Karzin

by Elin Wyn

  Then I was forced to guard Annie, and when I insulted her, she shot back and defended herself. It was that moment that snapped something inside me. I didn’t hate her. I didn’t despise her. I wasn’t even angry anymore. I acted angry because it was easy for me. It had become habit, but I really wasn’t.

  It was because of her that I had started to get out of my head and back into reality. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you decided to view it, that reality included living here and most likely never finding my way home. But what if I could make a home here, with Annie? Would I be pleased with that?

  “I would like to believe so, sir, but if I was honest with myself, no, I would not have. I would have finished everything in Einhiv and come back here.”

  “So, she means something to you?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, sir. She does. She…I’ll never give up trying to find a way off of Ankou and back to Valorn, back to the fight with the Xathi. They are a danger too worrisome to forget.”

  “That they are.”

  “But Annie has helped me realize that what the rest of you have, I now want for myself. This is home, for now. Maybe for the rest of our lives, and I need to accept that.” The conversation soon shifted to what had happened in the crater. I still couldn’t remember exactly what it was, but I knew that we had been attacked.

  I just couldn’t remember what attacked us.

  I soon left his office and decided to walk around the city. The parts of Nyheim that had not been destroyed by the Xathi were beautiful, and the residents had done a good job putting it back into shape.

  The part that made me most proud was that they hadn’t tried to hide from the destruction of the original crash site. The half of Nyheim that lay in ruins was open for all to see, and was now used to try to rebuild, or build anew.

  That got me to thinking about Annie and her family and the way they lived. Their house was far too small and cramped, but with Annie the only one working, it was the best they could get.

  There were still good homes here, homes big enough for a family of five, maybe six. There were buildings that, if properly repaired and renovated, would make superb boarding houses for someone like Finola.

  Thinking of Finola, I called her up.

  “Mr. Karzin!” she exclaimed.

  “I wanted to see how your new leg was working,” I said to her.

  “I couldn’t imagine that I’d ever get a new lease on life, but you’ve given me one, Mr. Karzin,” she gushed.

  “I am glad.”

  “Please be more than glad,” she continued. “Please know you’ve given me hope.”

  “It was the least I could do after your kindness.”

  “It was you who was kind, Mr. Karzin. Your assistance around the boarding house helped more than you will know.”

  “I’ll still keep a room there, even though I haven’t been there for a while,” I told her.

  “I have half a mind not to charge you.”

  “I insist.”

  There was a pause.

  Finally, with what I could assume was a smile, she said, “You’re a good man, Mr. Karzin. I am sincerely glad to have met you.”

  Finola was a strong woman, and hearing that she was doing better made me smile.

  Staying on this planet might be a good thing. As I walked, I found myself in a neighborhood still under reconstruction. Not many of the homes were being worked on, and several of the homes looked structurally sound enough to live in. I decided to look into one.

  “Can I help you?”

  I turned around. An old man, older than Vidia, was standing in the doorway of the home I had entered. “My apologies, sir. I didn’t know the home was occupied. I was thinking of getting a dwelling within the city.”

  “Well, in that case, my own apologies for startling you. I don’t exactly own this place, but I’m trying to take care of it for the people that do…or did. I’m still not sure if they’re alive.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I truly am.” I suddenly had a wild idea. “Is there a home around here that you know for certain is vacant?”

  Maybe there was something else I could do.

  Annie

  Leena was already waiting for me when I returned to the Aurora’s lab. I placed my bag on the counter and started unpacking the wealth of samples I’d collected.

  Leena’s eyes widened with glee when she realized the size of the bounty I’d brought in.

  “We have so much to work with!” she gushed. “How did you get this much?”

  “Haven’t you heard?” I asked. “I threw myself into a bottomless crater in the middle of a desert and almost died.”

  “Wow. You’ve earned some respect in my book, for sure,” Leena laughed.

  “If only Karzin reacted that way,” I snorted.

  “He was angry?” Leena asked.

  “I didn’t tell him I was going to throw myself into a crater,” I winced.” Needless to say, he was a bit put out when he had to rescue me.”

  “Rescue?” Leena blinked. “Did something go wrong?”

  “I may or may not have been attacked by whatever’s been leaving the organic traces in the soil,” I shrugged. I didn’t expect Leena to burst out laughing, but she did.

  “Is it bad that I’m jealous?” she asked.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. “I’ve got scrapes and bruises all up one of my legs. If Karzin hadn’t shown up when he did, I would’ve found out firsthand whether or not the crater has a bottom.”

  “You also would’ve found out what grabbed your leg. How exciting would that have been?” Leena’s eyes gleamed.

  “You’re a little scary, you know that?” I asked.

  “I’ve been told,” Leena nodded. “I’m used to high stakes when it comes to work. Now that the Xathi are gone, there hasn’t been much for me to do. I don’t like being idle.”

  “So, a crater monster is a blessing for you,” I joked.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Leena amended. “Entirely.”

  “I’m starting to see why you and Axtin get on so well,” I replied. “I’ve never met him, but if he’s anything like Karzin, I’d say you two are well matched.”

