Chapter Nineteen

MICHELLE

The basement of the repair shop was astir with the sound of clanging metal, running machinery, and the visual fireworks of brilliant sparks shooting from power tools. Cool air flowed into the basement through the overhead vents. A separate filter system sucked out the smoke and dangerous fumes from the machinery.

Along with the original Keepers who crash-landed on the ranch, more were pulled from missions on neighboring planets and dispatched to Earth. Some talked with their comrades in their native language as they adjusted and made modifications to weapons and electronics. Others were huddled around the enormous military spaceship in the middle of the room, making last minute installations to the spacecraft. Finally, one Keeper roamed the basement, distributing what looked like thick orange ski goggles.

As I weaved through the sea of black sleeveless hoods and bulging biceps, I couldn’t have stuck out more in my bright red biker jacket, black spandex, and shiny boots. I looked straight ahead, trying to ignore the boggled stares. I approached the first familiar face I saw.

“Nala!”

Nala was talking to another Keeper by a long metal desk with complicated blueprints laid on top of it.

“Hello, Michelle.” When the other Keeper wandered off, Nala turned to me, grinning. “Nice outfit. Cas tells me you’re coming with us to City Hall.”

“Thanks. Cas isn’t thrilled about it, but I promised I would stay out of the way. I don’t think I’m going to see the speech. But I want to make sure nothing happens to Tate.”

“I understand. Cas does too. You and Tate have a history together.”

I nodded, wanting to change the subject. “The Prince hasn’t been back to his room all night, has he?”

“Nay. It looks like he’s headed straight to City Hall this morning. No one’s been able to speak with him. He disabled the tracking system on his communicator, too. And there’s still no word about the Doomstone.”

“I don’t understand,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Didn’t he realize someone was going to catch on eventually?”

“You hit the nail on the head there,” said Nala, wrinkling her nose. “The Prince isn’t known for planning ahead or critical thinking. But this trip has fed his arrogance. He’s managed to fool us once, and he thinks he’s going to get away with it again. If we hadn’t run into Ganu yesterday morning, those lazy nitwits would have never thought to sound the alarms. We owe you a debt, Michelle.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t do anything special. I was just at the right place at the right time.” I glanced at the Keepers next to me, who were all adjusting their goggles. “What are those things?”

“Right.” Nala reached into a box and pulled out a pair for me. “You’re going to need one of these. They look stupid and don’t have a catchy name. We call them Doomstone deflectors. Our scientists developed them decades ago. Wear one of these and you will be immune to the Doomstone’s effects. Unfortunately, we only have a limited supply of these deflectors. We don’t even have enough for all of our crew, let alone the millions of humans who will be watching at home.”

I nodded, taking the goggles from her.

“Remember, you can’t trust anyone at City Hall. Those affected by the Doomstone do not have any physical marks. They won’t even be conscious of their actions until we reverse the effects of the Doomstone. The Thortonese guards will probably wear civilian clothing, so stay vigilant.”

“I’ll remember. What’s the plan?”

“Attract as little attention to ourselves as possible. For you, there’s an additional order. Don’t die.”

Cas emerged from one of the spaceship doors, joining us by the blueprint table. I clicked my tongue against my teeth. He wiped a crooked twelve-inch dagger with an old rag as he walked toward us. The way he carried himself oozed virility. I wanted him to handle me like he was handling that blade with his strong, powerful fingers.

“Has anyone seen Indira anywhere? I haven’t seen her around all day.”

I shook my head no, glancing at Nala.

“Me neither, but I’m sure she’ll turn up somewhere.”

“I’ve received direct orders from Princess Tazmin. We’re supposed to separate Jethro from Tate at the entrance of City Hall and escort Jethro off the premises. The Doomstone will be sent off with a one-man courier ship – those are the only ones equipped to get back to Yaria safely. I’ve already contacted the security team at City Hall, and they are willing to cooperate.”

“I understand,” Nala grunted, turning away from us. “Let me run through the checklist one last time before we go.”

“You do that.” When Nala left, Cas held onto my arm and peered down at me. “Are you sure you’re coming with us?”

“I’m sure,” I assured him firmly. “I’ll stay outside. I need to see with my own eyes that Tate gets out of this without getting hurt.”

“Aye, I understand.” Cas gave my arm a quick squeeze before he released it.

“I promise I’ll be careful.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him lightly on the lips. “That goes for you, too. You stay sharp.”

“Always.” Cas smiled, rubbing my chin tenderly before breaking away from me. “Come on. We better get going.”

