by Tom Holloway
“Anna, remember to project your thoughts so that I will understand. And yes, your child is fine. And you are alive, healthy or close to it. Your vitals are good, and your child is well. It could be much worse. Your eyesight is restored. Your medical drones, or Henry’s slips, repaired everything during your sleep. You just need to move, push yourself. Your strength will come back,” responds XTOX. “You have been in hibernation for nineteen Earth days, longer in flight days. You are trillions of miles from Earth. We have just entered into the Antennae Galaxies, where we spend a lot of time. It is off the beaten path, as you would say. Henry does not know where you are, so don’t get hopeful. Your best bet is he trades us something we want badly, pay our price for you and his unborn son. He will do much to get his son back. You need to make yourself comfortable here. It could be a long time on board.”
Anna shakes her head. “I feel dreadful. My mouth is sticky; the taste is terrible. I need a mirror. You said he knows about our son?” she asks, now fully awake.
XTOX replies, “Yes, he does; we left word for him on Earth after we took you. Here, drink this fluid. The drone will pour the drink into your mouth. It will clean and refresh you.”
Continuing, he says: “By the way, Anthony would have killed you except for us. It was a lucky break for you that we came for you. He has done the same with other young human women. We pulled some of his memories when he was in the toilet in the plane. Henry is not the only one with brain memory slips. We saved you from him.”
XTOX projects his thoughts strongly, with passion, exclaiming, “Only Henry would do this to you, not protect you, leaving you vulnerable. Now we have you and your son. Henry is not worth your loyalty. He is more ruthless than we are, more than cruel. You doubt me; Henry really has done many terrible things in the past. As punishment, he sometimes kills his victim, restores him, and kills him again in a different way, always painful, doing this a thousand times. Everyone in the universe knows about it, and it does frighten those who never frighten. Actually I am not too keen on it either. Since he is the top military guy for the Consortium, no one interferes. It is a bad death many times.
You probably know very little about Henry. Why do you think the Consortium has him, made him what he is, utilizing his expertise, his killing instincts, his best talents? He is no better than us. Henry has done some dreadful deeds for the Consortium. He is basically a predator’s predator. He is trained to hunt down his victims, other predators, with no mercy. It makes you wonder about your unborn son. He will probably become the ultimate predator. Think about it, Anna, the Consortium could use Henry to get to your son, make him the next Henry or worse. We can take care of you and your son, protect you. You could even visit Earth every so often, as we have business there, too. You just need to trust us.”
Anna stares intently at him, projecting her thoughts: “XTOX, you forget, our son belongs to Henry, too. He will love his son. I know Henry. He will come for his son and me. You have no chance. I trust and love Henry. Your poisoning words are just so much rhetoric. Give up while you can. If you give up now, return me to Earth. I will tell Henry to have mercy on you, no thousand-death thing.”
XTOX shakes his head. “Anna, you are foolish. The Consortium will take your son.”
She responds, “Why would I believe you?”
XTOX looks at her intently, then responds, “Yes, yes, you are right. So be it. Henry also should be happy with us, grateful we saved you, as I have saved you and his son. You might put in a good word for me, just in case it all goes wrong. I am just saying there is much you do not know about Henry. You might be surprised about Gabriel, too, and the Consortium. We will talk more later, when you are stronger. Please, Anna, maybe listen with an open mind. We just want to make a living. We want an exclusive license to broker our goods, which are exotic metals. We are sort of like one of your pawnshops on Earth. We loan out money to civilizations with no credit. They give us metals we desire for collateral. If they don’t pay us back, we sell the metal for a tidy profit.
“Of course Earth donated quite a bit of aluminum to keep from being destroyed by us, as we lost a valuable starship there. Someone needed to pay. We also helped Earth get approved into the Consortium, us being the villains attacking Earth. This happening to Earth, an event we caused, means an automatic acceptance into the Consortium. We did your Earth a favor, as the Consortium approval is worth trillions for Earth just in tourism money alone. Tourists love new primitive worlds, tribe-like beings, especially those who still have sex.”
XTOX looks intently at Anna, projecting his thoughts to her. “Anyway, you are tired; you need your dinner. Here, drink more fluid. You have your baby to think of. You need some exercise, too. The hibernation weakened you.”
