The Alien Mind (free)

Life & Death Awaits

RIVI, KEEPING A WORRIED EYE ON DAN, plugged her computer into the systems of the ship she created from the cube. She formed it into an unfolded fourth-dimensional object. Before she folded the ship into the fourth dimension, Rivi got up from her chair in front of her computer. She went to sit beside Dan.

"Dan. Dan, I need you to listen for a minute."

"Mmm-hmm," Dan mumbled, turning his head to look at her.

"Dan, when we go into the fourth dimension, I'll need you to think only of planet Aun. I know your head bothers you, and because of that, your concentration may slip in and out, but this is very important. If you don't concentrate on Aun, who knows where we'll end up?"

"I understand, Riv. Maybe it'd be easier if I knew what Aun looked like," Dan replied, placing one of his free-floating hands on his aching head.

"Okay," Rivi agreed, as she went and retrieved her computer from its docking station.

Rivi went back and sat beside Dan. She placed her hand flat on top of the computer and through her comp amalgamatory link, she downloaded a memory of what Planet Aun looked like from space. After opening her computer and bringing the picture up onto the screen, Rivi handed the computer to Dan.

Dan took the palmtop and looked at the purple, red, and green planet spinning on its axis.

"This is Aun?" Dan asked.

"Yes, Dan. Can you concentrate on it?" Rivi asked.

"Yes."

"Okay," Rivi said as she closed her eyes.

Rivi folded the ship into the fourth dimension and made sure to think only of Aun as the ship was released into normal three-dimensional space. Rivi smiled at Dan and went back to her chair. After plugging her computer into its docking station, she opened it up and looked into the viewscreen.

"I see you pictured coming out near one of Aun's moons," Rivi commented, turning to look at Dan.

"Sorry," Dan said.

"No, that's okay," Rivi answered. "I just thought it was funny, that's all. Oh, no!"

"What is it?" Dan asked.

"It may not be so okay, after all. I wasn't aware that the Aruk had a base on Tritic," Rivi added with a moan.

"Where's Tritic?" Dan asked.

"On the moon, near where we just reentered the third dimension."

"That would've been my fault—"

"You couldn't have known. I didn't. Don't blame yourself."

"Have they seen us yet?" Dan asked.

"I don't think ... Ugh! Yes, they have!" Rivi exclaimed as an unseen force took control over her ship.

Rivi picked up her computer and went back to Dan. She released the latches on the belts that held Dan to the bench. His feet settled to the floor as he stood. The ship had landed on the moon.

"We'll get out of this somehow," Dan said to Rivi, as he saw her face blanch.

Someone tapped on the outside of her ship. Rivi smiled weakly at Dan, who then stepped through the wall first, followed closely by Rivi.

Quickly, she shrunk the ship into a tiny cube and put the cube into the sphere around her neck.

"Ah, I see we have PS3-36-9G11," a tall Aruk jeered at Rivi, who stared back with a blank look as if he wasn't there.

"And I see she brought along a friend—a new earth child, at that! We are going to have some fun!" the Aruk sneered, his words snapping Rivi back to the present.

Rivi and Dan stood in a tall, light brown, domed room. Various boxes and crates were stacked randomly on the floor. A row of orange storage lockers lined the large, circular room. A few multipurpose Aruk ships were parked off to one side. This domed room was obviously some sort of hangar, even though it had no doors.

Three Aruk stood in front of Rivi and Dan in black robes, dark as night, trimmed in red. On Aun, the tattoos around the head were typically a dark purple to contrast with the Aunantets' skin, but the Aruk had desecrated and disfigured their tattoos, overlaying them instead with red and black markings.

"If you harm him, Twelve ..." Rivi responded, turning to look at Twelve, who was looking Dan over.

"I don't see much you could do to stop us, PS3," Twelve answered with a smug, purple-lipped smile.

"Take them to holding cell A9. Turn on the high, irregular sound pulse containment system. This one's a comp amalgamator," Twelve ordered, giving Rivi a shove forward.

The Aruk guards took Rivi and Dan out of the domed room and down many winding halls. Rivi discreetly camouflaged her computer to match her skin and joined the molecules that made up the computer's base onto her arm. She pulled her sleeve back over the now-invisible computer.

