Taboo Descendants and the Multi-Dimensional War
CHAPTER XXX—ZONE OF THE ZAPOTECS

When six o’clock in the evening arrived, everyone was back in their same seats from the evening before.

The atmosphere in the conference room, though serious, was much less hostile than it had been. Everyone seemed to accept the fact that they were a team and now worked towards the same goal.

Everyone, that is, except for me. All I wanted was my son returned safely to my arms. Sure, the Zux needed to be defeated. There was no question about that. I only questioned the ‘by whom’ not the ‘why’. I thought about how easily Yuda had killed Norberto and how it could have been Ary or me. If given the option to take my son and best friend and leave, I would not hesitate to do so.

But what of the other Huzeen? I ask myself. Who will fight on their behalf?

Iris stood and addressed the room from the front of the table. “This mission will not be easy, nor will it be pleasant. Lives will be lost. Not only the lives of some of us in this room, but also the lives of those we fight against and fight for in the end.

As Tepons, we may not be able to affect one another with our abilities, but the same is not true of the others. The Zux have made non-Tepon allies and tasked them to do their bidding. We believe some of them to be fourth dimensional creatures that traveled here to the third dimension with the Zux.

Also, we confirmed last night that, unlike other Tepon, a Huzeen can affect Tepons with their abilities.”

A few people gasped, disbelieving outbursts pouring from bodies in emotional waves. Others simply stared blankly at Iris. She took her seat without further explanation.

Once the room was quiet again, only the emotions swarmed around. I felt just as I had the night before, both hated or feared by some while admired by others.

“What is the meaning of this, Commander?” queried Inga.

“Yesterday evening,” Jules explained, “While on a reconnaissance mission, Iris’s Team, consisting of the two Veex-Huzeen and an Earth-Human, was intercepted by unknown 3rd Dimensional extraterrestrials. They deployed reconnaissance orbs programmed specifically to discover any Huzeen present. The orb passed over, Norberto del Fina, an associate of Yesenia, and did nothing. However, once Yesenia was scanned, the orb sent word to the awaiting carrier ship. Moments later, Zux arrived on the scene.

Not just any Zux, mind you. Kaya, Yesenia, and Norberto were confronted by General Hayami, who was accompanied by Vadim, Fetu, and Commander Yuda, himself.”

The response of those in attendance consisted of shock and awe.

“When General Hayami approached Kaya to extract her life force, Kaya stopped her in her tracks. It is still unclear exactly how this occurred. Kaya, do you care to expound?”

Who me? Talk—in here?

“Ummm—well, I knew what she could do. I’ve seen it on video at the Miami Police Department. The victims in Miami died the same way as my mother, who Hayami also murdered.

“When I saw her walking towards me last night, I knew she wanted me dead, so I just yelled at her to stop, and she did.”

“She was immediately rendered immobile mid-stride and couldn’t even put her down,” added Iris.

“But you don’t know how you got her to stop moving?” Jules asked of me gently.

“No, honestly I don’t,” I answered meekly.

“General Okin,” said Jules speaking up and using Iris’s birth name.

“Yes, Commander Hokor,” replied Iris.

“To your knowledge, does the Empathy ability have any aspects of physical control?”

“Yes, to a degree,” she responded. “I can make a non-Tepon feel any way I want them to feel, which can in turn affect their decisions and actions, but that does not describe what Kaya was able to do last night. What she did was more like biokinesis and needs further investigation when times allows.”

“Agreed,” spoke Jules authoritatively. Looking back around the room, he continued recounting last night’s events, “After Kaya halted General Hayami, Commander Yuda began to take matters into his own hands.

These two barely made it out with their lives. There Earth-Human friend, Norberto del Fina, was not as fortunate. He died at the hands of Commander Yuda. If it was not for the prowess and speed of our own Rahim Unhenie Veex, we may not have Kaya and Yesenia before us this night, for which I will be eternally grateful.”

Rahim and I made eye contact for the first time in many days. He had been uncharacteristically quiet during last night’s two meetings. His feelings were a mixture of shame and indecisiveness. Deep within him, a sense of growing love and protection started to bud as he grew to accept that fact that we were family.

Jules next addressed the silent scientist, “Professor Alec, please share your latest replaceings.”

Alec did not stand at the front of the room as Iris had done, but rather stood in front of his chair in between Iris and Yzee. He waved his hands and the digital cubes rose once again from the conference room table. Everyone in attendance reached out and grabbed them in turn.

“As you can see,” he continued, “There are similar traces of Veex DNA in Yesenia’s double helix as compared to Kaya’s. The amount of matching segments does not seem to be as high, but the identifiers are definitely Veex. This seems to indicate that both of Yesenia Arelys’ parents were Huzeen, though neither of them was one hundred percent Veex. It is more likely that one of her grandparents or great-grandparents would have been a Veex of Tepo.

