Kate shrugged.
"Billy said a while back that Dude's people spoke a language comprised of light," Kate said. "Luminae is probably as good a translation as any."
"I suppose so," Jane said. "We're meeting with them soon. I wanted to ask if you'd like to come, but I assume…"
"I think you can handle this without me," Kate said.
Jane smiled, affection displayed in her eyes. "Just this one time," she said.
"Don't make a habit of it," Kate said.
"I promise not to," Jane said. Suddenly and startlingly, she leaned in to give Kate a hug, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. The solar-powered girl's body radiated the heat of a perfect summer day.
And, not quite sure why or how, Kate returned the hug. Her strong, wiry arms engulfed the other girl. She pressed her chin into Jane's shoulder, biting back a wave of emotion she was not at all comfortable with.
Jane let go and stepped back. "We'll be home soon," she said. "I'll let you know everything that happens."
"I know," Kate said.
She always did. Though Jane was their leader in name, Kate had always been willing to share the burden with her, silent and steady. Sun and moon. Day and night.
"And you let me know if he—"
"I will," Kate said.
Jane nodded again and closed the door behind her.
Kate sat in silence for a few moments, setting her tablet aside, face down on a nearby table. She gazed at Titus, still and quiet in his bed. Then she watched the closed door of the hospital room for a few seconds, slipped her shoes off and crawled into the bed beside Titus. Careful not to touch his burns, Kate rested her head on the pillow beside him. After a few minutes, she started to drift, feeling the battle's exhaustion crashing down on her. Just as her eyes grew heavy, Titus coughed.
"Why does everything hurt?" he said softly, his voice gravely from disuse and smoke.
Kate paused for a moment, unsure if she were dreaming or if he really spoke.
He turned his head slowly to face her, gold eyes bloodshot but open, and offered her a weak smile.
"You made it," he said. "What happened?"
Kate leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Titus's eyes widened at the uncharacteristic display of affection, her unexpected gentleness.
"Doesn't matter," she said. "We're still here."
Chapter 82:
Once, on a farm
With the Tower now gone, the Labyrinth too public, the options for holding one of the most important and strange meetings in the history of Earth became pretty slim. They needed somewhere private, and out of the way, with room. Lots of room.
Jane said she knew such a place.
Billy laughed when he heard her suggestion. And yet here he stood, in the middle of a field, unfolding tables and setting them up in the mid-day sun. Jane's parents prepared coffee, lemonade, pies and cookies. Of course they did, Billy thought. Everything he knew about Jane—and if he admitted it, most of what he liked about her—came from the fact that she was raised here, by the Hawkins, who would, without batting an eye, host a gathering of aliens to discuss the future of the planet.
And they would put out desserts and other refreshments.
You're nervous, Dude said in Billy's head.
What gave you that impression, Billy thought, pacing back and forth, waiting for the last few arrivals.
What a group, Billy noted, while taking stock of everyone in attendance. Emily helped Mrs. Hawkins carry food from the house and talked her ear off about flying a giant robot. She used bubbles of float to carry items that wouldn't spill if her attention happened to waver. Doc stood to one side with Sam chatting quietly. Valerie Snow, today the color of white clouds on a spring afternoon, hovered near Doc shyly. Billy felt bad for her. The sentient storm was overwhelmed by everything, and he'd overheard her talking with Jane. Val stepped up during the invasion, but he knew what it was like during those days following your first real battle. Terrifying, confusing, guilt-ridden.
Korthos—where did we dig that guy up? Billy thought—sat at one of the folding tables, devouring desserts.
"These round delights are ambrosia!" he said, using a chocolate chip cookie to scoop up a mouthful of apple pie. "I did not know mere mortals were capable of such culinary magicks! Tell me, is this thine superhuman power, Lady Hawkins?"
Doris Hawkins blushed when he spoke to her. A few feet away, big John Hopkins folded his arms across his chest in mock jealousy.
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Korthos," Doris said.
