Something snapped in Michael's mind. He punched Veronica's face with unrestrained anger. Veronica snarled, her expression changing as her distorted voice sent the warning. "Be careful Earthling, I could kill you in an instant." Her skin grew scales while her body reshaped itself into the form of Lufriec.
"How dare you tempt me?" Michael couldn’t contain his anger anymore. "Your son killed the only woman I ever loved, and there is nothing for me on any of your worlds."
"You dare refuse?" A dangerous aura was building around the Reptilian lord, dark red, like his armor.
"Yes, Lufriec, I refuse... I would rather fight you and die in the process than listen to your lies."
"And die you will, Earthling." On cue, Lufriec sent a finger of electricity that nailed Michael writhing in pain to the metal floor of the small craft. "Did you really think you could get away with slaying MY son? Did you believe I would spare you? I don't need you to annihilate all resistance and enslave your race for labor or consumption."
Michael, still pinned to the floor, looked at Lufriec in shock at the revelation.
The Reptilian smiled. "Ah, Yes. My race is fond of human meat. That's why I don't want to butcher all of you at once. But you will suffer more than anyone else, Earthling. First you will see your only child obliterated. But you... You I will kill slowly before roasting your carcass on a spit for a feast."
As Lufriec spoke, Michael's mind raced despite the agonizing pain coursing through his body. Could he tap directly into the mental pool? Could he hope to destroy this monster even now? It would take enormous energy to blast the evil thing that rendered him defenseless. Maybe Amrah could help...
"No one can prevent me from taking this planet!" Lufriec’s arrogance knew no limits. "My people need a home with plenty of food, and I happen to like this Earth best. It was taken away from me once, long ago. But not this time! This time I win." Lufriec studied Michael's face. "I see your pain, Earthling. Show me some fear... I like fear."
A flash connection occurred between Earth and moon as Michael and Amrah linked minds in a quick debate.
Are you sure, my son? It is a most unusual sacrifice, Amrah argued in Michael’s mind.
No, Father... But it's the best way... Please... He's only three feet from me. You can destroy the bastard now. Use my body as an explosive device and blast this craft with all you’ve got.
Very well, my son, if you insist... I’ll redirect the energy from the meditation pool for one concentrated strike. Farewell, dear child.
Farewell, Father... Be quick.
In a flash, Michael saw billions of faces of all races. All over the world, people of all nationalities stared at a television screen, a monitor, a newspaper. Tension built up, pulling at the fabric of their subconscious. A great current of energy coursed around the globe, affecting all in its path.
In California, a man about to enter a convenience store gun in hand suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at the sky. Shaking his head, he threw the gun in a garbage can and walked away.
In Nebraska, an inebriated father about to hit his boy with a leather belt lowered his arm, touched by understanding. Scooping the frightened child into his arms, he cried, asking for forgiveness.
In Florida, a bigot about to scream obscenities at her gay neighbors suddenly saw them with compassion and understanding and smiled instead. In France, a politician in the process of embezzling government funds allocated the money to education where it was due. In Germany, a rapist stalking a young victim, appalled by his own thoughts, turned away to buy flowers for his wife.
In Rome, a highjacker about to board a plane looked at the passengers then left the airport. In Israel, a group of terrorists preparing to storm an embassy abandoned the project. In Russia, a hunter aiming at a deer lowered his gun and allowed the game to flee. In the Middle East, a dictator gave the order to release a hundred hostages. In Japan, an abductor returned the child unharmed to the frantic parents. Off the South American coast, a drug lord threw his whole cargo overboard and ordered coffee plants for his farm.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, the FBI swat team in bulletproof jackets storming Dave's farm dropped their rifles to stare at the strange glow coming from the small craft behind the barn. Dave and Becky came out of the trailer home, Clara ran back from the meadow with Shadow on her heels, and Jennifer opened her eyes, regaining consciousness.
In the same instant, all the creatures of Earth felt great pain, then relief followed by a vast peace. The electromagnetic wave blanketed the planet and focused into a single beam directed to Amrah's spaceship.
