Coming from Nowhere

CHAPTER TWELVE

JD's head spun. Was it possible that Mason was a double agent? She had given JD a knife to protect herself when she was supposed to assassinate Harris, but she had also poisoned her with a shot of whiskey. It was possible that Roger had planned this whole thing; it would be easier for two to approach Alex rather than an entire army. JD couldn't be sure. She did know that she was happy to be off the ship.

A branch snapped above the two women, and Mason and JD whipped their heads upward and stared silently as several leaves floated down to the ground. When nothing else happened, their gaze met and JD saw something move behind Mason. Glancing over her left shoulder, she shot up, preparing to either fight or run. Mason stood and turned slowly to face the seven-foot creature with its wedge-shaped head and small yellow eyes. It stood on two thick legs that were bowed and ended in five sharp-clawed toes. The creature's arms were well defined and also ended in sharp claws. The body was smooth and straight, yet muscular with round brownish green scales. It reminded JD of a giant lizard, and she was surprised to see that it was wearing a loincloth decorated with beads and some type of backpack. As Mason met its gaze, her body physically relaxed and she sighed.

"Raak, shit, you scared me."

I apologize for the slinky approach, but I had to make sure the area was secure. I was getting strange readings. The voice was inside her brain, and the creature's mouth never opened, but its head moved slightly from side to side. I assume this is JD. It nodded in her direction.

Mason nodded then faced JD. "This is Raak. He's a friend of Alex's. He's going to take us to him." She spoke slowly and quietly, which was helpful since JD was in shock and might not have understood otherwise. "He is a Xyphon. The natives of this planet. They use telepathy to communicate with us so we can understand them." She turned back to the lizard. "We don't have much time." She turned back to JD. "Before we go, I want to give you this as a peace offering."

She pressed something into JD's hand, then headed into the forest. JD looked down at the computer that controlled her chip. She smiled briefly and placed it in her pocket.

Raak turned and JD noticed his thick tail that dragged on the ground and that the backpack was actually a holster for his gun. The two walked off, so JD shook herself from her shocked trance. The thought that she shouldn't go with them crossed her mind, but the notion of staying behind on an unknown planet with untold dangers wasn't that appealing either. The only thing that kept her going was that Alex might have some answers to her questions.

Mason and JD struggled through the trees for another two hundred yards while Raak easily scurried through and over the obstacles. JD was impressed that with his height and build he could squeeze through cracks no wider than she was and cling to the sides of the trees. They stepped out of the forest into a large field covered with pools of brackish water that were separated from one another by clumps of moss and grass, which varied in color from dark green to brown and were complimented by the fluorescent green algae floating on the top of the liquid. There was a rotten egg and compost smell to the place, and JD found herself wishing she was back in the forest. The group took a quick break and drank some water before sloshing across the field.

The ground was uneven and JD fell several times, coating herself with black muck and slimy plants. The last spill she took, she got some of the stuff in her mouth and gagged on the salty decomposing taste. Mason was having slightly better luck at keeping her balance, but she did go down a few times also. Raak helped JD up, and they continued slowly on their way, eventually making it to a relatively large island of sand and rushes. She plopped down onto the firm ground and pulled off her boots. Her socks were dripping wet and her feet were black. She pulled the dry socks out of her pack, noticed Mason was doing the same, and let her feet air-dry. Raak stood in front of her, pacing and staring with his head cocked to one side. She watched him for a moment, then focused her attention back on her toes.