BioRisk

BioRisk

Chapter warning(s): Language, Some M/M, Humor, Violent Death, Murder

 

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CH14: Away From The Light

 

I am in awe.

Completely dumbstruck, I watch the tall, smooth forms move around me in a nearly surreal way. It almost seems to be in slow motion.

Long-limbed, lean, yet lithe in form, they strand slightly hunched over as if in wait of the right moment to sprint. To flee.

I see different shades of skin color. Sleek and pristine, their bodies are white like Dhrele’s and black like Xevos’. Some are even different shades of gray. They look so smooth and alluring in such a way that has me very tempted to touch them.

I can’t clearly see their faces, but countless eyes watch my every move. Not the least bit bothered by this, I stretch out my arm to reach out for them.

They all instantly shrink back fearfully, but not from me.

There’s a noise. A loud, blaring noise that somewhat resembles the sound of a war siren. It’s incredibly loud. So shrill that I can’t hear a damn thing at all. I can’t hear shit, but I can feel the intense vibrations of said cacophony .

What is that fucking noise?! I don’t know, but I do find myself scared shitless. I’m scared for myself, yeah, but there’s a far larger part of me that feels more frightened at the prospect of what might happen to Dhrele.

Now there’s a bright, nearly blinding fluorescent light that reminds me slightly of the Aurora Borealis, yet it’s far more violent, more chaotic. It’s so beautiful. I can’t look away even though a voice in my head is desperately screaming at me to.

I don’t look away. I stare and I stare. I just keep gazing…

And then there is nothing.

 

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A cool, long-fingered hand touches my face in a series of gentle, sensual strokes. The touches are faint at first and dreamlike, yet as time passes, each stroke feels more real. I cannot say how much time has passed in my half-conscious state, but after awhile, my eyes reluctantly flutter open. At first, I see nothing but quiet darkness.

“Ergo?”

Sitting up, I rub my bleary eyes and then blink until my vision is restored. Sometimes after I wake up in darkness, it takes a few moments for my ability to see to return to me. Yawning, I delicately stretch my sore limbs. “Yeah, Dhrele?”

Looking at me curiously, he states, “You were dreaming…”

“Yeah…yeah, I guess I was.”

“What’s it like?”

I move so that I’m sitting on the edge of the bed with my feet on the floor. Rolling my tight shoulders, I ask, “What’s what like?”

“To dream.”

“You don’t know? Don’t you sleep?”

Dhrele blinks. “Yes and no. It is not the same.”

Not awake enough for something like this, I shift my position and lay back down. I throw my arms over my face. Then I mumble, “What do you mean it’s not the same? You either dream, or you don’t.”

The white-haired hybrid gingerly lifts my arms so that he can see my face as he peers down at me.”When I am asleep, I do not dream like you do. I see things as they are that happen around me. With closed eyes, I see it all happen as it happens. I can also feel it.”

I snicker, “That’s kind of creepy…”

“Ergo!” Whines Dhrele because he knows, or feels that I’m teasing him. He abruptly climbs on top of me so that he’s effectively straddling me. Leaning over, he rests his forehead against mine, his white eyes poring into mine. He then murmurs, “You’re an ass…”

“Oh yeah?” I slowly slide both of my hands up his thighs and then wind them around until they stop to cup his taut ass. I grin and then offer, “An ass for an ass?”

Nuzzling my face in that affectionate way that he’s often inclined to do, Dhrele then whispers, “Everything is for you. It is all yours.”

“Even Filia?”

Dhrele growls, “That is not funny.”

“Not even a little bit?” I bite my lips to keep myself from laughing at his expense.

“No.”

Looking innocent and probably failing at it, I then imply, “Well, you did say…”

“That is not what I meant.”

I snicker again and then roll my eyes. “Oh, don’t pout, Dhrele. You know I’m only teasing you. I like getting you all riled up. It’s sexy.”

Failing to see the humor in it or perhaps just being stubborn, Dhrele grumbles, “I am not pouting.”

“Yes, yes you are.”

“Hmmph.”

I quickly roll forward and shove Dhrele flat on his back. In the next instant, I lay against him, my bare skin pressed deliciously against his smooth skin. After I have him effectively pinned down, I stare him in the eyes and smirk. I peck him on the lips and then say, “Gotcha, baby.” 

Dhrele doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t try to throw me off, either. I know he probably could if he wanted to. Instead, he winds his arms loosely around me and leans up to kiss and suck on the part of my neck that he knows will drive me crazy. He even starts squirming around a bit and slowly rolling his hips, which causes our trapped groins to rub against each other. Ah, he’s evil.

