Awakening: The First Tale of the Trine (Trine Series Book 1) (12 page)

“We take your warning seriously, and will appreciate your assistance in the coming days,” Director Spencer said. “I will advise our commanders of your offer, and your warning. We had hoped for time to deal with the shock of your arrival, but it’s obvious that this awakening is about to get quite a bit ruder.”

The Director’s footsteps could be heard leaving the empty cell block where Zion was kept under guard. Orak watched through the video feed as Zion resumed his seat on his cot. Aki felt a flash of anger through their bond, and raised his head from Orak’s lap, ears twitching.

“What’s wrong?”
Aki asked.

“He’s smiling at me,”
Orak raged. “
I should go find my blade and finish what I started yesterday…”

“They would stop us,”
Aki cautioned. “
The destruction our arrival caused was inexcusable, and they view us with justifiable hostility. Even if we succeeded, and fled this place…what then? Do we run and fight across their world until the Elvahn come for us? How do you propose to explain THAT to the Assembly”?

“You’re right of course,”
Orak seethed in resignation. “
We can do nothing against him directly at this moment. I just wish I knew what he was ultimately planning!”

“Maybe we should lay some plans of our own…”
Aki left the thought hanging as they heard the air lock begin to cycle.

Orak turned the bracer’s screen off with a quick twist of the wrist. Aki jumped down from the bed as they both stood to greet their visitor. Director Spencer entered the room, flanked by a pair of soldiers.

“I wanted to meet with the two of you personally, rather than through our electronic intermediaries.” the Director began, waving towards the video conferencing equipment. “Since the arrival of you and the one called Zion yesterday, a number of unusual developments have taken place.”

The Director sat down at the table, staring at both of the aliens standing across from him. “Listen to me,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “‘Unusual developments.’ The whole world is burning down around us, and I need to know what the two of you can do to help. You said yesterday that you were awaiting the arrival of your people, the Elvahn, to take Zion into custody for coming here. You also said that you would leave it up to them to decide how our races relations could move forward.”

Leaning forward to put his arms on the table, the Director continued. “Please don’t mistake me. We want to know everything about your people, and we would love to find out that mankind has friends out in the universe. We understand the significance of this meeting. But right now I don’t give a damn about anything except protecting my countrymen. Look at this,” the Director said, sliding the tablet with the image of the Abbadon attacking Delmont over to them.

The pair known as Oraki both gazed down at the image silently, before looking back to the Director. “You know what that is, don’t you?” he asked them.

“That is an Abbadon, attacking your people,” Orak said grimly. “Zion has broken the treaty, and now they come for you.”

“So far this is the only sighting,” Director Spencer said. “But Zion says that these creatures have ways of controlling humans, and indicated that they may be using agents to attack other targets. Is that true?”

Orak shared a look with Aki, before Aki spoke. “Technically it is true. The Abbadon do not speak your languages well, and historically they had developed a device that they would attach to a human’s brain and spinal column to dominate them. They could then speak through the enslaved mind. The device looks like a steel spinal cord and ribcage. If they were using an agent, they would be quite apparent, given that the device is rather ghastly. It also has the unfortunate side effect of rendering the host…damaged. Direct contact with the mind of an Abbadon causes irreparable harm to one’s psyche.”

“So if there were unusual incidents that the Abbadon were causing, the perpetrators should be quite apparent due to this device they would be wearing?” Director Spencer clarified.

“We have never actually seen one,” Orak rumbled. “And their technology could have advanced over the centuries. It’s more likely that if someone was being compelled or dominated, it would be through an aether connection. Do you have a suspicion that something like that occurred?”

Director Spencer sat silently, weighing whether to tell the pair about the incident with Chief Samuel Dufresne last night. Finally, he said, “We don’t know. If someone could use this ‘aether,’ say you or Zion…what it would take to compel someone to do something?”

Orak made a strange gesture with his hand, waving it side to side.

“I don’t know what that means,” Director Spencer said, exasperated.

“It means it depends,” Orak growled. “It’s not something that we do normally, it’s…it’s not just illegal, it’s absolutely immoral. If it were to be done…I suppose simple skin contact would be enough, if the aether user focused intently.”

Director Spencer sighed. There was no way Zion could have come into contact with the Chief. As soon as he was excavated from the debris he was taken into custody, just after being discovered in surgery. “When we discovered Zion,” he said. “He was encased in some sort of green chrysalis. What was that exactly?”

