Virtus hissed softly under his breath as Kamryn finished wrapping his right shoulder.
"I'm trying to be careful," the young woman said, bitterness rising in her tone.
The turtle didn't take it personally; he knew she wasn't annoyed with him. It had been five days since his non-death Match, and not one had passed without him being violently singled out by another Overlord. I almost wish they would just come up with a punishment and get it over with. Then maybe I wouldn't have someone waiting to jump me every day.
"It doesn't look too bad," Kamryn offered, once more in control of her voice. "The muscle didn't separate, so it could have been worse."
"Sure it could have, but how long is this going to last, Kamryn? I don't like the risk it's starting to pose to you either. You can't try to step in like you did today, or they're going to end up turning on you too."
"Are you the only one who should suffer for doing the right thing, Virtus?"
"This isn't about suffering. It's about you, and the fact that you don't need to get hurt. They're going to come after me – it's a given at this point. That doesn't mean you have to get caught in the crossfire. I know you're only trying to be a friend, but—"
"But what?" she demanded. "Can you imagine how long I've been silent, Virtus? How many times I've obeyed commands without question, because I wasn't brave enough to do what you have?"
"Take a beating?"
"Stand up to them, Virtus. It doesn't happen often, not when so much is on the line. But you did it anyway."
"And I have yet to be finished paying for it." The turtle rotated his arm, trying not to grimace at the way his muscles protested. "I did what I had to, Kamryn. I won't regret it, even if they do decide to kill me."
The young woman shook her head. "I don't see that happening now, but I cringe to think of what they may do instead."
"Please stop there," Virtus requested. "I think it's better not to know what might be coming. It's bad enough not having any idea how much longer I may have to wait."
"I'm sorry, Virtus. I'm not trying to make this harder on you. My mouth ran away with me because I'm disgusted and tired."
"It's fine, Kamryn, really. There's got to be something else we could talk about, though. Isn't there anything nice about this world? There must be some redeeming quality."
Kamryn settled into a cross-legged position against the wall and stared back at the turtle pensively. "I haven't known anything in my life except for captivity, cruelty, and loneliness, Virtus. I try not to complain about it openly, but there are others…I have met a couple of people who claim to have hope. Where their faith comes from, I'll never understand."
"Faith in what?"
"They cling to the name of El and believe there is some chance for deliverance."
He gave her a quizzical look, hoping that she would elaborate.
"El is…it's difficult for me to explain, because much of what I know is rumor or whispers spoken in the night. They say he is the creator of everything around us, not just of Zuhur or the elohim, but of the Earth too."
"Earth?" The word felt natural on his tongue.
"Yes – that is where the humans come from originally. You must have some familiarity with it too, the way you speak English."
Virtus shrugged. "I recognize the name. More than that, who can say? But what about this 'El' character?"
"Right – I was going somewhere. Some people believe that El didn't create all of these things and go his own way. They say he still sees everything, and that one day, he'll act in our defense."
"That's an interesting thought," he remarked. "Do they have a particular reason to believe any of it is true?"
"That is what they call faith, Virtus."
The turtle nodded. "Well, it's not a bad idea, that's for sure. If there is someone out there who has the power to help, I hope he would do it." He gazed at Kamryn for a few silent moments, noting how her expression had hardened. "Are you all right?"
"I understand their need for a hope to hold onto. Part of me wishes that I were naïve enough to cast my complete trust into some deity that may or may not exist, but I don't see it happening."
"You don't have a real opinion one way or another?"
"My opinion is that the Overlords are monsters to the core, and if some higher power is responsible for creating them, then I'm not sure I want anything to do with him."
"Yeah, maybe, but…" Virtus searched for words and was surprised when they suddenly came bubbling up. "I think you need to ask why they're monsters. People aren't normally born like that, are they? Have you known any younger elohim that you could test the theory on?"
"It's not a theory, Virtus. They derive pleasure from the pain of others, and advance their own race to the detriment of everyone else. That's how I define a monster."
"I don't doubt that they're evil, Kamryn. I'm only questioning how much of it is their own doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Okay…um…let's say you had a daughter, for argument's sake. You raise her in your home and teach her all the right things. But when she gets older and starts making her own choices, they turn out to be the wrong ones. She doesn't mind hurting other people if it benefits herself, and does whatever it takes to get what she wants, even to the point of shedding blood. That would make her a monster in the eyes of other people too."
"A child who is brought up correctly wouldn't turn out that way, Virtus."
"You don't know that, Kamryn. That's the thing about being rational: we have minds of our own, and the ability to make choices, including wrong ones. You don't have to raise a monster in order for someone to become one. If this story about El is true, maybe it wasn't his intention for the elohim as a race either."
"Even if he didn't create them with evil intent, it doesn't change the way things are, Virtus. Either El is heedless of how much everyone is suffering because of the works of his hands, or he doesn't exist at all. In that case we have nothing left to hope in except for the outside chance that an asteroid could kill us all."
The turtle gave her a half smile. "On that positive note, maybe we are better off talking about what the Overlords are going to do with me."
"Oh, Virtus, I'm sorry. I have spoken very freely with you because I've never had anyone else to talk to. When everything has been bottled up for this long, I find it amazing that I've never burst wide open under the pressure."
"It doesn't bother me if you speak your mind," he replied. "You don't have to be scared of being honest with me, Kamryn. A few healthy discussions may help the time pass more quickly."
She gave him a faint smile. "I do envy the believers in a way, for being able to keep some view of the light in spite of the darkness that consumes us. They may only be fooling themselves, but at least they're doing something other than waiting for their day to die."
