Chapter 9

The group was led to a separate area in the basilica. Chris knew the area to be the Quasi facility where the Quasi-Deads were housed.

He hated that area and so did Riddick. But instead of freeing them, Riddick left them be, as he knew they could never return to the normal human beings they once were.

Their bodies were too far-gone due to the changes made upon them by Krill, the Fifth Lord Marshal.

Quasi-Deads were deprived virtually of all nourishment so that they could divert more energy towards their minds, rather than their bodies. With this, their telepathy powers grew and they became the inquisitors for the Necromongers.

The place was silent and their steps echoed loudly within it. A pedestal was situated in front of three statues that held the same face as that of the top of the city.

Chris knew that inside the statue housing were hibernating pods that were used to house the Quasi-Deads physical bodies. He felt a chill come upon him that went down to his very bones as he noted the pods were still active. He looked at Lyra as if to question her, but Lyra held her hand up, silencing his thoughts.

“You remember this place, don’t you, Connell?” asked Lyra, her blue eyes looking at him with a knowing look.

“Everyone who’s ever lived in Necropolis at one time or another does. What of it?” replied Chris, his eyes taking in the bewildered looks of the other men as well.

“Stand on the pedestal, Connell,” came Lyra’s soft request.

“No.”

The others gazed at him even more confused.

“Stand on the pedestal, Connell,” requested Lyra again, but in a not so polite tone this time.

Chris knew what she could do to him if he refused again. She was after all an Elemental and as such had the power to do him great bodily harm and he knew she would without a second glance. Elementals always did what was needed to get what they wanted.

Chris reluctantly went to stand on the pedestal. Lyra walked behind one of the walls and pulled a lever.

Chris felt himself pulled to the floor like a metal that was attracted to a gigantic magnet. He could not move and was basically on his knees in a subservient stance.

The others were startled by this and especially Vin who started to pull his weapon from its holster.

“I would not do that if I were you, bounty hunter,” came Lyra’s voice behind the wall.

Vin turned towards where her voice was coming from and watched as she glided through it. “Do not be alarmed,” she said calmly. “He is unharmed.”

“But what did ya do to ‘im?”

“He is being held while the Quasi-Deads scan his unconscious mind. It will only harm him if he resists,” said Lyra.

“Chris?” called Vin to Chris who seemed to be struggling with the force that was being projected by the Quasi-Dead.

“I’m…fine. Stay…where…you are,” commanded Chris of the others.

Vin did as Chris requested, but he still kept a defensive stance, ready to attack if need be.

“Why… Why are…you doing this?” he managed to growl out to Lyra.

“I am sorry, Connell. But there was no other way. I need to know what is deep within your subconscious. You conscious has not been very cooperative and I know you will believe what the Quasi-Deads have to say,” Lyra replied very business-like.

“But…I would have told…you if…you had asked,” said Chris trying not to fight the power that was trying to enter his mind.

“You would have not. It has already been calculated.” Lyra then turned her attention to the wall again and three pods lowered from their statue encasements to surround the pedestal that Chris knelt on.

Inside the pods were three humans, two looked to be male and one female. They writhed within a sheen and soft covering as if they were trying to escape, but Chris knew that they were just building up their telepathic powers.

“What are they?” asked JD.

“They are the Quasi-Deads,” replied Josiah. “Their mental capacity has grown above the normal human. In fact, they are no longer considered human. They don’t eat, sleep or dream. All energy is put into their minds. They are telepathic.”

“They don’t eat?” questioned Ezra surprised.

“No, they do not. Nourishment or enjoyment of food is a physical determent,” answered Josiah.

They watched as the pods were finally leveled on the floor and they were still Lyra said, “Scan.”

An ominous voice that sounded like more than one person came from a device in the center of the pedestal.

“Scanning. Christopher Connell Larabee. Descendant and heir to the throne of Richard B. Riddick, destroyer of the Fifth Lord Marshal.”

“Scan deeper,” came Lyra’s command to the Quasi-Dead.

