“But you said she’s the one who defeated him?”
“She did,” Kimlee said. “Though she loved him dearly, she couldn’t ignore his atrocities. She was the one who told the rebels of Edvard’s secret. That his immortality was achieved through a digitization of his consciousness. He was essentially a living piece of software, downloaded into new bodies as needed. It was she who implanted the rebel virus in Edvard, which severed his control of the Automaton army, allowing Emperor Hydrion to finally mount a successful offensive. Because of her courage, trillions were liberated from tyranny, and the Regalus Empire was made whole after a thousand years of war.”
Jack gazed at the image of Ebella below. “That’s kinda sad, actually,” Jack said. “She betrayed the guy she loved.”
“That’s what makes her so incredible,” Kimlee replied. “Can you imagine what it must have been like for her? To love someone so passionately, and yet, to choose the lives of others over that love? I don’t know of anyone who would have that kind of strength, to choose what was right over their own happiness. But she did, even though it cost her her life.”
“Edvard killed her?”
“No. She killed herself, overcome by the guilt of what she’d done to her one true love,” Kimlee said sadly. “She died in Edvard’s arms. Even though she had betrayed him, he still loved her. They said when Hydrion’s forces arrived and the rebels stormed the city, Edvard did not put up a fight. All the historical records say that no army could ever destroy Edvard. In the end, he was defeated by a broken heart. I guess that’s the power of love. It can be our greatest strength… and our greatest weakness.”
A tear rolled down Kimlee’s cheek as she gazed at the statue below, her lips trembling with emotion. Jack felt a tug in his chest, and he put his arm around her to comfort her. Kimlee hugged him and wept into his shoulder. Jack stroked her long, dark hair, encouraging her to let it all out.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think I could cry anymore.”
“It’s okay,” said Jack.
Kimlee took Jack’s hands in hers, running her thumbs over his skin lightly. “I never got the chance to thank you,” she said, “for saving my life like you did.”
“I seem to remember you saying ‘thank you’ many, many times,” said Jack with a smile.
Kimlee laughed. “I meant after I stopped being a hysterical mess,” she said. “What you did… saving my brother, saving me… well, let’s just say that Ebella is no longer my favorite Hero of the Empire.”
Kimlee gazed at Jack in a way which made him feel uneasy. He glanced around, looking for the hovering metal orb cameras that usually accompanied her. "Is this a scene for your reality show?" Jack asked. “Are we, like, being filmed right now?”
"Do you see any cameras around?" Kimlee responded.
"No, but then again, I'm not very observant," said Jack.
Kimlee nodded. "I suppose I deserve that kind of mistrust, after how I’d toyed with you before," she said softly. "The show is over. I quit."
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he said. “But… it’s such a big hit, and you seemed to love doing it. Why quit now?”
“The network was ecstatic over the footage of the attack,” Kimlee said bitterly. “They said it would bring in ratings like the universe has never seen. They didn’t care that my parents died. They didn’t even care that I almost died. They looked at the whole thing like it was some blasted action holofilm. I found my passion for working with them fizzled after that. As far as I’m concerned, the show is over, and that footage will never see the light of day.” Jack saw a flash of anger in Kimlee’s eyes. “I wish I were more like you,” she said. “I wish I could find the people who did this and make them pay. But I’m… I’m worthless.”
“You’re not worthless,” said Jack.
“Have you seen my show?” Kimlee asked. “Trust me, that’s all the proof you need.”
“You can’t judge your worth based on what other people think of you,” said Jack. “If that were the case, everyone would feel worthless!”
Kimlee shook her head. “You don’t understand. I was supposed to be an Empress,” she said. “From the moment I was born, I was being groomed for such a thing. I was genetically engineered to be a perfect match for the Crown Prince, did you know that?”
“No,” replied Jack. “But I guess that makes sense. Mourdock told me the same thing about him.”
