by Sarah Carter
Everyone in the room looks at him. She looks around and then says, “Can I talk to you?”
“Yeah, of course.” He gets up and they walk out in the foyer. Xander looks at her. “Trinity. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I’m glad that you did. It’s just…”
“You don’t feel the same way back. It’s okay Trinity. I promise. Nothing will change.”
Trinity steps up to him and puts her hand on his face. “My Xander, stop. I do love you. I do, but…you left. They wouldn’t let us be together anyways.”
“Baby,” Xander whispers, pulling her close. “We’re coming to get you. We are going to bring you out into the real world. It’s wonderful. I can’t even put into words what it’s like. What The Collector taught us is wrong. Humans are incredible. The Neturu here are so kind. The council is full of good people.”
She looks down and doesn’t say anything. Finally, Trinity whispers. “I think it knows.”
“What do you mean?”
Looking back up into his eyes, Trinity says, “I think it knows I come to you.”
“How?” Xander asks. Tears start to well up in Trinity’s eyes. “What did they do?” He demands.
“They asked me if I had made contact with you yet. I must have paused too much. Xander…”
“What happened?”
“They hit me Xander. I don’t know with what, but they hit me.” Tears start to fall down her face. “I don’t know if I can come to you anymore.”
He pulls her into a fierce hug. “Trinity, we’re coming for you. We are doing everything we can to find you.”
“They know I am in Shima. They are going to know that I’m talking to you.”
Xander’s heart breaks. “Trinity, I’m going to do what I can to get to you.”
“I have a plan,” she whispers.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to lie. I’m going to tell them you are in Mexico. I’m going to tell them I tricked you into finally telling me where you are.”
“That’s too dangerous, if they discover that you are lying. I can’t even imagine what they will do to you.”
“They love me,” Trinity says. “They say it.”
Running his fingers through her hair, Xander says, “I don’t think The Collector is capable of love. My whole body is scarred from their anger. Someone who can do that, can’t love. They only hate. Baby, they hit you. You don’t hit the ones you love, no matter how angry you get.”
“It hurt,” she whimpers.
“I will kill the bastard.”
“Xander…”
He kisses the top of her head. “I love you Trinity. Always have. I have always looked out for you and I always will. My life will be complete when you and our family are safe. Then I don’t care what happens.”
“No, we need to spend our lives together. I would be too scared to do it without you Xander. You’ve always held me up.”
“And I will forever be there when you need me to.”
She looks up into his eyes. “I love you Xander.”
“I love you too.” Xander bends down and kisses her. It is soft and sweet like always. Then Trinity presses herself against him, heating up the kisses. A fire starts to build in Xander. Pulling away, he says, “Follow me.”
He sprints up to his room. Trinity appears next to him. Xander shuts the door and turns to look at her. “Xander…” She whispers.
Grabbing her, he pulls her against him. Their lips meet and it is like nothing they’ve experienced. They kiss each other with a passion they’ve never expressed before. It’s love.
They stand there softly tracing their fingers against each other. Truly searching each other for the first time. Trinity starts to pull Xander’s shirt off. He grabs her hand and stops her. “No.”
“Why?” She replies, searching his eyes.
“I don’t like being seen without my shirt on.”
Gently, taking his hand, Trinity whispers, “Xander, it’s me. I have seen you before.”
“Trinity, when people see that is all I can think about.”
“Let me see Xander. Don’t hold back from me.” Xander lets go of his shirt and Trinity takes it off. “See, still so handsome. This is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Grabbing her hand, Xander puts her fingers on a scar. “Feel them Trinity. How can you not see how evil The Collector is? It ordered their guards to do this to me. I was beaten, whipped and stabbed. Feel this scar here. That’s from a knife. I didn’t heal right. I’ve been through so much pain. I’ve blacked out. I was then beaten harder for doing that.”
“Xander…” Trinity sighs, with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Do you see? It will turn on you. Please be careful.”
She nods. “I’m going to lie. I have to protect you.”
“Say somewhere other than Mexico. We are too close.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t say Trinity, for your own good.”
“How about Australia then?”
“Perfect.”
Trinity wraps her arms around Xander and pulls him close. “I should go back before they get really mad.”
“We are coming for you. We won’t stop until we find you.”
“Who are we?” She asks.
He shakes his head. “I really can’t tell you that.”
“Xander, it’s me. I won’t tell.”
“Trinity, if I told you and The Collector found out, it could be dangerous for you. Trust me. Please just trust me.”
“I trust you. I love you.”
“I love you too baby.” Xander bends down and softly kisses her. It’s so different now. What he’s feeling with her. Pulling away, he promises, “I’m coming for you.”
Trinity smiles. “I will be waiting.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I should go, before they get really mad.”
“Wait, have you seen Mason since we left?”
“Only once, he was furious. He lost track of you. From what I could hear he started throwing things. I was forced to sit down until they could clean up. He just kept saying ‘Damn it Ariel!’”
