by L M Lacee
Growling softly again in annoyance at her indecision, she wanted to slap herself silly, and if she was honest which she was trying to be. She felt bad for abandoning her home and the remaining people of Earth, for a dream… a hope. For an uncertain future with an uncertain Entity, that could do what?
That was the most frightening aspect of this endeavour, not knowing what lay ahead of them all. Maybe it was all a fool’s dream or maybe she could have a different life, a life where she was not alone. Just maybe there would be someone out there in space for her. Loneliness wrapped its nasty fingers around her heart as tears gathered in her eyes.
She moved from her desk to look out the window at the darkness and admitted for the first time, since they had made the agreement with the Warriors. She was scared, so terrified of what they were planning to do.
Her eyes followed a Warrior as he moved slowly along the sidewalk. By the way he moved she would bet it was the young man Willian. She could tell he had been severely injured; the signs were obvious and yet she thought he would never dwell on the pain he had to be in.
He stopped and shot his arm out as a small older female tripped when she went to pass him, saving her from a nasty fall.
Heather squinted, oh it was Brenda. Helen and Esther’s friend, the three ladies had come in the second wave of rescues and were strong, independent women.
Heather liked and admired each of them and secretly wanted to be just like them when she grew up. She smiled to herself as she thought maybe every woman wanted to be a Helen, Esther or Brenda, or maybe a mix of all three. They were well liked and respected, even adored in some cases.
Heather thought Brenda reminded Peyton of her grandmother, not in appearance, more she thought, in her gently nature. When Peyton spoke of her grandmother, which was rarely. She implied her grandmother either had a will of iron, or was way too soft to live in a world ravaged by the Virus. Heather could never quite figure out which one it was, and as she stood at the window staring at the couple, she realized Peyton had no idea either.
She grinned as she thought of Peyton and the way she squirmed when Esther, Brenda or Helen gave her the parent look. The one mothers gave their children when they were being ridiculous. Her grin softened as she watched the Warrior and Brenda talking. Whatever she was saying caused him to give her a nod and she bet a shy smile. Then Brenda placed her hand on his arm, and they walked slowly to her house.
Heather leaned her forehead against the window and closed her eyes, knowing regardless of what her mind said, her heart told her she was leaving. It would be impossible to deny these amazingly brave men and women who had faith they were going to have a new life.
These people needed her just as much, if not more, than the people she was leaving behind. Ruefully she thought of her friend Patty who she had coerced into coming here to Runnerdale. And what of her three friends, who had moved from friends to family and made it possible for her to feel again. She was kidding herself, thinking she could abandon them. She would be lost without their quirky humor, which managed to keep them all balanced. Not to mention the abundance of love they showered her with. Yeah, she was going.
She opened her eyes and turned back to her desk, flipped the report into her briefcase and stretched from side to side. Letting the tension slide from her shoulders, then she switched off her desk lamp, calling out as she did. ‘I am leaving Janet.’
‘Okay, Heather, we are ready.’
She sighed again, not from indecision now, more in exasperation and excitement. This was another one of those changes. She had a guard now… seriously a guard, who escorted her from her home to the clinic, a matter of yards from one place to the other.
Janet, her lead guard and several others walked with her to her home. She stood at the curb and looked up to the roof, and sure enough, her sisters were there.
Melody raised her glass to Heather as Darby softly called down. ‘Coming up, we have your beer.’
She laughed as she showed her the cooler. Janet murmured with a smile. ‘It looks as though you were expected.’
‘So it seems. Thank you for the escort. Goodnight and keep safe.’
Janet saluted her as her guards all chorused goodnight.
TWENTY-FOUR:
She entered her home where she dumped her bags on the kitchen table before climbing the attic ladder.
‘Hello you two, have any of you seen Peyton?’
They both answered. ‘No.’
Heather sat beside Melody and wiggled until she was comfortable saying. ‘I wonder what she is up too.’
Melody shrugged. ‘Probably scheming, that woman can sure scheme.’
‘Yep, speaking of scheming, did your friend come?’ Darby asked Heather, who grinned as she replied.
‘Yes, she arrived this morning, and her name is Patty Cooper. She is brilliant, you will like her. Melody, did you get hold of your friend Netta?’
‘No, the woman I spoke to told me to call tonight. I suppose this is as good a time as any.’
Heather took the bottle and glass Darby passed her, which was not beer. Darby always called her wine, beer. Heather thought it was because she thought wine was a girly drink. Melody said it was because Darby liked whiskey. This explanation made no sense to Heather, but it made Darby laugh whenever she said it, so that was worth it. Beer was Peyton’s drink, and whiskey was Darby’s and Melody’s.
She liked wine and this white wine was exceedingly nice. Where Peyton got it from was something she wasn’t telling. She poured herself a glass while Darby asked Melody what Netta was like.
Melody took a drink of her whiskey as she thought of her friend. ‘How the hell do I describe Netta?’
