Author's Notes: Here it is! The final chapter in my story. Thanks to all
of you for reading and reviewing! You've been really great and I
appreciate it. And don't forget to review!
Chapter Seven: Last Resort
The guard continued to speak hurriedly. "Torann has ordered a full evacuation. You're to go in the first group. The baby's safety is of the utmost importance. Hurry up and get dressed! You have to be at the west exit in five minutes!"
I quickly get Zan and myself ready and head to the west exit, where I am met by Torann and several soldiers. Together, we hurry through the ancient tunnel system that runs below Kensharra City.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
Torann answers me. "We're going to make our way to a cave, where there are several hovercars hidden. The cave is outside the city, in the foothills that spread away to the east. It's set up for just such an instance as this, although we've never had to use it for an evacuation before."
"How did they find us?" I pant.
One of the soldiers yells over his shoulder. "They're looking for you. They want the heir. Someone must have told him you're here!"
"Quiet!" Torann snaps. "We're directly under the Senate chambers."
We run the rest of the way in silence. We make it to the cave and board a flyer. A soldier takes the helm and lifts us off. I have no idea where we are headed. I just hold Zan and try to quiet his incessant wails.
We make our escape from Kensharra. We are able to get away undetected thanks to the use of a very sophisticated cloaking device, a soldier tells me. He's the same one who speculated that Kivar found out where I was, when we were running through the tunnels.
"What's your name?" I ask him.
"Vetklu," he replies.
"Where are we going to go?"
"Each escape group will head to a different resistance base. I think we're going to the one on Iterna Beach. We can't go directly there, in case we're detected, so we'll take a circuitous route and probably stop and hide a few times."
It ended up taking us a week to get to Iterna. In that time, I got to know Vetklu and some of the other soldiers. Vetklu sort of reminded me of Jim Valenti. He had a son about Kyle's age in our group. They were pretty friendly to me. Half of the soldiers were nice to me, and half of them basically ignored my existence. The two that really didn't like me were a middle aged woman, who kept shooting scathing looks in my direction and a boy who looked like he was about 14, who never looked at me.
"Why do they hate me so much?" I asked Vetklu.
He just looked at me. "Most people do. You betrayed the King."
"Then why are you nice to me?"
He sighed. "I think you're a misguided kid who did a really stupid thing. I don't think you're evil. You did help out with the mission to get the wormhole technology. There may be hope for you yet."
When we got to Iterna, we were welcomed and given quarters there and allowed some time to settle in and rest. I put Zan down to sleep, and fell into bed and slept all day.
********************
Iterna is a pretty nice place. Unlike the compound in Kensharra, it's not completely underground. It's in an isolated location, so we can actually go out onto the beach. I am heading out to the beach to take a swim, when one of the resistance leaders here, Ziviop, approaches me.
"Tess, if you'll come with me." And he stalks off without another word. I don't much like his attitude and consider ignoring him and going to the beach anyway, but then decide I might as well go and see what he wants.
I follow him into an office where Torann is waiting. They sit down facing me and I wonder what this is all about.
Ziviop clears his throat. "Harboring you here is just too dangerous. The heir is at risk. If you hadn't managed to escape from Kensharra last week, you'd both be dead now. Kivar is just going to keep searching for you until he finds you. When he finds you, he'll find the heir. Zan has to be kept safe, for the future of Antar. For Zan's safety, we want to place him with a family that's sympathetic to us, where he'll be safe."
In a steely voice, I say, "That's not acceptable. Zan needs me to protect him! I won't be separated from him."
Torann interrupts. "Tess, Ziviop has a pretty good point. As long as Zan is with you, he's in danger. Kivar is going to keep searching for you. Eventually, he'll find you and Zan."
I shake my head. "No! I refuse to----"
Torann speaks in a low voice. "I know it's hard, but think about it. To keep your son safe, you may have to give him up."
"No. He's a human. He's an alien on this world. I won't let him grow up alone like that. I know what it's like."
Torann sighs. "Then we're going to have to figure out some way to keep the both of you from getting caught by Kivar. There may be a way. An expensive way, but if it's the only option......"
"What way?" I demand to know. "If there's a way to get Zan away from Kivar, I want to know what it is!"
Ziviop looks enraged. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" he asks Torann.
