Chapter 10: Chapter 10

ISABELLE

Izzy stood rooted in shock, the blood splatter still warm on her face. She could feel the drops sliding down her skin, just as she did when the man broke her nose.

Yet this felt different, because it wasn’t her blood. She reached a trembling hand up to her face and covered her mouth, trying not to be sick at what she’d just seen.

This man who she mistakenly believed held a gentleness to him despite his size and appearance, just showed her how violent he could be.

Her nerves felt strained after the double shock of the attack and then seeing Iry. This new shock felt so much rawer in comparison, and she couldn’t process it.

She was used to blood. She worked with it every day as a paramedic. She’d seen people in the worst of situations, gunshot wounds, or car accidents, but never someone murdered in front of her.

She always tried to help others, and no matter that the man tried to hurt her, she could not handle seeing him defenseless and slaughtered like that.

The scene replayed over and over in her head like a bad scene from a movie. ~But it’s real. It really happened,~ she thought, looking at the puddle of blood left behind.

“I’m going to be sick,” she said, as the feeling welled up inside her. She dashed to the kitchen, throwing the door open, and made it to the sink just in time.

She stood heaving over the sink and hearing the door, looked up to see Amy entering, a pissed-off expression on her face.

Amy came over and held her hair back from her face, making soothing murmurs she didn’t hear.

They stayed like that for a minute until she felt like nothing remained in her stomach to come up, before she washed her face and rinsed her mouth and let the tap run to clean the sink.

“Mikhlas and Silian are confused by your reaction,” Amy said, practically chewing the words as they came out. “Wherever these guys come from, I get the feeling that life is cheap to them.”

“What about the other guy, is he…” Izzy couldn’t say it.

“Not yet, but I don’t think he has long.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to march in there and get them to save him. They’re not killing any more people if I can help it.”

“Thank you, Amy. I wasn’t sure if you’d support me. The guy did just shoot you,” Izzy said, giving her a quick hug and turning for the door.

“Yeah, well, I won’t cry if they can’t save him, but we have to try,” Amy said as they passed through the kitchen door.

Mikhlas and Silian stood near the frozen man, talking at a pitch she could not understand. They looked up as she entered and she clenched her jaw.

She couldn’t let him see that she felt a little afraid of him now. ~At least he’s not still holding that sword.~ She marched up to Mikhlas, her sneakers loud on the wood floor.

“Save him,” she said, pointing to the white-clad man.

“He threatened the queen while in possession of a weapon. He has to die too. Iry’s poison will kill him soon. He will not suffer, simply go to sleep and not wake up. I am being merciful in this.”

“I begged you not to kill that man, and you did it anyway. Why?” she demanded.

“I am sorry if I upset you, Dakira, but it is the law I am bound by. You are not the queen yet. You cannot countermand the laws.”

“Exactly!” she said. “I’m ~not~ the queen. Not yet. That stupid law does not apply. Show me you can be merciful and save his life, or I will refuse to go anywhere with you.”

Mikhlas looked very uncomfortable, shifting his feet.

“He knows about us,” Silian said, looking between her and his captain. “Anyone who learns we are not of this planet has two choices.”

Izzy looked at Amy, Mikhlas’s previous words running through her head. Did she really want to take this man who tried to kill her and Amy with them? ~Why did they try to kill us, anyway?~

“We’re making a third choice,” she said, crossing her arms. “Silian, come with me. Captain Mikhlas, I am giving you a choice. Save him, or you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming aboard your ship.”

She turned without stopping for a reply back to the kitchen, hearing Silian move up to follow her.

Once they entered the kitchen she turned as Silian ducked his head under the lintel and stopped in front of her like a nervous schoolboy.

“The problem is he might talk. right?”

“Yes.”

“Despite the fact that no one will believe him.”

“It doesn’t matter. The laws don’t allow for vagaries.”

“So, let’s make sure he doesn’t.”

“How?” Silian asked, his eyes blue and curious.

“He has no idea what your nanites or Prime are capable of. We’ll tell him you’ve implanted a bomb inside him that listens to everything he says. If he talks about anything he saw, it will blow.”

Silian stroked his chin. “What if he physically cannot speak? I could have the nanites disrupt his vocal cords, or remove them entirely.”

“He could still write it down,” she said.

Silian nodded at her. “True. Would he believe us? Enough that he’d never want to test it?”

“We’ll make him. You’ll need to do something showy to scare him into believing.”

Silian grinned. “I can do that.”

Izzy nodded and motioned for Silian to go first. As they entered the lounge room, she saw Iry crouched over the man, examining him as Mikhlas pressed a hand to his chest.

She could see the silvery sheen of his nanites flowing up the man’s chest to the bite on his neck.

She moved to stand next to them, feeling Silian’s comforting bulk move behind her.

“Is it working?” she asked.

“I think so,” Amy said. “He’s breathing easier, at least.”

She waited, watching the process with her medical training confirming his recovery, and behind her Silian cleared his throat. “Dakira, why do you and Amy feel so strongly about saving the man who tried to kill you?”

Amy turned to look at Silian. “I don’t know how these Sentinels of yours choose people, but I’m a cop. My job is to protect and serve the public. I draw my gun, it’s to protect someone from dying, without killing people, if I can.

“Izzy is a paramedic, she literally saves people’s lives, no matter who or what they are.

