by Cohen, Bryan
Ted couldn’t help but let a grin come to the surface. “I love you, sis. Good luck.”
“You too.”
Dhiraj shut off the communication. “The whole army is going with Natalie to the coast, and what are you doing?”
Ted clicked his tongue. “The real question is where are we going?”
Ted assembled what was left of his generals. He ignored the feeling that came when he thought of Doren and Erica’s absence. Yoshi had regained his consciousness and leaned unsteadily against the wall in the corner.
Ted had their attention wrapped.
“We don’t know how many hours it will be until the General fires another nuke, but now we know why he was distracting us.”
“He’s got an extermination squad ready to take out every last living human in the United States. I’m sure he won’t stop there. The world will be his in a matter of days.” He looked over at Riu who stood proudly beside Natalie. “We’re splitting into two teams. Dhiraj, I need you and Jennifer with me. You too, Riu.”
Dhiraj seemed puzzled. “Why do you need Jen? She’s devastated right now.”
“I’ll explain later, but none of us have time to mourn. Are you on board?”
Dhiraj’s eyes were unsure, but he nodded just the same.
“Nat, you and the rest of the army are headed for Christina’s position. You take out that carrier before one plane takes off. Is that clear?”
Natalie looked stoic. “If that’s what we have to do, that’s what we’ll do.”
Ted raised an eyebrow. “Your confidence is overwhelming.”
Natalie crossed her arms. “No, no. It’s the only way we’re going to pull this off. I’m just not a fan of half-court three-pointers is all.”
Yoshi’s throat was scratchy as he spoke. “We lost 100 men, and we gained 300. This is the time to strike.”
Ted looked upon his generals. He knew this was the plan Erica would have wanted. This will be the last chance to save humanity.
“If Riu and I could take back the capital and you can down those ships, this war is essentially over. I have faith in each and every one of you.”
Riu smiled as he replied. “And we all have faith in you too, Super Ted.”
The rest of the room gave a huzzah to that, and they went their separate ways to start preparing.
Approximately two hours had gone by, and the army was fully mobilized and ready for transport. Ted looked down on his group of tattered angels, bruised rhinos, and unwieldy merman. They’d taken more than a few blows in the past week, but they looked hungry for victory as well.
“Can I talk to you alone for a second?”
The living soul turned around to see Natalie, all decked out in military attire. To be honest, she looked kind of smokin’.
Ted nodded and they ducked into the nearest empty room.
Natalie bridged the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Ted. He tried to take in everything as if it were the last time. Her smell, the feeling of her hair on his fingers, and the even keel of her breathing.
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Are you sure this is going to work? We haven’t exactly tested things with Riu and the blood.”
Ted let out a breath. “I never know if anything is going to work until I try it. Do you mind if I try to kiss you right now?”
Natalie looked to the side. “I do.”
Ted’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to kiss you goodbye, because this isn’t goodbye.” She took one hand and placed it on his chest. “I am going to see you when we survive all of this. That’s when I’ll kiss you.”
Ted smirked. “So, you’re trying to tell me that the only way you’ll let me kiss you is if we defeat a massive army of body snatchers and if I infiltrate the White House to defeat a seemingly un-killable leader?”
Natalie smiled. “I mean, if you’re saying it’s not worth all of that—"
“I’m not. Seems like an absolutely fair trade.”
They hugged again and lingered in that position for a minute before Natalie joined her troops.
Dhiraj and Riu stood next to Ted as he created a massive portal large enough for an army to fit through. He caught Natalie’s eye once more before she entered it. He gave her a salute. She rolled her eyes before returning it. A few seconds later, she was gone.
When the full army had left, there were just three people standing alone on the deck.
Dhiraj whistled, the sound echoing across the empty carrier. “What now?”
Ted put one hand on the backs of each of his friends. “Now we convince our ace in the hole that she should come with us to save the world.”
29
Natalie gazed out upon the New Jersey coast. Behind her, thousands of troops from a variety of worlds prepared for an epic battle. In front of her, she could only imagine the General's forces were doing the same. He wasn't the kind of commander who would leave things to chance.
This is Earth's last stand. Right here, right now, and I'm the one leading it.
She tuned out Yoshi barking orders to their various platoons as she focused on the tide coming in. The sound of the ocean lapping against the sandy shores was calming at a time like this.
Yoshi finished giving his commands and walked up to Natalie's side. "We're ready. We just need the living soul's sister and her men, and we should be prepared."
Natalie's eyes stayed focused on the slowly approaching waves. "How does it feel to be resurrected?"
Yoshi paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "It felt unnatural at first. It was as though I died a warrior and then my honor was taken from me. But now I feel different."
"Different how?"
Yoshi looked out into the ocean as well. "I have this feeling that there's one more thing I'm supposed to do in this world. Before I died, I thought my purpose was to take over your army. But now I'm certain that's not it."
Natalie laughed to herself. "I'm glad to hear that's not it. Do you have any idea what your one true purpose is now?"
