The Acolytes of Crane "Updated Edition" (21 page)

Zane had a puzzled look. ‘You
mean why Earth is involved, or—’

Lincoln’s face was red from
excitement. ‘Why are you recruiting from Earth? Why are you guys all pissing
each other off on Earth?’

Zane nodded his head knowingly.
‘Excellent question.’

Mariah spoke us, her eyes
flashing. ‘Yeah! I know what Linc means. We’re just a quiet, technologically
backward planet.’ She looked around in awe. ‘You guys are so much more advanced
than us. What possible use can we puny humans be to you?’

Zane stared at her approvingly.
‘You are very clever.’

‘Thanks.’ She glanced at Lincoln.
‘So is he.’

‘The short answer is… you humans
are unique. In one very important way. It’s true you don’t have the technology.
You’re very weak in terms of physical strength. Almost laughable.’

‘Hey, watch it!’ Dan snarled.

‘But one thing sets you out. You
have consistently been proven to be the most … adaptable.’ He paced the room. ‘Other
inter-planetary species are bigger, stronger. They’re more intelligent. More
advanced. But… you humans are the most adept at strategizing, at surviving.’

A silence filled the room.

Zane continued, ‘We have the
technology. We have this nanocom, as Theodore already experienced. We give you
the power and strength. You are the most perfect fit of any species we have
ever encountered.’ His voice was animated, yet hushed.

‘Okay,’ Mariah frowned. ‘That
makes sense. But—why did you recruit—’ Mariah pointed to me, herself, and
Lincoln—‘three fifteen-year-olds…’ She further pointed to Dan, then Liam.‘…a
sixteen-year-old, and a seventeen-year-old? Why didn’t you recruit some career
soldiers from Earth? Or our most brilliant scientists and engineers?’

‘We need willing kids who are not
entirely set in their ways,’ Zane said. ‘Adults with a significant skill in
demand by a powerful nation will likely resist leaving Earth, and they may also
have children of their own that they cannot leave behind. Our resistance to the
Dacturon Empire is mapped out over the next several years. This isn’t going to
be an overnight victory. So if you are not willing to devote some of your own
time to saving your world and the existence of Sephera, then your journey can
end now, and you will be sent home. If anyone feels like this is the end of
their journey, please speak now,’ he said, waiting for a moment to observe any
quitters. ‘Ah, no one speaks. Good! The success of your training will be a
reflection of the effort you put forth. Thank you for your time.’

From my observation of the room,
I could tell my team wasn’t satisfied with the explanation of why Zane was
recruiting teenagers, and they were just afraid of challenging him.

Dan started to speak up twice,
then backed down each time. Finally, he asked, gesturing with his hands, ‘If
the Dacturons are so powerful, then why would they need Travis? He is only a
teenager, like us.’

There was a few seconds of what I
assumed to be quiet pondering and Zane projected his voice, ‘Dan. Travis is
not
a teenager, I assure you.’

My colleagues looked at each
other in puzzlement. Lincoln burst out, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking
about. Travis is the same age as Ted, and—’

Zane cut him off, with a tone of
impatience. He was signaling his time with us was up soon. ‘Theodore knows. I
repeat, Travis is
not
a teenager anymore. Theodore will fill you in on
that I presume.’ He then stepped through the sliding doors.

My teammates were now murmuring
among themselves in confusion.

Nezatron took over the situation.
He sounded off through the intercom. He said, ‘Hello, feel free to ask
questions at any time, if you don’t understand something. The key in working
together well is to know what your brother or sister is capable of, on your
left and your right. Liam’s strength and size are his advantages. Daniel’s
amazing display of agility makes him unpredictable and thus formidable in
battle. Lincoln’s attribute is his state of mind. He can prescribe what a
correct course of action is, and he will be important in the decisions that you
make together. Mariah is graceful and athletic. She outran every boy in her
class this year. Three of you have been chosen for your physical skills, and
one for his mind, two if you include Teddy. It is important for you to know
that you are not limited to these skills. Every one of you is capable of
becoming great in mind and body. However, I want you to sharpen your unique
skills every day and advance those that need work. Theodore was chosen for
scientific reasons too difficult for your young minds to understand.
Regardless, you must follow his guidance. One by one you will be taken to the
Chamber of Rafal to be fitted with the same telepathic devices that Theodore
uses. Teddy-boy will give you a lesson in working these devices after we are
done with the insertion.’

