••••

As the fireball streaks toward me, time slows in that strange way it does when you know you're about to die.

Stephanie's face flashes through my mind. The way she looked at me earlier. The sound of her laugh. The absolute unfairness of leaving her with this memory of watching me die.

I'm sorry Stephanie, I think.

I'm so sorry you have to watch me die.

The fireball fills my vision.

And then…..

Oblivion takes me….

.....

Yellow light is the first thing I notice as I come to. It washes over everything, soft and warm, like sunlight filtered through honeyed glass.

Good, apparently I made it to heaven, I think.

I've never been very religious myself, but at least I know I was good enough to come here. The thought is faintly amusing, drifting lazily through my head as awareness slowly returns.

Flexing my fingers and moving my arms confirms that all my pain is gone. Every ache, every sharp reminder of failure has vanished. Silently I weep, knowing that Earth is now left to the demons. Maybe the countries will come together and put up a good enough defense. It's a nice thought, comforting in its simplicity, but I know it's not really possible. Humans are too cantankerous, too divided, and too eager to fight one another instead of the real enemy.

Oh, God. Stephanie…!

The memory of her face snaps me fully awake. Pulling my legs underneath me, I suddenly realize that something doesn't feel quite right.

My movement is easy, too easy. Opening my eyes, I find myself staring at the burned remains of my right pant leg, it was blackened and stiff, the fabric brittle where flame once licked it.

"What the…" I gasped.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" a familiar voice shouts, startling me, and a strong arms grip me in a fierce hug before pulling back, then I saw Loveth searching my eyes with frantic intensity.

"Good to see you too, sis," I try to greet her cheerfully, but I don't have it in me right now.

I'd LOST, and to Team Rocket no less.

"Thanks for coming to get me, but why are you here?" I asked, confused.

Apparently, she either doesn't like my words or what she sees on my face. I soon find out it's the latter.

"You look like shit," she tells me bluntly.

"Why don't you try to rest in the healing light a bit more?" Loveth said.

I almost laugh as I see how tired she looks, dark circles shadowing her eyes, and her posture strained.

For a moment, I wonder if she'd watched my battle with the twins. I know that it's possible, as Vage is always watching me. I notice how upset Loveth seems and can feel her hands shaking slightly where they grip my arms.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "I'll be fine. The nanites is already healing me," I offer by way of explanation.

The nanites should be strong enough, and my body recovered enough, to completely fix all of me. If only they could do the same for my pride.

"Relax, will you? We still have some time before we face the demons." I try to get her to calm down, but my soothing tone seems to have the opposite effect.

"You were nearly killed down there, Nick!" Loveth said through sob.

"But that's… it's not that… something… um…" Loveth bites her lower lip as she struggles to form the words. "Vage's been incapacitated," she finally blurts out, and I feel like my whole world gets rocked violently off its axis.

"Vage? How—?" I demand to know, gripping my sister's arms now and completely forgetting about the twins.

A knot forms in my stomach as worry floods in, but my logical mind forces itself forward. If Vage is down, it's not a complete loss. There are still six other ships, even if they can't fight and I have no experience leading them. Maybe if another alien piloted.

"Where's Harana?" I ask.

The fear deepens in Loveth's blue eyes. "She's taking care of Vage," she whispers. "She's also piloting the ship."

"What happened to Vage?" I demand again, dread coiling tighter. Then it hits me. "The eggs?"

She nods, tears spilling freely down her cheeks now. Fear clamps around my heart like a vise. Not the kids too; oh, please not the kids too! I have to get to Vage, I know, but I don't even know how to open the hatch that leads to her chamber.

"Vage, Harana!" I yell, hoping one of them can hear me. "I can't open the door. Let me back there."

"Nick," Loveth's hand on my shoulder makes me feel claustrophobic, and I shake it off. "You can open it with the nanites. Just send the command to the ship mentally." I stare at her stupidly.

Can it really be that easy? She could do it for me, I know she could, but that has never been my sister's way. She's always willing to help me, but never to carry me. How ironic that her ability reflects that perfectly.

Without hesitation, I mentally command the ship to open the door, and sure enough, it slides open to my right. I dash through it, heedless of the surrounding blackness. I know the layout, I know there are a few steps before the corridor bends. My eyes adjust to the infrared light just before I slam into the wall.

I run the rest of the way to where I know Vage to be, sensing her faint presence with my switches. I stop outside her door, my breath ragged and my heart pounding, dread pooling heavy in my chest.

Suddenly I hesitate to open the door, terrified of what I might find inside. Loveth hasn't told me what happened to Vage and my kids. She only said the alien was incapacitated, and then she'd started crying.

No, I think desperately, they have to be okay. Maybe the hatching process was traumatic for her. Maybe that's all it was. Still, the thought refuses to settle. How can eggs hatching be this devastating to the mother?

I don't know how long I stand there, frozen, but finally I realize there is no more time to hesitate. I have to face what's inside. Commanding the ship to open the door, I step through.

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