| Chapter 45 Michael looked at the two agents, seeing the smiles on their faces. He knew they were happy to get some information, but he wasn't sure just how much he could help them. He took a deep breath, knowing they were waiting for him to tell them the story. "Now, this has been quite a while, so I may not remember everything," he said. "Any information you can give us is appreciated," Tamara said. Michael nodded, scratching his head, "It seems like it was in the winter when we got the call." "What call?" Tom asked. "A transmission from Celeste," he answered, "The woman was frantic and needing a place to claim asylum." "Woman? Can you remember anything about her?" Tamara asked. Michael shook his head, "Not really, no." Tamara was disappointed, but nodded for him to continue. "Well, anyway, she told us that her son was in danger, and she needed to get him off the planet. We agreed to harbor them until we could find out what was going on. She arrived a few weeks later with the child," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What was the reason the child was in danger?" Tom asked. "She told us that since the child was different, that he was to be killed. That the king declared him unfit to live, which always baffled me," he said. "Why?" both agents asked. Michael looked at them, "Because I had been in meetings with the king before. He was young, but was one of the most fair, tolerant, understanding men I've ever met. Everything the woman told us was the opposite of how I perceived him." Tom and Tamara glanced at each other, intrigued. "The woman also said that the child was a member of the royal family. Something like the king's nephew.... I think. It's been so long ago," Michael went on. "What happened after she got here?" Tom asked. "Well, we put her and the boy into hiding. It wasn't long after she arrived that a Celestian ship arrived, unauthorized. We quickly found out it was a search party, and moved the woman and child into the general population," he answered. "Did you have contact with the search party?" Tamara asked. Michael sighed, "Yes, that's how I got the limp." "They attacked you?" Tom asked, surprised. He laughed, "Well, I think the fight was mutual. They asked where the child was. We told them we didn't know anything about it. They called us liars, we called them a few choice words, then the guns and lasers started going off." "So, were you ever able to confirm the woman's story?" Tamara asked. Michael shook his head, "Not really. We learned of the prophecy, and that the child fit the description. We just assumed what she said was true from that. Plus, we were getting gifts from them now. Things our government was years away from developing on our own. So the higher ups swept everything under the proverbial rug and let it go. As far as we where concerned, we'd never heard of Frederick DeGrafe the fifth." "You don't sound to happy about that," Tom noted. "I wasn't. Something always struck me as being off about the whole thing. And when the queen herself inquired about the child, I knew what we'd done was the wrong thing. But it was to late to do anything. If I had spoken up, I would've been killed. I'm not sure I still won't be after talking to you. But the look on the queens face..... I remember it like it was yesterday," he said, sighing into his coffee. "So it was the queen that was looking for him?" Tamara asked. Michael nodded, "Yeah, at first it was the queen. Then a few years later, the king started asking about it. The government always knew where the kid was, but they wouldn't give him up. They had grown accustomed to getting things from the Celestians. It was easier to hide the child and demand this or that, than it was to just give him back and figure out the stuff on our own." "So we did hold him hostage," Tom muttered. Michael nodded, "That's exactly what we did." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marie stood in the infirmary, looking over some test results from one of the guards children. The child had a particularly bad case of the kictchnue whelps. The poor thing was covered in blue whelps from head to toe. The doctor walked over, and she handed him the chart. He scanned the tests, "I heard of your wedding plans. Congratulations." Marie smiled, "Thank you. I can't wait." The doctor smiled at her, writing his orders in the chart. "He seems to be a very nice young man," he commented. Marie took the chart from him, "He's wonderful. I couldn't ask for anyone better." "Good. I trust you'll still be working for me then, or will you leave for earth?" he asked. She shook her head, "I honestly don't know. We've made no permanent plans." "Well, you always have a place here, Marie," the doctor said. Marie bit her lip, feeling a little lightheaded. She took a deep breath and grabbed onto the table in front of her. The doctor looked at her, seeing the color drain from her face, "Marie, are you alright?" She nodded, taking a deep breath as the feeling passed, "I'm fine, just a little lightheaded for a moment. I think it's all the excitement over the wedding," she smiled. The man considered her for a moment, "Have you felt this way before?" She shrugged, "I don't think so, why?" "Just curious. If it happens again, I want to check you out, alright?" he said, sounding very much like her father would. She laughed and nodded, knowing that saying no was a lost cause. He patted her on the shoulder, "Alright, I'm going on rounds," he said, turning and walking out of the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick sighed as Tunk and Kelah argued. He