by Ross Buzzell
“Hey look, it’s them.”
The Emissary places her hand on the driver’s shoulder as they begin to get closer.
“Stanna här tack!”
The driver begins to pull over, passing Konner and Emma as he comes to a stop. When the vehicle gets as far up as Emma, she glances over at it. Realizing Konner is no longer there, she stops and turns around to face the recovered soldier. Without a moment’s hesitation, the Emissary gets out of the car, leaving Doug to pay the bill. She begins to sprint towards Konner as fast as she can. Out of the side of his eye, he sees Emma push off the ground as hard as she can. Her abilities kick in and she closes the distance between the two, almost instantly putting herself between Konner and Danielle. Her hand is outstretched. This causes Danielle to come to a stop.
“Hold up there! Who are you and what do you want?”
Konner gently places a hand on Emma’s shoulder, which causes her to turn and look at Konner. A peaceful smile encompassing his face convinces Emma to stand down.
“It’s okay, Emma. She’s an Emissary, a friend.”
Doug scrambles out of the car and runs to catch up as the driver leaves the group on the empty road and stops behind the Emissary, who bows to Konner. Emma looks back at the prince, confusion gripping her face.
“She’s a what?”
The Emissary responds:
“An Emissary, Emma Jacobsdotter. I am sworn to the protection of my High King. Konner, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Danielle. The man with me is named Doug.”
Konner walks over to the woman that is bowing before him; he places a hand on her shoulder and gently stands her up.
“Danielle… that is a good name, and please do not bow.”
Doug catches up to the group. Seeing the confusion on Emma’s face, he lets off a laugh and shakes his head as he addresses her.
“Don’t mind her; she has a few screws loose.”
Danielle ignores Doug’s statement as she stands tall. She stands a little bit taller than Konner, but their eyes remain in contact.
“I need to have a long talk with you, your Highness.”
This is true. A conversation with this woman, an active Emissary on Earth; her knowledge will be immeasurably helpful. It is only then that it dawns on Konner; Emma has been silent for a few moments, which from what seems characteristic of her is way too long. The prince turns to look at Emma; her jaw is practically on the floor. After a few moments of silence, with all three just staring at her, Emma manages to regain her composure, hitting Konner with the back of her hand on his breastplate. He does not feel the blow, but the “THUD” made by her hand indicates that she did. Emma shakes her hand and her face grimaces in pain.
“What the hell, man. You’re an alien AND royalty?!”
Konner nods.
“I am, High Prince.”
“High King, actually.”
Danielle interjects. Konner turns to her, putting a hand up and shaking his head. He has not completed the trials, he allowed his people to fall to a mad-man, and he left his world when it needed him most. He was no king.
“I have not earned that title yet.”
Doug, who is itching to speak, decides to just interrupt.
“Is this ‘he?’ This is the ‘he’ you were talking about isn’t it? Okay, good, maybe you can explain to me a little better how it is that with a pulse of light I am able to absorb and turn into rocks, or why this lady keeps calling herself an ‘Emissary’ or exactly what is this place called ‘Boron’ that apparently you are from and how if we don’t stand with you, you will die, and if that happens, apparently, this entire planet dies too?”
The ramblings of the man in front of Konner perplexes him. Undoubtedly, Xero would come for him, but would he really wipe out the Earth as well? The prince lets his gaze fall to the Emissary as Doug continues to ramble; she nods as if to say “That is what I needed to speak with you about.”
“And what’s with her? Let me guess, she can fly or something like that.”
Emma gives off a soft chuckle as she responds:
“Actually… yes.”
“Seriously?!”
It is clear that Doug is beginning to get overwhelmed again. Danielle steps in and states in a matter-of-fact tone.
“And molecular fusion at a sub-atomic level.”
Konner glances back at Emma. She seems to be slightly overwhelmed but holding herself together. Doug, on the other hand, has begun to come apart at the seams. Konner steps up in front of Emma, looking her dead in the eyes in an attempt to focus her. It seems to work.
“Are you okay with them joining us? It is your place of residence.”
Emma takes a steady deep breath to help finish pulling herself together as she nods.
“Of course. Whatever is going on, they are a part of it too.”
Konner nods in approval.
“Good, lead the way.”
Emma continues to walk down the road; Konner glances back and sees that Doug is breathing heavily as what appears to be another panic attack begins to set in. Danielle touches his shoulder and he appears to calm down almost immediately, which is interesting as Emissaries on Boron could share knowledge through touch, but he has never heard of one being able to calm an individual. Konner motions towards Emma.
