Taboo Descendants and the Multi-Dimensional War

I ran to Jarrice and fell by his side. Crying profuse tears, I scooped him up into my arms. He was not breathing and the anger was gone. Every emotion he had hurtled at me was gone—vanished without a trace.

His eyes were open, but they saw nothing. They simply pointed at the star-filled sky above.

I reached slowly for his face, my hand trembling. I covered his eyes with my open palm and closed his eye lids as I pulled away. He had seen enough of this wicked world.

“Son, son!” I wept as I rocked him in my arms. The motion had always soothed him as a child. “Son, can you hear me? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

Someone was coming.

I used my mind and froze them where they stood with little effort. I looked and saw that it was only Ary. I stared at her immobile figure for one more second before I let her go. The tears were flowing freely down my face now. Ary walked over to us and knelt to the ground. She did not have anything to say. She knew that it was better to be silent. I wondered how much of our fight she had witnessed.

“Jarrice,” I cried, tears rolling down my face. “My sweet Jarrice. What did they do to you?”

I pulled him closer to me, even though he was too large for me to hold. He was not a baby anymore. He was a teenager. My teenager. His arm dropped beyond my grasp, limp and lifeless.

“We have to get him back to the vessel,” I sobbed. “Alec will be able to help.”

“But Kay, he’s already—” she began softly.

“No!” I screamed hysterically. “Don’t say that! He’s going to be fine!”

I picked his limp hand off of the ground and laced my fingers with his. Still warm.

I let his hand go and pressed my fingertips to my temple. We need to go, Rahim. Now!

Rahim was there in a flash.

I ignored the fact that JJ had no pulse when I first picked him up in the ancient Zapotec temple. I dismissed the fact that he continued to not have a pulse when we were back on the vessel. I held him until his body seemed cold. I wondered if I leeched the warmth from him like Sbapoid’s tiny space-bugs.

In Alec’s lab, I laid my son down carefully on the operating table. Like a string of pearls, I lowered him, one vertebra at a time. His eyes were still closed. His skin was losing its deep brown luster, but I would not lose my hope.

I turned to the Veex who had risked their lives to rescue my son and now attempted to save him. Alec, bruised and battered, cleaned himself up for the operation despite his apparent pain. He was assisted by Inga, who had one eye swollen shut.

She said nothing as she left the disinfectant shower, fully clothed in her maroon ensemble, and approached my son. She began to use her abilities to pull energy from the ambient air and inserted it into his lifeless body. With each jolt of energy, his body flinched, but quickly fell limp.

“You should go and see the Commander,” Inga stated, her tone emphatic. The suggestion was not optional. She needed room to work. “He will want to debrief everyone on what happened—and what we will do next.”

“Um, of course, but—” I stammered. Ary pulled me from the operating room.

“We will care for your son as best we know how,” promised Alec as he stepped from the disinfectant shower, his hazel eyes reflecting the pain I felt in my heart.

I looked around the state-of-the-art lab at equipment I had yet to understand. I returned my gaze back at my son, then up at Alec and Inga. I knew that what he said was true, but I wanted assurance that my son would live.

“Will he—” I started.

“We cannot know for sure,” Alec answered.

I nodded, my eyes becoming misty once again. “Of course. Well, thank you,” I offered. “Thank you both.”

“You are most welcome,” Alec responded.

I turned to leave.

“Kaya,” spoke Inga.

“Yes?” I replied.

“You fought most bravely today.”

I nodded numbly.

“I am proud to call you my family.”

Taken aback, I stared at her and knew her opinion of me had changed in one night.

“I love you, too, Inga,” I responded as Ary and I left for the conference hall.

Commander Jules sat at the head of the conference table waiting for everyone to enter the meeting room. Ary and I must have been the last to arrive because he spoke as soon as we sat down.

“This has been a difficult evening for all of us,” he said. He paused and took one deep breath before he continued, “For the first time in Tepon history, the Veex have fought along side Huzeen.” Jules looked at Ary and I. “We could not be more proud of the way the two of you battled for the greater good. For that, we salute you.”

Sbapoid, Nevaeh, Yzee, and Oluh all stood.

Yzee took a deep bow, their chest gem glowing blue as they circled it with their large, webbed hands. Yzee seemed smaller than they had before the battle, as if they had lost girth along with strength during the fight.

