Rook Winters - Weight of Ashes

Through a fog, he saw movement but couldn’t make any sense of it. At one point, he felt sharp pains in his knees and pressure in his armpits. He might have vomited, but he wasn’t certain.

As the fog started to lift, he squinted against light shining into his left eye, then his right eye. He was looking up at someone.

A female voice said, “He’ll be fine, I’m certain.” He recognized the voice.

Who is that?

He couldn’t quite place it. His head was still swimming. He tried to focus his eyes.

The deep Qyntarak voice with the whistle replied. “Maw-ooed, your assessment is noted. It is shameful that your previous service was not as adequately performed.”

Maud the superintendent. The alien pronounced her name incorrectly but Court could make out the blurry outline of her face. He started to say something to her, to beg her for help, but felt a sharp poke in his neck. He tried to make sense of what was happening, but everything went blurry again and he felt too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

“L37,” someone said. “L37, wake up.”

She could hear it in the distance. It was a human voice, that was nice. She didn’t like those Qyntarak synthesized voices. They didn’t do a good job translating. She could do much better. The voice sounded familiar though.

Someone from the woods, right? Someone from Court’s village.

Her eyes snapped open. That voice belonged to the man who killed all those people.

He sat in a chair across the room, one leg crossed over the other like he was there for a pleasant social visit.

“Where am I?”

“Ah, there you are. I thought you’d come around faster, given your advantages.”

Advantages? What’s that supposed to mean?

“You didn’t answer my question.”

She heard the disgust in her own voice. Her hatred for this man was palpable, something she could almost taste. She wanted answers and then she wanted to make him pay for what he’d done.

“My name is Kane. I work for the governor. The Qyntarak didn’t want to question you personally. Called you horrible names, actually. Some of them are a little superstitious. They believe you are an unnatural creature, an abomination. I think some of them are scared of you.”

Something was holding her down. She strained for a second and realized it was fruitless so she spat at his feet.

“I don’t care what they think. Or you.”

“Tsk, tsk. Hardly polite toward your hosts.

“They drugged me and strapped me to a chair. That’s not very hospitable.”

“Be that as it may, here you are. And your fate very much rests in their, uh, hands. You are chock-full of intellectual property. Aldebaran has invested a lot in you so it’s a delicate situation given that the scientists there feel you are a compromised research subject because of your time away.”

“That’s their problem, not mine. I never agreed to be their research subject. I’m not a guinea pig. You have no right to hold me.”

The bastard laughed at her.

“How do you even know what a guinea pig is? Doesn’t matter. You didn’t have to agree. You were born a ward of the state. Do you know who owns Aldebaran? The governor is the largest stakeholder. What Aldebaran wants, Aldebaran gets. Including you.”

She hadn’t known about the governor and Aldebaran.

“The look on your face tells me you understand the precariousness of your situation. Aldebaran doesn’t want you back and they don’t want you set free. Your friends will face lifetimes of fines and penalties. They’ll end up in forced work programs. The question is what happens with you?”

“How can I help them?” Elle hoped that Kane had enough allegiance to his own species that he’d offer her something. She would cooperate if it would help Court and Britt.

“The only person you can help is yourself. I’ve seen your files. I know what abilities you’ve shown so far. I know what abilities you could develop with the right training. That’s why I’m offering you a job on my team. Special operations for Qyntarak-human affairs.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Despite your skepticism, I assure you, it makes perfect sense. I have an opening, thanks to you and your friends, and you’re the ideal candidate. I know what you are, L37.”

“And what is that?”

“The perfect combination of human and Qyntarak.”

Elle wanted to respond, to scream at him, to deny what he said, but she couldn’t. Some part of her feared that he might be right, that he was telling the truth. She was different, she knew that. Everyone in the center was different. Different from each other, yes, but all of them were different from the instructors, the caretakers, and the staff. But part Qyntarak? Part alien? That wasn’t possible.

“Dr. Donovan didn’t tell you, did he? You are Frankenstein’s monster. Everyone was surprised to learn that the Qyntarak are DNA-based. I say everyone but we think they knew. It was a surprise to humans at least. DNA-based but not closely related to humans. And yet, with the right technology, those mad scientists found ways to create hybrids. They died in test tubes by the hundreds of thousands. But some survived. And a few, a very few, thrived. Like you.”

“Enough. Enough,” she screamed. Then more calmly, she said, “Don’t I get legal counsel or something?”

“That’s not how this works. Not with you.” He stared like he was trying to read her mind. “You can work for me or you can spend the rest of your days in a cage, occasionally being poked and prodded and studied by bored scientists.”

“I’m not interested in those options.”

“You’re not the first person to be born into a life they’d rather not have, but at least you’re getting a choice. That’s more than most people get these days. You need to look after yourself to survive. That’s what Dr. Donovan did.”

“Dr. Donovan was a good man.”

“Yes, of course, I’m sure he was. A good man who had to make hard choices. First to look after himself and then to take care of you.”

Elle noticed she was gritting her teeth. She didn’t like hearing him talk about Dr. Donovan.

“Don’t squander an opportunity here. You don’t want to end up in a cell or, worse, off planet on a red ship doing forced labor. I’ve heard stories.”

“You’re mad if you think I’m going to work for you while you send my friends off to prison.”

“Friends? That band of smugglers and traitors? Don’t make me laugh. They aren’t your friends. They were using you. You’re just a pawn in a game to them.”

Court’s face flashed through her mind. Maybe Kane was right about Ursula, Britt, and the others, but not Court.

“You’re wrong. You killed an entire village of people and Court risked his life to keep me safe.”

She regretted saying it immediately. She’d revealed too much of herself and Kane smiled at the opening.

“Yes, that’s true, the naive boy from the woods. His only crime was harboring a fugitive who smuggled proprietary technology out of a secure Aldebaran research facility. Then again, how would he know any better? He probably just thinks you’re pretty.”

He was goading her, and she struggled to keep her reactions under control.

“Tell you what, let’s make a little deal. I release your restraints and give you a chance to escape. I can’t actually let you go but if you can best me and get out of this room, I’ll have the charges dropped for your boyfriend from the wilds. If you can’t overpower me in a hand-to-hand fight, well, I won’t have any use for you anyway.”

She didn’t answer. The deal wasn’t a good one, not by a long shot, but if there was a chance that she could help Court, she had to take it. Kane didn’t wait for an answer, he tapped on his handheld tablet and the metal restraints popped open, releasing her wrists and ankles.