The Challenges of Life
For the
record, my name is FarŽ Jake Adair Barnes, I am, rather I was aÉ huh?
ÉYes, I
understand that this account is going to be shipped to another Dimension, one
similar to my own but one in which Earth hasn't had the dubious pleasure of
meeting the Supremis on open terms yet.
All I can
say is that if and when it happens, I wish them luck. They'll certainly need it.
É ThatÕs
true. It is probably better that this wonÕt be published openly as fact. I just hate to think that people are
going to see my whole life as a work of fiction.
You want
me to get to the action? Tough,
you'll have to wait awhile - or read what Linith wrote, she LIKES to relive our
more exciting moments. I like to
take things in their own time.
Start from
the beginning? Okay, I'll start
from the very beginning.
For
Humanity, the 17th of November, 1983 was an insignificant date. As far as I know, nothing of historical
significance occurred, was created, commemorated or otherwise recorded on my
birthday.
Why am I
telling you about insignificant things?
Well, IÕm starting at the beginning. The next few years arenÕt significant either – just a
boring, happy childhood.
Linith
would be/is/was (keeping my tenses correct is going to be hell) my best friend. We first met seriously when I 'saved
her' - at least thatÕs how she describes it - from some bullies back in school.
To hear
her tell it, I infiltrated enemy territory, single-handedly fought, and
defeated two giants, stole a precious artefact, and returned, preserving the
virtue of my fair lady.
In
reality all I did was make sure some guys gave her back the book sheÕd been
reading. I think it was how I did
so without resorting to violence that impressed her. Then again her version isnÕt all fantasy; sheÕs always been
my fair lady.
I say it
was the first time we met seriously because it wasn't the first time weÕd
met. Our parents were old friends
and, being such, they naturally wanted us to grow up to be old friends as well.
Their
efforts hadnÕt had much success.
To be frank, in the early days neither of us had much time for each
other. I suppose itÕs ironic that
a single confrontation could bring us closer together than a hundred dinners,
play dates and day trips.
Though to
be fair, we were both in pre-school at the time.
***
After that, my childhood continued on a normal course. There were some unusual occurrences: for example, on my sixth and seventh birthdays I received presents that my parents couldn't remember buying, but that was about it.
ÉActually that's not entirely true, not many
ten-year-olds save someone's life.
On one of England's (very) few sunny days, Linith and
I were at the beach. My parents
had volunteered to take us out, and to increase our enjoyment of the day,
theyÕd gone to get us ice-cream (yes it really did take two of them, you
havenÕt seen the size of the cones), leaving us to play sand castles.
Back then, Linith was the embodiment of a tomboy. At ten she didn't do anything feminine,
she even went so far as to complain to the head master when, at the
inauguration of that term; she found she could no longer play football with the
boys.
In my opinion it wasn't just the law that made him
turn her down. I think he forbade
her from playing because he knew she was not only better, stronger and faster
than any male on the pitch; she enjoyed proving that superiority. But then I'm biased.
On with the story. After half an hour of frantic digging, building and
strengthening, Linith was content
that hers was undeniably the larger sandcastle. WeÕd been neck and neck for a while and thereÕd been some
contention over whether a flag counted as part of a rampart's height or if it
was just decoration, but she soon settled the debate by furiously adding to the
wall until her ÔcastleÕ could, in a good light, have been mistaken for SauronÕs
fortress.
Then I heard the scream.
Actually it was more of a gurgle and Linith was so
busy with her construction efforts that she only realised that something was
going on when I started sprinting down the beach.
Sometimes I envy females. While we might not have problems such as finding something
to wear at formal functions, and of course, that time of the month, women
generally think more about their actions before charging off; men don't.
I hit the water face first and at a run. Linith was still on the beach.
I didn't even know the direction of the person in
danger, just that they were out in the water and needed help. Our section of beach was far from
deserted, but we were a long way from the major concentrations so no other help
was likely (Later I'd use that in defence of my impulsiveness, but I only
realised it after IÕd returned to the sand.) I guess I just wanted to help.
I was thirty metres into the sea and almost upon her
before I worked out exactly why the girl was in danger; the coast where sheÕd
been playing ended sharply. The
water beneath us went from one to ten metres in the space of a few steps.
Then I began to realise that she wasnÕt the only one
in trouble, I wasn't that strong a swimmer and the girl - she couldn't have
been more than six - was flailing at me.
Still, IÕd completed my water survival training (both classes of it) and
tried to act out as much as I could remember.
After much thrashing and splashing, I eventually managed
to grab hold of the girl and make my way back in the direction of the beach,
but by then it was clear that we weren't going to make it. Not so much because of my less than
stellar swimming abilities, but because the girl had stopped struggling. In most rescue situations thisÕd be a
good thing, however itÕs not when the person youÕre rescuing has stopped
struggling because theyÕre in the process of strangling the life out of you.
The beach was sinking under the waves when a strong
arm wrapped itself around my chest and started to drag us both back towards the
beach. Given that IÕd been in
danger of drowning and the girl was still threatening to crush my larynx, I
didn't care who my saviour was, I just assumed that my dad had come back and
seen what we were doing.
Washing up on the sand, I barely had the strength to
continue breathing, let alone raise my head, so I just lay there spluttering
while the girl was lifted off of my shoulders.
ÒThat was stupid, FarŽ.Ó Linith rolled me over.
ÒYeah,Ó I whispered, then realised what must have
happened with a start. Spitting
sand I exclaimed, ÒThat was you!Ó
ÒWho'd you expect?Ó she asked, ÒGive me some warning
next time.Ó
ÒBut how did you do that?Ó I looked back at the sea
and how far I thought I'd swum. It felt like kilometres. ÒI meanÉ.Ó
ÒSay a word about me just being a girl and you'll
regret it.Ó She put her hands on her hips and looked down at me. ÒIÕm not kidding.Ó
ÒNoÉÓ I pushed my earlier thought to the very back of
my mind, ÒIt's just that it's so far, howÕd you do that?Ó
ÒWho's won the award for life saving the past three
years?Ó
ÒYou came in fourth.Ó
Linith just shrugged. ÒIf I had done better it might have looked suspicious.Ó The
girl pulling on her arm distracted her.
ÒExcuse me.
Thanks for what you did but,Ó she looked around worriedly, Òdo you know
where my mummy is? I was swimming
and I went too far and sheÕs going to be very worried andÉ.Ó
Like most children under seven, the girl had a
remarkable set of lungs that even swallowing half the Channel couldnÕt
spoil. However at that moment
neither Linith nor I cared.
ÒYou'll be fine.Ó Linith answered briskly and turned the girl in the
direction of a somewhat overweight woman in a striped bathing suit who was
running towards us across the beach, ÒYour mumÕs over there.Ó
ÒMum!Ó The girl screamed, ÒYou'll never guess what
happenedÉ.Ó
After that, the genie was out and explanations had to
be given, first to the girlÕs mother, and then to my parents once they turned
up, ice-cream in hand. To my great
surprise I was given
credit for the rescue. Linith
wouldnÕt even have got a mention if I hadnÕt spoken up for her. Even when I did she downplayed her own
involvement and pretended that IÕd done all of the work. According to her version of events, she
hadn't actually helped until I was running up the beach.
