The Captive (Chapter 4)

Su Kutcha

Matthew and Tucker sat all day listening to the sounds of the war. The talked very little that day. Taking turns sitting near the door while the other one slept listening for any bit of new that may tell them what was going on in the outside world.
It was quiet almost all day long the guards had long ago abandoned the cells to join in the fray but in the middle of the day while Matthew sat against the door his head slumping against his knees he heard the sound of footsteps. He heard cell doors opening and grunts of surprise as the people were pulled out.
As Matthew sat by the door the door opened from behind him and he tumbled out among the group of soldiers and other prisoners and before he even realized that he was free one of the Martians grabbed him and the other soldier that had opened the door went in and pulled out Tucker and pushed both of them were pushed in the direction of the other prisoners. When all the cells had been emptied and all the prisoners bundled together one of the soldiers stepped forward and spoke in English so all the aliens could understand. “By the order of the new Kong Hamol you are all to be sent into the fray to fight against the Imaginese. Do not even try to escape, desert, or turn on us or you will be immediately put to death. If you help in the capture of Su Kutcha you will be set free to return to your planets if you so desire.” Matthew gulped there seemed to be only two options and he didn’t like either one: Die or go back to his cell. If he tried to escape he would die and if one of the Imaginese didn’t kill him he would end up right back in the cell for who knows how long. Matthew glanced over at his friend, Tucker didn’t seem afraid he almost seemed relieved. He would be glad to die. Matthew thought He has had a hard life. They were led from the jail and led to an armory they were each given a rusty metal breastplate and a small bladed weapon. As Matthew was handed the blade he gulped he had never fought before. He had had his share of fist fights in junior high and high school but never had he carried an actual weapon and he had never thought he might die on another so far from home.
He thought of his parents they would never know how he died they would never find his body he would never be buried he would probably be burned in a pile among the rest of the millions of dead prisoners.
They were led out to the Martian camp where he looked out at the horrible sight. A great army stretched out before him they all wore suits that covered their entire bodies except their head. Standing at the front of the line stood one tall and powerful he was the only one wearing a helmet and there was a picture of a strange flower was on both his chest and the flag that the man behind him held. This was Su Kutcha the only one on this entire battle field that could grant his freedom if only he could lose enough to take him out. But that Matthew knew was only wishful thinking he would never get close enough to take out their leader he was best off just rushing into the thick of things and hoped he died quickly.
Tucker moved to Matthew’s side and placed his hand on his shoulder their colors had been removed and his hand phased right through the light metal on his shoulders and rested gently on his shoulder a gesture that had become familiar to Matthew in the days spent in the cell. Matthew turned to his friend and tried to smile but it failed miserably. Tucker leaned closer to Matthew and whispered “Don’t forget the things I’ve told you Matt.” Matthew nodded and looked toward the man at the front of the line. His feet were sinking into the wet ground and when he shifted there was a loud squelch as his foot pulled clear of the mud. He tightened his grip on the blade and gritted his teeth.
Su Kutcha lifted his hand and when he dropped it people from both sides raced across the field their feet making a million popping noises as they ran. And so it was that Matthew got his first taste of war.
Matthew and Tucker fought side-by-side cutting down Imaginese left and right. The creatures looked almost human besides their strange colored hair and skin and the many arms that each wielded some kind of weapon. Matthew and Tucker dived behind a rock and Matthew sat gasping for air. Tucker took in a deep breath and sighed his hand tightening on his blade which was coated in blood and mud. He rubbed his fingers across the blade as if taking in the feel of it in his hand and glanced around the rock to see if anyone was near. Tucker turned back to his friend to see that he had dropped onto the muddy ground and frantically trying to get in enough air.
“Don’t get too comfortable my friend.” Tucker whispered down to him peering around the rock again.
“I’m sorry Tuck I just can’t go any more I’m just too tired. I’ve never been in a war before I have no training at all.”
Tucker glanced around once more before slumping down beside Matthew the mud squelching as he sat. “You’ll make it my friend you’re doing exceptionally well for one who has never been in a war before.”
“Thanks Tuck but will it be enough to survive and better yet will it be enough to win our freedom?”
Tuck sighed glanced at the blade in his hands the blade faded and the blood and mud fell away from it and landed on the ground. “It may not be enough to win freedom now but as long as we’re alive there’s always a chance at freedom even if that chance seems far away.”
Matthew looked up at his friend’s downcast face as he fingered the clean blade and suddenly realized that his friend would probably have a good chance at winning his freedom if it wasn’t for Matthew holding him down. He glanced down at his own blade “Don’t hold back on my account Tuck if you can find freedom than do it don’t wait for me…just remember me when you get home.”
Tuck looked up at his friend and smiled. “A good friend doesn’t leave his friend to fend for himself. In my lifetime I have made many mistakes. I was a horrible son, a horrible husband and a horrible Loy. I refuse to end my life with one more horrible to add to that list. I will be the best friend you’ve ever had Matthew Baker. Until the end.”

