by C. C. Bolick
She walked into the room and stood next to the bed. “I want my brother back.”
I followed her into the room, along with Rena. When we were inside, I locked the door and held Rena back to put a safe distance between us. This man was capable of anything.
He watched the ceiling for a full minute before looking her way. “After what you did to Golvern, you don’t deserve him.”
“Chase knows that’s not true.”
Paleris sat up on the bed. “Say what you must and leave.”
Her hands flexed as if she wanted to reach for her brother. “I know he can hear me.”
“What he hears doesn’t matter. Golvern will be destroyed and Earth will be our new home. If it takes using your brother to achieve my agenda, so be it.”
“My agenda is Golvern’s future. I plan to save our planet.”
“When I die—”
“You’ll be alone,” the queen said. “Both of your daughters have turned against you in this fight. They stand with Golvern’s future.”
“A future with humans at Golvern’s highest level. That’s no future.”
“It’s the only chance we have to find peace and rebuild what’s left of our planet.”
“The people of Golvern are strong enough to overcome any obstacle,” he said. “Humans have made us weak. With my help, we’ll rebuild what was lost.”
“Like I said, you’ll fight alone.”
He sighed. “You poisoned my daughters against me.”
“If you have my brother’s memories, you know I turned no one against you. I didn’t have a choice other than to fight for the lives of humans.”
“Because you’ve married one. Your children will carry human blood, their children… The Golvern I know will be no more.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve seen a future I’m willing to fight for.”
Rena watched the exchange with wide eyes.
“I can see nothing but the destruction of Golvern’s history and values,” he said. “You’ve turned away from what your ancestors stood for.”
“I look forward,” she said. “Not back.”
“You’re weak, a coward. You’ve disgraced your family name. You’re willing to gamble with the future of a planet you don’t even call home. Admit that you consider Earth your true home.”
“I did once, but everything changed when I accepted the crown. I’ve sworn to do what’s best for the people of Golvern. I won’t break my promise.”
“What you feel is best.”
She crossed her arms. “What I know is best.”
“If you’re so sure of this future, are you willing to kill me to achieve it?”
“No.”
He smiled. “You can’t let your brother go, can you?”
“This isn’t about Chase. I know he can hear me and I don’t want him to be afraid.”
“You think I’d harm him?”
“No matter what I say, you won’t listen.” She took a deep breath. “What if I show you why I’m so sure?”
Paleris’s smile faded and his expression filled with sadness, maybe regret. “I’d say you were a fool.”
She held out a hand.
“No.” I leaped forward, but she’d already locked her hand around Paleris’s arm.
She closed her eyes and shuddered as he watched her in amazement. When she finished, she pulled away and her knees gave way. I caught her and led her from the room.
Paleris lay across the bed, again staring at the ceiling.
With my free hand, I typed my code to energize the lock. “Why would you do this? You asked me to save my father from this same fate.”
She leaned against me. “How can I ask Rena to sacrifice when I’m not willing to do whatever it takes to save my people? That’s part of being queen.”
Rena stared through the glass. “Do you think seeing the future made a difference?”
“This is a death sentence,” I said.
She grimaced in pain. “I’ve already accepted my fate. This was my choice.”
I laughed. “You worked so hard to keep me from killing myself and yet you do the same.”
Rena turned away from the glass with tears in her eyes. “We should get her out of here.”
I teleported the queen to my room and sat her on my couch. I went back for Rena, who immediately took the seat next to her.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “All this time, you’ve been messing with my head. You’ve been trying to make me follow your plan when all you had to do was be honest.”
“I’ve been trying to keep a promise I’ll make to you,” the queen said.
“You haven’t made me any promises.”
“I said make not made. There’s a difference.”
“You’re saying you make me a promise in the future?”
“This was never just about teaching you how to save our planets.” The queen looked up at me before doubling over in pain. “You were always going to save lives; not many are better at the agent job than you.”
“Then we’ll win,” I said.
She nodded. “If it makes you feel better knowing, we’ll win.”
“If we stop the explosion, why would I kill myself?”
“In the future I saw, you felt immense guilt for taking lives. Rena saved both planets, but a mistake was made while she fought to slow the star. A miscalculation based on inexperience.”
I swallowed. “But we save everyone.”
“Because of what happened, Rena was lost to you. Her energy was spent while saving us and you never got to see her again after that day. You blamed yourself.”
Rena put an arm around her. “Then this is it for us?”
“The thought doesn’t terrify you?” She looked up at me. “Knowing that might be your last moments?”
I shook my head. “It’s hard to explain, but because of Rena’s power, we’ve been able to live together for years in my mind.”
She patted Rena’s hand. “You took my advice.”
Rena nodded. “I didn’t know what you meant at the time, but I found a way for us to live as if tomorrow was our last day. I made years for us.”
I leaned against the bar. “Whatever you say about my future no longer matters.”
“In the original timeline, you never got your last night with Rena before she died. Before you died, you asked me for a favor while hoping I would see that part of your future now.”
