CHILDREN OF SARJALIM
by Angela
Sakura's wristwatch read seven-thirty. She rubbed her eyes. The adrenaline had waned hours earlier,
leaving only determination to keep her awake when her body longed for sleep. She keyed her most recent sequence into the
computer, feeling the faint shadow of triumph as the simulation cycled exactly
as she'd predicted.
Hinagiku and the others meant to kill them.
She scowled at the sample. The single vial was enough to kill everyone on the moon. The virus was disgustingly simple: easy to
reproduce and spread through the air.
It would kill its victims within two weeks of contamination--quickly,
but not too quickly. She'd run data on
possible vaccines, but nothing she could think of would stop its growth. Even if she could find a cure, any kind of
inoculation would be impossible on a global level. The only possible action was prevention.
She washed her hands and grabbed her blanket from the hook
by the door. She was going to need
help--stealthy, stubborn, determined help.
She found Jinpachi in the dining hall. He was alone, picking at his breakfast
unenthusiastically. Sakura noticed the
dark circles beneath his eyes, but didn't want to find out what had kept him
from his slumber. She slid into the seat
across from him. He nodded dully.
"We have a problem," Sakura began
seriously. "Certain members of the
crew are anxious for us to give up our planet to them and they need to be
stopped."
He suddenly leaped to life, his eyes shining. "What?" he asked suddenly, jumping
to his feet. "Sakura, what the
hell are you talking about?"
She took a deep breath, reaching over the table to take
his hand and guide him back into his seat.
"Quiet," she shushed him urgently. "If you don't make such a fuss I'll tell you
everything."
Thirty minutes later they were bursting into the room that
he shared with Issei. "Issei, wake
up," Jinpachi boomed, sliding the door shut. "We have to talk!"
"What's going on?" Issei looked like he'd been up all night too. He sat up in the rumpled bed, his hair in a
messy tangle. "What
happened?" He looked pointedly at
Sakura's hand, her fingers entwined with Jinpachi's. She hurriedly disengaged, a blush creeping over her face. He'd grabbed it while rushing her to their
room; because of the urgency, she'd barely noticed.
Jinpachi sat next to his friend on the bed. "She stumbled across Hinagiku and
Nadeshiko talking."
"They had a vial," Sakura interrupted, "and
they were going to inject Shukkaido with the serum. So I stole it."
"You stole it?" Issei was shocked. "It could've been medicine!
They're going to notice that it's gone!"
"No, no," Sakura countered impatiently. "I switched it with sugar water. And it wasn't medicine." She repeated to Issei what she'd explained
to Jinpachi--that she'd hacked into Nadeshiko's computer files and found the
trials run on the virus and information about the additional genetic patterns
that made the aliens immune.
“Wait,” Issei interrupted. “You hacked into the computers?”
“I’ve been a hacker for years,” Sakura explained quickly,
ignoring Issei’s look of surprise as she continued. "I did a few trials myself, and statistically this thing
could wipe out Japan in less than a year, the entire continents of Asia and
North America in less than five--Europe even more quickly. It's nasty, and I'm sure it's part of some
plan to get the planet for themselves."
Issei looked confused.
"But why would they need it?
There are only three of them!"
Jinpachi jumped up, agitated once more. "Who cares why? The fact is that we've got to do
something--quick--to save the earth!"
Sakura leaned against the wall, for the first time
unconcerned about the moss and lichen.
She was exhausted, but it seemed that there wouldn't be time for sleep
just yet. She studied Issei, talking
animatedly with Jinpachi, and she was reminded of her earlier concerns about
what had passed between the two of them.
It seemed like a frivolous worry now--just a quiet nag at the back of
her mind. God willing, they'd have time
to work that out later.
"I think we should tell Hiiragi at least," Issei
was saying, "maybe even Shion and Mokuren."
Jinpachi shook his head.
"Hiiragi's been pretty chummy with Ayame," he disagreed. "If he doesn't take us seriously, he
might say something to her."
"And Mokuren's been stressed-out and spooky
lately. She's likely to fall to pieces
if more pressure is put on her."
Sakura had noticed the other girl's lack of appetite at meals and the
skittish reservation in her eyes.