The guards roughly shoved Dan and Rivi into the white, rectangular cell, which was empty except for two long benches along the back wall. Rivi slumped onto the one to her right. Dan turned around to look at the solid door.

"So that's what the Aunantet look like?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rivi started, her voice still empty.

She didn't get to finish. An Aruk guard opened the door and looked at Daniel, who froze.

"D28-2P-R151, you will come with me."

"Me? Hey wait, how did they get my personal ID from Earth?" Dan asked, turning hesitantly toward Rivi, whose eyes were as empty as a void.

The guard came in and roughly herded Dan out of the cell, slamming the door behind him.

Rivi closed her eyes and bowed her head. The bird was once again trapped inside the metal cage. It seemed as if her past was replaying itself.

#

Rivi didn't wear a watch, and the constant pulsing noise from the containment system was keeping her from consulting her computer to ask it what the time was. She had designed her computer to respond to keyed input only if she asked it to, which seemed wise at the time. This meant she could not tap a key to have the computer display the time. Rivi told herself she would have to rethink her decision to disable the display of the time on the computer's main screen.

The containment system's pulsing noise was too high for human ears to hear, but Rivi's body and mind could feel it. It gave her a splitting headache and interfered with her ability to amalgamate with anything. Rivi tried her best to keep track of the time, but soon the chore became too difficult, complicated even more by the ache in her head. Her mind was becoming overtaxed with trying to fight the incessant noise.

As Rivi began to ignore her urge to try to break through and communicate with her computer, she was able to effectively shut down her comp amalgamatory awareness. Now oblivious to all things technical, Rivi's mind began to relax a bit, and her headache dissipated. The time seemed to pass more slowly, and it seemed like forever before Dan was finally shoved back into the room.

"What do they possibly think they will accomplish?" Dan asked Rivi, as he sat, exhausted, on the floor. "First, they had me running on this treadmill-type thing as the room was getting hotter and hotter. The pain in my head pounded with every step I took. If I stopped to catch my breath, I was instantly in danger of falling over the side of a deep hole. Then, as if things couldn't get worse, the temperature dropped below freezing. Every part of my body was so cold. It was all I could do to keep running. I was sure my legs would either stiffen in the cold, or I would black out from the pain in my head."

"They can do much worse, and they will. This is just them trying to play with your brain," Rivi replied in a quiet voice, inspecting Daniel's haggard appearance. "You don't look well. You should get some sleep."

"You don't look well, either. Is something wrong?" Dan asked, frowning as he rubbed his head.

"I had to shut out my comp amalgamatory senses in order to stop a splitting headache. I wasn't able to access my computer through my link, anyway," Rivi replied, lying down on the bench.

"Rivi, I've seen you walk through doors before, like when the school was on fire. Why can't you do that here so we can escape?"

"The walls and doors of the cells are treated with a material that's atoms have been electromagnetically locked by a high-level transmorgrifiyer. If I tried to alter the walls the pain would be unbearable."

"Oh great," Dan mumbled with a hint of defeat. "Wait, a high level what?"

"Transmorgrifiyer. They can lock the atoms so I can't manipulate them. Among other things." Rivi tried to shift into a comfortable position and laid her head on her arm. "You really ought to get some sleep, Dan. I don't know when the Aruk will be back for us."

"Yeah, my head is starting to bother me again, anyway." Dan replied as he got up off the floor and went to lie down on the other bench.

#

Rivi woke to Daniel's moaning. She got up and stepped over to the bench he was laying on.

"Is it your head again, Dan?"

Dan gave a slight nod as he wrapped an arm over his head. Rivi shook her head in dismay. Suddenly, the cell door was thrown open.

"PS3-36-9G11, you will come with me now," a guard commanded.

Rivi turned her head and looked up at the guard.

"Can you bring a healer? Can't you see he's not feeling well?" Rivi asked.

The guard came into the cell, frowning, and forced Rivi to her feet. He pushed her out of the room and harshly into the arms of two other guards, who frog-marched her down the hall, struggling all the way. It wasn't until she saw the fate that awaited her that she froze until she was shoved into the dark chamber.