“This discovery brought me back to Kaya’s DNA. I am still processing it against other known strands, including the data of those present. The amount of Veex DNA is so prominent in her that I suspect that Kaya may have Veex DNA from both her mother and father as well. Her father in particular, may have been as much as half-Veex. Due to how female Earth-Human DNA is stored, however, we cannot know for sure who that man would be and whether or not we know him.

“I am developing some special sequencing programs just for decoding Kaya’s DNA, but it will take some time. Tepons and Earth-Humans are no so similar that such tests are universal. I liken our similarities to that of donkey and horses on Earth. They are a different species, though able to reproduce a mule if mated.”

There were some mumbled comments at this news, but no one was more shocked than I was. My father, a Veex Huzeen or even a Tepon? I knew so little about him, but I was willing to accept almost anything.

“Female Earth-Humans carry only mtDNA,” explained Alec. “This is also known as mitochondrial DNA. Male Earth Humans carry both mtDNA as well as yDNA, referring to the Y chromosome (of which female Earth-Humans have none). It is through the yDNA that the male lineage can be traced. The same is true for female lineage and mtDNA. This is how I determined that Kaya is related to General Okin, and by extension her twin brother Unhenie.”

Rahim and I looked at each other again. There was no physical resemblance between him and me, nor was there any physical resemblance between him and Iris. Nonetheless, we were all related.

Alec was still explaining his replaceings. “Using the non-sex chromosomes, called autosomal DNA or atDNA, I can determine how much a human is related Veex or Zux in general. This is how we can identify the degree to which an Earth-Human is Huzeen. It will not tell us which Veex or Zux nuclear family a Huzeen belongs to, but it will tell us that they are Huzeen.

“The same can be said for abilities. We know that certain abilities travel within certain families. The fact that General Okin and Kaya are both Empaths only further proves this point. On the subject of abilities, it may interest you, Kachina, to know that Yesenia’s ability strongly resembles your own, Psychometry. After I run an mDNA test on the two of you, I will be able to confirm or deny that she is your relative.”

I was glad to see that Kachina smiled reassuringly at Ary. Some of the tension that Ary had been feeling seemed to subside. Not only did her feelings of fear diminish, but her shoulders dropped and her body seemed to relax some.

“What I need, however—” Continued Alec, “—is more Zux DNA. We need to know when we run across a Zux Huzeen as well as a Veex Huzeen. If we can get to them before the Zux, it may be possible to save them from themselves. Left in the hands of the Zux, they are sure to be lead on the path of destruction and hate.”

I thought about what my mother had said about JJ needing our love now more than ever. Somehow, she had known this to be true. She had wanted me to focus, not on what JJ was, but who he was capable of becoming. It was his choice, but he was still a child in need of parental guidance.

At that moment, an odd-sounding siren went off around the room. It resembled the blaring of large horns. I jumped, naturally startled. Ary tensed back up beside me with her arms crossed over her head, resembling a turtle inside its shell. Others seemed to react more professionally, sitting up straighter in their chairs.

Tala stood. “Commander,” she yelled over the noise, “An urgent video stream is coming from our drone surveillance.”

“Let it through,” he called back.

She nodded, raised two open palms in the air face-up, then slowly and deliberately dropped them face-down. A large, elongated cube, resembling a translucent flat screen, dropped out of the ceiling in the front of the room. Once it was fully lowered, the screen displayed a scene of mass chaos.

It was dusk and people ran screaming and crying in every direction. The location seemed to be another ancient site, but it was not Monte Albán. The sun had only been down a few minutes and the sky behind the carnage was painted beautifully.

“Is this a live feed?” I asked reservedly.

“Yes,” answered Iris next to me.

“Where is this?” I questioned further.

“I’m processing the coordinates now,” said Tala.

“I know where it is,” uttered Ary, nearly inaudibly. “It’s Mitla, fifty kilometers Southeast of Monte Alban.”

Everyone looked at Ary briefly, shocked that she had spoken. The moment was short-lived, however, due to the horrid sounds pouring over our translators. We all turned our attention back to the screen.

“Yesenia,” Jules called from the head of the table. “What do you know of this place?”

“My colleague, Dr. Daniel Cory Maiji of the University of Hawai’I, is there studying the religious traditions of the Zapotec people and their outlook on the afterlife. Mitla is said to be the place of the dead.”

From the looks of the video, innocent people there were being sent to the afterlife against their will. I hoped that Ary’s friend, Dr. Maiji was not one of them. Many bodies littered the site, some large and some small.

“Commander,” informed Tala, “I programmed our vessel’s reconnaissance drones, as you instructed, to look for any local disturbances. They are currently hovering about 30 meters above the Mitla site.”

“Can you see the boy? Kaya’s son?”

My heart skipped a beat as I held my breath and leaned on the edge of my seat.

