“Yeah, it would blow my mind if anyone attempted come way out here with all this. Even then, afterwards, they’d have to deal with you and Vala.”
“And Iris,” he mumbled.
Keith raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, and Iris. Which reminds me, how’d you get her to take the telekinetic headband off? When we left, she had it on. Several hours later, its off and she seems pretty content,” Lucas said.
“For now,” Michael said. “I bought a box. Simple metal crate. I had a talk with her and Vala, I said that we’re giving up the life we had in exchange for a new one. I asked if she was okay with that.”
“That easy, huh?” Keith asked.
“I disabled my plasma blade, Vala handed over her submachinegun, and with only a hint of hesitation, Iris took off the headband.”
“Wow. Glad to hear you are going try and adopt her,” Keith said.
“We’re going to do our best. Obviously, with that much trauma, she’ll need counseling. We all do. We want to make sure we’re in the position to give her a good home, mentally and physically. We figured since we have a lot in common. Her family battled tech addition, and so did ours. Hopefully, we can feed off each other’s experiences for the better.”
“Excellent. Good outlook. You said though, be realistic with her and do what you can. If she needs additional professional help, I’m here. I can put you in contact with some of the best doctors in the country,” Keith said.
“We appreciate that. I should take you up on it,” Michael said.
Keith nodded, staring into the horizon. “Absolutely. Before we go, we’re setting up a military grade solar panel and a generator so you’ll never have to worry about powering this place. It should be good for at least thirty years,” Keith said.
“You mean when I’m near seventy years old, I’ll have to figure out how to replace all this shit?” Michael chuckled.
“Start planning now.” Keith grinned.
“It goes without saying, but don’t mention our names about all this. Garza and I literally pulled all this from Lucas’ facility. Then again, he would have wanted it. It’d be difficult to explain that to the shareholders, though.”
“We never will, that you can count on. You’re gonna miss him, I’m sure,” Michael said.
“Lucas? Yeah. We weren’t as close the last couple of years, but he made an impact on my life. He was a true patriot, a maverick, and a friend. He had a unique perspective on things, a real eye opener.”
“A warrior.” Michael nodded.
“Yes, a warrior, too.”
“Who’s going to take over for him back at his compound?” Michael asked.
“Well, Garza said his last request was to have everything melted down, but he left open another option, but it’ll never see the light of day,” he replied.
“Oh? What was it?” Michael shifted his shoulders toward Keith.
“Ah, he said I could take over operations in reverse engineering,” Keith replied.
“Wow.”
“Basically, that means it’s all going to scrap. I want no part in it,” Keith said.
“All that technology, to the scrap pile?” Michael asked.
“Well, not all of it.” Keith tapped Michael’s armor. He narrowed his eyes at Michael for a moment, then glanced away. “During the ordeal a few weeks back, I’m not sure if you heard me, you were unconscious, but I told you something before you killed the Omega. Something I should have told you a long time ago. Not sure why I had the courage when you were out of it. Maybe I’m a coward like that.”
“No, you’re not, and I heard every word,” Michael said.
Keith leaned over the railing parallel to Michael. “Well, I meant every word, and I want you to know, I’m sorry for not putting a stop to the madness you endured, the ECHO program. It was morally wrong. No two ways about it.”
“It was my choice, Keith.”
“But you didn’t know exactly what you were getting into. I did, and I could have spoken up, but I didn’t. I allowed Amery to put you through that. At first, I tried to rationalize my decision in that I was devastated from losing Olivia and our unborn son, but the reality is, you had nothing do with that. I failed to act.” Keith’s eyes glossed over.
“It’s okay, I—”
“Mike, I learned not only what true sacrifice is from you, but I learned about making the right decisions at my worst. There is nothing like rock bottom. I’d like to believe that’s who we really are as men, during adversity. Can we still do the right thing in those moments? Can we dig deep enough? I want to thank you for that realization, thank you for making me better, Michael.” Keith turned toward him, extending him hand.
Michael shook it and nodded. “Likewise.”
Keith cocked an eyebrow. “I helped you?”
“Well, you helped us all, indirectly you might argue. But if you would have spoken up about the ECHO program, we wouldn’t have been able to stop the Omega. I am the cumulation of the very best in human engineering, military training, along with alien technology, and just the slightest bit of underestimation on the Omega’s part got us here. I was able to hold off it off just long enough for Iris to recover, and we did it, you included. You were a part of the solution to save humanity, a big part. Don’t ever forget that,” Michael said.
“Ha, leave it to you to turn it around into a positive. But yeah, never looked at it that way.” Keith panned out into the snow.
“It’s the truth.”
“You, uh, think we’ll ever see more from the Omega? Well, his race? Surely him going missing in action will be a red flag? Think they’ll come for him?” Keith whispered.
