(Play the beautiful soundtrack video...)

Day Seventeen ∞ Sunday afternoon

"THIS IS A PICTURE of my chromosomes. Humans have twenty-three pairs."

Atlas sat on his bag on the slope behind him and eyed her. "Chromosomes? I don't know shit about DNA, chromosomes, or any of this." He looked at the back of the print, then turned it over again. "But this is more than twenty-three."

"I have nineteen extra."

He stared at her, then at the print.

"I am a host—an Ark—for a species of cat. I was born with it. As each healthy member of our populace were. This was... an important measure taken to ensure the survival of the gene pool of our animal kingdom. But—"

"Cat? You're a cat? We found black cat hairs in the back of the truck"—Atlas glanced at Danny—"identified as belonging to a jaguar that killed the cougar. You know what?" His jaw clenched as he shook his head. "I ju-just don't want to know... Fucking animal-people-hybrid whatever... You're just weird," he muttered.

"I know not... how it is."

Mickmi pulled at her shirt collar to look at her right shoulder, and Atlas followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing. The four parallel slash marks were dull on her skin.

"I remember... riding the back of the truck when Daniel found me. I remember... fighting the cougar. But Daniel says I was asleep in his guest room." She drew a deep breath. "I fear... this is some thing I can not control... when it expresses itself. If it does—if you see something is wrong with—"

Atlas looked up from the print. "Are you still talking? So what, you're a fucking dog now?" There was an exasperated note in his voice. "I don't – want – to know." He shoved the print back at her.

"Cat!" Danny jumped up and strode to Mickmi's side, glaring at Atlas. "She said cat, man. Why the—"

"Daniel." Mickmi's voice was soft, diffusing Danny's indignation, and when Danny met her gaze, she lowered hers with just a slight shift. It struck him as odd, so unlike her, but he didn't get to dwell on it as she returned to Atlas, "Dogs are of equal importance in the animal kingdom."

"Yeah." Atlas snorted. "That'll save you... They'll force feed you puppy chow, and make you breed with a German Shepherd."

"They'll what?" Danny stared at him in disbelief. "How can you even—"

Atlas swung his head toward him. "Doesn't matter—dog, cat, fish... They'll unfuck her in ways you can't possibly imagine." Atlas looked sideways at Mickmi. "Maybe you should go back to your dying planet and die, princess. And you"—he stood up, targeting his eyes at Danny—"shut – the – fuck – up." He paced away from them and halted, his back turned.

Danny swallowed the rest of his sentence and looked at Mickmi. She was staring at the distant ground, a furrow between her brows.

Mi... Don't listen to him, he's just rambling.

She met his gaze, her eyes dark, and he felt her—she was saddened by Atlas's brutal words.

Mickmi...

"I am prepared," she said, turning to Atlas, "to be sampled... tested... if that is what they wish of me." Her voice was tight.

No, Mickmi...

"I shall not be experimented on." She put the print back in her bag.

Atlas strode back to her. "They won't give you that choice so you'd better pray to whatever god you believe in. We won't have much room to negotiate. Is there anything else—not weird—I should know about you people?"

She drew a deep breath, meeting Danny's gaze. "I can hear Daniel think," she said.

Danny shook his head slowly at her in disappointment. Why did you have to...? That's private. But he knew the answer. Atlas needed to know everything. Anything that could help him help her.

Atlas threw up a hand, "Of course you do. Why wouldn't you?" He looked from her to Danny.

"Only him I hear. But I sense people. I read what I sense."

Nodding, Atlas lifted a finger at her. "And what about that thing around your neck? I saw it light up."

"My I.A. sinnesband. It is a monitor, sensor, communicator, navigator, protector, repeller, augmenter... It can augment my skills, just as L'or Aug augments hers to affect multiple persons at once. It can... create a protective shield around me... and communicate with my vessel. Among other things."

"They'll want to study that. Is it a weapon?"

"It is a tool—it depends on how it is used. It can disable anything electrical, anything sending signals. As I did to your surveillance in the beginning."

Atlas lifted a brow. "So that was you, and not the Aumega?"

"Correct." She pulled the scarf from her neck and tilted her head. "Touch it."

Atlas stepped closer to reach her collar, withdrew his hand, and looked at his fingers as he rubbed them against his thumb. "That feels like static electricity."

"It can also repel."

"Whoa!" Danny stumbled backward as something invisible impacted him on his chest and threw Atlas off his feet. Atlas landed with a grunt on his back on a clump of dried brush, stirring up dust.

"That was low range, low impact," Mickmi said, her voice still soft.

