The Court Martial – Chapter 9
The sight of home on the horizon allowed Galen's sagging muscles to perk up and move a little faster—an accomplishment given Misha was setting a hard pace they were all willing to maintain given the urgency. He stumbled and almost fell when it struck him that he had called Alba home if only in his weary thoughts. And then he smiled, acknowledging it was true. There was no doubt that the loss of his family with no promise that he would ever see them again left an empty space that would never be filled given his circumstances, but the gleam of the city's domed roof in the setting sun and the signs of life from the Village at its base warmed his spirit with joy. He was home.
He suddenly moved into the lead of the exhausted travelers. He was home and his friends—his brothers—needed him. He tapped at his link bracelet checking for a signal. The device appeared to be searching for one and then connected. Galen quickly sent a message to Zeke stating he would be in the city soon. They had walked for several minutes before the angel's curt response returned, 'If you intend to include Pete in your plans, you should make time for him as soon as you arrive.'
Galen winced and tried to look past the anger in the tone, knowing all that they had experienced in the desert would mean nothing if they didn't reach Pete in time. He dropped back to fall in step with Grul and asked, "What does the Prophecy tell us to do next?"
"We must go to the Village of the Sadu," the Keeper stated.
"The Village? Of the Rephaim? Outside Alba?" Galen pressed anxiously.
"Botis will guide us," Grul responded.
"But that's where we're going," the chimpanzee shook as head, his fists beating against one another as if Grul had not answered. "What do we do once we arrive?"
"We will do as Botis told us, Shulmanu."
"Which means I will do what you tell me when you decide to tell me." The testy retort matched the increasing worry in Galen's face as doubts, loudly announced by the pounding against his chest about his decision to chase down a prophecy, suffocated him. Those same doubts had choked his throat into silence when he left, so he never admitted to Zeke the reason he went into the desert. The ape wrinkled his nose understanding the angel's terse reaction to his message. Focusing on the walls topped by the gleaming dome growing larger as they approached, Galen inhaled deeply, buried his doubts, and accepted the choices he made for his friend. He could not change them now and would not discount what he experienced over the last three days. Instead, his feet moved more quickly through the sand. "Let's get moving so Botis can start talking," Galen announced, hearing Pete's voice in his head. He began a loping jog, the Rephaim joining his pace.
Only a sliver of the sun touched the horizon as the four grew close enough to see the changes near the Village. They slowed for a moment to catch their breath.
"What is that?" Galen questioned seeing dozens of squared mounds of sand stretching along the west wall of Alba into the desert. With night falling, the area was empty as the Rephaim had returned to their yurts and the Albans into city to prepare for the night.
Farsha gasped and pointed. She spoke with awe, "The Village of The Sadu. It is…real…."
Grul laid a hand upon her shoulder and confirmed, "Through Botis, The Prophecies reveal what the Divine have shared. They may speak in pictures or phrases that will become clear to us…."
"And riddles," Farsha frowned.
"…and sometimes they say exactly what they mean. As for this Prophecy…."
"We must hurry," Galen interrupted, Zeke's words throbbing in his ears, and rushed toward the unusual structures.
"We must hurry," Grul agreed, and the rest trotted after the chimpanzee.
Seeing them come near, word traveled quickly through the Rephaim Village, and many met them forming a path into the sand structures. Grul walked first, his eyes casting through the varied, carefully made mounds of sand. He grinned with satisfaction as he altered his path toward the waist-high, multi-layered shelter where sparkles in the surrounding water glimmered from the lingering rays of the sun. Rounded edges marked its corners with small cloth flags stuck into the turrets waving on sticks as gentle night breezes blew from the north. Grul studied the circular ring of water with curiosity.
"It is called a moat," offered the youngling named Raim who had scurried to see the return of The Chosen and slid himself between Farsha and The Keeper.
"The shelter built for the Sadu," Grul stated.
"His castle in the sand," the young male corrected.
"Instead of your mouth which does nothing to aid The Sadu, use your feet and hands to bring cactus wood and brush tender immediately. Take those three with you," the Keeper ordered gesturing toward Raim's companions who had lingered in the growing crowd. The youngling's mouth dropped open as the words reached him, and he spun and was gone when the great responsibility he was given fell onto his shoulders.
"Shulmanu," Grul turned to Galen, "you must bring back a burning torch. Call the Rephaim to follow you as you return." Fighting down his need to ask questions, Galen chose instead to follow the example of the young ones and hurried into the village to find a burning fire.
"Hunter, prepare for the flame," Grul instructed.
Mista gave a quick nod, stepping over the water Raim had called a moat—a structure built by digging a ring below the surface then laying remains of animal stomachs along the sand base before it was filled with water thus preventing the sand from greedily absorbing that delicacy. He began to press down on the topmost layer of The Sadu's shelter to form a concave shape. Some of the sand began to crumble before a voice spoke from among the crowd, "Use the water to bind the sand."
Hearing the words and knowing her own task before Grul reminded her, Farsha dropped her knapsack to the ground, dug out her drinking cup, and jumped over the moat before filling her cup to dampen the sand that was falling to one side. She and Misha had the basin formed on top of the shelter when the young males returned and lay the wood and kindling at Misha's feet. All could hear the Shulmanu calling out, his voice echoing through the yurts, "Follow me! Join me! Come with me!" as the flickering torch appeared and disappeared between the tents as he walked. By the time Galen returned with a growing mass of the Rephaim, the wood had been laid and tinder arranged.
