Sequel to
After the Cave
Author: Domino
Disclaimer:
Not mine...
Rating: PG
Author's Note: This
is set in the future
with flashbacks to
the past explaining
events.
Part one
2008,
August 21st
The battlefield
was littered. All around
were bodies, some dead
some injured beyond
movement. Both human and
alien. It wasn't much
to say that the humans
lying on the
ground outnumbered the
aliens, not when alien
bodies disintegrated into
dust upon death. Still the fighting continued. Humans were all born
with one thing
that made them
totally unique - the will
to survive despite all
odds. And more importantly
the will to fight
to survive. It was
it their history, repeated over and over - the fight
for freedom from
oppression.
Yet this
time the odds
were great. Besides the
aliens being infinitely
more powerful, they now
after hours of
fighting a losing
battle contained a greater
number of warriors
and infantry. This battle
was a lost cause. It was
time for a
retreat. Michael exchanged a
look with Maria. She
nodded to the
question in his
eyes.
"Retreat.
Retreat. Everyone move back," Michael yelled. Maria moved away from
him and began
to yell to
the other side. In
one massive wave, the
army fighting followed
orders and began
to move back, including Tess, Kyle, Max, Liz, Alex
and Isabel. Shooting right
till the end, Michael and Maria were
the last to
leave. They raced to
the armored trucks
and jumped in
seconds before they
moved away. All around
them explosions were
heard as the
area the battle
took place blew
up. Whether it was
the fleeing humans
throwing grenades behind
them as they
escaped or the
aliens using explosives
in one last ditch effort
to destroy them - all
of that was
irrelevant in the
aftermath of the
battle.
What once
was a thriving city now
lay in ruins - the result of
battle fought long
and hard - a result
of a battle lost. It wasn't
the first battle
they had fought
against their alien
enemies or the
first that the
humans had lost
and it probably wouldn't be
the last. Just like
it wasn't the
first war that
had been fought
for freedom and
independence.
The first
war fought in
America had been
to gain independence from the British. The second one was
for freedom and
equality. This one was
for all three. It
was more important
than any of the
others. It was for
Earth's independence. It
was a long war, 2 years
and ongoing. Guns, lasers,
knives and anything they could
get their hands
on served as
weapons. The only thing
that prevented the
use of nuclear bombs was
that this war
was fought on
American soil.
Two years
in, after Kivar's first
attack on Earth, over
half the North
American continent belonged
to the skins and was
in their control, including Washington DC. The remainder
was land fought
for, and reclaimed as
human territory under
the control of
the Royal Four
and their partners. There was no president
left. He was killed
at the end of Year
One when he
finally wised up
and refused for
the first time
to follow and
give into Kivar's
demands. He along with
the Capital Building, the White House were
blown up taking
with it the
former most powerful
government in the
world and leaving
what was left
of America and
its people in
a state of
a losing war.
The rest
of the world watched , not daring
to interfere. Not after
seeing the UK
and France being
bombed by nuclear
weapons formally belonging
to the United States, that had
fallen into the
hands of Kivar. The UK
and France were
still recovering from
the blow and
the result was
a once powerfully allied nation
left to fight
a war for Earth alone, and
in the hands of 8
young adults, just kids
who didn't and
shouldn't have any
experience leading a
war.
Part two
It was
hard to believe
that the leaders
of the resistance, the ones that
they called Humanities
Hope, the Royal Four
that became the
Royal Eight were
all only in
their mid-twenties. The
men and women
who followed their
orders had a difficult time initially
adjusting to obeying
what to them
were only kids, especially since they were
a nation ruled
by those who
were older, more experienced. But these were difficult
times. And age was
irrelevant. What was relevant
was winning the
war and the
Royal Eight were
the only ones that
stood a chance
of doing that.
It had
only taken one
battle to convince them
that the Royal
Ones were the
ones that they
should follow. The 8 of them, years
of fighting skins
worked together like
a well-oiled machine. They were a unit
and the first
reclamation of human
territory gave those
that doubted their abilities a new faith
and hope, resulting in
the nickname - Humanities Hope.
There were
a number of
factors that made
them both an excellent military and strategic
unit as well
as crisis management
team. First and foremost
they were friends
who trusted each other
implicitly. This was essential
for any team - whatever the situation you
needed to trust
your partner with
your life. The second
essential rule was
that each person
in the group had a
fully defined role, the
role they played
in the group, a role that
together made the
group successful.
In the
war, like in life
they led together, worked together and each
controlled what was
necessary to win. It
was a democracy, one where they
made decisions together
but at the same time
followed decisions. Max was
the figurehead of
the group and
the one that
dealt with strategy. He also
organized the medical
resources of their
troops and the
humans they protected. Liz was in charge
of science, alien technology
and weaponry. She researched
and worked on
ways to counteract
the alien powers.
Tess ran
the intelligence department, her initial introduction into
their lives over
8 years ago
made her well
suited to this
job. Kyle's college and
school life, his jock
career made him
the perfect person
to run the training and
recruitment section. On the
other side was
Isabel. She represented the
Royal Eight and
the humans they
led as the ambassador and was
the person who
dealt with the
political side of
a war. Her other
half led the
Technology and Research
department, his computer and
surveillance expertise holding
him in good stead. Alex often
worked in conjunction
with Liz's Science
Department.
Lastly the
most important arm
in their war against
the skins - the military, the infantry was placed
in the capable hands of
Michael and Maria. They
dealt with the everyday running of troops, daily skirmishes, and led the
large battles that
were fought to
defend and reclaim
land that once
belonged to the
humans. The two
of them worked
as a team and you
rarely saw one
far from the
other, the belief that
their presence protected
the other.
It was
a far step from their
college years, but at
the same time
whatever they learned
always played a
huge part in
whatever they did. It
was more evident in
some of them than others of
course but it
was always there. Just
two years ago the
8 of them had their
lives as college
students and young
working adults cut
short with the
attack. Studies were forced
to be discarded as their destiny finally came through - they had to save
their world, only this
time it was
earth that they
were required to
save.
Max's medical
degree was interrupted
as was Liz's dream of
molecular biology. Today he
repaired injured soldiers
and healed the
hurt and she
used her science
to develop methods
to kill the
enemy. It wasn't what
they wanted but
it was necessary. Tess degree in
psychology also while
incomplete also proved
useful in the line
of intelligence as
did Kyle's degree
in the combined majors of
law and psychology
for recruitment and
training. Isabel and Alex
also made good
use of their studies,
Isabel having based her degree
on political science
and the law
and Alex not
totally unexpectedly spending
his college life
studying Information Technology.
