Marcas

My mind is swimming in nothingness. All around me is just… darkness.

I’ve been here before. Longer than I care for. Longer than I want to remember. Back in the clutches of Onyx.

We were so close. What went wrong? How could they have found us?

Was it the Sahr? It must have been. They probably bugged the ship they gave us, and called Onyx right after we left, sold us out… those damn rats can’t be trusted.

Stupid mistake on my part.

“Wake up.”

The voice is human and female — but it’s not my mate. No, there is no warmth and no kindness in this voice. It’s pure venom.

Siya Onyx.

Slowly I open my eyes. What I see confirms all of my worst fears.

I’m strapped to a metal slab, several locks holding my wrists and ankles in place. We’re in a round room with screens covering every inch of the dome. This must be the Onyx control center, the place from which they run their evil enterprise. Siya Onyx herself is sneering at me, flanked by Basil, her father.

And standing behind them is Lily.

My Lily. My love, my mate, my chosen. I have failed you, baby. I’m sorry.

“You will pay for this,” I growl as I struggle against my bonds. “You will pay!”

“Please,” Siya says, rolling her eyes. “You lost, Marcas. You lost. Admit it.”

“Never!”

I flex my muscles until my face is red, but it’s no use. They’ve got me locked down tight. I don’t want to admit it, but there’s really no way around it.

I’m stuck. Trapped. Lost.

Defeated.

Our entire escape, our adventure… it’s all been a waste of time. We’ve ended up right where we started. The only difference being that Egon is headed towards these exact coordinates…

If he ever even got my message.

“That’s right,” Siya says. “Struggle all you want, you animal. It’s useless. Go ahead, look at me with those hate-filled eyes of yours. I love every second of it. That’s what you get for killing my brother.”

She takes a cigarette out of her purse and lights it up.

“A vice, but I think I’ve earned one. Ah, this moment is so, so sweet. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been planning this? No, of course you don’t. You just think with your cock, don’t you? Classic Zoran.”

She nods at Lily, who is looking at the floor, avoiding my gaze.

“What do you think? Pretty nice model, huh? Made her myself. I have to admit; I didn’t think it would work that well. I figured a jaded man like yourself would be a little more cautious. But no, you fell for it. Hook, like and sinker.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I growl through clenched teeth.

“You still haven’t figured it out, hm? So much for your instincts. Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Siya takes another drag of her cigarette, and blows the smoke into my face. I don’t want to show any emotion, I don’t want to give her the satisfaction she craves, but I can’t control myself.

Not when Lily is right there, when the proof of my failure is looking me in the face.

“I’ve manipulated you from the start, Marcas,” Siya says. “Every single step of the way has been planned by me. Lily here? To me, she’s Y-014. That’s right. Your little human fucktoy? I created her.”

My breath falters. “A cyborg?” I can’t believe that.

“Not quite,” Siya answers. “Y-014 is purely biological, which makes my accomplishment all the more impressive. I genetically engineered her to make her irresistible to a Zoran dog like yourself. Y-014 is perfect: highly intelligent, but also highly obedient. And, of course, implanted with a tracker so we could follow her every move. Your predictable, animalistic instincts did the rest.”

The smile on Siya’s face makes my stomach retch. It’s all twisted and wrong, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“To say it went well is an understatement. We’ve been monitoring her vitals; it looks like you gave her quite the workout these past seven days. Classic Zorans, thinking only with those big cocks of yours.”

“You’re lying,” I say, but even I don’t believe myself. It makes too much sense. The lost memories…

“You know it to be true, Marcas. I’m sure she suspected it herself — her anxiety has been through the roof at times. You asked her about her past, didn’t you?”

The look on my face tells my tormentor all she needs to know.

“That’s what I thought. We didn’t wipe her mind or anything like that — she simply had no memories! Only some vague outlines that I gave her, just enough to make her think she’s truly alive without rousing suspicion. I’ll have to make some final adjustments before I take the Y-models into mass production. That’s right, pinkie. Mass production. I’m going to create an army of her. I’ll alter her looks a bit with every copy, of course. No one will suspect a thing, until a decade down the line, all the leadership positions within the Federation are taken by our army of obedient worker bees. The entire universe will be ours!”

The look on Siya’s face is pure megalomania.

