CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It took seven days of hopping from planet to planet and system to system, stopping to refuel and re supply the little ship before the Boss and Farra finally took off on the last leg of their journey. Farra was quite pleased for the regular stops as her captor allowed her to get up and go outside, under heavy restraints of course. This meant she could get some sun on the solar cells in her Biomed implant so the Drycenians would be able to track her and come to her rescue if need be. These regular little sojourns also meant she could stretch her legs and take a pee. She was very angry that he stripped her of the Unicom Transmitter that would have allowed her to call them and inform them of what happened. Not that she knew exactly where she was of course, but at least she would be able to tell them she had been kidnapped. With her Biomed still signalling, they wouldn’t be any the wiser until they returned to Terramora with Vincent and found she wasn’t there to meet them. There were any number of opportunities for her to get away from her captivity but Leon told her not to, so she reluctantly allowed them to pass her by. He hadn’t actually hurt her though, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time. He was full of bullshit and swore at her and called her a bitch all the time but she viewed that as just bravado and posturing and didn’t allow it to get to her. As they landed yet again for what she assumed would be just another rest and refuelling stop, he turned around and grinned at her.
“Hey honey we’re home,” he said and guffawed loudly. He left her restrained in the little ship and she wondered if he was going to leave her there for the duration. The seat she was strapped into wasn’t that comfortable any more and her backside was completely numb. She desperately wanted to walk around and hoped she was to be moved to somewhere else. It was night time on this planet and through the open doorway she could see only the dark shapes of trees and a building about two hundred yards away. Her night sight wouldn't work whilst she was in the lighted environment of the ship so she was unable to see much. She wondered where they were. A throb in her chest told her Leon was with her, so she closed her eyes and let her mind go inwards a little so that she would hear his telepathic voice.
“We are home Farra,” he told her.
“Home?” We’re on earth?” she asked him.
“No child, we’re on Lilea. My home and Vincent’s home. And your home too if you wish it to be.”
She smiled and felt quite emotional knowing that she had finally reached Vincent’s home world. “Lilea? Oh, oh wow, Lilea.” She craned her neck to try to see more from the open doorway but it was too light inside the ship to see out into the dark. She remembered the photograph she saw on the Drycenian ship and wondered if it was all as beautiful as that.
“Yes my dear, it is all beautiful and now it will be beautiful forever. I have something to tell you, wonderful news. Vincent has fulfilled the prophecy, the Transmortals are now extinct. The ancient ones sing with such joy in the land of the dead.”
Farra was silenced by this news. Shocked and delighted all at the same time. “He did it? That’s fantastic,” she cried through tears of relief and happiness. “Is he okay? What about the retrial?”
“He is well and is with the Drycenians and is at this moment receiving his freedom.” She couldn’t speak, she burst into tears. “I am so happy I cannot begin to tell you Farra. All of us in the land of the dead are bursting with happiness and joy that Lileans can now grow and be fruitful as we were before. I am so proud of my brave son; he has shouldered his burdens with such dignity and strength. How I wish I could be there to hold him, I never got to do that. I passed before he was born.”
She could tell Leon was becoming emotional and this made her worse. “Oh Leon, I’m so sorry, I wish I could help.”
“Do not be sorry child. He and I will meet again when he joins me in the land of the dead as we all must do one day and then we will have all of time to be together as father and son at last. Now, it is important that you do not tell anyone of the news I’ve just given you, especially your captor. He is not to know of Vincent being cleared. Do not tell him about the Transmortals either no matter how tempted you may become. Promise me.” She promised.
The Boss returned to the little ship and finally allowed her out of the chair and into the Lilean night air. As she stepped down from the ship, she allowed her night sight to kick in and looked all around at the landscape. She saw ancient forest trees looming all around and one large building and she wished she could have got here under better circumstances but it sure felt good to be here at last. A rough shove from behind almost made her fall over.
“Get moving bitch, I ain’t got all night,” he snarled and led her at gunpoint towards the building she could see taking form out of the darkness. Once inside, she saw it consisted of just two rooms, one of which contained a barred cell just eight foot square and no window. He installed her inside the cell and finally took off her handcuffs. There was just a bed with no blankets and a pail for a toilet. “Make yourself at home honey,” he said and whistled a tune as he turned and left the room, leaving her alone. She looked at her surroundings, saw the pail, sat down on the bed and dropped her head into her hands. She heard thumps and bangs from the next room and wondered what he was up to.
Leon appeared and tried to encourage her not to let her spirits sink. “Farra, do not despair child, all will be well. You only have to endure for a few more days, then the sun will shine for you, I promise. You have been so strong and brave and I am so proud of you, I think of you like a daughter.” He approached the bed and sat next to her.