"She might have discovered something on her own, even, the way
she's been acting. We can't add to her
worries with this. And Shion . . .
." She didn't want to express her
lingering doubt in his character.
"Shion is a wild card," Jinpachi agreed,
scowling. "We have to feel him out
first."
Issei stuck to the point.
"But if we're separated in this, they might unintentionally
undermine our work. It's crucial that
we band together!"
Jinpachi put his hand on Issei's shoulder and motioned for
Sakura to come closer. His warm hand
clasped the back of her neck in a gesture of protective camaraderie. "Then the three of us will band
together," Jinpachi said decisively.
"It's our secret until the time is right to reveal it. Agreed?"
Sakura nodded, reaching out to grasp Issei's hand, closing
the circle. For the first time since
overhearing the talk in the library, she felt hopeful, almost safe. She squeezed Issei's fingers, trying to prompt
a similar response from him.
He sighed.
"Very well. What do we do
now?"
Sakura and Jinpachi seemed to be of the same mind. "First we replace their other samples
with something harmless," Sakura began.
"And then we ransack their supplies so they can't
make more." Jinpachi finished.
Issei sighed again, looking queasy. "And what," he asked slowly,
"do we do when they notice we've robbed them?" His eyes were bright with doubt and
hopelessness.
Sakura smiled, catching Jinpachi's eye. He grinned back and nodded. Together they looked at Issei. "I guess we fight," Sakura said
simply.
*****
Rin looked back at Alice one more time before sliding the
door closed. She was still sleeping
soundly--the result of another restless night, no doubt. It was early; there was no need to wake her
when she needed her sleep.
He didn’t know what to do about her. Since that night in the garden, she was
uneasy and skittish--obviously terrified of Hinagiku. Rin couldn’t blame her.
Clearly there was more to these alien scientists than they let on. He’d known from the first that something
important had brought them here. Of all
the planets in the galaxy, there had to be a reason they’d chosen the
earth. He’d been watching everyone very
carefully the past few days, and he was almost certain that Daisuke shared his
suspicions.
He found his captain in the chapel, deep in thought before
a huge painting of Sarjalim. Rin paused
at the doorway. His breath caught as he
looked at the radiant golden beauty of Shion’s goddess. She looked like Mokuren. In spite of his earthly skepticism, a peaceful
reverence settled over him as he gazed at her lovely face.
As if sensing his presence, Daisuke looked up. “Kobayashi,” he said tiredly, surprising the
boy with his use of his Earth name. “I
was hoping I’d see you today.”
“I was looking for you,” Rin answered, coming into the
room and sinking to the floor beside the older boy. It looked like Daisuke hadn’t even been to bed--dark shadows
lined his eyes.
Daisuke motioned toward the painting. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
Diffused power seemed to coat the air around them and
suddenly Rin understood the fanatic impulses that destroyed entire
populations. He felt lofty and dizzy,
paradoxical turbulence alongside deep peace.
“Just looking at her makes me want to do crazy things,” he commented,
nodding. “She’s amazing.”
“She’s beautiful,” Daisuke acknowledged quietly.
Rin was thoughtful.
“Definitely. But that’s not the
half of it. She makes me feel like I
can be strong--powerful and good at the same time.”
The captain nodded, his expression grave. “I’ve been here all night,” he said
quietly. “Not praying, exactly, but
meditating. I think we’re in trouble.”
“Hinagiku.” Rin
was glad that Daisuke had already come to the same conclusion. “He’s not at all what he wants us to think.”
“More than that,” Daisuke said, his eyes focused on the
ruby Kitche on the goddess’s forehead.
“He’s got the others convinced that they’re missionaries of
Sarjalim. Nadeshiko, Ayame, they both
think they’re on some kind of holy crusade.”
He dropped his head to his knees, his brow crinkling with
frustration. “They can do it, too. They’ve got what they need to overrun the
planet.”
Rin felt his stomach twist. He’d suspected. “Clones.”
Daisuke nodded.
“Enough DNA to build a city, and regeneration capsules to speed
growth. In a few years they could
populate most of Japan.”
It was surprising to see how much work and research
Daisuke had already put into this. Rin
wondered if he’d warmed up Ayame just to get a peek at her research. “Can we destroy them?”