Oluh tilted his head down towards us, both hands outstretched. I noticed that his claws appeared misshapen. He must have used them heavily tonight.

Nevaeh stretch out three of her four wings. The forth wing had been heavily bandaged in cloth soaked in a bright, orange substance.

Sbapoid shot beautiful, glowing webs from his stinger. Each web shimmered as they floated to the ground, dissipating before they touched whatever was beneath it.

All the Veex present saluted us with their alien peace sign, their sacred symbols raised in the air above their heads. There were only four Veex present.

Jules. Rahim. Kachina. Tala. Where is Iris?

Everyone present took their seat as Ary and I nodded at them all in turn.

“For the second time in Tepon history,” Jules explained further, “The Veex have had to defend themselves and others from the treacherous Zux. We have unintentionally brought this evil to your planet. For this, I would like to apologize.

“On behalf of the once great planet of Tepo and all of Selethia-Eno, we offer our undying allegiance to Earth against our brethren. We commit to seeing that justice be served. They will not get away with what they have done to your people today.”

I thought about my son, his mind a twisted mess, and the two Veex working tirelessly to revive him. This had not been the outcome I had hoped for when I fled Miami.

“Jules?” Ary asked.

“Yes, Professor Mansi,” he prompted.

“Where is Iris?”

Jules lowered his head for a second before his eyes locked with mine. He shook his head slowly, then addressing the room again, he spoke, “General Iris—has been taken by Zux.”

No—this can’t be!

Everyone in the room cried out aghast. Some gasped, some yelped, others growled or yelled out in protest.

“What does this mean?” Ary asked worriedly.

Others asked similar questions as well.

“Will they kill her?” I questioned wearily.

“The Zux, themselves, cannot kill her,” Jules answered. “The bond we Tepons share will not allow it. But—” he paused, “If they find a Zux Huzeen to do their bidding, her life could be lost to the Spirit Realm.”

“No!” I screamed in protest along with the others in the room.

“We must find out why the Zux took Kaya’s son to Mitla,” insisted Commander Jules. “What was their motive for killing all of those innocent humans tonight?”

“I have a theory, um, Commander Sir,” spoke up Ary again.

“Please, call me Jules,” he replied.

“Jules,” Ary began, “I believe the Zux were there in search of answers.”

“What sort of answers would they seek in an ancient burial ground?” inquired Jules. His tone was full of curiosity, not criticism.

“Ancestry,” Ary answered.

“Please expound.”

“Mitla or the ‘Place of the Dead’ is known in Zapotec mythos to be the home of the Lord of the Underworld.” Everyone in the room looked around ominously. I was sure that someone would disagree or object, but no one did. “His name was Mictlantecuhtli.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Oluh mumbled.

“Yes, it’s Nahuatl,” Ary explained. “This god of the underworld is not exclusive to the Zapotecs. He is well known in Chinantec, Mixtec, and Aztec mythology also. For simplicity sake, we can call him Mic.”

I felt a lecture coming on, but I knew the information would be vital to our success as a team. We all gave Ary our full attention.

“Mic’s reign is over a specific part of the underworld called Mictlan. It’s the northernmost section of the underworld which is believed to be the shallowest segment. Mitla is short for Mictlan.

“Mic’s worshipers often practiced ritual cannibalism and other atrocious acts. It’s stories like these, I’m sure, that the Zux were attracted to, assuming they caught wind of them while in Oaxaca looking for me. I will go further and theorize that the one called Malikah is eerily like the god Mic himself.”

“In what way?” asked Jules.

“Well,” Ary continued, “She likes to play with dead people and he had a similar affinity. I believe they killed all of those people this evening to erect an obedient army for her. They knew that we would come for Jarrice eventually.

“What really struck me as odd about her was her choice of jewelry. She wore human bones as ornaments.”

“You saw that, too,” Sbapoid expressed with intrigue.

“Yes,” answered Ary, “Though at the time I wished I had not. Mic is said to have worn the same kind of jewelry, specifically plugs made of human bones that he used to adorn his ear lobes.”

“Creepy,” Nevaeh added.

“Not creepier than his skull helmet and necklace made of human eyeballs.”

I gagged involuntarily.

“Mic was definitely not a nice guy and if anyone reminded me of him tonight, it was Malikah, Queen of the Undead.”

Jules cleared his throat. “Thank you, Professor Mansi for that invaluable information.”

