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13~~ Goodbye

Barney looked over the edge of the cliff and down towards the ground far below. He couldn’t see very well, though; there was quite a bit of brush, just enough to obscure anything, even larger objects.
“Go find her,” he ordered to his men. “Make sure she’s dead. If she isn’t… take your time.”
He stepped away from the cliff. The crunch of gravel chronicled his departure as he moved off in the direction of Bernard’s voice.
I let out half of my breath. I didn’t dare let out any more, for fear that I would scream from the pain.
My left thigh was burning at an almost intolerable level. I didn’t know how bad the damage was, but I knew I was bleeding badly. I could feel hot wetness running up my leg and starting to trickle down my tail.
In both my hands and my other remaining good foot, I held onto tufts of roots that lay exposed to the open air on the underside of the ledge I’d been standing on top of a moment ago. It was taking all of my remaining strength just to keep from falling.
But I couldn’t relax just yet. Another pair of boots stepped up to the ledge. From where I was hanging, I just saw the toes of his boots hanging over the edge.
“Well, we better get to it,” someone was saying from further back on the cliff. “A dead one’s as good as a live one, you know?”
“Did you see where she got hit?” someone else asked.
“Nah,” replied the first. “She went down too quick.”
“Well that’s a good thing, right?” replied the second. “Might mean we got it in whatever kind of heart it’s got.”
“True enough. Kyle! Get away from that ledge. No sense throwing yourself off now, you hear?”
“Right.”
To my astonishment, the owner of the boot toes I could see was Kyle himself.
I couldn’t make out anything more of him besides the logo on the sole of his shoes.
“Rachel,” he muttered in a concerned undertone.
I then did something that was both very stupid and very difficult.
With the hand closest to the ledge, I let go of my makeshift tether. Now I was suspended by one hand and foot alone. The strain made little lights dance before my eyes, but I somehow managed to muscle through it without passing out.
I reached up with one hand, careful to remain hidden to the other two behind Kyle, and, very gently, squeezed the end of his boot.
To his credit, he only jumped a barely perceptible amount. The other two people probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“Rachel,” he said again, still very quietly. This time it was much more urgent.
He knelt down, perhaps pretending to tie his shoe lace.
“Are you okay?”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t dare use my voice. I wasn’t sure what’d come out, and I didn’t trust myself enough to find out.
“Hey, what’s this?”
I realized then that I wasn’t holding the Aku’lae shard.
“What – Don’t touch it!” bellowed the other guy. I heard a brief struggle, perhaps the second guys wrestling the first away from the fragment.
“Man, Brian, you can’t go just picking up whatever alien technology you like!” he scolded. “What if it scrambled your brain?”
“Oh man, thanks for that,” said the one named Brian, “I wasn’t thinki—Argh!”
Whatever he’d been about to say, he never finished.
Something powerful had just burst onto the scene overhead. I heard Brian struggling, shouting in an oddly muffled voice. He then entered my field of vision, bodily hurled from the top of the cliff down onto the ground far below, trailing ribbons of crimson.
The air was rent by a feral roar, and my heart froze in my chest.
Bernard had just emerged on the scene.
The other hunter just got to “Oh my go—” before Bernard got ahold of him, too. I heard a pounding sound, like someone was being repeatedly bashed against the ground again and again until the screaming stopped.
All that was left was Kyle. My insides froze over as well as I heard monstrous feet storm right up to him.
Kyle started to say something, but was immediately strangled into silence. Suddenly, his boots weren’t perched on the edge of the cliff – they were dangling out in front of it.
“You!” bellowed Bernard in a voice that seethed with violence. “I told you I wouldn’t blame you if she didn’t get hurt! Where is Rachel?!”
The way he said it, I think he had already come to his own conclusion.
Kyle was trying to speak, but couldn’t. Bernard’s fingers were far too tight. What surprised me was that he didn’t even kick in self-defense.
“Sh-She… She’s…”
“I tolerated your presence because you helped ease her stress levels. Now why should I leave you be? Ke!?”
“If you’ll… just…”
“You’ve seen us now,” Bernard went on viciously. “By law, I have every right in killing you, boy. Tell me why I shouldn’t do just that?”
“She’s not… dead,” Kyle forced out of his closing throat. Bernard hesitated.
“She’s… not…”
Thud.
That time, I was the source. My muscles had just given out.
My grip slackened and I fell through the brush, through at least three bushes, before finally hitting the gravelly riverbed.
I think I hit my head, because the world in front of me waved like a tapestry in the wind.
I struggled to get up; to stop Bernard from killing Kyle. I don’t think I did more than flop on the ground.
I heard someone call my name, but I couldn’t tell who.
Be it from blood loss, head trauma or sheer exhaustion; I was thrown into blackness, and knew no more.

***

When sensations drifted back to me, I remembered feeling extremely comfortable. I mean, I was warm, lying on something soft and plush, like… like a mattress. I was lying on my belly, with a blanket on top of me. Really, it was the most comfortable I’d been in weeks.
If only it wasn’t for a killer ache in my leg. The closer to consciousness I got, the worse the ache became. By the time I was just about as awake as I would ever want to be, I was panting heavily in an effort not to burst out screaming. It was like there was molten led under my skin!
“Be still,” said a soft voice. Easy for him to say; he didn’t have a hole in his leg.
Something was applied to the epicenter of the pain, and that somehow made it double in intensity.
It was so bad that I couldn’t stop a groan.
“Please stop that,” snapped Bernard’s voice.
“Sure, if you want it to get infected,” said… Kyle?
More out of disbelief than anything, I had to raise my head and look around.
I was lying in a barn. No… not a barn. It was my family’s barn.
Even from one of the unoccupied horse stalls, I recognized the orange paint scheme with little apples bordering everything.
I was lying on a bed of hay covered over with several different sheets. I was mostly covered with a blanket; only my wounded leg was exposed.
And there, sitting side by side like it was completely natural, were Bernard and Kyle.
The size difference between the two was what I first noticed; it was staggering. Kyle looked like a little kid sitting next to Bernard.
Then I took in their appearances.
It dawned on me that not a whole lot of time must’ve passed. Kyle was covered in mud and dirt and a couple shallow cuts. More alarmingly, he sported several large purple bruises on either side of his throat.
Bernard was somehow scarier. While he, too, was covered in mud and grime, his hands and feet had the telltale tinges of crimson blood crusted over his nails. Worse, there was clearly blood around his mouth. In short, he looked like a predator fresh from catching dinner.
The source of that scalding, unbearable pain was coming from a cotton ball held on tweezers. It was damp with something potent.
Kyle was dabbing it at an angry hole in my leg. The sight of it made me feel lightheaded.
Dark, almost black blood oozed from the wound. Judging by the stained towel lying next to me, I’d been bleeding quite a lot.
I felt so weak – almost as weak as that robot in the Akire probe had made me feel.
I could only hold up my head for so long before black blotches started blooming before my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the side of my face once more.
“She needs a doctor,” muttered Kyle.
“We can’t do that,” Bernard said, though he was clearly stressed out. His ears were lying flat and his teeth were just barely showing.
“She needs something,” Kyle snapped, frustrated.
“I know,” Bernard snapped back.
“Then do something!”
“Like what?”
“Boys,” I groaned heavily.
They both fell silent for a time.
After a few minutes, Bernard began tying a length of clean white cloth around the wound. Again I winced in pain when he winched it tight.
Now I realized that movies where the action hero would get shot over and over again and just keep right on trucking along were utter bull crap. This just hurt too much…
I think I faded out again. Things kind of went black for a time, but the sound of the barn doors scrapping over the ground jolted me back awake.
My audience had grown.
Kyle and Bernard were still there, though Bernard was now sitting by my head, gently kneading one ear. Kyle was standing up and facing into the stall while leaning against its wall.
Seated where the two had been previously was none other than Mom.
She was going over my wound very gently, but still even the slightest agitation was making me hurt.
Her hair was a flyaway mess like she’d been running, and somehow her Sunday clothes clashed so glaringly with the dirty horse stall.
After a moment, Dad appeared over Kyle’s shoulder and looked down at me with heavy eyes.
“Why is everyone…?” I wheezed blearily.
“Ssh,” Mom said soothingly.
“You’ll be… you’re in…” I continued to ramble. My eyes rolled back into my head, but somehow I managed to stay conscious, if only just.
“How is she?” I heard Dad asked in a somber tone.
Mom sighed. I heard her shift her weight, probably so she could lean back. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The bullet didn’t hit anything serious, I don’t think. The bleeding’s slowing down, but I can’t quite staunch it…”
She sounded so miserable and helpless.
“Oh Rachel… oh my baby…”
“Then there’s nothing we can do?” Kyle burst out. “Are we just going to sit here and watch her die?”
I felt Bernard’s hand tense.
“You, Bernard, was it? Can’t you do anything?”
“Yes,” he responded stiffly. “But there is a catch.”
“Screw the catch,” Kyle all but shouted, “just do something for her!”
“That’s what –” Bernard started to snap venomously, but stopped. He took a second to compose himself before speaking again.
“Listen, then,” he said. He’d almost perfectly masked his anger.
“My ship is equipped with several medical probes like the one that you discovered before. It will be more than enough to heal her wounds.”
“That’s great,” Kyle exclaimed. “Why haven’t you done that yet?”
Dad, however, was a little more levelheaded. “What’s the catch?”
“The catch is that in order for me to get the equipment down here, I will have to remotely land the whole ship. Otherwise, the chances of a repeat of the satellite incident are more than likely. I doubt we want that again.”
The others remained in agreeing silence for a moment.
“What’s the big deal?” Kyle said at last.
“Because if I do that,” Bernard said pointedly, “Then Rachel is leaving.”
I knew he’d been intentionally harsh in his choice of words. It was his way of voicing irritation.
There was a long, heavy moment of silence between the family members, and then…
“But isn’t that what she wants?”
Mom’s voice was meek, yet determined to be strong. I tensed all the same, only relaxing again when Bernard began soothing my ear again.
“Yes,” Bernard said. “I still don’t get what made her want to, but…”
“Then what’s the problem?” she asked.
Bernard hesitated for a moment. “Because…”
“She wants to say goodbye,” said Kyle. His voice was strange – mute, almost numb.
No one spoke after that.
Only the sound of my labored breathing passed between us.
I, for one, felt that they were missing the most important point.
I struggled, but eventually I managed to get my eyes open again and open my mouth.
“Ba… Barney… What happened to…?”
That was all I managed to get out.
“Honey,” Mom cooed gently. She went to sit beside my head so she could stroke my cheek. Her hands felt so very small… child-like…
“It’s over,” Kyle answered for me.
“Someone – not saying who – called in that there were a bunch of men prowling the countryside with guns. The police came and arrested I-don’t-know-how-many… and took a few more to the hospital, some in critical condition.”
Kyle then glanced pointedly at Bernard, who just ignored the accusation in his eyes. “Seems like they were mauled by wild animals.”
“In self-defense,” Bernard pointed out coolly.
Kyle just rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, Barney took off running. He seems to think that one of you is dead and the other is running for his life. In his book, this was a resounding success – Earth was protected from alien invasion, said invaders were thrown off the planet, case closed. Of course, he has no proof, but he’s proud of himself all the same.”
“That monster deserves to be in a padded cell,” Mom spat. That took me off guard; I wasn’t used to her being upset with anyone.
“At least he won’t be a problem anymore,” Bernard sighed. “As long as we keep a low profile, I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.”
“Good,” I sighed, and relaxed a bit. Not much – my bullet wound was keeping me from complete relaxation.
Mom cupped my cheek – or at least tried to. “Get some rest, sweetie. You’ve been through a lot.”
I think I did pass out again, but I don’t think it was really voluntary.

