Chapter CHAPTER XXII—MY INTREPID JOURNEY

Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted down the hall. I had to hear a familiar voice in this chaotic situation. Tragically, the only comfort I could obtain at that moment came from a dead woman whom I loved dearly. I neared a breaking point. I had to talk to my mother in the Spirit Room.

Upon entering the room, my eyes were met by a blinding white light. I squinted into the pure nothingness, looking for the outline of the woman that had held me on so many lonesome or distraught nights. I could not see her. I could not see anything of substance.

“Mamí?” I asked with trepidation.

“I’m here, Sweetie,” her voice called out from nowhere in particular.

“Mamí, I need you.” Fresh tears were running down my face now. I could feel them pool at my chin and drip onto my chest. “I need you so much!”

I felt her arms wrap around me at once. I melted into them, my shoulders rattled by my sobs. The more she hugged me, the more I cried. She held me patiently until I shed the last tear. I picked my head up and looked into her eyes.

Too weak to speak, I only thought “Jarrice is not evil, Kaya. He’s just a little different than us, that’s all. We can still love him. In fact, I think he needs our love more than ever right now.”

I nodded, somewhat comforted. “But did you know he was Zux? Did you know we were Veex?”

“No, not exactly. There were times when I felt something was not right with JJ, but it worsened when T-Rick died. Something in him changed after that. I could never quite put my finger on it, but I knew it wasn’t good. He started talking back more, being mischievous, pushing the boundaries of the house rules, fibbing, and being sneaky even—seeing how far he could take things before I lost my temper.

“It was unsettling, but I only had a few days to experience it before the night I was murdered. There wasn’t enough time to be sure. I didn’t even know where to start.

“As for you and me, I had a little more insight. Your father used to talk of Sky People. He was from an indigenous group in Mexico called the Zapotecs, as you know. He also had some African ancestry, so I didn’t quite hold the superstitions against him. Being Southern and Black, I had some unique ideologies of my own, but your father believed that these Sky People were real! I had no way of knowing just how right he was.”

“What else did Papí say?”

“He said that I was unique, different from other people he had met. At first, I thought it was just an odd pick-up line. But even after we married he commented on it. When I was pregnant, he said that you would be unique as well.”

“Did he know somehow? About the Tepons, I mean.”

“I guess he could have known in general if not specifically. Ancient cultures like his were the only ones to keep up with such tales. Well, sort of—”

“What do you mean?”

“There are tales of Sky People in the Bible, too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, but they don’t call them that. Genesis Chapter Six reads, ’When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose—”

I had a habit of forgetting that my mother had grown up Baptist in the Deep South. I wondered at that moment how much of the Bible she knew by heart.

“So—the sons of God are the Sky People.”

“Yes. They are similar if not one and the same.”

“And they had sex with women on Earth?”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t that have been illegal or—”

“Taboo? Yes, it was.”

“Were they able to procreate?”

“According to the Bible, they were. It says, ‘The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.’”

“Did the children come out impaired or deformed due to the cross-species mixing?”

“On the contrary—the verse goes on to read, ‘These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.’”

“Boom.” I put my fists at the side of my head then released my fingers outward while dropping my hands to my sides, signaling that my mind was being blown. “You never cease to amaze me, Mamí. How do you remember all of this stuff?”

“The Baptists in Southern Alabama believe in memorization.”

“True.”

“What I gave you there was the English Standard Version. I know the King James Version as well.”

“I bet you do, Mamí.” I took in a deep breath then let it out. “Any more surprises like this that you know of?”

“Well, there are all of those stories that JJ liked to read—mostly in comic books, of course. There were tales of the demi-gods of Norse, Greek, and Roman mythos, cryptids and monsters, and the species of the fantasy lands.”

“What do you think it all means?”

“Well, art often imitates life. I used to watch history programs on television and I once heard that the pharaohs of Egypt were said to be descendants of their gods—as were the kings and queens of Central and South America.

“Maybe, there’s something to the Sky People story after all. Maybe these Tepons, or other alien visitors, have been here for thousands of years fiddling with humans and making babies.”

“Wait one second, Mamí. I think you’re getting carried away. Those stories are all fake—right?”

She raised one eyebrow at me as if to challenge my logic. My head begin to spin as I began to question everything I ever thought to be true and factual. I felt a chair behind my knees and sat down in it, not caring where it had come from or how.

“All I’m saying is,” she continued, kneeling in front of me, “If one thing is true, why not the rest?”

I watched her rest her weight comfortably on her knees, something I knew she could not have done so easily before when she lived and breathed.

“Good question. I guess all the myths of the world could be true.” I sighed again. “And what about JJ?”