Grul pointed toward the shelter saying, "The Shulmanu ignites the flame."
"Gladly," Galen murmured holding the torch against the kindling until it lit.
The Keeper turned his eyes to Misha who had recovered each of the parcels from the bag. "The Hunter lays The Black Guard into the fires." Misha lowered the carapace of the blood beetle into the burning wood dipping the inside toward the fires so that the remaining body of the creature was lit and burned with a series of pops and the odor of musk. Grul loudly announced, "The Rephaim give thanks for the Blessing of the Desert gifting The Black Guard to The Sadu." Many of those watching pressed closer as more gathered in a deep circle around them.
"Innocent, prepare the Shield with the gift that bled from the stones," Grul instructed. Farsha opened the lined pouch that she had hung at her waist in preparation and poured the water taken from the shelter among the stones into the black shell. The Keeper watched until bubbles began to form on the bottom of the carapace and steam entered the air.
Grul gently unwrapped the skin of the barrel snake, held it aloft for all to see and called out, "The Rephaim give thanks for the Blessing of the Rising Sun gifting The Shimmering Cloak to The Sadu." He carefully turned the cloth, allowing the thin skin to drift into the boiling water causing gasps and murmurs of praise as the skin melted into the brew causing the rising steam to spark with bright colors.
Cautiously, he unwound the cactus spine and placed it into the carapace. "The Rephaim give thanks for the Blessing of the Clans gifting The Blanched Blade to The Sadu." The white spine began to glow as the heat infused it.
Lastly, Grul tugged at the goat skin holding the vines with the blue and yellow blooms. The thorns stuck against the covering which he unentangled before tossing each into the shell. A sweet aroma effused from the concoction. "The Rephaim give thanks for the Blessing of the Watchers gifting The Sustenance of Life to The Sadu."
Without being told, Farsha stepped forward and poured the water taken from the moat into the shell until it reached the top. The ingredients began to fold and melt into a thickening liquid as they watched.
"When will we know?" Galen's urgent whisper carried through the hushed crowd. Grul lifted his arms and began to speak.
The Chosen travel in haste to find the Village of The Sadu created in the sand and gather at the shelter honoring him. The Shulmanu ignites the flame to call The Rephaim who join together and give strength to The Sadu for the battle that rages against the monsters of The Eternal Beast. The Hunter lays The Black Guard in the fires christened by the blood of the stones. The Keeper presents The Shimmering Cloak, The Blanched Blade and The Sustenance of Life blessing each armament as it rests atop The Guard. The Innocent draws from the water risen above the sand that surrounds the shelter until the armaments are coated and combined. Only when The Chosen bind the many into the one will The Sadu find the strength to face the final battle.
xXxXx
"Ezekial, take a moment to rest. I will help. I can sense the strain in you," Malachi offered as gently as he could.
Zeke tightened his grip around Pete's chest as his besheirt leaned against his own. The angel sat on the mattress to one side of Burke, who remained in the life support pod, where he could hold him and look down at his face. The pain revealed through Pete's endless grimaces, the arching of his back and the groans that sounded through the mask that supported most of his oxygen supply but failed to offset his increasingly shallow breaths, tore through Zeke's empathic senses like trails of fire fed by acid. He pressed his cheek against Pete's soft, dark curls dampened by the sweat of his unrelenting fever and drew in a shuddered breath. Pete's inner self remained blocked from him, but he told himself that drawing the pain away from him was something…something he could offer.
Zeke finally opened his dulled eyes to his eema,who gripped the end of the pod, and responded with an almost negligible shake. Even that much movement cost him precious energy.
"I can't…won't…leave him," Zeke mouthed more than he spoke aloud.
Levi stepped up next to Zeke laying a firm hand on his son and massaged the tight mass along his shoulder. On the other side of the pod, Eliana held Pete's hand, squeezing it whenever his body tensed. Josh stood next to her with Tirzah pressed against him.
The door slid open. Miriam paused as she entered before maneuvering to the biometric controls. She attempted to hide the discouragement she felt as Pete's vital signs continued to fail, but Zeke closed his eyes with his own low groan of grief when he sensed her emotions. The healer frowned, glancing back at Malachi who simply gave her an understanding shrug.
A commotion in the main treatment area caused all but Zeke to turn their heads to the still open doors. The angel simply dropped his head deeper against his beloved. Several voices were speaking at once, drawing closer to the room, when Raziel uncharacteristically raised his proclaiming, "That is utter nonsense!" just as Galen pushed his way into the room with three Rephaim on his heels. The smallest, a child, carried a bowl holding a blackish oval vessel filled with a syrupy liquid.
"We are here to save Pete," Galen announced without preamble as he pushed toward the bed and stared down at his friend. His face clouded immediately at the sight of his pasty pallor, the glint of gel coolant spread on his chest in a futile attempt to reduce his fever, the still open wound cutting across his gut, and the sunken, blackened circles turning his eyes into empty pits. If not for the near constant tics that marred his face accompanied by his breathy moans, Galen would have feared he was staring at his corpse.
Raziel headed to Levi's side of the pod and stated in a low voice, "I can alert security to have them removed."
The Head of Security waved his hand. "I gave the clearance for Galen to bring his friends into the city. I didn't expect them all to convene here," Levi tossed a chagrined glance at Mal then turned his steely blue eyes back to the chimpanzee. "Galen, perhaps a quick explanation."