She smiled as she thought of her friend. ‘Okay, so her name is Netta Howl, she would be...’ She squinted up at the sky as she thought. ‘Yeah, I think she would be almost thirty, she is disciplined and has to be an inch or so taller than me, so that would make her around six-two. Her mom was from Africa, and her dad was descended from Native Americans. I am fairly sure she told me once he was Sioux, but don’t quote me on that. I remember her telling me she was lucky to have lived with people who were the best of their cultures.
Netta’s parents loved her as she did them, which may have been because there were only the three of them, she never talked of there being other family. Whether that was because she did not actually have any or they ignored her. I never asked, and she never volunteered the information. I know she and her parents lived all over the world, I am unsure what her parents did for employment. I don’t think I asked.’
She shook her head. ‘Shame on me, I should have. Anyway, when they were taken by the Virus. Netta was left alone, so she joined the army and we became friends and when she left, we stayed in touch. You should know she is deadly.’
Darby grinned, saying. ‘Of course she is, she is your friend after all.’
‘So funny, well I better find out where the hell she is.’ Melody tagged her friend and placed it on speaker.
When Netta answered, it took everything Heather and Darby had not to laugh as Melody snarled. ‘Where have you been Netta, I have been calling you for months?’
‘Don’t growl at me general. I’m not in your unit now.’ A woman’s slightly husky voice snarled back.
Melody laughed. ‘What unit, as if you didn’t already know. This is what I have been calling you for. They kicked the lot of us out. Well, at least all the female soldiers.’
‘What the hell! I heard it was just the troops.’
‘Nope, officers as well, all of us.’
Melody waited, she grinned at Heather and Darby, as they all heard Netta breathing softly. Melody mouthed, thinking.
‘So…’ Netta casually drawled. ‘Whatcha doing?’
Melody returned. ‘What you doing, girlfriend?’
‘Killing this and that.’
Darby’s gasp made her smile as she shook her head, telling her Netta did not mean it… well probably not.
‘Well, stop the k
illing and find your way to Runnerdale.’
‘I have three hundred soldiers and four hundred civilians with me.’
‘All welcome, it is safe here Netta.’
‘We leaving Melody?’
‘Yeah, with the alien boys.’
‘Well hell, be there soon and Melody…’
‘Yeah.’
‘Happy you called.’
‘As if I would go without you Netta. Friends don’t leave friends behind. I taught you that.’
‘So you did.’
‘How long?’
They could all hear her laughing. When she got herself under control she said. ‘Almost there, another week maybe, depending on what happens on my way.’
‘Shit Netta. I’m guessing you don’t need directions?’
Laughter was her only answer, Melody growled loudly. ‘You could have called?’
‘Where would the fun be in that, bye Melody?’
Melody disconnected, her mind rolling with her thoughts, sparked by talking to Netta. She sipped her drink and felt the heat from the whiskey burn a path to her stomach as the other two watched her carefully. She looked angry and sad all at once.
Melody was angry, especially at her own foolish naivety. She thought about that for a minute. Then amended that to just straight out denial. She had denied everything. She knew before the Government had signed that Agreement, they were lying, but she stuck to her sense of denial, treating everything as normal.
Even when only a matter of days later the conditions of the agreement were spelled out by the Government’s propaganda department, she still believed in their word.
She had read the Agreement, and on the surface it seemed harmless and practical. Earth would be accepted into the Coalition, which subjected everyone to the rules and regulations of said Coalition. One of those rules entitled the Coalition for the good of Earth to offer an alternative planet for women to live on. They of course would be compensated well, for helping to populate other worlds. The other side to that was people from other worlds would come to Earth.
Melody, at the time, had not questioned this clause or the fact the Virus was not number one of importance for either the Government of the Coalition. She, like everyone else, assumed the cure had been found. Confirmed later by the Government who told the populace that of course, for the help in eradicating the planet of the Virus. The Coalition would start introducing technology unseen and unheard of before on Earth.
At that time she did not know what technology had to do with the Virus, but being the good little soldier she was. She did not question this directive until the public broadcasts changed and the new messages echoed around the world. Informing everyone a new armed force from the Coalition would now police the world. Personal weapons were deemed illegal unless permitted by the Government, which meant only the Warriors carried weapons. Heavy fines or punishments were enforced if a citizen was found with one.
Melody could not help wincing when she remembered the weapons she carried. She, like Netta, loved knives, although she was nowhere as good as Netta was with them. She frowned as she remembered Peyton carried a small hand gun and was proficient in it. All her soldiers carried weapons, and she bet Netta and her people were armed. She thought it might be a good idea to let Commander Roeah know about the weapons. Although he probably already knew, he seemed that kind of man. She came back to her surroundings as she muttered. ‘Netta, has always been such a smart ass.’
Darby asked. ‘So, she was already on her way.’
‘Yep.’
Heather grinned. ‘How did she find out, do you suppose?’
Melody shrugged and sipped her whiskey. ‘Netta is smart and very skilled. I am guessing she found out I was trying to contact her and started making her own inquiries and her way here.’
Darby asked with a confused frown. ‘I don’t understand, if she knew you were trying to contact her. Why hasn’t she got in touch with you or is here already? You have been here for months.’
