Halfkinds Volume 1: Contact Read online

  I was a bigger target than ever. No doubt when someone sees me, they’ll start shooting. The others looked unique, almost beautiful, I do not. No life to live indeed.

  My worries came collapsing down and I had nowhere left to go. We were backed in a corner, I was backed in a corner. It was time to react or suffer forever.

  Two nights ago, I decided to react. I mustered the courage, I wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. When the others were sleeping, I grabbed something I had been working on all week. To the average eye, it was a long, hallow pipe. But at a closer glance, one would realize its tip was sharpened. I spent the days in our hiding place fashioning a spear, so I could jam it right into my heart. Like I said, I wasn’t going to be afraid anymore.

  I carefully walked away from our hiding place into the night sky. The Moon was out that night and it was mesmerizing. I could see the specs of green and blue reflecting its way back to Earth, illuminating the sky stunningly. There was a small patch of grass behind the warehouse and I stood there to look around. It was oddly out of place, a tiny field of green that shimmered brightly, stuck in the middle of the dank Primm backdrop.

  For a quick moment, I reconsidered what I was about to do. The majesty of the night and peculiar peace I experienced was enough for me to have my doubts. Such magnificence was found in the middle of this ugly place, I felt right at home. Perhaps there was a place for me after all if I could enjoy a moment out of such simplicity.

  But then I realized moments are fleeting. They don’t exist forever. What exists forever is the hardship and cruelty of this world, one that allows this monstrosity known as myself to exist. What a horrible place indeed.

  I grabbed the pipe with both hands, extended it forward, and pointed it down at my body. I closed my eyes and thought about my family.

  “Such a shame,” I said despondently.

  “Indeed it is,” someone said behind me. I recognized the voice. Tiago.

  “Come to talk me out of this?” I said with the metal still grasped tightly in my hands.

  “No, I’ve come to understand why this happening in the first place.”

  “You know me, brother. We don’t have a chance out there, especially me. Who would accept us?”

  Tiago let out a short breath. “Our goal shouldn’t be to gain acceptance, it should be to survive.”

  “So run like fugitives then? Always fearing what lies behind the corner?”

  “Run yes, but not like fugitives. Run to freedom, Curtis.”

  “And where does freedom exist?”

  Tiago looked up at the night sky, his eyes fixating on the blue and green orb above us.

  “The Moon,” he said. “It exists there.”

  A part of me was shocked by his announcement. Tiago had infinite amounts of ambition if that’s where his endgame would be. I knew he already had a plot formulated in his mind.

  But the other part of me did not care. The Moon, Earth, Mars, another galaxy, it did not matter where we hid, there was still no future for us and I had my own plans to execute.

  “I don’t know what crazy scheme you have,” I said, “but I don’t want to be a part of them. My path is set.”

  I looked at Tiago and saw an expression I rarely see - sadness.

  “But what about us?” he asked me. “I thought we were family.”

  I choke up a little bit.

  “We are family,” I said teary eyed, “but I can’t live this life anymore.”

  His body drooped down and his breathing became heavy. “I… I… understand, brother, but this can’t be the way. We can’t lose another.”

  My eyes narrowed and I remained stoic. “It’s the only way.”

  He paused for a bit before he responded to me and looked right at my eyes to see if I was bluffing. I wasn’t, and he knew it.

  “All right, brother, I’ll respect your decision,” he says. “But before you do whatever it is you plan to do, perhaps there’s one final way you can help out the brothers and sisters you claim to love. You say you would do anything for family, correct?”

  “Correct,” I say softly.

  “Then I have a plan for you.”

  Two nights later, as I head to the Gonzalez station, I feel ambivalent. What he wants me to do will help aid my family’s escape. It’s pivotal that I get this done. At the rate the United Species Alliance is going, it won’t take long before we’re all dead. My role in all this can put an end to them.

