The Dreaming: Dark Star (Book 5)

9.1. Captivate (Liran)

The next day...

Liran woke up, confused and groggy. He had been sleeping. Where was he? It took him a moment to realise where he was.

Oh right, he thought to himself. He was in the duraglas bio-bag. It felt nothing like a bag, and more like his body was encased in a hard shell. He couldn't move any part more than an finger width, and he couldn't see a thing, but he could breathe perfectly well.

Then he heard the sound that had woken him up. And Akim, apparently.

"Do you read me?" a voice said. Liran recognised it was the voice belonging to the person Akim had called Silas.

Then he head Akim's voice, also groggy. He must have also been sleeping. "Yes, sir. I read you loud and clear."

Liran wondered what time it was and where he was. He could hear the water not very far away. The static hum of the ocean. He must be on the North Coast, on the edge of the Great Bear Desert.

"We have been delayed. We will arrive twenty-three hundred hours tomorrow. Do you copy?"

"I copy. Estimated time of arrival is tomorrow, twenty-three hundred hours," Akim answered.

"Affirmative. Over and out."

"Over and out."

There was a silence for a moment, and then Liran heard Akim cursing. "What am I supposed to eat from now until tomorrow night!?"

Liran wondered if he should say anything, and let Akim know he was awake. Finally he decided to do it. "I can find food in the desert," he told Akim.

There was silence.

Liran continued. "Please let me out of here and I'll help you. Honestly, I won't do anything, I just need out of this bag. It's killing me in here."

Akim came over and said, "I've got something better. Good night—"

"Wait," Adell screamed in Aravit. "Before you put me to sleep let me ask just one question. Please, I beg you. Then you can put me back to sleep.

There was silence.

"Please, before you put me under, please tell me are you really from Mishpe?"

Liran heard Akim take a deep breath, thinking about whether to respond. Then finally, Akim did something and the bio-bag became transcluscent, and Liran could see millions of stars in the sky. Akim's face was lit by the silvery light of the moon.

Finally Akim said in Aravit, "I'm from Mishpe."

"And Nerezza?"

"No—she doesn't even speak Aravit. She just fit the part!" Akim's tone was derogatory, and Liran realised he was jealous of the role she'd been given. She had probably been the commanding officer in the mission.

"How were you supposed to pass her off as your sister?"

Akim laughed. "Well, she learned the basics. The story was that we left our village when she was very young age and didn't remember much of the language and felt embarrassed to speak it."

That made sense to Liran. He'd met many people who had lost their language, especially children. He probably would have believed it.

"Anyways, I'm sorry to do this, but—."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Liran yelled.

There was silence again. And then Akim said, "What?"

Liran realised that Akim was bored. How long had Liran been knocked out for? Was there any way he could get him to open up, entertain himself?

"What?" Akim asked again, impatient.

"I just want to know how... you became... ah.. you know, a Praetoria officer."

Akim frowned and crossed his arms—like it was a pretty lame question. Then he answered simply, "I trained for seven years, like all Officers of the Praetoria."

"But, I mean, how did you leave your village—you're not that old."

"They took me," Akim answered, looking straight at Liran with his eyes open.

"What do you mean, they took you?"

"When I was twelve, they took me from my village—from Mishpe. From my family."

"You're a stolen one?" Liran asked. He'd thought the stolen ones all became slaves—sex slaves and organ donors, though he wouldn't say as much to Akim.

Akim laughed. "Stolen one! It's not like that. You don't understand. They took me out of the desert and raised me as one of their own. I owe them my life.

Liran studied Akim's face to see if he was lying, but there were too many shadows. He must be lying. They might be listening to him, recording this conversation somehow. He tried again. "Are you serious?" he asked. "You really think the Iddies—the Authorities—saved you from your life in the desert?"

"Yes, I believe that. They did save me."

Liran still couldn't be sure. He wouldn't push further. Either Akim was telling the truth or not, it didn't really matter anyway.

Akim continued, as if to convince Liran. "Everyone has different functions, depending on your skills and genetics, but each position is essential to the whole."

"So, what is my function? Why do they want me?"

Akim looked at Liran without responding. Then he reached forward and touched the bio-bag.

Liran was locked in darkness. "Wait!" he yelled. "Don't let them take me!"

But Akim ignored him and the coffin-like body bag swallowed Liran, and he passed out once again.