Kevin Awakes
2350 Words
Nate
Three hours later Nate found himself walking behind the two ladies as walked past the empty interrogation rooms, Jacobee following them. They had watched the interview between Jacobee and Nodes. Afterward, two different guards appeared and escorted the prisoner away.
Nate studied the lady walking beside his mother. This lady commanded respect and spoke softly. She had to be in charge, or close to the top.
He reflected on his actions. They had been inappropriate and would probably have gotten him arrested had he been back on Earth. While in the hall, the guards did nothing but watch him slam his smaller mother against a wall. Had the lady stopped the guards with some secret signal, or were they just as shocked as everyone else by his actions? Something about the way Cassielle reacted to Nodes, about the way the lady spoke to her, told Nate the flickering lights had something to do with her.
The ladies stopped and so did Nate and Jacobee. The two ladies had been speaking softly while they walked up a long, sloping circular ramp. Cassielle bowed to the lady and turned down a corridor. Jacobee and the lady continued up the ramp while Nate followed his mother. They walked a short way before she went into a large room. He stood at the threshold.
“Come in, Nate,” she beckoned.
Nate entered and the door closed behind him. Two large glass panels on the right separated the room into three visible areas. The room they entered in made up the largest area with several couches and armchairs near a window. Through one panel, he could see a small kitchen area, larger than a hotel but smaller than a full-sized kitchen. On the lounging side of the kitchen panel sat a small table with two chairs facing on another. Through the second glass panel he could see a desk and chair.
The rooms had the same textured flooring as the medical bay but colored a deep crimson. Nate could see silver decorative adornments around the edges of the floor and up the walls. Soft neutral-colored walls counteracted the darkness of the floors. The furnishings were sparce and the colors matched the wall colors.
Cassielle sat in an armchair and indicated for him to sit on a couch. He noticed a closed door to his left and figured this led to the more private parts of the quarters. An attendant came out of a hidden door near the office and went to the kitchen area as Nate joined his mother.
“Sorry,” he said.
He stared at the floor in front of him while waiting for her response.
“Your actions, while unconventional, were correct. I should be able to control myself better,” Cassielle responded.
“What happened? What was causing the lights to flicker and shatter?”
Cassielle remained silent for a few moments. “I have an upgrade that allows me to control energy around me. When I lose control of my emotions, I lose control of the upgrade.”
Nate considered her words. “Upgrade?”
“It’s a mechanical device they implant at the base of the skull that allows the user to have different abilities. The most common is a regeneration upgrade. That allows for accelerated healing and it also slows the aging process.”
“So, you have a healing one and one that lets you control the lights?”
“Something like that.”
“Is Keandre dad’s real name?”
“Your dad changed his name shortly after moving from Africa to America. His parents had sent him there to learn how businesses were run. After he met me, we dated for a while. When he proposed, his parents dis-owned him, and he changed his name. Legally, his name is Kevin. If his parents didn’t want anything to do with us, he wouldn’t have anything to do with them,” she replied.
The attendant brought over a tray of tea for them. Cassielle served them both tea and he sipped the familiar taste of her favorite tea.
“How is Nodes supposed to help?”
“A blood transfusion will help provide clean blood for the body to operate. It will give us time. It’s not a perfect solution, but it will work for now.”
“Sorry for leaving earlier.”
“I find that sometimes I need to walk away. I’m glad to see you have learned that at a younger age then I did.” She smiled at him.
“Grandpa knows. Grandma doesn’t want to believe it. And Celia knows.”
Cassielle let out a sigh. “I imagine they will figure it out eventually. I had no idea how I would tell them.”
“Why don’t you just say it outright?”
“It wasn’t exactly easy for me to see anyone when I went there earlier. I’ve been gone for over twenty years. How am I supposed to explain that away? Think of how difficult it would be, especially since they all probably know or suspect by now.”
“I suspect it may be easier to announce who you are.”
Cassielle let the silence engulf them. Twenty-three years’ worth of questions came to Nate’s mind. None of them were worth breaking the silence for. He wanted answers, but he could not be sure of his reaction. He diverted his attention to the portraits on the walls. She followed his gaze.
“All former Kalli High Councils,” she said. “All of them our ancestors.”
“Ancestors? Oh, right. You said something about Trident being home. So, what’s the story?”
“That is a long story, and I’m not sure we have the time right now.”
Nate studied them for a moment. A chime came from the office and she excused herself.
“The transfusion is complete,” she said returning. “Would you like to accompany me to the medical bay?”
Nate stood up. “Lead on.”
They arrived at the medical bay as Kevin’s bed was being moved from the private room. Nate stood two steps back from Cassielle as the cover from the stasis bed disappeared. Kevin wore the same type of light purple shirt and pants that Nate wore earlier. The medical attendants moved Kevin to a regular bed and placed him back in the private room. Nate and Cassielle waited for him to wake.
“He will be able to make it Trident without the need of a stasis bed,” LuHan said. “We still have a time limit. It could be days; it could be weeks. Eventually, he will either need another transfusion or he will need a regeneration upgrade.”
“Thank you,” Cassielle said. “I will take that into consideration.”
Nate moved to Kevin’s bedside and took his hand. Kevin grabbed back and his eyes opened.
“Dad,” Nate said meekly.
