Disclaimer:
These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and producers
of
Spoilers: After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening
where Max is successfully rescued, and Michael was the one who broke up with
Maria.
Pairings: You’ll have to wait and see!
Pronunciation
Guide: Tir Lamar (Tier Lamb – MAR)
Kelsar
(Ke - SAR)
Dermot
(DER – mot)
kashkar (cash
– KAR)
Author’s notes: Queen Fadilia
Kedar: Max/Isabel’s mother
King
Alaric Kedar: Max/Isabel’s father
Andaria: Tess’ mother
Radim:
Tess’ father
Kedrans: race from which Royal Four descended
Iturians: race from which Khivar descended, and
overthrew and killed Zan and the Kedrans
Cerideans: special core ops of the Iturian army, mostly
psyonics and telepaths
Kaptar’s
Jewel: constellation in the
Antarian’s star system
Yun’s
Garment: Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights
Saren Dari: desert plain on
Antar
dashka : good luck charm
elkarl :
Iturian hand weapon
capaechea:
long
haired woolly creature, with long flanks and a large hump on its back
kii: location where
various endangered animals are kept for protection
Mount
Freiweils: location of Loyalist secret base
Tir Lamar: sister city to Eshtari
kashkar: slur, equivalent to witch
Chapter Sixty One
***
Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and
to go out before us and fight our battles.
-
1 Sam. 8:20
***
"And
nothing will separate us," Andaria whispered, as her long slender fingers
caressed Ava's fine, blonde hair.
"Promise,"
7-year old Tess/Ava asked, looking up expectantly. "Daddy's always going away; you promise you won't?"
The
perfectly shaped ruby lips smiled, revealing a sparkling glint of white. "You are my beautiful girl...how could
I possibly leave you?"
Tess/Ava
felt reassured. Suddenly she felt the
soft caress of her mother's fingers against her waist, squeezing gently, and
causing a loud shriek of delight and surprise.
"Don't tickle me!"
Andaria's
expression was feigned shock. "Is
my little Aziza ticklish?" She
moved in closer and continued to ravage her side and knees, with her gentle
touch.
"Ahhh!" Tess/Ava cried out in laughter, squirming in
an attempt to escape.
"Pleaaaase!" she gasped, as tears ran down her cheeks.
Her mother's
laughter echoed melodiously in her ear, as she felt her lips kiss her
cheek. "I love you, my
child."
~ * ~
"Mother?" Tess sat up, her chest pounding and her
breathing shallow; sweat dripped from her brow. She spun around, trying to re-orientate herself to her
surroundings. Where am I?
"Your
Highness," a robotic voice beckoned.
Tess
jerked her head around to see over her shoulder, a young man kneeling close
by. She blinked several times, trying
to regulate her breathing and figure out what was happening...what had
happened.
"We
must be on our way. Commander Guerin
has already located Project Pilan; he's now trying to locate your son."
The words
swirled around in her head as the image of her mother filled her mind. It was so disorientating. What happened to her mother? Tess closed her eyes, rubbing her temples
and tried to focus on the past couple of hours. She had been searching for Zander and then...
The image
of a long slender table being rolled away, draped by a long black cloth flashed
before her eyes.
Dead.
Suddenly
the overwhelming urge to throw up came over.
She turned away from Yasu and gagged.
"Please tell me it isn't true," she gasped. "She's not dead." Her voice was breathy, as if she was
hyperventilating.
"Your
Highness." The tone was
commanding and exasperated. "We must
accomplish our task. I do not know if
that was your mother; but it seems by your physical and mental reaction, you
must have sensed something underneath that cloth." He paused, as if in consideration to the
possible loss. "But we do not
have the luxury of a mourning period.
Every minute we linger here in this shallow corridor jeopardizes our
entire mission, and the secondary mission."
Tess
pursed her lips, wiping the moist perspiration from her forehead. Her emotions were wreaking havoc to her
system. She felt like she wanted to
just curl up in a ball and die.
But she
couldn't. Zander needed her.
After
taking a slow, deep breath, Tess turned to her logical and emotionally detached
partner. "You are right," she
said matter-of-factly. "I'm
sorry."
The
officer shook his head and sighed.
"There is no reason to apologize.
You have good reason for your emotional state; but we must move. Several soldiers have been passing through
this area of the complex and I've heard whisperings of intruders."
"Have
they discovered Michael and the other officers?" Tess asked
worriedly. The task at hand re-focused
her attentions.
"I
do not believe so. But it is only a
matter of time," he lamented.
"We must locate Zander now if we are to escape with the heir of
Antar."
Tess
nodded. "Where do we start?"
Just
then, a several guards and architects strode by.
"General
Garrick and Commander Nicholas have come to blows."
"Who
would you put your mesnyas on?"
As the
voices faded, Tess peered around the corner as soon as she was sure that
Khivar's men passed. "I think
we've received the best opportunity to search for Zander yet," she
whispered, checking the corridor for any signs of oncoming traffic. "Try to reach Mich...Commander Guerin
and I'll try to see if I can reach Zander."
