Spirit Unbreakable

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Reniko said slamming her hands onto the computer console in frustration.

“What’s the matter Reniko,” Malik asked. He was starting to really worry about Reniko. He knew she wasn’t sleeping well at night. He felt as if her work was consuming her. She was stretching herself so thin. He had been trying to shoulder most of the burden from the council. As co-ruler of Vespen he took it upon himself to deal with such things so that Reniko had more time for the tasks that were most on her mind. He knew she felt she had to solve the Rük problems as quickly as possible and he was trying to give her as much time as possible to do that.

At first, he had been against her spending so much time on it, but after meeting after meeting with members of the council, he was beginning to think that if Reniko couldn’t solve the problem soon, the council would take it upon themselves to rid Vespen of the Rük. He was sure that would destroy Reniko, and it would also destroy the tenuous peace that they had built after the Rük’s tyrannical reign. He was beginning to remember why he had run away from Tordaskar all those many years ago. Why he had left behind his responsibility as crowned prince; it was because politics were aggravating.

Reniko pointed at the DNA strand that was displayed on the screen. “That’s Trokar’s DNA and it’s the same as all the others.”

“I don’t understand; how is it that his DNA has the same alterations? Did he alter his own DNA to begin with and that was how it was passed down? Why would he do that to himself?”

“I don’t know,” Reniko sat down in the nearest chair, defeated, “if we could just wake them up maybe I could ask Orborok.”

Rae shimmered into existence beside Reniko. “Reniko, there is something anomalous appearing in the most recent blood sample that you have analyzed.”

Reniko lifted her head and turned to the computer screen. “More anomalous than what we were already looking at?” Reniko asked. “Can you bring it up on the screen for me, Rae?”

Reniko looked at the picture that was displayed on the screen, a microscopic view of the blood sample. She peered closer at the screen at a small black dot. “Is that what you are talking about?” She pinched her fingers on the area of the screen and pulled them apart to magnify it. This made the black dot larger and larger until it filled the screen. “Is that what I think it is?” Reniko finally asked.

“If you think it is nano-tech, then yes it is,” Rae replied.

“What is nano-tech?” Malik asked staring at the small machine that was magnified on the screen.

Reniko touched the tattoo on her face, running her hand down the frosty image, “This.”

“Okay, so does this help us at all?” Malik asked.

“Maybe. I just need to find out what it’s for and why it was in Trokar’s blood.”

Reniko turned back to the computer console. “Rae could you access this nanite from where it is or do I have to excise it from the blood sample?”

“I can access it as it is. Would you like me to do an analysis?”

“Yours would probably be a lot faster than mine. I don’t understand the inner workings of technology at all,” Reniko said.

Rae got a distant look on her face and a few seconds later she looked back at Reniko.

“You’re finished already?” Reniko asked. She found it phenomenal what Reflaydun could do, even though she knew that it was an entire city working in tandem.

“The programing is quite complex. Almost on a level with the nanites that make up my system. As far as I can tell from cross referencing the results with information from Tordaskar is that this is actually what initiated the hive like structure of the Rük.”

“Are you saying that their entire way of life was programmed in them by a computer?” Malik asked. “Why would they do that?”

“I guess it’s a good way to remain on top,” Reniko replied. “Wait, this is really good. This would explain why the Rük have gone insane, the master program is gone. With no one controlling the brain of the program, or occupying the top of the hierarchy, their programming has stalled. It could have even been written into the programming itself.”

Reniko leaped out her chair as her excitement increased. She looked at Malik with wide exuberant eyes. “It all makes sense. The greys and whites falling into comas, it’s as if their programming is waiting to pick up the signal from another black. The yellow and greens are like drones, sacrificial pieces. Their death or life is of no consequence, and if a new black was taking over they would probably prefer their gene pool to be more dominant, having the yellows and greens killing each other off at the old black’s death would be perfect. Keeping the greys and whites around for gene pool diversity. My word, why didn’t I see this earlier. They used the nanites so freely to control my mind, why didn’t I realize that they got the whole idea from what they had done to themselves.”

“So if we shut down these nanites like you did yours, does all this chaos stop?”

Reniko gave Malik a big smile which changed shortly thereafter to a frown. “Well yes, we can fix this. I think we might need Rimca’s help, but it is fixable. The genetic therapy is a different story. I can’t fix that without an original sample. I don’t know what the original proteins looked like or what was used to manipulate them. It would be a simple matter if it was a human or Levanith, even a Teoko or a Le’a’to I would be able to fix, I have the research for that, but I don’t understand the Rük well enough to fix them. I really don’t think we should wake them all up before we reverse what has been done to them. I’m sure it would just end up with the Rük tyrannizing the population again in the state they are in. At least the way they are now, they are not hurting as many people as they would trying to dominant the planet again.”

“So what do we do?”

“I think we need to wake up Orborok. As the second in command, he is our closet choice to finding out the truth about the Rük.”

“Do you really think this is going to work?” Rimca asked. She was under the table trying to connect some wires to the device that she had brought into the room where Orborok was being held. Reniko was crouched down looking at what she was doing.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out when we try,” Rimca muttered half to herself as she connected a few more wires and made her way back out from under the table.

“You never did tell me what you are doing,” Malik said from the doorway. There was not much room for him to enter the room as the machine that Rimca had brought was taking up most of the space. He was already watching as Rimca squeezed by Reniko to get to the other side of the room where the controls for the machine were located.

