Chapter Nine
Bruno let out a long breath as the President and his entourage finally left his Stronghold. At his side, he felt Amy’s swirling emotions suddenly solidify into relief. She scooted her chair closer to him and leaned against his arm. The physical contact soothed both of them.
“Well. That was more unpleasant than usual,” Eileen said, dropping into an empty chair at the glass conference table. She’d just shown the President and his people out, and now she looked ready to collapse. Bruno sat at the head of the table with Amy by his side. He hated to think of what the man was going to tell the media, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. As long as it doesn’t interfere with our efforts to protect the planet, he can say what he likes.
Bruno rubbed the tension out of his neck, then did the same for Amy. She wore a modest red sheath dress, and she looked spectacular. The expression on the President’s face when he’d introduced her as the newest Sentry was almost worth the entire meeting. Almost.
“I knew he’d be difficult, but I hadn’t realized how much worse he’d gotten. My father despised him when he was just a lowly senator. My dad is probably spinning in his grave right now over this guy’s arrogance,” Amy muttered, pressing her thumbs into her temples. “You told him about the shield net. You explained that the military would be useless, but still, he insisted on deploying troops. What does he think all those soldiers are going to do? They’re just food.” She shook her head, clearly disgusted. “What the hell does it take to get through to him?”
Bruno drew her hands down and kissed her fingers. “Let it go, darling. The man needs to look like he’s doing something, or he won’t get reelected. There’s nothing you can do about his attitude,” Bruno said tiredly.
“Ugh. I know you’re right, but still…” Amy made a visible effort to relax.
“It’s nearly seven o’clock,” Eileen said, shoving papers into a folder. “I’m never going to make it to Solomon’s Stronghold today.”
“You will,” Bruno said, standing up. He sensed his assistant’s frustration. The least he could do was alleviate her worry. “I will send you through the transporter.”
Eileen paled, and she glanced at the pillar in the center of the room. “Are you serious? I thought that only Sentries could do that.” She stepped back, unconsciously putting herself further from the device.
Bruno sympathized with her fear, but he needed to know Eileen would be safe. She’d served him faithfully for many years. “I am deadly serious.” He took her by the elbow and guided her to the pillar. “It will only take a moment.”
“I have no desire to take my last breath inside solid stone,” Eileen said, looking ill as she eyed the pillar like a woman staring down a precipice.
“You won’t.” Bruno put his palm on the white surface. Almost immediately, his brother Solomon appeared in a view screen.
“Your meeting is over?” Solomon asked, looking harried.
Bruno nodded. “I have Eileen ready to transport.”
Solomon smiled briefly. “Send her through. I’ll be here to catch her.” The viewer faded.
“Are you sure this won’t kill me?” Eileen asked, looking even more upset.
“I promise you will be completely safe and whole when you reach the other side,” Bruno said, and then he activated the transport tech. Best to get her through quickly before she works herself into a complete panic. The pillar didn’t look any different once activated for transport, but his hand sank into the stone and he felt the tingle of energy that told him it was ready to receive. He pulled Eileen forward, and then before she could protest, slipped her into the pillar. He almost smiled at the look of horror on her face, but then she was through. The viewer reappeared.
“She’s here, safe and sound,” Solomon said, holding Eileen by the shoulders.
“That was not fun,” Eileen added, clutching her stomach. “I think I’m going to hurl.”
“Take deep breaths,” Bruno advised her. He glanced at his brother.
Solomon nodded. “She’ll be in the bunker with her family.”
“Thank you.” Bruno felt Amy slip up beside him.
“That was really creepy,” Amy said.
“Trust me, it’s creepier when you go through it, even if it happens in a split second,” Eileen told her, grimacing. She straightened up. “The nausea is gone, though, fortunately.”
“Your daughter and husband are waiting for you,” Bruno said, reminding her of why he’d sent her to Solomon’s Stronghold.
“Thank you.” Eileen turned to Solomon. “Can we go to them?”
“Of course.” Solomon looked at Bruno and touched the corner of his eye, and then the screen went blank.
“Solomon looks exhausted,” Amy said, frowning. “He has circles under his eyes. I bet Lucy isn’t any better.”
