The Lost Sentinel

14 Being himself (2)

Tan

Rhine finds me something to wear. It looks like one of those pyjama outfits, I’ve seen many martial artist wear in movies. I put the clothes on, and I feel a bit goofy in them because I am no martial.

artist.

“You don’t have any regular clothes,” I ask Rhine as I walk out of the bathroom I stepped into in order to change.

“No, we buy our own human clothes, we’ll have to buy some for you once we go back to earth,” he says looking at me from head to toe.

“What?” I ask him, because he looks like he wants to say something.

“Nothing. You just remind me of someone, that’s all,” he says his voice going a bit rough.

“Okaay,” I say not needing another reminder of Master Gin. “About the clothes, I can go and fetch my own clothes. Now, let’s go and call my friend.”

I follow Rhine to the command station and I stand there staring at him as he punches a few keys.

“Do you have his number?” he asks looking at me over his shoulder. I think of Laz’s number, and then shake my head, because I know he ditched the phones the minute things got very complicated.

I know a few of his hideouts, we could go there, and surprise him, but I don’t want to waste time looking around on earth.

The aliens seem to be able to find me and attack me while I am on earth. I want this to be in and out, and I want him to round up some of my rivals so that they can help.

They will be protecting their own homes too. Or fight to get the most valuable artefacts, I just need to make it juicy for them.

I give Rhine one of Laz’s emails. He used it when he was recruiting new boys to steal for him. He didn’t know that I knew of this email, because he knew I would leave his a*s, since he was trying to replace me.

Rhine types the message I dictate to him.

Me: Long time no hear, friend. Can’t believe you left me and Mak high and dry like that.

I tell Rhine leaving it there. He sends it. I know Laz will see it soon. I find a chair in the room and sit down, because I know we have to wait for a while before Laz answers.

Rhine continues to punch keys, a few screens pop up.

I gasp in shock as I watch an image of me, taking up most of the screen.          

Damn…it’s my soul.

I stare in disbelief as I walk into a very large arena.

“Is this happening right now?” I ask my heart jumping into my throat as the camera pans and shows my opponent…it’s one of the red fuckers who attacked me.

“No. I can only get a recorded fight. This is what happened a few hours ago,” Rhine looks at me over his shoulder again. His eyes roam over my body as if inspecting me. “You must have felt something. What happens to him there happens to you.” He says stating the obvious. The bruises on my body were proof of that. I just didn’t share them with him and Hanika.

I don’t want them thinking I am a punk or something. I’ve survived worse in foster care and on the streets, a few bruises are not going to phase.

“I got that,” I say sarcasm lacing my every word my eyes fixed on the screen. The fight is brutal and I cringe every time my soul gets hit, but I am also impressed that I am holding my own as well against the monster alien. I knew he won since I am alive. It’s just amazing and scary to watch how he did it. I never thought I could do that.

I watch in amazement as strip of metal grows from his fist as if from nothing.

“Oh wow…he did that. He’s already wielding metal. He’s learning fast,” Rhine says completely awed. “But time might not be on our side if they’re already hunting you down. I hope that your plan works. With other people looking for the artefacts as well, we just might win this fight.”

“That’s what I am thinking,” I say watching my other half fighting for his life. I am doing well, and I am impressed that I can wield metal but… it looks like more like luck than anything to me.

 There has to be a way I can help him too. “Do you have a database of all the aliens that are out there? I want to have a look so I can be prepared next time I meet them.” I ask Rhine.

“Yeah, I have something. I have been compiling a list of them since we started to fight them. You can access the mainframe from your room. Just type Species. Here is a portable device you can use.”

Rhine hands me an electronic device that looks more like a tablet, but it has antennas at the sides.” I touch them wondering what they are used for.

“Those help with connecting onto other networks, especially when you are on earth. And I can easily find you as long as you keep it on your person.”

“Don’t you have something smaller?” I ask frowning. If the aliens can come up with some genetic tracking s**t…surely he can come up with something interesting.

“I do, but don’t want to wheel down to the store room. We will get something when you venture on earth again,” he says already turning back to the screen a sour pull to his face.

Damn…I guess I offended him somehow.   

Before I can say anything a beeping sound fills the space.

“That’s a message from your friend,” Rhine informs me. He punches a few more buttons and then a message from Laz is displayed on the screen.

Laz: Hey men, thought you were dead, else I wouldn’t have bailed like that. But you would have done the same if you were in my shoes.

No. I wouldn’t have.

They say there is no honour amongst thieves. But I have it, and I am loyal to a fault.

“Can we make our way to where he is right now?” I ask. “I think I might need to have this conversation with him in person.”

Rhine nods, already changing cause of the ship.

“Good, tell him I’ll see him in a minute,” I say.

Rhine types it out and sends it to him.

“I am going to have to bring Hanika with me. I need someone as scary as she is. You think she will go?”

“You’ll have to ask her,” Rhine says with a shrug.

I know what he’s thinking. Hanika doesn’t like thieves, but now there is no choice.

We are stuck together, and my thieving friends and enemies are the only people who can help us.

“Ask me what?” Hanika asks walking into the room. She looks better now with her hair combed – slicked down her back like a clown.

She has such beautiful hair.

I blink feeling flustered all of a sudden. I clear my throat trying to remember what I was saying.

“Uhm…I wanted to see if you would come with me to talk to Laz. We need him to make locating the artefacts easy. He has vast knowledge about precious artefacts and he can tell me where to find them easy.”

“Of course he does,” she says snidely.

I clench my teeth irritated with her.

“Let’s get one thing straight…you are not going to do that in front of him. I am asking him to put his life in danger so that we can win.”

“Fine,” she says flicking her hair as she turns to walk away. She comes to a stop at the door. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” I say already shaking my head.

It’s like she wants to be the one who leads everything. I never could understand people like that, because people worked better in a team.

Fuck…I miss Mak so much, I think as I follow Hanika out.