The Alien Mind (free)

Fighting Back

DANIEL PRESSED HIS HAND TO THE SIDE of Rivi's head. He closed his eyes and let his intuition guide him as he willed his mind to flow into Rivi's. He could feel Rivi hesitate and worried, but only for a moment.

Recognizing his presence, she suddenly let him in without holding back. Instantly, Dan was in a large hallway flooded with Rivi's memories, floating past on large, transparent square screens. Having seen many of these memories before when Rivi showed him her past while they were in the Aruk base, he paid them little attention.

He walked down many winding corridors, teeming with all of the thoughts with which Rivi's mind was interacting and receiving signals. He was careful not to get into any of the messengers' way as they rolled by his feet. Huge screens on the walls of the corridors flashed with blue, green, and red warning glyphs. Some of the screens, Dan could tell, were displaying the areas of Rivi's mind that were under attack. Some of them displayed cross-sections of the invading virus. It was obvious Rivi's mind was trying to figure out a weakness in the attacking virus.

Finally, he saw the hazy figure of Rivi standing at one end of a flat bridge. Trying to cross the bridge from the other side and attacking Rivi's fading figure were thousands of little, black, mutant, mechanical, spidery things. Dan walked up to the weakening, hazy image of Rivi and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Dan, you can't be here," the image of Rivi said, alarmed, "The virus will kill you!"

"I'm not going to let you face this on your own, Rivi, not when there's a small chance I can help you," Dan said.

"The virus has multiplied exponentially. I ... I just don't know if I'll be able to defeat them," Rivi said, sparing a sad, weak glance at the image of Dan.

"Maybe not alone, but together, I think we can," Dan said, focusing his concentration on Rivi, helping to heal the many injuries the monsters had already inflicted on her.

As she felt Dan's strength flowing through her and adding to her own, Rivi knew the virus would now be stopped. The second the thought entered her mind, it came and floated before her, forming a barrier that stopped the virus from getting any farther across the long bridge. Rivi smiled and knew the end was near for the viruses.

One by one, the viruses died and fell over the bridge. Rivi and Dan walked slowly across the bridge with Dan's hand on Rivi's shoulder and Rivi pushing the barrier before them. The virus started to die faster and their numbers decreased.

As they reached the other side, Dan realized that Rivi's mind was much more complex on this side than on the other side of the bridge. Massive networks of stairs and walkways traveled in every conceivable direction.

This must be that part of the human mind that most humans never learn to access.

Along these passages were many doors standing up without any walls beside them—doors that seemed to open into thin air. One large, arched doorway stood wide open to the left of the bridge that spanned the chasm. The viruses were swarming out from that doorway and crawling all over the networks of walkways. Dan realized this particular section of Rivi's mind must be her comp amalgamator halls.

Displaying sudden irritation at the audacity of the comp amalgamator section of her mind being violated by the viruses, Rivi stretched out her hand with a scowl and wiped free the virus' code from her mind and her computer. Sweeping her hand around her, she flung the useless, defeated virus and its files over the edge of the bridge into the chasm below. The corridors in the now emancipated side of Rivi's mind came to life once more, sending instructions, evaluations, and details to their designated areas of concentration.

Sensing that his work was done, Dan released Rivi's shoulder, as she continued her work in repairing the comp amalgamator section of her mind. Dan headed carefully back across the bridge and through the corridors teaming with Rivi's memories. As he faded and retreated into his own mind, he released his hand from Rivi's head. He opened his eyes slowly to see Ankh and Orlon standing there, wide-eyed with concern.

Dan sat silently for just a moment longer. Breathing deeply, he struggled to collect his thoughts into coherent sentences. Dan's muscles quivered with exhaustion as the adrenalin began to fade from his body, leaving behind a growing headache.

"She's okay now," Dan replied through his exhaustion.

He slowly stood to give Rivi more room on the cot.

Ankh shook his head in amazement.

"What you did, son, was impossible. And very brave," Ankh replied with a thankful smile, watching Rivi, who lay down peacefully on the cot once more.

"I did what needed to be done," Dan rubbed his forehead, fervently trying to massage away the headache. "Rivi would've done the same for me."

"I'm sure she would have, but you must be exhausted," Ankh said, as he turned the beanbag chair sitting in the center of the room into another cot. "You should rest."

"Thank you," Dan replied, as he stepped over to the cot and fell asleep the moment he lowered his head.

#

A while later, Rivi woke and sat up, shocked at first, not knowing where she was. She saw Dan sitting, looking relaxed and awake, on a cot opposite her.

