After Earth

Chapter 10: Son of Mine

        We were done fairly quickly, and I didn't say a word to anyone about Kagre's... feelings. It felt like, despite our attempt at being close knit relationship, that it was something she needed to sort out on her own time. And she needed to go to the hospital to see Vannor, so that was an upside to myself advice. As we got back into normal clothes, one of the nurses informed me that Acki was here. I sighed, my breath short and full of underlay of excitement, and I told Nashi that I would be late to dinner. Possibly.
     I let everyone head to the bus before waiting in the lobby by myself. Agitit was there, smiling at me as the room seemed distanced from me.
     "Dad!"
     Hearing his voice, I froze. The innocent sound of him was lilted, echoing in the room. His body fell into mine like a thud against my being, but I could barely feel it. I lifted him from the ground and hugged him tightly. He smelled of mints, something I'm sure that clung to him all this way from Tucson.
     "Looks like you've made progress!" I heard a woman, General Arbelin Karsk, say to Agitit.     "Would you be willing to show me?"
     Arbelin and Agitit dismissed themselves to the higher floors where Agitit's office was, and I placed Acki down on the floor.
     "What have you been up to?" I asked him. Acki clasped his hands together, nervousness in his eyes as if my gaze was all-knowing.
     "Not much. School is boring, and Grandma is... Grandma," he said.
      "How is she?"
     "Okay."
     Acki wasn't much of a talker, especially after Rentie's death, so I wasn't expecting much from him. Really, Acki's presence was enough for me to smile. I guided him to the large lunch room, which was empty and dark because someone had turned the lights off. It looked like a school's cafeteria, crammed right between the locker rooms and the lobby. Slowly, I found the lights, and Acki and I sat in the corner of the whole room.
     Acki had a small handheld device, typing away on it with his mind somewhere else.
     "How was the ride?" I asked him.
      "Good," Acki mumbled.
      "Did Karsk treat you well?"
     "Yeah."
      "What're you playing?"
      "A game."
      I was getting nowhere with him, so I stopped talking all together. There was the hum of the heater that made the silence all the more unbearable. I leaned back in my chair, and I shut my eyes. I could feel that someone was coming into the room, two people with large boots that sloshed against the tiled floor.
      "Hey, Acki," I said.
      "Yeah?" he asked back, pressing buttons aggressively.
      "How long will you be here?"
     "Miss Arbelin said a few hours."
      A few hours... Speaking of, Agitit and Arbelin walked in and came towards us, and they sat down at the table. Acki began putting his handheld away, feeling a slight nervousness around the presence of Arbelin.
     "How's your progress, Tayas?" she asked me. "I heard you're turning into the perfect model for Project Attas."
     I knew this was coming. "It's fine. Why are you asking?"
      "Well, because it looks like you're going to Attas, right? You are just as, if not more than capable than Alaxier. You've not shown a single side-effect since taking the medicine, no? You and Nashi both."
     They had no idea. Acki stared at my face, scanning every worried line as if he was trying to piece it together. Nolam smiled as if I was the true product of this.
     "What happens if they do have side effects?" I asked her, leaning back in my chair.
     "They get eliminated, don't they?" Arbelin turned to Nolam. "That's usually left for Kaiglanr to do, but usually when they have side effects, they turn into one of those infected beasts."
     Kaiglanr? "I haven't met him yet."
     "You won't, most likely," Agitit spewed. "You'll be sent to Attas by then."
     I stood up from the table, my chair falling to the floor. My face was reddened by anger, by confusion.
     "I... I have to go," I spit out. "Something came up."
     "But your son," Agitit said.
     Right. Acki. For once in all of the eleven years of having him in my life, I wanted him back in Tucson so he didn't have to see me.
     "I'll take him to my house," I smiled, trying to hold onto my confidence as long as possible.    "C'mon Acki, let's go before Nashi kills me."
     Acki's hand fell into mine, the feeling of cold against warmth. Despite knowing the contrast, it felt like nothing, and I think Acki understood that. I waved to Agitit and Arbelin before running from the cafeteria into the lobby. And I snapped my head back to stare at him, and he pulled himself away.
     "Dad, don't do something stupid again," he warned. "You have those eyes."
     I felt the pang of my heart against my chest as I remembered the moment after Rentie's blood was on my hands. Acki had awaken from a slumber, rubbing his eyes as he focused that same innocence on me. Those eyes that were identical to mine hadn't felt the world just yet.
     Dad, your eyes. They look satisfied.
     "This is different," I told him. "I'm not going to put you in danger."
     Acki shook his head. "Dad. You're putting yourself in danger. Again. Grandma kept saying that she couldn't understand why they chose you. Is it because you are so ready to hurt yourself?"
     My eyes narrowed. "I'm not the only one like this. I'm not... the only monster being stuck with needles everyday with supervision at every orifice. I have to help them. I'll leave you here if you want."
     Acki held out a hand. "I want to help you this time."
     I didn't grab his hand, but I lifted him off of the ground and started running home. Which, seeing as I could run for as long as I wanted without a wasted breath, was easy. Acki clung to my chest, his eyes shut tight as if he was on a scary ride he could not get away from. I stopped quickly and suddenly, finding Orgeti sitting on a bench outside. He waved. I approached him slowly, knowing he was waiting for me. He must've suspected.
     "You brought the kid," Orgeti commented. Acki mimicked my every move, standing right beside me as we looked at Orgeti. Orgeti's eyes were completely black from the white parts to his pupils. There were small flecks of light inside, but it just looked like an abyss.
     "You know what's going on, don't you?" I spat. "I've only hear the name Kaiglanr twice, and the first time was from you."
     "I was waiting for you to catch on. I worked for Kaiglanr, but he's pushed me away because this group of people doesn't have what he's looking for."
     "What... is he trying to find?"
     Orgeti stared at Acki, and then he grabbed my son's arm tightly. Acki immediately began to tug away, but Orgeti tugged on his chest. Orgeti's hand began to glow white, almost blinding me. He pushed it back into Acki's chest, and Acki immediately held onto me as if he was afraid.
     "That," Orgeti muttered. "That is what Kaiglanr wants, and he'll do anything to get it."