Bubble

Chapter 33

It looked just like the liquid substance Emma had seen at the Nova Kai headquarters back on earth. The whole boulder glowed with an electric water-like era to it, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. She raced back to her place next to Abigail, preparing to close the opening if need be. All of the soldiers were at attention with their guns trained on the tesseract, and Captain Deller stood before all of them, his comms unit crackling to life. “Nova Kai, this is headquarters. We are initiating tesseract transfer.” Communication could become instant when the “portal” was open, allowing the information to pass just like people could instead of taking the two day trip the long way.

The buzzing became more intense, and a loud whooshing sound rang through the air as a person materialized from the boulder. An armed soldier carefully approached the innocent looking man, who was shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight. He carefully inspected the plexiglass badge that hung from around the man’s neck, then waved over to a medic after being cleared. Next, a woman and a little girl came through, rushing over to be with the man after being checked out, obviously his wife and daughter.

People continued to spill through the tesseract for the next twenty minutes, the security team never once slipping up and staying alert. Emma’s body was rigid as she watched intently, waiting for the next person to be the first of an army. But the portal soon became quiet, and Deller announced that the expedition was complete, her shoulders relaxing as she realized the worst was over. He walked over to Abigail and Emma and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. “Okay, close it up girls,” he ordered, and she practically tiptoed over to the equipment with Dr. Truman.

They had only typed in a few codes to prepare to close the tesseract when the boulder whirled to life once again. Emma’s eyes widened, and her heart threatened to beat directly out of her chest. Had she done something wrong? Had she messed the whole thing up? She jumped back from the keypad, raising her hands in the air, careful not to touch anything or upset the system further. Another loud whoosh filled the air, and a body surfaced amongst the electricity. Emma’s fear only heightened when she saw that the man was dressed in the traditional government military uniform, and she turned to run, but arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

The man had a tight hold of her, with an elbow wrapped around her upper body. Something sharp pressed against Emma’s neck, and the man’s heavy breath puffed hot against the skin of her throat. She clawed at the arm, gasping for air, but finding it impossible. She pulled her head upwards to try and relieve the pressure of the knife, catching a glimpse of a panicked Will and her parents. The man yelled something towards the crowd, pressing the knife harder into Emma’s neck as a return shout of refusal answered him, drawing a thin line of blood.

“Fine! Just let her go! You can do whatever you want to the portal!” Deller yelled, and her captor turned his head for a moment to look at the glowing rock behind them. In a moment of hesitation, his grip loosened slightly on Emma’s neck, and in that instant a blast was fired straight at his head, narrowly missing her own. He was knocked to the ground, dead, and she fell to her knees.

Daniel and Elisabeth were instantly at Emma’s side, along with Will, pulling her into a tight embrace. She didn’t even try to hide her sobs. She curled up into a ball, her entire body wracked with fear. Strong arms wrapped around her, and she could feel herself being lifted before being set down once again. Someone was petting her hair gently, and it wasn’t until her hysterics died down a few minutes later that she even attempted to open her eyes. Emma’s vision was foggy, but she could make out Will’s figure next to her, and the busy buzz of the security team.

Another shudder shook her frame, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, clinging to Will’s shirt, and panting shallowly for the air wouldn’t enter her lungs. He began to rub his hand over her back whisper in her ear. “It’s okay, its over now. You did it.” It was finally true, but even Will’s voice shook as he said the words. He was Emma’s soldier though, and he would always stay strong for her.