Tess
carefully ran along the corridor wall, with Yasu close behind, and tried to
reach out to her son, hoping he was conscious.
As she peered into the insecure darkness, a sudden panic overwhelmed
her; she could feel herself captured in a struggle, desperate fingers clawing
at her mind, like someone was drowning.
Help.
~~~
"Did
you download the specs?" Michael glanced
over his shoulder at Quirinius, whose concentration was immersed in the narrow
pillar that was glowing blood red, while keeping an eye on the entrance to the
Com Room.
"Say,
Commander Guerin," Hani grinned happily, with a pup-like expectancy. "Do you think we'll receive our first
real assignment to a battalion after this?"
Michael
continued to watch the door nervously, while Hani seemed to continue to
babble. "Que," he barked,
shortening the long name of his subordinate.
"Let's get a move on. I
think company's coming!" He
glanced at Hani, whose expression seemed to pale at the warning.
"Got
it!" Quirinius exclaimed, snapping the small pocket data system
closed.
Michael motioned
Hani against the wall, as he frantically gestured for Quirinius to join them,
while the sudden impending footsteps approached the private room. His heart raced, pounding against his chest;
he had to be prepared for anything.
"There
seemed to be unusual activity in the Com Centre," a low, raspy voice
said. "General Garrick told me to
check security."
As the
high pitched beep of the security code being accepted into the system chimed,
Michael's muscles tensed, as he readied the rail thin baton in his hand. The swish of the metal doors alerted Michael
to the entrance of the unexpected strangers.
His breathing became shallow, as he tried to keep their presence unknown
as long as possible.
Two men
garbed in black robes entered into the room.
They had no rank insignia, and did not seem aware of him, Hani, or
Quirinius. Michael thought there might
be a chance to sneak out, without being noticed - without confrontation.
As he
gestured for his men to follow him, as the two men walked passed them,
oblivious to the intruders, he pressed the release for the door. Just as Michael turned to make a quick exit,
the two officers had heard the airlock release on the door.
"Hey!"
one of the soldiers shouted.
"Halt."
Both
looked startled and upset. They seemed
to fumble around with their weapons, mumbling instructions to each other.
Michael
pounced on the 'green', unsuspecting officers; drawing his foot-long baton, he
pressed the release button on his weapon of choice. The once, short baton, extended itself into a longstaff. He knocked both of the plasma weapons the
officers had drawn on him, Hani, and Quirinius. Hani and Quirinius seemed almost as unprepared as Khivar's men,
when Michael finally barked instructions to his inexperienced team. "Lockdown the room, until we can
dispatch of these two."
The two
Iturians backed up, raising their hands in surrender. Michael motioned for the officers to drop the rest of their
weapons, as he kept an eye on their enemies.
Hani and Quirinius approached the nervous soldiers and moved to bind
them with the shackles the gaping men had thrown on the floor.
Quirinius
had firmly secured his man, when suddenly Hani, was knocked down by the officer
he was shackling; Michael moved to intercept, but before he was able to detain
the Antarian, the officer had maneuvered enough distance between them to send
out a distress call on his radio.
"Intruders
in Section 25. Emergency. Requesting backup!"
Michael
let out a loud sigh. "I wish you
hadn't done that." With that, he
expelled an energy blast, rendering him unconscious.
"Ladies,"
he looked at Hani and Quirinius, "that's our cue to leave,
boys." Skipping around the
unconscious guard, he grabbed the stray weapons and headed towards the open
door.
The two
Kedrans looked at Michael quizzically, pausing for a second, before following
him.
Sirens
were sounding in the northwest wing of the secret base. Michael pulled Quirinius up along side him,
as they ran cautiously through the corridors.
"You need to pull out the specs of the base and tell me where we're
going!"
The quiet
Kedran youth pulled the small computer from his pocket and began randomly
pressing buttons on the grey machine.
It was the only thing that could get them out of this sticky situation. "Where are we going?" Quirinius
said breathily.
"Get
me to Project Pilan. We're not leaving
without it." Michael peered around
the sharp corner of the hallway for approaching guards. He glanced back at Hani and Quirinius,
motioning them to follow. "Hani,
you know how to get back to the shuttle bay?"
The
excited youth nodded. "Yes,
sir!" he whispered. "What are
your orders?"
"Que
and I will find 'Pilan' and you prepare for a quick escape. Get the ship ready for take off."
"But,
won't you need..." Hani looked disappointed.
"Do
as I order," Michael barked. His
patience was thin; he could not waste time reassuring him of the importance of
the task.
"Commander,
'Pilan' is being held in Section L21.
It's two levels up and in the northeast end of the base."
Michael
acknowledged Que's directions. He gazed
down at Hani, who stared up expectantly at his leader, his fair complexion
seemingly untouched by the elements creased by an expression of hope that he
had perhaps changed his mind. "If
we are not at the shuttle in 10 minutes, take off; we'll meet you behind the
first dune outside the base - 25° longitude, 30° latitude."
