Chapter Twelve
March 13th, 4035
Kagome fired, bright red spheres erupting from her gun. 5 was swift, ducking beneath and between the deadly orbs. Quick as a flash, it was on her, gripping her arm and slinking behind her. Its cold hand tightened around her wrist, strong arm wrapped around her neck.
Her gun dissipated.
Twisting her arm, she broke his hold and drove both elbows into its chest, spinning and ramming her fist into its cheek.
Now she knew how it'd been 'tweaked'.
Its flesh was soft like skin but harder than a rock. The sensation was confusing but painful. Pinpricks of agony travel from fist to shoulder. She stumbled back, gripping her arm, back peddling from the monstrosity grinning at her. She didn't think she'd be able to take it alone and come out unscathed.
She'd break more than one bone in the process.
"We are not here to hurt you," it assured her, "We don't have to fight. Come with us, we will take you home."
Dark brows lowered.
"You're wasting your breath. I'm not going back with you and neither is Sota. For the last time, leave!"
5 tilted its head
"For the last time, that is not a request we can grant,"
"What the hell do you want with us?" she demanded, "What is it we have that you want so damn bad?"
5 straightened, its face slowly morphing into a look of curiosity. The shift was stunted and unnatural, showcasing that it was still unsure of how and when to use facial expressions.
A chill crawled over her spine.
"I am surprised Liari didn't explain to you what it is we desire."
"Mom told me enough to know that whatever it is you guys are planning isn't good. I know it has something to do with this cuei. What is it? Scans indicate its almost like negative energy but…different. What is this?" she questioned, taking a step forward, "What the hell did you do to us?"
"Do?" It smiled, a curl of lips full of secret knowledge, "Why you were born this way, Kagome."
"Bull!" she negated, hand slashing the air in agitation, "I may not have all the facts, but I do have memories. I remember being somewhere cold and dark, and the pain…"
She lapsed into silence, remnants of the past flooding back. A cold, metallic room, rough medical gown chafing her skin….the low whine and steady beeping of equipment. And the pain, God the pain…the screams. Their eyes met and Kagome took a step back, the move fearful.
"Memories," it murmured softly, "Tell us, what do you remember?"
Kagome swallowed, blue eyes widening.
Her heart pounded in her ears, cold sweat creeping down her back. She felt sick and terrified, her gut clenching against the toxic emotions stirring.
Another step back.
"We want to know," it prompted as it moved closer, "We are oh so curious to know what is stored inside your head."
Her lips moved of their own accord, the words forming softly, almost inaudible.
"Experiments…"
"Oh yes, there are certainly several experiments in play. You and Sota are key in quite a few of them," it admitted, "We have observed as much as we can from afar, now, we need to run a few more tests. This cat and mouse game must end. We are losing far too many opportunities to record pertinent information. This situation is unacceptable. There is too much at stake, too many powerful individuals invested in this project to continue on as we have."
It held out a hand.
"Come, we have so much to do,"
Kagome felt her teeth clench, fists curling at her sides.
Burning ire and icy terror unfurled in her gut.
These sick bastards had another thing coming if they thought she'd go willingly into a life of perverse experiments and horrific pain. She didn't know what they had done to her and her brother but she'd be damned if she let them do more. Memories of dad were cloudy, but mom had told her he'd also fought to keep them safe. Mother had gone to her grave protecting them; leaving them with money to start a new life, outfitting them with the best personal computers she'd been able to afford at the time, sharing what knowledge she possessed about their pursuers.
Kagome wished her mother had told her.
Who were these people?
Why were they after them?
What kind of experiments had they put them through?
These were things mother had said she didn't know.
A bright orange figure shifting at her side brought her from her morose thoughts. To her shock and horror, Plynus moved between her and the droid, four arms stretched out wide as a shield, two limbs held out, palms up as if to wade off 5.
"I don't know what's going on here," her co worker began, "but I've heard enough to know that Kagome isn't interested in going anywhere with you. Please sir, leave us in peace."
Kagome reached out for the spindly Sh'vek, gripping the slight curve that passed for a shoulder. She tugged, a bit frantically. She couldn't live with herself if something happened to him because of her.
"No, Plynus, don't get involved in this," she urged, "…it isn't…a person, its an android with specific programming to complete a specific objective. It won't be dissuaded with words. Please, I don't want you hurt because of me. Get out of here. I swear I'll be fine."
Low trill of distress rumbled from his chest.
"I won't leave you here with it. If I leave it will be with you."
"Plynus-"
"The spectators are amused at this dramatic display," 5 informed the two, cutting off the brief exchange, "but we can't continue to fool around. It is time to go."
In a blur of movement, 5 grabbed the Sh'vek by the throat and tossed him clear across the dimly lit parking lot. His vivid orange body crashed into a near by teleport, the metal screeching as it bent beneath the impact of his body. Bright yellow sparks erupted from the crushed and twisted metal. Plynus' body lay atop the bent bed of debris, his tangerine form motionless.
"Plynus!" Kagome called, her voice shaky and panicked.
5 filled her vision. Kagome turned enraged blue eyes to impassive silver. Cool steel filled her palm.