‘Who knows, it is Netta. If I had to guess, she was probably running her own missions. It has been years since she and I served together. Even though we kept in touch, it was spasmodic. Netta did not leave the army on good terms, and that is all I will say about that. It is not my story to tell.’
‘But…’ Heather placed her hand on Darby’s arm and shook her head as Melody sighed. ‘She was my only true friend in the army; I missed her every day she was gone from my life and I never expected to find that closeness again. Imagine my surprise when I found that in you three.’ She laughed with the other two. ‘When Netta arrives, my family unit will be complete, so to answer your question. I am as close to her as we four are to each other.’
Heather had to say because she seemed so enamoured of the woman. ‘So I guess she is trustworthy.’
‘With your life, right Melody?’ Peyton asked as she moved from the shadows.
Melody smiled at her. ‘Yes Peyton, I would trust her with my life and have done so on many occasions. I would trust her with your lives. She is Netta.’
Peyton solemnly said. ‘Good enough for me then.’
‘And us.’ Darby saluted her with her glass as Heather agreed. ‘Yes, to that.’
‘Beers in the cooler.’
‘Thanks Darby thought you were mad at me?’
‘No, just… I just felt unsettled and angry but not at you.’ She burst out. ‘Sunshoona is a cold and unfeeling bitch, at least in the way she talks about what we have all gone through.’
‘Yeah, I think it’s a case of being so long lived, our lives to them are so short. I wonder how many worlds, she and others like her have seen come and go. Maybe we expect too much of them, the grief they must have endured over the eons, boggles the mind, well it boggles mine.’ She sighed, then suggested. ‘Maybe hardening their hearts, is the only way they know how to survive. I am not excusing Sunshoona or the others like her. I am just trying to understand what she must have endured.’
Heather sipped her wine then looked at Peyton and asked. ‘Are we going to talk about Gaea and what she has done?’
‘No.’
The feeling of shock at her stark answer rippled through the three women as Heather demanded. ‘Why not, for heaven’s sake, it needs talking about?’
‘Probably, but here isn’t the time or place.’
Melody asked in a tone that for its very softness screamed outrage. ‘Meaning what?’
‘Meaning, if you think about what I am saying you will understand.’
‘But…’
‘Enough please, think about who is listening.’
Surprised, Melody said. ‘Oh… oh, yes, I see.’
They all nodded as Peyton breathed a sigh of relief. Melody, with a swift look around, returned to the conversation about Sunshoona. ‘I would think that longed lived beings like the stars would find it necessary to hide that side of their nature, to insulate themselves against pain.’
‘Yes, that kind of agony must haunt you throughout your lifetime.’ Peyton agreed sadly.
Darby agreed, then said. ‘Yeah, I see that, still…’
‘I won’t leave you Darby.’ Peyton said as she sat next to her. ‘None of you.’
‘Yeah, okay.’ Darby shrugged as her hand snuck out and grabbed Peyton’s. They remained that way while they sat and talked into the early hours of the morning.
TWENTY-FIVE:
Seventy-two hours, from the time of the momentous meeting at Peyton’s home. The royal family of Jenersar woke to find the Warriors and Warships patrolling their world were gone. When the Emperor's ministers were told, they immediately went into damage control to contain the information and stop it leaking to the citizens.
Jenersar has a population of twenty million people; their industry is minimal with a high demand for technology. Against continued opposition from the advisory council, the Emperor has allowed industry and agriculture to wane, to the point the Warriors have become Jenersar's only commodity.
Uthar Jenerika, present
Emperor of Jenersar, was distraught as he paced his chambers. Messages had arrived, even before he had risen for the day, confirming Warriors and ships were also missing from other worlds. Uthar was placed between a rock and a hard place, credits had been paid to not only the world of Jenersar but to him personally and there was the matter of Jenersar’s reputation and standing at the Capital.
As he stepped into his shower, the unbidden thought came to him. If he did not recall warriors from assigned worlds to fill the void, the missing Warriors had caused on his world. There could be a possibility other worlds may consider invading Jenersar and overthrowing him. He thought about retrieving the Warriors in stasis, but quickly discarded that idea. Unfortunately, he had been coerced into disavowing all knowledge of them. He had publicly sworn on his honor that he had ceased the Warrior’s experiment. He had also discounted the rumor that more Warriors than recorded existed. With a hand on his hearts, he had sworn all Warriors were accounted for.
He ruefully acknowledged as he dressed, that whoever had caused these events had literally tied his hands. But who he wondered had the ability to do so. As he paced, he went through all the people who he considered enemies and discovered the list was longer than he thought. Suddenly he rocked to a stop as it came to him, the only one able to command his Warriors other than himself was that basterad Roeah. Storming around his bedchamber, he knew Roeah had somehow discovered a way to extract himself; from the yoke he had placed him under.
He stopped pacing once more as a thought came to him. Perhaps he could wake the Warriors from stasis and slip them on to his world as easily as it seemed Roeah had slipped them off. He could have the warriors implanted with a memory of training off world, no one would think that was unusual. Warriors often used dead moons to live and train on. Yes, that could work, and if it did, he could replace the other missing Warriors on the other worlds in the same way. He began to smile; he had just solved his immediate problem.