Atlas pushed himself off the ground, coughing a dry chuckle. "I guess I had that coming. What's—"

"Damn right you did," Danny muttered.

"—its accurate versus effective range?" Atlas brushed himself off as he threw Danny a long glance.

"Depends on its accumulated energy... Right now, twenty, thirty meters. Omnidirectional twenty, or partial thirty in directed arcs."

"So you don't know... Faaantastic. Well, you better figure it out. These people you're about to meet, answer to no one. Their security clearance and pay grade supersede even the President's. In their minds, we're already dead. So... I don't want you to say anything. Don't move, don't even breathe wrong. And whatever you do, don't use that fucking choker."

What, not even the President has a say? Danny's heart sank. Who are these people? He turned to Mickmi as she nodded.

"I understand," she said and paused, focusing inwards. "I have turned off its perceptible functions."

"Wait," Danny said, "you can't turn off your protective shield. You'll need that."

"She can't use it." Atlas shook his head. "Using it will alert them to the fact that she possesses something powerful. Something powerful means... she's a threat—and a threat... will – be – eliminated. We'll use conventional means and whatever we have to bargain with. Use it only in last resort, princess, if you need to defend yourself and I'm not there to protect you."

Mickmi nodded. "I have it set to mental activation."

"On the other hand... that's something we can negotiate with." Atlas raised the binoculars again. "What about your ship?" he asked after a while. "Does it have weapons?"

"Nay. It is a civilian vessel, as all our vessels were. It has its own shield."

He side-glanced at her. "No weapons? What, all it has is a shield to protect you in the event of an attack?"

"It can reflect, deflect, or diffuse any attack. Or dissolve it."

"That may be so, but I don't know what kind of... experimental technology we might be facing. If we're lucky then... But if we're not, and your shield isn't enough, we're toast." He pulled the map out of his bag and spread it out. "Come here, princess."

Danny followed Mickmi. He wanted to see where they were.

"Not you, kid. The less you know, the better for you and your family." Atlas pointed at an area of the map as Danny turned away, slightly disappointed. "Okay. We're here. You say it's about twenty-seven kilometers as the crow flies to your ship, somewhere here—according to your direction. Probably another three with this ridge we have to traverse. We don't want to go on the flat where we've got the choice. It's easier but we'll be too exposed. We're already being watched."

Watched? Where? Danny squinted, scanning the sparse and unfriendly wilderness. There was no shelter visible. An occasional bush, but still not one tree. A couple of thin ribbons marked dirt tracks crossing the valley. On the slope of a distant hill, something white glimmered. Was that a parked vehicle?

"That's at least a seven-hour trek into nightfall and it's not safe to walk in the dark. But we're not going to get that close. The last stretch is pretty much flat, and your ship is under heavy guard. There'll be patrols. Everywhere. As soon as we enter this restricted area, which is... just few kilometers from here—depending on what the operational protocol is—we'll either be shot or captured. So—"

"They expect my arrival," Mickmi said. "My guide has made the announcement."

"Okay. So they'll capture us, and take us to whoever's in charge. Expect that they'll—"

"Our arrival can be under our control."

"Control?" Danny turned to stare at her as she looked up from the map.

"My vessel can collect us."

"Well, that would simplify things," Atlas said, straightening himself.

"Why didn't you say so before?" Danny asked. "That would've saved us from trekking."

"Our walk... this experience," her gaze slid from him to Atlas and back, "is part of our preparation. We must know the elements that host us before we face these people. But"—she became distant—"my guide is not inside. She... must stay visible. When my vessel leaves, she will be unprotected."

Danny's heart sank deeper.

"Listen, princess. I don't give a fuck about her, the other one, your dogs, cats, any of it. My job is to keep you and schmuckatelli here safe."

She stood with her eyes lowered.

"Well?" Atlas eyed her.

"Look," Danny said. "I think we should rest a while first. And eat." He unhitched the grocery bag from his knapsack. "You haven't had a meal since we left the motel. You can have your chimichanga."

She lifted her gaze. "Nay."

"Well, then at least take one energy bar?" He waited with his hand inside the bag until she nodded. He handed her a Tiger Milk and held out the other.

"You have it, kid," Atlas said and took up the map, folding it.

Danny was about to tear his open but noticed Mickmi's absent expression as she started eating her snack. He inspected the ground beside her for any critters, put his knapsack down, and made her sit on it. They ate and drank some water. As soon as she finished, she rolled up the wrapper. Danny took it from her and watched her take off her shoes.

"Careful," he said as she rose.

She nodded and picked her way between brushes and strewn rocks down the slope to face the view. She angled her palms forward and lifted her face to the sky, drawing deep breaths for several minutes. Then she returned to put her shoes back on.

