"I know it's here, o esteemed governor."
The crass voice spoke condescendingly. More than anything, she wanted to protect her beloved from the danger he was in. But she knew they were outmatched. They both would be killed the instant she tried to deliver a blow. With a heavy heart, she slipped from the scene silently. There were still people she needed to protect, and she would give everything-
"Mom.."
She heard a faint voice, calling out to her. The ground underneath her bubbled up, slowly becoming foam. She had nothing to stand on. Now floating in the air, her body light, when suddenly a violent pull jerked her body to reality.
"Mom… mommy!"
The first thing she saw was the worried complexion of her beloved son, tugging at her dress. Tears pooled in his crimson eyes. After wiping his tears away, she smiled, picked him up, and placed him on her lap.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Mommy was deep in her thoughts. Forgive me, please?"
The toddler pouted and scoffed. His arms crossed.
"Aww, Kaizo… you're breaking Mommy's heart. But that's okay. Mommy still loves you even if you won't forgive me." She kissed his forehead gingerly. It surprised her when Kaizo reached out and cupped her cheeks in his tiny palms.
"I forgive you, Mommy. I love you." His eyes were round and bright as he conceded.
She had a mini heart attack seeing Kaizo's adorable visage. How she wished she had her camera with her to preserve this moment. She had him in an embrace as she tried to control her impulse to squish his cheeks. Kaizo reciprocated. They both stayed like that until he fell asleep in her warmth.
#####
It was him again, the red alien. This time, he held a crying little child in his grasp, smiling sinisterly.
"Stop, or I'll toss your little brother into the black hole!"
"Let me go!" The boy tried to pry himself free, pulling hard at the alien's fingers. But he was powerless against his strength.
Kaizo tried to close his distance with the alien a step closer. He realised this and let his hostage go. The little boy was pulled towards the black hole, too surprised to even scream.
"FANG!"
The scene faded into black. She felt her chest tighten as consciousness slowly returned to her. Even as she was still detached from the sensations of reality, she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. Once the light entered her eyes again, she felt a hand gently clasping with hers. It was Kaizo, and he was deep in his sleep.
Then the memories hit her; she had been deep in her vision as she tucked Kaizo to sleep. She did not even get to lull him as he had always liked it. But there was no helping it, there is always tomorrow, she promised herself. As she tried to stand from her kneeling position, Kaizo tugged and never let her go. So she had to pry his fingers off her, and that was when her eyes met his displeased red ones.
"You blacked out on me again." His lips pursed tightly. He sat up and kneeled on the bed.
She tittered as she had her eyes level with Kaizo's. It happened in front of him all too often. And every time it did, she could only…
"I'm sorry, Kaizo. I didn't mean to. Forgive me?" She cupped his cheek and rubbed her thumb across it. He took it in his grasp and squeezed it lightly.
"You don't need to apologise for it every time, mom. I will forgive you nonetheless because I love you."
It took everything in her not to cry there and then. Instead, she sat beside him and pulled him into a hug. But with her swollen belly in the way, she could not hug him as tight as she did when he was younger.
"I love you too, Kaizo." she declared as they broke from the hug. "And I hope you'd be able to love your brother as much as you love me." She rubbed her belly gently.
"I've already loved him the moment you told us that he's here. I can't wait to be his big brother and teach him things!" He patted her belly, his eyes round with glee. "Don't give mommy too much trouble, okay Fang? She already had enough on her plate."
That name. It cannot be.
"Kaizo, did you just name your little brother?" It disturbed her to hear such a fluke as she never shared any of her visions with anyone but kept her poker face steadily.
That took him a moment. The face when he realised it was priceless. She had never seen that unsure side of him before.
"I did? I thought I heard you called out his name before this." His face scrunched deeper into confusion. "Wait. Did I? Was it a dream?"
She understood immediately. He may have inherited some of her abilities. Since hers was not strong enough to hold a vision for more than a minute, she assumed his would be even weaker, only conjuring to him in the form of a dream or audio-based hallucination. She patted his head to stop his train of thought.
It worked. Kaizo looked up and was met with his mother's soft smile. It was the kind of smile that assured him that everything would be alright.
"Don't think too much into it, Kaizo. I like the name, Fang. I think it'll suit your little brother best."
"I don't know if I should take credit for it though. I was sure that I heard it from you."
"Shh… Don't worry about the little details. If we think too much about it, we won't be sleeping tonight. And it's time for you to go to sleep."
She stood up and Kaizo made himself comfortable on the bed. She pulled the cover onto him and kissed his crown.
Just before she left the room, Kaizo called out to her. She stopped and asked her if there was anything he needed before going to bed. There was. But he would not say what it was.
"Do I need to say it, mom? It's embarrassing…" He trailed off.