“His suit triggered that,” Orak replied. “It was a response to me stabbing him in the throat. I did it intentionally to trigger his life support system and sever his armor’s vital systems. My thought was to disable him and drag him back before all of this occurred. Instead, I ended up saving his life from the explosion.”

“Is that how you survived, as well?” the Director inquired.

“No. I owe my life to my
kazir
,” Orak said proudly, dropping a hand onto Aki. “He shielded us, and managed to hold a void open in the debris until help could arrive. We want you to know that we will do whatever is in our power to help you if the Abbadon do launch an assault upon your people. We will continue to cooperate with your researchers,” Orak said, nodding towards the mirrored wall of the observation room. “All we ask is that you do not trust Zion. He has longed to exterminate the Abbadon, and as we told you yesterday, we truly believe that he has done this to intentionally spark a confrontation.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the Director said grimly, rising from the table. “What is clear is that these Abbadon are coming, and it’s going to take more than even you three can offer to protect us. If you will excuse me, we have preparations to make.”

Friday, August 3
rd
07:55 EST.

Tyler Morrison, Greensboro, N.C.

The red numbers on the digital clock swam in and out of focus as he lay there staring at the time. His eyes were swollen and burning from the tears and lack of sleep. With only five minutes left until the alarm was scheduled, Tyler gave up and heaved himself out of bed. He turned on the shower, and splashed some water onto his face. He drug a razor across his cheeks absently while the water warmed up, and shook his head ruefully at his lean frame. He was six foot three, but only one hundred fifty pounds soaking wet.

“Check it out,” he joked to the mirror “I can almost turn invisible” he said, looking at himself from the side. He lit a cigarette, then held it over his head as he got into the shower. He let the water run over his chest and back, soaking in the heat as he smoked. He stuck his head and arm out long enough to flick the butt into the toilet, then decided he was finally awake enough to get down to the serious business of shampooing.

After washing, he draped a towel over his head, brushed his teeth, and sat down at his computer. His brother Jason wouldn’t be arriving for another half hour or so, so he lit another cigarette and turned on one of his games.

He and Pops had always played online together. Going to his friends list, he stared at his father’s character onscreen, a barbarian named “DubsCheckUm.” After a few minutes, he ground out his smoke and clicked on the icon to delete the friend from the list. It was the only one on the page.

Once the character disappeared, a wrinkled wizard appeared onscreen, pronouncing “You have no friends. Would you like to search for some?”

“Fuck you, you toothless old bastard,” Tyler mumbled. “It ain’t that easy.” Clicking off the computer screen, he went back to the bathroom to hang up his towel, then wandered into the kitchen in search of food.

The refrigerator and cabinets were stocked with Pops’s healthy options. In the last years of his disease, he had to monitor what he ate carefully, as his bloodwork influenced his chances of getting the transplant he needed. Tyler stared morosely at the bags of salad and bottles of water. “Fat fucking lot of good this did you,” he said, slamming the refrigerator door.

He stood in the kitchen of the home he had grown up in, feeling like a complete stranger. “This place is empty without you,” he muttered. He sat down in Pops’s battered old recliner, and lit another cigarette while he waited for Jason.

In the silence, he could hear the gravel crunching out in the driveway as his brother arrived a few minutes later. Tyler opened the back door and leaned against the frame, watching his older sibling approach. “Hey Jay,” he said quietly, spreading his arms to invite a hug.

“Ty, how you holding up?” Jason asked, clenching his younger brother in a fierce embrace.

“Man, I don’t know,” Tyler said, stepping back and rubbing his eyes. “I guess I’m tired mostly. I shouldn’t complain, with what Pops has endured, but there it is. I’m just tired. How are Suzie and the baby doing?”

“They’re fine,” Jason said. “She wanted to come, she’s worried sick about you. With the baby though…well, it’s a long trip from Pennsylvania, and Rachel is just a few months old…”

“Man, I get it. You can’t bring a baby for something like this,” Tyler said. “I know you heard about Moses Cone blowing up yesterday too, right? I haven’t checked the news this morning for an update, but I’m happy Pops is down at Chapel Hill. Look, I’m just glad you came. I was worried you wouldn’t after everything…”

“I’m here for you,” Jason said firmly. “Not for him.”