Galen lifted his eyes from Pete's face to Zeke's initial hostile look, but it faded as the chimpanzee began to speak. "Misha you know. This is Grul, the Keeper of the Prophecies. And this is Farsha." Even Zeke's face softened at the wide-eyed, open mouth gape of the young ape, seemingly overwhelmed by her first visit into the underground city. Under different circumstances, Galen would have taken the time to share his own awe at his introduction to the wonderful sights and sounds of Alba, but he did not need to be a doctor to see that they needed to do the task that brought them here.
"The Prophecies tell of a human attacked as Pete was and details the steps the Rephaim must take to save him. We have gathered the items Botis spoke about and made the, um…treatment as described. We now must administer it as instructed. And we must do it now."
"Absolutely not!" Raziel objected, his arms crossed defiantly. "This is a Medical Center where patient care is based on fact built on research and study. I am actively researching alternatives that might work." The other Albans in the room shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say given the slow progress research had made and the limited time left to find a solution.
"Galen," Miriam intervened, "how does this prophecy say to provide the treatment?"
"Each of us has a role and it is given in four ways."
"You are not giving this ridiculous notion…," Raziel's tirade was interrupted by a heart-wrenching moan as Pete twisted within Zeke's arms. His chest jerked spasmodically as his tortured gasps to suck in air rasped discontinuously with the loud, alerting warning-beeps. Miriam's fingers flew over the monitors at his bedside until he stiffened and then slumped against Zeke's chest and the warnings went silent.
Miriam studied the screen as she explained the newest findings. "The EKL have broached his right lung near the heart. They are beginning to attach to and attack the outer surface of the lung. As they reproduce, the expanded mass will be within reach of the heart muscle soon."
Zeke's hand stroked Pete's chest. His voice cracked as he asked, "How many hours does he have left?
Miriam winced. "Not hours."
Zeke and Eliana's tear-filled eyes locked together over Pete's twitching form. Eliana gave the angel a nod. Zeke turned his attention to the chimpanzee searching for any hint of hope in Galen's glistening eyes. A resolute firmness settled over his face. "Pete is dying. What more harm could it cause? Do as your Prophecies guide you. Bring him back to me."
Grul pressed Farsha forward with the bowl balanced in her two hands.
"Wait," Raziel asserted, "if you insist on this treatment, I insist upon a sample." His wings twitching in frustration, he opened the small cabinet doors behind him and after a quick search, withdrew a plastic-tipped syringe. He went to the young ape and bent down but looked first to the gorilla with the silver tufted fur centered above his eyes. The Keeper studied the angel only a moment before his gnarled finger indicated the liquid that had spilled out of the carapace into the wood bowl. Raziel sucked the dark teal, almost gray fluid, into the syringe before he tapped his link bracelet ordering, "Report to Peter Burke's room immediately."
Within moments, Leah rushed into the room, her face falling as she glanced at the patient in continued distress. "Take this to my lab. Label it as Rephaim Unknown with date and time. Put it in a sealed container to ensure preservation." The young healer-in-training took the syringe and exited, pressing the door controls, and it slid shut behind her.
"Grul, please continue," Miriam prompted.
"If you would step back," the gorilla requested, his arm pressing Tirzah, Josh, and Eliana away from the bedside and guiding Farsha into their place. Eliana moved next to Miriam while Tirzah and Josh joined Malachi at the foot of the bed. Grul laid one hand on Pete's stomach just above the open wound covered with a clear protective sealant over the two tubes entering the abdominal cavity. The gorilla pinched the edge and began pulling it back.
Raziel started to object but a hard stare from Malachi silenced him before he spoke. The angel forced a neutral look and laid his own hands on Pete's bare torso near the wound, closing his eyes as he initiated his innate connection.
With the covering removed, Grul placed both hands around the black carapace, lifting it from the bowl. His deep voice intoned, "The Chosen come to arm The Sadu that he may face the final battle against the monsters of The Eternal Beast. The Keeper shall wrap the Sadu in The Shimmering Cloak of the Rising Sun." Grul tipped the carapace allowing a portion of the liquid to pour directly into wound. Pete's body arched with a cry as the alarms sounded again.
Malachi's gray wings flapped as his steely eyes turned to Miriam. "Turn that… thing off and monitor silently." The healer gave a crisp nod and the only sound that remained was Pete's continued groans.
Raziel's head jerked up and his eyes flew to the internal camera monitor. "The EKL exposed to the liquid are…pausing."
Ignoring the human activity, Grul went on. He gestured for Misha to join him and pointed first to his hands and then the carapace. "The Hunter shall gird The Sadu with The Black Guard of The Desert." Misha dipped one open palm and then the other onto the surface of the liquid within the carapace, wetting his hands. He rubbed the entire length of Pete's arm with the exception of the area where the blue IV case surrounded his wrist. Misha dampened his hands again and then coated both sides of Pete's hand with the liquid. Misha repeated wetting his hands then walked around the bed and completed the action on Pete's right arm and then his hand. He stopped next to Zeke as he lay his damp hand on Pete's forehead and dropped his head allowing Grul to continue.
Galen had already taken his place beside Farsha as Grul spoke, "The Shulmanu shall arm The Sadu with The Blanched Blade of The Clans."