Long story short, the adults believed her
interpretation of events and assumed mine had been distorted by my
excitement. Looking back at it, I
guess I canÕt blame them, after all I was male and appeared to carry more
muscle than she did. Who could
have believed that someone as slim as Linith could swim two people back to
shore and carry them up the beach?
Later, when we had come home and were alone in my room
I asked her what sheÕd been thinking.
ÒWhy didn't you say? You did all the work.Ó
ÒNo I didn't,Ó She laughed, almost nervously waving
her hand to dismiss the notion, ÒYou rescued that girl. Don't you remember? You were running up the beach and I pulled
her off your back.Ó
ÒLinith, she was choking me, I couldnÕt even walk up
the beach let alone run. I was out
in the water when you grabbed me.Ó
ÒHow could I have done that?Ó She giggled. ÒI could never do that, I'm just a
girl.Ó
ÒBut youÉÓ My perception of the world, given a knock
by the assurances of my parents and now a fully fledged knock out punch by my
friend, was beginning to twist alarmingly and I grasped onto the first thing
that entered my mind. ÒÉyou said
about your lifesaving badge?Ó
ÒSure,Ó Linith nodded. ÒCPR. That girl
was half dead when I reached you. You saved her.Ó She fixed me with this strange
look. I might have called it
desperation if I could have brought myself to believe Linith could be desperate
about anything. It was almost as
if she not only wanted me to accept what sheÕd said, but actually needed me to believe it as well.
I looked my friend over. As a five year old IÕd been the taller by a few centimetres,
but an early puberty had stepped in and put an end to that. In a matter of months sheÕd shot up to
tower over me. Being a girl, sheÕd
matured faster and while I was left in the geeky, cumbersome stage where
nothing fitted right and every step was a perilous balancing act, Linith's body
was already well on the road to womanhood. Though sheÕd retained a little of her baby fat, it remained
in places where it turned what should have been an unnaturally lanky frame into
a perfectly proportioned one.
Linith was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl
in school. Even the upper sixth
didnÕt have anyone that could match her for sheer good looks.
Something else no one in the upper sixth could match
her at was muscle.
That might be an exaggeration, of course, while no one
would have thought a ten year old could outmatch a mature teenager, Linith just
had an aura that suggested it wouldnÕt be much of a contest.
She wasnÕt a body builder by any extent; her arms
werenÕt laden down with the pits and valleys of overdeveloped deltoids, but
they did look strong and theyÕd helped her gain a reputation as the schoolsÕ
star athlete.
There wasnÕt a sport played in which Linith wasnÕt an
expert at by the time she kitted up.
At hockey, tennis, baseball, rugby, rounders or badminton, there was no
one more aggressive or skilled, in football schoolyard myth dictated sheÕd been
promoted from defence to attack when she put the ball between the posts from
the goal line. Her goal line.
The one thing she didnÕt do, much to the coachÕs
chagrin, was gymnastics. Rumours
persisted quite late into LinithÕs life about that woman would have been willing
to do to get her on the team.
I weighed all this up very quickly and made a few
deductions, the most significant of which was that I didnÕt want to get on
LinithÕs bad side. After all, the
entire school treated her as if she could break arm bones without a thought.
ÒÉYes Linith,Ó I compromised, ÒWhatever you sayÉ it
must have been the excitement.Ó
She beamed at me, ÒGood, that's how it's meant to be.Ó
There was an odd sense of finality about her sentence, but I shook it off and
we went to go and play outdoors.
In the coming days, as more and more people clapped me
on the back and offered their congratulations I tried really hard to take
LinithÕs account as fact, but it was a lie and I knew it. If Linith hadn't been there to save me,
I would have drowned. What reason
could she have had for not wanting to say that?
***
The next six months evened our statuses somewhat, at
least with regard to our physical maturity. While I was never again as tall as my friend, the gap wasn't
really noticeable unless we were standing right next to each other.
Linith still played sports with passion and after some
cajoling, she eventually managed to get me into some extra-curricular field
hockey (one of the few ball games I could play without tripping over my own feet). It was funÉ even if that fun was
tempered with a bit of humility whenever Linith stepped onto the field. My friend was good, better than good,
in fact, best. Even professional
players would have been stretched (or so I believed) playing against her, and
it wasnÕt just additional training - which she had in spades - I swear that at
times she could fly down that pitch.
She was just as good at team play. She never showed anyone up, even though
it would have been easy to do so.
Instead she preferred to hand off the responsibility if someone else was
in a better position to shoot, had a wide open field, or – as frequently
happened - didnÕt have half the opposing team barrelling down the pitch towards
them in some futile attempt at defence.
No one ever took the ball off of Linith, or kept it
during tackles
***
But then things changed. When she turned eleven Linith
turned away from sports and started to concentrate on moreÉ ÔacademicÕ
subjects. And no, while I'm sure
that she learned a lot from exploration, nothing she did caused anyone any real
concern. After all, all the girls
were beginning to realise that boys had some purpose other than to be a source
of ridicule and obnoxious chants, she just realised this earlier than most.
Because she could pass for fourteen in good light, the more mature boys paid
court to her. Instead of running
away or giggling, she took the attention as her due, and even flirted back a
little. The boys inevitably had a
shock when they found out her real age.
***
Then there was the time that she decided to take over
the world.
It wasn't serious, more a theoretical concept than an
actual plot. Still, she put a lot
of thought into something that only came up in casual conversation.
We were playing Monopoly and I was winning for once
(it often seemed as if Linith could throw any number she wanted) when she
raised her head to ask.
ÒFarŽ, what would you do if you had Velorian powers?Ó
ÒDepends,Ó I answered, trying to avoid her sparkling
blue eyes, ÒWhat's a Velorian?Ó
ÒYou know, one of those aliens whoÕre always flying
about America.Ó
ÒYou actually believe that she's real?Ó I asked. ÒIt's a hoax.Ó
ÒBeen going on a long time,Ó she moved the Boot (she
was always the Boot) onto Leicester Square.
ÒSometime pranks get a life of their own. I'll buy that.Ó I gestured to the
property sheÕd landed on.
ÒWait a moment, I haven't decided if I want it.Ó She
looked thoughtfully at her substantial pile of cards, and then her even more
substantial pile of money, before offering up the required sum.
Reluctantly accepting the money and handing over the
title deed, I watched Linith shuffle it into her collection before she
continued. ÒAnyway, it's just
theoretical. If they were real, I
mean?Ó
ÒAnd if I were one.Ó
ÒYes.
What would you do with that much power?Ó
ÒDon't know,Ó I grunted as I landed on the Super
Tax. ÒStop wars or end hunger I
guess.Ó
She laughed, it was a beautiful, sensual - at least to
my inexperienced, pre-adolescent ears - sound. ÒI think that you're overestimating what they can do.Ó
ÒReally? That uhh 'SuperFemme' is supposed to be able
to walk through a nuclear explosion without a scratch.Ó
ÒI would hardly say she 'walked' through it. But yes, she can survive thatÉ I
think.Ó She added quickly.