"Wh— where are we?" Rivi asked, her voice clearing.

"On Aun. We had a pretty bumpy landing, but we got here. Your virus should be gone now," Dan said.

Rivi's memories started coming back in pieces that quickly put themselves together. Rivi remembered Dan helping her defeat the virus. She remembered how the virus had tried to ravage her mind. Rivi did a quick health check of herself to make sure everything was working.

"I already checked. The damage the virus and the Aruk did has been taken care of," Dan assured her.

Rivi then remembered the Aruk.

They tried to kill Dan!

Rivi's brow creased with anxiety. Staring at her feet, her mind began pouring over all the safest routes. She saw no other way.

"Daniel, I no longer wish to spend time with you," Rivi said flatly, still staring at her feet.

"Wh— what?" Dan asked incredulously.

"I mean it. Leave," Rivi replied in a small voice.

"Rivi, I'm sorry if I did something," Dan said, confused.

"Go now!" Rivi ordered as she stood up and turned away, her arms folded.

Dan blinked his eyes in disbelief and turned to leave, confused. Outside, he passed by Ankh without so much as a smile. Ankh squinted at Dan's retreating figure, knowing what had happened. Ankh entered the room to find Rivi sitting back on the cot and staring at the wall across the room. He had foreseen this would happen, but he didn't realize that it would happen like this.

"Rivi, do you wish to talk about it?" he asked.

"You already know, then," Rivi said, not moving her eyes.

"Rivi, I have seen along the time continuum that this was supposed to happen, but at the time, I didn't realize that the one you sent away was a close friend of yours. What was your reasoning, Rivi?"

Rivi swallowed hard moving her gaze from the wall to her knees.

"The Aruk almost killed him, Ankh. They wanted to kill him to break me. I won't put him in danger like that again."

Ankh turned Daniel's cot into a beanbag chair again and flopped down in it.

"Of all the Earth fads, I think I like the beanbag chair the best!" Ankh said.

Rivi looked up at Ankh.

"But you know, Rivi," Ankh continued, "Dan could have left you there with the Aruk. He could have gotten out of there faster. He knew the dangers and all the pros and cons, yet he still brought you out of there. He got down here and could have left you to be cared for by us, even though we couldn't do much. He heard all of the dangers and everything that could go wrong if a healer tried to help you with the virus, but he saw you in pain and decided to help anyway. I hope you decide to talk to him before he leaves."

"Where's he going?" Rivi asked, frowning.

"While you were asleep, the healers asked him if he would go with them to another town here on Aun. Citridor was attacked by a small Aruk group a few days ago. They need all the help they can get. He would've invited you, but he figured you would want to try to find the rest of the children."

"Yes," Rivi said.

"I still think he deserves to know why you don't want to see him," Ankh replied.

"Thanks for talking about it with me, Ankh, but I'm not sure what I'll do yet."

"Anytime. What are friends for?" Ankh asked pointedly.

Rivi lowered her gaze, staring at the smooth, black floor. She sighed and then left the room slowly. She headed out of the building and down the almost-deserted evening streets of Aun's capital city, Emab. Feeling hungry, Rivi took a shortcut through one of the city's public gardens.

As she entered the garden, she breathed deeply and allowed her body to absorb some of the energy the plants around her created. She walked through the center trail and out the other side of the garden, coming to a stop in front of the healers' central headquarters. A few Aunantet were milling about the front entrance of the tall, many-storied building. Some entered the building; others were just passing by. A few, Rivi noticed, walked around to the back of the building.

That is probably the group's meeting point. Perhaps I should go talk with Dan before he leaves, Rivi thought to herself.

She walked around the back of the large healers' headquarters. About twenty healers of all ages were loading a large, silver cube full of equipment and supplies. Rivi spotted Dan and walked slowly over to him. Dan froze and looked away as he saw her approach.

"I want to tell you something. Will you come with me for a second?" Rivi asked quietly.

Dan shrugged and followed her out of the group of busy healers and toward the street in front of the building. Rivi stopped and folded her arms around her stomach, still keeping her gaze focused on her feet.

"I just want to tell you the reason I said what I did earlier. I don't want you to be put in danger because of me."

Dan looked down at the ground between them then glanced back up at Rivi with a slight smile.

"Rivi, I knew when I saw you on Earth, in your back yard, levitating rakes and flowerpots that you were an interesting person. Many things happen around interesting people. With those circumstances also comes a certain amount of danger. I knew this before I decided to be your friend, Riv. I may not have known that we would have been captured by aliens or that I'd have to help you through a computer virus attack, but I—"

"You were almost killed by those Aruk, Dan!" Rivi protested.

