by Bob Cooper
“What do you think Hillary is up to?” Raina asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Oh, I’m quite sure she’s hatching some scheme to get herself out of this,” Acey said.
“Of course, we wouldn’t be in this predicament if it wasn’t for you,” Acey said.
“Look, how many times do I have to apologize? I said I was sorry, and I believe I did more than my share to help rectify my actions,” Raina shot back.
“Oh, Really! Well, in my book, that isn’t enough!” Acey yelled in Raina’s face.
Dirk and Aidan walked in as Raina was about to reply. Dirked sensed the tension and tried to diffuse it, but it was no use. Raina stormed out of the hut, and Acey busied herself with her computer.
“You know, she apologized to me for what she did. I think she truly regrets planting the evidence. With her testimony, the charges should be dropped,” Dirk said.
Acey was about to speak when Hillary walked in. “I found out why he wants me for his Queen. According to legend, a fair-skinned being would come to the village, restore their technology, and make life easier for them again. The ceremony is symbolic, and he realizes that there would be ah, you know, no physical contact or expectation of procreation.”
No one moved. They just stared at Hillary.
“Well, I’m glad you clarified that point! And how do you plan to advance their civilization?” Acey asked sarcastically.
“Well, I do have a plan.”
“You always do. Let’s hear it,” Acey said.
***
Raina viewed the crowd talking with Tai-Som. They seemed eager to hear what she had to say about life in the underground city. The suns were setting, and the shadows cast a surreal setting as a group of Orans lit the evening fires. Thoughts about the Earther Movement and the events that led her to this point became vividly clear. She made peace with Dirk and was truly sorry for the hell she put him through. With that, Raina cleared her mind and tried to find some tranquility.
That tranquility was short-lived as an arm grabbed her around the neck and wrestled her to the ground.
“Good evening, my dear friend,” a voice whispered sarcastically in her ear. Raina felt the blaster against her head as he dragged her away.
***
Dirk looked over Aidan’s shoulder while he searched his computer for the navigational maps to the location of the cruiser. They needed the help of the Oran to get to the cruiser quickly and had no choice but to let this marriage ceremony play out. Tai-Som and Chi entered and were excited about the possibilities of moving back to the surface.
“It doesn’t have to happen all at once. Some people will surely want to continue to live underground,” Chi said.
“But we can offer people that choice. The main thing is to establish a way of life on the surface we can all enjoy. We can share our technologies with the Oran in exchange for their knowledge of living on the surface,” Tai-Som said.
They were getting ready to turn in for the night when Dirk realized that Raina was missing.
“Has anyone seen Raina?” he asked.
No one saw her. They began looking for her questioning everyone they encountered. No one saw her after she left the hut.
“She probably went back to her friends,” Acey said sarcastically.
“I don’t believe that at all,” Dirk said, giving Acey a disappointed look.
“It’s too dark to look for her now. Let’s get some rest, and we’ll resume a search for her in the morning,” Aidan said.
As the lights went out, Dirk had a hard time falling asleep thinking about Raina.
***
O’Malley threw Raina roughly to the ground. She landed hard, hitting her head causing rivulets of blood to trickle down her face. She lay there without protest. O’Malley got down on his knees and grabbed her by the hair.
“You’re going to cooperate with me, or you will die a most horrible death,” he whispered shoving the blaster between her shoulder blades.
“I want those tapes and recording device, and I want them by tomorrow noon.”
One of the men roughly pulled up her pant leg while another fastened a device around her calf. Raina struggled but couldn’t overcome the three men.
“This little device will blow you apart if I press this button here,” O’Malley said holding the unit in Raina’s face.
“Let me give you a demonstration,” he said, turning a dial.
One of the men held his hand over her mouth to stifle her screams while Raina writhed in pain as electrical current shot through her body.
“I can reach you anywhere. Now, get back there and bring me those tapes by tomorrow, or I’ll blow your body to bits. I’ll be waiting right here.”
Raina panted heavily from the pain as she limped back to the village. She entered the hut as quietly as possible. She found a place in the corner to lie down and her body crumpled. Dazed, tired, and confused, Raina began to fall into an uneasy sleep but noticed Acey watching her.
As Dirk stirred, he noticed Raina sleeping in the corner. Her face looked swollen, and her pants were torn. He walked towards her and gently shook her.
“Are you okay? Where were you?”
Raina recoiled further in the corner and began muttering something until she was fully awake.
“Are you okay,” he asked again.
Realizing how she must look, Raina just nodded that she was fine.
The King came into the hut and let the morning light in. Hillary was already awake, and he smiled at her.
“It is time to go to the temple,” he said. “I will fly you there. My villagers have left early this morning.”
Chi and Tai-Som were not sure what was going to happen but were ready to do their part in the ceremony.