ÒWell I don't know!Ó I exasperated. ÒYou seem to know so much. What would you do?Ó
ÒLike you said,Ó She hopped her boot another two
spaces onto the Gasworks, ÒStop war.Ó
ÒI own that.
Sixteen pounds please.Ó I stuck out my hand and she graciously tendered
the rent. ÒAnd how would you go
about it?Ó
ÒSimple.
I'd take over the world.Ó
ÒWhy?Ó
ÒBecause I could.Ó
ÒI think some people might have something to say about
that.Ó
ÒSo what?Ó she asked, ÒLike you said, if I was
SuperFemme I could walk through a nuclear explosion. Who could fight me?Ó
ÒI was talking about a single weapon, what if they all
fired on you at once?Ó
ÒI could avoid them.Ó She answered confidently,
ÒThey're only missiles, fairly slow by Velorian standards.Ó
ÒIf you say so.Ó I sighed, ÒWhat would you do when you
got rid of the armies then?Ó
ÒMake a list of all the boys in the world and make the
handsomest go out with me.Ó
She was just teasing me but I responded
nevertheless. ÒYou're weird, you
know that?Ó
ÒJust you wait; sooner or later you'll find a girl you
like and then you'll understand.Ó
ÒI already know a girl I like.Ó
ÒWho?Ó Linith looked up in genuine interest.
ÒYou, silly,Ó I chuckled, ÒNow are you ready to get
back to the game or not?Ó
More than a little peeved at my reply, Linith shook
her head. ÒYou don't believe I
could do it, do you?Ó
ÒWhat, take over the world? Of course you couldn't.Ó
ÒI mean if I were a Velorian.Ó
ÒSomeone would stop you, the human spirit is a
powerful thing.Ó
ÒVery powerful,Ó She agreed but there was a sharpness
in her tone, ÒBut donÕt you think that it might be worth it, if someone could
really do it, I mean? Have you
looked at the news lately? North
Korea is building nuclear bombs, Russia is selling theirs. France just admitted that it has five
hundred warheads and that they just completed their first nuclear warship.Ó
ÒSo theyÕre all radioactive. What's your point?Ó
ÒRadioactive!Ó She threw up her hands and nearly
shouted, ÒThe world is a mess! Russia wants to invade Chechnya, probably with
chemical weapons, and there are wars all over the Middle East and Africa. With all of this destruction, maybe we
need something to take our minds off of it!Ó
ÒA common enemy?Ó I asked, skipping my piece along a
couple of places.
ÒA universal ruler.Ó
ÒYou?Ó
ÒI can think of worse examples.Ó
ÒYou're taking this a bit seriously. We said that this is just pretend after
all.Ó
ÒThere is nothing funny about war.Ó
I looked at her oddly, ÒWell not everything is doom
and gloom. I heard yesterday that
they're downsizing the army by fifty thousand.Ó
ÒWhich makes us easier to invade.Ó
ÒInvade.
England,Ó I almost laughed.
ÒWhy would anyone do that?Ó
ÒThat's not the point.Ó She answered moodily.
ÒOkay, what about Northern Ireland? The peace talks are going so well that
they're thinking of reducing the military presence and, since you mention it,
with the end of the Bosnian War, the Middle East is more peaceful than ever.Ó
It wasn't a very effective argument, but it seemed to
work as she turned back to the board, moodily dropped the dice and flicked her
piece along another seven places.
I tried not to notice that she did so without needing to check what
denominations came up on the dice.
Admittedly it wasn't the greatest plan for global
domination (or world peace, take your pick). But the gravity with which she uttered those thoughts was
almost frightening. Still it was only a game: I mean, what were the chances
that my friend was going to become a cartoon super-villain? It was just an elaborate put on.
***
Up until the 13th April 1995 life was just existence. Playing, schooling, that sort of
thing. Nothing truly important
Then came my first big holiday out of England.
Oh, I'd been out of England before, but only briefly
to places like Normandy and Wales, they didn't count. This time I was travelling to Crete with my mother, father
and younger sister.
We were midway through our journey.
In the dark sky the two black shapes were almost
imperceptible. Designed to be
invisible to systems far more advanced than the radar of a civilian aircraft,
their only visible trace was a slight flicker of starlight reflecting off their
polished shells.
They struck and ripped our plane apart.
The first missile hit the starboard wing, severing it
and part of the fuselage from the frame.
The second weapon struck a half second later, tearing the tail and most
of the aft compartment away from the aircraft's body.
***
An explosion, followed almost instantly latter by the
horrible sound of metal being ripped apart shook me awake in time to see the
entire right hand wall of the cabin disappear in a mass of flame.
I didn't have time to dwell on this thought as the
floor pitched roughly and thrust upwards and to the right. The force of the explosion had been
enough to twist the airframe against its centre of gravity.
The cabin pressure dropped to almost nothing. Alarms sounded and oxygen masks dropped
from the ceiling only to be whipped by the roaring winds into the night. The air was sucked out of my lungs and
I grabbed onto my sister as the second explosion tilted us violently towards
the inky sea below.
There was a scream from the passengers aft of us as
their compartment was ripped into metallic fragments and scattered over the
Mediterranean. For some reason I
didn't do likewise, I remember thinking that there didnÕt seem to be any point
in screaming because in a few seconds we were going to die.
Wanting to have a last look at my family, I glanced
across at them. I still wish I
hadn't. When the wing had
exploded, it had lanced the cabin with shards of metal the length of my
arm. One of them had caught my
mother through the back of her seat, another had hit my father. Worse than seeing my mother still and
unresponsive, was the sight of my father staring down at the piece of crimson
metal protruding from his chest.
Metal tore with a scream next to my head and I
wondered what new torment was being forced upon us. Looking to my left, I was shocked to find that the bulkhead
beside us wasn't there any more.
In its place was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in a blue and red
uniform, a yellow, vaguely S shaped rune was on her chest.
The woman glanced about the aircraft before fixing her
eyes on us. I can't imagine the
carnage that she must have seen, in some respects I was lucky that the seats
prevented a good view of what was going on. Making a decision, she bent down and pulled us out of our
seats before diving backwards out of the plummeting aircraft.
My sister was unconscious and I was heading that way -
why I wasn't already I don't know, but I tried to gasp a warning and tell her
that my father was still alive.
Whether she heard me or not was academic, weÕd barely cleared the frame
when the entire aircraft broke apart.
I though I heard a scream and looked up. The pained look in the woman's eyes as
she saw a hundred and seventy one lives end was almost as painful as seeing my
parents die. But I didn't
understand, this was supposed to have been a holiday.
A time of fun, and in the space of a few seconds, IÕd had everything
that meant something to me taken away and bloodily slaughtered before my eyes.
I was actually watching my parents falling into the
Mediterranean Sea! I wouldn't accept it, there had to be a mistake, I began
screaming and clawing at the woman, trying to convince her that my family had
to have survived. She didn't even
seem to feel my protests and then, with a final mind numbing certainty, my
oxygen-starved brain shut down.
***
I awoke hours later on the beach of a small
island. My sister and I were
alone, the flying woman was nowhere to be seen.