When I woke up again, it was the dead of night. A space heater hummed dutifully just a few feet away, putting out enough BTUs to keep my nice and toasty.
Bernard had my head lying against his leg.
“Bernard,” I breathed. He was still wide awake. The gold tint in his eyes seemed impervious to the blue touch of night.
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” he apologized. “Did I wake you?”
I shook my head.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like crap,” I said truthfully.
“Well, you’re beautiful all the same,” Bernard said.
I didn’t really have it in me to feel too embarrassed.
“Is it really over?” I asked quietly.
“You will have to define that better,” Bernard said in good humor, though his tone was answer enough. “Barney’s threat is over, yes. He won’t appear anywhere in this Colorado state any time soon. If anything, his credibility is worse than when this started.”
Bernard then turned a gentle smile on me. Really, he’d come to use it quite well.
“But, you’re adventure is just beginning. Am I right?”
“It certainly feels like it’s stalled,” I sighed.
“Rachel, are you going to let one injury stop you?”
I gave him a pointed look.
He just chuckled. “I thought not.”
“Bernard…”
He looked at me, waiting for me to continue.
“Help me up.”
He did his best, bless him. Bernard repositioned me a little so that I was leaning against his side. He put his arms around my shoulders and hugged me gently.
“I… I have to ask something,” I started, focusing hard on my words, but Bernard silenced me with an unexpected nuzzle.
“If this is about your family, don’t worry.”
His attempt to calm me was hardly successful.
“They saw us, Bernard,” I said, trying to suppress my building panic. “They saw us…”
“And nothing else,” Bernard said calmly, speaking over me. “Kyle and your parents swore to absolute secrecy. They don’t know names or specifics, only what we look like, and they promised not to say a word about it outside this barn.”
That would explain why Bernard was so calm about this. And it also made something click in my head.
“That’s why you were so for coming here,” I said slowly.
Bernard flashed an almost sly smile.
“I considered it, yes.”
I sighed. I felt like punching him and simultaneously hugging him at the same time. Instead, I just settled for leaning more of my weight as spitefully as I could against him.
Of course he barely seemed to register it, and his smile only grew wider.
We sat in silence for a long time, just enjoying each other’s presences and the relief of having so much stress and anxiety lifted off our shoulders.
I was on the verge of passing out again – this time willingly – when Bernard spoke up.
“It’s over, Rachel,” he said. “But now, the real journey begins.”
We gazed out of the open loft door, out at the clear starry night sky. Just visible in the upper right hand corner was the moon, full and resplendent.
I put one hand on his. “When do we start?”
“Once you recover a little more of your strength,” he said.
“Tomorrow then.”
“Rachel, that’s a little…”
I gave him a look that silenced him. “You know I heard you, right?” I said accusingly. “Don’t downplay my condition for my sake.”
I looked down at my injured leg. It was sticking out at an odd angle from the rest of my body. Already the bandages were stained burgundy.
“Besides,” I went on. “Staying here much longer will just… just do more harm than good. To me and to them.”
I looked back out the loft door.
“If I stay, I will only get weaker… in more ways than one.”
The longer I stayed with my family, the more I’d refuse to part with them.
“Now might even be better, but… no use waking my parents up at this hour.”
Bernard was giving me a heavy look.
“I… thought you’d died today,” he admitted. “When I heard those men talking about where you’d been hit… I couldn’t move. I just…”
His arms tightened.
“I’m glad it’s over,” he concluded.
“And now comes the hard part,” I said with dry humor.
Honestly, for what was in my imminent future, I’d rather be hunted all over again.

***

Bernard insisted that I rest for the entirety of the next day, even though I’d tried to convince him to let me say my goodbyes in the morning, before anyone left for school or work.
“You’re weak,” he said again and again in a concerned tone. “I don’t even feel comfortable moving you yet. You twisted your ankle pretty badly yesterday, and the state of your other leg goes without saying.”
But I was adamant. “Carry me, then,” I said.
Bernard touched his brow. “You’re being extremely difficult, Rachel,” he pointed out.
“Because this is what has to be done,” I said with certainty. “Bernard, I’m not going to be getting much stronger. The longer we put this off…”
I trailed off in order to let a wave of pain pass. The wound throbbed now and again, and every time it did, my bandages would be stained with still more blood. I was losing it faster than I was recovering it.
I knew I was dying. Yes I felt better now – at least I was lucid. But that was the beauty of internal bleeding. In just a few hours, I may not have the strength to even speak.
I could only appear so much better because I was forced to stay off of my feet. The moment I tried to get up, I’d come crashing right back down.
“Trust me, Bernard,” I said. “I just… need a little faith.”
Still, I lost the argument. As certain I was that I had to go now, Bernard was just as certain that staying put would be the best for me.
In the end, however – after nearly two hours of calm yet intense debating, we came to a compromise.
Tonight, once the sun set. That was what we agreed on. I would just have to hold on until then.

I slept on and off all day, but every time I awoke I felt just that much weaker.
Night couldn’t arrive soon enough for me.
When Mom got off work, she went straight to my side, and just by the look in her eyes the moment she saw me, the prognosis wasn’t very good. Still, she put on a brave face.
“Rachel…” Mom started, and then hesitated. She turned to Bernard, who was eyeing the clear, blood red sky outside.
“Um, excuse me Bernard, but could we have some privacy?”
Bernard looked up, and right away I could tell he didn’t want to go.
“It’s fine,” I told him. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen from having a private talk with my mother of all people?
Grudgingly, Bernard stepped out the back and into the forest, though I doubted he went far. Odds are he was just sulking by the gate.
Once she was satisfied that we were alone, Mom wasted no time in giving me a big fat old hug.
“Oh Rachel, I missed you so much,” she said emotionally into my ear. “I wish we didn’t have to be reunited under the circumstances, but I’m glad I could see you anyway.”
I hugged her back with one arm. It was all I needed to reach all the way around her body.
“You don’t mind that I look like this?” I asked.
Mom made a dismissive noise in her throat. “Honey, what are you saying? A daughter of mine will always be a daughter of mine, no matter how… different she might look.”
She took a step back so that she could look me in the face.
“You scared me so much when I saw you yesterday,” she said. “I thought you were already on your death bed. And…”
She hesitated.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, it’s the other one… Bernard. When I first saw him…”
I think I knew what she meant. How must he have looked for someone seeing an Akire for the first time; covered in dirt and blood and probably half crazed with worry, he wouldn’t have struck the image of a friendly, rational person.
“He seemed really on edge. I don’t think he liked that Kyle came to get me.”
“It’s the rules,” I told her. “I even told Kyle… I was hoping I could keep you, Dad and Jason out of it. I think Bernard was too.”
“Kyle told us about those rules,” Mom said seriously. “And Bernard… he told us a bit more.”
Suddenly I felt nervous. “Like… how much more?”
She smiled. “Enough to know that you’re important to not just us anymore. That’s why you’re leaving, isn’t it?”
I gulped. Honestly, I’d been hoping to talk about it to all of them at once. Now that I was put on the spot, however…
“I… met with my birth mother,” I admitted to her. “She… she really missed me.”
Mom just smiled at me. “Now see, that is something I can completely understand.”
“You do know that when I leave, I can’t come back, right?” I asked. I suddenly felt desperate for some reason. “When I go back… It’ll probably be for good.”
Just from the look in mom’s eyes, I knew that she not only knew, but understood. And yet, she was willing to let me go.
“We will always know that you’re safe,” she said. “After all, Bernard will be with you. He’s more than just a guardian, isn’t he?”
Oh boy. I had to turn my head away.
Mom just giggled. “I thought so. A mother’s intuition is always right. I knew it the moment I saw him.”
That made me wonder just what Bernard had been doing.
“What about Jason,” I asked. “How is he…?”
The expression that crossed Mom’s face was not what I’d expected. It showed signs of forlornness.
“He came while you were unconscious yesterday,” she said. “Kyle tried to explain it to him beforehand about what was going on but… it didn’t seem to quite click with him. You know how he can be; stubborn.”
“I guess it runs in the family,” I sighed.
Mom’s smile was only fleeting.
“When he saw you yesterday… you and Bernard… he kind of stopped moving. His eyes got really big, and then he ran back to his room. He hasn’t said a word since.”
My heart sank. Well, I suppose it would come as a shock to find out that your sister is actually an honest to god alien. That might raise quite a few questions to a boy just stumbling into it for the first time.
“I’ll say something to him for you,” Mom said reassuringly.
“No, I… I want to talk to him. At least… at least so I could say goodbye.”
A heavy silence fell over the two of us. I think the fact that I’d soon be departing for someplace where neither of us could reach each other had just hit home.
“I’ll give you that chance,” Mom said at last, “no matter what I have to do.”
“Just… don’t be trauma…tic…”
Another wave of pain hit me. I was relieved that all I had to do was close my eyes, knit my brows and muscle through it, but Mom looked terrible for seeing it.
“Tonight,” I said at last. “I don’t want to put this off… it has to be… tonight.”
Mom managed to force a smile. “That’s just like you… once you make up your mind, you won’t hesitate.”
I smiled back. “Sometimes… being stubborn has its upsides.”

