Chapter 4 – Renegade
Lyirin walked towards her lab, tightly clutching her stunner. She was tired, slightly hungry, irate and now extremely frustrated. That another wraith sought to trespass on her territory only added to her ire.
She stepped quickly behind a rock to shift back into wraith-form, knowing that whoever was there would not take kindly to seeing her, and seeing her as a human would only cause more problems. She moved away from the rock, and in doing so, tripped over a branch. She uttered a curse under her breath. Throughout her life she was seemingly prone to annoying accidents. Reknar had teased her mercilessly, telling her that she'd be best in a fighter while the rest of the hunting party was on the ground, lest she tripped over the humans they were trying to hunt. Reknar! What did he know? She almost laughed, and then shifted her focus to the clearing ahead.
This lab, like all her labs, was well hidden; in this case behind a wall of rock, nestled amongst thick trees, a perfect hiding spot. Which made her wonder, who else wanted to hide here? This was a lab to be kept secret, the lab of one who worked in secret, or perhaps a renegade. She pondered this; perhaps this could be an ally in her cause? She dismissed the thought; it could wait until after she'd had a chance to look around.
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As Lyirin walked towards the lab, she felt the presence grow stronger, and something about it puzzled her. It was a wraith, but something was…There was something else, too, that didn't feel right.
What was that?
She approached the wall, which vanished as she drew near. She walked into the lab that was once hers and, to her astonishment; no longer abandoned.
The lab was filled with equipment. She could see what appeared to be an examination table, much like the ones she had always used for subjects. There was a variety of electronic equipment, various jars and some containers filled with what looked like insects. The room was moderately lit, and the smell suggested a very recent inhabitant.
Lyirin moved towards the hall leading to the back area, and stiffened. The sense of something wrong that she had felt earlier was getting stronger as she moved towards the back area, where cocoons were usually kept. She pressed against the wall, and moved slowly forward, though alarms were going off in her head. It didn't feel like the new owner of the lab was in here, yet they felt close-by, as if they could return any second….
Lyirin finally entered the back area and gasped. All at once, she could see what had felt so wrong!
Birthing pods.
The entire space was filled with birthing pods, which looked about to hatch. But whatever life they were meant to be, they were no wraith.
Walking closer to one, and ran her fingertips along the sides, trying to get a feel for what was inside. This was definitely not wraith... She'd never felt anything like it before! It seemed closer to an insect life form, possibly like those from which it was understood that the wraith were descended. But what were they? What were they doing here?
Finally, Lyirin moved towards the corner and in doing so, noticed something else. She put a hand over her mouth in disgust! A pile of human bodies lay there, dead and rotting. Lyirin bent over to inspect one more closely and saw marks on the neck. Oh yes, they'd been fed on, but not by a wraith. She'd been right, then, in thinking that this had been something to do with the bugs from their ancestry.
But what?
What in the world could the scientist who inhabited her lab possibly be doing, and why? She moved back towards one of the birthing pods, intending to open it and study whatever was inside, when a sudden noise startled her.
Lyirin turned towards the direction of the noise, to see the most horrific thing she had ever seen! It had aspects of wraith, but looked more than anything like a giant insect, much like the smaller version, which seemed to have fed on the humans in the pile. She backed against the wall, unsure what to do. Would it attack her? Should she stun it? What was it? She decided to test her luck and try to stun it anyway, for whatever it was, it was clearly hostile.
As she lifted her stunner, to her surprise, the creature stopped moving towards her, made a strange noise, and backed away. She gaped in astonishment; she had not even had the chance to fire at the creature. But it was backing away from her, standing aside. Pondering the source of this strange turn of events, she started to move towards the front area of the lab, when a cold voice spoke in the wraith tongue.
'That's close enough.'
Lifting her head to see who had spoken, she heard and felt the stunner blast, which hit her at least three times. Before she could look up to see the one who had stunned her, the world went black.
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The wraith contemplated the female on the floor before him. He had seen her as soon as she had arrived, and figured she must have sensed him, yet for some reason he had not been able to sense her.
