Terran Knights: Chapter 10

Cal woke up into the darkness again. He’d been here before, the night of the party. The same darkness that felt like being inside a concert hall or outside in a stadium. Insulated stale air mixed with fresh air. It was equally refreshing and stifling in a way that he couldn’t actually process.

As he continued to walk the mist rolled in, covering his feet and lower legs almost entirely. It was cool against his skin but not moist. It was actually very dry like under a hand dryer. Looking toward the sky he watched the inky blackness above him not move an inch. Just sucking light away.

How could he have gone through what he did without it all being real. He could still feel the suit of armor on his body like a second skin. The sword that he had crafted out of just the air and some new instinct that guided him through the process. Outer space, aliens, all of it was real and he couldn’t figure out how to process it otherwise.

After they took the thing down, whatever the armor had protected them had faded away from the pair of them. Disappearing down into the stones that had suddenly materialized in their hands. They escaped the chaos of the mall and ran their way back to her place because it was closet.

They didn’t even know how to talk about what just happened. Where to begin. How to explain it. So, they just ignored it. They just pretended it didn’t happen and hung out, ate dinner and then dozed off. He let Ben know that he was going to be late and before they knew it they had both crashed entirely.

And now here he was back in this dark place.  As he walked he felt a weight in his hand where there wasn’t one before. Looking down he opened his fingers and there it was. The glowing pink stone rolling around in his palm. His foot caught as he walked forward and realized he had arrived at the podium.

The light ascended up from the podium covering him in the pink glow and unlike before it was warm and welcoming. Not only that but he could see his own body. Just like before one by one the other pillars illuminated around him and he saw the others. He saw Kathryn there equally surprised as he was. And so were the other three but none of them were people who looked familiar in anyway.

“We’re all back here again,” Seth said folding his arms inside the purple light and teasing the stone through his fingers. “Glad to put some faces to the voices.”

“Wait so all of you have one of these?” Kathryn asked holding up her blue stone.

One by one they produced the stones and once they were in the beams of light the stones glowed to life brighter than before.  Jack held his up to letting it gleam in every direction.

“Stop showing off,” Sarah said shaking her head but she was equally enamored with her stone’s new light.

“Oh come. You saw what we did to that Taktak or whatever it was called. It was awesome and we’re awesome. Why shouldn’t I want to show off?”

“I’m glad that you all have enjoyed your new abilities. But your enemy is called the Taq-Law,” The five of them stared at the middle of the room as the celestial appeared again turning to look at each of them one by one. “I must say. I was impressed by your exploits. I did not expect each of you to come to your abilities so quickly.”

“What can I say? We must be naturals.” Jack folded his arms and his grin just widened.

“Is he always so humble?” Seth asked looking toward Sarah who just shrugged.

“He’s a special case,” she replied and then turned back to the celestial. “So you weren’t kidding. The Taq-Law really are coming to destroy our planet?”

“Indeed they are. The ones that you’ve dealt with are only scouts. The true danger has yet to come.”

Kathryn paled slightly, “Those things were only scouts. But they caused so much damage.”

“Quite. You managed to deal with them well but you will need to work together to defeat the them at large. You will find that together you are much more capable.”

“Work together? I don’t even know who you guys are,” Seth held his hands in front of him. “Thanks but no thanks.”

“Feelings kinda mutual?” Cal looked at each of them and tried to give a friendly smile. “But we could introduce ourselves. I’m Calvin, Cal usually.”

“I’m Sarah,” she smoothed back her hair and smiled.

“Jack,” blasting finger guns his grin somehow got even bigger.

“I’m Kathryn,” she bowed her head slightly.

Looking at each of them with skepticism he finally conceded. “Seth.”

“Seth, Calvin, Sarah, Kathryn, and Jack,” the Celestial said slowly and chuckled. “I believe it would be good for you all to meet with one another. A good team must learn to work together.”

“Okay I know Seth wasn’t hot about working together but I’m not hot on meeting with strangers,” Cal held his hands up shaking his head.

“We’re already kinda ‘sleeping’ together aren’t we?” Jack shrugged and that earned him a look from every one and he smiled. “We’ve met twice in our dreams. Gotta be asleep for that.”

“Please stop talking babe,” she reached out toward him and shook her head.

“If you do not wish to journey here,” the celestial said. “Simply conceal the stone while you sleep.”

“Considering all of this stuff happened in the city we probably all live here. I think we could find a nice public meeting place. Just to talk?” Sarah suggested. “I promise to make sure that Jack stops being himself for like an hour.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I can only do that much,” she said sighing.

Cal looked over at Kathryn and she was frowning but met his eyes. He shrugged, “I can do that much.”

“Me too I guess,” she replied nodding.

“Fine,” Seth sighed pressing his hand to his head. “There’s a coffee shop on Jefferson. Called Mulaney’s. Kinda lowkey. Good pastries. We can meet there around like six.”

“I’m a big fan of pastries,” Jack raised his finger.

“I bet you are,” Seth muttered and looked toward the celestial. “So how the hell do we get out of here?” As if to answer him their lights ticked off at once.