Explorer X Alpha (24 page)

“Now, the clamps. Put the clamps on her arms and legs, and we will start the burning now,” Gitab said as he read from the wall, which had strange writings on it. Eirena figured that to be their form of computers, but she didn't have much time to think on it before the intense pain of being burned alive coursed through her skin and muscle. This sensation, unlike the other, didn't jerk her, but immediately caused her to cry out. There was nowhere she didn't feel the fire burning her skin. She didn't see any fire but still felt like her whole body was being dipped in flames. She fought and fought through it all to stay conscious. She couldn't forget this. She would kill them all.

“All right, we have what we need now. Take off the suit and put on this outfit. Make sure you put the collar on it and secure her to the floor,” the creature named Gitab said as he went to the wall of clear black stone she had glimpsed briefly. He swiped across it as the writing changed. Eirena could barely concentrate, but she tapped into the anger she felt and pushed down the pain to glance at him.

Just when she thought the pain was over, the being named Finul took off her helmet, and the freezing cold shocked her system and made her immediately close her eyes. The cold, frigid air, hit her body as they took off her suit and changed her into the outfit. She was shaking uncontrollably from the cold, and the pain she had tried to hold at bay overtook her. Her misery ended, and the darkness of unconsciousness sunk her down into sleep.

 

 

It felt as though days had passed for Aadi in a blur of pain and change. He got up from the ground, which no longer burned him, and now felt warm and comfortable. Ebu had stayed with him through the pain, the change. He looked down at his red skin, which was several tones lighter than Jantik's, and touched his leg. His entire body had increased in muscle mass by several inches. He felt stronger, yet the same. He touched his face and realized that his face was the same, but his skin was not. It wasn't creased as Jantik's was, but smooth and red. He had asked Ebu if his eyes had changed to silver like Jantik's, and Ebu had told him no. However, Ebu had noted that his pupils were now red in color.

Aadi had fought the pain. He wanted to go save Eirena, his only hold onto his humanity. She was someone that looked like him, and he thought of her as a friend. He still pondered over her attack in the game of Speed and Fire. However, this was not a time to hold grudges. He had a lot to do, a promise he had made to himself.
I will get home, and I will save those other kids,
he told himself, but he knew that day was far away.

He missed home so much that he wanted to cry, but he'd cried enough. He cried through the pain, and he cried in sadness, and he fought. He never had to be that strong before, but now it was his life he was fighting for, and staying on that planet was not an option. He had so much to do and no time to do it to save them all. He hit his fist on the ground and felt a dull pain. But the pain was nothing compared to the pain he had withstood these few days. He knew he would never, ever forget the type of pain he experienced, and he never wanted to feel that again.

Aadi closed his eyes and pictured his mom in his mind's eye. His mom stood at the computer in her office with several other people. He called to her, but this time, it was different. This time, he could
feel
her. He felt what she was feeling - fear, anger, and sadness.

“Mom, I can't talk long. I just want you to know. I love you, and I am coming home,” Aadi pushed to her.

“Aadi, I can't talk here. I am with the parents whose kids were at the camp, and we are going to fight TEGRC to get you back safe. We are going to get to the bottom of what happened. I have to go now, but remember that I love you,” she said as she closed her eyes. He pictured hugging her and pushed it to her, and then she smiled. He blacked her out of his mind.

He had to call to Eirena. His last thoughts of her caused his chest to tighten. He thought of her and saw darkness but felt such pain that he backed away from the picture of her face. He didn't want to feel her pain, especially since he had not gotten over the sting of his own. Just as he started to back away from her in his thoughts, she looked up and grabbed him with her mind.

“Aadi, help me! It hurts so badly. It won't stop,” she said, and then her head fell to the floor to which she was chained, and his mind filled with darkness. Aadi was done waiting. It was time to save her.

“Ebu, I am done recovering. It's time to go get Eirena,” Aadi said and got up from the ground. He got up so fast he jumped a few feet before he landed.

“Hmm… you definitely have your strength back,” Ebu said, crossing his arms as casually as a robot can.

