Molly nodded. “I’ll be fine,” she said, smiling. Her hair was wet with sweat, and she could barely stand on her own.
Joel glanced at her, and then at the view outside of the closing tailgate.
“Check out your handy work down there. That’s the northern hemisphere targets,” he remarked.
Molly walked around to the other side of the pod to catch the last glimpse of the view before the doors closed.
“Ours,” she said, glancing at Sean. “All of our handy work,” she added, smiling at Jack and Joel, too.
Joel bobbed his head, fiddling with an arm guard he’d just removed. “Mission complete, then,” he announced.
“Right lady,” Sean said turning back to Molly, “You promised you’d let me take you to the med bay, to let Emma check you out.”
Molly nodded weakly. “Okay. Let’s go,” she agreed.
Joel frowned, concerned.
Sean picked her up, and started carrying her in his arms. “Heyyyyyyy!” she protested.
Joel and Jack started laughing. Brock stood watching, shaking his head.
“Alphas,” he muttered under his breath, raising his eyes to the ceiling.
Jack nudged his arm playfully and smiled. “Yeah,” she agreed.
“Emma,” Joel called so that she could hear him. “Wanna let Crash know we’re all back, and ready to leave?”
“Sure thing, Joel. Telling him now,” Emma confirmed.
Planet Kurilia, Capital Building of the Zhyn Empire
The Emperor of the Zhyn Empire stepped from his private chambers into the main hall. His closest advisors were assembled, along with the man he had previously regarded as the protector of the Empire: The Lord High Marshall Shaa.
Shaa was in full military dress, surrounded by six of the Emperor’s personal guard. Shaa wore a look of indignation; a hint of defiance quietly coloring the edges of his eyes.
The Emperor made his way to his throne, and nodded to his subjects. Those at the ceremonial desks took this as their cue to be seated, and pulled up their holographic devices from the consoles.
The Emperor began. “Lord High Marshall Shaa, you have been brought before me to answer on counts of treason. We know about your covert activities to over-arm our planet, and I would like to hear what you have to say for yourself.”
Shaa was silent for a moment, but the Emperor had the presence to hold the space for an answer.
Finally Shaa responded.
“You think that by getting rid of me you will get rid of the problem? You have no idea how many in your service agree with my actions. We want the Zhyn Empire to be great again, and that is a desire that runs through our blood. We are many, and we are proud. We will not kneel before the Federation. You mark my words, Your Highness; this is not over. The Zhyn Empire will rise again.”
The Emperor considered the position of the man before him. He held his gaze from his elevated position on his throne. The traitor’s eyes remained dark and hostile. He was angry that he was misunderstood, and incensed by the notion that he had to go out on his own to acquire the power he wanted.
The consorts shifted awkwardly in their seats, curious as to how the Emperor might respond to such insults.
The guards remained motionless and emotionless, holding their prisoner between them – regardless of his politics, or the fact that he used to be their commander’s commander, before he was escorted into this room.
The Emperor breathed deeply, and allowed the glare to be broken. He stood from his throne and walked forward on his platform, causing a stir amongst those who observed the interaction. “I will not risk the lives of the Empire for your political gain. You chose power over honor; you have disgraced your Empire and your position.”
Shaa protested, his voice rising. “What I do, I do for the Zhyn Empire! You, My Lord, are making the Empire weak. You’re making us into the Federation’s pet! But we are a proud people – we will not be tamed. We will not be controlled. We will not yield to weak leadership.”
Though Shaa’s outburst elevated the tone of the conversation, the Emperor remained calm and unflustered.
“You will leave the Zhyn Empire, and live out your days in exile.”
He returned to his throne and sat down. “So it is,” he decreed.
The guards changed their formation, taking hold of Shaa so there was no means of escape, and led him back out of the chamber backwards, so he could not turn his back on The Emperor.
There were whispers and titters from the advisors and the consorts who sat watching the proceedings as witnesses to the interaction and exile.
Once the guards and prisoner were gone, the tall doors at the end of the room were closed, leaving the remaining company to resolve the issues they now faced.
The Emperor called upon his Justicar.
“Beno’or,” he called.
Beno’or stood up from behind a console, and stepped out onto the main floor in front of the platform. He bowed.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Please set up a call with the Federation. This cannot go unanswered.”
Beno’or bowed again, and backed away from the main floor space before turning and leaving the chamber.
Once his face was turned, he allowed his anxiety to show. The call he was about to set up could mean anything.
Was the Emperor going to apologize? Or demand retribution? Was this going to be worse than what Shaa had planned?
His stomach turned as the doors closed behind him, and he stepped out on the red carpet.
Chapter 21
Gaitune-67, Safe house, Molly’s Quarters
“So what did Emma say?” Joel asked casually as he lounged across the bed.
Molly pulled her lips down, nonchalantly. “That there’s nothing wrong with me,” she said. “Physically.”
Joel shifted up onto one elbow to rest his head on his hand. “So what’s going on, then?”
