(For Disclaimers and Warnings See the Notes page)

Earth Final Conflict: Last Days of the Human Race

Chapter Four: Dark Awakening

Renee ran as Howlyn came after her. "You can’t run Renee give in to me you know it’s inevitable." She threw a punch to his face as he grabbed her. She used the distraction to run ahead only to hit a force field. "That was a mistake Renee now you have to be punished." He said tackling her to the ground and ripping her top off. "I think we’ll start on the left side today." he said drawing the energy knife she’d tried to kill him with one time when a careless Atavan worker had left it within reach of the kings pet.

Renee woke up panting. ‘Just another nightmare from the past.’ She thought as she continued to shake she could still feel the hot strokes of that knife lightly threw her skin just enough to make her bleed before Howlyn would rape her over and over until he got tired. ‘I’ll see him in the ground no matter what it takes.’ Her thoughts turned darkly to the hybrid in their base. ‘I cannot believe Street and Augur allowed that.’ She thought darkly she’d never allow one of them even a supposedly reformed hybrid near her kids if she had any. ‘Not that I ever will since I panic every time a man touches me even remotely intimately.’

"I’m surprised Augur agreed to it." Kincaide said from where he was sitting on the floor glancing across at his roommate. "I mean sure I get Street allowing it but both of them and their kids share the next room." He saw Liam giving him a quizzical look. "I don’t think many folks would sleep too well with a hybrid in the next room."

"Augur trust me." Liam said calmly with a smile. "And since I’m with you he’ll trust you somewhat but you know if I was sleeping somewhere else he’d never allow you back here." he saw the Colonel nod. "Why haven’t you spoken up whenever anyone comments?" Several folk shad commented under their breath whenever Kincaide walked by.

"It doesn’t matter." He paused. "I was a monster sure not being in control takes away some of the guilt but it doesn’t take it all." He glanced away. "You know even though I know I deserve it... never mind." He turned away. "So when are we going to actually make that pallet and go to sleep?"

Liam just looked at him pointedly. "As soon as you finish saying whatever you were going to say?" Liam said there weren’t any spare cots anywhere and no one would volunteer to double bunk with someone to give one up for the hybrid.

"I guess it’s just they look at me like I’m the foulest thing on the planet." He turned away. "I mean the only person here who treats me like a human being is you." He glanced over at Liam. "And then the others that treat me civilly do so out of respect for you."

Liam didn’t get a chance to respond as the door opened a small boy in pajama’s entered the room. "I want to talk to you." He said calmly going to sit with Liam. "He’s not like the other bad ones is he?" He said pointing over at the Colonel and expecting Liam to answer.

"No he used to be but I fixed him." Liam said he knew the boy would understand in allot of ways he was a normal child but he did have that awareness that only being part kimera could grant him. "And shouldn’t you be asleep."

"Not sleepy." The young boy said sulkily. He glanced over at Colonel Kincaide again and asked. "Why is he so pretty and shiney?" He asked he saw the colonel start and his father burst out laughing. "What’s so funny Daddy?"

Liam glanced down at him. "You know you shouldn’t call me that where anyone could hear?" he saw the boy look crestfallen. "It’s not that I don’t want you to it’s that folks might try to use you."

"I know Nana Park told me not to do any tricks near anyone but mom or her." He said quietly. "But I knew he knows." He said glancing at him. "He’s tricky like us isn’t he daddy?"

Liam smiled at his son and laughed. "Yeah he is." He heard a noise and turned to see Street approaching the doorway. "I think your busted." he saw the boy look down sheepishly as his mother’s sleepy head came into view.

"Connor its time for you to be asleep." Street said trying to keep her voice calm when she woke up and found him not in his bed she had nearly panicked. "Say goodnight then back to bed okay sweetie."

"Okay." The boy said rather sulkily. "Goodnight daddy." he said quickly hugging Liam. Then to the shock of the silent Colonel went over and hugged him too. "Goodnight Mr. Shiney." He then passed a shell shocked Street heading toward his bed.

Street looked back and forth from the shell shocked hybrid to Liam who was trying very hard not to laugh. "You can explain in the morning Liam." She said turning and closing the door behind her headed to bed wondering what would posses her normally reserved son to hug someone he just met. ‘Though you didn’t question when he hugged Liam so much did you?’ She knew why it was how she always saw Liam when she used to imagine him and her together as a couple with kids. ‘She’d known it would never happen Liam only saw her as a sister and it didn’t bother her anymore she had Connor and now he had his father back that was all that mattered.’

Kincaide glanced over at the smiling man. "What did he mean by that shiney stuff?" He then saw Liam start to laugh. He watched amazed to see how different the other man looked when he actually seemed to be happy. It wasn’t the annoying smirk he’d seen more than ten years ago or the sad smiles he’d seen so far since he was freed it was actually happiness.

"It’s your energy patterns." Liam said with a laugh. "He can see Energy patters just like you and I can." He was still smiling. "He knows we are different than other people and since Dr. Park and Street told him his extra abilities where just tricks he thinks ours are too." He smiled. "It’s a good thing Street has some unique abilities of her own or she’d not know how to deal with some of what he can do." He saw the Colonel looking at him strangely. "Street has a gift for thinking in multidimensional mathematics it’s hard on her though; it’ll probably be easier for Connor."