Torann looks at me. "The resistance has been spending the last ten years building a ship secretly. It's nearing completion. We could use it to send you and Zan back to Earth." He chuckles slightly. "How ironic. Fifty years ago, as a last resort, we sent the Royal Four to Earth for safekeeping, and now we're going to have to do the same with the heir."
Ziviop protests, "That ship is a valuable resource! We can't just throw it away like that---"
"It wouldn't be throwing it away. We can get another ship. We can't get another heir." Torann speaks confidently.
"Where is this ship?" I ask curiously.
Ziviop throws a furious glare at Torann, but Torann ignores him and says to me, "Here, on Iterna Beach, in a subterannean hangar. It's not as high-tech as the granolith, so the trip to Earth will take longer, I'd say about a month or two. But it will get you there. Once there, can you keep Zan safe?"
"Yes," I say determinedly.
"There's not much choice in the matter. There's no future for him here, at least not now. We'll start modifying the ship for carrying one passenger and a baby. I'll tell the work crews to work on it around the clock."
And so, the plan is set into motion. I am going back to Earth.
********************
I stand nervously outside the door of the lounge. I don't want to go in there, but I have to.
I'm leaving today. The ship took about a month and a half to get finished. It's about the same size as the granolith, but the power source is not as strong. Therefore it will be a longer journey to get to Earth. I should get there about mid-May. Maybe the end of May. There is a padded chamber for Zan, and a bed for me. The ship is stocked with rations for the journey. I've said my goodbyes to all the resistance people that I know here at Iterna. Not that there's many of them. Then last night Torann told me there's one more person I should speak to before I go. Alana is here. My mother-in-law. Max's mother.
I take a deep breath, and enter the lounge. Alana is sitting in a chair, and she greets me. "Ava."
"Hello, Alana." She looks older than I remember her, older than in the hologram message. "I'm leaving for Earth today."
She ignores that, and just holds out her arms. "Let me see my grandson."
I pass Zan to her and she holds him. "He has Zan's eyes."
"Yeah." I'm not sure what else to say.
She looks at me with a piercing gaze. "Are my children happy? On that world?"
I sigh. "Yeah. It's home for them. Your son fell in love with a human girl. As much as I hate to admit it, they're good for each other. And last I heard, your daughter got married. I don't know to who--but I'm assuming he's human."
Alana nods. "Perhaps it was a lapse in judgement thinking we could expect the four of you to come back and liberate us from our oppressors. You're just children. And there were only the four of you. I suppose I should just accept that I shall never see my children again. I'm grateful that they're happy on Earth. Thank you for setting my mind at ease on that point."
"I would have told you earlier, but I understand why you didn't want to see me. I better go now."
She hands me Zan, and says, "Take care of my grandchild. Protect him."
"With my life," I say, and I mean it.
********************
I am on the ship, flying through space, approaching Earth, approaching Roswell, New Mexico. What am I going to do when I get there? Tess the traitor. I'm sure that's how they're thinking of me. They are not going to be happy to see me. I'll be lucky if they don't kill me on the spot. But I have Zan. I'll tell them we're connected, that if I die, he'll die. Then they'll have to keep me safe.
As I enter the atmosphere, I think about Earth. I won't be welcomed with open arms, but I think I'm glad to be going back. Antar wasn't the home I'd thought it would be. Neither is Earth, of course, but on Earth, my son has a chance. And that's all that matters now. Protecting my son.
Author's Notes:
Well, that's it. You all know what happens next. Tess gets shot down, she breaks out of the airforce base, killing a bunch more people in the process, goes to the Evans house, then they all go running around town, fleeing the government. Then in the end, she sacrifieces herself to save the others. And she finally makes things right by telling Liz that Max really was always in love with her (Liz, that is).
For those of you wondering why I was making Tess out as the "bad guy", well, maybe it's because she killed Alex and was planning on betraying Max, Michael and Isabel to the enemy. I don't think she's evil, but I do think what she did was wrong. In writing this story, I was trying to get into her head, try to see what she was thinking, her motivations and all that, and how she eventually redeemed herself. I think being raised by a homicidal shapeshifter messed her up. That doesn't excuse things, but maybe it explains things a bit.
Well, thanks to all of you who reviewed my story. It really just totally made my day to see that people were actually reading it. If you liked this one, check out my other Roswell stories. And be sure to leave reviews! Thanks!