The fighting had gone somewhere else they climbed a hill overlooking the enemy ships people were moving in and out bringing the wounded Tucker crept closer to one of the open ships that held the wounded. As they reached the ship Su Kutcha and the one that Matthew figured was his highest captain, came up to the ship carrying a figure the nurses came to the door “Sable come quickly its Vicom.” Said the captain the one called Sable came running “It doesn’t look too bad here bring him inside” the captain followed her inside but Su Kutcha paused and looked toward the brush that the two of them were hiding in.
“Is everything all right?” Said his captain coming up behind him,
“He’s very near.” Su Kutcha whispered and then walked away in the opposite direction. After a moment when they were sure that it was safe Tucker led them in the direction of the open ship. It had been Matthew’s plan to sneak into the Imaginese camp and stowing away on one of the ships. “If the Imaginese are as peaceful as you say a couple of escaping prisoners may be well taken care of. Besides they seem to be ignoring most of the prisoners.” They sprinted a couple of feet in the direction of the ship and stopped by another boulder. Tucker glancing around nervously to be sure they hadn’t been seen.
There was a noise from the other side of the rock and both men tightened their grips on their blades but a second later Matthew realized that it made no difference what kind of blade they held for in front of them stood Su Kutcha himself all arms extended and clutching 10 guns with 4 pointed in their directions. “Drop the knives.” Came the deep tinny voice from the suit. Tucker’s knife dropped beside him and Matthew followed suit.
“Don’t worry I won’t kill you in fact I came here to find someone much like you.” She motioned in Matthew’s direction “an astronomer by the name of Matthew Baker.”
“We know no one by that name.” Spoke up Tucker beside him, “We’re just prisoners forced to fight and trying to survive.”
A tinny laugh came from the suit and the four guns lowered slightly. “And tell me my transparent friend how many humans you know who can be found in a Martian prison.” He said raising on of his guns and aiming it directly at Matthew’s chest.
“There’s always a first time.”
“I agree and this first time happens to be the one man that I want.” The gun was raised higher. “So unless you can prove to me that you aren’t human than I’ve have reason to believe that you are the man I’m looking for. Now will you come with me willingly,” he moved the gun in the direction of Tucker or will I have to use force?”
“Alright, alright,” Matthew raised his hands in surrender, “What do you want with me.”
The gun lowered slightly and the tinny voice once again spoke.
“I was told, by whom it is none of your concern, that you were of importance to my quest.”
“And what quest is that.”
“I must find the whereabouts of a man named Christilone.”
“I know no one by that name.”
“No? Well perhaps under less tension you will.” Strong arms grabbed Matthew from behind and began dragging him in the direction of one of the ships. Matthew looked back to see Tucker staring at him with sad but serious eyes. A single nod from his friend was all the reassurance he needed. Tucker would be ok somehow and whether they ever saw each other again or not Matthew knew that he would always remember Tucker and the knowledge he had poured into him during their time together.

Matthew sat in the courtyard of the Zotac’s palace. There was one large tree in the center and the rest of the place was sprinkled with little white flowers that had sprouted up randomly here and there. A Chimp sat in the tree hanging from one of the branches and grabbing the nuts from below him and popping them into his mouth. A beautiful silver dragon lay beside Matthew’s bench watching the chimp with an annoyed look. Matthew stood and walked over to a stone with an inscription written out in another tongue which he couldn’t understand. But he had discovered a fascination for the stone that wouldn’t leave him until the words had been translated.
He had been here for nearly a week now and still Su Kutcha had not come to him to talk about the mysterious mission concerning Christilone but during that time Matthew racked his brain trying to figure out who the mysterious person could be. The name was familiar to him he knew that but he couldn’t think of where he had heard it. He must have been young but that was as far as he’d gotten. When he wasn’t thinking of Christilone or learning all he could from looking at the pictures in the books from the library he was thinking of Linda. Sometimes she was in the back of his mind so he thought she was nothing but a dream but other times, like today, she was his first thought but always she was in his mind. He wished he understood better who she really was and that was the thing that bothered him the most. Who was Linda? Some day’s he thought of her as the beautiful girl from school whom he studied with and took out to dinner and on those days his heart ached as he realized that he might never get to tell her how he felt. But other days he would think about the betrayal and the weeks he had spent in a musty old shukan-infested-cell and of the pain he had had to go through in losing one of his closest friends because of it a friend he would have never had to lose if it wasn’t for her because he never would have met him and on those days he hated the very air that she breathed.
But this was not one of those day for today the only thing he could think of was the way her green eyes shone when she smiled and the way the sun shone off her hair as her bangs fell across her face and brushed across the scar along her cheek. The scar that was as much a part of her as his eyes were a part of him a part that he loved just as much as the rest of her and would never in a million years have removed.

Three stories above the courtyard The Zotac watched Matthew. A cape rested gently on her shoulders a gold trim running along the hood her hair pulled back in an Imaginese style. One of her assistants, Alita, walked in and set some food on her desk and sighed. “Will you stop it Leena?”
“What?” She turned around and grabbed a flower-nut off the plate her face a mask of complete innocence.
Ali crossed three sets of arms in front of her and looked at Leena accusingly “You know what I’m talking about. Watching him from a distance it’s getting annoying.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I want to tell him the truth it’s just I don’t know if I should yet… or if I ever should.”
“But what about Christilone?”
Right, him” Leena sighed. “I don’t know Ali I should just send him home. Send him to have his mind wiped so he forgets all about the last 2 months and send him back home like nothing happened.”
“Leena you can’t do that! Do you have any idea what that what that would do to you.”
“I’d survive.”
“Barely.”
Leena turned to her friend angrily. “Are you accusing me of falling for this human Alita?”
Ali stepped back fearfully, “No my Zotac that wasn’t my intention I was only stating that in your attempt to act human your feelings may have become confused and Linda might have actually fallen for him.”
Linda relaxed slightly, “Then I suppose it’s about time I reel her back in isn’t it…especially as it seems that I’ve found what I was looking for.”
“Zotac…may I make a suggestion?”
“What?”
“May I suggest that you send Linda to do the job?”
“What?” Leena turned to her friend confused “What do you mean aren’t me and Linda the same person?”
“Yes but… you act differently on earth then you do here…He talks about her in his dreams Leena and I know that if anything could get him to cooperate she would.” Leena stared at her friend confused. “Don’t you see Linda he loves you?”
“He loves someone he doesn’t know if he knew who I really was, what I really was, he wouldn’t love me.”
“There’s only one way to know for sure.”