‘And now?’ Aurora asked, her eyes tearing up as she already knew the answer in her heart.
‘Now, I —’ He stopped to consider his answer and found that he could not answer without hurting her.
She was his perfect match and he knew it. Her independent, classy, cyber-punk style had been a turn-off for him once. She was loud, proud and smart. But he’d grown to love her stocky fit form, her short bleached hair, her leather gear and vibrant make-up. He’d really miss her no-shit approach to life and love — she was one in a million so far as women were concerned — yet, the truth was, he needed to be single to pursue the things he most desired.
‘That’s what I thought.’ Aurora sucked back her emotions and cooled again. ‘I’ve called my brother and he’s coming to get me.’ She dragged her overloaded bag from the bed and although Zeven knew better than to offer her assistance, he did and got his head bitten off.
‘I’ll do it myself, thanks.’ She dragged everything to the front door and dumped it.
Zeven headed for the kitchen to make himself a drink.
‘Yes, thanks,’ Aurora ordered one over the bench and Zeven obliged, handing the shot glass to her.
‘I’m sorry how things turned out.’ Zeven didn’t want to part on bad terms. ‘I really didn’t know how much I wanted to go, until I stayed.’
Aurora waved off his apology, drank her shot and forced a smile. ‘It was never going to be as fun without Kalayna anyway.’
‘It was still pretty fun,’ Zeven conceded.
‘But Kalayna’s betrayal confused everything and then her death …’ Aurora took a deep breath, ‘was difficult on us too.’
‘It was real good fun while it lasted though,’ Zeven agreed, his heart filling with yearning for those happier times.
‘Neither you nor I were cut out for normal planet life,’ Aurora stated honestly. ‘I quit my embassy job, it bores me to tears.’
‘What will you do?’ Zeven was surprised; she’d assured him that she liked their life here.
She shrugged. ‘The only good thing about living on Sermetica was you, really, and you’re never here, so …’ Aurora shrugged again. ‘Maybe I’ll head back to Frujia and check out a bit of that island lifestyle for a while.’
Zeven nodded in accord with her, he didn’t know what else to say.
‘Just promise me that you won’t try to find them,’ Rory added, knowing the subject of seeking AMIE was a touchy one for him.
He could find them with a thought if he wished it, at least he suspected he could. Zeven hadn’t actually ventured to try to teleport himself to AMIE, as where he would find them, or if indeed they were still in existence, remained a mystery.
‘I know I am the only thing that has been stopping you from going there,’ Aurora pushed when Zeven did not commit.
‘You … and the fact that I might die!’ he added, to comfort her without making any promises.
‘You’re a fool if you do it,’ Aurora pointed out.
‘Don’t you wonder what happened to our planet,’ Zeven queried, repressing his annoyance, ‘to AMIE and the captain?’
‘Of course I do!’ Aurora barked back. ‘But I’m not prepared to sacrifice my life to find out.’
‘That’s where you and I differ.’
‘Kill yourself then!’ Aurora slammed down her glass. ‘I am beyond worrying about you any more.’ She moved to the door, pulled on her shoulder bags and then grabbed hold of her larger bag.
Zeven did her a favour and opened the door for her.
‘See ya, Starman, it’s been a blast.’ She kissed him passionately in parting and then left before she burst into tears.
‘Bye,’ Zeven muttered, numbed by the sadness of the moment. There went the girl of his dreams; he knew that he loved her and that he missed her already, yet they couldn’t make it work? Why?
‘My bad.’ He held up his hand to confess to himself.
He just couldn’t stop himself wondering where Lucian and Taren were now. What he’d be doing right now, if he were with them.
‘I’d probably be missing Rory,’ he answered himself, as he watched the lift doors close behind her. ‘Idiot!’
Zeven thought that securing his freedom would have simplified his life, but it only confused him. He’d never wanted to work for the secret service and now that he had the opportunity to advance further up the ranks, it was not sitting well with him at all. He hated life without Rory already, which seemed to indicate she had not been the problem. He was his problem and he knew it! What he needed was the serious advice of someone he trusted and Zeven knew exactly where to seek it.