Bedlam sat at one of the other tables, laughing at the whole event. Billy headed over to join her.
"I feel like I'm in a cartoon," she said.
"Welcome to our lives," he said. "Any word from your boss?"
"Black?" Bedlam said. "He's safe. I tried to explain that he built up a lot of good will for all that he did the past few days, but he'd rather keep a low profile for now."
"He's not a bad guy, is he?" Billy said.
"He can be," Bedlam said. "Or could be. The job required it. But he's also one of the best people I've ever known."
Billy laughed.
"What?" Bedlam asked, and simultaneously, Dude asked the same question in Billy's mind.
Billy answered both of them. "I was just thinking that the world isn't black and white, but… the name . . . Agent Black? That can't be his real name."
"It is now," Bedlam said. "Just like mine's Bedlam. Sometimes old names fall away. Are you ever going to be Straylight first and Billy second?"
"I dunno," Billy said. "I'm pretty self-absorbed."
Truer words were never spoken, Dude said.
Hey, Billy said. I'm getting better.
You are, Dude said. You've come a long way, Billy Case.
We've come a long way, Dude, Billy thought. You and me.
Yes we have, Dude said.
So what's next? Billy asked Dude. I mean, this is why you've existed for all these centuries, right? To fight the Nemesis fleet?
This is what we're here to talk about, Dude said. Look up.
Thirteen bright white streaks lanced across the sky, led by one bright ball of fire, Jane, who guided the other Luminae to this place. We didn't lose a man, Billy realized. All these centuries, all these worlds the Luminae had tried to save and failed, and a baker's dozen traveled here to help us and we all made it home. That's a miracle in and of itself, Billy thought.
A wave of emotion flickered through Billy's mind. Not his emotion, he realized. Dude's.
You okay, Dude? Billy thought.
My brothers and sisters, Dude said. I never thought I'd see so many of us in one place ever again. It's been so long.
It never occurred to Billy that Dude might be lonely here. Trapped in a host body, unable to live on his own, his partner and friend abandoning him to fight for a world that was not his all alone.
Emily plopped down in the seat next to him, wedging Billy between her and Bedlam.
"Will you look at that," Emily said. "It's like an airshow. What do you think, Billy? You feel any less special now that you know there's a bunch of aliens just like you?"
"You have to ruin my moment, don't you?" Billy said.
Emily punched him on the shoulder.
"What would you do without me, Billy Case?" she said.
"From what I've seen of your friendship, he'd probably either have an incredibly swelled head or a lot more self-confidence," Bedlam said.
"See, I serve a dual purpose. I build you up, I keep you humble," Emily said.
"Story of my life," Billy said, hopping up to his feet. The others joined him, and together they met the delegation of Luminae as Jane landed.
Do you know these guys, Dude? Billy asked.
I do, he said. Some better than others. But I do.
The other hosts came in all shapes and sizes, some more human than others. Suresh wore a gleeful look on his face. A blue-skinned creature looked almost like a classic "gray" alien fr
om the movies, aside from its coloring. Something that appeared to be a sentient mass of clay, changed shape as it touched the ground. A reddish centaur-like creature joined them; its body and head were like a rhinoceros instead of man and horse. Two or three resembled some of the aliens they'd seen controlled by Nemesis parasites, clearly stolen from the worlds these Luminae had tried to protect. Seng took the lead, now clearly the most at home with the Earthlings waiting for them.
In the center of the group stood what Billy could only describe as a flying elephant.
Dude, is that…? he asked.
One of the first of our hosts, Dude said. I thought they were all dead.
Billy remembered Dude's tale of the first host world of the Luminae and the elephant-like creatures they had joined up with, who sacrificed their lives in an effort to stop the Nemesis fleet. There shouldn't be any left, he thought. Right?
The big creature stepped forward and inspected each member of the gathering.
