Legal Disclaimer: All characters from the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess are the sole property of Universal/Studios USA and Renaissance Pictures. Xena and Gabrielle are used here for personal entertainment. I do however, claim total ownership of the story. :)
Violence Warning: Yep.. you bet.
Sexual Warning: If where you are, this sort of thing is illegal at your age, don't blame me.
Hurt/Discomfort Warning: Not much until Part Two. You won't find much comedy here though.
Author's Notes: My second attempt at Xena fanfic. This time, I've taken our favourite women and thrown them into another world. :) Let's see how they cope...
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Out
of Time
Part
One
“COME ON!” shouted a tall woman, dressed in
black, combat clothes, frantically shoving screaming children through a metal
doorway.
“We don’t have much time left!” screamed a
young man, his blonde hair matted down with sweat, herding the last of the
children towards the doorway.
“Behind
you!” came a yell, as the man ducked and a red laser, shot past his head and
into the chest of a guard a few metres behind him. He twisted his head, seeing
the torso of the man being blown apart by the force. He looked up and grinned at
the dark woman.
“Thanks, Xe,” he exclaimed.
“No sweat, Tag,” she replied, clipping her weapon
against the side of her thigh again. “Is that all of them?”
Tag turned and looked down the narrow corridor as if
checking. It wasn’t like he could see into the cells that branched off either
side of it, but he did it anyway.
“Yeah, I think so,” he responded, breathing
heavily, watching the last child scramble through the doorway. “Let’s go.
Who’s leading them out? Dalpin?”
Tag didn’t wait for an answer but stepped over the
raised part of the door, his boots clanking on the metal-plated floor.
“Yeah, he shouldn’t have any problems. Ezi took
out their power and shut most of the guards in. There’s only a few stragglers
here and there,” she told him, quickly following him through the doorway.
“And they won't last very long,” she added.
They began to run down the metal hallway, heading
towards the exit, when suddenly Xe halted. Tag realised a second later that his
Commander had stopped and he turned to ask what was wrong. He didn’t have to
because he heard, himself the muffled echo of a child’s voice. Their eyes
connected before they started to sprint back from where they had come from, only
to see the doorway sliding shut, preventing them from reaching the child.
“NO!” yelled Tag, as he saw the woman hurl
herself through the gap, the two sides snapping shut just as her feet cleared
them.
The man slammed into the door, clawing at the opening
and trying to force it apart. It was useless he realised as he pounded on the
solid titanium.
“Shit!” he whispered to himself, as he turned and
ran as fast as he could. As he raced along the passageway, he felt at his belt
and pressed a button, causing a microphone and earpiece to materialize, attached
to his ear.
“Homebase, Homebase. Do you hear me? Over,” he
said, quickly.
There was a crackle before a deep voice replied.
“This is Homebase. We hear you. Over.”
“Missing link. I say again, Missing link. Over.”
“Which one? Over.”
“Number one. Over.”
There was silence for a second.
“We got that. Get out, do you understand. Do not
attempt anything. We’ll handle this. Over.”
Tag’s jaw twitched as he ran.
He pressed the same button on his belt and the
devices disappeared again.
We’ll handle this, he
thought, angrily. Yeah right, like just another soldier lost in the line of
duty. Not this time.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The dark woman landed smoothly on the other side of
the door, rolling and standing up, ready for any surprise attack. She turned her
head sharply as she heard the dull thumps coming from behind the closed doors
behind her. You’re one stupid female, Xena, she thought to herself. She
squinted down the narrow metallic passageway, before unhooking her X-25 from her
leg and pressing herself against the side of the hall. Stealthily she moved
along it, her keen hearing picking up the weak shouts of a child. She knew it
had been a foolish move to go back for the child, but she had reacted without
thought and she knew in her heart it had been the right thing to do. After all,
freeing these children was what her job was all about and by leaving even one
behind, meant that she had failed. And failure wasn’t something Xena was
accustomed to.
Swiftly, she checked the rooms in the corridor,
finding them all empty, except for the dead bodies of the guards. As she reached
the corner, she heard running footsteps and realised it was a section of guards,
attempting to catch the Rebels. She darted into one of the rooms and waited for
them. She knew from experience that Hunters travelled in groups of two or three
and that they were armed with L-class Phasers, one of the most advanced weaponry
the Daimons possessed. The Hunters’ jobs were to kill on the sight of any
Rebels.
She heard them approaching and she flattened herself
against the side of the entrance, ready to strike. She frowned as she thought
she heard them halt just before her room and a few seconds of silence followed.
Suddenly, Xena heard a click and her eyes widened as she saw a small black ball
flying through the doorway and hitting the floor in front of her with a thump.
Immediately she launched herself out of the room, as the explosive went off,
shards of metal flying through the air as well. Through the smoke, she looked up
to see two Hunters, dressed in the brown uniform of the Daimon complete with
visors to keep out the smoke, advancing towards her.
She rolled backwards, standing up expecting to be
blown apart by a phaser in the process. A bluish laser shot past the side of her
face, missing her by a whisker. She reached down for her weapon to return fire,
but was surprised to find it missing, realising she must have dropped it as she
jumped out of the room. Quickly she pressed a button on her wrist, as a shield
made of laser-proof material materialised in her left hand just as two laser
beams blasted straight towards her body. The shots were reflected and lanced
into the chests of the Hunters who had fired them. They crumpled to the floor,
unmoving. Xena grinned, a feral smile on her face, as she looked at the
remaining Hunter. Though the semi-transparent visor, Xena saw his face harden,
then suddenly he threw a small star shaped object at her, which imbedded itself
into the middle of Xena’s shield as she protected herself from it. At first
nothing happened, then it began to glow red, and started to spread over the rest
of the shield. Swiftly, Xena dropped it as it began to heat up and burn her
hand.
“Now that wasn’t nice,” commented Xena, looking
at the Hunter with burning blue eyes.
The Hunter tapped the side of his helmet and it
disappeared, as he held his phaser aimed at Xena.
“Come with me,” he ordered.
“I don’t think so.”
