Galileo (Battle of the Species) (42 page)

He lost the footprints when the ground changed to rocks, twigs, and large stone slabs. He listened, scanning for thoughts and broke out into a run when he heard a thought projected into the air.
Meta, where are you?

He ran around a small rocky hill and found Renn walking near one of the many cave openings scattered in the area. Desh looked around, worried that he’d miss a crunch of rocks or a rustle of a tree branch that would notify him that they weren’t alone.

Renn
! Desh projected.

Renn whipped around with his palms up, illuminated and sparking.
Get back!
he projected.

Take it easy, Brother,
Desh replied, and took a step back.
It’s just me.

I see the caves,
Renn said.
This is where you’re going to try to kill me!

Desh clenched his jaw in irritation.
I thought we were past that. I’m not going to kill you!

What did you do with her?

I didn’t do anything to Meta. You’re acting crazy. We can’t be off-ship!
Desh projected as he inched forward.

I’m not leaving without her!
Renn replied, looking around.
Why can't I hear her?

Renn, Meta's dead.

How do you know that if you had nothing to do with it?
Renn projected.
You were always trying to break us up!

She never left the Galileo. Lux found her body. I'm sorry. I wish it wasn't true
,
Desh replied.

“Show me,” Renn said through gritted teeth.

“Renn, I don't think that's a good id…” Desh replied.

“Show me!”

Shhhh!
Desh projected, looking around. He recalled the image of Lux finding Meta and pushed it to Renn.

Renn shook his head while he watched.

“It was a trap to get you here,” Desh said. “And it’s not that I didn’t want you two to be together. I just wanted you to be more discreet about it so other people wouldn’t know.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s how my father died. The enemy used him as bait.”

“Then why weren't they waiting for me at the portal?” Renn asked.

“They're not after you or Meta, they're after Mom,” Desh replied, losing patience. He stepped forward, grabbing Renn’s arm. “Come on, we have to get back.”

“Get off!” Renn shouted.

“Renn, I’m not going to hurt you!”

“Then why can’t I stop dreaming about it? Just stay away from me, Desh!” Renn said, emitting a burst of energy into Desh’s chest that sent him flying into the side of the rocky hill.

Desh hit a large stone with the back of his head and fell to the ground, unmoving.

“Oh gawd,” Renn said, lunging forward. He checked for his brother’s pulse, finding it as steady as his breathing. “I’m sorry, Desh. I just can’t trust you,” Renn said, and then whipped around when he heard the crunch of footsteps.

“Micah?” Renn asked, flabbergasted to see him walk through the trees. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you. Renn, what have you done?” Micah asked, looking at Desh.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just…I can’t explain now. Micah, please. I’ve got to find Meta,” Renn pleaded, looking back towards the caves.

“I think I know where she is. I could have sworn I heard a voice coming from that cave over there,” Micah said, pointing.

Renn took a step towards the cave, then stopped and looked back at his brother. “What about Desh?” he asked.

“I’ll take him back to the ship. Just go find Meta,” Micah said. “I’ll cover you.”

“Thanks, Micah,” Renn said, running off, grateful that there was at least one person who understood him.

***

Desh awoke to the vibrations in the ground and the sound of thumping coming from a short distance.
Aranea,
Desh thought. He felt the back of his head throbbing and ran his fingers through his hair to check for blood. Nothing. A wave of anger ran through his body, as he cursed the day he became a brother.

“Renn, I’m going to kill you,” he seethed, pushing himself up.

The Mindeerian sword came around his shoulder so swiftly that he only had time to gasp before the blade stopped an inch from his throat.

“Don’t move,” Micah whispered into his ear.

Desh glanced down at the blade, finding the shiny green tint that Baylorblood always left, glimmering on the metal. He froze.

“Got to love curved blades,” Micah taunted. “Are you sure you can push it away without knowing how far behind your neck the blade goes? Now, put your palms together very slowly.”

Desh hesitated, but Micah was right. The blade only had to graze his skin to do its worst. Desh obeyed and Micah tapped Desh’s wrist with a small silver device that excreted cool liquid metal, slithering around his hands until it solidified, rendering his hands immobile. His palms snapped when he felt the pinch on his ears as Micah attached thought blockers to his ears.

