Kensi and I gave the performance of our lives, or so I would like to say, but the moment we left the control room, the situation went belly up. Sirens started blaring harshly, everybody broke ranks running for the exits, and Kensi and I found ourselves surrounded by guards. Nothing happened because the leader got crushed by fallen debris before he could approach and reprimand us.
"Wow." "Kensi said.
"That's not something you see everyday." I said.
The guards, God bless their hearts, took off running. We both turn around to see molten lava bursting through the floor twenty feet behind us.
"Time to go." I said, as I grabbed Kensi hand and ran for the door.
When we got to the door, we waited a beat for it to open. In that moment, Kensi pulled her hand from my grasp and said. "I'm capable of leading my own out."
At that moment, the door opened, and Kensi ran out first. I turned back to see that bloody scene of the smashed leader and then turn to exit the room. I used the abilities that I had saving for the right moment, to catch up to Kensi. Mostly those abilities were just using algorithms to augment my body so I wouldn't get tired running back to the surface.
Star Ocean-
Miltian space-
"Hetty, we have a problem." Eric said.
"What is it, Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked, as she approached Eric with Callen, Sam, and Nell.
"Whatever happened in the Unknown Regions has caused the Aeons to change their game plans." Eric said.
"Is it from the production plant, or Kensi and Deeks?" Sam asked.
Nell grabbed a tablet and helped Eric. "It's on Kensi and Deeks' end, but more adjacent." Nell said.
"Meaning?" Callen asked.
"The production plant was shut down about six hours ago, but I'm not sure if Aeons are completely aware of that fact yet." Nell said.
"So, what's going on adjacent to Kensi and Deeks?" Hetty asked.
"Don't know, but whatever it is, it's enough to cause a sizable force to head to that sector of space." Eric said.
Star Ocean-
Cultist space-
Kensi and I were out of the frying pan, and into the fire. Nobody was actively trying to hurt us, but nobody was trying to help us either. The entire populace was running scared, and we were able to make it to the hangar without much distraction only to find that our ship was not where we left it.
"What are we going to do?" Kensi asked.
"Well…" I began, but something hit my chest. We looked at the ground and saw a set of keys.
I bent to pick up the keys, and then we looked in the direction they came from. The person we saw made my mouth hit the ground.
"I'm taking my ship back, but you can take the leaders' ship. We both know that he doesn't need it anymore." The man said and then turned and walked away.
"Is that who I think it is?" Kensi asked.
"Yeah, let's get out of here." I said and then ran down the line of ships looking for out ticket out of here.
Kensi was talking about a lot of different things, but none of it made sense, but I found our ticket out of here. Kensi and I stopped and stared at the ship, which was a luxury model: an Asterion 1500 liner.
"I understand why faith leaders get the hate they do." I said.
"This guy was an occult leader." Kensi said.
"I mean yeah; you know what I mean." I said and unlocked the ship.
It took us about twenty minutes to get the ship off of the landing pad, and it was right on time because the ground beneath the ship fell into molten lava that bubbled up to the surface.
"How long until we reach civilization?" Kensi asked.
"Not sure, but we'll…huh." I said.
"What?" she asked.
"The nav computer has a preset location." I said.
"Where?" she asked.
I brought the galaxy map up and then said. "Miltian space."
"Well, we had to go there at some point." She said.
"Yeah." I said.
I piloted the ship off world, all the while I was prepping the hyperspace engine for the jump to light speed.
"What should we do while we wait?" she asked.
"Where is our family?" I asked.
"They're with our mothers on Helion Prime." She said.
"Good to know. We could use the captain's room until we reach our destination." I said.
"In your dreams." She said.
"All the time darling. All the time." I said.
Kensi scoffed in mock indignation, but I could see the hunger in her eyes.
"Who needs to behave now?" I asked.
"Make me." She said.
"Just so you know, I aim to misbehave." I said.
"Promises, promises." She said.
The moment Kensi finished speaking, the ship had exited the planet's gravity well, but what got our attention was the mass that was approaching the planet.
"What is that?" she asked.
"If I had to guess, that mass is the Aeon colony." I said.
The moment I finished my sentence, the ship jumped out of the system. Kensi and I exited the cockpit and made out way to the captain's quarters. The moment we entered the cabin; we kissed passionately but stopped long enough to undress.
"I'm looking forward to Kensi private time." I said.
"I know you won't be disappointed." Kensi said.
"I know, and you haven't disappointed me yet." I said, with a wicked grin.
Kensi and I finished undressing, embraced again, and then fell onto the bed and continued our tryst.
Star Ocean-
Miltian space-
"Hetty, we have a report from occultist space." Nell said, as she and Eric entered the main room.
"What's the news?" Hetty asked, as she, Callen and Sam looked up from what held their attention.
"The Aeon colony swept through the system leaving nothing in it's wake." Nell said.
"Did anybody escape?" Sam asked.
"We tracked any signatures leaving the system before the Aeon's rolled through the system." Eric said.
There was a beeping sound, informing the group that the had an incoming message.
"What's the message?" Callen asked.
"And more importantly, who's it from?" Hetty asked.
There was a moment of silence while Eric and Nell found the answers to both questions. It took Eric another two minutes before he broke the encryption on the message.
