"It's here... It's here and it just so happens to be as nice as it is." Stefan thought while keeping his hands on the wheel.
The dreaded day had come, and not a gloomy cloud or rain-shower was in sight. Instead, the sky was blue, and pocked with white and fluffy clouds. The sun was out, and aiding in the removal of the snow that started melting yesterday. A breeze was present, but it was warm instead of cool and not making anything feel or get to being dreary. The seventeenth began just a few hours ago; for him, it seemed to be too long already. If not for the task that he wanted to do, he would of stayed home. Or not got out of bed. Seeing as his task was important, and he both wanted and needed to do it, he got up when the set time on his cellular went off. No breakfast, or cup of coffee, was consumed by him; he just got dressed, then collected what he needed for his trip, then went to catch his flight.
Seeing as the drive would take too long, and he didn't want to run the risk of missing them before they left, he purchased a plane ticket then flew from Berlin to the Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport. Once his flight touched down, he broke gear in getting out then getting to where the nearest car rental was. Ajeet decided to do the same as he in booking a flight then flying over to Elchesheim-Illingen; he was two seats down from him, and just as quiet as could be during the entire flight. Seeing as he was headed to the same place, and wanted to see the same people, he decided to follow him to his car then get in—the spell of quiet continued between them all while they drove to Elchesheim-Illingen, then to the side of the shield where their planet's heroine said she and her family would be.
"Even though he's quiet, I'm sure he's thinking." Stefan thought. "Wonder if he's thinking about the absence of the ones who use to guard the shields."
Just before the sun set yesterday, the ones who took up position before the shields left the countries that they were guarding the shields of. While some of the governments of Europe, Eurasia, and the island nations were happy, or joyous, over this developement, he wasn't. He was concerned over it happening, and curious as to where the people who use to be on the shields' other side were and what they were doing. In a way, he was half-so distracted by the development of the shields no longer being guarded to think of what was to happen today—for a few hours, that was. Once his eye landed on a calendar, or the date displayed on his phone, he was reminded of it; as was natural of him, he grew depressed by this. With his staring down the road of seeing one of his friends leave, and possibly never return, he thought he had a reason to be.
Concerns over his friend, and her children, grabbed his attention while he was being flown from east Germany to west Germany. Again, he wondered if the alien man was going to treat them right, or be brutal on changing how they liked to live their lives, or force them apart just to get their mutter alone with him and they away from her. Just two days ago, when the call came in from his friend and heroine, and he was requested to show up in Elchesheim-Illingen, he started to wonder what the future was to be for him and his race. Things were already changing around him; would they change even faster after his heroine left, or stay the same? The medical crisis in Canada was said to be over, but the issues with the aliens who were moving into the Americas was on-going, as was the erratic weather. Would they continue and, if so, for how much longer? Master Vile had dropped his efforts in getting settlements made in Europe and Eurasia; was he to restart them after his daughter and her children were off the planet, or would he just be happy with having the Americas to bully and mold into what he wanted? Curiously, the man was seen as eating in one of them high affluent restaurants last night and pacing the lobby of the apartment complex that he was living in—he did this for hours, and no one knew why and he was surely not talking on whether he was just experiencing issues in not being able to sleep or if something was up that was making him be so antsy.
"He's leaving Earth here in the next few months..."
Yes, which brought forth another concern of his. According to Mr. Surfeit, he lived in a galaxy that was ruled by Master Vile. Would Master Vile decide to go for Miss. Irene, and her children, after he moved to whatever planet he was living on or leave them be? Would Mr. Surfeit protect his family, and keep Master Vile away from them, or would he let the man do whatever he pleased with them? Master Vile had Lhaklar and Hazaar's blood on his hands at one time in the not too distant past; would he have it on them again in the future, or would his hands be clean? How about Miss. Irene; would he severe his odd marriage to her, then leave her alone, or do something to force her into being with him? While telling himself to be calm, and optimistic that everything would be fine, he didn't feel it. Being calm, and optimistic, was the last thing he wanted to be. If anything, he wanted to be assured over the Irene's being kept safe, and away from Master Vile, and happy. Maybe, if Mr. Surfeit assumed him of that, he'd feel better about the situation.
