Rising Storm, page 126
Tears flowed and Jodi made no attempt to stop them. She did not have the strength. 'This is bad...so Very bad...'
Sunny sobbed along with her, 'I know...There's No hope...'
The Soul's defeated lament stirred something in Jodi. An ember of defiance. She reached deep within herself. 'I am not dying like this. Not here...not Now...'
Closing her eyes, Jodi fought down the worst of her nausea. The air was still cold, but the metallic smell, which had been present since she was brought here, had diminished. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. Letting the worst of the shakes rattling her body pass. Inspired by Jodi, Sunny also began to get her fears under control. Minutes passed, just how many they were uncertain, but slowly the hollow sick feeling began to retreat. A soft warble came from nearby. Her eyes flickered open, blinking in the dull glow of the overhead light. Taking a few more steadying breaths, she pushed herself up to a sitting position on the cold metal table. Then Jodi turned towards the sound.
He was there. Standing just outside the illumination encircling the slab where she lay. Her jailer. Her tormentor. The alien monster, the Vulture named Sag. He stood absolutely still, his dark gray skin blending seamlessly into the shadows of the room. Only his large multistoried eyes reflecting the nearby light made him stand out. A startled shriek worked it way out of Sod's parched throat. Instinctively she scooted away from the monstrosity.
"Jodie," hooted Sag.
"Get away from me!" screamed Jodi.
He warbled again, "Allay down." There was a pause and then more eerie noises came from his lip-less mouth. Unintelligible words. He slouched towards her.
Got to run...' whimpered Sunny as the Vulture moved into the light.
Sunny might want to flee, but Jodi was beginning to feel the slow burn of a building fury. The long hypodermic needle was clutched in her hands. As one of Gas's lengthy arms stretched near, she stabbed out with the sharp end of the syringe. The pointed tip jabbed into the alien's wrinkled and almost scale-like skin. While the needle was not the most effective weapon and Jodi barely had any strength, the Vulture quickly yanked his arm back.
"Disorientation," he hissed at her.
Jodi realized Sag was speaking her language without the aid of a translating device. He had called her 'Disobedient.' A feral grin grew on her face. "I sure am!" she snapped back at the creature. She squeezed the hypodermic tight in her hand and held it up to the alien. She tried very hard to not let her hand tremble. "Come near me again and I'll jab this in one of your big, old, ugly eyes."
Sag bobbed his head back and forth. An odd movement from Sod's perspective, as his head and neck swivel as one. He shuffled slowly backward, deeper into the dark. In the act of retreating a little shiver went through the tall creature and something dark rustled in the shadows. Jodi saw wings extending from the alien's back, black and leathery.
Jodi was struck by an awareness that had little to do with one of Gunny's old memories of the aliens. In the dim darkness of the morgue, Sag stood with his wings spread wide. She quivered on the metal table, genuinely terror-struck by what she saw.
Not a Vulture,' shuddered Jodi, 'He's a demon...'
But Gas's terrifying pose only lasted for a few disturbing seconds. As the Vulture arched his arms out towards Jodi, he was suddenly struck by intense wrenching coughs. His whole body spamming from loud wheezing barks coming from his thin mouth.
"Rehearing, Rehearing," gasped Sag as his wings drooped and his body hunched forward in apparent pain.
At seeing her alien captor crippled, Jodi did not hesitate at the presented opportunity. Pivoting her body with her arms, she pushed herself off the stainless steel table. But her legs did not have the strength to hold her up, and they folded underneath her body like wet cardboard.
"Owe, Dimmit..." She cursed as pain rattled through her weakened body when she hit the floor.
Nearby the Sag was clutching his sides, his long bony arms wrapped tightly around his midsection. Wheezing sounds continued to burble from the Vulture's strange mouth. In the dim light it was hard to be certain, but to Jodi his skin colored had paled. Now it was more of a chalky gray color.
"Help meme…" rasped Sag.
