The Next Thing I Knew (Heavenly) (21 page)

I saw Anil tap into his host, Hadriel.  He hovered for a moment, then merged.  Hadriel slumped ever so slightly during the switchover.  Anil turned to me and winked.

"I agree.  You may be sick, Cassiel."

Cassiel narrowed his eyes.  "Some of you may even be under their control this very moment.  We'll find out soon enough."  He aimed the weapon at the row of gel-encased bodies inside the container.  "Because I know how to kill them for good now."

"No!" I shouted and dove for him.  My wings flared open, knocking everyone aside.  I stumbled and fell against the container in time to see a blinding white light lance from the weapon and into the first gel-encased body.  I had no idea whose it was.  The laser vaporized it to nothing.

Hadriel gasped and slumped.  Time seemed to slow to a crawl.  Anil floated free of Hadriel.  His eyes locked with mine.  I felt the weight of that look, almost as if in that split instant he transferred a mountain to my shoulders.  He vanished.

I screamed.

Hadriel dropped to the floor unconscious.

Chris, using Gabriel, punched Cassiel in the face.  Cassiel dropped the weapon and fell over backward.  The rest of my team merged into their hosts.  Some couldn't take control but managed to stun them or lock them out.

I fell to my knees and sobbed over Hadriel's inert form.  We had lost our real leader, the one who knew how to teach; the one with infinite patience.  Most important, the one we could all trust with our lives.

Kyle walked over to me in his host, Bob.  He didn't think the Shaval deserved angelic names.  Well, it was his host.  He could name him anything he wanted.  Bob laid a hand on my shoulder.  He remained silent for a moment, then squeezed my arm.

"We need to lock them up, Lucy."

"Do what you want.  Leave me alone."

"For what it's worth, I'm gonna miss him too."

I stood and shrugged his hand off my shoulder.  I looked blankly into the distance.  "He was the best of us.  I don't know what to do now."

"I'll take care of this mess."

"Find that traitorous bitch and bring her to me."

"Missy?  She can't be the traitor."

"She was in control.  Cassiel clearly identified a female as telling him what to do."

"I'll take care of it.  Maybe you should rest."

I nodded.  Diana's body was thirsty and hungry.  The weight of her flesh pressed against me.  I needed a break from her.  I went into the ship and had it prepare breakfast.  It was ecstasy being able to eat--really eat--once again and it helped me escape from the horrible weight in my chest. 
Anil, I miss you already
.  After I was full I walked back to the Rrilk ship.  Kyle had fashioned part of the cargo area into a prison.  His Rrilk host, Ciirr controlled access to it.  I walked Diana into an empty cell.  They locked her inside.  Kyle abandoned Bob in his cell as well.  I checked each cell until they were all accounted for.  I noticed even Azriel was locked in his cell.  I'd been afraid Harb might not cooperate.  He, however, was nowhere to be found.

After resting for a while, I merged with Zhrrii and filled her in on the grim news.  Phiirr, Anil's host, was particularly sad.  He'd had many interesting philosophical discussions with Anil during their merges.

"Anil may have been human, but he thought like Rrilk," Phiirr said.  "And I never found out what a Twinkie was."

Considering how gentle and noble the Rrilk were, I considered that a compliment of the highest order.

The Shaval, on the other hand, were
pissed
.  Diana still didn't know what had happened.  Only Azriel and a few others had witnessed the fiasco while in full control of themselves.  As a result, they had quite a few questions.  Zhrrii and her people herded the Shaval into one room.  The Rrilk were deathly afraid of the weapons and refused to use them so Kyle and Mike merged with their Shaval hosts to do the loathsome duty.

"Your race has committed a horrendous crime against mine," I said to the gathered Shaval.  I had merged with Diana and kept her consciousness awake so she could hear what I had to say.  "Without thought or care, genocide was perpetrated against my people so you could use our planet as a plaything."

"What are you talking about, Diana?" One of the less-informed Shaval said.

"The former sentient beings on this planet," I said, placing an emphasis on "sentient".

