Ana walked down the corridor, her boots clanking on the metal underneath her feet. She rounded the corner to see the doctor standing outside Nick's quarters. The door was open and several guards were placing him in bed. Ana watched as the guards carefully laid him down and covered him with the blankets. Each one had a look of awe on their faces, like they couldn't believe Nick was real. One of the guards tentatively reached out and touched Nick's hair. Ana cleared her throat and they snapped to attention. She smiled at them as she entered the room, "I understand your curiosity, but remember who he is. There are barriers you cannot cross," she said, glancing at the young solder. "Yes ma'am," they all said. "You are dismissed," she ordered, waiting for them to clear the room before she addressed the doctor. He could barely contain his excitement as he thumbed through the results of the tests they had run on Nick.
When the door hissed closed, she looked at him, "What did you find?" "I don't understand it. Medically it's not suppose to be possible, but he carries all the genes for our extra abilities," he beamed. Ana was shocked, "All of them?" The doctor nodded, "I ran the tests several times. Each time the result was the same. He isn't the imperfect one here, we are." Ana sat down at the small table, the doctor walking over and taking a seat across from her. "I know that I'm a doctor and should be above this, but, do you think the prophecy is true?" he asked. Ana shook her head, "I don't know, but it's starting to look that way."
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Kevin sat in a small waiting room of sorts. Brian, Howie and A.J. were seated next to him. They had left the hotel in the early morning hours and been driven to what looked like a remote abandoned military base. Looks can be deceiving. The base was alive with activity. People were running around like mad trying to get the ship ready for take off. The agents had told Henry that Nick had indeed been kidnaped and that they were taking the rest of the boys into hiding until they were able to get Nick back. Henry had somewhat freaked. He was worried about Nick, and then the reality of having to cancel the rest of their sold out tour set in. Kevin left him to it. He didn't offer any apologies, they had just left. Now they were awaiting their fate. It seems the �higher ups' didn't like the idea of the guys going. Tamara and Tom were pleading their case for them. Both agents knew the guys wouldn't accept no for an answer, and even if they were forbidden to go, that they would find a way around it.
All four looked up as Tom came into the room. "Well? Do we go?" Brian asked. Tom nodded, "Yes, but you have to sign waivers." "Waivers?" A.J. asked. "In case you get hurt or killed you won't sue the government," he answered. "We'll sign whatever we have to," Kevin said. "I thought you would. Listen guys, you aren't trained for this. Space travel isn't like getting on an airplane. It's hard on the body. You could get sick ... and then when we land there's always the possibility that you could get caught in the cross fire. This is going to be really dangerous," Tom warned. "We understand that, but we aren't letting them take Nicky without a fight. We have to at least try," Howie said. "Alright, someone will be in with the paperwork. And you will get a very quick briefing," Tom said. "Thanks," Kevin said, as Tom turned to leave the room. Tom just shook his head, leaving the guys to wait.
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Nick slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness of the room. After a moment his eyes adjusted and he looked around. He was laying in bed, in a large, very immaculate room. All the furniture was adorned with jewels. The table and chairs on the other side of the room looked to be some sort of wood, but it shown like the sun, polished to a high shine. He continued to scan the room. There was a sitting area, and what looked like the doors to a closet and bathroom. The bed he was in was the softest, most comfortable bed he thought he'd ever been in. The sheets felt like satin, but they were warm to the touch, as was the blanket. All were a deep purple color.
Nick sat up, groaning when he did. He felt like someone had drained him of all his energy. It hurt to move. His body wanted to lay back down and sleep some more, but he ignored it. When he sat up he noticed the emblem on the bed. It was the same raven from his mark. He looked down at his wrist. His mark was glowing brightly. He sighed, knowing he now saw the world through lavender eyes. He didn't like his appearance. He knew he would never be able to sneak anywhere, to try and get away. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
He looked across the room, noticing a large drapery on the wall. Again it held the same raven as his mark. Nick forced himself to get out of bed. He was happy to see he was still wearing his sweats and t-shirt. His sweat shirt lay neatly folded in one of the chairs close to the bed. His feet hit the carpet and sank into it. It too, felt like satin under his toes, and it was heated. He slowly stood up, not trusting his legs to hold him. After a moment he carefully walked across the room to the tapestry. He touched it. It felt like crushed velvet under his fingers. He grabbed a side and pulled it back, peering behind it. There was something there, but he really couldn't tell what it was. Looking up he saw the tapestry was on a rod. He took the edge in both hands and slid it back. His breath caught in his throat as he stared out the window.
