Chapter Thirteen: Transmutation — Part 2

Regus fell back with Charles, stumbling and in pain. “Those bastards are terribly strong. One of them crushed my hand.”

“They’re fast as hell.” Charles admitted, breathing hoarsely.

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” Regus said.

The fever had already hit the Enforcer, but he was smart enough keep tightly to hope. “I think Susan knows the answer to that.”

Somebody, probably Loka, shouted at the men. “Judging by your ages, both of you can pretty much kiss your butts good-bye. Unless of course, either of you has something decent to live for.”

Susan smiled from her perch, just out of reach and sight of the two weakening men. For about an hour the two fought against the symbiont, until it overwhelmed their immune systems, knocking them both unconscious. Charles never had a chance to use his pistol, and never considered using it on himself – any more than Regus had considered ending his own life. One both fell to their knees, to their hands, and finally to their bellies, or in Regus case, to his back, Susan decided it was time to start working.

“All right families, strip them down and take them home. I want the Adapt Teams in the ships, getting the others exposed as quickly as possible.”

“Susan.” Robert yelled. “The Enforcer is asking for you.”

“Tell him to talk. I can hear him.”

“You aren’t going to kill my people are you?” Charles said.

“I’ve no way of determining who lives and who dies. The illness you have is picky about its companionship. Go to sleep Enforcer.”

“We have to get you to a place where we can monitor you. Close your eyes.” Robert was gentle with Charles, who couldn’t move. He saw something he hadn’t expected in the man, a sense of duty, of discipline, and a concern for his troops. Robert carefully undid the Enforcer’s pistol, and had it taken away for safe storage.

“Enforcer, you seem to me to be quite a man of honor.” Robert said, after a moment’s pause.

“Call me Charles. My friends call me Charles.” Charles coughed, no longer fighting the straps that held him to the cot. Had he continued to fight, Robert would have had to get another cot. The man had broken two straps already, and had warped the frame in his struggle. They hadn’t anticipated such ferocious strength from humans untouched by the symbiont.

“How many friends do you have, Charles?” Robert asked, using his telekinetic skills to move Charles away from the ships.

“One.” He said, thinking of Seva, though he would say no more.

He wouldn’t betray her name to the enemy. He felt his thoughts invaded, then flash out an unintended response, and some part of him knew that Robert knew exactly who his friend was, where she was, and how to get to her. Charles felt a different kind of blindness overtake him, his eyes, which had seen nothing but the blunt fog and mist, now went completely dark. His body sagged, his heart ached, and his mind felt terribly sluggish.

“I’ve betrayed her, haven’t I?” Charles said.

“What’s there to betray? You’ll all be exposed – it will do you both quite well to suffer this infection together. I’ll make sure the two of you are treated by the same family.” Robert said.

Robert closed Charles’ eyes, encouraging the man to go to sleep. Charles found that he could neither sleep nor stay awake, and so he let his mind drift somewhere between. If Seva lived, he wanted to live. If she died, however, life would be pointless.

* * *

With 100,000 enhanced troops about to wake up, C’rona was taking no chances. She wanted to ensure that nobody got hurt. All around the ships she posted Antansi guards, watching the delirious humans move about in the mist.

“How long before all one hundred thousand succumb to the symbiont?” C’rona asked.

“It will take a week just to get all the caskets out of the ships. Then it will be a matter of exposing large groups quickly.”

“I’ll put the Antansi to work if you’d like. We can move caskets off the ships, and keep the conscious invaders herded into one place until they no longer pose a threat to others.”

Susan smiled. “Sure. I guess it’ll work. Just be careful. These are trained killers, and they could tear one of your limbs out of its sockets without even tapping into their full potential.”

“We’ll be careful, and we have psychokinesis working in our favor.” C’rona sent signal to her people, and the Antansi natives went to work.

