Emancipation

Chapter 13 : I Quit

Chapter 13

Raen flashed the light of her LED flashlight up and down the strangely silent alleyway. Even at this time of night, the alleyway should be active, with orphans curling up together, sharing their day’s scavenging among their little groups, and the stories of how they gathered what they did. Raen remembered the way those days of her life ran so easily together. She had been on the edge of starvation so much of the time. Still, she had warm feelings for the other members of her little pack. She remembered as she lost each of them, some to relationships with vendors that cultivated into full-time jobs. Some became affiliated with one or more guilds and also found legitimate work as she had. Unfortunately, a great many of them just disappeared. She would never know for sure whether they died, ended up in jail, or as slaves on some distant world.

The smell of death and decomposition reached Raen and she regretted ever reading the flyer offering this bounty. The only thing she regretted more was following her gut on where to look for it. She choked on the smell. The rumors were true. She had seen Fred just eighteen hours ago and here was his body, mauled and decomposed beyond recognition. That had been just before breakfast. The only way she could recognize him was by the ID bracelet he wore around his right wrist. Raen remembered buying it for him as a gift for all of his help when she was younger. He was streetwise and had devoted himself to helping those orphaned by poverty to escape the streets.

Illuminated by Raen’s powerful led flashlight, this scene was different than the ones witnesses had described to her. Most often it was just a group of young orphaned street children that had been attacked where they rested. Fred was older than Raen, and his corpse's condition left Raen worrying about what this creature could do to her.

Raen followed the deeply carved claw marks marring the cobblestone of the alley from Fred’s body to the tangled remains of a child. The hair lifted on the nape of Raen’s neck and her arms. Her hands were suddenly clammy. Whatever could do this to a person had to be large, but how could decomposition have settled in so fast? The child’s bloated and discolored body looked months dead. Whatever this was would be long gone wouldn’t it?

The last scream of a dying child pierced the night ahead of Raen. Her heart raced, nearly exploding from the pressure. She kept her back to the alley wall and slid along it following the claw marks in the stone. Stone couldn’t even hold up against this creature. No wonder the frail bodies of orphaned children littered the no-mans-land of the back alleyways.

“Why am I here?” Raen whispered. The sound of her voice rang out against the stark silence of the night. A chill crept up her spine. How far ahead was the creature? Had it heard her?

Raen heard the rasping of claws on the cobblestone. Whatever this thing was had turned around and was on approach. Raen played the flashlight back and forth across the path in front of her, seeing nothing. She heard a faintly canine breath echoing off the walls abutting the alleyway. This thing toyed with her. Raen felt dizziness, spreading into weakness in her knees. She wondered if she could control her bladder.

The round light projected from her flashlight continued to search the night. Raen heard a ghostly snarl. Reflexively she clutched the flashlight to her chest and hugged herself, in the process she knocked the off switch and the alley plunged into true darkness. Raen, let loose a mighty squeak of surprise.

It was moments before her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. That was when things got weird. The objects and obstacles of the alleyway stood out in her vision, lit by an unnaturally eerie aura. Then directly in front of her, Raen saw the shimmery ghost-like image of the creature. It was so horrifying that it could only be described as one of the canine guardians of the mythical afterlife, a hellhound.

It snarled in her face. Its lips dripping with foul saliva. It was transparent it lacked a solid nature, but Raen knew from the bodies and from the deep grooves it had clawed into the cobblestones that its claws at least were solid. Slowly it raised one of its claw studded paws from the cobblestones. It retracted all but its index claw and pointed it right at Raen’s chest.

Raen flinched away.

“You see me?” came a hoarse snarl somehow in time with the movement of the creature’s lips?

Raen swallowed hard, assuming it could see her in the darkness she nodded back.

“Curious! But not curious enough, time to die,” The creature dug shallowly into Raen’s chest with its claw.

