Center of the Universe (Twelfth Keeper)

by Malory, Belle

  Lexie’s video feed went black, Mason’s face disappearing with it. For several seconds after he was gone, Lexie continued staring at her wrist in a daze.

  “Lex…Kennedy,” Davaris called in a panic-laced voice. He fidgeted with his vest and belt, and then tapped his brace repeatedly. “None of my equipment is working.”

  Kennedy looked down at her brace, seeing the screen had turned black as well. “Neither is mine.”

  The lights in the chamber flickered. Florescent bulbs flashed muted whites that grew dimmer and dimmer. Lexie slowly looked away from the spot where Mason’s face had once been. Her wide eyes filled with terror as she stared at the ceiling. “It’s the slayers,” she whispered. “Somehow…they’re disabling everything.”

  The lights faded completely, leaving them surrounded by inky darkness. With a flick of his wrist, fire ignited at Davaris’s fingertips. Amber light illuminated the space between them, thanks to his pocket lighter. “Good thing I always keep a backup on me.”

  “Do you hear that?” Kennedy asked suddenly.

  “Hear what?” Lexie whispered.

  She stilled, listening for a moment. Thick silence saturated the chilly air. “The water,” Kennedy said. “It stopped spinning. The machines aren’t cycling.”

  Metal clattered and clanged from across the room, followed by the sound of a furious shuffling.

  “Great Black Hole,” Lexie said, grasping Kennedy’s arm. “They’re here.”

  Out of all the people Kennedy expected to freak out, Lexie wasn’t one of them. She expected herself to panic long before Lexie ever did. She wasn’t sure what that said about this mission, but it couldn’t be good.

  Davaris propped his gun higher in one hand, while using the other to hold his lighter. “Stay calm, Lex.” He moved in front of them, leading the way. “We can handle them. They’re just bots.”

  At least he was keeping it together.

  “If we were on Earth, I could take them out no problem,” Lexie said in a heated whisper. “But as you can see, there are no piles of dirt anywhere around here.”

  The reference made Kennedy realize that although they were nowhere near dirt, they were surrounded by huge amounts of water.

  “Stay back,” Davaris whispered.

  The three of them ducked behind a tank. Kennedy peeked around its side, trying to see what he saw.

  There were four that she could see. The bots didn’t look like your normal, everyday robots. Their bodies were a bulbous, rubbery substance. Whatever it was, it didn’t look like metal. They spun, orbiting low to the ground, but they were easy to see. Their coating was silvery and reflective. Well, that was one advantage, she supposed.

  The four she saw rose up, hovering above a metal tank. She squinted, trying to get a better view. What are they doing? More clinking ensued as they tampered with the top of the tank.

  “I’m gonna take a shot,” Davaris whispered.

  Kennedy wanted to pull him back, but she stayed still. Those things were tearing the space station apart. If they didn’t do something, they would all die. Their vantage point currently gave them the upper hand. They might as well take it while they could.

  Davaris stepped around the tank, aiming his gun high. Kennedy held her breath as she watched his finger pull the trigger.

  The laser beam bounced off the bot’s surface with an earsplitting zing. It ricocheted into the ceiling, sending panels of debris crashing to the floor.

  The bots simultaneously swerved into Davaris’s direction. Suddenly there were two more—six in total. He must have realized the bots deflected the shot, because the next thing he went for was his lighter. Flame came to life in his fingers, and then he breathed more life into it. It grew larger, spiraling into the direction of the bots.

  Hot orange flames danced around their bulbous bodies, but for nothing. They soared straight through it as if the heat didn’t affect them.

  They fired at Davaris—some kind of yellowish beam. One of the beams caught him in the shoulder, slamming him into the wall of the tank from its impact. He slid to the floor.

  Lexie’s startled cry rang out, kicking in Kennedy’s adrenaline. She held her hand over Lexie’s mouth, shaking her head. “Listen to me,” she whispered. “If Davaris gets one more hit, he’s gonna die. We need to distract them.”

