Invited

Fifty-Five - Timber

The Gorgachan ship was nothing like the Achlivan one. First thing I noticed upon stepping aboard was how much dirtier it was. Or maybe it just seemed dirty and cramped because it was more of how the stereotyped spaceship was always portrayed in the movies and on television. I was spoiled with all of the space I'd been given on Salvation. No wonder the Gorgachan wanted Achlivan technology; I'd hate to live on a crummy spaceship too.

With Patriarch's help, I was able to be teleported over with Chevelle. The problem was, we only had two teleportation...things. That was all the Achlivans had given us clearance for. They were kind of like small chips placed on the skin. How all of us were going to get back, I had no clue. Immediately, I regretted letting her come along. Patriarch's continual frowning as we took off suggested he also didn't approve. I'm not sure why he didn't fight her. Perhaps he knew something I didn't. In order for us to be teleported over, he had to have the exact coordinates of the Gorgachan ship, so maybe that had something to do with it. We knew where they were now, precisely. Maybe a cavalry was following us over. I couldn't bank on anything, and was prepared for the worst.

We arrived in a small room filled with computer equipment. No one was waiting for us, and I wasn't quite sure how to feel about the lack of welcome. I recognized the room to be the one Wicken and Talia had been in during the video call. That didn't make me feel too awesome either.

"Think we should stay put or go explore?" Chevelle asked.

I chewed on my lower lip. "Patriarch said to stay put. They know we're coming, or at least that I am..."

"Then I can explore," Chevelle said with a wink.

"Yeah, that's not a great idea," I said darkly. "Can't say I want you out of my sight."

"Too bad, because they're expecting just you anyway," she said. "So I'm going to see if I can find Wicken. Here." She handed me her teleportation device. "Use that on Talia."

My jaw tightened. "You were planning on staying behind with him, not coming back."

"Where he is, I am," she stated, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't look so pissed off."

"Well, I am pissed off." I couldn't believe it. I should have gone with my gut instinct and tied her up in the apartment. "Ugh, you know you can't stay here. It's not safe. Your family is going to freak out. You're freaking pregnant!"

"And I can't do this anymore without him," she said, her eyes going wide and filling with tears. "I don't expect you to understand. No one gets it!"

I wanted to point out that she never tried to let me "get it." Per usual, she kept everything bottled up until it exploded all over the place, only this time when it exploded, it was bad timing. This was going to come back and bite us both, hard.

Shaking my hand, I threw up my hands. "Do what you want, Chev. It's what you do anyway."

"You're not even going to wish me good luck?" she asked quietly.

"Good luck," I mumbled. She was going to need it if she was dumb enough to think she could sneak herself aboard and remain unnoticed.

After a moment of hesitation, she ran into my arms and hugged me. "Thank you for everything."

I managed a nod, not believing her. If I had made a difference in her life, it wasn't good enough to have her respect me enough to listen to me. I didn't say goodbye, only watched her open the door and disappear from my life for what could have been forever.

Alone, I stood and took in the room around me. Where was everyone? Did they not get the message that I was coming? Did something else go wrong? I was about to take a peek out the door myself when the handle turned. At first, I hoped it was Chevelle changing her mind and coming back. Nope. When the door opened, Layla was on the other side. Behind her, in handcuffs, was Talia.

"A pleasure to meet you in person, Timber," Layla said. "Your pictures do not do you justice."

"Thanks," I said, trying to not let the disgust inside of me leak out into my voice. I didn't go so far as to smile. We both knew the whole point of the meeting was business and business alone.

She walked in, leading Talia gently by the forearm. "Our travel indicators noted another person with you, yet you are alone."

"My travel companion bailed on me," I mumbled. "I'm not the only one desperate to be back with the one I love."

"Oh, her." Layla rolled her eyes, apparently aware of Chevelle and who she was. "Is that all? I was hoping for something more exciting. Since you're a man of your word, I will be a woman of mine. Show me the plans."

I held out the small orb Athena had given me. "You mean these?"

"Timber, don't..." Talia whimpered.

"Yes, I'm going to," I said. "I'm not letting you get hurt anymore! So you guys want these plans, you can take them. Just let Talia and I go back like you promised."

Layla's eyes seemed to light up. I might as well have been offering a toddler candy, she exuded that much excitement. With the orb in her hands, she ran her palm over the surface. Instantly, the orb sprang to life and a bright blue light projected the image of the solar technology of the Achlivans. I sure hoped that was just a cover page and Athena hadn't given out the real plans on accident. Thankfully, Layla didn't explore further, so I didn't get to find out one way or another. She ran her hand over the orb again, and the device shut itself off.

"Wonderful," she said. "I'm so glad you were able to see the side of reason. Take her." She shoved Talia toward me. "Be gone. If you hurry, you won't miss the big show. Fifteen minutes and counting."

Talia was in my arms once more. No one had to tell me twice to get the heck out of there. I placed the teleportation chip on her wrist, pressed down on it, and within seconds we were back aboard Salvation in Patriarch's office. Paul was there now.

"Where is she?" Paul said.

I knew he meant Chevelle. "She stayed behind. That was her plan all along."

"I can't believe you both let her go!" His gaze was filled with a fire I'd never seen before. Paul didn't get mad – ever.

Taking in a deep breath, I did my best to not yell right back at him. "She wanted to be with him and was tired of waiting around for someone to do something. You know how she is. When she wants something, she does it. That's how she's always been. Nothing I did was going to make it not happen, just prolong the inevitable. I'm not exactly tickled either."

"It's going to make our extraction plan more complicated," he said, the grit still present in his tone, but at least his voice was lowered.

"Then maybe you should have given her more hope that there was an actual plan in place instead of trying to shove other guys onto her," I snapped. "Layla knows she's there. She didn't seem too concerned."

"You remember what I said about how Layla views Wicken as her possession, yes?" Paul asked.

I nodded.

"She will see Chevelle as a threat."

"He'll protect her," I said.

"If he gets to her first."