Page 20 of Reaper

“Come on,” she said with enthusiasm. “Reaper is getting impatient and asking what the heck I’m doing to you. Do you feel steady enough to walk, or should I ask Reaper to carry you?”

Ask Reaper to carry me!

I bit my tongue to hold back my instinctive response. “I can try to walk a little, and maybe ask him to help if I start to tire?”

“Strong, independent woman! I approve!” Jessica said with a wink.

We slowly made our way out of the Infirmary. The door parted before us revealing Reaper talking with another tall and large male. The stranger didn’t possess a crescent moon horn but had the same bone spikes on his shoulders as Reaper. His body was covered in golden scales. From what I could see of his features, he was as stunning as he was imposing.

“There she is,” Reaper said with a huge smile.

He approached me, and I immediately latched onto his arm, feeling suddenly intimidated. It struck me then that, after my initially semi-rude encounter with the rest of the team, I’d been so focused on enjoying my newfound freedom, I had not interacted with the other members of the team aside from Jessica.

“Hello, Janelle,” the stranger said in a warm and friendly voice. “It is good to see you already so recovered. The Vanguard uniform dress suits you perfectly.”

“Doom!” I exclaimed in a whisper.

The stranger’s eyes widened in surprise, and then his smile broadened with what looked like admiration.

“You are correct. I am Doom.”

“It was your voice in the message. I had been so scared. Thank you so much. So very much,” I said, my voice cracking at the end from the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.

“It was my honor and my pleasure,” Doom replied in an almost paternal kindness.

It was strange considering he seemed the same age as Reaper. And yet, there was something undeniably wise and more… I couldn’t think of the right words to describe it. It was like staring at a two-hundred-year-old soul inside the body of the thirty-year old. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I suddenly wondered if it might actually be the case. After all, Reaper had been reborn in a new, young body.

“The rest of the team is eager to make your acquaintance,” Doom continued. “But do not feel pressured. Seeing so many people around you may be overwhelming after all this time in seclusion. If you ever need space, do not hesitate to speak your mind freely. We want you to feel happy and at ease with us, okay?”

I instantly liked him. As he was speaking, I also realized he was one of the Xian Warriors my parents had worked on. Which meant, assuming he had been among one of the first genetically engineered Warriors successfully created, he would be around sixty-four or sixty-five years old.

“Okay,” I said with a grateful smile, reassured by his welcoming stance.

That didn’t prevent me from heavily leaning against Reaper, who didn’t seem to mind in the least.

“They just finished clearing the entrance to the base,” Reaper said. “Let’s go get your friends out of that wretched place.”

“Yes, please,” I replied, my heart soaring.

Chapter 8

Janelle

It had felt odd not having the constant presence of Brees by my side. Ever since I’d been born, she’d been glued to me. The prospect of her going to live with the other Creckels on Dreija gnawed at me. It was apparently too far away from Khepri to be able to frequently visit her. But what kind of life would there be for me in the wild world of Dreija if I chose to go with her instead? But even as that thought crossed my mind, the face of Reaper floated before my mind’s eye, and I instinctively tightened my hold around his arm. He gave me a sideways glance then placed a hand over mine as it clung to his arm, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

When we stepped out of the vessel and walked down the ramp, the beauty of the outside world took my breath away. I didn’t care that we were standing in a mostly barren area with a few patches of grass and a few scattered low bushes. The colors were still off, but at least there were now colors and fairly defined shapes instead of the grey blotches and very rough outlines that I’d been reduced to seeing before this.

I lifted my face to the sun, soaking in its warmth as we advanced towards the entrance of the cave where the rest of his crew, including Stran, had gathered. I almost stumbled in my distraction. But Reaper, ever attentive, held me up. My face heated with embarrassment as everyone stared at us approaching. Thankfully, after making quick introductions, they didn’t dally further. The female called Madeline activated the hovering platform over the opening. It descended with a slight hum into the bowels of the base.

The male called Reklig unnerved me. There was something beautifully scary about his appearance. I didn’t know what species he was, but he clearly was the result of an experiment involving some insect species. Some kind of giant black scorpion had fused with his spine, its pincers and clawed legs embedded in Reklig’s neck and the base of his skull. However, his obvious friendship with the other members of the team, and especially the gentle, affectionate way he interacted with Madeline reassured me that I had nothing to fear, despite his intimidating appearance.

But any thoughts about that male vanished from my mind as Stran became agitated, hopping on his paws, his broad, flat tail tapping the ground with impatience. My own heartbeat picked up the pace with the growing humming of the platform coming back to the surface. The tips of the horns of my modified Creckel friend appeared first before the rest of Brees’s body came into view. My breath caught in my throat seeing the dark, reddish-brown color of her scales. It had been so long I had forgotten how beautiful they’d been before I’d lost my eyesight.

Stran emitted a long, heart-wrenching howl as Brees stepped off the platform onto the landing. She responded with a more timid one that I recognized as a sign she was overwhelmed with emotions. Brees took a few steps forward, her claws digging into the packed dirt in front of the entrance and rubbing the pad of her paws onto its rough texture, as if to make sure it was real. She lifted her face to the sky, the wide nostrils of her snout flaring as she breathed in the fresh air and soaked in the sun rays she had only experienced once before. Like all of the surviving modified Creckels, Brees had been born in captivity.

And then, she darted forward towards Stran. For half a beat, I thought she was going to crash into him, but she folded into her ball form and he did the same before they spun around each other. A joyful sob escaped me. I realized then that my cheeks were soaked with happy tears I hadn’t noticed spilling out. No wonder my vision had blurred even more. With thisdance, Stran and Brees had claimed each other as kin, as the same people. I had feared my companions might be rejected because they were modified.

After a dozen or so spins, both Creckels unfolded and stood face to face. They rubbed snouts and cheeks in greeting.