Extinction

by Viljoen, Daleen

  The smoke froze. It came to a complete stop, rearing back. Something flickered in Chai’s eyes. The empty glaze in his eyes was replaced by something else. He slowly lifted his hand from my throat and his gaze dropped to my stomach. Carefully he placed a hand on my stomach. The smoke edged closer to the place he was touching. Not menacing like before, but inquisitive. I could feel it searching for something inside me.

  Chai jerked his hand away, taking the smoke with him and pressed his hands on his temples, his face contorted in agony. He howled. It was so loud and filled with so much pain that I sank to the floor and pressed my hands to my ears. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to help him, but I was too terrified to move.

  He became very quiet and I peeked at him. He balled his hands at his side, his eyes never leaving me.

  Chai. Recognition flickered in his eyes. He heard me saying his name. His eyes…I could see him again in his eyes. The warmth…but also rage.

  Stay down, little one. He swung around, taking in the six Vandelrizi in the room. He gave a chuckle. It sent shivers down my spine. He was furious. He flew across the room towards them, scattering tables and chairs out of his way. The Vandelrizi tried their best, but there was no stopping Chai. He took out the Vandelrizi, using his hands, feet, anything he could lay his hands on, leaving carnage of ripped and broken metal as far as he went. One after the other they crumpled to the floor. Only Robert was left, cowering behind a table. He licked his lips nervously. Chai stood like a growling animal ready to pounce him.

  “You take one step and I push this button,” Robert croaked. His finger hovered above a red button on the computer. Chai didn’t move. I could feel the indecision in him.

  “What does it do?” I asked.

  “It’s a bomb, Lexie,” Chai answered. “He wants to destroy everything.”

  “Like an atomic bomb?” What was he thinking? Does he want to make earth uninhabitable? He would die with everyone else.

  “Much worse. This bomb will destroy earth. Nothing will be left.”

  “Have you lost your mind? You want to kill us all now?” I ranted at Robert. Somewhere inside him there must still be an inch of humanity left, a piece of him that would recognize the utter insanity of destroying earth.

  “It’s a small price to pay, Alexis. I won’t let anybody else have this planet. It belongs to me. I worked to have it all.”

  A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead. He pressed down his finger. Chai rushed toward him. I didn’t breathe. I didn’t think. I acted. I jerked my hand, lifting Robert into the air, before his finger could touch the button and threw him across the room. He hit the wall with a thud. A piece of metal protruded from his stomach, blood dripping in a steady stream on the floor. His eyes glazed and his head slumped to the side.

  I killed him.

  I clasped a hand over my mouth.

  “I…oh my…I didn’t want to kill him!” No matter how much he hated me or what he had done, I didn’t want to kill him. Chai buried my face in his chest, lifting my feet from the floor. He carried me outside the room, where I couldn’t see Robert’s impaled body, and put my feet back on the ground. He took my face in his hands.

  “Did I hurt you?” His eyes anxiously scanned my face. I shook my head through the sobs racking my body. He pressed his lips on mine and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him, clinging to him. He was alive. I was in his arms again.

  “I love you,” I whispered through the tears and his lips.

  “You shouldn’t have come here. Not with you...” He put a little distance between us and glanced at my stomach, and I frowned.

  “What’s wrong with me? What did you feel inside me?” The Akaii found something inside me. Panic sored inside me again. Something was wrong with me. That’s why I was feeling sick. Why I was tired all the time.

  “You don’t know?” A smile tucked at his lips.

  “Know what?” Chai looked smug and I swore more than a little impressed with himself. “Tell me.”

  “I felt it when the Akaii was inside you.” His voice faltered and guilt flashed across his face. “If I didn’t feel it…I would’ve killed you. He controlled me, but then…I couldn’t believe it.”

  “Please tell me what you felt.”

  “You are pregnant, little one.”

  My heart sped up. The world was spinning. It was impossible. I couldn’t be pregnant.

  “I can’t be. I can’t get pregnant. It’s…” He lowered his hand and rested it protectively on my stomach.

  “It’s a miracle. The most wonderful thing that could ever happen to us,” interrupted Chai.

  I had a life inside of me. We had created a life…a little person. Chai tilted my head towards him. “Don’t tell me I have to give you a lesson in how babies are made.” I blushed and rolled my eyes at him.

  “I already had that lesson.” He gave me a soft tender kiss.

  “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want you in this place a second longer.” He grabbed my hand and we ran for the door.

  We stopped outside and my jaw dropped. The square was enveloped in shadow. Something was blocking out the sun. The whole city was covered in darkness. I looked up. Humungous space ships hovered above the city. The Galactic Alliance had arrived.

  “Quite a sight,” Gaios said and slapped Chai on the shoulder. No more words were necessary between them. Arianna grabbed Chai in a fierce hug and the smile she gave me was luminous. Erich grabbed my hand and squeezed it. They were bloodied and dusty, but all of us were okay.

  Chapter 24

  Chai pulled me closer to him, his hand resting protectively over my swollen stomach. The baby kicked in response. He already had his dad’s strength. Sylvain said it wasn’t long now before I’ll get to meet my son. The pregnancy was a lot shorter than the usual nine months, but normal for Epsilon, Sylvain attributed it to the Epsilon DNA. She insisted accompanying me on this trip. I knew it wasn’t only me she wanted to keep an eye on but also Bill. I glanced at their entwined hands. I was happy they were together. They suited each other perfectly.

  The baby gave me another kick. He was our miracle. He would be Epsilon, but a part of him was also human. Sylvain said that a cure for sterility was inside me. She was already busy on studying and isolating the gene inside me that could reverse sterility. There was hope that the human race would survive, that there would be more generations after us.

  Chai got permission to stay on earth. We needed a lot of help to rebuild earth and to adapt to the changed planet. Gaios and Arianna naturally stayed too. There was no chance of separating them from Chai. After this trip we had a lot of work waiting for us.

  I glanced at the people around me. He was the luckiest baby. He had a dad that already adored him, a grandfather that would guide and teach him, and two uncles and an aunt that would protect him with their life. He had a family and he had two worlds to call home – Earth and Epsilon.

  The door lowered slowly. In front of us lay a world painted in vivid colors by the sun glowing in red, orange in yellow waves trailing to the ground. Chai carried his planets sun in his eyes and on his chest.

  Welcome to Epsilon, little one. The love for me glowed in his eyes.

  “You’re home,” I whispered to him.

  “I’ve already found my home. With you.” His lips found mine and we completely forgot about the magnificent sunrise before us.