Stone of Power (Keepers of Earth Book 1)

by Kimberly Riley

  “Uh huh, I see.” Raptor shifted some of her weight onto her own feet.

  “Watch hours?” Andrew asked. Christine trailed behind him lost in thought.

  Godlin responded to him. “The computer is monitored at all times—calls for portals, any communications, trouble on Earth, or in the surrounding dimensions. It’s boring work. Mouse handles it most of the time, but we all have designated watch hours. We use our hours for betting.”

  “There are also chores that have to be done. Cleaning, system repairs, errands, stuff like that.” Raptor motioned to Godlin. “Him and Tech bet over almost everything. Who’s ahead today?”

  “I am, by one.” He grunted. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  Pointing toward Andrew and Christine, Raptor said, “I want them with me and not wandering the base.” She said to the two teenagers, “We don’t get visitors here, so everything dangerous isn’t behind a locked door or cabinet.”

  “Is that wise?” Godlin asked.

  “I’m sure they won’t do anything too destructive. Besides, do you want to watch them?”

  Godlin snorted and then said in a low tone, “Very well.” He turned to Christine and Andrew. “Follow me.”

  Andrew tried to take Christine’s hand again, but she ignored it and walked out in front of him. Surprised by her actions, he wondered if maybe she blamed him for getting them both stuck at the Keeper base—out in space no less. Andrew followed the others as they walked down the hallway past the teleport room. They then took a left turn into a hallway with several doors spaced evenly along it. Stopping in front of one, Godlin pushed a button next to the door. It slid open silently.

  Godlin kept a tight grip on Raptor as he carried her into the room and over to a twin-sized bed near the door. A white, peach, and black colored cat slept curled up on the mattress.

  Flicking his hand at the calico cat, he growled, “Move.”

  The cat woke up and gave Godlin a spiteful glare. It then casually walked to the end of the bed, its tail held high. The cat sat down and wrapped its tail around its feet.

  Raptor chuckled. “Be nice to her.”

  Godlin huffed and set Raptor on the bed. Wincing, she shifted herself into the center and then lay down, her back facing them. The cat moved from the edge of the bed toward Raptor. It curled up against her stomach and went back to sleep.

  The room was painted white, and only a few pieces of furniture lined the walls. Across the room stood a closet, but it was closed. Adjacent to the bed sat a long desk, a laptop, and some strange objects resting on top. On the wall next to the desk hung a corkboard with small yellow notes pinned all over it. Andrew wondered if personal touches were meant to be kept to a minimum or if that was just Raptor’s preference.

  Turning to Andrew and Christine, Godlin said, “Find somewhere to sit.”

  Andrew took a seat in the rolling chair at the desk, but there was just one chair. Christine remained standing.

  Godlin said in an irritable tone, “Touch nothing.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Christine went over to the door, looking at the control pad on the wall beside it. There was one large button on top and a group of smaller buttons below—all unmarked.

  She punched the large button on top, but nothing happened, the button did not even beep. She tried to force the door open, but it would not budge.

  There was a click, and the door reopened.

  Christine backed up. Godlin pushed another chair into the room, forcing her away from the doorway.

  “I told you not to touch anything.” He then motioned to Raptor, who appeared asleep. “And be quiet. She’s been hurt and needs to sleep.”

  Taking the chair from Godlin, Christine asked, “Why don’t you take her to the hospital? Can’t you just teleport back to Earth?”

  Godlin’s lips twitched with a grin as if the question amused him. “A hospital can’t help her. Just let her sleep. She’ll be fine.” Turning away, he headed out of the room. Once on the other side, he pushed a button, and the door slid closed again.

  Christine huffed as Godlin left. She wheeled her chair closer to Andrew and sat down in it.

  He studied the artifacts scattered along the desk. A stone statue made of blue rock caught his eye. It was carved in the shape of a dog, but with huge teeth set into a wide mouth and a pair of short wings on its back. Christine picked it up. The pair of red eyes turned to follow her no matter what direction she faced it. Shuddering, she returned it to the table and then quickly jerked her hand away.

