Beast Planet 2: Captive Salvation (7 page)

I decided to rest now and bathe in the morning as I curled up under the low hanging branches of the tree. I sniffed back my tears and closed my eyes. Oh so weary…it didn’t take long for me to fall into a deep sleep.

* * * *

Days blurred into each other but I kept on walking, passing many long grassy fields, down into ravines and crossing slow-moving streams. I passed grazing lumbering beasts, which looked more like elephant seals with legs. They eyed me, but seemed more intent on grazing on the grass.

I had spent half a day collecting parppa roots
.
I whooped with joy when I came across several drooping blue inkleberry
bushes
.
Like a pig I stuffed myself, moaning as their sweet juices ran down my throat. I devoured as much as my stomach would hold and carried the parppa roots in a small sack I’d made from more of my clothing. There was not much of it left. It looked more like a tattered red mini dress than the lovely thing Morrdrook had given me.

Bless my sweet little Wuzzle, he stayed with me and never strayed far. It seemed I was more following after the little creature as I tried to follow Killiu’s directions too. I was sure I’d walked for more than three days. I could’ve sworn it was five. But then again…that could be a three day journey to a tall Zakiu. They would surely have covered a far greater distance than my small feet.

Now, Lucky and I stood on a windswept hill. Looking into the distance, I saw large mountain ranges.

“Where is this city, Lucky? We should’ve reached it by now. How much further do we have to walk? Maybe we did go in the wrong direction.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to go any further. Every step forward was a battle—a battle not to turn around and head back. Except, I’d come so far already. The need to see Morrdrook, even if I couldn’t touch him, grew stronger with every labored step.

Despair hit, I wanted to curl up and cry again. “I can’t go on living like a wild beast, even if we
are
on a strange beast planet.”

Lucky chirped, scrambling off my shoulder and down over the swell of my breasts. The Wuzzle had an amazing agility. He leapt off me, landing easily on his furry little feet, and scuttled off.

“Where you going this time?” Not wanting to lose my only friend, I hurried after him as fast as my sore feet would carry me, following the crest of the hill. It would devastate me if I lost Lucky. Then I really would be alone.

Four strange-looking boulders stuck out of the ground in a square. Lucky stopped in the middle and bounced franticly up and down.

“What is it, boy? You find something?” I snorted and laughed at myself, sounding like a kid from a Lassie movie. “I am losing my mind.”

I sat down on one of the moss-covered boulders, only to realize it was perfectly square. I stood and turned to examine it. Scraping off the dirt from the top, I gasped when I saw the same swirling pattern which the Zakiu had all over their bodies.

I felt giddy as excitement bubbled up. Either that or it was lack of food that made me feel slightly woozy. I hurried over to another stone and cleared it off. Sure enough, it too was marked. I cleared off all four markers.

“Okay, so now what?” I joined Lucky in the center of the stone squares. I turned slowly, scanning the surrounding area, hoping to spot more stones or any sign of a city. There was nothing but mountains, hills and fields as far as my eyes could see.

Lucky continued to bounce at my feet. I frowned, looking down at the Wuzzle. “What is wrong with you? There is nothing here but some stone markers. Where the hell is the Zakiu city! It’s not like they—”

The ground suddenly rumbled under my feet. A loud crack and hiss made me shriek. The creaking and rumbling grew louder. I screamed, falling backwards onto my ass. The soil and grass fell down as a huge hole opened up under me. A sudden bright piercing light burst from the ground, surrounding me, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. Blind panic struck as I scrambled for something to hold onto but my body was being gripped so tightly I struggled to breath. I screamed for Morrdrook before blacking out completely.

Chapter Eight

Warmth surrounded me. Oh, it felt so good. I shifted on the soft bed, rolling over.

“Morrdrook?” I reached for him, but came up empty-handed. I opened my eyes and rubbed the sleep from them.

“Female of unknown origin, DNA is mixed with Zakiu, female carries a Zakiu bud.” The unknown male voice made me blink and sit up.

“Female is malnourished and must take in nutrients. Preparing food.”

