Episode 56
Underground
"So you can vaporize now..." April was thinking out loud while they were walking on a long corridor, inside one of the research buildings.
Jesse glanced at her with the corner of his eyes:
"Can we not talk about that?"
"You are a hybrid between a human and an outrider now" continued April, more like talking to herself.
"Yeah, a good human and a bad outrider..." mumbled Erkanos, dragging his feet behind.
"I'm a HU-MAN, and let's finish this conversation." Then he turned to Erkanos: "You know what you need for your biochem study, so move, let's explore the buildings and see where we'll set your lab."
Erkanos's wife suddenly stopped and started panting... She was very tired...
Erkanos tried to hold her. April went beside her and grabbed her other arm.
A: "Jesse, we can't continue without food and rest. If you want to have them help you, give them a break."
Jesse stopped and looked in anger. He wanted to get rid of Mrs Erkanos, but if he shot her while in the human dimension, she would vaporize back to her own dimension and Nemisis would find out from her where he is now.
"Alright, you losers, little people... Let's find you some food. Hurry up, let's move, move!" He knew that time was against him and the Star Sheriffs could track him down any time.
The buildings had stop points for food supplies, in case humans were coming for supervising or repairing the robots. The four fugitives were passing through long underground corridors. There were lab rooms left and right. All robot work inside was stalled, due to the system failure all across the planet. One could see through the doors all the robotic arms and complicated machinery. Jesse knew exactly where to hide: the underground labs and bunkers, so that Ramrod couldn't pick up their heat signatures.
"Where the heck is that "Cygnus" room?" Jesse muttered.
A: "What room?"
J: "The Cygnus, the cafeteria."
A: "You seem to know this place."
Jesse, visibly proud: "I had part of my active service here, when I was a cadet. I was the best in the academy, so they had me participate in a top secret research on antidotes to chemical weapons. Ah, there it is, that damn cafeteria!"
April looked at him with a "Wow!" face expression.
After turning a corner, a room with round windows showed up. It was dark inside. He switched the lights on.
"Ohhh!", Erkanos and his wife ran to the water fountain... Yes, vapor beings need water, a lot of water.
Jesse knew exactly where to go. He opened up a door - and there it was, an entire room stacked with cans, packs and bottles of food.
"Happy now?", and he threw April an ironic look.
She didn't care about his malice. She just spotted a box of chocolate chip cookies and seized it. While crunching on a cookie, she replied in a big smile: "You should try one too, they're delicious!"
Now Jesse was kind of hungry too. Too many adventures, he needed a break. He leaned over and helped himself. Everyone was now munching on something.
In the meantime, Ramrod was flying over the area. No heat signature was showing up on the screen, no movement either.
"This is an impossible mission now! How are we going to find that rattlesnake? He could have left the planet already!" Colt said in outrage.
Saber Rider: "I don't think he left. He really wants to get rid of his virus, so he will take advantage of the bio-facilities here. We have a map of this planet, with all the buildings and undergrounds. Let's use it and look for the underground labs and try to start from there. He's probably hiding somewhere there, that's why we can't see them."
"Good idea", said Fireball.
"We should also split and each try to cover a portion of the map. This way we can cover more area in less time", suggested Prince Roland.
"Excellent idea", said Hikari.
"I'm up for it. Let's meet back at these coordinates in an hour." said Saber Rider. I'll take my horse Steed and I'll cover the South area around this point. Colt, you get your Bronco and go North. Prince Roland, the Royal jet fighter is in the launch bay, do you want to head West? Fireball, you stay inside Ramrod with your father, hover over the East side and keep in touch with all of us."
"You got it, Top Sword!", acknowledged all of them.
Back at the Cavalry Command, Eagle was fidgeting. His beloved daughter April was in the most dangerous situation, held hostage by a treacherous enemy. Saber Rider was sending him updates constantly. Eagle learned about the virus also, from the briefings. Now he was going through all the Star Fleet databases to find out if there were any medical records or studies on this virus. None whatsoever! How could something so important, yet so microscopical, get overseen by them? Who was in charge of the military hospitals? He called the Yuma Cavalry Hospital and asked to speak with Hospital Director, Col. Dr Peters...