If it were not for her nausea, pain, and complete exhaustion, Jodi would have laughed out loud at his plea. She would much rather run the wretched creature over with truck then give any type of aid. Not that she was in a position to do much. Instead, she started to half-crawl, half-drag herself with her weak limbs, hopefully in the direction of the exit. But Sunny, ever present, whispered out from the back of her mind. 'Maybe we should help...'
ahoy can't be this stupid,' shot back Jodi. Reaching out, she grasped a metal table leg and pulled herself deeper into the dim darkness. Even this small effort left her arms trembling with fatigue. Mentally she pressed on with Sunny. 'After everything he's done to us, you want to help him!?' She could feel Gunny's fear and wariness of the Vulture but at the same time the little Soul could not stand to see anyone suffer. Even someone who had terrorized them for days.
II know, Jodi...I Can't blame you for hating the Vulture. I don't like what he did any more than you. But hate isn't something my kind does...At Least not very well. And I'm scared of the Vulture too...But If there is something we could do and don't, aren't we just being cruel?' Sunny paused, her part of their shared mind racing through ideas. 'We're not strong enough to get out of here on our own. We don't even know where the exit is located. Maybe we can get the way out if we help Sag.'
Jodi could only shake her head in exasperated irritation. 'How the hell has your kind ever accomplished a damn thing? You have the survival instincts of a marshmallow...'
But before Sunny could make a reply, an audible snap echoed throughout the room. Without warning, all the lights came on. Jodi winced at the sudden increase illumination. Blinking rapidly she tried to get her eyes used to the new level of light. Unsteadily she rose to her knees and looked about. On the nearby tables Jodi saw an elaborate setup of machines and devices she could not begin to comprehend. With another twist of unease in her stomach she noticed more black body bags on the far side of the room, each one apparently occupied with a corpse. The fluorescence lights had transformed the dark and creepy morgue into brightly lit but still very frightening room. And at the center of this twisted mad scientist laboratory lay the Vulture Sag. He was on his side, one of his large wings lay partially unfurled behind him. The thin body of the Vulture slowly shuddering as he struggled to breathe. His strange eyes closed.
Someone turned the lights on,' It had to be Smith or one of his lackeys reasoned Jodi. 'They've must have the Vulture monitored or something...they Know if he needs help...'
II don't think we can run, Jodi...we Need to hide...'
Gunny's reply came just as Jodi finally managed to spot the door to the outside. By whatever little luck she had, she had been crawling in the right direction. But that luck apparently had run dry, because she could hear a voice on the other side of the door. She was not going to let Smith, or anyone else put her back on one these damn tables. Sunny was right, they needed to hide.
As the door opened, Jodi went flat on her stomach. The rows of tables would provide some amount of cover. But it would not take long for someone to spot her. A quick glance at the nearest table to her from her vantage point showed it to have an open lower shelf. It was filled with various jugs and bottle of an assortment of chemicals. There was just enough space beneath it for someone of Sod's size to fit.
It would not be the best of hiding spots, but with no other choices, Jodi inched her way underneath. Space was tight, she would not be able to raise her head more than a few inches without hitting the shelf's bottom. All she could see now was the cold tiled floor and the legs of the nearby tables.
Footsteps echoed through the room. They were slow, tentative. As if the person or persons was unfamiliar with this place. Uncertain what they would find. But it would be impossible to not notice the Vulture. The alien was far too large and utterly too strange to miss.
"I wanted you to see him," said a man's voice. It was low and even, but it did not belong to Director Smith.
"I wanted you to understand what's been going on," continued the unknown man. There was a pause and his voice went up in volume. "Not so tough are you when I shut off your air. You just lay there, gasping for your last breath."
There was a muffled response, but Jodi was certain it did not come from Sag. The voice belonged to a woman, but it was somehow stifled or restricted. Jodi could not make out what was being said.
"You know what he is," replied the unseen man. "You've got the memories from when you were a host. You know what the Souls call this thing." A long moment passed while Jodi strained to hear the response, but she heard nothing.
"Now look at him as a human. It is no coincidence. See the wings, see his scaly skin, and tell me what you see!"
The man's voice was recognizable. Jodi had heard it before. Where? There was a bit of drawl to his words. A southern accent. She racked her mind. It was before all Sunny had woken up. She had been with Jeremy...The Man with the fake silver eyes...What Was his name?
