Clarity's Doom (Ancient Origins Book 1) (27 page)

“Closure? They suddenly showed up.
Dead
.”

“It’s necessary to thin a herd, souls are easier to distribute. We are not about barbarity, but obligation. War, terrorists, cruelty have run amok on your Earth. We had no idea our technology would be accepted so fast by your people. The government began building sinkholes, with help from us to take people to different worlds. Even the elderly embrace their new situation. Some with difficulty; others prove to be far superior. Hence the problem. There is a mark certain genders of your people wear who were off limits. The government was too afraid of amalgamation, thinking they couldn’t handle change. A study was necessary.

“Those humans do handle some situations depending on the age and gender. Some have become multimillionaires on different planets, some leaders. In order to take the single person we want, they get lost in a crowd, and can’t be identified. Their records are expunged. Your world is anarchy. It will settle once half the population has been removed to their destinations. Once removed from your world, in death, they are returned to the last place of origin. Our worlds. They can begin again, new, and each world will grow. Unfortunately, other alien races have discovered humans. We are not impressed with their interference. These are
our
humans. Not only are they disposing their undesirables onto other planets including yours, but the aliens are stealing humans. We will get them back.”

His tone was that of annoyance, perhaps anger. Clarity remembered the frightening sinkholes other aliens climbed from. Her mind was in a tailspin.

“But my Earth inoculated again.”

“The inoculation was given before the aliens discovered Earth. A strain of virus on the planet you should be on appeared. Nasty little bug. Space viruses are so unpredictable and can mutate from planet to planet. You refer to them as super bugs. The virus has been defeated; we can’t take the chance with you if it returns in a different form. Not all humans were given the same inoculation. Only your Earth. You are protected from all diseases known to us.”

Clarity was fuming as she absently fingered the bump on her arm. “You say you’ll get the humans back. You do have a device in us.”

“We tried. Not all are willing to have the shot.”

“What about Doom’s world? Why is he tattooed after the sacrifices?”

“That is unfortunate, but a necessity. The tattoos he and a few others bear are necessary to ensure we keep tabs on the humans. Those humans never needed to be inoculated. Their world is peaceful and disease free. Boring really. We have discovered a breed of aliens steal souls. When Doom finally succumbs, we will sort out the humans and their new locations.”

“You keep a record of kills on a man’s body for reference?”

“Each image is triggered by Doom’s or the other leaders’ memories of those people. Each object or face is his way of sharing their loss. Haunting, and yet the images help them heal. The images aren’t meant to be cruel but to help him and the others cope. He is a sensitive man. I take full responsibility. The hybrids were never to evolve in such a manner as to achieve space flight. The first human they encountered changed their fate. She was a mistake. The hybrids would have been content to kill the humanoids over the next millennia and take over the planet. It was their destiny. Now they seek knowledge.

“We had no choice but to send humans. DaV-nin struck a deal with the humans. He never would have done such a thing, but again our mistake. If we sent no more humans, the villagers would have been slaughtered faster. We have enough dead and dying to attend to now. We needed to bide some time. A wave of that magnitude would interfere with us finding and relocating the humans stolen. Those aliens must not be allowed to breed with any human. The universe, the galaxies will be forever changed. We can’t take a half human soul; you can’t split a child, one half for us one half for the aliens.

“We tried to aid the villagers by sending your Earth children at first with adults from another Earth. The children were too young for war, but your kind of people are programmed for dominance. The battle would continue at a slow pace. The hybrids would learn no more about space flight. The other Earth is merely developing the infancy of space flight. It’s time to stop sending any human to Doom’s planet. We had no idea the villagers would ever hand over the human children they loved and coveted after they reached adulthood. We hadn’t counted on the deep bond of the race, their loyalty to one another. The hybrids’ intelligence took another leap after the slaughter. I’m sure you’ve guessed your Earth mind thinks differently than the others. Instead, we send the infirm or those with no concept of killing from another planet.

“But there are Earth Six children on Doom’s planet.”

“Again, there are casualties. It is unfortunate, but they will not last much longer.”

“Unfortunate?” Her rage was building.