Zakiu pattern’s adorned the white walls as they stretched up to meet the high ceiling. A blue light sparkled above my head.

I frowned in confusion. “Who’s there? Where am I?”

“Welcome to Morradi City Prime of Zakiu. Essence is the central core program.” The same deep smooth voice answered.

“Essence, you’re a program?” I pushed off the blanket and stood up, wincing at my tender feet. My stomach growled in complaint.

“Correct, please remain resting. I have assessed your injuries. Your body requires rest and nutrients.”

I could hardly believe it. I’d made it to the city. “Are there any other Zakiu in the city?”

“There are no Zakiu in Morradi City Prime.”

“So…you’re some kind of computer program looking after things?”

“Word computer is not understood. Please rephrase your question.”

“Am I talking to an automated machine?”

“Essence is the central core program of Morradi City Prime.” The voice repeated.

Okay
. “Essence, what is your primary function?”

“Essence has been programmed to maintain and care for Morradi City Prime and its inhabitants.”

“But there is no one here.”

“Negative. There are now two inhabitants of Morradi City Prime.”

“Two?” I could only guess I was one. But was there another?

“Affirmative.”

“Who is the other one?”

“The Zakiu bud within female body.”

“Oh.” I rubbed my belly and smiled, liking how the computer counted us both. “How did I get into this room if there is no one here?”

“Essence used an anti-gravity platform, to move you from the city’s shield dome, to the healing center.”

I remembered the beam of light and something gripping me before I passed out.

“Just how long have you been guardian of Morradi City Prime?

“Eight thousand six hundred and fifty two cycles.”

I had no idea how long that was, but I’m guessing it was more than a few years. But there were so many other questions, I needed to ask. Before I could open my mouth to ask another question, a shimmering blue light appeared around a small table near the bed, leaving behind a large covered bowl on a tray and a tall pitcher of water.

I got up and lifted the lid of the first bowl. I couldn’t identify the wobbly, green gelatinous substance, but the spicy aroma was mouthwatering. Even before I knew what I was doing, I’d picked up the spoon and shoveled it into my mouth. It was sweet—like sugary cinnamon tapioca.

I swallowed. “How come you have food if the city’s been abandoned for so long?”

“Essence meal particle optimizer. Female’s food contains all the required nutrients to restore health.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled and cleaned the bowl. Suddenly I remembered Lucky. I hoped he wasn’t hurt when Essence brought me down into the city.

“Where’s Lucky?”

“Word Lucky is not understood.”

“My bonded Wuzzle. I hope he wasn’t hurt.”

“The animal is in the next room, resting.”

By the time I’d finished the third bowl, I was feeling very drowsy. My head started to swim. I stared down at the empty bowl and glanced up to the blue light beam above me.

“What was in that food?”

“All the required nutrients to restore your body to health and a calming agent to help you rest. You will come to no harm. Essence will protect you and guard the city.”

“It was drugged!” I only managed a few seconds of disbelief before I slumped back onto the bed as the drug took effect.

* * * *

I bolted upright, blinking rapidly in the dimmed light, disturbing a sleeping Lucky, who chirped unhappily at being woken.

I glanced down, scooping up my Wuzzle. “Oh Lucky, I am ever so glad to see you.”

I felt remarkably better. The aches and pains from sleeping on the ground were gone. I pushed off the blanket and stood up. My feet were no longer sore. Instead I felt pressure on my bladder.

I remembered the Essence had put something in my food to help me sleep. Although I felt it was ethically wrong, it had done the trick to heal me.

“Essence?”

“I am here, female.”

“Anna, my name is Anna. Never mind about that now. Is there a bathroom I can use nearby?”

“Word bathroom does not translate.”

“Wash, bath, I need to…relieve myself.”

“Walk into the corridor, turn left and walk six hundred paces, there is a chamber door on your right.”

I hurried out, noting the grand spacious hallway, the cool smooth stone under my feet flecked with reflective blue and green. I passed large doors carved in diametrical patterns. Lights glowed behind lovely arches. It seemed very luxurious. Streaming above me, the pulsing blue light seemed to be following me, watching every step.

