He frowned for the spoken accent seemed familiar and reminded him of something. He held the syringe as a memory came to his mind. He saw fully on going through the gate with an image of blackness in his mind while wearing the mask. Tom grunted a soft groan recalling himself coming out of the gate to darkness and feeling cold while floating in it. He shut his eyes grimacing as he remembered screaming mentally pleadings to help him over and over. Tom stiffened from a hand touching his shoulder from the memory along with feeling a pulling sensation including heaviness hitting him. He remembered meeting the Humanians who spoke in their language of Hammarabbi as called on their warship. Tom groaned loudly recalling used by the Humanians as a translator speaking Basic for them while on something called a space station to meet other manoid species. He quit his groaning to remember being forced to wear the mask while contained followed by entering a doorway with an image in his mind. Tom stiffened as he recalled the doorway entering led him to a Banshee nest where the Banshees insulted him with various insults.
Tom bared his teeth recalling one of the insults said "Freak!"
He felt a hand rubbing the top of his head making him open his eyes to find Barry was the hand's owner.
Tom frowned eyeing Barry who removed his hand and spoke "Shouldn't you be feeding yourself?"
He didn’t protest or say a comment in response. He with his right hand with some effort put the syringe in his injector and sighed loudly as liquid from it went into his arm via the tubal area. He felt himself much better from the nourishment removed the syringe once it was empty and handed it to the bartender who took it. Tom sighed again and frowned as he felt a hand on his left shoulder which he looked to find one of the jeweled faced people was there having facial hair.
He frowned as the male spoke sounding in a familiar accent in Basic “Our species name is Listener. Don’t insult us by calling us by that hated name of Annukai whether it’s our actual species name or not doesn’t matter. Just don’t call us that period or you’ll be sorry and we mean it with that threat.”
Tom didn’t comment in response as the Listener walked away removing his hand.
He shifted to eye Barry who spoke “Let me show you where you’re to sleep.”
He wordlessly followed Barry out of the room to the end of the hallway off his right. He saw Barry reaching the last door in the wall which slid open and the Builder gestured for him to go in.
He walked inside and heard Barry behind him “As an assassin of the High Council you’re to get as much rest and nourishment. The group from what I know of them will be throwing you into various jobs. They may be back to back without an end of them so be warned of what I said.”
He didn’t comment walked into the room hearing the door slid shut behind him to see it was similar to the room he woke up in with Barry waking him. Tom went to the bed and laid his form down shutting his eyes. He stiffened as memories of the Keos came to him along with a headache. Tom wound up recalling with anger running through him that the Keos blamed him for the death of one of them when it really Peter a Meritanian who controlled him to do the job. He continued to recall with anger taking control of the Keos’ attitudes towards him for the killing despite the truth out that it was a Meritanian who manipulated him. Tom woke up with anger running through him. He sat up and stormed off the bed and began to pace back and forth feeling rage running through him. He kneeled and shut his eyes forcing himself to mediate only to feel rage getting worse running through him. Tom opened his eyes and gave out a loud angry roaring sound of anger. He roared and roared while feeling rage running through him only to feel a hand cover his mouth feeling gloved. He struggled against the hand’s hold as he felt his anger leave him making him feel sadness. His eyes watered unexpectedly as Tom felt unbearable sadness hitting him. He shut his eyes and rocked his form while clutching his arms together along with still feeling the gloved hand covering his mouth.
He heard a voice sounding in his mind in a female tone not familiar “Come to me.”
Tom felt the hand off his mouth obeyed opening his eyes getting up. He felt himself in a trance walked forwards sensing a hand on his shoulder. He ignored to find himself going up a set of stairs he didn’t count that didn't seem lengthy followed by a break. Tom went forwards till he kneeled still feeling the hand on his shoulder. He placed his head on a lap hands on the legs of a person feeling like they were wearing a dressy long robe. Tom felt hands gloved stroke his head in a gentle movement.
He again heard the female voice speaking sounding in his mind “I oath to you I will not let the Keo hurt you again. It’ll be they who will suffer for causing you pain. You have my word on that.”