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I decided to ignore you just because we happened to fall into a sticky situation. Besides, there's always some element of danger around. You get out of bed in the morning, and you could trip on a skate and snap your neck. Hey, you can even get hurt staying in your bed, if the ceiling caves in!"

Rivi laughed, glancing up at Dan, before she looked away again.

"Rivi, I'm your friend, and if you think I'm going to stay away just because there might be some chance of danger, you've got to be kidding! If anything, you could tell me to stay away now, then, as soon as I hear that you need help, I'd already be on my way to find you!" Dan said, placing his hand on the side of Rivi's face.

Rivi looked up at him and closed her eyes for a second. She felt his strength flowing into her.

"Thanks, Dan," Rivi replied quietly, as she gave him a short farewell hug.

Dan smiled, and they both turned to head back to where the healers were loading the last few items into the cube.

"I'm sorry, Dan," Rivi said.

"Forget it. It's okay," he smiled.

"Listen, I don't know how long you'll be with the healers, but if you hear that I'm in the area—"

"I'll come by and visit," Dan replied, nodding with a grin. "I also need to try to find a way to write my foster parents and tell them what's going on. They're probably worried."

Rivi thought for a moment. She pulled her palmtop out of its special pocket sewed into the lining inside her sleeve. She quickly strengthened her amalgamator's link with it and gave it some specific directions.

"Here," Rivi said, passing her computer to Dan.

"I couldn't take this. Besides, I don't even know how it works," Dan replied, confused.

"No, I want you to have it. It's easy enough to make a new one. I've programmed it to allow you access to its functions from the keypad, just like the Earth computers. Some of the programs are voice-activated, but I'm sure you can figure it out," Rivi replied with a grin. "I put a program on there that will allow you to type in your foster parents' email address, or simply their names, and send a message."

Dan considered it for a moment before giving Rivi a reply.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Yes! Here, take it," Rivi laughed, passing the computer back to him. "You best get going. It looks as if most of the Aunantet are in the cube already."

"Okay. See you, Rivi!" Dan called as he walked through the cube's walls.

A minute later the cube lifted into the sky, letting the planet's upper atmospheric weather patterns blow them along to their destination—less tiring, mentally, than going through the fourth dimension. Rivi watched as the cube slowly disappeared through the sky.

She turned and went back to the newly designated Human Embassy, where she knew Ankh would still be trying to figure out the whereabouts of children.

#

Rivi spent the next year working closely with Ankh and his colleagues, searching for the children. It turned out that the children had started to split up into groups of three, with one Aunantet. Each Aunantet had taken their charges in different directions to try to better evade the Aruk.

It may cause the Aruk to have trouble finding them, but it also makes it harder for us to find them, Rivi thought, as she sat in a straight-backed chair in front of a small table.

Rivi kept looking from her new palmtop computer to some maps and charts displayed on the walls of her circular room in the Earth Embassy. Her new computer was circular in design and opened like a clamshell. Reports from other planets and interplanetary communications scrolled by on the blue display screen. She hoped to find a spare scrap of information that would hint to the location of the next group of children.

In the past ten months, Rivi and the others working on finding the children had managed to find 20 of the 45 different groups. Rivi had been given the job of relocating fifteen of the groups. Now, only seventy-five children were left to be found.

She had taken fifteen of the youngest children, most of them ages nine through twelve, to the Mars colony where they were placed with civilian, non-criminal parents in the colony. The Aunantet guardians would visit each family about once every earth week. Rivi had already received messages from them and was glad to hear that the children were happy and doing well.

On Earth, there was a project underway that Earth's newly formed United Space Administrations had started in order to build human colonies on other planets. Ten Aunantet caretakers, along with the other 30 children Rivi had located, decided to help. They would be traveling with pre-selected families to different planets. Rivi knew that there were more than likely a handful of new colonies already started.

Another thing Rivi knew was that it was pointless for her to be looking for stray information in interplanetary communiqués that would lead her to the rest of the missing children. The rest of the children and their Aunantet guardians would be very careful about what they were doing if they were worried about being caught by the Aruk.

So how do you find someone who does not want to be found?

That seemed to be the question hanging around the Human Embassy on Aun lately. Rivi rubbed her hand over her face. Anything she thought of to try to find the children would more than likely be thought of by the Aruk. It seemed like a futile endeavor, but they had to try.