AMIE’s former medical officer, Dr Kassa Madri, was in the process of setting up a practice in Heavensgate. She had begun working out of the residence that she and her partner, Leal, were occupying. Leal Polson had been Zeven’s co-pilot, navigator and best friend during his time with AMIE and Zeven had learnt to trust him implicitly. Leal had found work running joy flights over the city and had recently proposed to Dr Madri — they planned to wed within the year. Kassa may have been quite a bit older than Leal, but she was still a very beautiful woman whose affections Leal had secretly been pursuing for years, so Zeven was glad that at least they’d got their happy ending.
It was Kassa who opened the door and, thrilled to see the young pilot, she threw her arms around him and gave him a huge squeeze. ‘It’s so good to see you.’ She let him go to invite him in. ‘Where is Aurora?’
‘We split up,’ he said with a wince, and headed inside.
‘Already?’ Kassa was stunned, as she closed the door behind him. ‘It’s only been a month.’
‘My heart isn’t here,’ Zeven said by way of an explanation.
‘But you love Aurora?’ Kassa was confused.
‘Strange, I know.’ Zeven agreed with a shrug. ‘Where is Leal?’
‘He’s working today …’ she said, absorbed in deducing the real reason behind Zeven’s visit and then she gasped, startling Zeven. ‘You’re not thinking about going after AMIE,’ she said in a lecturing tone.
Zeven threw both his hands up, he couldn’t lie to a telepath — and both Leal and Kassa were telepaths, that’s why he’d come to them.
‘We’ve had no word from AMIE,’ Kassa pointed out, ‘you don’t know what’s happened —’
‘That’s the whole point!’ Zeven cried. ‘That question is driving me to distraction! It’s destroying my life!’
‘Okay,’ Kassa got the picture and held out both hands to urge him to calm and take a seat.
‘I mean —’ Zeven was seated and back to a composed state, ‘— if something bothers you that much, are you not compelled to do something about it?’
Kassa nodded, as it was true to a point. ‘But then not many people are as insanely heroic as you are.’
Zeven gave a laugh. ‘Granted, I’m a bit of a risk taker —’
‘Ha!’ Kassa thought this a huge understatement.
‘— but, if I don’t find out what happened, who else will?’ Zeven asked.
Kassa was one of the few who knew what Zeven, as a psychic, was capable of. His psychokinetic and teleportation capabilities were unique to the royal line of the Phemorians, which seemed to indicate he was a bastard prince of that royal and highly psychic line, and one of only a handful of living beings who possessed such a talent.
‘Zeven …’ Kassa hesitated to second his view, ‘… you’re looking for someone to give you permission to go, and there is not a soul in this universe who has the authority to do that … only you.’
Zeven took a deep breath to curb the rising anger of being read like a book, knowing that was why he’d come here — to find out if he was contemplating the insane.
‘But if you want my opinion,’ Kassa leant forward, ‘I agree with Aurora — you’re a fool if you attempt it.’
His frown deepened as he realised Kassa had probed a little more of his memory than he would have liked.
‘I cannot help what I see … your
thoughts are racing all over the place.’ She explained the extent of what she had perceived.
‘I know!’ Zeven stood. ‘I have no peace! At least if I try, I would finally have some peace whether I live or die.’
Kassa shook her head in sympathy with his inner turmoil. ‘There is still so much we don’t know about space, so many uncertainties that I —’
‘I know.’ Zeven held up a hand to prevent her becoming distraught. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stress you out. It was a bad idea,’ he said. ‘I just needed to air it with someone, and now I have, I shall go.’
‘Come back for dinner?’ Kassa was quick to get a follow-up appointment. ‘Leal will be so disappointed that he missed you.’
‘Not tonight,’ Zeven declined, ‘but soon,’ he assured as he approached and kissed her farewell.
‘Please don’t do it.’ Kassa grabbed both his hands and her appeal was so heartfelt her voice went husky.
‘I won’t,’ he told her surely.
They both knew he was lying.
There was only one other person Zeven really wanted to see before he left this universe, and possibly this life, and that was the other survivor of the AMIE debacle, Ringbalin Malachi.
