Madness!

  I was so obsessed with my research that I didn't notice Belle enter the room, that is until she started flicking switches, including one that locked me out of the system I was using at my Command chair. I looked up angrily and Belle quickly explained herself. Then showed me various different satellite images and videos of Inquisitor activity, including one of Lady right outside the Presidio bunker.

  Just then Belle's hailer chimed, so she answered it. While I was still staring at the monitor, I got a security notification that Mr. Lestrange and Ms. Marr were back and needed to see us right away. So I told them to let the two in and send them straight to the War Room, while I also heard Belle's side of her hailer conversation with Cooper.

  When she turned to me and asked, "What the heck is Lady up to?" My aura flashed bright white and I snapped, "How the Dak should I dakking know?! Last time I saw her, awake and in person, she was going through a very painful and life-threatening labor! I risked my life by giving her all of my life energies that I could, before falling into a coma! I was still in a healing coma when she left a note and left the base with Erika and Smythe! SO HOW THE DAK WOULD I KNOW?!?!?!"

   Taffer had walked into the room right at that moment, and interjected his thoughts. "Indogenes missing and being captured?", he asked with surprise in his voice. "That's... unusual. Is Iri still here? We need to inform her now and probably guard her constantly. I think Haele needs to be guarded too as we don't know if Indogenes are sought for their race itself or mental abilities. Second, we have to contact people of Red Deer. Obviously, there area lot of Indogenes there. Next, I'm still not convinced that Lady is realy in charge. Inquisitors are traditionalists by their nature. Being ruled by a Castithan woman can be grudgingly agreed, but being ruled by a teenage girl married to an Irathient? Sounds more like a blasphemy to them. If we don't hear about a half of Inquisitors running off and forming a splinter group, it will mean for me that Lady is likely manipulated into thinking she's in charge for the reasons we don't know yet. I'm seriously thinking of sending a spy into their ranks. Either someone she trusts like Atticus. Or better, someone she doesn't know at all. Maybe Lu? Ah, Atticus, you might not know yet. We have found Vo's sister, Luuzuk Kshaa. A really nice girl and a skilled ark hunter. But then, the resemblance might play in a bad way this time unless we think of some good legend for her. Any other thoughts?"

  Belle responded to Taffer, as if she was ignoring my anger. "Yes, I have one!" Said Belle Starr as she tilted her blond head and narrowed her blue diamond eyes studying the video of Lady Christianna as it replayed on a loop, "I'm the one who of all of us probably knows Lady the longest! I sponsored her for membership in the Team Evolution clan, and she was my protege as a cub reporter at FNC! I promised her father Bocar I would look after her when she joined our team, although I've done an awful job at that! So I think I owe it to her to just drive over yonder to Presidio Bunker and ask her what in the tarnation is going on! That's my plan - simple and easy to remember!"

  Belle stood up to her full height with her pale hands on her shapely hips and a toothy smile on her pretty freckled face, unconsciously striking a pose of confidence and calm that she really didn't feel as she waited for the other's responses.

  Just then Marcel walked into the War Room with Lena right beside him, as he spoke from the doorway. I like this straightforward approach," said Marcel Lestrange with a grin. "It's the perfect way...to mess things up. You can not send any of your familiar faces there. Lady might be a teenager, but she is not dumb and she figures out why Belle came. And if you wonder what I am doing here then...A man has every right to see his plane, he left at your care. And maybe I missed you terribly. By the way - we have few presents for you. Sneak thief - I believe you want your car back. One certain Dodge Challenger. And if you want to create a legend for....who she was? Luuzuk K'Shaa? Anyway - for creating a believable legend in cases like that, keep in mind that a half-truth is a deceptive statement that includes some element of truth. So legend must be believable, controllable and...how to put it? Merde! That English can be so complicated sometimes! Water proof. Legend must be water proof.

  I might help you with that but as you already know - our services are not free. It is up to you that to do to convince us to dedicate our time to you. Maybe we even willing to offer another solutions than Luuzuk, but...You know the rest. You need a help of experienced intelligence specialists here. And since from now on Lena and I are the only ones in vicinity after Volodja left...I am in generous mood, because you made this heart happy with your decision to get rid of some unwanted burden, so I consider making a discount this time. No, no, my love. It has not to be a huge discount and..."

  I managed to reign my anger in slightly as I talked to all of them, ignoring Marcel's whispering and Lena's fun with cloak for the time being. Besides after all my encounters with Marcel, it is not hard to tell that Marcel is planning on finding a way to profit from both sides if possible.