  Andrew inched away from the dog, his nose wrinkling up. “No way. That thing is not watching us all day.” He swallowed and turned the statue to face the wall.

  “I’m with you on that,” Christine said as she scooted closer to Andrew.

  He turned to her, cocking his head to the side as he frowned. “Hey, you okay?”

  With a heavy sigh, Christine sunk down in her chair. “Yeah. I’m sorry for how I’ve been lately.”

  “It’s okay. I got us caught up in this adventure.”

  “Yeah, you did. Not that we had much of a choice about going,” Christine sneered. “They say they will send me home but then keep finding excuses not to.”

  Thinking back to the meeting, he remembered Christine seemed annoyed. He bit his bottom lip, feeling a bit guilty for not having said something to her first. “I’m sorry too, for not helping you more in figuring out how to get you home.” In reality, he did not want her to go yet.

  “Just be glad I still like you,” she said with a slight smirk.

  Andrew smiled at her. “I don’t think the Keepers are keeping you here on purpose.”

  Christine scoffed, twisting her head away from him. “No, they are.”

  He felt he had to defend his new friends. “Okay, but I mean, not without a good reason.”

  Turning back to Andrew, Christine said in a frustrated tone, “They can’t even tell me why, other than some strange notion that Earth wants me here. I deserve to know more if I’m going to be held here against my will.”

  Andrew glanced over to Raptor. “Maybe when she wakes up, you can ask her about it.”

  “Yeah, maybe. But you realize this is insane, right?” she asked, motioning to Raptor and then the door. “These people are insane. Aliens, bombs, rocks that attack people, you know?”

  “I believe they sincerely need our help.”

  “And that’s another thing. You’ve been following them along like a lost puppy dog. Andrew, I’m scared for both of us. What’s going on with you?”

  Andrew shrugged. “Maybe it’s this Earth thing.”

  “That’s a lot to take in, and it’s a little spooky. I know yesterday was Halloween, but come on. Earth arranged for us to be found and it can talk to people?”

  “I’ve had these feelings since we first ran into Raptor. Even then, I could have sworn I knew her.”

  “And that was Earth?”

  Andrew moved forward in the chair, sitting on the edge. “And then, when I accepted the mission, like she told me to, the feelings vanished. How can I explain that away?”

  Leaning back, Christine stared at Andrew. “And you don’t find any of this the least bit suspicious?”

  Trying to put himself in her shoes, Andrew imagined if someone came up to him and told him Earth could talk to them and had given them super powers. He would probably think they were insane. Yet, here he was trying to justify that very thing to Christine. “Okay, it’s crazy, but I’m sure about it—all of it. Even the part about Earth giving them powers so that they can protect it.”

  “From what?”

  “Whatever threatens it, I guess.” He knew it was a pathetic answer, but he did not want to reveal more than he had to about the Keepers. “Aliens maybe.”

  “Right …” She lifted an eyebrow. “But I don’t like that Earth is forcing you into this. What about everything you wanted? You used to talk about going to medical school and becoming a doctor.”

  Hearing his own,
earlier thoughts echoed back at him, he tried to recall how he felt about losing everything—the fear and the sorrow. Once he knew he could help people by becoming a Keeper, then his concerns had evaporated. He wanted Christine to understand he had chosen to stay. “When we were in Tenebris, Raptor said Earth couldn’t affect my feelings there, and I still felt like I belonged here. This is what I want now.”

  “Yeah, great,” Christine replied with a droning voice. “What about your friends and family? We’ll never see you again.” She reached over to him and took his hand.

  “You don’t know that,” Andrew said. He gave her hand a squeeze.

  “You heard the way they were talking. They want me to forget about all of this when I leave.”

  “That doesn’t mean we won’t see each other again,” Andrew said, but in the back of his mind he knew she was right.

  Christine did not take her hand away. Instead, she gripped it tighter. “Don’t lie to me.”