She pulled away from the icy burn of the claw in her flesh. She was sure it would savage her the way it had the other victims. Instead, it sat on its haunches as if waiting for her to die of fright. Raen flicked on her flashlight and shone it on her chest. The wound healed as she watched.

“How?” The creature hissed.

Raen cocked her head to the side and shined the flashlight right at where the creature had been. The light went right through the spot and hit the wall of the alleyway on the other side. Startled and inspired, Raen turned off the light. The creature still sat there and seemed more solid than it had been before.

“I don’t understand…” Raen whispered.

“Neither do I, wounds from my claws and teeth do not heal. They fester. They decompose.”

Raen thought of the bodies she had found, realizing the effect must be rapid. “I’m sorry?”

The creature cocked its head to the side as if it heard something in the silence of the night, “Goodbye.” It turned with unnatural speed and bounded silently off with its claws retracted leaving no further trail.

Raen stared after it. She had discovered the creature, but only deepened the mystery. Perhaps she should approach the person who put the bounty out on it. Maybe they could explain what had just happened. Or why the clearly intelligent creature was slaughtering innocents. Then again maybe Raen should be more worried about why this mysterious person was worried about a creature only hunting the dregs of society. In Raen’s experience, the only time strangers took such an interest in something was when there was profit to be had. How does this stranger profit from saving orphans?


* * *

How is it she could see me? Beaoul paced the alleyway. She should be focused on hunting down infected individuals and preventing their suffering, but she couldn't stop worrying about the woman she had encountered. She had scratched her assuming she was a dark operative, deserving of death. Only after the woman flicked on the flashlight again and shone it on her chest did Beaoul realize otherwise. The woman wore a brightly colored outfit, not the usual shades of gray that dark operatives wore. Her chest healed from the scratch. Beaoul had never seen anything like it. Hellhounds were the only thing that ever survived the wounds of other hellhounds and even they didn't heal as quickly as this strange woman had. This woman was something Beaoul had never encountered. Could she be from the previous omniverse like Seyona and Toni?

Beaoul caught a whiff of the spray that dark operatives used to infect the street children. She had business to attend to. What if the woman could follow her? The woman could see her. That was another anomaly. only other hellhounds could see her and of all the humanoid lifeforms, only Mira Black had ever even sensed her. Beaoul headed towards the smell of fresh infection. She found the children sleeping and quickly dispatched them before any of them could wake.

Had the woman smelled Infected? Beaoul couldn't remember. The whole alley stunk of the spray the woman had to have been exposed to. Did her ability to heal extend to the disease Mira's men spread? Somehow that seemed significant. Too bad her healing couldn't be given to others. Beaoul sniffed the air. She had more mercy to deliver. This was getting tiresome. Beaoul trotted off in the direction of the smell of impending death. It went on that way for the rest of the night. By morning she was tired beyond measure.

In the early misty light of dawn, Beaoul found a door with a keyhole. She inserted the pearlescent key and turned it. She stepped through into the soothing light of Toni's interior. A bowl of fresh clean water and another of food waited for Beaoul. Beaoul walked past them ducking her head into the tent that dimmed the constant infinite light of Toni's interior. Beaoul didn't even stop to fluff the pillows. She flopped down and was unconscious before she could form the will to fall asleep.

Sometime later Beaoul awoke. She could smell the fresh bowl of food just outside of the tent. Her stomach roared with hunger. She pushed herself upright and walked out to see a mat laid out with a bowl of food and a bowl of fresh cool water. "Thank you, Toni!"

How did last night go? Toni asked. You came in exhausted and just passed out.

Beaoul was snout deep in her breakfast but telepathically answered back, There was a strange woman. I scratched her and the scratches healed as I watched. And she could see me!

See you? Who or what do you think she was?

I am pretty sure she wasn't native to that world, but I couldn't sense where else she could be from. Her mind was chaotic and nearly unreadable. It surprised her that she could see me too and that she healed so quickly.

I assume you encountered her while culling infected children.

