| Chapter 20

I expected motion sickness. Teleporting onto the ship pulled at my insides and I thought my stomach was in my face by the time my feet landed on a hard surface.

"Are you okay?" Vera's voice rang in my ears.

I rubbed my eyes as the room came into focus. The ship's interior wasn't what I thought it'd be, either. I expected lots of blacks, greys; anything out of every science fiction movie.

Instead, the walls were white, clean, and welcoming. Not terrifying at all.

"I'm okay." Looking down at my chest, I was still intact. My organs weren't protruding. There wasn't a single drop of blood.

Smiling, I lifted my head and looked at Vera. She looked great, too. "I'm cool," I added, nodding. "Alive."

"Good." Vera laughed, nodding. "Alive is good."

Vera came close, standing just inches from me. The way she smiled, the glow in her eyes, it was nice. I took in the moment.

Pressing a hand to my chest, she said, "Before we start moving, I want to say thank you."

The electricity returned. The warmth. The sparks and tingling sensations. But unlike before, I was able to ignore the feeling and focus on her. Her eyes. Her smile. Her beauty. I felt giddy from head to toe. "Thank me for what?"

"For—"

The sound of running feet came towards us. Our heads shot up as we looked back into a connecting hall. There was no darkness to hide the rushing shadows of Chicago's police.

Shades of blue and black hurried in our direction. Voices echoed in the air, but they were too far to hear clearly; too fast to make out the words.

I knew there wasn't time to wait and listen.

Grabbing Vera's hand, I yanked her to the side. Behind the pillars decorated with beautiful plants that smelled like heaven, we hid. Vera pressed her face against my chest to keep out of sight. And, unlike the rooftop, I held her to keep her safe, not to keep myself alive.

"Where are they?" one cop said to another as they reached the open room.

Five cops turned and faced each other. Two of them were the same officers who'd stopped by David's house that morning. Which only meant Holmes knew from the very beginning we had been at the fair after hours; he knew we weren't harmed or unaware of the metal falling from the Pylon's ship.

But why? Did he need someone else to blame?

"I don't know." An officer with a buzz cut spun in a circle. He kept one hand on his handgun, the other slid over the top of his head. "Holmes said they were here, didn't he? He's been tracking them. Knew they'd come up here and everything."

My hands slid up into Vera's hair.

Is he tracking me? Or her?

"Does it matter?" One of the officers scoffed. "He's been wrong before, sending us on these goose chases without a fuckin' end. If it hadn't been for Brylon, we'd—"

"Brylon?" Vera quickly tried to move from my arms, but I held her. She fought against me. "No, no, they said Brylon. And Brylon—"

"Isn't on your side," I hissed as I pulled her back against me. "If the cops know him then it isn't a good thing."

Vera's eyes softened. I saw tears. "Brylon? He's rough, mean, but he's always protected me. He made sure I was safe."

The cops stopped talking. Their breaths echoed. Noting the silence, I had no choice but to put my hand over Vera's mouth to keep her quiet.

"I heard something," a female officer said. She pulled a gun out from her holster and pointed it in our direction. "I think someone's here. You guys didn't hear that? I thought I heard voices."

"I think your mind is playing tricks on you," another officer laughed.

"Shh!" She tried to shush them. "If you just fucking listen—"

Down the hall came a voice. Loud and booming. "GET BACK HERE!"

Holmes! I know that voice anywhere...

"I NEED YOU HERE WITH ME!"

Holmes' voice echoed down the hall with such power, such malice, the officer who was just steps from us lowered her weapon. She did a slow turn towards her fellow officers, biting her lip. "Shit, what now?" she hissed.

"I don't know," one of the officers placed both of his hands on top of his head before slowly spinning in the direction of Holmes' voice. "I don't get paid enough for this."

"Same," his fellow officer said. "But this is over time, ain't it?"

"That's what he said." The female officer pocketed her weapon once more. "Let's just get this over with."

At the same time, three of the officers sighed and agreed, "You ain't gotta say that again."

As they left, I had to struggle with Vera. Her tears slide down her face and onto my hands.

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"No!"

Once the officers were gone, Vera jumped out of my arms. The floor beneath us shook, rumbling as the ship collided with another building. The two of us wobbled as we stood, struggling to keep balance.

That did nothing to Vera's emotions.

"Calm down." I tried everything in my power. I grabbed her. I tried to hold her. But she wasn't having it.

Hissing, she shook her head and pulled me away. "They think Brylon is bad. He isn't bad. He's my guardian. He's my—"

Placing both of my hands on her shoulders, I made her look at me. "Who was it that told you they couldn't find your father?"

Vera only blinked.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Let me guess."

