The Loctorian Chronicles- Awakening

by Andi J Feron

  Mr. Bryant had mentioned that I should look into Allie’s price but I never did. I didn’t know that others were aware. Putting an all-out beacon for anyone who could get her didn’t make any sense. Also, why two days ago? She wasn’t eighteen yet.

  “You realize she has a level fifty-four order in place?” I asked.

  “Yeah, only for a few more months. I figured I’d keep her until then. I knew I needed to grab her now since, with it going public, others would be after her. She’s pretty. I wouldn’t mind having her around.”

  “Wrong answer!” I pushed him all the way into the dumpster before I welded it shut with my blaster. He pounded and yelled as I walked away. I concentrated to ensure no cameras were close, then walked back to the room.

  “Where’s my ice?” Allie asked as I entered the room.

  I placed the empty bucket next to the TV. “Oh, that guy took the last of it, sorry.”

  “If you hadn’t interfered I’m sure he would have shared.”

  “Allie, stay in this room unless I’m with you.”

  “You’re so paranoid Talon. That guy was nice.”

  “Allie, not everyone who seems nice really is.” I didn’t know how to drill that into her head.

  “I think Talon might be right on this one. That guy could have trafficked you or even kidnapped you for himself. People do that. They wait for young girls to come out of their hotel rooms, then they grab them and pull them into their rooms. They disappear without a trace,” John said.

  Allie rolled her eyes. “I can’t win with the two of you. You act like I’m wedding china.”

  I pulled out my laptop and logged into my base account. I put my thumb on the screen to verify my identity before it took a picture of my face and let me in. After a lengthy process, I saw a million dollar price tag on Allie to be paid after she turned eighteen. I walked to the car and called in a favor to my old friend Morgan Howard, who I met when I underwent capsulization.

  We frequently played racquetball together when Jasper wasn’t available. I knew him well enough to know he was a good man and would help me with Allie. He was currently on Earth, so I knew I would be able to communicate with him clearly.

  Morgan put Allie’s price tag back down to the standard five hundred. He also took her out of open-grab recruitment, which meant that her file would go back to limiting who could view it. This would be a less noticeable change and would help if they caught on to the price change.

  “Why would the Loctorians put such a large sum on one girl?” I asked. “I know that they know her numbers, but there were others with high numbers in the past and their price tag was never more than a couple thousand.”

  “I think you have something to do with it, Talon. No one wants to cross you because you have a reputation. I think they put it out now because they knew you would probably hide her after her birthday. They were trying to get someone to grab her before you started hiding her. They couldn’t do that too soon though, because they didn’t want you to find out. I think with you being so far from her on Saturn base, they were hoping you wouldn’t notice she was missing until it was too late. They couldn’t put her through capsulization before she was eighteen, but they could hang onto her until then.”

  If what Morgan guessed was true, they didn’t realize how closely I kept tabs on Allie. They also didn’t realize how close she was to her best friend. If Allie went missing, John would notice within hours and call me immediately.

  We got back on the road the next morning, and I sensed no one else was following us. Hotel maintenance had gotten the other tracker out of the dumpster, but he was headed away from us. Hopefully, he learned his lesson, but if not, I wouldn’t be as nice next time.

  We went to ten different colleges in six different states. Allie fell in love with one located up in the mountains. The view from the dorm rooms was stunning. John said the chemical engineering program looked decent, which was the major he had decided on. Allie was undecided, mainly because there was too much that she wanted to do.

  After college she was going to travel for a while and help with various humanitarian projects wherever she went. Allie was trying to figure out how to major in something that would help her with that and also allow her to read a lot of literature. She was playing with the idea of a double major.

  The rest of the trip was uneventful. I would have to do more to protect Allie because, as soon as she turned eighteen, all bets were off. I had to make sure she stayed good for two years and would be past the age for capsulization. That was a daunting, nearly impossible task, but I wasn’t giving her up without a fight.

  Morgan promised he would check Allie’s price every so often to make sure the amount stayed down. He also promised to help me hide Allie in the database. I would throw other trackers off of her trail, and contact Admiral Fausto to see if I could get help with her protection to a greater degree. He seemed to really like Allie, and agreed that she needed a normal life. John and Allie argued about John’s college choice.

  John shook his head. “I don’t want to go to that college. I’m fine with the one we both decided on.”

  Allie frowned. “Your life can’t revolve around me.”

  “It’s worked out pretty well for me so far. But seriously, the chemical engineering program is exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “I only want to make sure you are making the choices you want. You’ll grow to resent me if you follow me around.”

  “That would never happen.”

  Allie gave me a hug, and I told her I would be back in a few months to get her settled in college. I wanted more than anything to keep her safe, but for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sure if I could. I found myself tracking Allie more. I made sure to only do location sweeps as not to violate her privacy. I also checked the database daily to make sure Morgan was able to keep her price down.

  I boarded the shuttle to get back to Seraphine. I told Seraphine everything that happened, and what I was doing to keep Allie safe. I was happy there was one person I could confide in. Seraphine created ten new paintings while I was gone.