Yoshi shook his head. "I believe I'll know it when I see it."
Several guards shouted across the base camp and Natalie tapped on her com device. "What have we got?"
"Looks like it's Princess Leia." Harding's tone turned sarcastic. "If I'd known I could've had a cool code name, I would've come up with one."
Natalie shook her head. "Well, you're either Mulder or Scully right?" She gave a curt nod to Yoshi. "I'll be right there."
It had been over a year since Natalie had laid eyes on Christina Finley. Since the two of them fought off Lychos and Draconfolk on a college campus that seemed like so long ago. But despite some wear and tear, Christina still seemed like the kind of person who could kick a butt or two.
Christina pulled Natalie into a big bear hug. "Nat. You and my little brother knock boots yet?"
Natalie patted Ted's sister on the back hard. "Let's focus on the matter at hand, shall we?"
Christina pulled back. "Fine. Fine. Don't let me have any fun. But when the time is right, I definitely think you two should have groomswomen and bridesmen. For what it's worth."
Natalie suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and looked over Christina's shoulder. Behind her, several caravans of human soldiers and a few rhinos Ted had dropped off prepared to join the fray.
"What took you so long? I thought you were right around the corner."
Christina raised an eyebrow. "We had to do a little intel. Spying can take some time. You want a rundown?"
Christina, Natalie, and Yoshi had a short meeting of the minds on the shoreline. Christina's squad had scouted out not only the number of planes on board but also the massive amounts of troops headed their way.
"Either the General caught wind of your army coming this way, or he just wanted to put one hell of an exclamation mark on this extermination squad. Either way, the whole world is partying at the Jersey Shore today."
Yoshi looked down at a map and back up at Christ
ina and Natalie. "Even with our abilities, we might not last an hour against a force that size."
Natalie knew the samurai was right, but she also realized that the battle was more complicated than that.
"It's not about winning. It never was."
Christina scoffed. "That's a strange thing to hear from the winningest high school basketball player in state history."
Natalie smirked. "If Ted's plan works, Riu's powers might spread wide enough to hit the whole Eastern Seaboard. Maybe even the world."
Christina looked into Natalie's eyes. "So you're saying, even if we ignore the fact that my brother's plans hardly ever work out as he intended, we should stall the fight as much as possible just in case some magical kid's powers turn all the bad guys into good guys?"
Yoshi nodded to himself. "That's very Sun Tzu of you Natalie. If we keep their forces at bay long enough, neither side will lose as many people."
Christina turned away, took a few paces, and whipped her head back. "But if we're not fast enough, the General is going to send a thousand planes to take out every human for 10,000 miles. Do we really trust my brother that much?"
Natalie stood up straight. "Plan A is to see if we can save them all. Plan B, we take out every single plane to keep America safe. Any objections?"
Christina had all the fire that her brother lacked. But nevertheless, after a few more rounds of pacing, she agreed.
Natalie smiled. "Besides, if we're part of the squad that helps preserve the planet, they might label this the greatest victory of all time."
Christina laughed. "I'm not concerned with history books right now. I'm just worried that if Ted doesn't come through, then we're all screwed."
The sounds of gunfire on the far north side of their camp got Natalie's attention. She looked up and saw several short-range planes headed their way.
She took Yoshi's arm. "Conserve ammo. Kill only if necessary. Let's keep this thing going as long as Ted needs."
The samurai bowed. "It would be my honor."
Yoshi ran to join his squad as Christina squared herself up with Natalie. "I hope you know what you're doing. I'm going to go lead my squad. You want in?"
Natalie grabbed a piece of equipment from underneath the makeshift table they'd set up for themselves. She strapped it onto her back and flipped a few switches. "Thanks for the offer, but I've got my own squad." As she pressed one more button, the jetpack behind her fired to life. "And I'm getting mighty tired of being carried around. Good luck."
30
Jennifer hoped that if she curled herself in tight enough a ball that she would actually implode and disappear from the world. As she rocked her body underneath the sheets, she heard the door open to her room.
"Leave me here. Or hang me for treason, one or the other. It's what I deserve."
Jennifer's pity party continued internally, until she realized whoever had entered her room was still standing there silent.
Frustrated, she tossed off the sheet and saw the three of them standing there. Ted looked bemused, holding onto one of the books she'd stolen for her dark soul's master plan. Dhiraj seemed concerned but hesitant, still unable to separate the deeds she'd done as a killer from her human self. And Riu, who looked as impatient as a kid his age being dragged to the shoe store.
All of them waited silently and looked at her.
Jennifer's voice was almost too soft to register. "What do you want? Why are you looking at me?"
Ted smiled. "Because you're going to help us save the world."
She shook her head. "I'm useless. I'm worse than useless. I almost got all of you killed."
Dhiraj put his hand to his head. "That wasn't you, Jen. You couldn't have done those things."
"But I did. Or someone who killed me and took over my body did. It doesn't matter. I don't see the point in you guys bringing me."
Ted's eyebrows danced. "I do."