After a long conversation..., Eagle hung up. He looked down... Nobody, nobody knew about this? How could they let Nemisis get so sneaky and bypass all their defenses?
It was too late now to think about treating the virus. The number one priority was getting April back. Maybe humans could join forces with Erkanos and work on an antivirus, but who knows how long that would take...? For now, Jesse was simply THE enemy. The tricky situation was that, according to Hikari's latest news, shooting Jesse would not solve anything, because now he had the ability to vaporize, so it would only send him to the vapor zone, and potentially in the hands of Nemisis, who would make him his avatar, no question...
"Damn you, Jesse! You've been only trouble since the beginning!". Eagle threw his fist on his desk. "Combining an outrider virus with our best cadet, what an unfortunate situation for us. And now we can't get rid of you either way!"
He pushed his intercom button and contacted Ramrod. Fireball answered: "Come in, commander Eagle!"
"Fireball, in the light of the latest news, my direct order is: no matter what, do not shoot Jesse! If we do so, we are handing him to Nemisis, and we don't want that, right captain Hikari?"
"Absolutely agree, commander! Nemisis is set to get his hand on Jesse. His frustration of not having a body has reached new heights. That kid Jesse is a big trouble, big trouble... For us, for himself... I honestly feel very bad for him, and I think it's not his fault, he might revert to being a good person if we find a cure for his virus, and if we will manage to do that, we would have a valuable fighter on our side."
Fireball "Dad! I can never reconcile the idea of goodness and Jesse Blue. I just can't!"
Eagle: "As much as I understand the concept of an antiviral treatment, I must agree with you, Fireball... We've been double-crossed by him for so many times. And right now, it is not the time to talk medicine for Jesse; I want my daughter back and safe!" Eagle punched a fist in the desk again.
Fireball: "Right, commander! I agree."
Eagle: "Remember, Fireball: don't shoot down Jesse!"
Fireball: "Grrrr... yeah... I'll let everyone know."
In the Ramrod unit, Fireball opened communication lines with all his partners:
"Hey amigos, we have a new and "improved" approach to hunt down Jesse, courtesy to my father and commander Eagle".
Saber Rider: "Go ahead, chum!"
F: "By not shooting at him!"
Colt: "Say whaaat, pard'?"
Hikari: "My friends, he now has the capacity to jump dimensions, as you know. Do we want him to be captured back and transformed into Nemisis?"
Saber Rider: "Good thinking, captain! We'll be cautious. Let's try to catch him, if we can!"
Prince Roland: "Right, let's tread lightly!"
Colt: "That sidewinder, he always gets away with it!"
Erkanos and his wife were recovering back their strength. But after a little bit of rest and enough food, Jesse started pushing them again:
"Let's get back to work now!"
After going several levels underground, passing through numerous doors and descending lots of tunnels and ladders, Jesse finally said:
"OK, this is where the interesting part starts. All these labs here have lots of goodies. Erkanos, suit yourself!"
After scouting around the numerous lab rooms, Erkanos decided on several chambers that had materials, microscopes, spectrometers and other devices he needed for testing and conducting his trials. This was a long shot, though... Erkanos didn't have any of his original studies and papers with him, they were all left in his home... He would have to start certain things from scratch... Plus..., making a new drug would require a lot of research... It took him years to develop the drug he had back at home.
At least he knew the chemical structure of his original drug. Maybe he can start from that. After all, outriders and humans were derived genetically from the same ancestors. If he could figure out a common chemical base structure for that drug, that would apply to both races, it would be a major breakthrough... In a way, he didn't want the Star Sheriffs to interfere now, because it might mean he would loose the opportunity to actually treat Jesse. But he knew they were running on borrowed time...