Reviewing my last few moments of consciousness, I felt
my chest filling with a numb emptiness as if a Novocain bomb had burst between
my ribs. Later on a psychologist
would tell me it was shock protecting me from the reality of the situation, but
I didnÕt know that at the time and wouldnÕt have cared if I had. Thoughts of my family brought back the
memory of an exchange between my father and myself. Just before weÕd left the house heÕd taken me aside and
pressed some paper into my hand.
He had said that if anything ever happened to them, the white slip would
take care of it.
I checked my pocket, it was still there.
In neatly written scrawl, fourteen digits stared up at
me. A phone number? If so, the longest IÕd ever seen.
Such thoughts were not for now, I carefully folded the
paper and replaced it in my pocket.
Aggel was sleeping peacefully, there was no blood and if I was lucky,
she had been spared witnessing the violence of our parent's demise.
I began to examine the island upon which weÕd been marooned. It didn't take long. Two minutes walking could take me from
one end to the other; it was barely more than a sand bank with the mainland a
few kilometres south of us. There
were a string of other islands so if we had to, we could swim to safety.
Other than that, the sky was clear and the beach
warm. Right now the only danger my
sister and I faced was if the local crab population objected to visitors.
It occurred to me that I wasn't acting normally, I
should be panicking or crying. But
instead I was carefully evaluating our options and objectively watching for
danger. Apparently it was another
stage of shock.
An incredibly loud boom snapped my head upwards. I couldnÕt find their source, but an
instant latter I didnÕt need to.
TheÉ what did Linith call them?
'Velorian' was standing before me, scraps of metal intertwined with her
fingers, I didn't need to guess where theyÕd come from.
The fragments dropped to the sand as her legs gave out
under her.
ÒAre you alright?Ó I asked.
ÒIÉcouldn't save themÉÓ she whimpered, ÒÉI
couldn't save themÉ.Ó
ÒSave who?Ó
She looked at me as if noticing my presence for the
first time. And then I noticed the
tears that were streaming down her face.
ÒThe people on the planeÉ they're all goneÉ they killed them.Ó
I had no answer.
ÒI am so sorry.Ó She got to one knee and faced me,
ÒTheyÉ those people, they were your parents weren't they?Ó
ÒYes.Ó I mumbled, ÒÉDid you manage to save anyone else?Ó
ÒJust you.Ó She apologised, ÒAnd your sister. I am so sorry.Ó
ÒDon't be.Ó I answered. ÒThe people who have died have gone, nothing you can do will
change that. It's the living who
deserve your tears, not the dead.Ó
Her bright blue eyes blinked and she looked at me in
surprise before deepening her gaze.
For an instant I could have sworn I saw her eyes glow a more intense
cerulean, then she smiled slightly.
ÒThat's a remarkably mature attitude.Ó
ÒThank you.Ó
ÒKeep that view,Ó she ordered. ÒMaturity is something
most adults lack.Ó
ÒIncluding yourself?Ó I tried to smile.
This time her tear stained grin was true. ÒSometimesÉÓ she looked over the
horizon, ÒI have to take you to the mainlandÉ find someone who can look after
you.Ó
I nodded in agreement, then remembered my fathers
words, ÒBefore we go. My dad, he
gave me something before we left, he said that should anything happenÉ it would
help.Ó
ÒYes?Ó She looked at me expectantly.
ÒCould you tell me what it is?Ó I showed her the
crumpled slip.
ÒA Swedish telephone number.Ó She announced, ÒDo you
have family over there?Ó
ÒNo.Ó I looked back at where my sister was sleeping,
ÒActuallyÉ we're all that's left.
I donÕt know of anyone else.Ó
ÒNo grandparents? Cousins?Ó
ÒNone, Dad isÉ was, an only child and my mum's brother
died last year.Ó
ÒI'll help you,Ó she swore, Òwhatever it takes, IÕll
make sure youÕre safe.Ó
***
As strong as she was, SuperFemme couldnÕt carry the
both of us without risking broken ribs, and since I wasnÕt strong enough to
hold onto her neck, we had to take two trips. I went first as I was old enough to safely stand in a back
alley for a few minutes while the Velorian went back and collected my sister.
All together again, we walked out onto the Grecian
streets on the lookout for a payphone.
Once weÕd found one that was out of sight of the main thoroughfare,
SuperFemme gave me the money and held Aggel while I made the call
Logically, I assumed, any response should be in the
form of a rebuke at the indignity of answering to a child. Yet to my surprise, while the phone was
answered on the first ring and the voice was hard, there was not the slightest
sign of irritation at my being an adolescent.
Unfortunately this was because my age was irrelevant.
ÒYes?Ó
How do you answer a question/statement like that? An answer was clearly expected, the
voice had a tone that made me suspect it wouldn't take dead air for very long,
I could practically hear the system tracing the call.
ÒI'm sorry to bother you, but I have this piece of
paper that my father gave to meÉ he was on this flight, thenÉÓ
ÒYou're FarŽ?Ó as if a switch had been flipped, the
voice changed, modulating to a gentler waveform. ÒThen something has happened?Ó
ÒHe's deadÉ my mother is deadÉ He gave me this slip of
paper?Ó I glanced at the Protector, some nervousness had crept into my tone as
what happened on the plane began to sink in. The Velorian merely smiled, prepared to wait as long as
necessary.
The voice paused as if listening to another's
command. ÒDon't move from where
you are. I'll send a car for you.Ó
The line went dead.
I went over to the Protector and tried to
explain. She smiled reassuringly
and said it was unnecessary, sheÕd heard every word and would wait until the
car arrived.
It didnÕt take long for a sleek black limousine to
glide up alongside us. The driver
wound down his window and told us to get into the back. He didn't even acknowledge SuperFemmesÕ
presence until she refused to let us open the door without an explanation.
When she made an issue of it, the driver explained
heÕd been instructed to take two children matching our description to a house a
couple hours away. He gave her the
address and said that she could follow if she wished.
After that, there was no further conversation. The driver was almost mechanical in the
execution of his orders. Dressed
in a simple black tuxedo and dark glasses, he had no distinguishing features
whatsoever, almost to the point where he could have been pressed out of a
mould. He didn't look around as I
lifted my sister into the back seat.
The door closed automatically and we were off.
***
I won't bore you with the details of the journey. Mainly because I slept through most of
it. When I awoke, we were just
pulling into the wide gravel driveway of a large estate. The Velorian was no longer overhead. I
looked for her but the sky was clear.
Looking at the immaculately kept lawns and giant
mansion, I guessed that whoever owned this land had a lot of money. Getting out of the car, I stretched the
cricks out of my legs and was about to reach for my sister when the door shut
with a click and the engine started up again. Too shocked to react, I couldnÕt do anything but watch as
the sole surviving member of my family was driven away, leaving me alone in
what was suddenly a very large world.
There was nothing else to do but walk up the
driveway. It led to an imposing
Victorian-styled house. Had I been
older, I might have wondered what such a building was doing in Greece. Or why storm clouds were now covering a
sky thatÕd been cerulean blue, and vacuum empty when I entered the car.
