Vai

"Let's go Warpaint," Other Vai said. The bedroom door slid open and Other Vai stepped into the living quarters.

"But, sir," Warpaint said as he strode after him - and therefore me too. "School is going to start in a few minutes."

Other Vai didn't reply as he stepped into the corridor.

"Your friends in school will miss you, sir," Warpaint said. Other Vai continued to the elevators. "I need to contact your father and tell him you are missing school."

No, Warpaint. That won't work with Other Vai. I don't think it would have worked with me either. I wonder if it would work with the original Vai.

Other Vai spun to face the mechatronic - and me. He had the vibroscalpel he took from Mersk held up to his neck.

"No, sir!" Warpaint said. "I won't tell your father."

Other Vai smirked and turned to the elevators. Warpaint followed him inside.

Warpaint, stop falling for that. He's not going to kill himself. If I figure out a way to get my body back, I'll never threaten you with my life again.

"Turn on your camera distorter," Other Vai said.

Warpaint didn't question it. He just did it.

We got out at deck 7. Maybe he had arranged to meet Shel? Except he walked passed their quarters. Hani's quarters? She was nearby. Maybe Other Vai decided to receive her crush even though I had dismissed it.

He passed Hani's quarters. He stopped at 7121. He put the vibroscalpel up to his neck again. "Get us in," he demanded of Warpaint.

Warpaint looked all around the empty corridor.

"Hurry," Other Vai said.

"But, sir, these quarters belong to - "

"I know who they belong to. I know she won't be home yet. Open it."

Who did the quarters belong to? A dark trepidation began to spread inside me.

"No, sir. This is wrong. Let's go back to our quarters and you can join your younger friends in school."

Other Vai cut a small line into his neck with the vibroscalpel. There was no blood as the vibroscalpel immediately cauterized the wound. There was a red burn line on Other Vai's neck.

"No, sir, no!" Warpaint raised his three arms into the air.

"Then open the door," Other Vai said.

"I will, sir. Just don't hurt yourself." Warpaint connected to the small locking mechanism beside the door. The door slid open. Other Vai walked inside. Warpaint followed. The door closed behind us.

"Lock it again," Other Vai said.

Warpaint did as he was told and locked us inside the small quarters. The quarters had a living area and one bedroom. Other Vai made a complete circle around the couch and little table. An oversized deep blue throw blanket with white stars was draped carelessly over the back of the couch. On the floor next to the couch was a white plate with a half-eaten bird leg of some sort. It wasn't real meat. It was made from the algae.

There was a black vase on the table. Large, triangular orange flowers blossomed from the vase. I wondered if they were real. It would be hard to have real live flowers in individual quarters. If people wanted to be around real plants and nature, they went to the arboretum.

Other Vai touched an orange petal gently before he pinched it hard. "Fake," he said. He knocked the vase over on its side. The vase did not break. The fake flowers spilled out halfway. Other Vai turned away from them and went to the bedroom door.

"Sir. That is a woman's private bedroom. You shouldn't enter."

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"Just a K'thaktran," Other Vai said. "What could she have except destruction." The door opened and he went inside.

Warpaint stood in the doorframe. "Sir, this is really a breach of privacy."

I used my green light to rise from Warpaint. I watched Other Vai closely as he walked around the small bedroom - kicking clothes on the floor out of his way as he went. He went through the few drawers in the desk, but didn't see anything he found interesting. I wanted a closer look at the shiny, oval red rock that was connected to a gold necklace - I didn't know K'thaktra wore jewelry, but Other Vai walked passed Warpaint and back into the living quarters. I didn't want him out of my sight so I followed along with Warpaint.

Other Vai sat on the couch. He picked up the half-eaten bird leg and sniffed it. He dropped it back onto the plate. It rolled off and under the little table. Other Vai didn't bother to pick it up.

"I thought security officers were required to be tidier than this," Other Vai said.

Warpaint looked at the door as if he expected someone to come in at that moment. Maybe he picked up something on his sensors. I waited, but no one came in and Warpaint turned his attention back to Other Vai.

"It is against protocol, sir. But the command often is less strict with such things in the vastness of space." The mechatronic's white head swiveled to the door again.