"Oh my God," he muttered, trying to catch his breath. He stared out into the nothingness of space. He tried to find a pattern in the stars, something that he could recognize, but he couldn't. He was used to looking at the stars from earth, not from space. Everything looked different. He knew the ship had to be moving at great speeds, because the stars seemed to be moving slowly from one side of the window towards the other. Nick's heart was in his throat. How was he going to get back? Even if he found some way to escape, he could never get back to earth on his own. Slowly the reality started to sink in. He would never see earth, his family, the guys .... ever again. He was going to be tortured and then killed on some distant planet, alone.
His legs were shaking so badly that he just sat down where he was, right in front of the window. He couldn't take his eyes off it, even when he felt that sinking sensation in his stomach. He was scared to death, but there was no use in fighting whatever they decided to do to him. He had nowhere to run, no escape. So when the door hissed open, he didn't even glance back. He continued to cry, not even caring that someone else was witnessing him do so. "Nick, you should lay back down," Ana said, walking up to him but standing far enough away so she wouldn't seem threatening. "Why?" Nick asked, hugging his knees to his chest. Ana wasn't sure what he meant. Was he asking why he should be in bed, or why was he here at all? "Nick, I will explain everything to you, but right now you need to rest," she soothed.
Nick glanced up at her for the first time. Her appearance was different than it had been in the hotel room. Her hair was a light brown now, and her eyes were a crystal blue. She was wearing a sort of military like jump suit and boots. Her hair pulled back in a high pony tail. Nick's gaze fell on her mark. It was different than his. She stepped closer, holding her hand out, letting him get a better look. He stared at it for a moment, then held his wrist up next to it to compare. Ana smiled at his curiosity. She knew he was scared, but he also had an eagerness to learn about who he was.
Nick glanced from her wrist to his. Her mark didn't have the braided outline or the raven. It only bared the two suns, with their dazzling rays. He looked up at her, "Why are they different?" "Come, let's get you back in bed, then I will answer your questions," she urged. Nick got up and went back to the bed, crawling in and pulling the blanket over his legs as Ana propped several pillows behind him so he could sit up. Nick settled himself, then looked at her, waiting. Ana pulled one of the chairs over and sat down, "Our marks denote what place in society we are. I'm not of the royal family, so mine doesn't bare the family's crest." "Why do I feel so weak?" he asked. "We did some tests on you. The weakness is a side affect of the sedative and some of the tests," she answered. Nick looked scared again, "Tests?" Ana gave him a reassuring smile, "We needed to make sure you were healthy. That you weren't carrying some disease we have no immunity to. Also, we wanted to run some genetics tests on you. See why you are different than the rest of us."
Nick looked down at his hands. Suddenly he was ashamed of his appearance. He knew he must look like some freak to everyone. "So what now?" he asked. "What do you mean?" Ana questioned. He looked up at her, "Now that you've done your tests, what are you going to do with me?" Nick watched as the confusion on Ana's face turned to pity. "What did they tell you to make you so afraid of us?" she asked. Nick bit his lip, "That you would kill me after you found out why I'm like this." Now Ana looked shocked and angry, "We would never do such a thing. We've been searching for you for years, we would never hurt you." "You already have," Nick said under his breath. Ana watched the sadness return to his face, and tears well up in his eyes. She stood up, "I will let you rest now. We have much to discuss, your highness." Nick watched her head toward the door, "Why'd you call me that?" Ana passed her wrist over a sensor next to the door and it hissed open. She turned to face him, "You are our prince, and the only heir to the throne," she said, then moved, letting the door close between them.
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The guys sat inside their quarters. It was a small room, with only two sets of bunk beds, a small table and chairs, and a bathroom. They had been quickly briefed on the rules of the ship and were taken to their room. Brian unzipped his bag, pulling out a heavy sweat shirt and slipping it over the one he was already wearing. "I hope it's not gonna be this cold for the whole trip," he said. "Me too," A.J. said, pulling the blanket from his bunk around him. "Let's just be glad they agreed to let us come," Kevin said, noticing he could see his breath for an instant. "Yeah, they didn't have to," Howie said.
"I can't believe we are freakin going into outer space," A.J. said. Brian laughed nervously, "Yeah, who woulda thought?" They felt the ship move and the low hum of the engines increase. "Sounds like we're on our way," Kevin said. They sat silently for several minutes as the ship lifted off and presumably headed out of earths atmosphere. Howie looked at them all, a worried expression on his face, "What if we're to late?" "Don't D, please,"Brian begged, "We have to pray that we aren't." Kevin looked at his cousin, "Bri, you heard them. It'll take us twice as long to get there as it will them. It is a possibility." Brian shook his head, "I refuse to think that way. We're gonna get there in time, we just have to." Kevin, A.J. and Howie exchanged glances, hoping Brian was right.
Chapter 11