Viper (Second Wave Book 1) (19 page)

“So it isn’t something that we
brought with us and contaminated the planet with?” Ivint asked, unwilling to
think about the consequences of such a possibility.

“No! Of course not! This is
something that has been here long before our outpost survivors arrived. This
thing is old, and as complex as our own beast. I need more time to study it to
learn more. Without more tests, I can only guess to its origin and purpose, or
how many humans among us that may be affected.” Amun said, more confident now that
his team was ready for Lara.

“How have the humans not discovered
this?” Dread asked, hoping the conversation would keep Viper distracted from
his fear for Lara.

“Scans of the brain are very
uncommon in human medicine, unless there are symptoms that require one. In the event,
it was discovered; it could have easily been dismissed as a hematoma or tumor.
Considering its complicated location in the brain, the humans would not have
attempted to extract it.”

“In some cases, they may have
assumed it was a problem with the scan. I gave up trying to figure out human
medicine within days of arriving on this planet.” Amun said, shaking his head.

“All you have to remember is not to
cure anything, shove as many pills down people as possible and get them in and
out of your office like a conveyor belt every fifteen minutes.” Traze added
with a snort of disgust.

“If it’s the government and you’re
a vet, then it’s argue for months that you even deserve treatment, wait a few more
months for an appointment, show up, and they tell you that you got the date
wrong and to come back in a few months. If you’re lucky they will see you in a
year or two.” David said with a sneer, as he followed the others to the portal
room.

“So you have no idea the purpose of
this beast other than an ancient prophecy?” Grai asked Ratoka when they’d
entered the portal room.

“No. I never even considered the
prophecy until Dread contacted me about Tristan. I recognized the prophecy in
him since he’s obviously a light bringer. In truth, I never thought about the
beast part of the prophecy until now.” Ratoka said, shaking his head in
confusion.

“Are you damn sure that it’s
dormant?” Grai asked, turning to Amun and wondering what was taking them so
long to get here.

“With the little information I have
right now, it seems to be fully functional, but dormant.” Amun answered,
looking anxiously towards the still empty portal.

*****

Dog’ee watched Lara with narrowed
eyes as she tried to stem the flow of blood coming from her nose.

“You need go back. Now!” Dog’ee
said angrily as he paced around Lara in a circle.

“If you say that one more damn time
I will… argh! Just stop already! And shut up! We’re supposed to be tracking!”
Lara growled at the cat between the folds of the bandana she was using to
squeeze her nostrils closed.

Her head was killing her, and the
sudden nose bleed wasn’t helping matters much at all. With Dog’ee’s constant
whining she was tempted to succumb to the dark spots dancing behind her eyes
just for a little peace.

The only thing keeping her going
was her determination to beat Jax, although she’d not been able to leave this
tree for the last forty minutes.

If she wasn’t in pain, she was
puking, sweating like a dog and feeling like she was going to pass out. And
because that just wasn’t enough fun for one person, the nose bleeding started ten
minutes ago.

“You cannot even get up! I bring
help. You’re a fool. Are all humans stupid or just you?” Dog’ee asked, his whiskers
drooping from his worry for his human. He just got her, and she was determined
to kill herself.

Lara had a few choice responses for
the cat, none of which she was able to say since her body decided to start dry
heaving. Lara’s stomach heaved until she fell over to her side exhausted in the
dirt, the blood still trickling out of her nose. She closed her eyes and tried
to rally her depleted energy to get up.

“Lara! Fuck! Dog’ee you should have
gotten me earlier! Hang in there Lara, we’re going to get you to help.” Lara
tried to open her eyes when she heard Jax’s voice beside her, but she couldn’t
and only managed a small groan before the heaving began again.

“Get the transport now! Hang on
Lara, we’re going to get you out of here. Don’t you dare give up girl! We gotta
stick together.” Lara could hear Jax’s voice, in the distance, but couldn’t
bring herself to respond. This time when the black spots danced and grew behind
her eyes, she fell into the darkness.

