Birth of Light

by Ross Buzzell

  “Konner, you can’t keep that ring. As an Emissary on an alien world to you, it is my duty to stay by your side every step of the way. In the fight with Disa’ani, we were able to get two of his spears and Xero contacted him through them. Xero is not only after you my prince; he wants to take that ring and put it on me and use me as his weapon… Konner, I don’t know what would happen if he were to do that.”

  There is a slight tremble of fear in her voice at the thought of Xero completing the plan he has for her. Natalie gently places her good hand on Danielle’s shoulder. Konner takes a look at the ring and shrugs.

  “Then that makes our choice easy. We destroy it.”

  Emma shakes her head and calls out from the comfort of the feathery couch.

  “You won’t be able to, Konner. Danielle said it herself: there are two of those stones at the heart of stars and they wield so much power they may have a will of their own. You might be strong, but I don’t think even you can match the pressures and heat of the core of a star. I suggest we hide it someplace where its energy signature cannot be sensed.”

  “Or we give it to a Para-Human, someone who can protect it, someone who is not an Emissary,”

  Doug adds. The ring of “Para-Human” in Emma’s ears sounds really good, as does his idea, so she nods in agreement.

  “I can take it, then.”

  She decides to volunteer. With the power boost, she will be able to outrun anything that would come after it, and anything she can’t, she will fuse it and take control over. Konner shakes his head.

  “No, no, individual with abilities should wield this ring. It is far too dangerous.”

  That is when Natalie surprises everyone and steps forward; gently, she takes Konner’s hands in her own and lets her fingertips lightly caress the stone.

  “Then let me take it, Konner. I have been able to protect it so far. I can keep doing so until you are able to take it home where it will be safe.”

  Konner shakes his head. Clearly, the idea doesn’t sit well with him. It does not for Emma either, as her stomach turns at the thought of someone who is unable to protect themselves having an item that would draw the attention of dangerous beings.

  “I cannot ask that of you. Natalie. It is far too dangerous for you. Disa’ani nearly killed you to get it.”

  Natalie nods, understanding what the warrior is saying, but she does not listen. Her fingers slowly coil around the chain and pull the insignificant-looking piece of metal and stone from Konner’s hands.

  “But now I have you, Konner, and your friends, and anyone who comes after this stone will have one hell of a fight on their hands. Please, let me do this for you so that you can concentrate on the man with the spears, okay?”

  Natalie stirred something within Emma. Something she has never truly felt before. Her willingness to put herself in harm’s way, even without any powers, how much she cared for such an admirable man, and how even though she had to have been terrified, she was willing to put herself at risk for someone she hardly knew so that he could complete his mission. There was only one word for this emotion, inspiration, and clearly, she is not the only one who feels this way. Doug gives Natalie a gentle pat on the back.

  “Don’t you worry, Natalie; you will be safe as long as we are around.”

  Emma moves herself to a standing position, her feet still hovering a few inches off of the ground as she floats towards the group before her.

  “And since Xero sent Disa’ani to get that ring, you can bet he won’t be far behind for it or us.”

  Konner lifts his left arm; he begins to press on glyphs that glow as he brings the piece of armor before his face. A tinge of curiosity tugs at Emma; she tilts her head to the side in an attempt to get a better look at the armor.

  “What are you doing?”

  she asks as the bracer pulses blue and lets out a low hum. Konner reaches over to Natalie and touches the ring. A pulse of white light flashes between his hand and the stone.

  “As a child, I read about how the element my armor is made out of can project energy signatures from their source to the element itself.”

  Emma’s eyes narrow slightly. She tilts her head to one side. Something about the tone in his voice sets off warning alarms in her gut. She shakes her head as she lowers back to the ground.

  “Don’t you dare do what I think you are about to do, Konner Lorian!”

  she exclaims in a stern tone before looking over at Danielle.

  “You have nothing to say about this?”

  She purses her lips and shrugs.

  “He is my prince; I will follow him to the end and back, whatever play he chooses.”

  Doug, confused and still playing catch up, interjects,

  “What are you two talking about?”

  “He’s going to run and try to face these two on their own… aren’t you?”

  Emma clarifies as she looks over at Konner. He shows no shame, only a stoic, quiet strength that many attempt to emulate but few truly have. Doug takes a step forward, closing the circle of this makeshift team.

  “The hell you are! Wherever you go, we go. The moment that ring pulled us here, we became a team and that is not something you just walk away from, no matter the danger! You go out there, you are outnumbered, and as Danielle so eloquently pointed out to me, you die and we all die; so I will fight with you to my last breath to keep you alive.”

  Konner glances over at Danielle; once again, she shrugs in the face of her prince.

  “You are the only one strong enough to even slow him down. If you fall, he will burn this planet and there will be no one left to challenge him. I will be your battlefield analyst and give you real time strategies that you may not be able to see from your vantage point.”

