The Marilians

by Beth Worsdell

  Murmurs of confusion swept the room in another wave.

  “We defeated the Marilians; however, they released a weapon into the heart of your planet, and it is now being destroyed from the inside out,” she explained.

  Suddenly, the room erupted with loud voices full of questions and concerns. Christik held up her hands, and gradually, the hall fell silent once more.

  “We do not have time too,” she began to say.

  The ground beneath our feet began to tremble, and I could feel the strong vibrations in my feet. I quickly reached out my hand, grabbing James' shoulder for support as he grabbed for Abigail and April. Both girls looked around wildly as the tremor become stronger, and people were being knocked from their seats. The hall was suddenly in chaos as everyone was trying to either keep themselves upright or pick themselves off the floor. The angels were as always, cool, calm and collected, reminding me that they’d probably been through things like that many times. Christik raised a hand to her throat, making it glow.

  “Everyone, stay calm and wait for this to pass,” her voice bellowed over the noise of everyone’s panic and screams.

  Everyone was trying to grab their loved ones, especially their younger loved ones. You could see the sheer panic in their faces and hear everyone's panic as they called out names or screamed. As I watched the chaos unfold, the tremor rolled through the great hall. The beautiful glass windows and ceiling began to crack, and water started to break through, only adding to everyone’s panic and terror. Christik and the elders looked at each other with a determined look on their faces.

  “Everyone, make your way to your nearest craft, my angels are waiting for you!” Christik bellowed.

  No one needed to be asked twice. The angel’s words seemed to give everyone some focus, even if it was telling them to leave. Everyone seemed to get their asses in gear, herding their loved ones to the exits that they could see. James, the kids and I moved out of the way to let everyone leave. We knew that we weren’t going to be left behind, and we all wanted to make sure that everyone was safe before we left. Icy cold seawater was rushing in quickly, and before long, people needed to wade through the knee-high seawater to get to the crafts. The angels guided the people to the crafts and like a well-oiled machine; quickly getting everyone boarded.

  “They will all wait for us at our main craft,” Christik said as if she had read my mind.

  I swear that was exactly what I was thinking, and I was relieved to know that we'd all be leaving Earth together.

  “What about the Dragons?” I asked, suddenly worried about Qiu and the others.

  “Do not worry, Mel, they would have gone home through the star Passage by now, and my angels are closing the gates behind them,” she assured me with a small smile.

  We waded through the water to watch the last of our friends board the final craft with the last of the angels. As the craft left and the barrier appeared, Christik, the elders and our angel friends flitted us back to our own craft.

  As soon as we were on board, Holly looked to Nalik.

  “I would like to see out there,” Holly told Nalik, pointing towards the underwater city we’d just left.

  Nalik nodded to his new bride, and as we all took our seats and Christik connected with the craft, Nalik placed a glowing hand onto the side of the ship, making it see-through. None of us could help ourselves; all of us twisting in our seats to see what was happening to Cubanaz below. It was a heartbreaking sight. All of the angel’s hard work was being destroyed before our eyes. The beautiful pearlescent glass was shattering with the strengthening tremors and falling through the water. The gold and silver vines were twisting out of shape, and huge chunks of the buildings were breaking off and either landing on the sand or helping the city’s demise. I could only imagine what was happening on land. There were no signs of any sea life this time, so I knew that the angels had already rescued them.

  As soon as Christik was one with the ship, we began to move. The craft moved swiftly through the deep water as she steered towards the surface. When we broke through the surface, it was as if our Earth was saying goodbye with the most spectacular sky. Reds, oranges and pink hues splashed the sky, and it was spectacular. I tried to take in every single detail, knowing it was the last, and I knew even before James wiped my tears that they were flowing freely down my face. We were soon flying with the beautiful colors behind us, and as we flew to the main crafts; all of us were holding or touching another for comfort.

  When we arrived back to the main craft, there were no other crafts in sight, and as we flew into the large hanger, we could see all the smaller crafts lined up. Everyone was disembarking and being led away by the angels in small groups. Christik landed our craft, and none of us spoke as the door opened, and we all stepped onto the deck. I don’t think any of us knew what to do or how to feel at that point. When Christik and the elders disembarked the craft, they all began to glide towards the exit and, like a herd of sheep, we all followed.

  The angels led us down the long pearlescent corridor behind all the people who were being shown to their new quarters. Everyone was going to have to share living quarters, but it was probably a good thing. We needed each other more than ever now. The further down the corridor we got, the fewer people there were, and before long, we were nearing the main control center, and there was only our group left.

  When we entered the control room, we could feel that the angels were all on high alert. Here and there, red flashing lights appeared, and every time they did, an image would appear on the large shimmering glass window in front of all the consoles. Images of earthquake tremors and the carnage they caused were being shown as if we were watching a movie. Once bustling cities were now crumbled, smoking ruins with huge cracks ripping through them. The healed trees and shrubs were all uprooted, and our only condolence was that there were no animals still on land. Christik led us all through the middle of the consoles to the huge glass window.