I didn't see any of that, but I wasn't totally
ignorant. I did know something was
strange. The air didn't feel
right, it was cold and clammy. Not
at all like a hot country should be, in fact, it felt just like England. But I was young, I didn't know any
better.
Dreading the response, I reached the door and beat the
cast iron knocker against solid oak.
The timber hadn't stopped resonating before a young woman prised the
door open.
Dressed in a similar, if slightly more revealing
tuxedo than the driver, she acted with the same mechanical precision and had
the same mould perfect features as the person whoÕd driven me here. Two grey, eagle sharp eyes studied me
for a moment before admitting me into the huge entrance hall.
As she led me along the darkened corridor, I couldnÕt
help but notice how she kept her movements lithe and moved in such a way that
she kept her hands free. After a
minute of watching her back I realised this might be related to the fact that
her jacket hid a lot of space.
Space in which, say a pistol, could be concealed without fear of
unsightly bulges.
She maintained a fast walk for almost ten
minutes. Not once did she look
behind her, she simply assumed I was following. When we stopped, there was just one ornate desk and a chair
in the middle of an otherwise dark and empty room, I was taken to it and
left. After a minute another woman
entered, dressed like a solicitor this one was more mature with a streak of
grey in her shortly cropped platinum hair, yet she had the same quick
intelligence in her eyes.
The woman sat down but made no indication for me to do
the same. I got the feeling this
wouldnÕt have been the case even if there had been chairs to go around.
ÒFarŽ.Ó She announced from behind interlaced
fingers. ÒYou have no idea who I
am, do you?Ó
ÒNo.Ó I shook my head
ÒI am the person in charge of your father's finances.Ó
ÒHow?Ó Images of my mum bent over receipts and ledgers
flooded my mind, ÒWe're poor?Ó
ÒThat is the illusion that your father wished to
maintain. Tell me, do you know
what embezzling is?Ó
ÒIt's when you steal money from a company.Ó
ÒClose.
Your father has, for the past few years been embezzling money from the
Navy, he was hoping to create a trust for you. However with his death our plans have changed.Ó
Ò'Our?'Ó
ÒI share some personal involvement. Rest assured, I wish the best for you.Ó
ÒWhat about my sister?Ó
ÒShe is being cared for, thoughÉÓ She mulled over the
phrasing, ÒAs I said, things have changed.Ó
ÒHow?Ó
ÒWithout his presence, the military will quickly
become aware of what he has been doing and, thought there is no possibility
that they could trace the money back to us, it is sufficed to say that the
supply of money will end.Ó
ÒWhat about my sister?Ó
ÒShe will be taken care of.Ó
ÒButÉÓ
ÒYour father has taken measures to ensure your
safety. Those measures, his death
having occurred prematurely, do not allow for you to be together.Ó
ÒYou're splitting us up?Ó My voice rose with my
indignation.
The woman answered without a hint of remorse. ÒYes.Ó
ÒYou can't!Ó
ÒI can and I have.Ó She shook her head. ÒI am sorry, but it is for the best.Ó
ÒWill I see her again?Ó
The woman paused, ÒPerhaps. I do not know, if circumstances allow, you will.Ó
ÒWhat happens to her in the meantime?Ó
ÒShe will be provided for. People I personally trust will ensure her safety and
education.Ó
I didnÕt question her statement, her ÔpeopleÕ would be
the most loyal and devoted keepers a person could hope for. This woman exuded sound judgement.
ÒAnd me?Ó I asked, a slight quaver entering my voice.
ÒThings will be different. You areÉ how old?
twelve?Ó
ÒYes.Ó
She nodded as if this resolved some internal
argument. ÒThat is old enough.Ó
ÒFor what?Ó
ÒTo leave the nest.Ó
ÒNo!Ó I declared, ÒYou can't throw me out?Ó
ÒI am not.
As I said, you will be provided for. You will own an apartment which no one will trouble you
over, you will receive an allowance and you will receive food.Ó
ÒWhat about school?Ó
ÒAfter a few months you will return to your school and
you will make no mention of what has happened, or anything regarding this fund,
or myself.Ó
ÒWhat happens if I do?Ó
ÒAll funding ceases for both yourself and your
sister.Ó She fixed me with a deadly serious gaze, ÒDo not tempt providence, you
will be watched closely.Ó
ÒYouÕreÉÓ I swallowed, Òthreatening me?Ó
ÒI apologise, but itÉÓ
ÒÉIs for the best.Ó I finished, the same hardness
thatÕd allowed me to survive the daysÕ events suddenly crashing down. ÒI heard the first time. When do I go?Ó
ÒNow. We
will not meet again.Ó
I couldn't say thank you. This person had just ripped apart what small fragment
remained of my family and done it with all the emotion of a rock. I nodded, turned on my heels and
marched out of the room.
How
do I startÉ? I guess the beginning would be as good as the end. And that way
itÕs more of a surprise.
First
of all, I should introduce myself. I am Linith (Jane) Katherine. The first
Terran Supremis.
I
suppose describing myself would be redundant. If youÕve seen one Velorian
youÕve seen them all, IÕm tall, blonde, strong, quickÉ you get the idea. IÕm
just more so than most.
How
much more, IÕm not entirely sure. I can beat Kara ZorÕEl (thatÕs EarthÕs
Protector) without working up a sweat so that should give you some idea of my
physical abilities.
My
parents were the two kindest people you could hope to meet. Who else would take
in an Alien infant and raise it as their own despite knowing that said infant
would eventually become so powerful as to be able to defeat every army on Earth
with ease?
Perhaps
thatÕs why they did it, they didnÕt want such a powerful weapons falling into
the wrong hands. God knows what would have happened should someone else have
found me?
But
I digress.
The
very begging was hot.
My
earliest recollections are of extreme heat and acceleration. Then the worlds
biggest thump.
After
that there were voices and the faint perception of movement above me.
I
donÕt remember what happened after that. My parents filled me in years later.
*
IÕve never
had the luxury of not knowing what I was. I was more fortunate than most
Velorians who are born off world – it happens more than youÕd think
– as all of their abilities manifest almost immediately after birth. Me,
I had to learn them as I grew up, which, as frustrating as it was, helped me to
avoid many of the accidents that comes from being a few thousand times stronger
than everyone else. (It wasnÕt until my own children were born that I truly
realised the heroic efforts my parents went through in raising a super-powered
five years old)
ÔHide,Õ
ÔEnshroud,Õ ÔConceal.Õ These are words that I lived by during the first
fourteen years of my existence. Not once in that period did I reveal myself to
anyone, not even my closest friends.
But IÕm
getting ahead of myself.
My first
(and best) friend is a boy named FarŽ Barnes. ÔFarŽÕ is a corruption of ÔFari,Õ
which is Latin for ÔSpeakÕ or, taken in context, ÔFate.Õ It would be a long
time before I got the joke.
Our
inaugural meeting wasnÕt that great. WeÕd known of each other almost since we
were born because our parents were friends. Somehow they got into their heads
that their children should be the same. They tried to bring us together at
every opportunity, but it wasnÕt until after our first month in school that we
said more than two words to each other.
