An: Just two more chapters left!
The Coalition
(One Day Later)
"Saren contacted us yesterday," Kaden said. "The Coalition is sending their soldiers to destroy the city."
Davina lowered her head, "There isn't anything we can do?"
Nell sat on the ground playing with Sela.
"No," Kaden moaned.
"What of Carbon Creek?" Davina asked unnecessarily.
"I have Lee and Cale assisting with the evacuation," Kaden said ignoring Davina's question, "The forest offers the best chances of escape, but many are trying for other cities, like Ember."
Davina laughed mockingly, "You know as well as I how desperate any of them would have to be to flee to Ember. By now that city is probably under complete Coalition control."
Kaden leaned over and patted Nell on her head; the child smiled and continued playing.
"I failed just as I did when Haven was destroyed. But right now, I can't worry about the others, we can't save them," Kaden spoke.
"What are you talking about?"
"Let's be honest, The Coalition is going to destroy Carbon Creek, but my main concern is getting you and Nell out of here. Let the soldiers occupy themselves going after those fleeing to other cities as it will give us chance to flee to the mountains," Kaden said.
Davina's eyes widen, "You are abandoning these people for me? I can't let you do that!"
Kaden moved in closer to Davina and took her by the hands, "Several of the 'Missing Twenty' have been captured, and god only knows what has happen to them. The Coalition wants you because of what you are; they fear you and I won't let that happen."
"Why?"
"You represent the future, Davina, both you and Nell. A future which must be protected at all costs."
Davina thought for a second and then she thought of Mestral, "What about Mestral?"
Kaden snorted ruefully, "When we found that ship in the forest, I wanted to use it to save Carbon Creek, but The Coalition has other plans. Mestral and his family are different."
"How so?"
"They didn't come from Tri Mane, that ship belongs to them," Kaden said.
"You know this how?"
Kaden stared at Davina for a long time, "Trust me. I know."
"Whoever or whatever they are they are good people. We can't let The Coalition…."
"Mestral and his family is not our concern," Kaden said, "If The Coalition wants them they can have them."
Davina stood up, "No! I won't let Mestral and his family be taken. Kaden don't let this happen."
"Like I told you, I care about getting you and Nell to safety. Mestral isn't my problem nor is he yours!"
"He is now."
The door to Davina's apartment opened and Lee rushed in.
He was covered with dirt, sweat, and blood.
"Your brother is dead!" Lee collapsed on the ground, "The soldiers have breached the small defenses we set up. By nightfall we will be completely overrun."
Davina gasped, "Cale is dead!"
Tears beaded in the corners of Kaden's eyes, but he wiped them before they could stream down his face, "My brother is dead, but there is nothing I can do."
Turing towards Davina, Kaden said, "We must leave tonight!"
"Everyone is leaving," T'Mir said as she rushed to pack the rest of her belongings. "I will need to coordinate the pickup location with the Kurana."
A sharp knock on the door made the three Vulcans jumped.
Was it the humans?
The Coalition?
Opening the door, Stronn stepped back as Nell grab for his leg and began poking him.
A smile nearly crept across the old Vulcan's face, "Davina, what are you doing here?"
Davina's eyes searched for Mestral, "Kaden is going to turn you in to The Coalition we have to leave."
"Where is Kaden?"
"He is with Lee helping the residents. He doesn't know I am here," Davina said holding Sela. "Mestral, I don't know what to say. Many of the residents blame you and your family. They say that if you hadn't come none of this would have happen. It's not safe; the soldiers will be here soon."
"To another city?"
Davina shook her head, "No, Kaden thinks it's unwise. We need to go to the mountains."
The distant sounds of guns firing and bombs exploding slowly moved closer and Davina extended her hand towards Mestral.
"I don't care where you are from, Mestral, I care about you. Please come with me," Davina pleaded as Sela licked her cheek.
"And Kaden?" Mestral asked.
Davina remained silent for a few seconds, "Kaden has made his choice, and now I must make mine."
(A few hours later)
Many residents who couldn't escape in time managed to hide in abandon buildings hoping they would remain undetected.
But the eyes of The Coalition were sharp and leaders ordered their soldiers to burn all the buildings down.
Piercing screams of people emerging in agony over being burned alive as well as the subsequent sounds of gun fire echoed throughout.
Lee and Kaden separated during the chaos with Lee being shot and killed as he attempted to distract soldiers to allow a few residents to escape.
Kaden, in his attempts to locate Davina was captured and kept alive.
Kaden sat on the ground, his left arm was broken during the assault, and he struggled to keep blood from the gash on his forehead from getting into his eye.
