Planet X - Michael Jan Friedman [13]
All of them different. And yet, all bound by a common destiny—to become something their world had never seen before, near the occasion of their twenty-second birthday.
No one knew why they had changed. No one knew how. They knew only that they had been altered, and for the time being—at the very least—there was nothing any of them could do about it.
As Erid’s eyes adjusted to the bright light in the yard, he picked out the transformed who had arrived only that morning. There were three of them, the smallest group of newcomers he had seen yet.
One was a small, slender woman named Denara, who spoke with a Mercasite accent. To look at her, one would never know she could grow a metallic exo-skin capable of withstanding the most punishing force. Yet Denara could do exactly that—or so she claimed.
The second of the new arrivals was a handsome young man named Paldul, the skin of whose forehead had become pocked with tiny, green craters. Paldul’s power, apparently, was a mental one—he could tell what others were thinking, in the manner of a Betazoid.
But it was the third of the newcomers who seemed to command everyone’s interest. His name was Rahatan, and like Denara, he looked much like any other Xhaldian. A little taller than normal, with perhaps a little more swagger in his step, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary.
The nature of Rahatan’s power? He had neither demonstrated nor described it, so Erid didn’t have any idea. However, he had a feeling the man’s talent was something formidable.
Perhaps it had something to do with influencing others. That would explain the small crowd that had gathered around Rahatan, hanging on to what he was saying. Curious, Erid came as close as he could without exposing himself to direct sunlight.
“You haven’t been allowed?” said Rahatan.
“That’s right,” replied a woman named Corba, who had been seen to move in amazing bursts of speed. “Notevenacalltoourfamilies,toletthemknowwhereweare. Theydon’twantanyoneontheoutsidetoknowaboutus.”
“Slow down,” said a man with luminous, red eyes, whose name Erid had forgotten. “We can barely understand what you’re saying.”
“I understood her,” remarked a transformed called Leyden.
Most of his skin had turned into something hard and translucent, like the armored shell of an insect, and he was reputed to have the strength of ten normal Xhaldians.
Leyden smiled bitterly. “Corba said we can’t make contact with the outside because the government doesn’t want anyone to know about us. It’s the truth, too. Osan hasn’t made an effort to deceive us on that point.”
Rahatan grunted. “It doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s not,” responded an attractive woman named Seevyn, who could create powerful illusions. In fact, it was said that her transformation had made her something hideous, and that her appearance was an illusion as well. “But there’s not a great deal we can do about it.”
Rahatan eyed her. “And why’s that?”
Seevyn jerked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the guards perched on the parapets above them. “In case you haven’t noticed, they’re the ones with the stun weapons.”
“And they’re not afraid to use them,” added the man with the luminous eyes.
Rahatan shrugged. “So what? We’ve got weapons, too, haven’t we?”
He looked up at the guards, his expression a defiant one. What’s more, they seemed to notice.
“Look at them,” Rahatan said softly. “It’s they who are afraid of us. That’s why they’re clutching those weapons so tightly. They’re scared we’ll climb up there and show them how powerful we’ve become.”
Erid found himself nodding. The guards were scared of them. He had seen it in their eyes, even as they raked him with stun fire. He had seen it in Osan’s face, as he stood before the administrator’s desk.
“Are you suggesting something?” asked Seevyn.
Rahatan looked at her. “All I’m saying—for now—is that they need to treat us better. And if I have anything to say about it, they will.”
Erid was impressed with the newcomer’s bravado … even if he didn’t think anything would come of it. Still, he resolved to keep an eye on the transformed called Rahatan.