**WRITER'S NOTE: So, this chapter has some Wraith anatomy that I don't ever remember being explained in the actually TV series, so I made up my own. Hopefully it makes sense.
The Chosen One
AliZoe
AliZoe (c) 2014
Chapter Six
Take Out the Gunman
-"Take Out the Gunman" by Chevelle - this song was an obvious choice for the title of the chapter. First off, I fell in love with the relatively chill feel of this song from the first moment I heard it! Just had to throw that out there! Second, as the war with Tirrian starts to get more intense, this song helped give the vibes of where it all started.
-"I'm So Sick" by Flyleaf - as Luna'Ari continues to learn more about her Wraith side, she begins to give in to the intense emotions that come out as repercussion. This song was rather inspiring as she used her developing 'ability of suggestion' to bring an enemy to his knees.
-"Stay Alive" by Trapt - surviving is the one motive that drives the Hive and not just passively. They must be aggressive.
We shortly arrived at a cave entrance. Ducking under the rock, we entered and stood up straight as the cavern opened and became very spacious. Glancing around, I marveled at the accessibility. There were smooth stones of various sizes attached to the walls that glew in the dark giving off a generous amount of light. The twilight brightness felt intimate as the apparent living space was visible. The entire surface of the cave was covered in the reddish brown organic material that I had previously seen in Zerrix's cave and the Arena. "What is this place?" I asked with great interest.
Lex'Zvas walked into the center of the room and turned towards us. Holding his arms out to the side, he bowed as a showman. "Welcome to my humble abode, my Queen," he began. "My sleeping quarters are to your left and my workspace is to the right. It is not much, but it meets my needs."
"It is very charming," I smiled placing the rifle on his table. "Tell me, what exactly is this? And where does it come from?" I asked running my hand along the muscled wall. "It coated the Arena and the access of the cave where Zerrix kept watched over me."
"As Wraith, we secrete a pathogen that tends to grow along the surface of our dwellings. It is durable and regenerative," Lex'Zvas expounded with a sly smirk on his face. My eyes widened as I quickly pulled my hand away from the wall. Everything suddenly felt unsanitary as I shuddered slightly. My uneasiness must have been apparent because they all smiled widely.
"It is not contaminated, my Queen. We are not contagious..." Forrix commented, laughing. "For the most part…"
"In fact, the pathogen of the Queen is far more potent and effective than that of ours," Frinx added playfully. Suddenly feeling very introvert, I held my arms close to my body and stepped ever so closer to the entrance. Queasy at my own anatomy, I didn't want to touch anything. "You can control when and where you secrete it."
"Please, my Queen, you are overreacting. It is natural for Wraith. Our biology does derive from insects. Most of us are born from egg sacks; we wrap our prey in cocoons; we are capable of climbing vertical surfaces; and we live in dark, damp caves. We are not as sophisticated as the Lanteans," Tarsis continued almost mockingly. My eyes widened even further.
"YOU wrap them in the cocoon?" I blurted feeling shocked. They all laughed at my dumbfoundedness. "But, how?" They all held up one of their palms and pointed at the tiny holes along the feeding organ. My mouth fell agape as I shot my palm to my face and examined it; I felt more spider-like by the second. "Caspita! No offense, but I feel so repulsive!"
"No need to be melodramatic, my Queen. After all, you are very stunning, you are admired by your Hive, and have captured the fondness of my brother. It is easily sensed that this is shared by you, and he is just of an insectoid as we are," Lex'Zvas smiled a toothy grin. "You should be honored to have a more exotic biology than that of the humans." I pursed my lips trying not to smile, not gathering that our new relationship was so obvious to the entire Hive. Lex'Zvas continued to smile, "Now, what is it that we need to discuss?" They all stood with their hands behind their backs and waited.
Shutting my eyes, I realized how ridiculous I was behaving; I smiled at my absurdity. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled as I turned and picked up one of the capsules from the rifle. "Alright, this is filled with the plague that infected Zerrix. We need to saturate it from these capsules. I believe we could fill it with something more paralytic that would stun our enemies rather than kill them. The questions are, how do we clean them? and what can we fill them with?" They all paused as they contemplated.