“Now, it’s just you and me,” Micah said.

***

Renn walked deeper into the narrow cave, then froze when he saw the first torch on the wall.

He thought about Dylan and Leo, remembering Leo’s words, “Run the moment you see you’re walking into the dream.” He then thought about Dylan. “Maybe you can change the outcome.”
The outcome...
This is where Desh kills me
, he thought, and looked back at the cave entrance, half expecting to see Desh standing there, but there was no one.

Renn turned back to the darkness, leading deeper into the cave, and put his hand on the stone wall, unsure of what to do. He thought about Meta. She wasn’t in any of the dreams.
What was her outcome?
The more he thought about it, the more his anxiety rose. He knew that if he kept walking, his death was waiting for him. But the dream, having never mentioned Meta, left open the possibility that he could save her before he died.

Renn took a deep breath as his body shook with fear and he willed his foot to move forward. Tears filled his eyes, realizing this would be the end. His foot stopped at the thought of his dad and he wondered who would be the one to tell him that he had just lost his son. Then an image of Meta materialized in his mind. He stepped another foot forward and inched along the wall to brace himself, as he tried to summon the courage. “I won’t leave you, Meta,” he whispered.

He took another step forward, willing his body to walk faster. Once he turned a corner, he heard the echo of a faint whimper deeper in the cave. He picked up the pace until breaking into a run while adrenaline coursed through his veins. He whipped around a corner and skidded in the dirt, finding himself standing between two tunnels. “Which…Meta!”

He heard another faint whimper and took off towards the crying, scraping against stone walls when sconces became too sparse. He passed by openings, leading to abandoned rooms, and expected someone to jump out at any moment. But no one came and so he went deeper and deeper into the cave. He slowed down when the ground changed from dirt and loose rock to a flat, black stone. The stone lead to a large decrepit room with stairs carved into the rock walls, leading to dark passageways. He looked around, finding it empty. There were ledges that seemed to go nowhere, other than around the room. Large stone pillars had fallen over the years, blocking entrance ways and obstructing views of sections of the room.

He walked around with his hands up, trembling, knowing he wouldn’t find Meta alone; knowing that unlike the simulation room, he was going to feel, smell, and taste
everything
.

           Something in the distance caught Renn’s eye, but a large pillar obstructed his view. He could see metal poles leading from the floor to the ceiling, with a massive stone hanging from the top, suspended by a chain in between the poles. The chain led to the side of a wall with a crank for the stone to be lifted or left to drop. Renn walked around pillars and boulders, trying to get to it as fast as he could.

He heard whimpering coming from that direction and he jumped over a large pillar, finding Meta sitting inside the poles, underneath the hanging stone. Her hands hovered above her head, chained to a pole.

Meta
! Renn projected. 

She kept her head lowered while she cried, not responding, despite the absence of thought blockers.

Renn stepped forward. It took a few more steps until Meta
responded to the crunching of rock beneath Renn’s feet.

She looked up, startled, her face covered in tears. “Renn!” Meta cried.

He ran over, able to fit between the stone poles with ease and kissed her.

“Who did this?” Renn asked.

“Eminites,” Meta sobbed.

“Did they hurt you?” Renn asked, trying to figure out how to get the chains off her hands without ripping her flesh in the process.

“No,” Meta cried. “They said they were waiting for you. I’m so sorry.”

Renn froze as a chill ran up his spine.
Desh was right.
He looked around the room, still finding it empty. He thought about the image Desh had projected of Meta’s body and became nauseated when everything began to fit into place. He felt Meta’s warm hand and looked into her eyes. He tried to shake it off, but knew there could only be one reason why he couldn’t hear her thoughts.

“Meta, what’s your manufacture date?”

“5.15.7267,” she replied.

CHAPTER 20

Traitor

“You don’t have to die,” Micah said in Desh’s ear as he held the curved blade around Desh’s neck. “None of them did. The portals never belonged to you in the first place. Just give them up and this will all be over.”