“Your captain just murdered someone. He didn’t kill him protecting someone else, like I would, and it wasn’t self-defense. By our laws he should be locked away. Saving other people is what we do. Think about that.”

Silian remained silent and Izzy returned to her vigil. It took several more minutes before she finally saw the man’s eyes open and snap into the virulent yellow ones of Iry, crouched above him.

His mouth dropped open as they roamed, taking in the large arm pressed to his chest and the silvery nanites streaming back into the black cloth of Mikhlas’ sleeve.

“Oh, I’m fucked now, aren’t I?” he said.

Amy stepped forward, picking up one of the dining table chairs and turning it around to rest her arms comfortably. “Yup. What’s your name, asshole?”

“Is this where ya do good cop, bad cop?”

“Hey you’re funny,” Amy said, as Mikhlas stood up and crossed his arms, looking down on the guy like he wanted to scrape him off his boots.

“Problem is, I’m the only cop here. These aliens want to drop you into a decaying orbit, and you just shot me. If I was a little more jaded, I’d let them, so I suggest you lie as still as possible and start talking.”

His eyes flicked to Iry with a frown and he mumbled something Izzy couldn’t hear.

“What was that, champ?” Amy asked.

“He said, ‘Man I’ve seen some shit before…,’” Silian told her before leaning forward and showing him a pair of red eyes that almost glowed. “She speaks the truth, and you owe these women your life.”

“Yeah okay,” he said, nodding. “The name is Simon Van Dijk.”

“Why are you here, Simon?” Izzy asked.

Simon looked at her, silent for a moment, and then nodded to himself after another look at Iry. “To kill both of you,” he said, turning the nod toward Amy and then her. ~Someone wants to kill me. Fucking Peter.~

“Why?”

“Because Dr. Ripper paid us to.”

~Who the hell is Dr. Ripper?~ Izzy thought.

“You’re going to tell me everything you know about Dr. Ripper,” Amy said between clenched teeth.

“Don’t know much. Cadman dealt with that side of things. I just shoot people.”

Amy looked at Silian. “Do you see it now, Captain? This is why you don’t just lethal up. These two fools were just the blunt instrument for the man really responsible.”

“Who is Dr. Ripper?” Izzy asked Amy.

“He’s a sick bastard. I’ve been investigating him for a dozen murders that we know of and several disappearances. I must be getting close if he sent men to kill me. I didn’t know he also used contract killers.”

“Why do you not simply kill him for these crimes?” Silian asked.

“No one knows who he is. Dr. Ripper is what the media calls him, because of the way he kills. He likes to cut people open and take souvenirs. Like Jack the Ripper used to do. Izzy, I’m sorry I brought this into your house.”

“Where’s Cadman?” Simon asked.

“Scattered in space, torn apart into a million pieces. Except what is left of him on the floor,” Mikhlas said in a voice that felt like it came from his boots.

“Right,” Simon replied. “So you going to let me live?”

“My laws say you die for your actions,” Mikhlas said.

“Stop that,” Izzy said. “You already killed this Cadman. If you want me to be your queen, we’re doing this my way.”

“He can’t be allowed to talk,” Mikhlas said.

“He’s not going to, are you Simon?”

“Fuck no,” Simon answered. “Who’d believe me?”

“Watch your language, Simon,” Izzy snapped, turning angry eyes to Mikhlas. “But the word of a murderer isn’t good enough.”

Izzy had the satisfaction of seeing Mikhlas flinch as she said this before she turned back to Simon. “So, Silian here is going to make sure you can’t.”

Simon looked at the huge man standing beside her apprehensively. “What’s he going to do to me?”

“He’s going to put a bomb inside you, Simon,” Izzy said. Silian stepped forward, his nanite suit rippling with filigree patterns that moved in ways that hurt Izzy’s eyes.

“It will hear and see everything you do,” Silian said. “You breathe so much as a word of this to anyone, and it will blow your brain out the front of your head, understand?”

Simon nodded furiously. “I get it. This is the only way you’re letting me leave, isn’t it?”

“You think I’m just going to let you walk out of here, Simon?” Amy said.

“When he’s done that, you and I are going to have a nice confessional chat, and then we’re going to drop you tied up outside the Vancouver Police Department with a copy of it.

“You’ll rot in a cell for the rest of your days. I’ll save your life, Simon, but you’ll answer for your crimes.”

~That’s perfect. I wondered what we were going to do with him after,~ Izzy thought, as Silian stepped forward, a swarm of nanites surrounding his hand.

Izzy stepped away, feeling like she needed some space. She walked to the door of the cabin and stepped outside into the freezing air.

She looked at the trees in the valley, not really seeing them and realized that she believed.

Everything about the Realm, the planets, the races that lived there, and the role these Sentinels chose for her.

The queen of something she knew nothing about. She felt the level of responsibility weigh on her shoulders like a huge rock.

She pulled in a few deep breaths as the tears fell. Everything that happened to her in the last few months came rushing in. Anger over what Peter did to her.

The physical pain in her body now healed. The fear at the moment of Mikhlas and Silian’s arrival. All of it boiled inside her now. She needed to let it out.

She turned to the end of the porch and looked out over the peaceful valley below the cabin. She pulled in a deep breath and let out a pained shout into the air.

When finished, she felt a little better, but her mind raced, trying to process what might still lay before her. The door opened, and Amy came out. Izzy felt thankful it was her and not Mikhlas. She needed her friend now.