Beaoul stopped eating and answered aloud, "Yes."

Was she infected?

"I don't know. I was so surprised, that I didn't pay attention to how she smelled. She was in an alley full of the smell of infection. I think she may have been exposed."

That is unfortunate, she might have made a strong ally.

You don't think she could be immune like me, do you?

Perhaps, if she is; she is a stronger ally than either of us knows.


* * *

Fiona's arm was nearly healed although her brain still felt foggy from the severe concussion. She wasn't sure enough of herself to teleport back to Sanctuary so she sat in the shelter outside the ship while Noburu completed repairs. Most of the troop of wuzzums had left to forage elsewhere. Actually all but Titiue had left. He remained close to the ship. Fiona watched him erect a woven shelter from natural materials. He brought a woven bag filled with flasks and vials of various viscous liquids, and powders. He was within sight of Fiona at all times.

Fiona adjusted her position and let out a grunt of discomfort. Titiue scuttled over to her side and stared at her with wide-open eyes, "Do you need something? I can fetch your metal friend to bring you something for the pain…"

"Titiue, you don't have to stay with me. What about your troop?"

Titiue fidgeted with some fibers woven into his tail, "I left the troop. Liene felt I was too focused on you for the good of the mating group." He kicked at a clod of dirt. "I was hoping you could take me into your troop."

Fiona raised an eyebrow. She knew almost as much about his culture as she did her own. For him, the request was about the same as a marriage proposal. Her acceptance was the only thing that would allow him to save face after being let go from Liene's troop. Fiona barely knew him.

"I am a good provider! Haven't I been bringing you plenty of food? We do not have to mate! I do not think we could… I want to be a part of your troop. Your stories of the Factors and the many worlds and universes beyond intrigue me." Titiue begged.

Fiona sighed and closed her eyes digging through the cultural memories she possessed about the wuzzums. "We could travel together for a time. There are many of my kind and I would not have you choose me when any of my fellows could be a better match." It was an offer of friendship, and companionship with no responsibilities or restrictions placed on either of them, not quite what he hoped for but better than outright rejection.

Titiue settled back, using his wide flexible tail as a sort of seat. "You would take me with you back to your Sanctuary?" This last statement was in clear English. He had been paying attention to Fiona's communication with Noburu, and his kind was possessed of an instinctual ability to absorb languages through an unconscious telepathic process. The words were heavily accented but understandable.

Fiona grinned at him, "You really want to come with me."

Titiue nodded and managed a fairly non-threatening smile. It wasn't relaxed but it didn't look like he wanted to bite her either.

Noburu exited the ship, "Captain, I believe repairs are complete. The skipspace engines are in functional order. The translight drive is nonfunctional. All life-support is tested as fully functional. We may depart almost immediately. As you requested the sensors are repaired as well and I have retrieved archived sensor logs from just prior to the crash."

"Titiue, gather your things. Noburu help me up. Let's take a look at those logs." Titiue made sure all of his jars and vials were secure in his woven bag. He slung it around his back like a backpack. He carried it with an assist from his wide tail. Noburu gingerly helped Fiona to her feet. Noburu walked around the ship for a final visual inspection. Fiona led Titiue to the main hatch. She stepped inside but Titiue hesitated on the threshold.

"I can come back right?" Titiue asked in English. After several weeks of communicating with him in his language, it felt weird hearing him speaking hers.

"Of course. I am sure someone will be more than willing to bring you back immediately. Although I think most people in Sanctuary will be fascinated with meeting you. It isn't often we come across totally different intelligent lifeforms." Fiona gestured for him to follow her. She led him through the hallways to empty crew quarters. "You can leave your things in here. You can come to the control room to observe the launch and the transit. We'll be back in Sanctuary by tomorrow morning, at the latest. Sooner if we can make larger jumps." Titiue left the woven backpack in his new quarters and followed her to the control room.