Over several weeks, 100,000 people were exposed to the air before they could even wake up. Trained warriors, every one of them came out fighting. Many an Antansi and Human Native were forced to flee as a particularly vicious combatant rose up with an unexpected weapon, or with unexpected speed. A few Antansi lost limbs, and one lost a palp, all of which would grow back during the molting season. More than a dozen of Susan’s tribe suffered minor stab wounds, limb dislocations, neck fractures, and loss of arms, hands, fingers, and on an odd occasion, a couple of toes. Like the Antansi natives, everything lost or damaged would heal or be replaced, so the attackers did no permanent damage. The troops proved powerful, unruly, and unrelenting, and Susan, for one, had never seen such well-trained killers in her life. As the days wound down, and the troops were exposed, falling into sickness that would free them, either through death or modification, Susan’s attention was brought to a specific group of coffins that Robert had recommended be set aside. She studied them as C’rona explained her concerns.

“We saved these one hundred troops for last.” C’rona said, half-motioning, half pushing Susan to the caskets. “We knew that, being Class One Citizens, they might need special care – or disposal.”

Robert and Devon had already gone to the caskets, and though both were worried, neither of them had ever thought of ‘disposing’ of the occupants, as C’rona had suggested.

“Class One Combatants. Every one of them has a positive life reading. They’re the most dangerous.” Robert said.

C’rona nodded, “As usual, you humans show no sense of self preservation –”

Devon interrupted before C’rona could expound upon her worries of Susan losing her leadership to any or all of the one hundred. “The symbiont will either destroy them or integrate them. We’re wasting time.”

“According to the casket records, they were put into cryostasis in full battle gear, with no projectile weapons. Let’s get these caskets open and see what’s inside.” Susan said.

Devon moved past the caskets, studying the data screens. “War babies, and none of them older than twenty. Oh my Goodness. Have a look at this one. Her name’s Seva, and she is only seventeen. How did a girl this young get to be a full Blue Combatant?”

“That’s a good question.” Susan said.

“It’s our Enforcer’s only friend. You’d think if he cared about her, he would encourage her to enter into a safer line of work.”

“If he wanted her anywhere near him, she would have to be a Blue, like himself.” Susan examined the casket, running a hand across its blackened surface. She remembered the name; Charles had mentioned her in his delirium, just as Robert had mentioned her moments before. Charles was still struggling to survive. The symbiont hadn’t killed him, but he wasn’t coming out of his coma, either. He needed something, or somebody to live for, and Seva may well be the only person he cared about to encourage his transition. “We really should make sure these two people meet.”

“Probably the Enforcer’s toy.” Devon said with a hint of distaste.

Robert disagreed. “I checked his mind, he considers her his only friend.”

“I’ll take care of this one myself.” Susan said.

“Why?” Devon asked.

Susan didn’t answer. “Open it up.”

Devon pushed in the access panel, and then pulled a small latch. The lid rose, and the fully armored girl stirred to life.

Devon studied her, taking a careful step out of reach.

“She’s built like a Thinking Deep One.” C’rona said, having also moved out of sight of the combatant.

Susan smiled. “She’s pretty and tough, I like her already.”

Seva’s eyes widened in fear, giving her the appearance of a cornered cat. “We’ve been captured, haven’t we?”

“Yeah.” Susan said. “It’s not really imprisonment, mind you. You’ve free run of the planet.”

“Did you kill our Troop Leader?”

“The Ship Commander died two days ago. But the Enforcer is still alive.”

Seva looked around, cautious. She could barely see her enemy, and they were so authoritative. She activated her infrared overview. It made the world around her even less assuring. Human and alien life intermingled in blurry, almost ethereal patches, hovering in the mist, working as a team. She shivered, took a deep breath.

“Was there a fight?” Seva said.

“No, he’s just a little sick is all.” Susan added quietly, “The planet’s under quarantine for a reason.”

With a simple pause of thought, Susan created a moment of silence. Seva was still trying to rationalize the situation, trying to find a way to strike.

“I can take you to him, if you’d like that.” Susan suggested.

“Yes, I’d like to be with him.”

Susan stepped out from the mist. “Come with me then.”

“I must eventually try to kill you. You know that, don’t you?”

“You’ll try. But you won’t succeed.” Susan’s voice changed, and Seva felt a chill go down her spine.

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