ItÕs
amazing how personality traits can materialise even at young ages, and how even
Velorians can be taken down by Terrans if the right strings are pulled.
In this
case, the strings were my nerves and the Terrans were Tommy and Tony. T &
T, I used to call them; two bullies, one brain. Unfortunately, it was a very
good brain. At least for their age.
Tony was
the one with the brain, he was the one who made sure that they looked like
little angels in the eyes of the teachers and never got into trouble, Tommy
Tooshoes (his real name incidental) was the one with the muscle. Of course,
even combined, they were no match for a Velorian. But I couldnÕt just show them
what I was, could I?
Their
favourite nickname for me was ÔBaby blue.Õ In other circumstances, it could be
flattering, but here it just reflected the ultra-clear, almost infant-like
nature of my eyes.
I had made
the rather stupid mistake of isolating myself in a small corner of the main
library when no one else was around.
*
ÒWhat yÕ
doing Blue?Ó
That was
Tommy.
ÒReading.Ó
I answered, hoping that theyÕd just go away.
ÒI donÕt
see any cartoons,Ó Tony asked, Òhave you finally got onto real books?Ó
Okay, so
reading didnÕt come easily to me. They didnÕt need to rub in it. ÒPlease,Ó I
asked, Ògo away.Ó
In answer
Tommy took the book from my hands, ÒB-rareruh Rahbit.Ó he read aloud.
ÒThatÕs
Brer Rabbit!Ó I made a grab for it and missed, Òyou donÕt like it. Give it
back!Ó
ÒWhy
should I?Ó He asked, ÒI might like to look at the pretty pictures too.Ó
ÒBut there
arenÕt any in there.Ó I told him.
ÒWell, lets
make some then.Ó Tony said calmly. ÒI have some crayonsÉ.Ó
ÒNo!Ó I
begged, Òplease, I like that book. Destroy one of the others if you must. But
not that one.Ó
Needless
to say, they didnÕt listen to me.
ÒWhy donÕt
you do as the lady asked.Ó A new voice broke in.
We all
looked around. The bullies because they wanted to see this new threat. Me,
because IÕd never been called a lady before.
FarŽ stood
there. He was tall for his age, the tallest person in class by at least three
centimetres – taller even than I was. But it wasnÕt his height that was
important, it was the fact that he stood up to T & T. No one did that.
The two
bullies looked at each other while TonyÕs brain tried to process this new
information.
Of course,
there had never been any violence. Young children are notorious for letting on
when theyÕre hurt. So you could never actually accuse T & T of assault. But
there were rumours, and with an overactive imagination, thatÕs enough. The mere
threat TommyÕs fist was enough.
Now
however, someone was standing up to them, they didnÕt know how to act.
ÒOr I
could tell the librarian that youÕre damaging school property.Ó FarŽ continued.
Fazed,
they just stood there. Even if they just dropped the book and walked away
theyÕd loose face, but if they stayed here they were holding the proverbial
Ôsmoking gunÕ and their previously immaculate reputations would be ruined. For
a few moments it looked like they might stay and make an issue of it, then I
stood beside FarŽ and added my above normal height to his. Between us, we had a
good ten centimetres on T & T.
Like all
bullies, the two boys folded when faced with a superior foe. They decided that
discretion was the better part of valour and dropped the book before making a
strategic withdrawal.
Retrieving
the volume from the floor, FarŽ handed it to me. ÒHere, I think that you were
reading this.Ó
ÒThank
you.Ó I looked at the floor in the way children do when they donÕt know what to
say, ÒI though that they were going to damage itÉ the school only has this one,
and itÕs my favourite.Ó
ÒI like it
too.Ó He smiled and after a few seconds of silence, he shrugged, ÒÉwell. See
you sometime.Ó
ÒSure, mom
and dad are always round your house anyway.Ó
*
We didnÕt
become friends immediately after that. Very few things happen that quickly, but
it was the first step towards what would eventually become a very satisfying
relationship.
T & T
didnÕt bother us again, in fact they actually began to change their ways
– especially after I ÔaccidentallyÕ showed Tommy a small fraction of my
strength. Tony wasnÕt quite as nice but at least he kept his distance, without
TommyÕs brawn he was a coward.
Soon our
pair became a trio as Donna joined later in the term. I quickly warmed to her
though her materialistic sensibilities worried me sometime, in my youth I
thought it was something to do with being American. Then a cute African named
Delilah Ball joined us and we were a quartet.
As close
as we became, I always felt myself more drawn to FarŽ than the others and that
was why I found it so hard to keep my deepest secret from him. Well, you know
what itÕs like when you know something but canÕt tell anyone about it. As a
child thatÕs a million times worse.
But I
resisted my impulse and somehow kept my mouth shut.
*
During the
next holiday, more of my Supremis heritage became evident. Tachyon vision;
brilliant when you want to read another persons mail, skim an entire book
without taking it off of the shelf. Or seeing what the inside of the male
changing room looks like - although I didnÕt think of that last perk until I
had matured somewhat.
One of the
disadvantages, at least in the formative stages. Is not knowing whatÕs in front
of you. My eyes would chose the most inopportune time to start looking through
walls (like when I was approaching a door, or major supporting wall). If you
combine that with invulnerability and mega-strength, you have a recipe for
disaster.
To my
credit though, only once did I reach for something that – after the dust
cleared – turned out to be in the next room.
*
That summer,
I learned to fly when I took a running leapÉ and never touched the ground.
That was
actually a lot easier to do that Tachyon vision because I didnÕt have to think
about it. As Ford Prefect said, Ôjust aim at the ground andÉ miss.Õ At first, I
could only do it while jumping, but after a bit of practice – away from
anyone so that they couldnÕt see when I fell flat on my face – I could do
it from a standing start.
*
It was
after this latest manifestation that my parents sat me down and explained a few
things.
My father
started it off, ÒLinithÉ I donÕt need to say that youÕre different to other
children. But your mother and I have been talking andÉ we feel that you should
know some things about yourself.Ó
Mom
continued, ÒyouÕre not human.Ó She saw my horrified expression and tried to
pacify me, ÒyouÕre better than human. A Supremis.Ó
ÒWhatÕs
that?Ó
ÒTheyÕre a
species of humanity that live out in space.Ó Dad answered, ÒtheyÕre very
strong, very smart and practically indestructible.Ó
ÒAre you a
Suppressus too?Ó I asked them.
ÒNo, weÕre
Terrans like the rest of the people on this planet. We found you many years
ago. You came to Earth in a spaceship. Why your people sent a baby, we donÕt
know.Ó
ÒBut you
know a lot?Ó
ÒThe
shipsÕ computer told us all of these things.Ó He continued, Òit explained
everything about you, about what you would become. And what is coming.Ó
ÒWhat is
it?Ó
ÒSomething.Ó
He shook his head, Òthere was damage, it couldnÕt say what this darkness was.