Daisuke looked troubled and a similar expression of
Hiiragi’s came to Rin’s mind. “I’m no
good as your leader,” the young captain said quietly. “I don’t have Ogura’s passion or your cunning. Worse, I’m entangled in this.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to do what we have to do.” He stared vacantly, idly yanking grass from
the cracks between floor tiles.
Rin put his hand on Daisuke’s shoulder, feeling small and
not at all like Shion. “Ogura Jinpachi
and I don’t command the trust that you do.
They’ll all listen to you, follow your orders.”
For a long time Daisuke didn’t answer, and Rin wondered if
he’d even heard. He knew he’d need his
captain if he were going to try to take on these aliens. There was no way he could do it alone, and
he suspected that he’d have no luck convincing Jinpachi and the others to help
him without Daisuke. A loose plan was
formulating in his mind, but he needed at least three people to carry it out.
Daisuke stood. “We
can get rid of the DNA right now,” he said abruptly. “Ayame’s so busy taking care of Kasama, she won’t notice if her
freezer shuts off--twenty-four hours would be enough to thaw her samples.”
Rin jumped to his feet.
“That sounds too simple,” he hissed, suddenly nervous that they’d be
overheard. “How do you know she won’t
check?”
Daisuke looked sad.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with her, kind of gotten a feel for her
routines. She won’t check.”
As they hurried down the corridors toward the medical
labs, Rin was quiet. Daisuke must’ve
taken a particular interest in the pretty doctor if he was that confident in
her behavior and personality within two days.
A pang of remorse twisted in his stomach. He hadn’t considered personal attachments. He looked at Daisuke; the older boy’s face
was set in lines of determination, and suddenly felt a new respect for his
captain.
The hospital room was still and quiet. Mikuro’s chair was empty and Ayame was
curled up, fast asleep on her cot.
Daisuke put his finger to his lips, motioning for silence. As Rin waited near the door, the captain
crept slowly across the room and tested the lock on the door to Ayame’s
lab. It gave. He opened the door soundlessly and slipped inside.
Rin followed nervously.
Somehow he hadn’t expected the doctor to be right there, practically
guarding her laboratory. He held his
breath, trying to step in time to the rhythmic hiss of Haruhiko’s
respirator. Ayame shifted in her sleep,
freezing Rin in his tracks. A moment
later she turned, mumbling nonsense as she pulled her blanket more securely
over herself. Rin exhaled slowly and
resumed his steady creep across the floor.
When he closed the door behind him, Rin flinched at the
near-silent click of the latch. He
peeked through the tiny window, half-expecting a curious face to peer back at
him. A couple tense heartbeats later it
was clear that she was still asleep.
Breathing a deep sigh of relief, he hurried down the short corridor to
the lab. He suddenly wondered why he
hadn’t just teleported the distance--a subconscious impulse to conserve
energy? He didn’t know, but he had a
feeling that he would need all of his telepathic powers before the week was
out.
Daisuke had already pulled a huge unit away from the wall
and was removing a panel from the backside.
A small toolkit--probably Ayame’s--rested on the floor next to him.
“Why not just unplug it?”
Rin asked, noticing a thick cord running back behind the desk.
“She’d notice if it were too quiet,” Daisuke
explained. “I need to cut power to the
refrigeration cell, but leave the fan running.”
Even listening carefully, Rin hardly heard the hum of the
fan. Still, he was glad that Daisuke
had really thought this through. He
crouched next to his friend. “If I
hadn’t said anything to you, would you have done this alone?”
Daisuke didn’t look up from his task. Removing the panel, he passed it to
Rin. “Doubt it,” he answered
matter-of-factly. “I certainly thought
about it,” he said, untangling the web of cables, “but I wasn’t convinced it
was the best thing to do. Plus there
were other things holding me back.”
Rin watched as he carefully snipped the wires leading to
the large refrigeration cell that occupied most of the space in the
compartment. “What made you change your
mind?”
Looking at Rin for the first time, Daisuke smiled
cheerlessly. “The way you looked at
that picture of Sarjalim like a kid in love, it kind of made me think that
there were things that needed to be protected, things that had nothing at all
to do with me and my mixed-up feelings.”