“I am glad you feel better, my friend. I didn't know how to help you, as our medicines could have killed you instead of healing you,” Jantik added while he entered the cave.

“How long have I been out of it?” Aadi asked Jantik.

“Oh, only about two moon days, but you are adjusting really well. You are looking more like part of Shrenas. Are you ready to go save the girl? I am ready for an adventure. I have been stuck in our city for too long. My father is very protective, as I am his only son. Lucky for me, I have a very old guard who likes to sleep,” Jantik said excitedly.

“While you have been ill, Jantik and I have come up with a way to get into the Femoh compound. The suit Jantik gave you should get us through their barriers undetected. That's as far as I can go with you, because I would be discovered. I have not figured out how their technology works yet. Getting close to their compound will allow me to do some analysis and to return undetected if we have to,” Ebu said.

“Fine. Map out the route so I can commit it to memory, just in case the locator device gets lost during our journey to save Eirena, because there is no doubt that I am going to do everything in my power to save her. They are hurting her beyond her adaptation. I felt it, and I must save her. If I do nothing else, I must save her,” Aadi said, lowering his voice at the heaviness of his task ahead.

“Great! I want to save her too! This is the plan,” Jantik said. Ebu then showed him the route they would travel. It was the best way to move undetected through the cold lands to get to the Femoh compound.

“There is one problem, though. We don't know where they are holding her,” Ebu said, and he finished drawing out the map on the locator for Aadi to commit to memory.

“I do, since the Femoh enjoy pushing their subjects to the maximum point of pain. They put them in what they call ‘Pressure Chambers.' They usually chain the subjects to the floor, withholding food or sustenance while they pour charges of power and fire blood into the being. Unfortunately, that's just the beginning. Soon, the cutting will start, and we have to get to her before then, because if she is not strong, she won't last beyond that,” Jantik said gravely.

“Well, tell me about these weapons you brought,” Aadi said, and he pointed to a hooked looking sword. Aadi didn't want to ponder further on the pain that Eirena would have to suffer before he saved her. It just frustrated and angered him too much. Instead, he wanted to focus on saving her, and he needed a clear head for that. The other item fit in the hand like a gun, but it was smooth and rounded and had no trigger.

“You are holding a lavik, which shoots to stun the Femoh. They will stay down for days. However, it will not kill them. Killing them is messy, and our planet is tied to their survival. Whenever one of them dies, they blow up, and their blood will cut through anything - that is, anything except the Katek. Their blood also tears through the core of the planet and creates sinkholes that will suck you into outer space if you fall into them. The lavik, when used with the talin, will immobilize them forever, yet keep them alive. The talin, which is the bow-shaped weapon, must hit them in the neck to force the stun of the lavik completely through their bodies. The only way for them to be released from that hold is for someone to use the keyno. The keyno is only held by the Nutah in a secret place that not even I have found,” Jantik added, laughing.

“All right. Let's go,” Aadi said, and they headed out. Ebu climbed up Aadi and got into his backpack. Aadi noticed that Ebu's body had started to wear slightly from the extreme climate changes during the Shrenas nights and days. He hoped to be able to repair him when this was over.

 

 

Aadi and Jantik walked watchfully over the hard-packed terrain, which was now starting to ice over in places because of the night chill. Yet, Aadi didn't feel cold because his body adjusted to the change in temperature more effectively than his space suit had. He looked up into the mooned sky and hoped that Eirena was holding on. He had tried to touch her mind again, but all he felt was pain and shocks of light.

Jantik walked cautiously over the barren, frozen land and looked back to check on Aadi's progress. Aadi caught up to Jantik, not wanting to be separated from the group. He had not anticipated Eirena or him being in grave danger until it was too late.

The land started becoming more interesting as they walked further into Penali, “a part of Shrenas that the Katek favored,” Jantik had told Aadi. He looked around and spied blue and gold plant life that sprouted out of the orange and green sands of the wild land of Penali.

“Aadi, be very alert here. The Katek patrol their perimeter very well. Although we don't see them, they are indeed around,” Jantik warned quietly. Ebu tired of being in the backpack and climbed out to walk alongside Aadi.

