The Destined

by E. J. Mellow

  On top of the phantom memories of Molly’s torture, he was sick of constantly being called to battle, sick of watching soldier after soldier give his or her life in the hopes that it would make a difference. How many of his men and woman had he seen die in the century and a half of him doing this? The answer was easy—too many.

  His life in Terra had never been an easy one, his happiness such a fleeting experience that he almost feared the sensation. How long would it last this time? A week? An hour? A quick smile before she left again?

  He let out a growl. So much for the zipline giving him some peace. He needed Molly. Needed to see her, touch and kiss her. She wrote that she was coming back, but when? Every second felt like an Earth’s cycle, and he was getting more than restless to receive notice to go to the DCC for her return.

  Catching sight of the quickly approaching platform on the top of his building, the glowing bull’s-eye pulsing like a homing beacon, Dev prepared to land. His feet touched down, and he flipped his Arcus off the line, taking a hesitant step forward as he saw an obscene amount of Vigil guards covering the roof. A row lined the perimeter, with at least a dozen more manning the small door that led to the elevator bay. His heart kicked into overdrive. They’d only be here if…

  Dev was sprinting, almost taking down the three guards who tried to get in his way. Thankfully for them, their supervisor called for their retreat, letting him pass, and he was off again. He charged down the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator, before he was bounding down the hall, squeezing past another layer of soldiers to swing open the door to his apartment. And there she was, sitting on the couch with Tim and Aveline, Hector standing by the fireplace. She looked up as he entered, her short brown hair with one strip of blonde twirling around her shoulders, her dark gaze connecting to his, and she smiled.

  Dev took an unsteady step back. In all of Terra…

  Molly smiled.

  A reaching-the-eyes, toothy grin, and something dark and heavy disappeared from his chest. She was back.

  “You’re here,” he said.

  “I’m here,” she repeated, her melodic voice curling around his skin.

  Then they were both walking toward one another, the other people in the room forgotten, gone, before he took her in his arms, and because he knew he could, he kissed her.

  Dev practically kicked open the door to his bedroom as he pulled Molly inside. Despite never needing to sleep, his bed was large and took up the center of the room, his gray sheets lit by a soft yellow light on his bedside table. This was one of his favorite places to read, and stacks and stacks of Terra and Earth novels lined the shelves that covered one side of his room.

  “Dev.” She laughed as he dragged her toward the sheets. “You didn’t even say hi to anyone.”

  He hardly heard her words, his mind still playing the sound of her laughter over and over. By the stars, she was smiling and laughing. He kissed her again. “How are you?” he asked. “Before you left you were…and now you’re just so…” He couldn’t stop himself from touching her cheek, running his hands through her hair. Her eyes were bright, well, not as bright as they originally had been, but at least no longer the glossy voids from before.

  “I’m better.” She rested her hand atop his as he cradled her cheek. “It still hurts, thinking about my grandfather, but he left me his journals, and when I read them, I feel like he’s with me again.”

  “That’s good.” Dev searched her face. “And…the other thing. How is that?” He hated to even ask, but he had to for what he wanted to do next. Despite his desperation for it, he wouldn’t allow it unless she was ready. He watched as a quick phantom from her time with Aaron floated between them, her arms tensing ever so slightly.

  “It’s…still there, but not as all consuming,” she said quietly, glancing to the side. “I’m able to work past it.”

  Would he?

  He nudged her chin so she’d look at him again. “You can take more time.”

  Her smile was a touch sad. “No,” she said. “I can’t.”

  They both remained quiet, because she was right.

  “I thought I’d be meeting you at the Center when you returned.” He guided them to sit on his bed.

  “I’m sick of being stuck indoors,” she said, playing with their entwined fingers. “I needed to see the city again, the stars.”

  He nodded. They were alike in that way.

  “Plus,” she added with a secretive grin, “I wanted to surprise you.”

  His skin grew hot as he gazed into her deep-brown eyes, saw the desire and love shining out. “You can surprise me like that anytime.” His returning smile was mischievous. “So long as we can do this after.” Tugging her to his chest, he tilted her head back and tasted her lips. He explored languidly at first, both of them relearning the feel of the other. She sighed into him, her muscles relaxing in his arms as the temperature in the room spiked. It didn’t take long for him to slip their clothes off and slide her under his sheets, worshipping every inch of her olive-tinted skin.

  “Dev,” she moaned, and he glanced up at her under heavy lids as he kissed her stomach. She was gazing down at him, her fingers combing through his hair. “I love you,” she said. “I love you so much.”

  In a flash he was above her again, touching the new sunbaked dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, letting their bodies glide over each other. “Love doesn’t do justice to what I feel for you,” he said gruffly, kissing her again. “You are everywhere in me, taking up all the spaces in between. You consume me, Molly Spero.” And then there was no more talking, only soft sighs and gasps, the lights vibrating with Molly’s quickening heartbeat and climbing need.

  They each took pieces of the other that night and gently fused them back together, so in the end there wasn’t him and her, only them.