Rin didn’t know how to answer that. He realized that this was very likely the
first time that Daisuke had ever shared more than impersonal information with
him--in either lifetime. It made him
feel good in a way that Shion wouldn’t have understood. “I’m glad we’re working together.”
“Hand me the cover,” he said, back to business, but Rin
saw him smile through his words. He
picked up the awkward sheet metal and passed it clumsily to Daisuke.
“Freeze!” An angry
voice from the doorway made them both turn.
“Ayame!” Daisuke
was on his feet, the discarded panel clattering to the ground. Rin crouched near the floor, his eyes on the
weapon in the doctor’s hands. It looked
like some kind of gun. Physical weapons
hadn’t figured into his calculations; he’d assumed that Nadeshiko and Hinagiku
would be his only opponents, as ESPers.
Making a mental note to get all of the non-ESPers from earth armed in
some way, Rin stood slowly, his hands raised.
Ayame looked terrified.
Her hands shook on the gun and fear mixed with anger in her face. She aimed the gun first at Rin, then
Daisuke. “I know you have mental
powers,” she told Rin, “so I’m warning you--I’ll shoot your friend if you try
anything.”
“He’s not going to hurt you, Ayame,” the captain said
calmly. “Neither am I. Please, put down the weapon.”
Tears trembled in the corners of her eyes. “No,” she argued. “You’re meddling in my research.
You’re threatening the mission.
I have to take you to Nadeshiko.
We’ll have to imprison every one of you.”
Casting a significant look to Rin, Daisuke took a step
forward. Rin flinched, seeing Ayame’s
finger twitch near the trigger. He
wondered if Daisuke had any idea what he was doing.
Daisuke’s voice was soothing. “You know that Hinagiku won’t imprison us,” he reminded her
slowly. “Sending us to him would be
worse than killing us yourself, right now.”
He coaxed her closer to him with his hands. “Come on, then, why don’t you give me the gun?”
Ayame stepped back, shaking her head. “Stay away, Daisuke! One more step and Hinagiku won’t have the
option of making you his prisoner. I
read everything you told me to. I read
Gyokuran’s study and everyone else’s.
You’re right about the planet--it's completely unsuitable.” Tears streamed down her cheeks now,
unheeded. “But you don’t
understand. This is desperate! My people will die!”
“Your people did die!” Daisuke reminded her emphatically. “Almost twenty years ago!
This mission won’t bring back your family and friends, Ayame.”
“You don’t understand what it’s like to be the last of
your kind--to know that every single person you loved is dead and you have no
home to return to.” Ayame’s hands shook
but she kept the gun aimed at Daisuke’s chest.
“I have the technology to build another homeland. Anyone in my place would do the same!”
Rin’s heart was racing.
He understood. He remembered the
hopelessness, the despair, but he also knew that stealing someone else’s home
out from under them wasn’t the answer.
Hiiragi had been right all those years ago, to forbid them to go down to
the planet.
He knew what he had to do, and quickly. While Ayame’s attention was focused on his
companion, he closed his eyes. A moment
later he was behind Ayame. She wasn’t
that much taller than him--he thought he could take her easily. With a yelp he jumped at her, curling his
hands around the cold metal of the gun’s barrel. She cried out, twisting out of his grasp, surprising him with her
speed and strength. Rin stumbled.
A heartbeat later he was caught. She pinned him to the ground with her knee, the barrel of the gun
pressed hard to the back of his head.
Rin’s world was spinning. Part
of him was ready to teleport, but he knew that if he disappeared to save
himself, Daisuke would be in even more danger.
He clenched his eyes shut, balling his hands into fists. He never thought it’d end like this. His eyes stung and his neck hurt from
pushing his head against the floor in an instinctual attempt to pull away from
the gun.
“Ayame, don’t.”
Daisuke’s voice was shaking. Rin
focused hard on his voice, knowing that as long as he could hear him talking,
he had a chance. “You won’t execute him
like that. You can’t. He’s just a kid.”
“I can.” She was
sobbing. “I will.”
“I know you. You
can’t do this. You’re a doctor; you
heal people.” Rin heard a scuff of a
footstep and prayed that Daisuke wasn’t really trying to walk closer. “Please, Ayame. Please drop the gun.”
The pressure of the barrel against Rin’s head seemed to
waver. “How do I know you won’t kill
me?” Her voice was small.