"I am called Daybreak," the flying elephant said. Hearing it speak at all, let alone in English, caused Billy to nearly freak out. Emily's eyes grew enormous. Bedlam's mouth hung open. Doc smirked a little bit like he was privy to some secret no one else on the team was. And Jane simply offered her hand in welcome.
"I don't, how are… you're…" Billy tried to say. He could hear Dude's amusement in his head, but even Dude seemed confused by this turn of events.
Daybreak looked him over. "You are Straylight," Daybreak said.
"That's me. Billy. Straylight. Case. Me," Billy said.
"I thought all the flying elephants were gone," Emily said.
Billy's stomach filled with acid as he realized what just escaped his friend's lips. He'd said it himself before, but somehow, Emily's tone made it sound so much more flippant.
"Your world is filled with wonders," Daybreak said. "Do you think yours is the only planet with miracles? I am the last of my kind, little one, but I, like you, was no ordinary person when this war started. I am cursed with a longer life than most, longer still than even the Luminae who can extend our lives."
"You've been here since the beginning," Jane said.
"And now at the end," the big creature said. "But we haven't gathered to talk about me."
"Whatever your next move is, we'll help," Doc said. "Anything you need."
Suresh stepped forward and placed a hand on Daybreak's massive shoulder.
"Aside from Straylight and I, all of us are from dead worlds," Suresh said. "They're all Lost Ones. And they aren't the only Luminae out there without an adopted world. There are others wandering the galaxy."
"You need a home base," Emily said. She turned to Doc. "What about Rhode Island?"
Doc laughed and shook his head.
"You already have an idea, don't you, my old friend," Doc said. "You've been busy all those years you were gone."
Billy'd forgotten that Suresh and Doc knew each other, that they, along with Dude's partner before Billy, had worked together years before. Suresh looked so much older than Doc and this surprised him. It was easy to forget, with Doc acting as mentor and father figure, that he'd been one of the younger heroes on his team in the old days.
"There's a moon," Suresh said.
"Titan!" Emily yelled.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What? Everybody knows Titan's the best moon," Emily said.
Suresh roared with laughter, strode over to Emily, and picked her up in a huge hug.
"This one would've fit in so well in the old days," he said, winking at Doc. "And you're right, my little friend. Titan. With your blessing, we'd like to build a base there. Somewhere to call home while we search for our lost friends."
"I knew you weren't just hanging out near Saturn by accident," Billy said.
"Titan does have a hell of a view, kid," Suresh said.
Jane raised her hand politely.
Suresh chuckled at the gesture.
"Go on," he said.
"Is it really over?" Jane said. "The fleet was a living organism. Was it unique? Are there others?"
Suresh and Daybreak exchanged a look.
"We don't know," Daybreak said. "Another reason why we need your help."
"We'll have to keep watch on the worlds the fleet destroyed before," Seng said. "Just in case…"
"If you say anything about eggs or something I'm going to be sick," Emily said.
"Then we shall leave it implied," he said.
"Speaking of 'are there more out there,' one of the seed ships is floating away," Billy said.
"Some of us should go finish that off," Suresh said. "I imagine it will be easy without the brain ship protecting it, but just to be sure I'd like you to help us, Korthos, you big lug."
The barbarian stopped mid mouthful, a mess of Boston cream on his plate. He slammed a fist on the table.
"My axe is yours, Horizon!" Korthos yelled, his mouth still full of food.
Suresh whispered conspiratorially to Doc. "Might help keep the big guy busy," he said.
Doc nodded his gratitude.
Sam, a hand on Jane's shoulder, spoke for the first time. He looked tired. More so than usual.
"We just discovered a bunch of alien tech, some of which we don't even know how to use yet," Sam said. "You're welcome to anything you need."
"Good to see you again, Sam," Suresh said.
The aging Barren nodded. "You as well, you old lunatic," Sam said.
So what about us? Billy asked Dude. If we're not here to guard against the Nemesis fleet, do we… go with them? Must we leave Earth?
Dude remained quiet for a few seconds.
