THE DECEPTION
ABOARD THE HUMAN MOTHER SHIP PLANET
EARTH
STANDARD HMS TIME: 14:24
DATE: 01/06/2020
LOCATION: OBSERVATION 410
LYNN
"Leave me alone!" I screamed. I spun round and bolted for the door, I
tried to get it to open. But it was locked. I slammed my hand against it
desperately. I kept up my act, but another part of me was racing.
"Lynn…" Asi said, "Lynn you have to listen to me."
"I HATE you! Leave me alone! MOM!"
"MOTHER!" I hammered at the door. Jerked my head away from it, glared
at the door and screamed, "Let me OUT!"
Asi shook her head, walked to me and calmly took me away from the door. I
beat her with my fists for a while but then stopped. Realizing I wasn't
harming her much.
I looked at Asi, "I want to see her one last time."
"But you have to promise something to me."
I was listening.
"Your mother is gone, you have a small sister, you have me and Jordan.
Promise me that you will take care of Annabelle."
I started at the adult, what was she going on about? I couldn't take
care of anything, let alone a little kid.
And why was Asi so sad, she was never so close with mother, surely
she was after something, and whenever Asi was around there was bound to be
quarreling.
But Mai wasn't here to quarrel with manipulative Asi, I felt strangely
weak and venerable despite Asi's show of sorrow.
It was guilt, I realized, but I didn't care if it was or wasn't, I
decided to show Asi that I knew why, make her feel a lot of guilt, she deserves
it. "Why do you care if mom is dead? You never came by to visit, you rarely
do. You were too consumed by with your work, too into it."
Asi crossed her arms, a hint of her true character revealed, her eyes
were cold, "You know what the doctors say little Lynn?"
I turned away.
"They say its all an act, that your autistic 'comeback' was no
comeback at all, it is all an act."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Asi, knelt to the ground to face me, "They say that a little boy did
something bad, and to cover up for his evil act he disguised it with a disease
of his past, you want to know why little Lynn? Why your mother was so
overwhelmed with grief? She knew, she felt it."
I jerked back. My eyes wide startled, Asi knew?
"Very little that happens, Lynn, is overlooked."
I looked at the ground, "You know?"
"Of course I do." Asi said with a slight smile, she looked amused,
"Lynn I know it was you that killed your father."
My lip trembled.
"Don't worry little Lynn, your dirty little secret is mine to keep.
After all Mia is dead."
"I knew you never cared."
"And nor did you, if you did, you wouldn't have faked being autistic.
Lynn you're the one to blame for your mother's death."
"No."
"No? I say yes. And let me level with you," She whispered, "I'm
not the one who discovered that you are the killer, a few friends in the
military confined to me."
I trembled again, "You said you were the only one who knew…" The
penalties for killing another human are very high, and I knew that.
Asi sighed, "Why did you do it?"
No answer.
"You don't have to tell me now, Lynn."
She added with a wiry laugh, "You may not have to tell me."
She paused, "And I have a job for you. The military has a job for you."
I stared. "I knew you were after something."
"Jordan."
"What about her."
"You know she's one of the animorph's sister. Rachel to be
precise."
"And?"
"Rachel is alive. You are needed to…" Asi paused, her hand reached for her
si, her face revealed nothing about the communication she was receiving,
typical, I thought, that was Asi for you. She stood up. "Something came up.
I'll have to drop you off at my superior's quarters. He wants to talk to you
personally."
I stood silent, "Do I have to?"
"The way I see it?" She glanced at me, "You haven't got a
choice."
I hunched my shoulders. I allowed myself to be lead away from my little
isolated world and was taken to doors that had caution labels in screaming red,
first they said 'AUTHORISED
PERSONAL ONLY'
and later on they read 'AREA
RESTRICTED TO MILITARY PERSONAL'
after that, 'SASI
HEADQUARTERS'.
There were more labels around referring to sectors and areas I had not
known existed, even if I did I wouldn't have known what they had in them.