Michael and
Maria didn't use
their degrees as
much. Michael had been
studying architecture,
painting on the side. He didn't
have time to
paint anymore and
the only time
he used his
architecture was his
knowledge of the
engineering of a
building to blow
it up or read the
blueprints to enter
a skin lair. Maria used
hers even less. Her
studies involved a
combined geology, jewelry design
and business major. There wasn't much use
for that in
the middle of
the war although
she was the
only one of
the lot that could
read a budget.
In two
years there lives
had changed immensely. From being carefree college
students they went
to living underground
in a military compound, the leaders
of thousands who
fought for them, died
for them and
would follow their
orders without a
question.
Part three
2003, June
it was
the second week
of their first
summer vacation as
college students. One year
of college had
passed. A difficult year
where for the
first time since
the secret had
been revealed, the 8
of them had
been separated. The first
experience with the
skins in high
school had made
them all but
joined at the
hip for the two
years. They did everything
together until that
final moment after
their graduation when
they all spread
their college wings
in different directions. The couples fought to
at the very least stay
together but living
in 4 different cities made
it difficult to
keep up. They hated
it.
Liz and
Maria missed each
other like crazy
and Max and
Michael, although they would
never admit it missed
each other. Max missed
his sister and
Maria who he
had grown really
close with. Kyle, Maria
and Tess had
a hard time being separate
especially after living
together for a
year when the
Sheriff and Amy
finally tied the
knot. By the time it
happened everyone was
for it. Kyle already
treated Maria as
a sister and
Tess and Maria
had such similar
temperaments they got
along really well. Alex
hated being away
from Maria and
Liz and they
weren't too happy
about it either. Isabel missed her brothers and having girls
to talk to. From
a support system
of 7 people they all
dropped to 1
person. They were all
miserable.
What made
it worst was
the occasional small
skirmish with skins, so
named because of
their peeling skins. Nothing huge and organized
like their first
experience but every
once in a
while a small
group of skins
would try their
luck. They never succeeded
but they were not
always easy wins
not when they
were only two
people to fight
them of. Being separate
was probably a
factor in the
size of the
attacks. The vacation was
looked forward to
by all.
The first
week was slightly
awkward while everyone
readjusted to being
back together but
they were all
so happy to
see each other
again it didn't
last long. It was
an attack by
a group of
6 skins their
first weekend home
that got them
talking. Maybe it was
an excuse to
remain together but
the 8 of them decided
it would be safer
for them to
remain together. Huge arguments and discussions than
erupted on which
one of the four cities they
all lived in
would be the
best for all
of them.
Eventually they
chose Boston, the city
Max and Liz
attended an Ivy
League College. It didn't
take much to
transfer to Boston
Colleges, just some paperwork. The parents seemed happy
with the change - keeping the kids together
was a good move in
their eyes. Everyone managed
to pull of
the transfers and
keep their respective
degrees. Once that had
occurred the kids
took off together and
drove up to
Boston. They were beginning
a search for
a home for all of
them.
They stayed
in a motel for three
days as they
saw house after
house. Because all of
them had to
agree - basically meaning the
girls had to
agree they had
to see quite a few
options. The irony was
that when the
girls finally chose
a house it
wasn't a perfect
house. In fact little
about the house
was perfect except
for the size
and the price. It
was a complete fixer upper. While the neighborhood was
ideal for their
needs, the house required
a lot of work before
it would be
totally livable.
It was
a big house with four
bedrooms, as kitchen in a really
bad state, a dining
room and two
living rooms. Attached to
the house was
a double garage
and a little studio apartment
with two rooms. The
kids all contributed
towards the house with a little
help from their
parents. Michael and Maria
used the money
they had been
saving for a
place of their
own while working
part time for
the past year. Still
most of the
money they eventually
used came from
the bank account
Nacedo left for
them upon his
death. It was to
be used for
living expenses while
on earth. Although the
8 of them were loathe
to use up some of
the money, after a
vote they decided
a house would
be a good investment for
their futures and
as base of
operations. They didn't know
how right they
would be.
The kids
all packed up
their sleeping bags
and moved in. The
summer was spent
fixing up the
place. By the end
of that summer
the house was
almost new. The 8
of them did
almost all of
the work themselves. Walls were torn down, carpets added. The floors
were sanded. Electricity was
rewired and phone
lines added. Huge paint
fights erupted during
the painting of
the house but
eventually the house
was complete. The end
result was a
beautifully restored home
with a practically state of
the art kitchen. One living room had
been converted into
an entertainment center with
all the necessary
requirements for one. It
was the guys
pride and joy. The
other living room
they turned into
a mass study. It contained bookshelves
filled with textbooks, study tables, lamps. One
of the computers was in
the study and
the other in
the living room - for
more recreational purposes.
They all
moved into the
rooms after the
beds had been
added. Furniture was shipped
from Roswell and
what they didn't
have they built
or bought. Every room
had two people. Initially Maria and Liz
took one with
Tess and Isabel
in another. The boys
split their bedrooms
between Michael and
Max sharing and
Kyle and Alex
in the last one. That plan
was eventually shelved
with Liz permanently
in Max's bedroom, Michael practically living in
Maria and Liz's
room. Alex spent all
his time in
Isabel's room and
Tess had more
stuff in Kyle's
room then in hers.
The rooms
above the garage
were , after many conversations discussing what they
should do with
them, changed into studios.
One became an
art room for
Michael (Maria's idea) and
the other, Isabel finally
decided, was to
be a music/band room for
Alex and Maria's
band, the Whits which
they were reviving
now that they
were back together. It was a plan
everyone was happy
with.
All in
all the house
was a pretty normal home
except for the
basement. The basement was
special. Because of its
total privacy it
was the room
that they chose
as their practice
room/gym. Even though by
the end of
the summer Michael
starting referring to
it as the "Danger Room." He was an X-Men
fan. It was filled
with gym equipment
on one side and space
for the aliens
to practice in
on the other.
When the
summer ended and
their second year
of college began, for
the first time
ever in their
lives all 8
of them felt
secure and in
control of their
lives. They had created
a home out of their
very own hands (and
a few alien powers)
and just this
once their lives
were moving along
uneventfully. It was
a good time, a happy time. They
had one rule
they all followed. Every morning all of
them had to
eat breakfast together. The teens studied hard, worked hard and played
together.
