by Seven Steps
“Well, when we get back, I’m going to make a motion to—”
“We’re not going back,” Terra hissed.
A moment passed. Terra heard a sniffle behind her.
“I know,” Joanna said, wiping a tear away from her eyes.
Terra put an arm around her shoulder.
“Joanna, it’s okay. You will gain so much more than you ever gave up. Trust me.”
“But how can you be sure?”
“Because I believe it,” Terra replied with a smile. “There is more to life than this. There has to be, and we’re going to find it.”
“Terra, I don’t want to go to Earth,” Joanna confessed.
Terra squeezed her lips together, then wrapped her arms around Joanna, hugging her tightly.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s too late. We can’t—”
Terra went silent and pulled away. She stepped around Joanna and approached a nearby cell.
“4488-D,” she whispered, running her fingers over the numbers in a loving caress. She put her face up against the thick glass.
“Nic,” she whispered.
“Empress?”
“Nic!” she called, banging on the door. “I’m so happy to hear your voice. I will have you out in a minute. Hold on, okay?”
Joanna appeared behind her.
“Terra, calm down! They will hear you.”
“Just get him out,” Terra said on the verge of frenzy.
Joanna walked over to the cell and unlatched a ring of cards and a pocket light from her belt.
“Which card?” she asked herself. She peered at each. They all had different writings on them.
FIRST FLOOR EXITS.
SECOND FLOOR EXITS.
THIRD FLOOR EXITS.
Joanna held up the card marked PRISONERS CELLS and slid it through the narrow slit in the door. It let out a deep baritone beep and the door slid open.
The prisoners began to mumble.
Nic immediately ran out of his cell and embraced Terra.
She was momentarily startled before hugging him back.
“I love you so much,” Nic whispered in her ear.
She was teary eyed as she said, “I love you, too.”
He smiled broadly and hugged her again.
“I’m sorry that I got caught. I swear that I didn’t have anything to do with taking Paris hostage.”
“I know,” Terra replied.
“There is not time for this!” Joanna hissed. “We have to get Roland and get out of here.”
Nic and Terra looked at each other, and then back at Joanna. They followed her down the hallway and up a flight of steps. It took them another two flights before they reached Roland ’s floor.
Terra did the honor of opening the door.
“My empress,” Roland said as he tried to embrace her.
She took a step back.
“Roland, there is no time. We have to get out of here.”
Roland's face fell, and he began to respond when an alarm sounded.
Then, the robotic voice came from over the intercom. “Unauthorized prisoner release in Sector four. All Enforcers, report immediately.”
Hearts pounding, the four friends rushed down the steps.
Terra peeked around the corner. She saw the elevator door shut, and, as she continued to watch, she saw it reopen again and Enforcers emerge. There were at least ten women dressed in all black, and they were heading their way. The women were armed with blasters. She heard their blasters charging up with their trademark whistle sound.
Terra quickly brought her head from around the corner.
“Enforcers,” she announced. “At least ten of them. How are we going to get past ten Enforcers?”
Without warning, Roland jumped up shortly, let out a short cry, and grabbed his chest. He looked wide-eyed and scared for a moment, and then he relaxed.
The Enforcers outside stopped, listened, and then continued on in their march.
“What’s wrong with you?” Joanna callously whispered, irritably hitting Roland with the back of her hand. “Are you trying to get us caught?”
“I thought that you were an Enforcer.”
“Why would you think something like that?” asked Joanna.
“Because it’s dark and you have on the uniform of an Enforcer,” he replied.
Joanna looked down at her clothing then jumped up.
“Come on,” she commanded.
“What are you doing?” Terra whispered harshly at her. “Get back down! They’ll see you!”
Joanna walked from around the corner and into plain sight of The Enforcers.
“We have the prisoners!” she cried, hoping that it was dark enough for them not to be suspicious.
“What?” an Enforcer shouted back. “Who are you?”
“I’m Sergeant Okay Aruu, and this is Captain Katriellis.” She pulled Terra up by the crook of her arm. “We are on special assignment from the Czarina Paris, and are taking the prisoners to the interrogation rooms to be questioned.”
She grabbed Roland’s arm harshly and pulled him up. She shot Terra a look that instructed her to do the same with Nic.
“Is this true?” the Enforcer asked Terra. “Why did the alarms sound?”
Terra was beginning to panic, and her mouth felt dry.
Suddenly, Joanna spoke up next to her.
“This is not our usual jurisdiction. We are on special assignment to this Sector. We didn’t know the policies and procedures to open the doors. The woman at the desk simply gave us the cell numbers, and we opened them with the keys that were made available to us. We were not made aware of any other procedures.”
The group of Enforcers looked at them suspiciously and glared.
“Any further questions can be taken up with The Czarina Paris. File a petition and request the reason why they wanted these two prisoners interrogated. Let them know that you want classified information made available to you as soon as possible.” She smirked. “I’m sure that will work out for you.”
“Maybe I’ll do that,” the Enforcer sneered.