Night finally descended upon the Myers household.
Only a few clouds dotted the bright, moonlit night. Everyone was gathered out behind the house… everyone except Jason and Mom.
“They’ll come,” Kyle promised.
Bernard was supporting my weight heavily. I was only putting a tiny fraction of it on my twisted ankle, which hurt only slightly less than my throbbing leg.
Kyle saw this.
“Can’t you just rest for a bit?” he asked in exasperation. “You’re killing me over here.”
“Likewise,” said Bernard and Dad at the same time in almost identical disapproving tones.
I didn’t respond. My eyes were planted firmly on the back door to the house.
I just needed… a few minutes…
The door slowly opened.
Out came Mom, propelling Jason from behind like a bulldozer might push a mound of dirt.
He was resisting her only by locking his legs and determinedly looking anywhere but at the gathering in front of him.
“Mom, let me go,” I heard him complaining. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Jason,” she scolded him.
“No!” He cried. “I don’t want to! I don’t –”
“Jason.”
My voice stopped him dead in his tracks. I mean literally; he froze like time itself had stopped around him.
He slowly turned to look at me, his eyes huge. I couldn’t tell if he was simply amazed or terrified. But I could tell that he was on the verge of bolting; he wouldn’t hang around for a long-winded goodbye.
Even though it hurt, all I could do was give him the abridged version.
“Good… Goodbye.”
The look on Jason’s face… I didn’t know how to read such an explosion of emotion.
“N-no!”
Just like that, he managed to thrash out of Mom’s grip and dart back into the house, slamming the door behind him.
“Jason!”
“Mom,” I called, “it’s okay… He just needs… some time.”
Her eyes tightened, but she still came to stand in front of me, along with Kyle and Dad.
“Well, I guess it’s time,” I said, looking around.
Everyone was wearing the same heavy, concerned expression. They knew I shouldn’t be doing this. But what choice did I have?
“Four weeks ago,” I began, “I don’t think I’d have had the strength to stand before you guys and say… say goodbye. Then again, four weeks ago, I was just Rachel the human, a quiet, giant girl people couldn’t stand.”
I managed a smile. “I’m glad I could change… even if it means giving you guys a long goodbye…”
Mom was already crying.
“Kyle,” I said. “Treat Megan well. She’s worked hard to be with you.”
Kyle kind of fidgeted on the spot. “Yeah… don’t I know it.”
He then glared up at Bernard. “The same goes to you, big guy. You won’t have me to blame next time something like this happens.”
Bernard merely looked contemptuous. “Where we’re going, there won’t be a next time.”
“I’ll consider that a promise, then,” Kyle said pointedly.
I went on with my goodbyes. After all, I was kind of dying here.
“Mom… Dad… Look after everyone. I’ll be counting on you.”
Dad, who’d been putting on a brave front, puffed out his chest, though his voice cracked when he spoke. “That… That goes without saying, sweetie. You just do… whatever it is you were born to do, and we, back here, will do just fine.”
I smiled. “You can… count on it.”
I then reached behind my neck, and with a single finger, undid the clasp on my necklace. “And… give this to Jason once… once he calms down. I’m sure he’ll want it.”
All three came over to accept the gift, and then all three pinned me in a group hug.
“Take care of yourself, Rachel,” Dad said into my ear.
“You’ll always have a home here, honey,” Mom said into my chin between sobs.
“Go show them what you’re made of,” Kyle said. By far, he sounded the best of the three.
“Thanks…”
Okay, I will admit, this time I really did start crying, too. But it was a happy cry as well as a parting cry. This was the best I could ever hope for.
“Rachel.”
Bernard’s voice lured me into looking around.
What I saw surprised me. He was holding the old, broken cell phone. Its screen was still cracked and the casing was badly damaged.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied with certainty.
“Good,” Bernard said back.
While my family took the brunt of my weight off of his shoulders, he produced with his other hand the Aku’lae shard. In the dark of night, it gave off an electric, artificial light with barely any more power than to make its surface glow.
Mom, Dad and Kyle all stood, transfixed by the light.
“Then, let’s go home,” Bernard finished, just before sliding the tip of the Aku’lae fragment into the SD chip slot.
The phone began to change. Its screen burst to life and began emitting a bright, neon blue light. Meanwhile, the Aku’lae fragment began pulling itself into the phone of its own accord. The body of the phone broke up into pieces while creating that same neon light from within.
The pieces began to reassemble themselves. Working as if guided by invisible hands, they skittered and scurried over and under each other. The phone’s flat LCD screen began to concave, and then it started to wrap into a sphere of light.
The ball of light was pulled down with the rest of the machinery in the flip up screen’s frame, pulled into the rest of the reassembling mass of parts.
It lost its rectangular shape altogether as parts began to form a disk. The red paint melted off of the metal, revealing pearly white.
The ball of light that was all that remained of the screen settled into the center of the disk. Each of the phone’s former buttons repositioned and reformed into five-pointed keys that ringed the inner sphere.
Finally, the remains of the phone’s frame snapped into place, clicking the whole thing together and holding it in its new shape; that of a disc-shaped device that was clearly of Akire craftsmanship – its pearly white body almost resembled a whirlpool. The central sphere of the device appeared to be made out of Aku’lae crystal that gave off an artificial bluish-white light that was almost as bright as a flashlight. The surface of the crystal pulsed with energy, creating clearly visible bands of what looked like electricity.
A moment later, I picked my jaw up off the floor.
Bernard chuckled to himself in satisfaction. He’d thoroughly enjoyed our expressions.
“I’ve waited so long to do that,” he said happily.
Before anyone could respond, Bernard placed his palm on the center of the sphere while simultaneously touching four buttons; one for each finger and thumb. Instantly the crystal orb began to glow even brighter, just like the time I’d used it to deflect Barney’s bullets, only this time it began creating an audible hum along with the bright white light.
Nothing else happened. I was beginning to feel kind of anti-climactic when Bernard lowered the little Aku’lae device and turned his eyes expectantly towards the sky.
“Rachel, look there.”
Even after I followed his pointing finger, I didn’t initially see anything. The sky was just as dark as ever
It wasn’t until an innocently drifting cloud suddenly developed a donut hole straight through it that I saw something moving silently towards the ground.
It swooped down towards us like a shadow; it had no running lights, and seemed to be emitting no visible afterburner or exhaust. It just moved through the air like a ghost, a shadow that only dully reflected the light of the stars and moon, giving it shape.
And boy did it move fast. Within only a handful of seconds after blowing apart that high altitude cloud, it was breaking hard so it could land on the lawn in front of us, not five hundred feet from the still-visible scar of the satellite crash sight.
The ship itself was sleek, a feature I’d seen in every Akire ship so far, with only a few angular edges where the hull metal couldn’t quite be shaped seamlessly. Its body was built in a cross-shape, with what I’d assumed to be the cockpit on the longer of the arms.
Both of its side prongs seemed to extend further out of the ship as it approached the ground, flaring for extra stability as it came to a screeching halt. The ends of these makeshift wings were outfitted with a pair of spires that looked like they should be engines, and yet they weren’t creating any sort of noise or visible light.
That didn’t stop it from blasting us with a wave of hot, ionized air as it came in for a landing, staggering all of us.
And boy was the ship big! Well, I knew it had to accommodate not only several bus-sized probes – which were just visible along its sides – but also provide a long-term living environment for a crew, but seeing it in person was something else.
Bernard’s ship was bigger than a yacht, with each side runner being just a bit shorter than a telephone pole.
The long, narrow neck of the ship’s bow hung over our heads, and though I could see the shape of windows reflected in the moonlight, there were no lights coming from inside. Had I not just seen the ship drop from lower orbit, I’d think it was cold and lifeless as it landed on both of its apparent engine spires and a single spindly leg from underneath the bow and touched down with barely a sound; only the howl of the wind carried in its wake made a single noise. The gust was strong enough to buffet everyone nearby and cause the barn behind me to audibly creek in the sudden wind.
“Damn,” Kyle said under his breath. “That’s… well damn.”
Bernard was loving the expressions on their faces. I could read it on his smug eyes.
Seeing that he was distracted in self-gratification, I turned to my family to address them seriously.
“Listen,” I said, “you can’t tell anyone about anything you saw tonight, okay?”
“Of course,” Kyle said simply.
“If the others find out that you know,” Bernard added, “they won’t hesitate to go over Rachel’s head to plug the leak. Tell this especially to the little one.”
“Yes,” I added, “especially to Jason… you know how… oh…”
Another wave of pain. It was bad enough to make my legs wobble.
This time, Bernard reached over to catch me.
“Let’s get you inside,” Bernard urged.
The moment he said that, the ship opened up. It split open along dozens of fracture points just beneath the ship’s neck, revealing a narrow but tall doorway that slid down from the main body of the ship and towards the ground.
“Jeez, do you people do anything simple?” Kyle asked airily.
Bernard grinned. “The more barriers between the vacuum of space, the better. Now…”
As one, all three of my family members let me go. It was an intentionally significant moment for them, aided with plenty of encouraging smiles.
Bernard took all of my weight again, yet he still managed to bear it without issue.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Bernard said suddenly. He turned his head to look over mine. I think he was looking towards Kyle, but I couldn’t be sure.
“There is a cave seven miles north-northeast of where we stayed previously. Do me a favor and hang on to whatever is left in there. It may come in handy someday.”
While the others may not have a clue about what he was talking about, I sure did.
“You’re leaving them the laptop? Can they even use it?”
Bernard just wore a knowing expression on his face. “Oh… we will see.”
We reached the doorway to Bernard’s ship. The interior glowed with clean white light. A faint scent similar to chlorine and sea salt wafted out from within.
Beyond that door lay the rest of my life. Well… my new life.
I’d never before been so excited for one thing in my entire life.
“Let’s get –”
“Hold it!”
And that was not the voice I’d wanted to hear.
I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit weaker when I turned my head to address the new threat that’d just barged in on us.
Barney stood at the far end of the yard, looking bedraggled and filthier than usual. He was still holding his rifle.
“Where do you freaks think you’re going, huh?!”
He aimed his rifle haphazardly and fired.
There was no other warning. I brace for the inevitable, but it never came.
The only thing I heard was a dull, foreboding hum from the ship looming over me.
Perplexed, I opened my eyes.
Though I could no longer see what’d happened, I could see Barney furious expression.
“Not this crap again!” he wailed just before he began firing full auto.
And every single bullet veered wildly away, turning in the complete opposite direction and fleeing past Barney and into the woods behind him.
“Die! Die you damn aliens, DIE!”
He continued to hold down the trigger for several seconds after the clip ran empty.
He then discarded his rifle, reached for his hip, and drew a sidearm. He emptied that, too, into the immense Aku’lae field surrounding Bernard’s ship, and those bullets, too, were flung away.
When that gun ran dry, too, he threw it aside, reached towards his right calf, and drew a backup revolver.
Once more, not a single shot reached us.
By this point, I was hardly even flinching at the sounds of gunshots.
“Ignore him,” Bernard said at last, “We need to get you…”
“Don’t just walk away from me,” Barney roared. He’d just drawn a backup-backup pistol and was commencing to empty it, too, into the hillside behind him.
Kyle finally intervened. He grabbed the deranged man by the shoulder. “Come on, Barney,” he said, trying desperately to reason with him, “it’s over! They’re gone.”
“Never!”
Barney threw Kyle to the ground. He was just about to commence shooting again when both Mom and Dad tackled him from the left.
“Go, you two!” Dad shouted over at us while simultaneously trying to restrain Barney. “Leave this Earthling to us Earthlings.”
“You’re dad’s a brave man,” Bernard noted.
I didn’t have the heart to say anything, so Bernard began the perilous process of guiding me up the delicate looking, yet impressively sturdy steps leading up to the ship’s interior. They sort of unfolded as we approached with barely more than a hiss.
“No!” bellowed Barney. “I won’t let you get away!”
When I turned to look over my shoulder, I felt my heart skip a beat.
Barney had just thrown all three of my family members to the ground and was bull rushing the stationary ship.
With Bernard preoccupied with trying to usher me up the stairs, there was no way we’d make it in time…
“BARNEY!”
And, in a night of complete surprises, this was the proverbial cherry on top.
In stunned disbelief, everyone, Bernard and myself included, both turned to look at the newcomer.
And old, decrepit form met all of our gazes, his sunken blue eyes astonishingly focused and razor sharp.
Old man Benedict was hobbling across the grass, moving surprisingly well for someone his age and without assistance.
“That’s enough, Barney!” he shouted once more. “It’s over. Let them go.”
I got the feeling that, of all people, Barney hadn’t expected those words to come from his own father.
“Wha-what are you saying, pops?” stammered Barney. “Are you blind? Did you forget what it was you’ve been trying to get out for all these years? The evidence is right in front of you and you just want to let it slip –”
“I never said I wanted to get it out, Barney,” Benedict snapped.
“I wished for those that are willing to listen… to listen. Those who could find it in their hearts to believe when there isn’t anything to reinforce that belief. You of all people exemplify that philosophy.”
“Then why are you stopping me!” Barney bellowed in sheer confusion.
Benedict glanced towards me. There was something in his eyes, something… like knowledge. He knew something he wasn’t letting on.
“Because… this princess has a destiny to uphold, as do we all,” Benedict said.
Those words shook me to my core.
“Let them go, Barney. They have lost.”
“No!” Barney bellowed. “They can’t get away! If they do, people will keep ignoring us, pops! We’ll never be taken seriously for what we know!”
“Barney!” Benedict shouted again, and again he solicited total silence from his son.
“You are turning this into a crusade for personal revenge! You have forgotten the very basic of basics I taught you; prepare for whatever might come! All you seek is to bring down war for no reason besides dislike! I taught you better than that!”
Barney stared at his father. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing him say.
“You see only evil and monsters,” Benedict went on. “You fail to see peace and curiosity.”
Barney looked dazed. He sort of started moving in our direction, but immediately froze again when Benedict shouted “Barney! Stand down!”
“I… I don’t get what you’re saying pops,” Barney said in total, overwhelmed confusion. “I… I don’t get it at all!”
And just like that, he started running again. This time, however, he went in the opposite direction. He bowled over Dad and Kyle as he charged back out the way he’d come, and never came back again.
Benedict’s sigh made me look back at him. “Really… children these days… hmph.”
He then turned to face me. “Go on, you two,” he prompted, a wire thin, spindly smile on his wispy face. “You have much to do… Rachel, was it now?”
I just gaped at him. As Benedict turned to walk away, he winked at me.
“Don’t forget where you came from, little missy,” he said, and then he too began to slowly make his exit.
“Rachel…” breathed Bernard into my ear.
“Yeah… I know,” I said in an undertone. “He… he knows all about the Akire.”
“I think that’s because,” Bernard added, “he’s one himself.”
I never whipped my head around quicker than I just did.
Benedict’s back was just visible still. He waved towards me without even turning around, his long-held human-guise bent to the ravages of time.