Rivi looked at her computer screen as it notified her that there was a message coming through to her. She had received one from Dan the day before. Rivi smiled. She knew that with the recent attacks on Aun and a few other planets settled by the Aunantet, Dan and the rest of his healer colleagues were horribly busy. She had read the short note in surprise:

dear riv

cannot talk right now dangerous got lots to do don't worry about me.

orlon says to tell ankh that hes with me

hopefuly your quest against the aruk will go easier soon

your friend

dan

ps please don't try to respond to my letter im too busy to read right now

Cryptic, but it was good to hear from him, Rivi thought, laughing to herself. He's obviously too busy to bother with his punctuation and capitalization as well!

Rivi mentally informed the computer that she was ready to receive the new message. It was from Ankh.

"Hey, Rivi, have you found anything yet?" Ankh asked once he appeared onto her viewscreen.

"Not yet. What about you and Enuet?"

"No. Have you been through all of those communiqué records yet?"

"Yep. Being a comp amalgamator has its benefits sometimes," Rivi replied with a laugh.

Ankh chuckled then turned serious.

"Speaking of amalgamators, have you seen Orlon in the past few days?"

"I just got a short message from Dan yesterday. He said Orlon was with him. Sorry, I forgot to tell you," Rivi replied apologetically.

"No, that's all right. We've all been busy. Apparently, some more than others. I just received a short message from Orlon. I think you better read it."

Rivi's computer screen switched from the view of Ankh to a short letter from Orlon:

Ankh,

Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I think we've been found out. I am trapped. We had a plan but it failed. I don't know if I'll ever get out of here alive. The Aruk are coming for me, this will probably be my last

"That's the way it ended. Can you make any sense of it?" Ankh asked, as he reappeared on Rivi's computer screen.

"The Aruk have obviously gotten to Orlon, and possibly Dan. What were they doing, anyway?" Rivi asked, troubled.

"I don't know. I'm not included in the 'we' who knew about the plan," Ankh replied with a strained smile.

"Whatever it is, it failed, and now they are both with the Aruk. Ankh, I want to go help them. I've been working on some defense techniques that should help us get out once I find them," Rivi replied, her mind made up.

"It'll still be dangerous," Ankh replied with a mischievous smile.

"Dan would do the same for me."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that," Ankh replied. "I'm coming with you."

"Enuet may not be too happy about that."

"She knows that it has to be done. I'll meet you on the roof," Ankh said, as he disappeared from the computer screen.

#

Rivi and Ankh floated up from Aun toward the Aruk base on Aun's moon, Tritic.

"This is where my computer told me Orlon's message came from," Rivi told Ankh, as she turned their cube into a small ship.

"Well, let's go see who's home. Do you think we'll get a welcoming party?" Ankh replied with a lopsided smile.

"The Aruk never fail to supply one," Rivi said, as they were pulled closer to Tritic by some outside force.

Rivi and Ankh left the ship as soon as it landed. Rivi shrank it back into a cube and put it back into her necklace. She struck a defiant stance as she saw the familiar Aruk around her in the large, domed room.

"Where have you taken him?" Rivi demanded of Twelve, who stood nearby.

"Why, PS3-36-9G11, what a surprise to see you here again! Didn't get enough last time?" Twelve replied smugly.

"Listen, I'm not in the mood to get snuggly with you people right now. I want to know where you put him," Rivi replied.

"You can come see him if you like," Twelve replied, motioning forward a few guards.

The guards led Ankh and Rivi down the hall and into one of the cells to which Rivi was very accustomed.

"We'll bring him here in a few moments. Just sit tight," one of the guards said with a sneer.

Rivi rolled her eyes and sat on one of the two benches in the cell.

"You seem to be all right with being a prisoner again so soon." Ankh said insightfully.

"I dealt with much of my past last time, so I know what it feels like to be truly free. I won't be giving up on that freedom. No more Miss Nice Girl!" Rivi replied.

The Aruk guard returned and pushed Orlon into the cell. Orlon started to fall, but not before Rivi and Ankh jumped up and caught him, lowering him gently to the floor. Orlon sat up slowly and took a minute to recognize who interrupted his fall.

"Ankh, Rivinaig, is that you? How did you two get here?"

"We came for you and Dan. So far we've only found you," Ankh replied.

"I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him. The last time I saw him was yesterday," Orlon replied in a dejected tone.

"I got a note from him yesterday," Rivi replied.

"Yes. That was shortly before I was captured," Orlon replied. "I thought they had gotten him as well, but I haven't seen him."

"We should stick around and see if we can hear anything," Ankh replied, looking to Rivi, who nodded.

