She used her good hand and stroked my face. “Pumpkin, you’re going to kick Palmer’s butt and save Heaven. I just know it.”
My eyes welled up again as I followed her out to the front door. What was I going to do without my cheerleader?
***
The last thing I wanted to do was go to a meeting after saying goodbye to Gram, but duty called. On the ride up the elevator to Celery’s place, all I could think about was revenge on Palmer. Flashing back on my favorite episodes of Sci-fi TV shows, I thought of the perfect solution. Palmer should live out the rest of his life on an asteroid. I’d give him enough food to keep him alive—barely. With his enormous ego, being marooned would be a fate worse than death.
I pushed the bell and Celery opened the door. “You’re late.” Then she took a look at my face. “T, what happened?” She clutched my hand. “Have you been crying?”
“I went to visit Gram. She’s leaving. Gramps thought it was better for her to recover in SH.”
Austin stood up off the couch. “I’m so sorry, Taylor. I heard what Palmer did to your grandmother. Awful.”
That didn't even begin to cover it. Yet somehow having a revenge plan made me feel just a tad better. Palmer would get his. I’d see to it. I sat down in the Danish modern chair. “Let’s get this meeting started. Austin, before we can let you join us, we still have a few questions for you.”
He straightened his back. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Celery sat down across from him. “How many times did Palmer move you?”
Austin’s legs fidgeted. “I’ve been trying to remember. I think it was five times. First they had me tied up and blindfolded in one of the studio buildings. But then they started working on some project and moved me.”
Probably the spaceship. “And after that?”
“Mostly small buildings. Blaine never blindfolded me after that so I figured the places weren’t important.”
Celery balled up a fist. Just the mention of Blaine’s name drove her crazy. “And how many times did you talk with your skater dude buddy?”
“A lot in the beginning. He would taunt me with food and tell me any day now he’d break me out. But after a couple of weeks I knew it was just BS. Blaine got off on controlling me.”
Celery laughed. “I can't imagine why. You’re tall, handsome, and fairly smart and he’s a stubby legged troll with an IQ of a snail.”
I stuffed back a laugh. “True. So Austin, was there anything Blaine said to you that seemed odd?”
His brow furrowed. “Yes. That they decided to keep me after you won the contest. It made no sense. When I asked Blaine he just laughed and said he and Palmer were doing something far bigger than the stupid Cloud Nine Contest. They were going to be running Heaven soon…oh, and Earth, too.”
“Really? What did you say to him?”
“That he was crazy. The Boss of Heaven wouldn’t let that happen.”
Interesting. It meant Palmer never told Blaine about it either. I wonder why? “You think you could help us in our fight?”
He leaned forward. “Of course. I’m feeling much better. Anything to take Palmer out.”
Celery got up and walked over to the kitchen. “Great that’s settled. I’m starving. Think I’ll grab some chips and salsa. You guys want anything?”
I got up. “No thanks. I’m supposed to have dinner with a friend.”
She gave me a wink knowing it was my father. “How about you, Austin?”
“Sure. I’ll have some chips.” He stood up and joined Celery in the kitchen. “Maybe we can do dinner too? Just the two off us.”
Celery actually blushed. “Sure.”
I knew she had a crush on Austin. “Okay, guys, I’m going to hit it.” I walked toward the door. “Austin, glad we had a chance to talk things out. I’ll give you a buzz tomorrow about the mission meeting.”
He beamed. “Totally rad. I can’t wait to take Palmer down.”
Celery and I shouted out at the same time. “Welcome back to Team Galaxy!”
***
Sabrina pumped her wings hard as we headed out over New Life City. I had one more stop before I could finally relax at my weekly dinner with Father—The Temple of Truth. Mr. X wanted me to test out his new humidity-neutralizing machine, and I wanted him to look at the metal object that Gram had given me. Seemed like the Temple was becoming my home away from home. Sabrina banked around an angry gray cloud and landed in front of the Temple.