***

It took Bernard only a few moments to strap me into an all-too familiar and still disliked medical bay within one of the probes docked on his ship.
“Computer, run a diagnostic,” Bernard ordered.
“Right away,” replied the probe.
I shivered; it was the exact some tone as the one that’d changed me against my will. Looking back on it, that moment felt so long ago now… like an entire lifetime.
“Diagnostic complete,” reported the machine.
Well that was quick.
“Primary artery R-3 has a small cut and is bleeding internally to a minor degree. Internal bleeding levels are within safety regions, though only barely. Had the subject waited much longer, the damage may have become life-threatening.”
“Told you,” I said to Bernard. He chose to ignore my smug remark.
“Foreign contaminate is also detected in the right femur. It appears to be a large concentration of manufactured heavy metal. Do I have permission to remove this object?”
“Yes you do,” Bernard responded.
“Furthermore,” the computed continued, “the subject’s right ankle appears sprained. A minor infection is detected on the heel of each foot, though the risk level is negligible at this point in time. Pardoning a few bruises and minor cuts, this concludes the diagnostic routine.”
“Begin treatment of all the subject’s wounds,” Bernard instructed. He was playing with some sort of three-dimensional holographic readout, and wasn’t really sparing me a glance.
“Acknowledged,” the machine responded. “The estimated time for full treatment is under three hours.”
“Does that mean we’ll be gone by then?” I couldn’t help but ask.
The machine rotated its disk surface once, and then seemed to turn its gaze to Bernard, perhaps hoping he’d respond.
Bernard brushed aside some sort of dialogue box hovering in front of his nose and looked right at me.
“Yes,” he said apologetically, “I’m afraid so. I don’t dare wait around for this damn planet to spit out another complication.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Rest up, Rachel… or rather, Damaski,” he said, smiling gently. “When you’re recovered, we have a lot of work left for us to do.”
“How long will it take to get to Eclipse?” I asked.
“Three or four months,” he answered right away. “Don’t worry… we have plenty of time. When I’m through with you, no one would ever suspect you weren’t on Eclipse this whole time.”
I smiled and laid back. This… was just the start of something bigger. I felt it in my very bones, and the last thing I felt before the machine put me under was feverish giddiness.

