Fighting Back (10.1)

DANIEL PRESSED HIS HAND TO THE SIDE of Rivi's head. He closed his eyes and let his intuition guide him as he willed his mind to flow into Rivi's. He could feel Rivi hesitate and worried, but only for a moment.

Recognizing his presence, she suddenly let him in without holding back. Instantly, Dan was in a large hallway flooded with Rivi's memories, floating past on large, transparent square screens. Having seen many of these memories before when Rivi showed him her past while they were in the Aruk base, he paid them little attention.

He walked down many winding corridors, teeming with all of the thoughts with which Rivi's mind was interacting and receiving signals. He was careful not to get into any of the messengers' way as they rolled by his feet. Huge screens on the walls of the corridors flashed with blue, green, and red warning glyphs. Some of the screens, Dan could tell, were displaying the areas of Rivi's mind that were under attack. Some of them displayed cross-sections of the invading virus. It was obvious Rivi's mind was trying to figure out a weakness in the attacking virus.

Finally, he saw the hazy figure of Rivi standing at one end of a flat bridge. Trying to cross the bridge from the other side and attacking Rivi's fading figure were thousands of little, black, mutant, mechanical, spidery things. Dan walked up to the weakening, hazy image of Rivi and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Dan, you can't be here," the image of Rivi said, alarmed, "The virus will kill you!"

"I'm not going to let you face this on your own, Rivi, not when there's a small chance I can help you," Dan said.

"The virus has multiplied exponentially. I ... I just don't know if I'll be able to defeat them," Rivi said, sparing a sad, weak glance at the image of Dan.

"Maybe not alone, but together, I think we can," Dan said, focusing his concentration on Rivi, helping to heal the many injuries the monsters had already inflicted on her.

As she felt Dan's strength flowing through her and adding to her own, Rivi knew the virus would now be stopped. The second the thought entered her mind, it came and floated before her, forming a barrier that stopped the virus from getting any farther across the long bridge. Rivi smiled and knew the end was near for the viruses.

One by one, the viruses died and fell over the bridge. Rivi and Dan walked slowly across the bridge with Dan's hand on Rivi's shoulder and Rivi pushing the barrier before them. The virus started to die faster and their numbers decreased.

As they reached the other side, Dan realized that Rivi's mind was much more complex on this side than on the other side of the bridge. Massive networks of stairs and walkways traveled in every conceivable direction.

This must be that part of the human mind that most humans never learn to access.

Along these passages were many doors standing up without any walls beside them—doors that seemed to open into thin air. One large, arched doorway stood wide open to the left of the bridge that spanned the chasm. The viruses were swarming out from that doorway and crawling all over the networks of walkways. Dan realized this particular section of Rivi's mind must be her comp amalgamator halls.

Displaying sudden irritation at the audacity of the comp amalgamator section of her mind being violated by the viruses, Rivi stretched out her hand with a scowl and wiped free the virus' code from her mind and her computer. Sweeping her hand around her, she flung the useless, defeated virus and its files over the edge of the bridge into the chasm below. The corridors in the now emancipated side of Rivi's mind came to life once more, sending instructions, evaluations, and details to their designated areas of concentration.

Sensing that his work was done, Dan released Rivi's shoulder, as she continued her work in repairing the comp amalgamator section of her mind. Dan headed carefully back across the bridge and through the corridors teaming with Rivi's memories. As he faded and retreated into his own mind, he released his hand from Rivi's head. He opened his eyes slowly to see Ankh and Orlon standing there, wide-eyed with concern.

Dan sat silently for just a moment longer. Breathing deeply, he struggled to collect his thoughts into coherent sentences. Dan's muscles quivered with exhaustion as the adrenalin began to fade from his body, leaving behind a growing headache.

"She's okay now," Dan replied through his exhaustion.

He slowly stood to give Rivi more room on the cot.

Ankh shook his head in amazement.

"What you did, son, was impossible. And very brave," Ankh replied with a thankful smile, watching Rivi, who lay down peacefully on the cot once more.

"I did what needed to be done," Dan rubbed his forehead, fervently trying to massage away the headache. "Rivi would've done the same for me."

"I'm sure she would have, but you must be exhausted," Ankh said, as he turned the beanbag chair sitting in the center of the room into another cot. "You should rest."

"Thank you," Dan replied, as he stepped over to the cot and fell asleep the moment he lowered his head.

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A while later, Rivi woke and sat up, shocked at first, not knowing where she was. She saw Dan sitting, looking relaxed and awake, on a cot opposite her.

"Wh— where are we?" Rivi asked, her voice clearing.

"On Aun. We had a pretty bumpy landing, but we got here. Your virus should be gone now," Dan said.

Rivi's memories started coming back in pieces that quickly put themselves together. Rivi remembered Dan helping her defeat the virus. She remembered how the virus had tried to ravage her mind. Rivi did a quick health check of herself to make sure everything was working.

"I already checked. The damage the virus and the Aruk did has been taken care of," Dan assured her.

Rivi then remembered the Aruk.

They tried to kill Dan!

Rivi's brow creased with anxiety. Staring at her feet, her mind began pouring over all the safest routes. She saw no other way.

"Daniel, I no longer wish to spend time with you," Rivi said flatly, still staring at her feet.

"Wh— what?" Dan asked incredulously.

"I mean it. Leave," Rivi replied in a small voice.

"Rivi, I'm sorry if I did something," Dan said, confused.

"Go now!" Rivi ordered as she stood up and turned away, her arms folded.

Dan blinked his eyes in disbelief and turned to leave, confused. Outside, he passed by Ankh without so much as a smile. Ankh squinted at Dan's retreating figure, knowing what had happened. Ankh entered the room to find Rivi sitting back on the cot and staring at the wall across the room. He had foreseen this would happen, but he didn't realize that it would happen like this.