Hillary told the King that she needed to prepare for the ceremony alone, and he escorted her to his private chamber. She fell into a kneeling position and put her head on the floor. The King left her there, pleased at the sight of his new Queen. Hillary closed her eyes and contacted the Guardians. “We have a great opportunity to unite these worlds,” she communicated telepathically to them. “Please help me with this.”
***
Acey kept a close watch on Raina as villagers donned their finest clothes and packed the foods and ceremonial implements need for the event. Raina purposely avoided any contact with the others and left the hut for some fresh air. She felt the band around her leg and examined it. There was no way to get it off without signaling O’Malley.
“Let’s take everything with us, and we can leave from the Temple since that’s closer to the ship,” Aidan recommended.
Dirk made one final check to make sure he had the tapes and the recording device and then they were off. The ride on the craft was noisy and smelly, but they arrived at the Temple without incident. The villagers were already there and cheered as they disembarked the ship. Hillary had contacted the Guardians and stood next to the altar with the King beside her. Raina saw it as her only opportunity to get the tapes. She looked to see if anyone was watching and rifled through Dirk’s pack. She found them and took off. Dirk was watching and followed her.
The King signaled for quiet, and the villagers calmed down. He addressed them with a brief history of the legend of the fair-skinned Queen.
“As the prophecy says, a Queen will be delivered to us who will restore our knowledge as it once was when the Visitors were here a long time ago. She will teach us better ways to live and will provide us with the means to record this knowledge for all generations.”
As the King turned to Hillary, a sudden wind kicked up whirling dust and debris around. The villagers looked up at the thick billowy clouds forming in the sky. One cloud broke off from the rest and descended directly over the crowd. The King took Hillary’s hand and moved behind the altar. White flowing robes and a figure of an alien began to emerge from the clouds. It coalesced on the ground into a translucent shimmering figure. The Orans, including the King, started to panic.
Hillary w
alked towards the being and studied her shimmering appearance. With help from the Guardians, Hillary began to speak.
“Do not be afraid. She is one of the Visitors who inhabited this planet before you. Her people brought the technology that you have all since forgotten. You will learn much from her and build a better world. Behold your true Queen.”
The King continued to watch the fantastic events unfold and realized he had to say something. He looked at Hillary and then at the apparition before him. Before he could speak, a gust of wind brought the new Queen right beside the King. She gestured with her hand towards the sky, and everyone looked up. Scenes from life on Antares when the Visitors were among them flashed in random sequences. Acey smiled, thinking this was one of Hillary’s best stunts yet. She looked for Dirk, but she couldn’t locate him. She noticed Aidan watching the spectacle, but realized Dirk and Raina were both missing. She pushed through the onlookers in hopes of finding them.
***
Dirk watched out of sight as Raina held the tapes. She held them for a long time.
Raina’s mind raced between the pain of betraying Dirk and the excruciating pain from the device around her calf. But most of all, she thought of the pain of living each day knowing she sent an innocent man to prison. She knew O’Malley wouldn’t spare her life even after she delivered the tapes. She knew too much. Tears streamed down her face as the realization of a painful death set in. She felt the device on her leg moving it up and down, but it wouldn’t budge. Stifling a frustrated scream, she left the tapes and ran down the mountain. Dirk was about to go after Raina just as Acey reached him.
“She was trying to steal those tapes, wasn’t she? I knew we couldn’t trust her. You must have scared her off, and she’s probably on her way to O’Malley.”
“I don’t think it’s like that at all. I think she’s in trouble and needs our help,” Dirk said.
***
The King and the villagers stood mesmerized. The technological advances of the Visitors amazed even Chi and Tai-Som. As the Queen pointed to the altar, it started to quake, frightening the villagers as a large cavern became illuminated. Video archives of the Visitor’s knowledge were stored row after row. The Queen presented all their recorded knowledge as a gift for all to share.
The King reached out to touch his new Queen, but his hand passed through her. He looked down at the archive and looked back at the Queen.
“How am I to understand the contents?” he asked.
“Tai-Som and I can help,” Chi offered.
The King nodded with approval and turned towards the villagers.
“Behold our new Queen!” he shouted.
The villagers cheered while the Queen hovered overhead.
“Anytime you need me, the Guardians can contact me,” she said, disappearing into the sky.
Hillary turned to the King and thanked him for his hospitality.
“I have a favor to ask of you. Please return us to our ship. Our business is complete, and we must leave for our world.”
“You have been very helpful, and I thank you for leading us to our true Queen. You are always welcome here,” the King replied.
Hillary shook his hand and walked away.
“That was quite a show you put on,” Aidan said.
“It worked out well with the Guardian’s help. Where’s Acey?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Aiden said, confused.
“Do you have the coordinates of where we left the cruiser?” Hillary asked.
“Yes, I have them on my computer.”
“Good. Get them ready and let’s get out of here. The King has agreed to fly us to the ship.”
They set off in search of Acey and found her talking to Dirk.
