by Bryan Cohen
She gave him a push. "Damn it, Ted. You freaked me out."
He pursed his lips. "Sorry. I was just looking for you."
"I'm already coming on your stupid mission. Nobody needs to babysit me, okay?"
He put up his hands. "Fine, fine. Do you mind if I walk with you to the rendezvous point?"
"It's a free country. At least, I assume it's a free country. I don't exactly have citizenship yet."
Natalie walked fast enough to give Ted trouble keeping up.
Her ex was short of breath. "That was a nice thing you did back there."
Natalie huffed. "I guess your mind-reading game is back on point. Let's see how good you are."
Natalie pictured Ted's mom in a compromising sexual situation.
Ted recoiled. "Ugh! Okay, I'll stay out of your head."
Natalie couldn't help but laugh. "I've been wanting to try that ever since you figured out that power. I suppose that'll be the last thing I check off on my bucket list."
Ted frowned. "That's a little fatalistic. We've both made it this far."
Natalie turned the corner. She was glad they only had a few more hallways to go before the conversation would be over. "Look, Ted. It seems like everybody is trying to set us up."
Ted's awkward demeanor took over any semblance of confidence. "I don't— I'm not sure—"
"I am going with you to try to save Earth. We're probably all going to get killed doing it, and that's fine. If this turns into some kind of elaborate meet-cute, I'm just going to stay on whatever world we happen to be on when you make your move."
Ted's voice caught in his throat as he tried to collect his thoughts. "This is really the first I'm hearing of any of this. I'm just glad you're coming. Is that okay?"
Natalie looked at Ted as he attempted to figure out exactly how to maneuver his face through the situation. It was incredibly awkward and forced.
That's the man I fell in love with. As awkward as he is superpowered.
Natalie and Ted reached the rendezvous point, where almost everybody had already suited up for the journey.
Erica put on one of her gossipy looks she'd worn so much when her previous inhabitant had reigned supreme. "Nice of you two to join us. I hope you were having fun."
Natalie snatched a jet pack from Erica's grasp and began strapping it on. "That is enough out of you. Any more of this matchmaker stuff, and I'll put water in your fuel tank."
Doren laughed from the corner of the room. "Haven't you heard? These things run on water."
Natalie grunted. "Then I'll put fuel in it. Whatever."
Erica stood up straight. "Now that we're all here, let's go over some ground rules. We are headed to a world of the sky. There will be very few places to touch down because this species spends most of its time flying."
Doren cinched his own jet pack tighter. "We like to call them the angels. The image you got on Earth came from somewhere. We have a feeling someone made it to their world and back before putting it on paper."
Ted nudged Natalie. "Do you think any of them are guardians?"
Natalie ignored him. "Anything else we should know about these angels?"
Erica looked straight into her eyes. "They don't like visitors and they're handy with a sword."
Ted nudged Natalie again. "They sound more like devils to me."
Natalie walked toward the other side of the room. "Can I be on the other side of the formation from Ted? He's being too punny today."
Doren walked over and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on your lover for you."
I knew this was going to be a bad idea.
Erica drew their attention. "Enough messing around. If we don't play this right, this journey is going to end on planet one."
Natalie nodded and Ted looked at a spot on the ground.
Erica pointed at the living soul. "Ted, you're up. Let's see what you can do."
Ted took one more look over at Natalie before putting his hands in front of him and creating a massive portal in an instant. This time, his powers were completely unencumbered, and the portal was easily large enough for the whole group to fit through.
Erica fired up her jet pack and the others followed suit. Natalie was the last to turn hers on, and she felt a rush from being lifted into the air. She stared straight ahead, avoiding Ted's eyes.
"Let's go find ourselves an army."
Erica called for the group to press forward, and through the portal they went.
Natalie could hardly believe how bright blue the sky was in a world that seemed absent of clouds. It was absolutely breathtaking. As Natalie watched her team's formation, she could see something in the distance. At first glance, it appeared to be a bird, but it quickly became apparent that no bird could fly that fast. The first angel came into view and quickly swiped its sword at Doren. He was fast enough to block the blow with a weapon of his own.
Erica shot a pointed glance at Ted. "You need to let us know when they're coming. How many of them are out there."
Three more angels flew toward them. Much like the fantasy of a teenage girl, the powerful-looking creatures were bare-chested and strong. But they didn't seem to be in the mood for any kind of angsty love.
Ted spun away from the outstretched sword of one of the angels. "I'm not sure. All I can tell you is that there's way more than four."
Natalie heard a sound from behind. The scream and swipe of a sword happened before she was even able to turn around. She felt the metal slice through her jet pack, and the rush she'd experienced from hovering in the air was quickly replaced by the lurch in her stomach. Whatever differences there were between this planet and Earth, gravity seemed to be on full display.
"Natalie!" Erica reached for her, but she wasn't fast enough.
The angel had made quick work of her machinery, and she began plummeting downward. As the air rushed past her face, Natalie could see what Ted had felt. Hundreds of angels were headed to kill them. And one of them may have already succeeded.