She reached behind her, where she kept a thin coil of
rope. Before he could react, one end of it had been wrapped around his ankle and
with one sharp jerk, he fell, losing his grip on his weapon. In an instant, Xena
was standing over the prone Hunter. She bent down and gripped his brown lapel.
“I happened to like that gadget and I don’t
appreciate it when little shits like you destroy them!” she said, before
knocking him out with a blow to the head.
She picked up his weapon and carried on down the
passage. The screams of the child were getting louder now, and Xena quickened
her pace, glancing into each room as she ran past. She recalled the layout of
the building from their briefing earlier that day and she could not help but
feel that something was amiss. It seemed like she was heading towards the
Control Room, but what was a child doing there?
“Momma!”
Xena stopped and backtracked. She peered into the
room, checking no guards were in there. She saw no one else, apart from a small
boy, about two years old, sitting on the floor. She entered the room cautiously,
looking around for traps. The boy had stopped crying and was staring at the tall
woman.
“It's ok, kid. I’m taking you to freedom. You wont
have to stay in this cage any longer. Here, take my hand,” Xena said to the
boy, softly offering her hand to him
The boy stared blankly at her, seeming not to
understand. He was totally motionless now, and Xena frowned, wondering what was
wrong. All of the children they had found so far couldn’t wait to get out of
these places. Xena moved closer and decided to just carry the boy out, when
suddenly she heard the metal doors sliding together and she turned to look just
as they snapped shut.
“Shit,” she said to herself.
“Yes, you are in deep, aren’t you, Xena.”
Xena instantly turned her head back to where the boy
had been sitting. She inhaled sharply and stared.
“Surpise, Commander,” a blonde haired woman said,
sarcastically.
Xena, as if suddenly waking from a dream, lifted her
phaser and aimed it at the woman.
“Oh, go ahead, Xena,” laughed the woman, darkly.
Xena fired. And the woman kept laughing.
“What the…?” whispered Xena, as she saw the
blue laser hit her chest, right at the heart, but nothing happened. It was as if
she just absorbed the light.
“Do you think I’m stupid? Those Hunters were
carrying duds. They’re just lights to fool you so you would be without a
weapon when you came here.”
As she said the words, two doors in the wall behind
her opened and a line of five soldiers trooped out from each, every one carrying
an L-class phaser. Bet those are real, Xena thought. They came to stand
on either side of her, weapons at the ready to fire at the slightest wrong move.
The two front guards came forwards and manacled her wrists behind her back.
“What do you want with me, Tara? Why not just
kill me?” Xena asked, calmly although inside she was boiling with fury.
“Oh, where would be the fun in that? No, I thought
another punishment for the woman who’s ruined ten of my best facilities would
be more fitting,” Taral sneered
Xena’s eyes narrowed. Facilities? Is that what
you call it? she thought, furiously.
“I wouldn’t have had to do that if it weren’t
for you and your band of rebels,” Taral retorted, standing up and advanced
towards Xena.
“Call us what you will. But we fight for justice
and liberty. Two things, which don’t even enter your vocabulary!”
“Oh, please. Spare me your preaching, and save it
for people who care.”
“How can you not care?” exclaimed Xena, shaking
her head. “Do you not understand what you’re doing?”
Xena saw a few guards shift on their feet
uncomfortably, under her piercing gaze. Suddenly, her jaw was grasped in an iron
grip and her head twisted to face Taral, who now stood in front of her.
“What’s wrong, Taral? Afraid that one of your
own might turn against you because they find a conscience?”
The slap resounded off the metal walls.
Xena turned her head back to her, her eyes blazing
with blue fire. She spat the blood that pooled in her mouth back at his face.
“Take her to her cell,” she ordered, as she wiped
the blood from her face.
“You’re a monster. You don’t deserve to
live,” Xena shouted as she was shoved towards the door.
“I’m not the one whose about to lose all
semblance of life here!” she heard her call after her.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
“Get off me!”
“Quiet, bitch,” same a gruff voice as she was
cast into her cell.
Two guards followed her in attaching metal bands to
her wrists, ankles and neck. Not the magnet chamber, she thought,
ironically. The Daimons had obviously copied the Resistance’s method of
restraint, but what Xena found ridiculous was the fact that she had designed it.
Imprisoned by my own invention.
The guards exited, the door closing by itself and
Xena waited. She felt it coming as she felt the buzz in her metal bands and
braced herself. The magnets were turned on and she flew against the wall,
suspended about a metre off the ground. The impact winded her and she gasped for
breath, as she hung limply by her wrists. They had duplicated the chamber
perfectly. It was designed to intimidate and inflict slow pain on the prisoner.
The person had no way of preventing the metal bands cutting into their skin, but
a person could last for weeks in the chamber, in lingering anguish, their whole
weight supported only by their wrists.
Xena closed her eyes against the sudden pain. She
drifted in and out of consciousness, wondering how long she had been there.
Abruptly, she was woken by a voice in the room.
“Xena, how are you feeling?”
The laughter was cut off abruptly as the intercom was
switched off. In front of her, a screen emerged. On it, she could see a figure
of a young, blonde man running down a corridor. It was like watching it through
the eyes of a camera, no sound and in black and white. She watched as he spoke
to someone on a microphone attached to his ear then increase his pace as he
finished. She swallowed as she tried to quell her rising fear. She looked as he
came to a T-junction.
Go right, right, right, please go right! her
mind screamed.
Her heart lurched as she saw the young man unhook his
X-25 and head into the left corridor. The camera switched and she saw clearly
the face of her younger brother, Tagon, running full speed down the passage
towards the Control Room. Xena felt her breathing rate increase, as she saw her
brother heading into certain death.
“No,” she whispered.
The camera cut again and she was looking at a group
of Hunters, five of them, waiting for Tagon around the corner. As he came
hurtling around the bend, he skidded to a halt and stared at the section of
Hunters. For a split second, Xena felt the bond between them as he looked up
into the camera, realisation appearing in his eyes. Then with a roar of “For
Freedom!!!” he charged the Hunters, who opened fire, blue lasers punching
through his torso, even as he kept on attacking them. He took out three before
he finally collapsed.
Tears ran down Xena’s face as she forced herself to
witness her brother’s death, promising that it wouldn’t be forgotten.
