Alien Apocalypse: The Complete Series (Parts I-IV)

by JC Andrijeski

  She felt her skin flush in anger, even as she frowned.

  Laksri looked away, right before giving an order in a gutteral voice. The instant he did, another of the Nirreth shut the door, blocking both of them from view.

  Still fighting anger, Jet forced the Nirreth and Richter out of her mind.

  Her eyes returned to the person they'd shoved into her room. She'd gotten so used to looking at Nirreth, she almost thought it was another teenager, or a kid, like Ogli. Then she realized it was a human being, that he'd only been dressed in Nirreth clothing, just like she had been. When he straightened, her throat abruptly tightened.

  “Anaze!” she yelled.

  Without thinking, she ran for him, and enveloped him in a hug.

  Anaze didn't move, not even to hug her back. He only stood there as she held him, his arms loose at his sides, not reacting to her arms around him for what felt like a long time. He was so still in fact, Jet felt her heart sink. She was sure he must be infected with Nirreth poison still, and probably a near-zombie as a result.

  But when she looked up, she could see him in his face again, especially his eyes.

  That wary, almost feral look was back in his expression. He looked edgy again too, as if he might burst out of his skin, and the lean muscles in his bare arms seemed to be his once more, despite how still he'd been when she held him. The swelling remained on his left cheek, now darkening to a deeper bruise, but other than that and the marks from being stung, Jet couldn't see anything wrong with him. Still, he didn't look exactly normal, either...even for him.

  When Jet stepped back, she saw him clenching one hand into a fist, over and over again, without seeming to know he did it.

  “Anaze?” she said, hesitant. “Do you know me?”

  “Of course I know you,” he said.

  His voice was cold, angry.

  At his tone, Jet felt her muscles stiffen. Stepping away from him, she measured his face a second time, this time as warily as he looked at her. She realized suddenly that she'd rebalanced her weight, almost as if some part of her expected she'd have to fight him.

  “Why did you do it, Jet?” he said.

  His green eyes bored into hers from his dark-skinned and bruised face.

  Jet felt her jaw harden. She didn't answer him at first, unable to think of words that would be even close to adequate. Her mind whirled around what he’d said though, even as she felt a flush of guilt. He was angry at her. Of course he was. She was the reason he was in this mess. She'd gone to the Gaslamp District alone, without him. She'd gotten both of them caught by the culler ship, and by Richter. Anaze had just spent 24 hours being stung and who knew what else by probably a half-dozen bored Nirreth.

  In comparison, she'd had it relatively easy. Well, not easy, but at least they had only stung her once. They hadn't turned her into a zombie for hours on end.

  “Anaze,” she said, feeling her jaw tighten more. “Anaze, I'm so sorry. I know this is all my fault. I should have brought you with me, when I––”

  But he jerked away from her hand when she tried to touch his arm.

  “Not that,” he snapped, still sounding furious. “Jet, I'm not talking about that...”

  Now she really was confused. Seeing it in her eyes, Anaze looked away, frowning deeply before he turned on her again, nearly shouting that time.

  “Why did you protect him? Why didn't you skewer that little Nirreth afterbirth when you had the chance? Don't you know he's going to be the future slave owner of all of humanity...? Or is that your new thing...kissing ass to the Nirreth to stay alive?”

  Jet gaped at him. At first she couldn't even make sense of his words.

  Then she shut her mouth with a snap.

  “He wasn't even real,” she began angrily. “What difference does it––”

  “What difference does it make?” Anaze snarled, cutting her off. “The difference is, you thought it was real, Jet! You thought you were saving its life! You thought you were giving your life for that little lizard skin! You weren't drugged, were you?”

  Jet just folded her arms, glaring up at him.

  Anaze's eyes sharpened even more, staring down at hers.

  “You thought it was real,” he said accusingly.

  Feeling her expression close even more, Jet took another step away from him, this time fighting her own anger. She bit her lip to keep from yelling back at him, but not to spare his feelings. She wasn't about to defend herself for not killing a helpless child. She didn't care what race it was. She wasn't about to act like a Nirreth herself...or like Richter, for that matter. She had no doubt Richter would have found a way to take advantage of that situation, if he'd been in her position.

  But then, Richter probably would have figured out it was all fake, and done something to manipulate the situation to get the Nirreth to trust him.

  She'd done it on accident. She'd done it because she was a fool.

  Without meeting Anaze's gaze, Jet walked to the wardrobe-like box the human servant had pointed out to her earlier. The box stood just on the other side of a partition made up of thin blocks of some kind of heavy plastic, and not far from a low bed and a number of low tables with cushions for chairs.

  Squatting down in front of the box, Jet activated the latch, flipping open the lid to peer inside. Seeing underclothes approximately her size, along with those leggings and more long shirts, she grabbed one of each of those.

  “Jet!” Anaze said, still sounding angry. “Are you going to answer me?”

  Still holding the clothes against her chest, Jet didn't speak until she was already inside the dressing cubicle, and holding the handle of the curved door.

  “No,” she said, her voice cold.

  Before he could answer, she slid the door shut, barely taking in the angry look on his face as he stared at her, arms folded.