“She’s passing out! What the fuck
happened Dog’ee?” Jax asked the scared cat.

“I tell her to take the bracelet
off! I tell her to go back! She not listen! She stupid human! I want new human!
One that not want to die!” Dog’ee said, sniffing loudly enough that Jax was
afraid the cat was going to cry.

Jax knew the cat didn’t mean what
he was saying and gently rubbed his neck. She could feel his fear and sadness
pouring off of him in waves. He had bonded with Lara and loved her as a friend,
no matter what he said, Jax knew he was hurting for Lara.

“Wait! Take the bracelet off? The
one Bree made for her?” Jax asked, moving the sleeves of Lara’s gear shirt away
from her wrists to expose the shimmering bracelet.

“Yes! It making her worse.” Dog’ee
said, anxiously pacing around the ground near Lara’s head.

Jax had heard stranger things among
their people and figured Bree could always make her another bracelet. Grabbing
the bracelet, Jax pulled roughly, expecting it to break. She grunted when it
didn’t break and reached to get a better hold of it. The electric shock flung
Jax backwards a good five feet. 

“Whoa! What the hell?” Bree asked
coming into the area in time to see Jax go flying.

“Don’t touch the damn bracelet! It
packs a punch.” Jax said angrily as she pulled herself to her feet and dusted
herself off.

“Are you all right?” Bree asked
Jax, kneeling down by Lara.

“Yeah… when is the transport
getting here?” Jax asked into her comm as the rest of her team arrived. She
moved out of the way when their team med tech, Erin, arrived with her gear.

“I need a minute, so I can scan her
and send the information to Amun.” Erin said, looking worriedly at Lara’s prone
figure.

“What happened to her?” Someone
asked quietly, while everyone else spoke through the Shengari’ so as not to
disturb Erin while she worked on Lara.

“Amun said we need to get her to
Dillon.” Erin said to Jax.

Jax watched as the transport craft
de-cloaked over their heads and two techs arrived on the ground with a
stretcher. Lara was loaded up, and Jax thought when the transport hit their
nearest base with a port station that all would be well. She should have known
better.

They had no sooner hit the entry to
the portal room when Lara started to violently convulse. Her team watched as
Lara’s body jerked so forcefully that the stretcher was repeatedly taken out of
the hands of the techs.

“Can’t you give her something?” Jax
asked, her concern rising.

“We’re trying!” One of the techs
grunted, trying to get his hands back on the stretcher.

To Jax and the rest of her team, it
looked like Erin and the two techs were slapping at the stretcher, even though
they knew that wasn’t the case. Irritated and worried Jax put both of her hands
on the stretcher to try to help them hold it, when all four of them were thrown
clear.

Jax lifted her head off the floor
in time to see the straps holding Lara down snap, one at a time. She could feel
the heat and energy as Lara’s body was lifted from the stretcher and suspended
above the floor.

Jax awkwardly brought herself to
her feet as the rest of her team stepped back from Lara’s body. She didn’t know
what the hell was going on, this wasn’t exactly her expertise, even though her
team were screaming at her through the Shengari’ to do something. Jax sent a
quick message to Grai through the Shengari’ before making yet another mistake.  

Jax walked up to Lara’s suspended
body, showing none of the nervousness she felt. “Lara? Hey girl, we need to get
you to Amun, so he can help you.” Jax said, raising her hand to touch Lara’s
arm.

Jax felt her arm being stopped just
shy of touching Lara’s arm, as if someone grabbed her. She fought to free her
arm of the invisible grasp when Lara’s head lifted from her chest.  

Jax heard the gasps before she saw
the glowing golden color of Lara’s eyes. It was so bright; it actually
illuminated her face in an eerie yellow light. That wasn’t what made Jax scream
out to Reven in fear, through the Shengari’. It was the voice.

“Do not touch the host.”