Billy didn't really want to hear what he'd say next.
This is my home, Billy Case, as much as it is yours, Dude said. My brothers can protect the stars. This is our world to guard.
"I know what your friend is saying in there, Straylight," Suresh said.
Billy's eyes widened.
"Oh come on now, your partner's always had a soft touch. I knew him before you were born, after all."
"So I don't have to go?" Billy said.
"You are not a Lost One, Straylight," Daybreak said. "You still have a world to care for. It would go against everything we've ever accomplished to take you away."
A wave of relief and regret poured over Billy. Relief to be here, with his friends, but also…
"It'd be nice to see Saturn a second time, though," he said.
Suresh slung an arm around his shoulder, hugging him with comedic aggression. "I knew it," he said.
"Hey!" Emily said. "You're not taking my best friend with you and leaving me here. I want to see Saturn too."
She pointed at Bedlam with one fierce, ramrod straight arm.
"And the cyborg comes too. She's never been off the planet. She's earned it."
Bedlam threw up her arms in surprise.
"Whoa! Whoa! I'm making no demands here! You're the aliens, you do your alien things and I'm totally cool with that!" Bedlam said.
Doc and Jane looked at each other. Both grinned wildly.
"I think we can spare the three of you for a few weeks," Doc said.
Emily grabbed Bedlams wrist and forced her to perform a high-five.
"Yes! Outer space!" Emily said.
"You're not flying us out there in a giant robot," Bedlam said.
"Hey Sam?" Emily said.
The agent shook his head. "Uh-uh, I'm not coming with you," he said.
"Party pooper," Emily said. "But that's not what I'm asking."
Sam threw his arms up in the air in almost the same motion as Bedlam had a moment before.
"I don't know if I should be relieved or offended," he said.
"What I want to know is, did our frenemy Prevention leave that little submarine-looking space ship behind?" Emily said.
A huge smile broke out on Sam's face.
"As a matter of fact, she left it when she dropped off Henry," Sam said. "Who, by the way, says he'd like a sabbatical from the Departme
nt. Something about visiting an island and drinking fruity drinks."
Emily whipped around to punch Billy in the arm again.
"That settles it," she said. "We're coming with you to help build your little glowing alien space station thing on Titan."
"Do you hear me arguing?" Billy said. He looked at Bedlam who seemed resigned to be going on their field trip.
"I'm naming the ship," Emily said.
"Okay," Billy said.
"This is the voyage of the Starship Entropy, to boldly go where no Emilies have gone before…" Emily said. "Space, the best frontier."
Gonna be a hell of a trip, isn't it, Dude, Billy thought.
As it should be, Dude said. As it should be.
Epilogue:
Indestructible like us
Jane felt more powerful under the desert sun than other places. The light that fueled her was more pure, more direct here. She flew over the sandy landscape toward a dark patch ahead, a random thatch of clouds locked in place in the distance.
Days before, she'd received a call from Jon Broadstreet. Usually she knew the purpose of his calls, but this time, out of the blue, he caught her off-guard. It had been a quiet yet busy few days, while the Luminae prepared to set out for Titan. Now homeless and out of sorts, the Indestructibles had to figure out what to do with themselves.
"I know you guys haven't been as organized as usual, so I thought you should know about something I heard through the wire," Broadstreet said.
"Tell me we're not being invaded again," Jane said. "We haven't finished cleaning up the last mess."
"I don't think so," Broadstreet said. "But there's rumors of another unexplained UFO crash you may want to investigate. People are saying it's just a hoax, but—"
"—We still have things falling from the sky after the battle," Jane thought. "Thanks, Broadstreet. I owe you one."
"You owe me lots," he said. "I'll put it on my tab."
Jane recruited Valerie to help her scour the desert where the crash was rumored to take place. The two of them could cover a great deal of ground together, while Emily was too slow and Billy too distracted. Jane figured she'd have to call them in if things turned ugly.
Like A Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 Page 36