Rivi had been here before as a little girl. If everything was the same, Rivi knew she would not find any object in the whole room, and just like the cells, there wouldn't be any way for her to escape either. This room was the reason she would only sleep with a light on for the first few years after she was rescued.

The Aruk shut the door behind her, and Rivi heard the lock click into the mechanism. She sat on the floor in the middle of the dark room. She stayed there, sitting still, for what seemed like an eternity.

Hours, days, I can't tell anymore, Rivi thought to herself with an almost insane laugh.

Sometime later, Rivi began to hear noises—noises like someone screaming, far away. There were other noises too, like explosions and hissing sounds. At first, Rivi was thinking it was all in her imagination.

No ... These noises are real, aren't they?

Suddenly, there was the sound of something falling close by, something big. Rivi backed away from it, only to hear something else fall on her other side. Things were falling everywhere. Rivi backed into a corner and, seeing no alternative plan, she hid her head under her arms and brought her forehead close to the floor.

Would it ever stop? Are the Aruk under attack? If this keeps up much longer, I'll be killed! Rivi thought to herself. What about Dan?

The sounds of falling objects and explosions kept getting worse and worse, until at last a beam of light shone through the now open door. Rivi looked up at her rescuers, thinking that perhaps it was Dan who had gotten free or an Aunantet who had come to rescue them.

She looked and saw only the Aruk guards sneering down at her. Rivi got up, feeling quite distraught. The guards led her roughly back to the cell, where Dan was sitting on the left-hand bench. He had a cut above his brow that hadn't been there when Rivi left.

The guards pushed her into the cell. Another Aruk came behind her and dropped two bowls on the floor, then left the cell. The guards shut and locked the door behind them. Rivi picked up the bowls and walked over to sit beside Dan. She passed him a bowl.

"You okay?" Dan asked, worried.

"Physically, I think so. Mentally, I'm not so sure," Rivi said, shakily as she wiped leftover tears from her face with the back of her sleeve.

"What happened?" Daniel asked as he tentatively sipped at the white mush in his bowl.

"They put me in this dark room. There were noises. I thought at any moment I was going to be killed by any number of things," Rivi said with a single sniffle and a sigh.

"YUCK! What is this stuff?" Dan exclaimed.

"It is a protein compound meant to be just barely nutritionally adequate to keep you alive," Rivi answered. "What happened to your head?"

"They left me here the whole time. I was pacing the room, and my head hurt so badly. A dizzy spell hit me and I must have smacked my head on the edge of the bench when I tripped. But you know, my head doesn't hurt so badly anymore." Dan replied with a sarcastic smile.

Rivi closed her eyes and shook her head in wonder. She quickly drank down the rest of the mush in her bowl and waved her hand at Dan to encourage him to do the same. Only a few minutes passed when another guard came in and called for PS3-36-9G11 again.

"You just brought her back here a few minutes ago!" Dan exclaimed, jumping up in defiance.

A guard came in and smacked Dan hard across the face, sending him spinning into the wall behind him and onto the floor. His bowl went clattering across the cell. Rivi wanted to reach out and soften his fall, but she knew her mind was already too weak. The guard shoved her out of the room and down the hall.

Dan sat there, holding his eyes closed for a few seconds. He felt his jaw and winced. When he opened his eyes, another guard came and announced Dan's own personal identification number, then forced Dan out the door.

#

Rivi wondered where she would be taken this time.

She was led into a small lab room and forced down into a chair, into which she was then strapped. An Aruk dressed in white garments came over and tried to insert a needle into Rivi's right arm. There was no escape. She struggled as hard as she could, sucking in her breath and trying to will her arm away from the needle. It was no use. She yelped in pain as the needle pierced her skin and entered her vein.

Connected to the needle was a long, clear tube. At the end of it was a bag filled with something green. The Aruk didn't bother giving her an explanation before they released the green liquid. Rivi watched as it inched down the tube. She took a steadying breath as the liquid neared her arm. She reached out with her mind to stop the liquid, but she had to stop as she was zapped by an electrical charge from behind.

"Just thought I'd try," Rivi said, wryly. "Anyone going to tell me what that stuff is?"

The Aruk sneered, twisting their smooth faces. A few seconds later, as the liquid slid into Rivi's arm, she realized what the liquid was.

Poison!

