AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) (15 page)

Jenna’s stomach rolled.

Kai had been right. His people had come for him and now they were in grave danger. How they had been able to find the ship baffled her. Unless they knew exactly where it was there had been no way they could have seen or heard it. And Kai had not used any more telepathy. Nothing had registered on the equipment. If he had been able to pass on his exact location with his first recorded mind synapse it would have been an impressive feat. He was definitely proving unusual for his species.

“It gets better,” said Brent gleefully. He leaned in closer to Jenna so as not to be overheard by others in the room. “You might as well hear this now since it will become priority once the new subjects get here; the telepathy project is very near to being scrapped.”

“But, why…”

“Because those higher up have refocused their interest. They want the bile from the cerebral gland. We haven’t been able to isolate how it creates the telepathy in the subjects, but we
have
been able to distill it down to a pure form and create

something

else…something

very

interesting.”

She wanted to smack the gleeful smile off his face.

“Something else?” Jenna asked nervously.

She had been aware for some time that there were other experiments going on in the labs outside the scope of their initial research. She also knew Carter had been at the center of it, but since she had been so vocal against what they were doing, no one had spoken of it with her till now.

That is, now it appeared they would be taking over the lab and she’d have no say in the matter.

“This stuff makes Trope look like a walk in the park,” he said in hushed tones, excitement spiking his voice.

Trope was the latest drug that was making its way around the Orestus party circuit and was highly addictive. It caused hallucinations and feelings of elation. There was a large crash that followed and, if used excessively, would lead to blindness

and

impaired

motor

function.

Unfortunately, to some the high was worth the risk.

Jenna knew first hand, her brother had been a Trope addict and it took him losing his vision before he would stop.

Brent continued. “This stuff makes you see the sights and all the other goodies, but there’s an added bonus. It’s like you can see your own thoughts. Not only can you remember things from your past, its like you are there reliving them! Its…

its…amazing!”

“You’ve tried it, haven’t you?”

Dr. Carter smiled knowingly. It was a greasy, leering smile that gave Jenna the creeps.

“So why not get what you need from the bovine creatures in custody and synthesize that?

Why do you need the humanoids?” she asked.

“Because the secretions from the humanoids are three times as potent,” he said as if she were some kind of idiot. “When it’s reduced there’s not enough from one source to create a pure synthetic without error. We could get enough from the other species, and our buyers will take it, but they want the really potent juice. That’s where the good money is. The buyers don’t really care about the

‘how’. So, once we have enough humanoids we’ll harvest what we need and leave. Besides, I thought you of all people would be glad to get off this craphole…Hey, are you okay?”

Jenna was not okay. Color had drained from her face and she felt as if she was going to pass out. In the past, when she would panic under extreme situations this would happen to her. Now her stress was shooting through the roof and her lack of sleep and not eating had caught up to her.

“I just need to lie down for a minute,” she said, getting up from the table and walking down the hall.

“Yeah, okay,” said Brent after her. “Get your rest. You’ll need it. I’m telling you, we are going to be busy!”

***

Kai had maintained his meditative state for some time, stopping only to take some of the shapeless gray food that was delivered to him via a small portal in the cell wall. There had been no opportunity or chance to make an escape and he was beginning to wonder if there ever would be.

The thought of dying in the cold, metal room sent shivers down his spine.

He kept his breathing slow and even, creating a space in his consciousness that was infinite and peaceful like the night sky, someplace where only his essence existed and nothing else.

This technique was how the Aklesh people kept their mental privacy from each other. The Healer had taught him how to do it after his father had died. The discipline helped him endure and strengthen his mind.

Kai only opened his eyes when Jenna came through the door. As it closed she took a glance outside to make sure no one saw her enter. In her left hand she held a small cylindrical device full of a green liquid.

Once the nervous doctor was sure they were alone she grabbed a metal chair and sat in front of Kai’s cell. The look of determination and fear on her face let him know something was wrong.

For once she dared to stare straight into his eyes and this time she didn’t blink.

“It is very important that you listen to everything I say; Your people are here-” Kai started to speak, but she put a hand up to silence him and went on. “There isn’t a lot of time. They are in great danger. I’m going to set you free so you can warn your people. There is going to be a group of mercenaries leaving the ship soon and they going after them. Your people won’t stand a chance. The soldiers will be going out the main hanger bay. If you find your way and you stay hidden you may be able to sneak out behind them before it closes. You are only going to have a few minutes and I can’t help you much. I’ll give you some time once I let you out, then cause a distraction up here in the labs. No one will know you’re gone till its too late. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Kai nodded. “What about him?” he asked, indicating the cell next to him.

She sighed, but there was urgency in her tone. “Its too late for him, he’s as good as dead.”

“Let me take him home, to his people-“

“Kai, stop,” she said, her voice slightly raised.

Her panic was about to overtake her and she was doing her best to keep it under control. “Either you go alone, or you don’t go at all.”

Kai nodded.

She continued. “Out this door you take a right, a stairway down two levels, a left and a left. Repeat that back to me.”

“A right, a stairway down two levels, a left and a left,” he said.

“Good,” she smiled, though faintly. “After that, you’re on your own.”