  “Thanks.” Leena’s smile softened. “I think we’re well matched, too. You remind me of myself in some ways, which would explain why Karzin is so taken with you.”

  “Really?” I stammered. Of course, Karzin and I were taken with each other, but I didn’t know how Leena knew about that.

  “It’s obvious!” Leena exclaimed. “Karzin was unreachable for months. You show up and suddenly he’s going above and beyond. Whatever you’re doing with him, it’s working.”

  “He’s very special,” I smiled more to myself than to Leena. “It makes me happy to remind him of that fact.”

  “That’s disgustingly sweet,” Leena laughed. “All right. Enough sappy stuff. Let’s get to the samples.”

  “Right.” I’d almost forgotten why I was here. When I thought about Karzin, everything else went out the window.

  Leena and I started with the largest sample taken from the deepest point in the crater.

  “How far down were these collected?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I groaned. “I was down there by myself and the intern didn’t measure the rope. And, of course, I don’t remember.”

  “Shoddy fieldwork,’ she clicked her tongue as she prepared the sample for analysis.

  “Rappel alone into an endless void, then you can judge me,” I replied.

  “Fair enough,” Leena shrugged. “We should be grateful any of the samples survived at all after that thing grabbed you.”

  The Aurora analyzed the sample quickly. When the results appeared on the console, Leena gave a surprised gasp.

  “Interesting,” she murmured. “This is a variant of the toxin that leaked from the Xathi ship fragments.”

  “How did it get down that deep?” I wondered.

  “It has corrosive properties.” Leena pointed to the console. “This
chemical compound here is highly acidic.”

  “This part here looks familiar.” I pointed to part of the analysis of the organic material. The Aurora’s lab was able to generate a genetic analysis of the organic sample.

  “It looks similar to the genomes of the sentient plant species. They all have a few common traits,” Leena explained.

  “The toxic substance was found with the organic material. It’s fair to say they likely came in contact with each other.”

  “Let me run a simulation of that reaction. I have enough data to generate one.” Leena typed a few things into the console. “We have the chemical makeup of the toxic substance and the makeup of the organic material. We don’t have exact amounts and we don’t know how long they were exposed to each other.”

  “At most, two months,” I replied. “That’s when the Xathi ship fragments crashed back down.”

  “I’ll put that in and see what happens.”

  Leena ran the simulation. The toxic substance overpowered the organic material, degrading it.

  “It reminds me of the reaction that occurs when human skin is exposed to acid,” Leena replied.

  “That can’t feel good,” I frowned.

  “That’s assuming whatever is down there can feel,” Leena interjected.

  “Would now be a good time to call that woman you told me about?” I asked. “Jeneva, her name was?”

  “Vrehx won’t be happy, but I think she’s the only person on this planet who can tell us more,” Leena sighed. She pulled out a comm unit.

  “Hello?” A woman’s voice answered on the other end of the line.

  “Jeneva, it’s Leena. I’ve got a favor to ask of you,” Leena said.

  “I’ve been placed on leave for the duration of my pregnancy,” Jeneva grumbled. “I’m not supposed to do anything.”

  “I’ve got samples of an unidentified organic material that shares traits with sentient plants,” Leena said in a sing-song voice.

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Jeneva disconnected.

  “Maternity leave for her entire pregnancy?” I asked. “That seems extreme. Is she unwell?”

  “No, she’s fine. It’s just the first time a human female has carried the child of a Skotan male, so everyone is treating her like blown glass,” Leena explained.

  “She’s pregnant with an alien’s baby?” I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I didn’t even know that was possible.”

  “Neither did anyone else,” Leena laughed dryly.

  True to her word, Jeneva arrived at the lab in record time. She was taller than I’d expected her to be, and willowy thin, despite her pregnant state. She wasn’t far along by the look of it, but far along enough to have a sizable baby bump.

  Jeneva and Leena greeted each other with a hug.

  “You’re positively glowing,” Leena beamed.

  “I don’t feel like it,” Jeneva laughed. “I’ve never been so tired and hungry in all of my life, even though all I do now is eat and sleep.”

  “Does Vrehx know you’re here?” Leena asked.

  “He does,” Jeneva nodded. “He’s been a nervous wreck ever since he found out I’m pregnant. It’s cute.”

  “I can’t imagine Vrehx nervous,” Leena chuckled.

  “Teasing him about it is my greatest source of entertainment,” Jeneva said with a wicked grin. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was a walking miracle.

  I had every intention of staying with Karzin forever, but I’d always assumed children were out of the question. I hadn’t given much thought to children in general, human or otherwise.

  Now that I looked at Jeneva and saw how happy and settled she was, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I realized I wanted what she had. Hopefully, Karzin felt the same way.

  But that was a conversation for another time. Jeneva wasn’t here just so I could gawk at her.

  “I’m Annie Parker. Geologist,” I stuck out my hand. Jeneva shook it.

  “I hear you’ve found something out in the desert,” she smiled. “I’ll be happy to take a look. I love being waited on hand and foot all day, but I miss my work.”