"Brylon did!" Vera tried to look down the hall. "But Brylon did it to protect me. I was the one who ran out. I was the one who left the ship. If I hadn't left, if I stayed in my room, then, then—"

"Then maybe Holmes would have you, too!" I shook her. I didn't know any other response. I needed some way, somehow, to grab her attention. And if I had to give her a gentle shake to get her to bite her tongue, it was worth it. Right after, I pulled her into a tight hug and cupped her head with my hands. "Because you left, it meant you were safe. It meant he couldn't hurt you."

"I'm fine," Vera whimpered against my shoulder. With her words came moisture and I knew she was crying. "I'm fine. I'm alive. I'm—"

"Trying to save Earth." I pulled away from her an inch to remind her of the greater good we were doing. "You had asked me to make sure someone knew what was happening to your ship. You returned, because not only had pieces fallen, but the ship itself was going to crash. I'm here to help you, Vera. And I'm going to do all that you ask."

Vera's only reaction was to bite her lip. From her bright, yellow eyes fell the gentle stream of blue tears. With a finger, I brushed them off her cheek. "Vera..."

"If Brylon is doing awful things," she whispered, "then I need to find my dad."

"We can." I reached down and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

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The room we had entered may have been bright and welcoming, but as we hurried through the rest of the Pylon ship, the light became scarce. Darkness greeted us.

Nothing ever came good from the shadows.

I wanted to run from it, rather than greet it like an old friend; darkness and I were never on good terms. Reaching a fork within the hallways, I stopped, slowly turning my run into a walk. And Vera, listening to the air, spun in a slow circle. Not once did she let go of my hand.

"This way!" She turned and pulled me down the hall towards the far left. I skidded for a moment before I managed to follow her. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I tried to listen out for what she may have heard but I was sure a Pylon's hearing was a lot better than a measly human.

"Where are we going?" I asked her, biting my lip. "Do you know where your dad is?"

"Not really." Vera shook her head. "But I can feel Holmes' energy. Angry. Just hateful. It's why..."

"It's why you didn't trust him when we first met him?" That made sense. I remembered she was hesitant, silent. And after running with her, learning a little about her, being silent wasn't like her.

"This is the reason why Pylons started to leave Earth." Vera let me go and walked forward down the hall, listening still. "Humans give off an awful energy. Sometimes, so bad, wars happened." Shrugging, she looked back at me. "You think humans were the ones who started to claim world peace?"

"No," I whispered, thinking back on all the history I'd been taught. We, humans, were more 'thirst for blood' than 'make love, not war.' There was always one person who stepped up, sure. But did that one man or woman have a Pylon at their side, telling them what was right and wrong? Yes.

Looking at Vera, it made sense.

Is that what's happening right now?

Vera reached out and grabbed me, pulling me towards sounds I knew only she could hear.

Is she the 'right from wrong?'

"He's this way," she said. Before I could try to respond, she pressed her fingers to her lips, then mine. I nodded.

The halls were lined with many rooms and strangely enough, no Pylons. I wanted to ask Vera where they could've gone, but knowing the trouble brewing everywhere on the ship, the fact that they were scarce made sense. Maybe they were hiding? Maybe they were all in some area of the ship trying to keep their massive home in the air?

"What I need you to do is tell all of your brothers out there to land!" It was Holmes shouting, his voice echoing through the halls of this ship. This time, Vera didn't stop to listen. She ran. And I followed.

"Call them! Tell them you need their help so desperately!"

Vera reached the end of the hall, turning to slap her hand against a panel beside a tall, metal door. The lights around it reacted to her, and the lock was undone. The door came open, metal sliding upwards. Standing behind Vera, I was able to look into the cockpit of the ship. Computers lined the walls. Chairs were lined up in front of each one. While each pinged with power, awaiting commands, there were no Pylons in front of them. The only Pylon in the room was on the floor.

Captain Roderick.

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"Father!" Vera wanted to run forward but I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her back. She flailed in my arms. I knew she was trying to get to her father, but I looked at him, saw the wounds on his body. I couldn't help but think the worst.

I wouldn't say it. I had hope.

But that hope was blocked by the same police officers who'd tried to hunt for us earlier. They each came from the corners of the room we couldn't see. When they faced us, they pointed their weapons in our direction. They were the protective wall for Holmes who moved back into sight, standing behind them.

Holmes knelt and grabbed Vera's father by his hair, lifting half of his body up off the floor. "Look who is here, Roderick. Looks like your next in line has come to save you, hm?"

Vera tugged at my arms once more when her father's eyes fluttered open. He looked at her, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes before sliding down his face. Unlike Vera's, the light in his eyes was flickering, unsteady. Just like the hand he lifted.

"Vera..." he struggled to speak. The sound of his voice shattered my heart. And Vera's, I knew it in the cry that left her. No words. Just a strangled scream, as though life left her soul.