“Damn it, Ayame,” Daisuke sounded beaten. “I couldn’t kill anyone. Least of all, you.”
The pistol fell with a clatter, skidding against the tiles
as her weight left Rin’s back. He lay
still for a long time, willing his breath to even out and trying not to
cry. When he finally looked up, Daisuke
was kneeling on the floor, Ayame collapsed and sobbing in his arms like a
child. His captain looked at him over
his shoulder and smiled.
Rin smiled weakly in return, pushing himself up onto his
hands and knees. They’d survived and
succeeded in this first step. It felt
good to be alive. They had a long road
ahead of them, though--Rin had a feeling that this had been the easy part.
He fished the weapon from beneath a cabinet, realizing as
he did that there was no way he could get Alice to touch it, much less use
it. He looked at Daisuke, smoothing
Ayame’s short hair and crooning comfort into her ears. The captain had a lot to worry about, but
maybe he could be persuaded to help watch out for Alice.
He slid the gun into Daisuke’s hand, surprised when the
captain casually shoved it into his waistband without missing a single beat in
soothing the doctor. Rin was
impressed. Apparently there was much
more to Hiiragi than his seven bald spots and passion for dead languages. Saluting the captain silently, Rin slipped
out the door.
*****
It was well after noon when Alice finally got to Haru’s
room for her daily visit. When she
woke, Rin was nowhere to be found, so she’d grabbed a bit of lunch and headed
straight to the hospital room. The
whole base seemed strangely deserted that day--the only person she’d seen was
Issei, and he was oddly reluctant to talk to her as they ate together. Even Haru’s room was basically empty; the
doctor’s cot was folded and shoved into a corner, and Mikuro’s chair was
vacant.
Alice sank into it, satisfied that Haru, at least, could
not avoid her.
Haruhiko’s breathing was shallow; his chest barely moved
with each inhalation. His face had
taken on a waxy look, and Alice had to touch his skin to convince herself that
he was real. He was warm. She traced her fingers along the curve of
his jaw and over his chin. He was
lovely. Even after she’d learned the
truth about his reincarnation, learned that he wasn’t Shion after all, her
heart still pounded a little faster and her breath came a little short when he
entered a room.
She looked at the fluid-filled tank in the corner. One more day. By this time tomorrow he might be healthy again, awake and ready
to go home. Alice hoped so. She felt more than a little to blame for his
being there. She couldn’t wait for him
to smile again, for them to start over and be friends for real. She couldn’t wait until this was all over,
until she was back in her own home, in her own bed where she could pretend this
whole adventure was all a bad dream.
She knew she had to tell Rin about her memory. The truth about Hinagiku was important, but
she dreaded explaining it to him and the others. She wondered why Kiku had been so determined to take her mentor’s
place on this mission. What kind of
plans did he have for them, for the planet?
She knew that if she told the others before she knew all the facts, they’d
want to fight, assuming that Earth was in danger.
But didn’t she assume the same thing? A nagging little voice in the back of her
head said yes. What could they do about
it? They were just seven kids--one unconscious
even--and a young man who might have no inclination at all to help them. Even if they could fight, they’d have to
wait at least a day so that Haru could be healed. Alice tried to imagine Jinpachi or Rin sitting patiently for more
than a few hours.
“What do you think, Haruhiko?” Alice whispered, twining
her fingers with his. “How do we fix
this if we’re in over our heads?”
“I’m glad that I’m not the only one on this goddamn base
that thinks we could be drowning here.”
Alice jumped, twisting in her chair to see who was at the
door. “Yakushimaru! I didn’t hear you come in!” She hopped up and bowed politely, her hair
hiding her flushed face.
Mikuro pushed his hair out of his eyes, walking to the
other side of Haruhiko’s bed. His eyes
scanned each monitor and he pressed his palm against Haru’s forehead, testing
for a fever. Alice had seen this ritual
before. He always made sure his friend
was stable before sitting down at his vigilant post. Seeming satisfied, he turned to Alice.
“So what’s got you so worried? The locals finally starting to creep you out?”
Alice flinched.
His casual tone made her uncomfortable--even when they both sat with
Haruhiko together, it was usually in silence.
