Chapter 10
When Jack came to, he watched as he and Arcee were led down an all too familiar corridor. Finally, they stopped inside the same chamber Jack was tortured in. He looked around, taking note that the hole in the wall wasn't there anymore. As he looked around he finally saw Arcee, held down by two large xeno-mechs. He was forced across the chamber by two heavies, and was turned to face his extraterrestrial girlfriend.
Then the familiar sadistic voice of the Queen filled the chamber, "ah, the little blue robot and its amusing human pet." As soon as she said "pet" Arcee became enraged, struggling against her restrainers, yelling, he is not a pet!" The Queen stepped out into the light, revealing herself to Arcee for the first time. In her processor, the Queen looked eerily similar to Arachnid. "He will be, "The Queen said, "After I'm through with you!" At that statement, Arcee and Jack locked their gaze, staring at each other.
The Queen glanced between them. "Why," she said, "is it love I see in dear Jackson's eyes?" stepping closer to him, she continued, "Well, well, It seems that it is love I see, a love for…" She turned, following his gaze, and gasped at who she saw. " … A robot, and not just any Robot, but an alien femme?!" she turned to him, "poor Jack, your love is only one-sided, I'm afraid." She then looked at Arcee, staring deep into her optics, "After all, machines don't feel emotions to your kind." But that was a lie, the Queen saw what was in Arcee's optics: Intense affection –no, adoration– for Jack, a mere mortal Human.
After a pause, The Queen suddenly stated, "we'll take this outside.
Jarod was closing the distance. Right as the Hiveship entered Terran atmosphere, he landed on its drive complex. He maneuvered over a close to the bulkhead passageway –a vein, if you will– and strapped on a breaching device. As it detonated, he simply stood in the blast, letting his armor –a customized suit ironically similar to Katarn armor– take the brunt of it. After the jet of fire dissipated, Jarod entered the breach, CS-18 carbine at the ready. He proceeded to a hatch-way, after encountering only a few dead exoskeletons. The hiveship's self-sealing endoskin –having the consistency of soft rubber– sealed over the rip in the bulkhead; and he waited for the hall to repressurize. As soon as the pressure was equalized, Jarod opened the hatch…
…and almost walked into the arms of a simple grunt. It didn't have a chance of registering Jarod before he shot twenty-four holes in its head. He moved on, systematically moving through the ship. Then he came across something he didn't expect: traces of Energon. He followed it to the torture chamber; but by the time he reached the chamber, he was too late.
They were gone.
Jack arose to the outside world still restrained. Both he and Arcee had been electrocuted on their way up. Hers was due to an attempted escape, his from the Queens sadism. They were both marched in single file to the surface of the ship.
"Now," the Queen boasted, "observe the might of the Cyrostian Empire as we subjugate your world!" intense worry was splayed across Jacks face when she said that, but before he -or anyone for that matter- could reply, a nearby hatch exploded. And, as the smoke cleared, there stood Jarod like an armored colossus, combat knife in one hand, CS-18 carbine in the other.
After exiting the chamber, Jarod followed the faint trail down a corridor. Then it stopped, fading out completely. He looked around and found himself at a six-way intersection. He knew where they were headed, and picked a tunnel at random.
He traveled down the passageway until he came to a branching corridor. Looking down that corridor, he saw a sight that unnerved him. He saw a man wearing blue jeans, an olive green tee under an open, grey, long-sleeved shirt, and a red baseball cap. The odd, out-of-place thing about him was not only was he on the Hiveship, but Jarod could only see him with his natural eye; his ocular piece showed an empty hall.
The man in the red hat turned to Jarod, and walked toward him. Jarod raised his CS-18 Rapidstrike at him; but, suddenly, the man simply faded away from this universe –and into a bar or pub in another one– leaving Jarod standing there like a stupefied idiot.
Miko, aboard the Lost Light, saw the Hiveship enter Earth's atmosphere; and wanted desperately to get back down there and fight. She got up from the turret station, and practically ran through the corridors leading to the flight deck. She was so distracted in reaching the deck that she ran into an officer coming around the corner.
"Oh jeez," Miko said, getting back up, "I'm so sorry mister–" she stopped as she actually saw the officer. "No harm done," She replied in perfect English, "what were you doing, running through here without watching where you're going?" Miko stared at her for a moment –the officer's tight-fitting uniform revealed a fit figure that made Miko jealous, her brown hair, tied in a bun, was slightly disheveled, She was paler than Miko, her skin as smooth as silk, but her weathered face revealed a strong, formidable, commanding character– trying to come up with a believable reply. The officer smoothed out her uniform. "Well?" she asked, "why were you in a hurry?" Miko finally replied, "I want to go back to Earth, I was going to take a shuttle down there and help fight."
"You wouldn't have gone far, even if you managed to start a shuttle, the deck crew would have shut down the stolen craft before you could leave, and you would have been caught and imprisoned in the brig for your crime," the officer said, her azure eyes boring into Miko's, "Why?"