"Aw, looks like she's given up." Holmes dropped the captain's head as he stood. He moved in between his officers, standing just feet in front of us. "Didn't think you would give up so soon. If you managed to break out of my personal cell, I figured you had some fight in you. But that?" He pointed at us. "What I just heard from you is weakness."

"Fuck you," Vera hissed. Tears had fallen from her eyes and hit my hand. I gave her one more hard tug before moving her behind me. Even still, she leaned against my shoulder and pointed at Holmes. "All of this for Sapphire? You're fucking ridiculous."

Vera was right.

Extending my arms, I kept my stance, keeping her behind me. I looked Holmes dead in the eye as he smiled.

"I'm ridiculous?" Holmes laughed, shaking his head. "What I'm doing is perfect. I right wrongs but keep what's right."

"And what is right?" I stared at the barrels of each gun pointed in our direction. I just knew the cops could shoot at any second. All Holmes would have to do is snap his finger, right? Make them kill us. "What's attacking the Pylons going to do for you? Get you the drug?"

"It's more than the drug." I hadn't noticed, but Holmes had a gun in his hands, too. The handle of it was red and dirty. Blood. Violence.

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. "It's juice, I know," I said, glaring at him. "A magical fucking juice."

"Oh, oh, oh." Holmes moved even closer, pointing his weapon at us, too. "I don't care what you believe it is, just know we humans need it more than they do. It's the only good they've done for us—Sapphire. After tonight, we'll never have to deal with them again."

"Why?" Vera shouted behind me, pushing herself into my back to try and get through. "What have we ever done to you? What has a Pylon ever done to a human to make them hate them so bad!"

"Everything child." Holmes shot a bullet at our feet, and I jumped back, keeping Vera at a safe distance. "All your kind does is take and destroy. Why were humans coached to say anything different? Hm?" He tapped his gun against his head once again. "Was it fear? Well, I'm a human who carries no fear, that emotion died long ago."

I watched his lips lift into a sinister smile. "And like you, Gus," he added, winking at me, "I have my father to thank for it. Well, your father gave you fear. Mine, on the other hand, ripped it from my very core."

Behind Holmes, I watched Vera's father roll onto his stomach. He struggled, trying his absolute hardest to stand. But in doing so, he made noise.

The city official snapped his head around and rushed towards the captain. With his gun pressed against the Pylon's face, he shouted, "Make the call! Tell them you need assistance!"

"I... I have..." the Pylon croaked. "I've... told them..."

"No," I heard the fear in Vera's voice. "Is that why they're here?"

"Oh, they assumed they are here to assist, child. But little do they know, breaking through our atmosphere without proper notification isn't a peaceful sign."

My heart dropped. I'd seen this movie, too. Aliens breaking through the clouds, seemingly calm and friendly. But Earth's natural reaction would be to attack, to fight.

"Humans give off an awful energy, sometimes."

The fingers on each of the officer's hands lifted, landing gently on the triggers of their gun. Two remained emotionless, while two looked away. Their eyes closed; mouths tensed.

"So bad, wars happened."

Turning around, I grabbed Vera and tried to hold her back. What I tried to protect her from, I knew she saw coming, because rather than fight me, she grabbed me. With one push, the two of us hit the side wall and crashed to the floor, just as the bullets fired.

Metal ricocheted. The walls clinked on impact, rather than break. I squeezed my eyes shut, listening to Holmes sudden laughter, the cackling noise swallowing the echoed sounds of bullets crashing to the floor.

"You Pylons will submit to me! As I spent my life submitting to your insolence, your fucking presence, you will bow to me and give me what I ask for!"

Looking up, I saw Holmes shift to the side and point his weapon back at Vera's father. With gritted teeth, he continued, "You come in here, ready to attack me. You assume that it is just me, that one man is doing this on his own? Hm? You're both clueless to the truth! One man cannot tear down an entire species!"

From the ship's window, I could see the other ship's outside. One of them glowed bright, as though powering up. And it took a second for me to realize, there were loud voices down below, too? Microphones? Megaphones? A human warning.

"You cannot attack us! You are to stand down!"

Fuck. Did the city respond this fast?

Holmes grinned, shaking his head. I could see his glance move past us. "This is not a one-man job. None of us go down alone with this ship."

"Oh, but I do."

My ears perked up at the sound of a voice I recognized. Of the Pylon who picked Vera up that afternoon and took her from me; the one who protected his captain on television.

Still holding her, I looked up to see Brylon, her personal guard, walk in our direction. Vera was relieved to see him, I could hear her smile. But the look in his eyes wasn't something to smile about.

"I will go down with this ship," he said as he looked at the two of us, "because it never left when it was supposed to."