Resurgence: Katieran Prime

by KD Jones

  Stepping back, Kayley looked at the three males. “Tell me what you think you are owed.”

  “When your people took the only ships on the Morin homeworld, they left the rest of us behind, and we had been infected by the virus your scientists had created.”

  “The Morin scientists and leaders were responsible for the virus.”

  “You can say that all you want, but it doesn’t take away your cowardice. We managed to overtake shuttles and claim a transport for ourselves, but now our health is declining. We intercepted communications from the Morins saying compatible females were found, and we followed the trail.”

  “You found us. What do you want?”

  “Help, find a cure to the mutations.”

  Kayley growled low. “If you had not attacked a female but reached out to ask for help, I might believe you, but you were after more than assistance.”

  “We want females to breed with,” the younger male said.

  ZenIM stepped forward, glaring at the leader. “You’ll never get your hands on them.”

  “If that’s what you think, you’re wrong.” The leader smirked.

  Chapter 20

  It was getting late. Jenny wondered what was keeping ZenIM from returning to the village. He had been gone all day, never coming back for the Midday Meal. She missed him and worried he might be in danger. He hadn’t told her what he would be doing, but she assumed it had something to do with the three prisoners he caught.

  She kept herself busy during the day, checking on HonORa. She met a few more of the Norads who had made the village their permanent home. The Norads were all blue, but other than that, they were built like the Katierans.

  Jenny couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be one of a handful of survivors for her entire species. She supposed if she had remained on Earth, eventually the environmental decline would’ve made it almost impossible to survive on their planet. The Katieran scientists working on the problem had their hands full.

  She sat on her front porch and watched the suns set. It was so beautiful here surrounded by nature. The fresh clean air was just beginning to chill, at least cooler in comparison to how warm it was during the day. Out of habit, she reached up to adjust glasses not there. It hadn’t been the first time she had done that, and it wouldn’t be the last. Perhaps it was time to have her vision corrected with the nanos. Why was she hanging on to those old frames anyway?

  “Good evening, Medic Sampson,” Zander’s sister Lizetta called out. She walked next to a young handsome warrior Jenny had never seen.

  “Good evening, Lizetta.”

  The girl stopped at the bottom of Jenny’s steps. “I want to introduce you to Warrior MalEEk. He’s from Katiera.”

  Jenny stood and walked to the railing. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  “It is good to meet you as well. I heard you will be helping with the birth of HonORa’s young.”

  “Yes, I will be.” Remembering she had heard about this warrior, but he had not been in the village. “Did you just arrive?”

  “I was on the Morinian transport Utope sent out in the search for a new planet for the Morinians when we intercepted suspicious communications. We returned to see if we could lend aid. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “What’s going on? Come on, MalEEk. You can tell us,” Lizetta said, giving the young warrior a pouting look.

  Jenny tried hard not to laugh as she watched the warrior struggle to resist the girl. It was clear to anyone watching that the girl had him wrapped around her little finger. But to attest to his willpower, he did resist.

  “I think it’s better if ZenIM tells the village when he’s ready. It’s not my place.”

  She tried to hide her excitement. “Is ZenIM and the rest back from questioning the prisoners?”

  “He should be,” MalEEk said.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Lizetta reached into her pocket of her skirt and pulled something out. “ZenIM had one of our craft people try to repair this for you.”

  Jenny came down the steps and took what Lizetta held out. Her glasses, well, it was similar to her glasses. ZenIM must’ve found the broken frame and the one lens barely holding together and given it to be copied. Someone very talented carved frames out of a beautiful type of wood. She tried it on.

  “Can you see better now?” Lizetta asked her.

  “It’s pretty darn close. It may need a few more adjustments, but this is definitely much better. Thank you.” Now, she felt more like herself with her glasses. Silly, but it was the truth.

  “All the thanks goes to ZenIM. If you need to adjust it, just let me know, and I’ll take you to the craftsman DoyER.”

  “I will.”

  “Zander just returned so I think I’ll give him alone time with HonORa and take a walk with MalEEk. Would you like to come with us?”

  Jenny hesitated before responding. “I think I’ll go thank ZenIM for getting my glasses repaired.”

  “See you later.”

  “Have a good evening.”

  Jenny rushed through the front door and into her bathroom. She needed to check her appearance. She was wearing a T-shirt and pants today which was not her typical wardrobe, but she did a lot of walking around the village and wanted to be comfortable. She had no makeup, so she pinched her cheeks to give herself some color.

  “Well, that’s as good as it’s getting.”

  With that, she rushed out of her cabin, almost tripping down the steps. Her heart beat so fast, she feared it would break out from her chest. She couldn’t wait to see him, kiss him, touch him, and make love to him again. He had been all she’d thought about all day. She was addicted to him. She hoped he felt the same toward her.

  *****

  “Kayley, what are you doing here?” ZenIM asked, meeting her on the platform of his house. He heard someone climbing the tree and thought it was Jenny. He needed to fix the pulley cart to make sure she could come up and down easier. He also needed to add more railing to keep her safe. When he saw the dark braided head of hair, he knew instantly it wasn’t the female he wanted to see.