  When she finally came out, Anaze still seemed angry, but he no longer wanted to talk about the demonstration, or why Jet hadn't gutted Ogli as soon as Black was back in her hand.

  Jet wasn't even sure how he'd seen the demonstration, but she didn't ask him that, either. They sat on cushions on the floor and ate together at one of the low tables in the main room. Neither of them spoke at first, but just ate the food in the various bowls covering the tray that one of the servants had brought in while Jet had been getting dressed.

  Anaze seemed even hungrier than her, and Jet felt like she could eat the entire tray by herself when she first sat down.

  Even so, they ended up having more food than they could eat between the two of them...even though when they first started, Jet had already been wondering if she could request more, if it ended up not being enough. A few bowls stood a good third full when Jet finally leaned back on her arms, sighing the sigh of the overly full.

  Anaze continued to eat a few minutes longer than she had. Then he moved away from the table altogether, leaning against the side of a low couch and frowning down at his feet.

  “Do you want a shower, too?” she offered. “The hot water is decent...”

  He didn't answer her, not even to shake his head or nod. His frown deepened at his feet, and she felt her own jaw harden. Surely he wasn't going to give her crap for appreciating a hot shower. After all, he knew all too well the price for that shower.

  When he didn't look up, she sighed.

  “What are we going to do?” she said.

  As she said it, the tiredness washed back over her again, leaving her with nothing but a deadened feeling in her chest.

  “Really,” she said. “What are we going to do, Anaze? Is there any way out of here?”

  Anaze's sharp eyes flickered up. He stared at her, and that time, his eyes held an open warning. He motioned subtly towards the walls and ceiling and Jet nodded, feeling even more tired. Surveillance. Of course. The fact that Laksri had been speaking almost openly to her earlier had almost convinced Jet the room might be clean. Almost.

  So had Laksri said all of that for the benefit of the surveillance, too
? Trying to trip her up in a lie, or maybe in some kind of conspiracy with Richter? After all, why would Laksri agree to help Richter to plot against his own kind?

  When Jet finished thinking this, she realized Anaze was staring at her once more. His eyes held information that time, but Jet was too confused and tired to read it for what it was. All it did was frustrate her.

  Where, then? she mouthed finally. Where can we talk?

  He smiled at her, and that time, she saw more of her friend in the look.

  Later, he mouthed after a beat.

  Confused, Jet only nodded.

  It confused her even more when Anaze rose slowly to his feet, and sprawled out on the couch where he'd been leaning. He already had a blanket over his back and was closing his eyes when Jet realized what he was doing.

  Seeing him sinking into sleep on the velvet upholstery, Jet resigned herself that her day had to end, too. Climbing shakily to her feet, she only gave him a glance before heading for the room beyond the partition and the bed that crouched low to the ground. But Anaze was looking at her, so she paused, seeing the apology in his eyes.

  “About before...” he began.

  “Forget it,” Jet said, waving him off. “I got us into this. You have a right to be mad.”

  He didn't answer at first.

  She could see a look in his eyes though, as if there was something he badly wanted to say, but couldn't...or didn't know how, maybe. Or couldn't in here, most likely.

  “You're right to hate him,” he said finally, blurting it out almost. “Whatever Laksri said to you before...be careful, Jet.”

  Jet froze.

  Staring down at him, she tried to make sense of his words, but couldn't really. Well, she could, but not enough to satisfy the parts of her that needed more, that wanted to understand what was going on here, what she wasn't being told.

  She realized even as she thought it that she'd known the truth before the ship landed. Something about what Richter said and didn't say, something about what lived in his eyes with the odd questions he asked her, the things he wanted to know about her that had nothing to do with the sale to the Nirreth.

  She was part of something. Something bigger than being some stupid pet bodyguard to the the Nirreth's favorite young son.

  But right then, she was too tired to think about what that might be.

  Nodding to Anaze, she gave him a narrow smile before turning to head for the other room.

  She was asleep within seconds of landing on the foamy mattress.

  Jet wasn't allowed to sleep long. It seemed like she barely closed her eyes when someone was shaking her roughly awake. She groped in the dark for her sword, thinking she was back in the settlement, that Black would be back in its usual place under her bed, but her fingers found nothing but empty air.

  “Jet!” Anaze shook her again. “Get up! We don't have much time...”

  Once her eyes were focused, she could make out his face in the dark. It looked like he was frowning, but the anger she'd seen in his eyes before hadn't returned. Instead, he looked purposeful, like he did when they were setting traps out in the woods.

  “Come on,” he said, gruff. “Now, Jet.”

  He rose smoothly to his feet, throwing back the covers on his way up. Jet winced at the shock of cold air, but swung her legs over the side of the bed without protest. Anaze handed her a heavy cloak while she was still rubbing her bare arms, trying to wake up. While she put it on, he jerked his head to the side, indicating for her to follow him.

  She did as she was told, not speaking until he approached the heavy door of her room.

  “Wait a minute...” she whispered softly, realizing suddenly where he was going. “What about...?” She pointed up, at the invisible microphones that Anaze himself had warned her about before.

