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by Brad Stucki

  Chapter 15

  Javin slowly came awake from the depths of darkness. There was a buzzing he couldn’t place. As he regained his senses the buzzing grew more focused. It was something he ‘felt’ rather than heard. His head throbbed with pain. His body was stiff and his eyes flickered open.

  He was lying on his back. He raised his head and glanced around and saw Kokos lying, sprawled where she’d fallen from the boulder she’d been sitting on. Next to her, Sauros was also supine on the ground.

  Javin tried to move. His whole body ached yet he forced himself to move. First to Kokos. She was breathing. Javin gently took her hand, rubbing her forearm. A low groan escaped her lips. She turned her head, wincing and raised her other hand to her temple. Her eyes fluttered open looking around in bleary recognition then they fixed on Javin.

  “What happened?”

  “Good question,” Javin answered. “Lay still. Let me check on Sauros.”

  Javin crawled over to Sauros who was now showing signs of beginning to stir. His head was moving, his arm reaching up to grasp the side of his face. No sound escaped save for a deep inhalation of breath indicating pain.

  “I know the feeling, big guy,” Javin said drawing to his side.

  Sauros’ eyes flickered open, slow to focus on Javin. “Kokos?” he asked.

  “Awake and feeling pretty much the same.”

  “What happened?”

  “Trying to force our way through my barrier must have rebounded somehow. We were so close,” Javin said.

  “Yes, I remember now,” Sauros said, struggling to a sitting position while continuing to rub the side of his face as if trying to scrub away the deep pain in his skull.

  Then Javin remembered the buzzing he felt upon waking. It was still resonating though not as strong as when he first awoke. In fact, it was the buzzing which must have awakened him.

  “You all feel that?” Javin touched his breast where the buzzing seemed to center. He realized it must be the crystal reacting to something.

  Kokos and Sauros looked at Javin, tilted their heads as if searching for something then nodded. They felt it too.

  “I wonder what it is. What it does? Also, I wonder if we caused it somehow.”

  They were silent for a moment, trying to figure it out.

  “It feels just a bit similar to that ‘dampening’ feeling we had when we first arrived on this world,” Sauros began, his eyes narrowing slightly, indicating his deep thinking. “It isn’t the same, but it has a similar feel to it. Like . . .”

  “You’re right,” Javin said, picking up on the similar feeling. “It’s like it’s coming from a slightly different source, but the same type of emanation.”

  “Such as a different Article of Power?” Sauros completed Javin’s thought.

  “Yes!” Javin said. “Nemesis is continuing to test them, to make them work.”

  “To what end?” Sauros asked.

  “We’re probably going to find out.” Javin was silent a moment while he tried to search the memories and impressions he had from Chahzuu, the former leader of the Protectors on Sauros’ world. Instead newer images imposed on his thoughts. “What?” Flashes of pictures of Kokos’ people, different places . . . and different times.

  “I see you are seeing what was given to you.” Sauros said, resting a hand on Javin’s shoulder.

  “I didn’t know you were transferring those memories,” Javin said, looking at Kokos.

  “Remember, the transfer went both ways,” She said. “Once I opened up the conduit, the memories flowed freely. Weren't we just discussing this before . . .?"

  “But I only saw what I gave up,” Javin said.

  “It was the same with me," Sauros said. "Yet I have her memories – actually ‘all’ the memories. I think we need some time to let it all settle and sort through them all. It is quite disorienting.”

  “There’s too much going on in my mind to find what I wanted about the Articles of Power,” Javin finally admitted.

  “The same with me,” Sauros said, his eyes now squinting with his mental efforts. It was interesting to Javin to picture a majestic male lion grimacing in deep thought. He almost smiled but caught himself.

  “It will take some time and rest,” Kokos interrupted. “I remember it took some time with me the first time.”

  “It was the same with us after getting the impressions from Chahzuu. That time it caught us by surprise, and it was broadcast to all of his people besides us. It knocked all of them unconscious. I still can’t understand how it didn’t affect us the same way,” Javin continued, mulling that over again as his mind refused to stay still.

  “We should get back to the Enclave,” Kokos finally said. “I don’t think I’m ready to try breaking through your barrier again just now anyway. I’m not sure your memory barrier can be broken, especially if it’s going to kill us for trying.”

  Javin got to his feet and helped Kokos to stand as Sauros also stood.

  “At least you have everything you could get . . .” And Javin stood for a moment, as the unfamiliar images accelerated their darting through his mind with the movement of his body.

  Javin shook his head, trying to suppress the images flowing in an around his consciousness.

  “You got that right,” Javin said. “I think I need that rest if for nothing other than letting all these pictures in my mind stop flying around. And then I think we need to figure out what’s going on with this ‘buzzing’ in our chests. Something’s not right with that. I just ‘feel’ it.”

  “As do I,” Sauros agreed. Kokos nodded her head.

  “This way,” Kokos said and started to lead them out of the clearing.