  —∞—

  Dev wished the next few days could be filled with similar pleasant endings, but as expected, Molly’s return was consumed with security meetings and fighting the Metus. Day by day she fought them back as vehemently as she did her internal nightmares, not allowing either to win. The Metus were a constant wave upon the city though, the citizens now on lockdown, no one allowed outside the wall unless given special permission and accompanied by heavy artillery. All the outpost cities were operating under similar law, any trade currently at a standstill. Though this left the people moving in a tense energy, the mood wasn’t as dismal as Dev had expected. Most were placing their hope in the Dreamer and what she could do to hold off the war from getting worse. After her demonstration with Aurora in the arena, any doubt of her capability, or intentions with her power, practically vanished. Cato was a smug elder, to be sure. His plan worked like a charm, despite who it hurt in the process.

  This, of course, only left Molly more on edge. She knew the whispers about her, the reality of what was at stake more potent than ever before. And as Dev stood across from her at one of their daily security meetings, a hovering map of Terra between them, he wanted nothing more than to smooth the pinching of her brows as she listened to Alex talk.

  “And we’ve just deployed two more units to the Nursery,” the general said, his stocky arm pointing to the highlighted section that was a small replica of the outpost where all of Terra’s life was created. “We’ll most likely send a third once we’ve gathered enough intel.”

  As soon as the Council had seen what Aaron told Molly about ending it where it began, they immediately knew what the Vigil meant. The Nursery was where everything in Terra began, where everything with Dev, Aaron, and Anebel started. To threaten this place was to threaten the very existence of their world, and if Aaron’s ultimate goal was to end it all, this was where one could do it. So with Molly still on Earth for her grandfather’s funeral, a master plan was set in place to defend the Source at all costs.

  “And what’s this?” Molly asked, pointing to a bright spot in the center of the Nursery. The city was set up in a series of rings with six large tubes running perpendic
ular through them from the outer wall to the very center—highly concentrated Navitas pipes.

  “This is the Source,” Elena explained. “It’s what feeds our young into creation and ultimately what extends to the rest of Terra. These”—Elena gestured to the six Navitas pipes—“run currents of energy to our city as well as to every other outpost in our lands.”

  “So it’s important,” Molly said dryly, and Dev bit back a smile.

  “Very.” Elena nodded.

  “He’ll attack there,” Molly said.

  Alex let out a disbelieving snort. “It’s nearly impossible to penetrate. Not only because of the layers of guards, but the biometric locks, feet of titanium, solid walls, and airtight rooms all leading up to an even more secured vault that houses the incubators and Navitas.”

  Molly looked unimpressed. “He’ll attack there,” she repeated.

  The room fell silent, the different Council members sharing nervous glances.

  “This man has lived undetected under all your noses for over fifty years,” Molly pointed out. “He’s still eluded being found even with the use of Terra’s endless hi-tech resources. He knows how to get protected weapons that you said only a handful of Vigil are even supposed to know about. He’s cunning, slippery, determined, and”—Molly shared a glance with Dev—“has nothing to lose. That alone makes him the most dangerous. If I were him, this”—Molly nodded to the Source—“would be where I’d hit.”

  “She’s right,” Dev said. “Take this, and you take it all.” As he watched Alex’s forehead crinkle, he couldn’t help thinking that his world really messed up in making such a precarious place—the center of all life. At least install a backup generator or something. But worlds, though seeming indestructible in size, were always made up of delicate ecosystems. If you tipped the scales one way, it all came crumbling down, a house of cards.

  “Then we’ll concentrate our efforts there,” Alex said after another moment, and with a heavy sigh added, “There’s not much else we can do.”

  Which was true. All that was left was to wait, wait and fight the Metus while looking for Aaron to make his move.

  And on the third day he appeared.

  But what he had waiting was much worse than any could have imagined.

  Especially Dev.

  — 43 —

  We have to believe going through darkness

  will eventually bring us light.

  Especially when night is our forever.

  —Part of a letter from Dev to Molly

  Sirens pierce the air as units of Nocturna soldiers run to their various ships, the giant hangar filling with flashing lights and the collective thumping of boots hitting the ground, the sounds of war. I watch it all from my own aircraft that rises out of the open top, changing the forms below to ants as we get swallowed up by the stars and zoom away. The city of Terra is now nothing more than a shrinking, glowing droplet in the dark land.

  I turn my gaze from the window, adjusting the seat belt that crisscrosses my chest, to find Dev looking at me from across the cockpit. His blue eyes spark with determination in the shadows that slink between us, his mouth set in a grim line. His arm muscles tense up under their black protective layers as he grips his Arcus resting across his knees. Even though he looks every bit the warrior that he is, I know the worry that spins in his mind, the fear, for it’s also my own. How many of us will be sitting here after today?

  Dev’s unit, along with Aveline, Hector, Tim, and Ezekial, fill the rest of seats in the airship, all either checking their weapons or sitting in pensive silence. The space almost chokes on it, the quiet loud with everyone’s thoughts of what’s ahead. There’s a slight rocking of the cargo bay as the aircraft switches gear, bodies swaying.