"Out of sheer curiosity, my Queen, what were the complete effects of the plague? What was it doing to his body?" Lex'Zvas asked furling his eye ridges.
"It's a disease of the blood that kills the skin cells as well. It spreads in the blood stream, destroying blood cells as it makes its way to the brain. Once it reaches the brain, it suffocates it until the victim dies. The disease is spread through injection or exposure. Thankfully, it is not contagious through touch. A pest on one of the planets that we colonized spread it to the people, killing most of them. Calling us for aid, we reluctantly went to their rescue facing casualties as well. The colonies went on a riot and the epidemic went extinct. That was about five years ago," I explained feeling melancholy from my memories of the pandemic. Squinting his eyes, Lex'Zvas walked over to me and picked up a piece of technical equipment from his work table.
"Is this the language that you speak when you contemplate?" he asked handing it to me. I glanced down and read the Atlantean. "I have been trying to decode the encryption, but it has proven difficult. I do not understand what is written."
I furled my eye ridges as I continued to read. "This is the language of my people...translating it for you to understand, it's of various observations on the psychic influence of Wraith. These must be Tirrian's notes…" I continued to read silently to myself. My eyes widened as I lifted my eye ridges at the information. Could Wraith really take over the will of another? Was the power of suggestion possible with their psyche? It all seemed compelling. Shaking my head, I was side tracked; we needed to get back to our goal. "...Um, I will teach you the written language of my people in time, but we have a pressing matter to deal with. We need some sort of defense in case Tirrian attacks again."
"Of course, I was merely intrigued," Lex'Zvas paused. Silence flooded over us as we continued to contemplate the solutions to the rifle.
"What killed the plague on that planet?" Forrix asked.
"They killed the animals that carried it and then burned the remains," I responded.
"Water perhaps?" Tarsis suggested.
"It flows through the bloodstream. Water would only act as a carrying agent."
"Heat has cleansing properties if taken to a certain temperature," Frinx proposed stroking his facial hair. My face lit up, that was it!
"That's perfect! We can use heat to purge the plague! We just need to find something hot enough to kill the virus." I felt more eager; we were closing in on the solution. "Besides the initial shot from the energy blast, what could we replace the plague with? What has partial paralytic properties?"
"Well, we do, my Queen," Zilas spoke up. Our attention went to him. The other men were seemingly not used to him speaking. He looked around and back at me as if he felt slightly out of place.
"Go on," I encouraged with a smile. His response was intriguing.
He smirked slightly. "When we feed, do we not transmit a chemical to our prey that renders them relatively motionless?"
"He's right, my Queen," Frinx backed him up. The men looked impressed.
"Well done, Zilas. That's the solution," my smile widened. "How do we extract the chemical from our bodies?"
"It would be more prevalent from a Wraith who has recently fed. We can use my brother, for example, for he is the one who would be the most current," Lex'Zvas added. "Surely we can build a fire hot enough to saturate it, or better yet, your Lantean ship might be able to aid us."
I was floored by their ingenuity. They solved the problems within minutes of discussion. "You are all prodigies!" I exclaimed very pleased. "Let us return to the ship! We can use the heat from the engines to cleanse them. There are some medical supplies that we can use to extract the chemical from Zerrix as well. Come!"
We all felt satisfied with purpose in our step as we quickly returned to my ship. My heart fluttered as I saw that Zerrix had awoken from his rest. He looked healthy, probably regenerating after feeding off of the cocoon. "Zerrix!" I hollered from a distance. His attention went to us as he gave a wide toothy grin. "Zerrix, have you fed?" I asked, jogging right up to him as best as I could in my heels.
"Yes, my Queen. I feel as if I was never tainted by the disease."
"Good! Now we need to extract the feeding chemical from you!" I proclaimed brushing the side of his face with my hand as I walked past him to the inside of the ship. His confused and curious gaze followed me as I found a long syringe. Striding back down the ramp, I paused at his side and looked over at Lex'Zvas and the other scientists. "Where do I insert this?" I asked as we both sat down on the ramp.