Jesse was also very much aware of the risky situation he was in... But he was willing to sacrifice everything and take this chance. The horrible idea that he was trapped between two worlds, between two races, was scary and disgusting. And now that he had April around him, he felt some positive vibes from her that were giving him... hope.
"Oh-oh!", said April.
"What now?",Jesse asked.
A: "We have to look for an auxiliary power generator. It looks like we are out of power for the big machines to work..."
J: "But how did we get the lights on, then?"
A: "Solar power is used for the minor utilities. The rest has to be a more serious source, but you blew it up with your Cobalt Blue Blaster, if I may remind you."
J: "Alright, Miss Genius Engineer, since you are officially my prisoner, you will have to work to come up with a solution".
A, offended: "You have to ask me nicely. If you talk to me like this, you are getting nothing!" and she turned her back.
J, angry (He always gets what he wants, and he never has to ask, he just gives orders!): "You are MY prisoner, you belong to me now, so you do what I say!"
A: "Jesse, remember what I told you long time ago? I said "I'm nobody's property!" And until I hear a "please, April, I need your help", I will not move a finger!" She crossed her arms, lifted her chin up, turned around and started walking away. She knew how to play her cards.
J: "April, you are not getting out that door!"
Mrs Erkanos was stunned. She had hopes for a romance here, but it seemed to be such a bumpy road. She tried to say something to them, but her husband made a sign to her to shut up.
A: "I am an independent, smart girl, and you have no authority over me!" and she headed out of the lab room.
Jesse grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What did you just say?"
Oooh, grabbing April's arm was her pet peeve!
A: "Don't you dare go at me!"
J: "Oh, yeah? Watch me!"
A big fight was coming. He wanted to prove himself in front of her and she was really angry at this point. The two old outriders slowly backed out of their way...
He pushed her against the wall…
"Yiiiuh!..." April screamed.
She hit him hard in the chest in response to his brash move. She started throwing karate punches at him. Legs and arms started jumping up and down in the air.
"April, my sweet teacher, you can't win, I'm better than you now!", Jesse whispered in her ear, while both were twisted in a tight clench during the fight.
They started spinning around in the room almost like in a dance, but nevertheless a serious fight, while Erkanos was desperately trying to make them aware that they were actually about to break the precious machines he needed for his work... April was panting and moaning while dodging Jesse's kicks.
"Stop, both of you! If you want a chance to have something produced in this lab, then stop fighting!" Erkanos kept yelling.
"Alright, then we can continue on the hallway, right April?" and Jesse threw himself against her and out the door, with a warrior shout. She fell hard. He was on top of her, victorious. He looked at her with his mean look, ready to declare himself the winner and... maybe ready to blow her a much awaited kiss, because he felt like he was such an awesome guy! But, suddenly, he screamed:
"Hey! April, hey, seriously, wake up!" A few slaps on her cheeks... Nothing... She seemed to be out cold. "Oh, what have I done...?"
"April!" He started tapping her arms and her face, trying to wake her up. He checked her pulse, it was very faint...
"No, please, please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... please wake up, I need you, my April... oh, my love!"
He was in full panic. A tear fell from his eyes, right on her cheek...
"A-ha!" She suddenly opened her eyes and, with a quick move, she flipped positions and landed on top of him.
"Did I hear "I'm sorry" and "please"...?" she said to him while pushing hard on his shoulders. I think I also heard "I need you", right?"
This was so amusing! She did it! She made him say "please"! She started laughing and giggling.
Oh, she was sooo... beautiful... Those clear blue eyes and that blonde hair pouring down upon him... And her laugh... Ooooh... what a precious view! He wiped his tears and whispered in embarrassment: "You win, April..."
"Well, then, let's see... I will have to set some rules and expectations here... I decide what and when to work on. OK, Jesse?" and she looked at him with a dominant attitude.
"Eureka! That's it!" Erkanos jumped up and down like a happy kid!
Both April and Jesse turned their heads. What in the world is going on with Erkanos?
