Vanished (27 page)

              My gun is on the Agarthan woman and I’m just a few feet away from Zayn and Trin.  I sense Collin inch behind me and in my peripheral vision I see him holding his crossbow up with both hands steady, aiming at the guard’s head holding Maddie and Jaz. 

              “Now, here’s how this is going to go,” Renner says confidently, his deep voice carrying out to all of us,  “I’m going to lock you and the other sentries on your ships, bind your hands and mouths and put your ship on autopilot, destination; home.  In about fourteen hours you and your comrades will arrive at home-base and you can explain to your superiors how you lost a
Misae
to a half-breed.”

              “Kill him,” the female Agarthan screams but no one moves.  I gesture frantically at Trin and the girls to join us. Collin keeps his gun trailed on the one guard who holds his hands up submissively and Zayn still has the moaning guard pinned to the ground.  

              “What is he doing?” Maddie whispers as she steps beside me with Trin. 

              “He’s helping us.” Trin answers, her eyes locked on Renner. 

              I frown and touch her arm, forcing her to look at me, “What do you mean?”

              She nods, “I can hear him in my mind, can’t you?  I think he can read our thoughts too.”

              “Great,” I groan.

              “Never mind,” Trin corrects herself pointing at her own head, “he says he can only hear me.”

             
Even better
, I think. “He’s talking to you
right now
?”

              I glance up to see Renner smiling. “It’s over,” Trin says and there’s a faraway quality to her voice.

__#__

              Twenty minutes later Jasmine and Collin are preparing to reset Zayn’s dislocated shoulder.  Trin and Maddie are sitting a few feet away from me on a pile of stone. Trin has her arm wrapped around Maddie’s shoulders and they’re holding hands and whispering to each-other. 

              Renner stands next to me watching the sentry ship disappears into the night.

“Have your people get their things together. They have ten minutes. I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

              “Safe? Aren’t you one of them? Thanks for the help but we’ll manage fine on our own.”

              Renner shakes his head at me, “Forget what I said earlier about going back to wherever you were when all this started.  You still don’t understand, do you? You cannot survive on this planet anymore.  The pregnant one, the blond
,
she was pregnant before
the sweep
, right?”

              Zayn howls suddenly and we break off our conversation for a minute to watch. Collin jumps away from Zayn, shaking out his own arms and bouncing around, “Oh that was gnarly man, oh my God, Zayn that must have
sucked so bad
.” He yells.

              I turn back to the Agarthan and frown…how does he even know Madison is pregnant? It’s not like she’s showing yet.  “Yes, she was pregnant at the time. So?”

              He shakes his head looking down the ground, “So…it isn’t a normal pregnancy, kid. 
Taipa
deliveries are complicated by the fact that the fetus develops his wings in utero…”

“What the hell is a
Taipa
?” Collin asks and I see he’s walking over to us, about five feet away, his eyes squinting in confusion.  

“A winged person” Renner answers, then turns back to me. “
Taipa
offspring develop at an accelerated rate, faster than human fetuses.  The child will come much sooner than you expect; you have weeks
not
months.  They will both die unless a surgeon skilled in the art of
Taipa
extraction is present when she gives birth.” His jaw flexes, “Also, if you don’t come with me now,
they will
eventually find you. They will wipe your memories clean and lock you and your friends in the holding dimension while they torture your girlfriend with more burns until they get what they want from her and then they will kill her. After that they’ll toss her corpse in a freezer designed to preserve the skin of the
Misae
in case they determine it may be of further use to them in the future.”

              Rage threatens to swallow me alive.  “Why…” Is all I can choke out.

              Zayn steps up, startling me. I look over at him and he shoots me a dirty look then turns to glare at Renner,
“What is a Misae?
” He asks him, and I realize it’s a better question than mine.

              Renner smiles and I’m not sure I like the pity in his eyes anymore than I like his condescending nonchalance.  He answers us both.  “In Agartha we refer to victims of purification fire burns as
Misae,
which means “touched by white sun.”
 
Burns like hers leave behind a trace of the magical element inside purification-fire, imprinting certain abilities in the souls it touches, abilities that the Agarthan Empire would love to get their hands on.”

              “You’re describing a world just as tainted and corrupt as our own,” Zayn retorts in disgust, “What happened to all that stuff you said about humanity being destructive.  You people aren’t any better – in fact, this is worse.”

              “I agree. That’s why I’ve been working against my people, undercover, since I joined the resistance twenty years ago.” Twenty years ago? He barely looks thirty.

              Trin steps up beside me and I look down and meet her eyes.  I’m still not used to seeing her bleached white eye, the patch of glittery white skin that streaks up through her jet-black hair, bleached white like her skin and also dancing with diamonds.  She doesn’t touch me but her presence is still soothing.

She breaks eye contact first and looks over at Renner. “Resistance?”

I follow her gaze to the Agarthan and something I see in his eyes as he looks at Trin, makes me want to put a hole through his bald head. 

Coughing, I fight to keep it together.  “Just answer the question, Renner.” I hiss through gritted teeth, putting my hand on Trin’s waist and tucking her behind me.

              “There’s a resistance.  There’s
always
been a resistance.  They’ve extended an invitation for you to join them.”

              “You mean like rebels hiding out in the woods or something?” Maddie asks, frowning.