Rivi's eyes opened in shock, she felt like her blood was on fire. She struggled against her bonds only to find that she was now shaking uncontrollably. Her fingers and toes became numb, and soon, the shaking stopped. Her whole body was paralyzed. Rivi felt her body temperature rising slowly, and pain riddled her body. The few Aruk in the room watched a screen on the wall displaying her vital signs. The numbers turned red, and warning alarms sounded as the stats climbed to precarious levels.

If there was an antidote, and she got it in time—Rivi saw none of the Aruk reach for anything that might represent an antidote, though. Perhaps—perhaps they had finally, after all these years, decided to go ahead and dispose of her, apparently in the most excruciating and slowest way possible.

Rivi closed her eyes to try to shut out the pain, but it was no use. Her mind began to slow down, and it soon became impossible for her to string a complete, coherent thought together. Then, suddenly, it was as if a cold gust of wind smacked her in the chest. Rivi opened her eyes to see an Aruk disengaging the now empty bag of green poison and putting another bag holding a yellow liquid in its place.

I don't know ... if I can take much more ... Rivi thought incoherently.

Slowly, she realized that her mind was becoming clearer. The pain slowly dwindled to a level that was at least tolerable. She began regaining the feeling in her body and soon could move her fingers. The burning in her body slowly subsided and her breathing returned to a regular rate, though she was still shaking uncontrollably. Rivi looked at the clear bag to see that all of the yellow liquid was now gone.

The Aruk unbound her and pushed her roughly out the door and back to the cell. The guard pushed her in, and Rivi found that, because of her shaking, she couldn't regain her balance. She let herself fall to the floor, where she lay flat, enjoying its coolness as the guard slammed the door.

Moments later, the door opened again and Dan was pushed into the room, where he fell to his knees beside Rivi, who was still laying on her stomach. Both of them were shaking hard.

"P-p-poison?" Rivi stuttered.

"Poison," Dan replied, sweeping a shaking hand over his forehead, where his cut was no longer to be found.

Rivi didn't even notice, though. She closed her eyes, trying to calm the shaking that was now giving her muscle cramps.

"It seems like the poison had a worse effect on you, though," Dan replied, as he helped Rivi to her feet.

He led her to a bench, and Rivi lay down on it. Dan went to the other bench and sat, resting his head on the wall behind him. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, his mind wandering into a dream ...

#

Far out in space, a small nursery of stars was surrounded by thick gases that were almost impossible to see through. The small, brilliant stars danced elegantly. Their many different temperatures would form a kaleidoscope of color if a passerby were to examine them on an infrared scale.

There were no passersby, though. This was space—a sterile environment that just 'happened' (or perhaps it wasn't just some coincidence) to contain the materials vital to the creation and birth of stars and planets.

This sterile mixing pot simmered and simmered, portions of life bobbing around here and there. Huge balls of burning energy—stars—formed the main ingredients in the stew. Every now and then, you might spot a planet floating in this medley like a potato. The potato, every now and then, would 'happen' to have a peppercorn stuck to it. Life.

It was time to take the peppercorns off the potatoes, but who would do it? Everyone knows that peppercorns are very hard just to pluck out. The potatoes often have a good grip on them. The job would have to be done in a special way.

There happened to be someone stirring the mixing pot, the Creator ... I think he knows who will do this special job. He keeps talking about a plan he has. He happened to be keeping an eye on two small 'ingredients' (or stars) in particular.

Meanwhile, some big chunks of fatty meat were disrupting the flow of the stew as it all went round and round. These pieces of meat were big black holes seeking to suck up and destroy anything (or smash any potato, or any other ingredients for that matter) if they got in the way.

The stars in the small nursery could tell all this was going on, but they were still young and could do very little about it. They danced and played, seemingly safe in their little nursery, thinking that the rolling clouds of gas that surrounded them would keep them protected from the confusion, destruction, and chaos going on outside their nursery. The Creator watched sadly as the two stars he had been observing started to dim.

Looking into the future, one would know that a group of stars in this nursery would inevitably explode, jarring the hopes and dreams of the rest. If the nursery of stars could not keep up hope, there would be no hope that the peppercorns would ever get off the potatoes. The hopes and dreams of many in that stew seemed to rest on the shoulders of just a few particular ingredients, as the stew was stirred round and round, the meat desiring to turn everything to mush.