Description
13~~ Goodbye

Barney looked over the edge of the cliff and down towards the ground far below. He couldn’t see very well, though; there was quite a bit of brush, just enough to obscure anything, even larger objects.
“Go find her,” he ordered to his men. “Make sure she’s dead. If she isn’t… take your time.”
He stepped away from the cliff. The crunch of gravel chronicled his departure as he moved off in the direction of Bernard’s voice.
I let out half of my breath. I didn’t dare let out any more, for fear that I would scream from the pain.
My left thigh was burning at an almost intolerable level. I didn’t know how bad the damage was, but I knew I was bleeding badly. I could feel hot wetness running up my leg and starting to trickle down my tail.
In both my hands and my other remaining good foot, I held onto tufts of roots that lay exposed to the open air on the underside of the ledge I’d been standing on top of a moment ago. It was taking all of my remaining strength just to keep from falling.
But I couldn’t relax just yet. Another pair of boots stepped up to the ledge. From where I was hanging, I just saw the toes of his boots hanging over the edge.
“Well, we better get to it,” someone was saying from further back on the cliff. “A dead one’s as good as a live one, you know?”
“Did you see where she got hit?” someone else asked.
“Nah,” replied the first. “She went down too quick.”
“Well that’s a good thing, right?” replied the second. “Might mean we got it in whatever kind of heart it’s got.”
“True enough. Kyle! Get away from that ledge. No sense throwing yourself off now, you hear?”
“Right.”
To my astonishment, the owner of the boot toes I could see was Kyle himself.
I couldn’t make out anything more of him besides the logo on the sole of his shoes.
“Rachel,” he muttered in a concerned undertone.
I then did something that was both very stupid and very difficult.
With the hand closest to the ledge, I let go of my makeshift tether. Now I was suspended by one hand and foot alone. The strain made little lights dance before my eyes, but I somehow managed to muscle through it without passing out.
I reached up with one hand, careful to remain hidden to the other two behind Kyle, and, very gently, squeezed the end of his boot.
To his credit, he only jumped a barely perceptible amount. The other two people probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“Rachel,” he said again, still very quietly. This time it was much more urgent.
He knelt down, perhaps pretending to tie his shoe lace.
“Are you okay?”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t dare use my voice. I wasn’t sure what’d come out, and I didn’t trust myself enough to find out.
“Hey, what’s this?”
I realized then that I wasn’t holding the Aku’lae shard.
“What – Don’t touch it!” bellowed the other guy. I heard a brief struggle, perhaps the second guys wrestling the first away from the fragment.
“Man, Brian, you can’t go just picking up whatever alien technology you like!” he scolded. “What if it scrambled your brain?”
“Oh man, thanks for that,” said the one named Brian, “I wasn’t thinki—Argh!”
Whatever he’d been about to say, he never finished.
Something powerful had just burst onto the scene overhead. I heard Brian struggling, shouting in an oddly muffled voice. He then entered my field of vision, bodily hurled from the top of the cliff down onto the ground far below, trailing ribbons of crimson.
The air was rent by a feral roar, and my heart froze in my chest.
Bernard had just emerged on the scene.
The other hunter just got to “Oh my go—” before Bernard got ahold of him, too. I heard a pounding sound, like someone was being repeatedly bashed against the ground again and again until the screaming stopped.
All that was left was Kyle. My insides froze over as well as I heard monstrous feet storm right up to him.
Kyle started to say something, but was immediately strangled into silence. Suddenly, his boots weren’t perched on the edge of the cliff – they were dangling out in front of it.
“You!” bellowed Bernard in a voice that seethed with violence. “I told you I wouldn’t blame you if she didn’t get hurt! Where is Rachel?!”
The way he said it, I think he had already come to his own conclusion.
Kyle was trying to speak, but couldn’t. Bernard’s fingers were far too tight. What surprised me was that he didn’t even kick in self-defense.
“Sh-She… She’s…”
“I tolerated your presence because you helped ease her stress levels. Now why should I leave you be? Ke!?”
“If you’ll… just…”
“You’ve seen us now,” Bernard went on viciously. “By law, I have every right in killing you, boy. Tell me why I shouldn’t do just that?”
“She’s not… dead,” Kyle forced out of his closing throat. Bernard hesitated.
“She’s… not…”
Thud.
That time, I was the source. My muscles had just given out.
My grip slackened and I fell through the brush, through at least three bushes, before finally hitting the gravelly riverbed.
I think I hit my head, because the world in front of me waved like a tapestry in the wind.
I struggled to get up; to stop Bernard from killing Kyle. I don’t think I did more than flop on the ground.
I heard someone call my name, but I couldn’t tell who.
Be it from blood loss, head trauma or sheer exhaustion; I was thrown into blackness, and knew no more.

***

When sensations drifted back to me, I remembered feeling extremely comfortable. I mean, I was warm, lying on something soft and plush, like… like a mattress. I was lying on my belly, with a blanket on top of me. Really, it was the most comfortable I’d been in weeks.
If only it wasn’t for a killer ache in my leg. The closer to consciousness I got, the worse the ache became. By the time I was just about as awake as I would ever want to be, I was panting heavily in an effort not to burst out screaming. It was like there was molten led under my skin!
“Be still,” said a soft voice. Easy for him to say; he didn’t have a hole in his leg.
Something was applied to the epicenter of the pain, and that somehow made it double in intensity.
It was so bad that I couldn’t stop a groan.
“Please stop that,” snapped Bernard’s voice.
“Sure, if you want it to get infected,” said… Kyle?
More out of disbelief than anything, I had to raise my head and look around.
I was lying in a barn. No… not a barn. It was my family’s barn.
Even from one of the unoccupied horse stalls, I recognized the orange paint scheme with little apples bordering everything.
I was lying on a bed of hay covered over with several different sheets. I was mostly covered with a blanket; only my wounded leg was exposed.
And there, sitting side by side like it was completely natural, were Bernard and Kyle.
The size difference between the two was what I first noticed; it was staggering. Kyle looked like a little kid sitting next to Bernard.
Then I took in their appearances.
It dawned on me that not a whole lot of time must’ve passed. Kyle was covered in mud and dirt and a couple shallow cuts. More alarmingly, he sported several large purple bruises on either side of his throat.
Bernard was somehow scarier. While he, too, was covered in mud and grime, his hands and feet had the telltale tinges of crimson blood crusted over his nails. Worse, there was clearly blood around his mouth. In short, he looked like a predator fresh from catching dinner.
The source of that scalding, unbearable pain was coming from a cotton ball held on tweezers. It was damp with something potent.
Kyle was dabbing it at an angry hole in my leg. The sight of it made me feel lightheaded.
Dark, almost black blood oozed from the wound. Judging by the stained towel lying next to me, I’d been bleeding quite a lot.
I felt so weak – almost as weak as that robot in the Akire probe had made me feel.
I could only hold up my head for so long before black blotches started blooming before my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the side of my face once more.
“She needs a doctor,” muttered Kyle.
“We can’t do that,” Bernard said, though he was clearly stressed out. His ears were lying flat and his teeth were just barely showing.
“She needs something,” Kyle snapped, frustrated.
“I know,” Bernard snapped back.
“Then do something!”
“Like what?”
“Boys,” I groaned heavily.
They both fell silent for a time.
After a few minutes, Bernard began tying a length of clean white cloth around the wound. Again I winced in pain when he winched it tight.
Now I realized that movies where the action hero would get shot over and over again and just keep right on trucking along were utter bull crap. This just hurt too much…
I think I faded out again. Things kind of went black for a time, but the sound of the barn doors scrapping over the ground jolted me back awake.
My audience had grown.
Kyle and Bernard were still there, though Bernard was now sitting by my head, gently kneading one ear. Kyle was standing up and facing into the stall while leaning against its wall.
Seated where the two had been previously was none other than Mom.
She was going over my wound very gently, but still even the slightest agitation was making me hurt.
Her hair was a flyaway mess like she’d been running, and somehow her Sunday clothes clashed so glaringly with the dirty horse stall.
After a moment, Dad appeared over Kyle’s shoulder and looked down at me with heavy eyes.
“Why is everyone…?” I wheezed blearily.
“Ssh,” Mom said soothingly.
“You’ll be… you’re in…” I continued to ramble. My eyes rolled back into my head, but somehow I managed to stay conscious, if only just.
“How is she?” I heard Dad asked in a somber tone.
Mom sighed. I heard her shift her weight, probably so she could lean back. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The bullet didn’t hit anything serious, I don’t think. The bleeding’s slowing down, but I can’t quite staunch it…”
She sounded so miserable and helpless.
“Oh Rachel… oh my baby…”
“Then there’s nothing we can do?” Kyle burst out. “Are we just going to sit here and watch her die?”
I felt Bernard’s hand tense.
“You, Bernard, was it? Can’t you do anything?”
“Yes,” he responded stiffly. “But there is a catch.”
“Screw the catch,” Kyle all but shouted, “just do something for her!”
“That’s what –” Bernard started to snap venomously, but stopped. He took a second to compose himself before speaking again.
“Listen, then,” he said. He’d almost perfectly masked his anger.
“My ship is equipped with several medical probes like the one that you discovered before. It will be more than enough to heal her wounds.”
“That’s great,” Kyle exclaimed. “Why haven’t you done that yet?”
Dad, however, was a little more levelheaded. “What’s the catch?”
“The catch is that in order for me to get the equipment down here, I will have to remotely land the whole ship. Otherwise, the chances of a repeat of the satellite incident are more than likely. I doubt we want that again.”
The others remained in agreeing silence for a moment.
“What’s the big deal?” Kyle said at last.
“Because if I do that,” Bernard said pointedly, “Then Rachel is leaving.”
I knew he’d been intentionally harsh in his choice of words. It was his way of voicing irritation.
There was a long, heavy moment of silence between the family members, and then…
“But isn’t that what she wants?”
Mom’s voice was meek, yet determined to be strong. I tensed all the same, only relaxing again when Bernard began soothing my ear again.
“Yes,” Bernard said. “I still don’t get what made her want to, but…”
“Then what’s the problem?” she asked.
Bernard hesitated for a moment. “Because…”
“She wants to say goodbye,” said Kyle. His voice was strange – mute, almost numb.
No one spoke after that.
Only the sound of my labored breathing passed between us.
I, for one, felt that they were missing the most important point.
I struggled, but eventually I managed to get my eyes open again and open my mouth.
“Ba… Barney… What happened to…?”
That was all I managed to get out.
“Honey,” Mom cooed gently. She went to sit beside my head so she could stroke my cheek. Her hands felt so very small… child-like…
“It’s over,” Kyle answered for me.
“Someone – not saying who – called in that there were a bunch of men prowling the countryside with guns. The police came and arrested I-don’t-know-how-many… and took a few more to the hospital, some in critical condition.”
Kyle then glanced pointedly at Bernard, who just ignored the accusation in his eyes. “Seems like they were mauled by wild animals.”
“In self-defense,” Bernard pointed out coolly.
Kyle just rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, Barney took off running. He seems to think that one of you is dead and the other is running for his life. In his book, this was a resounding success – Earth was protected from alien invasion, said invaders were thrown off the planet, case closed. Of course, he has no proof, but he’s proud of himself all the same.”
“That monster deserves to be in a padded cell,” Mom spat. That took me off guard; I wasn’t used to her being upset with anyone.
“At least he won’t be a problem anymore,” Bernard sighed. “As long as we keep a low profile, I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.”
“Good,” I sighed, and relaxed a bit. Not much – my bullet wound was keeping me from complete relaxation.
Mom cupped my cheek – or at least tried to. “Get some rest, sweetie. You’ve been through a lot.”
I think I did pass out again, but I don’t think it was really voluntary.