"All I hear is some crazy, high-pitched, jumbled set of tones that is on the verge of driving me crazy. I'm not even able to use my amalgamator abilities because of the headache it is giving me," Orlon replied offhandedly as he sat down in a far corner of the room to rest his back against the wall.

Rivi sighed. She closed her eyes, and the tones stopped.

"That's their containment system. There, is that better?" Rivi asked.

"What? Yes! How did you do that?" Orlon asked.

"The Aruk designed this place to break us by trying to force us into depression. By causing us pain and finding ways to dampen our abilities, they are able to make us think they have our lives on a string. We are made to be uncertain and depressed about which horrible thing they will do to us next or which horrible thing will finally be the end of us," Rivi replied.

"And so, the student becomes the teacher. But I don't think we understand your point yet, Rivi," Ankh said.

"Worrying causes weakness, mistakes, and lack of concentration. Not worrying creates an environment where a being can focus on its surroundings and make fewer mistakes," Rivi explained.

"So now we can all leave whenever we want!" Orlon announced with a crazed look in his eye.

"My dear friend, I am sure it will be more difficult than that, but yes. Unfortunately, we have no clue where Dan is," Ankh replied as he reached out a hand in an attempt to calm Orlon's hysteria.

Rivi looked worriedly at Orlon. She knew he had never been through these types of tortures like she had. She could tell the strain was starting to wear away at his mind. He was nervous and jittery. He allowed Ankh just a moment before he pulled his shoulder out from under Ankh's hand and began pacing the room and rubbing his hands together.

We just have to find Dan soon, Rivi thought to herself.

An Aruk guard came into the cell and escorted Ankh away. A few seconds later, two more guards came for Orlon and Rivi, herding them in separate directions.

#

Rivi walked calmly down the hall in front of the guard who held her by her right shoulder. As they stepped into the room that seemed to be their destination, Rivi looked around in boredom.

"There's no supervisor here," Rivi said, and received surprised looks from the guards. "I've noticed, in all the time I've spent with you, that nothing ever starts until one of you comes in wearing two black stripes on your left cheek."

The guards shuffled nervously. Rivi wondered if they thought she was going to try to escape. She knew she now had the upper hand, psychologically. She decided she would keep that advantage too.

They will soon learn that this nut won't be broken so easily, Rivi thought to herself, smiling inwardly.

"Now, because the medical table seems to be placed so it is the center of attention in this room, I'm guessing that I'm supposed to sit there," Rivi said condescendingly.

Rivi walked to the center of the room and sat on the top of the smooth, black-topped table. She waited quietly for the supervisor to arrive while the guards all watched her with curiosity. A few minutes later, Twelve walked into the room, now wearing a set of stripes on his cheek.

"Twelve?" Rivi asked.

"No, I've been promoted. My name is now Nine to you." He made a motion toward one of the Aruk in the room, who walked up to Rivi and closed one of his hands around her wrist.

By the markings around his head, Rivi could tell the Aruk who had come up to her was a healer. She mentally put up blocks at certain critical areas to keep the healer from doing anything she couldn't reverse. She knew that her resistance, though she couldn't resist much, caused the healer pain.

"I suspect that you want this healer to see how I fared with the viruses. I'm sorry to have to tell you that I defeated them all," Rivi said without even opening her eyes.

"She does have one left though, stored in the comp amalgamation section of her brain," the healer told Nine.

"That singular virus has been stored there in case I ever run up against that particular virus again. I've rewritten it to work as an antivirus. It is imprinted with my signature, so I wouldn't even think of trying to make it revert to its original programming. It'll only respond to me," Rivi replied.

Nine narrowed his eyes, sniffed haughtily, and snapped his fingers at one of the Aruk guards across the room. The guard brought over a metal bowl-like object with long wires coming out of its top. The guard plugged the wires into the appropriate holes around the top front edge of the long table Rivi sat on. Three other guards started to come over as well, but Rivi had already figured out what they were going to do.

"You're not going to try to run electrical currents through my head in an effort to harm my mind, are you?" Rivi asked demurely.

"Yes, PS3-36-9G11, do you have a problem with this?" Nine replied with a sneer.

"No, not really, but it would be a waste of your time. Don't you think that, by now, I've learned to defend myself from electrical pulses, seeing that it would interfere with my comp amalgamation?" Rivi asked, crossing her arms.

This wasn't entirely true. She had almost completed the mental buffers that would keep her from getting the electrical overload that was caused by electrical pulses. Rivi still wasn't sure how many of her memories were still hidden from her because of the pain of the electrical mind tortures they put her through when she was little. After the last time she was with the Aruk a year ago, she was glad they didn't get a chance to do anymore of those types of tortures. She decided then that it might be wise to go and take the training that would teach her how to create the defensive mental buffers when she got back home.

