The Book of Gemma -Apocalyptic Fantasy Romance-

CHAPTER 20: THE TEST

That morning Deecon woke up to me projecting some footage on Annie's wristband to the stone wall.
"Why would you watch this again?" His morning voice echoing in the bunker.
"Well I was researching your favorite system earlier but then I remembered... Franco said in the last video that his coordinates were on her map, I thought maybe I would see the map in her office... no luck so far." I groan, feeling defeated in my hunt for a hint where he is.
"What if she has the map stored on her wristband?" Deecon asks, pulling up a chair beside me.

I bring up her files on the wall to show Deecon.
"She has so much crap on this thing but I still haven't seen anything. I doubt she would keep his location in her band."
Albi comes out of the room, overhearing the situation.
"I don't think finding him is a good idea for you Gemma."
I sigh, "Franco is the only one alive who has made contact with the masked men... We need to find him."
I go to explain further but Deecon grabs the sides of Annie's band strapped to my left arm.

"Wait wait wait... When I first came to Sky, my band had a folder that I could never erase that showed the times ships would leave to Lower. Before I got granted ten years on Sky, my band would keep track of my time in it."
He scrolls his finger on the hologram further and further down.
"Annie had permanent status, Franco's information wouldn't load on it." I assure him there would be no hint in the folder.
"Well if Annie was organized which I think she was with the videos... She might..." He opens the folder and begins to grin. "...just keep the ship's schedule to pick up Franco... annnnd... where she could find him if he didn't appear at the station... HA HA."

47.774036° N, -117.0846° E

There it was. Franco's coordinates.
I turn to him, he is open mouth beaming at the information. He figured something out before me, he felt like the king of the world.

He turns to me, pointing both fingers in my direction, "I beat you! I solved the puzzle before your beautiful brain could!" Deecon's laugh echoes again. I didn't care for the loudness of it, I let him have his moment.
"Fine... you beat me." I laugh along.
I had laughed with him for the third time in twenty four hours and I was okay with him beating me for this feeling. I had missed his joyful laugh.
I pull up the coordinates on my band, "It's about.. Oh god... fifty kilometers from our bunker."
Deecon flops his head down, "Well.. when are leaving?"

Albi grumbles under his breath, "That's about thirteen to fourteen hours of walking.. We would need to camp and I don't think we would survive the freezing night without shelter."
I bring my hands up towards Albi's head, my fingertips glowing.
"Only I could survive that trek... I would have to go alone. You two would freeze to death out there."

Deecon shakes his head at me, "No.. No fucking way you are going to be alone with that guy.. He's not as tough as he claims but Gemma it's too risky. What if your hate for this guy consumes you and we can't be there to stop it?"

I begin to pace the room, trying to think of any other option but I can't.
Deecon can melt the coldness when it festered in my body but me trying to stop my thoughts? The Solar part of me begged to pull me in any chance it got.
"I have to try.. Franco is the only lead on these men and we are blind in this situation."

Deecon still shakes his head, "I don't like this idea... Albi, come on help me."
Albi folds his arm in the corner of the room, staring down at the ground. I can almost see the gears in his head trying to halt his thoughts of letting me go.
"He's right, Gemma.. This is too risky.." He finally replies.
Deecon holds his hand out to him, "Thank you... see ge-"

"-But it's the only way we could find out more about these guys."
Deecon throws his arm down from Albi, slapping his thigh.
"Dammit Albi, we almost agreed on something.... So what are we supposed to do? Just sit here, hoping that you won't suck the planet up?"

I flinch at his words, I would never. He senses my disgust in his comparison to me and the Solar Destroyers.

"I'm sorry, Gem.. I didn't mean it." He rubs the back of his head feeling disgusted in voicing his unfiltered thought.
I leave the room to grab my things, just try and stop me. I dare you.
I start to put on the fabric to cover my face.
Deecon panics, "You're going now?!... you haven't even eaten anything.. Or even grabbed any water.. You're unprepared for this journey!"
I grab the ladder, ready to climb out of the hatch.

I giggle at his words, "For almost two years you claimed to know my secret.. You held it over my head for so long... but it turns out, you know nothing about my kind."

I crack the hatch and slam it shut.
I am not my pendant state, I am a fucking God and I will believe in my strength now instead of cower to it.