Chapter 23
Mara had nowhere to go. She was in London with no car and the place she had been staying was recently bombed… somewhat with her help. Scotland Yard was out looking for her, as well as The 73. News broadcasts were everywhere—when she could get a glimpse of them in cafés, The 73 were simply being referred to as 'war criminals.' Of course the media wasn't about to admit that they had lost their genetic experiments. The whole world knew that Britain had created them, and they didn't want the world knowing that they couldn't hold on to them.
Understandable, she thought sarcastically to herself as she pulled a raincoat higher up on her neck. She ducked into a small café on the east end of London proper. Luckily she had had her money clip on her when she fled, so she had some money to spend, as well as her cards. She had spent the first two days ducking in and out of Hostels, since hotels would be too risky, so she hadn't had a shower. She felt like a bum, but she had bigger problems to worry about.
For a while, she deeply considered what her life would be like now. Would she always be on the run? Running with Khan—the criminal's woman.
On the other hand, she couldn't imagine her life without him. When he had forced her to say it, she hadn't complied simply to sate him—it was true. She loved him. And she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him now.
As she ordered a black coffee, her attention was caught by a news broadcast playing in the far corner of the café. Of course, it was about The 73. A surveillance picture of Khan graced the screen as the anchorwoman spoke.
"Sources within New Scotland Yard have reported that the group has been tracked, and that they are close to apprehending them. Scotland Yard warns, however, that if you encounter any one of them, do not engage them. You are urged to contact Scotland Yard immediately. They are reported as being armed and highly dangerous.
The woman paused as the picture changed. Horror fell over Mara as her own image flashed onto the screen.
"In a related story, authorities are looking for this woman—twenty-seven year old Mara McGivers, an American physician reported to have aided in the attack on Rowen Laboratories."
Mara looked around frantically for a moment, making sure everyone was occupied with their coffee or conversation. Luckily they were.
She took her coat, pulling it up to her cheekbones, and slowly walked out before the barista could return with her coffee and recognize her.
She pulled the slip of paper from her pocket, the edges bent from where she had held it almost every minute of every day.
She knew the address was still in London, because she recognized the street. She slipped into a beauty store, using testers of lipstick and mascara to disguise her face, before returning to the street and hailing a cab. Her hair had been down in the picture on the news, so she pulled it back tight.
The cabbie luckily didn't recognize her, and she reluctantly handed the piece of paper over to him. It might be the only thing she had left of him, and she didn't want to give it up so easy.
The drive was long and silent, but Mara's heart was in her throat the entire time. She didn't know what was about to happen, but something was making her nauseous.
As soon as the cabbie pulled up, she knew she was at the right place. It was an old, out-of-use factory, many of the windows broken and the concrete stained from years of neglect. Definitely the kind of place Khan would choose.
"You sure you want to go here, mum?" the cabbie asked, looking around.
"Yes, thank you," she said, leaning forward and handing him the money needed.
As soon as she opened the door, someone came walking with purpose from the factory. She vaguely recognized her as Mirah, Khan's Lieutenant-Commander.
"Hello…" Mara began.
Mirah said nothing, merely strolling right past her with purpose, right up to the window of the cab, and shooting the cabbie in the head.
Mara screamed, throwing her hand to her mouth. "Why did you do that?!" she cried, her hands shaking.
"Orders," Mirah said monotonously, tucking the gun in the back of her belt. "No one can know we're here."
"But he didn't…" Mara gasped, looking inside the cab even though she knew she didn't want to. A tear fell down her cheek as she looked on the man's unmoving form.
"Can't risk it," Mirah replied in the same deadpan. "Come with me."
Without waiting to find out if she would follow, Mirah pivoted and marched back into the factory. Mara shivered, pulling her coat closer around her and following on shaking legs.
A washing sense of relief blanketed her as the first face that met her eyes was his. He was bright and strong again, the usual expressionless gaze on his face.
He softened when he saw her, stepping forward and holding out a hand. She took it, and his fingers closed around hers. It was a safe, familiar feeling, having his grasp firmly on hers.
"Welcome," he said simply. "I never doubted you would come."
"Really, because I did," she said in a joking tone, and he grinned that toothless smile she loved so much.
As they walked farther into the factory, Mara realized there was a strange and foreign contraption setup smack in the middle of the open space.
On the floor was some kind of blue plated metal mat, with raised circles every foot or so. There looked to be about… seventy-three of them.
Far above the mat was a similar pad, hanging from the ceiling directly over the other to form a mirror-image. And to the far right of the floor mat was a podium… a control panel of some kind with buttons galore.
"What fresh hell is this?" she asked, stepping forward and scrutinizing it.
Khan took in a deep breath, joining her in front of the mat.
"Beaming technology," Khan replied, rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Do-what-now?" she asked, turning to him.
He pursed his lips, a sense of apprehension falling over him. "Teleportation, essentially," he said.
"Shut up…" was the first shocked phrase that came to mind, and Khan raised his eyebrows.
She cleared her throat, trying to get a grip on herself. "So, you… you created teleportation technology?" she asked, still in disbelief as she stared at the mats.
"Yes," he said with a smile.
"Captain!" came a familiar voice from behind her. She turned, finding Lorran jogging up to them with a handheld display of some kind. He held it up for Khan to see, and Mara could see a hoard of police cruisers closing in on the factory. "They're closing in," Lorran said worriedly.
Apprehension crossed Khan's face, and he spun away from the mat, approaching the control panel, where the man name Kye was programming. "Get it online. We're out of time."
Kye pressed a few buttons, flipped a lever, and turned to Khan.
"The prototype logs all destinations," he said. "They'll know where we've gone."