She turned to Atlas who was studying the landscape with the binoculars again.

"I am the representative of my lost People," she said, her face still. "It is time for me to dress according to my station."

Danny's heart jumped to his throat. "Wait." He stepped up to her, pulled her with him and turned his back to Atlas. He clutched her hands and lowered his voice, "We'll get through this, Mi. I'm here with you, every step of the way. Okay?"

She regarded him for several moments, her brows contracting, then stepped into his arms for a tight embrace. A long, gentle kiss made a lump grow in his throat before she stepped back to lock her sad gaze with his.

"You are in my heart, Daniel," she said. "Always."

He nodded and swallowed as she adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag, lowered her gaze, and turned from him.

He couldn't say it. He was scared to say it. Scared to even think it for her to hear. He had that dreaded feeling that if he verbalized it, they'd never come out of this thing alive. As she walked away, he contemplated whether to shout it after her or kick himself. But those three simple words remained locked inside the lump in his throat, burning.

Atlas lowered the binoculars as she paused beyond him and looked at the distant sky. Danny followed her gaze. He couldn't see anything but streaks of lazy clouds interrupting the misty blue.

"There are—approaching from southeast... forty... thirty-nine... -eight... -seven kilometers—two armed air planes," Mickmi said. "Altitude... seven kilometers."

Atlas grunted. "Impressive range for a choker... They can't see us from that altitude. They'll watch your ship—shoot it down if ordered to. More firepower than the gunship over there." He continued scoping with his binoculars. "Welcome to the party," he muttered as if to himself.

Bombers? Danny started to sweat again. They were voluntarily walking into mine trap, an arsenal, all aimed at them. He opened his mouth as Mickmi continued on the path, back the way they'd come. But nothing came as she disappeared over the crest.

"Last chance, kid," Atlas said without looking at him. "Go home. Step on that ship and your life will never be the same."

Danny swallowed again. He wasn't going to move. His life was already not the same. It hadn't been the same since the night he found Mickmi, when he asked himself, what he'd gotten himself into. Little had he known then, the depth of the rabbit-hole she'd lead him into. But nothing was going to make him turn back.

Nothing.

His chest pounded in his ears as he squinted at the sky. It was so loud, he didn't notice Mickmi's return until a movement caught the corner of his eye.

He drew a deep breath as he saw her stand there, at the apex of the triangle the three of them formed.

This was not Mickmi.

She stood erect, shimmering in leather-textured pearl white, and metallic hues with an intricately patterned lower bodice. It was cross-laced from the carved metal plate at her waist to a broad, metallic collar that hid her sinnesband. A large green gem glimmered at its front. The skirt was split in four—Danny could see a black boot reach past her knee—and the sheer green shawl hung loosely from her arms, exposing her shoulders and the scratch marks.

She looked every bit the queen she was supposed to be. Only one thing was missing.

"My guide has left accessories on the vessel," she said, responding to his train of thought. Her expression was still and focused. She looked at Atlas, then met Danny's gaze.

—Ready whenever you are. Danny nodded and inhaled slowly.

She lowered her head slightly in acknowledgment and said, "I am ready."

Atlas nodded. "Okay, princess. As soon as your ship gets here, we get on board. We can't delay—we don't want to serve as target practice. These people won't want to have an extraterrestrial vehicle on the loose."

They waited in silence as she appeared to focus inward. A faint thrumming made Danny turn to look, thinking it was the approach of her vessel. But all he saw was a dark speck hovering above a distant hill.

∞

Selina opened her eyes, raising them to the edge of the sky, aware of the increased threats approaching, high above the desert.

It was time.

She rose from the ground to her feet without using the awkward movements of her human body, straightening her limbs to stand tall within her short frame. She heard the urgent voices of two men shouting as a shift in the air around her signaled the activation of The One's vessel behind her.

She was rooted, ready to face her rapids.

∞

The report relayed from Nellis Range Con that morning was the first of possible interest that Apocalypse had received in over eighteen hours. A private plane with geologists landing in Alamo. Now a visual of three unknown foot mobiles had been confirmed. He was frowning at the number and the migraine that refused to let up for the past 24 hours when shouts made him swivel his head.

"All units, stand fast," he snapped into this earpiece, and threw at the man beside him, "Advise Casper we have activity."

He jumped out of the armored vehicle that served as command center and strode toward the subject of his mission, grinding his jaw. Up ahead, inside the shield, the ship shifted from animated gray to bluish gray, the ripple effect taking on a shade of the sky. Its landing fins shrank into its hull, leaving it hovering three feet above ground.