“Already we’re close to solving the problem of aging. Once we’ve got that out of the way, well, we’ll have cheated death itself. The Onyx family will lead an galactic empire unlike anything that has ever existed!”

“Galactic empires have a tendency to crumble,” I growl. “You won’t win.”

Siya laughs. “You think I haven’t studied every empire that has ever existed? I won’t repeat any of their mistakes. With an army of obedient clones, I won’t be betrayed. My plan is foolproof.”

“The universe will unite against you,” I say. “You’re crazy!”

“They would, if they had the chance. Which is why I’m snuffing out the rebellion before it can even start.”

She presses a button and a familiar planet fills the screen.

New Exon.

The planet Zorans now call home.

A small ship in the distance also draws my attention. Could that be…

“That’s right — those are your friends. Egon, Kane, Torin, and a few other criminals. They’ve evaded us for months, but you’ve lead them right to us.”

My face turns pale. No…

I didn’t just fail to save Lily — I failed my friends, my squad, my brothers. The universe could very well be lost this day, and it is all my fault.

I should have died.

The shame that courses through my veins is so potent it feels like every inch of me is burning.

Siya Onyx is studying my face as she takes another drag of her cigarette. The bitch is enjoying seeing me squirm, seeing me die from the inside out.

“Now, with them out of the way, all that is left… is destroying New Exon itself.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong.

“The Zorans are the only ones strong enough to oppose is — if they were united. Now, thanks to us, we’ve got them all exiled from Earth to this world, all of them shepherded into one place, which will make this next step so much easier.”

“Lily won’t help you build your weapon,” I say, cutting in. “She won’t!”

Siya and Basil Onyx both laugh at me.

“You fool,” she says, “We’ve had that weapon all along. Lily’s job was just a cover story. Face it, you beast. We outsmarted you every step of the way. You may have the strength of an ox and the speed of a cheetah, but how good is all that when you’ve got the brains the size of a peanut?

“We’re going to release FERAL on New Exon, and you’re going to watch as your kind tears itself apart like the debased monsters they truly are. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

I squeeze my fists as hard as I can. I try to bend the metal, to tear it off, to do something — but I can’t. I simply can’t move.

“Don’t you worry that pink head of yours, though,” Siya says, rapping her knuckles against my forehead. “I’m planning on cloning you as well! Of course, I’ll be sure to strip out all those pesky independent thoughts you have. Once I’m through with you, you’ll be nothing but a shell, a drone, my muscle. Can you imagine? A whole army of obedient Zoran soldiers — cloned from your DNA — supported by millions of worker bees with Lily’s DNA. The two of you will be together for all eternity, just not in the way you imagined,” she sneers.

“You’re wrong,” I say coolly. “You’re wrong. Lily is her own person. She has her own thoughts, her own fears. You’re making one big mistake — you underestimate the power of love.”

Siya throws her head back and laughs.

“Love? Don’t make me sick. Love is just a chemical reaction, created by our brains to trick ourselves. Its purpose is to commit ourself to a single person so that we can be ‘happy’ with our fates. Love is an illusion, Zoran. It’s a lie. A trick.”

I shake my head. “I pity you, Siya,” I say. “You clearly don’t know what love is. Thought, I have to admit, you’re quite unlovable.”

“I’m perfect,” she bristles. “I’m perfect! And the whole universe will know my perfection!”

“You’re wrong,” I say, “I know that for a fact. Even if you kill me now, that won’t change a single thing. You can kill every single Zoran if you like. It won’t make a difference. You’ll lose in the end. People cannot be controlled. They will rebel.”

“You underestimate my powers,” Siya says, “and I will prove it to you now!”

She turns around to face Lily, who has been standing in the corner, her eyes turned towards the floor. My mate hasn’t moved since I woke up.

“Lily will be the one to pull the trigger. If you are right, she won’t be able to. But if I am right — and harbor no illusions, I am — she’ll do exactly as instructed. After all, I created her.

“Lily!” Siya snaps. “Release FERAL!”

My mate looks up at me. Her brown eyes are filled with a world of hurt, and I feel a stab of pain right in my gut. Despite everything Siya has said, I know for sure my baby, my mate, my chosen is still in there somewhere.

Come on, baby.

Fight.