Their lives
were surprisingly simple. All
chores were divided
into couples. Every couple
took turns to
cook, wash up, do laundry, etc. it was a well
known fact that
Michael's meals were
the best since
he was the only one
among them that
could cook a
complete and actual
meal. Maria couldn't boil
water but she
made a mean dessert. Liz was
a perfectionist. When she
and Max did
the laundry, everything came
back with perfect
folds. Isabel surprisingly in
the one year
away had learnt
to make simple meals. On Sundays they
had take out
and watched movies
together.
Every morning
someone had to
wake Michael and
Maria up. Maria was
not a morning person and
hated getting up, and
Michael rarely saw
the point of
rising early although
he could easily
if he wanted to. Isabel generally
made Alex do
her turn. She never
had the heart
to make them
get up.
If you
ever walked into
their room in
the morning, except when
Maria was mad
at Michael and
made him sleep
on the couch, you would find
the two of
them curled up
around each other
with Michael's arm
tightly fastened around
Maria. It was always
a little bit
of a shock seeing them
like that so
sweet and tender
but the thing
that was most
surprising of all
was the serenity
on their faces. The
energy that always
cackled around Maria
was a light one and
Michael's face was
open and trusting, the expression of a
little boy. Innocent.
Tess and
Kyle had no
problems waking them
up having lived
with Maria before. A
few months after
the incident in
high school, Sheriff Valenti
and Amy Deluca
got back together
and within a
month the sheriff
proposed and they
tied the knot. Tess
and Maria found
themselves sharing a
room. It was the
first time that
the three of
them had a
proper and complete
family complete with
a dog and they took
their new sibling
relationships very seriously, Kyle going as far
as to refuse Michael entry
once after he and
Maria had a
fight and Kyle
saw Maria crying
in her room. It didn't work. Michael sneaked in through
Maria's window and
half an hour later the two
of them were
back on, all forgiven.
Separating for
college was difficult
for all. The attack
had repaired all
damaged relationships and
made them extremely
strong as a
group. Continuous run-ins with
skins over the
previous two years
had allowed them
to improve their
fighting skills and
gather information on
the evil aliens, particularly that
regarding their weaknesses. Once they had even
discovered a husk
factory where the
skins maintained and
stored their human
skins, the life span
of one being about five
years.
The main
thing they had
picked up over
the last couple
of years was
that two things
could destroy a
skin - the first one
was fire, and the
second was to
shoot or hit
a skin in a particular
place, the base of a skin's
neck. Shooting a skin
there would cause
the husk to
fall or disintegrate resulting in immediate
death for the
skin, who couldn't survive
on earth without
a husk. The only problem with that was
the extreme complexity
involved in hitting
a skin in that exact
place, particularly if you
took into account
the skins alien
powers. To combat that, under
Maria's and the
sheriff's tutelage all
of them took
shooting lessons. Their shooting
skills after much
practice had improved
tremendously and almost
all of them could hit
a target from
pretty far. It
made defeating skins a
little easier, especially since
they had even practiced using other weapons
besides guns. A stick
worked just as
well for them
even if it
required close combat
for the humans.
Through all
of this, the one
thing that had eluded
them for a
long time until
just before college, was the granolith. It was
Isabel who found
it, purely by accident
of course. She went to
the pod cave
to make some
decisions about college, her life, and her future. The
cave was where
she felt safest, where she could talk
to her mother, where she could
think.
She was
leaning against the
wall when she
felt the cave
wall behind her
shift. Building up power, in
readiness for anything, she waited for what
would happen next. Nothing did except the
cave now had
a gaping hole
in the wall wide
enough for a
large person to fit
through. Although overcome with
curiosity Isabel knew
better than to
explore by herself. Pulling out her cell
phone she dialed Alex, Max, Maria and Tess and
ordered them to
all come to
the cave, without revealing
why.
Isabel then
stood waiting impatiently
until her friends
arrived. Michael and Maria
showed up first, not
surprisingly, pushing the Jetta
to new heights on the
race to get
there. Michael wasn't too
impressed when he
saw Isabel was
fine and even
less so when
she made him
and Maria wait
until everyone got there
before they could
go through the
hole in the
wall.
When all
the others arrived
Michael and Maria
led the way
into the cave, overriding Isabel insistence that
since she found
it she got to go
first. The hole led
into a small passage before
opening up into
a big cavern. In the center
of the cavern stood a
large black upside
pyramid-type shaped structure. It was made of
some sort of
metal none of
them recognized. At the
bottom was another pyramid-shaped
smaller white construction that met the
black shape at
a point. In the
black structure were
four small hollows
one on each side. The granolith. The 8 of them
stood staring in
awe at this alien device - the reason for everything. The power they were
sworn to protect.
It was
after the discovery
of the granolith, they hadn't figured out
how to use it yet, that
they left Roswell
for new lives, away
from their birth
to new places. The places changed
but they didn't. underneath it all was
the security that
they could always come
back, that they would
be together again
soon. Now a year
later they were
together again, not in
Roswell but in
their own home. And
as always the
strength that decided
defeat or victory
came from the
unity they had
together.
Part Four
2008 The Present.
It was
a bedraggled lot
that arrived at
the camp. As the army trucks pulled
into the base, the
soldiers jumped out
falling into the
routine of many
a battle. First
up, under the orders
of Kyle all
the injured were
carried of the
trucks. Max, Isabel and Tess
headed for the
first aid/sickbay tent
to help heal
the injured. While they
were only three
of them and
many who were
hurt, the system developed
by Max and the other
medics had only
the most badly
hurt healed. If they
had any energy
after, they would try
to heal the
other casualties. They usually
healed until they
were exhausted leading
to their other
halves insisting on
limits. Kyle made sure
they followed them.
Jumping of
the truck Liz
immediately had all
the alien weaponry
offloaded and following
her instruction 5
men took the
weaponry to the
makeshift lab. After the
weaponry was identified
and they figured
out how to
use it, Liz ran
lessons for some
of the soldiers she handpicked
on how to use them. Fighting a war against
more a powerful enemy meant
having to adjust
and sometimes human
weaponry was not
enough.
The entire
camp sprang into
life when they
arrived. Alex moved to
deal with the
men and woman
under his command. He
headed to the
surveillance vans where
they had their
equipment set up. He
demanded reports from
the two in
charge and checked
the status of
the rest of
the country now
under their protection
as well as
the security of
the camp.
On the
other end of
the camp, Michael and
Maria were ensuring
the safety of
all the soldiers
in their care. Michael headed for the
perimeter of the
base and Maria
went to check
on the patrols constantly moving
around the camp
to protect from
any surprise attacks.