The flags on the lush green lawn danced in the light morning breeze. Behind them, dazzling sunlight shone on the magnificent dome rooftop of the limestone building, casting rippling shadows on the white stone steps. Vehicles waited in line, dropping off attendees at the front steps one at a time. Reporters and camera crews filed through the side door, lugging microphones and other pieces of heavy equipment with them.

I waited at the coffee shop across the street along with Cas and a few other Keepers. We were staking out the scene from a safe distance. Some sipped on hot drinks while others snacked on crunchy pastries. The rest of the Keepers were on standby, awaiting orders at an improvised base in an abandoned warehouse.

As I gazed at all the people that seemed to be continuously pouring into City Hall, I started to get light-headed. Even though I had no doubts about the Keepers’ ability to execute their plan, I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be as easy as they expected.

I dusted off the crumbs on my fingers and leaned towards Cas, who was sitting across from me on the outdoor table. His chair was turned away from the table and facing City Hall. He kept a focused gaze on the entrance. The coffee and muffin next to him were untouched.

“You shouldn’t go in there on an empty stomach.”

“I’m fine. All you think about is food. I had some bread on the way here.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Aye.” Cas blinked and finally gave me a glance from the side. He leaned toward me, pointing out men and women in dark blue suits around the front steps. “Those are Kaiva’s soldiers. You should stay away from them.”

“That won’t be a problem.” I nodded. Apart from the strange, striking shades of their beady eyes, I could hardly tell them apart from the civilians. “But really, what’s on your mind?”

“I suppose I’m kicking myself for not seeing any of this sooner,” Cas admitted, rubbing his chin. “I knew something wasn’t right with Jethro ever since we got to Thorton, but I didn’t say anything. I can’t believe he outsmarted me.”

“There’s no time to dwell on any of that,” I whispered, stroking the back of his hand. “Sometimes, when it comes to people we care about, we willingly put on blindfolds because we refuse to see what’s been in front of us all along.”

“For a human, that’s quite an insight. Look at that,” Cas straightened up in his seat, leaning forward. “Tate’s car is here.”

Tate’s distinctive black limo rolled up next to the front steps. The vehicle instantly attracted a crowd of screaming fans. Tate’s guards exited the car first, pushing away the people before opening the rear door. Tate came out of the limo alone, waving at the retreating fans in his all-white suit and tacky black bow-tie.

“Where’s Jethro?” I wondered.

“I’ll round up the Keepers and secure the premises,” said Cas, rising to his feet. “He could be coming in from the back entrance.”

While Cas assembled the Keepers, I gripped my armrests, my eyes never leaving Tate. I watched as he climbed the front steps while his bodyguards and a few of Kaiva’s soldiers kept the crowd away from him. With my heart beating loudly in my ears, I could hardly hear myself think.

This could be my only chance.

Without another moment, I launched myself off the chair and darted across the street.

“Tate. Tate, wait for me!” I cried out behind him, my boots pounding up the stone steps.

Tate stopped by the doorway and turned around to see who was shouting. As soon as he saw me, he froze, eyes glowing with excitement. The baleful guards on either side of him started moving in my direction, but Tate dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“Back off, fellas. She’s the love of my life and would never hurt me. I’ll be right inside, okay?”

The guards shook their heads, openly showing disgust on their sneering faces as they reluctantly complied.

“Michelle, baby, I knew you’d come around eventually.” Tate reached over to touch my face, but I slapped his hand away.

“Tate, please listen to me for once. Whatever deal you think you’ve worked out with the prince is a trap. You can’t go in there.”

“I’ll be just fine. What are you wearing? On second thought, never mind.” Tate rubbed my forehead and shoulders, smiling. “I appreciate your concern, Michelle. I think it’s sweet to see how much you still care about me. I still love you, too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“But you don’t have to worry about me.” Tate pinched my nose, winking obliviously at me as I fumed. “I don’t know how you found out I asked Prince Jethro to say a few words during my speech. It was supposed to be a surprise. I guess it doesn’t matter - I’m just glad you’re here with me. You were right, Michelle. I was too quick to judge these aliens.”

“Could you shut up for one second and just let me talk?”

Tate continued to babble over me, the condescension in his tone multiplying with every word. “If it will put you at ease, the prince is doing me a personal favor by being here. You know that I’ve been slipping in the polls. We’re going to make a joint announcement revealing a contract to improve Yarian and Earth business relations. It’s only the first of many projects we will work on as partners. If an alien alliance doesn’t boost my ratings, nothing will. Honey, if you look around, there’s plenty of security here. We have a metal detector. Only the security team is allowed to have weapons.”