The deep, resonating voice that
came from Lara’s mouth caused everyone to take a step back. The invisible hand
chose that moment to let go of Jax’s arm, and she stepped back quickly.

“Is she possessed?” Someone asked
in a shaky voice.

Jax stared at Lara’s glowing eyes
and suspended form and shook her head. “I don’t know a damn thing. This is a
new one. Even for us.”

Chapter Eighteen

The men waiting at the portal in
Dillon, heard the panic and fear screaming through the Shengari’ at the same
time. Grai and Viper were the first through the portal and skidded to a stop a
few feet from Lara.

“What the fuck did you do to the
forest ninja? Holy shit! Is she possessed? Oooh damn!!! Can I do an exorcism?
Please Grai! Please let me do… what the fuck!” Traze said excitedly before
David smacked him in the back of the head.

Grai turned a granite stare to his
brother. “If you do not shut up, I will allow David to shoot you. This is not
the time!”

Traze looked like he would argue,
then thought better of it. “Fine! But I’m recording this shit in case her head
starts spinning, or she starts puking pea soup… all right, all right! I’ll be
quiet.” Traze said, stepping back from his brother and David.

Viper didn’t even hear what was
going on behind him. He, Dread, Drago and Ratoka stood in front of the still
suspended Lara. Her head was slumped on her chest, arms and legs dangling, her
toes inches above the ground.

Viper took a tentative step towards
her; his hand extended as if to touch her when her head whipped upwards. Her
eyes glowed an unblinking golden as she stared blankly at Viper.

“Do not touch the host.” The
booming voice startled even the normally stoic among them. Grai took a step
back from Lara as well and urged the others to do the same.

Amun shook himself out of the
amazed stupor he was in and pulled out his scanner, while Reven pulled an
unresisting Jax farther away from Lara and behind him.

“What’s going on Amun?” Grai asked
evenly, never taking his attention off Lara and the glowing eyes that unnerved
him.

“Almost all of her brain functions
have been shut down, stopping the brain heat. That is the only part of her
brain still functioning right now, besides the part that controls the dream
state. That is her beast.” Amun said with quiet awe as he stared at a beast in
complete control of its host.

“Is she…?” Drago asked in a
whisper.

“No, she’s alive.” Amun said just
as quietly.

“Who are you?” Viper asked roughly,
tears shimmering in his eyes as he looked at his mate.

The silence hung awkwardly as the
glowing eyes stared at everyone before turning its gaze to Viper.

“You are mate, but I am Prime. You
will wait.”

“Prime? Is she gonna turn into a
car? Is…” Everyone sighed in gratitude when David slapped his hand over Traze’s
mouth.

“Prime? You are of the Prime?”
Ratoka asked, looking puzzled.

“I am Prime.”

Those who weren’t staring at Lara
were looking at each other in confusion. No one was quite sure if its name was
Prime or if that is what its kind were called. Hell it could mean anything.

“My mate is sick and she needs
help. Give her to me.” Viper said determinedly, holding his arms out.

“Do not touch the host. She will be
well soon.”

Viper gritted his teeth at the
response.

“She is not well! Give me my mate.
Please.” Viper said, holding his arms out for her again.

The glowing eyes showed no hint of
emotion as they stared blankly at Viper. “Do not touch the host.”

Viper shook with fury and fear for
his mate. “She’s not a host! She’s my mate! Give her to me!”

“Do not touch the host.”

Viper lunged and tried to wrap his
arms around Lara’s waist. He never touched her before he was thrown several
feet back. Dread and Drago helped him back to his feet and checked to make sure
he was all right.

“Can you tranquilize her?” Grai
asked Amun through the Shengari’.

“It would do no good, the part of
the brain it would affect is already shut down.” Amun said, struggling to
figure out what was going on and how to shut down the beast, so they could get
to Lara.

Ratoka moved several steps closer
to Lara and stared at the glowing eyes. “Are you protecting her from the brain
heat? Are you healing her?”