Tagon’s blood dripped down the metal walls, leaving reddish-yellow stains
behind them, while his body lay in a lake of red, his hand still clutching his
weapon.
“A warrior to the end,” she whispered a childhood
phrase that they had.
The screen went black and merged into the wall again.
Xena hung her head, her insides in turmoil, and her mind blank. Her grief was
cut short as the door opened and Taral stepped into the room. Sorrow and
heartache was replaced by hate and vengeance as she looked at the small woman
through red eyes.
“I do hope you enjoyed our little show. We made it
especially for you, our guest."
All the emotion that Xena had been keeping inside
exploded in a volcanic scream that reverberated around the room, echoing down
the hallways throughout the building. Taral simply stood by the door, waiting
until Xena had finished, before summoning a guard.
“Bring in the sedative.”
The man walked in carrying a long syringe, filled
with a clear liquid. He squirted some to release the air bubbles then injected
into a struggling Xena. After a few seconds, her eyelids began to close and her
whole body went limp
“Take her down and bring her to the Test room.” It was the last thing Xena heard before losing all consciousness and
falling into a dreamless sleep.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Xena slowly came to in
a white room. She flicked her eyes around from where she was lying on the bed,
seeing a few people walking around in white lab coats. Her head, wrists and
ankles were still restrained but this time onto the bed she was on. Where in
Rion’s name am I? she wondered. Suddenly, the events of the past day came
rushing back to her and the vision of Tagon’s death burned into her mind
forever. She shut her eyes, but still the image haunted her. To her left she
heard a female voice talking to someone.
“She’s awake.”
“Good. I’ll be there soon,” came the reply.
She struggled to recognise the voice. At Homebase, they
had voice recordings of all the central persons in the Daimon and some had
pictures to go with it. All soldiers in the Elite were required to learn the
history and personality of these people in case they ever came into contact with
them while undercover. Xena had been one of the Elite and now her training was
to be put to a different use. She had to find out what it was that the Daimons
wanted her for. It couldn’t all be down to revenge or the other two leaders
wouldn’t have agreed with Taral, Xena was sure. Taral. Now there was a
character that Xena knew a lot about. She didn’t even want to think about what
Earth would be like if she had sole control. Ruthless, calculating and a
cold-blooded murderer, Taral was perfect in her role as co-leader of the
Daimons. Sometimes the only thing that kept her in check were the other two
leaders, Raidon and Forlan. She was
manipulative and cunning, using her unquestionable attractiveness as a weapon
that she wielded magnificently. She was
brought out of her thoughts by the woman’s voice she had heard before.
“Professor Chenkor will see you in a minute.”
Xena remembered thinking that the statement was
unnecessary. She was going nowhere. Chenkor. Of course, the scientific
genius of his time. It seemed that the technological gene had been passed down
to this man from his grandfather. Too bad his grandfather didn’t have any
morals, or none of this would have happened, she thought.
She felt her bed being rotated so that she was in a
vertical position. She now had full view of the room she was in. She wondered if
she was still in the same building, because there was no titanium to be seen on
the walls, which was typical of the Daimons. Titanium was seen to be the only
material that should be used.
There was no one else in the room, apart from the woman
who had spoken to her a few minutes ago. She was quite tall and had flaming red
hair, which struck Xena as being very unusual because that had become very rare
after the Happening. In her whole lifetime, she had only known of one person,
with the so called ‘red-strain’ and that was her grandmother. She must have
been staring, because the woman began to speak.
“Unless you want me to blindfold you as well, would you
please stop analysing me.”
Xena looked away.
“I’m…”
She stopped, as her voice gave in, from dryness. The
woman took a plastic cup and went over to the wall where a water dispenser
materialised as she pressed a button. Coming over to Xena, she held the cup
while she drank.
“Thanks,” said Xena.
“You’re welcome,” the woman replied, looking at
Xena.
At that point, a white haired man entered the room,
causing both women to turn and look.
“Everything alright?” Chenkor asked, suspiciously.
“Yes, Professor,” replied the woman, moving away from
the bed.
Xena’s eyes followed her, before turning her attention
to the man. Her eyes grew cold as she detected the callousness in him. From
reports, everything pointed to a man with a stone heart, caring for nothing but
himself and his inventions. She could tell now, that it was probably true.
He held a portable electronic notepad in his left hand,
pushing buttons as he walked closer to Xena.
It was an order, not a question. Xena’s eyes narrowed.
Xena saw Chenkor halt mid-press and look up from his
notepad, staring at Xena.
He looked down at his notes again.
“Name: Xena Gabri
Born: Old England, February 10th 2175
Age: 25.
Mother: Cyrene, Deceased
Father: Classified, Deceased
Brother: Tagon, erm, Deceased
Rank: Commander….
Xena listened to him as he rattled off facts about her,
her mouth curling slightly as she heard her Mother’s maiden name used as her
surname and that her Father’s name was classified. Figures, she
thought. They weren’t about to let it be open information that Xena Gabri’s
father had moved in the inner circles of the Daimons. She lost her smile though
as she noticed the slight pause as he came to her brother.
Chenkor looked up at her, expecting a response. When she
kept silent, he blew out a breath, frustratedly.
“Fine, I’ll take your silence as it’s true.”
He walked over to the red haired woman and spoke to her
quietly, as she went over to a computer.
“Now I need to ask you a few questions,” he said to
Xena, as she was losing patience.
“Look, I don’t see why you’re asking me. Why do you
wanna know? What’s it for? And why can’t you find out on your damn own?!”
“I can see, we’re getting nowhere with this. I’ll
come back later, when you’ve calmed down a bit,” he replied, stiffly turning
to the woman. “Sedate her.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, as Chenkor strode out of the
room, the doors sliding shut after him.
Xena watched as the young woman first lowered her bed to
a horizontal position again and then filled a syringe and walked towards her.
“Is that really necessary? There’s no camera in
here.”
“It’s my orders,” replied the woman, tapping the
syringe to bring the air to the surface.
“And you always follow them, right?” said Xena
sarcastically, gauging her response.
The woman’s eyes flicked up from the needle to the
Commander, a flare of defiance evident in her brown eyes.