The stars, seeing all this happening, would be called to put a stop to the meat's madness.

#

Dan awoke not knowing how long he had slept.

Good gosh, that was a weird dream. When was the last time we ate? Is this what starvation does to you? Dan thought to himself.

He rubbed his hollow stomach and sat up, stretching his stiff muscles.

When was the last time we ate?

He looked toward the other bench expecting to see Rivi lying there, still sleeping. Rivi may have been on the other bench at one point, but she did not sleep. If it were possible, she looked worse than before he fell asleep.

The Aruk must have taken her away again while I was asleep. How much more can she take? Dan thought.

Rivi sat on the floor in the corner of the room, with her arms wrapped around her knees and pulled up to her chest.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah. I just ... I don't know."

"Want to go home," Dan said, finishing the thought for her.

"I don't want to be scared anymore! I want freedom," Rivi said, crying, as two Aruk guards opened the cell door.

One guard herded Rivi out of the room and down the hall. The other guard grabbed Dan and led him in the opposite direction.

Rivi totally surrendered to the fact that she was an Aruk captive. She let herself be led down each hall, knowing it would be pointless to fight them. With each passing moment, she felt her mind becoming limp as she slowly lost confidence. Her confidence slipped even further each time she realized she could no longer defend herself or fight each new t*****e.

It did not help much for her to know what the Aruk had used against her and the other children before. Now, she could imagine how much worse it could get. The Aruk seemed to find a way to make each trial worse than the one before. She could only assume that they desired to push until they found the point at which her body, mind, and spirit would just completely unravel.

The guard led her into a large room filled with about twenty other physically-fit looking Aruk guards. Each held a long, wooden pole. Rivi looked around wondering what this challenge could be, when suddenly the room around her changed into a small path. Confused, Rivi frowned and looked around her.

This must be a hologram. I probably would have noticed, but my comp amalgamator's senses are still shut down. No doubt they have that same irritating noise in here, so I won't try to change anything, but, what do they want me to do? Rivi thought to herself.

All of the sudden, an Aruk guard came up behind her and smacked her on the back of the head with his stick. Pain radiated from the back of her head and stars blurred Rivi's vision. She turned, and before the guard could strike again, she ducked and started to run. She ran down winding passageways, making split-second decisions at intersections in the maze, and continued to run.

It almost seemed as if the Aruk knew where she was. Every turn she made, she'd be confronted by an Aruk carrying a stick. Some of the sticks turned into whips that stung her skin as the Aruk snapped them at her. Some of the sticks stayed straight and firm. The Aruk used these to knock her down before she scrambled away again. A few of the Aruk had poles that would light up with electricity and zap her as they struck her.

Each time the Aruk caught her, tears filled her eyes as the pole struck. Her robes were torn in various places on her legs, back and arms. Where her skin was now exposed, Rivi could feel the stinging of the red welts that she knew she would find on her skin later. Rivi continued to run on in fear, knowing her strength wouldn't hold out for much longer.

Finally, with her strength growing short, determination set in. Rivi stopped running and found the nearest intersection. She stood squarely in the middle, looking down the paths, waiting.

Soon, she heard what she'd been waiting for. She turned to face the Aruk running toward her, preparing to swing out with his pole. Rivi's face was hard as stone, and as the guard's pole whacked the side of her face and the electricity in the pole coursed through her body, Rivi clenched her teeth against the pain, but held her ground. The guard withdrew his pole to his side and stood, glaring at her. Before he decided to strike her again, Rivi put her hands on her hips defiantly. Blood slowly trickled from the side of her face.

"I cannot and will not run any further," Rivi said, setting her jaw.

The Aruk guard turned on the spot and walked back the way he came. Rivi stood her ground as the hologram flickered and then faded, leaving her once more in a room full of Aruk. Rivi's face was still and emotionless as she noticed Twelve standing off to one side. Rivi, having had enough of this near-death escapade the Aruk were trying to play, crossed her arms and glared at Twelve standing there.

"What's next?" She demanded, pursing her lips.

