by Alexie Aaron
“I will seek out her husband and tell him all that has occurred. I’ll leave it to him to tell their children. I will speak with Dieter and see if I can find out what the gift he was given was,” Altair promised.
“I thought you were being recalled,” Nicholai said.
“I chose to stay with my friends and fight.”
“You broke again with the angels. They won’t allow you back,” Nicholai worried.
“I’m not cut out for an obedient lifestyle. I am what I am.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ted arrived home to find Cid and Lazar packing. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Altair is waiting for you in your office,” Lazar said. “I have Murphy entertaining the boys at the new barn until you are ready to speak with them.”
“Is he going to tell me, my wife is dead?”
“No, she’s alive,” Cid was quick to say. “Talk to him, and then we’ll start packing up the office and Jake.”
Ted ran to the PEEPs office. Altair was conversing with Jake.
“I’m setting up a direct link to Lobo, Billy, and Yann,” Altair told Ted.
“Why?” Ted asked.
“The angels have been recalled from Earth. They are leaving. I’m not going.”
“Do they think Mia is going to fail?” Ted asked.
“Evidently, there are sixteen prophesies, and in all of them, she is killed in minutes of the door opening. I, however, feel that the future is always changing. The prophesies have not taken into account you, Baxter, and Dieter.”
Ted sat down hard in the chair.
Altair went on to tell Ted all he knew and ended with, “She’s not well. A third of her is gone. I’m not sure how much the angel side of her was her personality. Angelo will be repairing her mind house, and if you give him your permission, Victor will train her to perform with him a doomsday spiral.”
“What’s a doomsday spiral?”
“It’s very similar to a death spiral in which they pull with their wings to spin faster and faster. At the last moment, they break apart causing quite an explosion. The doomsday spiral was used successfully once before. It was so powerful that it sent a directed shock wave and stopped an asteroid from entering the earth’s atmosphere. The plan is that, if the door is opened and we fail to get the giants to retreat and Surtr approaches our world, the shock wave will force him away from the door. Odin will be able to secure it, and we will survive.”
“I don’t understand. Are you talking about the mating ritual of the bald and golden eagles?” Ted asked, incredulous.
“Yes. But there is a difference. The spiral starts at the top of the world, and when the pair break apart, there is so much disruption that it creates a shock wave that is deadly to anything standing in its way.”
“Survival rate?”
“The originators of the doomsday spiral died but saved the world. Victor’s soul came from one of the participants. Mia has superhuman strength to help her. With practice, the two of them have a very good chance of surviving this. But there is a caveat.”
“Mia may still die,” Ted said.
“I’m not going to lie to you, but death is a possibility since the angels have left us.”
Ted closed his eyes. “It’s not fair,” Ted said and held up his hand. “I know life isn’t fair, and I’ve been so lucky to have this time with her. But our children…”
“Mia would only do this if she was sure it was the last resort. There are other factors to take in. The first Victor and his partner probably weren’t evenly matched in wing size. They had to direct the shock wave upwards. There was no escaping the water at this point. Victor and Mia will be directing it horizontally. Think about the physics, Ted. It’s very possible to survive this. Victor is a lot of things, but he’s not a suicidal bird.”
“So this is the reason for the return of the wings,” Ted said, rubbing his jaw.
“If Abigor knows that Mia has this in her arsenal, then her value to him increases. Nyx’s original intent was for her to be a sacrifice. She was to be taken by the frost giants, and you can only imagine what they would do to her in Niflheim. Her sacrifice was to buy Odin time to get his troops here.”
“What kind of creature does that?”
“Gods and goddesses have been sacrificing their own children since the beginning. I can’t pretend to understand the mindset, but you’re versed in the classics; you know it’s a repeated theme.”
“This is why Mia told me inside she didn’t believe she was going to survive.”
“Mia knows her strengths. Fortunately, the birdmen witnessed what she was capable off in Alsace. They don’t see her as a pawn. They see her as a weapon.”
“What do you think her odds are?”
“All the prophesies put her in a token position. She will be sacrificed by Lucifer or Abigor if they don’t think she has other uses.”
“Mia isn’t a leader. She knows this,” Ted said.
“She doesn’t have the soul knowledge to lead, but damn, she can inspire them.”
“Back to the doomsday spiral… Why didn’t Victor choose one of his flock? There are a few birdwomen warriors who are much stronger than my wife.”
“Originally, it was her ability to turn into stardust. He tested it firsthand when she confessed she hadn’t killed all of Quentin. He has flown with Mia before. He knows her strengths. Victor’s thought was to train her until she could really make a difference in battle. He thought her advantage was her ability to become stardust, and she wouldn’t be able to be held. That is no longer an option. I took that away from her to keep her from being torn apart because the genetic pull was too strong. If you want to be mad at someone, it’s me, not her.”
“I’m not mad at her or you. You saved her. I just don’t want her to think that I don’t appreciate her sacrifices for me. Why are you packing up my household?”