  She started selling them at one of the shops in the business center on base. We didn’t need the money, but Seraphine said she liked the idea of people enjoying her artwork enough to display it in their own quarters. Seraphine and I were separated for missions. She was sent to the frontlines again which was nerve-racking.

  I was assigned to finding Khalbytians outposts. This wasn’t the most exciting assignment, but it helped us take back valuable ground. I arrived back on base one night and noticed my com device was blinking. I quickly glanced at the screen and saw the message was from Seraphine, letting me know to eat supper without her. She was in sickbay getting stitched up but told me not to worry because she wasn’t there for anything serious.

  Forget supper, I would eat after checking on my wife. We could grab a bite when she was done. Jasper saw me walk into sickbay and pointed to section four, where the curtain was closed. Seraphine was calmly watching a movie as a nurse stitched up her lower left arm.

  “About eighteen stitches this time, Ms. Seraphine,” the nurse said.

  Seraphine kept her eyes on the TV. “I’ll live. I sure do miss Helen’s repair skills. I hope she knew we appreciated her.”

  “She knew.” I leaned against the medical cabinet.

  “You didn’t have to walk all the way to sickbay for me. Minor injury.” Seraphine nodded toward the long gash on her arm. I was pretty sure that very few people would have considered eighteen stitches a minor injury, but in comparison to many others that Seraphine had endured, it was minute in severity.

  “I know you are tough enough but thought you might want to grab a bite?”

  “I’m kind of banged up a little. A warm bath to wash away all the aches and battle scent sounds better.”

  The nurse finished her arm. When we got back to our quarters, I ran the bath water for her so she could get out of her uniform. I lit four vanilla candles and placed them on t
he corners of the bath. I made dinner and had it waiting when she came out of the bath.

  She wore her white bathrobe. “You make a girl feel loved.”

  “That’s because I’m pretty fond of you.” I put the last of the food on the table.

  She kissed me, and we sat down to eat. When we finished dinner, I told her to go relax in bed and I would be there once I got dinner cleaned up.

  “You’re spoiling me, Talon.”

  “Keep coming home safe from battle and there’s more where that came from.”

  She was stiff from being shoved around by Khalbytians, so I rubbed her shoulders. After about twenty minutes, she turned around and pulled me to lay next to her on the bed. We faced each other, and she buried her cheek in my chest. I kissed the top of her head.

  She yawned. “Talon, you’re my favorite thing.”

  “Love you too babe.” I kissed her head one more time.

  I heard her breathing even out, indicating she was asleep. Her exhausted body leaned on me for comfort, and I was happy to oblige. There would be other nights to allow the worries to eat at me, but tonight was simply for holding my wife and not taking a second of it for granted.

  The months passed by too quickly, and dread was setting my mood as I left for Allie’s graduation. I was restless the day that Allie turned eighteen, going over all the protection measures I put in place, hoping they would work effectively enough and protect my sister.

  Once two weeks passed and Allie was still okay, I decided that they must be adequate, but I would reinforce them regularly. I set up a meeting for later in the month to talk to Admiral Fausto about further assistance. I watched my little sister walk across the stage and grab her diploma, graduating with honors. I was proud of her for overcoming everything that our family life brought to us.

  John received the title of valedictorian which, to his discomfort, meant he had to give a speech. He carried it off flawlessly, but Allie told me later that he was on edge for the rest of the night. I stayed for another two weeks to ensure my protections looked as good as possible. I told Allie I would be back in a couple of months to take both her and John to college. He refused Allie’s advice about going to a science college. She said she was thrilled to have him with her, but she thought he should have a brighter future for himself.

  She wasn’t sure he would be happy at the college she was going to. My opinion was that John didn’t care what college he was going to as long as he was with my sister. They had been the one constant in each other’s lives. I decided to put the same protections in place for John. Not that I was concerned they would recruit him, but because I remembered when I was first recruited, they knew he was her best friend. I didn’t want anyone tracking him to get to her.

  The day arrived to take Allie to college. I went to the car dealership before heading over to pick her up. I bought her a car that would be reliable and get her around wherever she needed. She ran out to greet me, and I gave her the car.

  She rambled on about how amazing it was and how even more amazing I was. We loaded up her car and drove to her new college. Morgan put in safety checks. Allie and John’s enrollments patched through to other colleges. There would be no outside linkage of Allie or John to the college they were attending.

  I hugged her. “Take care kiddo. You have my number. I’ll be down when I can on the weekends.”

  “Thanks for everything, Talon. For my car, my tuition, and my entire life.”

  “Allie, be safe, that’s all I ask in return.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  She smiled and disappeared into her new dorm building. I grasped a bit of sadness as I realized she was grown up. I left for Saturn base. I wanted to have some time with Seraphine before heading off to my next mission.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Seraphine - August 20, 2012

  I put my uniform on and looked in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. Talon was still gone, getting Allie settled in college on Earth. I had been nervous since Allie’s eighteenth birthday, waiting for Jerap’s vision to become reality. I had already decided long ago that I would not interfere. Talon kept telling me he had to get Allie to twenty, when she’d be too old for capsulization.