“Come on; she has a home we can go to until we figure out our next move. Will he be all right?”
Danielle nods as she looks over at Doug, who runs a nervous hand through his dark hair.
“He will. I have helped calm him for a little bit. Maybe he can wrap his head around everything before it wears off.”
Konner smirks before turning to follow Emma, who has begun to try and wrap her head around what Danielle said but is having a little trouble herself. This is indicated by her silence and the fact that her lips are moving, but she is not speaking out loud. Danielle and Doug catch up as all four walk abreast on the sidewalk; Doug in his tattered climbing gear, Emma in her convention clothing that has small rips in it from her inaugural flight, Danielle with her business attire, and Konner in his armor.
The group passes a large campus school, which has housing and the actual school building on their left and an arena for sports on their right, next to the lake. Danielle lets off a little scoff as her eyes jump from building to building. Konner notices this and decides to break the silence with the one person who seems to be completely fine with the irreparable change in their life.
“You know this place?”
he asks letting his gaze jump from the yellow walls of one building to the green roofs of another. The air is still here, almost like it is at the palace on Boron. It is quiet and peaceful, the kind of place the prince would wish to live having been surrounded by battle and carnage most of his life. Danielle responds:
“Yes, I went to school here. We lived in houses; mine was the third one we passed behind the hedges. Some of my best friends were made here… they’d call me Bobo.”
Konner could tell that she was fond of this place, that it holds a very special place in her heart and it causes the prince to smile.
“I can see why you love it here; I went to a school that we lived in the structure as well.”
“Yes, but the Cryptea are not fun.”
Konner laughs and nods; he is unsure what this school is like, but undoubtedly, it is more enjoyable than the Cryptea.
“I would imagine not.”
Emma looks both ways before cutting in front of the rest and crossing the street.
“I’m this way.”
Everyone turns and follows Emma; Konner looks around. The structure of the houses are unique, unlike anything he has seen before. The orange roofs and yellow walls seem to be the motif of the town; it is odd, but at the same time has a strange soothing effect. Ahead, Konner sees floating docks with numerous boats lining them up and down on both sides. He remembers reading about boats in his books, but they were meant for war. He has read about great battles won and lost on the seas. These ships seem far too small to wage
any kind of battle with; they must be for personal use. This is not any different on Boron, their ships started off as machines of war and exploration and eventually were designed for personal use as well.
“I’m just around the bend,”
Emma adds, bringing Konner out of his intense focus on the boats as they pass them.
“You live near Våfflan? How do you not go there every day?”
Danielle asks as they pass a structure made of wood with green paneling and white trim. There are wooden and wicker seats and tables positioned strategically around structure. Along the left side of the structure, nearest the water there is a patio that is enclosed for people to eat in. A small line is formed outside the “boathouse,” where people are getting large cones of ice cream of a variety of colors. Some of which are dressed in strange, brightly colored clothing and others who wear capes. Emma responds:
“It is reeaaally hard not to.”
The curiosity of the caped individuals perplexes Konner, as on Boron they are a sign of royalty and status. From what he read, it sometimes means the same here as well.
“Are those people of stature that I saw back there?”
Both Danielle and Emma laugh at the question as Danielle addresses him first:
“That is not a custom here anymore, my prince.”
Emma continues:
“There is a something called a convention going on near here. People dress up as their favorite fictional characters and meet with artists, writers, and others who have similar interests. It is actually really cool too.”
“So what do you do at them?”
Konner asks. The passion in Emma’s voice gives away that she must attend in some function or another.
“I actually do makeup tutorials so while people dress up as characters I use makeup to look like them.”
“You’re THAT Emma?”
Danielle interjects.
“My niece is a huge fan of yours. She said she was going to try and meet you today.”
“I think I did. She was really nice. I offered her a free class, which I realize will probably have to be canceled now.”
The back and forth continues as they pass the structure as Emma begins to cut across a patch of grass. A large dead tree that has fallen over lies on the ground, its ashy wood smooth and bark-less almost as if it were used as a climbing toy for local children. The four pass a house on their left with a white fence and a large tree with drooping vines in the back yard, which sway lazily in the breeze. Emma walks onto the property of a long yellow house with orange/red clay tiles on the roof. The house seems to be in three sections; the closest one has three windows facing the lake with a few shrubs and bushes in the way, and the far side has two levels with four windows on the bottom level and two on the top. The bridge between the two is one large window that leads to a grey and white patio.