Just that you would be our greatest hopeÉ or our greatest fear.Ó
ÒWhy?Ó
ÒYou have
great power now,Ó mum rested her hands on my shoulders, Òbut you will grow
stronger. YouÕll be able to lift a thousand tonnes without effort, never get
hot or cold, and be invulnerable to everything. If you chose too, you could
dominate this world and nothing we have could stand in your way.Ó
ÒYou mean
I could take over.Ó
Slowly,
she nodded. ÒIf your ship is to be believed, yes.Ó
ÒWhy would
I want to?Ó
The
question clearly threw them, after exchanging glances, dad fielded it, ÒyouÕre
too young to understand at the moment, but this planet isnÕt perfect. You see
wars on the news and eventually youÕll understand that theyÕre more than just
pictures, you may even want to stop them. If that happens, the question you
will have to ask yourself is, Ôshould I?ÕÓ
I thought
about this revelation. I had never considered being like Superman and helping
people. Sure I knew I had powers and stuff, but, stopping whole wars. IÕd never
thought about it.
ÒBut you
taught me always to do whatÕs right. Wars kill peopleÉ shouldnÕt I stop that?Ó
ÒNo,
people kill people.Ó Jane answered, Òwar is just a name.Ó
ÒItÕs
small steps you see.Ó Dad went on, Òhow would you stop a war? Destroy all the
guns?Ó
ÒMaybe?Ó
ÒThat
wouldnÕt stop them, theyÕd just use knives or sticks. The suffering would
continue. Maybe you think to yourself that if you get rid of the leaders, the
soldiers will stop. But what if it doesnÕt, there will still be Generals and
they can keep on fighting even without someone to tell them what to do.
ÒYou can
get rid of them too, but then what are you going to do. Put them in jail, just
because they were trying to save their country?
ÒSo
perhaps you try to stop this at the source, you make yourself leader. You know
that you would never do anything wrong so itÕs okay.Ó He gave me a thin smile,
Òso youÕre up there. Empress of the world giving out all of these
proclamations, telling people to behave. But this world isnÕt perfect. People
will always fight, and even if you tell them to stop, they wonÕt. You can use
your powers to enforce what you say, but whoÕs to say that youÕre right and
someone else isnÕt?Ó
Jane held
my hand, Òyou wonÕt have been elected and you wonÕt have been chosen. YouÕll
just be there because you think that youÕll be better than the last guy.Ó
ÒAnd what
happens when you make a mistake?Ó John asked, Òbecause you will make them, no
one, no matter how good their intentions are, not even our little angel, can go
without doing something wrong, itÕs part of life. Then what happens if you do
something and it causes someone to die. Is that right?Ó
ÒWell if
they killed someoneÉÓ I hesitated.
He smiled
and shook his head, Òunfortunately not all criminals carry bags marked ÔSwag.Õ
What if it was an accident, how will you know. Perhaps it was a fight and they
had no choice.
ÒThere are
a million and one ways in which an innocent person can do something wrong. And
if you slip up even once, someone could die.Ó
ÒI see
father.Ó I looked at the floor, Òbut I wouldnÕt!Ó
ÒYou say
that now.Ó He laughed, Ògive yourself a few years. See how the world works,
then make your decisions. YouÕre still a child, enjoy it while you can.Ó
ÒI will.Ó
I promised, more to him than myself. He had given me a lot to think about.
*
ÔSee how
the world works.Õ My fatherÕs words to an innocent five year old.
I saw how it worked alright. When I was
twelve, FarŽÕs parents and eight-year-old sister were killed in a plane crash.
Leaving him alone in the world.
And I knew
that he was all alone, there might have been some faceless simpletons who went
to teacher nights and said they were his guardians. But itÕs hard to hide
things from a girl who can see through walls. At twelve, my friend had move out
of the home heÕd lived in his entire life and go to a tiny flat in a large town
twenty kilometres away.
I think
that my parents knew as well, they kid of hinted at it in conversation but
never openly discussed it.
Worse than
that, his Ôfoster parentsÕ wanted to sever all ties. More than just moving him
out, they threw away most of his stuff. About the only thing, that they did
keep the same was his school. It should have meant that I could still speak to
him, but something was missing. His eyes were cold, almost lifeless.
He was
quiet now, sitting in a corner of the classroom diligently doing the assigned
task and answering questions. Which is what he was supposed to do, but he
didnÕt make jokes or play games. HeÕd been pretty good at hockey before the
crash and now heÕd given it up entirely, seemingly content to drift around the
school hallways until the bell sounded the end of break. He possessed none of
the life that heÕd had previously, almost as if heÕd been killed along with his
parents and his body just hadnÕt got the message yet.
He didnÕt
go into the playground any more.
He didnÕt
use the computers or read books. He was just a ghost that hid from the world.
And he
wouldnÕt speak to me. That, more than anything else hurt the most.
Mum and
dad said that he was grieving. That in a few months he would meet up with
himself again.
But they
couldnÕt see him, they didnÕt know him. It wasnÕt just grief, he didnÕt see
death as something to be mourned. Something was happening inside. You could see
it in the way he moved, it was mechanical, angry. Different.
I looked
at his huddled form and saw no tears running down his face. Underneath it all
he was sad, but it was more than that, I just wish that I had known what it was
so that I could have helped him.
*
He didnÕt
get better though. Even six months after the accident there was no change, both
Donna and Delilah had drifted away from him and I was beginning to accept that
this was how he would be for the rest of his life when he came up to me.
ÒLinithÉÓ
he hesitated. ÒÉIÕm sorryÉ.Ó
To tell
the truth, he had caught me off guard. Months of silence, now an apology?
ÒSorry?Ó I
asked, Òfor what?Ó
He would
not meet my eyes as he answered, ÒIÕve been a lousy friend. YouÕve bent over
backwards to be nice to me andÉ IÕve ignored you. I was so wrapped up in my own
concerns that I didnÕt notice you. I was selfishÉÓ
I actually
laughed out loud. ÒYou – are – sorry? I think that it can be excused. You lost
your entire family. I could have accepted it if you never spoke to me again in
your life.Ó
ÒI could
have told you.Ó
ÒFor what?
Being human? Grief is normal, you donÕt need to apologise for it.Ó I looked
into his heart broken eyes and put my hands on my hips in mock anger, Òwhat do
you want me to say? That youÕve been a terrible friend. Well you havenÕt,
youÕve been a great
friend. You have stuck with me through everything before this. That time when I
missed a goal and cost us the game, you were the only one who spoke to me after
the match. I wonÕt fault you for feeling an emotion.Ó
ÒA real
friend would tell you everything.Ó He answered and for a moment, I thought that
he had finally worked it out. ÒÉI wish I could.Ó
I relaxed
somewhat. ÒWhat do you mean?Ó
ÒI canÕt
say.Ó He began heading in the direction of his next class. ÒÉIÕll be around.Ó
ÒSo will
I.Ó I ran a hand through my hair and wondering what was really going on at his
home.
*
Arion:
Sub-species, Homo-Sapience Supremis : Velorian.
Highly
dangerous.
Little
respect for non-Arion lifeforms.
Two
sub-categories: Alpha, Beta.
Alpha.
Preferred name(s), ÔPrimeÕ ÔPrimalÕ
Strength
approximately equal to one thousand Terrans.
Typical
Supremis abilities.
