Ending 1 – Part 7 (or Part 69)

Nausea and disorientation washed over Michael as he opened his eyes and he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He quickly became aware of his surroundings, recognizing the cavern that housed the Granolith. It had failed, he thought in irritation. All of the time wasted, planning the trip, carefully deconstructing his life to travel to another universe, and this was what he was left with.

He tested his body for movement, making sure everything was in working order before he attempted to sit up and push himself to an upright position. He braced his hand on the wall as he stood up and he fought the nausea that tried to surface. He scanned the chamber as he stood and within seconds his gaze landed on Maria where she was slumped against the dormant Granolith.

As he crouched down beside her he pulled her into his arms even as he was checking her pulse. Relief flooded his veins when he felt the reassuring beat of her heart beneath his fingertips. He held her protectively against his body as he looked around, surveying the area and searching for anything out of the ordinary.

He couldn't explain it but something felt different. It was similar to the feeling he got when he was carrying out a mission and something wasn't right. It wasn't something that he could define with words, it wasn't tangible, but he knew it existed all the same. He looked down when he felt Maria stir and he could see the disoriented expression in her features as she tried to sit up.

"Just stay still for a minute," he murmured gruffly. "Give your body time to adjust to whatever that damn thing did to us." He lifted his gaze to the defective device and shook his head at it, angry that they had wasted their time and now they would have no choice but to live life on the run. "Thanks for the trip from hell, you fuckin' piece of shit! I've had easier missions trapped in the mountains of Russia."

"It is not the duty of the Granolith to ensure the safety of beings that defy the sacred laws of the creators."

"Sacred laws of…" Michael drew back at the cold, mechanical voice that emanated from the device. It had worked, he realized. "We're in your universe," he muttered quietly. It explained that bone-deep feeling that something was off around him. He lifted Maria up in his arms and carried her across the chamber, sitting her down against the wall farthest from the device.

He stood and moved around the room, gathering up the things they had carried with them into the Granolith. After depositing them on the floor next to Maria and checking on her once more he turned to look at the alien device, studying it and searching for differences. As far as appearances went, it seemed to be identical to the one in his universe, but the temperament of the two devices was worlds apart. What would happen to the Granolith in his universe? It no longer had a purpose there; no one to guard, no duties to perform… without those things would it die? Could it die?

He faced the device, feet planted wide and his arms crossed over his chest. "What will happen to the Granolith in my universe?" he demanded to know.

"The continued existence of the device is inconsequential," it intoned.

"You can't reason with it," Maria said quietly. She shook her head when he turned his head to look at her. "It's nothing like the Granolith in your universe, Michael." The nausea and disoriented feeling were beginning to fade and she carefully pushed herself to her feet.

Michael held a hand up, telling her without words to stay back from the Granolith. He didn't know what the device was capable of but he didn't trust it as far as he could throw the damn thing. "Do you know if there are any outside factors that indicate the device has been used? Anything that would draw attention to the area and compromise our ability to escape?"

"Not that I know of, no."

He nodded and moved to grab his duffel bag, hooking the strap over his shoulder and leaning down to scoop her bag up. "We should go… the longer we stay here the more we put ourselves at risk for detection and capture."

Maria took her bag from him and they left the inner chamber, crawling through the pod and entering the outer chamber. Michael turned and studied the pods, all empty in this universe, and after a couple of moments he continued towards the only exit from the hidden cavern.

Cool air brushed against their skin as the slab of stone slid back to reveal the opening and he nodded in satisfaction when he realized that dusk was settling around them. He stepped out first, looking around in surprise when the desert surrounding them appeared to be identical to the landscape they had left in his universe.

He took the lead as they made their way down the path and he paused several times when that bone-deep feeling that things were different reasserted itself. It didn't hurt, it wasn't painful, but it was there in a way that he was constantly aware of. He looked around as they reached the desert floor and a new feeling began to tug at him, moving through him and dragging his attention away from the path he had intended to take.