She helped him into a comfortable seat for the launch and began tapping on the console to bring up the sensor logs. They registered a massive warp in crunch space followed by the appearance of Titiue's planetary system appearing just ahead of the ship. The readings on the fabric of space-time native to this new patch of crunchspace indicated it had come from a natural universe. It hadn't been woven in from another crunchspace bubble. How was that even possible. According to everything she had learned from Brenda on space-time and crunchspace was that things from the new omniverse could not be incorporated into the Preserve without risking collapsing crunchspace. Fiona ran through the sensor logs several more times, examining them on every energy level. She might be mistaken about the nature of the new territory's space-time but that still left her questioning who had done it.

Only two people in her knowledge could even come close to accomplishing this feat, Brenda and herself. Brenda would have made sure to transmit a warning to all of the internal exploratory services. That left Fiona as the one responsible. She was pretty sure she didn't accidentally do it in the present, but then she remembered the visit from her future self in the medical center. That future self had made it clear she was capable of things not even Brenda could envision. As if in confirmation, Fiona saw a ghostly image of herself in one of the scans. She was only visible for seconds, she saluted the ship and disappeared again. Fiona leaned back in her command chair. She would weave Titiue's world into the Preserve, causing herself to crash and meet Titiue and his people. Time travel was annoyingly complex. When she next saw her future self she would have stern words with herself.


* * *

Brenda had dressed carefully in the outfit the ruphrup had given her when she helped them free their world of dark domination. She wove feathers, beads, and colorful natural fibers into her hair in the traditional ruphrup patterns of leadership. That was all she could do to prepare to approach the council of ruphrup leaders with her proposal. They had gathered in council, especially for her to address the current issues of ruphrup society and the needs of the Preserve. The council sat on downed logs around a ceremonial firepit. The representatives of influential clans, families, and settlements all served equally on the council regardless of age, gender, or the various colors of their fur.

"Honored councilors, I bring a proposition from a group of my kind for the betterment of all. We would offer you a new world in a protected bubble of space that the Dominating Dark Invaders do not have access to. It would be beneficial to your civilization preserving it from outside attack. It would be beneficial to my people because we have liberated the young of many sanruphrup before they could be tainted by the dark. My people do not have the cultural relevance or understanding to raise these orphans. We ask that you take them into your families and teach them the ways of peace and cooperation."

One of the elder councilors spoke in response, "Sanruphrup are no longer of the people. They follow foreign ways. They are tainted."

Brenda sighed, "These sanruphrup are too young to have been fully tainted. I believe that the wisdom of your elders could teach them to be of the people again. You needn't call them Ruphrup they are different creatures, but they are of the same seed as your people. Help them to learn the ways of nature." The councilors began mumbling among themselves while Brenda stood uncomfortably near the ceremonial fire.

"You ask us to leave the world? To go to some new place? How do we know that our needs will be met there?" A councilor stood and asked, the feathers and fibers woven into her fur were vibrantly colored and intricately patterned. It was the work of many hands. This councilor led by the popular consensus of an entire village.

"I have prepared a world to welcome you. My people turned many resources on that world to spread the plants and animals familiar to the ruphrup. It even has the beginnings of village structures built. They are not finished as the members of my people did not know the patterns of the tribes who would live in them, but they are sound against storms and winds. They are warm in the cold lands and airy in the warm ones. The homes in the villages are stocked with supplies and preserved foodstuffs. All we really need or want from you is your presence. All aid you may need in resettling will be provided."

"The Dark Invaders were driven away generations ago. They have not involved themselves in our world since they fled. Why do we need the protection of your people?"