“If I don’t, people die.”
Xena’s dark eyebrows came together in slight confusion.
“You’re a Fence?” Xena asked after a pause. Fences were people captured
and forced to work for the Daimons under the threat of killing their loved ones.
“Yes,” she replied, quietly.
“Who do they have?”
“My younger sister and my parents.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Why did they want you?”
“Because I’m good with computers. Science is also one
of my strong points,” she responded, bitterly.
“They want you as a Techno?” Xena asked, “Don’t
they have enough? What do they want from you?”
“I don’t know,” said the woman, shrugging sadly.
She sat down on a chair next to the bed. “A couple of friends and I were
working on some displacement experiment and I guess the Daimons got wind of it.
The next thing we knew, Detainers were trouping through the village and took
myself and my friends and all of our immediate families. We had no idea what was
happening until we were dropped off at this facility and put into cells. None of
us realised the real situation, not until one of my friends said he didn’t
want to be here anymore. He punched one of the guards. The next morning, we were
hauled out and brought into a yard. My
friend, the one who had spoken out, and his family were lined up against a
wall.”
The woman paused for a second, taking a deep breath. She
wondered why she was telling this to a Commander of the Rebels, someone who she
had never even met before.
“They forced us to watch them murder him. Five seconds
was all it took, and then we were shoved back into the cells. The two of us that
were left said nothing else after that. I guess it was a day later, they took
myself and my friend, Eden, out and questioned us separately about our
experiment. I explained it was a simple test, that we meant nothing by it and we
would halt the experiment if they wanted. They asked who came up with the theory
and I said all three of us worked on it, but I didn’t say anything more.
Later that day, when we were back in our cells, some
Escorters came. They took my friend and her family out. Eden looked back at me,
and I could see tears in her eyes. Then she mouthed, Sorry, to me. I didn’t
know what she meant, but I found out soon enough. They took me here, told me
that Eden had made it clear that I was the brains behind the experiment, so they
were keeping me, as a Fence, as you call it.”
She looked up at Xena from where she was sitting, her
eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Gods,” Xena breathed. “How… how long have you
been here?”
“Two years, I think.” She shook her head. “It's
difficult to keep track of time in here.”
“Do you ever get to see your…?”
“No, my day is simple. Released from my single cell,
escorted here, escorted back when everything is done for the day. I don’t even
know if they’re still alive,” she said, sadly. “But I have to keep doing
it, in case they are.”
Xena nodded, her gaze meeting the young woman’s.
“You’re very brave,” she said, earnestly. “I
think your family would be proud. Never lose hope, otherwise all is lost.”
The girl gave a small smile.
“Well, I don’t really think there’s much you can
do. Every soldier who’s ever been captured, never sees sunlight again,” Xena
said, wryly.
“I know that, but you said yourself, never lose hope or
all is lost.
Xena cocked her head to one side and sighed.
In her heart, Xena knew it was totally hopeless to
attempt an escape. But she had to keep up the pretence for this young woman. She
needed to know that there was always a chance, otherwise Xena knew the young
woman would die inside.
“Yeah, the displacement of Time.”
“Time?”
“Yes, time travel was what my experiment was about. We
tried to send an object back five minutes in time. It was complicated but if it
was possible, I would remember the object materialising five minutes ago.”
“Did it work?” asked Xena, not wanting to go into the
details of it. Science and her did not gel.
“Partly. We succeeded, but the object materialised at
the wrong time, a day previous and it only materialised ¾ of the object.”
“So, the Daimons are trying to be mess with Time, eh?
That’s not good news.”
“No it's not.”
“What stage are they at now?”
“They’ve just successfully completed an experiment
sending a weapon back a day." The woman looked unhappily at Xena.
“What?” asked the Commander, anxiously.
“Next, they’re going to try a Human." Xena stared at the Tech.
“You mean, that’s why they want me? I’m the human they’re gonna test?”
Xena didn’t need an answer. She read it in the woman’s eyes. “Shit,” was all she could say, closing her eyes against the thought. "Why do they want me?"
"We found that inanimate objects had no problems going through, but when they tried animals, most didn't work. It was found that a certain chemical was needed in the body that would naturally combat the stress of the journey. You are the only one so far that we've found that has this type of chemical." The redhead woman glanced up at the door quickly. “I should be going. They’ll be expecting me,” she sighed. “I won’t sedate you, but try and get some sleep, okay. I should be back a bit later to check on you.” She gave a small smile to the Commander, turning to go to the door.
“Wait,” Xena started, laughing slightly. “I… don’t even know your name.”
“Avel,” she whispered, as she pushed the button to alert the guard to escort
her back.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
She was running. She was in a long, narrow corridor.
Other corridors branched off at either side, leading to more corridors. Still
she ran. In front of her, appeared a small boy, ten summers or so.
“Why, Xe?” he said, as he began to run next to
her.
“I don’t understand.”
“Why did you let them kill me?”
“NO! I didn’t. I couldn’t…” she couldn’t
finish.
“You left me, why did you leave me?”
“I…”
“You were supposed to protect me!!!”
Xena opened her eyes, a tear slowly making its way down
the side of her face.
“I’m so sorry, Tagon,” she breathed.
A face appeared above her and a light shone in her eye.
Xena struggled to turn her head away from the light, but
found that her head had been secured tightly, restricting all movement. Specimen?
I’ll be damned if I let them use me as a rat, she thought, furiously. The
face disappeared, only to be replaced by the sneering features of Taral.
“Well now, Xena. You’ll be going on a short trip
soon.”
Xena saw Taral jerk her head at someone, then felt her
bed rising so she was in a half sitting position.
“Isn’t that better, Commander?” She rubbed her
chin, thoughtfully. “I wonder, Xena, just how much do you, Rebels know about
the activities of the Daimons?”
“Never,” spat Xena.
“Oh, I think you’ll come around. Once you find out
the terms.”
“Nothing you say to me, or do to me, will ever make me
help you. You can count on it.”
“Hm, how noble. But what if it wasn’t you that would
be hurt if you didn’t accomplish this mission? What if it was an entire
village of people, a whole nation? What would you do then, O Gracious
Commander?”
