The Children of Time (The Children of Time Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

“You’re crazy. Don’t you know that the adviser Mirov is not a
trustworthy person? He’s selfish, wicked and will certainly sacrifice the earthling.
Please, Crom, don’t do it. You and Merko will regret for delivering a helpless earthling
to Mirov like a worm.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Zara. The purpose of our mission
is to save the princess, and Mirov himself will take care of it. We won’t hurt
the earthling.”

After that, Crom pointed his cryogenic gun at Zara and froze her
within seconds. He put his hand on her and they teleported to the control room,
where all the crewmembers of Science II were already frozen. Merko and his team
took everyone to the cryogenic chambers, which were used for long trips to
preserve the bodies and keep them alive until the arrival. They scheduled the
unfreezing and the revitalization of the crew for a year and, so, they also
planned Science II for the trip.

Merko and the others returned to their ship.

***

Nicolas tried to speak with Zara again, but with no success. He didn’t
know that from now on he was alone and unprotected, but he felt a little pain
in his chest as if something was wrong.

Crom took Challenge I to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in a place
known as Mariana Trench, more than eleven thousand meters deep. There, any team
that could be looking for them wouldn’t reach them, and it would be possible to
wait for the right time for the long-awaited return to their planet.

Merko asked Crom to contact his master on the planet Vida and tell him
they were on their way.

***

Mirov was anxious. Everything was happening as he had planned. He
would sabotage the bone marrow transplant that would save Princess Isadora and
would kill the earthling during the procedure blaming the surgeons. With the
death of Princess Isadora, the King would go into depression and would be
weakened. Then, he would ask to his servant, infiltrated on the personal
service of the king, to poison him. So, there would be only Kenan as an
obstacle, but this one wouldn’t cause him trouble, because he was old. He would
let the counselor rot in a prison and would take all the power for himself.

Nobody knew Mirov’s plans, not even Merko, who was loyal to Zador’s
Kingdom and he believed he was only efficiently following the orders of the
King.

Despite eliminate his opponents in his mission, and leave no traces
of this presence, Merko always wanted to perform his jobs effectively and with responsibility.
He had qualities like honor and respect, and devoted his life to his King. He
planned to freeze and postpone the trip Science II’s crew to avoid obstructions
to his plan and to immobilize his rivals in that mission. He couldn’t imagine,
however, that he was helping a traitor.

The ship Challenge I emerged from the sea and flew at a super speed
towards the opening timeline that was formed between the Milky Way and the
Andromeda galaxy. It traveled in propulsion, with the engines of space warp.

In the control room, Crom said:

“Mr. Commander, we achieved a good pass and approached our planet.
Let’s prepare for the arrival.”

***

Nicolas looked through a window formed by a material similar to
glass and contemplated the wonders of the Universe. When they approached the
planet Vida, the boy gasped admiring the solar system, which was the new home
of mankind.

He saw how the planet Vida was similar to Earth.

“They always said that there were planets similar to ours, but this
is too equal, even with water in abundant quantities. I see forests, waterfalls
and different birds flying between the trees; flowers of many qualities and
beautiful mountains creating landscapes like the ones in Earth and the ocean
surrounding the continent. And that’s weird... apparently the continent is only
one, like in the early days of our planet.”

He shared feelings of fear, anguish and admiration in his mind and
heart. He didn’t know what would happen from there, because Zara was no longer
at his side with her friends to protect him. He was alone and feared what the
future would hold.

***

In the ship Sicence II, one day after the freezing of the crew, the
bright eyes of Little Wolf lit a red light. He searched for Drako throughout
the ship and didn’t find him.

The smart robot dog launched a holographic image with radar that came
from his muzzle and saw the signs of the presence of the four-crew members of
the ship in the laboratory. He went there and the door opened. He observed them
frozen in their cryogenic chambers for a few seconds. He looked at Drako, groaned
and pressed the button to open the chamber with his right foot.

Drako began to unfreeze, regaining his consciousness, coughing. Wet,
he rose scared.

“What happened? Little Wolf... You... What a good dog! Thank you.
Let’s unfreeze the others.”

