a stone paved path to get who knows where, amidst shadows and flickering light of this dream-scape.
“What…happened?” I can barely get the words out.
Mist swirls all around us as Thras powers through the dream.
“I wanted to protect you, but I couldn’t find you. All I could see were white walls. Then I felt you. I knew you were in trouble.” Even though he’s practically running while holding me, he’s not breathless. “I’ll tell you more later. Right now we have to get to safety.”
“Where are you?” Paki roars. His military boots pound the ground like iron clubs.
Even though he sounds far away, it’s still close enough to give me chills. My skin ices over with fear. “Oh, gods,” I say. “Is he…?” That’s all I can manage to say.
“Paki’s hunting you and me both right now,” Thras says. “Don’t worry. I know where to go.”
“Paki’s…” I breathe, my arm around Thras’ neck. “The one…” Another breath. “Draining…” I can’t seem to catch my breath. “Humans.”
“I’ll find you fuckers,” Paki yells. He lets out an ear piercing war cry, like an enraged beast. He sounds closer now.
Thras glances over his shoulder. Then, his speed increases.
“How do you know he’s responsible?” he asks. He turns to maneuver through a series of narrow walls, like slices in the sky.
“Because…” I inhale. “I’m one...” I’m so weak. My arm releases Thras’ neck. It drops limply along my tummy. It takes too much work to hold on. “I’m one
of them.” What should have flowed from my mouth took the effort of climbing Mt. Remembrance, the tallest peak on Wreston.
“Be quiet, don’t talk. I’ve got you. You can tell me everything in a moment.”
He scrambles down some sort of tree-lined incline.
I manage to lift my head and spy a huge castle-like structure ahead past the trees. Too heavy to hold upright, I let my head fall into Thras’ embrace.
Thras continues powering us through trees, a beautiful meadow, and up another stone pathway, toward the castle.
We approach a formidable looking door.
Thras adjusts me, balancing me against him. He uses his free arm to make a slow sweep in front of the door, his palm extended.
A swatch of golden light appears out of two small holes on either side of the door panel, making a thick line across the door panel. It illuminates letter, symbols and icons.
“Aperi sis ostium.” His voice booms, deep and resonant.
The letters blaze with light.
“What did…you…say?” I ask.
“Open the door, please.” He grins at me, as the door swings open.
“Doesn’t…sound…like the most…secure…pass-phrase,” I say, smiling weakly.
He pushes past the threshold and enters the ginormous room. “It’s attuned to me. You’d have to have my cellular structure, my height, weight, my handsome good looks…hell, you’d have to be me.” His grin broadens.
“Didn’t…know…you had…a sense…of humor,” I say, panting between each word.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. I intend to share it all with you. But first, let’s get you restored.” He gently releases me, letting my legs swing to the ground.
I sink like a Smuntine weight dropped in the sea.
“Whoa, baby,” he says, catching me before I land like a sack of sand.