“You’re going to be busy with Baxter. Ed will take your children back in time if this fails so they will be able to live a full life. This is the last thing Michael whispered to me. Ed and Judy will raise your boys with their son. They will be protected, provided for, loved, and nurtured. Who knows? Maybe there will be no Cynosura because of this.”
“Brian holds a lot of knowledge. I hope he can make a difference.”
“The most important thing is that they will live and won’t have to see you and your wife die. Depending on how far he takes them back, Varden may meet both of you again.”
Ted’s hands shook. He closed his eyes and brought out a calm he didn’t know he was capable of. “I met with Odin, Vili, and Ve and have seen their army. They will be victorious if they make it in time and not too many of the giants cross over into this world. They too are fighting against their own prophesies. They are looking at this as their last battle. Ve projected Mia’s picture up on the clouds. It was the poster from the BBB that I kept to remind me of who I almost lost when I let others influence me. They cheered and, as expected, made ribald comments. Another Ted would have been upset, but this Ted understands the need to have someone to fight for. Whether it’s tangible or just an image on a cloud.”
Altair watched as the strong, brave man gathered his thoughts.
“What I’m saying is, I will tell her that I expect to see her on the other side of this, that I will not be jealous of the time she will need to spend training with these men, that I know the sacrifices she is making, and I’m confident that she will be victorious.”
“I’m relieved but not surprised,” Altair said. “Mia chose well both times she chose you.”
“Both times?”
“In both timelines. She wanted a life with you. She never gave up. I’m so pleased to see that you’ve never given up either.”
~
Brian pried Mia’s eyes open.
“Hello, Dr. Martin,” Mia said, reaching to hug her son.
“Everybody, she’s awake!” Brian said, running out of the room.
Ted walked in carrying Varden. He
was struggling to get to Mia. Judy helped her to sit up and handed the insistent boy to her patient.
Mia cuddled Varden. “There now, Mommy’s alright.”
He let her go and settled himself beside her. Ted sat down on the bed. “Hello, pumpkin. I missed you at breakfast.”
“I’m sorry. I missed you too.”
“You’re all full of little tiny freckles,” Ted said, running his hand on her arm. “And your hair is a bit darker than I remember.”
“Probably sand,” Mia said. “I don’t know if it’s the two pints of super blood or kicking the angel dust habit, but I feel so energetic.”
Mia looked around the room, looking for her other son.
“Dieter is coming in the next wave. Ed was a bit weak after Judy squeezed him like a lemon. I heard you wouldn’t let Angelo walk your mind house without me being here,” Ted said.
“I needed to reestablish us and our family before he messed with the rest. The most important stuff first.”
Ted smiled. Brian walked in carrying a few paper roses.
“Are those for me?” Mia asked.
“Yes, I made one from me, one from Varden – his is sucked on. I worry about that boy. One from Dad, and one from Dieter. His is made up of a poem he wrote.”
Mia looked at the flowers closely, put her hand on her heart, and her eyes watered. “I’m so touched.”
Varden squeezed Mia’s arm. “Daddy met three giants.”
Mia’s eyes opened wide. “Who?”
Ted told her about his meeting with Baxter, and how Baxter and he visited Odin, Vili, and Ve. “I had no idea they were giants themselves until Vili rides up on an Icelandic pony on steroids. I was like Tom Thumb. I will no longer carry you around like a sack of potatoes now that I know what it feels like.”
“It’s okay when you do it,” Mia said, squeezing his hand.
“Mom, what did you do while you were gone?”
“Uncle Victor taught me how to transform into a bird and how to bounce back from being tossed in the lake. I think I swallowed a lot of lake water the first time. My belly was sloshing. And then something odd happened. I was being taken away from you all by an invisible force. I fought it hard, but I wasn’t winning. That’s when Altair showed up and helped me. It took a lot out of me, and that’s why I’m here right now. But I’m not sick, just depleted.”
“That means tired, Varden,” Brian said. “Judy promised to let me and Varden help her with making some pasta.”
“She is very brave. Remember when we tried that with Cid?”
“Mom, that was you messing up. I was just fine,” Brian reminded her.
“You’re right. I’m amazed he still allows me in the kitchen.”
Judy came in, took the boys, and closed the door.
Mia frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Has Victor spoken to you yet?”
“No. I didn’t know he was here.”
Ted took a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” Mia asked, grabbing his hand.
“He wants permission to take you into a death spiral…”
“No, nada, nil, nope.”
“Why?”
“That’s a mating dance for the eagles. Victor’s core bird is a golden eagle. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Hear me out. It’s to practice for the doomsday spiral. He feels that you two are so matched strength-wise that you’ll be able to create a force strong enough to defeat anything.”
“When did they serve you Kool-Aid?”
“Altair explained it to me. I read up on it. I called your grandfather, who is worried they are going to take Luke away permanently. We’ll talk about that next. I know why you’re objecting. It’s your body, and you have the final say. The early prophesies had Angelo in them at your side. Just putting Victor in, increased the success quotient.”
“Ted, I’m barely holding on to the humanity inside of me. I’m all superhuman and birdman now. I will not take the risk of reverting to my primal being.”