Chris felt more pressure coming from the outside, trying to enter his mind. He tried to fight them but to no avail. They were stronger. He could feel them pounding at the barriers of his unconscious mind.

“Regressed,” said the voice. “Descendant. Furian. Necromonger. Elemental. Escape prisoner. Crematoria.”

“Deeper.”

Chris felt the pressure increase more, but this time he cried out at the intrusion.

Vin and the others ran over to him, hearing his cry.

“Stop!” shouted Lyra. “Do not approach him!”

“But ya hurtin’ ‘im! Can’t ya see he’s in pain?” yelled Vin angrily.

“Connell?” cried Nathan, as he tried to get closer to the blond.

“Step no closer, healer. Do not interfere. The outcome of your interferences would be disastrous.”

“But…”

“You must listen and obey me. You must not interfere or it you will endanger us all. He is not being harmed by the Quasi-Deads. It is his resistance that brings him pain.”

“Vin…Nathan…” came Chris gasping call. “Stay back.”

At Chris’ request, Vin, Nathan and the others slowly backed away reluctantly.

When Lyra was sure that they would not interfere she said, “Continue.”

The voices started again. “Lost. Revenge. Anger. Revenge. Hatred. Revenge.”

“Even deeper,” sighed Lyra sadly. She had to do this although she wished she did not. But the fate of the universe took priority over gentleness.

Chris gritted his teeth and doubled over at the pain as he felt the increase in pressure again. Releasing his hands from holding up his body he fell to the floor, but was still conscious and aware enough to know this was not the end of things.

“Enigma. Power. Control. Innumerable.”

“What does that mean?” asked Buck concerned for his friend.

“Say again,” commanded Lyra.

“Enigma. Power. Control. Innumerable. Infinite. Incalculable,” answered the Quasi’s voice seemingly struggling within their confinement.

“Well?” questioned Josiah. He was also concerned for Chris’ well being too, but there was something going on here that he knew they did not understand.

“Very interesting,” was all that Lyra replied. “Very interesting.” She then moved to the wall and pulled a lever.

Chris felt the pressure cease and the pain start to gradually leave from his body. He was still breathing rapidly, trying to bring in the oxygen he had lost in his struggle against the Quasi-Deads invasion of his mind to his starving lungs.

Once the others could see that Chris was free, they ran over to him, Vin and Nathan reaching him first.

Vin knelt down next to the blond, tentatively putting a hand on the man’s shoulder as Chris tried to rise. “Chris, how ya doin’ there, Pard?”

Chris got shakily to his feet with the helping hands of Vin and Nathan and turned silvery eyes to glare angrily at Lyra. He stood on rubbery legs that threatened to fold if he moved.

“Chris, you okay?” asked Nathan, trying to determine if his friend was injured. He could see the man’s color coming back to his face and hoped that it was signaling the end of his friend’s torture.

“I’m fine,” said Chris in a rasping voice. His breathing was starting to slow to normal and he could feel the pain ebbing away.

“He is uninjured, healer,” said Lyra crossing the distance of the area to them. “He is more than fine.”

“And how would you know that!” exclaimed Nathan. “You could have killed him.”

“Quite the contrary, my dear sir. Connell was not the one in any real danger. If anything, the Quasi-Dead and yourselves would have been injured if anything had went wrong.”

They turned to stare at her in confusion.

“My dear lady,” started Ezra. “I have to say that I agree with my fellow travelers here that you have us thoroughly confused us with your babbling.”

Lyra arched an eyebrow at Ezra’s comment. “Humans understand very little indeed it seems,” she said thoughtfully. “What you do not understand is that Connell has the incalculable power to destroy worlds if he wanted to. Although he is still does not know how to use it yet. The Quasi-Dead with their power of telepathy was trying to tap into it, to try to ferret it out, so to speak. If they had been successful then none of us might not be here discussing this now.”

“And how did you determine this, dear lady?” queried Ezra doubtfully.

“Did you not hear the Quasi? Did you not understand that Connell’s power unleashed without control would destroy any in its path? Do you not understand that this power knows nothing of friends, comrades or emotionally ties and that attacks without thought or judgment of friend or foe? Until he learns to use it, we cannot take the risk.”

