Taming the Queen of Beasts
Chapter 430 - Safari

RIKA

Rika wanted to groan in frustration and fear. She knew she wasn't communicating her point well. They were already aware that the humans were coming. But they were expecting war, not… a safari. How could she explain to them how horrible it felt to imagine all of them in some wildlife sanctuary, watched and medicated and prodded. Her people were already experimenting. If they got their hands on Gar with his strength and power…

She wanted to throw up at the thought.

All the things that she'd heard over the months suddenly made sense in a way they hadn't before. All the little things that hadn't seemed to fit before. But the problem was, there was obviously more than one way to get to Anima. They now knew of two. What if there was more?

She looked at Elreth, pleading. "I can't explain it to you because you have nothing like this here, but they have people and animals trained, technologies designed specifically to replace the gateways to open other worlds and then to invade and strip those worlds of anything valuable. Now that they have an example of the gateway that brought me here, even though it's different, they'll soon replace any more. It might take time, but… are you certain there aren't other gateways? Or different ones?"

"Different ones?" Elreth asked. "The portals, the traverse… they're the only kind of gateway to the human world that we know."

Rika looked down at her hands. "I told you that your gateway was unfamiliar to us. That's because we've discovered others—that work differently. So when we first found yours someone entered without too much thought, just assuming it was like the others we knew. When they didn't come back, our team did some exploration and… well, you know what that place is like. We delayed accessing that gateway again for years. But… but the reason they did now, the reason they fought to cross was because they are concerned that our work is failing and they'd become desperate."

"Desperate for what?"

"To replace Anima."

"So, they knew of us already?"

She nodded. "At least, I think so. If it wasn't Anima they've always been trying to replace, it was another world with a very similar people. I don't know how long they've known about you, but I gather the information was passed through a family line. They've been trying to replace Anima, understand your bodies, how you are the same as us, how you are different, for generations. They discovered the other gateways decades ago. But yours… that was only found within the past five years. And they only crossed it successfully this year."

Lhern nodded. "That sounds like they've taken a measured path. Which indicates that we might have more time than we thought. Why does it make you nervous to tell us this?"

Rika swallowed. "Because I know that despite all the discoveries we've made, all the things they made and knew and achieved before I even joined the work—this place excites them more than any other. I had to win the chance to be the one to cross—you don't understand what an honor it was. And how I'll be treated if I ever go back. They are salivating for information on this place. They're coming. No matter what, they're coming. I wish I knew more about when. All I can tell you definitively is that they will not stop until they've made it here and brought you out. And my fear is that they'd do worse than just cage you. That they'll… they'll change you. Change this place. I've seen them do it.

"The other gateways we know lead to other worlds. And anytime they replace one with another people or creature within it, they take possession of them. Make them their own. It's… they domesticate them is how it was described to me." Many of the elders and Elreth sat back in their seats, clearly offended. But Rika plowed on. "You have to understand, from their perspective… I thought it was a kindness! They've learned how detrimental it can be to keep wild animals in cages. So they think they're being good when they put a people in a place they can't escape but that allows them to live their lives and interact with us.

"Back when I was first hired, it seemed like the best of both worlds for everyone. As if we were helping these people! But that's not what they're doing. They're making you and others like you into something more like animals, not less."

"These other gateways you mentioned," Huncer asked quietly from behind Elreth, "are you aware of any of their kind coming into Anima?"

Rika shook her head. "I'm not aware of them, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Our bosses always reminded us that we were only told what was needed to fulfill our role. We always knew there was information we didn't have, but that we would be given it if we needed it for our safety or our success. I used to take comfort in that…" Rika laughed humorlessly.

Elreth kept glancing over her shoulder towards the woman who'd been told to sit next to her and measure her for truth. She wasn't sure what exactly the woman was doing, but so far Elreth had only become more relaxed when she looked to the elder, not less.

Because the woman clearly understood that Rika was telling the truth.

"Other than this plan, this team of people, are you aware of any other threats to the Anima that come from your world?" Huncer asked her faintly.

Rika shook her head, but didn't want them to feel comforted. "I'm not, no. But that doesn't matter. This threat… it will end you. They've done it before, I know. I just didn't realize before that they were doing it to actual people."

She turned them, to replace Gar's eyes—warm and brown, fixed on her, a confusing mix of worry and love on his face, and her chest expanded suddenly.

People. Real people. Her people were trying to defeat his people. And it was the saddest thing she could think of.

Gar held her gaze, open and vulnerable. But there was a question in his eyes.

The urge to reach out, to comfort him—to thank him—was there. But before she could replace the courage, the door into the building swung open and every head in the room turned.

When Rika saw who walked in it took a moment to figure out why her stomach dropped and her head screamed at her.

She recognized the face, but it took a minute to place it.

The girl who walked in, smiling shyly and looking around curiously, on the arm of a shorter Anima man… she'd seen that face before. But not exactly like this. Not in the flesh.

Then it all came home to Rika. The photos in the lab. The photos on the walls in the hallway—and in Derek's office. They showed this girl at the various stages of her life.

Rika's mouth dropped open. This girl was—

"Hannah, I'm glad you made it," Elreth said briskly. "Please, come sit down. We have some questions.. You too, Marryk."