by Debbie Behan
‘No! You have work to do. I’ve taken up far too much of your time already.’ She wiped her tears and tried to be brave.
He lifted her chin, seeing the soul inside her breaking. Could he really let her go? He sucked in his breath, No, never.
‘I’ve got a better idea. What if your friends all come here for a few days’ break? That way you’ll have company during the day so I’m not worried that you might be bored.’ He paused and pinched at his chin, deep in thought. ‘If anything happens with the planets this idea is perfect; the team is right here, and will get to the mission much quicker.’ He looked pleased with his temporary plan. ‘What do you say? Just until you heal completely and feel better?’
Axon caught a thrilled Caitlin in his arms as she lunged at him, her laughter infectious as he smiled at her delighted response.
‘They will love it here.’ Her eyes danced.
She didn’t mean to make such a fuss but for some reason she had such a hard time leaving and he had made her so happy.
‘I’m usually tougher than this.’
‘Don’t worry about it. In my time I have learned there is always a reason for every change to a plan of action. I’m sure the reason you felt this will unfold shortly.’
For now, even he seemed brighter that she stayed.
‘You are so deep Axon, philosophical. I have so much to learn. But for now I’m out of your hair in case you change your mind.’ She headed for the stairs and missed the first step and kicked her toe. She swore and heard Axon, tut, tut her from behind.
‘I know!’ She waved her arm as she tackled the next steps more gingerly. ‘Quit the cussing.’
One of their discussions that night when she shared her fears was her position in the Macro Riders. How Axon expected her to become more of a role model to the other women in the group. It was important how they spoke around the divine beings she would now be dealing with. Gods and goddesses would not take kindly to such poor verbal skills, as he put it.
‘You must get in touch with your feminine side Cait, for all our sakes,’ he warned.
Well I had been good up until now. She shrugged.
Axon watched Caitlin move carefully up the staircase. He could have easily carried her but she had been vulnerable, too teary and he wondered if he had spoilt her. He had never been so attentive to a female and wasn’t sure of these feelings he had; was he falling for her or was this just empathy for such a loving woman. He also wasn’t yet sure how the heavens would handle this little pocket rocket. He had grown to admire her. She had grown so much since that night in her little shabby apartment. The night where he worried she had stolen his heart. For now anyway, he would hide it.
Man! Zoren’s going to laugh if I tell him that I not only accept women in the team but I’m falling for the feisty, adorable redhead.
Axon shook off the dilemmas that Caitlin brought in to his life and transported to work. He left orders with Nigel to ready the house for the arrival of the Macro Riders.
‘Caitlin.’ Nigel bowed and addressed her. ‘Lord Axon has left instructions that there will be no moonjuice when the Riders arrive. He wants to spend some time with them first and after take Rory up to the observatory tower and bring him up to speed on the NATeguip.’
‘Now I’m the ringleader.’ She chuckled at Nigel’s expression. He so needed to loosen up, she thought, as she carefully hobbled outside, her nervous state building as she waited. Perspiration lined her lip and dripped down the side of her face. What was this overwhelming need to have the team with her? In fact, this feeling was so strong, she felt freaked out they were down there. Hurry! She closed her eyes and wished for them to appear soon.
Under Attack
Cassie rolled out of bed, her voice scratchy, upset. ‘Kayden, wake up honey!’
Kayden sat up, making a grab for her, but she was too quick. Already she had pulled on shorts and stretched a T-shirt awkwardly over her head. He could see the panic she was in. ‘What? Give me something to work with.’
‘I don’t know. You have to call the boys, tell them to get as far away from here as they can and - now!’ She shrieked the last word out.
Kayden knew his wife well enough to know they were in trouble. In record time, he had dressed, snatched her up and once outside, sent a message to his men.
Team! And I mean all of you, Cassie is freaking out. She’s picked up on - I’m guessing an attack. She wants you all to get as far away from this area as you can. I’m already putting her in the car so move it double time. Will be right behind you so head for Mt Newman…. Hang on!
