The Cleomene's Cure: Book One

By Jessica Kotlarz

A mysterious disease called Maclaria is randomly taking the lives of the species Cleomenes on planet Epsilon. As more and more Cleomenes become infected, desperation begins to take over logic. The rebels believe that the leaders of Epsilon are infecting innocent Cleomenes as a way of controlling population. They will stop at nothing to try to take down the base where the leaders live, but by taking down the base, they are only sabotaging any chance of finding a cure. With the world looking to Captain Viktor Demetrious for answers, it can be more than one man can take. Captain Viktor believes that the cure can be found outside their planet’s shield. The shield that they unfortunately cannot get through without disintegrating. As Viktor becomes closer to finding a cure, he realizes he will not be able to do it without the help of his gifted niece Zara Demetrious, and he becomes desperate to motivate her. Just how far will he go? And what will he cause her to give up for the greater good of the planet? After Viktor reveals a lifelong secret on how they found just enough antidote to cure one Cleomene, it leaves Zara with a moral decision on whether or not she wants to take on the mission. Will she risk the lives of an innocent species outside their planet to save Cleomenes? As Zara's passion for finding a cure grows stronger, she comes across a discovery that forces her to make a decision between losing her best friend Delsin, or continue with her uncle Viktor's mission. As the rebels increase in size and strength, time is running out, and detrimental decisions that affect the lives of many have to be made. With a love triangle forming during the heat of the battle, and the weight of the world now resting on Zara's shoulders, her life will never be the same.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640820838

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The

Cleomenes

Cure

Jessica Kotlarz

Copyright © 2017 Jessica Kotlarz

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2017

ISBN 978-1-64082-082-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64082-083-8 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

Zara, you need to turn around! You’re getting too close to the shield! That’s a direct order! Launch the capsule and turn that aircraft around now! Captain Viktor Demetrious shouts into my earpiece. He doesn’t realize that if we don’t get 9.6 miles closer, we won’t be able to get the capsule to enter the shield’s atmosphere, and all our work—or, should I say, all my work—will be wasted.

Now I can hear Taylon in the copilot seat and Delsin behind her all screaming at me to turn around. I kind of figured this would happen, so I planned ahead and disconnected their control panels so they couldn’t override me and take over the craft. I knew no one would ever believe we could get this close to the shield without disintegrating. Why would they? I’m the one that has been working on this assignment for the past five years. It’s actually quite comical listening to them both scream for their lives. Especially Taylon, because I really can’t stand that girl. Delsin has always had my back, though, so I feel a little guilty putting him through this nightmare.

All right, exactly 9.6 miles and time to launch.

I hit the Eject button, and the capsule sails into the shield. I turn the craft around and listen to the screams fade away. Now all that is left to do is keep our fingers crossed that the little guinea pig inside the capsule survives. No, it really is an actual guinea pig. We have been trying to get through the shield that surrounds our planet for hundreds of years. Our species, the Cleomenes, will eventually become extinct from a virus that is killing us off. After trying everything on our planet to cure the disease, my uncle, Captain Viktor Demetrious, believes that the only cure will be found outside the shield. The shield that we unfortunately cannot get through without disintegrating. He won’t tell me why he so strongly believes this, but I have a feeling he is hiding something important from me.

I am a little scared to land because I know how upset he will be that I didn’t follow orders, but I can’t handle much more of Taylon anymore either. I need to get out of this thing before I decide to hit the Eject button on her seat and enjoy watching her sail through the air. It’s so unbelievably tempting, since all she has been doing is yelling about how I almost got her killed. Unfortunately, I realize my predictions were right when I notice Uncle Viktor standing on the runway with his hands folded against his broad chest, with a look that could scare a grizzly bear. I take my time getting out of the craft in hopes of delaying my lecture, but Taylon pushes me out in front of Viktor.

What in the hell were you thinking getting that close to the shield, Zara? You could have all disintegrated into nothing! he screams.