"Why would my energy patters cause him to describe me as Pretty and shiney?" Kincaide asked and then he saw Liam start snickering again. He couldn’t help but grin this was the lightest conversation he’d had in a long time he imagined it was for the other man as well.

"I told you Kimera are attracted to Atavan energy patterns." Liam snickered some more. "So to Us your really attractive." He glanced over at the colonel. "It’s just the way of things you smell of life and Kimera are attracted to it." He snickered taking on a mean look. "So if I ever start staring at you don’t worry I’m not after your body."

"And what’s wrong with my body." Kincaide shot back before laughing. He frowned when he looked back and Liam was running an analytical eye over him.

"Nothing." Liam said with a smirk watching the Colonel’s eyes widen a bit in shock. He then began to laugh quietly to himself. Kincaide soon joined him and the two were trying hard not to get loud enough to wake up the people in the next room.

Dr. Cox finished the process and called out to Ra’jel. "Here it is Ra’jel enough Synthetic core energy for you to live Ten thousand years." She smiled. "You’ll probably not live that long since you’ll use allot of it in battle with the Atavus but still you’ll be around a long time." She smiled she had converted every scrap of Atavan energy they had on hand for research.

Ra’jel looked skeptically on the green energy contained in the tank. "That does not appear to match Core energy very closely?" He could feel Da’an once again insisting that it was dangerous to follow Zo’ors example. "Are you sure it will work like core energy?"

"Yes all our test showed it behaved almost exactly like core energy the only downside is it worked too well in humans." She made no move to explain further. "This is your only option for Survival Ra’jel if you don’t go threw with this you will die."

Ra’jel felt a shudder internally and their resolve reaffirmed shunting Da’an aside easily as he begged for them not to repeat this folly. "Very well Dr. Cox." Ra’jel stepped forward into the rigged up Energy shower.

Dr. Cox smiled and activated the shower. She watched with a smile on her face as the energy was absorbed into him and beginning to act just like core energy. She watched his blue form beginning to get tinged green as the energy continued to poor in. "Ra’jel is everything going well should I stop and see how it’s affecting you?"

"No give me more." Ra’jel said darkly as he opened himself up letting the energy flow into him fully. He still wanted more he’d never felt such life such warmth. "Give it all to me now Doctor I’ve never felt so strong." He said calmly. "I will be able to defeat the Atavus easily and rebuild the Taelon Race." He said and Dr. Cox complied she opened it up to maximum and watched as Ra’jel continued to absorb it.

Dr. Cox was relieved when the energy shower ended and Ra’jel’s facade reappeared she had begun to get worried as the blue was almost totally gone from Ra’jel’s energy form. "Well Ra’jel how do you feel?"

Ra’jel looked up sharply. "More." He said in a commanding tone. Looking at her with a determined expression on his face. "I must have more." He said approaching the doctor. "You will make more."

"I can’t Ra’jel we don’t have any more Atavus life energy to alter maybe in a few days." She tried to keep her voice level she was afraid of him that expression didn’t look right on the Taelons face. "Besides you have more than enough life energy now you’ll live for centuries."

"No I must have more." Ra’jel said then grimaced. "It hurts doctor I need more to make the pain stop." He saw the doctor’s eyes widen in fear and looked at his hands small slivers were appearing in his skin. The part of him that was Da’an screamed in rage that it couldn’t happen again not this again. "Dr. you must get more or I will become lost." Ra’jel winced as spasms racked his body. "More!" He suddenly screamed in a growling deep voice.

Dr. Cox stared in horror as his arms were thrown back revealing glowing swirls of light in his palms. "More." he said again reaching out toward her. She tried to shy away but the palms touched her and then her world exploded into pain. Ra’jel stepped back as the doctor’s life energy poured into his Shaqarava and the last of his mind faded into he animal lust as his body twisted beyond comprehension into an Atavus. "More." The creature said lustfully and smashing threw the door tackled the first person it came across draining them dry leaving only a withered husk.

Renee awoke to the alarm klaxons and the sounds of screaming. She quickly grabbed her gun not bothering to hide her scars as she darted out in only a tank top and pajama bottoms. ‘I’ll kill that hybrid for betraying us.’ She thought as she headed toward the source of the screams. She froze when she got there a hulking gray shape was throwing aside a few burnt things that may have once been people. It shot forward grabbing another of the soldiers who surrounded it firing ineffective weapons against it. She watched with a sickening feeling as their hand sunk into the flesh and the body seemed to wither right before her eyes.

She saw Boone and more troops arriving. "What the hell is that thing?" She heard several of them asking as they saw the dark shape turning to look at them darkly. She wondered if her core energy would be any protection against this thing.

Liam set upright in shock as the alarms began to sound. "Augur, Street you two stay put with your kids." Liam’s tone was deadly serious. "Colonel you and I will go see what’s going on." the Colonel nodded falling step behind the other man.