Xena was silent again, swallowing a lump of dread, that
settled in her stomach as a cloud of unease. Taral smiled unkindly at her
obvious distress.
“You wouldn’t dare murder an entire nation just because I won’t conform to your rules,” Xena barked as she turned to leave.
She came back, and leaned over her bed, bringing her face
inches from hers. “Just try me.”
She left then, Doctor Chenkor taking her place. Her bed
was levitated to a vertical position again for questioning.
“Do you have any allergies?"
Xena could hear the frustration in his voice. Obviously
he had been trying his best to hack into the Resistance’s records and it
hadn’t paid off. Ezi, my friend, you did good, she thought, picturing
the smug look of the computer whiz she knew so well.
“No,” she replied stubbornly, after a length of time.
“Any deficiencies?”
“No.”
“Do you have a history of Metalfusion in your
family’s blood?”
Afraid it will disrupt your precious time portal? she
wondered, absently. Metalfusion was a biological war weapon, created by the
previous generations using Robium. Its purpose was to generate an imbalance in
the body, causing severe consequences, sometimes even resulting in death.
Millions had perished. Those that had not, passed on the mutated gene down to
their children, which lay dormant until something triggered the effect.
Sometimes it only took something as simple as cutting a hand on a metal object
and the danger was that it could not be detected until the symptoms were well
advanced, and then it was too late.
“No.”
“Are you sure?” The doctor’s tone was demanding.
“I’m sure. Unless my parents count of course.”
“What do you mean? Did they have the condition?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think people who had their
throats cut could tell you. They were sliced with titanium, but I guess they
died before the symptoms could manifest themselves. So you tell me, Doctor. Or
better still ask Taral, she might have heard them say something or maybe she was
too busy killing the rest of my village.” All the while, Xena’s voice was
rising until she was literally shouting at the man.
“Have you had any injuries?” Chenkor ignored the
outburst.
Xena took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
“Are we talking physically? Or mentally too?” she said, sarcastically.
“Physically,” responded the man, calmly.
“Laser burns on all limbs, broken leg, dislocated
shoulder,” she stated, “Tell me, Chenkor, why the questions? It's not like
you really care.”
“I need to establish whether you are capable for your
mission,” he replied, as he tapped on his notepad.
“And what is this mission that everyone is talking
about?”
At that point, a soft crackle could be heard and Chenkor
reached up and pressed an earpiece further into his ear. A small nod was the
only indication of what was said to him. Chenkor looked up at Xena.
“I think you’ll be getting an answer to that question
very soon,” he said, tersely as he headed towards the doorway.
Xena sighed loudly as she was once more moved to a
horizontal position. She closed her eyes, thinking back to her home village. The
day that had put her on her path to bloodshed. Taral and a section of her
soldiers had swept into her village, burning and destroying, killing everyone in
their path. No reason was ever given, but then that was usual for the Daimons.
She, aged ten and her brother, aged eight, had been in the barn, playing. The
sounds of fighting and the screams had alerted the two, who had stayed hidden in the
barn. The shouting and screaming had come nearer and the door of the barn was flung
open, their parents running in, closely followed by Taral and three guards.
Cornered, her parents had clung to each other, defenceless and weaponless.
Signalling to the men behind her, Taral had ordered one guard to hold each one.
Moving towards their mother, Xena and Tagon had watched as a young Taral drew a
short knife, taunting her father.
“You’ll watch as I kill your wife, and when I find
those two brats of yours, you’ll watch them die by my hand as well.”
“No, please. Leave my family alone. It’s me you
want. Take me; just leave my wife and kids alone.”
“No, I want you to suffer.”
As she said that, Taral had begun slicing Cyrene,
Xena’s mother, making deliberately shallow cuts in her arms. Her father had
started screaming and straining against his captor, but he was no match. High up
in the barn, Xena had prevented Tagon from observing the scene but she looked
on, powerless to do anything. Xena had been boiling with rage, and only the
thought that she had to keep Tagon safe stopped her from doing anything rash.
Xena’s father was on his knees now, begging for Taral to stop. Taral turned and looked at him, smiling victoriously. Then she sliced the throat of Cyrene, eliciting a roar from him. He reared up suddenly, taking his captor off-guard. He rushed Taral, who couldn’t avoid his lunge in time. He sent them both spiralling to the ground, Taral under him. For a brief moment, Xena thought that her father had killed Taral, but it wasn’t to be. She saw Taral, then only a captain, shove her father’s motionless body off her, the knife jutting out of his chest, buried to the hilt.
Xena looked on, silently swearing she would have her
revenge, as Taral ordered the guards out of the barn. When they had left, Taral
stood over Xena’s father, pulling out her dagger and wiping it on his shirt.
“You earned it, Traitor,” Xena heard her whisper.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
“Wake up, Xena.”
Xena heard a voice close to her ear, whispering urgently.
“Avel?” Xena managed, rousing herself and looking at
the young face above hers.
“Yes. They’re about to come and brief you on your
mission, then send you through.”
“Who? Send me…?” Xena was still groggy from sleep
and only now was her brain reminding her where she was.
“I know what they’re planning to do now. And I can't
allow it to happen.”
“What is it, Avel?”
“They’re going to send you back 20 years. They’re
going to give you a package, containing all the information they have right
now.”
Xena’s brow furrowed. “20 years? That would be…”
“Yeah, just before they defeated the Argons,”
finished Avel. The Argons had been the last opposing faction against the
Daimons. “They want you to deliver it to Darius. You remember him? The
previous leader of the Daimons.”
“In the name of Rion, they’ll be unstoppable,”
breathed Xena. “I can’t do it. Millions more will die if I do as they want
me to.”
“But nations will perish if you don’t.”
“Then what do you expect me to do?” snapped Xena.
“If I don’t they’ll cut off the supplies to any realm they want, and Rion
knows they can do that. If I complete the mission, the Daimons will have a
20-year advance on the technology of the other groups. The others won’t stand
a chance.” Xena swallowed. “They’ll all be annihilated. All because of
me.”
“No,” Avel said, quietly.
“What?” said Xena, staring at the young girl.