Virtus sat up further on his cot, ignoring the stabbing pain in his side. "I think as long as something hasn't happened, there's still some reason to have hope, Kamryn. Maybe it is a waste of time, but when I'm lying here in the dark with nothing to keep me warm or memories to comfort me, I imagine being free. I dream of running and jumping with no limitations, and I feel this small stirring inside, telling me it's not over yet."
The turtle sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. "It's not over yet," he repeated. "Not for you or me. Maybe that's part of the faith these people have; a hope that the ending can be different than they fear, because it hasn't happened yet. I don't know, Kamryn. I'm just rambling now."
He saw tears welling up in her eyes right before she focused on the floor.
"I don't know either, Virtus. More and more it seems like I know nothing at all."
Yasir admired the colorful image of the DNA strand being displayed on the monitor, reveling in the beauty of secrets that had yet to be discovered. He could recall many a scientist who grew frustrated when a break-through or experiment didn't pan out, but Yasir wasn't like them.
Some fools behave as if every wonder in the known universes should be instantly laid bare to them because they desire to seek it out. How easily they are disillusioned and broken when they are forced to wait! How many an impatient creature missed an advance or a once in a lifetime opportunity, simply because they could not be bothered to put in the time and effort required for such rewards?
The ability to harness the strengths of two different races and filter out the weaknesses has yet to be found. While the terrapins are amazing, even they do not fit that description. Their discovery marks the first time any of us have seen a successful hybrid of two creatures, but they are far from perfect.
I always believed the first hurdle to cross would be creating the right hybrid, and then I could concentrate my effort on eliminating flaws. I do not know if studying the terrapins' DNA will enable us to learn how to create a healthy hybrid of our own, but they may hold the answer to what I considered the second step. If I can manipulate their DNA strands and remove the unsightly and the flaws, I will be that much closer to achieving our eventual goal of perfection when our hybrid is reality.
Having three of the creatures to choose from will lend me more freedom with experiments. It may have been wiser to keep them to all closer to hand to begin with, but there were reasons for keeping them apart. With the introduction of the mind serum, however, the argument no longer stands. I have seen its effectiveness firsthand in both the young woman, and now the terrapin who tried to escape the Dome.
Perhaps I should go forward with calling the one back from the ground-breakers. The sooner that I have two of them side-by-side, I could begin to run parallel experiments—
An electronic hail interrupted his musing, and Yasir rolled his eyes in annoyance. Someone must always interfere. I am trying to advance an entire race, and they still expect me to tend to the every day drudgeries of our lives.
"This is Yasir," he answered, barely containing his irritation.
"Hello, Doctor," the Altus greeted him with an ominous tone. "I am coming your direction. We have things to discuss."
"Yes, Altus."
Yasir jumped to his feet, straightening his desk even though nothing had been out of place. Then he hurried to the door and waited at the open hatch for the Supreme Commander to arrive. He winced when he saw the elohim trailing along behind Abeiron, who happened to be one of his least favorite people. Barak had a savage streak that put him off completely, but which the Altus enjoyed using for his advantage.
Yasir swallowed when he saw the anger in Abeiron's eyes. "Altus." He rapidly performed a half bow, but didn't so much as acknowledge Barak. He stepped aside so that the Supreme Commander could enter the Lab first, and eyed the other elohim warily for his intrusion.
"There are two matters we must discuss, the first of which is distressing," Abeiron said with no further delay. "The terrapin that was stationed with the ground-breakers disappeared last night."
Yasir didn't react instantly, not understanding how it could be true. "He disappeared?"
"Yes, Doctor. He is gone, along with the human who partnered with him these last weeks."
"How can they be gone, Altus? What about their energy binders?"
"They were removed. As of yet, they have found no trace of either of them."
"I will have their heads, every Overlord in that unit!" Yasir exploded. "I need that terrapin! Is there a plan in place to find him?"
"Of course they are searching, Doctor, and the elohim over the 125th are being reviewed."
"Reviewed? They lost one of the most valuable finds that we have ever acquired! He must be recovered!"
"They never should have left this place," Abeiron said sharply. "If they are so valuable, all of them should have been locked up. As it is now, we have lost half of them."
Yasir took a deep breath. "I…I acknowledge that, Altus. But this makes the remaining two that are behind bars even more important."
"Coincidentally, one of those two is the other reason I needed to speak with you this morning, and why Barak has accompanied me. I have decided on a sentence for the terrapin warrior."
Yasir took an even deeper breath.
"He will be set for another Match, this one with Barak. And my champion will not be lenient on the terrapin."
Yasir glanced over at Barak, and back at Abeiron imploringly. "I need him alive, Altus."
"He will be alive, Doctor; but he will also suffer greatly, or Barak will not have completed his task."
"I mean not to disappoint our great Altus." Barak's voice grated on Yasir's nerves. "What I would like from you are his vulnerabilities."
"His what?"
"I want information on something I can exploit to drive home a tremendous impact. You know these terrapins from top to bottom. Give me a point to take advantage of, or I will simply rip him apart limb by limb," Barak said coldly.
Yasir knew that the Overlord was not speaking an empty threat. He cast another glance at Abeiron, and the Supreme Commander nodded his agreement.
If I am going to do this, I had better pick something I can readily repair.
"If you want to make an impact on 626, then you should focus on his right knee," Yasir offered.
"His knee?" Barak sounded doubtful.
"From what I can determine it has undergone serious reconstruction. The repairs are clean – it is some of the best work I have seen coming out of Earth. But it remains vulnerable to being reinjured and the pain would be tremendous, if you attack it correctly."
Barak's brow creased. "You have given me something to think about, Doctor. I will consider this."
Yasir sighed inwardly. They sooner they get this over with, the better.