Jarred holds up his hands. He wouldn't really shoot him, would he? Why doesn't Jayce realize it's him? Something is obviously very wrong with his mind for him to be aiming a gun at his husband. What can Jarred say? "My name is Jarred Cunningham. I don't know the password."
"Unauthorized person, leave this area immediately."
What? Jarred cries out to him. "Jayce!"
"There is no one here by the name of Jayce. You are mistaken. My name is Jophiel, Defender of Paradise. I will destroy any who try to stop the completion of the awakening."
"Please snap out of it. Jayce! I'm your husband. It's me, Jarred."
"I do not know who you are." Jayce says. "Take one more step and I will be forced to shoot you."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I do not understand your question. I do what I am meant to do. Master Clark gives me orders. I obey those orders."
"What about me?" Jarred asks, becoming desperate. "What about us?"
"I do not know who you are. Leave this area immediately. I am authorized to use deadly force."
"I'm not going anywhere. I came to save you. I've gone through too much to leave you now." Jarred reaches out to him as he starts to cry. "You have to know who I am. We're Jarred and Jayce! We only have each other. I need you. I love you. Please!"
The first bullet enters Jarred's right hip, dropping him instantly to the pavement. He cries out and slams his clenched fists against the ground as he powers through the pain. Crawling on his hand and knees, he calls to Jayce, begging him to stop, but his pleas go unanswered. The second shot rings out, echoing against the cavern walls. Jarred clutches his left shoulder as the blood soaks through his shirt. His breathing grows ragged and his mind races, but he can't give up now.
Jayce takes aim again at his husband. "Leave this area or I will kill you."
"No!"
When the third bullet rips through Jarred's sternum, the blood splatters around him as his arms give out. He can't draw a full breath and his entire body is trembling. Lying on the pavement and bleeding to death, all of his strength drains from him. Jarred forces himself to stay awake, despite the coldness he feels. He knows that if he falls asleep, he won't wake back up. With one last push, he digs his fingers into the rough street and pulls himself forward, dragging his now dying body. Jarred reaches out with a violently shaking hand and he touches the worn leather of Jayce's boot. Coughing up dark blood, he holds onto Jayce's leg and continues to cry with the all-consuming pain.
In front of Jarred's face, the revolver falls from Jayce's hand and hits the pavement. Jayce drops to his knees and the electricity flickers around them. When he finally collapses beside Jarred, Jayce grabs onto his bloody hand and looks him in the eyes.
Then he says the one thing that Jarred will never forget. "Jarred?"
He remembers. That's all Jarred wanted. "Jayce . . . I love . . . you."
But Jayce doesn't answer back.
21
Doss watches Clark fall to the street and take his final ragged breath before turning back to his wife who is still breathing. He knows it is time to say goodbye. He has to do it before she dies. He reaches out to Katarina. "Take my hand and we'll fly away together."
"Where are we going?" She asks through her tears.
"We'll find our own heaven where the darkness can never find us. I'll keep you safe from it all. We'll join your brother and father, your mother, Byron, Remiel, Blice, and everyone else. We'll all be together again in the land of light where angels fly and there are no more tears."
Katarina smiles and takes his hand as the tears slide down her face and into the dust below her head. "I'm ready. Keep me safe . . . in heaven."
"I'll be right there with you soon, baby."
* * *
Fully consumed with sorrow, Doss makes his way past the central courtyard to get back to ship. He slips his blood-streaked rosary underneath his dirty t-shirt then stops walking when he sees the gory mess of blood that has spread across the pavement and once white slabs of stone. Jarred and Jayce lie motionless in each other's arms, drenched from head to toe in dark blood. Just when Doss is at his lowest, his heart sinks even more.
There's nothing else that he can do for them now, except to pray for the fate of their souls so he goes over to the two men and kneels down in the thick blood, trying to ignore the sickening stench of it all. He first says a prayer for Jayce. Then he reaches out to touch Jarred. He's not cold like Jayce. Can he be alive? Doss gently rolls Jarred over on his back and feels for a pulse. It's light and labored, but it's there. Doss gathers the dying, unconscious Jarred in his arms. "Hold on, Jarred. Stay with me, buddy. I'll get you to the ship and the medics will work on you. You can make it. Don't give up yet."
* * *
After the longest shower of his life and a few heartfelt prayers, Doss goes into the command center of the ship where Apollo is busy typing up a report on one of the many computers as crewmembers rush around him. It looks like they're still on Earth. Doss sits in a chair behind him. "What's our plan?"
"Hey there, Doss. Are you doing all right?" Apollo asks.
"I'll make it."
"Well, despite our losses, I have good news. Clark is dead and his entire army was wiped out when Katarina activated the failsafe program. She will be remembered as a hero. As will you, Doss."
"I'm not a hero." Doss says.