looked at Anthony. The young man shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to do. Nick looked back as the two men's voices rose. "How dare you even suggest a third split!" Kelah yelled, pointing his stubby finger at the other man, "That is an insult to my entire race!" "A third split is more than generous, especially since my planet is having to furnish all the machinery," Tunk countered. "But my people are the ones risking their lives. I don't see your kind coming down and doing the manual labor," Kelah spat. Tunk stood up, glaring at the man, "Are you insinuating that my people don't work?!" Kelah stood up, "If the shoe fits....." "Gentlemen!" Nick yelled, causing them both to jump and look at him. Nick stood up so he was on their level, "Must I remind you of where you are? Did you or did you not come here to reach some sort of agreement?" Tunk and Kelah glared at one another for a second, then turned back to Nick, nodding. Nick shook his head, stepping away from the table and pacing around the room, "Well neither of you act like it. Every time we come up with some kind of compromise, one or both of you shoot it down without even giving it a thought. I'm tired of this petty arguing back and forth. If you aren't willing to compromise, then you might as well leave now!" he yelled, stopping and staring right at them. Mason looked from Nick to the Ambassadors. He was impressed at how forceful Nick could be when he wanted to. He watched as both the ambassadors fidgeted under Nick's glare. "Now, I suggest you two think about why you're really here. Do you want to avoid a war? Or are you just wasting my time?" Nick said, walking back to the table, "And here's another thought to consider. Your two planets are not the only ones wanting these mines. If you don't reach a settlement soon, you may not have anything to fight over. We will resume in the morning, good day gentlemen," Nick said, turning and leaving the room. Everyone stared at one another, baffled and impressed. And in some cases in fear. Mason smiled to himself, gathering his things as the room emptied. Nick was becoming more intriguing to him. He looked up, seeing the room empty, save him and Kelah, who was staring at him angrily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mr. Sussing..." Tom started. Michael held his hand up, "Michael please." Tom smiled, "Michael, you mentioned the prophecy. Do you know anything about it?" Michael stood up and hobbled over to his kitchen counter, pouring himself another cup of coffee. He offered the two a refill, then sat back down. "I'm not sure I remember it all. Something bout an Angel that was perfect. That didn't look like the rest. He would become king.... and it seems he would be instrumental in saving the planet somehow. I really don't recall all the details," he said. "Well he is already the king, so if the prophecy is true ..." Tamara mumbled. "Then Nick may need some help," Tom finished. Michael tapped his mug, wracking his brain for the rest of the prophecy. "I'm sorry guys, there's more to it, but I can't remember it," he said. "That's alright, you've been a great help," Tom said. Michael shrugged, "I don't know about that, but if I think of it, I'll let you know." "Thank you," Tamara said, standing to leave. The two walked toward the door, when Tom turned back around, "Oh one more thing. You wouldn't happen to know about a drug we ship to Celeste called Krystal would you?" Michael stared at him for a moment, "Krystal? I don't think so. I do know that early on we were working on some drugs that would affect them. The government wanted a form of protection I guess you would say. We knew that we couldn't win in a war with them, but if we had something they couldn't live without, and could only get here ... well it assured us a little bit of safety." "What were they wanting the drug to do?" Tamara asked. "I'm not for sure, but I think they were working on mind control at that time. I'm not sure what the actual drug became, or it's affects," Michael said. Tom nodded, opening the door, "Thank you." Michael smiled, "I hope it helps. You two be careful. They have spies everywhere." Tamara glanced at Tom, then smiled, "We will." Michael watched from the door as the two got in their car and left. When they turned onto the road he shut the door and looked down at the little dog at his feet. "Well Frank, I think you and I better take a little trip. No since staying here and waiting for them to come and find us," he said, heading to his room to pack. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mason shook his head, turning to leave the room. "I thought you said he would be easy to manipulate," Kelah spat, following him. Mason glared at the man, "I underestimated him. He's not exactly what I thought he was." "Well..." Kelah asked. Mason stopped walking and looked down at him, "Just wait. I'm working on something that will assure you the mines, but I need a little more time." "I'm not sure how much longer I can stall. You heard him, he's willing to let us fight it out than to listen to us argue," Kelah said. "He won't do that," Mason countered. "And how do you know? You said yourself you underestimated him," he asked. Mason sighed, "Because it's not the right thing to do. Just trust me. Soon we'll have him wrapped around our fingers." "You better be right. I've got to much riding on this to fail," Kelah warned. Mason nodded, "I understand." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick ran his hand through his hair, looking at the mountains in the distance. He had gone to his room and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He was still angry that the two ambassadors couldn't seem to find a middle ground. He was worried too. He knew what would happen if he couldn't get them to compromise. His dreams were filled with the gruesome reality he was facing. He couldn't let Celeste be pulled into a war, he wouldn't. He left his room, wondering the halls. He needed to think. Maybe there was something he was missing? Some ingenious idea that would be beneficial to both the ambassadors. He turned the corner and slammed into someone, knocking them both to the ground. He looked up, seeing Ana rubbing her arm. "Oh shit, Ana, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going, "he exclaimed, quickly helping her up. She laughed, taking the papers he was picking up off the floor. "It's OK Nick, no harm done. You're not done with the.....?" she asked. He shook his head, "I wish. I got mad and dismissed them for the day. I just can't take the constant bickering back and forth." "I imagine," she said, as they continued down the hall. "Where you headed?" he asked. "Your mothers office. She's been keeping me quite busy," she said. Nick smiled, glancing around before he spoke, "She's probably trying to keep your mind off me." Ana laughed, "I'm sure she is. It's not working though," she said as they entered the office, "I miss you." Nick closed the door, walking over to her, "I miss you too." The two stared at each other for a moment before their lips crashed into one anothers. Nick ran his hands up Ana's back, tangling them in her hair, causing her to moan. Ana pulled Nick closer, their bodies pressed together tightly. After a moment, they had to come up for air. She shook her head, moving away from him, "We'll get caught here." Nick took a deep breath, nodding, "I know, I just ..." "I know," she said, taking his hand and smiling at him, "I know." He smiled at her, pulling her toward the door, "Why don't we take a walk in the garden?" Ana smiled, "Alright." The two headed down the hall, walking close, but not touching. They turned a corner, seeing Marie coming their way. Ana looked at her, seeing how pale she looked, "Hey, you alright?" Marie bit her lip, staring at her friend, "I'm not feeling well." Nick glanced at Ana, seeing her concern, and feeling his own. Marie was shaking slightly. He took her by the arm, "Come on, we'll make sure you get to your room." Marie smiled at him, "I'm sure I'm fine. Just stress or something." Ana started to say something to her, but didn't get the chance. Marie collapsed in Nick's arms. He caught her, hoisting her up and heading back to medical. "I'll go get Brian," Ana said, turning and running down the hall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian paced back and forth as the doctor examined Marie. He had kicked everyone out of the room except Ana, and Brian was going nuts with worry. He stopped pacing and looked through the window into the room. Marie was sitting up talking with the doctor. She looked fine now. Nick put his hand on Brian's shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine." Brian nodded, chewing on another fingernail. Kevin reached over and pulled his hand from his mouth, "Stop that." "Sorry," Brian muttered, stepping back as the doctor came to the door and motioned for them to come inside. Brian made his way to the side of the bed and pulled Marie into a hug, "Is everything OK?" he asked. She nodded, smiling at him. He looked at her, seeing tears in her eyes. "Your crying. What's wrong?" he asked, looking from her to the doctor. The doctor smiled at him, but didn't say anything. "Baby what's going on?" he asked. "Brian, I'm fine," she said, ignoring the other people in the room. "But you passed out... something's wrong," he said. Marie shook her head, "Nothings wrong. The reason I passed out is ...um that I'm pregnant." Howie and A.J. looked at one another, their mouths dropping wide open in surprise. Ana smiled at Nick and Kevin, seeing the joy on their faces as well. Brian blinked a few times, "You're pregnant?" Marie nodded. Brian stared at her, in shock, "Your pregnant." "Yes baby," she said laughing, "We're gonna have a baby." Brian looked at the guys and smiled, "I'm gonna be a daddy." "We heard cuz," Kevin said, "Congratulations!" Brian looked back at Maire, grinning, "We're gonna have a baby! I can't believe it!" "Well as much as you guys have sex, I'm shocked it wasn't sooner," A.J. laughed. Howie slapped him, "J! God!" "What? I'm just saying what you all where thinking, admit it," he said. Everyone laughed, looking back over at Brian. He was up pacing, chewing on a new fingernail. "Oh my God, I'm gonna be a daddy. There's so much we have to do ....." he muttered, turning to look at the group with panic in his face, "I'm not ..... I need to ......... we gotta........." he mumbled. Nick watched as Brian's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor. The guys hurried over and picked him up, laying him on the other bed in the room. Kevin laughed as the doctor tried to revive him. "What's so funny?" Ana asked. He looked at her trying to stifle his laughter, "I'm sorry. It's just that our family has this little um thing about finding out the wives are pregnant. Everyone in the family has passed out when they were told. I thought for a minute there that Bri was gonna make it," he said, bursting out laughing just as Brian woke up. He groaned, "I didn't." "You did," Kevin laughed. Brian laughed, "Well at least I didn't pass out in my mashed potatoes like dad." Chapter 46 |