“The serum?”
She nodded. “You asked for one night with Rena, which is what Pade worked so hard to accomplish. He’s the reason you got back to Rena last night and he’s the reason you had the serum. This was his plan.”
Near the door, Pade appeared and crossed the floor to kneel before her. Tears formed in his eyes. “How could you do this to us? To our future?”
“We had no future without his help.”
“No,” Pade said. “Showing him the future wasn’t worth the cost. You had no right to choose this alone.”
She coughed as she leaned into him. “In the vision I saw, Chase was piloting one of the ships. He has to be there or this won’t work.”
“So, you sacrifice yourself for everyone?”
She glanced at me. “How can I ask others to make the ultimate sacrifice if I can’t make it myself?”
Pade turned around. “Could you leave us alone?”
Rena stood and walked to my side. I grabbed her arm and teleported us to the hall.
“I can’t believe she went through with it,” I said.
“With what?” she asked.
“According to my dad, a person who can see the future also has the power to show someone else the future, but only once. Within hours, the blood vessels in her head will burst. It’s how my uncle died.”
“They don’t have the technology to heal her?”
“I don’t think so. Dad would have mentioned…”
“What?”
“I was wrong about her. I thought she would trick him into helping, but I never thought she�
�d give her own life to save us.”
Rena reached for my hands. “She said her brother has to be there. If not, this whole thing might be for nothing. In a few hours we might all be dead.”
“She also said we’d be successful.” The memory of watching Rena die made me shiver. It seemed like years ago not hours. If anyone knew the pain Pade felt, I did.
Rena squeezed my hand. Dawning spread across her face.
“What is it?”
“Angel has the power to heal. Maybe she could… We’ve got to find Angel. I’ll tell Pade—”
I stopped Rena before she could grab the door. “Don’t give him hope yet. Angel’s power didn’t work on Rachelle.”
The excitement faded from her face. “You’re right, but we’ve got to try. Maybe Kayden’s already seen Angel save her and that’s why she was willing to show Paleris what he needed to see since—”
“You’re thinking too far ahead. Let’s find Angel and see if she can make this work.”
* * * * *
Rena
Angel pricked her finger and gave a drop of blood to save her friend. She’d saved me in this same manner; when I fell from the sky my body was broken in too many places for the doctors to fix. One drop of her blood healed me from the inside.
If only she’d been able to save Rachelle.
Pade took Kayden to the med-level and they placed her in a room for observation while we waited. After nearly thirty minutes, Pade walked into the waiting room, no emotion on his face.
“Did it work?” Angel asked.
“No one knows. She told me she was tired, that she wanted to sleep…” He fought the sob rising in his voice. “I promised her I’d go with Chase. Together, we’ll fly Rena and Travis to Golvern.”
“Her brother can’t help us,” Travis said. “Showing Paleris the future didn’t work.”
“She still has hope,” Pade said.
Hope. I’d insisted Travis hold onto his hope. I gave him a pointed look, and he nodded with understanding. Don’t lose hope.
Pade turned for the door. “I’m going to your op-center to get ready. If Chase isn’t there to fly the ship, I will.”
Skip walked into the room and embraced him. “I just heard. Man, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” Pade pulled away and disappeared down the hall. He didn’t look back; I could only imagine the tears that would soon be streaming down his face.
Skip sat in the empty chair next to Angel. “I’m sure you’ll save her. We’ve got to give her more time.”
She took his hand. “I remember the feeling of almost losing you. I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”
He stroked her hand with his thumb. “Most people aren’t as lucky as us.”
“Lucky?” Angel’s eyes widened. “After finding out about our powers, being forced to work for the agency, and you almost dying because of me. How can you say we’re lucky?”
“We got our fairytale.”
Travis laughed. “Which fairytale?”
Skip laughed with him. “Beauty and the Beast.”
Angel rolled her eyes. “Bet you’ll never guess who’s the beauty and who’s the beast. I’ll give you a hint.”
“She doesn’t need a hint,” Skip said. “Rena can see you’re the best looking one of us.”
“I don’t think the vampire gets to be the beauty,” Angel said.
Travis put a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong with making our own stories?”
Skip’s phone vibrated and he lifted it to his ear. “Is it time?” As he listened, he glanced at Travis. “On the way.”
“What’s wrong?” Travis asked.
“We’ve got incoming ships on the radar.”
“More spaceships?” Angel asked. “Why would they send more fighters?”
“They didn’t,” Travis said. “Those fighters are here for Paleris.”
* * * * *
Skip was first into the op-center. He walked to where Tyler sat at his computer; Tyler had already pulled up pictures of the incoming ships on the screen. Pade stood to his side, watching the screen with a wary look. Voices came from around the room—agents preparing for our mission as well as those working for the queen.
Tyler moved from the chair when he noticed his brother. “All yours.”
“Is it time to worry yet?” Skip asked as he sat down and adjusted the keyboard.