Tyler waved dismissively, and led them back into the house. “I know, bro, you’ve made it abundantly clear how you feel about him. He understood too, but man, it broke his heart until the end.”

“It broke
my
heart when he killed mom,” Jason said.

“It was a car accident. It wasn’t his fault,” Tyler scowled.

“Then why did he go to jail for manslaughter? Why did we have to live with grandma for two years? The court said it was his fault, even if he wasn’t ‘legally’ drunk. He may not have loved booze more than us, but it was always damned close.” Jason sighed heavily. “I don’t want to argue with you about this, today of all days. We made our decisions when he was released. You forgave him, and came home. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t watch him drink his life away, or pity his regrets. He brought it on himself.”

“You know the fucked up thing?” Tyler asked Jason, flopping down on the couch. “You’re right. You were always right about him. He did drink, and in the end it killed both of them. But man, he was a good guy, all right?” Tyler lit another cigarette, and stared at the smoke curling towards the ceiling. “Shit Jay, we’ve all got demons. There was so much more to him than his failings. He was funny, kind, and smart…”

“He wasn’t smart enough to get help,” Jason snorted.

“He tried,” Tyler said quietly. “After what happened with the wreck though…the guilt was too much. He wanted to be with her, to follow her, but he couldn’t just off himself because of us…”

“Because of you,” Jason said. “He and I barely spoke afterwards.”

“That was your choice, not his,” Tyler replied, shaking his head. “He never missed a day of work at the plant, he was never mean…if it wasn’t for the wreck man, he would have lived a perfectly normal ‘functioning alcoholic’ life.”

Jason stared at his little brother for a few moments. “Did he finally quit? I guess he had too, or he wouldn’t have been eligible for the transplant.”

“Yeah, but not by choice. He just couldn’t do it any longer, he got too sick.”

“So what happened exactly after the transplant?” Jason asked, moving to open the door and get some air, away from Tyler’s smoke.

“The liver swap went well enough, I guess. It was afterwards that he started having breathing trouble. He was holding fluid in his abdomen, and the docs said it was pressing on his lungs. They drained it off with these big-ass needles, and put some chest tubes in to get the pressure off of him. It wasn’t enough. When I called you the other morning, I had just spoken to the hospital. They said he had a cardiac event in the early morning hours. They managed to get his heart started back up, but they did a bunch of tests and said he had an ‘anoxic brain injury.’ They told me yesterday there was no meaningful chance of recovery…and so here we are today.”

“Here we are,” Jason agreed, staring out into the backyard.

“You ready to go pull the plug on him?” Tyler asked, getting to his feet.

“Don’t be like that,” Jason said, watching Tyler shake a new pack of cigarettes out of his carton. “You don’t always have to joke about everything.”

“What?” Tyler asked, feigning surprise. “It’s my coping mechanism. It’s how I deal with the slings and arrows of this cruel world. Come on man, I’ll drive us down to Chapel Hill. I know the way by heart, after all these trips.” Tyler grabbed his keys off the counter, and led them out the door.

“This your Camaro?” Jason asked in the driveway.

“Yeah, just bought this thing a few months ago,” Tyler said proudly.

“It’s nice,” Jason said, getting into the passenger seat. “But don’t you think the money would have been better spent on you?”

“This car
is
me. This is redneck royalty man, a chariot of pure southern pride,” Tyler quipped as the engine roared to life.

“I meant on
you
, like finally getting an education. Pops worked in that factory all his life because he had to. You’re better than that,” Jason said.

“No,” Tyler said quietly, dropping the car into gear. “
You’re
better than that, Dr. Morrison. You’ve always had this idea that certain people are inherently worth more than others. Like doctors or lawyers somehow add more to the world than the guys that make the tools they use. Hell, maybe they are worth more. But I’m twenty-four and living like
this,
” Tyler said, revving the engine. “While you’re rolling in a ninety-two Ford piece of shit. How far in debt are you for med school?”

“I’m in my first year of residency, and I currently owe about a hundred and fifty grand,” Jason said, grinning. “It’s an investment, dickhead. It will pay off in the end.
Then
we’ll see who is rolling in a piece of shit, won’t we?”

“Whew, one hundred fifty grand, eh? You checked your bank lately to confirm those numbers?” Tyler grinned back at his brother.