Michael waited for the strawberry-colored mop to nod in understanding.
"Yes
sir." Hani raised his right hand in
salute. "May the Unseen grant you
success."
Michael
nodded. He looked sternly at the young
soldier, turn around and head towards the nearest ventilation shaft. "Just don't get caught," he warned
gruffly.
Hani
turned and smiled, and then returned to the task at hand.
"Commander?"
Michael
turned his attention to his remaining subordinate. "All right. We've
got a short amount of time to get up two levels," he explained. "Let's try and do this without getting
caught."
~~~
Fadilia monitored
the status of their multiple armies' defenses.
At this point, they were engaged in battle on several different
fronts. And the latest movement against
the Loyalist contingent had Khivar sending his army on a blood mission. He had already decimated a small village of
Kedrans, on the outskirts of Tir Lamar, sister city to Eshtari.
General
Steren had reluctantly sent out a host of 40 inexperienced troops from Mount
Freiweils, along with Captains Kelsar and Dermot. Tir Lamar had managed reinforcements, but the bulk of the
Loyalist defense of its' villages and towns came from Mount Freiweils. Since Khivar had gone on the offensive
strike, their most experienced and trained soldiers had become bogged down in
the major lines of defense, as Khivar's men seemed to unconsciously draw nearer
to their mountain base. What was
disconcerting was the fact that they were already spreading themselves thin;
but Fadilia refused to allow the idea that those subjects who were situated in
a smaller community should be left to fend for themselves.
"Your
Highness," Emine called quietly from the corridor shadows. "General Jakar is in the Conference
room."
Fadilia
tilted her head to the side curiously. What
could have possibly prompted Jakar's return?
The Annex
had agreed to remain com silent during this tumultuous time. The members had heard of Khivar's
pre-emptive strikes against any Loyalist uprising, which had made them all the
more uneasy at the thought of being caught speaking with any Loyalist contingent,
especially Fadilia. "Tell him I
will come."
~ * ~
"Your
Highness," Jakar breathed, as he fell to one knee.
"It
is good to see you again, General," Fadilia smiled tentatively. She motioned for him to rise. "What is it that brings you here when
the journey is so perilous?" She
gestured for him to be seated at the large oval table.
His usual
strong, chiseled features revealed signs of unease and weariness, as he stiffly
pulled out the nearest chair and sat down.
He cleared his throat and seemed hesitant to speak. "Queen Fadilia, we have been monitoring
Khivar’s advances against your hidden base - will your forces hold?"
Fadilia
furrowed her brow at the unexpected show of concern. "It is kind of you to hold such concern, but is this truly the
reason for your visit?" She
studied the worry- creased face that spoke a tale of the many battles he had
seen and fought. The clouded windows of
azure flashed a glimpse of the truth that he held close to him. Her eyes remained intent on their subject of
scrutiny.
"Don't
use your powers, Queen Fadilia."
His voice lowered and its' tone held an edge of resentment. "Munans may not be able to read minds,
but we do resent those who would impose such powers."
Fadilia
steeled her gaze and smiled wryly.
"I understand your request." She paused a moment, shifting her weight and shaking her
head. "And no, I would not
intrude so haplessly, on one whom Antarians regard at such a time, as an
ally."
Jakar
seemed to relax at her unspoken promise.
His face, which naturally portrayed a serious expression, darkened and
was even more grave than usual.
"There have been reports from Earth...about Zan and Vilandra."
At the
mention of her son, Fadilia felt her heart skip a beat. She clasped her now, trembling hands
together and gestured with a nod for Jakar to continue. She had been longing for any slip of
information from their intelligence officers, but they had been unable to send
a probe into the system since Khivar's onslaught had begun.
"From
what our solar feeds have reported, a sporadic, large, but contained sequence
of energy bursts have emanated from the barren region of the planet's
surface." General Jakar leaned
forward, resting his elbows on his knees, while his clasped hand rested thoughtfully
against his lips. "We have long
suspected Khivar of sending a search team for your son and daughter and
now..."
Fadilia
swallowed hard at the sudden pause of information. Her thoughts turned to the visions Michael had been
receiving. He had suspected or felt
her daughter's danger approaching, or even witnessed it. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could
and tried to recall what he had spoken of...
"Your
Highness?"
Fadilia
jerked her head up to see Jakar's concerned gaze staring back at her. "Yes." She sounded breathless.
"I," she shook her head demurely, "apologize. Please continue."
General
Jakar seemed to debate whether her request was wise.
"Please."
The
General nodded reluctantly. "When
we looked into the matter closely, an unexpected feedback from another energy
source - causing our solar probe to be knocked offline - was registered."
"What
does that mean?"
"It
means," he said slowly, lowering his gaze, as if unable to look her in the
eye. "That we are temporarily blind
and have lost any link to G72-03."