The red-haired girl took a breath. “I… have a plan. I don’t know if it’ll work, but…”
“Tell me.”
Quickly, Avel outlined the idea to Xena, biting her lip
when she had finished, waiting for her response. Xena thought about it
carefully, weighing up the dangers. After a short while, she met the young
girl’s brown eyes.
Just then, the doors slid open and Chenkor flanked by
four Escorters trooped into the room. Avel stood back from the bed, allowing the
Doctor space to talk to the restrained Commander.
“You will come quietly, or I’ll have to sedate
you,” he stated, as he motioned for two guards to release her.
Quickly, the men unlocked the metal bands, one of them
roughly pulling Xena off the bed. She stumbled slightly, her legs buckling from
weakness and her head spinning from lying down for so long. Immediately, Avel
was at Xena’s side, helping her to stand.
“Get away from her, girl,” came Chenkor’s harsh
voice.
Avel glared at him, not letting go of the faint woman.
“She needs help. There’s no way she’ll be able to walk by herself.”
Chenkor’s eyes grew even colder. “Well, since you
seem to care so much, you can help her to Taral’s office.” He nodded
his head to the guards and they swiftly surrounded the two women. “What are
you waiting for? Get moving!”
They were lead through the corridors of the building,
moving at a slow pace.
“He’ll punish you for that, you know,” murmured
Xena, as she fought the after effects of the sedatives she had been given.
“I know. But I figured you could use the company,”
smiled the girl.
“Thanks,” said Xena, as she began to feel her head
clear.
Suddenly they halted outside a door and one of the guards
grabbed the young girl, while another shoved Xena into the room.
No, thank you Commander, thought Avel, as she was
marched back to her own quarters. Before Xena had been captured and brought into
her life, she had been ready to break. The endless orders, the gnawing anguish
of not knowing if her family were well or even alive, the knowledge that
everything she was doing was to murder innocent lives, was getting too much for
the seventeen year old to bear. Then the Commander had been brought in. Freedom.
That was what she stood for, and it was well known that Resistance Elite
could inspire hope and dreams in the people around them. It was a defining
characteristic in them. Avel had never met one before, and now that she had, she
understood. She understood why there were stories about them, because they were
true. At least, they were about Xena. She turned her head to look at the door
where the guards had forced Xena in. I won’t let you down, Commander.
Xena on the other hand, wasn’t feeling very good. Her
head felt like it was ready to explode and she tried to swallow the nauseating
feeling she had in her stomach. Outwardly however, she showed no sign of her
weakness, other than taking deep breaths. The guards had sent her in, only to be
picked up by another guard inside, who sat her down in a chair in front of a
long desk. Then he had left, leaving her by herself in the room.
Xena looked around, noting there were no cameras again.
In fact there was nothing in the room, apart from the chair and the desk with
three other chairs behind it. Even the desk was clear. Not leaving it to
chance that I’ll find a weapon, eh Taral, she thought wryly. She looked
down on herself, seeing that her Resistance black uniform had been exchanged for
a bright orange jumpsuit, with the Daimon insignia of a hand enclosing an image
of the globe, stamped above her left breast. Nice, not wanting me to be
recognised as a criminal, I see, she thought sarcastically.
She looked up as two men entered the room, closely
followed by Taral. It still amazed Xena at how the petite, blonde woman could
have risen so far up the Daimon ranks. Her face was impassive as she watched the
two men take their seats either side of the table. There was no mistaking the
thin, hawk-like face of Raidon and the broad, flat face of Forlan. Taral seated
herself in between the two men, sliding an electronic notepad across the smooth
surface of the table towards Xena. The Commander stopped it from flying off the
desk with her hand, looking at Taral intently. Neither woman moved or broke the
stare and the other two leaders in the room swallowed, feeling the tension in
the room. The look in Taral’s eyes was almost mocking, but underlying that was
a current of loathing for the dark woman sitting opposite her. Xena’s gaze was
of pure hatred for the woman who had murdered her entire family and friends.
Eventually, the silence was broken by Forlan clearing his
throat and the stare was broken when Xena looked down at the notepad. The relief
was evident on the two men’s faces. The last thing they needed was the
Resistance Commander and Taral to tear each other’s hearts out, especially
when there was no guard in the room. They knew about the skill that this
particular Commander had in fighting, and to be honest, they didn’t want a
personal demonstration.
Xena was skimming the brief orders on the notepad,
shaking her head slowly. They cannot be serious. It’ll never work, and even
if it does, the future they create may not be what they expect, she thought.
She flicked her eyes up to each of the Daimon leaders.
“Why must I do this? Isn’t this a job for one of your
own?” she asked, skeptically.
Forlan sat forward, resting his clasped hand on the desk. “We had to meet certain… requirements. We couldn’t find someone suitable for the task, that is, until we found you.” It was obvious he was uncomfortable explaining that the Daimons, the great conquerors of the world, had difficulty finding a candidate from their own ranks.
“So let me get this straight. You are going to send me
through that time portal of yours, that you’ve only just managed to discover.
You’ve never attempted this before, you don’t know where I’ll end up, you
don’t even know if I’ll end up there alive, and then you want me to go and
pay a visit to Darius, giving him 20 years worth of technology, just so he can
get rid of the competition early?”
Forlan and Raidon looked at each other over Taral, who was sitting back, keenly watching her from her chair.
“More or less, yes,” Forlan answered.
“And you will,” stated Taral, with certainty.
“Because if you don’t, we’ll know, because nothing will have changed here
in 2202. If nothing changes in one month, your Resistance Homebase will be
destroyed, by any means possible.”
“You have no idea where Homebase is,” retorted Xena.
“You misunderstand me, dear Commander. I said by any
means possible and we know it is somewhere in Europa.” Taral let this
information sink in. “Their deaths, will be in your hands, so I suggest you
take this mission, complete it, and everyone will be happier."
Xena was shocked, but her face was stoic. They would
destroy the whole of Europa, just to destroy the Homebase of the Resistance? she
thought, disbelieving.
“What if I don’t make the trip? What if something
happens and I don’t materialise?” she heard herself ask.