The entire
camp was mobile. They soldiers were ready
to leave at
any second. It was
a temporary headquarters as they made
a stand to
defend the state
of Oregon from
the skins latest
attack. Here everyone moved
with purpose, the lives
of thousands of
innocent civilians in
their hands. Medics healed. Nursed cared. Soldiers on kitchen
duty fed the
hungry masses. Others patrolled
and guarded. People slept
in shifts. It was
a military operation
with all the
discipline that involved.
Before the
night was over, all
the information for
the battle would
have been collected
and analyzed. It had
been a long day, a bad
day. Lives had been
lost. Battles lost. And territory
lost. It would be
an even longer
night as the
eight met their
immediate seconds to
discuss strategy. Decisions had
to be made on whether
or not to continue this
battle or if
the loss of
life was too
high to risk. While
the decisions as
big as this were made
in group discussion
and strategy calculated
by all 8, with input from
the commanders under
them, ultimately all decisions
made that involved
the war, military had
to have final
approval by Michael
and Maria.
The discussions
went on late
into the night. A plan
of action, a battle
plan was finally
decided. The plan was
finalized by the
former head of
armed forces, Max and
Michael with input
from Alex on
the skins latest
statistics - their weakness and
vulnerabilities. Kyle was preparing
a new regiment of soldiers, 18 year olds , babies compared
to all that they had
been through despite
the little age
difference. The soldier’s readiness
was dependant for
the battle plan
as numbers were
required and Royal
Eight never sent
in soldiers unprepared
if they could
help it.
One of
the key elements
of the new strategy to
prevent Oregon from
falling into the
hands of the
Enemy like so
many lands before
had, was to distract
the skins. Liz, Maria,
Isabel and Tess were planning
the misdirection of
the plan. If anything, the distraction was more
important than the
actual plan. If that
didn't go successfully the plan would
fail and all
would be lost. The
girls were using
a combination of
Liz's men with
their alien weapons
and Maria top
two regiments to
start a battle on
one front, resulting in
most of the
skins fighting them
and leaving the
skin headquarters for
the Oregon take-over
open to attack.
After every
possible contingency had
been accounted and
decided for, the meeting
broke up, leaving the
8 of them and their
top commanders only
4 hours to
catch some sleep
before the action
for tomorrow. Because this
was a military camp, it never
really slept or
rested. There were always
people up on
sentry duty, patrolling the
area, watching surveillance.
Surprise attacks were
extremely difficult to
pull of and
Maria and Alex
in particular made
sure that it
was almost impossible
to try one on them.
A couple
of tents had
been set up
on one side for the
commander’s usage and
on the other for the
Royal Eight. No one
changed, not even Isabel. After two years of
living in a
state of war, sleeping with their clothes - fatigues was the only
way to be fully prepared
for anything. Sleeping
was not even
the correct word
to describe what
they did. Closing their
eyes - yes, but it was
not actual sleep
since part of
them always remained
alert. Still it was
rest, and it did
qualify as quality
time with their
soul mates , which they
all needed if
just to keep
up their hope
alive.
Max after
medical school figured
out how to
fall of to
sleep the second
his head hit
the pillow. It didn't
take the others
too long to
learn that technique
and fifteen minutes
after the meeting
broke up, 8 bodies
were dead (almost) to
the world. Michael and
Maria were wrapped
up in each others arms. Kyle
and Tess spooned
in the next bed and
across from them
Max had his
arm wrapped around
Liz and Isabel
lay with her
head on Alex's
shoulder. They slept.
Tomorrow was a new day.
Part Five
2008, August 22
Somewhere in
Oregon
The morning
was clear and
the sun shone
brightly, shouting out its
irony to the
lives that would
be lost today. No
one wasted any
time and preparations were almost complete. Kyle and his troop
of fresh-faced soldiers
were leaving first. They
were taking care
of evacuations. Just to
be safe all
civilians were being
evacuated to three
underground special bomb
shelters built in
the 1960's. The head
of the FBI, in the most
interesting of paradoxes
now followed the
Royal Eight's orders
and the location
of all bomb shelters were
a large part
of the information and manpower
that they provided.
As usual
in missions that
were carried out
by the 8 of them, from
their high school
days, Alex was home
base. There were two
reasons why Alex
was remaining at
their temporary headquarters - the first
was simple, he was
to co-ordinate the
two parts of
the plan. They had
already lost one
battle and no
one was prepared
to lose another. The second reason was
also necessary. Someone had
to stay behind
and make sure
what they planned
for the skins
did not in
turn happen to
them, that is protect
home base. Alex made
sure that everything
went according to
the strategy. His men
reported to him and
he in turn reported to
Michael and Maria. The
mobile surveillance room was
working at maximum
levels watching all
skin activities in the
area
There was
only one last
minute change. Tess received
new information from
her agents that
the skins were
holding some humans
prisoner at their
camp, both influential personalities and some as
servants/slaves for the
skins. This was unacceptable to all of
them. The plan was
adjusted to include
a rescue for
all prisoners of
war. Tess therefore was
switched to alpha
team and Max
replaced her place
on the beta team.
The statistics
that had come
from one of
the security agencies
now in their command, under Alex's
directions were based
on a model and were
being used to
calculate the skins
next move. That in addition
to the expertise provided by
experienced war veterans
had been a
large part of
the plan. Fortunately for
them the skins
were predictable and
their estimations on
the front, for
beta team to
fight on, were
accurate.
Maria was
leading the beta
team for the
fight while Michael
led the attack
on base camp - alpha team. Beta team was
much larger that
alpha. In addition to
two regiments, Liz’s special
alien-weaponry trained troops were accompanying Maria, Liz, Isabel
and Max.
Michael's team
was smaller for
necessity. They needed to
get in and out without
being seen. Plus they
had the element
of surprise on their
side. Two teams of
6 Special Forces
men and women
each were going. Michael led the attack
with one team
and the other
team followed Tess's
orders in the
search and recovery part
of the mission.
It was
time to leave. Kyle
had just sent
word that 75%
of the evacuation was complete
and the bomb
shelters were almost
full. The soldiers were
ready, humvees and army
trucks all loaded
up. The seven in
the middle separated and
moved in different
directions. They didn't get
far before Michael
and Maria turned around
and headed back
to each other
in quick steps. Without pausing
their lips met
in a hard passionate kiss.
It may
have been a
surprise to some
but there were
no catcalls or
whistles from the
watching soldiers. They were
too well trained
to disrespect the
love that was
tradition, good luck charm
and the reason
for fighting. At the
same time Alex
grabbed Isabel's hand
in a goodbye, be careful hold , which she returned while Max and Liz, exchanged
one of their searching looks. Michael and Maria finally
released each other
and both turned
in unison, without looking
back walked to
their humvees in
purposeful strides and
gave the order
to move out.