"There were no sentient beings here," Gabriel said.  "The committees studied it with care."

"As the life force of a former inhabitant, I'm telling you to forget what the committees said.  We can take control of you whenever we wish.  We could make you kill yourselves and be done with it."

Gabriel's eyes widened and his wings looped protectively around his torso.  "What do you want?"

"To be left alone."

"Nonsense," Azriel said.  "We killed you once and we will finish the job."

"Brave words, guardian."  I gave him a contemptuous look.  Diana had some awesome facial expressions for that.  "Maybe you'll be the first we kill."

"Then get on with it, fiend.  No matter what your powers, you're not sentient.  You're abominations, weak underdeveloped monstrosities, small of body, small of mind, and empty of the spark of sentience."

I really wanted to hit Azriel.  Right in the crotch.  What would a sentient being do?  "I don't know how your people define sentience, but we came back from the dead.  So stick that in your pipe and smoke it, bub."

Azriel looked confused by the last part.  I guess Earth idioms don't translate so well into Shaval.

"We're in the hands of animals," Cassiel whined.  "We're doomed, I tell you, doomed."

At least I knew who the optimist of the bunch was.

"None of you are doomed.  Not unless you really piss me off.  Then I'll introduce you to the Committee on Whoop Ass."

Bethany's host, Laylah, gave me a sour look.  "How do we know Diana hasn't simply sided with these…creatures?"  She waved her hand at the Rrilk.  "Filthy things.  I don't know why--"

She started dancing a jig.  Laylah's eyes grew wide and she trilled out a scream.  I'd had a few of my team prep for merges in case I needed to prove anything.  The other Shaval backed away from Laylah until their backs were against the walls.  Laylah started walking like an Egyptian and I stifled a laugh.

"Enough," I said, motioning for Bethany to stop.  "Over the next couple of days, we're going to share our pain with you.  You'll get a real education about Earth and what you've destroyed.  At that point, you'll be asked to help us willingly."

"Never," Azriel said, slashing his hand in the air.

"I'll help you," Gabriel said.

I waited a moment until Gabriel shook his head.  Chris was in there, checking him out.

"Gabriel, quick hint:  Don't lie while you have a mind-reading ghost inside your head."

His face turned red and he looked away.

I left Diana's body and waited for the others to join me in one of the cargo bays.  The cavernous bay was empty, save for scattered gray containers a few hundred yards away.

"What do you think?" I asked, once everyone arrived.  Missy was conspicuous in her absence.

"I don't think they're capable of allying with us," Kyle said.

Chris nodded.  "Agreed.  Just like the Rrilk have no concept of lying, these guys have no concept of any other species being their equal.  It would be like us letting monkeys tell us what to do."

"Maybe we would be better off flinging poop in their faces," Kyle said.

I raised an eyebrow.  "Um, let's try to educate them anyway," I said.  "Maybe after they've lived with an active human mind in their heads they'll identify."

"Who's taking Hadriel and Cassiel?" Mike asked.

I glared at him and he looked away.  "Where's Missy?  I want to ask her some questions, face-to-face.  Like why she betrayed us to these elitist bastards."

"She claims she lost consciousness, Luce," Kyle said.  "I don't think she did it."

I fought to maintain control of my emotions.  I wanted to tear into that stupid incompetent girl.  "I want her brought to justice."

"You don't have to look far," Missy said, walking into the circle.  "I didn't do it."

I flitted right up to her and chest bumped her like some testosterone-fueled retard.  "Like hell you didn't.  You killed Anil."  I slapped her with everything I had.

She staggered back a few feet.  Regained her balance and stared at me, tears in her eyes.  "I loved Anil.  I would never do anything to hurt him.  Never.  I love you and my sisters and brothers here.  I believe in what we're doing."

"It was a female voice telling Cassiel what to do, Missy.  A female.  Your host.  Explain that, please.  Nobody else can just jump into another person's host while they're inside without them knowing.  Even so it takes hours to open up two-way communication with a new host."

"I don't know," she said.  "I don't remember anything."