Raidon spoke up. “Our scans will record that the
Transfer was not successful.”
“You don’t really leave me much choice,” Xena said, her voice accusing
”Prisoners of War have no choices,” replied Taral,
her emerald eyes glinting as she smiled her victory over her rival.
The leaders of the Daimon rose from their seats, Raidon
speaking. “Come with us now. You will be clothed in the uniform of a Daimon
Major to allow you safe access into Darius’ compound.”
Taral laughed scornfully as she saw the faintest look of
revulsion flash across the Resistance Leader’s face. “Maybe the Commander
would like the uniform of a General instead.”
She was pushed out another door, the Daimon leaders
following, into a lift.
“Equipment,” ordered Forlan as the lift began to
move.
Seconds later, she was shoved out again where two guards
grabbed her roughly by the arms and took her over to a table, where a body suit
with short sleeves and trouser combats of black Daimon clothing lay. A pair of
strong black boots she recognised as her own were also on the table.
“Put these on,” one of them ordered.
Xena looked at them, but when they didn’t move, she
sighed, realising that she would have no privacy. Swiftly she stripped, aware of
the leaders’ eyes on her from behind, and slipped into the uniform. It fit
perfectly, the material hugging her skin but not hindering her movement. She
also knew, that although the fabric was thin to the eye, it was strong and would
prevent knife slashes from harming her.
“Jerkin,” said the guard.
Xena looked as she saw a sleeveless, black jerkin
materialise on the table. She looked at the shoulder guards, seeing the five
lines that curved over each one, indicating the position of General. She shot a
look over her shoulder, only to see a smug look on Taral’s face. She also
noticed short daggers situated on the inside of the jerkin.
“Put it on,” said the guard, impatiently.
Xena turned on him, seizing him by the neck with her hand
and lifting him a good ten centimetres off the ground.
The other guard, taken by surprise, came to his senses
and began fumbling around with his weapon. He was, however, too slow and Xena
grabbed the weapon out of his holster and aimed it at the panicked guard.
Behind them, watching the scene calmly, Taral turned to
Forlan. “It would seem the drugs are wearing off the Commander.” She turned
back to face her defiant prisoner. “Put… him and the weapon down, Xena.”
A sharp look over her shoulder, and the look of wrath in
Xena’s eyes told Taral she would have to take things further.
“I say again, Xena, and I won’t say it again. Put
them down or I’ll make sure all of Europa burns in Hell.”
Xena clenched her jaw and looked up at the ceiling,
willing herself to calm down. She blew out a breath in frustration and tossed
the guard against the wall, knocking him unconscious. She turned to the other
guard, who was so frightened, he couldn’t move. She flipped the weapon around
in her hand and pushed it back into his holster, then curling her left hand into
a fist she punched his jaw. With a sickening crack, he crumpled to the floor,
unmoving. Swiftly she picked up the jerkin and swung it over her head, slipping
her arms through the holes. She turned around to face the leaders, as she leaned
back on the table, crossing her arms.
Forlan licked his lips nervously, avoiding the seething
Resistance Commander’s gaze. Raidon was looking down at his boots, scratching
his neck absently, while Taral began to move towards the taller woman.
“Nice display, Xena,” she said, waving her hand at
the two fallen guards. “But you just remember who’s in charge here.” Her
last words were spoken quietly, so that only Xena could hear them.
Taral was now standing toe to toe with Xena, her green
gaze burning into the dark woman’s. Xena looked away defiantly, her jaw
twitching. She missed the once over that Taral gave her, the Daimon leader
noting the strength in her arms, her muscles standing out in stark relief.
Taral’s gaze travelled down the Commander’s body, approving of the
well-toned torso and legs, capable of killing a person with ease. She looked up
at her face, admiring the beauty she found there, as Xena returned her gaze. She
looked past the dark woman to the table.
“X-25,” she ordered. She saw the quick look of
surprise on Xena’s face, before it was hidden behind her mask. “You’re
going to explain this weapon to Darius and give him the design plans,” she
explained. “That shouldn’t be too hard.” She looked hard at the Commander.
“Since you were the one to invent it.”
Xena turned to look at her weapon. She reached out
her hand to retrieve it, but was stopped by Taral’s smaller hand. Xena glanced
at her, then at her hand, which was held captive, and then back to Taral again.
The blonde woman placed Xena’s hand on the edge of the table then released it.
“Not yet, Commander,” she said, as she took hold
of the X-25 herself. “Let’s go.” She motioned for Xena to walk in front
towards the lift again.
Reluctantly, Xena turned and saw that the two men
were already inside the lift. Slowly she walked into the lift to join them, the
doors sliding shut after Taral.
“Transfer room.”
“You don’t waste time do you?” commented Xena,
as realised that she was making her trip now.
“No, but you're about to. Twenty years of it.”
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
“This is your time machine?” Xena asked,
disbelief written all over her face, as she looked down at a small blue disc,
about five metres away from her, the size of her thumb, on the floor.
It was situated on a polished metal square about a
metre in width and length. She had been taken to the Transfer room, and had been
kitted out with all sorts of gadgets. They had placed a patch over her heart to
record her life signs as she passed through the portal, which they said she
could remove when she ‘landed’. Last minute medical checks were being
carried out on her as the Techs in the room rushed about the room in what seemed
to Xena like disorder. As she sat on the table, she looked about the large room,
searching out a familiar face. Her gaze met Avel’s in silent understanding,
just as Chenkor reached Xena.
“Open your mouth.”
“What now?” asked Xena, irritated.
“Just do it.” Xena gave him a cold look. “Okay
fine, swallow this.” He held up a small red capsule.
“What is it?” asked Xena suspiciously.
“It’s to help regulate your bodily functions. It
might make your journey safer and it could make the difference between you
ending up as a pile of glue or a bag of bones,” he said, annoyed, as Xena took
the capsule and swallowed it reluctantly. Immediately she felt light-headed, and
she grabbed Chenkor by his collar, among other things, to prevent her from
falling off the table.
“What have you done to me?” she managed.
“Relax, it’s only temporary. Your body’s just
getting used to it.” As soon as he said the words, she began to feel much
stronger, better than she had done in years.