Today,
they were going to save
Oregon.
Part Six
2008, August 22
Still Somewhere
in Oregon
The radio
cackled, "Gamma, you
clear," Maria's voice came
through with slight
static.
"All set, beta," Kyle replied, a
little unclear because
of his underground position.
"We're moving
in now."
"Be safe, sis."
"Always. Over."
Alex and the soldiers protecting the camp immediately moved back to their posts after the troops pulled out. He was in the surveillance van monitoring communications.
"Beta to
home base."
"Home base
here," Alex answered Maria's
signal.
"We're here. Confirming alpha in position."
"Please Maria, you
know more about
Michael's position than
I do."
"Alex can
you please be
serious for a
minute and forget
about my Michael
radar. Let's do this
right."
"Okay Ria. Alpha
in position. Waiting for
your signal."
"Going to
move in. Wish me
luck."
"You know
I do. Tell Izzy
I said hi."
"Will do. Over."
"Home base
to alpha."
"Alpha here," Michael's voice
came over the
Comm. system.
"She's ready."
"I know."
"I don't
why I bother. You two don't
need radios."
"Sure we
do Alex. If we
didn't have them
how would we
get to talk to you."
"You're mocking
me."
"You think?"
"Come home
safe, Michael. I don't want
to have to
deal with her
if anything happens
to you."
"I always
come back to
her. Over."
Maria waved
her arm and
pointed to the
trees in the
north about 20
meters away.
"Commander Reese, take
your men to
that corner and
await my orders," she instructed.
"Yes ma'am." In quick careful movements
the soldiers moved
behind cover to
their position.
Maria placed
two more groups
in other places
making sure all
her bases were
covered.
"Home to
Beta," the radio cackled
again.
"Beta here."
"The skins
are closing in. You
ready."
"As we'll
ever be. I'm telling
Michael to go."
"Alright.
Hope this works. Over." The
radio switched of.
"Me, too," Maria said softly to thin air.
"Echo 1,
Echo 2, Echo 3 get ready. The
skins are almost
here. Fire on my command." Maria said.
Three affirmative
responses came in.
Over the
ridge a large
number of skins
were heading towards
them.
"Ready...Hold...On my
mark...Fire," Maria yelled.
And immediately the
silence was destroyed
as gunfire shook
the area. The first
line of skins
fell but the
next line retaliated
immediately. And the battle
commenced.
"Lizzie,
keep your men ready. Isabel, Max, are
you guys ready?" Maria asked her friends
directly behind her. She
didn't wait for
an answer, shooting at
the two skins
that got close
enough to her. Before
any more could
cut through their
front men swooped
in from three
sides. They followed her
orders but at
the same they
were determined to
let nothing happen
to her. She was, they
were too important
for the Rebellion
to lose.
Some kilometers
away the alpha
team were about
to slip into
the Zarian camp , otherwise known as enemy
headquarters or the
skin base. Michael had
just given the
order to go
after receiving word
from his wife. Twelve people dressed entirely
in camouflage were
moving in the
shadows while two
other worldly beings
were taking care
of any security measures.
They were undetected for the moment
but that wasn't
likely to last.
After they
gained entry the
team split into
two where one
half followed a
small petite woman
whose famous blonde
curls were hidden
under a cap
and the remainder
moved with easy
confidence behind a
commander they would
all die for. The
blueprints of the
Zarian Camp were
not difficult to get since
they were using
a former police
station they had
commandeered upon their
invasion. Everyone who formed
part of this
special infiltration force
was required to
memories it.
Tess had
determined that the
prisoners of war were
being held in
the former holding
cells or prisons
of the station. She and her
team moved towards
that while Michael
took his force
around the entire
building where the
men quickly wired
the entire place
with dynamite and
other explosives. They ran
into a number of skin
guards at certain
points but as
they moved in
total silence they
took out the
enemy in that
same silence before
the alarm could
be sounded. The
skins own arrogance
that no one
would dare attack
them on home
ground was going
to be there own downfall. They didn't have many
beings around - all were
at the front fighting against
Maria's men.
It wasn't
necessary to speak
at all. Any communication was in the
form of hand
movements, a certain military
sign language. These men
and women were
the best that
the military had
to offer. In addition
they had been
given special training
in dealing with
skins by both
Michael and Maria.
Tess had
to move through
four guards before
she got to
the holding cells. They
were crowded with
a number of
people whose first
reaction was to
make a noise upon seeing
their rescuers. Tess immediately
ordered their silence
and after being
imprisoned for a
period of time, they
obeyed without a
question. Two men stood
guard while the
other four moved
the number of
POW's out in
an orderly manner, while Tess let Michael
know of their
status.
"Jacks,
Maver, Shiner, you three get
those trucks ready. Tess
is bringing the
POW's up now."
The three
men moved towards
the abandoned Zarian
trucks and started
them in anticipation. It didn't take long. The
total lack of
skin personal around
made the escape
quite easy. The rescued
prisoners were loaded
into the trucks
with one man
in the front driving and
another at the
back holding a
gun covering the
civilians.
"Alpha to
home."
"Alex here."
"We have
the POW's."
"Great.
Any casualties."
"None.
This place is ready to
blow."
"Great.
I'll let beta know."
"She knows."
"You two
annoy me."
"See you at home."
The Rebellion
pulled out of
the skin camp. As
the last truck
drove out, a large
explosion was heard
and the entire
place disappeared in
blaze of fire.
"It's time. You
guys ready?" Maria yelled
above the sounds
of the battle.
"Yes,"
Liz replied.
"Ready to
go," Max yelled shooting
at two skins about to
hit three soldiers
near them.
"Uh huh," Isabel shouted.
"Echo 1, Retreat
now," Maria ordered over
the radio. She watched
as the men moved back
indistinguishable in the
chaos of the
battle. When they were
almost at the
trucks, she lifted the
radio again, "Echo 2, Retreat. Now."
"Yes,
ma'am." The second troop
started moving back. The
skins started to
notice what was happening.
Without waiting for
the men of
the second troop
to complete their
evacuation Maria gave
instructions for the
third troop to
move back. She, Liz, Isabel,
Max and Liz's men covered
the retreat. When all
the men and women were safe
enough, the injured carried
away, Maria gave the
final order.
"Now."