Fadilia
bit the inside of her cheek and worriedly imagined what could possibly be
happening to her son and daughter. She
looked up at Jakar and frowned.
"Do we know if Khivar did, indeed, send a contingent to Earth?"
Jakar
looked at her grimly. "Two days
prior to our rescue of Commander Rath and Queen Ava, there was a hidden portal
opened from the palatial grounds..."
He let out a frustrated sigh.
"It is highly probable that Zan and Vilandra are currently under attack
with the recent information we received, and that they are outnumbered. If not..."
Fadilia's
eyes flashed ebony. "Don't." Her tone was menacing. Her whole body was trembling, not in fear,
but in fury.
Khivar
had threatened her children for the last time.
Fadilia
mentally called to Emine, who had remained close, just outside the entrance of
the room. When the dark-haired child
silently appeared before her, Fadilia gazed resolutely at her handmaiden. "Get General Steren."
~~~
Max was
startled. It described the moment
perfectly. Rushing through the chaos
with this parents lagging behind him, all he could think of was 'safety'. He needed to get them to safety.
So when
out of nowhere, Max felt a strong hand pull him down, he prepared himself to
kill whoever it was, because it was 'kill or be killed'.
As he
prepared himself, Max heard a high shrill voice screech from behind him, as he
raised his hand to send an energy blast toward his pursuer.
"Max!"
Startled.
Max spun
around to see Liz standing with her fingers entangled within her hair - a look
of terror on her face. He followed her
gaze, which led him to Kyle, whose hand it had been that dragged him down into
a dark hidden crevice. With a jerk of
his arm, Max pulled his hand away from Kyle's face, which would have received
the full impact of his blast.
"Kyle! God, what are you
doing here?"
Kyle
stood unmoved. His expression was one
of shock and fear.
"Thank
God you're all right!" Mrs. Evans
cried, grabbing Maria and embracing her.
"If we had left you behind, I don't know..."
"We
found them and got them out as fast as we could," Jesse explained to Max
and the Evans. He turned to the
Evans. "I'm sorry we left you; we
tried to find you, but..."
Mr. Evans
shook his head. "No. The aliens...guards...whatever they were,
had us close. There was no way you
could have gotten us out." He
grabbed Jesse's hand and pulled him into a grateful embrace. "You would have been captured
too."
Max
watched the sudden reunion. It was
unexpected to say the least. "You
were supposed to take her back to Roswell!" He glared angrily at Jesse.
It was
his first reaction.
"Max,
try and understand," Liz pleaded.
"I'm linked to you...to all of this!" She gestured toward the commotion out in the
darkened desert plain.
"I
needed to be here. I..."
"All
of this..." Mrs. Evans repeated after Liz. She frowned. "What is
all of this?"
Max
turned to his mother, whose previously pale complexion was now flushed with
colour. She grabbed her husband's hand
down at her side and stared at Max, searchingly.
"I..." Max was not ready for this confrontation -
the explanation that was due them after so many years - it was all too much and
he had an army after him. He opened his
mouth to say something, but a loud thunderous crash shook the rocky crag, which
hung over their heads and several loose pieces of rock rained down on them.
"Max." His heart tightened in recognition of the
familiar, yet faint voice.
Max spun
around and peered out from the dusty hiding place. Isabel.
"Max,
don't go. Please!" Mrs. Evans grabbed his arm.
Max
looked back at the terrified group of people below him. "I have to go." He swallowed hard, taking in the images of each
of his family and friends' faces, as if etching them in his memory. "You have to get out of here. It's too dangerous for you to stay."
"Maxwell." His father's voice boomed in that familiar
commanding tone, which he had used to keep his young pre-adolescent self out of
trouble. "Listen to me."
Maxwell
turned to face his father, who had always seemed larger than life and always
there to protect him and Isabel, suddenly now diminished. He smiled warmly at him, as a trail of
memories flooded his mind. They had
been his world ever since the wandered out of this same desert. Now he had to return to it...but alone.
"I'm
sorry," he whispered. "I wish
I could explain..." He closed his
eyes, and regretfully climbed up towards the battlefield. "Go! Get out now." With
that, he had spoken the last words to those he loved.
~~~
The chaos
had subsided by the time she had climbed down from the ridge where she had made
her shocking entrance. When Isabel approached
the flat plain, Maxwell was nowhere to be found. She managed to catch her breath, stealing a moment to compose
herself. Isabel thanked God for getting
them to safety and asked for Him strength to face the army of men, who, though
smaller in number, had begun to regroup.
As Isabel
stepped out into the dark sands, with only the light of the full moon to light
her way, she could see a group of now 30 men, scouring the desert, for she
could only assume, her brother and parents.
She quickly disregarded the swarm of men; her main focus was to locate
the leader - the man she had heard the soldiers call 'The General'. Once Isabel found him, she would give it her
all to repay him for all he had done to her.
~~~
Rapidly
things had fallen apart right before his eyes.
