Chapter XXXII

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Cenerea, 3rd planet from the star Letria, Regalius,

The Homeland, Central Region, The Capitol City,

114 Darvon Street, Current Day


Jay sat straight up. "What??!? No, no, no, no! What the hell is wrong with me?"

"I tried waking you, Jay."

"...not your fault, Gertie. I am the dumbass with the drinking problem. Where is she?"

"She went downstairs."

"What!?!! How long has she been down there?"

"Approximately 8 hours."

Jay raced down the ramp stumbling several times. He found the Sub-System neural interface well attached to Elle's pretty red head. She must have startled it as Jay did. He looked over at the newly assembled stasis pod he and G had just put together. He realized there was no time for any I.V.'s or anything else to safeguard his health. It was more important he get in there and make sure Wendy was okay. He set the controls and closed his eyes.

FLASH!

...

Cenerea, 3rd planet from the star Letria, Regalius,

The Homeland, Central Region, The Capitol City,

114 Darvon Street, Current Day

Earth. 3rd Planet from the star, Sol, Africa,

160,000 Earth Years Ago

Jay appeared naked and kneeling at the base of the blue fiery column. He stood, shaking off the brain-scrambled sensation he typically felt when he jumped through the tunnel; he raced toward the cabin, stumbling, trying desperately to maintain his balance. As he approached, he could see the door was open and he heard Wendy screaming. He cleared the steps from the ground to the porch, sailing in through the door. He skidded to a stop inside the cabin.

He saw Wendy cowering in the corner. "Stop! I'm warning you, whoever you are. I don't want to, but I will kill you if you do not stop!" he yelled at the strange human-like thing standing in Wendy's home.

The invader rotated his head from Wendy. He bared his teeth at Jay as he looked at him over his shoulder. It slowly turned and lifted a blood-soaked sharply carved stone knife and pointed it at Jay.

"Kill Wendy," it said in a low growling voice.

The ground underneath the cabin shook, resonating up through the foundation to the roof. The walls made cracking noises as they responded to the activity from below. A wooden bowl fell off the simple dining table, making a hollow sound as it landed on the floor.

Jay saw that the humanoid before him had managed to cut one of Wendy's hands. She had them in front of her face. There was blood on her dress. Jay was becoming more and more angry. Violently angry. The native part of his body was overruling the logical extro's pleadings for calm. Lightning flashed outside striking random places in the once sunlit field. Fiery bolts angrily descended in rapid bursts from the undulating dark clouds hanging in the sky and exploding on impact. The electrical artillery blasts carved large chunks of soil from the beautiful flower and grass covered pasture.

Elle watched from the safety of the tree line. She could hear the colorful tropical birds above her screaming and screeching in fear. Flocks of the winged creatures flew nervously in and out of the treetops responding to the random explosions occurring around them.

"Jay must have woken up. Dammit!" she thought, realizing that once he found out what she had tried to do...he was going to come for her. Elle could clearly see from the activity playing out ahead in the field, he was not going to seek her out brandishing his heart on his sleeve. His rage was the rage of someone defending his loved one from danger and she was the threat.

Jay pointed his finger at the grunting intruder and shouted, "No! Don't do it!"

It lunged toward him. He instinctively waved his hand in the air effortlessly sending the creature crashing against the wall. A hollow thud accompanied by the sharp cracking of bone echoed through the cabin as the assailant connected with the log wall. It staggered as it slowly stood up, shook its head, and reassumed its angry trajectory and agenda. It was holding its side with one hand and still grasping the stone knife in the other."

"Kill Wendy!" it screamed in pain. "KIILL WENDEEEE!!!" Blood dripped from its mouth.

Jay wrapped his fingers in a tight fist and the knife fell from the half human's hand as it crumpled to its knees. It lifted both of his now empty blood soaked hands to its neck trying to free the invisible grip on his throat.