“Hey! Let’s get out of here,” Hillary said, but then stopped short. She could tell something was wrong. Neither of them answered her.
“We can’t leave just yet. We have to find Raina,” Dirk said.
“She tried to steal the tapes,” Acey shouted.
17
Dirk gave her a stern look. “Raina’s in trouble, and we have to find her,” Dirk corrected.
“What happened?” Aidan asked.
“I’m not exactly sure, but O’Malley must figure into this somehow.”
“Does she have the tapes and recording device now?” Hillary asked.
“No, but we saw her trying to take them. She left them and ran off at the last minute. It looked like she was in physical pain. We have to find her,” Dirk said.
Aidan took out his vision intensifiers and searched the area. The heat sensing circuitry picked up an image running through the forest down the east side of the mountain.
“That could be her,” Aidan said.
They quickly followed Aidan down the steep mountain terrain.
***
Raina stopped at the edge of the cliff and stared down. There was a river running down through the valley about a thousand feet below. She watched as it meandered through the steep rocky cliffs. Somehow she felt serene and peaceful looking at the natural scene before her. She walked closer to the edge, threw a rock down, and watched it bounced off the cliffs. Her young life seemed full of wrong turns and bad decisions. She thought of her mother as she clutched the amulet. There was no way out this time. This was the best solution for everyone concerned. She moved closer to the edge. A gentle breeze coaxed her to move even closer to the edge. She stretched out her arms to feel it encase her whole body. She closed her eyes and relished in the peaceful sensation brought by the breeze.
Dirk was the first one to reach her.
“Raina, please don’t,” he said in a whisper not to startle her.
Raina opened her eyes and saw him standing there. The others came running and stopped dead in their tracks as they realized what Raina was about to do.
“I apologize for all the pain I caused you and your family,” she said, looking at Acey.
Raina turned and inched closer to the ledge.
“Wait! Raina! You are my family!” Dirk shouted.
Raina hesitated and stared at him.
“Your father is my son. You are Acey’s sister. You are my Granddaughter. If there is anything good that came out of this whole mess, it’s that it brought us together.”
Acey and the others looked stunned.
“What?” Acey whispered.
“That amulet you are wearing was given to your mother by my son,” Dirk said, trying to distract Raina from the ledge.
Acey thought back to the letters Dirk gave her. Could the affair have been with Raina’s mother? Acey sat down and covered her ears as if to shut out any more information. She tried to make sense of what she just heard. This person that had caused Dirk so much trouble was actually my half-sister! She violently shook her head as if to erase the whole situation. It didn’t go away.
When Acey looked up, all eyes were on her.
“Raina, I…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. She tried again after taking in several deep breaths.
“Raina, I know you are just as confused as I am. But please, don’t jump. I know we can work this out. But for now, let’s just get out of here,” she said, holding back the tears.
Raina clutched the amulet and began to sob when Dirk walked over to her and put his arms around her shoulders.
“Come on. Let’s go,” he said quietly as they walked away from the ledge.
“I can’t,” Raina said, stopping abruptly.
She rolled up her pant leg, exposing the deadly black metallic device cutting in to her now swollen calf.
“What the hell is that?” Aidan asked.
“O’Malley put it there. If I don’t bring him the tapes, he’ll activate it. You must leave me here,” Raina said.
“That’s not an option,” Dirk said.
“Aidan, have you ever seen anything like this? Search your computer for information.”
Aidan moved closer to examine the deadly device. It was one continuous piece of metal with no se
ams.
“When does O’Malley expect you to deliver the tapes? Hillary asked.
“He said by noon today,” Raina replied.
Dirk looked at his watch.
“That gives us twenty minutes to get this thing off her.”
It was about three inches wide, with two flashing red lights. It was tight enough to cause Raina discomfort, but not cut off her blood circulation. Aidan searched his computer for known devices in the Citizens Guard’s database and came up with several that were close but did not match exactly.
“These operate on a special ultra-high frequency which causes the plastic explosives inside to detonate,” he continued to read.
“If we can detect what frequency is being used, we can generate a counter frequency to defuse it.”
“Doesn’t that take special equipment?” Acey asked.
“Yes, it does. However, my vision intensifiers are equipped to detect frequencies given off by vehicles and machinery so that the computer can then find their electronic signatures and relay their operating characteristics.”
“Wow! Does it work on people? I’d like to find the operating characteristics of some of my boyfriends,” Hillary said, trying to lighten the situation.
Dirk noticed Raina’s snicker at Hillary’s comment and was pleased to see a smile on her face given the circumstances. Aidan fired up his computer and made the connection to his vision intensifiers.
“Hurry up! We’ve got fifteen more minutes,” Acey said.
Raina’s face turned grim again, as Aidan scanned the device with the vision intensifiers.
“Hmm!” he said.
“What’s wrong? Raina questioned frantically.
“I’m getting conflicting frequencies. I not sure which one will deactivate this thing, or which one will blow….”