When I woke up again, it was the dead of night. A space heater hummed dutifully just a few feet away, putting out enough BTUs to keep my nice and toasty.
Bernard had my head lying against his leg.
“Bernard,” I breathed. He was still wide awake. The gold tint in his eyes seemed impervious to the blue touch of night.
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” he apologized. “Did I wake you?”
I shook my head.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like crap,” I said truthfully.
“Well, you’re beautiful all the same,” Bernard said.
I didn’t really have it in me to feel too embarrassed.
“Is it really over?” I asked quietly.
“You will have to define that better,” Bernard said in good humor, though his tone was answer enough. “Barney’s threat is over, yes. He won’t appear anywhere in this Colorado state any time soon. If anything, his credibility is worse than when this started.”
Bernard then turned a gentle smile on me. Really, he’d come to use it quite well.
“But, you’re adventure is just beginning. Am I right?”
“It certainly feels like it’s stalled,” I sighed.
“Rachel, are you going to let one injury stop you?”
I gave him a pointed look.
He just chuckled. “I thought not.”
“Bernard…”
He looked at me, waiting for me to continue.
“Help me up.”
He did his best, bless him. Bernard repositioned me a little so that I was leaning against his side. He put his arms around my shoulders and hugged me gently.
“I… I have to ask something,” I started, focusing hard on my words, but Bernard silenced me with an unexpected nuzzle.
“If this is about your family, don’t worry.”
His attempt to calm me was hardly successful.
“They saw us, Bernard,” I said, trying to suppress my building panic. “They saw us…”
“And nothing else,” Bernard said calmly, speaking over me. “Kyle and your parents swore to absolute secrecy. They don’t know names or specifics, only what we look like, and they promised not to say a word about it outside this barn.”
That would explain why Bernard was so calm about this. And it also made something click in my head.
“That’s why you were so for coming here,” I said slowly.
Bernard flashed an almost sly smile.
“I considered it, yes.”
I sighed. I felt like punching him and simultaneously hugging him at the same time. Instead, I just settled for leaning more of my weight as spitefully as I could against him.
Of course he barely seemed to register it, and his smile only grew wider.
We sat in silence for a long time, just enjoying each other’s presences and the relief of having so much stress and anxiety lifted off our shoulders.
I was on the verge of passing out again – this time willingly – when Bernard spoke up.
“It’s over, Rachel,” he said. “But now, the real journey begins.”
We gazed out of the open loft door, out at the clear starry night sky. Just visible in the upper right hand corner was the moon, full and resplendent.
I put one hand on his. “When do we start?”
“Once you recover a little more of your strength,” he said.
“Tomorrow then.”
“Rachel, that’s a little…”
I gave him a look that silenced him. “You know I heard you, right?” I said accusingly. “Don’t downplay my condition for my sake.”
I looked down at my injured leg. It was sticking out at an odd angle from the rest of my body. Already the bandages were stained burgundy.
“Besides,” I went on. “Staying here much longer will just… just do more harm than good. To me and to them.”
I looked back out the loft door.
“If I stay, I will only get weaker… in more ways than one.”
The longer I stayed with my family, the more I’d refuse to part with them.
“Now might even be better, but… no use waking my parents up at this hour.”
Bernard was giving me a heavy look.
“I… thought you’d died today,” he admitted. “When I heard those men talking about where you’d been hit… I couldn’t move. I just…”
His arms tightened.
“I’m glad it’s over,” he concluded.
“And now comes the hard part,” I said with dry humor.
Honestly, for what was in my imminent future, I’d rather be hunted all over again.

***

Bernard insisted that I rest for the entirety of the next day, even though I’d tried to convince him to let me say my goodbyes in the morning, before anyone left for school or work.
“You’re weak,” he said again and again in a concerned tone. “I don’t even feel comfortable moving you yet. You twisted your ankle pretty badly yesterday, and the state of your other leg goes without saying.”
But I was adamant. “Carry me, then,” I said.
Bernard touched his brow. “You’re being extremely difficult, Rachel,” he pointed out.
“Because this is what has to be done,” I said with certainty. “Bernard, I’m not going to be getting much stronger. The longer we put this off…”
I trailed off in order to let a wave of pain pass. The wound throbbed now and again, and every time it did, my bandages would be stained with still more blood. I was losing it faster than I was recovering it.
I knew I was dying. Yes I felt better now – at least I was lucid. But that was the beauty of internal bleeding. In just a few hours, I may not have the strength to even speak.
I could only appear so much better because I was forced to stay off of my feet. The moment I tried to get up, I’d come crashing right back down.
“Trust me, Bernard,” I said. “I just… need a little faith.”
Still, I lost the argument. As certain I was that I had to go now, Bernard was just as certain that staying put would be the best for me.
In the end, however – after nearly two hours of calm yet intense debating, we came to a compromise.
Tonight, once the sun set. That was what we agreed on. I would just have to hold on until then.

I slept on and off all day, but every time I awoke I felt just that much weaker.
Night couldn’t arrive soon enough for me.
When Mom got off work, she went straight to my side, and just by the look in her eyes the moment she saw me, the prognosis wasn’t very good. Still, she put on a brave face.
“Rachel…” Mom started, and then hesitated. She turned to Bernard, who was eyeing the clear, blood red sky outside.
“Um, excuse me Bernard, but could we have some privacy?”
Bernard looked up, and right away I could tell he didn’t want to go.
“It’s fine,” I told him. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen from having a private talk with my mother of all people?
Grudgingly, Bernard stepped out the back and into the forest, though I doubted he went far. Odds are he was just sulking by the gate.
Once she was satisfied that we were alone, Mom wasted no time in giving me a big fat old hug.
“Oh Rachel, I missed you so much,” she said emotionally into my ear. “I wish we didn’t have to be reunited under the circumstances, but I’m glad I could see you anyway.”
I hugged her back with one arm. It was all I needed to reach all the way around her body.
“You don’t mind that I look like this?” I asked.
Mom made a dismissive noise in her throat. “Honey, what are you saying? A daughter of mine will always be a daughter of mine, no matter how… different she might look.”
She took a step back so that she could look me in the face.
“You scared me so much when I saw you yesterday,” she said. “I thought you were already on your death bed. And…”
She hesitated.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, it’s the other one… Bernard. When I first saw him…”
I think I knew what she meant. How must he have looked for someone seeing an Akire for the first time; covered in dirt and blood and probably half crazed with worry, he wouldn’t have struck the image of a friendly, rational person.
“He seemed really on edge. I don’t think he liked that Kyle came to get me.”
“It’s the rules,” I told her. “I even told Kyle… I was hoping I could keep you, Dad and Jason out of it. I think Bernard was too.”
“Kyle told us about those rules,” Mom said seriously. “And Bernard… he told us a bit more.”
Suddenly I felt nervous. “Like… how much more?”
She smiled. “Enough to know that you’re important to not just us anymore. That’s why you’re leaving, isn’t it?”
I gulped. Honestly, I’d been hoping to talk about it to all of them at once. Now that I was put on the spot, however…
“I… met with my birth mother,” I admitted to her. “She… she really missed me.”
Mom just smiled at me. “Now see, that is something I can completely understand.”
“You do know that when I leave, I can’t come back, right?” I asked. I suddenly felt desperate for some reason. “When I go back… It’ll probably be for good.”
Just from the look in mom’s eyes, I knew that she not only knew, but understood. And yet, she was willing to let me go.
“We will always know that you’re safe,” she said. “After all, Bernard will be with you. He’s more than just a guardian, isn’t he?”
Oh boy. I had to turn my head away.
Mom just giggled. “I thought so. A mother’s intuition is always right. I knew it the moment I saw him.”
That made me wonder just what Bernard had been doing.
“What about Jason,” I asked. “How is he…?”
The expression that crossed Mom’s face was not what I’d expected. It showed signs of forlornness.
“He came while you were unconscious yesterday,” she said. “Kyle tried to explain it to him beforehand about what was going on but… it didn’t seem to quite click with him. You know how he can be; stubborn.”
“I guess it runs in the family,” I sighed.
Mom’s smile was only fleeting.
“When he saw you yesterday… you and Bernard… he kind of stopped moving. His eyes got really big, and then he ran back to his room. He hasn’t said a word since.”
My heart sank. Well, I suppose it would come as a shock to find out that your sister is actually an honest to god alien. That might raise quite a few questions to a boy just stumbling into it for the first time.
“I’ll say something to him for you,” Mom said reassuringly.
“No, I… I want to talk to him. At least… at least so I could say goodbye.”
A heavy silence fell over the two of us. I think the fact that I’d soon be departing for someplace where neither of us could reach each other had just hit home.
“I’ll give you that chance,” Mom said at last, “no matter what I have to do.”
“Just… don’t be trauma…tic…”
Another wave of pain hit me. I was relieved that all I had to do was close my eyes, knit my brows and muscle through it, but Mom looked terrible for seeing it.
“Tonight,” I said at last. “I don’t want to put this off… it has to be… tonight.”
Mom managed to force a smile. “That’s just like you… once you make up your mind, you won’t hesitate.”
I smiled back. “Sometimes… being stubborn has its upsides.”