  Lexie’s eyes welled up with tears, and she looked close to hysteria. For a moment Kennedy wondered if she was on her own. “You’re okay, Lexie. Breathe,” she said, trying to sound calm. “We can do this. Me and you. It’s up to us now.”

  Thankfully, Lexie listened and nodded. Just as the bots rounded the corner, Kennedy shouted, “Over here!”

  Using one hand to grab Lexie by the wrist and the other to lift the skirt of her dress, she ran in the opposite direction, tugging her dazed sidekick along. Seeing another tank up ahead, she ran and jerked Lexie behind it. Then, as fast as she could, she aimed her gun to a spot across the room and fired.

  Echoing clanks reverberated from the other side of the room. The bots soared in that direction. Once they were gone, she grabbed Lexie again, and backtracked to Davaris. “You grab one side, and I’ll grab the other,” she said.

  Together, they lifted him by the arms. Kennedy felt the stickiness of blood warm her fingers. When he groaned, she immediately moved her hands to his waist. She leaned next to his ear and whispered, “I know it hurts like hell, but try not to make any sounds, okay?” He nodded and gritted his teeth. Poor guy. He had to be in extreme pain, but he was trying his best not to show it.

  The three of them headed down a hall that led away from the bots. Moving quickly was difficult with Davaris in tow. When Kennedy heard noises coming from behind, she fled into the first door she found. Inside was some kind of shipment room. Boxes of all shapes and sizes filled the space, towering high above their heads. “Let’s hide Davaris in here,” she whispered to Lexie.

  They threaded through the maze of boxes until they found a secluded spot in the back. Propping his head up on her lap, Lexie helped Davaris lay down on the floor. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

  “Sorta lightheaded, but I’m fine.”

  Gently, she pried at his vest. “I want to check your wound.”

  He nodded.

  The bot’s laser tore right through what was supposed to be a beam-proof vest. Kennedy winced, seeing the spot where Davaris’s shoulder had been singed. Lexie sniffled at the sight of it. She tore a piece of fabric from his shirt and started to make a tourniquet.

  A strange popping noise caught Kennedy’s attention. While Lexie bandaged Davaris, she crawled around the other side of the stack of boxes, trying to figure out where the sound came from.

  As far as she could tell, they were alone in the room. For now.

  The noise caught her attention again, louder this time, and it came from somewhere up above them. She glanced up, freezing into place as she got a good look at the outside windows.

  “Uh, Lexie—I think we have a problem.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  Kennedy pointed towards the web of cracks expanding throughout the panes of glass. “If those windows bust, we’re goners.”

  Lexie’s eyes rounded on the cracks, which were increasing by the second. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “How?” she said, eyeing Davaris. He would never make it. They both knew it, but neither one of them wanted to say so out loud.

  “Go without me,” Davaris said, figuring it out for himself. “I’ll only slow you down. The two of you can bring help.”

  Lexie stubbornly shook her head. “I’m not leaving without you.” She frantically tried the button on her brace again, tapping it several times, and when that didn’t work, she tore it off and banged it against the floor. “Turn on, you worthless piece of scrap metal.”

  Davaris reached for her hands. “Lex, stop. That won’t work.”

  The zooming whirl of the bots came from behind. Kennedy held a finger to her mouth before she peeked around th
e boxes.

  Bots lined the walls, hovering next to the window, soaring around the boxes, and this time there were too many to count. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any possible escape, but there was nowhere she could see that wasn’t occupied by a cluster of shiny discs.

  This time there wasn’t a way out.

  Kennedy held her breath as she twisted back around. Davaris and Lexie must have translated her expression because their faces instantly filled with terror.

  Staying quiet was extremely difficult. She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry, but she knew if she made any kind of noise, it would all be over.

  When the bots hovered overhead, Kennedy began to tremble. They were right there, above them. She met Lexie’s tear-filled gaze and shook her head.

  Don’t make a noise, she silently pleaded.

  Whirs and whizzing came from up above. Kennedy had to close her eyes to shut them out. Every little sound made her heart jerk with fear. Windows cracked louder in the distance, making her flinch. If they didn’t find a way out of this situation soon, they were either going to be destroyed by the bot’s yellow lasers or become space junk.

