Slave Empire - Prophecy (8 page)

"Relax, Ensign
Egan," Tallyn said. "I want to speak to the girl." He turned to the
two guards who stood at the hospital's entrance. "You two, set up a
stress screen."

The guards
brought over a portable screen and placed it in front of the cell's
door. It looked like a metal door frame, and was to protect him
should the girl try to shoot him. The stress screen's alternating
layers of charged air molecules formed a shimmer that would deflect
a projectile.

Tallyn waved
the guards back when they completed their task, indicating that
they should stand to one side, out of sight. Once they were in
place, he ordered the nervous ensign to open the door. Egan touched
crystals on his console and the cell door slid open with a
hiss.

Rayne whipped
around, raised the gun and opened her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her
shout turned to a gasp as she gaped at the man who filled the
doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite
alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black
hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his
thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His
skin gleamed with a metallic golden shimmer, and his black hair
ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure
white.

His earlobes
joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging suit of dark blue
material had a line of gold that edged his collar and ran down the
middle of his chest, separating into two at his waist to continue
down the front of his trousers. Gold also trimmed his cuffs and ran
up the outside of his sleeves to form swirling patterns on his
shoulders.

He smiled
without showing his teeth. "Hello. I am Tallyn." He spoke with less
of an accent than the disembodied voice had. "I am the commander of
this ship."

She nodded,
stepping back. "Hi." It sounded pathetic, even to her, and she
searched her vacant mind for something more suitable to say. While
she did, he spoke again.

"Do not be
afraid. I wish you no harm."

Rayne took
another step back. "I - I'll call my brother."

"No." He held
up a hand. "Please, I wish to speak to you, alone."

"Why?"

"The weapon."
He indicated her gun. "Please give it to me."

Rayne looked
at it. He did not seem afraid of it, and she did not think she
could use it on him anyway. Rawn might, though, but what good would
that do? They were at this man's mercy. Shooting him, or trying to,
would not improve their situation. The gun was useless, and she let
it sink to her side.

She looked at
the alien again. "Will you give me your word that you mean us no
harm?" Again, it sounded silly, but the alien placed his hand on
his chest and smiled.

"I do. We
never had any intention of harming you, but if your brother uses
that weapon we'll have to restrain him. As you pointed out to him
earlier, there is very little you can do to us."

She nodded and
stepped towards him, intending to hand over the weapon. He raised
his hand again.

"Do not
approach the screen."

Rayne stopped,
sensing a faint tingle on her skin. So there was a screen between
them. He had not trusted her completely. He turned and gestured to
someone. The tingle vanished, and the alien stepped into the cell,
holding out his hand. With a shiver of trepidation, she handed the
.44 to him. Another man, dressed in a white uniform, appeared
behind him and took the weapon when he held it out.

He smiled at
her again. "Good. I know you are confused, alarmed, and perhaps a
little angry. The tranquilliser will wear off soon. Do you require
a further dose?"

"No, I'm
fine." She found his alien features fascinating.

His smile
broadened. "I see that I intrigue you. That's understandable. I
don't mind."

Warmth
suffused her cheeks. "You're not human."

"No. I am
Atlantean. I come from a planet very far from here. However, as
aliens go, I'm not that different from you."

She frowned,
realising that she should be asking more intelligent questions.
"Why did you kidnap us?"

"Ah. Perhaps
we should wait for your brother. It's a long explanation."

She nodded.
"You killed the mutants, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And the store
guards?"

His smile,
which had become something of a fixture, faded. "No. Your account
of the black-clad man interests me. I would like to hear more about
it."

"Like
what?"

"Was he
wearing a mask?"

She shrugged.
"He was too far away to see. How do you speak English so well?"

His smile
returned. "I have studied your language for this event.
Unfortunately, very few Atlanteans speak it, so you'll have to
learn our tongue."

A frisson of
alarm went through her. "But surely we won't be here long enough to
need to, will we?"