Night finally descended upon the Myers household.
Only a few clouds dotted the bright, moonlit night. Everyone was gathered out behind the house… everyone except Jason and Mom.
“They’ll come,” Kyle promised.
Bernard was supporting my weight heavily. I was only putting a tiny fraction of it on my twisted ankle, which hurt only slightly less than my throbbing leg.
Kyle saw this.
“Can’t you just rest for a bit?” he asked in exasperation. “You’re killing me over here.”
“Likewise,” said Bernard and Dad at the same time in almost identical disapproving tones.
I didn’t respond. My eyes were planted firmly on the back door to the house.
I just needed… a few minutes…
The door slowly opened.
Out came Mom, propelling Jason from behind like a bulldozer might push a mound of dirt.
He was resisting her only by locking his legs and determinedly looking anywhere but at the gathering in front of him.
“Mom, let me go,” I heard him complaining. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Jason,” she scolded him.
“No!” He cried. “I don’t want to! I don’t –”
“Jason.”
My voice stopped him dead in his tracks. I mean literally; he froze like time itself had stopped around him.
He slowly turned to look at me, his eyes huge. I couldn’t tell if he was simply amazed or terrified. But I could tell that he was on the verge of bolting; he wouldn’t hang around for a long-winded goodbye.
Even though it hurt, all I could do was give him the abridged version.
“Good… Goodbye.”
The look on Jason’s face… I didn’t know how to read such an explosion of emotion.
“N-no!”
Just like that, he managed to thrash out of Mom’s grip and dart back into the house, slamming the door behind him.
“Jason!”
“Mom,” I called, “it’s okay… He just needs… some time.”
Her eyes tightened, but she still came to stand in front of me, along with Kyle and Dad.
“Well, I guess it’s time,” I said, looking around.
Everyone was wearing the same heavy, concerned expression. They knew I shouldn’t be doing this. But what choice did I have?
“Four weeks ago,” I began, “I don’t think I’d have had the strength to stand before you guys and say… say goodbye. Then again, four weeks ago, I was just Rachel the human, a quiet, giant girl people couldn’t stand.”
I managed a smile. “I’m glad I could change… even if it means giving you guys a long goodbye…”
Mom was already crying.
“Kyle,” I said. “Treat Megan well. She’s worked hard to be with you.”
Kyle kind of fidgeted on the spot. “Yeah… don’t I know it.”
He then glared up at Bernard. “The same goes to you, big guy. You won’t have me to blame next time something like this happens.”
Bernard merely looked contemptuous. “Where we’re going, there won’t be a next time.”
“I’ll consider that a promise, then,” Kyle said pointedly.
I went on with my goodbyes. After all, I was kind of dying here.
“Mom… Dad… Look after everyone. I’ll be counting on you.”
Dad, who’d been putting on a brave front, puffed out his chest, though his voice cracked when he spoke. “That… That goes without saying, sweetie. You just do… whatever it is you were born to do, and we, back here, will do just fine.”
I smiled. “You can… count on it.”
I then reached behind my neck, and with a single finger, undid the clasp on my necklace. “And… give this to Jason once… once he calms down. I’m sure he’ll want it.”
All three came over to accept the gift, and then all three pinned me in a group hug.
“Take care of yourself, Rachel,” Dad said into my ear.
“You’ll always have a home here, honey,” Mom said into my chin between sobs.
“Go show them what you’re made of,” Kyle said. By far, he sounded the best of the three.
“Thanks…”
Okay, I will admit, this time I really did start crying, too. But it was a happy cry as well as a parting cry. This was the best I could ever hope for.
“Rachel.”
Bernard’s voice lured me into looking around.
What I saw surprised me. He was holding the old, broken cell phone. Its screen was still cracked and the casing was badly damaged.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied with certainty.
“Good,” Bernard said back.
While my family took the brunt of my weight off of his shoulders, he produced with his other hand the Aku’lae shard. In the dark of night, it gave off an electric, artificial light with barely any more power than to make its surface glow.
Mom, Dad and Kyle all stood, transfixed by the light.
“Then, let’s go home,” Bernard finished, just before sliding the tip of the Aku’lae fragment into the SD chip slot.
The phone began to change. Its screen burst to life and began emitting a bright, neon blue light. Meanwhile, the Aku’lae fragment began pulling itself into the phone of its own accord. The body of the phone broke up into pieces while creating that same neon light from within.
The pieces began to reassemble themselves. Working as if guided by invisible hands, they skittered and scurried over and under each other. The phone’s flat LCD screen began to concave, and then it started to wrap into a sphere of light.
The ball of light was pulled down with the rest of the machinery in the flip up screen’s frame, pulled into the rest of the reassembling mass of parts.
It lost its rectangular shape altogether as parts began to form a disk. The red paint melted off of the metal, revealing pearly white.
The ball of light that was all that remained of the screen settled into the center of the disk. Each of the phone’s former buttons repositioned and reformed into five-pointed keys that ringed the inner sphere.
Finally, the remains of the phone’s frame snapped into place, clicking the whole thing together and holding it in its new shape; that of a disc-shaped device that was clearly of Akire craftsmanship – its pearly white body almost resembled a whirlpool. The central sphere of the device appeared to be made out of Aku’lae crystal that gave off an artificial bluish-white light that was almost as bright as a flashlight. The surface of the crystal pulsed with energy, creating clearly visible bands of what looked like electricity.
A moment later, I picked my jaw up off the floor.
Bernard chuckled to himself in satisfaction. He’d thoroughly enjoyed our expressions.
“I’ve waited so long to do that,” he said happily.
Before anyone could respond, Bernard placed his palm on the center of the sphere while simultaneously touching four buttons; one for each finger and thumb. Instantly the crystal orb began to glow even brighter, just like the time I’d used it to deflect Barney’s bullets, only this time it began creating an audible hum along with the bright white light.
Nothing else happened. I was beginning to feel kind of anti-climactic when Bernard lowered the little Aku’lae device and turned his eyes expectantly towards the sky.
“Rachel, look there.”
Even after I followed his pointing finger, I didn’t initially see anything. The sky was just as dark as ever
It wasn’t until an innocently drifting cloud suddenly developed a donut hole straight through it that I saw something moving silently towards the ground.
It swooped down towards us like a shadow; it had no running lights, and seemed to be emitting no visible afterburner or exhaust. It just moved through the air like a ghost, a shadow that only dully reflected the light of the stars and moon, giving it shape.
And boy did it move fast. Within only a handful of seconds after blowing apart that high altitude cloud, it was breaking hard so it could land on the lawn in front of us, not five hundred feet from the still-visible scar of the satellite crash sight.
The ship itself was sleek, a feature I’d seen in every Akire ship so far, with only a few angular edges where the hull metal couldn’t quite be shaped seamlessly. Its body was built in a cross-shape, with what I’d assumed to be the cockpit on the longer of the arms.
Both of its side prongs seemed to extend further out of the ship as it approached the ground, flaring for extra stability as it came to a screeching halt. The ends of these makeshift wings were outfitted with a pair of spires that looked like they should be engines, and yet they weren’t creating any sort of noise or visible light.
That didn’t stop it from blasting us with a wave of hot, ionized air as it came in for a landing, staggering all of us.
And boy was the ship big! Well, I knew it had to accommodate not only several bus-sized probes – which were just visible along its sides – but also provide a long-term living environment for a crew, but seeing it in person was something else.
Bernard’s ship was bigger than a yacht, with each side runner being just a bit shorter than a telephone pole.
The long, narrow neck of the ship’s bow hung over our heads, and though I could see the shape of windows reflected in the moonlight, there were no lights coming from inside. Had I not just seen the ship drop from lower orbit, I’d think it was cold and lifeless as it landed on both of its apparent engine spires and a single spindly leg from underneath the bow and touched down with barely a sound; only the howl of the wind carried in its wake made a single noise. The gust was strong enough to buffet everyone nearby and cause the barn behind me to audibly creek in the sudden wind.
“Damn,” Kyle said under his breath. “That’s… well damn.”
Bernard was loving the expressions on their faces. I could read it on his smug eyes.
Seeing that he was distracted in self-gratification, I turned to my family to address them seriously.
“Listen,” I said, “you can’t tell anyone about anything you saw tonight, okay?”
“Of course,” Kyle said simply.
“If the others find out that you know,” Bernard added, “they won’t hesitate to go over Rachel’s head to plug the leak. Tell this especially to the little one.”
“Yes,” I added, “especially to Jason… you know how… oh…”
Another wave of pain. It was bad enough to make my legs wobble.
This time, Bernard reached over to catch me.
“Let’s get you inside,” Bernard urged.
The moment he said that, the ship opened up. It split open along dozens of fracture points just beneath the ship’s neck, revealing a narrow but tall doorway that slid down from the main body of the ship and towards the ground.
“Jeez, do you people do anything simple?” Kyle asked airily.
Bernard grinned. “The more barriers between the vacuum of space, the better. Now…”
As one, all three of my family members let me go. It was an intentionally significant moment for them, aided with plenty of encouraging smiles.
Bernard took all of my weight again, yet he still managed to bear it without issue.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Bernard said suddenly. He turned his head to look over mine. I think he was looking towards Kyle, but I couldn’t be sure.
“There is a cave seven miles north-northeast of where we stayed previously. Do me a favor and hang on to whatever is left in there. It may come in handy someday.”
While the others may not have a clue about what he was talking about, I sure did.
“You’re leaving them the laptop? Can they even use it?”
Bernard just wore a knowing expression on his face. “Oh… we will see.”
We reached the doorway to Bernard’s ship. The interior glowed with clean white light. A faint scent similar to chlorine and sea salt wafted out from within.
Beyond that door lay the rest of my life. Well… my new life.
I’d never before been so excited for one thing in my entire life.
“Let’s get –”
“Hold it!”
And that was not the voice I’d wanted to hear.
I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit weaker when I turned my head to address the new threat that’d just barged in on us.
Barney stood at the far end of the yard, looking bedraggled and filthier than usual. He was still holding his rifle.
“Where do you freaks think you’re going, huh?!”
He aimed his rifle haphazardly and fired.
There was no other warning. I brace for the inevitable, but it never came.
The only thing I heard was a dull, foreboding hum from the ship looming over me.
Perplexed, I opened my eyes.
Though I could no longer see what’d happened, I could see Barney furious expression.
“Not this crap again!” he wailed just before he began firing full auto.
And every single bullet veered wildly away, turning in the complete opposite direction and fleeing past Barney and into the woods behind him.
“Die! Die you damn aliens, DIE!”
He continued to hold down the trigger for several seconds after the clip ran empty.
He then discarded his rifle, reached for his hip, and drew a sidearm. He emptied that, too, into the immense Aku’lae field surrounding Bernard’s ship, and those bullets, too, were flung away.
When that gun ran dry, too, he threw it aside, reached towards his right calf, and drew a backup revolver.
Once more, not a single shot reached us.
By this point, I was hardly even flinching at the sounds of gunshots.
“Ignore him,” Bernard said at last, “We need to get you…”
“Don’t just walk away from me,” Barney roared. He’d just drawn a backup-backup pistol and was commencing to empty it, too, into the hillside behind him.
Kyle finally intervened. He grabbed the deranged man by the shoulder. “Come on, Barney,” he said, trying desperately to reason with him, “it’s over! They’re gone.”
“Never!”
Barney threw Kyle to the ground. He was just about to commence shooting again when both Mom and Dad tackled him from the left.
“Go, you two!” Dad shouted over at us while simultaneously trying to restrain Barney. “Leave this Earthling to us Earthlings.”
“You’re dad’s a brave man,” Bernard noted.
I didn’t have the heart to say anything, so Bernard began the perilous process of guiding me up the delicate looking, yet impressively sturdy steps leading up to the ship’s interior. They sort of unfolded as we approached with barely more than a hiss.
“No!” bellowed Barney. “I won’t let you get away!”
When I turned to look over my shoulder, I felt my heart skip a beat.
Barney had just thrown all three of my family members to the ground and was bull rushing the stationary ship.
With Bernard preoccupied with trying to usher me up the stairs, there was no way we’d make it in time…
“BARNEY!”
And, in a night of complete surprises, this was the proverbial cherry on top.
In stunned disbelief, everyone, Bernard and myself included, both turned to look at the newcomer.
And old, decrepit form met all of our gazes, his sunken blue eyes astonishingly focused and razor sharp.
Old man Benedict was hobbling across the grass, moving surprisingly well for someone his age and without assistance.
“That’s enough, Barney!” he shouted once more. “It’s over. Let them go.”
I got the feeling that, of all people, Barney hadn’t expected those words to come from his own father.
“Wha-what are you saying, pops?” stammered Barney. “Are you blind? Did you forget what it was you’ve been trying to get out for all these years? The evidence is right in front of you and you just want to let it slip –”
“I never said I wanted to get it out, Barney,” Benedict snapped.
“I wished for those that are willing to listen… to listen. Those who could find it in their hearts to believe when there isn’t anything to reinforce that belief. You of all people exemplify that philosophy.”
“Then why are you stopping me!” Barney bellowed in sheer confusion.
Benedict glanced towards me. There was something in his eyes, something… like knowledge. He knew something he wasn’t letting on.
“Because… this princess has a destiny to uphold, as do we all,” Benedict said.
Those words shook me to my core.
“Let them go, Barney. They have lost.”
“No!” Barney bellowed. “They can’t get away! If they do, people will keep ignoring us, pops! We’ll never be taken seriously for what we know!”
“Barney!” Benedict shouted again, and again he solicited total silence from his son.
“You are turning this into a crusade for personal revenge! You have forgotten the very basic of basics I taught you; prepare for whatever might come! All you seek is to bring down war for no reason besides dislike! I taught you better than that!”
Barney stared at his father. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing him say.
“You see only evil and monsters,” Benedict went on. “You fail to see peace and curiosity.”
Barney looked dazed. He sort of started moving in our direction, but immediately froze again when Benedict shouted “Barney! Stand down!”
“I… I don’t get what you’re saying pops,” Barney said in total, overwhelmed confusion. “I… I don’t get it at all!”
And just like that, he started running again. This time, however, he went in the opposite direction. He bowled over Dad and Kyle as he charged back out the way he’d come, and never came back again.
Benedict’s sigh made me look back at him. “Really… children these days… hmph.”
He then turned to face me. “Go on, you two,” he prompted, a wire thin, spindly smile on his wispy face. “You have much to do… Rachel, was it now?”
I just gaped at him. As Benedict turned to walk away, he winked at me.
“Don’t forget where you came from, little missy,” he said, and then he too began to slowly make his exit.
“Rachel…” breathed Bernard into my ear.
“Yeah… I know,” I said in an undertone. “He… he knows all about the Akire.”
“I think that’s because,” Bernard added, “he’s one himself.”
I never whipped my head around quicker than I just did.
Benedict’s back was just visible still. He waved towards me without even turning around, his long-held human-guise bent to the ravages of time.

