Chapter Three: The Pledge of Ruth
"So," said Johnny to Dizzy as they were getting in their non-reg uniforms back at Alpha Squad barracks. "What's your take on this woman Carl knows?" Dizzy looked to her LT and smiled.
"What? You jealous?"
"No! I'm…I'm just worried for him, you know? We just got him back. I just got him back. You…him and Carmen are the only three people who knew me before…all of this. You're all…important to me, you know. I…I don't want to lose him again."
"Well, you're not going to lose him, LT," Dizzy replied after a moment. "You are, however, going to gain a new friend." Johnny looked at her, puzzled.
"Oh," he said in recognition. "You mean Nala." Now Dizzy laughed out loud. "What gives, Diz?" Rico asked.
She sighed in exasperation. There were times when Rico was so sharp; she thought he was psychic. And then there were times like now, when she wondered if his eyes were connected to his brain. "Didn't you see the way Carl was looking at her? It kind of reminded me of how you used to look at Carmen. Only this time, Nala was looking at him the same way back." Dizzy sighed as she leaned back in her bunk. "I was going to leave for R and R, but I think I'm going to stick around base for a bit. Things are going to get pretty interesting here soon – and I'm not going to miss any of it!" Johnny snorted derisively.
"What are you trying to say?! That Carl is in love with her? And that she loves Carl?!" Dizzy turned on her side with her hand to her hip. "If the shoes fits...," she answered, laughing out loud. Johnny sat down hard in the bunk next to Dizzy. Carl…in love. In love with someone who loved him for who he was. Plain and simple. So uncomplicated. He lay down on the bunk and sighed heavily.
"God. There are days when I could really hate him, you know?" Johnny turned to Dizzy and smiled. She grabbed her pillow and hit Johnny with it in the face.
"See? I knew you were jealous!"
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Carl felt like he was free falling. It was the same feeling he would get when the team would dropsuit out of ships. He could even feel the sense of g-force in his stomach. It was as if he had swallowed a thousand butterflies – and they were all fighting to get out. Hmmm, said Nala's voice in his head. I like the butterflies' analogy.
Where…where are we? Carl asked. He knew she had taken him here once before, but his first foray here was nowhere near as gratifying as this. Now she laughed out loud; the sound of it resonating around them until it sounded like a crystal choir. She touched his arm, an action he felt from within as well as on his skin. The action caused a kaleidoscope of color on the otherwise black backdrop of this place.
There is no name for this place, came her quiet reply. I believe it is Hyperspace – or a slight variation thereof. In this plane of existence, time and space stood still or moved very fast. Nala tried to explain it all to Carl once. He was still new to his talents and he became terrified by the images that she was flashing into his mind. She apologized profusely once she realized how badly she had frightened him.
He remembered how she held him after that first time. He found himself on the floor of his 'hospital' room at INTEL HQ, in convulsions and trembling all over. She sat down on the floor and cradled him in her arms, holding his head close to her chest. He remembered the feel of her skin next to his face; the steady, calming beat of her heart. She was saying something to him in a language he couldn't understand – but it didn't matter. For so long he had been fighting. Fighting everything. Now it was all right to just accept what he had become – and let his own fears and doubts go. He awoke in her arms like that. How long he had slept, he didn't know. But he felt like he had slept for centuries. That was the first time he realized how much Nala meant to him.
I know this place, Carl said to her. You've brought me here before. Show me…everything. Carl felt Nala's hesitation. She remembered his first trip here as well. She was afraid of hurting him again. Now he reached out – and touched her. In this place she would let go her human form. She would become pure light. The first time Carl didn't understand – but this time, he could see her. She was like green lightening here. Her energy coalesced into her human form.
Are you sure, Carl? I do not want to hurt you…
You won't, Carl interjected. The first time was too early for me. But now…I WANT to see this! To…KNOW this! Nala nodded in understanding.
I have so much to show you, she whispered softly. Carl realized how lonely she had been – until now. He smiled broadly this time; and in this place the smile translated into a light that grew until it consumed all darkness. Nala gasped, surprised by this change. Carl laughed out loud – his laugh becoming a booming crystal choir of its own. Perhaps I can show you a few things as well, he whispered slyly.