"You saved Jarred's life. If you hadn't gone that way and found him, he would have died within minutes. The amount of blood he lost is staggering. Also, I found the kill switch. This should shut everything down and keep it that way. It's a shame to see all of this human technology go to waste."
"It's not worth the risk to keep it around." Doss says. "Think about the lives that we're saving when we destroy this place. I guess humans never were meant to stay in paradise."
"That is played out in one of your human religions, is it not? That humans were exiled from paradise?"
He holds onto his rosary tighter than he ever has. "Yeah. I guess so. Now humanity will be gone from Earth as well. It almost makes me sad to leave this planet behind for good. I was created to guard, watch, and protect the humans who lived on it. Now my purpose has changed, but I'm okay with it. Maybe it will do me some good to have a change."
"Before we take off, do we have everyone on board? Where is Jarred?"
"In his room being operated on by medics to tend to his wounds. He's in critical condition, but the doctors believe that he'll make it. I wouldn't try to speak with him for a while."
"Ah. Because of Jayce?" Apollo asks.
"Yes. He's understandably devastated."
"Do I need to station someone in his room to keep an eye on him to ensure that he won't try to take his own life over this?"
Doss shakes his head. "I don't think that will be necessary. I know Jarred well enough to know that he won't leave Zodiac and Nova without a father. He will live to be with his children."
"If you say so. Excuse me, but I need to make a call." Apollo calls to the other ship on the radio. "Ms. Morgenstern, are you there?"
"Call me Annette, please. And yes, I am here. Can you give me a final status report? You know, casualties, fatalities, and completed objectives?"
He pulls up a file on the monitor and begins to relay the information to her. "Deceased: Adam Clark, Katarina Williams, Jayce Cunningham, and Axel Velex. We managed to retrieve two microchips. One is Kazimir Dark's and the other is very tiny. I examined it under a microscope to see if I could figure out what it was. It is inscribed with the name Blice Antonio McSage. Does that name mean anything to you?"
"Oh?" Annette sounds excited. "Well this must be my lucky day. Good find, Apollo. You should give Kazimir's microchip to Doss so he can upload the information once we get his wings repaired. As for the other one, I'll take it and keep it safe until we need it. I wasn't aware that Blice McSage had died again. Well, we certainly can't have that. What would his father say?"
"His father?" Apollo asks.
"
I believe your people know him as King Menelaus. We know him as Vladimir Evans."
"I wasn't aware our king had a son."
"I almost had Blice's brother as well, but he killed himself." Annette says. "We'll have to reconstruct Blice a body, but that shouldn't be too difficult for Nymph technology, right?"
"I will deliver the news to King Menelaus immediately upon my return to Olympus. Then I will have the brightest scientists on Olympus begin working on a body."
"Wonderful. Oh, one more thing. Don't let your king's true identity ever be known. It is a secret that could destroy all of Olympus and the Imperial Galactic Reich if it is ever released to the public."
"I will keep it a secret." Apollo says. "You have my word."
Doss slips out of the room silently and into the hallway. Well, this is certainly some interesting information, but now is not the time to bring it up. In time, he's sure it will be of importance. It is best not to cause any more turmoil in the galaxy while the pieces of this conflict are still being cleaned up and glued back together. That's why he's keeping his other little discovery a secret. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he pulls out the microfilm with the omega code on it as well as the silver rejuvenation ring. He found them on Clark's body. Securing them back in his pocket, he grins and vows to keep them safe until the right time. He holds tightly to his rosary and kisses it. For now, Doss is going to pray.
Epilogue
The warm sunlight glistens on the white marble pillars of Olympus and doves fly in the breezy spring air. A few dark grey clouds on the horizon signal an approaching rainstorm. Jarred holds the hands of Zodiac and Nova as they walk through the expansive bright field of multicolored tulips. The fragrance is sweet and sends Jarred's thoughts back to times long ago when he would spend an entire month's pay to purchase white tulips for the love of his life, despite needing that money desperately to even have enough food to survive. But looking back on those times, he knows that he would do it all over again to see the smile on his face.
Nova takes off running into the field where she spins around and laughs as the wind catches in her shoulder-length black curls. "Daddy, can we pick some tulips for Jayce?"
"Sure, sweetheart. He'll love them." Jarred turns to the skinny boy who is still clinging to his arm. "Zodiac, why don't you pick some too? These are your other daddy's favorite flowers."
"That's why he's buried here." Zodiac whispers.
"You're very smart. I'm about to go talk to him. Want to give him some tulips?"
"I don't want him to be dead anymore."
Jarred gives his son a hug. "I know, buddy. But he's happy where he is now and no longer hurting like he was."
"Find some red ones." Nova calls to her brother.
Zodiac bends over and picks a few while still holding onto Jarred's arm. "Here."
"Those are yellow, Zodiac." Jarred says.
"I don't know!" He starts crying as he clings to his father's leg.