As she released the doctor, he looked down at his
notepad, checking her vital signs.
Xena shook her head and wondered what was in the
capsule, feeling she could run 100 laps around the building right now. Even her
senses, which were usually exceptional anyway, felt heightened. She began to get
the feeling that the room was quieting down, and coming back to some sort of
order. She glanced up, first at the young redhead, giving her an almost
imperceptible wink of approval before turning her attention to Taral, who was
coming towards her.
“Ready, Commander?” Taral said, barely concealing
her excitement.
Xena shrugged one shoulder. “Wouldn’t matter if I
wasn’t now, would it?”
“Probably not.” She looked at Xena, thoughtfully.
“Start up the Transfer,” she ordered, never breaking her gaze.
A man sitting at the console next to Avel pushed a
few buttons. Immediately Xena heard a whirring noise and she watched as the blue
disc began spinning. After a few seconds the spinning had created a whirlwind,
but Xena noticed that nothing in the room was disturbed by it.
“Switch on the transformer.”
The man pushed more buttons, and a crackling could be
heard. Suddenly from each corner of the metal plate came a spear of lightening,
which connected with the whirlwind. It seemed to become charged with energy and
it increased its pace until it wasn’t possible to see it spinning. It was
almost clear and now no noise could be heard.
“Set the time.”
Xena’s gaze flicked quickly to Avel who was busy
tapping in information at her console. She watched as the nervous girl swallowed
hard and took a deep breath. She looked up, barely glancing at Xena, to Taral.
“Done, Sir.”
Taral smiled triumphantly. “Well, guess it's time.
There’s just one last thing,” she said, thrusting a small flat envelope into
Xena’s hand. “This contains a micro disc. It’s compatible with the old
technology that they have there. Make sure you put this in Darius’ hands and his
hands only. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” replied Xena, returning the steely
gaze. She pocketed the package into an inner compartment in her jerkin.
“Good.” Xena thought she saw a strange look pass
over Taral’s face momentarily, before she spoke again. “Send the weapon
through.”
A guard took the X-25 from Taral and stepped
carefully towards the portal. When he got to within a metre, he turned and looked
to Taral for approval. She nodded in return and the guard swung his arm back and
tossed the weapon straight into the whirlwind. Upon touching the portal, the
laser gun seemed to disintegrate and then it was gone.
“Successful transfer, sir,” reported the Tech
next to Avel.
“Your turn,” said Taral. “Give my regards to
Darius.”
Xena slid off the table, advancing slowly towards the
portal.
“Hang on a minute, sir.”
“What is it, Jibs?” asked Taral, impatiently.
Xena had stopped a few metres away from the whirlwind.
“I don’t really know. It's just… the readings
for the X-25 are ten times as high as they should be.” He moved to Avel’s
console, pushing her out of his way, frowning at first and then shock
registering on his face. “It’s gone back 200 years! Not 20!”
He began to tap on the console, frantically.
Suddenly, he was thrown to the floor by the weight of Avel, who had grabbed him.
“GO!” shouted Avel to Xena, as she grappled with
Jibs. In that split second Xena roused herself and a look of understanding
passed between them. Their plan had worked. Suddenly, two strong arms grabbed
her from behind, but she bent her knees and twisted her body, bringing her leg
around, her boot cracking against the side of the guard’s head, who released
her instantly.
“Shut it down!” yelled Taral, rushing towards the
consoles. “Restrain the prisoner!”
The doors slid open, five guards rushing in to
restore order. They began to open fire on Xena, but all missed and smashed into
the portal instead. One laser reflected off and shot into the back of a console,
causing it to explode in the face of a young Tech.
“Stop your firing, you idiots!” screamed Taral,
rapidly trying to fix the time portal. “You’ll damage the Transfer unit!”
The guards threw down their weapons and charged the
disruptive captive, drawing short titanium daggers. Xena watched them advance,
without fear. There was a reason why she was Resistance Elite. The first man
slashed at her head, but Xena caught his hand by the wrist and followed through
the movement, wrenching his joint so he dropped the weapon. She elbowed him in
the face, not waiting to see him fall to the floor, but swiftly picking up the
fallen dagger and readying herself for the others. Two came at her next, lunging
forwards in the hope of lancing their weapons into her. She blocked one with her
new weapon, blade on blade and stopped the other by kicking his arm, just below
the elbow. He fell to the ground beside his fallen comrade, writhing around in
pain, clutching a broken arm. She turned on her standing foot and smashed the
same leg into the nose of the other guard, a spray of red splattering her
jerkin. The two men that were left, hesitated slightly, but Xena didn’t wait for them to
come to her this time. She leaped over the three guards on the floor,
somersaulting in the air to land behind the stunned men. They turned too late,
as she gutted one of them, driving the dagger upwards into his ribcage and
grabbing the other’s head, killing him swiftly with a snap. All this happened
in the space of a minute and Xena turned to look for Avel. She saw the young
girl’s body lying motionless on the floor in front of the console, the hilt of
a Daimon dagger protruding from her chest.
“NO!” she shouted, dashing over to the redhead.
She found her barely alive.
The girl was whispering and Xena had to bring her
head close to the girl’s mouth to hear her words. “Go Xena. You can…
prevent… all of this. Stop…history. Go… now… before it’s too late.”
There was blood pooling in Avel’s mouth now. “Save…us.
Xena looked up at the portal. It had begun to bend
and sway as if it was collapsing in on itself. She glanced around the room,
seeing that it was empty apart from a furious Taral doing her best to shut down
the time machine. Everyone had obviously fled the room to avoid the fight and
smoke and sparks were coming from the blown up console. Looking down again at
the youthful face of the redhead, she made a decision.
“I’ll do my best,” she whispered, as she stood
and looked once at the face of her enemy. “You’ve lost, Taral,” she said,
beginning to run towards the unstable portal.
She didn’t see the snarl appear on the pretty,
blonde’s face. She missed the Daimon leader drawing a dagger. She didn’t
notice the flash as the blade spun through the air, but she felt the impact as
she entered the portal, the metal piercing her shoulder. The scream of pain was
lost in the whirlwind as Xena disintegrated into time.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<