“You can call me Yesenia,” she offered. “Only Kaya and my mother call me Ary.”

“Very well, Yesenia. Thank you,” Jules stated graciously. Speaking to the room at large he added, “It is as bad as I expected.”

There were mumbles from those gathered.

“Captain Malikah’s Tepon name is Saniek,” Jules began. “She lost an uncle in the civil war that destroyed our world. His name was Jhogo and he was a student of Dr. Quchen. I would suspect that he survived his trip to Earth and was reborn as ‘Mic’. She may be trying to find him.

“Yesenia, do you know how the Zux found you?”

Ary cleared her throat. “I have a hypothesis. One of my cousins was killed in Miami about a week ago. He was the only relative I had living in Miami at the time. The rest of my family is in New York.

“When my cousin was killed, the police and my family thought it was a result of gang violence. I never believed that. Knowing what I know now, he was killed by the Zux. He died the night after you brought Kaya here to stay with you.

“My cousin was supposed to be sending me an artifact he had purchased on the black market in Miami. He thought it may help me in my research on indigenous rein in Southern Mexico prior to the Spanish invasion, but he was killed before it was sent.”

“What was the artifact?”

“A small Zapotec danzante, similar to those at Monte Albán.”

“And what was the artifact pertaining to?”

“Mic, god of the underworld and his wife.”

“Wife?” Jules looked concerned at this news. “Ary, do you believe that Mic is still alive?”

“I couldn’t say,” answered Ary.

“Do you know if he had a child?”

“That I definitely don’t know.”

“If he mated with a human, we truly have our work cut out for us. Jhogo, or Mic if you prefer, makes Commander Piro seem like a peacekeeper.”

“May I ask you a question, Jules?” I requested, finally speaking up.

“Yes, of course, Kaya,” he replied, concerned.

“Why me? Why my son? Why did this have to happen to us? I’ve endangered everyone that I know and love.”

Jules sighed and stared into my eyes from across the long table. I could tell that he did not immediately want to answer my question, but felt that he must. He was giving off some guilt, but mostly love or something like it.

“When we arrived on Earth, I knew that something was wrong because we should not have been here unless it was fated.

“I had Tala search your planet’s database for anything that seemed out of place. The Internet, as you call it, was full of articles, web pages, books, and magazines that seemed to be influenced by Tepon culture. The results of her search were numerous. Staggering.

“I knew that we would need an Earth-Ambassador, whose presence would be similar in purpose to Oluh, Yzee, Nevaeh, and Sbapoid. The person we needed would have to be of great mental caliber and moral fiber. Intelligent, brave, and most of all compassionate.

“Tala found one of your white papers on the human brain’s limbic system, ‘Founded on Emotion: Why the Human Brain is Wired to Feel’. We all read it and agreed that you had what it took to be an empathetic ambassador. We did not know how right we would be.

“We followed you for a week with our drones. We watched you interact with patients, your family, strangers, the homeless, your colleagues, etc. You were head-strong, smart, and passionate.”

I could feel my face warm as I began to blush. I don’t think of myself as highly as he does.

He continued, “The night your ex-boyfriend died, I secretly trailed General Hayami. I was too late to save him, but tried to revive him. I failed to bring him back, but I saw you there.”

I thought back to my nightmare and recalled the man who had tried to save T-Rick. I had never known his identity before now. It was Jules.

He spoke gently as he added, “I knew who you were because of your white paper research, but I was astonished to see you that night in the alley. The following evening, I sent Unhenie to your workplace as Dr. Rahim Veex, mainly to learn more about you. The more he learned, the more I personally became intrigued by you. I crossed the line when I started sending you personal notes and gifts. Unhenie had no knowledge of my inappropriate behavior, so don’t blame him or the other Veex.”

“Ummm—” I mumbled. I had no words.

The nightmare. The flowers. The poems. It was all Jules—it had always been him!

He prefaced his next statement with, “I want to be open with our team now. We must have full disclosure in order to fully trust one another.”

I nodded.

“The Zux followed us to Miami. I am sure of that. They had no other reason to be there, but they did not know what we had planned. The first night we were there, we sent out drones to collect information about you. It was too risky for us to do it ourselves with the Zux watching us so closely. Even so, they followed one of our drones to Jarrice’s school where Timothy served as an assistant soccer coach. Your former mate was also a Zux Huzeen and an undercover police officer.”