“He needs rest. He and Lucy spent all last night prepping the shield net, and then today he had to monitor its location as it settled around the planet.” Not for the first time, Bruno wished there were more Sentries. They could barely do the work they needed to do, stretched thin as they were. Even the addition of their paired-mates wasn’t quite enough to alleviate the burden.
“And you had to deal with meetings and phone calls to world leaders. I understand.” Amy leaned against his arm. “We need rest, too.”
“Yes. We should sleep while we can. The shield net is in place in the magnetosphere. The Spiders are still at least two days out, or more.” Bruno tugged her to the stairs. “We can deal with any more problems in the morning.”
“The sensors stopped responding, though,” Amy said, allowing him to lead her to the living quarters. “That worries me. Solomon said this morning that some should’ve kept working, even if the Spiders destroyed most of them. Isaac and Saige hid a dozen of them in non-elliptical orbits in the outer heliosphere.”
“That worries us all, but there isn’t much we can do about it. Isaac and Saige are too tired to go out again right now. They need rest. The starships use our personal energy to function, and they’ve blown past their reserves and are running on empty.” Bruno led her to the bed. “Sleep first.” He pulled back the bed covers. “Solve problems after.”
“But it isn’t even dark out yet,” Amy said, kicking off her heels. “Gah. I forgot how much those made my feet ache.” She wiggled her toes. “Heels are evil.”
“Sit down.” Bruno patted the bed. When she sat down, he went to his knees and drew her feet onto his lap, massaging her arch and heels.
“Oh, God, don’t ever stop,” Amy moaned. Late afternoon sunlight slanted over her short hair, lighting the blonde strands with gold.
Bruno smiled, feeling her relief as he rubbed away the pain. He added a little energy to heal any lingering muscle aches. Now, if only I could get rid of my headache this easily, he mused, slowly stroking up her calves. When he looked up at her, he wasn’t surprised to see her eyes half-closed. “The sun will set soon enough,” he told her, standing up. He leaned over her and unzipped her dress. He helped her out of it, and then removed her bra and panties. His cock surged to life at the sight of her, nude and spread out on his bed, but he also felt her bone-weariness. They both needed sleep more than they needed sex.
“Tired,” she mumbled, eyes still closed.
He scooted her up the mattress and then tucked the covers around her. As her breathing evened out, he stripped off his suit and climbed in next to her. His erection had subsided a little, fortunately, because he didn’t have the energy to so much as kiss her right now. As he gathered her into his arms, he finally let himself relax. Sleep dragged him down into oblivion.
****
Flames.
Instinctively, Amy gasped, and heat seared her lungs. She opened her eyes. Oh my God, the apartment— She sat up, heart pounding, but all around her fire scoured the walls. She screamed, or tried to, but the blaze stole all of the oxygen she needed to breathe. She coughed, and then Bruno woke up. He grabbed her hands, but he couldn’t speak, either. He gripped her, hard, and she thought that feeling him so solid against her skin might help, but instead, the heat worsened. Flames danced around them, as high as the ceiling, and then shockingly, the fire flared brighter. There’s no way out.
Amy closed her eyes and pressed her face against Bruno’s shoulder. He murmured under his breath, and she nodded, thinking he was trying to soothe her, but then he made a terrible sound in the back of his throat. Panicked, she opened her eyes again, and gripped Bruno with all her strength. The deep black of space surrounded them, like a blanket she couldn’t push aside. A large moon just beneath them burned like a star, and a wave of darkly faceted crystal rolled into the fire. Fed the fire.
“What’s happening?” she managed to ask, gripping Bruno so tightly she feared hurting him. She couldn’t seem to let go.
“Vision,” he said, voice low and controlled.
His one-word answer told her everything she needed to know. The wave of horror sleeting over and below her told her the rest. His voice might be steady, but Bruno’s mental wall was gone, and the sheer scale of his dismay nearly made her black out. She fought the darkness, and then the view zoomed again. Now they stood outside, somewhere on Earth, and the sky flared a horrible neon green before it burst into flames.
What is happening? Are those—
“The shield net failed,” Bruno said, agony in his voice. “The Spiders have come.”