She wasn't finished yet, but when she was, that particular type of t*****e wouldn't harm her anymore. Even though they didn't know she wasn't finished forming her defensive buffers, she could see that the thought that she wouldn't be harmed by this form of t*****e had unsettled Nine. It was almost as if she could see the wheels working under his purple-skinned head. Rivi supposed that he was trying to find some way to hold onto his reputation.

What works, works. Rivi thought.

"Put her in solitary," Nine commanded.

Two guards crossed the room coming toward Rivi. Rivi hopped off the table and walked ahead of the guards to the room she knew was across the hall. She knew she was unnerving them, but that was what she planned to do. It would make it a bit easier for her and her friends to leave later if she got the Aruk to be a bit hesitant around her.

They opened the door to the dark room, and Rivi sat on the floor in the corner. The guards shut the door and left Rivi there with her thoughts. She didn't think much, though. She had decided that her time would be much better spent catching up on her sleep. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before the nightmare inducing noises and crashes were turned on like before, Rivi took a moment to stealthily shut that program off before she stretched out on the cold floor to take a nap.

#

According to her computer, Rivi had been inside the dark room for three hours when she finally woke up. She saw that a small beam of light was coming from the door. She sat up to see who had opened the door. It looked as if whoever had opened the door slightly was thinking about coming in. They must have thought better of it, though, because they shut the door again. Rivi shook her head in wonder and moved toward the back of the room. She leaned her head against the wall for a half-hour more before the door opened again.

This time, the guard threw the door wide open and came in to escort her out. The guard marched her down the hallways and back to the cell where Ankh and Orlon sat, looking tired.

"Are you all right, Rivi?" Ankh asked as the guard shut the door behind her.

"Yes, I'm fine. The Aruk are going to need new ways of t*****e if they want to break me," Rivi replied in a cheerful tone.

"I'm not sure I understand," Orlon said with a distant expression.

He was pacing the room nervously again.

"I've spent so much time with them, Orlon, that I've basically memorized everything they have already tried to do. A few of their tortures I have even been able to develop defenses for," Rivi replied.

"I was wondering why you spent so much of your spare time this past year locked away in your room," Ankh replied.

"Yeah. I just wanted to keep ahead of them in case I had to come up against the Aruk again," Rivi replied with a shrug and shook her head. "They will probably just find new ways to try to t*****e me."

"At least you can make it harder for them," Ankh suggested as he watched Orlon, a worried look on his face.

Rivi smiled slightly.

"Yes, but in reality, none of it matters. No matter what the Aruk try, and no matter how prepared I am, my life is still in the hands of the one and only almighty Creator."

Ankh patted her shoulder in agreement.

#

Rivi woke early the next morning, according to her computer. She was thinking about where Daniel might be. She had thought he would have sent her some type of message through her computer if he were all right. But, then again, if he was in a tight situation, he probably wouldn't because he knew the message could be traced.

Rivi opened her eyes to find that Ankh and Orlon weren't in the cell with her.

The Aruk have probably taken them away again, Rivi thought.

No sooner had she finished the thought when a guard came rushing into the cell and grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the cell.

"I do have two feet, you know. I can walk!" Rivi exclaimed as the guard thrust her in front of him and marched her down the hall.

The guard led her to a circular room where a dozen Aruk women, dressed in flowing multicolored robes, were sitting in chairs, in a semicircle. The guard led her to a beanbag chair in front of the semicircle.

"I'm sorry for all the confusion, dear. We didn't want you harmed before we had a chance to meet you. However, orders seemed to have gotten mixed up," the woman in the middle said imperiously. "But seeing as things have progressed the way that they have, we do have a few questions we want to ask before the guards continue with their orders."

"Right," Rivi said, not believing it for a second.

"You've spent quite a bit of time with these men. Would you say that their treatment of you has been too rough?" the woman to the left of center asked.

What are they playing at? Rivi wondered to herself.

"I've survived, haven't I?" Rivi said, closing her eyes and shrugging as if she were tired.

"Do you think that taking you away from your mommy at such a young age has wounded you psychologically?" a woman on the right end asked.

Rivi opened her eyes and looked at the woman.

"I never would've learned what I know now if they hadn't taken me. So you can just go back and inform your husbands and sons that, in trying to alter the future, they may have only helped it along," Rivi answered.

"My dear, you look as if you are frustrated with the life you lead. Perhaps it is not all that good for you," the center woman said.

Rivi smiled, leaning back in the beanbag chair.