  “You don’t sound so happy to see me,” Kayley teased as she easily jumped from the tree ladder onto the platform. She was almost as strong as any male he knew, and she definitely could hold her own in a fight. He had the privilege of sparring with her on numerous occasions. Those encounters led to them having shared sex. He suddenly felt uncomfortable being alone with her under the moon and stars.

  “It’s not that I’m not glad to see you, but you shouldn’t be here right now.”

  “Is it because of the female I scented on you earlier?”

  He turned his back on her. Kayley wasn’t just a previous lover, but she had become a friend to him as well. However, it didn’t mean he wanted to discuss his relationship with Jenny.

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “I’m asking as a friend,” she placed her hand on his shoulder.

  Turning to face her, her hand still on his shoulder he confessed, “I hope to convince her to stay and mate me.”

  “You don’t sound like she would agree.”

  “She has a profession. She is a medic. If she stays, there’s no exciting new thing for her to study or learn. What do I have to offer?”

  “You offer your heart and hope for the best,” Kayley told him.

  He nodded and accepted the hug she offered.

  *****

  Jenny stood frozen at the bottom of the tree. She looked up to find another woman in ZenIM’s arms. She was beautiful, maybe one of his own kind she hadn’t met yet. Her heart broke in that moment at seeing him with someone else. They hadn’t made any agreements to date only each other, but she thought they had something special. She was wrong. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Turning to quickly escape without being seen, she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. Instead of heading toward the village center, she headed deeper into the jungle. It wasn’t until she tripped over a rock, she r
ealized she was no longer on the stone pathway, but in the middle of the jungle, at night, and alone.

  Jenny looked behind her to try to find the way, but she had gone far off the path. Not to mention it was too dark to see. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she tried to think what the best thing would be to do. She could try to walk back or stay where she was until sunrise, then try to find her way back. Clearing a spot under a nearby tree, she lay down and placed her head on her arm, then cried herself to sleep.

  Chapter 21

  The next morning

  “Where is she?” ZenIM demanded.

  He had wanted to seek Jenny out last night after he escorted Kayley back to the village. He went by Jenny’s cabin, but her lights were out, and he didn’t want to wake her, so he went back to his place to get some sleep.

  His intent was to go to her the next day and spend time with her. Maybe some of that time could be in her bed. He had dreamed of her, very explicit dreams repeating the things they had done the other night and more. ZenIM had been filled with excitement. Something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  This morning he woke in hopes of sharing the Morning Meal with Jenny. She didn’t answer her door when he knocked so he entered her cabin to find it empty. Her bed sheets were made up as if she had never slept there. He went to the cabin next door hoping she was visiting with HonORa and Zander. TilEE and Lizetta were there, but no sign of Jenny.

  “Have you seen Jenny?” he asked them.

  They looked at each other, shaking their heads. Zander answered. “Not this morning.”

  He felt a growing feeling of alarm. “When was the last time any of you saw her?”

  “She came by right before the Midday Meal yesterday to take my vitals and ask more questions,” HonORa told him.

  TilEE spoke up. “I shared the Midday Meal with her and gave her a tour around the village. I had plans for the Evening Meal with RidlEE and invited her to come, but she declined.”

  Lizetta hesitated before answering. “I saw her last night. She was sitting on her porch watching the sunset. I gave her the glasses and introduced her to MalEEk. We asked if she would like to take a walk with us, but she said she wanted to see you, ZenIM, to thank you for the glasses. When we came back from our walk, she was no longer on the porch.”

  “She’s been missing since last night then. Her bed hasn’t been slept in.”

  “Maybe she left early this morning to take a walk,” Zander offered.

  ZenIM briefly touched the place over his heart. “I don’t like it. She’s not familiar with her surroundings. Her eyesight is not the best, and there’s a rogue enemy out there we haven’t captured. We’ll check the rest of the village, but if she isn’t found, we’ll need to form a search party. She must be found.”

  An hour later, there had still been no sign of Jenny within the village boundaries. She either ventured farther out and got lost, or someone took her. The idea of one of those males getting their hands on Jenny made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time...fear.

  Commander AshOR stood next to ZenIM in the center of the group gathered in the village. “We’ll organize a group of warriors to search, but we have to make sure the prisoners are secure and the village is protected. Each of my warriors can scan for heat signatures.”

  “Thank you, Commander,” ZenIM told him.

  “My people will help in the search as well,” Kayley offered.

  ZenIM and RidlEE took the path toward ZenIM’s home in the trees. He hadn’t realized Kayley had followed them as well.

  “Why are we going this way?” RidlEE asked.

  “I have a feeling she might have come to my home last night. The last time she came by, she had a hard time seeing and got turned around.” It made him think, if she came by, she might have seen him with Kayley. Would that have given her the wrong idea?