  I was standing by my command Chair, my aura still glowing white but slowly fading back to gray, as I said, "Belle, if anybody is going to see Lady, then it WILL BE ME! If she loves me as much as everyone believes and I KNOW, then I am most likely the only one that she will even consider seeing and perhaps the only one that the Inquisition goons won't shoot on sight. Besides, as it seems even the Grim Reaper himself will not let me die, I am the best choice for a direct visit, like you are suggesting. Not to mention I will NOT let my friends and family run headlong into danger, just to try to keep me from giving into my dark nature!

  However, I will NOT do anything to try and deceive Lady, nor will ANY of you, WHILE I am in Command here! I PROMISED Lady honesty from the start of our relationship and I WILL ALWAYS give her that, even if our relationship is over! If I do go, then Taffer is in Charge in my absence, and he will handle anything that comes up in the way that HE feels best, but make sure the twins are well protected!! I WILL be back to resume Command as soon as possible as I am NOT just going to give it up again, just to make people feel more comfortable dealing with Fortress K'shaa! Hopefully I will return with Lady, and if not then I will at least have the satisfaction of ripping somebody apart before I return! Preferably Nelwo or some of his men!!!" My aura and eyes turned white again as I added, "You will NOT stop me from seeing my wife!!!!"

Every storm ceases one moment and this Razor storm was not an exception. Although dangerous in it's beauty, it helped to distract Volodja's mind so for awhile he didn't felt like a piece of something, one can step into during a morning walk in public park where dog owners don't clean after their pets.

"Thank you once more, Lu," said Volodja sincirely when they were ready to get back into their vehicle. "I usually don't have time to watch the Razor storms. Too much trouble with taking shelter or clean up the mess. But it was awesome sight, but you realize it only when you don't have to do anything else than observe the power of the nature. We should drop Arnim wherever he had to go and then I can continue my little walk around the city. This time I might be actually able to get familiar with Red Deer. Thanks to you, I got at least piece of myself back." He tried to smile but gave up after several efforts. He was't in very good condition yet, but at least he gained some interest about the world back now.

Arnim Mueller-Stahl rolled down the window, suck out his cherub like face and expressed his gratitude as well in really jovial manner (chubby cherub like but still dangerous guys tend to act jovially):

"Agreed with my Captain here. It was simply AMAZING sight! And imagine, what I can do with a storm like that. Almost a shame that we didn't get a chance for a little rescue operation here. Not because I am mean guy, but because that would have been a nice episode in my story. And I could see my protagonist in real action. It reminds me something...I got stuck here because of a freaking mini war and now I found my old battle companion here. The one who is always there where is trouble. When I put these two things together then...Had you anything to do with it Captain? Please say "yes"! I need details desperately. Or at least general description. These bastards didn't let me out that night because they were worried about my safety.

And don't even hope to get rid of me that easily. Not because I want to question you and your possible part in the local disaster, but I won't let you go anywhere alone in your condition. First we will go to the best street cafe in this city and I be damned if I don't try to keep you among the living. I can't guarantee you such a beautiful sight as gorgeous Miss Lu had to offer for us, but it's still better than nothing. And keep in mind, buddy, that anything is better than nothing. You will get to the back seat, Captain, because I am intending to enjoy the company of Miss Lu if she isn't mind having me on the next seat to the driver." 

"Glad to see that someone has some common sense left here. Sneak-thief agrees with me that retrieving Lady Christianna in most direct manner is out of the question. And I consider his offer for the car reasonable as well. You need delicate approach, mes amis. First you have to learn their plans indeed so you need to get your guys into their organisation. Especially when you already have an ally there. Erika, who struggles back. But since she is alone and under their control, she can't be much help. You need additional forces. At least one informant who can guarantee you a stable flow of information and can act more freely than Erika. It is a matter of intelligence service, because storming in with flashing guns will make them to hide. I do wonder where are you going to find suitable agent? As I told you - known faces are not good this time. They can not convince them that they decided to switch sides without an any other reason than getting Lady Christianna back or harm their organisation. You need someone who has nothing against them and/or who looks harmless enough. Je pense que c'est correct. I think that is correct. If you do not believe me then you could ask Volodja. I did not mean to irritate you with that. Just forgot that he is not with us any more. And maybe he never will be."