Immediately Liz's
men held their
weapons ready. These weapons
were those taken
from the Zarians
and adjusted to
particularly kill the
skins. Isabel and Max
held their hands
out ready, the energy
build up in
them at maximum
levels.
"Aim.
Fire."
At to
the surprise of
the skins, large bursts
of light headed
towards them. The alien
weaponry used laser
as a form of bullets. The light was further
emphasized by Max
and Isabel who
increased the energy
from the weapon
giving it more
power and a
greater range. The nearest
skins disintegrated as
the lasers hit
them.
"Ready.
Aim. Fire." Maria ordered again.
And the
men lifted their
weapons a second
time. Isabel and Max
held out their
hands and at
Maria's signal the
second shot was
fired. Dust floated in
the air, all which
was left of the skins. Those remaining
started to back
away. They dropped their weapons
and ran, losing all
their smugness as
they felt fear.
Human soldiers
started to follow
but stopped when
Maria's firm voice
commanded them to
let them go. The
men didn't question
and stopped.
It was
a victory. They won
the battle. Oregon was
safe. While the war
was not over
yet this, was
the first full
victory that the
humans had had
since the beginning. It was time to
go home. Tomorrow was
a new fight but for
today they could
celebrate.
It was
a jubilant group that returned
to the base this time, so
different from the
day before. Maria jumped
of the humvee and ran
into the arms
of her husband who met
her half way. He
swung her around
before hugging her
and kissing her.
Nearby Isabel
did the same
to Alex who
had run out
with Michael when
Michael said that
Maria was coming. Liz
and Max hadn't
let go of each other's
hands since Maria
had announced it
was over. At that
moment Tess was
busy searching for
Kyle. He pushed his
way through soldiers
celebrating to get
to her and in a
move that imitated
Michael's swung her around.
A few
minutes later the
group were enclosed
by a number of soldiers
who carried their
leaders on their
shoulders.
That day
and through the
night the humans
and the Royal
eight reveled. The town, the
state rejoiced with
them and the
party continued all
night long. The next
day the Eight
left for home, for
Boston with their
soldiers. Michael and Maria
left one regiment
behind, as was their
practice, to protect the
area in case
the skins tried
to attack again. With
them, to Boston, came new
recruits from the
state that they
had just rescued. As
they traveled they
picked up more
people who all
wanted to part
of the Rebellion.
The tide
had turned.
End part
six.
Part Seven
2005, September
"Man,
I'm beat," Maria sighed
as she collapsed on the
couch in the
living room, "I should
have never run
those 10 miles
this morning."
"It's routine, Isabel. You can't
change routine,"
Isabel mocked.
"Come on. It
won't take long," Tess joined in, repeating the
words Maria used
to get them to come
with her every
morning.
Maria glared
at her two friends, "Don't make
me come over
there and hit
you," she threatened showing
no sign of
moving. Everyone just laughed
at her.
"Oh,
give her a break guys. She's
just sang for
almost three hours
straight," Liz ever the
peacemaker put in.
The eight
of them had
just returned from
a Whits concert. Alex and Maria arrived
last because they
had to help pack up
and then they
were further delayed
by various fans. The
Whits, since its revival
upon their move
to Boston, had become
a hugely successful if slightly underground
band. Their CD's and
concerts were always
sold out. Last spring
they had even
done a weeklong tour of
three cities. Both Alex
and Maria had
been approached by
record labels but
after a long
discussion they decided
to finish college
first and stay
in Boston with
the others. It was a
decision neither regretted.
"So Spaceboy
what up?"
"Yeah,
I want
to know what
the big meeting
is for?" Alex asked.
"Me,
too," a few voices
added in unison.
"Calm down. You
guys are so
jumpy. Relax. It's a good thing, I
think," Michael answered.
"Yeah -
then how come you look
so nervous?" Max asked.
"I'm not
nervous, okay," his
abrupt movements belying
his words, "Let's just
start okay."
"Okay." They
all looked at
him expectantly.
Michael walked
behind the couch, out
of their view
and picked up
a clumsily gift-wrapped box. He handed it
to Alex.
"You go
first."
"What is it?"
Alex asked, shaking the
box.
"A present," Michael replied
shortly.
"You bought
me a present. For what? It's not
my birthday or
Christmas." Alex
looked shocked.
"Alex,
shut up. And just open it," Michael said a little
uncomfortable.
Alex shut
up. With all the
glee of a
small kid opening
up birthday gifts
Alex ripped of
the paper and
opened the box. He
stared at the
inside, without saying a
word.
"Well?"
Isabel asked when Alex didn't
say anything. Michael looked
anxious waiting for
a reaction.
"Oh
my God. I've been
dying to get
this. How did you
know? This is so
cool. The things I
can do on my computer
with this." Now that
Alex got over
his shock, words poured
from his mouth. He
lost his earlier
exhaustion and jumped
up and gave an extremely
uncomfortable Michael a
quick hug.
"You have
kind of been
going on about
this for like
two months. It was
hard to miss. You
like it?"
"Like it. I
can’t wait to
use it."
Isabel and
Max exchanged amused
glances at Michael
embarrassment and Alex's
exuberance.
"Wait a
second," Alex paused in
his excitement as
a thought occurred
to him, "You know
how expensive this
is. How on earth
did you afford
it?"
"Um...remember
the gallery..." Michael began
before he was
attacked as Maria
also forgot she
was tired and
flew into his
arms.
"You sold
a painting," she squealed
loudly, "I am so
proud of you."
"Well actually," Michael leaned
back to look
into her eyes, "I sold three."
He wasn't
disappointed by her
reaction. She was Maria
after all. But before
he had a chance to
breathe, Tess hugged him
from the back. The
others all congratulated him in a
similar fashion.
"That is
so cool."
"Wow."
"In only
two weeks."
"I'm so
proud of you."
"Is he
blushing?"
it was
the last statement
that had Michael
backing away. He wasn't
used to being
the center of
congratulations. Maria was the
only one still
attached to him.
"How much
did it go for?" Michael whispered
the amount in
her ear. Maria's mouth
dropped open in
shock.
"I need
to sit." She sat
down. The others looked
on curiously.
"Tell us. Now. "
"That is
an obscene amount
of money. You can’t
say it aloud." Maria
went up to
Tess and whispered
it in her ear.
"No way," Tess said. She sat down
next to Maria
who had returned
to her seat.
"Way,
" Michael replied. Everyone immediately
rushed to the
three people who
knew and after
closing their opened
mouths, sat down.
Michael interrupted
the silence, "Kyle you're
next." He handed
Kyle an envelope. The envelope had Kyle's
name printed on it
neatly and a
small cartoon drawing
of Kyle in
lotus position, meditating.