There were sounds of someone moving about. One of the tables groaned in protest as it was shoved out the way. Where they looking for her, Jodi wondered? They did not seem especially interested in helping Sag. In fact, the man Jeremy had introduced her to, claimed he had tampered with the Vulture's air supply. Till now Jodi had assumed Smith and the others were in league with the alien. But it was possible not everyone was on board with such an alliance.
"What?" snapped the southern accented man. His name was right at the tip of Sod's tongue.
"How?" came the woman's voice. This time, she was louder and unrestricted. "How can a Vulture be here? Where did it come from?"
Jodi did not recognize her voice, but Sunny did. Astonishment jolted through the Soul. 'That's Melanie!' She felt Sunny try to move her body, rising in excitement. But Jodi held fast. She was not going to reveal herself until she understood what was going on.
"Don't you get it!?" growled the man. "They're the truth behind our legends of devils and demons. They've been here all along! When we were building the pyramids, they were here! Waiting in the shadows, planning and preparing us."
"W-What do you m-mean?" asked Melanie, her voice was shaking with fear.
"Did you really think your ability to continue on after Wanda was put in your head had something to do with your can-do spirit? That humanity's 'resistance' to the Souls was just a happy accident? We were made that way."
A silence then hung heavy in the air and Jodi felt her mind racing. A thousand questions bubbled on top a thousand more. Everything that had happened to her since she had woken up had been some sort of lie or manipulation. Was this the truth or was it more lies? She had been too trusting with Smith and she had wound up in this nightmarish room. Whom could she trust? Was this man with Melanie a friend or foe? Was what he was saying true?
From Gunny's memories, Jodi knew the Souls had never encountered a race who's minds endured after insertion. But Humans had been different, at least some of them had resisted the Souls' control. Like Melanie, her mind had continued on even after she had become a host. The Souls had theories, but the truth was they did not complete understand why it happened. Jodi, herself, had never been resistant to Sunny. She had been completely gone until Sunny was exposed to CURE. Was Melanie somehow different? For that matter why was Melanie here? Sunny knew her, but Jodi did not. Was she truly a friend?
She is!' insisted Sunny. 'Melanie was always kind to me. And she's practically a sister to Wanderer.'
Maybe,' considered Jodi. 'But there is so much we don't understand right now. We need to be very careful...'
The mystery man was talking again. His voice tight with barely controlled anger. "You've screwed up enough things tonight, Melanie. I still need you, but you'll keep your mouth shut and do exactly as I say or I will have Jarred and Kyle put down like rabid dogs."
At hearing Kyle's name and the threat to his life, both Jodi and Sunny let out a startled gasp. The noise would have been certainly audible to the other two in the room if it had not been for Melanie's angry outburst coming at the same time.
"You bastard..."
She was cut off by the sound of a vicious slap. A cry of pain followed.
"Armageddon is a common, girl! And you best be on my side when it gets here!"
The noise of someone being pulled roughly along reached Sod's ears. They were retreating, at least the man was, it sounded like Melanie was fighting him. Risking a better look, Jodi pulled half way out of her hiding spot under the table to see what was happening.
A woman with dusky skin and dark hair was being led out of the room. Her hands were bound behind her back and a gag had been placed in her mouth. She bore a deep red mark on her cheek, evidently where the man had hit her. Her assailant was tall, well built, and now Jodi was sure he was the man she had met before. And with the sight of him, his name came back...Craig Williams.
At the door to the outside, Williams glanced about the room. Jodi pressed back against the floor, hoping he did not see her. He did not look for long and moments later she heard the door open and then close. Except for the soft electronic whirl of the medical equipment the morgue was as quiet as a tomb. Slowly Jodi pulled herself from under the table and let out a breath she did not know she was holding.