By then, the blood-red fleet approaching the Blue-Angel vessel had started firing, shaking Amrah's ship with powerful jolts. At their battle stations, the Blue Angels ignored the relentless fire hitting them. Responding in kind would compromise the delicate operation. Instead, they concentrated on monitoring the energy beam through their leader's brain. Flinching under the tremendous effort, Amrah enhanced and channeled the deadly ray into Michael's mind, making him the target and the weapon of Lufriec’s destruction.
Michael felt the raw power burning through his neural pathways. Unable to speak, he reached for Lufriec.
The Reptilian stiffened at the daring touch but didn’t break it. “You want to grapple with me, Earthling?”
Michael gripped Lufriec’s shoulder, staring in the red depth of the creature’s eyes.
The snake face exulted. “You have lost! Your planet is mine!”
Not yet, Michael thought but said nothing, holding on to his mark.
Fear finally registered on the Earthling’s face. Lufriec rejoiced for a split second, savoring his victory. The Earthling stared, face contorted. Apparently the simple contact caused him great pain, so why did he hold on? Doubt wavered at the edge of the warlord’s awareness. Had he underestimated his opponent? Suddenly, the Earthling smiled through his agony, and Lufriec realized his mistake. Too late...
A white blaze enveloped them both and engulfed the craft.
*****
Jennifer screamed. A blinding flash, then a conflagration sucked the air. Every atom of every particle of matter in the immediate periphery ignited. A hot wind pulverized the barn. Rifles, gunmen, cars, all flew up with the dust, falling hard on the ground and on each other. A shock wave coursed, shaking in its wake the trailer and the farm buildings, the cars, trees and fences.
An eerie screech raised Jennifer's hair at the roots, followed by empty silence. A long silence... When the dust settled, nothing moved inside the circle of overturned cars. All that remained was a scorched patch of bare dirt. Jennifer looked around for her father, mentally scanning for any sign of his mind... Nothing.
"Daaaddyy!" was all she could scream in her anguish. Her father was no more. Powerless, she shed hot tears, staring through the moisture of her eyes at the spot where, seconds before, her father had been alive.
*****
In space, Amrah's ship, partly disabled by the first attack wave, now returned fire, further depleting its energy reserves. Repeated enemy assaults had claimed several lives among Amrah's crew while life support systems failed in succession. Among the smoke and barely breathable air, the Blue Angels kept fighting, improving their aim and causing damage in the enemy ranks. Not enough damage.
Amrah himself started to lose heart when, suddenly, the Reptilian mother ship exploded in a shower of crimson fire, crippling many of its own vessels in the vicinity. Amrah felt the blast displacing his ship but mentally compensated for the impact without slowing the firing of his weapons.
Half the enemy fleet was destroyed, but Amrah's crippled ship was losing power, no longer able to defend itself. While the Blue Angel crew in their moribund vessel prepared for a last assault, the enemy regrouped, only to turn around and flee.
Amrah then realized that Michael had been right. His sacrifice had won the battle. For the first time in two million years, the Blue Angel let go of his emotional reserve. Tasting the wild elation of victory, he laughed shamelessly, soon
joined by his surviving crew.
*****
Among the rubble of the farm, The swat team came to, coughing and brushing the dust off their black uniforms. Some looked hurt, but not too badly. Jennifer felt a nudge at her feet. Sinking to the burnt grass, she picked up Shadow and held on to him, all the time staring at the charred empty spot. She must have lost track of time and jumped at a gentle voice behind her.
"Come on, Jennifer. You cannot stay here. Come with me darling, Jean-Marc and I will take care of you and Shadow." Tori lifted Jennifer gently by the shoulders. When the cat jumped off, Jennifer hugged her mother. Through burning eyes, unable to speak, taking a last look at the scene, the girl took her mother’s hand and started walking toward the waiting silver-gray car.
*****
The two days that followed, although filled with sadness, saw Tori and Jean-Marc actively helping Dave and Becky with judicial matters, keeping them out of jail, assuring that Clara was not taken away from them, and providing a roof over their heads.