She chuckled as she heard his excuse. For a nine-year-old boy to be asking his mother to lull him to sleep is gossip-worthy. But as he grew, so does his thought. Seeing him maturing in front of her eyes brought her great joy. Rarely he gets to be a child, not with the tantamount pressure of appearing perfect in front of the audience. She would always humour him because of this.
"Alright. Promise me that you'd go to sleep after this, okay?"
He nodded. She then sat at the edge of his bed, close to his head, and started with a hum. She ran her fingers through his hair gingerly.
Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow…
Her melodious voice and gentle touch lulled him to dreamland. Once again she kissed his head and left the room.
######
...Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home…
Her bundle of joy cooed as he reached out to hold her finger in his tiny palm. Happiness filled her heart. She was surrounded by her beloved husband and son, both trying hard to get the little one's attention off his mother. It did not work.
"He looks like me, don't you think?" Her husband asked.
"Really? I thought he looked like me the most." She replied.
Kaizo compared the baby to both of his parents. He nodded. "Mom's right. Fang looks like Mom the most."
"Aww Kaizo, you always take your mother's side. Take mine for once." His father whined.
"But he really looks like mom." Kaizo retorted.
"If that's the case, who do you look like the most?" His father replied.
Kaizo contemplated the answer. Again, he eyed both of his parents. His father was looking at him with an expectant look. Flatly, he answered, "Mom."
That earned him an exasperated whine from his father and laughter from his mother. The happy family continued their day fooling around with each other until duty called for the father's presence and the mother needed rest. Kaizo wanted to stay. She let him.
At the end of the day, the boys slept soundly after listening to their mother's lullaby.
#####
After connecting all the pieces together, the vision was finally complete. What started before as two boys fleeing the planet alongside Laksamana Maskmana with their emergency ship, to her apparent demise, she now dreaded the days passing ever so casually. But she knew she needed to steel herself when it would happen.
Every safety measure was ingrained in Kaizo so that he would be prepared for emergencies whenever it arises. She had her dear husband teach him the coordinates to his trusted confidante and up the ante on his sword training. She had memorised all the hidden entrances of their secret passageways.
She was ready.
What happened next was like everything she saw in her visions. Her husband had known of today months before it happened. He had suggested for them to run away from the planet before it happened. But she rejected it. She warned him that changing the event might mean changing the future that was supposed to happen. It might change the state of the universe for the worse if they try.
Putting up a brave facade, he stalled Bora Ra to let his beloved escape with their children and EnerBot. The emergency signal was sent hours before the confrontation, knowing full well the rescue needed time to arrive. She kept a lookout for Kaizo, who was still in his military school. When he arrived and hid under the stairs, she grabbed and pulled him into the secret entrance. Fang was with them, playing with his toys.
Baffled with what had conspired in his home, he asked her what had happened.
"We're in danger, Kaizo." Her voice was urgent but under control. "Listen carefully. You need to get Fang out of here."
Panic started to sink in. But Kaizo was trained for this. He kept his composure and replied, "Where?"
"I have no time to explain. Take Fang and make your way through this passage."
She caressed the steel wall and clicked a hidden button. It revealed a secret passageway behind the retracting wall.
Kaizo was speechless. He never knew the existence of the bunker they were currently in now, let alone the passageway. But his confusion was short-lived as he had to concentrate on the mission at hand.
"This passageway leads to the North Tower, where the spaceships are kept. Do you still remember the secret coordinates your father taught you?"
"I do."
"Good boy." She complimented him and patted his head. Then she turned around and scooped Fang off the floor, kissing him on the cheeks. "You too, Fang. So don't give your brother too much trouble, okay?" She then placed him beside Kaizo. Fang nodded.
She took something off her pocket. Kaizo knew what it was. He had trained with it since his father was adamant to have him inherit it.
"Take this. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands, okay?" He placed it on his hands, pushing his fingers to clasp the spherical item.
Kaizo was reluctant to leave, not without their beloved mother. Tears started pooling in his eyes.
"What about you? Why don't you come with us?" He begged.
She smiled softly, wiped the tear off his eyes, and kissed him on the forehead. "I wish I could, sweetheart. But I have to hold him here. But I promise you, I will see you both again."
He had no words. Never in his life he wanted to defy his mother, but today might be the first time he would.
Her eyes conveyed everything. Those sad eyes he always saw with her smile after she blacked out. She knew this was coming. He understood it now. He had no choice but to accept all of this.
The door closed in front of them. The tears that streamed down her cheeks was the last thing he saw before it shut completely. She mouthed something to them; Kaizo could not catch it. Her screams at the other side shocked him into the reality they were in now. He had to be strong. For them. For him.
#####
"Come back safe, my little soldiers…"