“Not even to save the world?”
Mia reached up and held Ted’s face so she knew he was looking at her and hearing her. “I’m not afraid of dying. I don’t want to leave you and the boys, but I’ve had a wonderful life as Mia Martin. I take my fidelity to you very seriously. Yes, I flirt with Mike to torture him and had that crush thing going on with Nicholai, but I would never offer my body to anyone else but you. It’s very important to me. To hold up my end of this spiral nonsense, I have to bear my soul.”
“You won’t lose me over this,” Ted promised, drawing her to him. “I swear on Math, if we’re both alive and save the world, then it will all be worth it. Tell you what, I’ll take line 135 and 136 off the divorce papers.”
Mia wrinkled up her face.
“While you’re thinking this over. Here is the plan for our existing children if it looks like Surtr is not going to be stopped. Ed and Judy will take our family back in time so they can live out whole life spans. You know Ed and Judy would protect and love them as their own.”
“Yes, I do. Was this your idea?”
“No, but I agree with it. Actually, Altair said this was the last thing Michael whispered to him after allowing Altair to quit.”
“I thought it was strange that Michael wasn’t with me when I recovered. I think he must have been distancing himself. I can’t believe that they are ducking out.”
“They should have more faith in you, Mighty Mouse. I do.”
“Faith in us. Lazar said that we are all a team. We all bring specialties to this group: your smarts, Baxter’s experience, Victor’s abilities, Murphy’s stubbornness, and Altair’s counsel. And I haven’t even added in what Lucifer and Abigor bring to the table.”
“I know you fear losing yourself. I don’t think you will, but if you do, I want you to know that I will fight to bring you back to me. There is nothing stronger than our love for each other. Mia, when you go to Hell, you will be navigating in a world of male domination. Do whatever you must do to survive. I need you to come home to me.”
“So basically, you’re giving me a hall pass, but I don’t have to use it,” Mia clarified.
“Yes.”
Ted leaned in and kissed Mia. Her hands clung to him. He prayed he had done the right thing.
~
Charles followed the slow-moving crane as it inched its way across the Adler lot towards the platform near the 12th Street beach. Ted told him and Amanda that he felt the green space around it would be a splendid backdrop for the camera footage. The beach wasn’t used much in the fall, so there would be some privacy for the team to work in. The important thing was that, finally, Bernard would stop whining. He blamed Charles for the chaos in the museum. There was no way Charles could have anticipated that this vault would cause all the ghosts inside the museum to go nuts.
Amanda said it was probably something Mia did to the ghosts originally when she visited Bernard as a child.
Ted was waiting for him with several civil engineers overseeing the settling of the door.
“It’s best to set it into position as a door and let it settle into place before we attempt the unlocking sequence. Again, this would have been easier if it hadn’t been moved in the first place, but I believe I can still do it.”
“I have every confidence in you, son. Some of our backers have told me that they are happy to the have the extra time to prepare, if that makes any sense.”
“Somewhat. I’d like to show you the security system I set up to keep the door…”
“The vault.”
“The door. To protect it from the lakeside.”
Cid and Baxter, dressed as a survey crew, were measuring off the area of confinement to set up the laser grid. Jake had siphoned money from one of Charles’s backers to cover the costs.
Amanda arrived and walked smartly past Cid.
He slouched, hoping she wouldn’t recognize him. Fortunately, she was in a self-important haze and only chose to see those who were most li
kely admiring her and her husband’s work. She strode up to Ted and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hello, Amanda, how are you today?”
“I’m here to tell you I approve of this move. Who wants to work in the basement for cripes’sake? Natural lighting will be a delightful change for my vlog.” She looked around and asked, “Where’s Mia?”
“She’s under the weather.”
“Will she be here for the grand opening?”
“If this door opens, you daughter will be front and center.”
“Tell her to wear something appropriate, not her normal tomboy clothes.”
“I’ll further your request.”
Mike looked over the last hour’s footage and commented to Burt, “I think the activity definitely slowed down after the door left the building.”
“I agree with you. Mia sent me a text to remind me that there were still two pirate ships filled with… well, pirates, out there who would continue to be a threat. She used a cute little pirate emoji. Since when has Cooper used emojis?”
“Since Varden has been attached at the hip with her,” Mike said. “Ted told me that Varden wouldn’t sleep in his own bed. He slept with his mom.”
“Both boys are on Komal’s island with her. Ted pulled Brian out of school, but Dieter is continuing with Lazar watching him. He spends a lot of time over at Mark Leighton’s. Ted and Cid have moved their operations over to Quentin’s mansion.”
“Is there trouble in paradise?” Mike asked.
“No. Ted seems pretty calm. Mia isn’t quite herself. Angelo is supposed to go over and walk her mind house and settle things down. Losing the angelic influence has rattled her cage a bit,” Burt observed. “She’s a lot nicer.”
“You would think she’d be meaner,” Mike said.
“Maybe she’s experiencing a lot less stress now that she doesn’t have to worry about that crowd.”