She gave me a concerned look as I slowly slid off her back. “Are you going to be okay doing the test today? I can tell Mr. X you’re not feeling up to it.”
“No. The faster we can fix Heaven the better. I can handle it.”
She touched my face with her porcelain hand. “I’m worried about you.”
I gave her a weak smile. “Thanks for caring.”
She stretched her wings getting ready for flight. “My pleasure.”
The bodyguard waved as I walked to the front door. “He’s expecting you.”
Of course he was. Mr. X had cameras everywhere. He had probably spotted me way high up in the clouds riding on Sabrina. I nodded and walked down the hall to the laboratory. Just like at the palace, I felt quite at home in the Temple of Truth. A place that used to give me goosebumps felt totally normal to me now. Mr. X stood by the humidity machine writing something on his tablet.
“How are the tests going?”
He put down his tablet and floated next to me. “Good. I think by the end of the week I will be able to start building the actual unit. Could be operational in seven to ten days.”
“Wow, that’s great news.” I pulled the little metal object out of my pocket. “This is the device I told you about.”
Mr. X held out his long slender hand. His eyes grew wide as he examined the small metal object, twirling it like a coin across his pointed fingertips. “Where did you say you found this again?”
“Gram stole it out of Palmer’s pocket.”
His thin exaggerated eyebrows danced on his forehead. “Was your grandmother a criminal at some point in her life?’
I laughed. “No. Gramps taught her how to pick pockets for self-defense. In case a man with a concealed weapon snuck up on her.”
He nodded. “Smart man, your grandfather.” He took the object over to one of the beeping machines on the middle table. “This is similar to your rudimentary flash drives. Let’s see if there is any data on the disc.”
A series of images popped up on a translucent screen floating above the table. Mr. X tapped a long finger at the screen. “It appears to be schematics for the mothership. Palmer is doing some modifications to arm the craft.”
I raced over to his side. “What? Show me.”
He pointed to a series of torpedo shapes that lined the belly of the ship. “These are not a normal Katran design. They don’t believe in killing.”
I swallowed hard. Palmer had enough weapons to annihilate Earth.
Mr. X scrolled through more images. “It seems he has modified the hyper drive to improve its speed.”
“So they can go so fast no one will see them enter Earths atmosphere?”
He nodded. “Earthling technology is too crude. In less than the blink of a human eye the mothership will have landed.”
“Is there some way we can sabotage it?”
“I don’t see a way at the moment. Let me study the plans to find a weakness in the design.”
Great. If Mr. X couldn’t find a way we were screwed.
A trumpet sounded. Mr. X stepped away from the screen. “Your angel is waiting for you outside.”
Terrific. I was going to be late to dinner. At least I had some good news to share. Thanks to Gram, we might be one step ahead of Palmer for the first time. “Let me know if you find anything else useful on the disc.”
He floated over to another screen. “I will transcribe the data as quickly as I can. Anything relevant I find I will send to you and the UFO group.”
“Perfect.” I sped down the h
all and out the front door. Father hated it when I was late. At least I had a good reason this time.
Sabrina greeted me with one of her celebrity smiles. “Finding the storage drive is so exciting. A major breakthrough!”
My guardian angel, ever the mind reader. “Promise you won't tell anyone.”
“Of course. You should be proud. Your grandmother is a brave woman.”
I gripped the feathers on Sabrina’s back and jumped on. “Gram’s amazing. She took advantage of a terrible situation.”
Sabrina flapped her wings and took off. “The women in your family are very courageous.”
Except my mother. The bravery gene must have skipped a generation.
Sabrina picked up speed. “Don’t assume your mother isn't the same. Maybe she just hasn’t had the opportunity to show it yet.”
“You’re too much of an optimist.”
She laughed. “Part of the guardian angel code of ethics.”
The palace spires peeked through a group of thunderclouds. The golden roof tiles no longer sparkled in the sun. Too many were missing. The deterioration of Junior Heaven grew worse by the day. Sabrina slowly descended and landed by the palace main entrance. “Try to enjoy your little victory.”