“Those children have no knowledge of how to create space flight. They were and are too young. We’re trying to weed out the violence in these creatures. Their females began to possess too much compassion. Humans from Earth Five have no concept of killing. They are from a gentler Earth. The hybrids killed off most of their own females, unless they could scent savagery. You see why we can’t send you back? By simply being there, you have changed the course of the war. The hybrids cannot have you, the stem cell memories you possess from ancestors alone are too valuable. DaV-nin will learn more than space flight. They will kill other planets. Worse, they will join with other aliens.”

“Stem cell memories?”

“Not only can the knowledge you have learned be found in your brain cells. When you were a child you had three blood transfusions, each was from a scientist to help bring further knowledge to your new planet. When you were ill after your inoculation, you were brought here and infused with more stem cell memories. Some of mine included. The institution you work for is run by a college. You must remain with us until we can transport you to your new planet.”

“So what are you saying? What about Doom and the villagers?”

“Doom’s world is—doomed.”

“But we are fighting back. We have Solace to help.”

“Solace is not meant to be in that world. With the situation here being volatile, one or two tend to run amok. We only noticed her missing. Her information, if caught, would be as detrimental as yours.”

“But she’s there,” Clarity stressed. “Just like I was there.”

“It’s unfortunate this has gone on as long as it has. We have you and we will have Solace.”

“Doom’s people are not doomed if they have us.”

“They are. You are not part of the deal. You belong to destiny.”

“The hell I do.”

Clarity dipped her hands into pockets she sewed in to her pants. The being howled when doused with mace. He disappeared and reappeared healed behind her. Clarity stumbled as he tried to grab her. He was close. Clarity zapped him with her taser and fled, dropping the weapon. The machine was humming and the alien disappeared again while twitching. Instinct told her he would return healed. She needed to move fast. Clarity raced to the tube and slid the rounded door closed. A flash of light, the tube zipped down, up, around and she was again inside the massive tree trunk. Nina was gone. Dazed she climbed out as the top opened. She managed to roll from the tree trunk as the tube was sucked back down.

All hell was breaking loose. The battle for supremacy was fierce. Nick had found a sword and was battling a hybrid. Hatred plain on his face; Clarity knew he battled rage. A slice of claws and the young man went down. Blood flowed from a gaping wound. Below them, a line running across the field opened a huge hole in the ground. Clarity screamed. The earth shook beneath their feet sending all spiraling to their knees. She was terrified the alien she encountered would take the many for the ones it wanted—her and Solace. She needed to warn Solace.

A roaring sound from underground rattled Clarity’s teeth. The hole was massive and black to stare down into. The roaring grew in intensity while her heart thundered in her chest. Something was coming. A plane emerged, swooping, wings spinning top-like. The vessel shot from the ground sending those trying to regain their balance crashing down again.

Whoever the pilot was, he or she was in a battle. The plane slowed, spun lazily once, then twice before leveling off and Clarity rose to shaky feet. She lifted a hand across her brow to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun.

“That’s my daddy’s plane,” Flight screamed.

The pilot was weaving, no doubt struggling to get the craft righted. The wings teetered banking left then right before the nose of the plane could settle into a straight line. Clarity gazed around her. The plane was headed to the hybrid mammoth stampede, where the ground was trampled. The only open area in sight. The wheels hit the ground and Clarity wanted to cover her eyes. The plane bounced.

Solace had the boy in her arms racing to the plane. She was screaming for Menace to follow her. Doom and Menace were back to back swinging their swords. Hybrids were falling, finally falling in droves. DaV-nin was joined by another.

“Menace,” Solace screamed.

“Go. I swear on my life I will be with you soon, help the children,” Menace bellowed.

The plane only had room for eight. The twins were small and considered half a person weight wise. Doom yelled for Clarity to run. Instead, she helped to physically throw the children into the craft. Solace and Kiki dragged Nick’s battered body onto the vessel. The little ones went after, Solace stood back. The village children were eager to leave. The plane loaded quickly. Nina and Em were crouched near the back trying to look smaller. Kiki and Luke refused to run. The planet had been their home for three years. Clarity knew they thought their parents were dead; Kiki was certain she’d seen them fall into another sinkhole different from her and her brothers. Clarity and Doom were the closest they had to family. With Nick needing medical aid, it was the right choice to send him. The little dinosaur gazed at Luke sorrowfully. The eight year old went to stand with his pet.