  Neither death sounded fun.

  Kennedy eye’s snapped open when she heard a sharp inhale of breath.

  Lexie pinched the bridge of her nose. Davaris saw she was losing it and frantically shook his head. She sucked in her breath again, her eyes wincing painfully.

  Grab her! Kennedy mouthed to Davaris.

  He did what she asked, using his good hand to cover her mouth. The contact must have made it worse because the next thing she knew, the sound of a muffled gasp came from beneath Davaris’s hand.

  All three of them froze, holding their breaths.

  Within seconds, a sharp whirring sped towards them.

  “Oh my God,” Lexie whimpered.

  Kennedy’s stomach hollowed, seeing what that oh my God was for. There were so many. Twenty—no—more like thirty of the orbiting spheres hovered above them.

  Pressing herself against the back of the box, she cowered to the floor. She closed her eyes, feeling each second tick by in slow motion, measured by the sound of her heartbeat ringing through her ears.

  These seconds, torturously slow and frightening, were the last few seconds of her life.

  Thirty-Two

  Seeing the bots hovering over Kennedy’s lifeless form knocked the breath from Phoenix’s chest. All ability to pull air into his lungs was lost on him. He couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t see clearly, couldn’t even speak clearly. “To the right,” he choked out, calling his team. “Fire!”

  Despite the break in his voice, the others heard him. A round of shots were fired off, most of them hitting their targets, the others scaring the bots away.

  He ran to her, reaching for her face, and praying to find her breathing. “Kennedy.” He could barely say her name, his voice sounded so shredded.

  Please God let her be alive.

  A small gasp escaped her lips. It had to be the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard in his life.

  Blinking several times, she focused in on him. “Phoenix!” She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him fiercely.

  “Can’t breathe,” he said, wanting to cry with relief, feeling all that strength she still had in her. She hadn’t been harmed.

  “Phoenix—Davaris. He’s been shot.”

  Phoenix turned around, seeing his friend lying limp on the floor behind them. His face was alarmingly pale, but when he saw Phoenix he grinned. “How did you chase the buggers off?”

  “Metal bullets. I can’t explain it, but they work.” He glanced at Kennedy for a moment, squeezing her hand. “Got the idea from when Plaffle used the old fashioned guns on us.”

  “Who would’ve ever thought that something so simple could do the trick?” She shook her head, amazed. “Do have any extra?”

  Phoenix signaled to one of the soldiers behind them, and he came back with two guns, giving one to Lexie and one to Kennedy.

  “Davaris, I’m leaving you here with a small army,” he said. “You’ll be completely safe, I promise.”

  “Go,” Davaris said, waving his hand. “Make me happy, destroy every last one of them.”

  Phoenix nodded. “We’ll come back for you once they’ve been cleared.” He stood up, motioning for both Kennedy and Lexie to follow him.

  “Where are we going?” Lexie said, trying to catch up. She looked hesitant to leave.

  “To the shipyard,” he said over his shoulder. We found their ship. You two wouldn’t believe how tiny it is.”

  “What are we going to do when we get there?” Kennedy asked him.

  “We’re going to blow it up.” He gauged her reaction, seeing her lift her brows in surprise. Blowing up the enemy’s ship inside of Olympus would be risky, but they had no choice. He was banking on the bots being linked to their ship somehow. If he was right, any remaining bots would deactivate with its destruction.

  Fang ran to his side as soon as they entered the shipyard. “We’ve planted the bombs,” she said. “We need you to manipulate the explosion once it’s detonated.”

  The burning chalet in Russia popped into his head. He wanted to try controlling that explosion, but had been too worried about the motorcyclist getting away. Now he regretted it. He wasn’t sure he had the skills equipped to handle something like this.

  The sound of someone shouting grew louder from up ahead. “Kennedy!” Alanna screeched, rushing towards them.