He was a what and a what? I exclaimed in my head. I could hardly believe it.

“Timothy Derrick Jones had the ability discern truth and he used it to his advantage in his job. His attraction to you in his youth would have been magnified by your propensity to tell no lies and your bond, even unknowingly, as Tepon Huzeen.

“We spent days learning more about him after his death. As far as we can tell, he spent many years trying to atone for the wrongs he inflicted on you. He even sponsored Jarrice in the school he attended.

“Your son had a sponsor for private school, did he not?”

So, T-Rick knew about JJ all along—and he did care. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions that I started to cry and choke at the same time.

“Yes,” I uttered, tearful. “JJ—he had an anonymous sponsor—to attend private school.”

“Timothy was not all bad, Kaya,” Jules concluded, “I wanted you to know that.”

I nodded, wiping the tears from my face.

“General Xukyio Hayami knew that, and she used it against him. She lured him to that alley the night she killed him with threats against your son. We still do not understand how you saw that event unfold while you slept seven miles away from the scene of the crime, but we are working on a theory. To the best of our knowledge, you and Timothy shared a bond that remained intact up until the moment he died.”

Tears flowed free and fast down my face. I continued to wipe them away, flummoxed by the commander’s revelations.

“Commander Yuda Piro thought that we were after Timothy, not you,” exposed Jules. “He sent General Hayami to kill him only to realize, after he was dead, that he was a Zux Huzeen. Before that night, none of us knew that Huzeen were real. Unfortunately, the Zux beat us to that discovery.

“The night that you met Unhenie as Dr. Rahim Veex, General Xukyio Hayami Zux was waiting for you in the parking lot of the hospital. She had followed Timothy’s body to the hospital and found you there giving off a smell too sweet to be ignored. She did not know who you were, your relation to Timothy, or your importance to our mission, but she became suspicious when Unhenie showed up to intercept her.

“General Hayami killed many humans after Timothy in a vain attempt to flush you out. This is how your colleague, Nurse Dumas, was killed.

“Rahim Unhenie and General Iris Okin were able to head off General Hayami and the others most nights before they reached you or followed you home, but the Zux eventually found out where you lived.”

I looked over at Rahim. His head was lowered as he listened in silence. His emotional state was a wreck. No doubt he lamented over the kidnapping of his dear sister by the Zux.

Am I worth all of this strife?

“I didn’t want all of those people to die because of me!” I shouted, hysterical. “Why didn’t you just let them kill me? None of this would have happened.”

“I couldn’t do that,” he replied in a somber tone.

“Why not?” I screamed.

“We did not tell you this before because we did not want to upset you,” Jules warned, “But you are more than just a Veex Huzeen, Kaya.”

I looked straight into his eyes, but did not speak.

What else could I be?

“You are both Veex and Zux,” he stated carefully, “Though not evenly so. Your DNA is handily more Veex than it is Zux. In fact, we have deduced that your father would have been half of both.

“There is only one Tepon that fits this description and that is Dr. Quchen—The Key.”

My anger fled.

“That is why it had to be you, Kaya,” Jules concluded. “You are Earth’s strongest Huzeen and the new Key of Tepo. Without you, the Veex and Zux bond would be broken forever.”

My father, Diego Jerito—Dr. Quchen?

I wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve as I nodded. I did not want to accept any part of the Zux, but I should have known all along. JJ would have gotten his Zux abilities from me, not his father. Zux abilities passed from mother to son and father to daughter. I had learned that before, but only thought of its significance now.

Jules stood. “The first action we must take is to find out where any other Huzeen might be, Veex or Zux, and provide them asylum. We cannot let what happen tonight in Mitla and previously in Miami, to happen again. We must beat the Zux to the Huzeen!”

“What about my sister?” groaned Rahim, finally speaking up.

“We will not leave a fellow Veex behind, Unhenie, you know that. We will do everything in our power to save her, but keep in mind that they cannot kill her without a Huzeen. They have no more alien monsters from Selethia-Eno to do their bidding. We made sure of that. They had two Huzeen in their company, one is here on this vessel and the second died tonight.”

I was grateful that Jules had not mentioned that I had killed the teen-aged girl with the ability to disappear. I was not proud of that fact, nor did I celebrate the condition for which my son was in now. Their demise had also been by my own hands. I lowered my gaze to the floor, full of shame.