"It was in the high teens yesterday, and looks to be in the early twenties today—the snow's been plowed from the streets well, and is melting where it's been piled up at in yards." Stefan tried to put his mind on something else, and failed.
He was still trying to get his mind on something else when Ajeet moved in his seat. The chief of his country's Federal Armed Forces looked down at his hands, which were clamped between his legs; with his doing this, he thought he was trying to sustain the urge to tear up. He felt for the man, and he felt mutual on this. Miss. Irene, and her children, had touched them in a good way and, now that they were leaving, they'd be without them. He didn't need to ask the man if he received a phone call; he knew from instinct that he did, and that he didn't come to Elchesheim-Illingen, or book a flight to get here before ten o'clock, for any other reason than to say goodbye to his friend. Miss. Irene had sounded serious on his getting to the town before ten o'clock struck and he was serious on doing so; it looked like Ajeet got the memo to do the same.
From what he was told, all of their friend's children had severed their friendships with the ones who they befriended over the year, three months, and nineteen days that they were living in Germany—it was coming, and he knew it, but it was time for Miss. Irene to do the same with them.
No mention of whether they'd be able to remain in contact with one another, or see one another from time to time, was made. There was also no effort made on seeing if there was a possible way for him, or Ajeet, to call the number that they were to move to. They were kept in the dark on whether their friendship was to remain or be dropped; while he wanted to be positive on this, and think that it was for the best, he still felt horrible over it happening. Like with the months that waned between June and now, he didn't feel any harsh feelings towards Miss. Irene or her children. For all he knew, they might want to keep the friendships that they had but were being forced to not do so. The man who Miss. Irene was "married" to might be forcing them into severing all bonds that they made on the planet between July 31, 4100 and November 17, 4101—the purpose behind this, if it was happening, was unknown to him. Except for Master Vile, no one on the planet had hurt a soul of the Irene family; they had no enemies, or people who were out to get or hurt them, and they were revered very highly. While not "royally bred" by their standards, they did see them as a sort of First Family.
"First Family of Earth... good title for them, and one that they more than deserve to have." Stefan thought while pulling up beside the shield then turning the car off.
He and Ajeet did nothing but sit where they were for a while. The red glow of Miss. Irene's hair could be seen, and a sort of hushed conversation could be heard; despite this, they didn't want to get out, or go over to where they were then get their task done. If it was possible, they'd ring up the one who did the books on what was to happen on certain days of the week then get him, or her, to rewrite what was to happen today—they didn't want to do this, or go through it.
"Got a plan in order for how you're going to break it to everyone that she's gone?" Ajeet broke the silence between them.
"Not outright." Stefan answered.
"Suggest you begin thinking it, because there doesn't seem to be anyone or anything around to stop it."
Up to when the events that were to happen five minutes from now happened, he'd not have a plan in order for letting anyone know that their planet's protector, and her family, weren't on the planet anymore. He'd not know the calls that he'd make, or the words that he'd express on the airwaves, or the emotion that he'd show, or even how he was to explain that there was no way to get their Protector back. Along with all of that, he also didn't know that he'd never see her, or her family, again in his lifetime, or that it'd be a long time before they returned. The same went on their not having a very smooth go at things between now and when they decided to return. Right now, all he knew was that he was opening the car door on the driver's side of the rental then getting out. Ajeet took a deep breath in then followed him; while he was two steps behind him, he didn't dawdle or slow him up. The two of them crested the hill that obscured their view of their planet's heroine and her children at the same time that the past four hundred and seventy-six days flashed by their eyes.
Last year, on the thirtieth of July, he, Stefan Aldrich Leinart, received a call in his secondary office, which was in Bonn, Germany. The man on the other end said that he had the heroine in his office, and that she was looking for an apartment to move her large family into; upon hearing this, he said for him to keep her in his office for as long as he could. He, and his ZAP Shuttle Van, broke a record in getting to Baden-Baden, then to the offices of Maxas. When he saw her, he was amazed—beautiful, but on alert, and very reluctant to accept his help, that was his heroine. During the hours of that night, he picked her up kids then drove them around; he treated them to a meal, then to dessert, before taking them to see the houses that the real estate agent found for them. After seeing that the houses were poor in regards to who he was driving around, he called his secretary then asked for her to do a search on homes that had between five and six rooms in them. Six homes were faxed to him, then he started taking the family to see them; of the six homes that they saw, it was the last that they picked to live in. He bought them the house, the furnishing that was in it, a car, then did a personal withdrawal from his bank account; over the months, his friendship with them grew to what it was now.