Galen looked to Miriam. "It must touch his blood." Grul turned a questioning look his way. "As was told to me by the Queen of the Clans, 'In blood it is taken, and in blood it must be given.'" Miriam's forehead gave away her frown as she looked askance at Zeke who responded with a weak smile. The healer went into the drawer built into the pod to retrieve a syringe.
"Misha, I need you," Galen requested. The gorilla returned to that side of the bed as Galen held out the unhealed palm of his hand that had been cut by the cactus spine. Pausing for a moment with a puzzled look, Misha finally grunted understanding and pulled a Rephaim dagger that had been hidden in the folds of his tunic. He sliced Galen's palm allowing a sliver of red to well in his cupped palm. Galen extended his hand toward Grul, who nodded, and poured a portion of the precious liquid from the carapace into Galen's palm. The color turned a shade of green before settling into a darker hue. The chimpanzee offered his cupped hand to Miriam who cautiously placed the tip of the syringe in place and drew the liquid inside. "Show me how to inject it," Galen requested.
As the two maneuvered to place the syringe into one of the ports of the IV, the chimpanzee nodded toward Grul. The Keeper repeated, "'In blood it is taken, and in blood it must be given' and so shall The Shulmanu arm The Sadu with The Blanched Blade of The Clans." Galen pressed the plunger down as the liquid entered Pete's bloodstream. Pete's head jerked until Zeke leaned into his ear and whispered words shared only by the two of them.
Farsha swallowed hard, gazing over her shoulder at Grul. He gestured for her to put the wooden bowl away. Tirzah, standing near, took it from her hands. The youngling gave a grateful smile to the human before accepting the carapace back. She walked to the side of the pod where Zeke kept his vigil. She paused, then asked Levi, "Sir, will you lift me, please? He must drink and it must come from my hand."
Keeping his face a mask despite the tightening in his throat as he felt helpless to offer any other support to his son, Levi assisted the young gorilla to sit on the side of the bed facing Pete and held her steady. Zeke responded by removing the mask and handing it to Eliana on the opposite side of the bed. Farsha gasped as she muttered, "My Anakim!" Her eyes darted back to Grul who met her with a knowing grin. She gave an accepting nod and returned to her task.
Grul continued to speak, "The Innocent shall fill The Sadu with The Sustenance of The Watchers."
Farsha sighed deeply as she brought the carapace to Pete's lips. She dribbled some of the liquid into his mouth. He began to cough weakly unable to expel air from his compromised lungs. She pulled back quickly, fearful of doing him harm.
"We'll do it together," Zeke encouraged her as he elevated his fiancé's body up and tilted his head to tuck his chin slightly toward his chest. The young gorilla nodded and slowly allowed the remaining liquid to pour from the bowl. Zeke held the dark head still, and though Pete sputtered some, most was swallowed.
"There is no more to give him," Farsha said quietly. "But I think it is enough."
The angel reached out and gently brushed Farsha's face telling her, "Thank-you." He then hid his face in Pete's dark curls, pulling him tight against him as silent sobs rolled through him. Levi assisted Farsha to the floor then wrapped Zeke in a hug.
The room grew still. Anticipation and dread mingled like a slow-moving fog prompting Malachi to send out a breeze of comfort and hope he did not himself feel. He focused on Ezekial and then turned his attention toward Eliana who made no attempt to hide the tears streaking her face.
The deep voice of The Keeper shared the words in the chant of The Prophecies.
"A last perilous journey awaits. The Chosen hurry to where The Sadu faces the monsters of The Beast alone. He has grown weak in the battle and the hour of his end approaches. The Rephaim stand beside him. The Keeper wraps him in The Shimmering Cloak. The Hunter buckles The Black Guard about his arms. The Shulmanu thrusts The Blanched Blade into his grip. And The Innocent presses The Sustenance of Life to his lips. And so shall The Chosen give him strength. And with that strength, The Sadu must leave the world he has wandered. The Sadu must turn away from the fight he has fought. When The Sadu accepts the gifts, he shall be The Sadu, The Wanderer, no more. And so shall emerge The Garradu, The Warrior. And so shall The Garradu enter the battle striking against the monsters of The Eternal Beast.
Grul lowered his outstretched hands. After a moment, he spoke again. "Botis tells us that the battle will wage in its own time, and we must wait. Be strong as The Garradu must be strong."
Raziel broke his concentration and pulled his hands away from Pete's abdomen. He pointed toward the monitoring screen. "Termination is not yet detected but the EKL are slowing tremendously. It is as if they are going to sleep—not dormant, that look is distinctly different." He gestured toward Grul and looked across the pod to Miriam. "Waiting is strongly recommended. We should not introduce any additional treatment until we can determine the efficacy of this combination of chemicals."
The door slid open softly, but most turned to look as Leah rushed in, her face flushed, and slightly out of breath. "Stop!" She swallowed back the intimidation that overwhelmed her from her first-time exposure to The Rephaim and the hard stares from the Head of the Council of Elders and the Security Head of all of Alba. The chills rose farther into her throat when Healer Raziel's unspoken waves of anger at her impertinence froze her where she stood. She took a deep gasp then stuttered, "I...I…took a small amount of the sample and placed it in the analyzer. I was worried for Pete…I mean the patient. I thought I should check since it was an unknown. You can't give it to him! It's poison!"
xXxXx
Pete reveled in it. A soothing balm of cool washed through him from the inside out, extinguishing the fire consuming him. The biting pain that had gnawed his nerves raw faded with the heat allowing his abused body to relax. Slowly surfacing from among the crevasses dug by his badgered mind, he stirred awake.