“XTOX, where is my locket?”
He replies, “Sorry Anna, we took it—too dangerous to leave with you. We locked it away where the beacon will not signal Henry. Once he agrees to our terms, we will send you to him, and for now you will be our…” XTOX stops, has a strange, freak look in his eyes. She sees he can’t move. A dazed look comes over him, and he tries to move; his eyes become frantic.
Anna notices XTOX is looking really sick suddenly, turning different colors, and then he starts to pass out, dropping gradually toward the floor. Anna reaches out with her arms, just barely catches him, then tries to hold on to him using her legs wrapped around him. This close, she thinks, he smells worse, terrible! He is so large, lucky there is only a little gravity on the ship, as she keeps him from hitting the floor.
Thankfully he suddenly awakens, startled, in shock and speechless. He pulls himself up and regains his composure. He shakes his head. He finally mentally exclaims to her, “Yes, yes, it was too simple!” Shaking his large head in rage, he cries, “We are finished. Damn! Damn!”
There is a wild look in his large, protruding eyes, projecting more anger and words she cannot understand, maybe swear words. He rages, “Your Henry set us up. Your locket is not a locket but, as you would say, a Trojan horse. How clever of Henry! It opened when you boarded and signaled Henry immediately using our communications systems, corrupted by his drones; your locket released thousands of drones and slips. They probably spread throughout the ship immediately. The mental drones, the slips, entered our brains, and then entered our system’s intelligence centers and the navigation; everything on board worth anything was corrupted. He has influenced me from the beginning, even at our first meeting with you. I realize it now. I can feel him now in my brain; he has a slip in my brain, and I know he is on board, coming for me. I fainted because of his scanning the ship looking for me. Henry created a mental wave, and the first impact knocked me out. He is here with many troops. They have all boarded us. We are done for.”
XTOX’s speech is high-pitched, not understandable; he pauses, the telepathy now continuing, sorrowful, passionate, pleading: “Anna, please save me and this ship. I have done you no harm. He has many starships around us and he intends to destroy us. Please save us! There are 223,000 of us on board, females and children, too. Henry is coming. I beg you, don’t let him destroy us.”
Anna tries to stand up; she is so weak, yet the possibility that Henry is here thrills her more than her current condition. Could it be possible? She can hardly breathe as she hears all kinds of commotion down the tunnels of the massive starship. She does not have the power to stand up. She tries again.
Then she almost faints as she actually sees Henry at the end of the tunnel, striding toward her with a huge smile. His helmet is off, and he is yelling “Anna!” fifty feet away; he starts to run toward her. There is noise all around them. More troops are pouring down the tunnel toward them, and XTOX steps forward in front of her, almost protective, walking out to meet them. She can hardly move, still sitting there, holding on to the bed. She is weaker than she thought possible, trying not to faint.
XTOX steps forward, bowing, saying, “Henry, you have taken the ship. We surrender under Consortium protocols, thus we are entitled to due proces
s. We make the declaration, as we want to repent, and we ask for forgiveness. We understand the ramifications and accept them. We will also compensate our victims.”
Henry laughs. “XTOX, people died on Earth. The Consortium will have a trial, and you have a chance. You can give them your side of the story. Your starship will be escorted back to KA*AM. We have all the others; the rest of your group is captured. They will go to KA*AM as well.”
XTOX bows down, then stares at Henry’s eyes. “As it will be, as it should be, per my fate. My providence awaits me. Yet we have performed a service for you, taking your Anna away from certain death, as she had been kidnapped by a rogue human. We have saved Anna and your child also, and as you can see she is here, behind me, protected by me in preparation for your arrival. Granted it was not an exact plan, yet Anna, I think, will testify to our prudence in watching over her.”
XTOX turns, staring at Anna, pleading silently for her response.
Anna looks at Henry, projects agreement, saying, “He saved me from Anthony, kept me safe here.”
Henry turns to XTOX, saying, “I appreciate you taking care of Anna, and I will put in a good word for you at your trial. If you are responsible for killing beings on Earth, you know the law.”