The trailer had been destroyed by the aftershock, but the naked structure of the unfinished house, further away from the blast, still stood. Dave would have to complete the construction as fast as possible. His family needed a roof.
All this time, Jennifer neither drank nor ate. Her shallow sleep crawled with nightmares. In her misery, however, a new window had opened on the world. She found herself wandering in and out of other people's minds. The shock of her loss had cleared mind channels that would otherwise have stayed blocked until puberty. Jennifer's young intellect reeled with the shock of knowledge and feelings too mature for her years. She now understood the deep, loving relationship between Tori and Jean-Marc. She also experienced the full scope of pathos of any stranger coming within range of her newfound abilities.
Overwhelming emotions kept her hidden from the cruel world, hugging her cat, cowering from this unmerciful society. She could feel Tori’s deep concern and that of her stepfather. She marvelled at the love her mother felt for her and at Jean-Marc's compassion. These were good people, and she felt safe and loved among them. A chunk of her heart was missing, however, and Jennifer could not help but cry every time she thought about her father.
*****
On the third day, Jennifer ran into her mother’s hotel room in Little Rock. "Mom, Mom! I felt him. He's alive... Daddy's alive!" Her smile illuminated tears of joy.
"He will always be alive in your heart, Sweetie." Grateful for the change in her daughter, Tori smiled. Jennifer had called her Mom.
"No, you don't understand, he really is alive. I felt his mind, far away... But I'm telling you, he's alive."
Tori remained neutral, unwilling to break the magic. But she could not allow her daughter to wander too far from the truth. She took Jennifer's hand. "Maybe you felt his spirit. He loved you very much... Maybe his soul floats around before going to heaven. You should not nurture false hopes... I understand how hard it must be for you, but your dad is not coming back, darling." She pulled her daughter closer for a hug, but Jennifer playfully escaped and laughed.
"He's alive, he's alive, he's alive!" Jennifer giggled and ran out of the room, jumping like a monkey.
Tori watched her leave, hoping Jennifer would not lose her mind over the loss.
Chapter Twenty-One
"How is he?" Maria inquired of her alien mate. She looked twenty-five years younger and more beautiful than ever, her hair now long and shiny black.
"The regeneration cycle is complete. He will awaken soon." Amrah smiled, something he did more of, since Maria joined the ship. “His heightened intellect is fully functional, but he will have to get used to the new body."
Around them, the Blue Angel crew went about restoring the spaceship back to its former condition, a peaceful activity that soothed the mind and the spirit while erasing the physical scars of battle.
"He'll like the change." Maria knew he would. "I loved it the first time I saw myself in the mirror. Who would resent eternal youth, beauty, and health?" She adjusted the oval mirror and caressed the black tresses of her shiny hair. The happiness on her face betrayed deeper changes though, from being loved, and also from the subtle improvement of her neural pathways.
"Are you ready for such a long commitment, Maria?" Amrah stepped closer. "Forever takes on a whole new meaning. Are you sure you will not miss earthly pleasures? It may be a long time before we return. And when we do, you will be the same, but the people you love will have aged." Amrah came up behind Maria, resting his hands on her shoulders.
"I know... I'll miss Dave and his family, and seeing Jennifer grow up. Strange, isn't it, since I just met her? But I know my happiness is with you and our son. Will I get a chance to say goodbye?"
"Certainly. We have a few weeks of preparation before the ship is fully operative." Amrah rubbed her shoulders.
Maria gave herself to the soothing massage, relaxing for a few seconds then turned to face Amrah. "You know, I'll have time on my hands. Maybe I could help. If someone could teach me a few simple tasks..."
"You will do better than that, Maria, have no fear. Some day you will run this ship as efficiently as the best captain in the universe."
Maria smiled. "And who might that be?"
Amrah raised a smooth brow. "Me, of course... Didn't you know?"
"Now I know where Mikie got his attitude problem." She laughed and hugged her handsome blue lover.