After being yelled at and pushed around by Taylon and interrogated by Viktor, I just can’t hold my temper any longer. I had to get that close in order to launch the capsule correctly. Otherwise, it never would have made it! It worked, didn’t it? You’re so unfair, Viktor! You want me to work harder than anyone else on this mission, but you don’t trust how I do my job. If you’re going to make me spend day and night in the lab because you think I have some gift, then you better be prepared to put your faith in my abilities.

I’m in his face while yelling, and he does not look happy. Sometimes I remember the sweet Uncle Viktor that used to read stories to me, and I forget that he is a very strict captain that I am supposed to respect. There is definitely some role confusion within our relationship.

I take a couple of steps back and leave just enough space to let Taylon get in my face. Only you could get away with speaking to the captain like that. Anyone else would have been taken to the ground, which is exactly what I’m going to do to you next time I get you alone! Taylon yells before walking away.

Are you going home to change your pants, Taylon? I say in my most cocky voice.

Enough of all this yelling! Can’t you see what’s important here and that none of this matters anymore? Let’s head up to base and see if the damn guinea pig is still alive, Delsin says.

He is always the voice of reason, remaining objective and never losing his temper. I admire him for this, but it also drives me crazy. I know he has feelings for me beyond friendship, but he is too scared to make a move and shows little passion. I just can’t see him as more than a friend.

Delsin’s right. Let’s head up to the control room and see what happened. The results should be in shortly, Viktor replies.

As we walk into the room, I can already tell that the news is not good. A group of lab coats all staring down at the floor with a look of both fear and sadness in their eyes is a sure sign.

I’m so sorry, Captain, the test subject did not survive. It made it 212 miles into the shield before we lost the heartbeat, the scientist sadly says.

Damnit! Viktor screams as he picks up a coffee mug and throws it across the room. He then storms to his office and slams the door.

My heart feels like it’s fallen into my stomach. After months of devoting almost all my time to this project, I really thought I had it this time. The capsule containing the guinea pig was supposed to sustain the heat of the shield. I drop to my knees and hang my head in my hands, covering my face. I feel Delsin’s arm around me as he tries to get me off the floor, but I just want to stay this way forever. It’s how I shut out the world when I cannot handle reality.

Zara, look at how much progress you’ve made. The test subject made it three times farther than the last ever has, Delsin says in a sympathetic way.

He has a point, but I just can’t think positive right now with so many Cleomenes dying, and so much of it feels like it’s on my shoulders. Viktor has been on my back night and day, pushing me to find a way to get us through the shield. He says it is crucial in finding a cure, but the stubborn ass won’t tell me why!

My sadness and disappointment quickly turns to anger. I get off the floor with determination to find answers. I run to my uncle’s office door and start pounding, but of course, it’s locked and he will not open it. I keep pounding until Delsin drags me away. At first I refuse, but then he whispers in my ear the only words that can ever calm me down. Let’s go to our special place, Zara, and just escape for a while.

It’s hard to find beauty and solitude in a world with so much pain and loss, yet here I lie. Next to my best friend Delsin in a place where we go to escape the hell our world has become. A place where we feel free and untouched from all the pressure that pushes down on us so hard it feels as if we are suffocating. We have to very carefully sneak off base through the ventilation system, crawl through the gutters, scale down a three-story building, and swim across a freezing-cold creek. We put most of our clothes in a waterproof pack so they are dry when we reach the forest, which leaves Delsin always trying to sneak peeks at me along the way. I admit to being flattered and a little turned on by his wandering eyes. They really are quite beautiful eyes. They are as dark as a moonless night, and he has jet-black hair to match. His body is lean and muscular with soft, glowing skin. Any other girl in my position would have probably already surrendered to his subtle advances, but not me. I’ve seen what an emotional ride it can be to fall in love, and I like to remain in control. Not only that, but my obligations on base do not allow time for dating. My father always tells me to wait until I’m at least 120 before I start pursuing relationships. With the average life expectancy of Cleomenes being 422 years, I guess that leaves plenty of time.