  She appeared frantic, her whole body trembling. Tears and blood stained her face, but Phoenix couldn’t see any signs that she’d been injured.

  “What’s wrong, Lanna?” Kennedy asked, taking hold of her shaking hands.

  “The water supply—they did something to it. It’s been poisoned.”

  Phoenix watched as Kennedy absorbed that news, knowing why Alanna sought her out.

  “It’s too big of a job for me,” Alanna said. “And it has to be done now. Communications are down.” She shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears. “If we don’t get it out, everyone in Olympus will die.”

  Phoenix steeled his shoulders back. If that were true, they were in deeper shit than he imagined. Controlling the explosion wouldn’t matter in the end. Even destroyed, the Slayers would win. They would destroy Olympus.

  Kennedy glanced up at him, taking a deep breath. “Is it the ship that’s interfering with communications?”

  “That’s my theory.”

  She nodded, her brows scrunched together in thought. “As soon as communications are back, let Mason know what’s happened. I’m going to try my best, but this might be too big a job for me too. I’ve never manipulated this much water before.”

  “Hell, I’m faced with the same problem.” He tried smiling to put her at ease. It didn’t work. If anything, it made her look more doubtful. Right now, that was the last thing she needed. “You can do it, Kennedy. We both can. The adrenaline’s pumping. Our hearts are brave. No machine can defeat something like that.”

  Finally, hope ignited in her eyes. She grabbed his face, kissed him on the cheek, and rushed off. “Good luck,” she called over her shoulder.

  You too, he thought. They were both going to need it.

  He moved towards the alien ship. It was smaller than he’d imagined it would be, the size of a fighter jet in the shape of a disc. He wondered how so much power had been contained in such a small vessel.

  “We’re ready to detonate,” Fang said, staring at him hard. “You ready, Nix?”

  Not really. “Go for it.”

  Thunderous booms echoed throughout the shipyard and the floor rumbled. Flames soared to life around the ship, sending off waves of scorching heat.

  Feeling his heart slam against his chest, Phoenix tapped into the energy of the fire, hoping to God he could control it.

  Thirty-Three

  Colton was waiting for them at the top of one of the circular tanks back in the water supply room. “I tried boiling it out
,” he shouted to them. “It didn’t work. Whatever chemical we’re dealing with, it’s powerful.”

  Kennedy followed Alanna up the tank’s ladder, looking back and forth between the members of her circle as she climbed. One of them could freeze water, one of them could boil it, and she could move it.

  Pressure was on, that was for sure.

  Colton grabbed her arm, helping her over the last leg of the ladder. Beads of sweat dripped down his face from struggling to boil the water. His eyes looked heavy. Exhausted.

  Kennedy peered down into the huge tank, feeling the enormity of the task creep up on her. “How far has it spread?”

  Colton shrugged a shoulder. “We don’t know.” He chewed at his bottom lip in contemplation. “This tank leads to every pipe in the city. If decontamination is possible, this is the place to do it.”

  Where was she supposed to begin?

  “If I can manage to separate it, I mean…where do I put it?” She shook her head, hearing the break in her voice. “I don’t know if I can. It’s too big.”

  Colton gave her a little slap on the back. “You got this. You’re in your element.”

  When he saw the look on her face, his humor quickly vanished. He coughed to clear his throat. “Sorry, bad joke,” he mumbled. “I’m really tired. Can’t think straight.”

  Alanna started walking along the edge of the tank. “Tap into the energy, Kennedy,” she said. “You may be able to feel what to do. Just remember Colton and I will be right here if you need us.”

  She gave them a quick nod and closed her eyes. Not quite sure where to begin, she was hoping all those months of training would kick in and lead the way.

  Energy radiated from her core. She felt the strength water gave her, felt the beautiful energy surrounding that strength.

  “You can do it, Kenn,” Colton cheered her on from the sideline. “Feel how opposite the water is in nature compared to the poison. Try to separate the two.”

  Tiny tremors worked their way down both her arms. The water was so vast, stretching on for miles. She could feel the toxins spreading inside of it, but how was she supposed to remove it?