They had been searching for almost half the day and had covered an enormous amount of ground. Yet there was still no sign of Tommy anywhere. The air team had had to refuel at least four times already and both A-Team and B-team were getting exhausted…except for Kat. Billy watched her with growing admiration, amazed at how she never seemed to tire or even slow down. He considered himself an epitome of health since his time on Aquitar but even he had a hard time keeping up with her. Finally when he noticed her start to sway as she climbed over rocks, he grabbed her hand and ordered,
"Alright, young lady, you're going to take a rest now. You can't keep going on this way-you'll just dehydrate yourself."
Kat shook her head in breathless protest and summoned enough breath to speak.
"No, I can't. What if Tommy's hurt or in serious danger? I can't let myself stop until I know he's safe."
"Kat, I'm not asking you to stop. Just please take a breather. For me, at least."
She sighed at his pleading look and slid down the side of rock-wall, leaning her head back gratefully. She took out her canteen and took a swig while Billy ran coordinates through his handheld scanner. She said quietly,
"Me and Tommy were supposed to have a date the night he disappeared. He was teleporting to meet me at this theater. We were going to watch Swan Lake and I was so excited." She smiled to herself. "You know Tommy-ballet isn't really his thing. Maybe he's not even in danger." The look on her face showed she wasn't convinced of this though. "Tommy's a brooder and when things bother him, he takes off but still…I've been having these dreams."
"Dreams? What dreams?" Billy's head snapped up in concern. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"I-I suppose I was frightened," she admitted. "And maybe a little in disbelief. I mean, how could I have known he was in the mountains."
"Your dream showed you this?!" he asked excitedly. "Tell me. What else did you see?"
"It was quite confusing. I stood on top of this peak and I kept seeing flashes of red. Then this old Native American man appears in front of me, just hanging in mid-air like a ghost. He says nothing to me and just throws Tommy's helmet at me."
Billy frowned deeply and buried his face in his hands in deep thought. Kat watched him intently, wondering what he'd make of it. Fiercely tapping his foot, he pulled out a small laptop from his pack and began to type with fervor. He spoke as he worked.
"Katherine, my dear, you may have just saved the day. I think I know who that old man is. See in this area before all the wagon trails west, there was a mysterious nomadic tribe. No one knows much about them except for the fact that they followed a man named the Falcon. He was a witch of sorts, a medicine man, the wise man-all of the above. The tribe's duties were to protect this area-the Santa Ana Mountains. They followed the fire season, keeping important, sacred locations protected. No one knows whatever happened to this tribe, you see. It's like when settlers came, they just disappeared with the wind."
"And you think the old man in my dream might be this Falcon? But what does that have to do with Tommy? And why would he come to me?"
"I can't even try to answer that. The only thing that I can guess is that maybe this is where Tommy's search for his heritage led him. Maybe it's possible that he is a descendant of this tribe."
Katherine jumped to her feet, any sign of her lassitude gone. She slung her pack back onto her shoulder and said animatedly,
"Well then let's go! Let's keep searching! If your theory's correct, then he should be here!"
A mysterious wind suddenly swept down the mountain peaks, shaking rocks down the cliffs and knocking the partners off their feet. They hit hard, eyes stinging from swirling dust and rock particles.
"Billy, what's going on?" Kat yelled over the howling wind as she struggled to get to her feet, only to be banged against the ground again. She cried out as her eyes streamed and pebbles rained down on her. Crawling over to Billy's side who was trying to desperately shield his bag of instruments. He shouted,
"I don't know what this is but I've got a bad feeling about it!"
Suddenly the wind was gone just as soon as it had come. Billy and Kat slowly, cautiously sat up, absently brushing themselves off. Billy heard Kat's gasp before he saw the man. Standing in front of them, hovering and wavering like he was made of gossamer, was a Native American man. He was old and deeply lined, dressed in pelt robes and carrying a long walking stick. All color drained out of Billy and Kat's faces as he began to float towards them. Silence, if possible, whistled over the mountain range. All was still as they waited tensely for him to speak. Finally in a voice that somehow brought forth images of rushing water and the creak of trees, he spoke.
"You seek him."
A helmet, one they quickly recognized as Tommy's, rolled towards them. He opened a palm and glowing inside was a coin-a Power coin. He spoke again.
"He cannot be found yet. For there is one among you whose motives are not pure. The young falcon cannot be found until either his task is done or the heart of your group has changed. "
Then he was gone, leaving Kat with tears in her eyes and Billy with a pain in his heart. Kat sniffed, running her hands through her blond hair.
"What is that supposed to mean? What is Tommy doing?"
Billy didn't answer. He stood a few paces away, his expression carved like granite. His clear blue eyes were darkened with tumultuous emotions as he stared up into the growing dim sky. Stars were beginning to sparkle and he glared at them hard enough to leave flashes of light behind his eyelids when he blinked. He told Kat to get some rest, take a nap. He offered to take the first watch and wake her up when he thought it was safe to search again. All his comments, all Kat's confused replies were soft blurs to his deaf ears. When he finally awoke from his reverie, Kat was sleeping lightly on a bedroll, clutching Tommy's helmet to her. He sighed, walking over to her and taking a seat, careful not to wake her.
He thought of the time he and Kat had taken Tommy skiing to try and heal over Kimberly's cruel breakup letter. He had known even then that Kat wanted Tommy; she had been in love with him from day one. Just like Billy loved her. He could never tell her; he was the nerdy brother the girls consulted in, the one who helped patch things up. He was a fixer, not a lover. He never had anything to offer the beautiful Katherine anyway, his path as a ranger was short-lived. He was just the human version of Alpha, completely replaceable, not worthy enough to continue like Tommy and Adam.
He couldn't help but love Kat. She was graceful, intelligent and kind; she always provided him with smiles and laughter. She had nursed him to the best of her abilities through his illness. His whole heart belonged to her. The day he had spoke to them through the viewing globe and told them he had decided to stay on Aquitar was the most painful day of his life. Yes, he had enjoyed it there and yes, Cestria had been a wonderful friend, but he had left for different reasons. Reasons no had ever known or could guess. It was more than obvious that Kat and Tommy were in love, more so everyday. The pain had become too much to take. The only choice was to leave; leaving would be the best gift for her.
Now he had come back, willing to face the pain to help her find her love and it was his love that was ruining it. He knew that Falcon had been talking about him; it was his impure motives. Gently he ran his fingertips across her smooth white cheek, wishing he knew how the rest of her skin felt. In her sleep, she stirred slightly and parted her lips with a soft exhale. This drew his attention to her perfect pink mouth, the one he had always wanted to explore and make his own. Bravely he lightly pressed his lips to hers, scarcely breathing, afraid to wake her. Just the feel of her soft mouth was enough. A tear gleamed in his eye as he stood and walked away, without another glance.