  Andrew’s shoulders slumped. Christine was his best friend, and he would lose her. He knew he needed to tell her how he felt, or he would never forgive himself for letting the moment pass.

  “Christine, I …” Andrew stopped himself and swallowed down a gulp of air.

  “Hmm?”

  “I lot you. I mean! I like you. I mean, ugh!” He set his head down on the desk with a hollow thud, feeling like a complete idiot. Andrew could feel his neck and ears turning a bright red.

  Christine grinned at him. “You’re cute.”

  Andrew drew his arms up around his face, trying to hide it. He muttered, “That didn’t come out right.”

  “You like me a lot?” Christine asked.

  Picking his head up, he said, “I do.” He wondered if he was making the right choice. Would he regret leaving Christine behind? His eyebrows squished together in thought. Maybe he should talk to Raptor first before making anything official.

  He wondered if Earth had suggested that, but he did not sense anything different. Maybe the planet could not reach him out this far.

  “What are you thinking?” Christine asked, drawing him out of his reverie.

  “I think we should help them. I promised to do that much at least.” Andrew had promised to stay, but now his doubts had returned. He needed some time to think.

  “You think that Earth might be destroyed if we don’t?”

  Andrew picked at the edge of the desk, but it was solid and nothing came loose. “I do.”

  “Considering I live there and all, saving it is probably a good idea. After that, I guess we’ll see.”

  “Yeah,” Andrew said, distracted. He wished he knew more about the Keepers. It was impossible to decide without knowing the full ramifications. If he helped with the mission, he could get to know them better. Then, if he decided to stay, he could at least say he had thought about it.

  Christine pushed her chair closer to his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

  Andrew caressed her hair as she closed her eyes. Would he ever get to see her again after this mission? His heart ached at the thought. For now, he just wanted to sit there and enjoy her company.

  Chapter Ten

  Two hours after Godlin left, Raptor stirred.

  Surprised, Andrew woke with a start to the sound of her shoes creaking on the floor. The cat beside her opened one lazy eye. It flicked the tip of its tail and closed its eye again, stretching itself out across the bed, taking full advantage of the warm spot Raptor had left behind.

  “Oh, we didn’t wake you, did we?” Andrew asked. Beside him, Christine had fallen asleep on the desk, her head resting in her arms.

  “No, you didn’t. But it seems as though I have woken you. Has anyone checked on you?”

  “Not yet,” Andrew said. He noticed the bruises on her face and arms had healed. The burn mark on his arm still stung, but not as sharply as before.

  Behind Raptor on the wall hung a knife with a blade attached to either end. The handle connected the two weapons, forming the midsection, but it did not seem designed for a hand. It was flat, rather than round, and much wider than his own hand. The knife on either side of the handle curved up like a pair of horns. The whole thing was maybe four feet across. Andrew moved around her to get a better look.

  “It’s an ancient weapon of an alien race called the Sonay. They used them in hand-to-hand combat, before they developed more powerful weapons.” Raptor added with a chuckle, wiggling her fingers, “Well, hand-to-hand is wrong, I suppose. They really don’t have hands like we do.”

  “Then what do they have?”

  “Teeth,” she replied with a grin. “Sharp teeth.” She then moved over to the door, but Andrew said, “Wait, can I ask you something?”

  Raptor turned around. “What’s up?”

  “It’s this whole Keeper thing. I’ve been thinking.”

  “Having doubts?”

  “A few.” Andrew glanced at Christine, who remained asleep. “I think I like her, I mean a lot.”

  “I understand,” Raptor said in a soothing tone, a faint smile on her lips.

  “You do?”

  “Well, not exactly. You see, I was never happy as a kid. My life wasn’t bad or anything, just unhappy. Then I discovered my powers, and the Keepers came, told me what I was. I never looked back, never doubted my place here.” Shifting her gaze over to Christine, she frowned.

  “I want to help. I’ve already said I would.”

  “I can still get you out of this, but there will be consequences. Whatever your talent is, you will lose it, and the more involved you become, the more you stand to lose.”