XTOX looks at Anna, and in a lower, softer mental tone, almost affectionate, still telepathic, continues. “Anna, it has been a pleasure meeting you. I am sorry it was so brutal; I have no ill feelings toward you. Our link in this life was destiny. We both face limitations to our choices, our free will defined for us, our inevitable fate to come for us, and yet we step forward in the dark. Yes, it is a constant challenge of survival, one of the decrees of this life.”
XTOX bows slowly, eyes closed, as he whispers, “Calabra, Anna.” He then turns proudly, standing tall, looking at Henry, who nods, directing him to his side.
Four soldiers approach him, salute Henry, and then escort XTOX down the tunnel.
Anna breathes deeply, stands, tries to run to Henry or more like staggers to him, can’t do it, stops, crying, “Henry! Thank God you are here. It is about time. Where have you been? Help me.”
Henry strides forward; he grabs her in a clutching embrace as she almost falls, Anna holding on for dear life. Henry picks her up easily, holding her in his arms. Both are crying. She is kissing his face, and then they kiss deeply.
Anna says tenderly, close to his ear, “I have missed you terribly! Henry, you need to know we have a son. I am pregnant.”
He laughs. “I know, and I am delighted, happier than I have ever been. Our son! I have missed you, too, more than I thought possible. I am so sorry about not being here sooner. I should have been here.”
Tearful, with sad eyes, Anna says, “Henry, you need to know, it is awful and all my doing. I caused it all. My mother and Nikki were killed by Anthony, as was John Jacobs and his friend. It was terrible. I saw it all. It was all my fault.”
Henry exclaims, “Yes, Anna, I know all about it, and you also killed five of the bad guys. I have good news, though; you are wrong, as John, Nikki, and John’s friend did not die. The medical slips saved them. I’m sorry; your mother did not make it. She had too much brain damage to save. I am so sorry. I deeply regret not being there for them and you. I failed you. It’s not your fault. Never think that you caused it.”
“Nikki is alive?” cries Anna. “John is alive? Medical repair slips? How is that possible? They are alive?”
Henry responds, “Yes, yes, alive and healthy and worried about you. The repair slips were in each of them, as I installed them a long time ago. The slips in your mother’s body moved to John’s associate when they could not save her. She had too much head trauma to save her memories; thus it was impossible to save her identity. She would not have been your mother if saved. Anna, I know you loved her dearly; I am sorry. Nikki made the funeral arrangements. Many, many people came.”
He continues, “Nikki is now on the Cyclone; she wanted to be part of your retrieval. Both of you will switch to one of the Eagles. They will go back to Earth with you. I am taking the Cyclone to meet with Gabriel. He is meeting me halfway. Nikki is waiting for you. You need to leave for Earth right away.”
Anna asks, “Henry, how did you do all this without the Consortium’s consent?”
Henry laughs. “You know the irrational old cliché: it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” He then says more seriously, “I need to work out the details.”
Henry stares intently at Anna, leaning down, unwrapping his arms around her, and letting her stand. She is almost too weak to stand yet she pulls herself up.
Henry awkwardly drops to one knee, brings out a little black jewelry box, looking up at her, opening the box, nervously saying, “Please forgive me, Anna. I am sorry for all this. It was not my intent. I love you. I need you, and you were right. I hope…please, Anna…will you marry me?”
Anna laughs and looks at him with amazement.
She responds, “Henry, when did you have time to buy that? She drops down, takes the ring, kisses Henry’s cheek, nuzzling him, and she responds in a whisper, “Yes, of course Henry. I will marry you. I love you with all my heart. I need you, too. How will we do this? Where do we get married? Where do we live?”
Now looking at her, their eyes locked, he smiles and says, “I am working on it. You might have to go to work for the Consortium.”
Anna looks at the ring, exclaims, “It is gorgeous!”—she slips it on, beaming a huge smile—“I’ll do anything, as long as I am with you.”
She beams more, laughs, and then asks, “How bad can it be?
She changes her tone, more serious, exclaims, “One more thing Henry, are you going to be at the Academy Awards?”
“I am not sure. I will try my best.”
“Just be there! It’s important to me, Henry. I need you to be there.”