  Her voice is even, point of fact, and shows no sign of any emotion, good or bad. This causes confusion to swirl in Emma’s mind. Before, the Emissary Danielle had been passionate, even borderline aggressive. Why would she suddenly balance out like this? Maybe the stakes were far too high for her to get emotional about.

  “You are going to need eyes in the sky too. I’ll be your over watch,”

  Emma adds.

  “You all have done enough for me. I will not ask you to fight this battle for me.”

  Konner’s words are soft, almost apologetic that they have been pulled into this quagmire of his. Emma glances over to see Natalie is no longer present in the circle. A metallic sliding sound fills the air, something that is familiar but she has never heard in person before. Emma, Doug, and Danielle all turn, revealing Natalie standing in the doorway of the bedroom, a shotgun resting in the crook of her sling arm as she loads it with her good hand. She slid a red cartridge into the bottom of the weapon before grabbing a grip under the barrel, lifting it to her side and giving the weapon a powerful jerk that shakes her entire frame but loads the ammunition into the gun.

  “You have saved my life… more than once. It is no accident you all came to me…”

  Natalie continues to speak as she loads her gun once more.

  “…personally, I believe it is a sign from God that brought us together and I will be damned if I just sit around and not help protect this world with you.”

  She loads another round into the weapon and walks back towards the group.

  “It is no accident that your abilities activated so close to where he would emerge on the other side of the world. Just like it was no accident you left just what I needed to stay safe at my bar that night. So if you are going to be putting the beast down…”

  She cocks her gun one last time.

  “…I’m going to help you.”

  Her words send a cold shiver down Emma’s spine, causing goosebumps to cascade over her body. There is a moment of stunned silence. No one knows what to say and even Doug is speechless for a brief second, but only a second, as he is the first to break the silence.

  “Marry her, Konner… you marry that woman!”

  Danielle glances over at Emma. Both of them are
embarrassed for everyone in the room and Danielle nods at Emma. Not needing to be told a thing, Emma knows just what Danielle is thinking, and without a moment’s hesitation, Emma reaches over, and with a flick of her wrist, gives Doug a swift and powerful smack to the back of the head.

  “If you were wondering why I ‘shushed’ you in the cab… that is why.”

  Konner takes a step forward. It silences Doug and Danielle.

  “It is clear that no matter where I go, you will be following me. We got lucky with Disa’ani, but Xero is a whole different animal, as he has been on this planet since the beginning of your history. I will need to train you.”

  He looks over at Natalie. His eyes sparkle with yearning for her and Emma can see it as clearly as the sun in the sky.

  “Do you think you can find us an abandoned building in public records that we can use?”

  Natalie nods.

  “It may take a while, but I think I can swing it.”

  A smile forms on Konner’s lips. His eye line moves to Doug.

  “Good, then, Doug, you go with her and help her in any way she needs. Danielle, you help share any useful information with Emma and make sure she knows the ins and outs of her powers… we may need her to land a few times. In the meantime, everyone get some rest and we will start first thing in the morning.”

  Doug turns around and walks over to one of the couches. He sits on the love seat. Lifting his shirt to examine the injury, he sees his side is now completely healed. Emma watches as he removes the ice pack and sets it on the table before he lies down with a groan to go to sleep. Danielle moves back over to the computer and begins to type away at the keyboard. Emma, feeling a bit awkward being the third wheel, moves back to the couch with the dog and lies down behind him, her head on the armrest. She keeps an eye on Konner and Natalie. Natalie grabs Konner’s hand and slowly leads him across the living room towards the bedroom. A smirk forms on Emma’s face. “That moved fast,” she thinks to herself as they approach the door. Natalie releases Konner’s hand and disappears inside her room. She returns a few moments later with Konner’s cape and offers it to him. He gently places a hand on top of hers and shakes his head. His mouth moves, but she cannot make out the words. Natalie nods as if to understand as Konner moves towards the shattered window and flies away. A dull force pushes against Emma’s head. She looks up to see Doug holding the box of pizza towards her, using it to poke her with.

  “What are you doing?”

  Emma asks, annoyed at the prospect of being poked with a pizza box.

  “Try some!”

  He opens the box; Emma rolls her eyes and lets out a laugh. He will not stop until she does, so she relents and grabs a piece. She has heard people railing on it for years; even one of the world’s most famous chefs said that pineapple on pizza is the worst kind of pizza. She takes a bite of the cheesy doughy bread and the zest of the pineapple complements the meal surprisingly well. She nods in agreement with the idea of the pizza.

  “You’re right, it’s good. Now leave me alone, will you!”

  Doug gives off a laugh and puts the box on the back of the love seat. Natalie walks by and grabs the box, giving Emma a smile before walking out onto the balcony. Ever so gradually, sleep begins to grab Emma as she passes out with the dog cuddled into her.