  I showed Jeneva our data, specifically the genetic profile pulled from the organic material.

  “Interesting,” Jeneva muttered as she peered closer.

  “Jeneva’s made a name for herself in the plant field,” Leena explained.

  “The more technical aspects of all this,” Jeneva waved at the lab, “I’ve come to pretty recently. I used to live in the forest,” she continued. “I made a living harvesting poison, sap, and extracts from plants and animals. Not a lot of exact science, but always interesting.”

  “That sounds like a terrifying job,” I replied.

  “It had its moments,” Jeneva admitted. “But I didn’t have a choice. At the time, living in the city wasn’t an option.”

  “Why not?” I asked. I immediately chided myself for asking such personal questions.

  “You don’t need to feel bad. I don’t mind answering questions about my life,” Jeneva said.

  I blinked in surprise, wondering if I’d voiced my thoughts. “I’m an empath. I can read other people’s feelings, emotions, and occasionally their thoughts.”

  “That’s incredible,” I stammered.

  Jeneva was, officially, the most interesting person on Ankou.

  “It was horrible at first. My husband, Vrehx, was the one who taught me how to control it. It’s thanks to him that I get to have a life,” she beamed.

  “Any progress on identifying the plant, Jeneva? I’ve got something strange over here,” Leena said, drawing focus back to the issue at hand.

  “Whatever it is, it belongs to the same family as the other sentient plants, but the similarities stop there. I have no idea what it is,” Jeneva sighed. “What have you got?”

  “Traces of an airborne substance trapped in the soil,” Leena said. “I shifted the sample just a little. I must’ve released the gas without realizing it.”

  “What sample is it from?” I asked. Leena checked the label.

  “It’s from Malvor. I’m going to run a few tests.” Leena quickly became absorbed in her task. Once again, I was amazed at the efficiency of the Aurora’s lab. Leena had results in minutes.

  “I don’t understand,” she muttered to the console.

  “What is it?” Jeneva and I asked at the same time.

  “This gas, whatever it is, causes memory loss,” she said, pulling up data from her pad. “I’ve run some initial samples through and it looks like the gas contains molecules that interfere in brain chemistry in humans. The most noticeable side effect is that it prevents memory formation.”

  “That explains why no one remembers the attacks,” I sighed.

  “I’ll get working on an antidote,” Leena sighed. “No promises it’ll work.”

  “That’s all we can ask for at this point.”

  Karzin

  I waited for Annie outside the Aurora’s lab.

  When she left the lab and saw me waiting for her in the corridor, her whole face lit up with the most stunning smile.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Taking you out to dinner,” I replied. “I planned ahead and made sure the restaurant had a table available, so you can’t turn me down.”

  Annie gasped and looked down at her wrinkled, dirt-stained clothes. “I can’t go to dinner! All my clothes look like this,” she exclaimed.

  At that moment, Leena breezed by with a wry smile.

  “The dress you asked me to bring is hanging in Annie’s room, Karzin,” she informed me.

  “You knew about this?” Annie asked.

  “Of course,” Leena said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Don’t spill anything on that dress. It’s my favorite.”

  “Thank you, Leena.” I bowed to her as she walked away.

  “You really put effort into planning this,” Annie laughed.

  “Yes, I did. Now go get dressed.”
I winked at her as she hurried off to her borrowed room.

  When she reappeared twenty minutes later, she was completely transformed. Her skin glowed under the ship’s overhead lights. The dress Leena lent was simple and black, but hugged every curve of Annie’s perfect body. She wore black strappy things on her feet that looked like beautiful instruments of torture. Her hair shone like polished copper.

  “You look amazing.” I felt breathless. “You’re going to make me look bad.” In those shoes, she was several inches taller. Tall enough to plant a kiss on my cheek without straining upward.

  “Impossible,” she smiled up at me. I offered her my arm and asked Fen to open a rift for us. When we stepped off the Aurora, Annie’s expression tightened but she didn’t hesitate to step through the rift into the heart of Nyheim.

  “You didn’t even flinch that time!” I praised, rubbing her bare arms with my hands to warm her up.

  “I still hate it,” she laughed. “It’s a shame it’s so convenient.”

  There was only one proper restaurant operating in Nyheim. The city had rebuilt itself just enough so that such luxuries were available, but only sparingly.

  No matter the universe, formal rituals for dining seemed to serve the same purposes.

  Despite everything, people wanted a sense of normalcy. A place to go to celebrate their triumphs and spend time with their loved ones.

  It wasn’t the prettiest place, but I didn’t think Annie would mind. Inside, the concrete walls were punctuated by exposed pipes. Whoever owned the place had tried to make the pipes look better by wrapping them in strings of tiny lights.

  Annie couldn’t stop looking around, her mouth opened in delight. The restaurant could have been made of rubble for all I cared. All I wanted to see was her.

  A pleasant woman led us to a quiet table in the back. A single lit candle was placed in the center of the table.

  “This is lovely,” Annie beamed as she took her seat.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Thank you for bringing me here.” Annie looked soft and pretty in the candlelight. I wanted to touch her, but somehow refrained.