*****
Michael awoke in an empty room full of soothing colors, pastel blue, lavender, rose, and turquoise, vibrating in slow changing patterns. A soft purring matched his contented mood. He felt good but couldn't remember a thing.
A little disoriented, Michael stood up, naked, and stretched. He flexed one hand and stared at it, intrigued. Since when did he have such flawless skin? Not one hair on his legs or chest! Michael contracted an arm muscle, rolled a shoulder, flexed a knee. He felt incredibly limber. He took in the strange surroundings, something about the place felt familiar. A metal panel slid open and Veronica appeared, smiling. Michael smiled back. Something wasn't right.
"Hi, honey, I see you're awake." She seemed to study him behind the smile. "A little confused? Don’t worry, you'll be just fine."
Michael suddenly remembered. "Stay away from me, you filthy snake." Bits and pieces of memory came rushing back. He was at the farm, in the small spacecraft, facing Lufriec, not Veronica. The battle raged on.
Suddenly, he felt Veronica in his mind and reeled with the realization that they were linked. She witnessed all his thoughts as he witnessed hers. Open channels allowed them to communicate at all times. Nothing could interfere with their full understanding of each other. "Veronica? Is it really you? I'm dead, right?"
Veronica smiled again, white veils from her dress floating around her. "Guess again. Welcome back, my love." The touch of her hands on his naked chest, the feel of her lips on his, and the fierce response he felt in his loins convinced him on the spot that he was very much alive. She laughed. "Well, would you like to get dressed this morning, or will you adopt the fashion of the place? It looks good on your father, but of course he has better control of his physical reactions." She pointed at his erection.
"I'm dreaming," Michael muttered to himself, expecting to wake up any moment. "But I saw you dead!" Who was he trying to convince?
"Not anymore... Do I feel dead to you?"
She wrapped her arms around him, and the warm smell of her skin threatened his self-control. Michael found his body responding with prodigious vitality as he held her. They read each other's mind in the same instant. Veronica's green eyes filled with infinite love. Her head tilted back, soft lips opening slightly. Michael had never been able to resist her call, but this time, despite the violence of his own attraction, exerting a restraint he had never shown before, he carried her to the airbed and laid her gently down.
The colors in the room changed to brighter shades of oranges, reds, bright blues, and purple. The humming became a soft harmony of musical tones
. Although he felt about to explode with desire, Michael took his time peeling off her veils one at a time, caressing her apricot skin, running his fingers through her auburn hair. How wonderful to be able to read her most secret yearnings! Michael covered her with soft and hard kisses, hands working up and down the beloved body, overwhelming her.
"Please," she begged in ragged breaths, "I've been waiting for so long."
"So have I." He covered her lips in a long, passionate kiss.
Cupping her small breasts, Michael teased her hard nipples with his teeth, tantalizing her while Veronica squirmed under his weight, emitting little cries that became more frantic. Soon, at the edge of insanity, neither of them could take anymore temptation.
Even then, Michael refused to succumb to his need. Enjoying her pleasure more than his own, he kept on teasing her, this time kissing her most private place, softly, insistently, holding her down with strong hands while she moaned and shuddered in ecstasy. Michael shared Veronica's delight in her mind, shaken by the intensity of his own feelings and physical sensations. Never had he felt so attuned to anyone, so sensitive, so vulnerable and yet so strong.
"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" he whispered in her ear, nibbling it, preparing to enter her as he knew she wanted him to.
She seized his manhood and pulled him inside her. The contact almost caused Michael to faint with exhilaration. His heart beat hard, colors flashed in front of his eyes. Veronica's perfume, the sound of her cries, the softness of her skin, the love in her mind overwhelmed him.
Finally, unleashing the wildest instincts he never knew he had, he rode her with surprising fierceness. To his amazement, Veronica shared in his violent assault, enjoying it, urging him on. When the intensity reached the paroxysm, they both released their energy at the same time, in great tremors of shuddering sounds, colors and vibrations, followed by a great peace.
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