"No, it is simply the Aruk who are not good for me. It is the Aruk I'm frustrated with, not my life."

"You came here of your own free will, didn't you? Why would you do that if we frustrate you so much?"

Rivi sat up, smiling mischievously.

"You'd just love it if I told you that, wouldn't you?" Rivi replied as she tossed her head and rolled her eyes. "But I have free will, which means only I can decide what to tell you. You Aruk don't like when things are free, do you?"

"Certainly you are strong enough to leave here at any time. What keeps you?" a woman third from the right-hand center asked, deliberately avoiding Rivi's question.

Rivi stood slowly. She formed the beanbag chair into a rubber ball and bounced it at the floor hard. She watched it bounce around the room unhindered.

"Perhaps I wish to see if you can break me," Rivi replied, smiling sweetly at the women. "Go send your report to whoever you need to. You will learn nothing else by talking with me."

Rivi walked out of the room, past the guard, and down the hall to her cell, with the guard running to catch up. She stepped into the cell and closed the door before the guard caught up.

"Look who's walking around like she owns the place," Ankh said as Rivi turned around.

"Just until they get some new ideas," Rivi replied, shaking her head.

"Maybe they have, and you're playing right into them," Orlon replied.

He was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth as he stared at the wall blankly.

"Something to think about," Rivi replied as her smile faded, understanding that Orlon, even as mentally unstable as he was now, could indeed be right.

#

"Have you figured out how we can break her?" Nine asked the center woman, as he walked into the room.

"It's just a phase Earth children go through at adolescence. They think they have acquired knowledge and become confident and arrogant. If her confidence is broken, the rest of her will break as well."

"I don't think that particular course of action will work. We couldn't break her when she didn't have this confidence. I think it's time to do things the hard way," Nine replied.

"You mean you won't break her?" the woman asked.

"It's strange, but I don't think she can be broken. It's almost as if someone else has control of her life."

#

A large group of Aruk guards escorted Rivi out of the cell later that day. Rivi looked around, confused as to why so many guards would be sent to retrieve her. She was led into a small, rectangular room with a large window that went all the way down to the floor in one wall. The guards pushed her in and shut the door.

Well, here's a new one, Rivi said silently to herself, slightly worried.

She watched as the guards entered the room on the other side of the large window. More guards came in, escorting Ankh and Orlon with them. Rivi touched the cool glass, wondering what the Aruk had planned.

Nine came in and stood directly in front of Rivi, with the window between them.

"PS3-36-9G11, I'm sick and tired of having to deal with you, but I have no choice. Nevertheless, this will be the last time you will ever see your two Aunantet friends. Say goodbye, Rivinaig," Nine replied smoothly as he turned his back to her.

Rivi frowned. It was the first time any of the Aruk had called her by her name. She looked to Ankh, who was looking wide-eyed from Rivi to Nine. Both Ankh and Orlon struggled as they were marched out of the room. Her heart sank, as she digested the meaning of Nine's comment. She knew she was going to feel guilty for the rest of her life if the Aruk decided to kill Ankh and Orlon just to break her defiance. Rivi closed her eyes and rested her head on the glass. Every part of her hoped this was only a trick.

Suddenly, Rivi realized she was finding it harder to breathe. She looked around and noticed a vent at the top of the room. The oxygen was being sucked out of the small room. As it became harder and harder for her to breathe she panicked. Rivi tried the door latch even though she knew it would be pointless to do so. Rivi looked wide-eyed at the Aruk standing on the other side of the window. She struggled to stay calm, but soon she was too weak to do anything but sit down. She watched as the Aruk filed out of the other room, leaving her alone.

In a last ditch effort she placed a hand on the glass and a hand on the wall beside her. She struggled to phase through them like she would have done on Earth or Aun. It didn't work.

Of course, the transmorgrifiyers would have locked the atoms in the walls and glass in here as well.

Rivi gulped at the last little bit of oxygen. She couldn't see anything else that she could do to keep from being asphyxiated. She rested her head on the wall behind her, as dizziness started to overwhelm her. She fought to keep her eyes open and only concentrated on breathing.

Rivi's lungs ached. She knew the last bit of oxygen had been depleted from the room. She held her breath as long as she could, remembering sadly that she still hadn't been able to find Dan. She slumped down to the cool floor, feeling numb.

Suddenly, the door only two feet from her head opened, allowing oxygen to flood back into the room. Rivi felt the oxygen rush in to envelop her. She could breathe! She rolled over onto her back, drawing in as much air as she could, only to sit up and cough it back out again. Someone knelt and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I was afraid I'd gotten here too late," Dan said squeezing her shoulders.

