Phoenix Rising - The Peaemaker

We were glowing as we headed to the vehicle. The only thing I loved more than a dramatic entrance was a dramatic exit.

“Elliot got away. Four ran away after the other four went poof. I could feel you and the children. They must have tracked my heat signature. Who knows what yours is now?”

“The children want to make sure you’re safe.” I handed him the phone and it rang.

Lucas reassured them we were fine. I wasn’t sure that was the case, but they didn’t need to know that. We found our way to the vehicle, people seemed to be keeping their distance from us.

“I wonder how they’ll spin what happened and find a way to blame me? Everybody reach out and see if we’re being tailed.”

Lucas did a quick sweep of the SUV and we headed to the gate. Hopefully, Elliot was too distracted by his failure to try anything else so quickly. The surrounding area had been blocked off for our meeting, but beyond that was a mass of media and residents waited anxiously to see what was happening. Word had gotten out about our meeting with world leaders. It’s not an easy thing to hide in today’s 24/7 media culture and an ambulance leaving a Camp David summit is going to draw attention.

“You’re glowing,” Lucas said.

“You too, crap.”

Something didn’t feel right and we were headed right into a road filled with bystanders and law enforcement.

“Stop, I love you,” I said. This was going to be one of my bigger tests.

I jumped out of the SUV, someone had fired a rocket launcher and it was headed our way. Elliot wasn’t done with us yet. I couldn’t understand why he was so determined to kill us.

Did I wrap the bomb or everyone around me? I had no time to think. I wrapped everyone and sent out a charge to detonate it but it was too close now. People screamed in terror, but they couldn’t move because I had them shielded. The rocket exploded right near me. I let out a rush of air when the force knocked me into the back of the SUV, my head shattered the back window, stunning me. I contained the energy burst as best I could so no one around us was hit by the blast wave or bomb debris.

I felt Lucas right by my side, “Relax and let go,” he said.

I let go and the debris dropped harmlessly to the ground. The people on the street moved, cameras flashed, there was a burst of nervous laughter, then a round of applause.

Lucas walked me around to the passenger side. “Is anyone injured?” I asked the crowd.

Some came towards me, curious of the oddity that we were, while others shrunk away terrified, thinking I was nothing more than a demon, the snake in the Garden of Eden sent to steal their souls.

A woman yelled from the crowded side walk, “Can you help my son?” She approached me cautiously with a child who appeared to be ten or eleven years old.

 “This isn’t going to end well,” Lucas said.

“I’ll try and help your son, but if it works pretend it didn’t until you get home. Is that a deal? What’s your name young man?”

“Kyle.” We shook hands.

“Here’s the deal, Kyle? If I make you see, you’ll pretend you can’t for a little bit longer, okay?”

“Sure,” he said excitedly.

The boy was scared and anxious, but exited at the prospect of getting his sight back.

I put my hands on his beautiful dark blue eyes. “He lost his sight after a car accident?” I said.

“Yes,” His mother replied.

“His optic nerves were damaged. He should be fine by tomorrow.”

I told Kyle. “You’ll see a little bit of light for now so keep the eyes closed, it will be very bright until you get used to it again. Maybe get him some sunglasses.”

I kissed his head, “Live a long and good life Kyle, help people like you’ve been helped.”

He had his eyes squeezed tight. “I promise I will.”

“Good man,” I said.

His mother hugged me. “Thank you.”

Lucas grabbed me. “We need to go, now.” People were moving closer to us out of curiosity. We didn’t look like scary aliens, but looks can be deceiving. We took off as the police were clearing the streets, even they seemed to keep their distance, waving us through traffic.

“We need to dump this vehicle ASAP. You put one hell of a dent in the back. Are you okay?” Lucas said.

“The usual, I’m hungry and in need of a nap. I shielded everyone, but not myself enough, I guess.”

“I think we should head back home. I can tell you’re going down for a while. Elliot is hunting us and I don’t feel like I can protect you here. You put out a lot of energy with that blast.”

Lucas seemed very stressed out, he was always going to be a hands on warrior, feeling safer with his guns and knives than with the seemingly magical powers that I possessed. The hunter always plans on the prey heading home to the safety of its nest. Elliot would be no different. They had our general vicinity and would begin the search for us there.

“I understand. You do what you think is best. You’re right, I’m going down soon.”

We hit a fast food place and I chugged coffee and we ate burgers. Lucas dropped off the rental and filled out an accident form. He told them we backed into a pole. He took the blame like a good husband since the truth was unbelievable. We grabbed a new car and headed towards the airport. The steady whine of the freeway lulled me to sleep.

I could hear Lucas yelling my name. “We have a bogey honey, and if you don’t wake up, were dead.”

Lucas banked the plane hard and I rolled onto the floor, smacking into the seats across from me. That was enough to wake me.

“Ouch.”

I crawled the short distance to the front of the plane.

Lucas kissed me. “Thank God. I love you and I hope you can do something.”  

“Keep taking us down just in case.” I strapped myself in as Lucas took the plane down towards the mountain range. He was pushing this plane to its limits and beyond. I was grateful he was as skilled at flying as he was everything else.

“You’re glowing.”

“So are you. I can feel the children,” I said.

“I’m not seeing any flares. I never thought about a plane with flares.” His tone was less than calm.

A missile exploded off the starboard side of the plane. The turbulence jostled us around and alarms started going off in the cock pit. Not sure why I was scared I was pretty sure I could no longer die and I could fly, somewhat. My fear was for Lucas, I wasn’t sure I could bring him back from a plane crash or if he could fly as well. Again, my life was filled with more questions than answers.

I unintentionally made a whining sound. “We’re going to be okay, honey don’t worry. There’s another incoming, make that two. I’m glad we insured it.”

Someone was very determined to kill us. I wasn’t sure how much energy I had left in me. We were flying west, into the mountains and into a storm.

“I am the storm.”

“Works for me,” Lucas said.

It started to lightning around us. We were jostled around for a few minutes by turbulence.

“I think the missiles are gone. We should be in the clear.”

Lucas threw out the flight plan and flew below the radar for most of the trip home.

They had attempted to shoot us down over the mountains so it looked like nothing more than a tragic accident, chalk it up to pilot error or the storm. The storm dissipated and we flew into the sunset towards our children and home.

I woke up briefly when Lucas kissed my forehead and put me in the back of the SUV. I heard LJ and Allegra and felt Lucas snuggled up next to me in bed later.

It was pitch black when I awoke, just the faint glow of a night light in the bathroom. Where ever I was Lucas was sleeping next to me.

“I love you my amazing wife,” Lucas whispered and kissed my neck.

“Not as much as I love you. It’s good to be on the ground.”

Lucas chuckled. “I won’t argue with that.”

“We’re at Joe’s?”

“Yeah, the house didn’t feel safe and with you down I didn’t want to take the chances of another Russian hit squad or drone strike while you’re out of it. You saved us in the plane.”

I heard footsteps above us.

“Damn, I think I woke up the whole house.”

“You always do when you come back, its fine.”

Lucas reached over and turned on a light and kissed me. LJ and Joe came down the stairs with a pot of coffee. Allegra came out of the back bedroom and gave me a hug, the whole gang was there.