Drako began to release the other and soon they were all ready and
gathered to plan a way to save Nicolas. Sivoc ordered Drako:

“Go to the engineering room and connect all the ship’s systems. We
need to prepare our departure immediately. The portal is now open, and we need
to take advantage to travel as soon as possible. Congratulations, Drako, for the
brilliant idea to program Little Wolf to release us. Our chances of saving the Nicolas
and Princess Isadora increased due to this.”

“Thanks to Little Wolf and Drako, we’ll have the opportunity to
reach Merko’s ship. Tibor, let’s go to the infirmary. I need to take care of
you.” Zara said.

The ship Science II departed for the planet Vida and approached the orbit
of the planet, Sivoc contacted the advisor Kenan.

“Mr. Counselor, we’ve arrived to our planet.”

“Is the earthling with you?” Asked Kenan.

“No, sir. Merko’s team intercepted us and now Nicolas is under his
custody.”

“Certainly Mirov has a plan in mind for the earthling. We need to
find out what it is.” Said the Counselor, concerned.

***

In the king’s palace, they reported that the earthling had arrived,
and he was very hopeful. Isadora was in his bed, and the king was watching her
in her sleep. He thought how beautiful she was. She seemed to smile while sleeping
and let out soft gasps during sleep.

So, the king called Kenan and said:

“Please, make a report of the situation. I want to know how the earthling
is and when we begin the preparations for the surgery.”

“Your majesty, I’ll bring all the answers as soon as possible.”
Answered Kenan, who quickly searched for Mirov to ask him about the earthling.

“How are you, Mirov? I’ve heard that Merko and his team arrived from
the planet Earth.”

“Yes, Kenan. Everything went as planned. Merko and his entire team
are fine, and the earthling is healthy and ready for the surgery.” Mirov
replied.

“I don’t understand why you took the earthling from Sivoc’s custody.
You could have gathered your forces and helped the scientific team to
accomplish their purpose. It wasn’t necessary the use of force in this mission,
and the team of Science II had the situation under control. Instead of this, you
acted with pride and calculation, risking the success of the plan.” Kenan said,
closing his fists.

“You know how commander Merko likes to act in his missions. The
important thing is that he always fulfills his orders.” Mirov replied.

“What matters now is the possibility to save the princess. Let’s
start the preparations as soon as possible. I’ll give the orders for the
surgical team to be ready to start anytime.”

Kenan knew Zara would bring the genetic information of the earthling
in her womb and was prepared for any nasty plan of Mirov.

***

The king remained in his palace, walking from one side to the other,
anxious about the possibility, now concrete, to save his beloved daughter.
Tonight he couldn’t sleep.

He took advantage of the insomnia to look to what his people had
built over generations. The royal palace was a good example of how much they
had evolved since the time from where the boy was coming. Everything was
planned as a system of sustainable environment just like all the houses and
apartments of the planet Vida. They used the maximum possible of glassy
materials in its construction, with cells for absorption of solar energy.
Miniature nuclear reactors for each housing unit ensured the necessary energy.
All the water used on the entire planet was recycled. The integrity of this
green technology was deployed all over the planet and not just in the palace.
But the royal house had some perks too.

The palace was the most luxurious place on planet Vida. It was a castle
with three floors, big enough to house three thousand people. Even in the
future, the monarchy favored the royal family. The main room had about a
thousand square meters; it was gleaming and had many crystals. It was flanked
by entries of corridors, which leaded to thirteen bedrooms, all prepared with
luxury and comfort for guests and the royal family.

The presence of gardens, trees, lakes and fountains provided the
beauty to the outside part of the beautiful place. From the balcony of his
room, the biggest in the palace, the king had a privileged view of a garden, which
vegetation marveled those who could observe it. The front garden of the palace
also had a large fountain around it, from which the big ships of visitors arrived
to the palace.

On the sky, the king observed the ships that worked with clean
energy: they used cells of nuclear reactors of hydrogen that powered the entire
fleet.

Again the thoughts of the monarch turned to improvements experienced
by his people. There was almost no private transport, to avoid the excess of traffic,
what made the traffic jams almost nonexistent. All the green area of the planet
was preserved, with reforestation and management of existing forests whenever
necessary. However, this didn’t occur very often, because the use of paper was
avoided to the maximum, the inhabitants of the planet used digital images and
documents almost exclusively.