  He was set to meet up with a high-level admiral to see if he could negotiate further protection for Allie. He went out of his way to be sure that no one knew where Allie was going to college. They had trackers, but none touched Talon in skill level and he was able to throw them off easily. I walked to Admiral Park’s office. I was to attend a briefing for my next mission. When I walked in, I froze at the sight of Lucius already there.

  Admiral Parks pointed to a chair. “Seraphine, take a seat. Let’s talk about your next mission.”

  I sat down, and Lucius said, “We know you know where Althea is.”

  Here it was, the moment I’d been waiting for over two years for. Without Jerap’s warning, I would have refused whatever Lucius was about to ask me to do.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “We want you and Lucius to get the girl and bring her back for capsulization. The council says it is the right time for her to be brought in. We know this is a conflict of interest with your husband’s adamant insistence to the contrary; therefore, I’m giving you the choice,” Admiral Parks said.

  “Althea will trust you, Seraphine. She doesn’t remember, of course, but somewhere inside she will know she can trust you,” Lucius said.

  That made my heart sink a little further. Not only would Allie probably trust me, but Talon also trusted me, more than anyone else. I was about to bring one of his greatest fears to pass. I already felt ashamed, but the images of him dead were still burned into my mind. I would have to betray him so that I wouldn’t have to bury him.

  I sighed. “I’ll go. I’ll help you bring Allie here.”

  Lucius narrowed his eyes in suspicion, as if trying to figure out my motive.

  Admiral Parks smiled. “Very good. You will be compensated generously for the recruitment of your sister-in-law,”

  I wished the Admiral would not use terms that made me want to bolt from the room. Even though I barely knew her, Allie was my sister. In a way, I was saving her. Jerap had shown me that humanity would be annihilated without her involvement, and that meant Allie would die or be enslaved as well. Even though my justifications were clear and right, I still dealt with feelings of guilt and shame at what I was about to do.

  “I don’t want any money or any compensation. No reward for my assistance. Please note it anywhere you have to. That’s the only way I’ll agree to going is if you promise no compensation on my behalf will occur at any point.”

  Now the Admiral looked suspicious. “Do you realize the amount of the bonus the Loctorians have offered for her recruitment? It’s quite large, probably one of the biggest bonuses they have placed on anyone. She’s very valuable to them, something they have seen in their glimpses.”

  This confirmed to me Jerap had been correct in what he told me about Allie’s involvement. The Loctorians must have known she was the key to ending the war, whether in their favor or not.

  “I don’t care what the price is. No compensation or I walk.”

  “Very well,” the Admiral said.

  “Also,” Lucius continued, “The council has had their eye on a couple other recruits that they want to come in with Allie. Her friend John Trammel and a boy they will meet named Gabriel Lasko. Both have important roles to play as well.”

  “No one said anything about the other two, especially Allie’s friend.” I knew Talon would be angry about John as well. He cared about him almost as much as Allie.

  “You know the transition for Allie will be easier with her friend anyway.”

  Lucius was right; according to Talon, Allie and John were inseparable. Things would be way more difficult for Allie if she were suddenly separated from John.

  “Fine, but I don’t want compensation for them either,” I said.

  Lucius shrugged. “Whatever, means mo
re for me.”

  “You two will leave in two days. Talon is being sent on an urgent assignment that will delay him for a while. We need him distracted to halt interference,” Parks said.

  I felt like crying. I went back to my quarters and let it all out. What was I about to do to my family? The sound of my front door opening notified me Talon was home. I wasn’t sure how to face him, but he had no idea his sister was my next mission.

  “Babe!” Talon called. I left the bedroom and found him in the living room. He glanced up from the report he was reading. “You alright?” He studied me.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “You’ve been crying.”

  “Watched a sad movie. A dog died in it.”

  He gave me a hug. “Sorry the fictional dog died.”

  I smiled at him. He kissed me and went on to tell me he was happy because he had talked the admiral into helping him hide Allie. He led me back to the bedroom.

  “I have to quit being gone so long. I need more of Seraphine.”

  We always shared this intense intimacy, and as we spent this particular evening intertwined, it resolved the force in me to protect my family, even from themselves. I held my husband, knowing if he ever found out my involvement he might walk away from me forever.

  The next morning I wanted to linger in the moment of Talon drinking his coffee, leaving our marriage in the time before I would betray him. However, as all moments cease, this one passed with him kissing me and we went our separate ways. I had to trust in the vision of the future Jerap told me Allie’s involvement would bring. I boarded a shuttle with Lucius and another man.

  Lucius pointed at the other man. “Lance. He’s playing the role of John’s roommate. His main job is going to be to get John where he needs to be at the right moment.”

  “How’s he going to do that?” I asked.

  “He’s a tier-four manipulator, which means John will give Lance’s suggestions serious thought. He is going to convince John he needs to talk to me at the same time you bring the other two for a movie date.”