Feeling a weight on his chest, he blearily opened his eyes to see the shadowy outline of Zeke's head resting on the side of the bed, one hand holding his and the open palm of the other pressed above Pete's heart. Though the room was dim, blinking lights dancing to the steady drone of machines reflected a regular pulse of green and blue against the dark feathers of Zeke's wings which fell loosely across his shoulders, across his back, falling against the mattress and disappearing from his view. Pete fought against the strain telling his arm, which was wrapped in a sheath with tubes running to bags above his head, to be a good patient and be still. Instead, he dragged the leaden limb across his body and tenderly stroked the tousled, brown hair and whispered, his voice as thin as the wind, "Zeke."
The angel twitched as a weak hand brushed against his head. He started to drift back to sleep thinking Miriam must have returned once more to check on Pete—and him. He then sensed a warmth entering him with a desire so strong he cried out as his eyes widened. Zeke gasped, jerking awake upon seeing Pete's brown eyes half lidded, but open, trying to find him in the shadows.
"Hey, babe," Pete greeted, his voice crackling as his lips twitched into a ghost of a grin. "Guess we should have asked if this joint had a double bed."
"Oh Pete," Zeke choked as he slid his arm beneath his beloved's shoulders and pulled him up into a desperate hug.
"Hey now," Pete tried to soothe, feeling Zeke's sobs shudder beneath his grip as he squeezed back with what little strength he could manage. "It's okay, besheirt. I wasn't gonna skip out on you before we had a chance to get hitched. I swear."
The angel pulled him tighter. "Dammit Pete, it hurts how much I love you." Zeke moved slowly to return Pete gently to the bed. He leaned on his elbows next to the head of his betrothed and brushed at his dark hair as he held his eyes with his own.
Although Pete struggled to hold his focus, he soaked in the joy and relief Zeke was emitting. Pete wobbled his hand up and rested it on Zeke's cheek. "Damn, you're beautiful even when you look like shit."
Zeke snorted. "It's probably best I don't let you look in a mirror, handsome. That may be a minority opinion for a few days." The angel leaned in slowly and brushed Pete's lips with a gentle kiss. "Besides," he whispered, lifting up only inches away while the fingers of one hand traced around the contours of Pete's face, "I want to stare at you all by myself. Not sharing you with anybody for a while."
Pete lost the fight to keep his eyes open as his hand fell away from Zeke, but not before the angel grabbed it and pulled it to his lips. His voice breathy, Pete asked as his eyelids fluttered then gave in and shut completely before sleep took him, "Zeke, will you be here? When I wake up?"
"Besheirt, I will be with you every moment for the rest of our days."
When Pete found himself waking again in the hospital room, Zeke wrapped him like a blanket, his wings forming a protective shield around them as he held him tightly against his chest. At least it felt like that although it was the sensations his empathic fiancé projected around him. Zeke was sitting next to him, holding his hand, stroking his forearm as his eyes fluttered open. His mind remained blurred as words and memories tossed in a jumbled turmoil that finally sputtered out in a croaking whisper, "You stayed with me this time."
"I had to," Zeke leaned in to make sure Pete could see him. "You have a reputation for sneaking out of the place early."
"I know it's hard for you to be here in the Medical Center. What if I promise to behave so you can sit with me at home?"
At home. Tears sprang to Zeke's eyes at the thought of the two of them. Together. At one home. "There was some talk of making this your regular quarters given how often you end up here," Zeke teased.
Pete scanned the all-too familiar room. A frown burrowed into his forehead as he blinked several times before fully registering the tubes coming out of his arm and others snaking out of his stomach. The memory of a knife sliding into his gut caused him to wince although the wielder remained in shadow causing a different clench to his gut. Sensing the disturbance in him, Zeke said nothing but stroked his cheek with the back of his hand. Pete leaned into it.
"I don't think that proposed feature in Playgirl will be going for my bare-chested look given this collection of scars I'm accumulating," Pete rasped, disconcertedly.
Zeke couldn't tear his eyes away from his face. "I don't think I'm letting you out of my arms to show off your bare-chested look any time soon."
Pete struggled to clear his throat. "How long?"
Zeke paused. To offset Pete's rising anxiety, he tempered his answer with a generalized, "A few days." The angel's exhausted features showed every hour of those draining days. "There was a betting pool on how long you could go without talking. We all lost." Zeke casually shrugged his shoulders. "No one bet longer than 21 hours."
"Ahh, you know you missed me." Zeke's love flooded into Pete filling him with an overwhelming sense of …belonging…that momentarily took his breath away.
"Besheirt," the angel said warmly, "I never want to be without you again for even a single day. No matter how much you babble."
Pete started to chuckle, but his face folded into a contortion of pain as he gasped between hacking coughs. The angel pulled up from his seat shouting, "Miriam!"
Within moments, the blonde healer trotted into the room with Galen directly behind her. Pete tried to sit up but was unable to manage that and twisted to his side as he gagged.
"I was on my way in and asked for an update," the ape explained to Zeke's surprised look as Miriam rushed to the pod controls, tapped on the keys before grabbing a microinjector and pressed it against Pete's neck. She yanked a mask with a tube affixed from the side of the pod and pressed it over his mouth and nose until the symptoms subsided. Pete rolled to his back, his face flushed, and gently pushed the healer's hand and the mask aside. Miriam elevated the bed bringing him to a higher angle.
