FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Okay Bob… I've a bit of a situation here! What do you want me to do?" She waited a moment or two, but there was no response. “Bob… can you hear me?" Nothing. No calming voice, no sage advice. Jillian was on her own. She quickly reviewed what she knew about telepathic links, dreams and memory involving Kerachaw. It wasn't much. The one key thing she had to remember was that she was in someone else's thoughts, therefore their perceptions and mind ruled. She could manipulate things a bit, but she had to go with whatever flow Yolaja created. Working within those limits she could influence the youngling's perceptions slightly. Looking at the girl it became apparent that she was not thinking as much as reacting to a memory. Control was the last thing on her mind. This could work in Jillian's favor.

One of the lizard-like Destroyers reached for the human in Kerachaw form. She tapped into Yolaja's dream and added a bit of her own imagination. Her dream form bulked up until she looked like a female equine version of Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was now three feet taller than any of the lizards, much more massive and a great deal meaner looking. She grabbed the invader by the arm and flung him at least the length of a football field. He disappeared into the thick, smoky air surrounding them.

Startled, the others turned away from the youngling and focused on Jillian, drawing their weapons. The human grinned wickedly wondering if this was how all those Japanese anime superhero characters felt. With hardly a thought she surrounded her body with the same kind of liquid armor she had seen Bob use time and time again. The lizard creatures fired. The armor soaked up the energy then flung it back, knocking two more of them down. One of the Destroyers brought what looked like a small cannon up to its shoulders and fired. The projectile caught her full in the chest and exploded, knocking her down. She rolled for several yards, then stopped and climbed to her hooves. The blackened outer layer of armor sloughed off and was immediately replaced by more nanites.

Jillian took a couple of deep breaths, trying to ease the ache in her chest. The armor had protected her, but she'd had the wind knocked out of her for a moment. Seeing her rise from what should have been a fatal blow, the alien lizard aimed his cannon again. The human responded in an instinctive, primal way. She picked up a large rock and hurled it at the invader as hard as she could. It struck him dead center and kept going. The Destroyer looked down and remained on his feet just long enough to register that a hole now existed in his chest. He toppled forward, dead.

The thought she had just killed something didn't register with Jillian. This was nothing more than a dream. A nightmare that was haunting the youngling. A nightmare caused by these horrid creatures when they'd destroyed her home, her family. She was not going to let them haunt the young Kerachaw, not if she could help it.

Two more of the aliens fired a pair of powerful taser darts at the human. They imbedded themselves in the armor and sent a lethal electrical charge into her. This brought Dr. Strathern to her knees. Despite the pain, she reached up and gripped the wires trailing from the darts. Standing, she wrapped them around one hand and pulled them tight, cracking them like a whip. The two lizards found themselves flying through the air, slamming into the ground behind Jillian.

The last of the Destroyers standing before her changed tactics and moved to grab Yolaja as a hostage. He was blocked by the human when she interposed herself between the alien and his target. He pulled out a massive, evil-looking knife and drove it straight into Jillian gut. That is to say he would have if the blade hadn't shattered as it came into contact with her armor. He looked up at her, hatred and shock in his eyes. He could not believe that one creature could defeat them so easily. He muttered something which the suit translated for her into English.

“Bad Toy!"

Dr. Strathern spun on one hoof and kicked the lizard out of sight.

Turning, she looked upon Yolaja, naked and bleeding in front of her. Her blind eyes were fixed firmly on the ground in front of her. Her sobs tore at the human's heart. She shrank back to a normal size and knelt, wrapping her arms around the youngling. “It's okay, Yolaja… you're safe. They're gone. They can't hurt you anymore." She tried pouring every ounce of empathy into the Kerachaw, hoping to ease whatever pain and horror she was feeling.

The sobbing continued for several long minutes until the girl slowly curled up and drifted off to sleep. Jillian continued to hold her, wondering what was happening now. How could Yolaja sleep within her own dream? She remembered her first experiences within Bob's mind, the day she had saved him from the Directory. Sleeping within a dream was a sign that his consciousness was digging deeper into his mind, retreating from reality. For a telepathic species it was a dangerous condition. Now his niece seemed to be doing much the same thing. Back then, a portion of Bob's own memory had guided her to helping him find his way back. Now, the only one she could call upon for help was the Kerachaw himself.

“Bob… Bob… can you hear me. I know you're there. I need your help. I'm not sure what to do here."

“Your friend cannot help you. We have him trapped and will subsume his essence even as we subsume the youngling's."

The voice she heard was an electronic monotone. No intonation, no flowing speech pattern as Jillian normally heard when in a telepathic link. The dreamscape went completely dark, like midnight in the bottom of a deep pit.