Kimlee chuckled bitterly. “Everything about me… my gender, my bone structure, my DNA… it was all designed to maximize my compatibility with the Royal Family. My mother meditated with four master Paragons the entire time she carried me, so that they could manifest the proper genetic data I needed to be an acceptable wife to a future ruler. My entire life was built around the idea that I would one day sit on the throne. Everything I did, everything I was… it all revolved around that.” Kimlee looked at Jack, her beautiful lilac eyes glassy. “You’ve known great loss, Jack,” she said. “But do you have any idea what it’s like to lose your entire identity? To wake up one day and discover that your entire reason for existing is gone?”
“No,” Jack admitted.
“I pray you never do,” Kimlee said. “I might as well have died the day Regalus Prime fell. Without a Prince to marry, I was useless. No one cared what I did after that. So I decided I’d create a new identity for myself. One which would make up for losing the old one. I defined myself through whatever fame I could amass. I acted dumb and reckless and provocative for the cameras… but that’s not really me. To be honest, I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Kimlee gazed out the window to the courtyard below. Jack sat quietly by her side, her sadness so powerful he could feel it radiating off of her. It had a desperation to it, one which he recognized all too well.
“There was a time, not long after my planet was destroyed, when I felt the same way,” Jack said. “When all hope seemed lost, and I had nothing and no one to tell me what to do. But then, I remembered something a great man told me that helped me make it through what I was feeling. Something which changed my life.”
Kimlee looked at Jack. “What was it?” she asked.
“He told me it was easy to feel helpless and to act like a victim,” Jack said. “Like we have no control over the things that happen to us. But when we take responsibility for our lives and work to make them better, then we’re capable of great things. When he first told me that, I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. But at the lowest moment of my life, it made perfect sense. I honestly can’t say if everything in our lives is predestined to happen. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as fate or destiny. But I do know that relying on those things to see you through tough times doesn’t work. At the end of the day, we all have to make a decision about how we want to live, and then we have to work to make that a reality. We manifest our own destiny by what we choose to do.” Jack turned toward Kimlee, his eyes searching hers. “So I guess the question you need to be asking yourself is… what do you want to do now?”
Kimlee gazed at Jack and smiled. She reached up, cupping his cheeks with both hands, then slowly leaned in and gave him a gentle, lingering kiss on the lips. Jack felt his chest tighten and his face flush, and when she broke off and looked into his eyes, he felt his heart flutter slightly.
“I wanted to do that,” Kimlee said quietly.
Jack swallowed hard, his body jittery with nervous energy. “Do you… um… want to do it again?” he asked, hopefully.
Kimlee giggled. “Very much so,” she replied.
Jack grinned. This time, it was he who leaned in and kissed her. And she kissed him back.
They were so lost in each other’s company that neither of them noticed the tiny, pebble-sized camera orb hovering in the far corner of the room, watching them.
Chapter 38
The sun shone brighter. The air smelled sweeter. Life seemed all-around more vivid. Jack strutted down the street like he was a god among men, walking as though h
e were marching to the beat of some celebratory soundtrack in his head. He glanced at all the people around him, every last one of them seeming to gaze at him and bask in the sheer awesomeness of his presence. And for once in his life, Jack felt he deserved it.
S’up brah? he thought, looking at a passer-by who glanced at him curiously. Guess who just made out with a chick? This guy!
What? You think making out with a chick isn’t anything special? he thought, strutting past a handsome-looking Regal. Doesn’t matter. Still counts!
Hey, you – you know what’s awesome? he mentally asked an old lady who didn’t even bother looking at him as she passed. If you said making out with a chick, you’d be totally right!
Images of Kimlee Evenstar danced throughout Jack’s mind. Her beautiful eyes. Her soft lips. Her long, luxurious hair. His heart beat faster just thinking about her. She was a real girl, who really made out with him, and who seemed to genuinely like him! Suddenly, all the heartbreak he’d been feeling over Anna didn’t hurt so much anymore. He’d found another girl. A better girl! Well, maybe not better, but certainly just as good – and best of all, she wasn’t engaged to marry someone else!
(And she was totally willing to make out with him.)