***

It took Bernard only a few moments to strap me into an all-too familiar and still disliked medical bay within one of the probes docked on his ship.
“Computer, run a diagnostic,” Bernard ordered.
“Right away,” replied the probe.
I shivered; it was the exact some tone as the one that’d changed me against my will. Looking back on it, that moment felt so long ago now… like an entire lifetime.
“Diagnostic complete,” reported the machine.
Well that was quick.
“Primary artery R-3 has a small cut and is bleeding internally to a minor degree. Internal bleeding levels are within safety regions, though only barely. Had the subject waited much longer, the damage may have become life-threatening.”
“Told you,” I said to Bernard. He chose to ignore my smug remark.
“Foreign contaminate is also detected in the right femur. It appears to be a large concentration of manufactured heavy metal. Do I have permission to remove this object?”
“Yes you do,” Bernard responded.
“Furthermore,” the computed continued, “the subject’s right ankle appears sprained. A minor infection is detected on the heel of each foot, though the risk level is negligible at this point in time. Pardoning a few bruises and minor cuts, this concludes the diagnostic routine.”
“Begin treatment of all the subject’s wounds,” Bernard instructed. He was playing with some sort of three-dimensional holographic readout, and wasn’t really sparing me a glance.
“Acknowledged,” the machine responded. “The estimated time for full treatment is under three hours.”
“Does that mean we’ll be gone by then?” I couldn’t help but ask.
The machine rotated its disk surface once, and then seemed to turn its gaze to Bernard, perhaps hoping he’d respond.
Bernard brushed aside some sort of dialogue box hovering in front of his nose and looked right at me.
“Yes,” he said apologetically, “I’m afraid so. I don’t dare wait around for this damn planet to spit out another complication.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Rest up, Rachel… or rather, Damaski,” he said, smiling gently. “When you’re recovered, we have a lot of work left for us to do.”
“How long will it take to get to Eclipse?” I asked.
“Three or four months,” he answered right away. “Don’t worry… we have plenty of time. When I’m through with you, no one would ever suspect you weren’t on Eclipse this whole time.”
I smiled and laid back. This… was just the start of something bigger. I felt it in my very bones, and the last thing I felt before the machine put me under was feverish giddiness.