His brother, his friends, and his home were all gone.
But what happen to Davina?
After his argument with her about Mestral she left, but he had no time to chase after her. With news of his brother's death and the approaching army, Kaden had to work with Lee to help get others out before the soldiers killed them.
He knew Davina and Nell fled with Mestral to the mountains.
And he knew he would never see her again.
The circle of soldiers surrounding Kaden parted as a man walked towards him, "Kaden," the man said, "I am shock to see you here. I was sure you left with the others."
Looking up Kaden no longer cared about the blood getting into eye, "General Han. What a pleasure!" He mocked.
General Han leaned down to stare Kaden in the face, "You were at one time a most promising solider. You had great potential to even become an admiral, but alas you had too much of your daddy in you."
Kaden smirked, "My father was a great man."
"No," General Han sneered, "Your father was a fool who allowed his personal feelings to get in the way of what had to be done. He freed the twenty augments and in allowing them to escape he made things harder than they needed to be. Just because he was so in love!"
"Love?"
"We designed these augments to be warriors and nothing more and it was thought they couldn't be capable of developing emotional attachments or even reproducing, but your father sure proved us wrong."
Kaden cried out in pain as a solider applied pressure on his broken arm, "What the hell are you talking about?"
General Han wiped his mouth as the screams of a woman were interrupted by a gunshot, "Your father was responsible for suppressing the aggressive and psychotic traits in the augments, but he wanted to see if they were capable of reproduction. He thought he could breed a new subspecies of humans. He became obsess with trying to make it happen."
"My father would never do something like that," Kaden suppressed the pain.
"Your father unable to get approval from the council decided to go ahead with his plan. He mated with an augment, named 'Number Fifteen' and she did become pregnant, but the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage."
"What?"
General Han went on, "He attempted to try again, with another augment named 'Number Twelve' and under her influence he abandoned his plans and freed the twenty augments."
"And then you killed him."
General Han went on, "After the escape, we destroyed Haven, but couldn't find your father until information was leaked to us. We came to find out your father had been living with the Number Twelve augment in another city under a false identity and we discovered he had been successful in reproducing her. She had an infant daughter."
Kaden's eyes wandered. He was confused but something told him he had already knew the truth.
"At the time we didn't know who it was, the person had given us your father's location in exchange for money which we later learned was use to support the rebels living in Tri Mane. I was assigned to find your father and his new 'family', but before I got there the augment had been killed and the daughter missing. But we did find your father and killed him for betraying us."
General Han went on, "If it makes you feel any better, you father never did give up the locations of the others nor did he seem to know what happen to his daughter."
"How long ago was this?" Kaden asked.
"Oh about three years ago," General Han replied. "I know you were told otherwise but your father had been alive all this time. He didn't make contact with you because he couldn't."
"Number Fifteen?"
"Once we learned who the informant was and where the money went, we managed to track her down a few months later, but she disappeared."
Kaden now seethed with anger, from his knowledge the only child he could think of belonging to an augment was Nell.
Davina had betrayed his father and Nell was his half sister!
Kaden never asked who Nell was when Davina returned with the child only saying that the child belong to a friend, a rebel in the fight against The Coalition who had been killed.
"But why?"
General Han shrugged his shoulders, "She might have been in love with your father and became jealous when he turned his attentions to another. Who knows?"
Kaden screamed.
He felt betrayed.
"Where is this augment?" General Han asked.
Kaden remained silent.
"Where are they?"
"The ship we found in the forest," Kaden mumbled, "I think I might know who it belongs to. They recently moved here, his name is Mestral and his family were friendly with Davina, the augment."
"She changed her name?"
Kaden nodded his head, "Yes. They are headed to Ember for protection."
He lied.
Davina had taken Mestral to the mountains to hide in the secret mountain passages he had taught her. Davina was a master of self-preservation and would not allow herself to get caught.
But by lying to the general he not doomed not only himself, but also the others who actually fled to Ember.
"Thank you," General Han said mockingly.
Walking away he pointed to the solider standing over him; the solider pulled out a gun and pointed it at Kaden's head.
Sensing his end, Kaden stared at the back of the General, "You know this is only the beginning. I may die but this revolution will not!"
Pulling the trigger Kaden's lifeless body fell to the ground as General Han walked away.
(The Mountains)
Davina, Nell, Mestral, T'Mir, Stronn, and even Sela had made it safely to the mountains and now had settled in to the secret caves Kaden had once shown Davina.
Each of them was dirty, tired, and hungry.