  “All of your people have been evacuated; it is time to leave,” she stated.

  It was as if my heart sunk all the way down to my toes.

  “What about the Marilians who are still down there?” James asked her.

  “I know that they caused this, James,” Christik said, and she waved at the carnage on the huge glass window, “However, we have already picked the survivors up. It is not in our nature to leave the helpless, even if they are to blame.”

  James didn’t say another word, only nodding in agreement. As much as I hated what the Marilians had done, I didn’t feel any hate towards them either at that moment, even though we should, and I think it was because we knew that most Marilians actually started out as another race before they were changed. Most Marilians hadn’t had a choice about being who they were.

  “Maybe Mel can try and heal the Marilians when you are all settled. I am sure that many of them would appreciate being turned back to their own kind and being sent to their home worlds,” Christik said softly.

  It was a lovely thought, and I was abruptly hopeful that I could save them.

  “Christik, we need to go now,” an angel called from his lit-up console.

  The glass wall cleared to show the scene from below the main craft, and it was scary as hell. Obviously, we couldn’t feel the earthquakes that were happening below, but we could suddenly feel pressure in the air and also a vibration again. All of us had our eyes glued to the images. It was as if the rocks and the earth beneath the surface were bursting up through the surface of the Earth’s crust. Red hot lava exploded up out of the large cracks that were forming, creating geysers of fire. If it wasn’t happening to our planet, then I think we all would have been in awe, but it was happening to our planet, and it was dying before our eyes.

  “Head for home now!” Christik commanded as another fiery geyser exploded far too close for comfort.

  Abruptly, all the angels around us began to push their buttons and move their dials. Suddenly, we were moving fast; the main craft shot forward and upwards
towards the sky. It felt bizarre that the ground was now a reflection of the fiery colors of the sky. My heart sank again as we flew away, and I felt James’ strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close to his chest.

  “We’re going to be, ok, baby,” he said gently next to my ear.

  As the angels’ main craft sped away from our dying planet, it felt like a piece of my heart was dying with it, and I wasn’t the only one who felt that way either. The sadness and feeling of defeat in the main control room were heavy in the air, from the humans and the angels. As the craft flew higher, we could feel the shock waves of every eruption from the surface of our beloved planet as it was in its death throes. The angels’ craft started to tilt and sway with the force, making us all hold on to the nearest consoles, next to the large glass window we were standing next too. The angels had to use their power to steady themselves too.

  When I looked up to the huge window, I noticed that the sky was no longer variations of just reds and oranges, it was full of shades of blacks and greys from all the smoke that was now billowing from every direction too. Everything was burning from the fire and lava that was being forced up from the center of our planet, burning at such hot temperatures that everything wasn’t just burning, but it was all being incinerated.

  The higher and further away we flew; the less we could feel the strength of the destruction below. The craft wasn’t swaying and tilting like before, and my eyes were just starting to see stars as we headed towards Earth’s atmosphere. Within minutes, we were bursting from our planet’s ozone layer and were in Earth’s orbit. Through the massive glass window in front of us, I could see all the other main crafts coming from different directions to fall in line next to us. It was wonderful to see so many that had been all over our world.

  “All crafts have been accounted for!” One of the female angels at the front consoles called out to Christik.

  “That is good to hear,” Christik said with a soft smile.

  We stood next to the glass window, still glued to the changing images and clinging to each other. We watched in shock as our whole world became a mass of explosions, fracturing all over before finally exploding in one massive burst. The shockwave washed over the angels’ crafts, shooting us forward even faster. As hard as we tried to steady ourselves, we couldn’t keep our footing, and we were flown towards the nearest consoles. The closest angels acted quickly, catching us with their power before we crashed into their workstations.

  When the craft began to steady to normal speed, the angels released us, allowing us to get back to our feet.

  “Take us home,” Christik told her angels with a dip of her head.

  The angel then turned to us.

  “Come, you all need to eat and drink something before you sleep,” she urged.

  We were all like walking zombies as we followed her, the elders and the angels back to the meeting room. As we took our seats at the table, not caring who sat next to whom, angels quickly flitted in with trays of food and drinks. Seeing the steaming hot coffee and honey did raise my spirits a little, and I hoped that it would warm my soul. None of us really felt like eating, but we knew that we needed to get our strength back up. Thinking of my baby girl, who’d been quiet for quite a while, I forced myself to eat some food as well as the coffee and juice.

  I must admit, I did feel better once I started to eat, and my family and friends began to follow suit. There wasn’t much conversation between us as we sat around the table. We didn’t know what to say or how to feel.

  “I know you have broken hearts, and you feel the loss of your friends and planet, but the universe always has a reason for the things that happen,” Evest said softly.

  More than one person looked at Evest as if to say, ‘are you fricking kidding me. The elder looked on them with compassion and kindness in his eyes.

  “The Longs went through what you are experiencing right now. They will also help you get through this,” he assured us. There are more planets than you can possibly imagine. We will help you find a new home.”