"The origin of the message is from occult space." Nell said.
"Most likely our wayward agents." Director Vance said, joining the group.
"What does it say?" Sam asked.
"Deeks said that they should be arriving with in two days time, and that they are coming on a board a Asterion 1500 liner." Eric said.
"Ah, that message was sent on a delayed timer." Nell said.
"Which means?" Director Vance asked.
There was a harsh siren that rang throughout the room. Then the room went dark as the galaxy map lit up in front of the group.
"What is the time frame until this place is completely engulfed?" Director Vance asked.
"Two hours." Nell said.
"Let's get a move on." Hetty said.
"Yes, ma'am." Callen and Sam both said.
Star Ocean-
Deeper in Miltian space-
The base that the Aeons absorbed made the mass grow larger, but it also made it cease its forward march for the time being. There was a dark mass, almost like a black hole, that sectioned off the rest of the system.
"The door to the Sol system." Eric said.
"What are we waiting for?" Director Vance asked.
"We can't exactly open the door with the unfinished code. And we need to get the kids that were brought back from the depths of the Unknown Regions of Space." Hetty said.
There was a beeping coming from the cockpit, and all Hetty said was. "Mr. Callen."
"Answering now." Callen said.
There was a moment of silence, and then Sam answered. "That was Kensi and Deeks. They will be in the system within the hour."
"What took so long?" Director Vance asked.
"Let me guess: they stopped to pick up Kavra, Astrid and Orion?" Hetty asked.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner." Callen said.
"That sounds like something I would say." Eric said.
"It is, and I thought I would give it a try." Callen said.
"Next time leave that kind of thing to Eric. It seems weird coming from you." Sam said.
"You're out of line, but you have a point." Callen said.
Star Ocean-
Orion Observatory-
There was a man-made space station within view of the door to the Sol system where the eleven of us boarded to prepare for the return to Earth. As I step off the ship and get a glimpse of the halls, a feeling of nostalgia washes over me. Memories surface deep within my brain, flashes of P.O.V. of someone being transported through hallways that are similar to the ones I'm looking at.
"Mr. Deeks." Hetty said through the comms.
"Yes, Hetty." I said.
"I need you, as well as Astrid and Orion, to make a left at the current corridor you are at. And come alone." Hetty said, and the comms went dead.
I contemplate what could be waiting for me. I turned to Kensi, who had a concerned look on her face, but nodded. I nodded back, kissed her, and then waited for Orion, Astrid to say goodbyes and turned and walked away. I don't know what is in store for us, but my mind wanders to how Kavra is taking it. I gleam that Astrid is taking the separation from Kavra pretty hard; Orion is putting up a front of stoicism, but his biometrics are telling a different story.
One hallway over, Kensi and Kavra are having serious conversation about consequences.
"It's been a month since we last spoke, but did you prepare Astrid and Orion?" Kensi asked.
"As well as I could." Kavra said.
"That doesn't sound to promising." Kensi said.
"What do you expect when I was trapped on a backwater planet for some time, not knowing how far the outside would has progressed." Kavra said.
"There was nobody to contact?" Kensi asked.
"The moment I landed on the planet, I was, for all intents and purposes, cut off from the rest of the galaxy." Kavra said.
"I'm guessing you superiors were expecting you to die on that planet." Kensi said.
"I'm almost did, but I to was given a new lease on life." Kavra said.
Kensi sensed that Kavra had stopped to show her something. And to Kensi surprise, when she turned around Kavra had lift her shirt and revealed a partial transformation.
"How come you haven't completely transformed?" Kensi asked.
Kavra didn't even speak. She lowered her shirt and then opened her chest to show a flashing core.
"Are you one of the original Aeons?" Kensi asked.
"Yes." Kavra said.
"Hetty, we have a new development." Kensi said.
"If it has to do with Miss Payne's secret, I'm already aware of it." Hetty said.
"How…"
"Don't ask. It's one of the many secrets that we have never figured out." Kensi said and then turned and walked away.
Kavra closed her chest and followed Kensi.
About an hour later, Hetty was waiting outside a ship that three of her agents were about to board.
"Hetty." Kensi said, as her, Callen and Sam stopped on the landing ramp.
"Miss. Payne and her children are preparing for what's to come." Hetty said.
"What's the plan?" Callen asked.
"Mr. Deeks and Miss. Payne are preparing for the disposal of the bodies." Hetty said.
"How?" Sam asked.
"While the four of you were out, I prepare a body for Miss. Payne as well as her children." Hetty said.
"Hetty, we have a problem." Eric said.
"What's the problem?" Hetty asked.
"The consciousness transfer isn't possible." Nell said.
"What does that mean?" Callen asked.
"It means that my stack has been corrupt just enough that pulling it out of my sleeve will kill me, and any chance of the plan succeeding." Kavra said joining the group.
"Well, there goes plan A." Sam said.
"We still have the rest of the alphabet, let's just move onto to plan B." Kensi said.
"I'm guessing your guys are used to changing plans on the fly." Kavra said.
"A necessary evil." Hetty said.
"Your plan B will be to engage the enemy directly if it calls for it." Callen said.
"Got it." Kavra said.
"All aboard!" Sam shouted.