"Maybe her unconscious mind was dreaming," Kyle said.  "Maybe Cassiel picked up on that."

I growled and turned away.  Part of me wanted to find the concrete cause of the problem and beat the tar out of it.  Another part hurt because I'd believed in Missy.  Even if it had been a mistake, what if it happened again?  I turned back to the group.

"I don't know what happened.  Maybe you betrayed us, maybe you just messed up.  Bottom line, we can't afford for it to happen again."

"We don't have enough volunteers to control the Shaval," Jane said.  "I vote we keep her."

"Fine, a vote.  Who's in favor?"

Six hands went up.

"Opposed?"

Six more hands.  I hadn't voted yet.  I stared at Missy.  I remembered the dedication she'd shown.  Never once had she failed with the Rrilk.  But this mistake cost a life.  Anil's life.  I bit my lower lip.  Anil would probably believe her.  Anil would let her prove herself.  Plus, Jane was right.  We didn't have enough people right now and despite my threats against the Shaval, I didn't want to murder them.

"Missy, you're back.  But we have to keep an eye on you."

She brushed away her tears and nodded.  "Thank you."

I turned to the others, trying to remain calm.  Trying not to let my doubt worm into my resolve. "Reeducation starts soon, folks.  Let's get started."

The group dispersed.  I trudged outside and sat on a tree stump.  My thoughts were heavy with Anil.  I missed him so much.  Grief welled up inside, choking me with pain.

Someone sat next to me.  I jerked upright and wiped my eyes.

"Hi," Chris said.

"Hi."  I trembled with desire for his touch, for a friendly hug.

"I've been really unfair to you."

"Chris--"

"Hush for once, Lucy.  Let me finish."

I nodded.

"After assimilating the Rrilk and Shaval, I learned what it must've been like merging with Nick."  He sighed.  "It's like a drug.  You feel—actually feel—life!  Life pumping through you, hot blood in your veins, and the real world against your flesh.  It's amazing.  It's like living again."

"I know."

"Anil told me about your fears with Nick.  In retrospect, I think you did the right thing."

I managed a faint smile, remembering that conversation with Anil.  I'd told him everything, more than anyone else.  I'd trusted him that much.  I loved Anil as a brother.  But I didn't love him in the same way I did Chris.  I wanted Chris, wanted to feel him against me again, his lips pressed to mine, his strong arms braced against the small of my back, his breath on my neck.

Chris touched me tentatively on the shoulder.  "I want to be your friend.  I want to fix things between us."

My heart dropped into my stomach.  I fought to keep the tremble from my lips.  I stood up.  "Sure." I held out my hand and shook his.  "Friends."

"Wait, Lucy--"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Absolutely fine."  I almost popped a figurative blood vessel trying to keep back the tears.

He stood and hugged me, but it felt reticent, like he wasn't sure how to do it properly or had never hugged a woman.  In short, it was awkward.  I bit my lip harder to keep from crying and shambled away.  When I was sure he was gone, I bawled and cursed Bethany, Nick, and most of all, my own stupidity.  I had lost him.  Me.

"Get a hold of yourself, idiot," I said slapping my cheek.  "There's a world to save first.  Then you can feel sorry for yourself."  It seemed a fair deal, so I took it.

My head tingled with the sensation of an incoming call.  I answered but it took a moment to figure out who it was.

Robby?

Lucy, where have you been all this time?

Sorry, kiddo.  Aliens, giant bugs, end of the world stuff to deal with.  You know how it is.

Giant bugs?  Really?

Yeah.
  I felt guilty.  I hadn't talked to him for a while.  Not since Ms. Tate and her goons had tried to force my conversion.

I need you, Lucy.

I'm sorry, hon.  I never did make that bed or tuck you in, did I?

No but that's okay.  This is really big and bad.

What is?

Mom and Dad are gone.

I gritted my teeth.  They'd promised not to take off and abandon Robby again. 
I'll find them, honey.
  And give them a verbal thrashing too.

I know where they are.  I can talk to them but they can't come to me.

What do you mean?

Ms. Tate took them.  They say they can't get away.