The asset now stood, waiting for him. She hadn't moved from her spot.

He was done with this. He'd been tasked with this mission six days ago, wasting his time on a being of unanticipated resilience. Only yesterday had he achieved viable intel—no mission he'd ever been assigned had been so mentally exhausting. He had allowed her to manipulate him, but now he was finished.

"My queen shall be here soon," the EBE said as he halted a couple of paces away, observing the change in the shield between them. "She is the answer you seek."

The translucent layer of networking sparks appeared to thin, retract, disintegrate. He followed it step by step as the bubble shrank to the EBE, passed through her, and left her exposed—right where he wanted her.

Apoc drilled his gaze into hers, looking for the fear, the panic. There was none. Her eyes remained pale blue-gray with pinpoint pupils that accompanied that aggravatingly amiable expression. Beyond her, the ship lifted silently, tearing the camouflage canopy off two of its stakes. Freed, the ship rose to the sky and blended into the atmosphere, vanishing.

He narrowed his eyes at her and reached for his holster.

"I have served my purpose," she said without waver, the ends of her white locks lifting. But there was no breeze.

Yes, you have, Snow Ghost. The impatient response leaked through his mental barrier, strained from days of maintaining thought-silence around the EBE, and the pounding inside his skull. He drew his M1911 and pulled the hammer back as he pointed it at her temple without a word. The EBE smiled, didn't even blink as he pulled the trigger at point-blank range.

The instant he fired, time seemed to slow down. He perceived the bullet streaking into her, apparently disappearing without effect. But then it was there, the expected crimson hole, yet she still looked straight at him with that maddening smile—as if she'd learned something. He watched the blood bubble from the wound as her pupils dilated, her eyes and expression froze, her mortality evident. She collapsed to the ground, landing on her back, her arms sprawled. The locks of her thick hair fanned out around her head, concealing the stream of blood that would be pooling beneath her.

It was done.

Apoc bared his teeth, his thirst to kill wetted. He holstered his pistol as he threw a glance at the sky where the patrolling gunship was joined by the second one from the ground to maintain the immediate ceiling overhead.

"All units, stand fast," he said, eyeing the EBE's corpse with contempt. "Ten mikes." He touched his earpiece and strode off as two of his men ran forward to collect the body. Another ran past him with a camera to make a photographic record before the removal.

He would give the ship and the unknown ten minutes. After that, there would be no mercy with Condition Anarchy in effect.

∞

A sudden gust of wind from above made Danny look up again, searching the air. There was nothing there—and then there was.

The ship, shaped like a huge Monarch cocoon the length of a school bus, wider at one end but smoother, materialized with increasing contrast, separating itself from the sky like an image developing in the darkroom. Its color shifted from sky-blue to an animated mottled gray, cream, and brown to match the surrounding terrain—both glistening and matte, and strangely alive. Adjusting its camouflage, it lowered itself to hover soundlessly a few feet off the ground as a tongue grew out of its side and formed into a ramp, and a section of the hull disintegrated into an arched opening.

There was no time to admire the vessel. Mickmi walked up the ramp and turned to look out from the entranceway. Danny swallowed and walked briskly after her, but Atlas stopped him before he could step up on the ramp.

"You have every right to be scared shitless," Atlas said, eyeing him. "Stay here or go home. Last chance." The man's gruff voice was almost kind.

Danny pressed his lips together and looked up at Mickmi as she turned inside. "I'm not abandoning her again!" he said through his teeth and pushed the hand off his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

He ran up the slope with Atlas on his heels, the ramp shrinking behind them. Danny glanced around, surprised by the uninterrupted spaciousness of the interior, looking for somewhere to sit.

Everything seemed to happen at once. The hull sealed shut behind them and two support cradles grew out of the floor to hug Atlas and Danny's backs and buttocks where they stood, straps shooting around their waist to lock them into position. Mickmi was already half-sitting at the fore, an image floating in front of her. Danny steeled himself as he saw sections of the hull turn translucent to reveal the ground receding below them.

This is it.

In the next instant, the view disappeared into streaks of colored light.

— ∞ —

"I am ready."
Created in Daz 3D and background poster added in Photoshop.

"Yes, you have served your purpose, Snow Ghost."
Created in Daz 3D and finished in Photoshop.

A view of the Nevada desert.
Pahranagat Valley courtesy of TalesFromTheDesert.com. This is not where they were, but it illustrates what the terrain was like.

END OF PART II ∞ THE CHAOS

...PART III ∞ THE ASCENT next!

©2018 by kemorgan65

Credit:
• Music track Sam Marks – The Highland Run