She stood, put the green cylinder on the metal table then went over to the side of his cell. She quickly pressed the pads on a display. There was a short, static buzz that clicked in the air in front of him and made him jump. He didn’t move, remembering the shock he got the last time he’d tried to go through.

Jenna indicated it was alright and motioned for him to come forward. Tentatively he put one foot out, then the other. Once he realized there was not going to be a painful electrical shock he got out quickly and was soon standing outside the cell next to her.

Kai then saw the other captive. He was lying in the adjoining cell, like a rag doll thrown on the ground, thin and worn. Kai hardly recognized him at first, then he made the connection. This man was a cousin of his mother’s family that he had barely known. Kai thought his name might be Zur. A great pity rose in his heart for the once proud warrior.

“There is nothing you can do,” said Jenna, pulling back his focus. “The mercenaries will be leaving in less than an hour. As soon as you can, warn your people then get out. Remember, a right, a stairway down two levels then two lefts.”

She pressed the button by the entrance and the metal door slid open. She looked outside and then put her hand on his shoulder.

“Be careful, Kai…and…I’m so sorry.”

With that she pushed him into the hallway and watched him head to the stairs.

Once he disappeared from view she turned her attention to the other Aklesh and the second part of her plan. She grabbed the hypo spray on the table, went to his cell and punched the shield release code into the data pad. Kneeling by the Aklesh she put his arm over her shoulder and forced him to stand. Although the native had lost a good deal of weight during his captivity, he was still rather heavy for her small frame to bear.

She half carried, half dragged the native to the open door and propped him up against the frame. Then taking the hypospray firmly in her hand she jammed it into his shoulder. It was a large dose of S.P.33 which would send his body into a frenzy. The effect was immediate.

His eyes began to roll and his rasping breath quickened. The veins on his gray skin bulged all over his body with the increased blood flow.

Jenna knew he was not going to survive after the drug had worked it’s way through his system, but all she needed was to buy a little time.

He started to foam at the mouth. The doctor pushed him into the room and closed the door, locking him inside. She stood for a moment and waited till she could hear him banging about inside then ran down the hallway shouting, “Someone help! Subject H12 is out of control!” When Jenna heard footsteps coming her direction she hid just around the corner, ducking down into the stairwell and listened. The dark morality of her weak plan tugged at her briefly, but having endured months of watching torture she had grown surprisingly hard.

The first voice she heard was that of Doctor Carter.

“…I don’t know, maybe she’s inside. Unlock that door!” After a moment there was the familiar sound of the door sliding open. There was a lot of crashing equipment and voices, then full on screaming…none of which was coming from subject H12.

Jenna had given him enough stimulants to turn him into a raging monster.

She didn’t wait long before climbing up another stairwell and into an empty lab. There her sights fell upon several furry, two legged creatures. In her palm she still held the hypo of S.P. 33 and there was enough left to finish the job.

Dr Jenna Hines decided to bring down the whole damn project.

***

Kai had followed her directions as best as he could but the environment was foreign to him, though not entirely. Any recognition of the world he found himself surrounded by would only be due to the fact it had been in Gar’s mind and had leaked its way to his conciousness. He didn’t have true knowledge of what he was encountering. But any advantage was still one to be used.

He crept down a long corridor and prayed he did not run into any of the blue suited people.

The way Jenna had described them he wanted to avoid any encounter at all costs. He passed an entryway on his right that held a large room in the shape of a half circle. It was full of blinking lights and wide screens displaying maps and scenes, some of which were of his world and others of places that Kai had no comprehension of. There were several men with blue suits sitting at the consoles and working. Luckily, most of them were facing towards to large screen on the wall farthest from him. Walking among the blue suited men was the solid jawed one with the barking voice they had called Rhoed. Kai had not liked him from the beginning and he definitely did not want to tangle with that man.

The entryway was about ten feet across and there was no way he was going to be able to get across without being seen by someone.

Weighing the risk he chose to crouch low and stay put for a moment, hoping that the distraction the doctor had promised was going to work. He found a place to hide, between some loose paneling and a metal crate of supplies.

Unless someone was looking for him directly they would not have seen him unless they were standing almost on top of him.

Kai could hear the voices clearly in the room.

“Captain Rhoed,” said one of the men at a consol. “We have in incoming hail. It’s the one you were expecting.”

“Put it through,” said Rhoed.

On the screen an image became clear. It was a type of creature Kai had never seen before. The figure was relatively human, but the skin was purple and scaly with no hair on its head. Kai thought he should be unnerved by someone appearing on a wall, but for some reason it didn’t strike him as strange. He assumed this was Gar’s influence.

“Progress report, Captain Rhoed, if you please,” said the mysterious figure with silver eyes.

The voice made Kai’s skin crawl. It was definitely male, but was low and almost seemed to vibrate. Kai had never heard any sound like it.

“How have the changes affected your times table?

“We’ve located a pod of the primitives and have already sent out a full squad to retrieve specimens.

Once we have what we need from them we’ll be on our way back.”

“Excellent,” replied the eerie voice. “And may I also remind you that all evidence of your work must be purged. Nothing can make it back here except what we have agreed on.”

“Everything is in order, sir,” said Rhoed.

“Good. We expect to hear from you again soon.” And with that the face vanished from the screen.