‘Cassie, can you talk?’ He sat her on the front seat of the utility truck, doing up her buckle. She started to shake uncontrollably.
‘No! It’s worse. I need them here to help me. I’ll need their power!’ She shivered, and her teeth chattered.
‘Cassie! What going on?’ Kayden wanted her anywhere but here. The trance she was in prevented her from communicating very well and she was about to go into hysterics so he did what she said.
Scratch that guys, get here! Hell I don’t know what’s going on but now you’re moving away from her, she’s worse.
In the meantime, the men had already started to drive in the opposite direction and swung the four-wheel-drives back towards the farm so hard the tyres howled as they spun on the hardened freshly laid tar.
Her rapid panting slowed as she listened to his new orders and clicked off her seatbelt.
‘We’re to stay then, Cassie.’
Glazed eyes stared ahead. The sight scared the bejesus out of him. Her hands pushed at his shoulder gently to let him know she needed to come out from the car.
Guys hurry! I’m positive we’re under attack. It’s too late to go get Starburst for her. I think she knows we can’t outrun it. Looks like we have to stand and fight.
Kayden held Cassie by the elbow and fed her as much power as he could. His knees buckled as she drew so much from him.
‘Hell Cassie; it’s big isn’t it?’
She nodded but didn’t look down at him, her head high, her sight fixated in the sky. Kayden heard the cars skid as they lost it when they hit the dirt driveway.
Take it easy guys, but hurry; she’s draining everything I’ve got.
Ohmygod, I don’t believe it, Starburst is here. She’s called her own bloody horse. Thank the stars this girl of ours has so many unique abilities!
Kayden groaned out as Cassie threw herself up on Starburst, the clever stallion not needing the bridle. His wings protruded on their own; the armour that appeared enabled her to harness and hold the power she built within the impenetrable material. Kayden could only admire the woman he loved, as her abilities continued to amaze him. ‘Cassie, the men are here. When you need us, we are here for you.’
Woody grabbed Kayden by the arm and the instant power surge from him had Kayden back on his feet. ‘K, you had us that spun out. Since when do any of us run?’
‘Sorry man, at first she gave me that feed, but when I gave the order and you started to move away from her she hyperventilated. I’ve never seen her like this and look at her horse; Starburst hasn’t even got a bridle on, she has her own damned bridle magic.’
Woody shook his head. ‘Far out, she blows me away.’
Jason grabbed them by the shoulders, and the movement pulled them from the awe that had them spellbound. ‘Stop loving her and get yourselves away. With all that energy around her she’ll blow you both to kingdom come.’
A good distance from her, Woody leaned on Jason. Kayden stood arms folded and Ethan and Conor knelt down, safer closer to the ground, as they waited for the backdraft of the explosion to send them flying.
The glow that surrounded Cassie and Starburst was so intense and bright, her team lifted their arms across their faces. It all happened in the blink of an eye and yet the adrenaline that pumped fast through Kayden kept the display of supremacy in slow motion.
The luminosity died down just in time to see the stallion’s wings outstr
etch, this being the last sequence from them both before sending out the deathly projectile. All watched on helplessly; they knew that today’s attack, must have been a long distance out as Cassie had sucked the majority of their powers to rid them of the hot molten rock.
Cassie’s arms went up, a silvery blue flash punched out effortlessly from delicate hands, and the noiseless beam headed directly towards the eye of the threat. Kayden and his men fought to keep on their feet; Woody grabbed Conor by the shoulder as he pelted backwards from the ferocity of the blast as it took off, his other arm fixed tightly around a tree. Kayden made a grab for Jason and Ethan, and the three of them toppled over in the massive shock wave that the weapon left in its wake.
Kayden used his power to view the now-visible threat as it exploded. The remains burnt up in Earth’s atmosphere, but was it over? She still sat poised and ready to do more.
‘Hell K, there’s another,’ Ethan called out.
Cassie turned to him and nodded. ‘I need more power, I’m drained.’ Her shoulders slumped.