“Fine. It’s all fine, Tate. How about this? You can tell me all about it while we get out of here and postpone the speech.”

“That’s crazy talk. I have to speak tonight.” Tate shook his head. “We’ve been working on this moment for over a month. Everyone’s waiting for me, including the prince.”

“He’s already inside?” I exhaled, forcing my mouth shut. “Tate, you need to get out of here.”

“Baby, don’t ruin this day for me.” Tate swung an arm around my waist, kissing me hungrily.

I pushed him away, wiping my lips. “I said no, Tate! Would you please listen to me?”

“Mr. Sheen!” A young woman wearing a headset and clipboard appeared at the door. “We’re ready for you.”

“I’m coming. Michelle, we’ll talk about this later.” Tate’s face darkened as he fluffed out the lapels of his coat, walking around the woman and slipping into the entrance.

“Tate, wait.”

“Ma’am, you can’t come in here without a pass.” A woman stepped in front of me, firmly closing the door.

Groaning, I spun around and ran back down the steps. A few of the Keepers circled the perimeters of the empty parking lot, but Cas, Nala, and Botu made their way in my direction. I sprinted toward them, jabbing my thumbs at the building.

“Jethro’s already inside. It’s starting. You guys better hurry.”

A tumult rose behind me, and I shrieked, leaping about a foot into the air. The remaining Thortonese guards outside the building had spotted the Keepers and were charging at them full-speed. But as I slowly worked my heart down from my throat, it didn’t take long to see that the Thortonese were no match for the Keepers.

My eyes could barely keep up with the flurry of blue and black across the lawn. It seemed like in less than a minute everyone in blue was slumped onto the floor, guns and knives laying a few feet away from their bodies. I lowered my hand from my chest, watching in awe as the Keepers held their feet against the fallen guards’ backs, restraining them by attaching black handcuffs to their wrists and ankles.

“Change of plans,” said Cas, turning toward me as he put away his communicator. “You’re coming with us. Put on the deflector over your head and stay close.”

Nodding, I slipped on the protective gear. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the orange tint of my vision as I followed the trio up the stairs. When we reached the top of the stairs, the rest of the party had shown up. Cas opened the door, waving in about twenty Keepers as the rest charged their weapons and surrounded the building.

“Just wait here.”

Cas held the door open and peeked inside of the building. I swallowed, nervously chewing on my fingernails. I could see blinding flashes of laser fire through the slim gap in the door. The rapid exchange of lasers almost sounded musical, but the colliding metal and howls of agony that followed were far from pleasant. When the disturbing ruckus from within died down, Cas opened the door, letting us pass through.

“Come on. Move as fast as you can.”

The Keepers fell in line behind us as we entered the room. My body broke out in a cold sweat. The blood trickling out from the open wounds of the unmoving Thortonese guards on the floor looked fake, and I had to bite down hard to keep my teeth from chattering. Only four Thorton guards appeared to have survived, but they were handcuffed and unconscious on the floor.

A wiry, balding man with silver-framed glasses greeted us by the doors of the auditorium. He nodded at Cas, saying nothing as Cas opened the door and stepped aside. As the sound of Tate’s amplified voice spilled into the hallway, my knees started to clunk together.

“The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is embracing foreign relations,” Tate said.

“I apologize for the intrusion, but we’re going to have to cut this short.”

The audience gasped, rising from their seats as Cas led us down the center aisle. From behind the podium, Tate angrily looked around the room. When he finally saw us, his face turned a sickly white.

We stopped at the foot of the stage steps. Reporters whispered amongst themselves, directing cameras to the center aisle. Jethro, who was behind Tate, took a step backward. His dark eyes looked narrow and sinister and his lips curled, showing his locked teeth.

My eyes fell on the small red cube in his fist.

“This can’t be happening.” As Tate grabbed the neck of his microphone, the room cringed at the piercing feedback. “Who let you in here?”

“Cas, what are you doing? I didn’t authorize this. I order you to retreat at once!” Jethro barked out orders from behind Tate. He glared at the City Hall security team sweeping down the aisles, leading the audience and reporters to their feet and out of the auditorium.

“I was hoping we could avoid a commotion, but you’ve left me no choice.” Cas extracted a blaster from his holster, aiming it at the prince with both hands. “Give up, Jethro.”

I shifted my weight to my other leg and craned my neck to the right. The headgear covered my ears, amplifying the sound of my swallows and making them extra loud. I watched Jethro swiftly reach behind him and caught a glimpse of Indira’s face in the gap of the curtains. A slender hand slipped out, snatching the Doomstone.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Hand over the Doomstone and surrender now, and you can walk out of here with your dignity. The kingdom will have mercy on you.”