“I don’t. No, seems to me his decision to eliminate humanity was his choice, not his people’s, especially after we gave him the artifact. To me, seems he was one the last remnants of a dying breed, some type of enforcer with one foot still in his troubled past.”
“Hard to pull the foot out sometimes,” Keith said.
“Yeah, yeah, especially considering what the Omega saw. Mind-boggling. I destroyed the artifact in front of his face in case he was broadcasting or recording his account, just so they could see the artifact was gone,” Michael explained.
“That’ll alleviate any doubts about it in that case,” Keith replied.
Vala stepped out onto the porch, smiling. “Care if I steal him back?” she asked Keith.
“Oh, certainly. We were just talking about the future, yep,” Keith said, stepping down the stairs.
“Where’s Mia?” Vala asked.
“Oh, she’s helping Garza setup out back, doing what she can.” Keith walked around the house.
“This must all be exciting for her.” Vala stared at Michael.
“What about you? Does all this look like an exciting enough life for you? Way out here in the wild?” Michael stepped close to her, putting his arms around her trim waist.
“Hmm. No linkers, no honking horns, no traffic jams—”
“Or gunfights,” Michael added.
“No, that seems to be over, just, us.” She smiled. He leaned in and put his forehead against hers.
“I think it’s what we always needed, some breathing room.”
“Hey, so, Iris and Grandma are alone inside?” Michael pulled away, glaring at her.
“Yeah, she’s never had a grandmother so this is new for her. Let them have a few minutes alone.”
Keith walked around the corner with Mia and Garza in tow. “Well, that’s it. Everything’s ready to go,” Keith said. Michael and Vala walked down the steps.
“We’re gonna head out. Long drive ahead of us,” Garza said.
“Definitely, take advantage of the daylight. It gets dark up here pretty early,” Michael said.
“Good point,” Keith said.
Michael embraced each of them one at a time, then Vala followed. “Thank you, for everything. You really went the extra mile.” Michael said.
Garza glanced over her shoulder. “When you get a chance, Michael, you might
notice something familiar about one of the brute drones patrolling your property.”
“Really, why?” he said, panning around.
“One of them goes by the callsign Icepick. He likes the cold. We fixed him up after the Crucible, and he seemed to hate it down in New Mexico. I figured, what the hell. He won’t let you down.”
“So, no hard feelings then?”
“Nah, he’s a robot, he won’t remember any of that from the Crucible,” Garza replied.
“I wasn’t talking about Icepick,” Michael cocked his head to the side. “I’m kidding.”
“Haha. Nope. Looking back, it was an honor for you to kick our asses. We needed it by that point,” she said.
“Oh, oh, I almost forgot, one last thing! Not sure how I almost overlooked this,” Keith said, jogging to back of the trailer. He tugged on a large, metallic container. He scooted in onto the gate lift, then lowered it. The container had wheels, like an oversized luggage item.
“What’s in there?” Michael asked.
“Your wings and hyper solar battery. Should have given them to you a long while ago, but I thought they might have been confiscated at Lucas’ installation. With all the scrambling over the Omega, I didn’t think to double check, by chance, I found them when we loaded up the brute drones.”
“You don’t think I’ll need them again, do you? I don’t understand,” Michael said.
“Nah, you never know, I guess, but that’s not why I’m giving them to you. If you disengage your plasma saber and your targeting and scanning computer, it reroutes enough power and allows the ECHO a very special ability with your wings.”
Michael glanced at Vala. “Uh, wait, are you telling me that I can…” Michael tilted his head, staring at the container.
“You can fly. The same motion that the wings layer over your body is like the flapping of wings and is easily enough for you to fly. We tried it on a three hundred pound test unit and it had plenty of power. You’re barely two hundred pounds. It was an application we were going to introduce after the Crucible.”
“Oh, my God. Ever since I jumped out of a plane as a Ranger, I’ve always wanted to fly,” Michael said.
“It’s literally four snaps. Wanna try it now?” Keith asked, rubbing his hands together like a plotting kid scientist.
“No, no, you have to go. It’s getting late. It’ll be dark soon, we’ll try it later,” Michael said.
Vala nudged him. “Go on,” she whispered.
Keith wheeled the container over, popping the lid and exposing the massive jagged wings, hundreds of metallic shards pieced together with four large specialized rods that fastened to Michael’s back. “Haven’t seen those in a while, huh? So, you wanna try?” Keith asked.
“Alright, maybe I’ll just do a small test, see if they can pull me off the ground,” Michael replied.
“Other than your brain, this was always my favorite part of the ECHO. We copied the tech from the alien ship’s hull to create Michael’s wings because of its shapeshifting abilities. These jagged segments of materials are controlled by Michael. He can layer them over his body like armor or use them to glide, even fly,” Keith plugged in the last rod.
“I don’t feel them yet,” Michael said.
