Possession is Nine Tenths of...

By Mr. David R. Dorrycott

<She has escaped you> Kalith noted.

"Yeah, sure did." Snowaters said as she stomped into the command center. "Target that island off the East coast. Fry it."

"Your point being?"

<I will assist. You. No longer.> There was a pop and Kalith was gone.

Snowaters stared. In almost nine hundred years the silicon ball had always been there. She'd always known it could leave when it wanted, but it never had. Deep down she had come to believe it never would. "Have I gone mad again?" she asked herself.

The answer of course, was yes. Of course she had. There was no other explanation.

She reached over to power down the stations weapons when it hit her. That gut wrenching need to have, a soul ripping hunger for Rita Roswell. When her eyes focused again an island had vanished, and over a thousand souls with it. She whimpered, turned away from the screen. A thousand people dead because she couldn't control herself. "NIMITZ" she screamed.

<<"Nimitz ready. Command?">>

"Lock out all offensive weaponry unless attacked. Take over control of all station security as of now. Opal to self control. All systems defensive only." She fought for breath, knowing the pain was coming again, feeling something ripping at her mind. Knowing somehow time was up. At least she already knew neither of her women had been there. That she'd made cold certain of.

<<"Release code?">>

"No release code. Not from me. Eve, Dawn they can release. Aries and Kela...." She hunted her mind for other names. "Kristi and Bubbles too. No others."

<<"Understood. Release only upon command to Eve, Dawn, Aries, Kela, Kristi or Bubbles. Command Sequence..">>

"FIREWAND" Snowaters screamed as another wave of need slammed into her, dropping her to her knees. Blood dripped from her eyes, striking the deck in ruby droplets.

<<"Accepted. Lockout commencing. Now.">>

"Thank the gods" Snowy whispered from her kneeling position. No more would die because of her need. No more... She pushed herself up, wiping the blood from her eyes. There was a call on the screen but she ignored it. Staggering out of her command room she headed for a bedroom. Any bedroom. She needed a cold shower and clean clothing. Kalith's departure was another matter. One she'd deal with when she could. If she could.

"How many" the large man asked in shock.

"One thousand two hundred and three. Men, women and children. Also sir, the island is gone. To a depth of half a mile. The tidal wave is expected to kill hundreds, perhaps thousand more unless they evacuate soon enough."

"My god. Over an escaped Martian that may, or may not have been involved? Why?"

"I couldn't say sir. But the station has been silent since firing. She's made her point. The time for talk is over."

The man stood, walking to the window overlooking his city. "How many more targets?"

"Lady Snowaters released a list of twelve targets before firing. None of the remaining eleven can be evacuated without her notice."

"Find her missing crew. Find that Martian. One life’s NOTHING against what just happened. Stop the rewards. Stop the searches. Override every transmission on the planet. Show what was done over and over until she contacts someone. BEG her to turn herself in. For others, not herself. Not me, not you. No more children must die." He looked up into the sky. Snowaters station was on the other side of their planet right now, but it was in a one hour orbit. He'd see it soon enough. "God" he whispered. "What drove such a great force of Good into madness?"

Madness it had to be. He'd seen the burning flame in her eyes, sharp movements, lack of care for others. Snowaters had gone mad and with all the power she controlled... His planet was a playtoy under her thumb. He turned away from the window, a tear in his eye. This had never happened anywhere before, what had caused it to happen now? If they could find out maybe they could help her... Before anymore children's lives ended in billowing flame.

On her station Snowaters sat in her command room, an ancient handgun in her lap. She was going to end it, end it all. A new clone would be released, one not mad. It was the only way. Picking up the weapon she pushed its muzzle under her chin, cocked the hammer... And found herself unable to move. "Come on you stupid slut, you've done this before" she cursed herself. She focused on her trigger finger, throwing everything she had into squeezing the little lever. Her finger remained frozen. With a sob she threw the weapon away, throwing herself out of her chair in shame. Whatever Rita had done to her, as long as Rita was alive she couldn't kill herself. And Rita was alive, she could feel her, feel her heart pumping. Finally she sat up, wiped her face, and opened the comlink.

Suddenly she was outside her body, watching as someone else spoke. "That was my last warning. If the Martian is not aboard my ship in two hours, if my people are not here safe and alive in forty hours I will throw your star into another reality and watch your system freeze. Is that understood?"

"Completely" the man facing her replied.

She cut the link and as suddenly was back in her own body. What was going on? She hadn't meant to say that, she'd not... "Oh 'Lith help me" she whimpered. She was mad, and mad... She could do anything. Or was it worse. Had something else taken over her body, taken control of her mind? That would explain... She started to call for her Medical AI and her voice ceased working. Tried to stand and her body locked up. "Possessed" she realized. She wasn't mad, something had taken her over. Darkness closed in on her. When she could see again it was through another's eyes. Her body was no longer hers to control. She was a prisoner in her own mind she realized.

"Of course you are, bitch" her own voice said. "Since that playtoy of yours brought my ship to you I have waited. Waited until your mind was undefended. I have that gray to thank, and I will thank her. By wearing her tanned skin on this body." She listened as her own voice laughed. "Clones, I can bring my race back to life again and we will rule more than one universe this time. We've you to thank for it. Oh yes my little toy. I'll waken one of your clones. And train it to be my slave now and forever. That Martian will only be practice. I don't even care if they send the right one. Just as long as they sacrifice someone for my pleasure. It has been much too long. Nearly four thousand years since I last savored the screams of a woman under my blade. It is a rich spice too long to have gone without."

She watched as her own hands shifted weapons targets, entered codes, then listened to her own voice scream in frustration when whatever had taken her realized it could not fire. "The CODES" her voice screamed. She felt herself slammed into something, felt herself ripped open... and just before she collapsed heard herself admit she could not release the weapons. "Then your bitch daughters will, when they come home. Or your wives. And I'll feed them to that monster plant of yours if I have too. One finger at a time. All you are, all you've done I WILL destroy."

In the main shuttle bay Kalith floated inside Opals hull. It had listened, had known something was wrong. It had seen Snowaters mad before and it knew the difference. <This will be difficult.> it said to Opal.

The tiny warships AI flickered into being, "Only Rita can save her now. She created the weakness. She must go in and destroy this thing herself."

<You. Are certain?>

"There is no other way. Not if we want to save Snowaters."

<Then I. Shall go to Rita.> There was another pop of imploding air and the silicon ball was gone. Opal's lights dimmed as she fed off the stations power grid. That Kalith had known how to find Rita and Yuki hadn't surprised her. That it hadn't told Snowaters... That did surprise her.