“Yeah.” Tyler looked at Travis. “Maybe you were right to be suspicious of aliens on our doorstep.”
“Wishing you were back on ‘our’ side now?” Travis asked.
“We’ve all got a job to do,” Travis’s dad said.
I spun around as he approached. “What side do you think he’s on?”
Travis stepped into his dad’s path. “Are you still helping Paleris?”
“No.”
On the screen, the new ships approached the line of ships waiting for orders from the queen. There were twice at many of Paleris’s fighters.
“Time to go to work,” Pade said to Tyler. “They’re here to take over Earth. No way am I going to let that happen.”
“No,” Travis said. “They’re here to destroy the gateway and keep Earth from being destroyed when the star collapses. Then they’ll take over Earth and wipe out everyone here.”
“Then we end this now,” Pade said. “We send those ships packing.”
“You can’t go out there and fight.” Travis’s dad gave Pade an incredulous look. “We don’t have time, not to mention who you are—”
Pade raised his head. “I have every right to fight.”
“We don’t have time for distractions.”
The door opened and in walked Van with Paleris at his side. Everyone pulled either a gun or a laser and pointed it at Paleris. Someone behind me swore and I moved closer to Travis.
Pade spun and faced Paleris. For a moment, they stared each other down. “She was right about the future,” Paleris said with sadness. “Wrong to trade her life.”
“Kayden said you would be here,” Pade said.
“He’s not here anymore. It’s me, Chase.”
Next to him, Van nodded. Shock filled me and what felt like hope. Chase, the queen’s brother, who I’d met while inside of his head. If he was back, that meant he’d finally found a way to break out of that room and kick Paleris out. Maybe Paleris was gone for good.
“Chase?” Pade inched closer to him. “How can I be sure it’s you and not a trick?”
Chase’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t care if you need to be sure. I want to see my sister.”
“Angel gave her blood to save Kayden, but no one knows for sure if it will work.”
“It has to. Kayden’s the reason I had the strength to defeat Paleris. He’s finally gone, and I won’t let her die.”
“First we need to stop Paleris’s fighters,” Pade said.
Chase headed for the desk where Skip sat. “Can I borrow your computer?”
Skip stared at him in shock. Pade motioned for him to back away from the computer. Slowly, Skip stood and gave Chase all the room he needed.
Chase typed several commands before turning back to Pade. “Their weapons are armed. We don’t have the firepower to stop them, but their orders aren’t to fight us. They plan to destroy the gateway and they’ll stay in position until Paleris gives them the command.”
“Which they’ll never get.” Pade turned to Tyler. “Get everyone ready. We’ll make sure they regret coming to Earth. Chase,” he said, shifting his attention back to the computer. “Please tell me you have a way to stop those ships.”
After typing another few strokes, Chase looked up. “Sending them back now will be suspicious. I’ve bought us some time, but they want to see him. That means I’ll have to go to the lead ship and pretend to be Paleris.” He shivered.
“Are you okay?” Pade asked.
Chase felt his arms and chest. “I think so.” He looked around as if noticing the crowd for the first time. When his eyes stopped on me,
he stood and walked until we stood face-to-face. “I know you.”
“As Rachelle?” I asked.
“Your eyes are wrong.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen you before. I don’t know how to explain, but I recognize you.” After taking another look around the room, Chase turned to Pade. “Where is my sister?”
“On their med-level.” Pade choked. “The doctors made her comfortable and there’s nothing else they can do. Now we must wait.”
“Did we upgrade their technology?” Chase went back to his seat at the computer. “I don’t remember humans having programs this advanced.”
“We brought them up to speed,” Pade said. “We’ve been working this mission together.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Your pilot skills,” Travis’s dad said. “For this mission, you’ll fly your ship toward one of Golvern’s suns. In a few hours, that sun will expand to destroy Golvern.”
“An explosion that size…” For a moment, Chase’s grief was forgotten. “The final wave will overrun the gateway and punch through.”
“Earth will be destroyed,” I said. “If we don’t stop the blast.”
Chase spun the chair around as I approached. “Explosions are about balance. We don’t have enough power to balance an explosion of that magnitude.”
I stopped before him. “Because of my power, you do. I believe I can help with the explosion.”
A smile spread across his face. “You’re the girl from my head, aren’t you?”
“I’m Rena.”
“You’re inside Rachelle’s head, like you were inside of mine.”
I nodded. “Rachelle’s power destroyed her mind and left her in a coma. Since I’m dead now, I needed a way to communicate.”
“Rena and Travis need a ride to Golvern,” Pade said. “You’re the best pilot we’ve got.”
“Do I get to choose a co-pilot?” Chase asked.
Pade rubbed the back of his neck. “I was hoping you’d pick me.”
“Pade,” Skip said.
Chase looked at Skip in confusion. “Why is he calling you Pade? Don’t they know your true name is—”
“No,” Pade said quickly. “We haven’t had time for proper introductions.”
“Formalities can wait,” Travis’s dad said. “We have a disaster to stop.”