“No, but there’s a dead zone above the one of the temple complexes in the center of the archaeological zone. Rahim will not bet able to teleport there. I suspect the child is being held within the temple.”

“We will tolerate no more this!” declared Jules, standing to his feet. “Fire up, Qego Mouyo. Everyone suit up. We’re all going to Mitla.

The fight begins now!”

I stood on the loading dock of Qego Mouyo with Ary, all seven Veex, and all four diplomats as we prepared to depart the vessel. Everyone was dressed for battle, except Ary and I. All we had to wear were two all-black track suits, but they would have to do.

“Listen up, Troops!” shouted Commander Jules over everyone’s separate conversations. “Tonight marks a great shift in our dealings with our sibling species. Though we are still of the same genus and bound by the molecular bond that keeps us from using our abilities on one another, we will not hold back in our hand-to-hand combat. All Tepons are trained from birth in a menagerie of fighting styles. I suggest you remember your lessons well.

“We have two objectives: End the senseless violence that continues in Mitla as we stand here and rescue Kaya’s son.

“The Earth-Country of Mexico has deployed military troops to this location. They on their way there, so we must be in and out quickly. They will not be able to tell us from the Zux. To them, we are all murderous intruders.

“The delegates are to stay with the Huzeen and retrieve the boy. In order for us to come back with Jarrice, it is imperative that we take his mother in with us. That is the only way he will trust us. His only contact with Tepons so far have been the Zux. We can only imagine how traumatic that has been on the young man.

“Neither Huzeen has combat experience and will need to be protected.

Kaya—”

“Yes,” I answered softly. My head felt light with anxiety.

“You and Ary need to stay together, no matter what. When you replace Jarrice, call upon Rahim and he will get you all back to the safety of this vessel. Rahim can follow your thoughts to your location, even in the dead zone.”

I nodded and looked at Ary. She did not have to come with us, but she had come to support me. I felt I had no choice. My son needed me. Ary was just the sort of ride-or-die best friend anyone would want to have in that situation.

“Kaya and Yesenia, you will not be helpless,” Jules assured us. “Sbapoid is a weapons expert and will arm both of you. Pay attention to his instructions. They will save your life and the lives of those around you. I expect you to come back to us alive.”

He said the last part more to me than anyone else. I felt my heart flutter. At times, I forgot that he had confessed his love for me. I still did not know exactly how I felt about him or why he felt so strongly for me.

“Nevaeh will provide aerial reconnaissance on the Zux movements as well as air support of the Huzeen team by way of small explosives. Yzee will pave the way to the tomb where Jarrice is being held. Amabalians are well-versed in the ways of combat. Sbapoid will provide long-range ballistic support. Oluh will attack and neutralize anyone who gets too close to our Huzeens as they make their way to the asset retrieval location.

“There are many obstacles between us and Jarrice. Most difficult of all are the Zux. Their full squad of seven is in attendance this evening. There are also at least a dozen other aliens accompanying them. These are mostly likely Brutes from Selethia-Eno, an incompetent slave race of very strong beings the Zux use to do their dirty work.

“Do not underestimate the Brutes. Many of them have been genetically altered to increase their intelligence. The Zux did this so the Brutes would be better at following instructions, but take no pity on them. They know who they willingly serve.

“General Okin!”

“Yes, Commander!” she answered enthusiastically.

“Your primary objective will be to contain General Hayami.”

Iris smiled a mischievous smile. She was not afraid of the slender, female General in the white jumpsuit any more than she was afraid of death itself. She emanated heroism and justice.

“Tala, you will take on Yasmin. Since she has the ability of technopathy, she will most likely be using all manner of mechanical creatures to try and hurt the non-Tepons. Use your control of animals to defeat her machines.”

“Yes, Commander,” said Tala with a nod.

“Professor Alec, use your cunning and hydrokinesis to defuse fellow scientist, Professor Fetu. He is the master of earth and rock. He will no doubt keep your hands full.”

“I will not let him harm an innocent soul,” answered the kind scientist.

“Unhenie, you will be fighting Viet Quan. Though your mind may not be in danger, those non-Tepons around you will be greatly affected. Save everyone that you can from The Torturer.”

Rahim swallowed. “I will get all that I can to safety.”

“Kachina, using your abilities, you will face Captain Malikah, Queen of the undead. There will be no lack of animated corpses for her to fight with, so try and protect the others. Take any form that you deem most useful.”

“I will serve our cause valiantly in honor of the Veex species!”

“Excellent!” he approved. “Doctor Inga, you will need to neutralize Vadim Henc, master of the winds and air. Use your energy sourcing to combat his gales and gusts.”

“I will, Commander Jules,” said Inga with a swift bow. It was the most agreeable I had ever seen her.

“I, of course, will be facing Commander Yuda, the fire demon.

“May the superlative species rein victorious!”