He numbly didn’t comment a response sensing the female was genuine with her words. He continued to keep his head on the female’s lap he assumed as he felt sleepiness hitting him.
He again heard the female voice speaking “Just sleep this off and you’ll feel much better from the rest.”
He obeyed shutting his eyes and slid off the female’s form. He felt himself lifted up and carried by hands and felt himself passing out unconscious.
Tom came to with a gasp feeling a stick poking him in the stomach.
He forced open his eyes to see Anubis standing over him poking him with the butt end of his stick.
Anubis he stared at with confusion whispered loudly while removing the stick “The High Council orders you to wake up.”
Tom found himself on his side rolled onto his back and swung himself up with an acrobatic move to face the High Council. He frowned seeing instead of their speakers in place was a male masked Highlander in their spots with the group seated behind him.
He faced the High Council to hear from the Highlander speaking “Says we have a job for you so turn around see what it is.”
He obeyed to find a female Keo wearing a gonoid skin dress held in the hand grips of the twin gonoid head manoids. He saw her with eyes closed shaking her head as if she was struggling to wake up from being in a sleep status. His senses blared warning along with sensing something odd from her.
Tom again heard from the Highlander “Says kill this Keo anyway you wish Mindbender.”
He frowned as the female Keo jerked opened her eyes and stared at him with some familiar look before opening her mouth and got it covered by Anubis. He felt a headache of his mind scanned saw her eyes narrow with a familiar look in them that again made his senses blare warning. Tom put on his mask and if compelled scanned the Keo’s mind to stiffen seeing memories of her raising a male First One his senses again blare warning. He saw clearly in her mind the male turning out to be himself which he stiffened from shock running through him. He again continued up the scans which he sensed none of the female Keos were in her mind just her own mind along with the name of Alesia.
He heard from her mentally “Tom it’s me the one who raised you.”
He stiffened as the Highlander sounded behind him loudly “Says kill her.”
He yanked off his mask and kneeled from being dizzy. He shut his eyes and heard loud groaning sounds along with awks heard.
He heard “Anubis protect the High Council silly!”
The voice sounded Highlander like to him. He felt arms wrapping around him in a tight hold he recognized from the feeling belonging to Alesia. He heard gave off a groaning noise that sounded like she was giving off the Keo sound of crying. He felt anger hitting him from Alesia holding him as the sound stopped then the arms removed themselves. Her hands were felt on his face appearing to be examining the scar on his cheek which he felt like protesting to the touch. He growled some angry noise to open his eyes staring at Alesia. She he saw resumed holding him in a hug while leaning her chin on the side of his head. He felt his anger leave him as he smiled a small smile from the feeling of pleasure hitting him from Alesia's hug hold. He stiffened from that pleasure feeling to feel anger hitting him only to feel her arms off of him to find himself seated in a chair with a hand patting his cheek. He
opened his eyes with a start feeling confused as to the scenario with the Keo flashing in his mind to see the hand’s owner was a masked Highlander.
Tom frowned as the Highlander spoke “Get up and strip yourself of your clothes and get onto the scanner bed now.”
He looked around to see he was in a familiar room where Jinks was in that was scanned by a machine.
The Highlander added talking “Mindbender, the High Council wants to know why your implanted with an apparent oxygen mask and tube to take in nourishment instead of manoids’ way of through the mouth.”
He exhaled a breath hearing that from the Highlander that folded his arms and appeared to be glaring at him. Tom without a comment got up and stripped himself of his clothes and shoes. He sensed himself watched by people behind a large black window on the wall off his right. He figured that the watchers were the High Council themselves as he was instructed to get onto the mattress bed. He obeyed and frowned as the Highlander clamped on manacles on his wrists and ankles along with ordering him to stay still. He lay on the bed feeling it move as if pushed underneath the large half cylinder. Tom spotted the familiar pipe scanner device that emanated a red laser. The device was felt beginning to hit his feet giving him stabbing pin pricks of pain from it as it traveled up