The men quickly circled her, and all hands now rested on Starburst. Cassie drew energy from them through her horse. The magic she captured in an invisible electrode and created a lethal electric burst of energy and punched it out with force towards the second threat. The outburst of an ear-splitting war cry was the only way she knew how to pack more punch to the weapon. Even then the blue beam of light was not nearly as bright as the silver colour of the first. It fell short, missed its mark and the asteroid plummeted to earth, the damaging sound not far from them. Maybe an hour or two away was Kayden’s best guess. ‘Goddamit!’ he cursed out. ‘It’s hit Rory’s farm.’
‘They wouldn’t have had a hope! Caitlin’s up with Axon.’ Woody’s skin tone paled.
Cassie’s sobs brought them out of the shock they were in. ‘Kayden I’m so sorry, I tried, I really tried hard.’ Her uncontrollable gulps of air and tears shattered him. He knew by her reaction alone where it had hit and that there would be no survivors, nothing left.
Presumed What
Stunned, Axon and Zoren stared at the news. Pictures flashed before them of an asteroid that had hit Earth, the aerial shot of land gashed open by its powerful entry froze them to the spot.
Breaking news! flashed across the screen.
‘Oh my god, are you getting this?’ The reporter raised his voice over the sound of the noisy helicopter that gave details of the incident.
‘Hear you loud and clear, Jerry, go ahead,’ the NBB news commentator answered.
‘Ted, I’m above a farm in outback Western Australia where an asteroid hit late this morning. As you can see it has opened up the ground with a fissure two miles wide by, I don’t know, maybe six miles long. Ted, there’s nothing as far as the eye can see, everything is gone, obliterated in this mess of smoke and gas which seems to be the only remains of what I can imagine was once a house. I can see parts of a roof that is upside down, about 600 metres from the damage; it must have blown right off.’ A fumbling noise came and the view of the camera changed. Scattered remains and charred debris edged each side of the gouged track laid by what was left of the fireball of rock that now sat harmless, dug deep into the earth. ‘As you can see, Ted, no living organism could have reacted quick enough to get out of the way of this killer. It has annihilated everything in its path.’
The feed stopped as the focus returned back on the studio analyst. ‘That’s right viewers; you saw it here first, on NBB. You have just witnessed the wreckage left by the impact of an asteroid to the home of the Stanton family an hour ago. It’s believed that before this huge chunk of meteor hit this farm, there had been a two storey home with a massive barn and livestock. It’s believed the family were all at home at the time of impact and presumed dead.’
He took hold of a news feed handed to him. ‘The owner of this farm has not been confirmed, although reports by neighbouring farms there were three men; Rory, Nathan and Jarvis and three women; Caitlin, Bree and Lisha. If anyone can help authorities with surnames or know the whereabouts of any of the family please contact the police urgently.’
Axon switched off the feed and leaned up against the bench, his mouth open, clearly in disbelief.
‘How could this have happened? The location was top secret.’
‘Wait!’
Zoren put his hand up. ‘Kayden’s on the line, he may know something we don’t. Maybe your team is with him.’
‘No, Zoren; they were meant to be at my place but I called home and they still hadn’t arrived. Caitlin is stressed to the max.’
‘Hang on Axon, I’m listening to two conversations here. What was that, Kayden, you were hit too!’ Zoren’s face was normally pale but now looked white, and his hand that held the phone trembled as he listened and relayed what happened with Kayden. ‘Okay.’ He spoke softly. ‘I’ll tell him.’
Axon could see Zoren took this personally, stunned that the gods had attacked teams that belonged to him, he being an archangel. His status amongst the gods protected him and his people.
‘Cassie foiled their attack but only just.’ Zoren’s tone was soft but disturbed.
‘Thank the stars they are safe then.‘
‘Yes, his team is safe. Apparently, after blowing up the first meteor, Cassie tried to destroy the second, but even with the help of the team, she ran out of power. The beam fell short and missed the mark, the first time ever for her. You see, her health suffers too. While Caitlin is unwell, Cassie, her equal, will continue to deteriorate also.’
‘Seriously?’ Axon scarcely believed that the magic-code of the Riders could stretch so far.