He tossed one of the books straight at Jennifer's head. With lightning-quick reflexes, she grabbed it out of the air, and the second she did, she felt the power wash over her. Instinctively, she used the power to float herself off the bed.
She looked down as she hovered several feet into the air. "So what? So I'm still strong, fast, and the books work for me. Ted, you have all these powers naturally. You don't need me there."
Dhiraj glared at the living soul. "You didn't say anything about her using the books."
Ted took a step towards the floating Jennifer. "I'm going to need to be close by to Riu to take out the General once and for all. And if I'm that close, we need someone else with powers to handle whatever he throws at us. If he aims a nuke at us or at Natalie and the army, we need someone with powers to handle it."
Jennifer's darkness began to slip away. "You want me to use the books? To help you guys?"
Dhiraj tried to cut into the conversation once again. "These are the books that nearly killed Erica. She can't use them."
Ted ignored his friend. "We don't want you to help. We need your help."
Dhiraj hopped up on the bed and put his hands up as if he were separating Jennifer and Ted. "No! I didn't know that was your plan, Ted, but it's a terrible one. If Jennifer uses the books too much—"
"Then I'll die. I already died, Dhiraj."
Everyone turned toward Jennifer, and Dhiraj's mouth hung wide open.
"I died trying to save you. And the dark soul version of me died trying to kill you. If I have a chance to undo some of the harm I've done, then maybe it's worth dying a third time."
Dhiraj's voice raised in volume. "That's terrible reasoning! You're alive, so you should stay alive."
Riu walked toward the bed. "You cannot choose another person's destiny for them."
Dhiraj yanked at his hair. "Will you stop talking about destiny? People want to hear you talk about fate about as much as they want to hear me talk about interest rates."
Jennifer put her hand on Dhiraj's shoulder. "It's okay. I understand this is scary. But what I did made me feel like I doomed the world." She smiled for the first time since they entered the room. "But if I have a chance to save it, maybe I can undo some of my wrongs."
Dhiraj's breath caught in his throat. "It's weird to see you floating. I just want to make sure you'll be alive if we get through all of this."
Ted looked down. "We can't choose who is going to live and die. But we can pick how we fight and we’re going to make sure we give it everything we've got."
Jennifer placed her feet back on the mattress and gave Dhiraj a hug. "This is what needs to happen. It's my only chance for redemption."
Dhiraj squeezed her back. "Then we all better live through this."
Riu tugged at Ted's sleeve. "I think we should let them have a moment."
Ted laughed softly. "Good eyes, kid."
As they walked out into the hallway, Riu looked up into Ted's eyes. "Are you going to go to the Realm of Souls to see if Erica made it home?"
Ted would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. It might not take long at all just to check on her. But with the battle about to begin near the extermination squad, Ted knew they didn't have much time to waste.
He bent down. "It's a nice thought, but I already said my goodbyes. If we have a chance to see each other again, then so be it. But until someone tells me that they're the protector and they're here to help, we're the ones who have to make this work."
Riu nodded. "Good. I was just making sure you were focused on the task at hand."
Ted gave the boy a playful push. "If we get through all of this, remind me that kids are too smart for their own good."
With the books and other supplies gathered, the four of them went through a portal of Jennifer's creation. Ted was impressed at his friend's skill with the powers. He hoped that she wouldn't have to use them very much. Seeing what Erica went through before she died reaffirmed within him that the books were only meant for the living soul.
Once they arrived in Washington, DC, only a block away from the White House, Te
d gathered the four of them in a huddle.
"I need you three to be close enough to the North Lawn, but not so close that you completely knock out my powers. I plan on drawing the General out and then we'll finish this one way or another."
Jennifer blinked. "Wait, you're already leaving us? I didn't think I was going to have to do my living soul impression so quickly."
Ted smiled at her. "Let me remind you, Jen, that you once helped me remember that I was a hero. Well, you tracked down Erica's killer, outed an insane person, and even shot a bazooka at an evil senator. You're a hero too, now keep this kid safe."
Jennifer's eyes brightened as she assented.
Dhiraj squinted. "Wait, I'm pretty clear on the plan for the most part, except for the part where you draw the General out. How exactly are you planning on doing that?"
Ted winked as he broke the huddle and started walking backwards. "I didn't think you guys would like my plan, so I just didn't tell you."
Riu took a step in his direction. "Where are you going, living soul?"
Ted suppressed his nervousness as he continued to back away from his friends. "I figure that the best way to get the General out in the open—" Ted felt his powers spring to life as he got far enough away from Riu. "Was to just knock on the front door."
With that, Ted flew through the front gate to the White House and reveled in his friends' reactions as he landed right in front of the iconic building.
The nearest door opened, and three Secret Servicemen pointed their guns in his direction.
Ted smirked. "Hi there. I was wondering if the General could come out and play?"
31
The last time Cora had stepped into the refugee district, she was in a different body and a very different situation. It had been triumphant when they'd transported thousands of Treasure residents to the safe location. But in the General's world, no place was safe any longer.