The security for the inhabitants of the planet was also quite
effective. Police used paralyzing rays, and the prisons weren’t overcrowded, they
functioned as centers of rehabilitation and work with for those few who were
sent there. Only soldiers used weapons, and, even then, such use was not so
frequent.

Education, health and safety had improved much in comparison to the
past. In contrast, the psychological problems of the future human beings had
increased, maybe because the society was more open and prone to treatments and
because of some prejudice in the past. They evolved a lot until they accept to
talk about their mental problems without fear. This was one of the major
problems of this society. Fortunately, the health system was very good and
could treat all the cases of psychological problems of the planet’s
inhabitants.

The king sighed hopeful. The planet Vida was progressing in a way
that made him proud. He knew he was a good monarch and was doing everything in
his power to make the lives of his servants easier and enjoyable. Besides, he
also guaranteed, with the help of his advisers that all measures of ecological
prevention were taken in order to keep the environment in which they lived
healthy. And he always reinforced it with awareness programs the importance of the
environmental preservation with those who lived in Vida. Now, the only problem
for which they still hadn’t found any solution would be solved. His beloved
daughter would be healed and he could live in peace.

He couldn’t wait to see the result of the surgery.

Nicolas was in a room in the building of the advisors, beside the
royal palace, when Mirov and Kenan came to meet him. He kept his alien form not
to contradict Merko. The boy was anxious to leave his condition of prisoner.

The counselors entered his room, which was watched by two security
guards.

“So, earthling, how was the trip?” Kenan asked to break the ice.

“Sivoc’s team treated me with great respect and education. Merko
brutally fought with us and imprisoned me in his ship. I think you should look
for Zara and the others, they may be in trouble or in danger.” Nicolas did not
trust anyone at this point, based on Merko’s actions he felt he could be among
enemies.

“We brought him here in order to save our princess with his defense
cells, as you should already know.” Kenan said to the counselor.

“Zara explained everything to me and I promptly accepted to do
everything I can to help. However, now I’m full of doubts about the true purpose
of my visit to this planet.”

“Wanting or not you have no other option than to help us. “ Mirov declared.

“Please, Mirov, this is not how we do things here.” Kenan wanted to
calm the earthling down and show that the inhabitants of Vida were good hosts
and never wanted to harm him. “The kid must be comfortable, and stress wouldn’t
help to keep his cellular defenses healthy. The king would never approve to
force the earthling against his will.”

“Kenan, you don’t need to give me moral lessons. I just want to
finish what we started and save the princess.” Mirov replied with a silly look.

“I hope you have in mind that I am also a human being and I have the
right to express my will.” The boy interrupted, annoyed with the discussion,
which seemed to exclude him, and afraid about what they could do with him. “I
intend, however, to help healing the princess.”

“There’s no need to rush, all the preparations are being made for
everything to happen as perfectly as possible.” Mirov said, staring into Nicolas’
eyes.

“We’re not being educated, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I’m
Kenan, and this one beside me and is Mirov.” Kenan said, showing the counselor
at his side. “We are the king Zador II’s counselors, who would like to meet you
too. It is a pleasure to welcome you on our planet.”

“It will be my pleasure to help your princess. I just want to be
treated like the human being I am, with respect and dignity.” Said Nicolas,
feeling a little angered by the treatment he had been receiving since Merko’s
team captured him.

“I apologize and ask for your comprehension because of the situation
we’re going through. We are all concerned about the life of our princess, which
is hanging by a thread. You are the one who can save her, our last hope.”
Explained Kenan while Mirov just frowning, watching the conversation. “You are
a guest here on our planet, so you can consider yourself as a free human being.
We’ll be more careful now to show our true hospitality. We’re a very welcoming
people, and you’ll be very well treated here in Vida. I only ask you not to
leave the royal palace, because we need to protect you and keep you healthy for
the surgery. I believe you want to meet the members of the Science II again.”

“But how...?” Mirov interrupted. “Where are they? I thought they
were still on planet Earth.”