She looked up at him. “You do? Thank you Leon that’s a lovely thing to say. I feel so alone right now and I feel guilty for feeling depressed about it knowing all that Vincent had to endure for all those years and how bravely he coped.”
“Farra, Vincent is a full blooded Lilean, a perfect example of our race. We are warriors at heart, defiant and focussed and with a capacity to endure pain and hardship way beyond many other races. You are from Earth. Most Earth people are still learning to put aside their political differences. They are aggressive but they aren’t natural warriors. They let their emotions make their decisions and they don’t endure well when hardships abound. Earth people like you Farra are very rare, that is why you were chosen for this task because although you are from Earth, you have a Lilean spirit inside.” He smiled gently and wiped away her tears.
“I’m so happy for Vincent," she said. "I’m so happy he’s got his freedom. How he must be feeling right now I just can’t imagine. And I was a part of making that happen, I’m real proud of that Leon, real proud,” she sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“You are more than a part of it Farra, you are half of it," he replied. "If you hadn’t rescued Toma, or found Vincent’s book; if you hadn’t got it to Donaldson and saved his life too, Vincent would still be a fugitive. Do not ever think that Vincent doesn’t know what you have done for him, don’t ever think that, not ever okay?” Farra nodded as she sniffed. Leon stood up suddenly. “He’s coming back, wipe your eyes quickly child, don’t let him see you upset.” He disappeared just as the door opened and the Boss came striding in with a plate in his hands.
“Hey honey, I cooked dinner for ya. Ain’t I the perfect man huh?” He stooped and shoved the plate under the bars towards her. She looked down at it. It looked disgusting and she felt like kicking it back at him. She didn’t think Leon would be pleased with that though, so she stooped and picked it up.
“Thank you,” she said politely, trying not to puke. He seemed happy with that and with a grin, he turned and left the room. She looked down at the plate and tried to figure what it contained. It was dark brown and gloopy with orange lumps and there was a hunk of bread the size of her fist by the side. “Must I?” she asked.
“Yes my dear, you must,” came the reply.
“Do I even want to know what it is?”
“No child, you don’t. Just swallow without chewing and it’ll
go down quicker.”
The next morning, after spending a very chilly night on the bed with no blanket or pillow, Farra was wakened by her captor banging on the bars of the cell. She leapt up at the sudden noise and then cried out in pain as she realised she had a painful crick in her neck. She was cold and stiff all over and thought if she has to spend too many nights on that bed she’ll end up an invalid.
“Wakey wakey darlin, rise and shine.” She was beginning to get seriously irritated with his pseudo redneck act. He shoved a cup of liquid under the bars at her, which she took and sniffed. She was amazed to find that it smelled wonderful. She took a tentative taste and was even more surprised to find that it tasted as good as it smelled.
“Thank you,” she said and meant it this time. “What is it? It’s good.” She tried some non confrontational conversation and thought that if she stroked his ego a bit, he might be lenient with her. He smiled at her compliment, too thick to realise she was playing him.
“Well thank ya kindly ma’am, it’s called Parsch. It’s dried leaves of the Parsch plant steeped in boiled water,” he informed her.
“Oh, like tea,” she said and made a vow to remember this brew.
“Tea?” he asked. “What’s tea?”
“It’s basically the same as this, but a different plant.”
“Oh, right, yeah, tea. Now, what the hell do you think you were up to back there. You’ve really fucked things up for me y’know and I’m real annoyed about that.” He dropped the smile and turned aggressive in a second and Farra was caught unawares.
She didn’t know how to respond effectively. “Well I err, didn’t want the guy to get killed. He’s a good guy. Isn’t he?” she asked, trying to appear stupid. Her captor wasn’t appeased though.
“Yes he’s a good guy, that’s the fuckin reason I wanted him done you stupid bitch and now you’ve gone and fucked it all up, damn you. Damn you,” he snapped and started beating on the bars of the cell like a crazed animal, yelling abuse at her and calling her all the names he could think of. The tirade went on for two minutes before, with a final kick, he turned and walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
“Jesus,” she exclaimed. She realised suddenly that she needed to pee. She turned and looked at the pail and her heart sank. “I can’t, I just can’t,” she said aloud.