‘Wait! What? You are going to put
something in our heads. No way, not me man,’ Dan said.

‘You will not feel a thing, Dan.
We have been at this for a long time,’ Nezatron said.

‘But what makes you think we want
something in our heads?’ Liam asked.

Nezatron said, ‘We are all
equipped with nano technology, so don’t be concerned about us trying to control
you. It will help you communicate. The Multiversal council mandates regulations
that prevent anyone from using a nanocom to relinquish a person's rights. We
will respect these regulations. The procedure isn’t painful. It is exactly what
you need to ensure an advantage in this war. I will be your eye in the sky when
you are in the field, and I will be your on-board computer. I am sure your
training on computers has been limited to video games and to surfing hundreds
of websites. We are going to take your current experience to the next level. If
you are truly willing, I will evolve you into a band of human warriors in the
Chamber of Rafal. Then you will rest, because tomorrow your training will
begin, and believe me when I say this, or anything: you will always need your
rest. If you don’t rest when you have been given the opportunity to do so, bad
things might happen, and people can sustain injuries because of it. Okay, that
is enough talking for now.’

‘I get it now,’ Lincoln said. ‘The
reason you need teenagers—’

“That’s what I thought too,’ said
Mariah.

‘—is that it doesn’t really
matter what age we are. When this implant is done, we are no longer teenagers
in our minds.’

‘Whoa!’ said Liam.

‘We’re practically like adults
when this is done,’ asserted Lincoln.

Dan piped up, ‘I’m not sure I
want to change! I like being a teenager.’

Nezatron took control of the
discussion. ‘Yes and no. You will be like a hybrid. Physically, you will still
be teenagers. Your mind will always have that malleability that is so important
in teenagers.’

A foreboding air of silence
hovered in the room as reality sunk in.

‘As Zane likes to say, ‘Youth is
wasted on the young.’ We will ensure that not one bit of your youth is wasted,’
Nezatron said.

Give Liam credit for putting us
back at ease. ‘When do we eat?’ he asked, rubbing his hands with glee.

‘We will notify you about dinner.
You will find your new clothes behind the platinum doors next to your beds.
Take a moment to explore your rooms. Within your closet, there is some unique
tech-gear, try to avoid the temptation to use them until your training.’

The ambient lighting throughout
the quarters made me feel at home. There was no denying it. The Uriel was my
home. With my grandparents deceased, my mom and dad incapable of parenting, I
was willing to accept these changes with no resistance. I was still deeply cut
by the loss of my guardians.

Zane gave me credit for
sacrificing everything, and that surprised me. I could have ensured the death
of Travis by driving him into the ground myself, but someone was watching the
altercation and teleported him. I should have finished him when I had the
chance.

‘Theodore, may I please come in,’
came a young girl’s voice through the door intercom.

I said yes, and when she stepped
in, I have to admit, I was taken back. She was covered from head to toe in
sandy brown hair, about an inch long. The hair appeared soft and alluring,
shifting slightly in hue as I adjusted my line of vision. 

She wore a crown. It was a
rolesk. Clothed in a sort of toga, she reminded me of a Greek goddess, and her
voice was gritty, yet enchanting.

Her pupils were a shade of brown
not far from black, and the whites of her eyes contrasted sharply against them.
I felt drawn toward these gorgeous features, my heart palpitating.

She stood proper, punctual, and
perfect. Her posture reflected her sense of grace and poise.  I found myself
attracted to her aura of mystique and beauty.