Qunar had never seen anything like it.
Battle after battle, he had always managed to predict his adversary's
movement; and though this case was most unusual, the outcome had been
assured. Over 200 men he had brought
with him and now, as he surveyed the handful of men that remained, Qunar stood
in complete shock and humiliation. He
had never lost a battle. He had always
managed to outwit his enemy. But this
night...
He looked
up to see the pitch black canvas that had overtaken his army, now filled with
the sight of an overwhelming moon. Its'
pale rays rained down upon the battlefield, as if to declare victory over his
dark army of destruction.
Qunar
clenched his teeth and let out another primal scream of frustration. He raised his fist defiantly at the
perfectly formed celestial being and shook his head. No. This was not
it. As long as he still had breath in
this mortal host body, there would be a narrow pathway towards victory.
This
is not it. It wasn't over.
Qunar
spun around, is eyes darting around wildly in search for this pubescent hybrid
who was stealing his dream...Khivar's rightful pleasure of seeing Zan's death
for the second and final time - never to rise again. He was going to bring his king the honor and glory due him, by
bringing him Zan's head on a stake.
Oh it
was far from over.
As Qunar
focused on the task at hand, he felt a sudden throbbing between his
temples. The unexpected ache caused him
to stumble forward onto one knee. What
was wrong with him?
"Me." Isabel gazed down at the lecherous alien,
who has asked that silent, yet audible to her mind, question. "And that's just the beginning."
Qunar
smiled as he recognized the voice, in which the disdain was far from hidden,
speaking to his back. He licked his
lips as if savoring the confrontation that was about to occur. In the beginning, Qunar had been less than
appreciative of the revelation of his prisoner's escape; but he now had come to
realize how it had come to work in his favor.
In fact,
he couldn't have planned for a better act of retribution. After all, he had wanted Zan to
witness his own sister's slow, torturous death.
As he
rose, every muscle in Isabel's body instinctively tensed, and she furrowed her brow
in suspicion of her enemy. He was up
to something.
"Vilandra,
child, you have no idea what you have come up against," Qunar chided, as a
father would his child. He turned
around and met her steely gaze.
"You and your family failed the first time at keeping the
throne, what makes you think you'll survive the second time around?"
She
looked weak; her breathing was laboured and her posture revealed the toll his
experiments had taken upon her body.
Qunar straightened his posture; his confidence bolstered once more.
Isabel
remained silent, absorbing every calculated insult, allowing it to fuel her
anger - her rage. She had managed to
draw off most of the troop towards the south end of the empty plain, allowing
her a one-on-one confrontation.
"Really
Vilandra," he clucked his tongue, "at least the first time you
had some concept of what was going on."
Qunar raised one eyebrow in feigned disbelief. "From what I've gathered you and your brother are rather
clueless when it comes to your past," he raised his hand to his lips, as
if speaking words for her ears only, "that you don't even want to
return to Antar."
"You're
wrong." The statement was strong,
sure and confident.
Isabel's
eyes glazed over as she felt the electrifying heat searing the palms of her
hands, as it urged her to be released.
"Then
why didn't you leave with the other half of the Royal 4,
hmmm?" Qunar inched closer; a slow
smile crept upon his face. "You
see, I think that living on this exile of a planet has softened
you...in fact, rumor has it that you don't quite recall your previous
life on our beloved planet."
Isabel
shifted her weight from side to side.
She had made progress over the past several days; but the General was
right. She still did not recall her
life as Vilandra. There were moments
where she received glimpses into her past, but not everything. And as much as she felt a new dedication and
duty to saving Antar from Khivar's hand, it felt like she was still
disconnected to that source which would fill everything in. Isabel knew she wasn't whole...not yet.
The long
pause gave Qunar a moment to read her emotional state...where her head was
at. In that one brief moment where
Vilandra had hesitated, he had seen a million thoughts flash before her eyes. Still uncertain...still human...
Good. It was working.
"I
can see why these humans might seem appealing to you." Qunar tilted his head to the side, subtly
testing the waters. "Your mate has
quite the attachment towards you, despite the revelation of your hybrid
genetics."
"You
disgust me."
Qunar
chuckled at her child-like insult.
"Is that all you have to say? I must say that I am disappointed in you
Vilandra." He was about to laugh at
the foolish child, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a sudden change
in her demeanor.
"Don't
speak that name again!" Isabel barked angrily.
Qunar
took a step back, startled at her surge of strength and confidence.
"Let
me inform you about a few things, General." Her voice dripped with syrupy sweetness, yet her tone was
curt. "I have been put through
hell by Khivar...and by your hand."
Qunar
furrowed his brow, not liking the turn this was taking. She approached without any limp or trace of
any weakness. He cursed the Royal Four
under his breath. Their resilience
brought unexpected complications.
"By
my calculations, you've tried to kidnap or kill the people whom I hold
dearest." Isabel slowly closed the
gap between her enemy and herself. She
could hear the soft crackling of energy that hummed within the closed palm of
her hands. "So," she
said darkly. "You'll forgive me
for asking you to kindly refrain from referring to me as anything. In fact, don't speak at all."