“I’m afraid it’s more serious than that,” she replied formally. “But not your concern, really.” She attempted a smile.
“Like hell!”
Mikuro leaned closer over Haru’s prone form. “As long as I’m on this base, as long as my friend is up here,
then it’s definitely my concern. If you
know something about these aliens that you’re not telling--"
“I don’t know anything!
Really!”
He studied her for a hard minute before relaxing. Alice felt herself tremble under his
scrutiny. Maybe she should tell him the
truth. His perspective might help her
decide how to tell Rin and the others.
But he seemed so oppressive, somehow, and she couldn’t tell what he was
thinking.
“I guess I might as well tell you what I know,” Mikuro
continued, his voice gentler. “That way
you’ll know I can be trusted.”
Alice listened in shock as he told her about his tampered
control panel, his suspicion that someone wanted him out of the way. “And yesterday, the captain and her
boyfriend came waltzing in here to inject Haru with something. I didn’t like that the doc wasn’t around to
supervise something as serious as an injection, so I pretended to be asleep,
but then ‘woke up’ before they had a chance to give him the shot. As I suspected, they left--they wouldn’t do
it when I was there to see. I wasn’t
about to leave Haru after that, but the doc nagged me to go to bed this
morning, and she promised to watch him.
I sort of trust her, you see.”
He looked around the room. “Was
she here when you came in?”
Alice shook her head.
Mikuro cursed.
“Then they probably got him.” He
glanced frantically at the machines monitoring his condition, verifying that
nothing had changed, then looked at Haruhiko sadly. “No matter what anyone says, I’m not leaving this bedside.” He bent his head and whispered in his
friend’s ear. “Sorry, Kid. Be strong.
I won’t let you down again.”
The husky promise in his voice made Alice’s breath
catch. Mikuro wasn’t a bad guy, and she
needed to talk to someone. “Hinagiku
isn’t who he says he is,” she blurted.
“I don’t know if it means anything or not, but I suspect he killed the
real Hinagiku to take his place.”
Mikuro let his breath out in a long hiss. “That’s important. I don’t have the first idea how it figures in, or what the hell’s
going on here, but it’s definitely good to know.” He smiled at Alice and she realized he had a nice face when he
wasn’t being scary. “We’re in this
together, Mokuren,” he said decisively.
“From now on, we help each other out.”
Alice nodded. It
was on the tip of her tongue to ask him not to call her Mokuren when he
continued.
“You were a big deal back then, huh? A real powerful person?”
Alice couldn’t deny it.
Mokuren had more power than she’d ever dared use. As a Kitche Sarjalian she had abilities that
were forbidden to speak of, much less use.
She nodded. “Mokuren could do a
lot,” she said quietly.
“And Shion--the kid.
Can you use your past-life abilities the way he can?”
She didn’t want to say yes, but no wasn’t an honest answer
either. She could talk to plants and
animals, to make things grow, but Rin was special. He could do things that she’d never dreamed of. “I’m not like him,” she stammered. “I can’t tap into Mokuren the way he can
with Shion.” She didn’t know how to
explain it to Mikuro, who had lived his whole life with ESP. “I’m not Mokuren anymore. I’m not special like Haruhiko or Rin.”
Mikuro eyed her skeptically. Alice felt like she was shrinking under his look. “I don’t know about that. If reincarnation works this way, then you
should be able to do even more than Haru or Shion! You have to try harder. I
think we need Mokuren to win this.”
“But we don’t even know what ‘this’ is!” Alice felt panic welling inside of her,
making her stomach churn violently.
“And you don’t understand how it is to be me--to remember being Mokuren
but not have any of her control!”
Mikuro stood up, staring down at her from under his pale
hair. “Haru’s life might depend on
this! All of our lives might! Don’t be a coward, Mokuren.”
Alice felt like crying.
“I’m not Mokuren!” she cried.
“Sarjalim doesn’t even love me anymore!
She’s turned her back on me because I betrayed her a long time
ago!” She hid her face in her hands,
trying to force the tears back into her eyes.
“I’m just plain old Alice and I can’t do anything.”
Before he could counter with another harsh observation,
Alice stood, knocking the chair over with the force of her legs. Bowing a hasty farewell, she turned and ran
from the room.