The Betwixt Book One (32 page)

‘
Hey, keep it together,’ he grabbed both of my arms just above
the elbow. His grip wasn't dangerous, just firm, just enough to
stop my arms from flailing. ‘Hey, it's okay, it's okay. You can't
believe this thing – can't take its word for gospel like that. I
still don't think the Twixt exis—’ he began.

But then he must have seen the desperate flash in my eyes –
the palpable question that loomed up from deep within me – how
could he still not believe in the Twixts?

He swallowed, his jaw shifting down, lips opening to reveal
set, clamped teeth. ‘It doesn't matter. Even if they do exist, this
isn't enough to . . . . This information is too
sketchy, too many assumptions. It said itself that this was half
conjecture – half guesses.’

‘
But it makes so much sense,’ I could barely even hear my own
voice – couldn't hardly wonder if the Commander could pick it
up.

But he shook his head, holding his eyes on me without a blink.
‘Sense? Are you telling me that some long-dead alien race created a
creature that lives between dimensions, just because they couldn't
agree on what enlightenment meant? That doesn't make sense, none of
this does. So how can it make sense to let this affect
you?’

‘
But we know—’ I began, my lips almost limp as I tried to push
my words out, my body just wanting to collapse under me.

‘
We don't know anything, not for sure.’

‘
I disagree,’ the Rain Man said from the door, finally deeming
to join us again. ‘It is clear from the numerous references to the
Twixts throughout this galaxy, and the technology and information
that the People themselves left behind – that both these creatures
exist.’

For some reason I felt the gaze of the Rain Man, or the
million little creatures that made him up, like lasers slicing
through my skin. I could tell each and every part of him was
watching me, observing, collecting data, waiting to see what would
happen next.

And maybe Jason could see that too, because he whirled towards
the door, face full of a darker rage than I had ever seen before.
‘You set her up,’ each word was slow and heavy and sounded like he
squeezed it through a locked, clenched jaw. ‘You wanted her to ask
the wrong questions, get the wrong answers – all so you'd come back
into the room and see how she would react.’

‘
Yes,’ the Rain Man answered flatly. ‘It fascinates
us.’

The Commander was way past simply crossing his arms to show
his displeasure. Both his hands were by his side, arms straight and
rigid. He was pumping his black, armor-covered fists one by one.
‘You know, to our culture, that is profoundly
insulting.’

‘
Yes. Though, the insult is worth the information we have
gathered and will continue to gather.’

I couldn't keep my eyes off the Commander's hands as they
stretched out and pulled back into tight, tight fists. It was the
only distraction I had from the whirlpool of anxiety that was
building up inside me. The news that my People were also the Twixts
was plunging through me, smothering me, drowning me, all but
killing me on the spot

‘
You also know that manipulating a GAM
investigation—’

‘
We did not manipulate it. We answered your question to our
full knowledge. We confirmed your version of events, confirmed the
existence of the creatures you call the Twixts. We even showed you
their true origin – a fact few beings in this galaxy share. But we
gained from the experience as well – as all do in the exchange of
information. We learned of the emotional reaction the last
descendent of the People had upon hearing of her shared origins
with the Twixts. This is invaluable—’

‘
This is a game. A disgusting game. And don't think that just
because you hold diplomatic Central citizenship, that it gives you
the right to play with people's lives.’

‘
We have not broken any laws,’ the Rain Man actually cocked its
head to the side in a grotesque movement that looked more like the
thing would fall off and hit the floor, exploding into a sea of
ants. ‘You know this, but your reaction interests us. It is other
than what we would have expected from someone of your apparent
emotional control, and someone of your rank also. Perhaps you have
feelings for—’

‘
Perhaps I have common decency,’ the Commander's voice was
quicker and far harsher than a clap of thunder by your ear. ‘We're
leaving.’ He turned to me and nodded towards the door we had
originally entered by.

‘
I do not believe that is wise. There is more that we can learn
from one another.’ The Rain Man, thankfully, returned its head to
the vertical.

‘
There's nothing more you can learn from us,’ the Commander
uncrossed his arms and turned to walk off.

‘
There is far more she needs to know, far more she must learn
before she can do what it is that history tells us she
must.’

I frowned at the Rain Man's overly complex statement. But I
got the gist. He didn't want us to go . . . he
wanted to tell me more . . . . But what more
could there possibly be? What would I learn next? That the People
were also the origin of all sickness in the galaxy, of all disease,
of all famine, poverty, and plague? Because they had already
unleashed one unforgivable curse on the Milky Way, how could I hope
they didn't have more skeletons in the closet?

‘
Like I said,’ the Commander didn't turn back, but didn't keep
marching off either, ‘this game is over. Mini?’

It was obvious he was calling me to him, beckoning me so we
could both get out of here while we still could.
But . . . what if the Rain Man was telling the
truth, what if he really did have more to say? What if the
Assistant Librarian could tell me where to get weapons, where
to . . . 

I was so conflicted, so unclear. Finding out I was as close to
the Twixts as a monkey to its uncle, was making me more indecisive,
more lost than I had ever been before.

Jason turned to face me. ‘Mini, let’s go.’

I just stood there, wavering even, balance not what it should
be. ‘But what if it can tell me more?’ I asked Jason, voice almost
pleading. ‘I can't just leave . . . not when the
last thing I've found out is that my people are the
Twixts!’

Jason steadied himself, then took a breath and marched my way.
‘Some information is not worth getting.’

The Rain Man made a hiss at this. I imagine to it, that was
the greatest insult of all.

‘
Sometimes,’ Jason drew to a halt beside me, and placed a hand
on the back of my shoulder, ‘you have to turn around and leave
before you know all the facts.’