This lab was one of many in which he had held his experiments, and grown his army. He had found the lab abandoned, with no sign of the original owner, or the original purpose. He'd guessed that whoever this female was, she might be able to shed some light on those points, not that he cared. It was more likely that she was a spy who had come for information, or to try and kill him.
But how had she known he was here?
He growled in frustration. Ever since his capture and torture, both human and wraith had hunted him, and there was little time for polite questions. He had been more annoyed that he hadn't been able to sense her, a full-blooded wraith female. Had the torture he'd been forced to live through altered him so much that he could no longer sense a female of his own species? His own species, no matter what anyone else tried to make him believe.
He shook in anger at the memories that had led to his current life as a reviled fugitive. His capture by the Atlanteans; being used as their guinea pig, their experiment…. the poison that they called their 'retrovirus', with which they had sought to take away his identity, make him human…
Even during the times he had been human, something in him was always aware…and they had betrayed him.
Even after what they had done to him, he had chosen to help the Atlanteans when they had been in mortal danger, although to be fair, it had not been an entirely selfless act. Yet still they had betrayed him; making him human once more against his will, erasing his memories, even after he had saved their lives. They would have even killed him and two hundred others, if he had not found out their plot at the last minute. And after all this, he was still reviled by the wraith, and their queens, who were always able to sense the humanity he had been forced to live. Hated, shunned, with nowhere else to go, no one to defend him except for his guardians that he had created, ironically, with an improved version of the very same poison the humans had injected into his veins….
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The male moved closer to the slumped form, noting with grim satisfaction that he was able to sense her in her unconscious state. Perhaps she, like some of their species, was able to hide her presence from her kind? Yes, that must be it. He sighed in relief. Whatever else had been done to him, they couldn't take away his abilities. But why was she here? What did she hope to gain by looking at the birthing pods rather than the terminals that contained all of his research? He moved toward the female and picked her up, carrying her to the examination table. From behind, the creature watched him, waiting for a command. He made a noise and a gesture of dismissal, and the creature moved away, towards the wall, which opened to let it outside.
He laid the female on the examination table and bound her with the restraints, making sure to tighten them more than he would for a human, and as soon as she was suitably restrained, he filled an applicator with a sedative and injected her with a large dose, feeling it wise to take precautions, as the females of his race were vicious fighters, with powerful minds.
He studied her form, trying to work out where she had come from. She was dressed like a male wraith commander, and her outfit didn't fit. Was she perhaps a hive keeper? What was she doing alone, far away from a hive? He picked up another applicator, and filled it with a chemical which he knew would wake her up without interfering with the sedative. Once he'd interrogated her, he'd find out who she was, what she was doing here, and how she'd found him. Then, possibly kill her, or let his creatures kill her. She was no real use to him alive. Humans were a better source of material for his experiments. Part of him rebelled at treating a female of his species this way, but as far as he was concerned, it no longer mattered.
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With a gasp, Lyirin awoke, and instantly felt restraints of some kind holding her down. Something else was wrong; she felt a thick, heavy feeling through her body. A sedative of some sort! She snarled. What had been done to her? She was restrained and drugged on an examining table, like an animal! Hissing with rage, she struggled against the bonds. They were tight, and in her current state there was no way she could escape them. She looked around, trying to see the source of her humiliation. Finally, she saw the figure of a male wraith, with hair that was unusually short. His back was turned to her, so she growled again to get his attention.
'What do you want from me? Release me!' She growled in the wraith tongue.
The male did not look at her, but she could feel his scorn.
'Release you, yes; of course, others will come!' He spat out mockingly. 'Don't you think I've heard that before? Even said that before….' His voice trailed off, filled with an emotion Lyirin couldn't identify. Finally, he spoke again. 'I'd like to know who sent you, and how you found me.'
He leaned over, and stroked a hand across her cheek.
Lyirin felt him attempt to reach into her mind, and slammed up her defenses, hissing at him.
'No one sent me.' She replied, her voice filled with anger. 'You are in my lab, my territory, and I merely came to reclaim it.'
The male laughed.
'A very likely story.' He retorted. 'Perhaps I'll hear the truth if you were to become more acquainted with my guardians?' His voice was soft, and dangerous, and he probed her mind, once more, deeper. 'You will tell me. Who sent you, and where is your hive? They can't be very far from here.'
