Dan and Rivi's cube fell through the
Aun sky and tumbled down onto one of Aun's main city roads. Dan pressed his
head to the back of the seat, and reached out with his mind to hold Rivi still
against her bench. He held his breath as they flipped over and over before
coming to a sudden stop as, outside, groups of the city’s Aunantet citizens
gathered around the cube and halted it without touching it. Dan got out of his
chair and unbuckled the straps holding Rivi. He levitated her off the bench and
through the cube wall. Paying no attention to the crowd, he lowered her to the
ground and shrank the cube, sending it back into the sphere on her necklace.
Dan sat down beside Rivi, trying to wake
her up, concern building on his face. A few Aunantet approached and circled Dan
and Rivi chattering anxiously towards Dan while they checked Rivi over.
“I don’t know what you are saying!” Dan
exclaimed. “Please, she needs help!”
One of the Aunantet ran forward from
the farthest street corner.
“What happened?” the Aunantet asked
Dan.
Finally, someone he could understand.
“It was the Aruk!” Dan explained,
flustered. “They held us captive. I think they gave her a computer virus before
we escaped.”
The Aunantet's face faded from its
normal purple to a light pink.
“She's a comp amalgamator, then. That's
not good. What is her name?”
“Rivi … Rivinaig,” Dan replied,
quavering, looking worriedly at Rivi and sensing this Aunantet was concerned.
“Her guardian father is Ankh, then?”
“Yes, she's told me a bit about him,”
Dan replied.
“Does anyone know where I can find
Ankh?” the Aunantet asked the crowd of other concerned Aunantet that had
started to gather in the street around them.
Another Aunantet pushed his way through
the crowd toward Dan and Rivi.
“I'm heading to him now. I can take
them.”
Dan levitated Rivi once more and headed
over to the Aunantet who spoke.
“Here, let me take her,” the Aunantet
said as Daniel approached. “You look like you've been through a lot today.”
Dan looked at the Aunantet a bit
warily.
“It’s all right. Rivi knows me. You may
have even seen me around. I was one of the technicians at the Human Complex. I
worked in the communications section. My name's Orlon.”
“My name's Daniel,” Dan said, as he
lowered Rivi into Orlon's three arms. “I'm not one of the 150 children. This is
my first time here on Aun. It’s my first time being out of Earth's solar
system, as a matter of fact.”
Orlon said nothing as he led Dan and
carried Rivi down the road, away from the dwindling crowd.
“I heard what you said about the Aruk.
You and Rivinaig were captured by them?” Orlon finally asked as they rounded a
corner.
“Yes,” Dan replied quietly.
“For how long?”
“I don't know, what's today's date?”
Dan asked.
“Earth time?” Orlon asked.
Daniel nodded, and Orlon closed his
eyes and consulted his personal computer.
“Saturday, February 15, earth time,”
Orlon answered, looking at Dan.
“We've been with the Aruk for four
weeks then,” Dan said quietly. “It seemed like much, much longer than that.”
“We've been looking for the children’s
ships for about that long,” Orlon answered as he turned down another road and
led Dan over to a pink, sand-coated building with curved walls and no doors.
There were windows, however, leading Dan to believe that the building was only
one story tall.
“What happened?” Dan asked, as he
walked through the wall and waited as Orlon stepped through, carrying Rivi.
“One of the children's ships was
destroyed. The children were supposed to stay together, but the Aruk were
following them too closely. They decided to split up to make it harder for the
Aruk to catch them,” Orlon answered. “It is too dangerous for them to be
wandering out there alone. We are trying to find them so we can get them to a
safer area.”
He motioned off to the side again where
they walked through another wall. Pictures and maps lined the walls of the
room. Another Aunantet sat in a beanbag chair in the middle of the room,
looking at a computer screen that sat in his lap.
“Hey, Ankh, I thought you might like
some company,” Orlon said.
“Not right now, Orlon. I've been trying
to scan through reports from other planets on the comings and goings of
visitors. However, it is slow work. Ugh, Rivi could do this much faster.