Henry nods his head. “Anna, I am forgetting where we are…we still have some issues here. We have to get going right away. You need to leave this ship for a lot of reasons. For one, it is dangerous to be here; things are still moving fast. I am taking you to a starship like the Cyclone. Nikki is there. I will be making my trip on the Cyclone. You will be taken care of personally from now on, with a constant guard, as if you were me. You are heading back to Earth. Everyone is looking forward to seeing you. John and Judy have been frantic since you were abducted. John blamed himself and is overjoyed about your return. He and Judy and the kids are moving in with you. I will be there as soon as I can make it happen.”
It is January 12, and no word from Henry. It has been weeks. I am obviously showing; six months is a lot in the pregnancy world, as in little kicks in the stomach. I have been singing to our son, and I’m surprisingly good at it, too. I know our son loves it when I sing to him. It was tough to find a dress for the Academy Awards tonight, something to go with the pregnancy. The morning sickness surprisingly continues, and it is lousy.
I am appreciative of the abundance of security, all Consortium troops and starships and thousands of drones, all sizes, everywhere. John and Judy Jacobs are staying with me at the house; it’s wonderful to have their presence near me and very reassuring. John has been a big help. He gave me a gun and I passed the concealed-gun license exam. It makes me feel better to have it. I’m good with it, too. John says I’m a natural marksman. Thank God John and Judy are both going to the awards tonight.
John told me, at Henry’s request, and with the FBI’s help, he cleaned up the Deforleo family. Most of them were caught. A huge sex-slavery organization was discovered, hundreds of girls held in bondage released. Some stayed in the United States; some went back to their families overseas. The Deforleo organization was legally prosecuted rather than using Henry’s way. John said Henry was really upset about Anthony, said if Anthony was still alive to hold him for Henry’s return. Luckily for Anthony they never met; he would not like the “thousand deaths” thing.
The guests tonight include every leader of almost every country in the worl
d. They are having the Academy Awards in a massive coliseum. About every celebrity in the world will be there. I know it is not me they are coming to see. All will be waiting to see if Henry comes.
And then there’s me, thinks Anna: hardly feeling beautiful, knocked up, with no husband, standing literally in front of the world. Awkward, to say the least.
At least the tabloids are a little more subdued, as they are afraid of Henry, what he might think of them, and mostly what he might do to them. The ratings for tonight’s ceremony are expected to be off the charts. It’s believed several billion people will see the Academy Awards, as most of the world will be watching. I have already been told I will be getting an award. They are even televising me leaving my home. I feel bad about all the attention. What about the other winners? I wish my mother was here. Thank God for Nikki! Henry better damn well be on his way. They are all coming to see him, expecting him to be here.
I start to cry, which I do all the time now. What if he does not come? At least I have an engagement ring. Nikki says to wear a wedding band if it makes me feel better. My real fear is when I am up there standing in front of billions of people. What do I say up there at the lectern? I do have to thank everyone. What if he never comes?
I am trillions of miles from Earth, on the other side of the galaxy. The Cyclone is still gaining speed, trying to make Anna’s Academy Awards night. It is not possible to make it, yet the Cyclone is pushing over all previous records, moving faster than ever, maybe too fast. I’m unsure why the Cyclone is pushing the limits with this much danger, maybe actually feeling the urgency, maybe doing this as much for Anna as for me. It’s surprising that the feeling of losing Anna has been so deep for me, unbearable, and now both of us feel it. We have changed; our lives are not the same now. Both of us realize it, and there’s no going back, Anna is part of our future.
Almost humorously, the Cyclone is not complaining that we are using tremendous amounts of energy and definitely taking risks with our survival. The Cyclone is usually the first to point out my recklessness; but now it is acting like me, pushing the limits. The universe is harsh, taking lives just like time does. The Cyclone knows it all could end in a millisecond as pursuing these speeds is dangerous, yet our propulsion is expanding, cutting through the fabric of space and time. We are violently using gravity as an extreme tool. Trillions of tons of gravity are forcing colossal weight out of equilibrium. This ripples a hole into space and time, leveraging great forces—a violent and dangerous process used for centuries. The result: we are covering quadrillions of miles within minutes.