  They stopped at the tree base with the ladder leading to his platform above. RidlEE was one of his best trackers. If anyone could track her it would be him.

  “Here are shoe imprints in the mud here. The foot is small, female, and the print is less than eight hours old,” RidlEE told him.

  “That has to be hers. What direction do you think she took?”

  “The opposite direction of the village, and the way the footprints are spread out, she moved quickly.”

  Kayley peered down at the footprint. “Maybe someone or something chased her away?”

  Was she running from him? ZenIM felt an overwhelming need to protect her. He had to find her first.

  *****

  Jenny woke with the suns shining warmly through the leaves. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Looking around her, she slowly remembered going to see ZenIM last night and finding another woman in his arms. Instead of confronting him about it, she ran away like a coward. She hadn’t done that since she was a kid, and back then, she only made it to the corner of her parent’s street before going back home. This was not her little town of Alresford.

  She stood and looked around. How had she gotten so far off the path? She was upset for good reason and crying, so she wasn’t clear headed. The thought of why she had been upset made tears threaten to fall again.

  “Stop it! Get yourself together and think. Which direction is the village?”

  Taking a step in one direction then stopping to change it at the last minute, she began to walk. She had no idea how long she had been walking, but the suns were growing higher in the sky. She had to find the village before it got dark again. There was no telling what kind of creatures were out there. Did the Colony have bears or tigers? Leave it to her to run off into a jungle full of deadly creatures. Her father took her camping once, and neither of them could get the tent up so they slept in their car.

  Sweat beaded down her back, and she was thirsty. What she wouldn’t give for a glass of water right now. “Time for a break.” Looking around for a comfortable place to sit.

  A large hand covered her mouth at the same time a strong arm wrapped around her stomach, pulling her against a chest. Fear filled her, and she struggled to get free, but the man holding her was too strong. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

  “Stop struggling, female, you’re only going to get hurt. That’s not my intent. I want something different from you.”

  When he moved his hand away, she turned to look up at him. Her first impression was he looked similar to the Morinians in the village, except his skin color was a tad off, more of a yellow tint. He couldn’t be a Morin, though. The pictures and videos she’d seen of the Katieran’s enemy showed they were sickly looking with yellow eyes, and they were bald. This guy’s eyes were more brown, and he had a full head of dark hair. No, this is a species she was unfamiliar with, and it meant he was part of the group who had attacked her shuttle.

  “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “My friends, do they still live?”

  His accent was different, but thanks to her translator, she could understand him. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  His arm squeezed her so tight that she couldn’t breathe. When he let up, she gulped air in. Her heart rate slowed, and she used the time to look for a way to escape.

  “Now, answer my questions. Are my friends still alive?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen your friends.”

  He released her only to grab her wrist and pull her around to face him. “What do you know?”

  “I don’t know anything except that my shuttle was shot out of the sky by a bunch of spineless wankers.” Oh, that had been the wrong thing to say. He raised his hand and slapped her so hard, she fell to ground. She slammed her skull on a rock, and her glasses fell off. She wasn’t sure if her sight was blurry due to no glasses or the hit on her head. She must be hearing things, too, because she could have sworn she heard her name called from a distance. It almost sounded like ZenIM. A surge of hope filled her.

  “Here! I’m here! Help!”

  “Shut up!” the male yelled at her.
He pulled out what looked like a phaseray the Katieran warriors carried. He clasped her wrist painfully and jerked her up to her feet then dragged her behind him, away from the voices.

  “ZenIM!” she called out before the man struck her again knocking her nearly unconscious. Everything around her spun and she felt like throwing up.

  Chapter 22

  ZenIM stopped and held up his hand to the others following him. “Did you hear that?”

  RidlEE stopped to listen as did Kayley, who insisted on coming with them. She pointed to the left which was the direction he thought the sound came from.

  “ZenIM!” a female voice screamed out.

  “That’s Jenny,” ZenIM said before dashing through the trees. He didn’t wait for the others; he had to get to her. She sounded scared. Leaping up, he reached for a strong vine.

  He scented the air. There, it was faint, but he definitely caught Jenny’s sweet fragrance. He would know it above anything else. He followed that scent until he spotted something shiny on the ground. He dropped to the spot to reach the object. Jenny’s glasses. He put them in his pocket.

  Her scent grew stronger straight ahead, and he could detect blood, her blood. Anger like he had never known filled him. His fists clenched with the need to seek out punishment to whomever had dared hurt his female.

  Movement caught his attention. Listening for the sounds, he detected heavy footsteps, and it sounded like something was being dragged.

  He ran faster than he ever had. His eyes swirled letting him see farther and better, easily avoiding hitting trees or stumbling over rocks in the way. Sounds of a struggle taking place spurred him even more. He could identify one familiar female voice and one male voice.

  “Let go of me you, barmy arshole!” Jenny yelled out.

  “Get off the ground!” the male growled.

  ZenIM felt fury growing inside him at the fear in Jenny’s voice. He moved closer until he could see them. Jenny was on the ground and the male towered over her.