He helped in keeping things low for them, and to keep everyone from panicking when the ones who took up the Rastatter Rheinaue Nature Reserve came in then settled down. He understood where they were coming from, what they went through, and didn't discriminate them for the simple reason of their being non-human. Along with helping Hazaar in getting away from the two who were assaulting him when he was at Oktoberfest II, he helped his friend in staying calm after she learned that her second oldest son was beaten by her fader and then take captive by the one who fadered him. He was the one who gave the order for the Alien Camp to be infiltrated, then fired upon, and, with Ajeet's help, he rescued Lhaklar then took him to his very frantic mutter. In December, after receiving Hazaar and Lhaklar's company in his office, then their Christmas card and gift, he helped Ajeet in getting Hazaar away from his fader and them trolls. In February, he, with the help of the American president, helped Miss. Irene in getting away from the alien who she was married to when he and them trolls appeared at that dance. Even though he was busy, he still kept up to date on them and they continued to call and be friendly with him. The Irene's were a once in a lifetime type of friend and he was quite sure that he'd never have a friend, or a group of friends, like them again.
"I, like many others, was curious about them, but I didn't bother them until the president gave me Miss. Irene's cellular number then said for me to call her before Bettina did. I never approached, begged, dreamed, or thought of becoming a friend of theirs—our friendship is very natural, and I'm very grateful for it." Ajeet thought while approaching the ones who stood before him.
While he didn't know it now, he would in the coming years—he, Ajeet Mahatma Ballal, a man born to Indian parents who imigrated to Germany some years before his birth, and had no literary knowledge to himself, would write a memoir. In it, he'd catalog the happenings of 4100 and 4101; he'd mention his friendship with the Irene's, how nice and respectful they were, and his shock over the events that'd take place soon. Even though it was published, his book wouldn't be all that widely read; the manuscript of this book, which would be found on the day of his death, which would happen when he reached ninety, would be where his will was kept. If not for the war that was happening, his wishes would be carried out and the thing that he wanted to bequeath to the government of India would reach its destination.
To the naked eye, the Irene's looked to be fine. Just standing, and waiting for the ones that they were waiting for to get to them. With his being who he was, he knew something wasn't right. Guyunis looked to be a little on the ill side, and most of the boys were fidgity, and the alien man behind them was glancing at a watch almost continuously; when he turned his gaze to the alien girl, he saw that she looked anxious. Miss. Irene, when he turned his eye to her, looked to be oddly calm—with her leaving the planet, her home, and friends, this confused him.
"Couldn't eat last night, and could barely sleep... I felt cold, and hopeless, and I still feel them two things." Ajeet took a deep breath in before stopping before the one who was to be an ex-friend of his soon.
"Glad to see you two." Angel Irene said to the two before her.
"Same here." Ajeet mustered to say.
"Good to see, and speak with, you too." Stefan said.
"Before we do that, let my sons come forward to say their goodbyes."
The boys came forward in turn. Bile first; he came close to crushing Stefan, then breaking Ajeet in half, when he hugged them. Lhaklar looked very unhappy in the face; he spoke his goodbyes slowly, then hugged them, before backing away. Guyunis, who Stefan used the word tit to once, was equally slow in saying goodbye to them. When it came time for Hazaar and Lazeer to come forward, they looked to not want to do so. Hazaar was prompted to come forward; he thanked Stefan for being so nice to him, and for helping him when he did, before going to do the same with Ajeet. Lazeer said nothing more than goodbye to them, but his hug meant the world to them and they'd remember it forever. Following the saying of their goodbyes, the boys stepped back; they had just reached their sister's side when their father came forward.
"Let me, since you're a bit emotional right now." TazirVile said.