Twelve frowned in anger and brought out an odd object. He pressed a button, and something small flew out of the end. As the object connected with her arm, she realized it was an electrical shock dart. The electricity was much stronger than the electricity in the sticks. As electricity flew through her whole body, she shook and her teeth chattered. The electric shock ceased, and Rivi's knees hit the floor. Rivi lost consciousness as two guards came and dragged her out of the room and back to the cell.

They dropped Rivi in the middle of the cell and she rolled onto her left side, the only side of her that didn't ache. Rivi laid there for what seemed like an hour before Dan was finally pushed into the room. He noticed Rivi lying there and dropped down on his knees beside her.

"How's your head feeling?" Rivi asked opening her eyes slightly.

"It doesn't hurt so bad anymore. How about you? You don't look so great."

"Did you go through the same maze I did?" Rivi asked with a grim smile, as her eyes closed once more.

Dan laid his hand on hers as he assessed the severity of her injuries. Rivi squeezed her eyes shut against the pain from just the weight of his hand. The backs of her hands were welted and bruised. Her knuckles were scuffed and b****y. Her face was bruised, and a trail of blood drained down the side of her face. He could see where the whips had torn through both her krodel and akruv and had even left red swelling stripes on the skin on her legs, back, and arms. Her breathing was ragged in a way that indicated a broken rib or two.

Concern washed over Dan's face as she let out a cough followed by a short, quiet whimper. Suddenly, his face went slack and took on a far-off look. A tingling sensation traveled from her hand and spread through her whole body. Rivi opened her eyes wide in shock, only to have her eyes roll back into her head before her eyelids closed again, and she fell into a calm sleep.

#

Rivi later woke, still lying on the floor. Amazingly, she felt better than she had when she fell asleep. She sat up and stretched her arms out in front of her. She paused, gaping at her hands. They had begun to heal. The bruises were fading, and the cuts had almost completely disappeared. She reached up and touched her forehead. The cut was barely a scratch.

Rivi looked up, surprised, at Daniel, who was sitting on one of the benches. He sat there in a daze as though he was sleeping with his eyes open. Rivi finally noticed that the cut on his head was also no longer there.

"Did the Aruk send a healer in here?" Rivi asked in surprise.

Dan shook his head. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Then how did—" Rivi began. Dan cut her off.

"I did it. I don't know how. I touched your hand, and suddenly, you fell asleep. I couldn't move. My eyes shut, I saw a whirl of color, and when I opened my eyes, you were still unconscious, but all of your wounds were gone," Dan recounted, still shocked.

Rivi smiled, suddenly understanding.

"Does your head bother you?" Rivi asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"I should have figured it out sooner," Rivi said, then stood and went to sit beside Dan on the bench.

"Dan, you have broken through to the other part of your brain that many humans don't ever use! You are a healer!" Rivi continued, as she turned to face him.

Dan smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"I couldn't heal all of your injuries as completely as you were able to heal my knee back on Earth."

Rivi shook her head and patted his shoulder with a grin.

"You'll get better at it with practice. Just don't reveal this to the Aruk or they're bound to come up with a way to tie your hands behind your back, so to speak, like they did me," Rivi said scowling.

Dan nodded just as the door to their cell opened again.

"PS3-36-9G11, One wishes to speak to you," the guard replied stiffly.

Rivi looked at Dan and rolled her eyes, sighing. She stood, and the guard led her down many winding halls and into a highly decorated, large, domed room. Large piles of embroidered pillows were arranged in the center of the room. A tall and lanky Aruk lounged among the pillows. The Aruk guard left her side and stood by the door behind her. Rivi stood there for a second, taking in her surroundings, as she did not believe she was in any danger, for the moment, anyway.

"You must be One," Rivi said flatly.

"Yes, PS3-36-9G11 ... That is who you are, is it not?" the male, One, asked smoothly.

"I do have a name," Rivi replied.

"Do you, now? We are so used to calling you by your number. It would be very hard to remember," One said smoothly, "I seem to remember my guards informing me that they dropped you in your cell with many injuries and in a rather weak condition, but it looks like they have exaggerated. Or, perhaps your friend has a secret of his own," One added slyly, observing her with his head c****d to one side.

"I'm certainly not going to tell you," Rivi declared.

