Authors: Wade Andrew Butcher
Chapter 55
15 Days Remaining…
Slade appeared in front of Art, who felt a sense of déjà vu to see the look-alike standing before him. Art lifted his safety glasses and looked at the hands on the tall figure with fingers of disproportionate length. Slade smirked and held up the back of his hand showing the three scars of a tier-three clone and said, “three is greater than one, isn’t it, young fellow?”
“Master Slade, yessir, Master Slade, three is greater than one,” Art obliged. “I have your vines ready, Master Slade. All ready right here.”
“I heard my clone came around asking about me. I have many sets of ears, you know.”
“Yes, Master Slade and he said he would hurt me if I hid you from him.”
“Of course he did. He is my younger twin. You remember what I said I would do to anyone who gave me away?”
“Yes, Master Slade, I remember. It won’t happen, sir.”
“Good boy,” Slade affirmed as he placed a hand on top of Art’s head, not patting it, but gripping it as if holding a melon. He released after holding long enough to make the youth uncomfortable. “You know, we only have a short time remaining on this ship. I think this stop is going to be permanent in one way or another. Let’s sit down and eat a vine together.”
Art was not hungry, but he did not dare to mention it. He sat down right on the floor where he stood with his legs folded and eyes fixed straight upon his company. Slade had told him before he liked it when his minions made eye contact, so he could see what was on their mind.
Slade sat beside him and effortlessly bit through the vine, which was a chewy food for many of the people. He spoke in between chews with the vine in his mouth.
“Can I tell you a story Art?” Slade softened his tone as he seemed to feel the food replenish his energy. Either oblivious to the years of mental torture to which he had subjected the youth, or choosing to ignore it, he spoke to the boy as if he was an old friend. He usually treated Art like a servant, and in that moment, the service he required was that of a listening ear, something mostly unfamiliar during years of self-inflicted solitude.
“Yes, Master Slade.”
“A few days ago, I ran into the one they call Breccan.”
“You did? Then why is he looking for you now?”
“Probably because I knocked him out,” Slade laughed and continued, “He came into one of my hiding places, a place where they used to breed us and make special modifications to our DNA. I have friends there. Special friends. I’m fascinated by what they used to do there, and ever since I got thrown down into the tier-three section, I’ve been wondering why. My brother, or twin, or whatever he is, should have been the same as me. The famous Keyholder who everyone fears.” From his seated position, Slade shifted his weight and curled one leg under.
“When he appeared, I had heard someone shuffling around outside the room. I was prepared to attack, of course. As soon as he stood in front of me, I knew it was Breccan even though I have not seen him face-to-face for years. When I hit him, he fell, not unexpectedly, and for some reason I started to run. Some instinct told me to, but then I asked myself,
what am I doing?
My target was acquired and all I had to do was finish him. Yet, I postponed the task of dispensing him for another time because I still have a vested interest in his role. We all do.
“You probably wonder why I hate him so much. How could I hate someone so much like myself? Well, that presupposes that I even like myself much, but I will explain the answer. I was five years old. They pulled me in too early for testing, which I think was a mistake, but there I was. I had just learned a clone of mine was born. I understood clearly what that meant and was excited to meet him. We were supposed to have the same foster parents. He was going to be my brother.
“I was fully expected to be a tier-one clone, you know. They made me special. I am telepathic – I bet you didn’t know that. Nobody does anymore.”
“You’re what?” puzzled Art. He had never heard that word before.
“Telepathic,” Slade replied, seeming simultaneously frustrated yet enjoying feeling of power and superiority over another. “It means I have short-range receivers and transmitters in my head. Just like a radio, sort of. My thoughts are projected as low-energy radiation. It was an old trick invented long before we left the original planet, but few humans given the gift were surviving in space. The energy drained by the special ability was more than anticipated, and many of those people were malnourished before that was understood.
