To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 27

"Okay, everyone keep a sharp eye out for aliens and stay together," Jala ordered the engineers as she passed between them, her pretty eyes glaring at them to ensure they obeyed. "If one of you gets lost we're not gonna risk our lives to come and find you, understood?"

I sat by and watched as they psyched themselves up for the escape mission. If I didn't have my Valdis powers I'd probably be like those men, afraid and helpless. As a result I couldn't blame them for feeling that way.

"Are you sure you can't stay here?" Derek whispered, wrapping his fingers around my arm as we watched the lecture.

I tilted my head and looked into his eyes. It was cute to see him acting so protective, made me care for him all the more, but I wanted to make sure everyone was okay. "I'll be fine, Derek. I survived the last mission."

"I know but..." His eyes darted from my face to the group and back to me again. "I'm just worried. I don't want the story to come true."

"It won't," I whispered, forcing a confidence I didn't really feel. In the hopes of making him less nervous I pulled his face down slightly and kissed him, hoping no one was watching because that would make it awkward for everyone.

As he pulled away, his expression was steeled. "You never kiss me in public." He'd taken that as a sign that something really was wrong.

I shook my head. "Nothing is wrong, Derek. Listen, if you're that worried just talk to me on the comms, okay? I'll be sure to answer."

"Great. Then if you die, I can hear it crystal clear. Thanks...I love you."

My heart melted like the silly fangirl I'd become. That was two times in one day he'd said that. I was about to respond when Maddox tapped my shoulder and nodded toward the door before following the group as they exited.

I smiled and gave Derek one more kiss before running after the others. "I'll be back!" I called and waved before Di shut the door, locking Derek and Ace inside for the last time. The next time we saw them we'd be heading into the moon.

◑○★☆●◐

It was kind of sad having to see that crashed ship again since it reminded me of the pilot who had died inside it but my sadness was easily diminished when we spotted some aliens and had to get rid of them so the men could get through.

Lucky for us, there were a couple ships in working order and all of the engineers knew how to fly one so there was no need to worry. As Jala ordered them onto the one in the best physical condition, Maddox, Zora, and I stood guard, keeping an eye out for more of those white females.

Luckily my past experience with the ceiling made me keep an eye on it and I managed to catch one lone creature trying to sneak across it, crawling on all fours in an attempt to camouflage itself. It didn't work.

Frowning, I flicked it off the ceiling like one would a bug and sent it flying out of the purple force field protecting us from the outside. As it spun away through space, its arms flailing before becoming motionless, I wondered how possible it would be for that alien to hit Manica. I mean, this moon was way closer to the planet than Earth's moon was.

"Nice," Zora complimented me with a grin as she watched the creature turn into nothing more than a dot. "Wish I'd thought of that."

I grinned. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

"Good to go." Jala knocked on the back of the ship and we all watched as it inched out of the station and flew back to Manica, carrying the remaining survivors home. I'm sure they never planned to come back here.

"All right." Jala finally joined us and placed her hands on her hips, looking satisfied with their work today. "Ready to go back?"

Maddox didn't need another invitation and immediately walked back the way we'd come, shaking his head as though he was insulted she'd asked.

◑○★☆●◐

When we entered the control room Ace and Derek were standing off against John. My husband's face was contorted in anger, his face turning a light pink and his eyes blazing with fury. Ace didn't look quite as angry but his mouth was hanging open out of worry.

Across from them, John was examining the computer with a blissful smile on his face. He looked ready to start fiddling with the machine when we walked in, the four of us forming a line around the three, not sure what we'd walked in on.

"John," Ace began, keeping his voice level and his eyes trained on his boss. "We need you to stay on the ship...where you're safe. Di will take care of the station while we're gone."

"But I'm the leader of the expedition. I should come down to—"

"No!"

My eyes went wide at the rage in Derek's voice. It had dropped and octave lower and as soon as he'd yelled it, he'd looked away, staring at me with desperation in his eyes. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Derek." I dropped my voice too and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the side door as quickly and subtly as I could. We needed to get out before he said something he'd regret. "We'll be right back," I managed to tell the others before shutting the door behind us.

As soon as we were alone he started running his hands through his hair, walking the length of the hall and clenching and unclenching his fists, looking ready to punch the wall.

"He wants to come to the moon...again," he told me, his muscles rippling with each word. "Last time he came, he unleashed an army of aliens that killed every living soul on this ship. We warned him the first time to be careful and he didn't listen. Now, he wants to do it again and we won't just sit by and watch as he—"

"Okay." I grabbed one of his arms, trying to bring warmth into my voice. "I'll talk to him. I'll make sure he stays here."

"Sometimes I just want to strangle him," Derek hissed, wringing his hands nervously. "I could just say that the aliens did it..."

I gulped. I hadn't heard this tone in his voice for years. "Derek, we talked about this. Killing John will hurt you far more than it could ever hurt him." It technically wasn't true but to us it was.

"I know but..." He turned to me with puppy eyes. "I knew some of the men on this ship. Some of them were my best friends. And he just...he doesn't even care. I mean, look at him!"

I nodded, knowing all too well how much of a pain John Philips was. I didn't want to admit it but I'd felt relief when he'd died in the show. But his murder, which had technically been Dark's second kill because he'd refused to let him into the control room and had let him die, only brought him closer to the darkness that led to his and Polly's death. I couldn't allow that to happen.

"I know how hard it is," I whispered, seeing his shoulders drop when I spoke. "But I beg you to protect yourself. And...if worse comes to worse, I'll kill him for you."

"What?" His eyes shot to mine in disbelief. "I can't let you—"

"Better I than you," I told him, trying to show a confidence I didn't feel. "I'll ensure he stays on the ship and we'll deal with the threat on the moon together. We already know how to stop them so there shouldn't be any more casualties." I was still disappointed in myself for being too late to save the rest of the ship's crew. "I promise."

My husband nodded, resting his head on my shoulder and blinking a few times in an attempt to calm himself down. "Okay. I..." He took a deep breath. "I trust you."

"Thank you Derek." I smiled. "I trust you too." I trusted him to control himself and not become the monster he was destined to be. "Now let's go to the moon."