Nanowars: Rebirth - 17. Chapter 17: The Specimens

Chapter Seventeen: The Specimens

Given Everett’s desire for the ceremony to take place as soon as possible, it had lacked the pomp of a full state wedding. Among the few guests, however, were three of the Personas. When Avery had been told the Personas were AI robots, he had pictured C-3PO from Star Wars. Instead, the three Personas were a solid block of metal carved into the shape of a woman. Each arm was joined to the body while the legs were like a mermaid’s sans flippers. It had no neck and, while everything else was identical, each face was unique. Attached to that body were a set of metallic fanlike wings. Those were attached to wires and tubing like puppet strings which disappeared into an opening in the ceiling.

Supposedly there were a total of 13 Personas, number 0-12. Persona One, also known as Prime, was their leader. Persona 2, Militia, commanded the Cybernoid soldiers. Persona 3 ran the Ark’s life support systems, 4 reproduction and cloning facilities, 5 , 6, 7 and so on according to their importance. The last Humana, Persona 13, served as mankind’s voice among the Personas. As the least important, her opinion carried little weight on the council.

Then there was Persona 0, the Segundo. He was the only human member of the council and he officially outranked Persona Prime, it was little more than a ceremonial post but that was before Walker came. Since Travis, the Segundo’s word carried the authority of the male population and had to be taken into account by the Personas.

Much to Avery’s relief, the ceremony was quite brief. For most of it, he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. Since only the language of the Maze was used, Puggles acted as translator. Embarrassingly, the glowing blue sphere cried rays of light the entire ceremony.

The last part was the most important. It was also where Avery screwed up. Grabbing Avery’s face with both hands, Everett gave him an open mouth kiss. From his parted lips a sweat elixir poured into Avery. When every drop had been swallowed everyone waited for Avery’s response. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked Puggles.

“Give him your bond silly.”

“My bond?”

“He just gave you his so now you must give him yours.”

“How?”

“You don’t know?”

“You think I would be asking you if I did?”

Their whispering caught the attention of the Personas. Puggles did his best to explain Avery’s predicament. The eyes of the Persona Prime went from blue to red. She was clearly displeased.

Everett was heartbroken. “Ave?”

Avery stepped down from the dais. “I… I can’t do this.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how.”

“Of course you do.”

“No I don’t. People from my world exchange rings not spit.”

“But I gave you mine and I won’t have anyone but you give me theirs.”

“Segundo, with your permission, we will deal with the situation.” Persona Prime summoned the guards.

If Avery’s inability to perform troubled Everett, the idea of giving him up to the Personas enraged him. “No! As far as I see it, he is my husband… bond or no bond. You will treat him as such.”

“Everett…” Avery owed a debt he would never be able to repay.

“Come Ave… we’re going home.”

“This is highly irregular.” The Personas didn’t like what had happened but had no choice but to go along with it. At least for the time being.

Everett took Avery straight to his bedroom and ripped away their clothes. “You might not have given me your bond but you cannot deny me this.”

“I…” Any protest he might have made was silenced by another sharing of Everett’s bond.

Though mad with lust, Everett was not blind to Avery’s inexperience. He took a gentle approach. He would not risk hurting Ave. Even without Avery’s bond, the mating was more powerful than any of the thousands he had experienced before.

Resting in each other’s arms, Everett wondered if Avery’s inability to bond was actually natural for his kind. Could one be bonded without the physical sharing of it? A part of him wanted his questions answered but that would mean letting the Personas have their way with Ave. He had seen what they did to their most prized specimens. Speaking of which, it was almost time for him to take part in another of their experiments on the Scions. Maybe he could convince the Academia Persona to let Avery take his place. It might give him the answers he wanted without putting his lover at risk.

**************************

In the Tosian Ark’s top-secret research division, three prized test subjects sensed that the change they had long prayed for, had finally come. The smallest of the three, Jack, was the first to notice. Going to the vent in his cell, he called out to his fellow prisoners.

“Owen?

“Yes young one?” The older man replied.

“Do you sense it?”

“Aye… I do.”

“What does it mean?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. It probably means nothing.”

“Sven?”

“Uncle Owen is right. Even if he is here, he can’t help us.”

“But Brutus promised.”

“Brutus is dead. Why can’t you accept that?” Sven was sick of his young cousin’s obsession with their dead uncle.

“But he promised.”

“Grandpapa promised Julian would protect us but he didn’t stop him from killing Brutus or banishing us to the Maze.”

“What about Harry? He promised.”

“It does feel like him.” The one called Owen agreed. “Do you think he’s come back for us?”

“He would have to fight his way past the Personas and their Cybernoids first. That’s only if they decide not to kill us beforehand. Then there’s the Demon. That was why Harry didn’t rescue us the first time.”

“But Demons are Grandpapa’s friends.”

“Not this one. Not Travis. He was Julian’s friend not Grandpapa’s.” Sven pointed out.

“Now he has no friends.” Owen added. “That makes him dangerous.”

“Is that why Uncle Harry wouldn’t free us? He thought we were safer here than out in the Maze with him?” Jack asked.

“That is what he claimed.” Owen agreed.

“We could have fought with him.” Jack puffed up his chest.