Putting his hands on her arms, Xander looks in her in the eyes. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”
“I’m positive. He was really upset.”
“Angry at her?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see him. Everyone was a little shocked. He has always been trouble but never really angry. Not like this.”
He looks to the side. “I wonder if he’s upset he can’t find her because he cares for her.”
“I don’t know. He said nothing about you or Aurora. He was just really upset.”
“That may be good news.”
“Why?”
“You know why. Mason is in love with Ariel.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know about that.”
“Baby, you can’t see the way he is with her.”
“I guess he has a different tone with her.”
“Here’s a plan,” Xander says. “Tell The Collector we are in Australia. If you see Mason, tell him that I said Ariel was asking about him.”
“To see how he reacts?” Trinity replies.
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” she whispers. Her eyes get watery. “I’m scared. For the first time, I’m scared. They really hit me hard.”
“I knew one day they would turn on you,” Xander sighs, pulling her into a hug. “I’m coming baby. I promise. I won’t stop until I get there.”
“I’ll be waiting.
Xander cradles her face in his hands. “I love you.”
Trinity smiles. “I love you, too.” With that, she disappears.
He immediately turns and runs downstairs. When he gets into the living room, he blurts out, “We need to do something now.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Damien asks, standing up.
“The Collector knows Trinity has made contac
t. They’ve turned on her. She can’t defend herself!”
Damien nods. “Okay, we’re cutting this trip short. We have to start the tests so we can starts looking for your friends.”
“Is she okay?” Aurora asks, wringing her hands.
“She scared,” Xander replies. “The Collector has never hurt her before. She’s lying to them right now. Telling them we’re in Australia.”
“Good. Maybe we can put some signs there to make them think they’ve picked up on something,” Damien suggests.
“Damien, please,” Xander pleads. “We have to find her.”
“We will leave immediately. Everyone needs to pack bags. We may be gone for a while.”
Kayla asks, “Do you want us with?”
“No, it’s too dangerous. I will let you know that everyone is okay. I can’t tell you more than that. I’m sorry.”
“I completely understand.”
“We don’t have anything to pack in,” Aurora states.
“You can use our luggage,” Kayla says. “You will probably want my suitcase.”
“Why?”
Grinning, Kayla replies, “It’s pink.”
Aurora cheers, “Heck yeah.”
Jackson rolls his eyes. “Girls.” Kayla smacks him on the arm. He rubs it and smiles.
“Please, let’s hurry,” Xander says.
“I will go and get the suitcases now,” Jackson declares, heading out of the room.
“What about school?” Claire asks.
“We will handle it. This is more important,” Damien says.
“Finally, we agree on the subject,” she exclaims back.
“Let’s move fast, come on,” Damien urges.
*****
Aurora looks out the window. “Where are we going?”
“Alaska,” Damien answers.
“From California to Alaska…awesome,” Aurora sarcastically replies.
Damien chuckles. “This is our most technologically advanced ship. Also the most secure. You’ll be safe.”
A moment of silence fills the air and then Xander says, “We’re going to have to go in there with you.”
“What are you talking about?” Claire asks.
“We’re going to have to go with you on the rescue. We’re the only one who know the institute. Everyone would just be scared of you, especially the kids.”
“That’s a sad but good point,” she sighs.
Shaking his head, Damien says, “You have no way of defending yourselves.”
“The girls no, but I have my power. I can cause damage, trust me.”
“If they wore the suits they would be protected,” Claire whispers to Damien.
“Suits?” Xander counters.
“Top secret Claire. You seem to not understand what that means," Damien draws out, looking at her.
“I was just saying…”
“What suits?” Xander urges again.
Shaking his head, Damien says, "A couple of months ago our scientists created an extremely thin material that acts much like Kevlar. It will protect you from bullets and the needles."
"Cool," Aurora exhales.
"Not electrical bursts. That messes with your energy."
Claire sits straight up. "Whoa. That's it!"
"What’s it?"
"Mason," she explains. "He dissipates into energy. We need to mess with his energy."
"How do you propose we do that?" Damien asks.
"Shock him."
Ariel says, "You can't do that. He won't let you touch him."
She puts up her finger. "But he will grab me."
"Yeah."
With a pondering look, Claire stares at her for a second. "I got it. We need to see if they can create gloves that have an electrical current. If I can even touch him. I can take him down."
"He'll be sent to Australia to look for us."
"Then maybe we need to set him up. Think he's finding Ariel and have it be me. Even if they shoot me with anything, I can act like it's affecting me. I can get him."
"He'd come for Ariel," Xander says.
Scoffing, Ariel replies, "We don't know that. He's probably just take me back to The Collector."
Xander nervously picks at his pants. "Ummm, I doubt that."
"Why?" She asks.
"The only time...Trinity...has been near him since we left, Mason was freaking out about you."
"What do you mean?"
"He didn't mention me or Aurora. Just you. He was super upset and throwing things."