  Chapter 16

  “Is it me or are the plants still growing faster?” Javin struggled to push through what before was a somewhat overgrown path. Now it was almost completely hidden and they had to fight to make their way through. “I don’t know how long we were out, but it couldn’t have been that long.” Then Javin realized it really could have been a long time. With the internal lights of this world, there was really no way to mark time as he was used to.

  “I sense that we were out a full cycle,” Kokos said as she too, pushed hard to get through. She stayed in the lead because she was most familiar with the trail. “Though with the change in the growth pattern, there is no way I can be completely sure.”

  With a grunt of effort she pushed through and found herself back at the place where the crops were being tended. Instead of seeing those who were supposed to be watching and minding the crops the fields were empty. They had noticeably grown, all swelling with various fruits, overburdened with them in fact, limbs heavy with drooping, threatening to snap under the weight of the hyper-sized harvest.

  “This should not be happening,” Kokos said wide eyed. “The time for harvest is completely off cycle. And where are those who should be tending to this?” She was speaking mainly to herself as Javin and Sauros came to stand beside her.

  Then off in the distance they heard a crashing sound. It was the now familiar sound of thrashing through the foliage, many people trying to make their way through an overgrown trail. It came from the direction of the trail Javin realized they would have to follow to get back to the enclave.

  “At least someone is coming through where we need to go,” Sauros said, having reached the same conclusion as Javin. “Apparently those who tend your crops sent for help,” he finished.

  Just then, across the way, a full complement of warriors stepped out of the overgrown trail and saw them on the other side of the crops. A quick order was barked and the detachment of 10 warriors hefted their lances and ran toward them.

  “What’s this about?” Javin asked, turning to Kokos.

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  A slow, rumbling growl escaped Sauros’ lips. “This is becoming tiresome.”

  “Wait!” Kokos said, touching Sauros on the arm. “We can’t hurt them.” She was sensing Sauros gathering himself to fight. Javin
realized Kokos was now ‘feeling’ them and their intentions much stronger, like they’d been able to do with each other. A connection, a bond had been created in the ‘sharing.’ Javin wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and wondered if it would help or hurt. Was there a way to shut it off? There wasn’t time to consider as other images continued to disrupt his chain of thought.

  “I think we can wait a bit to see what they are doing, but I’m not going to wait until I have a spear through my gut,” Javin said, raising the skin-tight protective barrier around himself. This was something he'd learned by accident on Sauros' world. In that instance he was about to have a spear thrust through his body and had reacted instinctively. He had no doubt the crystal in his breast had responded to his instinctive need for protection and had erected a sheaf of incredibly dense and malleable material of some sort that completed encapsulated his body. It was invisible and completely supple, without any weight. It was almost as if it was a shield of air.

  Javin still hadn't figured out how he'd done it, and he and Sauros had used it several times now. He ‘felt’ Sauros raising his shield and Javin took Koko’s hand. “You too,” he said, and gestured to her body.

  She could ‘sense’ what Javin meant, and could actually ‘feel’ what he had done – as was his intention that she do so. Kokos nodded, closed her eyes and a shaky, then stabilizing protective barrier appeared close fitting against her body as well.

  There was nothing visible that could be seen, but Javin ‘sensed’ they were now all protected against being impaled. Whatever else they would try, he didn’t know. He agreed with Kokos, though. They didn’t want to harm anyone. And now he could see that leading the warriors was Kaffen, the man Kokos had been betrothed to. They especially didn’t want to harm him, for her sake.

  Still, the look on his face as they approached didn’t provide any comfort. There was no look of compassion, caring or even much recognition. Instead it was a look of . . . fear and determination to take them. The look coincided with what he was able to ‘sense’ from them as they drew much closer.

  Then they stopped up short as if confused. They were 30 paces away staring right at them, but looking as if they didn't recognize them. Finally Kaffen stepped forward, closing the distance.

  "Kokos?"

  "Kaffen, what is the meaning of this? Why the warriors? We have done nothing wrong."

  "The King sent us . . . He sent us to . . . bring you back so you could be held . . ."

  He was staring right at Kokos, but his eyes were wide and staring like he couldn't see her. "There is something different about you. I . . . It's almost as if you aren't here, yet I see you.

  "Why are you supposed to take us?" Javin asked, stepping forward, not dropping his shielding. None of them had dropped their shields. The guards behind were now starting to mill around as if lost, still searching though what they were searching for was standing right in front of them.

  "I . . . I don't know," Kaffen said, now staring at Javin as if he were looking right through him. "We are supposed to capture and hold you. It's something I must . . . we all must do . . ." He touched his breast and took a deep breath as if trying to gain control of some hidden anxiety he was fighting to control.

  Javin was feeling something strange about the man. Clearly he wasn't himself. It was as if there were a compulsion he was laboring under – and it dealt with them.

  "You feel that?" Sauros said stepping forward now.

  Kokos turned to him then looked at Javin who nodded back to Sauros. "Yes," he said. The strange almost 'buzzing' feeling they had felt from time to time on this world was back, only stronger. And it seemed to be emanating from Kaffen. Javin looked back at the guards. He could feel it coming from them also. Occasionally they would turn in their direction and shake their heads as if fighting to make sense of something.