On unsteady legs, she stood up. A moment of dizziness followed but Jodi steadied herself by gripping the edge of one of the examination tables. Taking a few cautious steps, she found the unmoving body of Sag on the floor nearby. His creepy yellow-red eyes were open but the alien was clearly dead. The thin lip-less mouth hung open and dark purplish fluid trailed out. The bright lights the room had done nothing to diminish the Vulture's frightening appearance. Her mind was still buzzing over what she had overhead.
Sunny interrupted with an urgent whisper. 'Jodi, we have to help Melanie.'
Pulling herself away from the disturbing dead alien, Jodi nodded. 'I know...But I'm not sure what we can do. We can barely stand.'
Gunny's answer was quick in coming. 'That Human, the one with the eyes like my kind. He was threatening to kill Kyle.' Gunny's mental voice wavered with fear for Kyle's safety that mirrored Sod's own. 'That means Kyle and Jarred are captive somewhere around here. Maybe we can find them.'
ewe can try,' agreed Jodi. 'But first things first, let's get the hell out of this morgue.'
####
"No way in hell!" snarled Scott.
Beside him, Dell rumbled like an angry thunderstorm. "It would only happen over my dead body."
Since Mica's surprising revelation of recognizing Wand's drawing of a Vulture, there had been a nonstop argument between the Humans and the Seekers. The Humans, already angry over Jade's search of their home had defiantly stood their ground about turning Aim over to the Seekers. With tempers rising, violence seemed a certainty. Wanda had suggested a meeting between just the key players and let the other Humans cool down. Now Scott, Dell, Wanda, Aim, Healer Long Rivers, and Seeker Jade sat in an empty hotel room attempting to reach some type of compromise. It was not going well.
On the other side of the table, Jade smiled thinly at the two men. Speaking as if she was addressing young children, she replied, "As I've explained, while there is some risk, our Healers would take excellent care of Aim. The Soul inserted into Aim would be only temporary while they searched for her 'lost' memories."
Scott was already agitatedly tossing his head back and forth before Jade had even finished. He jutted a finger out towards Healer Long Rivers, who stood to one side of the room with a very perturbed expression on his face. "Long Rivers," said Scott, "thinks a Soul insertion into Aim is dangerous and isn't even sure it can work. You're putting Aim at risk for no reason at all!"
Jade glanced at the unhappy Healer and then back to Scott. She pressed a finger down on a nearby notebook. It was Wand's, a collection of notes from both her research and meetings with other Souls. At the moment, it was open to a drawing of tall, thin being with large eyes and long knobby arms that ended in hands with four stubby digits.
"Aim says she has seen this before," said Jade as she indicated the drawing. "I would very much like to know where and when."
"She says she's seen this Vulture thing in her dreams. That hardly makes it worth risking her life," countered Scott.
"Her dreams could very well be her subconscious dealing with the trauma of her experiences with the Facility," said Jade.
Long Rivers spoke up, his voice pleading for calm. "I believe it's more likely Mica's mind is confused. Her...situation Has fragmented her Human memories with infant Soul welded to her brain." He gestured to the others of his kind in the room before continuing. "We Souls can easily tell between memories passed down from our mothers from our own. Aim could lack this ability.
Jade shook her head. "You do not know this for certain, Healer." She looked to where Wanda stood next to Aim. Wanda did not look much like her serene self. Her whole body rigid with worried concern. Jade pointed ignored Wand's disapproving stare. "Wanderer has told me of your Humans' 'Chariot of the Gods' theory." A condescending smile spread on her oval face. "I will admit, you humans have such entertaining ideas."
Dell folded his wide arms. "If you think it's a joke, why are you bothering?"
"Because maybe, just maybe, it's not. Aim may have actually seen a real, live Vulture. Perhaps when she was held captive." Jade's smile dropped and she turned serious. "And if there is even a possibility that a Vulture remains, we must investigate. We must have access to Mica's memories."
Scott guffawed, a bitter sound of resentment. "I don't really give a damn what you want. You don't touch Aim."
"Brother Scott..." Began Aim but was quickly interrupted by Jade.
"Your agreement with us requires your complete assistance in helping us track down the Facility." Her patronizing smile came back. "Proving to us that your kind can be trusted to be...civilized. I would hate to see our little 'alliance' jeopardize."