Jay could see his looming image reflected in the beast's watering and strangely green tinted eyes as he approached it. Jay reached out placing a hand on the creature's head. With one touch, it fell limp to the floor, no longer posing a threat to anyone.

Wendy fell back sliding down the log wall to the ground. She was still clutching her profusely bleeding and aching hand.

Jay was completely silent. He walked up to the shaking woman and took her hand, carefully examining it. He wiped the blood off and released it. Wendy stared at him in strange wonder. She retrieved her hand from his and blinked. She looked up at Jay and then back down at her hand.

"It's healed. You touched my hand and..."

"I don't know. I don't know how I did that," Jay said puzzled. He became quiet, fell to his knees in front of Wendy, exhausted, and then grabbed her hands. He tilted his face to the floor and began crying. "Please, Wendy. I'm sorry. Forgive me. My selfishness nearly got you killed. I would understand it if you hated me, and I would deserve it. To leave you down here by yourself..."

Wendy wrapped her arms around Jay and cried with him. A few moments later, their emotional gas tanks empty, she and Jay both sat with their backs against the bed staring at the injured and unconscious body of Wendy's attacker.

"Where did he come from, Jay? What is he? Is he human?"

"G did say that human-like creatures with nearly identical DNA had evolved on this planet. It was how you were revived and why we look the way we do. I would bet he's one of them. I am sure it had to happen at some point...that they would find us. It probably saw the giant fucking flashlight screaming into the night out in our front yard."

Wendy nodded. "You are probably right? I just didn't think anything could get in here past that wall."

"Yeah, something must have opened it up so they could get in. By the way, did you see his eyes? They're green, not to mention that strange red hair, and he kept saying, 'Kill Wendy'. Where could he have learned Cenerean..." Jay's voice trailed off.

"Elle!" Jay and Wendy said in unison, looking at each other.

"Yeah, Jay. I hate to tell you, but that bitch has the same type of power you seem to have. Clouds, lightning, and who knows what else by now."

"G said that he was afraid of what could happen if anger and hate were released into this world. Now, we know."

"Speaking of hate, your ex tried to off me when we were in the pool."

"Pool? What were you both doing in the pool?" Jay queried. "That's our spot."

"Don't ask." Wendy looked away embarrassed. "You know how this place is..."

"Huh?...Oooohhh!" He grinned knowingly.

"Fuck off."

"I may go back and see if I can find that in an archive file. That would be something." Jay raised an eyebrow and smiled.

The couple laughed an awkward laugh; Jay attempting to hide his slightly hurt feelings and Wendy trying to assuage some of her self-inflicted guilt.

Jay spoke up to break the unease, "You are right, we both know what this world does to us. All of us."

"I know. But, it does have me worried a bit," Wendy said, her eyes revealing a small amount of sadness.

"What does?"

"How much of what we have together is just because of this place and how it makes us act and feel?"

Jay could hear the logic in what Wendy was saying, but was not buying it.

"No. We are real even if this place isn't. We...us...you and I. We are real. I love you no matter what this world has done to you and me physiologically. Can't you see? We were meant to be together. There is no other explanation for all of this!" Jay lifted Wendy's hand once more and kissed it. "I love you, no matter what."

Wendy placed her head on Jay's shoulder. "I know. You're right and I do love you, too. Sex or not," she said and turned to look at the red-haired creature. "Now...what are we going to do with him?" The lovely woman asked as she pointed at their 'houseguest' lying on the cabin floor.

Jay took the unconscious creature outside, laying him in the grass. Wendy followed along bringing up the rear. She carried the sharpened stone knife with her just in case it tried anything funny.

Jay noticed he had a large amount of blood on his arms from transporting the thing. He rotated the limp body over onto its side and could clearly see a deep gash and an exposed rib protruding through the muscle and skin. Jay placed his hand on the bone and the open wound.

Wendy watched light emanate from Jay's hand. As he removed it from the boy's body, she noted the wound healed just as her hand did leaving only a scar as proof anything was ever wrong.