A gust of wind was felt, then a triple-gold flash was seen before the boys disappeared with their sister. He and Ajeet stood where they were; the spot where the sons of their heroine stood still looked to have their presence on it, but they were gone and, to their belief, never to return to it. Stefan took good note of where the meeting took place in, then made the decision to rig something where the members of his planet's First Family stood on before leaving—unbeknown to him, the plaque would still be there when they returned some time down the road. They, along with the new members of their family, would see it and give him a further thanks for it being present. After the boys were gone, the man who was married to their planet's heroine came over to stand behind her; again, he looked at his watch—this action of his was alarming, and made both men grow uneasy. They were fast in seeing if they could move the woman from him, and succeeded in doing so by maybe two feet.
"I appreciate the both of you for what you've done for me and mine. Stefan, you especially for the house, its furnishing, the car—" Angel started to say after hugging the two men after being moved from where she was.
"Don't mention it, and I'd do it all over again if I was presented the chance to do so." Stefan said.
"Same here on what I've experienced with you and yours." Ajeet said. "Do hope that all goes well with you guys, and that he doesn't cause too much trouble for you."
"Thought I'd give you this, Stefan." Angel gave a rather full folder to Stefan, which he promptly opened then started through. "It's all the stuff that involves the house. The utilities are off, but it's still furnished. Since we won't be u—"
"Nice of you to do this, but I won't be doing anything with it. I'll keep it in my name then, when I decide to go to where the dead folks go, give it to my children." Stefan was fast to say.
"Also want the both of you to have these."
The envelopes were normal in size, but overly heavy. They were also yellow, and sparkly. Both were empty, which confused Stefan and Ajeet immensely. If not for their coming from their planet's heroine, they would of thought of them as being a crude joke; before they could question the items that they were just given, their heroine spoke then explained what they were.
"I know you don't understand what they are but they're something that we can keep in contact by." Angel said. Stefan and Ajeet looked up; had they just heard what they thought they did? Instead of coming here to say a formal goodbye, then see their friends off, they were here to do a simple goodbye then receive something that they could use to keep in contact with them with. This caused both men to feel warm, and smile.
"Thank you," Stefan said. He pocketed his envelope right when Ajeet did.
"How do we use them?" Ajeet asked.
"Just open them, then slide in what you've written. I'll get it, read it, then respond to it when I can." Angel replied. "I was going to do the same for my sons' friends, but they stopped being friends with them so I couldn't."
"Thank you. If you don't mind, I'll be doing something with mine—on the day that I go to the other place, it'll be willed over to the government of this country." Stefan, who'd live to the age of seventy-eight, said. When he saw the question form on his friend's lips, he responded to it before it could be asked. "That way, everyone will know what's going on with you and yours. And so we can help you if you decide to come back."
"Don't mind at all." Angel said.
"Think I'll do the same." Ajeet said. While he'd make a note in his will on where his envelope was to go, it'd not get to that destination. Due to the war that'd be going on at the time, no one in his family would receive a thing of what he willed to them; except for the envelope, which would go to auction, then be won by the Russians following his death, everything that he owned would be discarded.
"Is he okay?" Stefan asked after seeing that his friend's husband was pacing.
That was a question that Angel wanted an answer to. Ever since they went to bed last night, Tazir started acting funny. Along with pressuring them to go to bed early, he refused to let her cook anything. When they woke up, he had a spread of nothing but breakfast tortilla roll-ups waiting for them—he claimed that he wanted them to eat light so that, when they left for Moas, they wouldn't get queasy. He really shouldn't of concerned himself on that, because it almost happened when they went to eat what he made for them. Them roll-ups were sour-tasting, and green on the inside; when they questioned him on this, he just shrugged his shoulders. While they ate the meal, they didn't like it—of the ones made and consumed in the house, the one that they ate that morning was pretty bleak and unappetizing. After the "meal" was consumed, Tazir started trying to get them to leave early. She forced him to calm down, and then wait until nine forty-five came around to get them ready to leave, then she found herself as having to get him to slow down when they started going for the shield. Along with forcing him to wait for her friends to come say their goodbyes, then receive what she had for them, she had to be firm on saying no when he said for her to leave the house's deed and paperwork behind.