"Huh?" Miko blinked. "Why would you want to fight?" she clarified, "Any specific reason?" Miko just stood there, confused at what the officer was saying. "Hmm," she said, "well, coincidentally, I was going to get you; it seems that Someone-you-know has gone and done a silly thing."
The officer turned on her heel and walked to the flight deck, commanding Miko to follow. She did, nearly having to jog trying to keep pace with her. They entered a special shuttle on the flight deck, the officer taking the controls. Miko looked around, and to her surprise, she found a suit of battle armor in an open compartment, and with it, an EBF-25 Vulcan. Trying it on, she found it to be her size exactly, fitting as well as her EVA suit did. She looked up at the officer, seeing the patch on her arm designating the service she was in: it was strange, unlike any others Miko had seen which were based on the Shield-and-lightning-bolt, this one, however, was an obsidian ring, encompassed by an oblong crescent of the same color.
"Um," Miko said, unsteadily, "who, exactly are you? I know you're non-military, so who are you?" the officer turned around, staring at Miko with her sharp blue eyes again, and said, "Imperial Office of Stellar Intelligence, I'm … Juno, call me Juno."
Jarod made his way to a hatch, weaving through the halls and ducts in the ship. He placed his last breaching device at the foot of it, and set it off. It smokily exploded. While still enshrouded by smoke, Jarod drew his combat knife, and duel-wielded it with his carbine. When the smoke cleared, he noticed that both prisoners and the Queen wore expressions of shock. Although his arrival was a bit too dramatic for his taste, he didn't care.
He didn't waste time with words; instead, he simply paused for a miniscule moment, and then charged at the Queen, firing in sporadic full-auto bursts. As soon as he did, the Queen drew her own plasma handgun, firing back at him as he charged. Her shots bounced off his armor, his made her personal energy shield flare. Almost instantly, Jarod came close to striking distance; however, as soon as he did, she used her wasp-like wings and flew away, landing right behind Jack.
She drew her hand gun on him, saying, "{come any closer, and I'll spray his brain across the deck!}" Jack looked at Arcee, but said nothing.
Jarod paused, contemplating his options, before simply holding out his carbine, dropping it, and then falling to his knees, his hands behind his head. Almost instantly, out of all the nearby hatches swarmed several insectoid troops. Jarod never offered up any resistance when they swarmed him, letting them force him face-down to the deck, still staring at the Queen through his helmets visor.
The Queen fluttered to him, seemingly unaware of his out-of-character behavior. "{Hmm,}" she said in Humanese, "{what did you think you would have accomplished, killing me?}" Jarod remained silent as she sadistically giggled. As she landed, she inspected Jarod, commenting, "You seem like a well-built human, but I wonder what your face looks like?" as if telepathically linked, the drones immediately removed his helmet, revealing his scared-but-handsome face. "My-my, what a rugged face; I may just keep him too!" she cooed. Her statement made Jarod glare at her in a mix of rage, hate, and disgust. Arcee, the only other person to hear, asked threateningly, "what do you mean 'too'?"
The Queen answered her question, "don't you understand? I'm the last Queen, and It's time for me to choose…" she paused, glancing at Jack, "… a mate." Fury broiled through Arcee's frame, her optics locked on the Queen, ready to kill given the chance. "Of course, I'll have to terminate you to acquire young Jackson," she sadistically stated to Arcee, wanting to make both her and Jack squirm. Having the notion that they wouldn't die together, Arcee threatened, "It will take more Vermin to kill me than you have on this ship," placing an extreme emphasis on "vermin". Jack, however, was already too shocked to speak. Jarod, however, barely spoke at all, but chose to sigh as if in resignation. "{So, this is the end,}" he whispered.
What happened next was beyond bizarre. A strange, muted popping sound preceded the screeching of Jarod's restrainers. Jarod -the sight of him extraordinary in and of itself- simply radiated energy. Standing up, streaks of energized plasma flashed between him and the ship. He turned to them, his eyes flashing.
Was it Jack's imagination, or did he see plasma wings sprouting out Jarod's back?
Miko walked to the cockpit, helmet in one hand, EBF-25 "SAW" in the other. Officer Juno slightly turned to her and said, "We're approaching the target." Miko looked out at the hulking mass of the Hiveship, and at the glowing energy localized on the opposite side. "So," Miko asked, "who exactly is in trouble?" Juno looked at her for a moment, 'is she really that dense, or is she avoiding the answer?' "LT. General Flux, Skyjumper REGENT Commander," she replied matter-of-factly, the faintest hint of a loving smile on her face. Miko looked at her wide-eyed, unsure if she should be surprised or not. They passed around the Hiveship, and saw the source of the blazing energy: an armor-clad man with electric-like flashes surging around him.
Wait, was that…
Jarod?