“Well, this machine, simply put, disrupts the flow of electricity running in the room; anything electrical that is on becomes inert. Because there are little tiny machines running around in Orborok, they should shut off as well, and Orborok should wake up, assuming that the nanites are what has caused his comatose state,” Rimca replied.

“We called it an EMP, or electromagnetic pulse, back on Earth,” Reniko added.

“Well won’t that be a bad thing for the city, as everything here runs on electricity?”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I have it isolated to this room,” Rimca said as she worked out calculations on the screen before her.

“But if not?” Malik quested.

“Well, that’s why we had Orborok moved to a more isolated part of the city,” Reniko replied, “for precaution.” She patted Imako reassuringly and Malik sighed.

“Have fun trying to draw Imako in that tiny room,” Malik tried to edge into the room, but Reniko pushed him back out.

“Well, I doubt Orborok is going to feel up to having a battle with me after just waking up. He’s bound to have atrophy from disuse of his body.”

“This plan sounds terrible. I don’t have a good feeling about it.” Reniko put her hand reassuringly on Malik’s arm and gave him a little push further out of the room.

“Trust me, Mal, everything will be fine,” Reniko removed Imako from her scabbard and shrugged, “just in case.”

“All right, I think I am all set here,” Rimca finished her calculations and turned to regard Reniko, “shall we?”

Reniko nodded.

“Here we go,” Rimca hit a button and three things happened at once, the room went pitch black, the door to the room shut cutting Malik off, and Reniko dropped Imako.

“Emergency power should kick back in any minute,” Rimca replied. She sounded uneasy in the dark. When she didn’t get a reply, she tried to hold back her sudden panic, “Reniko?” She nearly screamed when Malik started banging on the door. Reniko didn’t hear anything. She was too immersed in the sudden disorientation she was feeling. Her head was reeling. Of course, there are nanites in my head as well. Although she had broken the programming on them they had been still active in her mind. The sudden deactivation was causing confusion in her head as parts that had become reliant on the feedback from the tiny machines suddenly had to regain full control of themselves. She stumbled back toward the wall holding her head. She knew it was important that she regain control of herself, but at the moment she couldn’t think why. The emergency lights flicked on and the pale blue light made her open her eyes. She found herself staring at the fierce face of Orborok. It took her too long to register that he was conscious again, her disorientation leaving her helpless. She registered that Rimca was lying on the floor unconscious just moments before Orborok’s hand encompassed her neck and shoved her hard against the wall, his claws burying into the metal wall and caging her. She could hear Malik on the other side of the door now, banging futilely. What have I done?

“What did you do to me?” Orborok demanded. His voice reverberated in the small room.

Reniko grabbed at Orborok’s hand as he pushed her harder into the wall. She gasped for breath and felt the pressure ease. “I woke you up,” she said hoarsely.

“How did you put me into that sleep for so long?”

“I didn’t,” Reniko felt the pressure on her throat increase once again.

“Do not lie to me.”

“I killed Trokar and you fell into a coma, I just figured out why. I’ll tell you if you’ll let me go. I’ll tell you everything.”

The anger in Orborok’s face turned to surprise and he pulled his hand away from Reniko. “You killed the black?” He looked away from Reniko lost in thought. Looking back at her, he spoke, “I guess that would be the only reason for you to be alive now. If Trokar were alive, you would not have survived.”

“You seem confused,” Reniko rubbed at her throat and glanced at Imako. Orborok watched her gaze and picked up her blade.

“It’s strange. When a black falls to the hand of another, they take his place. It matters not who it is, only that they are stronger. We follow the new leader with the same allegiance as the old, yet I do not feel compelled to serve you,” Orborok brought the naked blade close to Reniko’s throat. “Are you sure you were the one that killed him?”

“As the killing blow nearly cost my own life, yes. I think that you’re not being compelled to serve me has something to do with why you were asleep and why you are now awake.”

“Continue, before I change my mind and take off your virulent head.”

Reniko turned her face to the side showing Orborok her frosty tattoo. “You remember this.”

“I remember your delightful screams. I’m tempted to hear them once again.”

Reniko sneered at him. “You’re not making this easy for me. The more I talk to you the less inclined I am to follow through with helping your species.”

“Help the Rük? Why would we need your help?”

“Because, you have been toyed with just as you toyed with me.”

“Come now, you expect me to believe those lies?”

“Lies? Are you sure about that. What reason would I have had to wake you? Why not just kill you instead?”

“You do have a point there,” Orborok could feel the rekindling of lust towards this defiant human before him. His attraction to her made him angry. “Why would Trokar do such a thing to his own kind?”

“I don’t think Trokar did it. He was infected with the nanites just as much as you were, as I am, maybe even more so.”

“If not him then whom?”

“The same person that tampered with your genetic code.”

Orborok sneered at Reniko, his hands shaking with rage.

“Please let me show you what I have found,” Reniko reached fearlessly towards Orborok just as power was restored to the room and Malik stumbled in through the door. Orborok lowered Imako and handed it back to Reniko.

“I guess my life was forfeit the moment I slipped into that coma. I will do what you ask.” Orborok once again clenched his fists trying to hold back the anger that promised to overwhelm him; anger over his inability to kill this small human before him. Blade in hand and to her exposed neck, and he still couldn’t will himself to cut her down. Maybe he had been wrong. As much hatred as he felt for her, maybe he could do nothing but obey her. In his quest to make her his own, had he in fact become hers? As he looked at Malik, he wondered if the man standing before him could ever understand the darkness that inhabited Reniko, if he knew Shylaya, who lay deep within her.