Lethal
Cannot
fly
Notes:
Almost universally accepted as the most dangerous known lifeform.
Beta.
Preferred name(s), NONE.
Aliases:
Betan
Strength
equal to Four/Five Terrans.
Vulnerable
to most weapons, no significant Supremis abilities.
Dangerous
Cannot
fly
-
Suggested actions: Destroy at all opportunities.
The above
passage is nothing that I can remember reading or being told about. Yet during
my thirteenth year, it was all that I could think of.
The words
would just pop into my head unbidden and stay there until I said them aloud. I
even began writing it down without realising it. Once, I finished writing a ten
page English essay only to find that I had actually copied out those paragraphs
hundreds of times.
The
strangest thing? I didnÕt even know what an Arion was.
Until I
met one at least, then a whole host of information popped into my head. The
most prominent of which was.
ÔArion
Prime: The most dangerous lifeform in the universe.Õ
Not the
most inspiring of things to hear when youÕre going to into battle.
*
In all
honesty, I donÕt remember what I was doing that day, or what a single, unarmed
Prime was doing in Portsmouth. Maybe he just wanted a holiday?
What I do
know is that he got the drop on me. (However, no one was around so until now,
thatÕs been my little secret).
The first
indication that I was in trouble was when a hand wrapped itself around my neck
and lifted me off of the ground.
ÒVelorian.Ó
A deep voice whispered into my ear, Òmake a sound and I will break you apart.Ó
There
wasnÕt anyone around so I even if I could get the air to cry for help, none
would be coming. Not that they would have been able to assist me.
The
creature pinned my arms to my sides and dragged me into the bushes where he had
been hiding. More information regarding Arion treatment of prisoners, or lack
there of, began flooding into my mind. Rape seemed to be a large part of it.
It was not
something that I wished to experience, but at the moment, there was little that
I could do. The Arion seemed to be much stronger than I was and he had
leverage.
Then I
remembered, I could fly, I didnÕt need my feet on the ground to get the best of
him.
The Arion
had expected a normal Velorian child and was using the appropriate amount of
strength for one. But I, as my mother would attest, was not a normal child.
He had
pulled me into the bushes, out of sight of anyone who might come by. For some
reason, this was important to me.
I stayed
in place while my captor strained against an immovable object.
While he
did, he created a small gap between his chest and myself. It allowed me to slip
free and face him.
ÒCare to
do that again Arion?Ó I asked while levitating a half metre off of the ground.
ÒHow?Ó He
demanded, getting back to his feet. ÒNo Velorian your age could do that?Ó
I
shrugged, ÒI can.Ó
ÒIt makes
no difference,Ó he answered, Òit will make my victory all the more sweet.Ó
ÒAnd itÕs
going to eat into my shopping time.Ó I answered, ÒletÕs get this over with.Ó
He moved
almost too fast to see. Almost. The first blow was his, it was straight to my
head and really, didnÕt hurt? It was more shock than anything else that snapped
my head back. Somehow, I had thought that Ôthe most dangerous lifeform in the
universeÕ might pack more of a punch.
He seemed
as surprised as I was when I stood up again.
ÒHow!?Ó
his voice carried the barest tint of fear as I shook off his strongest blow.
ÒDammed if
I know. But if that was your best, IÕd give up now.Ó I floated towards him. In
a way, I was enjoying this, finally someone other my parents who I could show
off to.
He didnÕt
give up. But, I didnÕt
want him too. There was just something that wouldnÕt let me let him go.
The next
time he struck, it was as fast as before. But now I was ready for him. I ducked
under the fist and landed a blow on his jaw that sent him flying. Pursuing his
form, the thick bushes snapping around my invulnerable body, I caught up with
it before he landed and slammed my fist into his midriff.
Another
blow with my elbow snapped his head to the side before I crushed his skull into
a rock. Kicking him in the kidneys lifted him from the ground, but did little
more than anger him.
The fifth
rule of combat, according to FarŽ, is ÔOnce the enemy is down, donÕt let him
get up again.Õ I failed in that. Although he needed a tree to steady himself,
he was on his feet again, and running towards me.
I dodged
and chopped the back of his neck as he went by, it felled him. But he just got
up again. Nothing I could do, whether it was punches, kicks, knees, or
whatever, would slow him down for more than a few seconds.
And
nothing in my memory would tell me how to kill him either. I knew that now,
that his death could be the only way that this battle would end, but that meant
little if I couldnÕt find a way to do that.
He was on
his feet again, circling warily. His feet sinking into the deep mud that we had
churned up in our battle. A small trickle of blood was making its way down his
face from a cut I had inflicted. But if that was the limit of my damage after
all of this timeÉ
He ran and
I jumped over his head. He couldnÕt fly so as long as I stayed in the sky, I
was safe. At least until he jumped and pilled himself into my stomach.
Fighting
him off in mid-air, I began to think. He couldnÕt fly. That was it, I didnÕt
need to kill him. There was a better place for his kind.
Sticking
my fingers into his unruly black hair, I tightened my grip and broke his hold
on my abdomen. Spinning on the spot, I generated enough centrifugal force to
keep him away from me, while still maintaining a hold.
He was too
confused to understand what was happening too him. By the time he had, we were
in orbit.
That was
actually scary, IÕd never been this high before. Hell, IÕd never even gone over
an ocean before. And a vacuum is a lot more dangerous than a few hundred
thousand kilometres of seawater.
I had
instinctively held my breath as we passed the ionosphere, that turned out to be
a mistake as the Arion took my hesitation as an opportunity to bring his elbow
up into solar-plexus. Driving the air from my lungs in an explosive gasp.
Expelling
the air was disorientating, and a Prime never misses an opportunity. The stars
hadnÕt even stopped floating before my eyes before he had landed a half dozen
punches. I tried to respond, but fighting in zero gravity isnÕt like fighting
on Earth, he very quickly got the better of me.
One of
those strikes must have rattled my brain because I had forgotten why I had come
up here. Driving my elbow into his side, I felt something – hopefully a
rib – give way. Finally, I had hurt him. Right when I didnÕt need to.
I was free
now. Floating away from him and I couldnÕt repress the grin as he fumed
silently.
I was
almost tempted to leave him there. But if something happenedÉ a meteorite, a
passing satellite, he only needed a light shoveÉ The chances were pretty remote
but I couldnÕt risk it.
A hard
kick sent the Prime towards Jupiter. I donÕt know what happened to him after
that, presumably he died of exposure – even Primes canÕt survive more
than a week of hard vacuum. There is a chance that he lived long enough to hit
one of the moons but it was so unlikely as to be neatly impossible. More
probable is that my aim was off and he spent the rest of his short existence
exploring the inner solar system.
After
that, I started taking Self-defence, Karate, Judo, and a half dozen other
classes. If that Prime was an example of what I was up against, I definitely
needed training.
One
positive of the encounter was that blasted passage stopped echoing through my
mind.
*
Heat
vision was next. Boy, that was fun. For the first few days, I thought that I
would have to welding goggles for the rest of my life but after a while I got
the hang of it. Nothing was seriously burned during my experimentation –
though we did need to replace the wallpaper in my room.