Jack felt like he was floating on air as he made his way back to the Royal Tower, eventually teleporting to the recreation level where Mourdock had invited him to play a game of something called “Gravityball.” Jack had no idea what Gravityball was, and when he’d asked Mourdock to explain it, the man had simply replied it was something Jack needed to see for himself.
Despite his efforts not to, Jack was starting to like Mourdock. He was a genuinely nice guy and was making every effort to make Jack feel welcome on Omnicron. Wilvelm and Fredreek were pretty cool, as well. They kind of reminded Jack of his friends Matt and Chunk from back on Earth… if Matt and Chunk had been rich, slightly older, and as good looking as male models.
Jack entered the musty locker room and saw Wilvelm and Fredreek changing into skin-tight black bodysuits decorated with red stripes. The suits seemed to have built-in padding, making Jack wonder just how much of a contact sport Gravityball might be.
“S’up, fellas?” Jack said as he approached.
Wilvelm and Fredreek looked up and smiled. “There’s our Hero!” Wilvelm said cheerily. “It’s not enough to fight Deathlords, no – you gotta jump out of supertowers and rescue fair maidens, as well! Make the rest of us look bad!”
Jack shrugged. “What can I say?” he joked. “You guys never look all that good to begin with!”
Fredreek and Wilvelm chuckled. “Well, we don’t all have psychic spaceships to come and rescue us at the last minute either,” said Fredreek handing Jack a duffle bag.
“What’s this?” asked Jack.
“Your Gravityball gear,” said Wilvelm. “Mourdock asked us to give it to you while he’s out on the court warming up.”
Jack opened the duffle bag to see a bodysuit, a helmet, two metal boots, and a strange contraption with a long rectangular box on it, topped with what looked like a claw. “What the heck is this thing?” Jack asked.
“It’s your grappler,” said Fredreek. “You strap it to your arm, like so…” Fredreek slipped his arm into his own harness and tightened it up. Jack mused that it almost made him look like a cyborg.
“You’re in for a real treat, Earthman,” Wilvelm said. “Gravityball is the most popular sport in the Empire. And it’s a blast to play.”
“As long as you don’t mind getting your butt handed to you by Wil and me,” said Fredreek with a cocky grin.
“Big words from such a little man,” said Jack with a cocky smirk of his own, causing Fredreek and Wilvelm to laugh.
“What’s up with you?” asked Fredreek. “You seem… different.”
Jack smiled. “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m… different.”
Wilvelm and Fredreek exchanged a curious glance. “Okay, I’ll bite,” said Wilvelm. “What’s different about you?”
Jack didn’t want to brag, but he was so happy, he couldn’t contain himself. “I totally made out with Kimlee Evenstar!” he blurted.
Wilvelm’s and Fredreek’s eyes grew wide, right before they both burst out laughing. “No wonder you’re acting so happy!” Wilvelm said. “Good work, Earthman.”
“Thank you!” said Jack, beyond proud of himself.
“I mean, you did save her life, right?” said Fredreek. “It’s the least she could do.”
“Yes! Exactly!” said Jack. “I’ve been saying that all along! Life-saving at the very least deserves a make-out!”
“She’s a great kisser, too,” said Wilvelm.
“Yeah, remember that thing she does with her tongue?” Fredreek said to Wilvelm.
“Oh, man, how could I forget? It’s amazing!” Wilvelm responded.
“I know, right!” exclaimed Jack. “And when she – wait, how do you guys know about the tongue thing?”
Wilvelm and Fredreek both looked at Jack like he should already know the answer to that question. “Probably because we’ve both made out with her before,” said Wilvelm.
“You… you both… huh?” asked Jack.
Fredreek chuckled. “C’mon, Earthman. You didn’t think she was saving herself just for you, did ya?”
“Yeah, the barrier of entry for making out with Kimlee Evenstar is way, WAY below having to save her from imminent death,” added Wilvelm.
The high Jack had been experiencing suddenly came crashing down around him. “Dude!” he said. “How many guys has she made out with?”
“I think an easier question to answer would be how many guys hasn’t she made out with,” said Wilvelm.