Qunar
narrowed his gaze at the disheveled, self-glorified, hybrid princess. She daned to give him orders? "Forgiven," he drawled, with a
smile plastered on his face.
"Perhaps we shouldn't talk at all." At a moment's thought, he aimed the elkarl, which he had hidden
at his side, and fired.
Isabel
was ready. She dodged the bright red
light that flew past her ear - the warm flush of her cheek revealing to her
just how close it had come to striking her.
Dropping to her knees, Isabel raised her arm in a sweeping arc and
released the white, crackling burst of energy from her body - first her right
hand, and then her left.
Qunar
jerked backwards, stumbling almost falling onto his backside, when the two
swift blasts of energy sped towards him.
He managed to avoid the first blast quite easily, as she was too eager
to kill him that her aim was off by a few inches; but he was unable to maneuver
around the second energy burst, and his neatly pressed uniform received the
brunt of its scorching fury.
Crouching
low, balancing on the balls of her feet, Isabel watched the General
tentatively, as she anticipated his next move.
Qunar
stood with his hand pressed against his shoulder. He looked down, in disgust, at his arm. Lifting his hand from his right shoulder, he examined where
Isabel's energy blast had made contact.
His eyes flashed ebony, as his finger slipped through the oval hole that
had been burnt into his uniform. Qunar
snapped his around, glaring down at 'the princess'. "That," he growled, “was a new uniform."
Isabel
rose to her feet as the tall blonde soldier began to circle around her - his
eyes never leaving her - as if he was scrutinizing his opponent's possible
strengths and weaknesses. Isabel backed
away a couple of feet, joining her enemy in the ceremonial ritual. "You are too confident
General. And you don't know your opponent
very well."
Qunar
kept his gaze fixed upon his moving target.
"You are weak, Vilandra.
You may put on a good front; but if I'm correct, from the bruises and
cuts on your tired body, it's just putting off the inevitable. "
"You
talk a good game, General..."
"Don't
even recall my proper name, do you?"
Qunar sneered. "And we were
such good friends, before you attempted to prevent your family's death."
Isabel
had had enough. She slowed her pace
until she came to a stop, confronting the General face to face. "I don't need to know your name to kill
you." Raising her hands she released
a large voltage of energy - larger than she'd ever seen before - aimed towards
'the General'.
Qunar
raised his hands and formed a crimson wall of magnetic energy in front of him
just as Vilandra's attack reached an inch from his face. Extending his arms out in front of him, he
removed the closing threat upon his mortal host and himself. The powerful force that continued to stream
from the tall, yet fragile being standing before him was intense and startling. Qunar had never seen Vilandra mount such an
extreme attack even when she did not have such a limited knowledge of her
powers.
Isabel's
hands were trembling as she continued the onslaught on her opponent. If she were to succeed, she would again kill
another living being. The thought made
her shudder.
Qunar
felt a shift of focus in her attack and used it to his advantage. He spun out of the linear stream of kinetic
energy and mounted his own attack. With
one swift motion, dropping to the ground, Qunar gained the advantage on his now
confused enemy. Lifting his hands above
his head, he sent out a short burst of plasma energy, which made contact with
his stunned opponent.
"Uhhhh." Isabel felt like someone had punched her in
the stomach, as she had the wind knocked out of her. Her left side began to sting and she smelled burnt flesh wafting
into her senses. Instinctively she
pressed her hand to her injured side.
The warm, wet sensation of open flesh began to ooze through her fingers.
Quickly
coming to her senses, Isabel spun around to face 'The General', whose hands
remained extended and ready for one final blow. Trying to gather her thoughts, Isabel saw images of Michael and
Max's faces flash before her. She shook
her head and gritted her teeth. It
wasn't over yet.
Forgetting
her pain and running on adrenaline, Isabel dropped her blood-stained hand from
her side and concentrated on Qunar's grim and focused face. He wouldn't suspect her mental attack before
it was too late. His focus was solely
on her outward, physical attack. She
hadn't assaulted anyone in this manner before, but right now it was her only
chance of living to attempt another physical attack.
Closing
her eyes she searched intently for the guarded mind of the age old
soldier. In the dark, empty void she
found a silent voice crying out, as if in pain and agony. Isabel followed that voice. And in the dreamscape that she formed within
the conscious alien/man, Isabel found herself in a locked room. Her eyes darted around for an exit, but the
only entrance/exit was locked.
"Please. Help me...what's happening?" a shrill
man's voice cried.
Isabel
turned around and found a 30-year old man cowering in the corner. "Who are you?" The man cringed as she approached him.
"Who
are you?" he lashed out.
"What's happening to me?"
Then
it dawned on Isabel...this was the human host.
She looked around in the dark, dank and quiet mental prison. "So this is what happens to
you..." Isabel whispered her
thoughts out loud.