“Yes you can child, trust me,” Leon’s voice in her head. This went on for day after day. She forced down his revolting food, drank his wonderful tea and listened to his crazed rantings. At no time did he touch her or threaten to hurt her. He just seemed to need someone to rant at, and rant he did. He ranted about everything. He ranted about her saving Donaldson. He ranted about Johnson not killing him. He ranted about being a nobody all his life. He ranted about his buddies not doing what he told them to do, but most of all he ranted about his kid brother. He was loved more. He was more special. He got more toys as a kid. He was stronger and bigger. He did well in the military blah blah blah. Farra was bored sick of hearing about it all and often had to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from yelling at him to shut the fuck up. When, on the seventh morning the routine started again, she put her head in her hands and thought that if this went on much longer she would commit murder and happily go to jail. After an hour she managed to pretend to be listening while allowing her mind to drift a little and was dreaming of what Lilea looked like at dawn when he said something that snapped her back to reality in an instant.
“And why did they have to pick that kid huh? Why him? Why Vincent? Why couldn’t they have found a girl or a different boy, why Vincent huh?” Farra snapped her head round at the mention of Vincent. She was now all ears and wished she’d been listening more intently. When he finished his daily rant and stormed out of the room, she sat down to think. He mentioned Vincent but was it the same Vincent?
“Yes Farra it is Vincent that he is talking about. His name is Wesley Sylvana and Vincent is his younger brother.” Farra gaped as Leon gave her this news. “Remember I told you that Vincent was found by a group of my neighbours, one of whom was still nursing her own child so she took Vincent to her own breast?” Farra nodded as she remembered. “Wesley was that nursing child and from the day Vincent was brought into the family, Wesley hated him.”
Farra stood up, shaking her head. “So he tried to kill Donaldson to prevent him from freeing Vincent? But how did he know anyone was trying to get him cleared? I don’t understand.”
“Everything has been Wesley’s doing Farra. You have already begun to wonder whether he is the mysterious Boss from the Moxal 3 plot haven’t you.” She nodded. “You’re right child, Wesley is that mysterious unnamed Boss.”
Her jaw dropped. “But why? Did he want to take over the sector or something?”
“No, he used that as a lure to get McGreedle and the Rangers involved. All he was trying to do was ruin Vincent’s life. He’d been siphoning off money from the mine for some time in the hope of bribing Vincent’s military colleagues to get him killed but when Vincent left of his own free will and took the job at the mine, Wesley saw it as a gift from heaven and a sign that what he was doing was the right thing.”
“So the murders were deliberately pinned on Vincent to get him jailed.” She was beginning to understand.
“Yes. Wesley fixed the trial and bribed all those that needed a push in the right direction. That’s why it all happened within twenty four hours; everyone was being paid by Wesley to send Vincent to Cryo Stasis, the one place he felt sure Vincent would never get out of.”
“I bet he was mad as hell when he found out he escaped,” she grinned. “I’d love to have seen his face that day.”
“He was worried that Donaldson, who by now was head of the ANA would be incapable of being bribed if Vincent were ever to get a retrial so he thought it best to kill him to make sure it never happened,” Leon told her.
“So that’s how this whole thing fits together. But why kidnap Toma, what was that all about?” she asked.
“That was Wesley’s fine idea. He thought that if he could get that tagged onto Vincent too, the Drycenians would never allow him to ever be free again. Little did he know how close he came to starting an inter galactic war. If Toma had been killed, the Drycenians would have shown everyone just how capable they are of being aggressive. I shudder at the very thought and am so glad it’s been avoided.”
“So this is why you got me to allow myself to be kidnapped. So I can uncover the mysterious Boss man and get the final piece of the puzzle sorted?” She now thought she had it all straight in her mind.
“Yes, mostly that. But I wanted to make it up to Vincent for having a rough childhood at Wesley’s hands and also for not being there for him. Oh the Sylvana’s were good people and treated him well. They loved him, but Wesley is their child too. Their hearts were torn between the two and he suffered at Wesley’s hands. As a child Vincent was an emotional boy and Wesley’s tauntings and cruelties hurt him greatly. He still has that hurt inside and this is a way of allowing him to let that go.”
Farra realised how impotent Leon must have felt having to watch Vincent suffer so much and not be able to help. Her heart broke for him.
“Thank you my dear,” he said, having picked up her thoughts.
That evening, Farra was pacing her cell, trying to figure everything out in her head, to get it all to fit so that she could understand and really feel it. It was getting dark and she realised that Wesley hadn’t brought her anything to eat.
“Why hasn’t he brought me any food, he’s late today?” she pondered aloud.
“Farra, all hell is going to break loose in a few minutes. Your moment has come, be ready. Oh, and err, keep sharp.” Leon sounded agitated so she didn’t feel like smiling at his use of her dad’s phrase.