Oh my, she returned playfully. Me first.
Carl felt his whole body shudder as Nala let go of her physical form and as energy, entered him. In his mind the images began again – but this time he understood. She was teaching him quantum physics. Faster than light travel – without starship hyper drives. Traveling at the speed of thought. Creating artificial atmospheres – terra forming. How to manipulate stars – and draw power from them. Communion with all the Harmonies – and Evils - of the universe. He then felt his mind expand – his talents growing until he swore his small human body could not contain them.
You are…Becoming, Carl. I still have so much to show you. She then took him to the planet she was on when he called to her. Carl felt tears come to his eyes. How long had it been since the cosmos held such wonder for him? This war had taken so much from him. It had robbed him of his youth, his parents…and at one point, him. He was always amazed at the technological advances of the SICON war machine – but it didn't stop people from dying, like Lieutenant Razak. And it couldn't help people maimed – like Sergeant Brutto.
Rico had told Carl what had happened. Brutto and Johnny were trying to stop Major Zander Barcalow from crashing the Valley Forge into the Arachnid homeworld, Klendathu. Barcalow had been exposed to a Bug virus that changed him into a half-Human half-Bug creature. Rico and Brutto made it on to the command deck by way of an outside pressure hatch. Rico had walked through the pressure doors – but Brutto was still in the doorway when Barcalow tried to seal them out. The pressure doors crushed Brutto inside his powersuit and damaged his spinal cord. He never walked again.
Poor Sarge, he thought to himself. If I had been there – maybe things would have been different.
Perhaps, said Nala. She was suddenly pensive; a feeling that she was holding something back entered Carl.
Nala? What is wrong? Tell me. But she remained silent.
Do you know why I am showing you all of this? She asked in an uncharacteristic small voice.
Does a bear…? Never mind, Carl said softly. I am young. I'm not stupid. I am changing. The headaches are becoming more frequent. I can control them, but it is only a matter of time before they consume me. My talents are getting stronger. I have my good days and my better ones. But there are no days where my abilities drop off like they used to. I've got one Op left in me – maybe two. And then…my power will destroy me.
Yes, she whispered. You are changing – becoming stronger. And your abilities will consume you – your human form. But there is no need for you to die. Do you honestly think I am the only one of my kind? The only human; yes. But the only one of my kind? No. Not even close. There are thousands of us; different species, different creeds, scattered all over the universe. This is my neck of the cosmos. I wait for beings that become aware and teach them the truth of the universe.
Like what you taught me?
Well, not quite. I've become a bit more involved with you…
Why?
Because…I'm tired of being alone. It's not fun when there's no one to share anything with – on a personal level. An air bubble formed around them and then gravity took hold. The energy that was Nala took human form again. She was wrapped in an emerald silk sari with gold accents. Around her neck a brocaded golden necklace hung and she wore matching earrings. Carl noted the gold ankle cuff that she wore as she sat on the grass that formed in this little world. Carl sat on the grass in front of her – knowing all ready what she was going to say. He could feel she was not prying into his mind. She was going to let him have his privacy when it came to answering this final question of hers. She was some time before she spoke. Carl quietly waited. For a powerful alien being – there were times when she was rather painfully shy. And to the truth of it, Carl knew that was just one of the many reasons why he loved her.
"This war with the Arachnids may not end well, Carl," she began softly. "I see many things, but they are jumbled. Not really in focus yet. That's one thing you'll learn with time – the future is never set. There is always room for change. It is the past that can never be altered." She paused, as if afraid of what she was going to say next. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "We call ourselves 'The Others'. We have learned that at times eternity can be a burden…alone. So, when opportunities arise…no. That is not the right tact."
She looked into Carl's crystal blue eyes. From the moment she felt him come into his own on Hydora, she knew he had her. She had been watching for some time – from the moment Special Operations chose him. No, even further before than that.