"Welcome back, Pete. We were all worried about you," she smiled at him.
"Were?" Galen moved to stand next to Miriam as he knuckled Pete's chest. "It has become a constant state."
"Pete, you were exposed to a toxin, a microscopic organism that compromised your systems including your lungs," Miriam launched into a brief explanation of the same information she had been providing to his chimpanzee companion. "We called it EKL. With the help of Galen and the Rephaim, an antidote was administered. Some of the dead EKL were removed through the suctioning device," she gestured toward the tube at his lower abdomen. "Although, they are dissolving—a natural phenomenon when they die—the amount of the remnants is not conducive to expect a complete removal without our intervention. We are scheduling you for surgery under quarantine conditions to extricate the remains and for a scope to locate, medicate, and suture your internal wounds, seal up the exterior one, and have you on your way to full recovery by early afternoon." Miriam lay a hand on his shoulder adding, "You know, the healer's educational curriculum is going to have an entire section dedicated to you."
Pete grinned weakly as he glanced at his friends. "Wait. Something's wrong," he announced suddenly as he squirmed, staring at Galen. "Where's Alan?"
"What do you remember, Pete?" Miriam asked.
He groaned. "Not again." When the three fugitives had fallen into the old rail station, when Pete had died from his injuries to be brought back by the unexpected intervention of the Albans, he had lost over a year of memories of his life in his new existence when he and his commander crashed on future earth. With the aid of Zeke and Malachi's empathic gifts, many of those lost pieces had been reset but he still wasn't sure what remained lost to him.
"Different set of circumstances. Tell us what you remember."
He paused, looking at his lap hidden beneath the blankets then tugged at the blue IV harness on his arm before turning to Zeke for support. Reassurance came from more than his hazel eyes.
"The crater," Pete remembered as pictures flitted then slowly settled in his mind. "We were investigating the crater. Harriet's floor rumbled. When I looked out, you were passed out. Zeke," he grabbed the arm of his betrothed with new worry. "Are you all right?" Zeke squeezed back with a comforting grin and a flash of empathic support.
Pete closed his eyes momentarily, grabbing onto the images skirting at the edges of his shadowed memories. His eyelids flew open, and he tightened his grip on Zeke's arm. "Shit! The damn androids! They popped out of the ground. Mother fuckers, uh, oh, sorry Miriam, Galen. They had buried themselves in the crater.
"They took Alan!" he bolted up. "To…to…damn it…the base. What's the name of the base? Why can't I remember the name of the base?!"
"Kirtland," Zeke supplied gently to Pete's look of alarm.
"Pete, you were exposed to several chemical agents including one targeting specific memories," Miriam interjected. "The influence should be out of your system, although Raziel should be able to tell us more about long-term effects, if any."
"Alan!" Pete waved off any concerns about himself. "We have to go get him. They were going…going to…damn it!" He hit the mattress with his fist. "They had a reason to take him but I can't remember! They wanted me, too." Zeke's face grew hard at that news, and he lay his arm across Pete's shoulders. Burke jerked his head to Zeke for answers. "How long ago exactly?"
"Pete, calm down. We are working on…," Zeke sent an aura of peace.
"How long Zeke?!" Pete snapped, rejecting the angel's efforts to distract him.
Galen stepped in to attempt to diffuse Pete's building anger and frustration. He had learned a trick or two on handling his volatile friend in the nearly two years that they had spent together. "Pete, it has been over four days. Levi, Eliana, Misha, and I are going with a team to Kirtland. They don't think Alan is in immediate danger, but we are going to get him back."
"Damn right we are. When do we leave?" The man practically rose out of the bed as he tossed the blanket to one side.
"PETE!" the triad of Zeke, Galen and Miriam yelled at him from around the bed. Zeke didn't need his superior strength to press him back. Pete's weakened muscles gave in with a slight shove and a firm hand on his shoulder held him in place. Galen readjusted the sheet back over his hips.
"I have to find him…I was looking for him," Pete's anxiety ramped up quickly as Zeke and Galen shared puzzled looks at his words. "I was searching for him. And hiding from the red apes. I thought maybe Urko sent them after me after they took Alan. But I remember now. The fuckin' castaways from the Imperial Junkyard can't just power down and accept that the world flipped and cracked its skull open while they did combat drills in their forgotten bunker.
"Court martial!" the major exclaimed as the memory abruptly returned. "They wanted him for a court martial. And want to court martial me, too. Assholes," Pete continued to murmur and fidget as more and more images colored the mural that had gone dark.
"You are going to be strapped to this bed," Miriam scowled at him, "or drugged if you move another muscle, mister." She pointed a hypodermic injector at his face in case he had any doubts she was serious.
"I promised," Pete's voice almost broke but grew stronger as he stared at Zeke, Miriam, and Galen in turn. "I promised him I would come. I won't leave him with them."
Zeke and Galen shared a knowing and worried look across the bed. They recognized the resolute tone and determination that had settled over Burke. They might need Miriam's straps and drugs after all.
xXxXx
His arms crossed at his chest, Zeke leaned against the wall, shaded, for now. As he watched, the long shadow across the Magic Village—no, The Village of The Sadu now—shrunk, pulling closer to him and would soon vanish completely when the sun found him hiding here. Apes and humans, children and adults, continued to chat and play among the sand structures as new mounds were erected, some becoming elaborate as inventive ways to mold the sand were discovered from the building of the last. The area would empty soon as the groups retreated from the afternoon blaze into their yurts and the shelter of Alba, but the numbers blending together, discovering one another, left Zeke with a feeling of wonder.