Perhaps I should try to contact her on Earth,” Ankh said with a sigh.
“No need, sir. She's here, but I don't
think she can help right now,” Dan replied, speaking up.
Ankh turned his head and blinked his
eyes a few times.
“Do I know you, son?”
“No, sir. I'm a friend of Rivi's from Earth,”
Dan replied.
Ankh suddenly realized Orlon was
carrying Rivi. He dropped the blue, glowing screen he was looking at, and it
clattered to the floor, unnoticed, as he jumped from his chair. His form
flickered from his sudden movement as he rushed to Orlon's side.
“What happened?” Ankh asked, as he led
Orlon over to a cot that was across the room.
Orlon laid Rivi down onto the cot
gently.
“Three words: Aruk, computer, and
virus.” Orlon said.
“Seeing the Aruk again couldn't have
gone over well with Rivi,” Ankh said.
“They were with them for a month in
earth time. On top of that, it looks as though they've given her a computer
virus that is more interested in her than her computer,” Orlon answered. “I
don't even think I would have tried fighting that one, especially if it's
knocked out Rivinaig.”
“Someone's got to do something!” Dan
replied from across the room.
Dan was unsure as to what he was
supposed to do. Part of him wanted to run for help. The other part of him
believed he needed to be here. He shifted from one foot to the other, anxiously
watching Rivi.
“I'm afraid we can't, Daniel, which is
why I brought her here instead of straight to a healer,” Orlon replied.
“Computer viruses are usually pretty harmless to a living being, except when it
has been programmed to attack an amalgamator's mind. The last time I saw this
type of virus, the healers who tried to help the comp amalgamator died along
with the amalgamator. Unless the developer of the virus gives her the
anti-virus, Rivi could end up dead or worse.”
“You
see, son, a healer normally heals the body. Occasionally, they can help with
healing a person's mind, if the person is willing. But in the case of a
computer virus, it is impossible. A healer's abilities are incompatible with
trying to defeat a computer virus, and the virus will often attack them in
return, which would end up being fatal, as a healer has no way to defend
himself.” Orlon explained.
“While
all of this is going on, the healer would be witness to all of the
amalgamator's memories. If the amalgamator doesn't trust the healer, or tries
to block the healer in any way, it would, again, be fatal for both of them. A
computer virus is not like a normal cold virus. In a comp amalgamator, it is
much worse. It drains them of their strength and eats away at their mind and
their will to live.”
“Rivi … probably won't last the night.”
Ankh said sadly, choking on his words.
Dan bit his bottom lip and looked at
Rivi. Rivi twitched and shivered on the cot, then suddenly, she sat bolt
upright. She grimaced and held her head in her arms. She shook all over and,
though she did not make a sound, it was apparent she was in pain.
“It'll only get worse,” Orlon said
sadly, reaching out and putting a hand on Ankh's shoulder.
Ankh's expression deepened with
sadness, and his form slowed its flickering as he came out of the future
timeline. The future wasn't looking good. He didn't want to see how this would
turn out.
“Not if I can help it!” Dan replied
with determination, striding across the room and sitting beside Rivi.
Ankh reached out toward Dan.
“There's nothing you can do, son.”
Dan wasn't hearing it. He gently took
Rivi's hands from her head and placed them in her lap. Rivi relaxed slightly,
and Ankh and Orlon watched in shock as Dan placed his right hand to her temple.
He went rigid and then closed his eyes.
About the author:
When V.L. Jennings isn't traveling to other worlds through her imagination, she calls Dillon, South Carolina her home. Virginia is the author of "The Alien Mind," a science fiction novel published by PDMI Publishing, LLC. Her second title, "Visionary From The Stars" is expected to be re-released through PDMI as well, in 2016. She has also illustrated a children's book for PDMI, titled "Wiggle Worm's Shape Adventures," written by Karen and Kathy Sills. Lately, Virginia spends her time writing flash fiction on her blog and working towards her Associates Degree in Electronics Engineering.