              Renner smiles, “Not necessarily, Lady.  We’re a million strong, that’s human
and
Agarthan, just so you know.  Not the woods. Far away from here
and
its safe. How long has it been since you’ve felt safe?” He asks her. 

              Trin stiffens beside me suddenly. She makes a choking sound and her eyes grow wide.  “What is it?” I ask. She’s a shade paler than she was just a second ago.

              Renner answers for her, “Malcolm Snow wants me to bring his daughter home.”

              So. Her dad is with the resistance. Suddenly it all makes sense. 

              Renner continues, “What you said earlier, kid,” he repeats my declaration from earlier verbatim, “’
we will survive and take back what is ours.”
He pauses and waits for me to nod and confirm I did say that, “Well, I’m giving you the chance to make good on that.  Join us and take back what is yours.”

              “Does that include the millions of people in the…the…holding dimension you were telling us about?” I remember her and Zayn’s parents didn’t go to St. Raphael’s. They weren’t tied into the secrets going on under the school, whatever they are, and probably aren’t part of the resistance. Instead they’re most likely imprisoned in a cryogenic tube or choosing to live as Agarthans in the inner-world.
Where is dad and Josh
, I wonder silently.  Dad graduated from St. Raphael’s. Did he get Josh out? Are they with this resistance?

              “It does,” Renner replies, “We intend to free them and destroy the holding dimension for good. You’ve got ten minutes to decide.  I’ll be just past that wall.” He gives Trin a long, lingering look that turns my vision red then walks back to where he hid his ship. 

Chapter Twenty-Six

Trin

              “I don’t see how we have any choice,” Collin is saying, throwing his arm toward where Renner disappeared moments earlier. 

              Logan is standing next to me, his legs spread slightly apart, arms crossed over his stomach, hand up twirling the hair of his beard, “Why should we believe him?” He snarls, “We don’t even know if what he said about Maddie or the resistance is true.  He asked that Agarthan woman how much she thought Trin was worth!”

              “But I’m not willing to risk it, Logan.” Collin says, “Maddie and I are going.”

              Maddie stares wide eyed at Collin and her eyes flash with pride.  I almost smile to see her so happy at a time like this, if Logan didn’t look so conflicted, “I don’t trust this guy” he says.

              “You don’t trust anyone” Zayn points out harshly.
What is it with him and Logan?

              “He’s one of them,” Logan contends, throwing up his arm. “They took everything away, they…” he gestures to me but stops as if he can’t find the words or can’t bear to say them.

              It hurts. Are the scars that ugly? I’m so used to being marked up that I forget they’re there, that my face looks like patchwork.  They are raised or puckered like my other scars. The skin where the bleaching and glitter is feels as smooth as the rest of my skin, the difference is all in the color and the strange twinkle, like someone tattooed me with permanent glitter.

              Shaking my head, I go up to him and touch his arm, “If they’re just as imperfect as we are, if they make mistakes just like we do, they
are
capable of remorse and change, just like us.  I believe Renner and I want to see my family.”

              My logic is sound and he shakes his head and sighs, “I guess I’m outvoted then.” He looks at all of us and his voice grows solemn, “Just remember, trust is earned.”

__#__

              The ship is much larger inside than I thought it would be.  The interior is bright white.  Eight seats line the wall and a central chair in the middle faces outwards toward a big translucent glass screen with symbols printed across it.  The only thing breaking up all the bright white is the constantly pulsating and fading dials all over the control panel, glowing in neon rainbow colors.  Renner greets us and gestures toward the seats, “Buckle up,” he says with a smirk, “it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

              Jaz’s eyes widen as Zayn eases her down into one of the seats.  As soon as she sits back, white fabric straps come out of the wall and, restraining her body, connect into invisible slots under her chair.  More straps wrap around her thighs and ankles. 

Jasmine looks like she’s about to panic and Logan shoots Renner a suspicious look, “Without those straps she’ll go bouncing around the ship when we hit orbit.” Renner explains, gesturing for the rest of us to sit down. 

              “Orbit?” I squeak, my palms are clammy and my throat is dry.

              Renner nods and grins at me, “I said it was far away.”

              “Oh God,” I say, sliding down into one of the chairs.  The fabric in the chair conforms to my body, like I’m sitting in gel, and the straps secure me comfortably in place.  I pat the seat next to me.

              “Wait,” Logan frowns, “How far away?” He takes an apprehensive step toward the seat I’m patting. 

              Renner shrugs, “Forty million miles, give or take a few thousand.”

              Jasmine starts whining.  Renner walks over to where she and Zayn are strapped in, “Try this,” he tells Zayn, touching his pinky finger to Jasmine’s right temple.  Her eyes roll back in her head and she immediately starts to snore. “You’re a healer, right?” Renner asked Zayn.

              “Um…what?” Zayn asks, looking confused.

              Renner just laughs, “Where we’re going they can train
you
how to sedate your patient with nothing more than your little finger.”

              “Where
are
we going?” Logan inquires.

              “I think we’re going to Mars.” I tell him, trying to inhale slowly through my nose and exhale through my mouth. 

As a child I went through a phase where I wanted to go to outer space because it was the farthest place I could get from Judge.  I wanted to be an astronaut but now with the reality of actually going to space looming before me I’m absolutely terrified and is that also exhilaration that I feel pulsing through my veins. 
We’re going into uncharted space in this tin can with a Renegade alien.