I’ll never get sick of the view up here, Delsin. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

We are just high enough in the sky and just low enough off the ground to remain unnoticed. The trees are about forty feet off the ground and have huge bright-orange leaves that act as a canopy for our seclusion. We built the tree house about twenty years ago. After I lost my mother and he lost his sister to the virus, we felt like we needed a place of sanctuary to heal our wounds. We used to cry in each other’s arms for years, until time slowly took the pain away. Just as steadily as the pain left us, the beauty and peace took its place.

I know, Zara. The view is almost as gorgeous as you, Delsin says with a charming smile as he softly caresses my hand.

You’re such a dork, but a very cute dork, I reply.

I’ve never understood the beauty he sees in me. I look so different from the other Cleomenes. Instead of having the common black or dark-brown hair with dark-brown eyes, I have reddish-brown hair with golden streaks and golden eyes that seem too big for my face. My skin also seems to glow a little more than the others’ do and is a darker shade of purple. I have fewer markings than most, and instead of black markings, mine are dark brown. I’ve always felt that I look odd and out of place. My family constantly tells me that it is part of my gift and that I am meant to do great things, but nobody believes this more than Uncle Viktor does. He truly believes I will be the one to find a cure. The pressure he places on me is exhausting, but I force that out of my head when we are in our sanctuary.

Delsin and I have made a pact not to talk or think about anything negative in our tree house. I do make sure to complain the whole five miles through the forest until we make it to and from our sacred tree, though.

I hate to ruin a lovely moment, but what time did you have to meet your dad and grandma? Delsin asks.

Oh no, that’s right! They’re going to want to know how the test run went. We better get going, or my dad will call my name over the loudspeaker one hundred times and embarrass the crap out of me, I reply.

We take our time on the hike back, neither one of us ever really wanting to leave the serenity that the tree brings us. As we get closer to base, I swear I hear something in the distance.

Do you hear that? I ask Delsin.

Gunshots, we both say at the same time.

The rebels must be trying to get into base again. We should probably sit tight until the soldiers can get things under control, I reply.

Or we could sneak back on base now and dodge bullets the whole way, Delsin says in his sarcastic voice.

Not funny, Delsin. My dad is going to kill me if I don’t show up for dinner. It may be less painful to take a bullet, I add.

We sit and listen to the gunshots for over thirty minutes, and I start to grow more and more impatient with each shot. The attacks on base are increasing in severity each time. The rebels are convinced that we have a cure for the virus and are keeping it from them to control population. They think we are only giving the cure to the privileged and letting the underachievers and criminals die. Eventually, we won’t be able to stop them since their desperation is leading to more and more followers. We have tried numerous amounts of times to convince them we don’t have a cure, but it only leads to more riots and attacks on base.

Why is this taking so long? The rebels should have been stopped by now. It sounds like it’s only getting worse, and we can’t stay out here all night. We need to get back on base and help fight off these rebels, I say.

It’s just not my style to sit back and do nothing while my family and friends are under attack.

If only we had guns, we could do a sneak attack from behind and they would never see it coming. Any ideas, Zara? Delsin asks.

I think for a while and remember a storage shed that should have at least some pistols and maybe a few machine guns, but it will be a risk to get to it.

The east storage shed has guns. Follow me, I say.

Are you crazy, Zara? We will never make it there without being seen! And the whole base is on lockdown, so there is no getting in, he pleads.

Can you please just trust me? I reply.

Trust you? Why is it that every time I hear you say those words, it ends with me being so freaked out I almost crap myself? he asks.

And you still always follow me, and you’re still alive, aren’t you? I say as I grab his hand and drag him along.

I tell him my plan as we go.

When an attack plan hits me, thinking it through only clouds my judgment. I believe my first instincts are always the best, and I have learned not to question them. We sneak behind the base’s vehicles, where I grab some rope out of one of the supply trucks. We make it unseen to the east living quarters and hide behind the building. I take a rock, tie a rope around it, and make three attempts to throw it up to the roof and wrap it around an air vent. Third time’s always the charm. I pull down on the rope to make sure it’s secure.

I’ll go first so I can hold the rope for you in case it come loose,