Child of Time (34 page)

“I have never felt a mind like yours or his. The girl
glanced towards Fred as she spoke. Also woodland kayloo don't give
people skin as hard as rock.”

“I know you somehow.” Kiyan was getting annoyed at
the memory eluding him.

“I attacked you. I was part of the overlords security
force. I sensed you and alerted command and they ordered us to
attack you. When I did you damaged Freya's and my chips. When I
woke up again I was free.” The girl seemed about ready to cry.
“Please don't leave me here. If they catch me they will chip me
again.” Kiyan glanced around as he sensed someone approaching.

“We need to go. What is your name?” Kiyan began
making his way through the alley in the opposite direction from the
approaching people.

“I'm Terra. Where are we going?”

“Somewhere more private.” Kiyan rounded the corner
and joined a stream of people.

“The under city. We will be mostly safe there. It’s
where the less privileged bonded Voth live with their kayloo. They
are all chipped but they don't look for things to report so they
won't be forced to report anything. Also telepathy is banned
without the overlord's permission.” Terra took the lead and was
soon leading them through a maze of alleys. In no time they had
entered a basement and from there entered a series of tunnels. Soon
they came to one that sloped steeply into the depths.

“These tunnels were earthbent!” Fred exclaimed over
his newfound discovery.

“Yes, how did you know?” Terra looked a little
confused. “You are an alien, what do you know about bending?”

“Enough. How much farther?” Kiyan was brief, also a
little impatient.

“You don't trust me?” It was as much a question as a
statement the way Terra said it. “It is still a ways farther
on.”

“We are both earth benders.” Kiyan was still
brief.

“Alien earth benders?” Terra was surprised. “Another
thing, how do you have kayloo?”

“Ha that is a long story. Let me suffice by saying
that there are kayloo on another world.” Kiyan scanned the corridor
ahead as he talked.

“I didn't know there was more kayloo out there.”
Terra looked at both Ray and Addy as she walked. “Your kayloo are
some of the rarest kind out there. A draconic and a woodland
type.”

After walking for several more minutes Kiyan stopped
and looked at the side of the cave. Fred joined him after a
moment.

“You're right this spot has been recently bent and I
can feel another cave on the other side.” Fred placed his hand on
the cave wall and it began to crumble. Cracks spread from his hand
and expanded across the cave wall. Strangely the rock began to
reform itself. “There is a couple earthbenders on the other
side.”

Fred looked strained so Kiyan told him to step aside.
“I can't sense anyone on the other side but a telepath might be
hiding them.” Kiyan placed his hands on the wall and began
directing heat into it. After a moment Kiyan sensed a flicker of
pain from the other side of the wall. A moment more and the barrier
was molten lava. Kiyan bent it safely away using a mixture of earth
and water bending. The red glow of the lava illuminated the new
tunnel enough that Kiyan could see three kayloo charging him.
Attempting to interface with implants confused him for a split
second when he discovered that all the implants had been disabled.
He almost reacted too late with a blast of air into the tunnel to
throw the charging kayloo back. The there was a pause before a
couple Voth came at him with rocks flying. Kiyan bent a couple rock
slabs up and blocked the flying projectiles. A half second later he
dropped his slab and blocked the next punches with his shields.
After that he was able to disable them with a couple well placed
jabs.

“
Stop!”
Kiyan felt the familiar mind a moment
before he heard the telepath from the square. “He is the one that
disabled my chip.”

Brushing himself off Kiyan looked up at the telepath.
“How did you disable their chips?”

“I don't know. I just connected with them when they
wouldn't let me in here because I worked for the overlords.” The
telepath paused for a moment. “It just happened. I'm Jarrod by the
way.”

“Oh Alec. That was some virus you cooked up.” Kiyan
almost laughed. “A contagious computer virus.”

“Who is Alec?” Terra was looking at everyone with a
confused expression.