  “Switched off,” he said, in his regular voice. “I got the signal right before I woke you up. We have twenty minutes to get out of here. We've already used up two.”

  “But where –– “

  “Come on, Jet. I'll explain once we're out of here.”

  Shutting her mouth, she frowned in irritation, but didn't protest when Anaze lifted his arm and hit the panel on the side of the door with his flat palm. The door slid open easily, although Jet had checked it herself before Laksri and Anaze showed up and it had refused to budge.

  She'd assumed she was a prisoner.

  Maybe she'd been wrong about that, too.

  “Your friends again?” she whispered. “Or was it open all night?”

  Anaze shook his head, giving her another warning look.

  Jet wasn't sure what the head-shake meant, but assumed the warning look was for her to be quiet. Biting her lip, she decided not to argue, at least not now. Even so, she felt her irritation worsen, along with her fear, or what might have been a form of anticipation...even excitement. Whatever it was, adrenaline coursed through her body, waking her up a lot faster than the cold air, making her fingers itch for the hilt of her sword.

  She wanted answers.

  She wanted answers almost as much as she wanted her freedom at that point. So whether Anaze was breaking her out of the Green Zone altogether or taking her to someone who might finally tell her something that made sense, Jet almost didn't care.

  She ran silently down the hallway behind him, remembering she was barefoot only when she heard his boots creak a few times and chanced a look down at his feet. The boots he wore looked like the Nirreth ones, actually, which struck her as strange until she remembered that he'd been clothed by them as well, and that they hadn't needed to throw him into some kind of demonstration ring with a fake T-Rex and a baby Nirreth to assess his loyalties.

  Anaze led her through a number of twisting corridors, and through a few larger rooms.

  One of those rooms looked to be some kind of bathing area, with a shallow pool filled with steaming water. Another was filled with nothing but different kinds of native Earth plants, and was long and narrow, reminding her of their underground greenhouses back home.

  Another was filled with glass-like cages. Each of those cages seemed to house some kind of large, predatory animal, also native to Earth.

  Jet barely had time to look at them in the dark, but glimpsed a tiger in one, a black bear, what looked like a wolf. She also saw what might have been a real T-Rex baby, only a lot smaller than the one simulated in her demonstration.

  The room housing the animals was almost as large as the banquet hall had been, only no canal split the middle. Round in shape, it had only two doors, one on either end, and a single piece of furniture, a round, padded couch with a raised and rounded backrest in the center. Some of the cages were empty, Jet noticed, with dimly lit doors and corridors leading out of them on the other side. Based on the light she could see and the vague sense of space beyond those doors, Jet had to assume this was merely an observation area of some kind, not the whole of the pens where the animals were being kept.

  She and Anaze were in and out of the room too quickly for her to discern much more than that, however. She had time to look around once, and to glance upward at the high, domed sunroof, and then they were going through the passageway on the other side.

  Anaze took her through another few sets of twisting passageways, and then Jet found herself following him through two large, double doors that she recognized. They walked through the darkened banquet hall with its winding canal and heavy, stone tables just as quickly as they had every room before it.

  Jet barely had time to note the birds sleeping in the branches of the potted trees before they had reached the other side of the long space, and she found herself back in the foyer where she could see the large green doors leading to the steps outside.

  Her heart lifted, even as she was filled with another jolt of fear.

  Anaze really was going to try and break them out...and it appeared he had help.

  Jet remembered Richter accusing him of being a rebel. She remembered the knowing way he'd said it while they were still on the cu
ller ship, and found herself thinking he must have been telling the truth...in that at least.

  Based on what she'd seen, Anaze had to be some kind of rebel.

  He certainly was something more than he'd been telling her all of these years. The thought angered her, but again, she bit her lip, knowing that she would have to wait until he told her it was safe to talk.

  That time, when he reached the panel to the right of the green doors, Anaze hit through a set of keys with odd symbols on them. Jet barely had time to memorize the sequence for herself, and the appearance of the specific symbols he'd hit, when the nearest of the green doors opened silently, bringing in the sound of the large fountain to the right of the main entrance.

  Jet followed Anaze out of the palace of the Royals, and down the stone stairs towards the Trevi Fountain. She started to think he was bringing her to the fountain itself, when he veered to the left, bringing her around its stone basins towards a narrow path that wound around behind it. Looking up at the high, impenetrable-looking stone fence past the gardens on the other side, Jet glanced up at the sky, wondering if some kind of ship would come down to take them away, maybe something the rebels managed to slip past the Nirreth shields.

  Following her eyes, Anaze shook his head.

  He took her hand, leading her deeper into the gardens behind the fountain.

  The noise of the water was still loud, but as they wound deeper behind the stone building facade, and into a grove of trees overlooking a sloped lawn and a pool of darker, mirror-like water, the sounds grew softer once more. By the time he sat down on a stretch of grass under the branches of what looked like real fruit trees, it was almost quiet, making it possible for her to hear him when he spoke in a low voice.

  “No one's coming for us, Jet,” he said quietly. “I just needed to talk to you.” He patted the grass next to him.