Everything happened at once. Before I could warn Cas, Jethro reached into his coat and pulled out a white blaster that looked like it was made from ivory. He grabbed Tate by the collar, pressing the white barrel to Tate’s temple. Tate’s bodyguards erupted from all four corners of the stage, drawing their guns.

“Drop your weapons!” Jethro yelled, the veins on his neck visibly throbbing. He turned to the bodyguards. “You lot, get off the stage.”

Tate whimpered, one of his eyes squeezed shut and his raised hands wobbling. “You heard him. Get off the stage, you fuckfaces! Do what he says!”

The bodyguards lowered their guns and shuffled away.

“Brother, I’m begging you. Don’t do this.” Cas took a steady step forward, but he kept his weapon level. I could tell he was trying to keep his composure, but his voice was thick with emotion. “Put down your blaster and release him. I won’t even tell the kingdom about this.”

“Or what, Cas? You call me brother, but you’re on the other side of the line.” Jethro taunted Cas, spitting in his direction. Jethro cocked his gun, the deranged grin on his face widening till his cheeks turned red and puffy. “If you do what I say, I just might spare this imbecile’s life.”

For a moment, the room went fuzzy. I gasped, clutching the stuffed folding chair next to me. When Botu and Nala stepped forward to negotiate with the prince, I heard Cas’ voice in my head.

“Michelle. Can you hear me?”

The queasy feeling in my gut vanished as quickly as it had come.

“What is this?” I breathed.

“Don’t say anything. Just listen to me.”

I clamped my mouth shut, breathing heavily. I heard Cas’ voice clearly, and his words weren’t muffled at all. I gaped at Cas, who was still standing with his back facing away from me, blaster pointed at Jethro. I didn’t understand how he was communicating with me.

“I can explain later, but right now, just do what I say. Look for the stage controls and find a way to turn off one of the stage lights. I need a distraction.”

I had no idea what was happening, but I was willing to try anything.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but Indira has the Doomstone. I saw her disappearing behind the curtains.”

“I hear you,” I whispered. But could he hear me?

Nodding to no one in particular, I dropped down to all fours and started crawling. I looked around as I navigated through the aisles, scratchy fibers of the carpet grazing against my palms. My restless eyes settled on the ropes and control panels on the east wall of the auditorium.

“Jethro, let me go. If it’s credits you want, you’ll have them.”

“I don’t need your filthy credits. Have you forgotten that I’m a prince?”

Slinking deeper into the shadows, I walked furtively towards the controls. As the Keepers continued their futile attempts to persuade the prince into lowering his weapon, I counted the ropes attached to the stage lights. I grabbed the fourth rope, my goggles fogging up as I fumbled with the knot.

“Someone please do something. He’s going to shoot!”

The last tangle came loose in my hands. With my temples thumping with adrenaline, I let go of the rope. The thick cord slipped out of my hands and shot straight to the ceiling.

The stage light furthest away from them plummeted to the ground, landing with a shattering crash. Everyone in the room jumped, including Jethro, who had reflexively jerked away from his hostage. The Keepers reacted immediately, springing into action. While Cas and Botu tackled the Prince head-on, Nala and the bodyguards swooped in on Tate and dragged him to safety.

The rest of the Keepers slowly headed to the bottom of the stage. They created a living barrier around Cas and Botu as the pair dragged Jethro down the aisle and out of the auditorium. With everyone else clearing the room, I walked to the stage.

“Good job out there, Michelle,” Nala smiled at me. She glanced at Tate, whose bodyguards were fussing over him. “He’ll be fine. He doesn’t seem hurt, just a little shaken up. But we’ll have medical take a look at him.”

“Michelle. Was that you?” Tate pushed his guards away, stumbling toward me. “Can I get a minute alone with her?”

“How are you feeling?”

“I can’t believe what just happened,” Tate stuttered, eyes welling up with tears. “Michelle, you saved my life. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Would you do something for me, Tate?” I whispered, glancing down at my folded fingers.

“Of course. Anything.”

“I think it’s time to move on.”

“Anything but that.”

“It’s time we go our separate ways. I care about you. I gave you more than three years of my life. I want you to be happy, but you and I both know we won’t find happiness with each other.”

“Michelle.” Tate rubbed his arms, his head hanging low. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry about the way things turned out between us, but I’m not sorry any of it happened. If I’ve learned anything lately, it’s that everything happens for a reason.”

“Michelle, I don’t know what to say.”

“Goodbye. I wish you all the best. I really mean it.” I turned around and walked away.