Jarod reattached his helmet and marched toward the retreating Queen. "{I will give you a choice,}" Jarod said, "{surrender or die.}" He fully expected her to retaliate. She did. The Queen charged Jarod, using her stingers to try and pierce his armor. She sheared his helmet's faceplate in half, rushing in-and-out like an insect. He was throwing powerful blows as well, at one point nearly smashing her face with his fist. Her proximity to his Uber-energized state made her personal shield "burn" in a prismatic aura. Suddenly, the constant strain on the shield made it, literally, shatter like glass.
The shield no longer protecting her, the photoplasmic energy radiating from Jarod, figuratively, brought her to her knees. Jarod took a chance, and drop-kicked her, and she dropped face-down to the deck. She, trying to regain control, tried to get back up as fast as she could, but Jarod was faster, and he planted his boot in her back -right between her shoulder blades- gripped her wasp-like wings, and tore them out, evoking a retched scream from her throat. The energetic aura suddenly vanished, leaving Jarod very exposed. Seeing her chance, the queen shook him off of her, and lashed out in anger and pain, trying to stab him in the chest. However, he single-handedly grabbed her by the throat in the middle of her lunge. Their eyes met, and she saw, what appeared to be, a look of… tranquility... in his eyes.
It didn't last long, as she tried to stab him while in his grip. However, instead of slashing his heart, she stabbed him in his shoulder. He lessened his vise-like grip, and she broke free, ready to land a finishing blow. She let her arm fly, and the stinger attached to it. It hit her target, and she could feel the arteries popping, the muscle tearing, and the ribs snapping as she slashed through Jarod's chest. He staggered as she leered over him, watching him die with obscene pleasure. But then a grin started to appear on his face, and all he said –in a whisper, and in English- was, "Either way, I win."
Jarod lunged forward. The Queen tried to block his lunge, but he did something that stunned her. Jarod, when he was close enough, reached behind her head, and embraced it with his hand. The Queen tried to fight back, Jarod leaning in closer, but she stopped when his lips met hers. She nearly melted in his embrace, and thought that this was ecstasy. She tried to slip her glossa past his tongue and into his mouth. For her a moment seemed to last for an eternity.
For Jarod, it passed in only a minute and a half.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open, as she felt the huge pain in her gut. Jarod gave his combat knife a twist, and leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "{for my brother…}" and slid his knife out of her. He drew back his arm, and embedded his knife in her neck, right through the spinal column. She collapsed, dead before she hit the deck.
Miko saw Jarod get slashed, and she acted fast. Before Juno could stop her, she had opened the hatch and jumped out, not even bothering to put on her helmet. She hefted her new Vulcan and blasted apart the Buggers restraining Jack, nearly hitting him in the process. Juno looked on for a moment, before training the ships cannons on Arcee's guards and letting loose. When Miko looked back at Jarod, she saw him thrust his knife into the Queens neck, watching the corpse collapse onto the deck. He turned around, facing Miko, and tried to take a step. Miko stood in amazement at this immense power he possessed. But it didn't last for long.
Jarod fell to his knees, as if mortally wounded. At this, Miko ran to him, yelling his name. She caught him as he was falling backwards. "Jarod!" whimpered, looking into his face. He was taking short, shallow breaths, eyes wide open. "No, no, no, no, no! Don't die Jarod, please, don't die!" she demanded, starting to shed tears as she removed what was left of his helmet. Jarod managed a few words before slipping into the dark, "Miko, I'm sorry… I love you." She didn't quite hear him.
After checking for a pulse –one that wasn't there– Miko started CPR. Unfortunately, Jarod had died, but she didn't give up, only compressing his chest faster and more vigorously. She started to beat his chest, sobbing. Jack walked up and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort his friend.
Miko stopped, bending over and sobbing into Jarod's chest. Then she felt it, the rise and fall of Jarod taking a deep breath. Gasping, she took his pulse, but didn't find one. Jarod was alive, unconscious, but alive. She resumed compressing his chest, but he was drawing breath on his own. Now the tears she shed were not of sorrow or pain, but of joyous relief.
Officer Juno ran up, ignoring both Jack and Arcee, and motioned two medic robots carrying a stretcher over. They put him on the stretcher and carried him to the shuttle, both Miko and Juno following. Jack and Arcee stood there, not knowing what to do as the shuttle lifted off for the semi-crippled Lost Light.
Then Arcee made her move. She bent down, and kissed Jack warmly. He kissed her back. They found some comfort in the fact that they both were alive, possibly changed, but alive.
Juno looked on as the Lost Light's medics took Jarod to the medical bay, his girlfriend following close behind. '{well, looks like you've grown up,}' she thought, remembering the last time she saw him… many years ago, back when they were kids. She turned back to the cockpit, preparing to leave, as she thought, '{it's nice to see you again… little brother.}'
Then she left.