Lyirin slumped back in her restraints.
'I have no hive.' She hissed.
This earned her more laughter.
'A renegade?' He asked, his voice emotionless. 'How interesting…..and untrue.' His voice ended with a hiss. He turned around at last, and Lyirin started at him in shock.
The answer to Lyirin's question about what had felt different was instantly answered as she saw him properly for the first time.
What was he? Human? Wraith?
Reaching out with her mind, she looked closer. Definitely wraith, but something was very wrong. He resembled a human in appearance more than any wraith she had seen before. And there was something worse, that she could not quite identify… Part of her that she didn't even know existed, felt abhorrence towards such a hybrid. Her mind had labeled him as a hybrid, for nothing else quite seemed to fit. She couldn't even explain it, but something was…
'Wrong.' She hissed, finally. 'You are wrong!'
He laughed, and moved closer to her.
'I thought as much.' He said, softly. 'Note your reaction well; for it is the same reaction I've received from every wraith hive I've encountered since I escaping from those who held me hostage. I didn't think the lesser females could feel so acutely.' He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, then turned to face her again. 'I don't think you'll tell me now. But soon, you'll tell me everything I wish to know. I wonder how long it's been since you last fed…' He trailed off, his voice mocking. 'But I can tell you how long it will be until you feed again…if you do not start telling me the truth. Think about it.' He hissed and turned to leave the lab, deactivating the lights.
Lyirin shrieked in rage as she lay there, unable to move.
Whoever he was, she would not be thwarted from her goal, from her project. Not by humans, not by other wraith, and not by this mad hybrid. Though she was somewhat interested to learn the story of this wraith, especially as a scientist, she could not bring herself to feel concern for him after he had treated her in such a way.
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Lying there, Lyirin thought about her reaction to the hybrid.
Where had it come from?
The hybrid was alone like her, although he seemed to have suffered a great deal. But he revolted a part of her, deep inside, that she couldn't even name. Like the instinct that drove her to feed, something very deep inside Lyirin wanted to squash the difference inside this hybrid, while part of her pitied him and whatever he had gone through. At the moment, though, all she cared about was getting back her lab; the hybrid could do whatever he wanted, so long as he left her territory.
She sighed in frustration. Whoever or whatever he was, for now he was her only means of leaving this place, for with the exception of a sudden quake, there was no way she was escaping these restraints on her own, sedated as she was. She felt pain and humiliation; he had looked at her like a lowly worm. True, she had not been with her hive for a long time, but she was a queen! Not caring that it was hopeless, Lyirin struggled against her bonds while waiting for the hybrid to come back. One way or other, she would find her way out of this.
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The one Lyirin had called the hybrid drew closer to the human encampment. These humans were primitive, but they served their purpose both for feeding and experiments. This time, he'd bring back one extra for the captive female, if she decided to tell him the truth. He was still furious about her reaction to him; the look in her eyes and the clear feelings of abhorrence. A very small part of him had hoped that she might have at least accepted him as wraith, one of her own kind. But it seemed that he was never to be accepted by his own kind again. He snorted.
His inability to properly probe her mind also infuriated him; it seemed she had a powerful mind for a supposedly lesser female. No matter. Hunger would weaken her.
His torturers had called him 'Michael', without knowing it was to be the bane of his existence. He'd considered their proposal of life as a human, before he had truly remembered how it had been back then. Even before he'd regained his memory, no one had trusted him or even wanted to speak to him. Guards had followed him everywhere and that large, primitive human with the dreadlocks had attacked him at every opportunity presented. And his memory…
The poison they'd injected into him had stripped everything about him that made him who he was, his life, his knowledge, and his personality. They had effectively killed his true self, and might as well have properly killed him, for no one would have him now. No human, no wraith. The reaction of this female who claimed to be a renegade only proved that. Renegade! He knew what it was to be truly a renegade…
A human walking very close to him quickly diverted his attention. With a grin, the one known as 'Michael' lifted his stunner and drew closer to his human prey.
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After what seemed hours of waiting, Lyirin finally heard returning footsteps, as well as a dragging sound. She lifted her head as much as the restraints allowed, and saw the hybrid returning with what appeared to be two human captives.