  A coldness sank into his stomach and then spread across his body. He had wanted to become a doctor, but he did not feel the passionate spark the other Keepers seemed to have when he thought about it.

  “What do you think my talent is?” he asked, trying to keep his mind on the conversation.

  “I agree with Walker. I think you could be the next Keeper of plants.”

  “Would I lose all my abilities with plants if I left?”

  “If you left now, I think your interest in them would wane. Of course, interests change all the time; it’s normal. However, if your powers manifest and you decide to leave, then you’ll have a noticeable hole in you. You might fill it for a while, but you’ll never be the same.”

  “I mean to help, and if I leave, then I’ll accept the consequences.” Andrew hoped he sounded brave, because his legs felt like they were going to run away with, or without, him at any moment.

  “If it helps, I believe you belong here.”

  “It doesn’t,” Andrew said in a low tone. He did not blame her for having said it, even if it was not what he wanted to hear.

  Raptor stepped over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t make this choice for you, Andrew. I won’t put myself in a situation where you can blame me for your own regret.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “I know you think you wouldn’t, but regret causes people to do unimaginable things.”

  Andrew heard tinges of a memory in her words. He wondered if it had something to do with Venom or possibly Bringer. “I understand.”

  “Let’s get going.” She turned toward the door.

  Andrew reached over and shook Christine’s shoulder.

  With a snore, Christine woke and sat up. “Hmm? What happened?”

  “Nothing yet,” Andrew replied.

  Raptor pushed a large button beside the door. Like Christine, she found it locked. With a snort, she quickly tapped a series of buttons.

  The door slid open. Standing in the hall was a young man in a gray suit and blue tie, whom Andrew recognized as Tran.

  “Oh! Raptor. I— er …” Tran leaned over, peeking around Raptor at Andrew and Christine. “I thought you were one of our guests.”

  Raptor smiled and stepped away from the doorway. “It’s all right. Come on in.”

  Tran peered into the room, taking everything in. Seeming satisfied, he stepped inside, smooth
ing his tie down with one hand.

  “Now, tell me what has happened since the meeting,” Raptor said.

  Eyeing Andrew and Christine with a frown, Tran said, “Shouldn’t we go somewhere else?”

  “They’re involved.”

  Tran’s face contorted in disapproval, but he said, “Mouse got ahead of the virus and thought he had it, but it changed and started infecting things again.”

  Raptor raised an eyebrow slowly. “Did someone change it?”

  Shrugging his shoulders, Tran replied, “He thinks so. There was a major time delay between him stopping the original virus and the new one.”

  Raptor reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. To Andrew and Christine she said, “We travel to other planets often, and that means we have to be able to talk to each other. Space is big and without the communication devices, it would take years for any signal to reach us.”

  Tran went on. “Mouse says if he can’t crack this new virus in the next hour, then there’s no hope of stopping it. It’ll be too far ahead to catch up to, even counting the time the virus spends at each satellite.”

  “I see. What about Selena and Gadget? Did they get ahead of it and stop it there?” Raptor asked. She watched Tran give a long, hopeful look toward her bulletin board. He started to move toward it.

  Raptor stepped in front of Tran, stopping him.

  Clearing his throat, Tran said, “He hasn’t gotten word back yet.”

  Andrew glanced at the board, his eyebrows coming together. He could not figure out why Tran found it so interesting.

  “What’s the status of the Stones?” Raptor asked. “Ignore those,” she added with a warning.

  Tran’s body twitched, his eyes locked on the board.

  “Tran, look away from the board.”

  “But they’re crooked!” Tran protested in a loud voice.

  “And they’re in order,” Raptor said firmly. “Don’t make me throw you out of here.” That seemed to get Tran’s attention. He focused on her.

  Andrew smirked to himself, agreeing with Tran. The notes were arranged in a chaotic mess.

  Tran drew a folded piece of paper from his suit pocket and handed it to her. “That’s the list, as of now.”