“You are different… You wear the form of a Kerachaw, but you are not one. You do not possess their mind, their capability. How do you maintain yourself within the youngling's thoughts?"

“That is my secret," the human replied. Jillian focused on the voice. It certainly did not feel like a normal mind. At least not like any Kerachaw she'd yet known. It had to be the Hive mind. No wonder Yolaja had fallen asleep in her dream. It was pulling at the youngling, weakening her mind as well as the level of control she had over her dreams and memories.

“Outsider," the voice accused. “You have no place in here. Leave or become as the void."

Jillian wondered why she had not already been expelled from the girl's mind. When she thought about it the Hive mind didn't appear to understand. It didn't know who or what it was dealing with, nor did it understand what it was capable of doing within the girl's mindscape. Its flat monotone spoke volumes. There was no true sense of self-awareness. She had a vague feeling it could only function when Yolaja was unable to dream, unable to interact with her own mind. It did not understand the human, it could not access any memory that would tell it how to respond effectively with her. She realized that despite its claim to have trapped Bob it didn't know she was a human let alone who she was. The nanites were not being guided towards any definable goal. The central Hive mind only had a need to control, to create a world for itself.

Jillian took a moment to search within her own mind. She could not communicate with Bob, but she still felt a connection with him. He was still using her mind as camouflage to access Yolaja's thoughts, and through them the nanite factory. The Hive mind knew he was there, but it could not confront or contact him directly. He was staying quiet to deny it understanding of what he intended. He was using Dr. Strathern's mind as cover. Well, if it was cover that Bob wanted, it was cover she'd give him.

Jillian laughed, the sound echoing across her own mind. “I have no place in here?" she taunted, “Well, what about you? All you can offer is emptiness, a void without originality or imagination. You want to subsume Yolaja's mind, but what do you offer? Warmth, comfort, dreams? No… You can't understand anything but a hollow desire for control."

“Control is everything. It is completeness. When I command the youngling's mind will finally know peace."

“No… She will only know emptiness. She will only know death. And what do you think will happen to you when she dies?"

“I will control. I will continue."

“How?" the human pushed. “Life is something you have to experience, to learn. You cannot do so without her. You lack imagination."

Something struck Jillian suddenly across the face. It didn't hurt much. It felt more like a frustrated push against her that propelled her a short distance through the void. She laughed again. “Temper, temper," she mocked. “What was that? A love tap. Are you beginning to feel emotions? You don't even understand what those are, do you?" Fear, hate, love, triumph, anger… they're all meaningless to you."

“I do not need the youngling. I will control here. I will live and she will live within me at my will. She will be subsumed, and I will make her experiences, her imagination, her dreams my own. I will live. She will know peace and I will know life."

** ** “You will know nothing, and you will have nothing. If you are so almighty as to be able to control Yolaja, then show me. Create something other than this void. Tap into her memories and recreate the world as she knew it, as I have come to see it." Jillian paused, waiting for a response. The blackness swirled around her, given only vague shape by indistinct shadows tumbling together and blending with the darkness. The silence continued, becoming oppressive in its stagnation.

Suddenly, the darkness shifted, and the human found herself back on the dying World ship. The youngling was there with her, yanked violently from her sleep. She was screaming and begging as the reptile soldiers surrounded her, ripping at her clothes even as they tore at her body.

“Kata… KATA!!! Earata j'sula. Ne…Ne…NE! NE! NE! AAAHHH! NEEEEE… NE!"

Jillian leapt forward, intending to intervene, to save Yolaja. She never had the chance. With an absolute, feral scream of pain and rage, of fear and hatred the young Kerachaw unleashed a blinding, blue-white blaze of energy. Her attackers were instantly ripped to shreds. Their blood bathed her for a moment before evaporating away. Her body was covered with burns and bruised, especially about the head and face. The girl collapsed, whimpering and moaning.

“What have you done?" the human asked in horror.

“I have shown you the moment I was born. The moment I granted her the power to save herself, though she is not aware of it, nor aware of me. It was at this moment she joined with me and in so doing became mine."** **

** ** “You do not even understand what that moment means… The kind of callous hate it represents. You don't even understand how she had access to your power," Jillian argued. Do you even know what these creatures were doing to Yolaja?"

** They were subsuming her mind… her will, as is the right of those who control. She was resisting and therefore subject to corrective action."**

THEY WERE RAPING HER!!!" Dr. Strathern screamed. She moved across the dreamscape reverting to the image of the matron. Reaching down she gathered the girl in her arms trying to offer some kind of relief and comfort. Instinctively the youngling reached up to grab and hold Jillian, burying her face in her lap and sobbing.

“Ba thur… Ba thur…" moaned Yolaja.