"That's it! The answer is love!"
"Huh?" Jesse raised his eyebrows.
"The only thing that overrides the virus effect on you is your love for April! You are defeating the virus with love! It makes sense!"
"So, you wanna' invent the "molecule of love", now? Is that your antiviral medication?" said Jesse with self-consciousness and suspicion.
"I already have the medication invented! I used it on my own people. I was worried that it would not work on humans, but I am now convinced that it will!"
"May I ask which molecule you are talking about?" (Jesse had a little bit of knowledge in biochemistry.)
"Serotonin!" Erkanos exclaimed. "Serotonin is one of the many neurotransmitters involved in the feelings of love! It somehow breaks down the virus and makes it inactive... See, we outriders are not quite that different, we also have the same brain structure as humans and the same neurochemicals. What makes a difference between us is the protein structure. But we too have serotonin in our brains, and that's what I used on my patients."
J: "So, should I expect some happiness injections now?"
E: "That's right, you'll be infused with a lot of positive energy!"
J: "Then let's get to work! I can't wait for my first injection!"
April jumped up and said: "I'll start working on getting the power back on!"
Jesse, with a cheeky wink: "Good idea, my sweet April!"
The Star Sheriffs were scrambling to find April... More ships from Cavalry Command were hovering over the Alamo moon now. Any escape would be improbable for Jesse, if he tried to.
Saber Rider, speaking on the intercom with his peers:
"Chums, did you spot any activity?"
Colt: "Not a sign of life here, Saber!"
Prince Roland: "I'm not more lucky either"
Fireball: "This area is so vast..., it's like finding a needle in a haystack... So many buildings..."
Saber Rider: "Yes, it might take some time..."
Colt: "Days, weeks maybe. By that time, that sidewinder will have been gone to another planet already."
SR: "Let's not loose hope. We will make an initial sweep today, and then we'll continue. My map shows several sectors where there are tunnels and labs underground, let's focus on those areas. Be very careful, though! Our April is at stake, if anything happens to her, we are all in big trouble. Let's keep in close touch. Anyone sees anything suspicious, report to the others immediately"
The Star Sheriffs started a systematic search. A lot of ground to cover...
Jesse knew he was running on borrowed time. But he was in an impossible situation: no place to run, he could not go back to the humans, he was definitely not safe with the outriders, so the only place he could find was this tiny moon, inside a few hidden corridors. It was an absolutely risky situation, a last resort to cling to, a decision mostly taken at desperation. But still, a calculated decision.
He also had an advantage... He knew this area well, because he had been an intern here many years ago. He chose a well hidden location, several stories deep underground and with just two access paths on opposite sides of the tunnel. Both paths were very well disguised as fake walls, so it was hard to figure out the entrance. A really hard to get to place. Jesse made sure that both entrances were very well blocked. This place was showing up on official maps, but it was an extremely small spot and easy to miss.
April took her job seriously. She figured out a way to turn on some auxiliary power generators from inside the building. In the same time, Erkanos took blood samples from Jesse and started analyzing the virus.
Erkanos: "Hmm, the virus is exactly the same one, but it seems to act differently in your cells... Humans have interesting biochemistry..."
Jesse: "I don't care how damn interesting you find my cells! Just get this virus out of my body as soon as possible!"
E: "Yes, Jesse...!" He rushed to one of his test tubes and started mixing some chemicals.
Jesse returned to his control room. Now that the power was on, he could use the cameras to watch for any activity on the corridors and see if any Star Sheriffs or Outriders would sneak in.
April was still finishing up some touch-ups at an electric panel inside a wall. She was wearing protective gloves and she had a few screwdrivers in one hand. Something was bothering her... She turned towards Jesse, while he was typing something on his keyboard:
"So... How do you know about... hm..." she tried to clear her throat.
He turned towards her.
Suddenly she wasn't sure if she should continue the phrase or not.
"About... what?" Jesse asked.
A: "Um, nothing..."