"Lorran!" Khan called, and Lorran jogged forward. "The time-delay explosives…"
"Wait, you created teleportation technology, and you're going to destroy it?!" Mara asked.
Khan grinned, tapping his temple. "Don't need the machine. I know how to make it. Although I did leave all of the schematics at Rowen…"
She knew he wouldn't need the schematics to replicate his design; he was simply distressed that they could now fall into someone else's hands. He turned back to Lorran as he reappeared with two small wired bombs.
"I should think a minute will suffice," Khan said, and Lorran nodded. That was when Khan took a step forward, clapping a hand against Lorran's neck, his face inches from Lorran's.
"Lorran… you are my first officer. My friend, my brother," he paused, his voice shaking. "I don't care what you have to do. You set it, and you follow us."
The passion in Khan's voice shocked Mara, but it was obviously familiar to Lorran. He nodded, accepting the sentiment wholeheartedly as Khan stepped away.
"I should be the one…" Khan began again, but Lorran interrupted.
"You have nearly sacrificed your life for us once already," Lorran said. "And they need you to lead them. What is a first mate for, if not to serve his Captain unto death?"
Khan swallowed hard, a silence falling over the entire group. Mara could hear the sirens of the Scotland Yard closing in.
An idea came over Mara, one that both excited and terrified her.
"I'll do it," she said through a lump in her throat.
If it was possible, Khan looked even more horrified at her volunteering.
"No," Khan demanded, stepping away from Lorran and approaching her. "They could kill you. It is a mathematical uncertainty—if you'll make it out or not."
"You were willing to risk Lorran's life," she responded.
"Because I know him to be more experienced with the equipment. And he'll heal better than you, if they do catch up to him" he paused, thinking hard. "Mara, they will kill you," he warned in a lower tone.
"You don't know that… not me," she said, a sinking feeling in her chest telling her that she was lying through her teeth. "Him, they would shoot on site," she said, gesturing to Lorran. "But me… I could say you threatened me… that everything that's happened, everything in Rowen, it was all…"
Her voice cracked as the emotion of a realization began to wash over her—if she did this, there was a possibility she would never see him again. Never feel his lips on hers, never feel his fingers on her skin.
"It was all because you threatened me. The only person who knew about us was Pierce, and he's gone. I might have a chance," she said, her voice still shaking.
He studied her for a long time, his expression unreadable.
"No, Mara, I can't let you…" he began.
"You don't have a choice," she interrupted. "They're your family. I'm not. Protect your family, Khan. And I'll do the same."
He stared at her for the longest time, the impending sirens doing nothing to his resolve.
"No," he said simply, grabbing her by the wrist and walking her to the control panel. "When it's time, you flip this lever. Then I want you to arm this…"
He paused, all dedication and passion as he turned to Lorran, taking the explosives from his hand.
"This is a time-delay explosive. Nothing new or complicated. You set it, then you follow us," he demanded, pushing the bomb into her hand.
She smiled, taking it and looking down at it. His enthusiasm and devotion to taking her with him proved that, while he hadn't ever said it…
"Do you understand?" he asked, forcing her to look up at him by a gentle but firm grip on her chin.
She fought back the tears, trying desperately to maintain control of herself. If the tears started flowing, they wouldn't stop.
"Of course," she said, nodding shakily and closing her fingers on the contraption.
He narrowed his eyes, and she thought for a moment that he would see through her mask.
But he sighed a deep, resolved breath, taking a step back. "Crew, prepare to depart," he said, and The 72 began to step onto the mat in a haphazard but somewhat logical formation.
Khan turned his back and took two slow and deliberate steps toward the mat before he stopped. His head and shoulders dropped and he simply stood for a little too long. Just as Mara was about to ask him what was wrong, he spun around.
"I can't do it," he whimpered, turning back to her and collapsing at her knees. Mara had never seen him so upset or desperate, and the tears threatened to break through again.
He grasped handfuls of her shirt, his forehead leaning against her stomach as he pleaded with her,
"I can't leave… not knowing if you'll follow. Please, please, just go with them. Let me stay. I'll… I'll survive whatever they can throw at me, but not if you…"
His voice broke, and a shudder ran through him.
The tears finally broke through, and Mara dropped to her knees before him, scooping him into her arms and pulling him tighter than she thought she could.
"They need you, Khan," she whispered, running a hand through his hair. "You are their Captain. And Rowen will stop at nothing to destroy you. Just go. I'll be right behind you," she cooed, trying not to fumble.
He panted for a moment, rocking against her, and she finally knew.
As he pulled away, she could see tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall. He held his hand over his mouth for a moment, desperately trying to regain composure. His hand shook, but he raised it slowly, resting it against her cheek.
"You are my family," he said through a shaking voice and trembling lips. He pulled her in for a kiss, one that blew away the factory, the impending police, the desperation.
Finally, he pulled away, standing and walking to the mat to join his crew. Lorran looked at him solemnly, then nodded minimally at Mara. She stood, her trembling legs carrying her to the control panel.
Khan watched her with his predator's eyes, a desperation and solitude in them that threatened to break Mara's heart.
"The inferno strong enough to break the heart ignites the stars," he said, his voice strong.
She grinned. "Who said that one?" she asked, her hand hovering over the lever.
"Singh," he said with a somber smile. "Khan."
A single gasp fell from her lips, and she held a trembling hand over her mouth to hold them back as she flipped the lever, watching as sunset-yellow rings surrounded every single one of The 73, slowly tearing him away from her.
He stared as long as he could as the beam disintegrated his form, and just before he disappeared entirely, a single phrase fell from his lips.
"I love you, Mara McGivers."