  My fingers flex in my lap, the energy that slips easily to and from my vest surging to their tips in anticipation. This is the moment we’ve all been preparing for, the one we’ve been dreading as well as anticipating, for one can only sit waiting for the devil for so long without growing impatient for the hell he will bring.

  “Here,” Hector says beside me, handing me a breathing mask. In its closed form it’s nothing but a sleek black headband that’s worn low behind the ears, but once engaged a glass partition will go over the entirety of the face, locking at the chin.

  Putting it on, my already twisted gut curls even tighter, hoping it won’t be necessary. We got the call exactly twenty-four minutes ago that the Nursery was under attack and that Aaron was definitely inside. Even with all the units standing guard, no one was prepared for what this one man had in store. And even though horrific, the choreography of how everything went down was just another testament to the power of the mind when determination and passion mixed.

  By burying large crates of energy orbs belted with Dreamer repellent ropes, they were able to sit undetected, for Terra knew how long, in the ground on one side to the Nursery. Leaving Aaron only to wait patiently, like a coiled snake in the grass, watching for the right moment to strike. And the right moment came when a large horde of Metus popped up to attack a nearby Navitas generator, a favorite of theirs, it seems. When the overwhelming numbers swarmed in and the Nocturna readied to hold them off, the hidden crates burst open, shooting out grappling hooks that fused to the wall and dangled the deliciously available energy orbs along the wire. The images projected to us looked like that of a town fair, lights strung from the ground to the wall’s ledge, but instead of festive illuminations, these lights were filled with blue-white Navitas, which sang like beacons to the Metus. It was only a matter of seconds for them to change course and rush in to gobble them up, Pac-Men in a deadly game. And despite the guards along the Nursery wall working quickly to dislodge the grapples, enough beasts had ingested the energy to grow big, strong, and undeterred in climbing the wire up and over.

  The Nursery was now compromised, and Aaron was headed toward its heart. While the majority of forces were sent to defend the north breached wall, the others were ordered to scour the south part of the compound, for this reeked of a diversion.

  “Reaching destination in five.” The female pilot’s voice echoes through my earpiece, and Dev nods once. I’m with you, he seems to say, and I give him a small encouraging smile while rubbing my palm against my thigh. It’s begun to bounce with my restlessness, and I catch his attention dropping to it.

  “There in three,” the voice announces. “Prepare for contact.”

  With synchronized clicks, our seat belts unlock, and we gather near the port end.

  “Pair up.” Dev’s deep, commanding voice slithers through my earbud and down my body. His blue eyes find mine as I step beside him, and he hooks a new tether to each of our belts.

  “Ready.” A chorus of voices fills my head right before a hole in the ground opens, sending in a rush of wind and the light from the Nursery compound below.

  In the next moment we each drop through, my stomach flying to my throat as Dev’s arm wraps securely around my waist as we rappel to the ground. Our ascent slows right before our feet hit the pavement, and we unhook. Our unit surrounds me, positioning their weapons as they inventory our surroundings, and I can’t help my jaw falling open. This breathtaking place is all beautiful cobblestone roads lined with tall marble buildings that have intricately decorative ironwork for doors and banisters. It’s almost mythical the way the stonework shines and displays an unknown master’s hand. If the streets weren’t filled with terror-stricken adolescents and their instructors rushing them to armored cars to take them to safety, I’d have gawked for at least another hour.

  Blinking back to the scene before us, my mouth presses into a hard line. Aaron’s sickness knows no bounds, and it was no mistake that he positioned the Metus breach near the students’ housing. Some of the older kids, who appear no older than thirteen, help in hauling the younger ones to the awaiting vehicles. Only a few shed tears. The rest appear stoic in their gray-outfitted uniforms, ready to take on the threat, to fight, most of their fates.

  A
high-pitched scream turns our heads to a giant orange beast lumbering toward an armored hover car, a group of young kids scampering into the truck as the Metus approaches. Its dripping lava form is bloated from the recent ingested energy, leaving it twice its normal size and more powerful. So when the guards attack, I’m not surprised when the blue electricity from their weapons only solidifies certain body parts rather than blowing it apart. I’ve seen this before, back at the Navitas generator when the Metus joined together to create one massive beast. Then, just like I’m guessing now, they could only be destroyed by a very high and pure concentration of energy.

  But unlike last time, we’re prepared for it.

  “The hoses!” I shout to the distant guards as my mind pierces with a collection of cool energy right before I lift up the perfectly lined street right near the Metus. The stones smack into the monster, momentarily holding it off. But this is all the time we need for the Nocturna, understanding my command, to pull out a newly constructed weapon from the truck. It looks very much like a bazooka connected to a large vat of glowing blue liquid—water from the Sea of Dreams—and with a high-pitched whir, it turns on and, with two guards holding it up, shoots out rivulets to douse the beast. The Metus’ howl of pain ricochets against the buildings, causing some kids to plug their ears right before its entirety is overdosed with the pureness and, on a kick, bursts into shimmering silver dust.