Hiking in the mountains for Stronn with his bad leg caused terrible agony, but despite this, he didn't mind when Nell crawled onto this lap as Davina and Mestral attempt to find what they could to eat.
"I found a few berries," Davina came back into the cave with Mestral following behind holding firewood.
Stronn took a few berries and fed them to Nell.
He wouldn't eat unless the child did first.
"We will stay here for at least another day before moving onward," Davina said as she helped Mestral with the firewood.
T'Mir exchanged a glance with Stronn, "And go where?"
Davina shook her head, "Deeper into the forest."
T'Mir looked at both Nell and then Sela, "Nell is just a child and won't survive the journey."
Davina smiled at the sleepy child, "Nell is a strong child. She will be okay."
Mestral started the fire as the group huddled together to stay warm.
"Perhaps you should show some initiative Mestral and go hunting again," Stronn made another of his attempts at humor.
"I guess I should find us another city to live in too while I am at it," Mestral 'joked' back.
"Vulcan. That is where you are from?" Davina interrupted.
The Vulcans exchanged glances and then Mestral answered, "Our home world is name Vulcan and so is our species. We came here to observe humans."
Davina stared at Nell, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes," T'Mir interrupted.
"Take Nell with you. She deserves to grow up in peace," Davina began crying.
"We can't," T'Mir answered.
Nell shifted in Stronn's lap and fell asleep, as did Sela.
Later that night so did Davina.
The Vulcans however did not sleep as they didn't require the large amounts of sleep humans needed and because once again Mestral and T'Mir were at each other's throats.
"Why can't we take them with us!" Mestral demanded.
They stood outside the cave so not to wake the others.
"We can ask for asylum," Stronn suggested, "Mestral isn't asking for you to save the entire race, but we can do something for these people!"
"Contamination isn't even an issue anymore it never was!" Mestral snapped. "T'Mir, please let us help these people. You can go back to Vulcan and report me for disobeying your orders and mind melding. I don't care, but we must help them!"
"The High Command would never allow it," T'Mir said.
"T'Mir don't do this!" Mestral protested.
"You need to accept the fact that Davina, Nell, and even Sela aren't going to survive this! She won't make it through the forest with a small child and a puppy following her. The Coalition is going to find her and…."
"No!" Stronn screamed.
T'Mir held up her hands and Mestral knew it was worthless trying to convince her otherwise.
Stronn became so angry at the thought of Nell dying in the forest, his hands shook and Mestral had to restrain him from becoming violent with T'Mir.
T'Mir went back into cave leaving Mestral and Stronn along.
"Mestral, listen we don't have much time. T'Mir isn't going to help you. The Kurana will be here in another day, but they won't take Davina and Nell. And if they do they might suffer a worst faith than one here."
Mestral cocked his head in confusion, "What are you saying?"
Stronn moved in closer to Mestral, "T'Mir is going to do everything she can to advance herself which includes selling you out and perhaps allowing The High Command to have Davina and Nell just to test them. If it was up to me, I put the three of you on a shuttle, but I can't."
"Stronn?"
"I won't let T'Mir do this! And I don't want Nell to die! Take Davina and Nell and flee! Get as far away as you can!"
Mestral looked back into the cave, "What about T'Mir? And you?"
Stronn lowered his head, "I know you love Davina. When I first came here, I couldn't understand how you could be so interested in these creatures, but I do now. What do you have to look forward to back on Vulcan with T'Mir trying to use every advantage she can just to advance herself?"
Stronn was right. Mestral had nothing back on Vulcan expect for a fiancé he didn't and couldn't love and a life his parents had planned for him.
Davina and her daughter was his family now and he had an obligation to protect them.
Waiting until T'Mir went to sleep Mestral woke Davina up.
"We have to leave now!" He whispered.
Davina rubbed her eyes and picked up Sela, "Why?"
"I don't trust T'Mir. We must go deeper into the mountains," Mestral took Davina by the hands; "I am staying here with you."
They kissed.
Stronn picked up the sleeping toddler and held her for as long as he could.
"Goodbye," he whispered in her ear.
Handing Nell over to Mestral he followed them outside the cave.
"You are a good man," Stronn said to Mestral.
"So are you," Mestral responded in kind.
Holding up the Vulcan greeting Stronn said, "Live Long and Prosper."
Mestral nodded his head as Davina gave Stronn a hug, "Take Care."
A part of Stronn wanted to cry and take Nell into his arms, but he thought of his wife and family back on Vulcan. He needed to be with them.
The small group climbed down the hill and disappeared into the night and Stronn knew he would never see them again.
An: I know its a bit sad but T'Mir is very untrustworthy and with the last chapter you will learn why.