Without a thought, she brought the gun up and fired six times in rapid succession. The android backpedaled, contorting and shifting as he dodged the deadly spheres. Kagome made a break for Plynus, skidding to her knees before his crumpled form, tears gathering in her worried eyes. She shook him as gently as her frayed nerves would allow.
"Plynus! Can you hear me?!"
With trembling fingers, she pressed them to the base of his spine, nearly fainting in relief when she felt the steady hum of his life force thrumming against her finger tips. He was alive. A bit bruised but alive.
Her body jerked, the force nearly sending her crashing into her injured friend.
Pain blasted her right arm, stinging and burning like liquid fire. Kagome gripped her upper arm in shock, staring down at the light blue blood coating her fingers. Clamping a hand over the bleeding wound, she turned to face her assailant.
5 stood a few feet away pointing its gun at her, calmly regarding her over the lightly smoking barrel.
"You try our patience," it said, "If we have to take you home by force we will."
Warm blood trickled down her arm.
The agony was terrible, speeding up and down her arm at a dizzying pace.
On shaky limbs, she stood, taking a bracing back step to keep herself up right. Nausea loomed, her gut churned, and it took everything she had left not to wretch. Things were rapidly deteriorating. She needed to get out of here. She glanced over at Plynus before turning back to the droid. She'd draw it away from Plynus, call him an ambulance and then figure out a way to lose her unwanted tail. She clenched her teeth against a wave of pain, breathing hard through her nose in an attempt to force it back. She sent a call out for emergency services, uploading their location anonymously.
She'd have maybe two minutes before arrival, she'd have to make this quick.
Dizziness crept up her spine.
She stumbled, blinking rapidly.
She was running out of time.
'Release cuei.'
'Releasing stored cuei'
A moment passed before cuei exploded through her body, nearly driving her to her knees. It was immense and all consuming, dragging her under its heavy cloak.
It felt..she had no words for it.
It pulsed and crawled over her skin, rushed through her veins and silenced the world around her. Light fixtures flickered, then went out, casting the surrounding area in darkness. A small ball of purple light grew before her, bathing her in its violet hue. Its twisting color and warmth drew her in, calling her forward. It always beckoned her, a sirens call to God only knows what. The prospect often overwhelmed her and left her scared of what lay within this mysterious power. Now was as good a time as any to find out. Weak from blood loss, worried about Plynus, she was unable and unwilling to resist its call.
She fell into its pull with open arms.
xxxxxx
"Weaponry exchange along the four major check-in stations across the solar system, several brothels to be stationed on the more poverty stricken planets, Saratuo included." Delr'ik explained, gesturing to the areas indicated on the holographic map behind him.
The regions appeared in bright red, highlighting the specific locations for the group of men watching the presentation. The virtual reality meeting in the Saratuo representative's office had been on its way for nearly an hour. Several leaders from surrounding planets were also in attendance, along with two of the more powerful overseers of the Kreeri solar system. Sesshomaru listened to the exchange with half an ear, much of his attention ensnared by the information Inuyasha had sent in the last hour.
Interesting and confusing.
Intriguing and more than worth the time spent unraveling this ever growing conundrum. The TinO were currently working on a project and had received funding from several military organizations, scientific authorities, medical facilities, government bodies and a slew of others unremarkable influence.
Some of the groups involved, he'd expected, but a couple had him lifting a brow.
The Partanian Zoo, Helping Hands, Lithro Technologies, a number of illegal entities and of course the Gilrex. What was the TinO developing that had so many diverse groups throwing money at it? Something even he was not aware of. What part did the Higurashi siblings play in this whole thing?
The whole situation didn't sit right with him.
Not being aware of something this big going on with the Gilrex irritated him to no end. He'd informed those in charge of collecting intelligence on the Gilrex that he was most displeased that a very important development had slipped by them and in turn, slipped by him.
Unacceptable.
He'd already sent a summons for those responsible and their immediate superiors. Discipline would be handed down without delay and without mercy.
"The Xaltan is offering a substantial incentive for your cooperation in addition to the specified business agreements and the revenue they will generate," Delr'ik continued, "operations are to begin immediately, the Xaltan is to be kept informed of all decision making from here on out via encrypted messaging written in the approved cipher or through direct contact with appointed officials using appropriate coded language…"
"That Higurashi file is no joke," Inuyasha suddenly barged in.
Sesshomaru brought up his brother's animated face.
"The amount of protection around this data is freaking ridiculous. Whatever the hell is going on is serious. So far, I've only been able to get into about 5% but holy shit this is already blowing my mind. This project they're working on has something to do with opening gateways through dimensions and something about mind control. Or at least I think that's what's going on, everything is encrypted and coded so it's hard to make out a lot of it. I need to get further into the file to find out if that's what these words and numbers actually mean. They set this up like an onion. Peeling back the layers and all that. I'm sending over the latest now."
His system beeped as it downloaded the files.
"Gimme another couple of hours and I should have something solid. Later."
The line dropped.
Amber eyes narrowed.