Amy swallowed, and he grabbed her hand, dragging her deep into a forest. She stumbled, and would’ve fallen, but he caught her and forced her to run. “Where are we going?” she shouted. “We need to fight.”
“This way,” Bruno said, dragging her along.
Her feet hurt. Her face hurt, as if she’d been badly sunburned. When they burst out into a clearing, her heart seized up. Masses of Spiders rocketed down through the flames onto the ground. Trees disintegrated right in front of her.
Bruno growled, and thrust out his hands. A wave of Spiders exploded away from them. “Help me!” he cried.
Amy put her hands on his arms. Energy sparked between them, but as she looked around, she realized it was too late. There was no way they would survive this. “Bruno, stop.”
He shook her off. “If you won’t help, I’ll fight alone.”
Amy choked, from the smoke, or from the words, she didn’t know, but she grabbed his wrists and forced him to look at her. His hair stood on end, and the silver shards in his eyes glowed like starlight. “Bruno, it’s over. Stop.”
He shook his head. “No.”
She looked up. Directly above them, the sky had disappeared. Instead of stars and trees and clouds, smoke and Spiders undulated through the atmosphere. She coughed. The air thinned. “Bruno—” She broke off. What could she say? They were two people. Two people couldn’t stand against this apocalypse.
“Amy, I am sorry,” Bruno said, pulling her into his arms. “I am so fucking sorry.”
“Bruno,” she tried to say, wanting to tell him how much he meant to her, even though she’d only just met him, but then shockingly, she opened her eyes and saw the bed. Sweat slicked her skin. The covers lay on the floor, and her heart pounded so hard she thought she might be dying. Tears streamed from her eyes. “Bruno,” she gasped, hands at her chest. Her heart felt like it would burst from her ribs.
“It’s not real,” Bruno said, dragging her onto his lap. “Amy. Listen to me.” He shook her. “Amy!”
“Bruno, oh my God,” she said, and that was the moment she realized she could breathe. Her skin wasn’t burned. She looked around the room. Night had fallen while they’d slept, and the lights of the city winked like stars beyond the floor to ceiling windows, as if what she’d just seen was nothing more than a nightmare. She knew it wasn’t. “Oh my God.” Her voice shook.
“I’ve never seen a vision so clearly before,” Bruno said, still holding her tightly. “Never.” He buried his face in her hair. “God help us.”
Amy took a deep breath, held it, and let it out all at once. Terror still pricked at her spine. She couldn’t seem to calm down. “What does that mean?” she asked, fearing the answer.
Bruno shook his head. “It’s not real.”
That’s not what I need to know. Amy felt his horror scrape against her empathic senses. Everything he didn’t say out loud only emphasized the truth he couldn’t bring himself to articulate. “But it will be, won’t it?” She felt him look at her. She met his gaze with her own and read the answer in his eyes. “It will be.”
****
Ten minutes later, Amy tried to choke down the energy bar Bruno had given her, but it tasted like ashes. They’d dressed, and now Bruno stood in front of the pillar, hand raised.
“What are you waiting for?” Amy asked, setting the half-eaten bar on the kitchen counter. She picked up her glass of water and sipped it slowly, wishing it was something stronger. Whiskey. Or maybe vodka. Her stomach roiled. The memory of burning to death pushed bile into her throat.
“My brothers don’t know that I have visions,” Bruno said. He stared at his hand, then let it fall.
They don’t know? That’s insane, she thought, and then she remembered how much Bruno took on himself. He was not one to delegate duty. She stared at him. “You’re afraid they won’t believe you.”
He nodded.
She smiled grimly. “They’ll believe you. They’ll believe us.” She raised her hand and slapped it on the pillar. She’d never directly used the Stronghold tech before, but it felt as easy as breathing. Well, as easy as breathing when the room isn’t on fire around you. She found the emergency alert with her mind and activated it before Bruno could stop her. “They’ve had time to rest,” she pointed out, feeling Bruno’s worry. “We slept at least ten hours before the vision woke us.”
“I know. And the sun is rising.” He frowned, staring at the still-white pillar.
Amy glanced out the windows. Pink and purple streaked clouds glowed along the eastern horizon. “How long do we have before the Spiders get here, do you think?”