“I kind of infected his chip with a computer virus
and he has been infecting anyone he connects with. It isn’t a bad
thing, In fact it is working better than I had expected.” Kiyan
walked over to the two earthbenders that were being circled by
angry looking kayloo. Kiyan connected with the kayloo for a moment
and they stepped aside allowing him to pass. Kiyan leaned over the
first one and healed his burnt hands. It only took another moment
to heal the bruises and he was as good as new. After healing the
second one he returned to the group. Kiyan connected with the
rubble lying strewn about and bent the wall back in place. “There
are several people coming and I don't think they are friendly. Not
a single kayloo among them.” Jarrod proceeded to confirm Kiyan's
statement and urged them to come with him to the under city. The
earthbenders stayed behind with their kayloo in order to protect
the gateway.

They followed the tunnel for several minutes before
Kiyan realized both Terra and Jarrod were stumbling in the dark.
Kiyan held up his hand and blue flames illuminated the tunnel. Both
Terra and Jarrod jumped at the flash of light.

“It’s... its cold, but it looks like fire.” Jarrod
was looking at the flickering flames with a mixed expression of
fear and awe.”

“Its ice fire. Pretty much like fire but the
opposite.” Kiyan laughed as he shifted the flames into golden red
fingers of heat as he watched the expressions on their faces. “You
said that the gatekeepers wouldn't let you through. I thought that
they were chipped and had to help you if you worked for the
overlords.”

“They have to help the overlords or unbound Voth
however a bound Voth doesn't count.” Jarred explained.

“Come on Kiyan, stop showing off. Let's get going.”
Fred threw one of his grins at Kiyan.

“How many telepaths are there down here?” Kiyan was
beginning to get an idea.

“There are probably a hundred or more in this under
city. Many of the Voth here were born grown and bonded here without
ever seeing the surface. We grow our own food and make everything
we need. Every year or so some overlords come and take anyone with
the skills that they need and chip any new children and kayloo.”
Jarrod talked like he was familiar with the place.

“Were you born down here?” Fred caught that same idea
that Kiyan had.

“Both of us were. Most of the bonded Voth up there
came from down here. There are hardly any kayloo left in the wild
so they control the "infection" by keeping us down here.” Terra
looked upset about what was happening. “We never tried to destroy
their civilization. The kayloo only tried to survive. They aren't
dumb beasts like the overlords say they are.” Kiyan was about to
ask another question when they rounded a corner.

“Wow.” Fred was as speechless as Kiyan. The dome of a
huge cavern extended into the distance. In front of them a
cobblestone road led between buildings carved from the walls of the
cavern. The workmanship of the surface was present here but in a
more refined natural beauty. Water from underground rivers flowed
from the walls and cascaded down channels in carved walls depicting
forests and rivers. The water flowing where the rivers were
depicted coupled with the workmanship of the carvings gave the
viewer the impression he was gazing over a valley from a high
mountain. Everywhere he looked stone had been molded into statues
and useful inventions. The water was channeled through the houses
and flowed from them into a river in the center of the roadway.
From the ceiling hung crystals that emitted a bright light over the
landscape. Kiyan could see dozens of kayloo and Voth walking the
street in front of them.

“Not the dirty slums everyone on the surface thinks
we live in? They don't think that we are capable of doing this
without the supervision of the overlords. A few know about it but
prefer to ignore the fact that we aren't turned into savages by the
bonding process.” Jarred was showing a little anger. “There isn't
anything we can do about it though. They hold all the power.”

“I think there is something that we can do about it.”
Kiyan paused for a moment as he thought before continuing. “You
have free will now and can free as many people as you can connect
with. I think I have a plan.”

Chapter Fifteen: Revolution

Kiyan had been staying in the under city for the last
couple days. The virus had spread through the under city like a
plague. Kiyan had tried to keep a low profile but word had got out
that he was the source of the virus. Without the chips controlling
them there had been talk of many things. War, revolution or hiding
had been the theme of most of the conversations.

“Kiyan, we need to do something. There are millions
more chipped Voth and kayloo out there. There are several people
that want to know what you plan to do.” Terra hadn't been
comfortable being free when there were still slaves.