  But I am also angry. I wanted to go out on my own terms, not as a person being used in a scheme, but as an individual who is putting an end to all his suffering. To take that away and put the guilt of the family on my head makes me question Tiago’s concern. I’ve become a pawn in one of his schemes after all.

  His leadership has been questionable these past few days. He let Oscar and the others slip from his fingers so offhandedly, without even a word of persuasion. It’s like he didn’t care about them at all. I care about them and I didn’t want them to leave. I would have gone with them, too, but at that point, I had already committed to Tiago’s plan. I didn’t want to jeopardize the safety of those that remain, the objective still needed to go through.

  Now I hold a slight grudge. When they left I didn’t say how angry I was at Tiago, but he knew. He tried to convince me the importance of family, the importance that we do what it takes to make sure the family lives. I believed him, that’s why I agreed to his proposal that night.

  Then he turns his back on one of our brothers. Sometimes I wonder when Tiago talks about all that family duty crap, if he just means the family members that matter to him. His actions against some of the others have been less than loving. On the other hand, he protects those he personally cares about. I’m not sure if he thinks so black and white, but that seems to be the case.

  And I’m not sure if I’m one of those he will toss in the wind. But then I remember all those times that we were kids and how he was the only one who could look me in the eye like a brother and not a beast. I suppose my paranoia is getting the best of me.

  When I departed our hideout for the Gonzalez station, he knew I was mad. He asked if I wanted to back out, but I brushed him off aloofly. I wanted nothing to do with him. At the time, I thought he was a scumbag.

  But as I think about it, I realize that I told him not to tell the others what I was going to do. He had told Ace and Alex from the get go, because he tells them everything, but he made sure not to tell anyone else. Not Oscar, not the twins, not Candy, who was the only one left after Oscar’s camp departed. I asked him this because I didn’t want them to be worried. Tiago fulfilled his part. None of them know. Things like that show me I can trust Tiago, that there’s nothing to be paranoid about. It’s a true demonstration of familial bond.

  Even in this final hour, family comes first. That is why I’m doing what I’m doing. This is for them, my last act to give.

  Chapter 15 – Simon Trevor - Risks

  November 16, 3040 11:32 PM

  The remnants of storage boxes, bits of food and clothes, and destroyed electronics surround us. I doubt that Primm’s law enforcement will be happy with what we’ve done, but there’s not much they can do about it. The United Species Alliance gave us full jurisdiction, so we’re able to do whatever the hell it takes to get the job done as long as no one dies. Still, as I look around, I can’t help but think that Fenrir and Colbo’s actions were a bit excessive.

  “Didn’t really go for the quiet approach, did you?” I say to Fenrir, who is a few feet away from me.

  “You didn’t tell us we had to,” he says sarcastically.

  “Guess I didn’t.”

  Another halfkind is dead and there’s nine left. This one had a weapon with him, which tells me he was expecting us. I wonder how prepared the rest of them are, that when the time comes, if they’ll fight back like he did. These things are scared, desperate, and fighting for their lives, which makes them very dangerous. I guess Fenrir and Colbo did what they had to do in order to get the job done.
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  “All right, let’s gather up and go over what we know so far,” I say. The team has been spending the past hour looking for clues, documenting evidence, and doing forensic tests to find anything that could help in our investigation. Fenrir has been on scent duty. I told Colbo and Borton to seal the area and find out what the halfkind was trying to get. Erawan is on guard duty.

  Apollo had already finished his investigation. He discovered some very vital evidence - a data cube Lombardi Lawton had in his pack. I think we’ve gotten what we needed and it’s time to figure out the next plan.

  “Everyone gather around,” I say. “Apollo, share with the group what you found in his bag.”

  “Information on nearby teleporters,” he tells the squad.

  “We also checked the security console from where he entered,” Fenrir says, “The history log suggests he was on the infospace looking for the same thing. Let me take a look at your data.”

  Apollo shows Fenrir the display and he examines it.