“Hold your horses, the solar battery isn’t in. Stand back, guys. Back up,” Keith directed as he hoisted the battery into Michael rear casing. The massive, blade like wings suddenly flared out like a basking hawk.
“Oh, my god!” Garza said, jumping back as snow and dirt flew into the air.
“Whoa, that could have killed someone.” Vala sighed.
“I said stand back, didn’t I? You have control over the wings, Michael?” he asked.
“Um, yeah. It’s much easier to move them, though,” he replied, moving them around slowly. He layered them over his body like a set of armor. “How do I look?” he asked, touching the white snow as his armor gave him the appearance of wintry warrior encased in jagged armor, only his green eyes shining through.
Vala and Garza mouths dropped. “Yep, that’s how I remember you at the Crucible,” Garza said.
“So, your plasma saber is gone, that gave you a power increase, now disengage your targeting and scanning devices.”
“Okay, that’s simple. Done.”
“Now, see if you can get some air under the wings. Be careful, there’s exponentially more power routed to them,” Keith explained. No sooner than he instructed Michael, he began flapping his wings and his feet were snatched from the ground as he shot into the air twenty feet.
“Whoa!”
“Keep moving them!” Keith shouted upward, circling around Michael like he was guiding a kite in the breeze.
Michael’s body bobbed up and down as he stretched his arms out for balance.
“Is he okay?” Vala asked.
“Long as he keeps moving the wings,” Keith said.
After a minute, Michael outstretched his arms, shifting his weight around. “I think I’ve got it.” He began strafing back and forth in the air, feeling the light wind current as he drifted about. He leaned forward slightly, pressing toward the forest ahead like soaring bird.
“Wow! un-believe-able!” he shouted, his voice echoing off the hills as he sailed two hundred feet in the air. He banked back and forth, controlling the wings with a degree of accuracy reserved only for birds.
“I knew it would work! The engineers back at Solarsystems were so skeptical of trying this.” Keith shook his head.
“It seems natural, instinctive for him,” Garza observed.
“His mind is connected to the individual pieces of the wings. He can control them precisely. I would wager this comes very naturally,” Keith said as Michael blasted by them like a diving hawk, flapping his massive wings directly overhead as they hunkered down. He circled back around and landed in front of Vala.
“Show off.” She smiled.
“That was incredible. I…wow.” Michael glanced over his shoulders at his new wings.
“Doesn’t take much effort, huh?” Keith asked.
“Not really, felt almost natural,” Michael said.
“Another thing is, some of that might be because the instincts from the Golden Eagle and Jaguar aren’t completely wiped from your mind. Activities such as hunting or flying could still be in there,” Keith explained.
Michael reached for Vala.
“What?” she asked as he flared his wings out on full display.
“Wanna try?” Michael asked. Vala glared at Keith.
He shrugged. “Better you than me. It’s too cold, but I know Cilans can endure extreme temperatures.”
Garza chuckled as Vala slowly gravitated towards Michael, locking her arms underneath his. “Your legs, wrap them around my waist.”
“Okay.” Vala closed her eyes as he flared out his wings.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever b—”
“Whoa!” she yelled as Michael ascended upward rapidly, holding her tight to his body. “Cold?” he whispered. The hills and trees below gave them no refuge from frigid breeze.
“No, not at all,” she said looking at him. She glanced at the ground as the group waved.
“Bye! You have my number, call if you need anything!” Keith shouted, cupping his hands.
Michael climbed higher and began to move forward at the pace of a hot air balloon. He soared above his woodland homeland observing the hills he’d learned to hunt and fish below.
“This is just… The view is incredible,” she said, eyes wide.
“Yeah. I know these hills, but I’ve never had the pleasure to see them like, this.” He gazed down.
“A new perspective,” she said.
They stared at each other without a word for several seconds. She nodded slowly, caressing his face as he banked on the wind currents, skimming the low hanging clouds for several minutes. All at once, he spun upside-down.
“Hey!” she said as he allowed her to look up into the sky. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” she
yelled, smiling from ear to ear as he flipped back over.
“Wish I would’ve known these wings were still around. All this time, we could’ve been flying above our enemies,” she said.
“True. We could have hidden from them, but we wouldn’t have the perspective we do now,” he said.
“We wouldn’t have found Iris either, not up here.”
“Or ourselves. I spent so much time trying to figure out a way to alter my appearance, to fit in this world with you, when my whole world was always right in front of me,” he gazed into her eyes.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my little tale. Please don’t forget to give this book a quick review. Even just a two word. “Liked it” or “Hated it” review helps so much. Positive or negative, I am grateful for all feedback from my readers.
I’m proud to announce my new series “The Legion and the Lioness” is available now!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078J4BYX6
About the Author
Robert Armstrong is a USA Today bestselling author and former intelligence specialist. With degrees in Social Science and Medical Sleep Disorders, he prides himself in understanding what makes the human brain tick, both day and night, the link between the subconscious and conscious.
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