Kincaide normally wouldn’t follow the orders of technically a civilian but he’d learned long ago during the mount weather campaign that the other man knew what he was doing. "What is it an Atavus?"

"Of sorts." Liam said calmly. "Do you remember the layout to the liar?" Liam asked the current resistance base had been based on and built around the old liar that mostly survived the destruction of the world. Kincaide nodded. "Good go around that way don’t hold back on this thing strike to kill if you get a chance." Liam’s voice was grave. "I’d love to save him but I don’t know if that’s an option."

Kincaide didn’t really understand what was going on or who Liam was referring to but he wasn’t going to ask questions. "Okay." Was all he said as he split off from the other man and headed around the long way to the area where the alarm originated.

Renee winced as another soldier fell this thing was killing them to fast. She took aim at it’s head preparing to get it’s attention when it fixed it’s eyes on William Boone. ‘We can’t afford to loose him.’ She thought knowing it was true while she nominally had command it was Boone the people respected not her and she knew it. She was about to fire when a bolt of energy slammed into the creatures side hurling it into a bank of equipment. The creature unleashed an unearthly roar.

"Back Down Ra’jel and I’ll try to cure you." Liam voice said darkly. "If you get up I’ll have to kill you." Renee turned to see him standing there palms glowing with his aim trained on the Atavus. "I don’t know how you regressed to an Atavus Ra’jel but if you don’t surrender I will kill you."

"More." The Creature roared in a dark tone as it leaped up releasing a burst of Shaqarava energy that seemed to take Liam by surprise he managed to shield himself mostly but was still thrown backwards to the ground. Renee gasped as the creature moved with inhuman speed to stand over Liam. "More." It said reaching for him.

She was shocked when a shape brushed past her slamming into the creature from behind. She recognized it as the hybrid when she saw the cleaves appear and slam into the creatures wounded side from Liam’s early Shaqarava blast. The Creature let out a roar that was joined by a scream from the hybrid as a wave of energy erupted from the creature throwing him to the ground. "Everyone fire together." She yelled. "It’s hurt aim for that side." Several shots landed home before the creature screamed and turning bolted at a speed faster than the eye could follow. "Where’d it go?" She asked in shock.

"He’s hit the access tunnels. "Liam said moving over stiffly to kneel next to the hybrid. "He’s heading away from here he’s too badly hurt to continue the fight." Renee wanted to ask what he was doing. "Go find out what regressed Ra’jel into his Atavistic state something had to trigger it. " Liam placed one hand on the hybrids chest the other on his head. Renee saw Boone staring at the scene with recognition.

"Why are you healing him?" Boone asked. "He shouldn’t need it not after feeding on that energy from the other creature?" Boone was having trouble believing that was really Ra’jel he’d never known a Taelon could be that much of an animal. ‘Even Rho’ha wasn’t that dangerous.’ He thought darkly it was suddenly all the more easy to distrust the hybrid who was once his friend and the kimera hybrid.

"Something’s not right about that energy it’s screwing up his energy patterns." Liam calmly closed his eyes. A glow spread out ward from his palms and then he opened them as he relaxed. "Good I managed to fix them." He saw everyone looking at him. "There were becoming closer to what he was before." Liam said tiredly he sounded exhausted. "He’d have regressed to what he used to be just as Ra’jel did."

The Atavus commander scowled as he looked at his hybrid hunting party. ‘Why does our king continue to use this Rabble they are worthless most of our numbers have been rived what point is there in the continued existence of these pathetic hybrids.’ He thought darkly true they were superior to the basic slaves but they would never match the grandeur of a true Atavus.

"More." A dark voice suddenly howled out. He looked up to see a hideous mockery of himself bearing down on his hunter party. "More." it said almost gleefully as he watched the first of his hybrid troops burning into husk it’s grip.

"Destroy it." He yelled ordering the two hybrid soldiers armed with energy weapons to take aim. He watched as the creature dodged the fire to easily to be believed. He saw them dying. "You may can defeat them but you can’t beat me I am an Atavus." He said proudly attacking sinking his cleave into the creature but then frowned when he saw it’s face come into view a maniac grin across it’s features. He screamed as he felt it’s hand pierce his body and the energy running out of him like water.

"More." The thing that was Ra’jel hissed as it moved on leaving the Atavus hunting party and the few humans they had already rounded up as nothing more than dried husk. It continued moving further away from those who hurt it to the bright place full of energy it could feel the capital City of the Atavus.

To be continued....

Now in response to Fanfiction.net’s new rules about NC17 fics. I’ve decided to stay but put up a toned down slightly, R version of the fic on fanfiction.net. That doesn’t mean I’m happy about that. But I happen to like getting reviews on Fanfiction.net so for now I’ll stay. I wasn’t planning on allot of content that couldn’t really be rated R anyway and whenever a chapter has been edited any I’ll put a note at the top so you can go to my homepage. http://obsidian_wolf.tripod.com/ to read the unedited version.

However if it gets to the point where Fanfiction.net becomes any more of a pain I won’t hesitate to leave it for good.