"Eh, I don't need you to tell me. I do have one thing I would like you to do, however," One said.

"What is it?" Rivi asked, sounding suspicious.

"I have heard that humans often dance for fun. Show me what you have learned from your short time back on Earth."

"I do not dance well," Rivi replied.

"You will dance. Keep up with the beat of the music," One commanded.

Some Aruk off to the side began playing instruments in a tune Rivi did not recognize. She started to sway lamely and then tried a series of twirls and twists. As soon as she caught up with the music, the musicians played faster. They did this four times before Rivi fell to her knees. Worn out and irritated, Rivi stayed on the floor. The Aruk all around her laughed heartily.

"The little earth child can't even dance properly!" One said, mocking her.

"All right, these games are becoming more and more pointless and idiotic," she growled. "What are you trying to accomplish with keeping us here? What do you want with us? Why did you take us from our homes in the first place?"

"So many questions from someone who is in no place to demand answers," One said icily, "However, I do feel like a funny story.

"We took you from your homes because our futurity histographers knew that a group of children from Earth would be the ones to spread the ideas of freedom, independence, and most powerful of all, governments run 'by the people, for the people'. This dangerous weapon would unite all the different species in the galaxy against any foe who would seek to divide and rule them all. We couldn't let that happen, now, could we? It wouldn't be in our best interests. We destroyed the government facility researching these ideas. We kidn*pped the children to figure out your weaknesses as a species. We were even going to keep an eye on Earth to make sure they didn't start up a similar organization, but that all changed when the government of Aun found you and had you rescued.

"We knew they would strive to teach you the same 'human' ideals. Our new plan has been to recapture all of the children. Why don't we kill you after we capture you and get it over with, you ask? Why kill you when we can break you, turn you all into our mindless puppets? Say to everyone in the galaxy, 'Here are your would-be heroes!'" One announced with a nasty sneer.

"You wish to keep us around just so you can gloat to the galaxy if you eventually conquer all of it?" Rivi replied, horrified.

"Not if. When!" One yelled with fierce conviction.

One's expression morphed into a haughtier look as his gaze broke from Rivi's face.

"We have noticed the fierce connection your species has with its offspring. We may be able to use you as bartering tools to gain Earth's surrender," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

An Aruk came over and said something in a whisper to One, who gave a slight smile.

"It seems as though one of the ships containing the earth children has been found. Unfortunately, they have decided to fight back. As a comp amalgamator, you should be able to listen to the audio transmissions of the ships during the battle, PS3-36-9G11," One said, waving his hand pompously.

"I have shut my amalgamatory senses down because of the irritating noise you have turned on in any room I am put in," Rivi replied dryly.

"I think you'll want to hear this. Perhaps it might give you strength, if the children win. Let free your amalgamatory senses, and we will let you listen," One replied with a strange smile.

Rivi looked at him for a moment, and then, closing her eyes, she released her comp amalgamation. In a few seconds, she found that she was listening to the children on the ship itself. The children must be at their assigned stations and calling to each other over the intercom. Every now and then, she would hear an Aunantet guardian call out a series of orders and the children respond in turn.

She knew the voices. Kitinger and Draeton—they were both in her class with Ankh. Kitinger was ten, and Draeton was only nine. She also recognized the voices of Milenis, who was twelve, and Gester, who was eleven, from her applied sciences class. Another voice, Alianton's, stuck out. It seemed like just yesterday Rivi had been teaching Alianton how to swim. The other voices were mixed together incoherently as the children tried to talk over one another as they worked together in the battle.

Rivi held her breath as the imagined pictures of the battle swam around inside her head. She could tell that the children's ship was outmaneuvered by the much faster Aruk ship. A chill ran down Rivi's spine, as she suddenly realized that this was the end. The Aruk ship came just close enough and fired their weapons one last time.

Rivi's knees hit the floor as the transmission was cut, and she knew the children's ship was no longer there. The Aruk had destroyed them. Rivi covered her face with her hands. She would never see her friends again. When she lowered her hands and looked up at One, tears poured down her cheeks.

"Why?" Rivi choked in a harsh whisper.

"We wanted to take them alive, but unfortunately, they decided to fight back. You would do well to learn from their lesson," One replied smugly.

Rivi hung her head.