In the cluster of floating cities that was Sermetica’s capital of Heavensgate, there was a city known as Heavens-gardens and as a botanist and horticulturist who had graduated from Heavens-gardens University, Ringbalin had naturally sought employment there.
Like all the cities in Heavensgate, Heavens-gardens was a floating city unto itself, positioned higher up in the hemisphere of the desert planet where the living conditions were cooler. You reached the gardens by shuttle from any of the main cities and Zeven, having never visited there himself, admired the layout on approach.
There was one huge, domed central island that was circular in shape and eight walkways branched out from around it to other islands that were open to the sky, each of which appeared to have a different purpose. Some were for harvesting, other islands were for pleasure and others for experimentation and scientific study. Only one of the outlying platforms was enclosed, as this was where Heavens-garden’s port, shops, offices and apartments were located.
‘Ringbalin heaven,’ Zeven uttered as he observed the setup.
Once he’d disembarked, Zeven fed Ringbalin’s address to a taxi driver, whose hover-cab deposited him in front of the Heavens-gardens staff apartments.
Zeven inquired at the front desk after Ringbalin’s whereabouts and the receptionist there advised that he was not in the building at this time and that she would have him paged.
As Zeven took a seat to await the arrival of the botanist, he was painfully aware that at the present moment he should be reporting to President Anselm for a mission briefing. ‘Yep, I’m officially AWOL,’ he muttered to himself, as he checked his watch.
‘Hey, plant whisperer …’ The receptionist greeted Ringbalin warmly as he entered through the front doors and then nodded towards Zeven. ‘Who is your handsome friend?’ She grinned amicably, hoping for a formal introduction.
But when Ringbalin turned and spied Zeven sitting there, he was too stunned to oblige. ‘Starman?’ Balin was excited to see him and as he approached he turned back to the receptionist to warn: ‘Stay away from this guy, nothing but trouble.’
‘Aw,’ she whined, disappointed, and Zeven was flattered as she was young and beautiful and it seemed an age since anyone had pursued him and not vice versa.
‘He’s right,’ Zeven confessed to her as he reached out to shake Ringbalin’s hand. ‘I’m nothing but trouble.’ His sights turned to the botanist, who appeared as scruffy and filthy as ever.
‘So, what trouble have you brought my way today?’ Ringbalin joked, as he shook Zeven’s hand.
They were such unlikely friends, but during the last month that they had spent aboard AMIE, they had saved each other’s lives countless times, shared many secrets and a firm bond had formed between them. Ringbalin had ‘the Powers’ too; he was a telepathic sympathetic, which meant he could convey his feelings to others through touch and sometimes sheer will — his hatred could kill and his love could cure just about anything in the natural world — which was why he was such a fantastic horticulturist and botanist.
Even as they shook hands, Zeven could feel Ringbalin’s goodwill and excitement pouring into his body, and when the botanist embraced him, the happiness was overwhelming.
‘Surprisingly enough I’ve really missed you,’ Balin said, letting Zeven go to hold him at arm’s length.
‘Really?’ Zeven was actually surprised by how deep their friendship had become and he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
‘I haven’t had anyone to hassle me about my love life … not that I have one at present,’ Balin jested.
‘Me either,’ Zeven concurred, to Ringbalin’s surprise and the receptionist’s great delight and frustration.
‘A crying shame on both accounts.’ She grinned. ‘If you don’t mind my saying so.’
‘We don’t,’ Zeven answered on both their behalves.
Ringbalin was still recovering from losing the love of his life, who’d been a Phemorian spy shot down by her own people before Ringbalin’s eyes. Hence, he was still awkward around women, who were constantly coming on to him because of the lovely energy he exuded. Zeven used to wonder what women saw in the quiet, small-framed gardener-cum-scientist — who appeared more like a boy than a man — but adore him they did. Zeven had yet to meet a woman who wasn’t instantly attracted to Ringbalin; even lesbians went gooey in his presence! Now Zeven was no slouch in the looks department either; he appeared every bit the young, fit, rebellious pilot-cum-secret agent that he was. Admittedly, he was a little shorter than most men, as was Ringbalin, but he had all the muscle power his buddy lacked. Balin had straight, shoulder-length blond hair, where Zeven’s hair was dark. Zeven was naturally heroic, Balin was sensitive, and having spent some time with the botanist Zeven had learnt a lot about how best to relate to the fairer sex.