He waited for Kyle's reaction. It was a strange
one. Kyle began to
some sort of
dance waving the
contents of the
envelope around as
he twirled. The others
watched in bemusement.
"Okay,
what the hell is he
doing?" Tess asked the
others as her
boyfriend yanked her
up to twirl with him.
"it looks like a version
of Maria's happy
dance." Alex answered.
"Yeah,
the seriously demented version.
Make him stop now,"
Maria groaned burying her head
in Michael's shoulder
to block the
sight.
"What on
earth did you
get him to
get that reaction?" Liz questioned.
"Season's tickets," Michael answered. And everyone nodded in understanding.
"Quick,
if you
give the next
present he will
have to stop," Maria told her boyfriend. He smirked at her
but obliged. He gave
Max another envelope, while Tess dragged her
ridiculously happy boyfriend
down.
"Here's the
thing, Maxwell. You work too
hard. And you stress
too much. So I'm
giving you..."
"A holiday," Max took out the
plane tickets. He hugged
Michael, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Michael gave
him his famous
smirk and the
others smiled at
the two of
them. "I guess the
girls are next. Of
course if you
guys are tired
we can always do it
tomorrow," Michael teased,
with immediate protests
from the girls.
Michael took
out a small jewelry box
from his pocket
and walked up
to where Isabel
was. He handed it
to her. She opened
it slowly and
gasped. Inside laid a
gold chain with
a locket. The locket
had a special pattern to
it. Right in the
center was a
diamond, surrounded by the
gold lines forming
the image that
had been on
the chain they
had found at
Atherton's place so
many years ago.
"I chose
this one for
you because it
was you that
found it, because of
what it represents
of our past lives and
our future. You're always
be my best friend and
sister, Isabel," Michael
said softly. Isabel started
to cry. She held
him tightly in
her arms before giving
him to chain to clasp
behind her neck. She
lifted her luxurious
hair he clipped
the necklace in
place.
"This one
is for you, Tess." Tess's
behaved similarly when
she opened her
jewelry box. Hers also
contained a gold
chain but the
locket was different. It consisted of four
small diamonds liked
together by two
gold diagonal lines.
"Four
Square," Tess said softly
staring at her
gift.
"Four
Square," Michael agreed,
"For completing us. Making
all of us whole. Our destinies
may be different to what
you originally thought
but we, all of
us are a team and
we need each
other. Don't ever forget
that."
"I won't. Thank you so much
Michael. It means a
lot to me," she smiled through
her tears and
Michael placed another
chain around another
beautiful girl.
Everyone was
a bit emotional after that. Isabel was firmly encased
in Alex's arms
and Kyle held Tess
tightly. Liz and Max
were holding hands
and Maria was
watching from the
side, a look of
pride on her
face. Michael walked up
to Liz next.
Her jewelry
box, like the others
had a chain with a
locket. This one had
a diamond on
the center with
7 gold lines extending from
it.
"It's so
beautiful, Michael," Liz
said her voice
choked.
"Do you
remember that day
you asked me
if I regretted Max saving
your life and
I said I didn't know."
Liz nodded.
"I lied. You
brought me, us everything
that day. You linked
all of us together forever. You gave me Maria. The
circle in the
center is you. You
were the one
that brought us
together and the
lines are us. Do
you like it?"
Liz nodded
again, too full with
emotions to speak. Wordlessly she handed him
the chain and
turned around so
he could clasp
it at the back. She hugged him
tightly.
"I'm so
glad you're a
part of my
life, Michael." He
smiled down at
her in thanks.
Maria was
still seated on
the sofa. Michael walked
up to her last. He knelt
down in front of
her.
"I couldn't
decide so I
got you a
few things, actually it's a
whole set." He handed
her the first
box. It was like
the others and
contained a necklace - a gold chain with
a pendant. Maria's pendant
had five diamonds
set in a 'V' shape.
Tears filled
her eyes, "Your constellation," she
said. Michael didn't reply
and just moved
around her to
tie the necklace
at the back while she
lifted her hair.
"It's beautiful."
"Not done
yet." He handed her
another box. In it
lay a set of matching
earrings. Maria slipped them
on.
"Just one
more thing," Michael said
and knelt down
in front of
her again.
Around,
the others watched, the girl’s fingers
lightly playing with
their pendants, smiling,
some tear tracks still visible. It
was rare to
see Michael so
open and they
were determined to
enjoy every minute
of it. They leant
into the arms
of their other
halves and observed
the unfolding drama. The
thing to remember
about Michael was
that while he
was rarely so
giving, when he did
give, he went
all out.
Michael began
to speak, "In my
art class, my teacher
told us to
close our eyes
and draw a
picture of home. And
I just drew. I didn't think
and never knew what I was
drawing but the
thing is Maria, when I
opened my eyes
I couldn't decide
if I was surprised or
not. But I do
know I was terrified."
Maria sat
staring into his
eyes, listening but not
sure where this
was going. The others
in the room were listening
intently. Max and Liz
moved closer so
they could hear
better, unnoticed by the couple.
"It was
a picture of
you. That's when I realized
fully, Maria, that it didn't
matter where I was or
which planet I
was on or from. None of
that mattered because
as long as
I was with you I
was home. You have
been there for
me since that
little motel on
285 South," he paused.
Maria reached
down and hugged
him. She opened her
mouth to speak. He
placed her finger
lightly on her
lips.
"Uh-uh,
not yet. I have to finish
first."
She nodded, her
eyes filled with
unshed tears.
He reached
down with his
fingers to where
to locket lay, "That's why I made
this one for
you. I always thought
that up there, in
that constellation was
where home was, but
it not. It's you
so now..."
Again she
opened her mouth
to speak. He shook
his head. "I have
to finish. I am
not good at that whole Max thing, you know. Anyway I made one
more thing for
you. This one is
special. You have to
decide if you
want it or
not." With that he
took out a
third box, covered in
velvet and opened
it.
The ring
inside was shaped
like the necklace
and the earrings. It had a small
'V' made from
diamonds, the one at
the point an
emerald. Maria's mouth dropped
open. Six other people
wore the same shocked
expression. Whatever they had
been expecting it
wasn't this.
"I was
wondering, Maria, if you
would...man am I
nervous...if you would
mind marrying me. Before
you say anything, I
know I am not perfect
and I can be really
bad at the whole romance
thing but I... I
do love you
more than anything
and..."
This time
Maria didn't wait
for him to
finish. She leaned forward
and kissed him.