"Hey, it's okay. I know it's hard for you to see the different colors. It's not your fault. Jayce will love all of them."
Zodiac runs off and soon returns with a handful of tulips. "Are these red?"
Jarred looks at the purple and white flowers then to his son's hopeful face. "Sure, buddy. I'll give these to him. You go play with your sister, okay?"
"Okay."
Jarred walks over to the row of apple trees where the pink and white blossoms are in full bloom and have started to fall to the grass and onto the white marble gravestone. Setting the bouquet of tulips up against it, he kneels there and runs his fingers over the engraved name of his husband. "Jayce, it's me again. I had to come be with you. Sorry it's been a few months, but the children are in school now and I'm very busy. I never stop thinking about you. I dreamt about you last night, about when we lived in that shipping crate and we'd watch the lights of the city while we fell asleep in each other's arms. It's terribly lonely now without you. These six years have been the most difficult ones of my life. I know you never met Nova, but I'm sure you would have loved her as your own daughter. Zodiac looks just like you and he's wearing his hair long. I'm so proud of both of them. I tell them stories about our escapades on missions and our weird clients. Last night, Zodiac told me that he wants to be like this daddy. He meant you. If he grows up to be anything like you, I will be the proudest father ever. There have been some issues with Zodiac's genetics, but the most serious thing is colorblindness. The medics say he is perfectly healthy. As for myself, I have PTSD like you did. At first, they thought it was nanobot overdose intolerance syndrome, but they ran some tests and diagnosed me. I saw how much you struggled, but I never knew exactly how much until I had to face it. Apollo has been a great help. He has a son named Troy who Zodiac and Nova play with."
Nova tugs on Jarred's sleeve. "Daddy, I'm hungry."
"I know. Give me a few more minutes, okay? I promise I'll find you something to eat."
"You said that yesterday."
"I'm trying." Jarred says. "I won't let you go hungry tonight. No matter what I have to do, you and your brother will eat."
"You promise?"
Jarred kisses her black curls and slips a pink tulip behind her ear the same shade as her tattered little dress. "I promise." He waits until she is back playing with Zodiac before he continues. "Let's see . . . Doss and Gabriel left and haven't come back. I guess they had to get away for a while. I still haven't found any work. I tried joining the Nymph military, but I had a panic attack and I couldn't continue. I might go to Himmel and look for work there. Maybe Samuels can help me find something with the government. I don't know anymore. My worst fear is for Zodiac and Nova to grow up on the streets like we had to. I feel like a failure. They're hungry all the time and we had to move in with Apollo. I told him it would only be for a few months, but that time has come and gone. I don't know what to do. If you're watching me, send me a sign. Tell me what I can do. I'm losing hope. Well, it looks like there's a storm blowing in from the ocean and I'm about to go beg for food in the streets. I don't want to revert back to stealing. Either way, I'll do what I have to do. That was kind of like our creed, wasn't it? Do what you have to do to survive. It was good to talk to you again. Don't worry about us down here. We'll make it. I only ask that you lend me your strength and guidance. I still need you. I love you, Jayce. Rest well."
He stands and watches his children laughing and playing tag in the field. He can't help but smile, even as the tears fill his eyes. "All right, my little hooligans, let's go home."
"You're sad." Zodiac says as he grabs onto Jarred's hand again.
"I miss my husband, but I'll be okay." Jarred says. "I actually need to talk to you two about some stuff before I can't do it anymore. Stay quiet and listen to what I have to tell you. I've learned a lot in my life, as short as it has been. Those people you love will either be the ones who betray you or who you're forced to betray. It's never easy, it's never fun, and it's nothing I would wish on anyone. This war, or whatever it will come to be called in the databases of recorded history, may be over. However, I'll never stop fighting. I'll fight for freedom, for peace, and for . . . love. What I've lost here in this galaxy of emptiness is something I can never get back. A part of myself is missing now. It's a part that won't grow back, no matter how many years go by. I may be broken inside, but I know that somewhere in heaven, Jayce is finally free and happy."
"Tell me about heaven, Daddy." Nova says.
"Most call it paradise, but I've learned all too well to never call anything paradise. It never is. No. Heaven for me will be to see Jayce again and to know that I did everything I could for him in this life. We all lose people we love, even those we thought could never die. We are all mortals now in a galaxy of immortal dreams. Their lives may be over, but their futures exist in us. We carry their hopes, wishes, and thoughts with us as we move forward in the natural intended course of humanity. There is one critical thing you need to know. Carry it with you all of your life. If you find a path to heaven, you g
rab onto it and don't let it slip from your grasp. Heaven's chains reach into the darkest depths of the galaxy, yet only the pure will feel the bonds of its shackles securing them to their fates."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mackenzie Morris writes fantasy and science fiction novels as well as short stories and poetry. She lives in Arkansas with her husband. She has a degree in Creative Writing from Arkansas Tech University.
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