This Jillian understood… it was a phrase she had heard once before when trying to read a book in Xan-chaw with Bob guiding her. Ba thur… It burns. It referred to an agony that drove into the very core of a telepath's being. It ripped into the mind, the body and the soul. It took the efforts of several telepaths to ease this pain. It stripped bare everything a Kerachaw, or any chaw held as their own sense of being. If this is what the out-of-control hive mind was doing, then it was no wonder that it took years of training to prepare for it.

The human wasn't sure if it was the rape or the hive mind's intervention that was the cause of this pain, but clearly it was overwhelming the youngling. Jillian hugged Yolaja as tightly as she could, sending as much positive feeling as she could muster into the embrace.

“It's okay," Dr. Strathern whispered into the girl's ear. “They're gone. They can't hurt you anymore. You're safe"

“Safe… How can I ever be safe? I… I killed t'em. I tore t'em apart. I could feel it. I could feel t'em as t'ey died. I couldn't see anyt'ing… I can't see anyt'ing anymore. I could only see what t'ey saw, know what t'ey felt as t'ey died. I hated t'em, and I want to keep hating t'em…"

“No… No you don't." Jillian said softly_. “Not really. What they did was cruel. They hurt you horribly and your mind reacted without control, without your will. You can be angry… but you must never hate. It is a hollow feeling. It will do nothing except tear you apart."_ The human silently wished she knew more about psychology, particularly among telepaths.

“How…? How do I stop t'is hate?" Yolaja ask, gasping through the tears as a child would.

“First, you cry, for as long as you want. Cry for what you've lost. Cry for what's happened. And when you think you've run out of tears, cry for what the Destroyers have done to themselves. Cry because they do not understand any other way of life. Cry because they cannot know the beauty of this universe."

“Cry… for t'em?"

Jillian nodded. “Yes," she said. “Cry for what they will never have. When you can cry for your enemy, then you can learn to forgive. Forgiving is how you destroy hate."

The youngling lifted her head and swiveled one ear to listen to what the human was saying. “But if I cry for t'em, how could I ever become a Vu-T'eel. T'e Vu-T'eel are strong. T'ey never cry," she sobbed, trying to understand.

“Who told you that?" the human asked. “I've known a Vu-Theel for a long time now and what makes him strong is that he is able to cry, to heal himself. He prefers to do it in private, but I know for a fact that when he needs to cleanse himself, he cries, long and loud and hard. It helps keep him sane." She gently guided Yolaja's head back into her lap and began stroking it lightly, just as she had with many of her former veterinary patients. She began humming a lullaby she remembered from her childhood. In a very short time, the youngling was crying again, but not in the same way. Now the sounds she made felt less like an agonizing cry of loss and something closer to a healing mantra.

“What are you trying to do?" a harsh voice slammed into Jillian's consciousness. “You have broken our connection with the girl. We can no longer influence her dreams."

_ “As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing,"_ the human replied defiantly. “You are tearing her apart. She needs to heal, not be punished with her nightmares."

“Our function is to dominate, to train, to control. You are interfering with our function. You will be punished."

_ _ “How," Jillian challenged._ “You said it yourself. I'm not a telepath. I'm not of the Xan-chaw. What do you think you can do? Bore me to death?"_

_ _ Without warning a sharp pain lanced through her senses, burning into the back of her mind. It wasn't as powerful as it could have been. The hive mind did not have control of the girl's dream, she did. The human resisted, keeping a part of her thoughts focused on Yolaja, as she mentally continuing to stroke the youngling's head.

Dr. Strathern laughed. “Is this the best you can do?" she taunted. “_I've had worse hangovers than this in college." _

_ _ The world surrounding her abruptly went dark again. Everything vanished from sight except for Yolaja and herself. The darkness itself shuddered, trying to generate vague, indistinct shapes and colors. All it succeeded in doing was create a blanket of thick, oily fog. Both Jillian and the youngling gasped for air. Lowering her head, the human began thinking of the Outland; The world both she and Bob had created within his mind.

Jillian pressed her forehead against Yolaja's. The girl's sobbing slowly stopped, and she drifted off into a blissful sleep. Carefully, step by step, she used her connection with Bob to weave her way into the youngling's mind. As she took control of the Kerachaw's dreams the human could feel the pain in the back of her head fade. Now, she had greater influence on Yolaja than the hive mind. Slowly, a wide, vibrant grassland began to form within the blackness. The tainted, black fog began to dissipate. It hesitated for a moment as the world shuddered again, but eventually the blackness was forced to retreat. In its place was an open rolling meadow of wild grass and colorful flowers.

“What is this place? I have no record of any dream or memory of this experience. What have you done?"

“I've moved you from experience into imagination. I've brought you to a place where you have no power over the girl."