“They had just arrived safe and sound here on the planet.” Kenan
looked at Nicolas with a smile and then turned to face his partner on the royal
council. “Why did you get so surprised, Mirov? Would there be any reason for
them not being here?”

Mirov was speechless and just nodded with his head negatively. He
was furious for being insulted in front of the earthling and to know that Science
II was back to the planet. He needed to do whatever was possible to follow
through with his original plan and get the throne.

Nicolas was thrilled with the possibility to see Zara, and relieved
that his friends from Science II were well and safe on the same planet as him.
After being trapped by the commander Merko, he thought he would never see the
woman who was now the reason of his existence, or any of his new friends. He
was anxiously waiting for this moment.

***

Then, Kenan, Mirov and Nicolas went to the royal palace along with
the security guards.

They were greeted by a royal reception and Nicolas noticed that the
king and his daughter were waiting to meet him. Zador II was short and wore a
golden robe that covered his slender back. His chin seemed more tapered than the
other of the inhabitants of Vida. He wore no crown. As a symbol of his power he
held a golden bat in his hands. His face was grayish-white and his glace seemed
tired, due to his daughter health problems.

The girl was even thinner, but very beautiful. She was lying in a
bed beside her father’s seat and stood up as soon as the visitor came close.
Nicolas could see she was a very frail girl with curious blue eyes that showed her
will to live, but were flanked by heavy dark circles which revealed the terrible
disease the girl was struggling. On the next week would be her birthday, and
the best present was the recovery of her health.

“Hello, Nicolas, nice to meet you. I’m Princess Isadora. I hope you’re
enjoying our planet and that you’re being well treated here.

“Nice to meet you, Nicolas. I’m the king Zador II, ruler of the
planet Vida that hosts you now. My dear young man, excuse us for bringing you
for the future like this, but we really need your help. I’ve heard that Merko
escorted you, and he, sometimes, overreact in his attitudes.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, your Royal Highness, Princess.”
Nicolas took a little bow to the girls, who immediately lie down on her bed
again. She looked extremely fragile.

He turned to the king and took a slightly longer bow.

“It’s a pleasure to be in your presence, your majesty. The staff of
Sivoc, who found me on Earth first, treated me very well. They explained the
situation of the princess and my greatest desire is to help in every way
possible. That’s what I told them when they asked me about my will. However,
since Merko captured me, I lost my freedom, which is so dear to me, and I’ve
been treated as a prisoner, which displeases me a lot. I believe the best for
Merko and his team would be to collaborate with Sivoc, I’d have come to planet Vida
very willingly to help your daughter. I just wish to be free at this time. I
have no reason to run away. Besides, I don’t know how to return to the past, or
to my galaxy.”

“My daughter and I would like you to have dinner with us tonight. It
would be a pleasure to welcome you in the palace, Nicolas. You’re free here in
this planet and we’ll only protect you to maintain your integrity and ensure the
success of the mission.” Said the king. “I don’t want you to think you’re a
prisoner and I apologize for any oversight of our search teams. The eagerness
to bring the solution to the princess’ problem may have hindered the way they
treated you.

“Apologies accepted your majesty. It will be a pleasure to dine at
your company.”

***

In the scientific building, which stood near the royal palace,
Sivoc, Zara, Drako and Tibor were gathered to decide what to do.

“Sivoc, what do you think it will happen now with Nicolas?” Asked
Zara.

“I don’t know, but judging by how Merko took him from us on Earth,
anything can happen. On the other hand, I think Merko wanted to bring him
safety to the planet Vida and fulfill the mission for which he was assigned.
The greatest danger lies in the intentions of director Mirov. This man is
unpredictable.”

“And what can we do to help you?” Asked the doctor.

“We have to be aware of this surgery and try to protect the earthling.”
Said the commander. “Let’s go, Tibor. You, Drako, Zara and me will talk to the
king and explain everything that happened. Counselor Kenan will certainly hear
us.”

***

They went to the royal palace, but were prevented from entering by
the officers who were guarding the entrance.

“You can’t enter the palace. These are Counselor Mirov’s orders.”