Sven took in a deep breath to calm himself. “You might be good at pouncing but you’re no fighter. Face it little cousin, we’re never getting out of these cells.” He was tired of Jack insisting they would one day be freed. After all these years, no one had ever come for them.

“I don’t believe that. I won’t ever believe that we have no hope. Right Puppy?” A tiny wolf pup crawled out from under his bed. It stumbled and pranced about until it hopped into his boy’s lap. How Jack had managed to keep the wolf hidden from the Personas all this time was a mystery the others had yet to solve. “I know… I’ll send Puppy to find him and bring him back to us.”

Owen was taken aback by the offer. Puppy was Jack’s most prized possession. “Are you serious? You know how upset you would be if something were to happen to him. What if he were to get lost?”

“Or squashed?” Sven added sarcastically.

“I am serious. Puppy never gets lost and he’s too smart to let someone squash him.”

“Are you really serious about this Jack? You might not see Puppy for a very long time.” Owen wanted to make sure Jack knew what he was doing.

“I am. You two might have given up hope but this time I am certain someone will help us.”

“When?” Sven asked.

“Puppy will escape next time they come for me.”

“Won’t they see him?”

“Nobody can catch Puppy unless Puppy wants them to.”

“They’re coming.” Hearing the clicking and clacking of spiderlike metallic feet approaching, all three went silent. While they came at the exact same time each cycle, there was no pattern to which one of them they took. Unlike any other time, Jack hoped he would be the one chosen. Unfortunately it was Sven they took. As always, Jack cried.

The Demon detected the change almost as soom as Jack and Sven. “So… my son has found himself a proper husband.” Instead of feeling proud of Everett, he felt venomous jealousy toward his heir. Why should that spoiled lout experience the love long denied the demon? With Harry beyond his reach, it didn’t take him long to think of ways he could take Everett’s Winters as his own. First, however, he must secure his flank. He called out to his chief Lieutenant. “Lance… summon the legions. We’re about to go to war.”

“With whom are we to wage war against?” It had been long time since Travis had called for a gathering of his people. With food being scarce, keeping such a large number in a confined area for long was infeasible. Before deciding if he would support it, Lance wanted to know his master’s plans.

“We are to removing a thorn from our side. We will destroy the Tosian Ark.”

“But isn’t your son its Segundo.”

“If he were a true child of mine, he would have offered his new mate to me.”

“You said Talon wasn’t pure enough.”

“He’s bonded to another… a Winters he is unworthy of. I will have this new Winters as my own.”

“I will summon the men but more planning needs to be done. The men will not want to attack an established Ark if they believe we cannot win.”

“I’ll leave the planning to you. Now leave me… I wish to be alone with my thoughts”

Lance was more than willing to leave. At one time he was nearly as consumed by madness as Travis but that was before his beloved had returned to him. Only a handful knew about Tobias and none of them desired to tell Travis. The elation he experienced on being reunited with his lover gave him greater insight into his Master’s past actions.

Tobias return had also freed Lance of his blind loyalty to the Demon. For Tobias would always mean more to him than his own life. That is why it was to Tobias and his secret lair that he returned to. If there was a new Winters in the Maze, then Tobias would know who he had to be.

“Another Winters in the Maze?” Tobias asked when Lance told him the Demon’s new orders. “No, it can’t be. How could he? It has to be Tom. I should never have showed him how to find me. Damn.” Tobias bounced from being angry at his son and at himself.

“I take it you know who this Winters is.”

“It’s Avery. Damn it. Harry’s son.”

“Was Emily his mother?” Lance remembered poor Emily all too well. Travis had kidnapped and brought her to his Antarctic compound to try to convince Harry to stay. Harry had promised to stay but only if Emily was freed. It was a promise Harry quickly broke after Harry and Thad trapped Travis in the Maze and destroyed the Relic.

“Yes...

“Damn. Why didn’t you tell me they had a child?”

“Why did you think Harry turned on Travis? He didn’t want Travis getting his hands on his kid.”

“Now that it seems his son is here it might just happen.”

“I know. We have to warn Harry. He’s the only one who can stop this.”

“True but none of us know where he is.”

“I do. At least I believe I do.”

“Boy you’ve been keeping a lot of secrets from me.”

“What you don’t know, Travis can’t beat out of you.”

“Where is he?”

“Domus.”

“The Domus Ark! How the hell did he get there?”

“Just as there is on Earth, there’s a Relic in the Tosian Ark that connect the two Arks together.”

“I take it’s not easy to get to.”

“Near impossible. There is another but first we need the key.”

“Key?”

“Harry left it behind just in case his Maze family might want to risk trying to escape the Maze.”

“So he gave the key to Dietrich who must have in turn given it to Talon.”

“I believe so.”

“But to get Talon, we need to break into the Ark.”

“Right.”

“And here Travis just ordered me to find a way to do just that. That’s where Harry’s son is being kept.”

“Perfect. We can get Avery and the key at the same time.”

“But what about Travis? He will not let us walk away with... Avery is it?”

“Its Avery but most just call him Ave. Look at it this way. One way or another Travis is going to attack the Tosian Ark. Would I be wrong if he’s asked you to plan the attack?”

“Yes.”

“Then it should be no problem. Plan so your people get to Ave first.”

Lance was less optimistic. “You make it sound easy.”

“Compared to what we will have to do to get Aaron back to Earth, it will be a piece of cake.”