I felt scared and definitely out of place, every single person I have
seen jostling past us was wearing the classical military outfit, black of course
as the majority were soldiers, I saw others that had a si but wore dark blue
suits, I think they were the Sasi, I wasn't sure. Or maybe they were
the military's scientists.
The only difference between walking down headquarters' corridors and
say a war ship's corridors was that in headquarters you were not permitted to
carry weapons, only security had those. Even Asi had none on her.
After passing a few security checkpoints, and had been stopped once or
twice for inspection, both Asi and me, although at first Asi could manage to
speed things up by bypassing them by identifying herself, but when she reached
the Sasi her identification had no effect, we were checked, security was
tight
Being checked means that they bio-scan you, check to see if you've got
any weapons on you and check your ID and see if you were permitted to enter.
It was tedious and I had a felling that they were testing Asi's
patience, but she had to put off with the procedure, I smirked to myself.
The satisfaction was short lived, soon, we reached our destination, I
felt my stomach turn over a couple of times, I felt sick.
You know when you're in trouble and you end up being escorted to your
principle knowing that your parents are waiting too. Knowing that you have done
something wrong and you will get punished for it, that feeling, the cold
queasiness made my knees turn to jelly.
The doors slid shut behind us. I felt as if I were a trapped animal, Asi
had a firm grip on my shoulder I wouldn't be running anywhere. Besides, I was
on a ship, as big as it was, it wouldn't take them more than half a day to
find me if I chose a really good hiding place…but no, I suppose they could
track my DNA pattern, search for it, they'd find me in a matter of hours.
That is, if I managed to out run
Asi herself, if I manage to beak free before she calls for backup, if I manage
to get out of the M.A.S.S. sector one-zero-one, I knew I was in the depth of the
Sasi's headquarters. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide even.
A man in his forties stood by an
open view port, he was looking out at normal space, I could see stars and a
nearby solar system. A gigantic planet, purple and dirty yellow in color was the
closest, I watched as I saw a couple dozen of our fighter approach it and a few
scout ships trail behind them.
The man turned round and regarded me with
indifferent eyes, he said nothing to me, "Good to see you Major General, from
what I hear, you have got your hands quite full."
He nodded at me, Asi glanced at me then at the man,
she said, "Well he's all yours, I've got business to take care of."
He looked at her questionably, they acted as if I
was invisible, no, irrelevant, "Prince Noroa."
"I see." He said. "Be ready major general,
their purpose here is not what you expect it to be, they only exist here, to the
Andalites they are quite dead."
That got her attention, "What?"
"We need them for a few…experiments."
"Does this have anything to do about the
interrogation of the Aristh?"
"They tried to wipe us out with germ warfare, we
have to make sure we've got something formidable against them."
She shivered as if the room was cold, "Do you
know where all this is heading?"
"They wouldn't know about its presence."
"How many Andalites do we have on this ship
anyway?"
The man pressed his thin lips together.
She shook her head, "This plot of yours better work. Mac."
"It's not mine alone."
"You people are very calculating, but how are the others going to react
to this kind of cover up? This could very well lead to corruption of the
system."
"We have everything under control, besides major general," he looked
at her blandly, "how different is this from what we used to do?"
"What?"
"How different was this from what the countries in position of power
did? The governments? They were the people who ruled Earth, you realize that the
rest, the politicians and little groups running around were a side play."
Asi shook her head, "Tell your friends at the Sasi not to bring
the madness of Earth back."
"It is the only way to win."
Asi shook her head, "We disapprove of it."
"And who is we?"
She looked at him for a time, "Us, the soldiers."
"Good luck with your career major general."
She stared at him, "What are you implying?"
"People like you come and go. We have a lots of heroes and heroines,
Asi and you know how long they last, the Sasi is not a person, we are a
system, and if one of us goes there are others to take his place, Asi, if you
go, I doubt that there will be someone to fill your place."