"Rivi, do you wish to talk about it?" he asked.

"You already know, then," Rivi said, not moving her eyes.

"Rivi, I have seen along the time continuum that this was supposed to happen, but at the time, I didn't realize that the one you sent away was a close friend of yours. What was your reasoning, Rivi?"

Rivi swallowed hard moving her gaze from the wall to her knees.

"The Aruk almost killed him, Ankh. They wanted to kill him to break me. I won't put him in danger like that again."

Ankh turned Daniel's cot into a beanbag chair again and flopped down in it.

"Of all the Earth fads, I think I like the beanbag chair the best!" Ankh said.

Rivi looked up at Ankh.

"But you know, Rivi," Ankh continued, "Dan could have left you there with the Aruk. He could have gotten out of there faster. He knew the dangers and all the pros and cons, yet he still brought you out of there. He got down here and could have left you to be cared for by us, even though we couldn't do much. He heard all of the dangers and everything that could go wrong if a healer tried to help you with the virus, but he saw you in pain and decided to help anyway. I hope you decide to talk to him before he leaves."

"Where's he going?" Rivi asked, frowning.

"While you were asleep, the healers asked him if he would go with them to another town here on Aun. Citridor was attacked by a small Aruk group a few days ago. They need all the help they can get. He would've invited you, but he figured you would want to try to find the rest of the children."

"Yes," Rivi said.

"I still think he deserves to know why you don't want to see him," Ankh replied.

"Thanks for talking about it with me, Ankh, but I'm not sure what I'll do yet."

"Anytime. What are friends for?" Ankh asked pointedly.

Rivi lowered her gaze, staring at the smooth, black floor. She sighed and then left the room slowly. She headed out of the building and down the almost-deserted evening streets of Aun's capital city, Emab. Feeling hungry, Rivi took a shortcut through one of the city's public gardens.

As she entered the garden, she breathed deeply and allowed her body to absorb some of the energy the plants around her created. She walked through the center trail and out the other side of the garden, coming to a stop in front of the healers' central headquarters. A few Aunantet were milling about the front entrance of the tall, many-storied building. Some entered the building; others were just passing by. A few, Rivi noticed, walked around to the back of the building.

'That is probably the group's meeting point. Perhaps I should go talk with Dan before he leaves,' Rivi thought to herself.

She walked around the back of the large healers' headquarters. About twenty healers of all ages were loading a large, silver cube full of equipment and supplies. Rivi spotted Dan and walked slowly over to him. Dan froze and looked away as he saw her approach.

"I want to tell you something. Will you come with me for a second?" Rivi asked quietly.

Dan shrugged and followed her out of the group of busy healers and toward the street in front of the building. Rivi stopped and folded her arms around her stomach, still keeping her gaze focused on her feet.

"I just want to tell you the reason I said what I did earlier. I don't want you to be put in danger because of me."

Dan looked down at the ground between them then glanced back up at Rivi with a slight smile.

"Rivi, I knew when I saw you on Earth, in your back yard, levitating rakes and flowerpots that you were an interesting person. Many things happen around interesting people. With those circumstances also comes a certain amount of danger. I knew this before I decided to be your friend, Riv. I may not have known that we would have been captured by aliens or that I'd have to help you through a computer virus attack, but I—"

"You were almost killed by those Aruk, Dan!" Rivi protested.

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I decided to ignore you just because we happened to fall into a sticky situation. Besides, there's always some element of danger around. You get out of bed in the morning, and you could trip on a skate and snap your neck. Hey, you can even get hurt staying in your bed, if the ceiling caves in!"

Rivi laughed, glancing up at Dan, before she looked away again.

"Rivi, I'm your friend, and if you think I'm going to stay away just because there might be some chance of danger, you've got to be kidding! If anything, you could tell me to stay away now, then, as soon as I hear that you need help, I'd already be on my way to find you!" Dan said, placing his hand on the side of Rivi's face.

Rivi looked up at him and closed her eyes for a second. She felt his strength flowing into her.

"Thanks, Dan," Rivi replied quietly, as she gave him a short farewell hug.

Dan smiled, and they both turned to head back to where the healers were loading the last few items into the cube.

"I'm sorry, Dan," Rivi said.

"Forget it. It's okay," he smiled.

"Listen, I don't know how long you'll be with the healers, but if you hear that I'm in the area—"

"I'll come by and visit," Dan replied, nodding with a grin. "I also need to try to find a way to write my foster parents and tell them what's going on. They're probably worried."

Rivi thought for a moment. She pulled her palmtop out of its special pocket sewed into the lining inside her sleeve. She quickly strengthened her amalgamator's link with it and gave it some specific directions.

"Here," Rivi said, passing her computer to Dan.

"I couldn't take this. Besides, I don't even know how it works," Dan replied, confused.

"No, I want you to have it. It's easy enough to make a new one. I've programmed it to allow you access to its functions from the keypad, just like the Earth computers. Some of the programs are voice-activated, but I'm sure you can figure it out," Rivi replied with a grin. "I put a program on there that will allow you to type in your foster parents' email address, or simply their names, and send a message."

Dan considered it for a moment before giving Rivi a reply.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Yes! Here, take it," Rivi laughed, passing the computer back to him. "You best get going. It looks as if most of the Aunantet are in the cube already."

"Okay. See you, Rivi!" Dan called as he walked through the cube's walls.

A minute later the cube lifted into the sky, letting the planet's upper atmospheric weather patterns blow them along to their destination—less tiring, mentally, than going through the fourth dimension. Rivi watched as the cube slowly disappeared through the sky.

She turned and went back to the newly designated Human Embassy, where she knew Ankh would still be trying to figure out the whereabouts of children.

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