His Spark came under the scrutiny of The Others the day he was born. She was assigned to watch him because he was a being within her sector of surveillance. At first, he was of no interest to Nala. He was like all the other possibles on Earth. They would show promise in the beginning, but when puberty hit, their Talents would fade into the simple garden variety that had recently permeated the Terran population. But as he grew older – and more Talented, she realized there was a possibility she wouldn't be alone for much longer. His attack on the Brain Bug had sent all the Instructors into a frenzy. There hadn't been such a display of telekinetic force from the Terran species since, well, her. She had been expecting a summons from INTEL once they realized Carl had hidden himself well beyond the reach of any of their psychic specialists. She smiled softly, remembering the faces of the INTEL officers who were waiting to escort her to Carl. She bypassed them and simply flashed into Carl's room. When she saw him for the first time on the Med Asteroid near Tophet, she had Chosen him. He would be her mate, her lover and her companion for always.
She had buried her feelings for him while she was training him to accept his newfound gifts, though. She wanted to be a good Instructor for Carl. He was a jewel the likes of which her kind had not seen in ages – and she was not going to muck up his training because of her feelings for him. When her work was done INTEL Special Operations was pleased. She had resurrected their psychic Bug Killer. The Others, however, had plans for Carl - and for Nala as well. She was summoned back, ordered to leave Carl behind on Klendathu. Sadly, she accepted her duty and left her charge to fend for himself. When she returned to the Homeworld, her own Instructor, Solen, confirmed for her what she already knew. Carl and she were to be together – if he accepted their invitation.
She cleared her throat before beginning. "I want you to know that…I have Chosen…you," she said hesitantly. "When this is all over, I would very much like…for you to come with me. To share in everything I can show you. To share yourself…with me. If you would have me," she ended softly. "However, if you want to stay with your friends, I understand. I would never want to separate you from those you love. Time moves differently for my kind. For us, it may seem as though a few years have gone by - but in reality decades can pass. So – however you decide, I will not try to change your mind." She looked down at the grass, thoughtfully running her hand through the blades. Carl took her hand and now held it in both of his.
"When I was a child – my father and mother at one time were planning to divorce. Father wasn't around the house that much and Mother was trying to get her own career off the ground. Then the psych eval reports came home and stated that I showed higher than normal ESP abilities. That really threw a wrench in the works. The blaming, the accusations…it was pretty ugly sometimes. Father moved out - took an apartment; it looked like their marriage was over."
"Then he was involved in an accident that left him badly injured. He was in a coma for days. Mother never left his side. When he finally awoke, she asked him to come home. She said she would take care of him. He told her to leave, that he wasn't worth wasting the time on. Then she quoted to him a passage from the Bible that afterwards shut him up and he accepted her just the way she was. She did likewise for him. They were together when the Bugs destroyed Buenos Aires. I know that they are dead. But I also know they are somewhere together…happy." He looked down at her hand, so soft and warm, in his. "Would you like to know what the passage was?" Nala nodded her head. "Before I tell you, I want you to know something. I won't abandon my friends or my planet. If there's any chance to save them, I'm taking it." Nala again nodded her head in understanding.
Carl looked up into Nala's eyes. He wanted to make sure she understood everything. He opened his mind to her. This is my gift to you, he said entering her mind. She gasped, feeling everything that made him so unique - and so tantalizing - enter her. She smiled softly at him; closing her eyes and leaning her head back slightly. His essence was like a fine wine to her. It truly needed to be savored – and enjoyed. She felt him move close to her and put his lips to her ear.
"And Ruth said,
Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge; I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die
And there I will be buried.
The Lord do so to me and more also.
If anything but Death parts you and me."
He then gathered her in his arms and held her close. "When you left me on Klendathu I felt like I was going to die. I'm not the suicidal psychic assassin you left behind. It took me a while to remember my humanity again – but I did. I know you had your orders, as I had mine. But I'm telling you this right now - I'm never going to let you leave me again." He kissed her tenderly on her lips. She returned the kiss.
"I will never abandon you, Carl. You have my word," she whispered. "Your people are mine – your God is mine. And your war is mine."
Carl slowly let go of her and stood up. He held out his hand to her and helped her up from the ground. "I think it's time we get back. How much time has passed since we left?"
Nala smiled, wrapping her arms around Carl and kissing him lightly on his cheek. "None. I told you that you were going to get at least eight hours sleep. I meant it." With a flash they were gone and the artificial bubble world that Nala created tumbled in on itself.