“Essence?”

“Essence is here, Anna.” Ah, I thought so. It was kind of creepy, but then again it did beat being alone and the program did seem to have my best interests at heart.

“What part of the city am I in?”

“The Royal House of Morradi.”

“This is the royal palace? Wow.” I frowned. “How come you’re still running? I would have thought after so long, the power would have faded.”

“Morradi City Prime has an endless supply of power from the liquid crystal core of the planet.”

“Oh, okay.” Ask a question and get a,’
I have no clue what its talking about answer’.
Right now, I had other pressing concerns. “Are you going to drug me again?”

“You have rested. Your body is returning to a healthy state.”

I sighed in relief. At least I didn’t have to worry about having a ‘HAL’ situation from the movie,
A Space Odyssey 2001
with this program.

I stopped as the corridor ended. “The bathing chamber is on my right?”

“Correct.”

The double doors opened automatically. “Wow!” My eyes widened at the huge swirling pool that dominated the room. You could fit twenty large Zakiu men in there. I glanced down at my filthy state. I was
so
going to have a bath.

It took a moment to search for the Zakiu version of a toilet. But once I was done, I stripped off and walked down the steps into the warm water, moaning at how good it felt on my skin. I dunked under to wet my hair.

I emerged to see Lucky on the side of the pool, watching me. “Do you think I could get some clothing after my bath?”

The blue light shimmered, white- and apricot-colored clothing appeared over one of the stone benches in the bathing room.

“Thank you, Essence.”

“Essence’s duty is to serve and protect.”

Lucky bounced up and down on the rim. I smiled at the little critter as I sat back to reflect on my situation. I was going to give Killiu a big hug when I saw him. I felt my smile slide into a worried frown. What the hell was I doing? I had no business enjoying this luxury when my friends were out there in the Druel imposed camp.

I had to think. I had to learn and there was no way I was going to leave them out there.

“Essence, will you answer my questions?”

“Essence will answer all questions within programming parameters.”

“Good. What happened to the Zakiu people? Why are so few left?” It was hard for me to understand how the Druel could have conquered them so easily. They were such an advanced people.

“Accessing historical recordings of past events.”

A hologram appeared above the pool. I watched in fascination and horror as Essence replayed the devastation the Druel had brought upon the Zakiu.

They had first come under the pretense of peace, wanting a trade treaty. The Zakiu were open and trusting. But the Druel introduced a virus into the population, which wiped out more than half the Zakiu in a matter of weeks. It was then the
Druel struck, transporting hundreds of Zakiu off the planet. With no standing army to defend themselves, the Zakiu didn’t stand a chance.

My fingers clenched, anger churned in my gut. I swiped at the tears as I climbed from the pool.

The Zakiu who remained struggled to find a cure for the virus but by the time they had, it was too late. They were a conquered people.

“If you were built to defend and protect, why couldn’t you protect the Zakiu?”

“In the last days Essence was created by scientist Galvan to protect the city. He lived in hope that the people would one day come home.”

Fuck the fucking Druel, they’d murdered billions of people, all for their own selfish greed.

“Why didn’t they attack or destroy the city?” I toweled myself dry and slipped on the clothing.

“Unknown.”

I remembered Morrdrook telling me they wanted the Zakiu people, not their planet.

“Does the planet have defense systems? The Druel are coming back.”

“Information classified.”

I frowned. “Classified? So I can’t defend myself if they attack?”

“Negative. You will be safe.”

“How?” I demanded, crossing my arms and glaring up at the blue beam.

“Information classified.”

“To who? Everyone is dead! I’m the only one here!” I waved my arms as frustration gripped me.

I drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was no good getting angry at Essence.

“Only members of the royal family can access the information.”

“So you won’t tell me?”

“Correct. You are safe, Anna. Essence will protect and serve you.”

“Right then, classified information. What about weapons. Ones I could hold in my hand. Do you have those?”

“All weapons are in the army vaults.”

“Would any of those weapons be powerful enough to destroy a Druel machine, roughly the same size as me?”