“I’m guessing the Zux know by now what he is.”

“Do you think they would hurt him?”

“My gut feeling tells me they won’t, but they will probably use him in some way. Maybe that is why they finally moved on from Miami. This discovery may have given them new purpose.”

“But what would that be?”

“That’s between them and God.”

I walked out of the Spirit Room feeling more perplexed than pleased, and more confused than comforted. My son had transformed from innocent victim to potential aggressor. He now posed as a problem.

I replayed my conversation with my mother and what she had recalled about JJ’s behavior after T-Rick’s death. I also tried to remember what Iris had said once about how the Veex pass their abilities and essence from generation to generation. I wondered if T-Rick had passed the Zux gene to my son. His death seemed to have triggered something latent within JJ as my mother’s death had activated something in me.

I continued to walk down the hall away from the Spirit Room when a perturbed voice broke my concentration.

“We need to get off of this prison planet, Unhenie!” said a hostile female voice.

She spoke in Teponian, but my ear bud began translating as soon as it registered the first syllable. I knew which Veex that attitude belonged to immediately though I did not recognize her voice.

“I know, Jtokki. I know,” came Rahim’s voice in a sincere reply. “I am not the one who needs convincing.”

“This is true,” an unfamiliar female voice replied, “And speaking of your sister, she failed to mention the fifty-two other non-Earth-human species inhabiting this planet in the shadows and under the surface. We should meet with their leaders and formulate a plan.”

“No, Niyeqo,” interjected Inga in a snobbish tone. “They actually belong in this dimension and are probably cosmic trash, sent here as punishment.”

I thought.

“How do you know that were not sent here for that exact reason?” asked Tala.

“We have done nothing wrong,” answered Rahim.

“From the looks of things here, our kin have,” countered Inga. “To think that any of us, Veex or Zux, would lay with and produce these Huzeen-mutts!”

“She’s coming,” said Rahim.

“Who cares,” answered Inga. “Let her hear me. She needs to learn how to listen to the voice of reason.”

I rounded the corner, walking towards their voices, and saw the three of them huddled up where the hallway made a ‘T’. The path to the Spirit Room lay behind me, the path to the conference room lay behind them, and in front of me lay the path to my living quarters (according to the floor map).

I sped up as I entered the intersection keeping my head down. I felt their eyes on me as they all stared. I knew better than to look their way. I did not feel calm enough to be confronted.

“Kaya!” gasped Rahim.

“What?” I asked tersely, stopping and looking at him out of the corner of my left eye.

“It’s just,” he looked down at the floor again. “I thought you were someone else.”

“Your point?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Your symbol—on the schematic of Qego Mouyo’s inhabitant locater—it matches Iris’s.”

I looked down at the blue eyeball. I did not know the significance of that remark, and therefore did not respond. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and shifted my weight to other foot in an agitated motion.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given the present situation,” he continued.

I gave him another blank stare in response.

“I hope you know that this is nothing personal,” he seemed to almost plead.

I snorted at him and rolled my eyes.

“It’s not,” he continued. “It’s just that we have rules and guidelines on our planet that prohibit your existence and—”

I began to walk again. I did not have time for his nonsensical reasoning. He disappeared from where he stood and reappeared in front of me. I jumped and accidentally bit my tongue, forgetting that his ability, teleportation, allowed him to disappear and reappear at will.

“Ow! Get away from me, Un-Henie!” I growled trying to use his Tepon birth name. “I don’t even know who you are anymore!”

But w “Kaya, please,” he took my hand, his eyes so cool, apologetic, and inviting. “Please, forgive me.”

“After everything you’ve said? Why should I?” I could feel myself glaring at him.

“Because—” he paused, seeming to gather his strength. “We are family.”

I snatched my hand back. “What?” I choked.

“You and I—” he paused then continued, “We are cousins.”

“How? You didn’t even believe Iris when she—”

“Abilities are genetic and certain ones run in certain families. Empathy is in our family and ours alone. Clearly, you are gifted with the ability of empathy. To deny it now, after witnessing it myself and seeing all of the data presented to the group would be foolish.”

He spoke faster than he normally did, exuding nervousness and shame.

“Stop, just stop! First, you flirt you me—then, you care for me—then, you hate me—then, you talk crap about me and my child behind my back,” I shouted cutting my eyes sharply at Inga and Tala before looking back at him. “—and now you’re telling me that we are related?”

“Yes.”

I felt momentarily flummoxed. “But you despise my existence, remember?”

I fired back, nodding my head at Inga and Tala who both watched us intently. With his back pointed at them, I doubt they could hear his hushed pleas. I made sure to yell my replies so they could properly hear me.

