Enceladus 4: The Invasion

We had just got to our shuttle when I decided to say something. “What’d you make him see, Golda?”

She smiled a rueful smile. “Bugs. Tiny, tiny insects crawling all over him. Underneath his skin too. Even out of his eyes.”

“Oh.” Yikes. I knew never to get on Golda’s bad side.

“No creature should die a quick death when he was about to-”

Something in her eyes told me she had gone through a similar experience. My chest ached. Caelum put a comforting arm around her. He met my gaze. My answer was in his stare.

My hands curled into fists.

“Want to take watch with me?” Cal asked. Watching over the shuttle that could go invisible was ridiculous but I agreed anyway. I wasn’t that tired.

I kissed Talia goodnight and she and the rest of our family disappeared inside the shuttle.

I found two milk crates and propped them upside down in front of the ship. I sat on one.

“What are these used for?” Caelum asked me after sitting.

I shrugged. “The humans used them to transport cartons of milk. I don’t know what their purpose is now.”

“Odd.”

“So how do you like Earth?”

He laughed, loudly at first before realizing he had to keep it down. “It’s so hot.” He wiped the sweat off the back of his neck after taking off his leather gauntlets. “What did you do when you lived here?”

I smiled. “Well, I lived in Ohio and in the winter it sometimes got down to negative twenty degrees.” Celsius of course, what we used on Enceladus.

“That’s cold.” He paused. “I would kill for that right now.” His bare arms were glistening.

“And during the summer, it got up to thirty-seven.” He cringed. “So, I would leave during the summers. Find somewhere colder. I went to amazing places. I’ve been to San Francisco. It was still quite hot there. I went to Alaska too. Nowhere was perfect but I made do.”

Cal shook his head. “I’m so sorry that Enceladus was so bad that you literally had to run away to a different planet. A planet where I’m sure you had a huge ‘culture shock’.” He used air quotes which he had learned from Golda, who had learned it from Lynx. “Am I using that right?”

I nodded, smiling. “You didn’t know. You were young and stupid.”

“Boy was I. Still, I am sorry. If I could go back and fix things, I would.”

“I know, Cal.” I took off some of my armor, the cuirass from my torso and the pauldrons on my shoulders.

He smiled at me before looking away. “So that Lord guy. He has the hots for you.”

I blushed. Of course he brought it up. I simply shrugged.

He made a snorting/scoffing sound. “Am I right?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing.”

Caelum laughed. “Avoid it. Typical Amelia.”

Later, I had apparently fallen asleep against the shuttle. I opened my eyes to the rising sun. I also had a blanket covering me.

Alexander was sitting next to me, wide awake. “Good morning, Amelia. Would you like some . . . oatmeal?”

I laughed. “No thanks.” I guessed our shuttle was stocked with Earth food so we could fit in. Which was ridiculous.

“It’s almost seven hundred. Would you like to wake everyone up, or should I?”

“0700,” I corrected. It wasn’t his fault though. He knew nothing of military time. On Enceladus, we only used the words morning, dawn, day, eve, and night to describe the time. There were no real times. “I will wake them,” I told him. I threw off the blanket—it was already hot out—and lifted my hand to open the shuttle door. Before I could, it opened and John stepped out. Followed by Cassiopeia, Lynx, Talia, Golda, and finally Caelum.

“Time to go,” Alex said.

Everybody, including myself, put back on their armor. It felt good to have it off for a night but once it went on, death came with it.

We walked to the city square. By now, there were no humans walking around, frolicking through the streets. Only policemen remained, wandering the roads, looking for hostiles.

We passed a group of cops that looked frightened by us. They didn’t say anything though. I heard one officer’s walkie-talkie go off. “. . . with the evacuation. The citizens are almost all out.”

So, they were evacuating Houston. I wondered if they were doing that all around the world. And I wondered where they would evacuate to.

We got to the city square and it looked like we were late.

“Today we are going in pursuit of hostiles,” the SE agent said. I should have really asked his name. “The human law enforcement is currently evacuating everyone, so it should be easier to look. I would like the royal families of Enceladus and Iapetus to team up, plus several of your own citizens. Take the communication devices from your shuttles.” He gave us a map of where we’d be looking and we left.

“Good morning, Amelia,” Mel said as he fell into step next to me. Now I was in between him and my girlfriend. Fun.

“Morning, Mel.”

“Good morning, Lord Mel,” chirped Talia. I loved her.

I leaned into her ear and whispered just that. She blushed.

Everyone walked silently for a bit. We weren’t to our destination yet and we had nothing to talk about.

Nearly an hour later when the sun was in its full blazing position, we had come to some kind of country neighborhood.

“We should spilt up more,” Cassiopeia said. Her blue eyes scanned the area.

“Yes!” Caelum jumped in. “Lord Mel, Amelia . . .” I lost what he said after that. I was simply glaring at him. I looked to Cass for help but she was agreeing, not thinking anything of it.

I hugged Talia before we were forced to part ways. Mel, two Enceladus guards, two Iapetus guards, and I walked off.

“You know, don’t you?” Mel spoke quietly as we walked in the heat, the guards trailing behind us.

I eyed a gold chain around his bare wrist. “Know what?” I played dumb. I so did not want to have this conversation.

“That I am smitten with you.”

Smitten? I nodded my head but I knew it resembled a shake. I was not good with these things. I had never had to deal with a man liking me. They all feared me.

“Listen to me, Amelia. It’s a simple crush. I will get over it.” Something in his voice told me otherwise. I stopped walking. “I know you love Talia and would do anything for her. I would never do anything to ruin that or destroy our friendship. It means a lot to me.” His eyes held so much emotion I had to look away.

In another life, in another time, I could see myself with Mel. He was sweet and kind and too hot for his own good. “I really appreciate it, Mel.”

“Lord! Princess!” One of my guards whisper-shouted.

I looked to where he was motioning.

There were a group of eight Rheans rounding the corner of a building across from us. The guards started to march toward them but I stopped them. “We don’t know what’s around that corner.” I grabbed Mel’s hand, turning us invisible. The Enceladian guards copied me. We tip toed around the corner.

It was only the eight blue men and a shuttle. I let go of Mel’s hand and jumped on one’s back. I grabbed his head and twisted. He crumpled to the hot ground.

Mel had taken out two of them and the four guards killed one each, leaving one lonely Rhean.

“Wait, please!” he begged in English. “I know things! I know about the Titans!” He dropped to his knees and raised his hands.

I held him in place with my telekinesis. “What?”

“The Titans are coming tomorrow,” he heaved out. He was terrified. Good.

“Where?” Mel demanded.

“Asia and Washington. The capital.”

Mel turned just enough to tell his guards to contact the SE agent.

“Please don’t kill me. I have so much information. I could help. I didn’t want to do this!”

I scoffed. “What more could you tell us?”

He hesitated too long. I had my answer. “I’ll take care of this,” I said. “Why don’t you guys tell the SE agent?”

They all listened to me and left. “W-what are you going to do t-t-to me?” The Rhean quivered.

I grinned and kneeled. “I’m hungry.” I inhaled and his life force came billowing out and into me. He fell over and I was recharged.

“Amelia?”

I froze. Fëŵ.