"I'm afraid
you will. You cannot be returned to Earth."

"Why not?"

"Your planet
is dying, as I'm sure you know. Within the next five years your
entire race will be wiped out. Surely you don't want to share their
fate?"

Rayne glanced
around, wishing Rawn would hurry up. "Can't you do something about
it?"

His brows rose
a fraction. "We're not that powerful, I'm afraid. It's far too late
to undo the damage your people have done to the ozone layer and
oceans. We can save you and your brother, though."

"What about
the rest of the people?"

"No. We didn't
come here to rescue humanity."

"So why
us?"

Tallyn glanced
past her as the sound of water stopped. "You're special. Talk to
your brother, and let me know when he's ready to meet me. You'll
get a full explanation then."

Tallyn turned
and stepped through the door, which hissed shut behind him. She
stared at it, then turned as Rawn emerged, rubbing his hair. He
took in her pale countenance and strained expression with a glance,
his gaze dropping to her empty hands.

"Where's my
gun?"

"I gave it to
them."

"Are you nuts?
Why?"

She shook her
head. "It's no good to us. He was very nice about it, and polite.
He said they won't hurt us, and I believe him."

"Oh, great! So
you just handed it over like a good little girl. Dammit, Rayne,
sometimes I think you're an idiot!" He loomed over her, scowling.
"Now we have absolutely no defence at all, and that was my
gun."

Rawn had
always been attached to his gun, and, as their means of survival,
it had been important. She met his glare.

"It was
useless. They probably have a dozen weapons hidden in this room,
any of which could drop you like that..." She snapped her fingers.
"...Anytime they choose. And he said they're here to rescue
us."

"From
what?"

"Earth, what
do you think? The planet's dying, we know that. For some reason, he
wants to save us."

"Why?"

She shook her
head. "I don't know. He said he'd explain it all, as soon as you're
calm enough to meet him."

Rawn swung
away and flung the damp towel across the room. "Who is this guy,
anyway?"

"He's the
commander of this ship. His name's Tallyn, and he's an
Atlantean."

"As in from
Atlantis?"

She glanced at
him in surprise. "I never thought of that."

"What is he,
green with yellow spots?"

"No. Just
weird."

"Great. So
what makes him think I'm not calm enough?"

Rayne shot him
a smile. "Well, you were making threats about shooting holes in
things, and he was listening."

"Yeah,
watching too, no doubt. He must have got an eyeful of you in the
shower. Well, I don't have a damned gun anymore, so what's the
problem?" She looked away in embarrassment, and Rawn smiled. "Don't
worry, I'm sure you're not his type."

"Can you talk
to him calmly and rationally?"

"Sure, why
not? We're in deep shit now. We might as well make the best of
it."

A few minutes
later, the panel that had dispensed the medicated water opened
again, this time disgorging a welcome meal. Although some items
defied description, Rayne assumed their hosts knew what was good
for them and ate it all. It proved to be tasty, and afterwards she
relaxed again, the unusual fullness of her stomach improving her
mood. Despite Rawn's encouraging words, another hour passed before
contact was re-established. The door slid open to reveal the
commander once more.

Rawn jumped
up, and Rayne rose slowly, watching them. Tallyn sized Rawn up, but
gave no sign of tension, while Rawn made the most of his extra
height. This did not seem to impress Tallyn, who addressed Rawn in
a flat, no-nonsense tone.

"Please remain
calm. You are welcome aboard my ship. I will now conduct you to a
viewing room, where I will explain your abduction."

"That would be
nice," Rawn remarked, but Tallyn turned away to walk through the
sparsely furnished room they found beyond the door. It looked like
an ultra-modern hospital, with a lot of strange paraphernalia
parked against the walls. They followed Tallyn into a passage,
glancing around. Rayne slipped her hand into Rawn's, drawing
courage from his familiar presence. The corridor's seamless
material was smoothly rounded, as if in a giant mould. Mellow light
gave it a warm glow, and a carpet of soft grey moss muffled their
footsteps. No other people passed them before a door slid open at
Tallyn's approach, and they entered another room.

