Terran Knights: Chapter 22

“With the recovery efforts continuing the death toll is rising to an unprecedented thirty in what is being called the 51st attacks.”

“There has been footage everywhere of these things. These armored people and these robots causing havoc and terror in the streets. It was dismissed as misunderstandings or hoaxes. No real proof. But after last night the proof is there. And so is the very real danger we are in.”

“We don’t know what kind of danger they pose to us. From what we’re looking at right now they are clearly fighting that thing. Look right there. The red one is protecting and trying to save those people.”

“Yes but if you keep watching you can see the purple one causing a collapse. Some of the damage caused is their fault. If anything, how do we know that they aren’t the reason that that thing is here in the first place?”

“Whatever that reason it seems that one of them was also killed in the fighting. As a warning to you all this footage is in fact graphic.”

The TV turned off and Ben blinked at the sudden silence. He didn’t look over his shoulder, just stared at the black TV. “There he is. Didn’t hear you get in last night.”

“Yeah. It was a late night. Not on purpose.”

“You could have let me know Cal,” he turned ready to say more but paused. He looked at Cal and frowned hard. Cal’s face was bruised, his eyes red, and clutching a blanket around himself. But despite that Ben could see more bruises on the pieces of his chest and shoulders visible.

He stood up and walked over to him reaching for the blanket. Cal tried to shirk away but winced in the process and Ben came close enough to pull it off. His chest was riddled with bruises, cuts, and gashes. “Jesus Christ Cal what happened to you?”

Cal groaned and shook his head limping forward and collapsed on the couch and groaned. He tried to think, tried to find the words but at the end of it all he just couldn’t and shut his eyes tightly. Ben worked his way back around the couch to crouch in front of him.

“Cal. You get home late. Beyond late. And now you’re beat the hell up. What happened to you last night?”

Cal shook his head again though. “I don’t know how to tell you. I don’t know how to tell you without you maybe getting hurt. And I refuse to let that happen you hear me? I refuse to risk you getting hurt because of this.”

“Cal you’re starting to scare me. I know something’s going. I’ve know for a little while. Please tell me what is it. I’ll listen just talk to me.”

“I didn’t know him you know,” Cal said softly and looked at Ben but he wasn’t looking at him. Not really. “I didn’t know the guy. Not really. We met like a week ago. He was loud and confident. I think he wanted to do good things. Really good things. Save the world.”

Cal laughed hollowly and Ben moved to sit beside his boyfriend. “And we were doing good. We were fighting the good fight. But now he’s dead. He’s dead and we’re here. He died for us and we couldn’t even do anything worth a damn. And here I am just talking about this stuff and you don’t even know what I’m talking about.”

Ben was at a loss for words because Cal was right, he had no idea what he was saying but he could feel the desperation and emotion in him. “No I don’t but I can see you’re hurting,” Ben wrapped his arms around him slowly and Cal rested his head against Ben’s chest shaking.

“The party a week ago. Me and a few others got sucked into I don’t even know what to call it. A battle to save the earth from evil robot AI things. All the stuff on the TV has been real. And those people fighting, the people in the armor, that’s been me and them.”

“What?” Ben blinked slowly and Cal nodded. “So that’s where these bruises are from? From last night? From that?” he asked motioning to the TV.

“Yeah. We were out of our depth,” Cal said looking at Ben’s lap. “And we paid for it. I don’t know what I thought when I got brought into this with them. Why I was chosen from literally everyone else. I’m not a fighter. I’m not a super hero.”

“No you aren’t,” Ben said smoothing his fingers through her hair slowly. “But you’re good. And you have a kind heart. You’ve been going out there and risking your life to protect the planet. Which is still a strange and scary concept. I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet.”

“You and me both,” he laughed softly. “I wanted to know more about the universe and now here I am wishing I could go back to just speculating. Not knowing about all of this.”

“You and the other three were chosen right?”

“Four. Were four. But yeah. At least that’s what we know.”

“Then you guys have a job to protect us.”

“That’s what’s keeping me going,” he sat up and looked at him. “I don’t want to lose you to the Taq-Law or to me dying.”

“I don’t want you to die either. I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Yeah. Me too,” he frowned and shook his head. “I should check on Sarah. She and him were dating and they seemed really close.”

“Not now. You need a bath. And some pain killers. And sleep. Proper sleep,” Ben said stroking his cheek and gently touched a bruise that was purpling on his jaw. Cal winced slightly and nodded. “I didn’t even know you could take a punch.”

“The helmet helps. And having a sword.”

“You have a sword?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty cool.”

“Some couples deal with infidelity. They have counselors for that. But my boyfriend has to be the type of man to go out and save the world.”

Cal frowned, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I might brag about you at work.”

Ben stood up slowly and took Cal’s hands helping him to his feet. Holding him they walked one step at a time to the bathroom, Cal holding onto him just as tightly. Cal’s voice shook slightly as he asked, “What would I do without you?”

“You won’t have to find out.”