Chapter Seven: Last Resort
The guard continued to speak hurriedly. "Torann has ordered a full evacuation. You're to go in the first group. The baby's safety is of the utmost importance. Hurry up and get dressed! You have to be at the west exit in five minutes!"
I quickly get Zan and myself ready and head to the west exit, where I am met by Torann and several soldiers. Together, we hurry through the ancient tunnel system that runs below Kensharra City.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
Torann answers me. "We're going to make our way to a cave, where there are several hovercars hidden. The cave is outside the city, in the foothills that spread away to the east. It's set up for just such an instance as this, although we've never had to use it for an evacuation before."
"How did they find us?" I pant.
One of the soldiers yells over his shoulder. "They're looking for you. They want the heir. Someone must have told him you're here!"
"Quiet!" Torann snaps. "We're directly under the Senate chambers."
We run the rest of the way in silence. We make it to the cave and board a flyer. A soldier takes the helm and lifts us off. I have no idea where we are headed. I just hold Zan and try to quiet his incessant wails.
We make our escape from Kensharra. We are able to get away undetected thanks to the use of a very sophisticated cloaking device, a soldier tells me. He's the same one who speculated that Kivar found out where I was, when we were running through the tunnels.
"What's your name?" I ask him.
"Vetklu," he replies.
"Where are we going to go?"
"Each escape group will head to a different resistance base. I think we're going to the one on Iterna Beach. We can't go directly there, in case we're detected, so we'll take a circuitous route and probably stop and hide a few times."
It ended up taking us a week to get to Iterna. In that time, I got to know Vetklu and some of the other soldiers. Vetklu sort of reminded me of Jim Valenti. He had a son about Kyle's age in our group. They were pretty friendly to me. Half of the soldiers were nice to me, and half of them basically ignored my existence. The two that really didn't like me were a middle aged woman, who kept shooting scathing looks in my direction and a boy who looked like he was about 14, who never looked at me.
"Why do they hate me so much?" I asked Vetklu.
He just looked at me. "Most people do. You betrayed the King."
"Then why are you nice to me?"
He sighed. "I think you're a misguided kid who did a really stupid thing. I don't think you're evil. You did help out with the mission to get the wormhole technology. There may be hope for you yet."
When we got to Iterna, we were welcomed and given quarters there and allowed some time to settle in and rest. I put Zan down to sleep, and fell into bed and slept all day.
********************
Iterna is a pretty nice place. Unlike the compound in Kensharra, it's not completely underground. It's in an isolated location, so we can actually go out onto the beach. I am heading out to the beach to take a swim, when one of the resistance leaders here, Ziviop, approaches me.
"Tess, if you'll come with me." And he stalks off without another word. I don't much like his attitude and consider ignoring him and going to the beach anyway, but then decide I might as well go and see what he wants.
I follow him into an office where Torann is waiting. They sit down facing me and I wonder what this is all about.
Ziviop clears his throat. "Harboring you here is just too dangerous. The heir is at risk. If you hadn't managed to escape from Kensharra last week, you'd both be dead now. Kivar is just going to keep searching for you until he finds you. When he finds you, he'll find the heir. Zan has to be kept safe, for the future of Antar. For Zan's safety, we want to place him with a family that's sympathetic to us, where he'll be safe."
In a steely voice, I say, "That's not acceptable. Zan needs me to protect him! I won't be separated from him."
Torann interrupts. "Tess, Ziviop has a pretty good point. As long as Zan is with you, he's in danger. Kivar is going to keep searching for you. Eventually, he'll find you and Zan."
I shake my head. "No! I refuse to----"
Torann speaks in a low voice. "I know it's hard, but think about it. To keep your son safe, you may have to give him up."
"No. He's a human. He's an alien on this world. I won't let him grow up alone like that. I know what it's like."
Torann sighs. "Then we're going to have to figure out some way to keep the both of you from getting caught by Kivar. There may be a way. An expensive way, but if it's the only option......"
"What way?" I demand to know. "If there's a way to get Zan away from Kivar, I want to know what it is!"
Ziviop looks enraged. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" he asks Torann.
