Escaping Relativity
Chapter 31

This JUMP was unlike anything he’d done before. His first and only thought was to pray Charlie was alright. There was no dizziness or nausea, his feet stayed on solid ground, he simply felt surrounded by everything and nothing.

Slowly the world around him came into focus. He was standing between dark walls in a well-lit hallway. A few feet to his right was the Rynthian with Brick. No one could see Xander, he might as well have been a phantom, no more visible than the particles which brought him here.

Brick was bound, with already quite a few injuries, some which looked as though they were just healing. No matter how Brick had left Xander, Brick wasn’t in with The Dilligara on this. No, he had withstood weeks of torture, most likely on Xander’s account. Anger boiled in his blood once again, and he stood memorizing the exact spot so he could make certain Brick was with him within two minutes. Yet all the while, he watched the Rynthian.

Rynthians were humanoids, but their blood was thickened by a microbe. Once the microbe selected a human, and the human allowed themselves to be a host to the illness type entity, the entity took over the human’s brain waves and functions. It would find the person’s need for violence no matter the place, then exploited it until the no-longer human became completely consumed with it. Most governments hired Rynthians for interrogations, pleasure planets hired them for fetish workers; their uses went on and on. However, this particular Rynthian was about to be wiped out of existence.

There had never been anyone who had touched Brick without receiving the repercussions of it, and there never would be. Not as long as Xander was alive.

As soon as he solidified, he stepped forward three steps, and with the power of surprise, he hit the Rynthian in the nose with the butt of his weapon. Falling back against the wall, the Rynthian grabbed his nose, blood pouring out from his hands.

“Move, Brick! Don’t let that shit get on you!” Xander yelled.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Brick asked, moving to the relative safety of the other wall.

“The Time Keeper, just go stand where I was. I’ve got a score to settle real quick, and if for some reason you get JUMPed out of here without me, then just send Charlie. Ok? Charlie,” Xander said, circling around to get the Rynthian’s attention all on him instead of Brick.

For one of the few times in his life, Brick did exactly as Xander asked. He moved into the exact place Xander had been standing. Still bound he couldn’t do much to help, but glancing over, Xander watched Brick sit to pull his hands underneath him, bringing them out front, to undo his restraints.

“Who in the hell is Charlie? I thought you would only Track with me or alone!” Brick said, his mouth working on the restraints.

Xander knew the trick, had shown it to him. Part of him wanted to smile, but his next glance was toward the Rynthian male. His skin had turned a pale yellow from the diminished amounts of vital vitamins and nutrients from having the parasite within. His tongue was a purplish hue and he stuck it out to lick the blood flowing down his face, he laughed a grotesque sound, and smelled like walking death.

“You ran off, what the hell did you expect me to do? Run after you?”

“Well yeah,” Brick said, his tone offended.

Xander pulled one of his favorite phasers out and turned the intensity down. Getting too close to the creature could result in contamination, and Xander would be damned before he would turn into a Rynthian.

“You gotta grow up little brother,” Xander said.

“Only if you let me, Xander.”

The first shot was to the Rynthian’s right shoulder. The Rynthian took the phaser burn and laughed the same terrible laugh. The arm dropping dead to his side, the creature continued to walk toward him, the blood and spittle from the Rynthian being directed toward Xander. Forget it, he and Brick would have to be decontaminated anyway, he may as well get all the satisfaction he could from the horrible beast.

“True, I’ll let you grow up if you act like you’re grown up. Alright?”

A kick to the head, only stunned the non-human temporarily, then he walked toward Xander again. However, Xander caught the eyes of the Rynthian as they locked on to a different target––Brick. Brick was finally in the sight-line of the creature again, but Xander would have none of it.

“Yea, yea, look out! That thing is coming at me again!” Brick warned him.

Shooting him in the other shoulder, the creature’s left arm dropped dead, yet he still continued. Shit! If the Rynthian bit Brick or caused any blood to get into either of them, they would be in the Trauma Rooms for a full moon cycle getting rid of the contaminated blood.

“Xander! Xander, I’m starting to do something strange, hurry!” Brick yelled.

Xander kicked the Rynthian in the head, knocking him down completely, a broken neck ending the subhuman.

Xander turned and grabbed Brick’s left forearm with his hand. They started to phantom out again when Sojo burst into the hall firing a phaser directly at the two.

Instinctively Xander turned, positioning himself fully between Sojo and Brick. Regardless of them being in the middle of their return JUMP, a bright burning, searing pain exploded into the fading room, and everything went dark.

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