Half Human, Half Xliez

Chapter 7.2

As I silently turned into the Core's corridor. I saw two guards guarding the gates of the Core. I wondered why they have been punished with this task when all world was celebrating. Stealthy, hidden behind a wall, I activated distractator and threw it towards them. Silent as a feather, it fell between them but not went unnoticed. One of the guards picked it up and rotated it in his hand-accidentally pressing an invisible button. It wasn't exactly invisible but it blended in easily. Hidden in plain sight. Something like black smoke shot out of the distractator temporarily blinding him. I quickly put on my glasses. The smoke started spreading at a fast rate plunging everything into a black that's blacker than coal.

I could still see everything, of course, the glasses made sure of that. But the guards were not as lucky. Killing both of them on spot, I stood in front the password-protected doors of the Core.

I called Nitya. "Password?" I asked her.

"Use the code words, Fireheart."-Fireheart is my codename, if you haven't figured it out by now-"And don't you dare do what you're thinking of doing-"

"Password?" I asked again, in a bit bored voice that always annoys the hell out of her.

"Type: X-H-L-U-I-M-E-A-Z-N." Xhluimeazn? This word doesn't even exist in Xliez's language. I noted the ire in her voice with some satisfaction.

"Hm." I quickly ended the call without bothering to say a thank you. There's no time for that and she won't mind. The door opened half-upwards and half-downwards. When I walked inside the Core greeted me. No one except the Xliezes had known what the core looked like. So I stood there, transfixed by it's vastness and light. It looked like a mini sun. Size so big it almost touched the celing. It radiated heat, warming the area whereas the blue corridors had been cold. Ice cold, in fact.

But I should be quick. Faster than the wind itself if I want to survive. I checked the time. 11:27 pm. I refuse to use the xliez standard time units: duhe and none. The festival would end anytime soon and the camara is not going to show a recording continuously. And someone has to notice that every thing and person is moving in a loop. As well as, to top it off, the dark smoke was dying.

I took out the bomb I carried from the morning, inspected it once and set it off...

10 minutes. I only have ten minutes, no more, no less. The cameras are going back to normal in five. I have to be careful. So I threw the time bomb into the Core, the energy source of Xliezes which can be compared with food for human beings. And there were very few cores in existence and-unknown to half the world-this one was the last standing if the beeping sound of my watch was a reminder. Only one person was injured but no permanent damage was done. And if I don't hurry than one of our group member is going to die. You got it right! Me.

I compromised with death the moment I let myself get caught. Too philosophical, I know. That had brought a deathly calm over me. But now I regret it. I don't want to die. Not when there's so much to do after killing the xliezes. To be free for once and forever after. To kill Nitya for thinking that I'll ever consider being a martyr. Not killing, maybe, but something as close to a lecture as possible. When she is angry, it generally means to hide in a well security room. Well, I had considered but who will tell her? Not me, in a million years.

And to meet Esote for the last time.

So, without a second thought, I hurled the bomb into the Core. When it neared, it was pulled in from an unknown gravitational force that killed so many. Turning, I did not look back as I ran away from that room. Ran as fast as I could. I do not, at any circumstance, want to be caught in that bomb's gravity. Nine minutes. I constantly checked the time.

Nine minutes forty-six seconds. Some guards spotted me.

Nine minutes forty-five seconds. They started chasing me.