Torann looks at me. "The resistance has been spending the last ten years building a ship secretly. It's nearing completion. We could use it to send you and Zan back to Earth." He chuckles slightly. "How ironic. Fifty years ago, as a last resort, we sent the Royal Four to Earth for safekeeping, and now we're going to have to do the same with the heir."
Ziviop protests, "That ship is a valuable resource! We can't just throw it away like that---"
"It wouldn't be throwing it away. We can get another ship. We can't get another heir." Torann speaks confidently.
"Where is this ship?" I ask curiously.
Ziviop throws a furious glare at Torann, but Torann ignores him and says to me, "Here, on Iterna Beach, in a subterannean hangar. It's not as high-tech as the granolith, so the trip to Earth will take longer, I'd say about a month or two. But it will get you there. Once there, can you keep Zan safe?"
"Yes," I say determinedly.
"There's not much choice in the matter. There's no future for him here, at least not now. We'll start modifying the ship for carrying one passenger and a baby. I'll tell the work crews to work on it around the clock."
And so, the plan is set into motion. I am going back to Earth.
********************
I stand nervously outside the door of the lounge. I don't want to go in there, but I have to.
I'm leaving today. The ship took about a month and a half to get finished. It's about the same size as the granolith, but the power source is not as strong. Therefore it will be a longer journey to get to Earth. I should get there about mid-May. Maybe the end of May. There is a padded chamber for Zan, and a bed for me. The ship is stocked with rations for the journey. I've said my goodbyes to all the resistance people that I know here at Iterna. Not that there's many of them. Then last night Torann told me there's one more person I should speak to before I go. Alana is here. My mother-in-law. Max's mother.
I take a deep breath, and enter the lounge. Alana is sitting in a chair, and she greets me. "Ava."
"Hello, Alana." She looks older than I remember her, older than in the hologram message. "I'm leaving for Earth today."
She ignores that, and just holds out her arms. "Let me see my grandson."
I pass Zan to her and she holds him. "He has Zan's eyes."
"Yeah." I'm not sure what else to say.
She looks at me with a piercing gaze. "Are my children happy? On that world?"
I sigh. "Yeah. It's home for them. Your son fell in love with a human girl. As much as I hate to admit it, they're good for each other. And last I heard, your daughter got married. I don't know to who--but I'm assuming he's human."
Alana nods. "Perhaps it was a lapse in judgement thinking we could expect the four of you to come back and liberate us from our oppressors. You're just children. And there were only the four of you. I suppose I should just accept that I shall never see my children again. I'm grateful that they're happy on Earth. Thank you for setting my mind at ease on that point."
"I would have told you earlier, but I understand why you didn't want to see me. I better go now."
She hands me Zan, and says, "Take care of my grandchild. Protect him."
"With my life," I say, and I mean it.
********************
I am on the ship, flying through space, approaching Earth, approaching Roswell, New Mexico. What am I going to do when I get there? Tess the traitor. I'm sure that's how they're thinking of me. They are not going to be happy to see me. I'll be lucky if they don't kill me on the spot. But I have Zan. I'll tell them we're connected, that if I die, he'll die. Then they'll have to keep me safe.
As I enter the atmosphere, I think about Earth. I won't be welcomed with open arms, but I think I'm glad to be going back. Antar wasn't the home I'd thought it would be. Neither is Earth, of course, but on Earth, my son has a chance. And that's all that matters now. Protecting my son.
Author's Notes:
Well, that's it. You all know what happens next. Tess gets shot down, she breaks out of the airforce base, killing a bunch more people in the process, goes to the Evans house, then they all go running around town, fleeing the government. Then in the end, she sacrifieces herself to save the others. And she finally makes things right by telling Liz that Max really was always in love with her (Liz, that is).
For those of you wondering why I was making Tess out as the "bad guy", well, maybe it's because she killed Alex and was planning on betraying Max, Michael and Isabel to the enemy. I don't think she's evil, but I do think what she did was wrong. In writing this story, I was trying to get into her head, try to see what she was thinking, her motivations and all that, and how she eventually redeemed herself. I think being raised by a homicidal shapeshifter messed her up. That doesn't excuse things, but maybe it explains things a bit.
Well, thanks to all of you who reviewed my story. It really just totally made my day to see that people were actually reading it. If you liked this one, check out my other Roswell stories. And be sure to leave reviews! Thanks!