“Good. While you’re at it, take these two men down the interrogation rooms, file all necessary paperwork, question them, record and transcribe the questions and answers, and make an effort to contact their owners. You will be taking at least ten hours off of our plates.”
She pushed Roland toward The Enforcers, grabbed Nic from Terra’s hands, and pushed him, too.
The men fell before The Enforcers.
Terra tried to keep her breathing even as she contemplated the repercussions of killing Joanna right there on the spot.
The leader looked at the two empresses again. She then rolled her eyes at them, turned around, and shouted orders for her guards to return to their positions. They all filed back into the elevator and disappeared behind the closing door.
Joanna let out a breath of relief.
“That was close,” she said.
She grabbed Roland’s hand, and the group advanced toward the elevator.
Terra was beginning to feel stifled and hot in the jail. As hysteria took over her, she realized that the whole planet was making her feel claustrophobic. She needed to get out, somewhere where the air was not recycled, and the atmosphere was not orange. She needed to get away.
CHAPTER 17
Terra, Nic, Joanna, and Roland ran for several blocks without stopping before ducking into an alleyway.
“What are we going to do now?” Roland asked breathlessly.
“There’s only one thing to do,” Joanna replied. “We have to go to Earth.” She took in a large gulp of air and rested her hands on her aching thighs.
“My empress?”
“There’s no place else to go. We can’t stay here. The Enforcers have seen our faces. They’ll figure out what we’ve done and, after that, there won’t be a place left for us outside of a jail cell. We have to leave.”
“Do you have a ship?” Roland asked, his demeanor turning to excitement.
&n
bsp; “We can steal one from the spaceport,” Terra replied quickly.
Nic gasped. “Steal one?”
“We’ve already broken you out of jail. What’s one more crime?”
Nic swallowed, and followed her out of the alley, across the cobblestone street, and back into the shadows.
~()~()~()~()~
They jogged briskly toward the spaceport, arriving at a tall clump of bushes. Just beyond the bushes was the gate. Careful to stay in the shadows, they snuck through a hole in the fence, climbing through one at a time.
As soon as Roland came through the gate, Terra ducked down quickly.
The others followed suit.
“Enforcer,” she whispered.
They stayed low in the bushes as the Enforcer patrolled through the rows of ships, a series X blaster in her hands.
They waited for the woman to pass to the next row and followed Terra, who sprinted on tiptoe to a ship.
Terra quickly pressed her finger to the scanner on the door. Once the door lit green, she yanked it open and climbed inside. Her and Joanna sat in the passenger seats while Roland and Nic instinctively moved to the captain’s seats in front.
“Whose ship is this?” Joanna asked, pulling her safety harness tight across her chest.
“It was her mother’s,” Nic replied.
“Your mother?” Joanna asked.
Terra nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the window.
Her mother had died years ago. A staunch defender of slavery, she would have turned over in her grave if she knew that her daughter was running away to be with a man.
But there was no helping it now. Her and Nic were leaving, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it.
Suddenly, someone banged on the door.
An Enforcer stood outside of the ship, screaming at them through the glass.
“Come out of that ship right now!”
Joanna took a deep breath and watched as Nic pressed a series of buttons.
Immediately, the ship began to shake. Buttons, once dormant, exploded with buzzes, color, and sound. The ship shook violently, and a colorful mist filled its interior. The Enforcer ceased to knock anymore.
“Hold on!” Nic cried.
Instantly, all sound ceased within their ears. Movement was frozen within the whirlpool of time.
Then, once again, life was reborn.
CHAPTER 18
Roland opened one heavy eye and looked around. His vision came to rest on the window.
Trees.
Green trees with thick, luscious foliage and rich, healthy brown trunks as far as the eye could see.
And the atmosphere.
The atmosphere had no traces of the orange tint of Venus. It was clear. Crystal clear. The sky was blue, dotted by fluffy, white clouds and flying creatures with feathered wings. The sun’s rays shone through the trees in beautiful lines, creating golden spotlights on the soil.
He had never seen the sun before.
Smiling, he tapped Nic’s shoulder and pointed to the windows.
“Do you see that?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Are we...?”
Nic let out a low whistle. “Yes.”
Roland stood, followed by Nic, Terra, and Joanna. They gazed out of the window. The pale, round moon was still visible in the early morning sky.
The moon. Another stranger to them.
“It worked,” Roland whispered. “We’re here. It worked!” He felt hot tears of joy run down his face.
I saw Earth. No matter what happens from here, I’ve seen Earth, and it’s beautiful.
Terra ran to the door.
“No. Wait!” Joanna ran up behind her and pulled her back. “We don’t know what it’s like out there!”
“Were you planning on staying on the ship?” Terra asked, her hand still on the door handle.
“No. I’m just saying that we should be prepared,” Joanna replied.
“Should I bring the necessities, Empress?” Roland asked.
“Go ahead,” Joanna replied.
The men walked to the back of the ship where the storage closet was located.
