Tierney awoke on the couch, alone, with an ache in her heart. Last night had been incredible -- worthy of her last on Earth -- but though Tausson had stayed late into the night, he'd left just before she fell asleep. Carterra could apparently only cover for him for so long, and there was no guarantee that Chief Raleth wouldn't send someone down to check on him if he was gone for too long.

Now it was morning, and he was back on the Irral, once again the property of the Relican Squad. Before he left, he'd promised he'd find a way to keep them together, but she knew the reality was that he had no way of keeping that promise. The Relicans didn't care if Tierney and Tausson were in love; they didn't know the meaning of the word.

At least I'll always have the memory of last night, she thought, her sore thighs quivering at the memory of his touch.

She glanced up at her phone and saw that it was a few hours before they were scheduled to convey. She could smell Tausson, his metallic scent lingering on the couch, on her, and knew that if someone else came within a yard of her, they'd probably guess what had happened. Not that she was ashamed, but she didn't need the whole world -- literally, at this point, with so few people left on the planet -- knowing about her personal life. Slowly climbing out of bed, she threw on the same clothes she'd ripped off while beneath Tausson's naked body and went to take a shower.

Still daydreaming about the night she'd had, she didn't notice that her office door was open. Even though there was hardly anyone left in the building, she'd closed it out of habit. Strolling right in, she felt a chill pass over her as she sensed someone watching her. But before she could turn around, a cloth was jammed in her mouth and a bag dropped over her head, shrouding the world in darkness.

She tried to scream, but the gag prevented her from making more than a soft whimper. Kicking and flailing, she felt herself lifted off the floor by two men, one at her shoulders and one at her feet. They carried her down the hall and through the nearly empty building. Tierney tried to map in her mind where they took her, but she was so disoriented that she lost track of their path.

Finally they set her down on the floor, and one of them held her down while the other began unzipping her skirt. Tierney renewed her struggles, but the men were too strong. Soon she was completely naked, and she feared that these men were going to finish what Jonas had started the night before. But although one set of hands did grab one of her breasts, they did nothing else other than throw her into a small room and close the door.

"Tierney?"

Nelle?

Tierney ripped the bag off her head to see the President, also naked, sitting on the floor of a dim utility closet in front of her. Pulling the gag out of her mouth, Tierney stood and rattled the doorknob, but it was locked.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded, pounding on the door. "Where are we?"

"I believe we're in the basement, in one of the cleaning closets," said Nelle, her throat hoarse.

"Help!" Tierney cried.

"I've been calling for hours," Nelle said. "The only people left are on the other side of the building, getting ready to convey."

Tierney turned towards her friend, then looked away out of respect for her nudity. "Who did this?" she asked. "Why are they doing this?"

"My guess is as good as yours, and I bet your first guess is mine too."

Closing her eyes and banging her forehead against the door, Tierney said, "Caleb." Shivering, she rubbed her bare arms. "But why naked? If he wants us to die, why does he care if we're dressed?"

"I didn't get it before, but now that you're here, I think it probably has something to do with him trying to set us up for humiliation if we are found and rescued. I'm surprised they didn't bring you here earlier, considering there was a slim possibility of my being found alone."

Tierney guessed why she hadn't been taken earlier, and the thought that someone had been spying on her while making love to Tausson made her sick to her stomach.

"Well we can't give up. Conveyance isn't scheduled for another two hours. Someone might hear us if we make a racket."

Nelle stood and grabbed a nearby mop. "Alright. Let's give it a shot." She started cracking the handle against the ceiling, while Tierney pounded her fist against the door.

As they filled their tiny space with as much noise as they could, Tierney thought of Tausson, floating in space hundreds of miles above her. Would he hear her? Would he come to their rescue?

* * *

"Is everyone accounted for?" Carterra asked as the last group of humans conveyed to the cart.

Tausson stood at her side, anxiously waiting for confirmation from the Relican Squad member who was responsible for transport.