Easily within in his view, the first built remained standing but looking nothing as he left it. Pete's castle in the sand was adorned with strings of feathers, tiny bones and great claws, cactus spines, and bits of hair and fur woven into garlands marking the celebration of the Rephaim when The Sadu of their Prophecies lived. Zeke could see where the top had been pushed in, cupping a small mound of gray ash atop the melted sand from the open fire that had burned to make the medicine that saved Pete's life. And while Zeke waited, Miriam and Raziel were conducting the surgery that would make him whole.
Zeke's mind wandered through the events of yesterday—the day when he had succumbed to the inescapable truth that his besheirt would be taken and join his ahuvi in whatever world followed this. He had been numbed by denial, doubting his fragile emotional existence could survive the loss of both in just one month's time. He knew he was doing what was expected of him—go on—but he truly wondered if he had the strength. A walk off the platform into the central shaft with his wings wrapped around him was the end he saw for himself. When Pete's pain had ceased, when his heart had been stilled, Zeke's bleak plan was to join Pete and Jed. In his despair, any other purpose in living this life was closed to him. He would hold Pete until he died and then… and then…
Galen burst into the room. He wanted to throw his anger at the chimpanzee who claimed to love Pete like a brother but disappeared with the gorillas since, as fellow apes, they were more important than his dying friend. All the fury that had consumed Zeke because a bullet had stolen Jed from him and now a tainted blade was wrenching Pete out of his arms stormed around Galen instead until …until…
Galen offered him hope.
Crazy hope. Insane hope. Hope churned in madness and impossibility. And Galen begged Zeke to trust in that hope because…because…
To deny hope meant he allowed Pete to die.
Zeke had watched transfixed as the Rephaim, through Grul, announced their actions based on prophecies shared through centuries of drug-induced visions, each elevated figure of mythical yore presenting a physical cure based on allegory. His hand had pressed so hard against Pete's naked chest that he had caused a slight bruise—a useless hand unable to break inside to snare the menace destroying him. As the last of the odd smelling liquid entered Pete's lips, Leah had burst in with a warning spoken too late.
Poison!
He felt his own heart stutter at that memory. The next few moments in the room were lost to Zeke as undeniable blame that he had plunged the fatal dagger into Pete's heart overwhelmed him. When conscious awareness had returned, Mal had both hands clamped across his shoulders controlling the empathic panic Zeke projected toward the room. Levi prevented further chaos as he compelled the removal of everyone else with the exception of Miriam, following them out. Zeke's understanding of time whirled as his eema held the safety line preventing him from disappearing into an empty vortex.
He recalled, as if viewing it from a distance, that Raziel had come back in, the dark oval in one palm, which he had placed into a sample box. He still heard the condescension in the angel's voice as he explained that Grul assured him that they knew from the words of their prophet that the concoction would be lethal to any but their Sadu. Grul gave up the now treasured artifact only with Raziel's assurance that it would be returned undamaged as he simply needed to touch it to study it once he recovered from the recent strain of monitoring the EKL through his innate gift. The Keeper had acquiesced with the words, "And so shall you see the fulfilled promise of The Prophecies."
Raziel laid his hands back on Pete. He told them that the activity of the EKL had stalled. No violence, no outward demonstrations of flailing limbs or tentacles, no defensive responses. They slumbered, then went silent as their systems shut down and stopped. He removed a sample into a quarantine box with no reaction, all signs of life stilled.
Pete had stilled, too. Miriam's kind voice tore open the padding that Mal helped lay around him and her words guided him back like a beacon, a bright light in a tunnel of darkness.
"Zeke, Pete's fever is dropping. He remains critical, but it is dropping."
His musings paused, his arms crossed, Zeke squinted upwards at the edge of the bright orb of fire that was peeking over the rim of the dome above his head. He glanced down at the puddle of shadow now barely covering his toes. He next turned his head to observe the young Rephaim leaning against the wall, his arms crossed at his chest, a somewhat awkward position for the gorilla, peering back at him.
"Sir Zeke." Although it sounded more like Zur Za-ache with the boy's accent.
Zeke had no clue when the boy had joined him, but the Rephaim's impeccable manners had not interrupted him until the angel acknowledged his presence.
"Raim," Zeke replied, resetting his arms while readjusting his damp back and flattened wings against the wall. Raim responded in kind.
"Sir Zeke, shall we build another castle for Sir Pa-ate? We needed his other."
"So I see," Zeke observed. "Here's what I suggest. You and the guys," Zeke leaned forward to look several feet past Raim where three more boys, arms crossed at their chests, leaned against the wall, "should build a castle for Pete right over there," he pointed to an open spot, "and in a few days, Pete will come and build another one with all of us."
"The Sadu?" Raim's eyes grew wide with awe accompanied by nervous gasps from his friends.
The picture of these four, rapt in hero worship, vying for Pete's attention, scrambling to be near him as he bumped into them with swallowed curses at every turn, lightened Zeke's heart. He rediscovered laughter. He thought maybe he had lost it. Zeke took a step away from the wall to look at all of them. "But you have to make a promise."