"Please
sit."

Tallyn
indicated two chairs, which moulded to Rayne’s shape when she sat
down, startling her. Tallyn went to a desk that held a huge book,
bound in black leather and gold. Opening it to a marked page, he
gazed at Rayne, who glanced at Rawn.

Tallyn sat
behind the desk. "This is the holy book of my people. In it, all
the prophecies of the ancient mystics have been set down, so we may
follow their teachings and fulfil the destinies. There is a
prophecy that must now come to pass, and I believe you, Rayne, are
the one spoken of."

He proceeded
to read the paragraph, and Rayne listened in amazement. When he
finished, he gazed at her.

Rawn looked at
Rayne and snorted. "You think that this... this golden girl child
is Rayne?"

Tallyn nodded.
"This is a dying planet, one of only a few we've found, and your
sister is a young girl with golden hair."

"But that
doesn't mean she's the one you're looking for."

"No, but isn't
it remarkable that you and she have suffered no ill effects from
your planet's radiation and pollution, while all the other people
have?"

Rawn shrugged.
"We've been lucky, I guess."

"Nobody's that
lucky. She's different. You both are, and I can only assume that
you're her guardian, which is why you too have been spared. Our
task is to rescue the golden girl child, and I think we have done
that." He closed the book.

Rayne asked,
"Is that why you saved me from the mutants?"

"Of
course."

"And those
other aliens who attacked me?"

"The ones in
the red ship, which you told your brother about? That happened
before we found you. They're members of a race called Draycons,
whose ships are red. We chased four of their ships away two days
ago. But they were not trying to kill you. They're slavers."

She shook her
head. "They were trying to kill me. They reduced that house to a
pile of rubble."

Tallyn smiled
a little thinly. "They were probably trying to flush you out into
the open, where they could stun you and capture you. Why would they
want to kill you?"

"I don't know,
but I was lucky to survive. If it hadn't been for that cellar, I'd
be dead." She frowned. "Maybe it had something to do with your
prophecy. Perhaps they think I'm this Golden Child too. And if I
am, what is it I'm supposed to do?"

Tallyn sighed,
his smile fading. "Unfortunately, we don't know that yet. As for
the Draycons, they don't even know about the prophecy, as far as we
know. It doesn't concern them."

"So you didn't
chase them away?"

"No. I'm sure
they left of their own accord."

Rawn studied
Tallyn. "Why do you look so much like us if you're alien?"

"Your race is
the result of genetic engineering carried out on you millennia ago.
All human races are descendants of the first people, who were
engineered from proto humans native to Earth. Many advanced races
are similar because of a far-reaching expansion that carried out a
policy of advancement on many of the more primitive species they
found. Almost all carbon-based life in the universe has a similar
blueprint, but you didn't evolve to your present state on your
own."

"Well, that
explains the missing link. But if we're descended from people like
you, where do you come from?"

Tallyn
shrugged. "We have legends. I'll tell you about them some time. But
now, I have things to do, and I expect you're tired. Would you like
to go to your quarters and rest?"

Rawn glanced
at Rayne, who said, "What are you going to do with us?"

Tallyn looked
a little pained. "Nothing, really. We'll take you to Atlan, where
you'll be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, given
everything you could wish for. A home, a job if you want it,
knowledge, entertainment, anything. When the time comes, your
purpose will be revealed to you."

"How?"

"We don't
know. We only have those few words in the book, but I'm sure you'll
know what to do when it happens."

"I'm glad you
think so."

Rayne had many
more questions, but the ebbing of the tension and anxiety, plus the
meal, made her eyelids droop with fatigue. Rawn was running on
adrenalin, but, although she knew he could sustain his alertness
for several days, she saw no point in subjecting herself to any
more rigours. The prospect of a real bed was as seductive as the
hot shower had been.