The act of his teleporting the boys to the mansion didn't seem right either. They could of done it themselves; with their being in a zone where teleporting was allowed, and not consuming any potions, or having any teleporting-disrupting events going on around them that'd remove their ability to do that, they could of do it with no sweat expelled. If not for his saying he had a very important meeting to attend at ten thirty, his action of checking his pocket watch once every sixty seconds would be considered off too—since he made this claim, and looked to be truthful when making it, she figured he was just concerned over not making his meeting.
Stefan and Ajeet made it to them just before ten o'clock struck. She was giving them a hug, then the envelopes that she made for them, at ten fifty-eight; seeing as she needed to hurry the goodbyes up, she decided to back away from them then initiate the move in having them go their separate ways.
"He's fine. Just worried about being late for something he's scheduled to attend. Until we hear from one another again. Hope everything goes well with you two, and your families." Angel said after reaching her husband's side, then elbowing him in the side after seeing him opening his watch again.
"Huh?" TazirVile looked up. His watch was dropped; it was never picked up by his hands, or by the ones owned by his wife.
Unbeknown to Angel, the watch was what set off the series of events that foretold her husband's dealings. Even though it'd not be retrieved by either her or her husband, it would be picked up by Stefan—with seeing how it had a part in history, the man would instruct that it be put in a museum and then labeled with the moniker of Shield Downer of November 4101. Right after the watch struck the ground, a series of explosions happened; Angel was going to retrieve it when the shields over the island nations in both the eastern and western hemisphere went up in a plume of pink flame, and she was stretching her arm out towards it when the shields over the civilized parts of Europe and Eurasia exploded in a brilliant glare of red. Ironically, the watch's hands had just landed on the new hour when this happened.
Thanks to the violent nature of the explosion that happened with the shield that she, her husband, and her friends were near, they were hurled to the side. Her husband got up quickly, while she and her friends didn't. Stefan, who witnessed the shield over Berlin going when it did in December, dropped his mouth in shock. Just like in December, the shield over Elchesheim-Illingen disappeared—it was there one second then gone the next.
After seeing that the town was free of its protective essence, Stefan stood up then turned around. He roared his rage right when his eye landed on the alien who was his heroine's husband.
"Sie hochmütig, nicht gut, Bastard! I should of known, and should of kicked you out the second I saw you!"
"Angel, come on." TazirVile said while grabbing his wife up from the ground. He was in the process of leading her away when Ajeet threw himself at him.
"You get what you want, then turn us over to your nephew? I don't think so, Videshee!" Ajeet exclaimed while throwing his fist at the one before him.
"With his being so closely related to that foul Vile, none of us should of trusted him!" Stefan roared. He then started to sputter while coming towards the warring bodies of Ajeet, his planet's heroine, and her husband. "The shield... the whole of the planet..."
"With his being of non-Earth blood, we should of never trusted him!" Ajeet's fists were right bloody, which was funny seeing as TazirVile looked to be barely touched by them. "The same as his daughter..."
"Proof to us that only our heroine and her birthed children are the ones who we should trust, or associate ourselves with." Stefan said while joining Ajeet in assaulting TazirVile.
"Yes, yes, gentlemen." TazirVile threw Ajeet from him, then used a form of his Telekinesis on Stefan to push him a distance from him, then turned to grab his wife. "For the safety of my family, I turned the planet to the one who owns it."
He had figured that this type of rage would be directed to him, which was one of the reasons to why he wanted his family off the planet before ten-o'five struck. With his concern over how safe it'd be on Moas after the move was made, and his nephew calling him, and getting all on his ass for how he messed up the climate, and threatening to make him pay for the damages, he had settled on trying to make a deal with him. He and his nephew started meeting one another in the White House on the twenty-seventh of last month to discuss matters on the both of them getting what they wanted and being happy with it—his nephew was fast in saying for him to remove the shields over the parts of the planet that he couldn't get in, while he was fast in demanding that he leave his family be if he did so. Over the last three weeks, they had haggled on this deal; Vile wanted to add the bit on his getting partial custody of Bile to it, which he refused to let him have, then he wanted to have say on whether he continued his schooling. While he bowed to the man wanting to send the boy to school, he refused to let him have all the say on what he did while being enrolled in whatever facility he was sent to. Before the bargain was agreed with, Vile added the bit on his being allowed to continue having twice a week visitations to see Bile and Angel, and that Bile be sent to school fifteen years after being returned to Moas—while it was a struggle, he agreed to it.