Maria followed him when he veered off to the right, his stride determined and his gaze locked on something only he could see. She frowned when he dropped his duffel bag and continued around the large rock formation that kept the Granolith hidden from the world, his pace increasing to a run. "Michael?"

She paused to grab his bag and had to settle for dragging it when she tried to pick it up and realized how heavy it was. She froze when she reached a place where she could see him and her breath locked in her throat.

Michael had dropped to his knees beside his counterpart's unmarked grave. Raggedy-looking bushes provided a sheltered covering for the plot and even though there was nothing to identify it as the other hybrid's grave he knew that was what it was. He ran his right hand over the sand and something in him eased in recognition.

"You buried him here," he said with certainty.

She nodded wordlessly. He couldn't have known it was where they had buried him, she thought. There was no way to identify that spot as a grave, no evidence that anyone had even been in the area in months, possibly even years. "We had no choice… there was nowhere else to take him."

Michael looked up at her and he shook his head at her apologetic tone. "He would've understood the necessity to dispose of his body. He wouldn't have wanted you to put yourself at risk." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And speakin' of risk, we'd better get movin' before we put ourselves in that situation." He stood and shouldered his duffel bag, taking her hand to make sure she was nearby in case anything happened as they set out across the open desert. They would head for the nearest road where they could safely hitch a ride to one of the larger cities to the north.

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Michael glanced at Maria when she stumbled and he forced himself to shorten his stride. They had been walking for hours and even though they had reached the old highway that cut through the desert several miles from the Granolith's hiding place they had yet to see a single vehicle. They had started walking north because she had told him that the old highway would intersect with a larger highway after about 25 miles.

They had walked about 11 miles by his calculations and Maria hadn't once complained or let on that she was exhausted but her steps were giving her away. He pulled a small pair of binoculars out of his jacket pocket and dropped his bag on the ground, motioning for her to sit on it while he scanned the area. He checked his watch, noting the early hour and after several minutes he sat down next to her.

"These old highways are usually used by delivery drivers runnin' routes between towns." He nodded to the east where the sky was just beginning to show the first streaks of light as the sun peered over the horizon. "We could get lucky with one of them, catch a ride into the nearest town. That's probably gonna be our best bet."

"Okay."

He frowned at her minimal response spoken in a monotone voice. "We'll find a place to stay as soon as we can put some distance between us and this area."

Maria nodded and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her feet hurt, her body ached, and her eyes felt so heavy from staying awake for so many hours when her body was screaming for sleep. She shifted slightly, gravitating to the warmth that emanated from his body and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

He glanced down at her when he felt her shiver and he rested his hand on her thigh for a moment. It couldn't be more than 50 degrees and he knew he needed to get her inside somewhere so she could rest and warm up. He rested an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer against his side, silently offering her the little warmth and shelter he had.

It was more than an hour later when the sound of an engine disturbed the early morning silence and he nudged Maria to wake her up. He left her sitting on the duffel bag and walked out closer to the side of the road to flag the driver down. He halfway expected the driver to continue on his way and he carefully schooled his expression when the man pulled over and leaned over to roll the window down.

"Where ya headed?" the man asked.

"Lookin' to head north," Michael answered. "Piece of shit truck threw a rod about a dozen miles back and we've been walkin' most of the night."

"Woman of yours looks worn out."

"Been a long night of walkin'," Michael repeated.

"Well, I don't have the room up here in the cab, but y'all are welcome to ride in the back." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the bed of the truck. "I'm headed for Santa Fe so if that's north enough for you you're welcome to ride."

Maria looked up blearily when Michael came back over to her and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Where're we going?"

"Headed towards Santa Fe. It's large enough for us to get lost and we'll figure out our next move once we've eaten and rested." He hefted the duffel bag up onto his shoulder and tossed it along with her bag into the back of the truck before helping her up and following her.

He reached up and rapped his knuckles against the window to let the driver know they were settled as they slouched down out of sight. He held her close, doing his best to protect her from the wind as she dozed fitfully. He remained awake, alert to their surroundings and watchful for anything that seemed out of the ordinary as they rode north towards the unknown.