Sivoc was stunned, because he always had free access to the palace.
Telepathically he called Counselor Kenan and they stood waiting for him.”

“Please, release the entry for these people. Sivoc and his team work
with me.” Kenan arrived breathless, rushing to help his teammates. “The King is
very satisfied and hopeful with Merko’s mission. What happened there? How did
they manage to get the earthling from you?”

“Mr. Counselor, Merko and his soldiers attacked us and took the earthling
by force from our custody.” Told Sivoc. “He even killed some people in Earth,
almost altering the course of history and disregarding the ethical rules of
time travel. It seems strange to me that Counselor Mirov is giving orders
preventing our entry into the palace. It was the first time this has happened
since we began to work for the government.”

“Very quirky and dangerous this attitude of Merko, but what makes me
worried now is Mirov’s attitude. What is he planning? I don’t understand why he
used so much force to perform this mission. When I heard that he took the earthling
from your team, I questioned Counselor Mirov about his methods.” Kenan said. “I
believe you’d be able to perfectly finish this mission without Merko’s
intervention. I also don’t understand why Mirov doesn’t want you near the
palace. I’ve already been suspicious of his attitudes for some time, so I asked
Zara to prepare an alternative plan. But we’d better not talk about this for
now. It’s our secret. I’ll take the case to the king, as soon as we finish the
surgical process and we finally have the solution for the princess’ problem.”

“We have to keep an eye on Counselor Mirov.” Sivoc said. “I fear
that his intentions aren’t good and that Nicolas is in danger. We can put one
of our men to protect the earthling with those who are already there to
maintain his integrity and ensure the success of the mission.”

“Okay, good idea, Sivoc. Who do you suggest, commandant?”

“Tibor, with no doubt. He recovered from the fights against the crew
and is already prepared to return to work. I trust him completely.”

“Please, use the intelligence and avoid the use of force.” Replied
the counselor. “Does anyone of you want to see Nicolas? I knew you became good
friends. Of course Zara has one more reason, because she bears a fruit of his
life inside her. Don’t comment about the child, not even telepathically. That
would be very dangerous for everyone.”

“Of course, sir.” Zara said. “None of us will mention the subject
from now on, and we’ll be very discreet. I really wish to see Nicolas.”

“To avoid problems, I think it would be better if only Zara saw him
for a while. She will take the news that everyone is fine, and after the
surgery the others will be able to see him too.”

Zara looked at her friends, who nodded in agreement. Everyone knew
that there was a bigger involvement between him and her, so, the first one to
see him should be her.

“I’ll be waiting in the garden in front of the palace.” Said the
doctor.

“Okay, Zara. I’ll be back to pick you up as soon as you receive the
king’s permission for the visit. Tibor, I ask you to wait here as well, because
I will put you as Nicolas’ bodyguard as soon as possible. The others are dismissed.”

Everyone nodded while Kenan quickly returned to the palace.

***

After dinner, Kenan approached the king and discreetly asked
permission to take the earthling to meet Zara.

“I’m glad they all came back fine. No doubt you have my permission.
However, I ask that everyone should be getting ready for the big day tomorrow. Will
Zara attend the surgery?” Asked the king.

“No, your majesty. She is very tired because of the mission and
needs to recover. However, I ask permission for Tibor to integrate Nicolas’
security team. He is a man full I trust completely and I believe it is necessary.”
Kenan said.

“Certainly, Counselor Kenan. I allow Tibor to integrate Nicolas’
security team. Ask him to accompany the earthling in his meeting with Zara. But
it’s a brief encounter, because the kid is also tired from the trip and will
have to face a complicated surgery tomorrow.”

“Understood, your majesty. It will be a quick meeting. I myself will
accompany him with Tibor.”

***

Kenan and Tibor escorted Nicolas to the royal garden. Mirov, who
followed them to the gate, but let them go when he saw Sivoc and his team at
the palace entrance, observed them.

Zara saw Nicolas coming in the alien form and got very happy, with a
big smile, and tears came to her eyes. Nicolas ran and hugged her.

“My dear, how I missed you!” Exclaimed the doctor.

“Zara, I was desperate to see you. What about our son?”