Seeing Atticus Batman acting so vulnerable, maybe Lena Marr had lost her fear of him! Maybe her hearing her lover, Marcel Lestrange, goading the team of do-gooders gave her confidence to do the same with Atticus! Maybe she was just feeling ornery that day! Or maybe she was truly mad, but for whatever the reason, even though she knew rationally that she was waving a red flag in front of a dangerous bull, she did it anyway.

"You know Atty-baby, there are plenty of chalk white gals out there, especially for a big powerful guy with your rep! I'm sure the title Harbinger of Death is a bonafide chick magnet" Teased Lena with a wicked smile, then she pointed an alabaster forefinger out like a pistol, pulling her thumb back like a gun's hammer, then aiming it with one sky blue eye shut, "For the right price, I can eliminate your little marriage problem, and I guarantee it will be cheaper than a legal divorce! I mean, the lawyer fees alone would be enormous! And you get to cut off the head of the Inquisition serpent! A two-fer for sure!"

"That's for EVER scaring me you big bastard!" Thought Lena to herself, and Pride in control of her EGO echoed her thought.

Belle Starr looked worried as she saw Atticus' eyes flare in anger, ready to interpose herself between him and Lena Marr if necessary, saying calmly, "Don't take the bait Atticus, she's not worth it!"

Lena took a step backwards as her unblinking sky blue eyes grew bigger and her smile disappeared as she realized she may have gone too far.

"My child," said Wolfram with a soothing voice: "Let me tell you something about Volodja. He has his way with his words and he likes to talk. Partly because he tries to help others with the help of other means than violence. Partly because he protects himself that way. Partly because he enjoys wordplays and little poetic experiments with different languages.

But there are few topics he talks only when he is absolutely sure about them. One of them is love. If he says that he loves someone then he REALLY means it. Love is not just a word to him. When he said that he loves YOU, he had to be damn sure about that and he had to win his fears of getting hurt by rejection. You love him, my child. No doubt about that. Now I ask - how much you want this guy to be yours?"

Chase had to clean up a bit and carefully exited out of the room so not to disturb Iri as she slept again. Instead of putting on the top of his Riveter outfit, he chose to wear the T-shirt he worn underneath. It was an old world T-shirt, black with faded white writing that said, “Remember: No matter where you go, there you are.” He didn’t understand what it meant, but it was a shirt that he just happened to pick up during his trek from Panama City to Los Angeles, and eventually to the Bay. He wouldn’t normally walk around in public without the top half of the uniform, primarily because of how insecure he still felt about having a mechanical arm. But this time, he just said to hell with it and it felt right about it. He made his way to what was the canteen, deciding to get something to drink. He could smell what was a pot of tangbark tea, the closest thing he ever drank to coffee, maneuvering his way over to the pot amongst the gossiping people. He retrieved a coffee mug that had a logo on it that said “Trion Worlds”, which he figured was a trophy from The Rift in Silicone Valley. He spotted Taffer, who appeared to be listening in to the conversations around him. Chase decided not to bug him, as he may have had something on his mind.

“McCoy, could you contact Belle’s EGO and see if she’s busy?”

Sure, Chase, give me a moment.

Chase added what smelled like Pow milk, which made the tangbark tea taste smoother for himself. He blew into the tea slowly to cool it down a bit.

I’m sorry, Chase, McCoy piped up. I’m afraid Belle is sort of… occupied. You know, like how you and Iri-

“I get it,” he replied. “I guess I’ll just have to figure out the best time.”

He took a seat at one of the tables near the entryway, continuing to blow into the cup of tea. Chase began to wonder what kind of person he could be, as options were now widely open. But more importantly, he thought about what Iri had told him, about the drug and how Lady stole it with the help of a hacker named Brody. It was a bad thing, indeed, and it was something that was going to need to be addressed. But how was another question that he couldn’t figure the answer to so easily.

The first thing that would need to be done is finding out where they’re located, he thought. Find out, recon and then bring a whole lot of Hell down on their heads, wherever they are. What would be the most likely possibilities?

Somewhere where you’ve already been, and not likely go again, the idea formed. Someplace dangerous.

Chase took another sip of the tea as he sat back.

Angel Island? he asked himself. No, too obvious. Plus with the amount of Hellbugs still staggering about the place, it wouldn’t likely be the best place to hide. Maybe a bunker. She would need labs to synthesize the drug, and places like EMC and Dark Matter bases have those abilities. Just one problem, there’s too many of those damn bases in the Bay. You throw a stone, you’re likely to hit one. Come on, Chase, put that broken mind of yours into first gear. Where would you hide if you could?