  Chapter: 15

  The Worth of One

  Konner drifts into the night sky; he declined his cape, his symbol of leadership and status for the same reason his family crest is extinguished on his chest. He failed them, all of them: his family, his friends, even his entire world. He was not strong enough to protect them and fulfill his duties, so he is not worthy of his symbols of status and honor. Even now, guilt tears at his insides at his complete and utter failure. This is something he was not sure he can live with if it happened again. He climbs higher and higher until he surpasses the top of the highest building in the city, the warm breeze washing over him like a sea as he drifts silently in the dark night with nothing but the moon’s light to betray his position.

  Konner sees a wide and long clearing among the buildings. He drifts over it; the clearing seems to point directly at the large metal arch near the river’s banks. He slowly descends to get a better view but stays fifty meters off the ground. His eyes scan the grass, the fountains, and the sculptures that litter this little strip of land. It is good, it will give his team places to hide and strike when necessary, and should the planets military get involved, it will provide them cover. This ground will be easy for him to control the fight and if things got to out of hand he could always teleport Xero someplace else, which would only delay the inevitable and put more lives at risk. If Xero is totally focused on him, the chance of collateral damage is far lower. They would need to warn the leader of this city of the impending attack, which would have to wait until first thing tomorrow when he could present the threat to the leader himself and help influence the appreciation for the gravity of the situation.

  Konner closes his eyes. The sounds of the city below him aren’t loud, but they are disrupting. A storm of turmoil rages within him. How can he lead another team into battle against such a foe when his first team barely made it out of their only mission together? His mind clouds with doubt as his heart begins to pound so hard in his chest, he hears the rushing of his own blood in his ears. Yearning for silence, for peace, Konner looks to the clear sky and gazes at the alien stars that dance before him. Konner slowly elevates himself into the sky, taking deep breaths as he fights desperately to hold back the panic that wells within him, the worry for his new friends, for Natalie. By the Creator, he will never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her.

  As Konner surpasses the ceiling of the city’s skyline, he closes his eyes to envision the fight, to plan for any potential situation that may befall him. As he does, the breeze that dances over his body with a playful wisp begins to turn into a daunting trudge as his imagination speeds up, seeing scenario after scenario, each playing out faster and faster like a raging river slamming its unfortunate victim against jagged rocks. His eyes open as the computer in his suit begins to aid in the algorithms of his subconscious, trying to find a scenario where he wins. A flash migraine forms in his head, but the concentration of the young warrior dulls the pain as he glares into the different wavelengths of light in an attempt to see what lies beneath the chosen battle ground for any advantage. Wires, pipes, water, and even power lines grid what seems to be the entire city. His anxiety begins to grow once again, feeling like a monster of darkness coiling itself around him, slowly squeezing the life from his body. There is no way that he imagined where he won, thousands of potential outcomes and counting, and even in the ones he survives, Xero is not stopped, and the world’s fate is far worse for it.

  “Computer based on knowledge of Xero’s history what is the average percent of accuracy for each of these projected outcomes.”

  “Drawing from Xero’s journals that were discovered in his lab and his military history, the likelihood of his reactions to your fighting style rests at about ninety-eight percent. The chances of you beating him using what you have learned are infinitesimal. Might I suggest considering more archaic or dramatic choices in your fighting style?”

  Konner sighs as the overwhelming nature of his task continues to consume him. When concentrating on the fight, his senses have all heightened involuntarily. A soft sniffle catches his ear. Everything else melts away immediately as the sniffle gets louder and the soft sobbing of a woman encompasses him. Something is wrong. There is a deep sadness and agony in that cry. Konner recognizes it because that sound is what he feels at his very core and at regular frequency. He cautiously floats back towards the towering buildings, his ears trained on the sound of the crying woman. As Konner approaches the tallest of the buildings, a device falls mere inches in front of his face. With lightning fast reflexes, he puts his hand out and catches the device before it passes him. Glancing down, he sees there is a rectangular piece of technology made of glass and
plastic. The screen is lit up with the name “Dr. Montgomery” in white lettering scrawled across the front of the device.

  Konner grips the device. His fingers press a button on the side, making the screen go black. He holds the device down at his side as his head rises to see the front outline of the source of the crying standing on the edge of the building, a fall she would not survive. Konner’s mind races as he thinks of how to approach her as to not startle her and cause her to fall or to instinctively jump. Slowly, he drifts back away from the building and begins to ascend, his finger on his family crest on his bracer ready to open a portal at a moment’s notice if need be. As Konner gets closer, he lets his hearing drop back to a normal level. He gets closer yet remains about ten meters from the woman in an attempt not to startle her. He eventually finds himself level with the woman. Her eyes are closed, her arms outstretched as tears stream from behind tightly closed eyes. The updraft from the building causes her hazelnut brown hair, cut short in a bob fashion, to blow out of her face and dance wildly around her tan skin. Her full lips quiver as she fights to breathe, working up the nerve to jump. As she takes a deep breath and is about to, Konner takes advantage of the situation and speaks in a soft, evenly toned voice.