“I am Prime. I am correcting the
anomaly.”

“The anomaly? What anomaly? She is
not an anomaly!” Viper said, trying to fight his brothers to get back to Lara.

Ratoka turned to Viper and laid a
hand on his shoulder, sending calming energy to him. “Calm yourself. I think I
understand. She is in no danger.”

Ratoka turned back to Lara. “You
are helping her through this aren’t you? When she is better, she’ll be back?”

“I am Prime!” The voice echoed
loudly, literally shaking the beast in the brains of those who had them,
causing them to drop to their knees, grasping their heads.

David, the lone human among them
stood as the others moaned in pain on the floor. “Hey! Hey!” David said holding
both hands up to Lara showing he had no weapons in his hands and intended no
harm.

“They don’t want to hurt her. They
are worried about her. We don’t know what Prime is…” David said, staring raptly
into the eerie golden eyes.

“You are Prime. However, you are
anomalous. I will correct you later.” As soon as it spoke and the echoing stopped,
Grai and the others began picking themselves off of the floor and stared
nervously at Lara.

“Can you tell me what Prime is?”
David asked, looking around at the others and hoping they could come up with a
way to shut the thing down before it decided to fix him next.

“We are Prime. The first of many
and the strongest. You should know this as Prime.” David felt as if the glowing
eyes were chastising him, and it creeped him the hell out. It didn’t help that
everyone was looking at him to talk to the thing since it was responding to him
instead of chucking him around the room.

“So you are what the others call
Beast?” David asked, assuming he was correct.

“We are Prime; we are not Beast.
Beast are only the early beginnings of Prime. They have much to learn to be
Prime.” The way it was said gave everyone the distinct impression that it
didn’t think the Beast were evolved enough to be considered a Prime.

Nevertheless, it was not said
unkindly. On the contrary, it was said almost affectionately. That did not go
unnoticed either.

“Is that why you didn’t hurt them?
Just showed them who was boss?” David asked, struggling to understand.

“Prime do not harm their brethren
unless necessary. It is not necessary, unless they try to touch the host.” The
voice said almost gently. David was a lot more comfortable with the nicer
version of Lara’s beast.

“No one will touch her, but can you
at least put her down? It’s really freaking me out to see her hanging in the
air like that.” David said honestly.

Viper held his breath as Lara’s
body was slowly lowered to the floor of the portal room, until she was sitting
with her back against the wall. It helped to alleviate some of his fear, but
not nearly enough.

Amun was getting ready to speak to
Grai through the Shengari’ when his thoughts were interrupted by the Prime.

“You speak as if I cannot hear. This
is the word of the Prime!” Lara’s glowing eyes settled on Amun, but its voice
radiated outward in an energy wave that could be felt in the cells of their
bodies.  

It had felt as if its words had
imprinted themselves in their bodies momentarily. It wasn’t painful, but the
power of it shook them all. David’s body was rocked the hardest by the words
and the sound, setting off a tingling in his head that didn’t stop. The others
lost all contact with their beasts, their connections completely silent.

“You are the Chunataia. The first
Beast Clan.” Ratoka said with a hint of surprise and awe in his voice.

David felt a little better when the
eerie eyes focused on Ratoka. His head still tingled and felt a little cooler
though. He couldn’t shake the suspicion that although its attention was off of
him, it hadn’t forgotten about him.

“It has been long since I have
heard the true name of our people. Tell me, what do you know of my people?” The
small smile on Lara’s face did nothing to ease the minds of the people standing
helplessly around her body.

Everyone stared curiously at
Ratoka, waiting for the man to explain. “The Chunataia came from a planet that
was destroyed long before the beast records began. It had broken into thirteen
pieces. Pieces that traveled through space and time until they impacted each of
the world’s currently inhabited by known beast nations.”