“I’m staying,” Solace said. “I can’t leave Menace.”

Solace was yelling over the confusion and noise of the plane. The children were shouting. Clarity and she clutched hands. Clarity tried to yell her worries over the noise.

“Aliens,” Clarity screamed at Solace.

“What?”

As Solace stepped away from the plane a man grabbed her back, her hand ripping from Clarity’s clasp. Solace screamed for Menace. Amidst the foray Menace heard her call. He raced for her. Solace was shoved into a seat, the door slammed closed and the plane began to take off. Menace was pumping his legs faster, faster. The plane hit a bump and was airborne.

“I will find you,” Menace screamed. “No matter where you go I will come for you.”

Solace had her face pressed to a window, tears streamed in rivers down her face. She mouthed the words
I love you,
hands splayed against the glass. Menace, head in his hands dropped to his knees.

“I will find you,” he whispered.

“Menace,” Clarity screamed.

A hybrid was creeping up on him. Menace slammed his sword behind him into the hybrids belly. He stood, spun and yanked the weapon free to slam it into the hybrids face. The hybrid went down.

The plane soared higher, up into the heavens then dropped straight down where the hole remained, shrinking. The craft turned on its side and through it went. The hole closed. They were gone. Where, Clarity had no clue, but from the look on Menace’s face she knew he would be leaving soon. He would find a way; no matter what, he would be finding Solace.

Menace bellowed and Clarity spun. DaV-nin was too close to her and gaining fast, clawed fist raised in fury, one heated blow would be her demise. With no sword or spear left to use for fighting Clarity had one chance. She pulled the small bottle of hairspray from her pocket and her lighter. She held the lighter to the spray and aimed for his face. DaV-nin, caught off-guard, howled in agony clawing at his eyes. Pools of blackened soot dripped down his cheeks leaving scorch marks in their wake, as his eyes melted leaving hollowed sockets. DaV-nin threw his head back and roared to the sky. Clarity was thrown back, away from imminent danger as Doom attacked.

For the moment, Doom had the upper hand. His broadsword smashed into DaV-nin’s arm. DaV-nin, blinded, took the hit hard. DaV-nin spiraled back and stood still, a calm washed over his demeanor making Clarity catch her breath. Clarity screamed when his body jerked and the image of a face pressed hard to DaV-nin’s high upper chest, from within, bulging out from his torso. Side to side, the face pressed against inner flesh as though seeking escape. From within, she could make out the features of the human cheeks, jaw and eye sockets.

DaV-nin took two claws and ripped high into his flesh, two horizontal slits where the sockets were slowly exposed, a trail of blood dripping, allowing the opening for the eyes underneath. The two eyes blinked, cleared, and stared at Clarity with fury. DaV-nin thundered an ominous laugh, raising the goose bumps on her arms. She thought she might vomit.

The hybrid could see using his skeletal humanoid Neanderthal eyes, weapons. Leaping, DaV-nin landed onto Doom slicing at his flesh. Slashing tattoos. Long talons and claws ripped into him mercilessly. Doom faltered, tried to swing his sword and missed, the weapon clattered to the ground when DaV-nin sliced across his back. With his last act of war, Doom grabbed his knife and hamstrung DaV-nin. Clarity grabbed Doom’s sword and rammed it in one of the exposed eyes. DaV-nin bellowed in agony. Clarity ripped the sword out and plunged again. DaV-nin went down. He stayed down.

Clarity dropped the weapon and staggered to Doom. She threw back her head and screamed as Doom’s blood soaked the ground beneath her. She couldn’t feel a pulse. Clarity staggered to her feet, screaming, her vocal chords straining as she stormed a circle around his battered body.

“You did this!” Her fury was aimed at the Heavens. “You let this happen. You had no right. Fix him. Fix him, do you hear me? So help me God I’ll find you if you don’t, and when I do I will slaughter all of you. Every last one of you. I know you can hear me. I found your tracking device in my arm, you fuckers. Did you think to pull me away once he’s dead? I’ll use it to find
you.
You know I’m smart enough. You will die. I hate all of you. Fix him or kill me before I get to you.”