Aadi realized that he could see pretty well at night, considering the planet's two moons shined brightly. He looked ahead of their path to see a frozen mountain in the distance.

“Jantik, the route we planned has us going around the mountain. So, why are we heading
toward
it?” Aadi asked.

“I smell the Katek coming from the left. I figured we can outrun them from this side of the mountain, because if we don't make it past this side without getting caught, we are in big trouble, my friend,” Jantik said as he walked hurriedly.

As they walked, they came upon a small rock formation. It was quite a distance from the mountain that they had to walk around. Jantik gave Aadi the signal to stop.

“My friend, we are in grave danger. I smell the Katek, a small band, close by. Let's put our bags here behind the boulder so we can retrieve them in case there is trouble. We don't want them to see these weapons, or they will automatically think we mean them harm,” Jantik said. He hurriedly took off his weapon sack and placed it behind the boulder. Aadi quickly followed Jantik's instruction and took off his backpack.

“Ebu, you go behind the boulder too. That way, if there is danger, you will be safe and can find the Nutah,” Aadi said, and for once, Ebu followed his directions without argument. Aadi let out a sigh of relief, but that sigh would die on his lips when he first saw the Katek warriors, running as fast as lightning in their direction.

The Katek looked similar to Jantik in that they were reptilian, but they were tall and stocky with large firmly packed muscle. They had red pupils and high cheekbones that were smooth and red as the sand. They had three fingers and a thumb, and the largest muscle swollen legs Aadi had ever seen on a creature walking upright. They wore no vests like the one Jantik gave him, but only some kind of pants that that touched their lower thighs. The strange fabric looked like laced metal that glowed in the night as they ran with grace and power toward Aadi and Jantik.

“Ebu, whatever happens, don't let them see you!” Aadi yelled back at Ebu.

“We must stand ready to fight, my friend, for they expect it. If we don't, they will kill us as we stand,” Jantik said and squatted in fighting fashion that reminded Aadi of a wrestler. Aadi followed Jantik's lead and felt the adrenaline fill his body with such power that he felt high on it. He had never felt such a surge of power before. It was like the pain of the changing had given him a boost unlike anything he had ever experienced. He felt instantly awake and almost hungry for the attack. He felt a desire for the power coursing through his body, and without thought, he ran toward the lead Katek warrior, ready for battle.

The lead warrior smiled, and Aadi saw white teeth and felt a similar feeling of hunger for the attack. The lead warrior ran toward Aadi and smoothly crouched low enough, flipping Aadi over his head upon the impact of their collision. Aadi felt the frigid air as he sailed back over the Katek warrior's head to land with ground-shaking power on the hard-packed sand. Aadi quickly recovered and stood up, feeling the pain. Pain, he welcomed, as he has experienced it so often these last few days that it became a hunger - an affirmation that he was still alive. Through pain, he could feel that he was able to continue to fight - fight to get home, and fight to save Eirena.

The other warriors circled around them. There were about ten of them, all at least two feet taller than Aadi and more than that with Jantik. They forced Aadi and Jantik into the middle of the circle. The lead warrior that had attacked Aadi turned toward him and then looked at Jantik.

“Hey, Jantik, come toward me. Put your back to my back,” Aadi said, gesturing to Jantik. Jantik quickly complied as the lead warrior stood there grinning.

“Why is he grinning at us?” Aadi whispered to Jantik.

“Because we have just been captured,” Jantik said, as he and Aadi turned back to back to face their captors.

 

 

Eirena was no longer in piercing, burning pain. Now she just ached everywhere. She opened her eyes to darkness and a hard, smooth floor. She looked at the black floor with the thin, curvy marbled white swirls since she was face-down on the floor. Chained to the floor with her legs straight and her arms outstretched, she looked at her arms. Her arms were constantly being filled with the pulsing glow of the power surges that had caused her such pain the first day they started their “research.” However, now it just ached. Soon, the blast of fire would come, forced into her muscles by the tight silver bracelets that held her to the ground, keeping her from moving so much as an inch.