Molly shook her head. “Seems I’m able to feel everything that’s going on with people, and it just gets to be too much.” She paused, and looked down. “I take it Sean told you what happened on the surface?”
Joel nodded grimly. “Yeah, he told me briefly; but he didn’t have an explanation.”
Molly sighed. “I don’t know if I have an explanation. All I know is that I become awash with knowing other people’s feelings when they get close, and that on the mission, with all those Zhyns after us, and us all amped up, it was just too much.”
Joel sat up and perched on the edge of the bed, his back to her. “What are you going to do?” he asked.
Molly shrugged. “Another Vision Quest, I guess. I mean, things have certainly moved on. I can control the realm-shifting now, so I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t be able to control this.”
Joel turned to face her, pulling his leg up on the bed in front of him now. “That sounds… positive.”
Molly smiled. “Yeah. I think it is. I’m not as concerned about it as I was with the initial problems. There’s a way forward.”
She drifted off a little, and then brought herself back to the conversation.
“The thing that bothers me is having to feel all this shit, though. I… I don’t like it. Heck,” she smiled a little, “I don’t even like feeling my own feelings, let alone anyone else’s!”
Joel grinned. “Yeah, I can appreciate that,” he agreed, supportively. “But you know what I think?”
Molly shook her head, her brown hair bouncing around her face. “No… what?”
Joel looked seriously at her now. “I think it’s what you asked for, in some way.”
Molly frowned. “How d’you mean?”
Joel looked down at the blanket they were sitting on, and traced a pattern with his finger. “Well, your biggest struggle with leading this team is understanding things from their perspective. Being able to empathize and relate.”
“Yeeeeees?” Molly agreed slowly.
“We
ll,” Joel continued, “if you’ve suddenly got this ability to tune in and feel, or understand something, from someone else’s perspective – I’d say that’s a distinct advantage.”
Molly’s mouth dropped open as she froze, contemplating the sudden reframe.
“I… I suppose you’re right,” she said quietly after a few moments. “I mean, if I can control this so that I’m not overwhelmed by it all, then it could become a useful managerial tool.” Her voice had switched into her normal, task-orientated, utilitarian mode.
Joel chuckled to himself, closing his eyes and shaking his head gently.
“Whaaa?” Molly asked, suddenly aware that he was mocking her.
“Nothing.” he said. “This is a possibility for you to expand your understanding of people for yourself, and you immediately equate that to how you can use it to solve a specific work problem. It’s just…”
Molly cocked her head. “Sad?” she ventured.
“No,” Joel told her. “Adorkable.”
Molly smiled at his conflation of words to describe her. “Right. Thanks, Joel. Really… great…” she said, a hint of playful sarcasm hanging from her words.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” called Joel.
Molly scowled at him. “Hey, it’s my room!” she told him. “Come in!” she called, copying his tone and intonation, a glint in her eye.
The door swooshed open to reveal Paige, standing with a parcel in her hands.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” she said, raising her eyebrows up and down suggestively and regarding them both sitting on the bed.
Without waiting for an answer she strode in, her high heels heralding her arrival, and tossed the package casually across the room to land on the bed in front of Molly. “Shipment just came in from the Zon,” she told her.
Joel looked curious. “What is it?” he asked, then immediately wishing he hadn’t.
Paige winked. “Girly stuff,” she grinned.
Joel blushed as he shook his head, making himself promise he would never walk straight into such a potential landmine again.
“Right. Er. Sorry,” he said, standing up.
Molly watched, a small smile on her face, having no intention of alleviating Joel’s embarrassment.
Joel hitched his belt a little and scratched the back of his head. Then he turned, and smiled at Molly. “I’ll, er, see you in the kitchen in a bit, then…”
Molly frowned slightly.
Paige jumped in to remind her.
“Pizza! It’s our post-operation pizza celebration!” she declared. “You know… our tradition.”
“Ooohh,” Molly sighed, realizing what time of day it was, and then putting it all together with the mission they had just completed. She shook her head briefly, trying to ground herself back in the reality everyone else operated in.
“Sure,” she told Joel. “See you in there.”
Joel waved and left, the door swooshing shut behind him. Paige waited for a second to make sure he was out of earshot, and then grinned excitedly.
“Okay, are we going to do this, or what?”
Molly looked down at the self-dyeing chemical kit. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, in the absence of a genetics lab, it’s our best option.”
Paige shrugged. “I think so. Unless you want to ask the General if you can perform your genetic experiments through one of his precious pod docs…?”
“Errr, no,” Molly said definitely. “High maintenance, dumbass chemicals it is,” she said as she scrambled off the bed and headed to the bathroom.
Paige skipped after her, a glint in her eyes. “It’s going to be fabulous!”
Gaitune-67, Safe house, Kitchen
An hour later, the team was starting to congregate in the kitchen. Joel, Sean, Jack, and Crash were already sitting around drinking beer. Pieter, Brock, and Maya had gone out to pick up pizza. Molly and Paige’s location was unknown.
Oz was hooked in over the intercom in the kitchen, explaining some of the finer points of the Many-Worlds Theory.