“What are you talking about? No…why would I? I make the payments and try not to think about it. What are you grinning about?” Jason asked, pulling out his phone. Bringing up a web page and punching in his information, he said, “You know how I feel about this trend towards anti-intellectualism in our country. It kills me that you’re as smart as I am by every measure, but you squander all your potential in a dead-end job…” Jason trailed off, staring at his screen. “Tell me what happened here,” he finally said. “Without laughing.”

“See, there you go again,” Tyler scoffed. “You’re confusing intellectualism with ambition. I’m not a flat-earther man, I just believe in a healthy work-play balance. Everyone knows that work is a lot heavier than play, so it corresponds that I have to do significantly more playing to have that healthy balance. If anything, you’re the one skewing towards an early breakdown.”

“Dammit Tyler, tell me why it says my account is closed on my student loan!” Jason demanded.

“Look, Pops kept that dead-end job you’re so down on because of the insurance. After he got let go from the factory he kept it up, even though it cost him out the ass. It covered all the medical bills, except for a few grand he had to pay. He told me if shit went bad and he didn’t make it that was where part of his savings was to go. He paid it off so you could get a clean slate.”

“That’s insane! He shouldn’t have done that,” Jason said disgustedly. “What about you, and your future?”

“Dude, Pops’s only hobbies were reading, playing music, and drinking. Those are pretty cheap. He saved up a
lot
of money. He knew you wouldn’t take it willingly, and he didn’t want to argue with you, so he decided to give it to you this way.”

“I can’t believe he would do that for me after….everything,” Jason said, turning his head away from Tyler to stare out the window.

“He’s our Pops. You’re gonna be a good one too, you know. I mean I’m sure you’ll fuck up a bit and Rachel will end up on the pole in eighteen years, but overall…” Tyler grinned.

Jason snorted. “Hey, speaking of strippers, you still seeing that girl, Jessie?” he asked.

“Nah man, I put myself on Tinder and had to let that go. This is the girl I’ve been seeing recently,” Tyler said, handing Jason his phone.

“Holy shit! She looks just like Mia Khalifa,” Jason said, flipping through the camera roll for other photos.

“You think? Man, she fooled you with those glasses. Check out her eyebrows.”

“Her
eyebrows
?” Jason scoffed. “Chick looks like a porn star and you’re worried about eyebrows? They’re kind of thick I guess…what’s wrong with them?”

“Dude, they look like a fistful of caterpillars got caught in a terrible butt-fucking accident. She’s cool man, but she’s too hairy for me.”

“You’re a judgmental prick if you think this chick’s eyebrows make her unfuckable,” Jason said, tossing the phone back into Tyler’s lap.

“It’s more than that. She’s got a downtown mullet.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Jason asked.

Tyler turned the radio down and sang off key:

“She’s got a downtown mullet;

I hit it from the back.

She shaved that pussy in the front;

But she’s got a hairy crack.”

“I’m talking full dingle forest man, it was horrifying,” Tyler finished.

“I don’t know what to say to that…there are no words,” Jason laughed. “So I take it your still playing the field?”

“Ah man, it’s Tinder, she knew the score. Probably why she didn’t bother cleaning up that undercarriage. I haven’t seen her the last couple of weeks with everything going on with Pops. We’ve been messaging each other though, and I know she wants to hang out. If you’re gonna be in town a few days for the funeral after all this, maybe we’ll go do something.”

“I’d like that,” Jason said, patting his brother’s arm. “I’ve missed you bro, through everything. I’m sorry it feels like I’m hard on you sometimes. I just want more for you, you know?”

“I know. Once everything is settled with Pops…well, it will just be you and me. Brothers are always going to watch out for each other,” Tyler said, holding up his hand for a fist bump.

Tyler turned the radio back on and punched up a song on his phone. He glanced at Jason as 38 Special’s “If I’d Been the One” began playing. “Pops would bring out his guitar when he’d had a few and play this one. Broke my fucking heart every time.”

“Yeah…yeah I can see how that would happen,” Jason said softly, turning his head away again. “No one ever wants to say goodbye.”

As the song concluded, Tyler hit repeat. He wiped at his eyes, smearing the tears that were threatening to fall. He glanced over at Jason, who was determinedly keeping his face averted. With a sigh, Tyler hit random on his phone, and they rode the rest of the way to the hospital lost in their memories.