"Are you following her on your sensors? Is she almost here?"

"She got off the elevator. Sir, we should leave now before she arrives."

Other Vai made that strange smirk again. Had I ever made that smirk? I didn't think so, but I couldn't really see my face in daily activities so maybe I had. I hated it. Other Vai stood up and went into the small bathroom off to the side. Warpaint followed, but hesitated in the doorframe. Other Vai grabbed one of his arms and pulled him inside behind him.

"Sir," Warpaint said, but Other Vai put a finger up to his lips and brought the vibroscalpel up to his neck. Warpaint became silent.

Warpaint. You can't let him do this. He is going to kill another innocent K'thaktra. This isn't right. Stop him!

But Warpaint didn't hear me.

I lifted out of him and rushed towards Shel's quarters. It was a longshot - none of my friends would hear me unless they were also in their spirit form - but I had to do something. I entered Shel's quarters first. There was a strain on my connection with Warpaint. Like a bungee cord being pulled as far as it could and it wanted to spring back.

Shel was on his bed with his okulus over his head.

Hey! I screamed as loud as I could. Shel didn't make any movements to indicate he heard me. Please. We can't let him do this again.

I reached down with my spirit self wrapped in my green light and tried to shake his arm. It passed through him. Shel didn't move.

I moved on to Minmin's and Esther's room. They also had their okuli over their heads.

Other Vai is going to kill again. You need to get up and stop him. I tried to grab both of them, but again my spirit hands just passed through them. Neither of them indicated they heard me. There wasn't time for this. The K'thaktra could already be back to her quarters and not have any clue Other Vai waited in her bathroom to kill her.

I floated up and up. I got to deck 6. I almost made it to deck 5 and Owen before I was flung back hard into Warpaint. He and Other Vai still waited behind the bathroom door.

I came out of Warpaint again and entered the living quarters. The K'thaktra was already there. She still wore the security officer uniform. She sat on her couch and picked up the white plate. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw the bird leg was missing. She looked over the arm of the couch to the floor.

Run! Get out of here! He's going to kill you. Please hear me. Please.

She stood up and looked behind the couch. She got on her knees and searched in front of the couch. Her mouth opened into a smile when she saw it under the table.

You don't have time for this. Get out!

She reached for the bird leg. Other Vai ran out of the bathroom.

"Sir, no!"

That was when she saw them. She dropped the bird leg, but her shoulder banged on the table and upturned it as she tried to get up. She tripped over the fallen vase and fell onto her back. Other Vai brought the vibroscalpel down and buried it into the softest part of her throat. She stared up at him in horror. An orange, barbed hand reached up shakily and tried to push him off.

No!

I entered Other Vai's body. This time was different. I wasn't settling over him like a blanket. I was inside him. His hands fit over mine like gloves. His face fit over mine like a mask. I tried to move the hand. I tried to retract the vibroscalpel. For a brief moment, his brain waves became mine. I had a heartbeat again. My lungs breathed.

The K'thaktra's red eyes blinked once and then closed forever. As her hand dropped heavily to the floor, the barbs cut the back of Other Vai's hand.

I felt the burn on Other Vai's - my neck, felt the cuts on the back of my hand. My light showed me how to heal them, how to stitch the cells and molecules, how to repair and regrow. Within seconds, I had repaired myself.

My heartbeat was gone. The lungs were not mine. Other Vai had pushed me out. Warpaint grabbed Other Vai by his shoulders and pulled him off the K'thaktra.

"Sir, no, sir."

"Just take care of the body," Other Vai said coldly. He rubbed his chest over his heart.

Warpaint picked up the K'thaktra and put her inside him. "Is something wrong, sir? Are you in pain? Are you having a heart attack? You are very old, sir."

"No, I'm not having a heart attack." He picked up one of the fake flowers, tore off an orange petal and put it in his pocket. "I just felt strange for a moment, but the feeling is gone. I'm fine."

With my green light, I could see Other Vai's essence entwined with the inner workings of his body - the heart, the lungs, the brain. I wasn't going to be able to just push him out. In order to have control of my body, I was going to have to get rid of Other Vai's essence within it. I needed to make my friends kill Other Vai.