“If you really want to know, I guess you could watch some of the re-runs of her show,” offered Fredreek. “She makes out with a new guy in practically every one. I’m in episode 304 and 408,” he said proudly.
“Amateur,” joked Wilvelm. “103, 203, and 303 here. And of course, who could forget…”
“Episode 509!” the two men said together before busting up with laughter and giving each other a high-five. They were in a pretty jovial mood until they noticed Jack looked crestfallen. “Hey, Earthman, don’t be so down,” said Fredreek. “It’s like a rite of passage to get to make out with Kimlee Evenstar. She only locks lips with important people. As if being a Hero of the Empire wasn’t enough, you’re now a member of yet another very elite club.”
“I just… I thought she actually liked me,” said Jack.
“Hey, you saved the girl’s life,” said Wilvelm putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “She probably really does like you.”
“She just happens to like a LOT of people,” said Fredreek. “I mean… a LOT, a LOT of people. She’s very much the Liker.”
“Yeah, it’s just… I was gonna ask her to be my girlfriend,” muttered Jack.
Fredreek and Wilvelm both recoiled as though they’d just seen something very painful happen to someone. “Whoa, compatriot…” said Wilvelm. “Kimlee is a very attractive woman and all, but trust us, you do not want her for a girlfriend.”
“Indeed,” said Fredreek. “She’s way too high-maintenance and way too much drama for the likes of you. She’ll eat you up and spit you right back out. Half the fun of her show is watching her break the hearts of all the men she dates. And frankly, you’re too good of a guy to be put through something like that.”
I feel like I already have been, thought Jack bitterly. “Have either of you ever, like, talked to her?” Jack asked. “I mean, really talked to her? About… you know, personal things?”
Wilvelm snorted. “What’s there to talk about?” he said. “A guy can only chit-chat about fashion, drama, and other inane stuff for so long.”
“Yeah, Kimlee isn’t exactly deep,” offered Fredreek. “Frankly, when the cameras are off, she’s quite boring.”
“I didn’t think she was all that boring,” said Jack, thinking back to his conversation with her.
Fredreek laughed.
“I doubt any girl is boring when she’s got her tongue in your mouth, am I right, Hero?” Fredreek gave Jack a hearty slap to his shoulder as Wilvelm finished putting on his own arm harness.
“If you’re really that hard up for a girlfriend, Earthman, let’s hit the clubs again tonight,” said Wilvelm. “We could find you three, even four girlfriends. Easy.”
“Easy,” echoed Fredreek. “Do you have any idea how many females would trip over themselves to say they’re dating a Hero of the Empire? I think the last girl who could say that died five-hundred years ago.”
Jack felt uneasy at the offer. Wilvelm and Fredreek seemed like decent enough guys, but they didn’t really understand what he was looking for. He wasn’t looking for something meaningless, like they were offering. He wanted a girl who genuinely liked him and cared for him, beyond whatever fame he might have. He used to think Anna was the only girl who could offer him that, but now that Kimlee had suddenly come into the picture, he wasn’t so sure. Despite the revelation that she’d apparently dated lots of guys, Jack felt he had a powerful connection with Kimlee Evenstar. But as usual, his love life was never simple. The girl he really wanted didn’t want him, and the girl who seemed to want him he now didn’t trust.
Jack shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t really think I’m the clubbing type. Last time didn’t exactly turn out so well.”
“Give it a chance, Jack,” offered Wilvelm. “I’m sure we could find plenty of clubs without a group of assassins hiding in them.”
“Yeah,” chimed in Fredreek. “It’s usually a pretty peaceful experience. We’ve only almost been killed, max, like three times—”
“Moonbase Sigma,” interjected Wilvelm.
“—four times while clubbing. Otherwise, it’s a lot of fun!”
“Let me think about it,” said Jack, wondering if maybe he really should just set his sights lower when it came to romance.
“You do that,” said Wilvelm, closing his locker. “Trust me, if it’s girls you want, Fred and I are the ones who can deliver them.”
Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2) Page 42