“There are others on board with the capability, but they are not human, which is another thing concealed by the Keepers from the second age of humans on Neptune. I was given access to them as a little boy and learned to communicate at an accelerated rate. The little ones of class Chiroptera, modified in their genetic composition like me, and known back on Earth as simply
bats
. They are very intelligent and played a big role on this ship until recent years. When was the last time you saw a baby, young Art?”
“I don’t know. Two or three years?”
“Exactly. The production has stopped. There are actually three under age one right now. Not very many. They probably won’t survive. The process orchestrated by the Keepers to create the most suitable genes and implant the women was done under sedation. By the Chiroptera. That was their primary job. See, you’re learning all kinds of new things today, but what the hell, we’re all probably going to be dead in two weeks anyway. There should be no more secrets. It won’t matter when we plummet into the planet like a meteor, or we explode like a star the next time they try to light up that engine outside.”
Art was not going to interrupt. Slade kept talking.
“Anyway, there I was at my premature testing. I don’t know if it was forced by my foster parents wanting to propel me on my way. Maybe it was called by the Keepers because of the shortage of pilots at the time. Either way, I was not ready, and on top of that, I was sick. My head burned with fever making me dizzy, and as soon as the exertion started, my vision went black. I could feel myself fainting, but there was nothing I could do. It was automatic disqualification in the judgment of the Keepers, and I was banished. Taken from my parents, I was quarantined apart from all humans. I was relegated to the dark halls of the Chiroptera on the other side of the conservatory. Fear spread that they carried disease, but after my fever cleared there was an investigation that revealed the fears were unwarranted, and I was released back among the people.
“I was burned across my hand three times. Three stripes, branded and impossible to unmark, signified my permanent class. You remember the drill. So I have spent years back and forth between my private quarters here and my entire spaceship section, thirty percent of Neptune at my disposal for hiatus, after I learned to avoid the Keepers. And in the meantime, my twin stole my family. It was a position meant to be mine. I vowed to hide myself from him and one day seek my revenge. Revenge on the Keepers. Revenge on him. Revenge on all of the misplaced and so-called tier-one clones.
“I bided my time. I tried to steal the key from Breccan on several occasions using spies in my service. I knew if I had the key, I could control the Keepers, but my attempts failed. He was too sly. And too violent. I should have known. He is me. Now the key is gone, never to be removed from the bridge, under careful watch of the dodecapi Pilots.
“But I will seek my revenge, still. At this point, I actually want to see if they can bring this thing to a planet surface, so I’m curious, and I want Breccan to live for a little while longer if that’s what it takes. The Pilots, however, do not need Nova for that, nor most of the other tier-ones that live in luxurious isolation from the rest of the miserable wretches in this place. I will kill all of them sooner or later, and it is a task best served if I keep myself concealed. You will not tell them of me, right Art?
“N..No, Master S..Slade,” Art stuttered.
“Good. We understand each other, young provider.”
At that, the floor slammed itself up into their backsides and their weight doubled for a few seconds until it slowly subsided.
“I’ll be damned. They lit the engine again. Thank goodness for gravity stones, huh Artie boy? I bet you didn’t know about those either,” Slade quipped and slapped Art hard on the back, and then he stood and walked away.
Chapter 56
12 Days Remaining…
While in the library with two of the other tier-one clones, Nova glanced briefly at her brother approaching and then down to her book. She was drawn to that story although it was not one she used to help the young ones learn to read. It was too complicated and hard to understand. She returned frequently to the passage at the end. It was different from the others in the book, and it read like one of her dreams with many strange creatures and settings. The ending in the story had a planet in it where the people settled and lived, and Nova wondered if it was a foreshadowing prophecy for what they might see in the coming days.
Her two escorts looked up at the person approaching with some caution, but they appeared at ease once they recognized Breccan. He was the one that told them not to leave Nova’s side. None of them were looking at him when he sat down across from Nova.