“It is not that I despise your existence. It is just that you should not exist—technically.”

“I’ve heard enough. Move.”

He stepped aside and I stalked all the way to my room, stomping on the floor monitors. None of them broke, although I had wished I could break everything in sight. I cursed them all when I slammed the door to my quarters shut behind me.

On the cusp of sleep, having cried myself to weariness, I heard a voice, eerie and melancholy. My grip slacked on the necklace I had been clutching and the charm fell silently to my chest.

I listened so intensely to that I scarcely took a breath. Then, I heard it again, this time more clearly. A woman’s voice seemed to be carried to my ears on the back of her grief.

“Asleep I dream of you, awake I grieve for you, Alive to deem it true, aware that means I do.

At night I call your name, at times I feel insane, At most I miss your brain; at least you felt the same.

Attest that you were more, attuned to mi amor, Attentively adored, attached but not abhorred.

Admired by all and yet, appealed to my effect, Allure and intellect, an aspect of deep respect.

At peace in my right mind, at last your love was mine, At any place and time, at best it was divine.

Again I hear your voice, aloft without a choice, Afraid I can’t rejoice, alas my eyes are moist.

A vast I can’t encase, a cast I can’t displace, A past I can’t erase, a last I can’t replace.”

Just as quickly as it had come, it left. A single tear escaped from my eye.

I wondered.

?

I could not be sure who the unidentified voice belonged to, but I knew who it did not belong to: Iris. I saw her as a woman too strong-minded for the type of emotions expressed by this mystery woman. This person felt vulnerable and hurt, something I had never sensed in Iris. I could relate to this woman in ways I could not relate to my newly-found cousin.

I thought about the other women on the submarine. One of them could be the mystery woman. I went through them all in my head. I seriously doubted Inga to be the mystery woman unless heartbreak proved to be the reason why she seemed so heartless.

In the end, I did not who I had just heard. I tried to send the love and prayers. I wanted them to know that they did not exist alone. I could appreciate their struggles.

Empathy abilities or not, I knew where they were coming from and felt their pain as if it were my own.

I heard a knock at the door and awoke startled. I had no idea what time it was, but I had been asleep for several hours. Even though I had probably not been awake very long prior to the meeting, everything that had transpired afterward had taken all of the energy from my body.

My rubbed my puffed eyes and massaged my aching head. All the crying I had done really left its mark. There came another knock. I had no idea how long the person had been knocking, but the knocks had grown more persistent with every passing moment.

I rolled out of bed and walked towards the front door of my living quarters.

“Who is it?” I called from the hallway as I walked, clearing the frog from my throat. I did not want to see Rahim under any circumstances.

“It’s me, Iris,” she chirped through the thick door.

“Okay. I’m coming.” I hollered back.

When I opened the door, she held out a box of pizza in front of her, a soft smile on her face. She looked somewhat tired herself, but happy to see me.

I moved aside and let her into the foyer.

“What’s this?”

“A large veggie pizza with no cheese from your favorite pizza parlor.”

“How did you know?”

“There were several receipts in the back seat of your car. I cleaned it out for you, by the way.”

I smiled, only slightly embarrassed by her kind gesture and my messy sports car. I had not had my car cleaned since General Hayami’s outbreak started, and I had eaten quite a bit of pizza in that hectic time.

“How did you get it down here?” I asked referring to the depth of water under which we currently cruised. Though Papa would deliver pizza anywhere, I doubted he owed a submersible.

“I sent Rahim. He owed you one.”

I snorted.

“I know he can be a pain,” she continued apologetically, “But he really thinks he is doing what’s best. So does Inga, in her own twisted way.” She paused. “If it were not also taboo, I would swear she was half Zux herself.”

Iris started towards the kitchen and I followed her. I understood her comment to be a dig and thought sadly of myself and my son.

“I’m sorry about Jarrice, by the way. I did not mean to offend you or him.”

“That’s okay, Iris. I realize this is all new to you as well.” I decided to change the subject somewhat. “So, tell me, there is absolutely no mixing of Veex and Zux on your planet.”

“No, never.”

“That’s kind of odd, isn’t it?”

“We didn’t see it that way. There was no desire for the two genera to “mix” as you call it.”

“Oh—okay, I guess.” We sat at the table in the dining room and she opened the pizza box. The alluring aroma wafted up into my nostrils. My mouth began to water.

“Hhhmmm—” I sighed. “That smells so good.”

“Yes, it does. I think I might join you if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all. It’s way too much pizza for one person.”