The abrupt and unwelcome sound of sudden knocking reverberates through the room. I decide to ignore it, but it doesn’t go away.

“Ergo? Are you in there? I need to speak with you urgently!” Speaks Vex’s muffled voice through the door.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m here, Vex. I’ll be out in a minute!” I call out immediately just in case the kid gets any funny ideas of trying to barge in on us.

Sighing, I sit up carefully so that I don’t accidently hurt Dhrele in the process. Grabbing my previously discarded clothes, I quickly get dressed with record timing. Casting an apologetic look at my lover, I regretfully say, “Sorry, Dhrele. It’ll have to wait until later.”

Dhrele sits up and looks slightly annoyed by the interruption. Watching me with a doleful look, he then sighs in defeat. “Fine, but don’t take too long.”

Leaning over, I quickly kiss him on the side of his lips and promise, “I won’t.”

 

 

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Once outside the room, I’m met by a grinning and if I may say so, a very impish looking Vex. If I didn’t like this kid so much I would punch him in his smug face.

“What do you want, Vex?”

The brown-eyed boy slowly looks me up and down and then inquires slyly, “Did I interrupt anything, Ergo?”

“That’s none of your business,” I reply stiffly. I shift around in an effort to not focus any attention on the fact that I’m still half-erect. Damn him.

I can tell he’s amused by my predicament and if this had been any other day, he probably would have tried something. Vex coughs, “Oh, fine, be that way.”

“You got something to say or did you come here just to say hi?” I get straight to the point. I don’t mean to be rude, but if this isn’t exactly important then I don’t want to be standing out here when I can be in there with Dhrele.

Vex clasps his hands together and then wriggles his fingers. He does that sometimes when he’s excited about something. Why, I don’t know. He’s a weird, but he’s still a good kid. “Remember that mysterious person you were supposed to meet, but they canceled the meeting? Well, they can meet you now, but you have to hurry. I can lead you there, but once we get there, only you can go inside.”

Finding that a bit odd, I nod grimly, but I don’t object. “All right. Let’s go.”

 

 

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It’s…a woman.

 “Are you…?”

“Yes, I am the one you’re supposed to meet,” replies the woman as she pulls down her hood. I’m surprised to see her face. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t her. Her voice sounds so strong, so young, yet her appearance is the polar opposite of that.

The woman’s pale face is thin, skeletal, and lined. Short, gray hair tops a very old face that looks worn by stress, fatigue, and time. Even though she looks to be at least 80 years old, her green eyes look youthful. As frail as her body looks, there’s a startling quality of life to her eyes that seems strong and ageless. There’s also something else, too. She looks hauntingly familiar. Like a face I haven’t seen in many years.

“You have a name?”

She looks mildly insulted by that and I don’t realize why until she speaks. “That’s not important, boy. Time is as they say, of the essence.”

Well, she does have a point. I sigh, “All right then. Vex told me that you can tell me some things. That you have answers.”

“Yes, that is correct, young man. All you need to know is about the brain. To control the Tristis, you need to control the brain. Once you’ve done that, you will get every answer to every question you have ever asked,” explains the old woman who pauses as if to gather her thoughts. Her young eyes flicker to me and then she continues, “I understand you intend to get off this ship, yes?”

Wait…how does she know about that? I haven’t told anyone that except Dhrele and Xevos. Did I tell Vex? I don’t remember mentioning it to him at all. Then again, everything that has happened in the past couple of weeks is pretty much a blur to me. The only way I can think to describe it is like being in a car and speeding. The faster you go, the better it feels, yet everything around you is vividly out of focus.

“Yeah, something like that,” I say slowly. She reminds me of someone I once knew and trusted. I can’t help feeling some small amount of trust for this woman even though my logic isn’t pleased by me yielding haphazardly to emotion. In spite of that, I still don’t know if I can trust her, but at this point I don’t think I have much of a choice. I’ve been stuck for a long time and all I can think about is getting unstuck.

“In order to do just that, you will need control of the ship. Until you have that power…you are powerless to act on your desires. “

“How do you know all this?” I ask suspiciously without taking my eyes off of her wrinkled face. She looks like…

Eyes dead set on me, she affirms in a voice that has little room for bullshit. “Because I am the one who flies the ship. I am the one who controls the brain.”

In spite of being shocked by what she has revealed to me, I quickly recover. A dozen questions zoom around in my mind and I voice the first one that I can grab onto. “If that is true, then how come you are here and not with the, eh, brain?”