  “I can't even imagine living on a new planet,” Trudy said quietly, “I’ve never been interested in astronomy, so I haven’t got a clue.”

  Evest gave Trudy a warm smile as he stood from his seat at the end of the table.

  “Let me show you,” he told her warmly.

  Chapter 23

  Like we’d seen before, the elder raised his hands, and both of his palms started to glow. There, in the center of the large wooden table, images began to form. At first, I thought we were looking at our Milky Way, but as more planets and billions of stars appeared, it started to look like a whole universe.

  “The universe is limitless,” Lindaz said, as her husband began to zoom in one direction to another.

  The solar systems were all various sizes and colors, with more stars than I thought was possible. Every so often, Evest would zoom in on a planet to show us. Some looked hostile like the Marilian’s planet they’d shown us, while others looked beautiful and inviting. With our slightly renewed energy levels, we began to be more with it and started to Ooo and Ahh at the planets that were being shown to us, making the angels smile.

  “I don’t see any water on these planets or any suns near them,” James said as he watched.

  “Not all water is the same color as Earth’s, James,” Evest replied, “and not all suns are yellow. Every planet, sun and star are unique as they have all been through individual changes.

  “I suppose that makes sense,” James admitted; “It’s hard to imagine grass being red or oceans being orange,” he added with a smile.

  “When we find a planet that you can all thrive on, you will adjust to your new home. Just as the Longs adjusted and thrived on our planet,” Christik told us.

  Evest showed us so many different planets and solar systems that I was beginning to see stars, even when I blinked my tired eyes. I was ready for my bed, and I still wanted to see our son. I wanted him out of the blue bubble capsule and back to normal as quickly as possible. I don’t know if Evest picked up on what I was thinking.

  “I believe that you have probably all seen enough for now. You all need to sleep and recover,” Evest said gently as the images disappeared, and his palms began to dim.

  “Thank you for showing us,” Trudy told him, everyone else agreed and rose from their seats.

  As everyone started to leave, Lindaz glided towards James and me.

  “Can you stay a moment, please?” She asked quietly.

  The kids all turned to look, and their poor faces were drained.

  “Go back to our rooms, darlings; we’ll be there soon,” I assured them.

  They were so tired that not one of them tried to argue. They left quietly following Nalik and Holly. After everyone else had gone, Evest and Christik glided over to the three of us. Lindaz reached forward, and she took my hand.

  “I know how desperate you are to have your son back. I also know how exhausted you are, so we are going to help you,” she said as she held my surprised gaze.

  My heart suddenly felt lighter, and I smiled in gratitude. Without any warning, Lindaz flitted us to a large holding room. There were many people, men and women who were contained inside the blue bubble capsules. I hadn’t realized how many I’d tried to help. I scanned the room, but it was hard to see clearly from a distance. I couldn’t feel anything from any of the people inside their bubbles. Christik glided across the room, stopping at a slighter longer capsule. I should have realized that it was Anthony when I was looking because he was so tall, but I still wasn’t really thinking straight.

  We walked over to them both, and I peered inside the blue fluid. Just like what happened to Kay, the capsule had halted Anthony’s change. My heart began to pump harder in my chest as my emotions became stronger. Lindaz and Evest glided either side of me, both of them placing a hand on my shoulder, while Christik placed both of her hands on my shoulder blades. Immediately, I felt their power seeping into my body, and our daughter began to turn and ki
ck.

  I trusted my baby, the angels and myself, raising my hands out to our son. The power within me was immense, supercharged by the angels, and I released it on Anthony. It burst free from my hands, connecting with the blue bubble, and the chain reaction began as before. Ripples began to appear, rapidly changing into waves, and I stared at Anthony, watching as the change was reversed. I couldn’t see his eyes changing back as they were closed, but his fingernails started to turn from the silver metal back to human, and the dark coarse hair seemed to absorb back into his body. Before long, the waves were so turbulent that I couldn’t see anything anymore.

  As soon as his change back to fully human was complete, the feeling of the power changed inside me. The fluid reached for me, and I allowed it to flow back into my body with ease. Anthony began to slowly sink to the ground as the bubble thinned, and within minutes, he was lying motionless on the floor still covered in blood. The gashes across his chest had started to bleed again the moment he was free from his containment. I’d never seen our son looking so beaten and cut up.

  The elders and Christik acted quickly, gliding forward and kneeling around his body. James and I watched with racing pulses as the angels released their power into our boy. He looked completely lifeless, but we soon realized that the angels were healing him. First, the bleeding appeared to slow down and then stop altogether. Then we could see the cuts all over his face, arms and hands begin to close as his bruising faded.

  Anthony’s fingers were beginning to twitch, and my heart started to match my pulse when he opened his eyes. Slowly and surely, our son was being put back together, inside and out. Christik must have known as soon as he was conscious.

  “Be still Anthony, we are healing you,” she told him softly.

  Our son began to move his head as he tried to look around.

  “Mom, Dad, Christine?” He called out in a croaky voice.