  “Yup, the information from the log matches with what you discovered,” Fenrir says. “It appears they’re trying to leave Primm as soon as possible.”

  “It makes sense. I’m not surprised that’s their next move,” I say. “Two of their family members are dead. If I were them, I would leave here in a hurry, and if they make it to and are able to use a teleporter, tracking them down will be very, very difficult.”

  “Where do you think they’re going?” Borton asks.

  “We don’t know, but does it really matter?” I respond. “They could travel to anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye.”

  “How many teleporters are there in Primm?” Colbo asks.

  “There are two, the Gonzalez and Li stations. The birdman’s data was for the Gonzalez station, probably because it’s closer to here, so I’m guessing that’s probably where they’ll be heading,” I say. “This also gives us a clue as to where they’re hiding out. With no vehicle support, it means they’re on foot. They have to be at least within a one to three mile radius from here and the Gonzalez station is in this area. They can’t risk being in the open for too long, even if it is at night.”

  “Perhaps we should be finding out where their hideout is,” Colbo says.

  “No,” I interrupt. “We know where they’re going. If we go looking for their hideout, it could lead to a wild goose chase. Why not meet them at their target and stakeout the area? It’ll be the perfect trap.”

  “But what if we’re the ones who are being trapped,” Fenrir says, breaking into our conversation.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it, this is too obvious. This halfkind creature got blown to bits by Colbo and I. We tore him apart, just look at his corpse, and he conveniently leaves us a nice, fat clue to cash in? Doesn’t it seem a little odd that someone we destroyed is leading us somewhere so obvious?”

  “Perhaps,” Colbo says, “but it’s not like he knew that we were coming after him.”

  “Didn’t he?” Fenrir says. “He had a bomb with him, after all. Maybe he was sent on a suicide mission, maybe he died because he wanted to leave a message.”

  I interject. “That’s a lot of maybes and if that’s the case, you think these halfkinds would sacrifice their own like that? Send some kind of kamikaze soldier to set up this trap?”

  “It’s not out of the question.”

  “But he’s their brother,” Apollo says, “it seems pretty extreme to make your own family do that.”

  Fenrir pauses to think about Apollo’s observation. “When survival is on the line, extreme decisions are always made.”

  “Maybe,” Apollo says hesitantly. “But the only other teleporter here is the Li station and that’s nearly four miles away from this supply depot. If they are heading to that one, they’ll have to risk being seen and there are nine of them around. Seems like an unnecessary gamble to be walking out in the open, in such a large group, to a station that’s farther away.”

  “So, should we check out the Gonzalez teleport as the Commander suggests?” Colbo asks.

  “It’s up to him,” Fenrir says bluntly. “But I’m still skeptical. Make your call, Trevor.”

  I go over the situation in my mind before I confirm. The Gonzalez station would be the most likely place they would show up next. Lombardi’s evidence practically spells it out.

  Fenrir does also make some excellent points. Things seem too good to be true. I’m not fully convinced, though. I just don’t think a family would sacrifice their own like that. I’ve seen a lot of things in my career, but that seems too merciless to me.

  “I think we should stakeout the Gonzalez station,” I say. “It’s the next logical move for the halfkinds. But I want to make sure we’re all in agreement before we execute it. Who’s in and who’s out?”

  “I’m in,” Apollo says. “There’s no reason to suspect otherwise. Just because the pieces fit doesn’t mean we should disregard the facts.”

  “Yes, the obvious answers are obvious for a reason,” Borton says.

  “And you Erawan?” I ask him. He nods in agreement. “Colbo?”

  “The halfkinds are scared, they know we’re after them,” Colbo says. “I don’t think they care for strategy now, I think they want the fastest way out.”

  I then look at Fenrir. Judging by his body language he’s still suspicious.

  “I’m guessing you’re the only one who thinks this isn’t a good idea,” I ask.

  “I’m unsure,” he says. “Things never come this easy and we are underestimating these halfkinds too much.”