  "What is it? It is affecting these men," Sauros said.

  "I know how to find out," Kokos said, stepping toward Kaffen. He blanched back as if being approached by a ghost.

  "It's okay, Kaffen. No harm will come to you.

  "I don't fear you. It is just so strange. Are you real?"

  "Let me show you," she said, gently taking his hand.

  Kaffen gasped, then calmed immediately, staring into Koko's eyes. "Yes! It is you." Then he took hold of her and his eyes changed from the tender look he'd given her upon her gentle touch, back to the rictus between the fear and determination they'd first seen as they emerged from the overgrown trail.

  "Here!" he called to the guards. "I have one of them. The others must be close!"

  The guards moved forward quickly, lances bared.

  Sauros moved to stand between them and the guards. "Free her quickly."

  "Javin immediately understood and moved forward, wrenching Kokos free from Kaffen’s grip and threw him back.

  "Come," Javin said. And started to move back into the jungle the way they'd come, Kokos in tow and Sauros glancing over his shoulder at the warriors who were looking this way and that as if they couldn't see what was right in front of them.

  "She escaped!" Kaffen shouted, staring right at them, but not pointing, not giving any directions to the warriors, and none of them were following. It was as if they had disappeared the moment the physical contact between Kokos and Kaffen had been broken.

  The strange 'buzzing' feeling was still there, and now Javin was starting to get a sense of what it was.

  Chapter 17

  Nemesis was seated in his small living quarters in the pyramid. The furnishings were functional, Spartan and bare. He only had what he needed to sustain life, and nothing for comfort. He got water and a sort of paste he’d been told by his Masters was nutritious and complete for his health and well-being. It came out of a small panel that swung open to his touch in one of the smaller rooms of his pyramid abode. He wasn’t planning to be here long. Just long enough for his ‘followers’ to find, capture and detain Javin and his friends so he could come out of hiding and conduct his own interrogation before turning Javin over to his Masters.

  And his plan was going well. He had sent out the pulse across this interior world and all its inhabitants. He could 'look' out far and wide across this subterranean world with his mind's eye and see it taking stronger hold. The ignorant inhabitants were now actively on the watch for Javin and his friends. And in remembering the wave he'd felt before being visited by his Masters, he reasoned that he could find them the same way he had feared they might could find him -- by tracing the origin of the wave.

  And that's what Nemesis had done in his new lair. He'd centered his recollection on the possible origin area of the jolting wave and had located it. There was blackness there. Nothing he could detect, but that didn't mean . . . then faint stirrings and then more full consciousness. What was happening? Why did they just start to appear? And to be hazy at first? It was as if they were just returning to consciousness. Had the jolt he'd felt earlier affected them enough to render them unconscious? It must have because it had originated with them. And it appeared they were just now waking up. This was a mystery he wasn't sure he was ready to tackle without knowing more. What if they had some power to send out more waves he wasn't aware of?

  Nemesis hastily withdrew his mental touch. It must be them. He reached for the nearest enclave and sent an 'emotional imperative to their king. A group of warriors would be sent out to capture and hold them until he could arrive and question them.

  Nemesis was amazed at the power he was gaining through the small odd shaped Articles which sat on the pedestal in front of him. The particular one he was using now gave him thorough emotional, and through the emotions, a virtual mind-control of these people. He was sure if he could get in front of Javin with the Articles of Power in his possession, he would be able to break through any barrier Javin could raise via his pitiful ‘gestalt stone’ embedded in his breast.

  This was also different than what now seemed pitiful control he'd been able to exercise over the Pontu' gi on the previous w
orld. There, he'd only been using his gestalt stone and the willingness of the warriors to be led. That had opened them up to his control. Now, using the Article of Power, his control was magnified an hundred-fold.

  Nemesis thought of his own stone embedded just above his heart. He was using it he was sure, to control the energy in this 2nd Article of Power, but the power of the Article was something immense. The Providers were right to fear it. And they had warned him not to join the articles together. What power would be wielded through doing so?

  Through his now strengthening emotional control, even from a distance, he could ‘watch’ through the mind’s eye the one who’d been chosen by the king to lead the guards to apprehend Javin.

  Nemesis was standing with his head erect; eyes clenched shut, focused on what he could see through the one who called himself Kaffen. It was interesting learning of his love for this enclaves ‘Keeper.’ And how he had been put off with her new position, he no longer would be able to see her as often. He was also secretly proud of her, though resenting how it had changed how she must now feel about him. He was only the ‘Grower.’ What would the ‘Keeper’ want with the likes of him now?

  But all of that was deep down, beneath the emotional imperative planted by Nemesis. It was interesting to observe, and instructional too. He could ‘read’ the emotional centers in the mind of those he chose, and provide a ‘nudge’ or imperative which would take over actions as long as they could be spurred through an emotional response. All the while, the subject was still conscious deeper down and was like an ‘observer’ in their own minds. The rational side of the brain was continuing to function and observe, though could not consciously register until the emotional side had been released.