‘I am Tez. I will be escorting
you to the Chamber of Rafal. Welcome to the Uriel.’ She smiled to me, tilting
her head. ‘What is the matter, you have never seen a Karshiz princess before? I
am a leader like you. My father is King Trazuline.’

Yes! King Trazuline, whom I had
met when I escaped from my near-certain death at Taylors Falls. ‘I am Theodore.
You can call me Ted if you like. You are right, I have never met a princess.
The only thing I—that is a matter—I mean, what is—. Dang it, I cannot talk! It
is just, you are...’

‘Different?’ she asked.

‘Yes, don’t get me wrong, you are
beau—’

‘Okay, okay, let’s just get to
the Chamber,’ she said, ‘I remember when I went to the chamber for the second
time. It was after I was given the rank of Messiah.’

‘Messiah? What rank is that,
like, is that in the military on your planet?’ I asked.

‘No, it is more of a position.
You are a Messiah too. Let me explain. If Zane is at the top, you and I are two
levels underneath him. That is just if you are organizing us in a level of
importance to the resistance. If we were talking about military rank, I would
say Migalt and Nezatron are closer to the top, but they don’t formally have a
position. They are like Zane’s left hand and his right hand. King Trazuline, my
father, definitely has an official position. He is a General, and he is Zane’s
tactician and advisor. He would be directly under Zane in rank. All Generals carry
out Zane’s orders.’

We walked for a bit down the
hallway. The hallway of the Uriel made it seem like I was separated from space
by glass, walking on a bridge toward the next wing of the ship.

Once we arrived at the chamber,
there was a machine guarding it. Box-like, it had about fifty camera lenses on
the flat surfaces of it, peering out in every possible direction. It easily
swiveled in response to motion, balancing perfectly on an anti-gravity sphere
that allowed it unlimited mobility.

‘What are those things?’ I asked
Tez in awe.

‘That is one of the Ophanims.
When the ship Uriel elevates its defensive readiness, the Ophanims spread their
forces across the ship, making sure there are no security breaches. The eyes on
the Ophanims are cameras. They record many different vantage points and process
all the information to be sent into the mainframe—Nezatron. If there is a
breach, they are known to be extremely deadly, with the use of lasers and
plastic monofilament restraints.’

The ship’s defenses made me feel
safer. When we stopped at the gate leading to the chamber, the Ophanim
protecting it spoke:

‘Please state your name and your
purpose. First, tell me the security response to this phrase: People of purpose
are…?’ the Ophanim requested in a female robotic voice.

‘Security response:
prisoners
of production
,’ Tez quickly responded confidently and precisely, as the
Ophanim beeped in approval. ‘I am Tezmarine Halperin, daughter of King
Trazuline Halperin, and princess of the planet Karshiz. I have with me Theodore
Crane, Messiah by Urilian order.’

While Tez spoke, the Ophanim
scanned our eyes and pricked the tips of the index fingers of our right hands,
matching up the results to a pre-screened database. We were clean and good to
go. The gates opened, and the Ophanim collapsed into the wall ergonomically.

‘Okay Ted, this is where I stop.
Theodore, your life from here on out will be—different. You have to separate
friendship from leadership. The humans that you brought are your subordinates
now, and should be treated like soldiers of the resistance, with respect, but
not love in the sense of friendship. However, they should be valued just
through hard work and dedication to you as their leader. Congratulations
Theodore, you deserve it—your story inspired me to join in the fight.’

‘My story?’ I asked, ‘You mean
people know about me?’

‘Yes, Theodore. Right down to
your abusive parents. It is amazing you have made it so far, having parents like
that.’

I felt embarrassed.

‘Okay, one last thing—you have a
hole in your shoe.’ She giggled and turned her back to me. As she walked away,
I felt drawn to her. 

I dug deep to think of something
clever to say. Fumbling, all that I could come out with was, ‘You too.’