Brenda paused smoothing her robes and her hair. "The Dark Invaders never stop with one attack. They always return to take what they want. The time that has passed was to lull you into complacency. They will come again." Almost if cued by her words, a large ship entered the atmosphere slowing to land near one of the larger nearby villages. Brenda recognized it as a Dark slave ship. Mira had sent operatives to the ruphrup homeworld, as Brenda felt she might. Mira and the Dark had done the same thing on the original homeworld of the healing hounds. Repeatedly culling the population to replace the hellhounds she had stolen from their kennels. Now that Brenda had begun liberating sanruphrup children she figured Mira would send operatives back to the original genetic source of the sanruphrup. "That is a Dark Slaving Ship. It has come to steal your young and unmake them. The Dark Queen would have them become unpeople like the other sanruphrup. Please let me evacuate you to a world she cannot reach!"

The whole council mumbled in fear. The sight of the massive ship landing nearby was nearly enough to convince them. "How do we know you are any better than the Dark invaders? The histories say they claimed peace as their intention when they arrived. How do we know that your people aren't simply looking for their own slaves."

"I fought to drive off the Darkness from this world. I have been a friend to every council since then. Never once have I done or said anything in an attempt to dominate any of your people. I offer you a place of refuge. I do not compel you to come, I merely offer." Brenda toggled her suit controls to keep the ruphrup from hearing her, "Ulu, contact dispatch and get me evac crews immediately. Mira had sent a culling detail."

"Aye, aye chief, activating neural interface so you can communicate with me telepathically rather than compromising negotiations."

"If our people choose to come with you how will we get to this new world before The Dark Invaders have taken us all prisoners."

"Decide if you will come and return to your villages and homes. Prepare the ruphrup. My people will come to you bringing portals to your new home. We can have you all moved to safety as quickly as you can prepare your people."

"Chief, extraction groups are prepped to assist in transporting the councilors to their constituencies."

"Many of us live a great distance from this gathering place, many days of travel. The Dark Invaders could clear our villages and settlements before we can reach them with warnings to prepare."

She had swayed them. They all were agreeable to evacuation now. Brenda's next thought told her suit to call in the extraction groups. Hundreds of factors appeared in the gathering clearing just beyond the circles of seating stumps. "These are my people. They can take you back to your villages and homes faster than a thought. If you hurry the most distant settlements can be cleared before this meeting ever happens. The nearer settlements could be evacuating now."

"So the stories are true, You are Brena, The Great. You have the ability to twist the fabric of time and space to your service. We will go with you!" The elder female agreed. Shortly after that, nearly every councilor affirmed their desire to evacuate their people. Brenda's factors paired up with the representatives and teleported each of them back to their homes just minutes after they had left to come to the meeting. Brenda bounced from settlement to settlement making sure the evacuations were going smoothly. Finally, fearfully she approached the settlements nearest the landing space of Mira's slave ship. Some of the natives had been taken. Most of the area had been cleared well before the landing, but some stragglers were in the process of being rounded up by Sanruphrup operatives. Brenda watched invisibly as the troops systematically searched the settlements.

Down one alleyway Brenda caught a glimpse of a familiar fur pattern. She did a double-take before stepping up behind him and lowering her invisibility. "Tyrulan?" He wore a long coat in an even darker shade of gray than she had seen him in last.

"Factor, I am surprised you recognized me."

"I spent time liberating this world once before. I became rather adept at recognizing fur patterns between individuals. You told me about that creche. I also saw you fighting and defeating a superior in a field exercise in front of Mira black."

Tyrulan's eyebrow rose, "You emptied the nursery. I had hoped you would empty the entire creche."

"I took the children I felt I could still help. The older ones were already too far gone. I emptied several more creches. Did you hear about those?"

"Yes, that's why we are here. Mira sent us looking for replacements. I have more coordinates. Do you have a recording device?" Tyrulan asked.

Brenda thought about wanting a tablet to hand to him and Ulu materialized one in her right hand. Brenda handed it off to him. He tapped out the coordinates he had and passed the tablet back to Brenda. She looked over the coordinates, she had about half of them on her list to liberate already. "This helps. I will do my best to liberate as many of the children as I can."