Emma approaches the first third of the house; it has a large sectioned wooden sliding door. She bends down, unlocks it, and pulls the door up with a loud scraping sound. As the door opens fully, Konner is revealed to a makeshift studio. There are a few chairs inside, a mirror with lights trailing the outside edge. Photos of the woman who lives here are placed on the walls, but she is hardly recognizable as her face and skin is covered to look like someone or something else, each of which is very convincing.
“Please forgive the mess in here; I have not had a chance yet to clean up from my previous class. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable, though.”
Konner pulls the door down behind him as everyone moves into the next room, side-stepping the chairs and stands scattered throughout the semi-cluttered room. Things change, however, as he enters the middle portion of the house. There is a TV that is on, against one wall with a minimalistic décor, odd-looking rocking chairs and a couch. Doug begins to pace, scratching his head as he does. Danielle moves towards a sliding door that leads out to the patio and leans against the wall while Emma takes a seat on one of the chairs that rocks upon her sitting in it. Konner leans against the door jam, his eyes on Doug as he begins to genuinely worry that he is not going to be all right.
“Are you okay, Doug?”
Konner asks, his voice filled with genuine concern for the man. He flashes Konner a nervous smile while scratching his facial hair.
“Just trying to get my head around this... you are an alien.”
Konner nods as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“And royalty, right?”
“I am, High Prince.”
Danielle interjects,
“High King, actually.”
Konner glares over at her. He has told her once, and with a topic like this, he really does not want to have to continue repeating himself.
“My father is the High King. I have not earned the crown yet.”
“That’s great and all...”
Doug brings Konner’s attention back to him.
“… but how did Danielle manage to obtain so much knowledge so rapidly and how come Emma can control her powers while I’m sitting here potentially turning into stone at any moment?”
Emma chimes in,
“I’ve read enough comic books to know theoretically how flight works… and I can only fly. I still can’t land worth a damn, and he had to help me with that bit.”
She nods towards Konner, who answers the best he can:
“When I landed, a massive pulse of energy left me, power that I have been storing up all my life. In my armor are the historical data banks that hold all of my planets history in them and with my armor and I being one and the same, when my body released that pulse, it held every bit of Boronian history in every watt of power. With that power coming from me, being pure and unfiltered, it must have activated dormant genes within each of you based off of your familial line back on my world, giving you a far more concentrated version of your families’ powers. I would have to get you to a lab, but perhaps the human DNA in your cells is what amplified a specific aspect of your power.”
Danielle chimes in with her two cents as well.
“And since I would have been in the line of the Emissaries, my mind is specifically coded to hold any and all knowledge regarding his world. Boronians absorb radiation, it is what keeps them whole, and my body absorbed part of the pulse, which is how I was downloaded with myknowledge.”
Konner points at Danielle with an approving nod.
“Exactly.”
Doug slowly sits down, gradually coming to grips with what is occurring. He looks up at Konner. His voice is calm and even now as he finally comes to peace.
“What about you, Konner? If we have these kinds of powers, being full Boronian must make you some sort of god, huh?”
Konner shakes his head. He has encountered and read of beings far more powerful than he, but when being compared to the inhabitants of Earth, he can understand how they would think that.
“My people are the people of teleportation technology. We absorb radiation because we are electron deficient, and by doing so, it keeps us whole. This gives us distinct advantages in combat and research, but ultimately, my people are not so different from yours. I have seen men crippled by an electric shock. I myself have had every single rib broken by a being that hit me once. We are powerful, but not invincible.”
Emma leans over to Doug and whispers not so quietly,
“Also he has overlapping muscle fibers, so he is about ten times stronger than you… and he survived a fall from space.”
Konner shakes his head as Doug sits back and sighs.
“There is only one Creator, and I am not Him.”
Emma slowly stands up. She holds up a finger and speaks softly.
“I am going to be right back.”
She leaves and disappears into the next room while Danielle speaks up.
“Do not sell yourself short, Konner Lorian. You are far greater than you realize.”
The Prince pauses. He looks down at the wooden floor, taking a deep breath, his head swimming as he tries to make sense
of it all and figure out what his next move is. He can feel the pull of the ring sending off massive pings of energy begging to be rescued. It is a good thing he is the only Boronian on the planet too because any others would be able to feel the pull, and if they work for Xero, that could be quite the serious threat.
Konner’s eyes raise to the TV. there is a live news broadcast of civilians being used as human shields in a desert climate. Swiftly, he dashes across the room and runs his fingers up the side of the device. He feels a button and pushes down. He gets lucky and the volume turns up. His heart starts racing, as a mix of panic, sorrow, and rage sets in. Never has he seen a species use their own, let alone women and children, as shields in battle before. The voice of a reporter comes through the device.