11
Ted could sense Natalie falling the moment her jet pack became a hunk of useless metal. He reached for her with his mind and stopped her descent. He heard her come to a stop with a grunt as he saw exactly what she did. Hundreds of angels with swords at the ready were flying toward them. And diplomacy did not seem to be on their minds. There were about a dozen warriors for each of them, and Ted dove sideways to avoid a barrage of 12 swords swinging in his direction.
He did his best to shout high above the ground. "We come in peace! We're just here to talk!"
The angels who'd passed him by without gutting him turned around for a second attempt. Before they could reach him, he used his powers to bend their swords over. The angels gaped at the folded weapons, but they still attempted to assault Ted with them anyway. While he avoided most of the swings, one half-folded blade pierced through the outer layer of his clothing. If it had been just a little bit closer, he might've lost an arm.
"We want peace! Truce! Truce!"
If the angels heard him, they certainly weren't listening.
As the angels assigned to him tried their best to fix their weapons, Ted surveyed the rest of his team. Doren used blunt force with his weapons. Whenever an angel came close enough, he knocked the sword right out of their hand with a blade of his own. Ted could tell that if the light soul was interested in killing, he had the power to do so. To his left, Erica was faster than lightning. She easily avoided and disarmed the angels before they could get too close.
As the next attack came upon him, Ted spied a trio of angels moving straight toward the stranded Natalie. Adrenaline surged through his body as he screamed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Enough!"
The words on their own hadn't been nearly enough. Ted had crept into the minds of over 100 fighters and stopped them in their aerial tracks. With a wave of his hand, all the fighters let go of their swords. The blades fell from their hands and plummeted toward a ground Ted could only assume was far, far below.
&n
bsp; One of the angels was close enough for Ted to touch, and he shared the same look of anger and helplessness as the others.
Ted looked him right in his piercing blue eyes. "We come here in peace. Do you understand?"
The angel's voice was as soft and sweet as he could imagine. "All who come through the portal are enemies to our people. The moment you cease your tricks, we will slice your throat."
Erica flew over to Ted. "This plan isn't going so well."
Ted sighed. "You're telling me. What do you think we should do?"
The angels squirmed underneath his control.
The proverbial light bulb seemed to appear over Erica's head. "You entered their minds. Now, you should let them enter yours."
It took Ted a second, but as soon as he understood, he let the angels in.
What followed was a near highlight reel of the last two years of Ted's life. He showed the dark souls attacking the diner and his fortunate ability to keep them at bay. He showed off the campaign rally in Philadelphia where dark soul versions of giant wolves and lizards tried to kill innocent people. Even he cringed when the General orchestrated the assassination of all the major leaders of Earth. He ended the replay with a bomb that exploded above Treasure, with it's obvious intent to kill him and everybody he loved.
He watched the faces of the angels in front of him. Their anger seemed to fade with each incident he showed them. He was pretty sure he even saw a tear form in one of the nearby angel's eyes.
Ted let his instinct reign and he let go of his mental control. The angels could now move freely as they pleased, but all of them seemed to stay put. When one of the angels finally broke stride, he flew slowly toward Ted and bowed his head low. "Any enemy of the dark souls is our friend."
Erica patted Ted on the back. "Good work. One down, countless worlds to go."
12
Tears welled up in Jennifer's eyes as she gave Beth and Winny a parting group hug. After seeing just how happy her cousin had been after reuniting with her gal pal soul mate, Jennifer had convinced the two of them to stay put in Van Housen's secured fortress. She didn't want to take the chance that either of them would be separated again.
Beth wiped her likewise wet eyes with her sleeve. "You better find your rich Indian and bring him and my rich German back. No excuses."
Jennifer nodded and blinked back a few tears of her own. "Of course. That's what the bulletproof armor is for, right?"
Jennifer still felt a bit strange wearing the futuristic garb. She touched her padded midsection. The device was much lighter than she assumed it would be when Beth and Winny had demoed it the previous day. She had a feeling she was in third place on the "who wore it best" list, but she hoped that whatever happened, she wouldn't have to use it.
Winny put her hand on Jennifer's shoulder. "You guys are going to be fine. Let's just make sure the three of us and Erica can have a drink when you get back and all of this war is over. You'll drink with us?"
Jennifer could feel the stare from across the room. Having a sort of father with super hearing wasn't conducive to such rendezvous.
Jennifer did her best to give a subtle nod as they hugged one more time.
Jennifer opened the backdoor of an inconspicuous '90s sedan. She sat down in the less-than-comfortable back and waved as she, her father, and Van Housen drove off into the unknown.
The billionaire driver turned toward the back. "We should be pretty inconspicuous in here. The cloaking armor has a setting for casual dress. Click it over on the side."
She watched as the sheriff clicked the knob first. He went from space-age to barbecue attire in the blink of an eye.
She shook her head. "This is ridiculously cool. Do you have any prom dress settings?"
Van Housen smirked. "I'll have to put that in the new edition."
Jennifer found the knob on the side of her armor and turned it once. Gone was the red and silver armor. At least in appearance. Replacing it was a light turquoise shirt and jeans. She was surprised that the outfit worked so well. Even staring deeply into it didn't seem to reveal anything out of the ordinary about it.