"Is that
a yes?" he smirked, all signs of nervousness
gone.
"What do
you think, Spaceboy?"
They both leaned forward and
kissed. In the middle
Michael took her
hand and not
releasing her lips
slipped the ring
on. It fit perfectly.
Their kiss
was rudely interrupted
when the others, who
were in a
state of shock
slipped out of
it and realized what just
happened.
"Oh my
God," Liz yelled in a shriek
worthy of Maria, "You're getting
married. Oh my God." She jumped up and
since they were
wrapped in each
others arms hugged
the nearest person. Tess.
Tess screamed
and hugging Liz
jumped up and
down until Isabel
joined in. The boys
who hadn't yet
snapped out it
watched as the
newly engaged couple
kiss surrounded by
their girlfriends dancing
around in excitement
before pulling Maria
out of Michael's arms and
hugging the both
of them.
End part
seven.
Part Eight
2008
Zarian Headquarters.
Command Room
"You idiots. Can't you do anything
right? Eight years and
every plan you
have come up
with has failed. These are kids. They know
nothing. How can they
possibly win?" he yelled. They knew better than
to respond.
"You,"
he pointed to his second
in command, "Eight years
of screw ups. First
that stupid plan. Tell
them their destiny. Messing with their mother's
hologram sure didn't
help divide them
much. Telling Michael he
was the 2nd
in command and
Max he was the leader
was suppose to
create friction. You assured
me that it
would. They were supposed
to be too busy fighting
with each other
to get anything done. We all
saw how that
went." Nicholas kept
his face carefully
blank. You were not
supposed to show
regret or remorse. It
could prove fatal.
"And if
that plan wasn't
stupid enough," he now
pointed to another
commander, "Please can someone
explain to me
the disaster that
was the kidnapping. Four totally inexperienced teenagers - children - two of
them human," disgust was
evident in his
tone, "a girl at
that, managed to evade
capture and rescue
the other four, this
despite injuries. Not only
did you lose
MY prisoners, you also
didn't retrieve the
granolith. Plus the lot
of you managed to alert
them to our
presence. We haven't been
able to get
close enough to
them for six
years."
Kivar was
on a total rampage by
this point. His hand
shot out and a poor
unfortunate soul who
happened to be
in the way was shot
by a blast of energy
and disintegrated before
their eyes. He didn't
stop but moved
on to the next failure.
"To top
it all of, you idiots destroyed
their home base without
killing a single
one of the Rebel Leadership
and in the process lose
all track of
their current whereabouts. An entire intelligence agency, control over the most
powerful surveillance equipment
and you cant
find the littlest
trace of eight
tiny people and
their new base
of operations."
Kivar turned
around and all
the commanders bit
back a cringe, while they prepared
to duck if
another energy missile
shot their way. They waited but he
wasn't finished. "Let's not
forget the cream
of the crop, the Royal Four
and those damn
humans of theirs
are now leading
the Rebellion against
me. And somehow they
have managed to
take 30% of
MY land. Thirty percent.
and of course we can’t
be remiss in
forgetting to mention
how they have
prevented my empire
from spreading. Those puny
humans defended against
my armies, the most
powerful armies in
the galaxies."
The more
Kivar spoke the
more logical and
reasonable he sounded, the softer his voice
went, the more
controlled his actions
became , the more fear
his commanders felt. They
were not stupid
after all. They knew
that this was
all about Oregon. Everything so far was
just a lead up to
the humiliating and
complete loss that
had occurred in
Oregon.
Kivar faced
his commanders and
gave each one
a penetrating stare
before speaking again, his
voice so soft
they strained to
hear, "Would someone care
to explain what
it is that happened in
Oregon. You are aware
that my occupation
there was essential
to my plans."
No one
spoke. There was nothing
to say. No explanations. No justifications for a
loss that should
have never occurred.
The meeting
ran for another
20 minutes. The commanders
left severely chastised.
There were two results to
the meeting - the first
one was the
hatred felt by
the skins for
the Rebellion, the humans
and their leaders
had increased, and the
second was the
conclusion that whatever
it took, the Rebellion
was to stopped, all costs irrelevant. The Zarians were very
aware that the
Rebellion armies had
increased since the
beginning of Earth's
occupation, particularly
since the Oregon
loss. For the first
time the humans
had hope and
they were going
to do everything it took
to crush that.
It was
time for some
drastic action. The Zarians
needed to send
a message of
fear. Fear of reprisal, fear of fighting back, fear
to join the Rebellion. The Zarians had been
ruling with fear
for decades spanning
many galaxies. They didn't
know how else
to rule. They were
not accustomed to
feeling that same
fear for another
species, and as the
humans felt hope
for the first
time the skins
lost some of
that assurity that
winning the war
was a sure thing. For
over 50 years
they had chased
the Royal Four
to have a
complete victory on
Antar. They were the
one thing that
had kept hope
alive on that
faraway planet and
to have that
loss doubled with
losing a war
on earth was
not something they
wanted to watch
Kivar react to.
That was
the reason, the war
was just about
to be taken to a
whole new level. Being beaten by the
Royal Four and
the legend that surrounded
them was bad
enough but to
beaten by humans
was completely without
honor. It was time
to send a
message. One that would
leave no doubt
about who was
in charge.
End part 8
Part Nine
2008
Enemy Territory
10miles from
Roswell
The Desert
The girl breathed
heavily as she
ran. She stumbled and
almost fell but
caught herself in time. All
around , the desert
surrounded her , sand in
every direction, and
the darkness blocking
any and all
other shapes. Something fast
shot pass her. It
looked like a
laser light. She watched almost detached as the
lights flashed behind
and around her. When
one hit her
arm it was more of
and observation then
pain that flashed
through her brain. She
didn't have time
to feel it
right now. Her one
and only thought
was to get to
him, to get away
from this.
In the
near distance the
flashing lights lit
up the desert and she
spotted her car
parked slightly behind
some rocks. It gave
her renewed hope
that she just
might make it. A fresh
burst of strength, the last she had, allowed her to reach
the car. She gave
a small prayer
of thanks that
she left the
door open and
the keys in
the ignition. Every second
counted and was
crucial to her
getting away. Behind her
she could hear
the sound of
running feet and
shooting.
She started
the car. It fumbled
a bit. Her life
began to flash
before her eyes
and tears ran
silently down her
face. Today was not
a good day to die. She wasn't
going to give
up, not without seeing
him and giving
him his heritage.
Another prayer passed
through her lips
and a thank you was
given fervently when
the sound of
the ignition was
heard in the
night.
The girl reversed with