He pulled the stunned humans inside, and put restraints on them. Lyirin guessed that he used restraints rather than a cocoon because the cocoon area was currently occupied with those…things.
She watched him, half interested, wondering if he intended to starve her. As it had not been so long since she had fed on two humans, it would be a while before she felt the hunger pains. If he left her lab, and the hunger didn't strike, she was more inclined to experiment on them then perhaps let them go. How long did he plan on keeping her here? She shook with rage. After escaping the humans who were nosing into her business, she'd stupidly allowed herself to get caught by a mad hybrid that had taken over her lab. She wished, for the first time in thousands of years, that her hive knew where she was.
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'Michael' knelt before one human, and placed his hand below its throat. He sighed with pleasure as the life force was drawn into him, nourishing him. He kept his eye on the female, who was staring at him with loathing. When he had taken his fill, he moved towards her again.
'Who sent you?' He hissed. 'Why have you come here?'
'No one sent me. This is my territory.' She retorted; her eyes filled with anger.
He put his hand with the feeding slit below her throat. He wasn't averse to using other methods of persuasion, if need be, nor to feeding on his own kind at this point, even a female. It had the desired effect, too, the female's eyes widened, though possibly in anger more than fear. He did not try probing her mind further, not yet.
'NO ONE sent me!' She hissed at him. 'I am what you called me, a renegade! As are you!' She spat out at him. 'Release me! I'm of no use to you, nor do I care about your business, or your experiment. I just want you out of my lab. Some humans were nosing into my business…' She began, and at that, 'Michael's' attention was finally caught.
'Humans?' He asked her, intrigued. 'And why would a wraith flee from humans?'
'They were nosing into my business.' She hissed. 'Trying to find my lab.'
Michael's eyes bored into her.
'Tell me more about them.' He said softly, his hand once more lingering on her throat.
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Lyirin was angry almost to boiling point, but when he put his hand on her, as if to feed, something inside her snapped. That he could treat her like this, after taking her lab…. She glared at him defiantly, after he had asked her about the humans, while inwardly cursing whatever sedative he'd injected her with.
'What do you care about them?' She hissed. 'Are they allies of yours?'
He roared in rage and struck her across the face.
'Tell me about them.' He repeated, and gripped her throat.
Lyirin sighed. Maybe if she told him, he'd want to investigate, and in doing so take himself, and his creatures, out of her lab.
'They were not like most humans in that world.' She began, hesitantly. 'They had technology of a higher level than what the humans in that world usually have, though not like the Lanteans of the past.' She stated, and looked at the hybrid.
'And how many were there?' He asked. 'What did they look like?' He pressed, his voice growing eager.
'There were four of them.' Lyirin replied. 'With two others from the local village, one of whom I fed on.' Her look became pained. 'One was tall, with long hair, dark, in the same style as how many male wraith wear it. The others had dark hair, but shorter. One was a female, with darker skin, and an odd feel to her.'
'Michael' hissed in triumph.
'What are they to you? Who are they?' Lyirin insisted.
'They are the reason you see me this way, wrong.' He hissed. 'I owe them a debt.' He walked to the end of the room, and looked at her. 'Perhaps I will grant you your life.' He said evenly, then walked out of the lab.
Lyirin opened her mouth to ask more questions, but he had already left.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Lyirin shrieked in frustration. She was still restrained and those creatures in the next room were liable to birth at any moment…..
She sank down in her restraints, wondering what she could do, when the idea came to her out of nowhere. She was amazed she hadn't thought of it before. All her time away from her hive, she had hidden from other wraith. But in her situation now, maybe if there were any nearby, she could try to reach them…..
Lyirin smiled, closed her eyes, reached out with her mind, deeply, forcing herself to concentrate, to focus, to conquer the numbing power of the sedative.
After several failed attempts, she was about to give up, when she finally felt something. There. There was something there! She couldn't believe her luck; they were quite close, very lucky, considering how she felt. She put her focus into the fragile contact she'd felt, allowing her presence to be felt at long last.
T.B.C
A/N - Thanks muchly for the reviews and feedback so far, it is very much appreciated. :)
So endeth chapter 4. Hopefully, 5 will be easier!