"You know who I am, and perhaps a bit more about me than I thought you did but I do not know your name Factor."

"My name is Brenda Bench."

"Really! Mira has you on a most wanted dead or captured list. You are something like a leader among the factors."

"Yes, I am the chief of field operations. I think I have said this before, but, you are aware that helping me means you don't have a long shelf-life as one of Mira's minions."

"I know my position is tenuous, but I think I am safe for a little while longer. Especially if I say I heard some factors discussing that you were the one that suggested they clear this world. Unfortunately, they got away before I could take them captive. I will make the suggestion that you had prior dealings with the ruphrup and must have recognized them as the ancestral race of the youngsters you liberated. She knows you can become invisible. I will suggest that you might be the one clearing out the creches. A little useless truth will keep my heart beating a while longer."

Brenda nodded at him and restored her invisibility. "Be careful Tyrulan. I don't want to find out you're dead."

"Neither do I."


* * *

"But Chief, the fact is that we need to increase recruitment for internal policing. Yes we need more factors, but to be honest, crime is really an issue with a population as large as ours became at the end of the last omniverse." Stephan argued.

"I know, but maybe that should be the responsibility of local governments. I mean how many damn planets have filed for self-governance? Do they really expect us to maintain their social order and yet not have to answer to us?" Mae placed her face in her palms.

"Chief, we have a request for you to mediate a disagreement between a tribe of tunnel rats and the planetary settlers. You promised the tunnel rats exclusive mining rights but the settlers are digging for resources." Phillipe was head of resource allocation. He usually wasn't the one who brought up the need for mediation. "Oh, and we have had a huge increase in resource requests from Factor teams. The establishment of sensor networks and orbital correction grids."

Nemo began to fuss in his sling. Mae began bouncing him with her arm. She thought she could smell his issue. She started to get up from the conference table.

"Chief we need to discuss plans for integrating a system for processing the sanruphrup orphans more quickly."

Mae groaned and stood. She only made it a few steps towards the nursery when another member of her staff called after her, "Chief…"

Mae spun on her heels and looked over her staff. All of their eyes were on her. Their workstations were set up all over what should have been her living room. She left her bedroom in the morning and she was literally at work before she had breakfast. Nemo fussed even more in his sling. He needed a diaper change and nobody was going to give her five minutes to change it. They didn't give her time for anything, sometimes not even sleep. "That's it! I am done! I quit! Get all of this out of my house! Now!"

Her staff paused in what they were doing for a moment and then went back to work. Mae glared at them. "I said get OUT! Take all of this business with you! I effing quit!" Mae yelled again. Everybody stopped working.

"Chief?" Janine asked.

"I quit! Go find someone else who wants to be chief! Clear out of my apartment! I am going to change my baby's diaper. When I come back out here you and all of this crap will be gone!"

Mae marched into the nursery. She gently pulled Nemo from the sling and laid him down on the diaper-changing pad. She took her time changing him. Her staff was capable of teleporting, but it might take them a minute to find somewhere else to establish an operations center. She sat in the rocking chair cuddling Nemo close. He was growing quickly. He nuzzled towards her breast and Mae adjusted her outfit to allow him to nurse. That took some time and gave her ex-staff time to make the move. There was a knock at the door, followed by it sliding open. Imhay entered with a concerned look on his face.

"Hon, I hear you have, ah, thrown everyone out and quit your job."

Nemo finished nursing and Mae adjusted her shirt again. "Yep."

"So, nobody is in charge?"

"I guess so."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I mean what is there to talk about? I never wanted the job in the first place. It had taken over my life. I didn't raise our daughter because of it and I will be damned if it is going to affect how I raise our son."

Imhay frowned and nodded, "Okay, but how about you take some time to reconsider?"

"No, I am done with that crap!"

"Okay, but they took the dining room table. " Imhay shrugged.

"We can order another one." Mae settled her now sleeping baby in her sling. "Now what do you want for dinner?"