‘Yes,’ he answered. ‘I’m afraid so and that’s not the only bad news you will have to prepare yourself for. Kayden said there’s no way anyone could survive it. They drove straight there and have only just been able to get through to us; the satellites are crammed by the news feeds.’
‘I have to go to Cait.’ Axon looked at his watch. She had been waiting hours and would be terrified if she saw this news.
‘We’ll both go once we have a plan.’
Zoren signalled to a monitor and a stream of skilled experts, some in suits, others in uniform, took their place around the table to discuss the acts of violence before them. ‘You have all witnessed what has been an illicit hit on my men. This is an outrage! None of you leave here until I know who did this! I want you all to pool your resources and develop me a lawful response to this barbaric attack – Now!’
There was a scuffle of chairs and sudden eruption of voices and clutter as the brainiacs of the heavens sat discussing the situation and using the latest technology before them to find answers – and fast. When Zoren said jump, they did.
Ara Homeworld
(An Hour Earlier)
It was late morning and Caitlin was beside herself when the winged beauties had still not appeared from the cloud cover. Rory please be safe. She flopped in the chair, her feet sore and swollen from pacing. Ice against glass and a clang as a cold drink came into view distracted Caitlin. ‘Sorry miss,’ Nigel apologised for the noise. ‘Your friends are running late, so can I get you a snack while you wait?’
She flicked her fingers to dismiss him. Then she felt bad as his light grey hair bobbed down as he bowed to leave. ‘Sorry that was rude of me. Stay a while and chat with me.’ She turned her head to the side, her lips parted in a smile.
‘You must be very close.’
‘Yes.’ Caitlin picked up the moonjuice and sipped the soothing liquid she had come to enjoy. ‘We have been together for a little over ten years now, except for Bree of course. She’s only been with us a short time.’
Suddenly a flash of light in the clouds caught her attention. ‘There!’ she squealed and stood with her hand shading her eyes. ‘Look!’ she shrieked at Nigel and leaned into the rail as if that short distance would make her see better.
‘I’m not sure ma’am, it could be just lightning. It’s overcast today and we do have electrical storms up here.’
‘No! It’s them. I know it.’ She was fixated on that area of sky.
With a burst of electrical currents and the crackle of the portal opening, the first horse appeared with Rory, then another. Caitlin waved madly and jumped up and down as she screamed out their names. Her team had arrived and tears ran down her face with excitement. Nigel excused himself and left to go and greet the guests.
Caitlin didn’t stop calling to them until the Riders were under her balcony. The procession of winged, armoured horses landed on the grass below, and the eloquent glow of magic at its finest had Caitlin, hands clasped together in awe, overwhelmed as her friends dismounted.
By this time Nigel and a half a dozen of the albino servants waited. Caitlin had learned that Axon’s dark hair and her red hair were unusual on this planet and he warned she would definitely stand out if he took her into town. With the look on their faces, they were completely taken back at Rory and the team who looked more like angels with the glow that shone from them. The servants shielded their eyes, the light irritating them, only relaxing their arms as they marched off in unison with the horses. This left her friends free to now join her and they waved before they followed Nigel inside where she moved as quickly as she could to join them.
‘Rory!’ She went straight into his outstretched arms, his big warm friendly hug just as it used to be.
‘I’ve missed you Red.’ Rory searched her face while he frowned at the visible marks that scarred her creamy complexion. Too moved to explain, Caitlin slipped from his grip and after lots of hugs and excited chatter, she gave her friends a tour of the twenty-four-bedroom mansion. The boys, as she’d expected, quickly laid claim to the bigger rooms, the ones that had balconies and ensuite complete with spa. Rory and Bree chose the largest of them. It came complete with a living area and kitchenette.
‘That’s not fair,’ Lisha sulked, wanting to feel spoilt too.
‘Ah!’ Nigel bowed. ‘For the fairest of maidens, come.’ He backed away from her before he turned and stood upright, the shuffle of the elderly gent, easy to keep up with as he led them to a door that opened up to another set of stairs.