His nephew fronted him the bombs, while he supplied the watch that was to detonate them. For all of a week, he was leaving the house then planting the bombs before the shields' interior; with his being gone during the night hours, then coming back to the house after seven came around, this was how he discovered Lhaklar climbing in through his window. He allowed one night to pass without his planting them bombs to see where his son went, and what he did when he left the house. When he saw the strip club, then went in and saw Lhaklar working there, he grew enraged; it took him all of that night to get over his anger, and go on with putting the bombs where they needed to go. Three days ago, he rigged the pocket watch up to be a detonator; just yesterday, he set it to ten-o'five then nodded his head.
He was doing the planet, his nephew, and, most importantly, his wife a favor in doing this. In his figuring, Angel's responsibilies with Earth would be over; instead of worrying about the shields, and if they were holding up well or not, she'd be able to stay home and be the wife and mother that he wanted to watch her be. The people on this planet would be able to evolve together, and get use to living among others who weren't of their race at the same time. His nephew would be happy in knowing that the planet was fully his, and that his son wasn't a complete "failure", and that he could have contact with Angel. And he'd be able to breathe while the family did their business in the cities and towns near home. He saw a win-win situation with the bargain drawn up between his nephew and he, which was why he was so willing to make it.
While the men were fighting him, and doing more damage to themselves than to him in the process, he was being grabbed and then pulled along by his wife. Angel wasn't saying much; in fact, she was speechless. In his figuring, she wanted to go home and was trying to get him to hurry along so she could do that. With his giving her and the boys Jaboa, the edible potion that'd prevent them from teleporting anywhere, they'd not be returning to the planet anytime soon and, with the move being done, and their settling in to their new life, they'd not know much of what was going on on Earth—he knew of the envelopes that Angel made and then gave to these two men, but he was sure of her being kept so busy that she wouldn't be able to read a thing of what they sent her; he'd let her write them, and read their responses, but he'd not let her leave the planet for anything. Up to when the letters stopped coming in, and these two men died, he'd not let his wife have her ability to teleport anywhere back.
"Whoa, Angel!" TazirVile said after his wife shoved him to behind the line where the old shield use to be. Right before his eyes, he watched as she used her powers to repel the two men back; once the men were back to being behind the line, she ran over to where he was then grabbed him. Her hands had just landed on the lapels of his dark blue tuxedo jacket when a siren-like sound happened. Both he, the men who were rushing back to fight him, and the ones who called the formerly shielded parts of the planet screamed; he was about to grab his wife, then teleport with her home, when a sudden gust of electrified wind blew at him.
"What the hell?" the man named Stefan exclaimed.
"It's blowing towards us, and keeping us over here, but it's blowing towards them and keeping them out!" the one named Ajeet yelled.
The men who his nephew just ordered to the parts of the planet that were now vulnerable to him only just arrived when the breeze was felt. He watched as they tried to enter the town before him, then as they were repelled back, before it struck him on what was happening. When he realized that something was happening, and that his wife was connected to it, he turned to look at her; she flashed her fist at him when he did this.
"I knew you'd do something, and made steps to prevent it from being permenant in September." his wife said when a crack of thunder was heard, then the flash of pink was seen.
"Do you know what you've done? Angel... the de... your father—" TazirVile started to say. A slap to the face was given right when the new shields appeared where the old ones were; Angel followed her slap up with a punch, then turned to look at the shield before her.
"I could give a rat's ass for him, or his claim on this planet."
"Maybe you don't, but I do." TazirVile felt the anger rise up in him; while the two men on the shield's interior side rushed towards him and his wife, he got up from where he was then went towards her. Before she could turn towards him, or strike him, he grabbed her then teleported them to the planet that he wanted them on.