Joel scratched the top of his head with one hand, while placing his beer down with the other. “So what you’re saying is that Molly effectively tuned in to one of the likely possible futures, and that’s how she saw Crash on the floor before it happened?”
“Yes,” Oz agreed, “although, the exact timeline is a little hazy. I was deactivated, and although Emma has a time log for when Crash left the ship, Molly doesn’t have a running time code for the various events on her Vision Quest.”
Joel frowned. “What about her memory?”
“Well,” Oz considered his words carefully as he spoke, “she would have had to look at her holo; but then, you know what Molly is like with time.”
Sean and Joel looked at each other, and put on their best Molly-accents. “Irrelevant,” they said together, and then burst out laughing before clinking their beer bottles.
Jack sat upright, chuckling quietly at the boys, her chest bouncing up and down as she laughed. “You guys really pay a lot of attention to what Molly does, eh?” she observed before taking another swig of beer.
“No, no,” Joel protested. “It’s not that. It’s just that she does so many things that are so damn funny…”
“…it’s hard not to notice and remember them,” Sean finished his sentence. The two looked at each other again, laughing. Jack shook her head, and couldn’t help but join in.
She caught Crash’s eye, and, even though Crash normally remained pretty stoic, even he seemed to be chuckling quietly at the interaction. He pulled his lips down at the corners and nodded his head, agreeing with Joel and Sean.
“Anyway,” added Sean, “going back to this Many Worlds lark – I wonder: is there some way we can harness this foresight to keep us out of trouble?”
Oz was still connected through the audio. “It’s a good question. After all, you, Royale, need all the help you can get with that!”
Joel raised his bottle to Oz. “Nice one, Oz!”
The laughter spilled out into the foyer.
Oz stayed on-point, though. “I’ll think about the implications though, Sean. What it would probably require is for Molly to do a few experiments to see if she can actually see forward in the timeline – which would be an interesting study in itself. I’m sure it will force us to reexamine our assumptions about reality.”
“Well,” Sean added, scratching his chin then taking another drink of his beer, “I’d be interested to know anything you find out.”
At that moment, Pieter, Brock, and Maya walked into the kitchen with their atmosuits on, carrying stacks of pizza boxes and beer.
“Grub’s up!” announced Maya, and the warriors stood up and started making themselves busy, setting the table and arranging the pizza boxes as they were dumped onto the table.
Pieter disappeared again to get rid of his gear, and, after grabbing a beer each and cheersing each other, Maya and Brock did the same.
Jack sat back down once they had everything ready to eat. “Someone should let Paige and Molly know that - ”
Paige walked in.
“It’s okay. We’re here.” She was grinning widely from ear to ear. As soon as Molly followed her into the kitchen, it was clear why.
“Oh, my,” Jack exclaimed, her eyebrows raised taking in Molly’s look. “You changed your hair back! It looks great.”
Molly looked a little embarrassed. “Thank you,” she said before grabbing herself a beer from the fridge and handing it to Joel, who took the lid off for her.
Joel handed her beer back, topless. “So, that was the thing,” he commented, referring to the package that Paige had shown up with at Molly’s door.
Molly nodded, smiling. “Yeah, that was the thing.”
He frowned a little. “But this wasn’t another genetic experiment?”
Molly shook her head. “Nope. Not this time. This is boring old chemicals, which I’ll have to keep applying
every few weeks as the hair grows… No genetics lab here to do the thing that made it blonde in the first place.”
Joel nodded. “I see. And you didn’t want to stay natural?”
Molly shook her head again, her newly-bleached hair falling in her eyes, still a little damp from the shower.
“No. I wanted to feel like my old self again,” she told him quietly.
Joel smiled, and then pointed his beer at her to chink. “Well, welcome back, Ms. Bates. Good to see you again.”
Molly grinned and chinked her bottleneck against his. “Why, thank you, Mr. Dunham. It’s good to be back.”
While they were talking, the rest of the team had organized themselves around the table and started dishing out pizza. Molly and Joel joined them, and the normal hush fell over the group.
Eventually, as the eating slowed and the laughing and talking increased again, Maya nudged Paige.
“Now is as good a time as any,” she told her, looking pointedly in Molly’s direction.
Molly caught on that they were about to include her in the conversation. Paige looked suddenly shy. Her chest flushed deep red.
Maya insisted, though. “Go on. Tell her.”
Paige swallowed, gathered her courage, and put the crust of her pizza down on her plate.
Molly kept chewing.
“Molly,” Paige said across the table. “Maya thinks I should run this by you. It’s about the nail varnish company.”
Molly took another bite of meat-free pizza, her attention turned to Paige.
“Uh huh,” she said through the cheese.
“Well,” Paige continued, “things are progressing. The articles we’ve been writing have been causing a stir, and it looks like Oz has found the best manufacturing plant for the operation. We’ve got a great deal, and all being well, it looks like if we were to manufacture this first shipment, it could probably all be sold through this first Newstainment offer we’re going to run.”
Molly kept chewing, suspecting what was coming next.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 108