Rivi turned around, still breathing heavily, and stared at Daniel, wide-eyed.

"A few seconds longer and you would have!" Rivi exclaimed, gaping at him.

Dan smiled at her, relieved.

"Here," he said, as he placed his hand on the side of her face.

Rivi felt the strength flow back into her oxygen-deprived muscles.

"Thanks," Rivi replied, as Dan removed his hand and steadied her as she stood.

"You're the only one I can seem to be able to do that to," Dan said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Come with me. I know where Ankh and Orlon are. We need to go get them," Dan continued as he led her down the many hallways in the Aruk complex.

"The Aruk named Nine told me that moment would be the last time I saw Ankh and Orlon." Rivi walked fast to keep, up with Dan.

"If we don't all get out of here soon, we will all be blown to bits," Dan said.

"What?" Rivi exclaimed, surprised.

"Here, I have to explain it to them, anyway," he said, opening the door into a room where Ankh and Orlon were sitting in chairs being interrogated by Nine and a few Aruk guards.

"You will tell us where the one you call Daniel is hiding!" Nine commanded.

"You are now called Nine, I suppose?" Dan asked glaring.

"How did you ... She ... Guards!" Nine exclaimed.

The Aruk on the other side of the room started to move, but Dan spoke.

"Stay where you are! I will be freeing my friends and taking them with me whether or not you cooperate. You have exactly fifteen minutes to exit this complex before becoming nothing but a crater on the surface of this moon. I have planted bombs inside the foundation of this complex. I've been among you, in secret, for the last three months, and no, your comp amalgamators wouldn't have noticed the bomb because it is not electronically-powered—merely a box of explosives and some braided fibers. You will not find the bombs. You now have fourteen minutes to leave this building. Just like those who wish to free themselves from their bullies or their dictators, the explosion that will destroy this facility cannot be stopped," Dan explained with an authoritative scowl.

He stepped forward, and taking one of both Ankh and Orlon's hands, he led them, along with Rivi, out through the halls and into the domed outer room of the Aruk base. Ankh took the cube from the sphere on the chain around his neck and expanded it. He stepped through, followed by Orlon.

Dan turned suddenly as Rivi yelled out. Nine had caught up with them and was holding a rope that he had managed to slip over her head and around her neck.

"Go, Dan. I'll be fine!" Rivi yelled at him, her voice cracking with the effort.

Reluctantly, Dan walked through the cube wall. The cube lifted into the air and passed through the roof of the domed room as if it were water. Nine yanked at the rope around Rivi's neck, spinning her around and causing the rope to unwind from her neck. Rivi knelt on the floor, touching her neck carefully. Nine took a step toward her, and Rivi stood to meet his challenge.

Suddenly, a form came hurtling out from behind some stacks of storage cubes, ramming into the Aruk. The form drove the Aruk over the side of an open cube and other cubes fell down on top of him. It would take a bit before Nine would get free of that pile.

Rivi smiled with surprise at Dan, who came running back to her. She took her own cube out of her necklace and expanded it. Rivi and Dan stepped through the side of the cube.

"That's twice you've helped me out of a sticky situation today. I know. Don't tell me: what are friends for, right?" Rivi said with a grateful smile, turning on the bracelet on her wrist, which then emitted a green light and lit up the cube.

"You got it," Dan replied with a grin, giving Rivi a playful push.

Rivi smiled and gave him a push back right before she caused the cube to lift into the air. Laughing, Dan placed a hand on the wall of the cube to regain his balance. As the cube cleared the building, Rivi changed it into a ship. Rivi's ship gradually began to descend toward Aun, following the speck she knew was Ankh's ship. Rivi watched as dozens of cubes fled from the complex, left and right, and then, there was a sudden explosion.

What had been the base was only a crater.

The Aruk were right. Freedom is a powerful idea. How long would it be until they came to the conclusion that perhaps it hadn't been wise for them to set themselves against it in the first place? Rivi thought.

The Aruk would have to start all over. Hopefully, the scoreboard would be evened out for at least a short time, giving the still missing children time to relocate. Rivi knew that no matter how long the calm lasted, the storm would eventually come. It would come with a force that would astonish all who were unprepared.

In her mind, Rivi knew she would be prepared. She looked over at Dan, sitting in a chair across from her. She then looked toward the ship descending in front of her and through Aun's atmosphere with Ankh and Orlon onboard.

Our Creator willing, we will all be prepared. We will fight against these Aruk—fight to maintain our freedom.