Jules walked over to me. He bent to his knee and took my hand in his. I could feel my heart beating in my throat. My ears pounded like drums.

I looked at his face, so smooth and brown. His features blurred as tears filled my eyes. I felt the salty drops fall onto my cheeks. He reached up and wiped them away.

I knew this was not a proposal. That was an Earthly tradition after all, but it was a heartfelt declaration nonetheless.

“You cannot carry all the failures and burdens by yourself. I, too, am to blame for the kidnapping of your son,” he admitted. “I should have allowed you to meet with Unhenie and Iris alone that night in the cafe. I should have been watching your house. Instead, I chose to meet you for myself.

“This is not excusable,” he prefaced, “but I could see that you were starting to develop feelings for Dr. Rahim Veex based on the messages that I sent to you. I felt that I needed to step in, but my motivation for doing so were petty. The envy consumed me and clouded my judgment.”

He pulled himself closer to me and lowered his voice.

“You see, humans and Tepons are not that different. We, too, are wired to feel. And what I feel for you is as real as the nerves, nuclei, and white matter of my cerebrum.”

That is quite possibly the most romantic thing I have ever heard. I would melt in his arms if it weren’t for the pain of losing my son.

“Kaya, I know you are hurting, so I ask nothing of you at this time. I want to commit myself to you wholly and fully. I will see that your son is revived and rehabilitated or I will give my life to avenge him.”

Later that night as dawn approached, everyone on the Qego Mouyo, dead or alive, sought rest. I confined myself to my quarters, but sleep evaded me. We had succeeded in taking JJ back from the Zux, but at a great cost.

As such, we did not feel victorious.

I thought carefully over the words that Jules had spoken to me in front of everyone on the vessel. I was sure that he was sincere and I appreciated his honesty, but I could not reciprocate the love that he confessed. Not at this time. I needed to see my son alive if I was to feel anything good ever again.

The part of me that did not long for my son, demanded to know more about my father. I had more questions now that I ever had before.

I sat at my desk, too tired to cry another tear, and wrote one last letter to my best friend back in Miami. We had been like sisters after all, and she deserved to know the truth:

“Friend,

The truth has finally come out!

These ancient beings all came here under the guises of gods, goddesses, demons, angels, mythical creatures and monsters both bringing forth knowledge and wreaking havoc across the globe and throughout time. They were both worshiped and feared by ancient man, however, I have learned their true nature.

They’re all aliens!

On one hand, they have literally made us the human race we are today. On the other hand, they have caused us so much division and suffering.

What does this have to do with me, you ask?

Apparently, I am a descendant of their kind, as are others out there. I can help Earth fight back, but I need to locate the others like me first—before the malevolent entities find them.

Can you relate?

Have you ever felt fated for greatness? I’m not talking about delusions of grandeur, but to know deep down inside that you were created to selflessly serve and protect.

For those who are called to this end, I must deliver to them the keys to their destiny. These gifts are knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

I must tell them that they are the descendants of ‘the men of renown’ spoken of in Genesis Chapter Six. Yes, the Genesis of the Holy Bible and Torah. It’s no myth or fairytale. The Nephilim once walked the Earth and we are their children.

I now know my true purpose.

The answers needed to restore balance to our species are buried beneath our feet. I don’t know where my journey will take me or how long it will last, but know this—

I don’t plan to meet my demise anytime soon, but if I die in the process, know that I love you.

Con amor,

Kaya Lena Jerito

P.S. As always, ‘Beware of the betrayal of beauty’.”

This is the story of how I became a murderer.

Instead of healing afflictions of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, I took a life—of a minor, no less—via blunt force trauma. I am now faced with the fact that there is a monster inside of me. The fact that this monster saved my life provides me with little solace. I would never consciously trade the remainder of my lifespan for that of a child’s.

I look in the mirror and no longer like what I see. My brown skin is drawn and lusterless and my brown eyes are saggy, blood-shot and dull. How could they shine after what they have witnessed? My thick curls do not bounce when I walk and the edges of my full lips have not curled for a week.

I am alive though I feel like joining my mother in the Spirit Realm. How innocent my world had been when it fit inside of a five-square mile urban prison. Now, I am a captive of my own misdeeds in the belly of a spaceship.