"We promise," Raim came to stand next to Zeke, nodding at the others in turn then back to the Anakim.
"He will be getting better but not completely healed…"
"From his battle," one of the boys uttered.
"…so no matter what he tells you, you must carry his water buckets and help him move his sand. Whatever he tries to do, you must do it for him."
"Yes, yes. Promise!" they clamored, all of them surrounding him now.
Zeke smirked, "He will love it!"
Pete was gonna hate it!
Zeke's laughter and joy carried across the sand village turning heads and bringing smiles. Yes, it was a joyous day for The Sadu lived.
xXxXx
He had whined to get his way but since he was the one recently returned from the almost dead—again—he didn't care. Alba's internal lighting system was taking the city into evening, but the illumination from the tablet screen provided adequate light for reading. The general logistics for the return to Kirtland leaving tomorrow that he had demanded were detailed although missing the specific mission plan to retrieve Alan. He was okay with that. He understood the need-to-know mentality all too well. Well enough that as he made his way through the ranks, USAF officer Burke had learned to skirt around the need-to-know bullshit whenever he needed to know.
And at this moment, the actual plan didn't matter. He was going to be on board Harriet if he had to sneak on as a stowaway. His early afternoon surgery went well. He was foamed up and stitched where the damn 'droid blade had fileted him like so much red meat. They also filled the major holes left by the invading horde that munched their way through the all-you-can-eat delicacies inside Burke's Bountiful Buffet, but Miriam said no complications were anticipated and the innumerable knicks and crannies should heal on their own. He figured she wasn't thinking about the nightmares. Well, that gave him something new to dance around with Malachi, his therapy chat buddy, when they added this to his hit parade of traumas.
The pain drugs had done wonders to get his head focused on the more immediate need of bringing Alan out of that bot-controlled cemetery of days long, long gone. Raziel was confident that the creepy crawly red things that had been gnawing his insides were dead, and those they had not removed during surgery would dissolve and be absorbed by his system thanks to an inherent auto-melt, clean-up function built into the genetically engineered monsters. Burke purposefully wasn't focusing too much on that unnerving bit of data. Unhitched from the tubes that had come out of his abdomen, he had enough training as a med tech from his astronaut days to remove the IV from his arm. He was going to Kirtland, by god, no matter how much Mal sometimes still scared him when he put his foot down.
He talked Zeke into running, or maybe flying, up to see his friend Felix in the restaurant on the sixth level for freshly made sorbet versus Ser-Vi-Tor's decent, but not the same, alternative. He only had to give him his soulful, puppy-dog eyes for a few seconds to get his way on that. He just wanted time to plan his great escape if it became necessary and didn't need the distraction. Pete grinned. Zeke continued to be a delicious distraction—and the gentle stirring below decks confirmed that normal functioning was returning, and he was ready to get up and around for a good cause. And to save Alan.
When his door slid open, he thought Zeke was returning amplifying his less than noble motivations, but his stomach did a flip-flop when Eliana flowed in still dressed in her uniform. He couldn't deny she was beautiful no matter how she was dressed, or undressed, he suspected.
"Eliana," he greeted her with a shy smile, a little chagrined at the nervous squeak in his otherwise deep voice. Sometimes he was no better than a damn teenager ramped up on testosterone. Zeke informed him that she had come to see him several times when he was out of things, but she had been busy working on mission strategies with Levi since he woke up.
"Oh my God, Pete!" She bounded across the room, placed both hands on his cheeks and pressed her lips onto his. Eliana had him engulfed in the kiss before he could speak. He initially pulled back, but the heat of the kiss, and his already stirring groin caused him to react by kissing back although the grown-up part of his brain was screaming, what the fuck are you doing?!
The kiss quickly moved from one of relief to see him alive to one of passion, testing how far this might go since he was alive. Pete couldn't deny he was just as engaged in the moment as Eliana.
And then Zeke walked in.
Pete's eyes grew huge. A burst of guilt and upset and immediate worry about Zeke's anger at his inability to remain faithful overwhelmed him. He jerked back opening his mouth to jabber whatever poor excuse his suddenly juvenile brain could devise but Eliana lit into him first.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Eliana punched his upper arm. He was too stunned to make a sound but rubbed it as her tirade went on. "You were outgunned and out manned. You couldn't just hide in Harriet until you had some support? Pick up the damn radio maybe and call for back-up?"
Zeke suddenly developed the same inscrutable expression Pete had come to fear when Malachi was refusing to speak in their therapy sessions until Pete admitted some deep, dark secret that Mal had sussed out but was forcing Pete to admit out loud. His wings made an ominous swishing sound as he rounded the bed on the opposite side of Eliana, setting two bowls of sorbet on a counter on the wall as he passed.
Pete swallowed repeatedly trying to bring words to his tongue as his desperate eyes switched from one to the other: fearing Zeke's outrage at his obvious betrayal, unsure how to respond to Eliana's frustration with him, and suddenly terrified he was about to lose everything dear to him just when he was figuring out what that was.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he blurted out back and forth between the two, a look of abject misery on his face.
Eliana and Zeke looked at each other then back at Pete. He winced, expecting another blow as they leaned toward him but wrapped him in a hug on either side. Eliana kissed him first, then Zeke followed.
Pete's confusion only grew when the angel jerked his head toward the swirls of frozen fruit behind him. "Don't worry. I'll share mine with her," Zeke grinned.