Nic turned the cool, steel doorknob of the storage closet. There, among the water and supplies, were a small girl and boy. Neither one of them looked to be more than ten years old, with the same dark, thick, curly hair and thin bodies. They looked at them wide eyed, and the boy immediately threw his body over the girl’s.
“Leave her alone!” he screamed. “Go away! Don’t touch her!”
“Shhhh.” Nic raised one finger to his lips, and knelt down in front of them. “We’re not going to hurt you.” He looked over the children before calling behind his back, “Empress!”
Terra raced to his side, followed by Joanna.
Nic kept his voice soft. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“You're not?” the girl asked. She seemed confused and, yet, oddly calm.
“No; we’re not,” Joanna replied, standing over Nic’s crouched body. She smiled at the children. “My name is Joanna.” She held out her hand to the small girl, who accepted the offering. “What is your name, little empress?”
“My name is Deanna, and this is Danny. He’s supposed to be in servant school, but my mom says that she’s never going to send him to be a slave.”
“Did she?” Joanna asked, one eyebrow flicking skyward.
The little girl nodded.
“Who is your mommy?”
“Empress Iris,” Deanna replied.
“Iris what?” Joanna asked.
“Iris Lia,” the girl replied. “She died. The council killed her. We were hiding in the closet until our father came to get us, but he never came. His name is Jesh. Do you know who he is?”
Joanna and Terra looked at each other, then back at the children.
How could they tell the innocent children that their father was dead after they had just lost their mother?
Deanna bit her lip and looked at her brother, before turning her head to look at the women again. “What are you going to do with us?”
“Well, Deanna…” Terra swallowed, guilt stretching her face. She cleared her throat and pasted on a smile. “We are going to take you with us.”
“Where?”
“On a trip.”
“To see our father?”
“No,” Joanna replied. “I don’t know when you’ll see your father again.”
“But he’ll come for us. He promised.”
“Sometimes adults don’t keep promises.”
“My daddy keeps his promises. He always keeps his promises.”
“Perhaps before, but now—”
“No. He promised!”
“Deanna, your father is dead.” Joanna’s hand went to her mouth, as if trying to push back in the words she’d just spoken.
The small girl’s face went ashen.
Terra glared at Joanna.
“I’m sorry to say it so bluntly,” Joanna whispered.
She’d never had patience with children. Or people for that matter.
Deanna’s lip trembled, and she threw herself at her brother, sobbing into his shoulder.
Terra placed a hand on Deanna’s back. “I’m sorry that you had to find out that way,” she whispered. “Joanna can be a bit brash at times.”
Joanna gasped. “Terra!”
Terra ignored her. “But I promise that we will take good, good care of you.”
“I want my mommy!” Deanna screamed into her brother’s shoulders.
Danny frowned, and looked over his shoulder at Nic and Roland. The little boy’s face remained stoic, as if he were unaffected by anything going on around him. He pulled a tissue from his pocket and dabbed at his sister’s eyes. “Don’t worry, Deanna. I’ll protect you, Deanna,” he said.
The small declaration seemed to calm Deanna a bit, and she sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
Danny’s wise eyes turned to Terra, and he nodded.
Such wisdom in those little eyes.
Terra nodded back and stood.
“Perhaps we should go,” she said, gesturing to the door. “Roland, would you do the honors?”
Roland grinned and walked over to the door. He took a deep breath and pushed. The door hissed, then swung open.
Brilliant, warm sunlight crept inside the ship like a steadily rising flood.
They walked down the steps, shading their eyes against this new and powerful light, and stood in silence. They stared at the ground for several minutes while their eyes adjusted. Finally, when the spots had vanished, and the burning in their eyeballs had ceased, they were able to look around.
CHAPTER 19
Trees, grass, and a host of animals inhabited the wide valley. The animals cautiously crept out of their homes to investigate the newcomers.
Behind them sat one lonely hill.
Terra took in a deep breath and sighed. She was here. Her mission was accomplished.
Finally, Nic and I can walk in the streets hand and hand and no one will care. We can finally show our love in all its glory.
Her heart palpitated, and she took in a deep, cleansing breath, loving the flavor of Earth’s air. A vision of herself, fat with a child, entered her mind. She gasped, fascinated with the image of herself, round and full of life. She saw her child winding its arms around her as it slept and choked back a tear.
To Terra’s left, Nic had fallen to his knees and was sniffing the ground.
She bent down and sniffed it, too.
It was soft to the touch and brilliantly green. Little crawling things were scattering this way and that. Nic tried to touch one of them, but it was fast and escaped into a little hole in the ground.
Feeling the warmth of the sun on the back of her neck, the grass beneath her knees, and her friends surrounding her, Terra felt a sense of calm, and peace. She felt Nic’s hand on her back.
“I never thought I’d see it,” he whispered. “But here I am, seeing it, and touching it, and feeling it.” He grabbed a tuff of grass and pulled it up, cradling it in his hands. “I just can’t believe that I am here.”
“We’re here,” Terra whispered to him. “Believe it.”
He looked up at her through watery eyes, and kissed her softly on the lips.
She smiled.