"I would still like to understand how you knew how to do that," Wendy stated.

"I can't explain it. I just do. Maybe it's something with being connected to the Sub-System directly?" Jay said. "What? What is it?" he asked as he noticed Wendy's odd facial expression.

"Look Jay!"

Jay turned to examine the face of the boy as it changed. The angry expression softened. The red hair faded to black. He looked very natural now, he appeared human. A human made for this world.

The boy's eyes fluttered open. He found Jay and Wendy sitting over him and sat up in the grass. He grabbed at his side. Nothing. He returned his attention to the two strange beings in front of him and quickly began backing away using his hands and feet to back pedal.

Jay could see the young human was getting ready to bolt. "I wouldn't do that! I have some questions for you, now take a seat!" he said and pointed at the ground, indicating for the young native to sit.

The boy stopped and tilted his head sideways in confusion. "I-I-I know what you say? I hear you say things and I know what they mean. How am I talk to you?"

"I gave you the gift of speech. You can keep it, but I need to ask you a couple of questions."

"I try to kill your female and you not kill me? I not understand. My family dead, I killed my brother. She made me...oh no no. So, bad. I am so bad!" he began to cry. "All gone. Red hair, green-eyed bad lady. She kill everyone...everyone. Why? Tell me why she kills my family?" he pleaded looking at Jay through tear soaked eyes.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Jay said and turned to Wendy. She had a sickened look on her face. The knife fell from her hand as she lifted it to cover her mouth in horror.

"Jay that is pure evil. You have to stop her from doing anything else to these people."

"I know," Jay replied. He lifted the boy, grabbing him gently by the shoulders. "Where did she kill your brother and family, do you remember? Can you show us?"

"No...no. She killed family. I killed brother. She went into my head and made me bad. Wrong. I kill. Him..."

Jay glanced up at the sky and inhaled. "What's your name?"

"Don't know what name is...What means name?"

"What does...did your family call you?"

"I called Cain."

"Cain, my name is Jay. This is my female, erm, girlfriend, Wendy. We are Jay and Wendy"

Wendy smiled and waved no longer afraid of the boy. Rather, she felt very, very sorry for him.

"My brother was Abel. I have no one, now. JayWendy"

"JayWendy?" Jay asked.

"When male and female mate for life, put names together."

"Ah. Okay," Jay said in realization. "Sounds like that might get confusing, but go for it. Regardless, you can call us what you want. But, I need you to help me find the bad female who killed your family. Can you help us find her?"

"Yes. What her name? Bad female?"

"Elle."

"I want to kill."

"No. I will take care of her."

"You kill her, JayWendy?"

"No. Killing is wrong...it's called murder. Unless you are protecting yourself or the ones you love or if it's an animal for food."

"Still...are not you protecting female?"

"Yes."

"Don't understand..."

"Just help me find her, Cain!" Jay stated sharply.

...

Elle watched Jay, Wendy, and the small man trudge off in the direction where Elle took out its family. She watched them from a safe distance. Carefully observing, but not too close. Elle wished she could just murder every worthless simulation on this fake ass rock. It's not like anyone up there on Cenerea would give a damn. Not only that, but she could trade that crazy machine Harold and Jay were working on to the Homeland in exchange for her life and then she would be done with this whole fucked up scenario, including, sadly, Jay Levant. However, at this point, she knew he was a lost cause as far as she was concerned. That ship had sailed.

Unfortunately, none of this would do any good unless she could get out of here. Elle needed to leave and was getting desperate. She knew there had to be a way out. She just needed time to figure out how to wake herself up. Maybe, she could route her thoughts through the beam and jolt herself awake or sever the connection. Nevertheless, she needed to make sure Jay and his little techno tinker twat were far enough away she could make a run for it without being caught. She needed to have enough time to figure out how to get home. "Okay, they're gone. Go, Elle!" she thought as she sprinted out of the jungle toward the blue electric beam.

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