We ate in silence for a while. I tapped out after three slices, which was my normal maximum if I was truly hungry. Considering the fact that I had not eaten before my nap, I felt understandably famish. This served as my second meal for the night. I usually ate five small ones to boost my metabolism.

I walked into the kitchen and retrieved the water pitcher and two glasses.

Iris tried the garlic dipping sauce. I had made sure not to double dip in it, just in case. I was glad that I had resisted the urge because she seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.

I poured Iris a glass of water and sat back down with my own. She polished off her fourth slice of pizza. I looked on impressed. Considering her size, tall, but slender, she did not seem big enough to eat as much as she had. I could tell that she felt stressed.

“Is this your first time eating pizza, Iris?” I asked smiling.

“Yes, it is,” she responded, her hand shield me from her full mouth.

“What do you think?”

“It’s delicious! I will have to talk Inga into adding it to her menu.”

I let her finish eating in peace.

When she closed the box and sipped her water, I asked, “So, what brings you to the land of the Huzeen? Surely, this is a working lunch.”

“Well—I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know tonight must have been hard on you.”

“Yes. In many ways, it was quite difficult, but I will do the best that I can to fix things for my family.”

“Oh? That’s a good way of seeing things.”

“We’ve lost too much already. I can’t just give up and leave JJ with those people!”

“How do you propose getting him back?”

I thought for a moment, my eyes drifting across the table to the paper I had read earlier that night. The headline still referenced the “mysterious” deaths in Mexico, mostly Oaxaca. My concern for my friend Ary grew with every passing moment.

“We know where the Zux are, right?” I pressed, pointing at the newspaper. We could go there and intercept them. We have to take my son back before they completely corrupt him! Plus, I have a friend there and she might be in trouble.”

“That’s a possibility, I suppose. Let me run it by Jules and see what he thinks. He may not show it, but he is actually quite concerned for you and your loved ones.”

“He is?” I felt pleasantly surprised, but not totally shocked.

“Yes, absolutely. Unlike some of the others, he doesn’t see how punishing or neglecting you serves any purpose. All of you here on Earth are innocent in this situation. He sees this as a matter to be resolved between us, the Zux, and any remaining Tepons from Dr. Quchen’s initial group.”

“Well—I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, it is. Give me one second.”

She got up from the table and walked towards the corner of the room. She pressed her index and middle fingers to her temple and spoke clearly into the empty corner.

“Commander Jules, it’s General Okin. I hope I’m not disturbing you, Sir. No? Good. I am here with Kaya in her quarters.”

Iris paused.

“She’s fine, Sir,” she continued. “It’s just that she wants to go to the Earth-country of Mexico in pursuit of the Zux. She thinks she may be able to retrieve her son. She also has a friend living there now who may be in danger.”

Iris paused as if listening to Jules’ reply.

“Yes sir, of course. I will do that. Thank you, sir.”

She dropped her right hand and returned to the table. “He has agreed to let us go. We are to take Nevaeh and Sbapoid with us as backup.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

“Oh?” she asked skeptically.

“They won’t exactly blend in.”

“We will go under the cover of night, of course. I will also instruct them to stay hidden. You will be shocked at how well the two of them can do just that, yet still stay within a workable distance. They will serve as our eyes and ears in the air and on the ground.”

“Okay.”

“Oluh is actually more evasive than Sbapoid, but we need someone with long-range fighting skills. I’m not trying to get us in hand-to-hand combat with the Zux just yet.”

“I understand.”

“It is imperative that we keep you safe. We have no idea of knowing what the Zux would do with you if they got their hands on you.”

I shuddered.

“Like my brother said, we are family, Kaya. I won’t let them hurt you.” She smiled softly.

I returned the smile, somewhat reassured that my existence would continue uninterrupted. “My friend is in the village of Comaltepec de Mendez. She could help us get around. I could contact her ahead of time and have her meet us in Oaxaca City.”

“Can she be trusted?”

“Oh, yes! I would trust her with my life.”

“Very well then. Let’s get the team together now and pay her a visit.”

“Do you think she’s in danger?”

“Quite possibly so. Most of the people in your life have been Huzeen, so it’s possible that she is as well.”

“Oh, wow. What about my friend Charnesha?”

“We’ve checked her already. She’s human.”

“Did you speak with her?”

“No. We sent a drone to collect DNA samples then brought them back here for testing.”

“She hasn’t responded to my email.” I looked down at the floor, saddened.

“All I know is that she’s safe. We tasked a small, personal drone to follow her at all times. We’ll know if any danger befalls her.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

“As for your other friend,” she continued more seriously, “We have to hope we can get to her before the Zux.”

“But they’re already there!”

“Which is why we must leave right away.”