Josiah face lit up in understanding. “You’re talking about when they said, power, control and innumerable, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Josiah. They have verified that the power we seek is within Connell and it is immense enough that the Quasis cannot determine its limitations. He still needs to grow into it, but it is there and it is what the Vicar seeks. If they can control Connell, they control the power and they can tip the balance of power for their own purposes.”

“And you want to tip the balance in your favor,” stated Josiah.

“Yes. For the good of the universe.”

“Bullshit!” exclaimed Chris. “This is exactly what I was trying to tell you about her kind. Elementals do not care about humans and their problems. They only get involved when they’ve calculated that our problems will become one of theirs.”

“Come on, Chris. I think Lyra’s only looking after our interests,” interrupted Buck, his eyes taking in his friend’s composure. He knew Lyra grated on Chris’ nerves, but he had seen the good she had done for Helion Prime since she came.

But Lyra looked on angrily at Chris and said, “Yes, you are correct. We know that the Vicar will not stop at Helion Prime or the Helion solar system. They will expand and come to our solar system and our planets. This has been calculated and the risks are too high to fathom.”

Chris was amazed. He not only saw anger in the Elemental’s face, but there was fear there also. He could not remember when he had seen an Elemental so afraid. This worried Chris. If an Elemental was frightened, then they did have something to worry about.

“Tell me…what you know of the Vicar,” said Chris, stumbling and breathing hard as he walked towards her. He suddenly felt very tired and if given the choice would have gone back to the ship and slept like the dead. But he knew he could not. Not now.

“You are tired, Connell. After you have rested,” said Lyra gently.

Chris laughed. “First you…put me on that damnable pedestal and then…you tell me to rest. Lady, just…spit it out and let’s get this over with,” replied Chris forcefully.

Nathan noticed the stumble and turned to see that Vin and Buck had seen it also. He knew something was wrong with Chris. He just could not determine whether it was the pedestal or the drug he gave him before they left Kovar catching up with him.

The man had not listen to Nathan when he told him he needed to rest. No. He wanted to leave and for the three days they were out in the desert, Nathan watched as the man ate and slept very little. It was doing his body no good.

“Connell, maybe she’s right,” suggested Nathan, hoping his friend would listen to sound advice.

“Yeah, Chris. You look like hell, if ya asked me,” piped in Buck. He too had noticed that his old friend did not look so good and was showing signs of fatigue.

“No one…was asking you, Stud,” said Chris annoyed. He knew he should not be annoyed at Buck, but he thought Buck was too naïve and sheltered living in Necropolis. He did not see what Chris had seen in his sojourn over the last ten years and he trusted the Elementals too easily.

As for Nathan, Chris turned mirrored green eyes to his friend the healer and smiled gently at him. “I’m…alright, Nathan. I…I just need to…need to rest,” said Chris, as his eyes then rolled back into his head. He would have hit the floor hard had it not been for Vin’s quickness in catching the blond around the waist.

“Damn that man!” came Buck’s exclamation and he moved closer to help the bounty hunter with his fallen friend, as did Josiah and Nathan.

Vin held the blond’s body partway off the floor, struggling to keep him from falling. Vin had to admit that the man was heavier than he looked. He then felt other hands joining his to help keep the blond aloft. He turned to find Buck, Josiah and Nathan trying to assist with the unconscious man.

“I got him, Vin,” said Josiah, taking hold of the man and heaving him upward so that he lay across his shoulder in a fireman carry.

“Follow me. We have prepared rooms for you all,” said Lyra. “I can send for the city’s healer once we have him settled.” She walked away, leading them out of the Quasi facility and into the corridors that would lead them to their rooms.

As Josiah followed Lyra, carrying his limp bundle, he thought that he might have heard in Lyra’s voice when she spoke her last statement what sounded like concern. But with all that had happened, he was beginning to have his doubts about her and wondered if Chris’ anger was not just.

TBC.

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