Dimensional access, mind control. This was definitely something he wanted uncovered with all due haste, and if the TinO really had something that was capable of either one of those feats, the Xaltaric empire would obtain it.
xxxxxx
Another chapter, hope you guys liked it, I enjoyed writing it! I've decided what Kagome is finally. I'd been toying around with what I wanted and now that I've decided, I think y'all might trip the hell out when you read it, lol. I'm soooo anticipating that day. Anyway, I'm feeling better, thanks for the well wishes from everyone and am working diligently on the next chapter. Sorry about the cliffy Sam, lol! Glossary has been updated! See you soon!
Laters
~Sessakag
xxxxxx
Glossary
Antiseptic Tonic: Cleans wounds and kills majority of germs.
Azerai: A bright red planet currently being evacuated due to its dying sun.
Azeraic: An individual who was a citizen of Azerai.
Betr: A two headed reptilian creature from the planet Tarthrix.
Brakon: The equivalent of bacon.
Caspte: Fuzzy, peaceful nine foot caterpillar like creatures.
Cuei: A type of energy to be explained later in the story.
Curerator: A container with a strong concentration of healing nano that promote the body's natural healing capabilities and fight infection. Can be applied to most species without adverse reaction.
Fliier: Eggplant shaped vegetable that is very bitter when eaten raw but produces a sweat, savory juice when squeezed.
Foxlings Cartel: A small cartel with a strong influence in a number of key parts of the Teriaus galaxy.
Gartuan: A grasshopper looking creature with several limbs and soft bones. It changes colors when distressed or in pain.
Gilrex Cartel: A major cartel that dabbles mostly in drug sales, prostitution and weapon deals. The cartel is a major rival of the Xaltaric Cartel.
Glurtak: Xerian insult.
Heedrix: Winged, moth like alien from the planet Qtax.
Helping Hands: A pediatric hospital.
Kreeri: A solar system that includes Saratuo, Rektan 7 and other planets.
Knast Tree: A tree that produced nuts that are highly sought after on many plants and used to enhance the flavor of many dishes, mostly desert dishes.
Knutss: Pea shaped nuts from a Knast tree.
Krists: A snack almost like caramel popcorn.
Kryl: A creature found in the sea. It's body consists of mostly tentacles, sort of like the spaghetti monster.
Laengs: Red eggs
Liari: Kagome and Sota's mother.
Lithro Technologies: A corporation the specialized in advanced android construction and programming.
Lyrial: Winter celebration on Rektan 7, pretty much like Christmas but has no religious context.
Omakran: A planet home to Voltrin and several other species.
Pain Inhibitors: A tonic that reduces the body's ability to feel pain due to injury or illness.
Partanian Zoo: A chain of popular zoos scattered throughout the universe housing and showcasing several exotic and rare animals.
Pernix and Xin: Currency accepted in most of the known universe with Pernix equivalent to dollars and Xin the same as coins.
Phantox: Turkey type meat
Pheran: A highly addictive illegal drug that induces a strong high, stimulating adrenaline and heightening senses. It leaves behind a relaxing euphoria when leaving the blood stream.
Rayn: Blue salad dressing with the texture of ranch.
Red Rooms: An illegal service that provides the customer with live murder/torture, allowing the viewer to dictate the actions taking place.
Rektan 7: A highly popular, wealthy and advanced planet home to thousand upon thousands of species.
Rhit: Akin to spaghetti noodles.
Rizek: A popular bar/restaurant near one of the major check in stations on Rektan 7.
Saratuo: A blue/green planet with a series of pink rings of average wealth and technological advances.
Sark lettuce: Orange, crisp vegetation with the consistency of lettuce.
Sh'vek: Tall and spindly with elongated heads, these creatures have six eyes and round teeth. They are native to Rektan 7.
Slaxton: A androgynous, often times short creature with a big head, black eyes and gray skin.
Skyway: Equivalent of a freeway or highway. It is a transparent road high in the sky with a gravity system that keeps vehicles in place and make crashing less likely.
Thermal/HeatRegulating Band Aid: Band aid that comes in multiple sizes. It senses the best temperature for each step of the healing process, changing its temperature from cold, to reduce swelling, bleeding and inflammation, to hot, to reduce aches and pains and any temperature in between.
TinO: A research facility on New Saturn that specializes in space sciences.
Torpal: Blue, genetically altered vegetable that is crisp on the outside, but gooey on the inside and has an earthy taste. Shaped like a bell pepper.
Vaprifle: A powerful rifle capable of vaporizing an individual into dust.
Voltrin: A dog-like race of people that live mostly on planet Omakran.
Wurmulix: An alien with a vertical mouth full of mini tentacles called feelers.
Xaltan: A term applied to the leader of the Xaltaric Cartel.
Xaltaric Cartel: A major cartel specializing in drug sells, weapon deals, and prostitution.
Xer: A wealthy planet of significant technological advancement.
Xerian: An individual who is a citizen of the planet Xer.
Zalvan: A family Xer that share a tight bond. The word is synonymous with pack as in a wolf pack.
Zkyek: An exotic tiger type of animal with an extremely soft pelt. It comes in a multitude of colors and is found in the jungles of Rektan 7.
5: Android sent to retrieve Kagome and Sota for purposes currently unknown.