J: "Oh, you want to know about... Claudia, right?" and he smirked at her.
A, thinking to herself: "Oh shoot, he's too smart. Why did I start this conversation?". She took a deep breath and replied:
"Go ahead, brag about it."
Jesse started laughing hard:
"Ha-ha-ha! My pleasure, April! I was waiting for you to ask."
He turned his chair towards her, took a bossy position and started talking, in an arrogant voice:
"She overthrew you, April, there is no doubt about that. Fireball is head over heels in love with her and..."
A, interrupting him: "How did you meet her?"
J: "I get to see all the important action, April! Always! Just like now, ha-ha-ha!" and he pointed to the camera screens.
She thought to herself: "Why did I put myself in this position? Now he wants me to beg for the story. I'm not going to do that, no matter how curious I am."
She turned around and didn't say anything. She continued working inside the panel.
J: "Don't you want to find out more? I have some spicy details!"
A: "Go to hell, Jesse!"
She dropped all the tools on the floor and rushed out the door.
The first day of searching was over. No findings so far... A feeling of despair was coming down on everyone.
Ramrod returned to Yuma for refueling. Fireball was in a state of confusion... Very happy, extremely happy that his father was back safe, but a terrible pressure was on his heart, because of the whole situation with April.
Eagle received everyone back in an urgent meeting at midnight, with all the commanders of the Galaxy.
Although it was a rushed meeting, Hikari received the highest honors welcomes. Everyone applauded. Eagle too, but his heart was broken.
After all the formalities, Eagle stood up in the conference room and spoke about the gravity of the situation. He planned another meeting first thing in the morning next day.
After the meeting was over, Hikari came to talk more privately with Eagle.
H: "Commander Eagle, an honor to meet you, after so many years!"
E: "Captain Hikari, we are all so very glad to have you back. You are like someone coming back from the dead to us. The honor is on our side, you are the most courageous man in the Galaxy!"
H: "I am so sorry that your daughter had to be involved in my rescue, and I appreciate your trust and generosity. Your daughter has the largest heart, her sacrifice is an ultimate gesture of kindness. I will do everything in my powers to help rescue her."
E: "Captain, we all appreciate your dedication... But you should be getting medical attention and rest for the next period of time. You have been under an enormous stress."
H: "I have slept for 16 years, the time for me right now is to be alive and fight again! And I am ready, with all my mind and heart!"
Saber Rider entered his room, at the hotel he was staying on Yuma. It was past midnight... He closed the door gently and tried to sneak inside in silence.
Sincia was awake though... She jumped out of the armchair.
"Saber Rider! I was so worried! I watched the news... I thought the war was over! Why again, why? I'm worried about my pupils, also..."
"We are on it, Sincia..." He crashed on the bed, tired... "We are working on it... Don't worry about the kids, your planet is safe. The action is on Alamo moon..., far away from them."
In a few minutes, he was asleep. Sincia could not sleep though, she was too wired on this new development. Too worried about Saber Rider...
Colt's situation wasn't quite rosy either. Robin jumped to hug him. She was so happy to see him well.
R: "Colt, tell me that this time it is going to be over! No more fighting!"
C: "It's a little bit more tricky this time, Robin..." He was so tired..., he was leaning against her. She had to put him on a chair.
He sighed and said: "That turncoat Jesse is giving us big, big headaches..." and he took his cowboy hat off and threw it on the table.
R: "You have to rest, Colt, go to bed... Stay home tomorrow."
C: "No rest for me when bushwackers and sidewinders are still out there!"
Claudia was still at the Cavalry Command when the Star Sheriffs came back from the mission. She called her father and told him about the entire incident. She couldn't lie to him about it anymore. He arrived there soon. They both got a special permission to stay inside one of the rooms at Cavalry Command. After the late night conference, Claudia and her father met Fireball and Norio Hikari.
Fireball was pale and his eyes had dark circles. Claudia encouraged him:
"Fireball, everything will be alright! I have faith in you!"