“Why, what’s up?” she asked but there was no time for him to answer as her attention was drawn to thumps and bangs and shouting from the n
ext room. It sounded like Wesley had lost it completely, but over what? Suddenly the door burst open and he stood in the doorway, his face like thunder. She took one look and realised she was scared for the first time in ages. She wasn’t scared because he was getting aggressive, she could handle that just fine and had done on numerous occasions during her military service. She was scared because Wesley was crazy and here he was going nuts on her, with her locked in a cell and nothing with which to defend herself. He was carrying her plate of food. For a moment he just stood in the doorway like a statue, then with a speed that frightened her he suddenly launched the plate at the cell, where it hit with a clatter and scattered the brown gloop everywhere. She jumped back, startled out of her wits and nearly fell as she bumped into the edge of the bed.
“You’ve ruined everything and I am gonna slice you up and hang you up on the wall.” Wesley slowly walked towards the cell and Farra noticed a huge curved blade in his right hand. She wished he hadn’t taken her waist belt from her. If she had her dragon dagger she would be able to take him on with no trouble at all whereas unarmed, she was probably toast. Just when she remembered that the Drycenians had given her bone structure extra strength, she also remembered that Wesley was Lilean and that meant he was still naturally stronger than her enhanced strength allowed her to be. “You know what I just heard?” he teased. She guessed but shook her head innocently. “He’s gone and done it; he’s actually gone and done it.”
“Who? Done what?” she asked, trying to sound inquisitive.
“Darling Vincent has defeated the Transmortals and is a national hero. And do you know what else is good today, bitch?” She shook her head, knowing what was coming. “He’s had a retrial and Donaldson gave him his freedom. They know he didn’t do those murders and now he’s a free man and probably on his way home to a hero’s welcome and all because of your interference. This is all your fault,” he screamed at her. “You are so gonna fuckin die.” He stepped back from the bars and fumbled in his pocket for something. He drew out a key and walked towards the cell door. As he was about to unlock the cell, something beeped in the other room. It sounded like an inter galactic communicator. He went to answer it. “What?” he yelled into the device. A pause. “Yeah I just heard about it too, the worst news ever but y’know what? All is not lost. So he comes home a hero right? Well we give him a few months to settle in and then people start dying and then when they find his DNA on the bodies, his hero status will make him an even bigger figure of hatred than before.” Wesley giggled into the communicator and listened as the person on the other end replied. After a minute or two he continued. “Yeah I got it all here, the data chips, accounts, journals and logs from the mine and the canon too. I’ll deal with the stuff don’t worry, it’s history already and then I’ll deal with the bitch too. Then we just go back to our normal lives for a few months till I give you the nod okay?” He put down the communicator and went into action, Farra temporarily forgotten, much to her relief. He rummaged through drawers and cupboards and boxes and collected up together what she guessed was evidence that placed him firmly at the helm of everything that had happened and probably more she didn’t know about. Finally he reached into the back of a cupboard and drew out the Hellfire Pulse Laser Canon.
She had seen this weapon only once before, during her military service. It was standard procedure for all personnel to be familiar with it and its effects upon the body so that they could recognise any signs of a Transmortal presence. It wasn’t a huge weapon but it was an impressive size nonetheless. It was said to be easily operated with one hand so she guessed it didn’t weigh that much. It had a seven inch long barrel about three inches in diameter. At the base of the barrel it bulged out and she could see tiny holes or vents that she remembered being told during her military service were to allow air to get in and cool the laser so it didn’t over heat and explode. It was jet black and had symbols carved all over it. At the end of the handle was a clutch of wiring that hung down in a mess that looked totally out of place on this sleek uncluttered weapon. It was as if it had been tampered with or enhanced in some way by someone who hadn’t the artistry of the original inventor. She guessed that must mean Wesley had been fiddling with it. He saw her looking at it and held it up.
“Beautiful isn’t she? A piece of art this weapon is. I picked her up about a mile away from here when I was exploring the outskirts of the city that hadn’t been cleared yet for rebuilding. Buried under a heap of rubble still attached to its Transmortal owner. Y’know each one only works for its owner? Took me a year to reconfigure it and make it work. Artistry in action, that’s what she is, beautiful and deadly.” He aimed it at her and touched a small button with his thumb. The three inch diameter barrel started to glow with an eerie light that was blue black in the middle and ice blue around the outside. It was mesmerising and yes, beautiful. It was well named, Farra thought as she looked at it.