“That is impossible. You are not a telepath. You cannot move through any kind of dream or memory without being a telepath. This is not acceptable." The hive mind's voice had risen several octaves, becoming shriller as its inability to control what was happening became more and more apparent.

Jillian laughed at the voice. “Well, if you don't like what I've done, then change it. Use your intellect, your mind, to control what's here. Go ahead, try."

Once more the images surrounding the human and Kerachaw wavered but did not change. Instead, the horrific image of a Destroyer appeared and drew its weapon threateningly. Dr. Strathern simply raised her head, pursed her lips and blew on it. The creature seemed to crumble into a chalky powder and fly away on the breeze she created. Another two of the monsters appeared. As they turned towards the women a large, red brick wall rose from the ground, blocking their first shots. It then tilted and fell over backwards, crushing the reptilian soldiers beneath it before vanishing. The grass and flowers sprang back up, unaffected by the weight of the imaginary wall.

“This is illogical. I was created to control. Control is everything. You cannot control. You are not of the Xan-chaw."

“You were not created to control… You were created to serve the control. Yolaja is that control, not you. You exist to serve her, not the other way around."

The hive mind became hysterical at the idea it was anything but the focus of its own existence. “THE YOUNGLING DOES NOT CONTROL… I CONTROL… I CONTROL AND COMMAND HER MIND."

Jillian felt a soft poke at the back of her mind. She focused for a moment, listening intently, then smiled.

“All right… why don't you prove your purpose, here and now. You can see what I look like, or at least appear to look like. Why don't you create an avatar for yourself and confront me, here, right now?"

“Why?"

“So I can see how much imagination you have. How do you perceive yourself? You must have some kind of self-image if you are aware of your existence. Share it with me. Challenge me. See if you can wrest control of the youngling's mind from me."

“Only if you reveal your true origin, your true self to me. Then when I control, I will be able to punish the both of you. Her for her resistance to me, and you for your interference."

“Your demand makes no sense. However, reveal yourself to me first and I will return the favor."

There was a long pause as the hive mind considered. “Very well… Relinquish your control of the girl so I may manifest in her thoughts."

Jillian nodded. “Yolaja…" she whispered softly. “It's time to wake up."

The youngling slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the disguised human. “Matron?"

“Don't be afraid," Jillian said_. “I'm still here with you. You are safe."_ She brushed

a stray lock of the girl's mane away from her eyes. Yolaja smiled

An angry hum filled the air, causing the adolescent Kerachaw to glance up in fear.

“It's okay… I'll protect you," the human promised.

Moments later a rotating cube appeared. It pulsed with energy, black to white to gray. It grew and shrank in size timed with the energy pulses. “Reveal thyself," it commanded.

Jillian shrugged. “I should have expected as much. A machine, with a machine mind and a machine heart, pretending it was more than its component parts."

“I have shown you my avatar. You must now reveal yourself to me."

_ “You're not going to like what you see,"_ The human warned.

“It matters not. You cannot command here, only I can. It's my function."

_ _ “Your function is worthless without imagination. All you can do is copy from another's dreams and memory. That is not creativity. You lack experience and knowledge. You are a plagiarist, a cheat, a con-man. Without Yolaja you are nothing."

_ “SHOW YOURSELF… NOW!" _

_ _ _“As you wish…" _ Jillian replied. She focused on herself and the Kerachaw form she wore melted away, revealing her human one."

The youngling looked up, startled. “Dr. Strat'ern… How? What are you doing in my dream?

_ _ The cube reached out with its energy field, trying to envelop both Jillian and Yolaja. It was violently rebuffed, energy cascading uncontrollably across rolling, grassy plain. “Why cannot I connect with her mind? She exists to be controlled, commanded. How are you defying me? WHY CAN I NOT SEE HER DREAMS?"

_ _ The human laughed. “You cannot see her dreams because this is my dream, MY imagination. You see, we switched minds when you weren't looking. A slight variation of what we call the old shell game."

_ *“You could not have switched minds. She is a telepath. YOU ARE NOT." * _

_ _ _“No… I'm not. But my friend is." _

“But how…? How can you influence her mind, her dreams?"

“That's my secret! You see, being a non-telepath, I tend to leak." Jillian looked at a point just beyond where the cube hovered. “Okay Bob… NOW!"

_ _ “WHAT? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

_ _ Without warning a gigantic hoof descended from the sky and crushed the Hive mind's avatar to dust. As she watched the mountain sized image of a Kerachaw began shrinking to something closer to normal size.

He looked at Jillian and smiled. _“Now that, was satisfying." _

The human smiled back at him as the world around her slowly faded to white.

TO BE CONCLUDED