"Within the small apertures by the feeding organ, my Queen," Lex'Zvas responded walking up to us. He took Zerrix's right forearm and began explaining, "Using his dominant feeding hand, these apertures along the top are for the chemical. There are vein like channels that carry the chemical to the apertures from a sack located on the posterior of the forearm. It is padded by the muscles," he used his thumb and pointer finger and ran it along the top of Zerrix's forearm outlining where his large dominant muscle lay. Turning his arm over, he continued, "The enzyme and viscous fibers we use to wrap our prey are connected through the middle and lower apertures of the palm, and they are also stored in sacks. The enzyme runs under the larger and more muscular side of the anterior arm; whereas, the viscous fibers are stored under the less dominant muscle. Do you have any questions?"
"I believe I understand. Thank you Lex'Zvas," I smiled. Looking Zerrix in the eyes, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, but this might feel a little strange." Slowly grabbing his hand, I carefully turned his palm over. Holding it, I meticulously inserted the small needle into one of the top openings near the base of his fingers; there was resistance. His hand twitched slightly. I paused, glancing up at him as I pulled it out again. "Sorry!"
"I'm fine. What are you doing?" he asked furling his eye ridges.
"We need the chemical that is transmitted to the other body through feeding. I'll explain more momentarily. Please, you must hold still," I insisted. He nodded his head. I focussed once again at the task. Turning the syringe so that it was completely level with his hand, I slowly reinserted the needle into one of the holes. It glided more easily this time until I felt it hit a barrier. Holding my breath, I pushed it in further, piercing whatever it was that was blocking. Zerrix pursed his lips, trying to keep from flinching.
"That is far enough, my Queen! You have reached it!" Zerrix mentioned as calmly as possible. He was clutching tightly on the fabric of his pants. Squinting my eyes, I slowly pulled up on the back of the syringe, filling the tube with the clear substance. When it reached its full capacity, I carefully removed the needle. We both exhaled once it was free. "Well done, my Queen," Zerrix mumbled under his breath rubbing his palm and forearm with his other hand. I smiled, breathing rather heavily. My heart was pumping from my previous nervousness. The scientists and Zerrix's brigade all made congratulatory comments at the success of extraction. Resting my cheek against his shoulder, I smiled.
"Good job," I quietly breathed, kissing his shoulder.
"Have I interrupted anything?" we heard a voice say. We all turned in his direction. It was Primary Ley'La's First in Command. "Please, continue. I am only here for observational purposes. My Queen has high hopes for you and has sent me here to report on your progress."
"We are working on something for the occasion. You are always welcome amongst my Hive," I said acceptingly. "Where is the lad that was with you previously?"
"My son? He is with my Queen. He must protect his mother whilst I'm away," he smirked proudly. I found that very sweet. Wraith were very territorial when it came to their family relations. I wished some Atlanteans were more protective. This particular Wraith gave off the same elegance and gentlemanly demeanor that Zerrix had, which was also very charming. "What is your breakthrough?" he asked walking closer to us.
Standing up, I motioned towards the rifle pieces behind me, "This was used as an offensive weapon against us recently by the Atlantean scientist. I plan on transforming it with the help of my brilliant Hive into something more to our use."
"I offer my assistance," he bowed. I smiled and nodded. The more imaginations I could have at my disposal the better.
The sun rose and set twice as we vigorously explored the possibilities of how to connect the capsules to the engines of the ship. We weren't having much success. "The issue we still run into is the excess amount of heat. The engines are simply too hot! We would melt the capsules before we could properly saturate the plague within!" I groaned in frustration. We were all tired with our ideas running scarce. I sat down on the ramp and rubbed my temples with my fingertips.
"Perhaps a short recess would clear our thoughts, my Queen," Lex'Zvas suggested stretching his muscles. I nodded my head as I gathered my knees to my face and softly buffeted my forehead against them. Zerrix came and sat down next to me. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he kissed my hair. I smiled as my heavy eyes looked up at him. His smirk was reassuring as I adjusted my body to lean against his. The rest of our Hive was in the clearing mingling amongst themselves. Primary Ley'La's First in Command was off to the side with Lex'Zvas talking about something intriguing as their faces were focussed on the discussion.
"What's his name?" I asked Zerrix as I glided my hand on his knee.