“Out in the open,” Chase told himself. “Where everyone has been and not likely want to go again.”

Hey Chase, McCoy piped up. I’ve got Belle’s signal moving towards the War Room. And rather fast at that.

“I wonder what’s going on,” Chase said to himself as he got up from his seat, finishing off his tea and beginning to move towards the hallway and in the direction of the War Room.

He hung back out of the room, peeking in as Belle looked at what appeared to be footage. She seemed to be surprised by where Lady was heading to. It was at that moment the hailer went off, which Chase grabbed his thinking that someone was calling him. It took him a moment to realize it wasn’t his, but Belle’s hailer. He tried to listen in as well as he could.

“Eren’s missing and Rosa is in a tizzy?” she asked after acknowledging Cooper on the other end. “Indigenous are going missing from all over the Bay Area? In broad daylight even?”

Someone’s amassing Indogene hostages? Who the hell would want to do that?

“Red armored men seen taking some of them?” her question caught his attention, something familiar ringing to him.

It was after she hung up that Chase began to slip away.

Chase, I read Taffer coming up, McCoy warned him.

It was enough time for Chase to duck into a nearby room and hide, Taffer passing by the open door without even noticing it. He peeked out to see Taffer entering the War Room, talking with Belle and Atticus. Chase hurried his way back to their room, finding Iri still dozing soundly, her snoring lightly. He couldn’t risk her being taken. He needed to come up with an idea, because if the men in red armor were the same ones she told him about, then there was the likelihood that they could easily get back into the Fort and take her. Granted, Belle and her crew probably managed to patch up whatever it was they used to get inside, but there was always the possibility that there was some sort of other way in that they’d miss. He took a seat on the bed next to her, calming himself as best as he could before reaching over with his mechanical hand to lightly shake her. She stirred from her sleep, arching her back as stretched. She used her thumb nail to rub the sleep from her right eye, opening her left one and staring at him. A warm smile formed on her lips.

“Hello, my love,” she cooed. “What time is it now?”

“A little past noon,” Chase replied.

He could see the gears of her mind turn quickly as she noticed him.

“What are you doing dressed? We still have a lot of time to make up for.”

Chase tried to keep calm. He knew he had to lie to her. It was necessary.

“I’ve been thinking,” he told her. “How about we leave the Bay and go to Panama City, today?”

An inquisitive look crossed her face.

“Panama City? What made you think about doing that?”

Come on, Chase, you can do this.

“Well, it’s been a while since I was last there,” Chase told her. “Marcus Reagan was probably the first friend I had after I woke up in the Med Clinic there. He was kind to me. I’d like to see him again, tell him in person about how permanent my condition is. Plus, I’d like to introduce the two of you together.”

Not bad, he thought. A likely reason. A believable reason.

Iri turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Chase wasn’t sure if she was going to believe him or not.

“I wish I could,” Iri told him. “I’m responsible for discovering that Omec drug that could potentially enslave my entire species. I can’t just abandon my responsibility to stopping it.”

Come on, Chase, come up with something. Assure her that’s not what she’s doing, though you know that’s what it is.

“You’re not abandoning it. We’re just going to take a few days off from the situation. Catch our breaths. Just you and me and a sandy beach for a few days. Then we’ll come back and deal with the situation. Who knows, maybe a little break can give that mind of yours an idea on how to stop it.”

She continued to look up at the ceiling, Chase unsure if she was convinced. He knew he had to get her to agree without her doubting him. He knew he was going to have to pull a rotten move. He shifted himself and laid down on the bed, moving in close to her until he was pressed up against her. He lightly ran his lower lip along the side of her head, going along the temple towards her ear. This cause her to close her eyes, her mouth slowly parting as she inhaled slowly as he got closer. But he did’t touch it, but got close enough to whisper.

“Did you know at night in Panama City, there’s no one on the beach?” he whispered his question. “We could make love all night, bare-ass near the ocean. We could skinny dip in the Gulf, maybe while there’s moonlight. Wouldn’t that be nice for a few days?”

He slowly blew against her earlobe, hearing her moan in his ear. He could feel her get a tight grip on his shirt as he blew on her earlobe once more. Chase hoped that it would be enough to convince her. He needed her to agree.

Come on, Iri, he thought. Something’s got to give.

Chase knew he was going to push her. His tongue darted out and followed the curve of her earlobe. She inhaled sharply, her eyes rolling back into her head and her body shivered.