After a long while, the car pulled off of the forest path and reached the highway. They weren't the only ones on the road, but Jennifer couldn't help but wonder how many potential motorists were imprisoned somewhere. Or dead. Or replaced.
She sensed Van Housen's eyes in the rearview mirror.
"We've got a few checkpoints to get past before we can get into DC. I've created fake identifications for all of you. I hope you don't mind that I made you father and daughter."
The sheriff turned and looked into her eyes. "I don't mind it if you don't."
She smiled and tried not to think of the man her father used to be. "We've already got the resemblance. What happens if they don't buy the fake IDs at the checkpoint?"
"And you should probably set your weapons to kill."
Jennifer's hand grazed the cloaked weapon by her side. Van Housen had created some pretty impressive laser guns. As far as she could tell, they would never run out of ammo as long as they were pressed against your body. As long as your body stayed alive.
Jennifer couldn't help but look at the cars and the motorists who passed them going the other direction. Each person she spotted sported the sullen face of a conquered nation. The guilt of a person who'd been involved in the war before anyone knew the truth set her heart aflame. She gritted her teeth at the faux pain.
The car reached a line of three vehicles waiting to be approved. Half a dozen dark souls were ready to kill anyone who crossed them at the checkpoint. They were blatantly armed in the daylight.
She could feel her breath starting to get heavy.
"It's normal to be scared." Van Housen attempted a smile. "Just don't look like you're plotting to infiltrate the White House or anything."
Jennifer didn't expect the laugh to erupt from her mouth. "I'll do my best."
As the car pulled up to the man in charge, Jennifer hoped beyond hope that if the dark souls had any people they were on the lookout for, it was Ted and Erica and no one else.
The man yawned as Van Housen rolled down the window. "IDs and papers."
The billionaire handed them over. "How are you today?"
The dark soul grunted his response as he looked through the documentation. "You don't have any weapons do you?"
Jennifer could feel her face growing warm, and she did everything she could internally to try to stuff it back down.
"Unless you count my daughter's fantastic singing voice as a weapon. I'd say we're clear." Sheriff Norris turned around with a wink at his sort-of-daughter.
The dark soul rolled his eyes. "Doesn't count. Though I'm sure your daughter is as special as everyone else." He passed the papers back through the open window. "Remember to get inside before curfew. You're free to go on."
Van Housen gave a little salute before rolling up the window and driving away.
Jennifer shook her head. "Sorry guys. I guess my poker face needs a little work."
Van Housen clicked his tongue. "Nonsense. You did fine. And you'll have plenty of practice when we get to the next one."
The trio made it through the last two checkpoints before driving into the city proper. Jennifer had been to DC once before for a school trip; this wasn't the city she remembered. The hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill was nowhere to be found. Cars drove slowly and people walked even slower. It's as if the entire city was filled with people trying not to draw attention to themselves. Even their clothes seemed drab as they kept their faces pointed toward the sidewalk.
Jennifer felt her stomach twist. "There are millions of people in captivity right now. And we're worried about one of them. How selfish does that make us?"
The billionaire raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling that if their loved ones were trapped somewhere, they would fight for their freedom too."
Jennifer nodded as if she agreed, but deep down she wasn't sure. Were they actually doing what was best for the world?
Van Housen pulled the old sedan into a gas station. Jennifer tried not to gawk at the astronomically high prices. But she temporarily forgot that they were driving with a billionaire. He easily pulled out the cash necessary to pay for the transaction. Jennifer leaned on the trunk of the car as she tried to get a feel for what they were about to walk into. Every so often, her hand grazed the cloaked weapon by her side.
"Guys! You've got to come in here."
Jennifer and Van Housen both stopped what they were doing and ran in sync toward the inside of the station. Amidst the snack cakes and soda machines, there was a television turned to YNN. It took Jennifer less than a second to recognize the picture of her ex-boyfriend on the screen.
"Coming up after the commercial break, we've got Dhiraj Patel live from the White House. So stay tuned!"
Jennifer's throat tightened as she gripped the counter beside her with all her might.
"We're coming for you, Dollar. We're coming for you."
13
Despite being a natural in front of the camera, Dhiraj couldn't help but sense his self-consciousness bubbling up. He supposed that since he usually said what was on his mind, he had no problem transmitting it to millions of people. It was only when he was about to lie through his teeth that he could sense the cameras upon him.
Rudy Bolger's puffy celebrity face appeared on the TV monitor to his left. "Dhiraj, my man. You are looking positively glowing. Are you doing a juice fast?"
As Dhiraj considered his gaunt cheeks, it seemed to him that Rudy had no issue with the world being taken over. He was just happy to be on TV. As long as the checks cleared, perhaps the TV personality didn't mind which species signed it.
Dhiraj tried his best to smile. "Something like that. How are things at the network?"
Dhiraj could see there were only 30 seconds or so left until they weren't live. Perhaps he could glean something from the little bit of time he had left.
Rudy smiled. Felt like way too much candy on Halloween night. "Same old, same old. A little more turnover than usual, but I guess that's what happens sometimes."