He switched it off and laughed. “Don’t think you’re getting off that easy, I’m gonna do you slow and easy like, real slow and easy. Oh yeah.” He put down the canon and walked towards the cell, letting his eyes travel up and down her body deliberately. She was sickened and scared. A throb from her chest told her Leon was nearby but she couldn’t detach her mind enough to hear him telepathically. Another throb, more painful this time and she turned away from Wesley, hoping that without seeing him, she’d be able to concentrate on listening for Leon. Suddenly his voice came through, far away but she heard him.
“Don’t kill him, just stun him. Get the evidence and your comm device and run like you’ve never run before.”
She heard the cell door creak open behind her. She remained still, her back to the advancing Wesley. For what seemed like years he remained too far behind for her to act effectively so she stood still. It was a battle of wills, who would break first? She waited for something to happen and as time seemed to slow to a crawl, she felt herself wanting to scream at him to get it over with. She also realised that this was a deliberate tactic to psyche her out, to scare her and she hated to admit it, but it was working. She decided not to act until she was outside of the cell. Once out of the confines of her prison she knew she stood a better chance of getting away but if she tried to take him on in here and he got the better of her with his Lilean physique, she would be back to square one. Outside the cell she could take time to get the feel of his power without the possibility of him locking her in again. Suddenly and without warning she was shoved against the wall of her cell so hard it knocked the breath from her lungs. Jesus he was strong and so quick!
As she struggled for breath, Wesley took the opportunity to press himself against her body from behind. She could feel him getting aroused as he squirmed against her backside whilst still holding her arms in an iron grip that would have probably broken some bones if she hadn’t had Doctor Jam’s help. Wesley was getting very aroused and Farra couldn’t help but realise that he was probably intent on raping her first and, she figured that if what she could feel was accurate, he’d hurt her badly if he wasn’t careful with it. She didn’t think he was too worried about being careful with her though. She had to rethink her plan quickly. She couldn’t afford to wait until she was outside of the cell if he meant to rape her in here first. There was no way she was going to submit to that, no matter what Leon might say.
Wesley leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Oh yeah baby, you want it so bad don’t ya? I’m gonna enjoy you before I kill you.” He pulled both of her arms behind her and held them firmly with one hand. She then heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper being undone and she got scared. Her chest throbbed in response to her fear and she tried to control herself. Wesley started to moan and she guessed what was going on behind her back and it sickened her. He suddenly whipped her around to face him and then made the most stupid mistake of his life. He let her arms go as he pushed his body against hers and started to wriggle his hips again
st her. She could feel him, enormous against her lower belly and she almost cried out in terror. An agonising throb from her chest and she forced herself back into control of her emotions. She put her arms around his neck in a feigned embrace which only served to make him even more aroused.
“Yeah baby I knew you’d enjoy it. Can’t resist me can ya. You want me to fuck you before you die don’t ya?” He moaned again and with one final thrust against her, his body shuddered and Farra fought to keep from being sick and crying out. With her arms around his neck and Wesley still emptying himself down her front, she deftly brought her hands up to his ears before suddenly and expertly using all of her enhanced strength, pressed hard into the nerve points just underneath them. Within seconds he fell to the floor unconscious and she left him there with his trousers around his ankles, his huge erection still pumping.
She gaped at it, she couldn’t help herself. “My god,” she murmured and then, “ouch,” as another painful throb seared through her chest.
Leon appeared and gestured to her. “The evidence, quickly child. Put it in that sack, all of it. Don’t leave any of it behind.” She did as she was told. “Good girl, now your comm device, in that box under there.” She retrieved it and realised its solar cells were almost empty. There was just enough juice left to make one call.
She pressed the button and waited for the beep. “Guys, it’s me, Farra. I’m on Lilea. It’s Wesley, it’s Wesley, he’s behind everything. Warn Vincent, it’s been Wesley all along, he’s the boss man.”
The device clicked off as the last of its power died. That reminded her of her Biomed implant and she hastily pulled up her sleeve to find it was not working at all. She realised she’d been in the windowless cell more than seven days and it was out of power.
“Shit, it’s dead. Now the guys won’t be able to find me Leon,” she panicked.
“Fear not child, trust. Now retrieve your blades and run. Wesley won’t be out for long and although Lileans aren’t built for excessive speed, we can keep going forever. Run like the wind, your only hope is to get some distance between you so you can hide.”
She opened the door and ran towards the trees as fast as her legs would carry her. As she ran, she cried. She cried because she was scared that she almost got herself raped. She cried because she was on a strange planet with no friends around her. She cried because she felt more alone than ever before. She cried because she wished her dad was here to comfort her and she cried because she wanted Vincent to come and rescue her but even if he did, he wouldn’t know where she was and she didn’t even know if he’d want to anyway.
*****