“Hey, buddy. What going on?” Kevin asked looking around.
His eyes locked on Cassielle. She moved into the room and pressed a button to close the door behind her. Nate watched his mother slowly approach. A weak smile crossed her face, but her chin quivered. Kevin reached for her.
“I must have died,” he said as she grabbed his hand.
“Not yet dad,” Nate said.
Kevin looked between the two and then around the room. Reality began to sink in.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Where are we?”
Cassielle let out a shaky sigh as she tried to control her emotions. Her cheeks began to turn red. She again, tried to smile.
“You are on my personal ship, the Lillian. We are headed to the planet Trident,” she explained. “You were poisoned. What we did is not permanent, and you will have to make a tough decision, but for right now, you’re going to be ok.”
“Your-,” Kevin began. “Where have you been?” he finally asked.
Cassielle lowered her head as tears fell from her eyes. “I had been abducted and taken off Earth by human poachers. They also took Andrei, but by the time Trident got to him...” She let out a sigh. “I was rescued and offered to return to Earth. On our way back, I suffered a mortal injury and High Council made the decision to give me a regeneration upgrade that saved my life but kept me from returning to Earth.”
Nate stared at his mother. Nothing prepared him for the explanation she gave. He knew she could not return, but he did not trust his own reactions if he knew the truth.
“I’ve missed you,” Kevin said pulling her hand to his mouth. He gently kissed her fingers. “My white princess.”
The pet name made Cassielle smile. Kevin’s parents hated her due to her being white. Kevin used the pet name to reassure her he was not ashamed of their relationship. He accepted her explanation without question. She smiled and more tears fell. He gently wiped them away and she leaned into his touch. Nate felt his face burn and looked away as his parents greeted each other for the first time in over twenty years.
Nate and Cassielle helped Kevin out of the bed and then Nate helped him get dressed. His clothes were similar to the ones Nate wore, but instead of a jacket, Kevin put on a sleeveless version. The same design and embroidery as Nate’s jacket adorned the hemline and back.
“The whole family’s here,” Nate said.
“Really. Can I see them?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Cassielle said.
“Cass, have they seen you yet?” Kevin asked.
“A few times, but I’m not sure how many of them recognize me.”
They left the medical bay and followed Cassielle to the family’s quarters. Nate told his dad the long list of injuries he sustained during the rescue.
“How on earth did you survive, boy?” his dad asked.
“I guess I’m harder to kill,” Nate said.
“Hardly,” Cassielle interjected. “He just about died. We aren’t even sure how he made the trip up to the Lillian alive.”
“So did you,” Nate commented.
“What?” Kevin said. “Both of you almost died?”
“I took a serious injury and had to use my reserve power to defeat the Federation operative. The risk of my own life to save your lives was worth it,” she said.
They stopped just before the doors to the guest area. A guard opened the door and both Kevin and Nate entered. Cassielle remained outside. Kevin motioned for her to enter but she declined. The men walked into the main area together and all movement stopped.
“Kevin,” Rose said moving to hug him.
“We thought you weren’t going to come out of the stasis bed until we reached Trident,” Hank said joining his wife.
The family hugged Kevin in turn. Eventually, he extracted himself from family and joined Nate and Harold over by one of the windows. Nate could see a security ship flanking them and guessed another one flanked the other side of the Lillian. Happiness infected everyone in the room. The children ran in circles, adults told bad jokes, and even Hank and Rose seemed to have made up. Celia walked over and sat in the only unoccupied seat.
“Why didn’t she want to come in?” she asked. Celia must have seen Cassielle before she walked away.
“She’s hurting right now,” Kevin said. “She needs time to put her thoughts together.”
“So, you know your sister is alive?” Nate asked Celia.
Celia nodded her head. “I figured it out after you said her name. She refused to give it before, only giving her title. Her name and how she reacted to Justin put it together for me.”
They sat for a few moments, watching the children play.
“The clothes we were supplied with were not as grand as yours,” she commented.
Nate noticed that everyone had changed their clothes. All of them wore different colors and different styles. Not a single person wore denim or a skirt. All the adults wore slacks and blouses for the women and button-up shirts for the men, and all the children wore matching pants and tops. Nate and Kevin were the only two dressed like Cassielle.
“They still look good,” he said.
Celia let out a snicker. “We look ridiculous. I guess it could be worse. We could be in old stinky clothes.”
Nate watched the children play. They were genuinely happy. Nothing bad happened, they were just on an unexpected trip. An unexpected vacation. Xander brought him a toy and then ran back to get another.
An explosion from the sleeping area sent acrid clouds of smoke pouring out. The entire ship rocked, and the lights went out. The children screamed as they ran from the play area.
Nate jumped from his chair and ran towards the smoke and fire. He shuffled Xander away from the flames and then went into the sleeping area. He saw several rows of bunks separated by screens with a hall in the front leading to each of them. He found Gideon on the floor in the hall with burns up and down his left side. He struggled to lift the large man and dragged him instead. Once he made sure Gideon was clear, he went in again. He began to cough as the smoke started to overwhelm him. He saw Helen coughing, trying to find the exit. He grabbed her and guided her to the main room.
“Is that everyone?” he coughed out.
“I think so,” Hank said double counting. “I’m not sure.”
- Writer