She was right. I needed to relish the times when something worked out. It didn't happen very often. I slid off her back. “Pick me up at the usual time.”
Sabrina nodded, flapped her wings hard, and disappeared. I plastered a smile on my face and strode through the main door. Father would be so pleased to hear my good news. It would turn our weekly dinner into a celebration. I waltzed into the dining room, expecting to see his smiling face, but instead, his chair stood empty. The aroma of roasted garlic chicken drifted into the room. My stomach growled. I hoped Father wasn’t going to be too late, I might have to start without him.
On cue, a cherub flew in carrying a tray loaded down with food. Besides the chicken, we were going to have shrimp cocktail and a huge Cobb salad. The cherub leaned over the tray and dished out the first course in front of me. “Please enjoy. The One and Only will be with you shortly.”
I dug into the salad, relishing the crunch of the herb crotons, when another cherub zoomed back in the room with a card on a silver tray. “This is for you.”
Father must be running later than he thought. I tore open the envelope eager to find out what was so important he would stand me up. Maybe he had some good news too.
Written in his delicate hand was a message.
My daughter,
I am sorry to cancel our dinner tonight at the last minute. You know how much I enjoy our time together. But unfortunately it couldn't be helped. Something of a rather urgent nature demands my attention. Please watch over the mission while I’m gone.
Take care and be safe,
Your father
Chapter Twelve
Something Gained Something Lost
I woke up feeling grateful to know that Gram was safely back home in Sr. Heaven, but where the heck was Father? On some kind of secret mission? My gut told me it had to be dangerous or he would have clued me in. Instead, he chose to leave me in charge. Great, just another thing to add on to my ever growing to-do list.
1. Restore Heaven to its former glory.
2. Kick Palmer’s ass and toss him on an asteroid.
3. Find a new home for the people of Katran.
4. Return to Earth and make peace with Mom.
5. Run Heaven while Father is away.
All of the things on the list were incredibly hard to accomplish. Hopefully Father would return today. I didn’t know how long I could run Heaven before I screwed up and embarrassed him. But I was flattered he picked me instead of Mr. X. Although taking Father’s place felt impossible, for now I had to do my best to make him proud. I hadn't started to panic yet, but I was certain with every hour I didn't hear from him, the more I would worry he might have got in over his head.
I fought the urge to circle my birthmark; instead I took a deep yoga breath. Pushing a layer of pale gold silk out of the way, I got up out of my canopy bed made for a princess. Before I could even head to the bathroom to wash my face, I heard the formidable voice of my afterlife coach.
“Taylor?” The squish- squish of her crepe shoes grew closer, and the next thing I knew she was hovering next to me. “Get dressed. We have work to do.”
“Give me a sec. You know I’m not a morning person.”
She puffed out her chest, causing her tracksuit zipper to open. It revealed an ample amount of cleavage. “Your father instructed me to help you while he is gone.”
Great, so he thought I needed to be babysat. “Let me guess, he’s gone off and done something stupid like agree to meet with Palmer.”
Her batwing shaped eyebrows danced on her forehead. “Yes, he has. But he felt very strongly he should at least try to negotiate with Palmer before it becomes an all-out war.”
I had to admire Father’s courage for trying to end things peacefully. But Palmer wanted to be the leader of the Katran instead of my father. Not to mention the dictator of Earth. There was no compromise with a nut case like him. “I love my father, but that decision was very risky.”
Mrs. Schwartz nodded. “Xavier and I both tried to talk him out of it.”
I couldn't help wonder if Mrs. Schwartz and Mr. X were actually dating like I thought. She said his first name so freely. “I hope your boyfriend did something to protect my father.”
Her Helmet listed sideways as she turned pomegranate red. “He… isn’t my.”
Busted. I couldn't help but laugh.
She cleared her throat. “This is not a laughing matter.” She reached into her voluminous handbag. I stepped back for fear she might pull out her pointer and turn me into pond scum again. Instead, she whipped out a GPS. “Mr. X is tracking your father.” See this green dot? That’s your father, and the red dot is Palmer.”