"No, Commander," came the reply.

The Vice President's voice came over the transmitter. "Apparently the President and her Chief of Staff weren't at the conveyance zone," he said. "The others searched for them for as long as they could, but they were nowhere to be found."

Tausson could hardly breathe. Where is she? Where is Tierney?

"I'll go look for them," he said, already turning to leave the command center.

"Hold, Tausson," came Carterra's stern order.

"But we can't leave without them," he said, even though he knew defying her order so openly was cause for reprimand. "The President must be here to lead her people."

Carterra's face remained firm, but Tausson could see the pain in her eyes as she said, "We cannot afford to remain even minutes longer. With all the technical problems we encountered, we're already past the point of safety for the humans on the cart, not to mention our own people." She turned to the Com Officer and said, "Instruct the Chief that we must begin departure."

Tausson's heart froze. He couldn't leave her. He couldn't discover love just to lose it so soon.

Rushing back to Carterra's side, he whispered, "I must return. I must go to her."

Although he hadn't meant to make it about Tierney, Carterra read the meaning in his eyes. "Tausson," she said gently, "I cannot risk the lives of thousands of Relicans and billions of humans for the sake of one woman."

She sat down, her eyes on the sightscreen, where Earth slowly spun beneath them.

Tierney's down there. She needs my help.

Regardless of the consequences, Tausson had to go to her. Even if they died together on a burning planet, at least he would be with her.

He spun around and ran to the hatch, but Carterra must have anticipated his intentions, because she said, "First Rasmus, see Tausson to his lodge and ensure he remains there."

Rasmus's eyes glinted as he walked towards him. Tausson waited until they were in the hall with the hatch fastened behind him before blatantly running away.

"Hey!" called Rasmus, his heavy footfalls chasing after him. "Come back here, traitor!"

Barely more than a few strides in front of him, Tausson raced down the halls, not knowing where he was going, just knowing that he needed to get down to the surface. Skidding around the corner, he narrowly evaded Rasmus's grasp. But the First was Protection Officer for a reason, and a moment later, his iron grip closed around Tausson's arm and jerked him back.

"I have to go --" Tausson began, but Rasmus was in no mood to talk. His fist slammed into Tausson's jaw, snapping his head backwards to crash against the metal walls of the vessel. His legs gave out from the shock, and he fell to the ground. Rasmus must have been swinging for another punch, because a moment later he cried out in pain as his hand crunched against the same unyielding surface.

Tausson used the moment of weakness to leap up and, even though it was against every rule in the Relican Squad oath, threw the amplified might of his mechasuit against Rasmus's bulk and jammed his shoulder into the Protection Officer's gut. Rasmus slammed into the opposite wall, leaving an indent before crumpling to the iron grate floor of the hall. Although he had most likely just condemned himself to prison, Tausson fled, leaving Rasmus gasping for air and clutching his side in agony.

Locking himself in the next chamber, he entered the coordinates to Tierney's office. Just before he pressed the final command, his transmitter chirped.

"Tausson," said Carterra's warm, familiar voice.

"I can't leave her, Carterra," he said, his finger hovering over the convey button. "Even if I die, I can't leave her."

Every second was one less that Tierney had to live, but he sensed his commander, his mate, had more to say, and he owed it to her to hear it.

"I'll keep the Irral here for as long as I can," she said.

"You are the brightest gem in the mine," he said, silently thanking the Great Metalsmith for his good friend.

"Twenty minutes," she replied, with no hint of a smile in her concerned voice. "After that, our crew is in danger from the blast."

"Squad, Commander." With hope ablaze in his chest, he pressed his sleeve and closed his eyes.

I'm coming, Tierney.

* * *

"Do you think we'll feel it?"

"What?" rasped Tierney, lifting her head from the floor. She and Nelle had long since given up their attempts at getting someone's attention. Even though they didn't know what time it was, it felt like enough time had passed that the conveyance had already happened. They were probably the last two people on Earth.