As if prepared for that question, the elderly lady immediately responds, “That is simple, boy. For a certain amount of time I am allotted food and rest. Of course, an occasional shower is rather nice, too. You could say the Tristis autopilots itself for a few hours.”

Crossing my arms, I regard her coolly. “How come you couldn’t meet me that other time?”

For the first time during our meeting, she smiles. “Ah, so suspicious, you are! I like that. You will need to keep your wits about you, boy.”

“You gonna answer my question today, lady?”

“My schedule is rather strict. You see…I am usually supervised whenever I leave the bridge. If I am vigilant enough, I can slip away for a little while without them noticing. I nearly got caught the last time I tried to meet you, boy.”

Oh. Well, that explains that.

“All right, you got me there. You are one of the, uh, people who control the brain. Let’s say that’s the truth. You can control the ship. OK. Well, it just doesn’t add up, lady. Why would you risk your neck just to meet me? You’re telling me I need to control the brain to control the ship, right? How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

She looks like she wants to roll her eyes, but she refrains from doing so. Huffing in impatience, she replies curtly, “Do not concern yourself over trivia matters, boy. There is only one thing you need to know and that is how to obtain the power to fly the Tristis.”

Dropping my arms to my sides and shifting my weight to the other leg, I restlessly shrug. “And just how would I do that?”

“Simple, boy. By killing me.”

She must be joking. I laugh humorously. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I am afraid not. I am not one to partake in humor, boy,” answers the woman in a somber sort of voice. Even his body language mirrors the severity of her tone. She means it, this crazy old bat really means it.

Shaking my head, I instantly reject her proposal. “I’m not going to kill you.”

“Killing me will grant you the power you seek. When that is done, you must also kill the other two to achieve all the power. It must be done.”

“Why?”

“I am old. My time is coming soon, boy. Someone else will kill me to take my place. They don’t intend to let me choose who, but I plan to change that. I choose you.”

“…Why me? You don’t even know me.”

Sighing, she brushes some stray strands of hair out of her tired face. She looks like she is suffering from an extreme migraine or some other sort of pain that forces her to close her eyes and turn away. When whatever it is lessens some, she turns back to me as if unfazed by the pain. “Why do we do any of the things we do, boy? We always seek answers even when there are none to give. Sometimes…there isn’t an answer.”

“Now is a great time to be cryptic with me, lady,” I bite out sarcastically. I’m starting to think she’s playing some sick game with me even though my gut feeling disagrees with that theory.

“Look at it this way, boy; if you kill me, I am freed. If I let you kill me, you become free. It’s a win-win scenario. Take it or leave it. I would prefer if you took it. This is your last chance to gain your freedom. If you don’t take it now, you will lose everything.”

“I can’t do it. I’ve never killed anyone before and I’m not about to start now,” I stubbornly declare in an effort for her to understand how wrong her proposal is. But as much as I am reeling against this proposition, there’s another part of me that’s disturbingly all for it.

In a voice filled with grave conviction, she urges, “They will kill him, you know. It is only a matter of time before they do. He isn’t the first experiment to be terminated and he will not be the last unless you change that now.”

Before I can utter a response, she retrieves something metallic from her coat and offers it up in both hands. Upon closer inspection, I identify that it’s a knife.

I unconsciously take a step back. No…

“Ergo…”

Tearing my eyes from the knife, I look at her face. I’m mildly surprised because this is the first time I’ve heard her say my name.

The old woman steps closer and gently slips the hilt of the knife into my hand. With her other hand, she forces my fingers to close around it so I won’t drop it. Her hands drop away from my hand and she looks up at me pleadingly. In a low, pitiful voice, she begs until she’s screaming in my face, “Please…just kill me. Ergo, just kill me. Kill me! KILL ME NOW!”

I really couldn’t tell you how, or why, but in the next moment, I raise the knife and stab her in the chest. Repeatedly. I stab and stab and stab. I feel indifferent as I slice into her body. I feel nothing as the blood splatters all over me and all over the floor and walls. She doesn’t make a sound and neither do I. There is only the sickening sound of flesh being violently slashed and bone being broken as it echoes throughout the small chamber.

The next thing I hear before I see is her body thudding and cracking as it hits the ground. The bloodied knife falls and clatters noisily against the ground.

I stagger away from the horrific display of her mutilated body sprawled out dead and unmoving on the floor. Before I can even begin to absorb what has happened here, something comes out of nowhere and bludgeons me hard.

And then there is darkness.

 

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Random Fact: I’ve been playing Skyrim and recently I came across a female thief character called Vex. She’s blond, but she’s not as cute or loveable as my Vex. It tickled me when I saw her name.