My aunt was silent for a while, "I don't know Mac, but you're the
only one that speaks freely of this, what if I decided to wag my tongue outside
the sector?"
He sighed, "It wouldn't surprise you if I said that you represent the
army's opinion."
Asi shook her head, "No, I suspected this, so you talk to other
people." It was a statement, not a question.
"Good-bye major general."
Asi saluted him and left me alone.
The Sasi Mac, looked at me for quite a while without speaking, I
was starting to feel as if I were a bug being inspected underneath a microscope
or something. I looked at him once but then looked away, not being able to hold
his gaze without realizing that he knew what I had done.
"So. Lynn." He said. "That is your name correct?"
I nodded.
"I believe you know why you are here."
I nodded again, I stared at the ground I couldn't look him in the eye.
"Cat got your tongue boy?"
I looked at him with a confused expression.
"Have you got no tongue? Can't you speak?"
"No, er yes."
He laughed, "So it does speak."
I stared hard at the ground.
"Can't you look at me?" I heard him say.
I gave him no answer.
"Look at me."
I didn't respond.
"Don't try my patience little boy."
I looked up at him, made eye contact. My eyes darted, and then focused on
him again.
"Do you realize the seriousness of your act?" He asked me.
"Yes, I do."
"Do you want to tell me anything about it?"
I wanted to shake my head, say no, I wasn't interested in sharing
anything with him, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to take no for an
answer. I started to fidget.
"From your silence I take it that you did it for no particular reason,
that you are a sick, twisted human being who enjoys murder, cold blooded murder
of his kind, but not just his kind, his own flesh and blood. His own father."
"NO!" I yelled.
"Yes, that was what your silence meant."
"No it wasn't! I didn't say anything-"
"Then say something and spare me the assumptions." He snarled.
I was taken back, swayed on my feet. I looked at the Sasi who sat
behind his desk.
I looked around desperately, how could I explain it? "I don't know
what to say." I whispered.
"Why not? You were quite lucid when you did this, you were
self-aware."
"There were the voices…" I said helplessly, I expected him to laugh
at me but his expression was more serious than ever.
"What voices?"
"They told me what to do, they ordered me to take his life, they said
they-" I stopped, I felt like crying.
"The voices, what did they sound like? Where they like thought
speech?"
"No, they were human voices, cold, harsh and hoarse, they beaconed me
in my dreams and…"
"They called for you? To do what?"
"At first it was no big deal, lie here, say this, then it took control
somehow…I never understood it. At times it felt like…like instinct, they
dictated what I should do, and at other times I did them myself."
"The voices in your head," He made it sound ridiculous, "they told
you to kill your father?"
I nodded and looked at him bitterly, "They told me when to do it and
how to do it and where…"
"Your father worked for us?" He asked me.
"Yeah, he was a scientist for the Sasi."
"Did the voices tell you why you should kill him?"
"No." I looked down, "I never asked, but they repeated something
about killing the treasonous."
"And since when did you hear the voices?"
"From a long time ago." I whispered, "They came to me at night
and…after killing my father they told me to act as if my autism came back."
"You never told anyone of this?" He asked, "Not your mother, not
Jordan or Asi?"
"I had no friends, I've always been living in isolation, my mother
was almost always withdrawn, Jordan…well, she's a girl and she's an Asi
as well she…I believe she would have thought I was being ridiculous and my
aunt? I never saw her except three times in my life, four counting this one."
I stopped, then I said, "Besides, they threatened Annabelle's life, they
said if I told anyone…they said if I kept quite they will spare her life."
He looked at me skeptically, as he talked his tone grew ever so serious,
"If I find out that you have been lying to me, Lynn, the consequences will be
beyond even your already quite active imagination."
"I understand," I said bitterly.
He studied me for a while, "I'll have some of our doctor's check to
see if there isn't anything wrong with you."
I raised an eyebrow, "You think I'm insane?"
"Quite
frankly? Yes, and I couldn't imagine where you got it from."