“Oh-“ she struggled to speak. “Okay! Okay. Let’s go.”

“I’ll pack us.”

“Just give me a couple of minutes,”

He got off the bed and began to work on gathering their bags. Chase quietly hated himself for manipulating her like he did. His plan was simple: get her to Panama City, leave her with Marcus and come back to deal with the problem with Lady and the Omec drug. He wanted to get her away from the Bay if what he had heard was true, making sure she was safe. He knew Marcus would keep her there, if not that than Biraa definitely would lock her in the drunk tank if need be. He knew she was going to be pissed at him, looking at this moment and realized how he manipulated her and lied to her. But he would rather have her safe, alive and pissed at him than to be dead or worse, a slave for whatever life she had left. He knew the best thing he could do is not tell the others, just get her away without them knowing. Even if anyone did know about Panana City, but the town was rather sizable and would be hard to find one Indogene amongst many. And he never told anyone else about Marcus Reagan, and if they knew, he’s a pretty good at bluffing, as Chase had learned one time playing cards with him. He knew for certain she would be safe. They wouldn’t be able to be sure he took her to Panama City, jumping to the conclusion that he probably took her to Freedom. But it was better than being in the Bay at that moment.

Within five minutes, Iri was dressed and they were on their way out the door. Within a minute after that, they were in his Orange Hemi Challenger and out the gate, with the speed limit being floorboard. In order to play that nothing was wrong, Chase decided to take her to the Crater for a lunch. The entire time in the booth, they both sat facing towards the door, though Iri thought nothing about her safety and Chase was quietly on guard with each bite of his meal.

Chase, I hope this is the right choice you’re making, McCoy told him.

It’s the only logical choice. If your enemies know where you are, don’t be there.

They finished their meal, with Chase getting a couple of extra sandwiches to eat along the way. Iri put on her seatbelt, which reminded him of when they first met a second time at the Union Depot He figured the best thing to do was to head towards Vegas, and then head south. He couldn’t risk going through AngelArc after the last time he was there. The only other direction he could go was towards Old St. Louis and then turn south. Either way, he was getting her away from the area. The Challenger’s engine revved high as he peeled out of the driveway to the Crater, beginning it’s trek out of the Bay.

McCoy, how about a little road music?

The VBI Player kicked on in his pocket, McCoy cuing up a song with some disturbing lyrics with an upbeat tune.

“Really, McCoy?” Chase asked aloud. “Couldn’t you play something better, like ‘Young Hearts’ by Rod Stewart?”

Chase could hear Iri chuckle, apparently finding McCoy’s song selection and Chase’s comment amusing. He figured that this was going to be a long trip, but hoped it was going to be a smooth one. As Chase continued on, he had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. It was then he noticed something in his rearview mirror. He spotted what appeared to be a black Duni following them a few yards back. At first, he thought it was just someone traveling in the same direction. It wasn’t until a couple of turns later did he realize that it wasn’t the case. Without warning, he spotted at the last second a Dark Matter APC and attempted to swerve to miss it. It impacted the side of the Dodge, forcing it off the paved road onto a downward slope. Chase slammed on breaks, but the tires had no grip on the grass and dirty as the car continued forward. Iri grabbed ahold of her seat belt as the car began to fishtail and Chase desperately tried to keep it straight. But the attempt became futile when Chase spotted what appeared to be a small boulder and the car began to slide towards the passenger side. It hit the boulder, propelling itself onto the stone and finally coming to a stop with the engine stalling out and stopping. Chase looked over at Iri, seeing her shiver from the shock. He put his right hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?”

She nodded. Chase cranked the engine, it turning a couple of times before catching and sputtering back to life. He put the car into gear and floored it, but the car wasn’t moving forward. He tried reverse, which had no movement either. He carefully opened the door, peering up at the Duni and the APC as it sat a ways up the slope. He pushed the door further open and looked at the rear wheel to realize it wasn’t touching the ground.

“Damn it!” he said. “The car’s stuck. We’re gonna have to hustle on foot.”

Chase pulled his weapon’s duffle bag up towards the front, retrieving his Legendary balanced Thunder. Iri herself pulled out the Wolfhound that he had given her so long ago, which brought a small smile to him in what had to be the worst time.

“Okay, I’m gonna get out and come around to your side,” he told her. I’m going to need you to head over there towards that boulder.”

He pointed out the one no more than a few feet away from the front of the car.

“I’m going to need you to cover me until I can get around the front. Make your shots count.”