‘
But you investigate things, collect information for the GAM.
You wouldn't walk away if this was some mission—’

‘
Yes, I would. Knowing when to leave is what separates an
idiot, from a success.’

I stepped forward, nodding. ‘Okay, let’s go.’

He sucked his lips into a faint smile, and turned to walk by
my side, placing himself firmly between me and the Rain
Man.

‘
You cannot leave,’ the Rain Man said, ‘there is too much to
learn.’

‘
We're going,’ the Commander said, voice obviously angry
now.

‘
Not yet, not yet,’ the Rain Man was almost
whistling . . . but then I realized it wasn't a
whistle, but the high-pitched hysteria of a million ants all
clamoring their displeasure at once.

I shifted closer to Jason as I walked, the sound of the Rain
Man's voice making me itch like . . . like hundreds
of ants were crawling all over me at once, head to foot in a
frantic frenzy.

‘
You must stay!’ the Rain Man tried one final time before Jason
and I had reached the door leading out into the corridor
beyond.

Jason just put a hand on my back and pushed me along
faster.

‘
We hadn't wanted to do this,’ the Rain Man's voice filtered in
from the other room, all distorted and keening, ‘but you leave us
no choice.’

Jason snapped his head around. ‘Did you just threaten a GAM
officer?’ he called off down the hall, voice booming like a rocket
blasting past my ear.

I felt trickles of fear snake across my skin. It was an empty
threat, right? There wasn't anything the Rain Man could do to us,
right? I mean, Jason was here, he was a Commander, he even still
had his gun. Was the Rain Man really about to . . .
to . . . how would he attack anyway?

I shivered on the spot as a horrible image approached my mind
and overcame it from behind. Hundreds, thousands, millions of ants
all running at us at once – covering the Commander and I, pulling
us to the ground . . . .

‘
Jason, let's, let's just go.’ I was aware I'd just called the
Commander by his first name, but it didn't matter. I just wanted to
get out of here now, right now.

‘
You go ahead,’ Jason nodded towards the corridor that led to
the airlock, ‘I'll have just one more word with our host. It's a
crime to threaten a GAM officer.’

I plead with him, not with my words, but with every movement
of my eyes, my hands, my whole body.

‘
You'll be alright,’ he nodded, ‘go.’

I didn't care if I'd be alright, I didn't want him to go back
in there alone with that thing. Who knew what the Rain Man would
subject the Commander to, all in the quest for more
information?

But I didn't get a chance to throw out a hand and yank the
Commander back, he had turned and marched away before I had even
finished my thoughts.

I wavered on the spot for a moment, not sure of whether to
follow him, or follow his orders. So I didn't move, just stood
there staring at one of the paintings in the hall, trying so hard
to figure out what I should-

There was a strange noise, quite loud, enough to even shake
through the floor of the ship and up through my feet. But it hadn't
come from the main room, that I could tell. I was sure it wasn't
possibly the rumble of Jason giving the Rain Man what for. No, it
had come from outside the ship.

I looked up and along the corridor, up towards where the
airlock stood at the other end of the hall.

The airlock was opening, I could see the cracks of artificial
light stream in from behind it. There were
figures . . . at least I thought I could make out
shapes – but it was so far away.

Were those the Commander's men maybe? Had they come to check
on his safety, as a welcome cavalry to finish our battle and take
us home again?

The figures walked down the hallway, quickly.

It was when the first one raised all three of his guns, in all
three of his hands, that I realized they weren't GAM. Only Tarian
Mercs have three arms – one to shoot you with, one to hold you, and
one to punch.

The Tarian leveled his gun and fired.

Chapter 18

The Tarian's blast came searing past my ear as it slammed into
the wall beside me. The white-hot plasma bullet sunk into the
center of the painting depicting the water planet of Isis. The
canvas bubbled on impact, burning away as the blast radius spread,
the engaging blue ocean disappearing to reveal a singed, pockmarked
wall behind.

He hadn't missed on purpose, even I knew that.

Four more Tarians entered in through the open airlock, three
arms apiece toting twelve guns my way.

As the lead guy drew closer, I could make out the sneer on his
squashed-nose face. It was remarkable how much Tarians looked like
Earth pigs, except with the glassy, white eyes of one roasting on a
spit. Oh, and the fact their huge noses looked like they have been
smashed in with a brick.

He kept walking towards me, shoulders hunched forward, three
arms held high, guns trained on me.

The skin of a Tarian is the color of a bloodstain you can't
quite get out of the carpet – it's a pale red with strikes of far
darker crimson flashing through it. The nostrils are ringed with a
ghostly white, the two tusks protruding from their mouths fat
enough that they press their lips in, stop them from closing till a
rim of constant saliva trickles past.

And then there was the third arm. They had two terminating
from shoulder blades, just like humans, but then there was a third
lower down their chest – protruding right from the center of their
torso. It was like an arm that belonged solely to their stomachs,
one for grabbing whatever food walked past, and holding it still
while the other arms did their work.

I was motionless. Not just still, but motionless. My heart
didn't appear to be beating, my breath had caught somewhere low
down in my chest, and my limbs felt like the heavy, waterlogged
wood you pull out of storm drain during a deluge.

I had fought Twixts before, Twixts, but something far more
mundane by comparison had me quaking like a three-year-old. I was
built to fight Twixts . . . it was in my blood in
more ways than one. Plus, she would always take over when my
inter-dimensional cousins would rear their insubstantial heads. But
neither my human nor my People side had any experience fighting
Tarian Mercs. I couldn't hope for a sudden flash of determination
or deep instinct from within to blaze me into a fighting frenzy. It
wasn't going to come, because these just weren't Twix-