“We still need to find out more. I wish I knew what
happened when the kayloo first started bonding.” Kiyan understood
what Terra was feeling. He wanted to get to work right away but a
wrong move could undo all their work. Kendra had left for
reinforcements as she put it. Jeremy had managed to beam directly
to the under city.

“Well why don't you just ask Freya?” Terra looked at
Kiyan with an exasperated expression.

“I would already have if she could talk like Ray.”
Kiyan looked at the small bird perched of Terra's shoulder.

Terra smirked at Kiyan before closing her eyes. When
she opened them again they matched Freya's. “Child of time, we have
long awaited this day.”

“What, how are you, how did you know what I am
called?” Kiyan was a little shocked by the change.

“Your name and destiny has been passed down through
the ages, from kayloo to kayloo since the time when Prometheus the
peacemaker walked our world.” Freya spoke through Terra like she
was an extension of herself.

“My father told you I was going to be here? What
happened when you first started bonding? They say you triggered a
dark age.” Kiyan would have loved to chat but there was things he
had to know.

“The one you call your father did not tell us of this
day. One of our most powerful oracles glimpsed this day long ago.
Before the first bonding, the kayloo watched from the shadows. We
saw everything that the Voth did. Our watchers flitted limb from
limb. Some lived with them as pets, others watched with their
minds. Two diseases came upon the Voth. One was greed. They took
from our planet with no thought for the future. Our skies darkened
and our forests burned. With the dwindling resources some Voth took
what they could and left little for the rest. The second disease
struck them and spread without a cure. None were spared, high or
low they all fell ill. Their machines and buildings crumbled as
they became too weak to operate them. They gave up hope of
survival.”

“One kayloo felt sorrow for a young Voth child that
he watched over. He connected with her and she became the first
healer. Many kayloo then bonded knowing what would come. The Voth
race was saved but alas the first disease could not be cured. Those
that shared their minds with us realized there was another way to
live without the destruction of our planet. They embraced the new
life like only one who has seen both death and life can. The
unbonded could not understand what they didn't see. They feared the
powers that we imparted in our bonds so they told themselves that
bonding with a kayloo made you less than you were. Generations
passed and this became their new truth. They chose to use what we
gave to our Voth and unknowingly became agents in the change that
they feared so much. We changed how they lived without them knowing
it. After this day our world will be changed forever.”

Kiyan could sense that the connection was wearing on
Terra so he tried to be quick. “You keep saying on this day. What
do you mean?”

“I mean this cycle of light and dark. This revolution
of our sphere. When the child of time comes to the belly of the
earth and speaks to a kayloo then the icy wind will rage, cold fire
will burn. When the winged men fall from the sky then all will be
one.” Kiyan caught Terra as she collapsed. When she opened her eyes
in confusion Kiyan realized that the connection was broken.

“Did you find out what you wanted?” Terra whispered
as Kiyan helped her into a seat with Freya flitting around in a
concerned fashion.

“Yes I did.” Kiyan touched her mind and calmed her
until she drifted into a tranquil slumber. He sat thinking about
all the information he had been given when a siren shattered the
stillness.

“What in the world is that?” Jeremy appeared at
Kiyan's door as the racket continued.

“It’s the Voth overlords.” Jarrod appeared behind
Jeremy at the doorway. He took one glance at Terra then looked at
Kiyan with a questioning look. “You spoke with Freya?” Jarrod's
kayloo was standing beside him.

“Yes. Terra let Freya speak through her.” Kiyan
glanced at her then back at Jarrod.

“Then it is true, today is the day the icy wind
rages.” Jarrod glanced at his kayloo before continuing. “Your next
actions will decide our fate child of time.”

Kiyan thought for a moment before deciding. “Jarrod,
I want you to connect with every telepath that you can and transmit
the virus. Tell anyone you connect with to free the under cities.
For those on the surface tell them to wait for a sign before
transmitting it to anyone else. Jeremy, I need you to come with me
to help on the surface. I'm going to turn myself in to the
overlords. Send a message to all the other under cities to have
earthbenders prepared to seal the tunnels. Tell Fred what is going
on.”