"In all honesty, I do not know. We usually keep our acquaintances within our home Hive itself. I am only more familiar with this particular Lord because he is my sister's spouse. Their son, Lex, was named after Lex'Zvas, and he has kept more in touch with the three of them," he said matter of factly.
"So Lex really is their son?"
"Yes, one of the few to have two Wraith as his parents rather than our insect relatives." he explained. I sighed as we sat in a relaxing silence. We saw Xar, Tarsis, and Forrix start pushing each other, playfully. Their voices grew louder as the Hive's attention went to them.
"You think you can defeat me? I am stronger than both of you combined!" Xar proclaimed with a wide smile on his face.
"I think your brother needs some humbling, Tarsis! Shall we bring him to his knees?" Forrix added to the taunting. I rolled my eyes and smiled as the men started betting on who would win.
"Just because you're a Soldier Drone, doesn't mean you can take us both!" Tarsis mocked. My smile widened as I thought about that bold statement. Zerrix was a 'Soldier Drone' and he defeated many in the Arena. Gasping, I jolted my body upright with a sudden epiphany.
"THAT'S IT!" I yelled jumping to my feet. All eyes went to me as I bolted into the ship. Kneeling down in the center of the floor behind the main control station, I dug my fingernails in the hatch and pulled up. The storage area popped open revealing the squid-like missiles the Atlanteans called Drones. Cautiously hauling one out, I held it in my arms and walked slowly back to the opening of the ship and knelt down in the dirt by the ramp. The men gathered in around me. "This is perfect!"
"What is that, my Queen?" Zerrix asked sharing the curiosity of everyone.
"I remember always laughing to myself when you would refer to your soldiers as 'drones' because that is what this is. Drones are Atlantean missiles that are accurate and devastating," I began with a huge grin on my face. They all took several steps backwards. Glancing up, "Oh do not worry, it is completely dormant right now. It will not erupt until it is told to." I reached between the flight stabilizing tentacles at the base of the drone and unscrewed the metal shell. Releasing pressure with a hiss, the compartment opened and slid out easily until the section I was looking for was visible for everyone to see. "This is the Power Core. It releases a substantial amount of heat. It's not as hot as the engines of the ship, but I am certain it is powerful enough to dissolve the plague." I grabbed one of the capsules and placed it next to it.
Commanding the ship to start with my mind, the Power Core lit up. Telling the Drone to power up, it began to glow a bright yellow and spin on the ground. Pulling some tongs from my pocket, I held the capsule against the grated metal cage of the core. The liquid within the capsule began to boil as the color changed from a deep red to a purple and finally to a bright neon blue. I commanded the Drone to power down as I pulled out a small computer from my other pocket. It stopped spinning and remained lifeless once again. Pressing the screen, it scanned the capsule. A small beep sounded as the results displayed as negative. We had done it! The plague had been purged! "Success!" I exclaimed as I held up the capsule high above my head. My Hive cheered and shared my excitement with clamour of clapping. Glancing up at Primary Ley'La's Lord, he held his hands behind his back with a smirk on his face. He looked impressed, and I could not feel more satisfied.
I continued the process to the other nineteen capsules from the rifle, handing them to the different men around me quickly. "Alright, hand me the syringe!" I said to Frinx behind me. He bowed and grabbed the syringe from one of the storage bins. Handing it to me, I carefully injected some of the chemical into the capsule. Repeating the process of handing and taking capsules from the various Wraith, I emptied the syringe. My anxiousness rose as I gathered up the parts of the rifle and began putting it back together. There was a pause of silence as I finished the assembly. I was in awe wondering if it would work. "Now, all we need to do is test it…" I commented almost passively as I continued to stare at it.
What sounded like the blast of a railgun, we heard a groan from Forrix. He looked down at his chest confused. His clothing and skin seared forming an ever growing hole in his chest. He gazed up at Frinx who was horrified. We shared his reaction as Forrix fell to the ground. Another shot was fired, this time hitting Tarsis. Primary Ley'La's Lord pulled a knife from his belt and threw it very hard towards the trees. It spun in the air gaining momentum until a loud smack echoed through the sky. There was a growl heard as a body fell to the ground. "WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" the Lord roared.