  “Well there’s not much we can give them credit for,” Borton says. “Two of them are dead and their attempt to retrieve supplies has been a spectacular failure. I don’t think they have a master plan or grand scheme. I think they’re running around with their heads cut off.”

  “Still,” Fenrir continues, “the second we let our guard down is the second they’ll strike.”

  “What do you think we should do?” I ask Fenrir.

  “We should split up,” Fenrir says. “There are two stations here in Primm, one team of three can check out the Li and the other team can check out the Gonzalez station.”

  “I don’t know,” I say. “I think if our team is taking on nine possible hostiles, we should be at full strength. They may not be armed like we are, but a three on nine situation is never safe. I don’t want to take the risk on a hunch.”

  “But if they’re as clueless as we think they are, three on nine is plenty,” Fenrir says.

  Taking on so many of them with a handful of squad members could be suicide. But if I cash in all my chips on the Gonzalez station, and the halfkinds go to the Li station, my mission will be over.

  “Okay, Fenrir, we’ll do it your way. I’ll send half of us to the Li station and half of us to the Gonzalez station. Borton, Apollo…”

  Suddenly we hear a knock echo from the front door.

  “Did you hear that?” I ask the others. They nod. We’re not alone. “Fenrir, Apollo, exit through the front door and see what that was. I’ll follow behind you for back up. The rest of you, stay here for now.”

  “Why can’t we go?” Colbo asks.

  “You’re all too big,” I say as I walk away. “You might scare it away.”

  Apollo and Fenrir head toward the knocking. I trail behind them, gun in my hands pointing downward. We exit the warehouse and slink through the hallway leading toward the front. It’s quiet, like the warehouse, but different at the same time. The warehouse has an openness about the silence. I could hear wind blowing against the outside walls and small pieces of metal getting thrown around softly. The hallway has deft stillness, the kind of sound that surrounds you as the adrenaline pumps in your body and you brace for a clash.

  The front door opens and the two canines step outside while I observe from my view inside. Fenrir looks to the left, Apollo looks to the right. They see nothing and trot around the front area. I step outside as well.

  We su
rvey the landscape and see squat, just an empty lot.

  “Apollo, use your scent device,” I say. “Fenrir, see if you can pick up anything too.”

  Apollo equips his scent device and sniffs the ground diligently. Fenrir does the same, without the gadgets.

  “Got anything?” I ask.

  “No, it’s hard to pick up a scent if I don’t know what I’m sniffing for,” Fenrir says.

  “I smell something faintly, but nothing solid. The earlier battle has spread all this debris, there’s too much bombarding my nose,” Apollo says.

  “Don’t blame this on me, dog,” Fenrir snaps back.

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Enough fighting you two, we need to…”

  Suddenly something catches my eye. On my vehicle lies a note stuck tightly on the side. It flutters violently as the wind blows against it.

  I walk towards my hovercar and snatch it off.

  TWO OF US ARE DEAD. IT’S TIME WE TALK. MEET US AT THE SPADES AND DIAMONDS CASINO IN ONE HOUR. DON’T BE LATE.

  “What is it?” Apollo asks.

  I don’t answer him. My brain needs some time to process the message. I hastily make my way back in. “Let’s get inside, we need to talk to the rest of the group.”

  I rush into the warehouse and address the others.

  “So what was outside?” Colbo asks.

  I hand him the note and he passes it around to the others. After they read it, Fenrir speaks. “This is a trap.”

  “Another trap?” Colbo says. “Is your mouth on repeat?”

  “Well what could they want to talk about, the weather?” Fenrir says.

  “If this is a trap, then what about your theory on the Gonzalez station?” Borton asks. “That also another scheme they have?”

  Fenrir is at a loss for words. “I suppose I was wrong in my earlier assumption. Maybe they’re trying to draw us into one place while they make their escape at the teleporter.”

  “That does seem like a wise strategy,” Apollo says. “Perhaps in this case, it is a good idea to split up.”