“I didn't know Father had a tracking device. I assumed as the leader of the Katran he wouldn't want to be on anyone’s radar.”
”He didn’t. Mr. X put one in before he left. He also gave him a small neutralizing device that he could use on Palmer if things didn't work out as planned.”
I loved how Mr. X conjured up all these crazy gadgets like Q in the James Bond movies. Most of all, I loved that he did everything in his power to keep my father safe. “I see on the GPS they are in New Life City, but where?”
“Your father wanted to meet in a neutral place so he picked the ministry of angel affairs building.”
I couldn't but help smile. “So he’d have some built in back up.”
“Yes. I was surprised Palmer went for it.”
The fact that he did made me uneasy. Maybe Palmer was just going through the motions, stalling for time while they finished up repairs on the mothership. “How long is the meeting supposed to last?”
She glanced at her watch. “For another twenty-five minutes. Then your father will go to a designated teleport spot. It will be interesting to see what he has to say.”
“How can you act like there is nothing to worry about? You’ve seen what Palmer did to my grandmother. What makes you think he wouldn't do something far worse than that to my father?”
The Helmet listed forward. “Taylor, I assure you Mr. X has thought of everything. He would never let your father leave if he didn't think he was safe.”
I knew she was right, but something deep down in my gut told me even Mr. X wasn’t infallible. “Okay. Let’s just watch the GPS and make sure he leaves at the agreed upon time.”
“Certainly. I’ll order you some breakfast while we wait.” She darted for the door. “I’ll be right back.”
The last thing I wanted was food, but eating might make the time go by faster. I threw some make-up on and brushed my hair. Figured I should look decent for when father returned. A cherub came flying through the door carrying a breakfast tray. The angel put a small plate with a croissant and a bowl of fruit down on the small oak table in the bay window.
Mrs. Schwartz handed me a napkin. “Don't get used to this kind of service.”
I couldn't help smile. “Darn. You make such a waitress.”
“Don't push your luck.” She sat down across from me. “Now eat.”
Even though I wasn’t hungry, I did as she ordered. I tore the croissant in half, letting the slightly melted chocolate ooze through my fingers. There was something reassuring about licking the chocolate off my hand. “How much time is there left?”
Mrs. Schwartz checked her watch. “Five minutes.”
Good. Just enough time to wolf down this bowl of berries. There was nothing yummier than the combo of chocolate-covered pastry and strawberries blending together in my mouth. I closed my eyes and tried not to worry about Father—just for one moment.
Mrs. Schwartz glanced at the GPS. “Something is terribly wrong. Your father is not headed toward the right location.”
Every hair on the back of my neck stood up. “What? Where is he going? Is Palmer with him?”
“No. Palmer is still at the ministry. Your father is heading down the main boulevard past Saint Anthony square. It's the opposite direction of the transport location.”
I grabbed the GPS from her hand. “Looks like he’s alone. But I know something has gone wrong big time. My gut told me he shouldn’t have met with Palmer.”
Mrs. Schwartz sat speechless for the first time.
I raced for the dresser and put my earpiece in. I clicked it on. “Cel, grab Austin and meet me at Mr. Pollor’s Out of this World Emporium. We have to rescue my father.”
***
Sabrina sped through the sky so fast I could hear her gasping for breath. I gripped her feathers even tighter. It had to be painful. “Are you okay?”
She ignored me and picked up her speed. “Time is of the essence. Your father’s life is at stake.”
Talk about stating the obvious. But I knew she was just as scared as I was. “We’ll save him. Don’t worry. ”
Sabrina nodded as she banked around a cloud shaped like a dinosaur. She dove down quickly when she spotted the rendezvous spot. Sabrina dropped me off but didn't fly away. Instead, she reached out and took my hands. I think we both knew how dire the situation was. “You will find your father. He is going to be okay. Good always conquers evil.”
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