"Just
get me out of here."
Isabel
looked at the man, full of pity. He
couldn't imagine what it was like for him.
All of the soldiers she had encountered were real human beings, with
lives and families. And some of them
would die in this forsaken desert tonight.
Suddenly
Isabel remembered what she was doing in the dreamscape in the first place. She turned to the human host and licked her
lips, trying to think of how to explain what she was about to do. Isabel let out a frantic sigh. "I'm sorry. This is going to hurt for a little while, but hopefully you won't
remember any of this in the end."
The
man looked up at her with confusion.
"What do you mea..."
Before
he could finish his thought, Isabel turned and opened the palm of her
hand. In it, there was a ball of white
light, about the size of a baseball, and she rolled it towards the locked
door. The psychic 'bomb' crackled as it
slowly rolled towards the door. Isabel
turned towards the human host and looked at him apologetically. "Protect yourself," she hissed. "This is going to hurt...a lot."
With
that, Isabel left the dreamscape.
Qunar was
about to finish Vilandra off when his motor skills suddenly began to
malfunction. He looked over at
Vilandra, who stood there unfazed at the knowledge of her imminent death; in
fact, her eyes were closed and she was completely frozen, as if in a
trance. Qunar frowned. What was going on?
He shook
his head. He didn't care. He had waited too long already. Now was his chance to mortally injure one of
the Royal Four and accomplish one quarter of his mission. Qunar raised his arm, slowly, as his temples
began to ache again and he could hear the frantic cry of his host's
consciousness, and prepared to maim his opponent in an effort to draw out his
other opponent, and stronger threat.
Isabel
awoke from her trance and found herself only moments from another devastating
blow at Qunar's hand. She looked down
at her side, which was drenched in blood; a small pool of blood had formed at
her feet. There was no way she could possibly
move quick enough to avoid his blast.
"Max." She closed her
eyes and accepted the fate sealed before her.
She had
done everything she could. The General
seemed unfazed by her psychic 'bomb'.
Qunar
focused all of his energy to mount another attack, when unexpectedly he felt a
sudden searing heat invade his senses.
His head was pounding and his ears began to ring mercilessly. "Aaaarrgh." Qunar dropped to his knees as the pain
overwhelmed him. "What have you
done?" he cried out savagely.
Isabel
opened her eyes in time to see Qunar drop to his knees, with his hands clasped
over his ears. His face was scrunched
up; the pain and agony he was in.
"You
witch," he gasped. Qunar opened
his eyes and stared up with wild, manic eyes.
They were pulsing, changing from the normal crystal blue eyes, to a
glistening ebony.
Isabel
had never seen such a sight. The muscle
under his right eye began to twitch, as he seemed to be struggling with
something internally, while endeavoring to rise to his feet. Isabel could only watch, as she was now
pressing both her hands against the flood that flowed from her unattended
wound. A sudden light-headedness began
to come over her and her vision began to blur.
Qunar
fought off the strong rise from the human host to extradite his consciousness
from the cellular body. With an
overwhelming surge of energy, which left him almost breathless, Qunar sent the
human consciousness back to its' prison; leaving him to deal with the weak,
simpering hybrid before him. He stood
in full Antarian regalia, as he towered over the disheveled and bloody
princess. Qunar knelt down beside
Vilandra and tipped her ashen face up, until her gaze was parallel to his. "You kashkar," he
hissed. "I was going to wait until
your brother could witness your slow death, but this is tiring and unamusing to
me." He pushed her down roughly,
wiping the fingers, which had held her obstinate chin, on his dusty trousers.
~ * ~
"Get
away from her." Max encountered
several soldiers while slowly making his way towards the two shadowy figures,
lit under the harvest moon, and quickly dispatched of them. He tried not to use fatal force, as he was
reminded that there were human hosts involved.
Qunar
spun around to see Zan staring smugly at him.
His race had always felt so superior to the Iturians.
How
sweet it would be to exact revenge.
"General,"
Captain Leisner called, running up alongside his commander. "We could not find..."
Qunar
glanced at the captain with disdain.
"No need," he growled.
"They've kindly surrendered." The corners of his lips slowly curled into a gleeful smirk. "Haven't you, Zan?"
"Don't
do it Max!" Isabel exclaimed weakly.
Max
glanced down at his sister, who, under the pale rays of the moon, seemed to be
seriously injured. The small dark pool
by her side seemed to be growing.
"Let her go," Max barked tersely.
"I
don't think you're in the position to be giving orders, do you?"
Qunar chided. He glanced down at
Vilandra, who had been drifting in and out of consciousness. With a nod, Qunar motioned Leisner to take
hold of the captive.
Max
clenched his fists as he watched the soldier to Qunar's left, drag a weak and
pale Isabel up to her feet. He took a
step forward her.
"I
wouldn't do that if I were you," Qunar warned. He glanced over at Vilandra once again. It appeared Zan would have the pleasure of seeing his sister
die. The thought brought a smile to
his face. Finally things were
working out as he had planned.