"The asteroid," said the President. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against the wall. Even though there was no real need for modesty, given the situation, they had blanketed themselves under a painting tarp, and Nelle had it pulled up to her shoulders.

"That's rather macabre of a question, don't you think?" asked Tierney, setting her head back down.

Nelle laughed. "This is rather macabre of a situation, don't you think?"

Tierney chuckled weakly. "I suppose you're right." Compartmentalizing her impending death and shoving it aside, she thought objectively about the President's question. "According to Garner's team, and the Relicans' calculations, the asteroid should impact somewhere in the South Pacific, near Fiji. The one that killed the dinosaurs was significantly smaller than this one, and most of the life on Earth was dead within hours due to extreme heat and fires."

She let out a long sigh, not wanting to give voice to what that meant for the two of them.

"So that would be a no," said Nelle.

"That would be a resounding no," Tierney affirmed.

They listened to the silence, each trying not to think about what the day would bring.

"You're going to make me say it first?" Nelle asked. The question was so sudden, her tone so sharp, that Tierney shot up.

"Say what?"

"Oh please," the President said, smiling as she waved Tierney's question away. "You're playing chicken with me on who's going to get sappy first. Well I'll go ahead and say what we're both thinking: if I have to be locked in a closet with someone at the end of the world, I'm glad that person is you."

Tierney smirked at her. "So if you have to be condemned to a fiery death, you're glad I'm condemned too? That sounds sadistic rather than sappy. And here I thought we were friends."

Nelle rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm saying." Her eyes turned solemn, and Tierney held up her hands.

"Please don't say it," she said. "It makes it too real."

"Sorry, Tierney," said Nelle, her eyes welling up, "I've got to say it. I've got to tell you how much I've enjoyed seeing you grow from a bright -- if naive -- girl, to a confident, capable, brilliant young woman. You've truly been my rock over the past few years, especially since Maggie died." Her voice broke, and she wiped at the few tears that escaped before continuing.

"I'm so proud of everything you've accomplished. You've been an outstanding colleague, and my best friend. I'm sorry about all of the crap you've had to put up with," she gave a weak chuckle, "including getting locked in a closet at the end of the world, and I'm honored that you pushed through it all with your head held high to stay by my side. I can't tell you how much it means to me."

Tierney fought back her own tears. It was all so unfair. Caleb and Jonas should be the ones trapped on a burning planet. Nelle was the good one, the selfless leader who had done nothing but beat the odds honorably, and now she'd been sentenced to death by her conniving and power hungry Vice President. He was probably already convening a special emergency session of Congress to name himself President of a country that didn't exist anymore.

And Tierney was doomed to the same fate, simply because of her loyalty. She'd never see her sister again, her parents -- or Tausson. She cursed herself for all the time they could have spent together, had they known what was in store.

She jumped up, grabbing a bucket they'd already tried and failed to use as a battering ram.

"What are you doing?" asked Nelle.

Ramming it against the door, she said, "There is no way I'm spending the last few hours of my life in the basement of the White House."

Nelle's hands were already bruised from banging everything she could find against the door, but she lay on her back and began kicking at the bottom of the door.

"We are getting out of here," Tierney said between blows, "and we're going to that incredible bakery --"

"The one with the huge peanut butter cookies?" asked Nelle.

"That's the one." Tierney's palms were already sore, but she thought she saw a crack starting to form in the door -- why were these doors so damn strong anyway? -- and felt a flicker of hope in her chest.

"We're going to eat anything and everything we can find," she said, picking up the pace of her blows, "and we'll never have to worry about the consequences."

"I like your thinking," said Nelle. "And I might not even bother getting dressed."

Tierney looked down at her quizzically.

"There's nothing like gorging yourself on eclairs when you're buck naked," she said. Flinching as she continued ramming her heels against the door, she added, "Not that I've ever done that before."

Tierney laughed -- a real, hearty, hopeful laugh. "No time like the present."