Bruno shrugged. “We have no way to know.”
“But Isaac and Saige deployed sensors,” Amy said, frowning. Shouldn’t they have had data from them by now?
“The sensors failed,” Bruno said. He tapped a viewer screen. “See?”
Amy peered at the data. “Shit.”
“Bruno.” Greyson’s rough voice jerked Amy’s attention to another section of the pillar. “We are here.” The viewer window showed him standing with his wife in the darkness of his living room. A single lamp burned on the small table behind them.
Amy put her hand on Bruno’s arm, suddenly apprehensive. Bruno didn’t acknowledge her worry, but she knew he could feel it. She pressed her lips together. She would not have a breakdown, not now. She spared a fleeting thought for her mother out on her cruise ship. At least she had a few happy days before the end of the world.
“What is the emergency?” Greyson asked.
Bruno lifted his hand. “Let us wait for the others.” He didn’t smile.
Behind Greyson, Eva tilted her head inquiringly at Amy. Amy shook her head. She’d never met the woman in person, but she couldn’t help but feel some sort of weird camaraderie with her. They were both here because of the men they’d fallen in love with. Even so, she couldn’t explain what was happening ahead of time. She could barely wrap her mind around the horror of it. Her thoughts trailed off as she sensed Bruno rebuilding his mental wall and shoving his dread into a little corner of his mind. He smiled at her, and rubbed a soft circle into the small of her back.
Looking at him, Amy realized that she’d fallen hard and fast for him. It didn’t matter that it had only been a few days. When she’d lived through his memories, she’d learned his soul inside-out. She put a hand to her chest. Even in the middle of the panic that threatened to spiral out of control, she could feel him in her heart, as if a thread linked them. His strength and sense of purpose reminded her of her father. His determination reminded her of her mother. He held all the qualities she’d most admired in her parents. And too, his perseverance in the face of a nearly impossible task, leading the Sentries through centuries of lonely vigilance, called to her sense of duty. She might be a fraction of his age, but they’d bonded, and she knew him better than any other person ever would. She squeezed his arm, and he looked down at her again. She wanted to tell him, out loud, how she felt, but this wasn’t the time. She settled for sending him a wave of reassurance, and backed it up with all the love she’d only now realized she had to offer.
His eyes widened, and then his expression softened for just a moment. He sent back the same mixture of emotions, and it hit her like a soothing stream. His energy held a hint of regret, but she understood him, and knew why he felt that way. His sense of honor would never let him feel completely at ease with their pairing, because he would’ve preferred to keep her from danger. She smiled at him. “I’m exactly where I want to be, Bruno.”
He smiled for a moment, then cupped her face. “I wish it were not so.”
She shrugged, then turned back to the pillar just in time to see two more viewer windows appear. Isaac and Saige looked better, but not completely rested. She smiled at her best friend, and Saige wrinkled her nose in reply. In the other viewer, Solomon stood with Lucy. Both looked disgustingly awake.
“Bruno, I still haven’t been able to figure out what happened to those sensors,” Solomon said, frowning. “I’ve run every diagnostic I could think of. It’s like they’re just not there anymore.”
Bruno sighed. “That’s because they are gone.”
“What?” Greyson asked. “They can’t all have malfunctioned.”
“Not malfunctioned. Gone.” Bruno’s tone was grim.
“Impossible.” Greyson frowned.
“Please come through to my Stronghold,” Bruno said, stepping back.
Greyson looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, and then Eva grabbed his arm and shook her head.
“What’s happened?” Isaac asked. “We’re missing information, aren’t we?”
Bruno shook his head, but not in denial of Isaac’s question. Amy glanced at him, sensing his near despair. She stepped forward. “We’ll explain everything when you get here.”
Isaac gave her a sharp glance, but she didn’t back down. Saige grabbed his hand and tugged him closer. “If Amy says we need to go there, we need to go there. She doesn’t often look that grim, but when she does, it’s usually something bad.”
Amy wondered when her friend had figured that out about her. She shot Saige a grateful look, then stepped back with Bruno.
“I am not sure what to tell them,” Bruno murmured as the viewer screens blinked away.
“Tell them the truth.”