"You
and I will settle this alone." Max
glared at the man who appeared to be an incredibly insane Halloween
costume. He glanced over at Isabel,
whose expression was fearful and tired.
His proposition should have piqued the interest of the resolute
General. "A duel - winner gets
Isabel."
"So
reasonable," Qunar smirked.
"I've realized it happens when you feel that something is at
stake. He gestured for Captain Leisner
to step back and give them room for the battle that was about to erupt. This battle would be over in a matter of
minutes.
Max
rolled his shoulders back, loosening his tense muscles, and he watched Qunar do
the same thing. For his powers to flow
freely, Max knew that he needed to stay relaxed. He glared up towards the heavens and sent up a brief prayer.
Once Max
had mentally and physically prepared himself, as much as he dared, he clasped
his hands lightly together, rubbing them and feeling the hot, pulsing force
that poured from some deep unknown source.
Everything
depended on what happened at this very moment.
~~~
After
much protest, Kyle reluctantly watched Liz and Jesse escape from their
makeshift hiding place and scurry around the trail of bodies Max had left in
his wake.
"Take
the Evans' home," Liz had told him.
Kyle
groaned inwardly, as he felt Mr. and Mrs. Evans' anxious and grave expressions
bore into the back of his head.
Glancing one last time towards the lip of the crevice, where he had seen
Liz for what could have been the last time, Kyle let out an exasperated
sigh. There was nothing he could do
except take the Evans to safety - something Max had commanded him to do -
without Liz or Jesse. Silently he
rebuked himself for allowing Liz and Jesse to walk out without a struggle. Stupid.
Kyle looked
over at Mr. and Mrs. Evans and shook his head free of his own
preoccupation. It wasn't the time or
the place. "We have to get out of
here."
~~~
What
could he really do?
Jesse
followed Liz foolishly into the dangerously dark desert. His heart was racing as they stumbled
towards the small figures in the open desert.
There were possible killers littered across this area, and they had no
assurance that they wouldn't pop up at any second. At least Liz had powers...what was he going to do? Threaten them with a lawsuit?
Jesse
closed his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't get someone killed by this insane
stunt; or for that matter, himself.
~~~
Liz felt
Jesse's trembling hand on the small of her back, as she attempted to maneuver
around the several unconscious soldiers at their feet. Spreading her fingers out, Liz cautiously
sparked a tiny light, the size of a quarter, in an attempt to light the
way. Her powers had developed into
something more than just changing atoms and healing creatures - now she could
produce her own source of light. She
kept her new found powers quiet - unsure of how everyone would take it,
especially so, since it began after her attempt to heal Max.
Before
she could allow the light to assist her in traversing across the desert plain,
her foot caught against something hard and she fell flat on her stomach. It stunned her, but she was unhurt. Liz had braced herself with her hands, but
Jesse's unexpected weight atop of her knocked the wind out of her.
"Sorry,"
he whispered, struggling to get up. He
fumbled several times, causing her to grit her teeth in agitation.
Liz waved
off the stuttered apologies. She
produced the small light once more, shining it in front of her, curious as to
what had caused her to fall.
"Ahhh!" Liz jumped to
her feet; the grey, ashen face, which was inches from her own, filled her with
an intense wretching feeling. Its' eyes
were opened and rolled back into its' head.
Liz took
a few deep breaths, waving her hands frantically, as if stemming the flow of
tears and the overwhelming urge to throw up.
She tried to gather what remained of her composure, when she heard Jesse
beckoning her. "Something's
wrong," he said excitedly. His arm
waved frantically to the suddenly bright plain, where the trail of bodies
seemed to lay fallen, indicating Max's path towards Isabel and the battle.
The
immense harvest moon seemed to draw even closer from the infinite skies above,
as Liz nervously approached the tension-filled scene that was being played out
in front of them. The General and Max
were engrossed in each other, while Isabel and her guard seemed to watch
intently.
"We've
got to get Isabel, while they're distracted," Jesse exclaimed
fearfully. Liz held Jesse back as they
peered anxiously upon the battle of wills.
"Aren't we going to do anything?" His voice was shrill and angry.
"We
can't just jump in." As she looked
on, she had no clue why she felt such calm.
It was as if she knew this event must take place.
Jesse
kept pushing forward, as she had a hard time holding him back. Liz frowned; frustrated that he would not
listen to her. She glanced at him,
noticing his focus was directed elsewhere; following his gaze, Liz realized why
Jesse was so agitated. As they slowly
moved in closer, but remained hidden behind some wide boulders, Liz realized
that Isabel's clothes were drenched in blood.
Isabel's usually fair face was ashen, almost grey; and her full lips
were tinged purple.
Liz felt
another wave of nausea come over her. This
was bad. She felt her heart
pounding against her chest as she forced her gaze over where Max and the
'General' circle each other. Please
God...
It was up
to Max at this point.