But it was only now, as they were strolling through the gardens chatting, that Zeven noticed what a stir with the ladies they were creating — there was not a woman who passed them that didn’t take a second glance and smile.
‘We should definitely go clubbing some time.’ Zeven grinned as yet another gaggle of females passed them by, waving and smiling in invitation.
‘You haven’t changed one bit, have you?’ Ringbalin shook his head and grinned. ‘You’ve just ruined a perfectly great relationship and you are already fishing to destroy some other poor girl’s heart.’
‘Hey, Aurora left me,’ Zeven pointed out, as they came to a stop in front of a large circular premises, nestled in among the gardens. ‘I’m the heartbroken one in this scenario.’
‘Rory loves you, and I know you love her, so …’ Ringbalin punched a code into the lock pad and the door opened, ‘you must have done something to screw it up.’
‘I want to go after AMIE,’ Zeven blurted as the door closed, and Ringbalin was a little lost for words. ‘Everyone thinks I’m nuts to try …’ Zeven stood staring at Balin in expectant silence.
‘Are you asking me my opinion?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, I’d like your opinion,’ Zeven encouraged, as Ringbalin turned and headed into a large lab, where many of his bonsai bio-domes in different sizes and shapes sat in various places and stages of construction. Each dome contained different species of bonsai plants and trees at various stages of development. Some of the bio-domes were being bombarded by sunlight, others had their own tiny storms brewing inside, which rained water down onto the tiny gardens. Balin had found a market on this desert planet for his little bio-domes as no one could get anything to grow here.
‘While the love of your life is still living, why risk your life?’ Ringbalin said at last, as he sat on a stool by one of the work benches. ‘Or is it that you have become so addicted to risking your life, that even secret service missions can’t satisfy your craving for da
nger any more?’
Zeven tucked his head to one side to think about that. ‘Could be … but I think the truth is, I just miss AMIE and want to know what happened to her, the captain and Taren.’
Ringbalin hung his head and took a deep breath. ‘I have also regretted not staying on board and going with them.’
‘Really?’ Zeven was thrilled to hear this. ‘Then you understand where I am coming from?’
Balin nodded and looked to Zeven. ‘At the time, I felt I should leave and see to Ayliscia’s funeral, but now I think that no matter what had become of me, I would have been happier than I am now.’
‘Yes.’ Zeven slapped his hands together. ‘That’s exactly right.’
‘But —’ Ringbalin held high a finger, ‘— had Ayliscia still been alive, I would surely have stayed to ensure her safety and I would at this moment be in her arms, thanking the universe for my good fortune.’
Zeven winced, as he was brought back down to Earth. ‘So you think that in the scenario of love versus your destiny, you would choose love?’
‘Is it your destiny to hunt AMIE down?’ Ringbalin queried.
‘If it’s not my destiny then why can’t I just be happy with what I have here?’ Zeven was perplexed. ‘Why would I have been given this Power, if I was not meant to use it? And why do our higher selves all hang out together, if we are not supposed to look out for one another?’ Zeven wasn’t a very spiritual bloke but he knew that truth must have some relevance in the great scheme of things.
‘The Grigori,’ Ringbalin uttered, to acknowledge what he meant.
‘What happened to them?’ Zeven wondered out loud. ‘It seems to me that they disappeared around the same time Lucian and Taren did.’
‘Not that we’d know,’ Ringbalin pointed out, ‘as Lucian was the only one who could see them … in a conscious state,’ he added, as he had met the Grigori himself while he was in a mild coma — three celestial beings who appeared remarkably like Zeven, Lucian and himself.
‘Well my higher soul-mind, or whatever you’d call it, stopped possessing my form and whisking me about willy-nilly, after AMIE left; I haven’t had an episode with it since,’ Zeven stated, annoyed, and he was even more irritated when Ringbalin started to chuckle. ‘What is so amusing?’