"PROTECT THE QUEEN!" Zerrix thundered. I groaned as I was lifted up and pushed inside the ship. Xar and Frinx quickly made their way to their brothers. Shutting my eyes in a frustrated sadness, their angry screams to the air confirmed the death of Forrix and Tarsis.
An army of Wraith came flooding towards us through the trees, roaring in a menacing mass. Zilas grabbed the rifle and ran in front of the men. Growling loudly, he began shooting as fast as possible. Blue energy came blasting out of the rifle, hitting the attacking Wraith one by one. They fell at the contact to the ground. Hesitating, they continued their advance. My Hive scrambled to grab their more simple weaponry.
My face grew solemn as the rage set in. Finding a personal shield from one of the storage bins, I pressed the black-striped, green, octagon device to my chest just below the collarbone. It suctioned and powered up. With the remote controller of the ship in hand and a small blade in the other, I quickly strided out of the ship, pushing my way through the men down the ramp. The invasion was near Zilas as I drew closer. "Zilas! Return to the ship!" I commanded sharply.
"But, my Queen-" he began.
"DO IT NOW!" I roared. Turning towards my men, "ALL OF YOU! STAY AS CLOSE TO THE SHIP AS POSSIBLE!" They obeyed as I waited for Zilas to reach them. Pressing a button on my remote, I encased them in the round shielding that surrounded the ship. Slowly turning towards the invading Wraith, I stared them down. They paused on their approach and formed a semicircle around me.
Remembering what Tirrian's notes had said, I decided to try an experiment of my own. Closing my eyes, I concentrated my mind deeply on my ship. Hearing it roar with life, I smirked as I continued to activate it. The retractable wings on either side of the ship exposed themselves. Opening my eyes, I smiled wickedly. "This is going to hurt." Two drones from the wings lit up and began humming as they shot towards the sky. Dancing in circles around each other they spun faster and faster until they collided with the ground in the middle of the enemy Wraith. The casualties were great as others not so close were blasted to the sides seriously injured. My shielding sent green sparks of energy as debris collided against it; I was unharmed.
My attention went to the single standing Wraith at the rear of the group. His eyes showed fear and complete violence. He was breathing heavily in shock as he glanced around the carnage. Slowly walking towards him through the wreckage, he began retreating. "NOT SO FAST! Where do you think you're going?!" My voice was echoing and more growly than before. As if he had no control over himself, he paused. Widening my eyes, I felt my mind enter his. There was resistance, but I held fast. The more I felt it, the easier it was. I reached him, making him turn towards me. His lips were pursed and his uneasiness was completely odorous. Baring my teeth, I yanked the small gun out of his hands. As if by a new instinct, I brought my fingers to his temples and commanded in my thoughts, "Kneel!" The word was audible to the ear as it echoed in the clearing and through the trees. Attempting to stay on his feet, he failed as he reached his knees. "What are you doing here?! Why have you attacked us and killed two of my men?!" I interrogated. My voice was eerily shrilly to the ears as the two tones were even more apparent.
He struggled continuously as he fought to stay silent. "ANSWER ME!"
"...the Lantean forced us to…promising that he would release our queen...only if we brought you back dead…he gave us those weapons to do so..." he growled angrily.
"And you believed him," I commented shaking my head and laughing quietly. I released my hold on his mind and turned my head to look over at my Hive. They all watched with stupefaction.
Roaring, the Wraith bolted to his feet and tried to tackle me. Holding the knife to his neck, I sighed. He halted and hesitated. "You are pathetic. Your queen is probably already dead. Tirrian lies to get what he wants. He has done it to your people and he has done it to his. There is no possible scenario where you can cause me harm. I have had one ridiculous trial after another thrown at me! Can't I just have a moment of peace? Can't I catch my breath?! I am FED UP!"
Twitching, his breathing was heavy as I dug the blade more in his skin. "Because I am feeling generous, I will only offer this once. You may join my Hive and help me stop the treacherous tyrant that is Tirrian, or I can hand you over to two very upset men of mine whose brothers you have murdered. Take your pick," I offered with sternness.