“The beast survived deep within the
remnants of the planet and evolved on our worlds, adapting to each new species,
driving their evolution.” Ratoka said, wondering how much of the early legends
were correct. The deep chuckle that followed his words, caused a tingle to
shoot up his spine.

“There were fourteen pieces. Now
you must step away and no matter what, do not touch the host.” The voice warned
moments before a shimmering golden net of energy surrounded Lara’s body.

Dread, Drago and David held tightly
to Viper, keeping him from rushing to Lara, while Amun’s hands flew across his
comm running as many scans as he could.

“Stop Viper! He’s not hurting her;
he's helping to expand the connections in her brain while preventing the brain
heat. He’s helping her.” Amun said quietly, as if afraid the Prime would hear
him, but knowing it could.

“How the hell can that thing shut
down our beasts?” Grai asked Ratoka, still worried about the loss of his
connection to his beast, Death.

“It is the first, the oldest and most
powerful of all of us. The parent of all beasts.” Ratoka said as if that
explained it all.

“How did that one remain so evolved
while our own beasts are not nearly that powerful?” Grai asked, not liking this
new turn of events.

“I do not know. It could be the
energy on this planet or how long the pieces traveled in space, and how much
they had to de-evolve in order to survive the long journey through space. There
are too many possibilities to guess at this point.” Ratoka said, staring at the
energy net surrounding Lara, trying to understand it all.

“So you’re telling me that Lara, my
mate Tricia and even David is infected with the most powerful beast species
we’ve ever encountered, and you have no idea how to deal with it?” Grai asked
the spiritual leader incredulously, his anger growing.

“Grai… I don’t know what to tell you.
All I know are legends and until this moment, I had no idea they were, in fact,
truth. Without my beast, I cannot ask my brethren to search our records.”
Ratoka said helplessly.

“What’s happening to her?” Viper
asked, never taking his eyes from Lara.

“She’s fine. Her base life signs
are perfect, and her healing responses are accelerated. She’s in a deep dream
state and unaware of what is going on.” Amun answered, never taking his eyes
off the information scrolling on his comm.

“She’s his host; I doubt that he
would harm her. That’s how that works right? Your beast, you’re safe.” David
said, pretty confident he was right. The tingling in his head had become a
slight hum that he barely noticed anymore.

“He has a point, whatever it’s doing;
it wouldn’t harm Lara… or any of their hosts. We need to remember that.” Grai
said, thinking of his mate Tricia and hoping he was right.

“Its preventing me from getting my
mate medical care!” Viper said angrily, lunging uselessly against his brothers
to get to Lara.

“Whatever it is doing; it is
helping her. It has done more in ten minutes than we could have done on our own
in days.” Amun said, hoping to ease some of Viper’s concern.

Grai walked over to Viper and laid
a supportive hand on his shoulder, before turning to Ratoka.

“What else do you know about them?”

“I… I don’t know. It’s just legends
from when I was a child. I barely remember them. They were very powerful, their
ability to harness and use energy were relegated to myth…” Ratoka looked
perplexed as he looked at the energy net around Lara’s prone form.

Grai snatched hold of Ratoka’s
collar and shook him until he knew he had the man’s undivided attention. “Stop
staring and start thinking. In case you hadn’t noticed we’re kind of fucked
right now, and I’d like my beast back.”

“Stop it! Shaking me won’t help
you.” Ratoka said slapping Grai’s hands away from him and taking a step back
from him.

“I have no idea how it has silenced
our beasts, but they are not gone. Only silent. If you look within yourself,
you will find that your beast was forced into slumber. Stop and use your heads,
and we can figure this out.” Reven said, looking around the room at the others.

“He’s right, mine is just asleep.
How the hell can it put our beasts to sleep? And why?” Ivint asked, not really
expecting an answer.

“The energy. It’s the energy.” Amun
said with a sigh before explaining.

“The different energies, along with
her memories were causing her brain heat. Taking her through the portal, and our
own energy, if we touch her, would only add to the distress she’s already in.”