She nodded a look of confidence in her eye.

“You can count on me, my love,” she told him.

“Now!”

Chase pushed the door open at the same time as Iri did. He dropped down to the ground, getting into a ducking firing stance as he spotted what appeared to be Castithans in red armor. Chase fired a few rounds at them, forcing them to take cover behind a dip in the ground. He moved around the front, hearing the Wolfhound as Iri fired to cover him. They both ducked behind their coverage as a barrage of weapons fire came at that. Chase popped up and returned fired, Iri also doing so. He was lucky that she was following his lead, and she apparently became a better shot than when she last fired at weapon near him.

“Reloading!” he heard Iri call out as she removed the magazine from her weapon to put in a fresh one.

Chase focused his shots, hoping to keep whoever they were at bay. Round after round, he hoped that one of them would be stupid enough to pop his head up and meet their timely demise. But amongst the firing, Chase realized that Iri hadn’t continued to fire after she called out her reloading. He looked over his shoulder to find one of the Castithans in red holding Iri’s Wolfhound in his hand and Iri facing towards him, almost as if she were like a statue. Chase realized that the Castithan must have gotten the drop on Iri as she was reloading, and she was in danger. And this bastard and Chase noticed each other at that moment. Just as Chase attempted to bring the Thunder around to take aim and fire, the Castithan was quick, firing a shot at Chase. The impact was painful as he felt the bone in his left knee shatter and his leg giving away. It was almost in slow motion, Chase seeing Iri slowly turning to look towards him as he fell. She seemed to have a combination of sorrow and fear in her eyes as the ground rose up to meet Chase. She moved over towards him, applying pressure to his wound. She quickly took the strap from his duffle bag and wrapped it around his knee in hopes to keep him from bleeding to death.

“Now that is over with,” the Castithan male spoke. “Now, we can continue with the plan. Go up to the carrier.”

Chase was confused about the last part, which the white-skinned asshole who shot him directed towards Iri.

“Please, let me at least secure his wound before going,” she replied, her voice almost in a panic.

“Go up to the carrier. Now.”

Iri tied off the strap, got up and began to leave. Chase grabbed ahold of her leg with his left arm, keeping her there.

“Iri, what are you doing?” Chase asked. “Don’t go with him!”

She looked down at him. He could see from the look in her eyes, tears were forming to go along with the look of terror within them.

“I no longer have a choice, my love. I’m sorry.”

With one yank, she was free of him. As she turned and walked passed him, he noticed something that wasn’t there before. Something that looked like a small, round and black pebble amongst the pale gray of her hexagonal skin. She proceeded up the slop towards the other Castithans that Chase had been shooting at, who proceeded to escort her up to the APC. Chase couldn’t believe this was happening, him using his right arm to pull himself around the front of the car to see the Castithan that had shot him. Chase tried to get up, not wanting to let her go. His mind and heart were willing but his body, a slow mechanism of flesh bound by it’s limitations, was not. Every time he attempted to get up, his left knee folded from unable to take the weight. The Castithan who shot him turned around to watch these futile attempts, only for him to laugh at Chase each time he fell.

“I will admit,” the Castithan said as he stepped up towards Chase. “You certainly have the heart of a warrior.”

Chase had fallen down again, and was about to push himself up again when he felt something placed against the back of his neck, and the surge of electricity that followed. Chase could feel every inch of his body twitch before he blacked out. He slipped away once more into nothingness, with his mind desperately trying to keep his thought of rescuing Iri until the body was out cold.

——————

Iri had turned back to see the Castithan man using a stun rod on Chase, his body shaking from the surges until the Castithan stopped. She couldn’t tell if Chase was still alive from where she stood. She never felt so foolish before, the pale skinned man catching her while she was reloading her gun and stabbing her in the neck with a Control Rod. There was nothing she could do, as her body wasn’t following her orders as much now as oppose to before. The man made his way up the slope to the APC.

“We’ve been looking for you, Ms. Sewuel,” the man told her. “Minor Newlo will be pleased to see you again.”

The back door to the APC lowered and Iri’s body stepped in. She took a seat next to two other Indogenes, one male and one female. Iri wanted to go back down to where Chase was, to check his pulse and see if he was alive, but her body followed the orders it was given. As the door for the APC moved back up into it’s closed position, there was only one thing that crossed her mind. It was a quote from Earth literature, Italian poetry, Dante Alighieri.

Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate…
(Abandon hope all ye who enter here…)