"I would rather die than join you! My queen spoke of you in disgust and how you are tainted with the blood of the Lanteans! You are an abomination!" he proclaimed angrily. Rolling my eyes, I pressed the button on the ship's remote that lowered the shields.
"I'll give you a head start," I finished venomously. Turning to walk away, he tried to grab me, but a blast of my shielding caused him to rebound. Unphased, I continued walking towards my ship as my Hive jogged in my direction. Finding Xar and Frinx, "Go and have yourselves a little hunting trip...and be creative." Their faces filled with fury as they sprinted after the rogue Wraith. "Clean up this mess," I motioned to the rest of my men as Zerrix, Lex'Zvas, and the other Lord paused in front of me.
"You truly are Queen Luna'Ari," the Lord commented quietly.
"Your assistance is no longer needed. Go and tell Primary Ley'La that things are running smoothly and that I am preparing a grand presentation for her and the other queens," I said coldly. He bowed his head and promptly left. "Have fun with this. I want a full diagnostic completed and reported to me," I continued, handing the gun to Lex'Zvas. His face was still in shock as he took the gun from me. He bowed and walked away as well.
I couldn't look Zerrix in the eye. After the initial rage faded, a frustrated sorrow engulfed my chest. Powering down my personal shield, it fell into my hand. Sighing, I walked past him and back into the ship. He reluctantly made it inside before I closed the door. "My Queen, you were terrifying, beautiful, and awe inspiring just now," he began.
"I was a monster..." I mumbled as guilt flooded over me. Hunching over, I cupped my face in my hands and cried in tortured pain. He exhaled and stood right behind me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he held me close to him. I couldn't believe what I had done. It was as if someone else took over my body, yet I was in full control and fully aware. I levelled so many Wraith from that Hive with just a single thought to the Drones. Feeling overwhelmed, I felt queasy thinking about it.
"You prevented our deaths, my Queen, for we were gravely out numbered," he tried comforting.
"Tarsis is dead! Forrix is dead! All of those other Wraith were nothing but rubble at my feet!"
Zerrix exhaled loudly. "I can relate, my Queen, for the death of Narz still haunts me…" I turned towards him and saw the frustration in his eyes. "Even though he was an oppressor, he was still my brother…Forrix and Tarsis did not die in vain so long as we help you stop the Lantean monster who continues to terrorize us in horrifying ways."
He gathered me in his arms and stroked my hair. Although the pain remained, I was soothed by his words. It was Tirrian's fault! My loathing only grew as he continued to make things more personal. "He feels threatened...Tirrian, feels threatened by me! Why else would he continuously try to push me?"
"Your words make sense. You are part Lantean and pose a peril to his treachery. It is only a matter of time before his fall."
I sighed, resting my head against his chest. Hearing his slightly elevated heartbeat, I smiled. "Are you alright? Your heartbeat seems a little fast," I whispered.
"It is nothing to worry about...just another side effect of being around you…" he slightly chuckled. My smile widened as I lifted my face to his. Wrapping my arms around his neck, he held me tighter as we lips touched. His affection melted away more of my grief, but like always, the moment was interrupted, this time with a banging on the door.
"Of course...never alone in the Hive…" I breathed a laugh resting my forehead against his.
"You are the Queen. I mustn't be selfish; your Hive needs you," he sighed kissing my cheek. Softly tugging his hair, I brought his lips to mine once more.
Another knock sounded. Exhaling, I pulled away. "Gratias…" I whispered in his ear pecking his neck. The knocking continued. "Patience! I am coming!" I hollered slowly walking around Zerrix and to the door. Pressing the hatch, the ramp lowered. Vorrin and Syrisx along with other Soldiers with their Commanders from my Hive who I was not yet familiar with were gathered at the entrance. There were injured Wraith on their knees at my feet, their hands bound behind their backs. Some of them looked unconscious.
"My Queen, we present to you the surviving intruders. What are your plans for them?" Vorrin asked sternly.
"We shall have another ceremony tonight to honor Forrix and Tarsis. In the meantime, make these men bury their dead. My offer extends to them as well. They may join us or I leave them in your hands to find retribution."