Breccan appeared aged. She knew his duties were taking a physical toll, but he looked different somehow. He was smiling, which was something Breccan had not done in a long time.
Nova stared into his face and said, “What is it?”
“You don’t know who I am, do you?” he said and folded his palms in front of him to reveal the burn scars on the back of each hand.
Nova gasped and leaned back. The escorts heard her but did not know what to think when they saw the perplexing marks on the person they thought was Breccan.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Nova demanded.
“My name is Slade, Nova. It’s nice to meet you. I don’t want anything, really, except for these two oafs to stop staring at me. I just want to talk to you,” Slade said.
“Take me back,” Nova said to the escorts. “My brother was looking for you,” she said and stood up to leave. The escorts followed her lead.
“Wait,” Slade said. He held out his hand to implore her to stop, and Nova watched her first bodyguard step in between. “Easy, friend, I just want to talk,” Slade said, but Nova had a feeling he was lying.
“What do you want? Why have we never seen you before? This place isn’t that big,” she said.
“Well, can you blame me for laying low? I didn’t want to be in the way of a lurking Keeper,” Slade said as he held up his hand to remind them of his classification. “You guys were tested at what, age nine, I bet?”
The escorts looked at him with a silent, focused stare. Nova nervously backed away said, “Bye, Slade. Maybe another time.”
“Nova, you knew Rose, right?”
Nova stopped.
“Yes, I know Rose.”
“She was my little sister.”
That struck a chord with Nova, having someone identical to Breccan claim someone as a sister.
“Where is she?” Nova asked.
“I haven’t seen her, but I suspect she was taken or killed. Have you asked your illustrious brother the Keyholder?”
“No, I didn’t…”
“What’s it been? A month? I haven’t seen her in a long time,” Slade remarked.
“Well, there are a lot of people I don’t see anymore,” Nova commiserated. “What about Eli, the Keyholder before Breccan?”
“Oh him. Yes, I know what happened to him.”
“You do? How would you know?”
“I killed him.”
“What?”
“Yes, you heard correctly. I killed him,” Slade spoke matter-of-factly and without remorse. He was no longer smiling. His face was expressionless as he stared through the escorts who accompanied Nova, ignoring their presence. He appeared not to be scared of them, and even though there were two, they had every reason to be wary of him instead if he was identical to Breccan.
“Why would you do that?” Nova said as she backed away in unison with the escorts, matched step-for-step by Slade, who pursued her slowly as he answered.
“I didn’t like him very much. You see, I know for a fact that he never did anything worthwhile. Your brother, on the other hand, has a very difficult job. I hope he can figure out how to land this flying prison, this hollow shell of space debris. But Eli, no, he was no good. You didn’t know him very well. Terrible, terrible person.”
“I did too know him well, and he was a great person. He taught my brother everything and was very kind to me.”
“Well, sweet Nova, of course he was kind to you. You’re beautiful and harmless. I saw him on more than one occasion strut through the halls with two Keepers at his back. He taunted the tier-three clones, daring them to approach. At the slightest move in his direction the beasts would slaughter anyone they considered a threat.”
“He did not do that. You make it sound like he went looking for people to hurt. There wouldn’t be anyone left if he did that,” Nova raised her voice.
Slade stayed quiet as he replied, “Well, it doesn’t matter now. After the Keepers quit following him everywhere he went, I put him away for good.”
“You’re a monster.”
“I mean only what I said. I put him away in a place he would not be found. As it turns out, he didn’t know how to swim. Can you imagine? A Keyholder that couldn’t swim. How was I to know?”
“Wait until Breccan finds you,” Nova threatened.
“I bet he knows what happened to my sister Rose. I wonder what he would have done to her if she tried to take the key. Why don’t you ask him?”
Nova turned and quickly departed through the door from the library. The escorts followed her, not taking their eyes away from Slade until they were outside the door. Slade let them leave and did not pursue or try to converse further. He knew where she stayed.