           “What the hell are you talking about?” Desh asked.

           “Cybernex, idiot. Just hand it over to the Eminites and they’ll give you anything you want. Anything at all, just name your price.”

            “Micah, you’ve gone mad. Cybernex doesn’t belong to me or to anyone else. It belongs to the citizens of the Federation.”

           “It’s protected by the De-An. The portals don’t work without the De-An’s blood,” Micah said.

           “Then take it up with them,” Desh said.

“You are the De-An!” Micah shouted. “Have you never wondered why every system in the Federation knows who you are? That there isn’t a door you can’t walk through, a window you can’t open, a system you can’t break? Your DNA was chosen and they gave your bloodline the keys to the Federation. Do you have any idea how much those keys are worth? He who controls the portals, controls every planet within the Cybernex system.”

“You’re delusional,” Desh said, trying to wrap his mind around what Micah was saying.

“Hollen will never surrender, I’m sorry, but she has to die. Your brother, now I’m gonna bet he’s breakable. You…well, that remains to be seen. It’s your choice, Desh. Die a martyr or control the Federation.”

“Tell me, Micah. What’s it feel like to be the Eminite’s lapdog?” Desh asked in defiance.

Micah shook his head. “Have it your way.”

Desh focused on the blade, telekinetically holding it in place the second he heard the zipping of the arrow flying through the air. The blade hovered around his neck, when Micah’s body stiffened behind him and his crisp corpse fell to the ground with the Baylorblood-soaked arrow sticking out of his back.

“Don’t move, Brother,” a familiar voice said, taking control of the blade and pulling it away from Desh’s neck.

Desh turned around, having never been so grateful to see Kia.

“Are you hurt?” Kia asked.

“I’m fine, but Renn’s gone. Where is everyone?” Desh.

“They’re putting on battle gear and getting weapons. I couldn’t wait,” Kia replied as he tapped Desh’s hands with a silver device and the metal binding liquefied, retracting back into the apparatus, releasing his hands.

“Where the hell is he?” Desh asked, looking around. “Micah talked about him as if he was still alive.”

“Why haven’t they attacked?” Kia asked, looking off towards the ceaseless thumping.

“They’ve got to be waiting for her,” Desh replied. “Kia, we need to keep moving and find Renn.”

“No,
I
need to keep moving and find Renn. You need to go back to the ship and from the sound of it, so does Hollen. My dad and I will take care of this.”

“Kia, she won’t leave without Renn. If you want to save any of us, we have to leave together,” Desh replied and scanned the terrain.

Desh saw a reptile in the distance, basking in the sun, unperturbed by the vibrations. He entered the reptile’s mind, scanning through memories until he saw a tall human point out a cave to a young blond. The reptile watched the boy run to one of the caves nearby and disappear within.

“He’s in that one,” Desh said. He turned back to Micah and pulled the Baylorblood-dipped sword through the air. “Let’s go.”

“Desh!” Kia said, grabbing his arm.

“Kia, you can go with me or you can stay behind and wait for the others, but I
am
going after my brother,” Desh said, yanking his arm back.

***

The Galileo was buzzing with gossip as everyone walked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Leo went back to the dorms while Dylan stayed in the girls’ room trying to comfort Joss and Lux, who continued to sob uncontrollably when Meta’s body was taken away.

When Leo walked into the boy’s room, he went over to Renn’s bed and opened the call log on the computer screen. He clicked “Connect,” prompting it to ring for Adam Andreas.

Adam’s face appeared with a smile, expecting to see his son. When he saw that it was Leo, his face flushed. “Is he alive?” Adam asked, preparing himself for the worst.

“I…I don’t know,” Leo replied in a weak voice. Leo explained everything he knew, about Meta’s phone call, Renn leaving, and Desh and Kia going after him.

“Thanks, Leo,” Adam said, and ran out of the screen.

Adam drove to the nearest portal and changed the destination to “Q.” When he boarded the Quintessence, the remaining crew cleared their path for Adam, nodding their heads in acknowledgement that he had returned.