He turned to her and saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Yes, Claudia, I know! When the chips are down, we always find a way out!" and he held her hands.
Prince Roland was probably the most energetic of all. He was not tired and his morale was still up. He had hopes of finding Jesse and he met his father King Jarray with a big smile. It was one of his most exciting missions he has ever participated in.
"Father, we are making progress. We will find Jesse Blue. But we need extra ships and troops, in case of another attack from the outriders. Will you provide that?"
"Of course, my son! Our allies need us!"
April was still mad at Jesse after the previous night's discussion. She went to sleep almost crying. Why does he have to be so mean? What if the treatment won't improve anything? What if this is the way he is, even without any virus?
She woke up with a big headache.
Erkanos was already awake. When she stepped into the room, he turned to her with a victorious face:
"I managed to get a pure batch of the medicine! It's sterilized and it's ready for the first shot!"
A: "Wow, that was so fast!"
Jesse entered the room: "Then let's get it done, amigos! I am ready!"
Erkanos pulled out a vial and a syringe and started drawing out the serum. He approached Jesse and said:
"Just a heads-up, Jesse: the injection will go in your vein and it will be kind of painful"...
J: "Knock yourself out, man! I'm used to pain, I've been living with a heartache ever since I met April."
She pretended she didn't hear that. She sat down on a chair next to him and watched Erkanos prepare the injection.
"Aaaarrggghhh!" he started screaming and grabbed her hand. It was kind of... painful...
"There, now! You are a big child!" she looked at him and covered his sore spot with a band-aid, after Erkanos finished. But she didn't have time to say more. He fell over her like a rock.
"Jesse!"
He turned very pale, his skin turned cold and he started shaking...
Erkanos was scared: "I used a very small dose! This shouldn't happen!"
They put him on the floor and started checking his vital signs. He was unconscious. His heart was racing...
"Jesse! Wake up, Jesse!" April was next to him.
After 30 minutes of trying to revive him, he finally came back. His lips were pale.
April was right above:
"Jesse, how do you feel?"
"Like a tortured rat!" he stood up and clenched his fists.
("That doesn't sound like a kind and gentle Jesse", April thought)
Erkanos had to work more on his drug...
"I need a drink...", I feel nauseous," Jesse concluded.
After a few hours of sitting with his head on the keyboards in front of the command panel, he raised his head... April was next to him.
J: "Hey... I fell asleep..."
A: "I know you did."
J: "You watched me?"
A: "We all watched you."
J: "You care about me..."
Moment of silence...
J: "Thank you..."
Her heart jumped. His first sign of kindness! Does that mean the medication... works?
Erkanos entered the room with a little notepad, and said:
"The virus blood level went down by 10 percent! Incredible! Extremely fast and only in one dose!"
J: "Good news, but man, do I have to faint and come back every time to get this virus out?"
E: "I'll have to dilute the solution even more. You seem to respond to much lower doses than my people"
J: "You do what you have to do, just do it fast and don't kill me, alright?"
April was happy. She gave Jesse a big smile. She wanted to celebrate somehow, but didn't know how.
He was happy too... All in all, he just got a big dose of serotonin... and seeing her smile was definitely a boost in his mood. He felt very energetic and motivated. The only thing he missed was... his control panel...
He turned towards his screens and...! people showed up in the cameras! There were outriders in the building! Sector 3 and 5 had several dozens of ugly brown masked soldiers, running up and down the corridors, just a few levels above them...!
All of them were watching in dismay. How did the outriders find the needle in the haystack? And even before the Star Sheriffs? They must have become smart suddenly! Jesse didn't expect this!
What will happen to Jesse and April? Find out in our next exciting adventure of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs!
Check out the illustrations I made for this episode, on my ArtsyJesseBlue page on deviantart: So far I've done only 2 images for this episode. I will add more as I go. Saber Rider, Colt, Fireball, everyone has a special place on my sketchpad. I hope you are enjoying my story and my artwork.