Aurora looks at her sister. "Ariel..."
"Shut up," Ariel snaps. "That doesn't mean anything."
"It means he's looking for you," Xander says.
"To take me back," she counters.
"We don't know that for sure."
"I do. He just has a crush on me. It will fade as soon as I give in. I'm not going to bet my life on it."
"But if he does love you, you can get to him. He may listen to you. If you tell him what The Collector does to you..." Damien says.
"Or has done," Aurora whispers.
Xander leans forward. "Tell him the truth. Tell Mason The Collector will kill you if you go back or give you the worst punishment ever."
"That's a scary thought," she whispers again, losing the color in her face.
"Well, it's the truth. We need to get him to see we can't go back. If there is a chance his feelings are real, we need to play off of them."
Ariel's jaw drops. "We can't play him. That's cruel."
"What do you propose we do?"
"I won't let you hurt him. He doesn't deserve that."
Damien finally interjects. "Then we're honest with him and tell him you don't have any feelings. I have an idea the ramifications aren't going to be good."
"You can't tell him that!"
"Then what do we tell him?"
She slumps back. "I don't know..."
"Oh my god Ariel," Aurora gasps. "You love him."
"What?" Ariel snaps. "No I don't. Don't be stupid. I don't love him. He's an arrogant jerk."
A glint forms in Damien's eye. "Then we're honest with him and tell him you don't love him."
She shoots up. "You can't tell him that."
"Ariel, we need to get to him. So, tell me, what do we say to Mason?"
She just stares at Damien. "He doesn't love me."
"I think he does," Xander says.
"So do I," Aurora agrees. "He's so different around you."
"So, we bet our lives on a hunch?"
"I will get him. He will think I'm you," Claire states. “It’s as easy as that. But I need to know what I should say to him.”
“He will never forgive me if you do that, if we trick him. I can’t do that to him.”
“We need to subdue him long enough to talk to him. I need to see if shocking him will work,” Claire states.
Xander watches Ariel furrow her eyebrows. “I’ll go with you.”
“That’s not going to happen. Sorry,” Damien replies. “It’s too dangerous.”
“If you want me to get to him, it has to be me. It can’t be Claire. He will be furious if he finds out and then really not trust us. I have to go in. The rest of them can stay back.”
“No Ariel, I can’t let you go without me,” Aurora exclaims.
“It’s going to have to be that way,” Ariel replies.
Groaning, Damien rubs his face. “Ariel and Claire will go in. Claire can shut down her energy. Mason will think she’s human. We will have guards outside of the perimeter. If anything goes array, we will pull everyone out.”
“Let me talk to him before you shock him,” Ariel says. “If he does have feelings for me that will be the easiest way to get to him.”
“I think you need to figure out your own feelings,” Xander says softly. “You have to be honest with him, either way. If you love him, it would be best to tell him. If you don’t love him, you’ll have to put him down gently.”
Ariel looks out the window and there is only silence. Fin
ally, she whispers. “How do we even know what love is? We were never shown love. What Mason and I have…it may not even be love.”
“Does your heart swell when you see him?” Claire asks.
“What?” Ariel counters, looking at her.
“Does your heart swell when you see him or think about him? Do you instantly smile? Does he make you nervous in a good way? Does every touch resonate through your whole body?”
She just stares at Claire. “I don’t know…”
“When you love someone and you figure out that you love someone, you feel it in the deepest part of your soul. You just connect with them in a way you didn’t think possible.” Ariel looks back out the window. “Don’t feel pressured to tell us. It’s something you need to tell Mason. It’s between you two.”
“I’m afraid of getting hurt,” Ariel whispers. “If I say I love him, what happens if he doesn’t back and he just tries to take me back to The Collector?”
“I will be there to stop him,” Claire says. “We won’t go in without some line of defense.”
“I think shocking him sounds like a good plan,” Xander says. “The Collector never tried that.”
Claire nods. “I would say the whole suit, but I’m afraid of shocking someone else. I think gloves are the best option.”
“Can your scientists make something like that?” Xander asks Damien. “Quickly?”
“We can sure try,” Damien replies. “We will be to the ship momentarily. The doctors are all set up to start testing.”
“This makes me nervous,” Aurora mumbles.
“We aren’t going to do anything to you. I promise. We just need to see how you are different. Like I said, you have a pulse in you instead of a current. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“We don’t make any sense,” Xander sighs.
“That is true too.”
An hour later, everyone walks into a room. “I remember this place,” Claire says. “This is where they checked me out for the first time.”
Dr. Galliger nods his head to another person. “That’s Mr. Paulson, he’s our head scientist. We have come up with a few ideas that we want to try.”
“Okay,” Xander replies. “Is it going to hurt?”
“We do want to take some blood samples if you are alright with that.”
“Pffff,” Aurora draws out. “That’s fine. We had samples taken every few days. I could probably get the sample for you.”
He nods. “Alright. We also want to put discs on you. We need to see if we can get any readings.”
