“You’re talking about surrender,” I say.
Lawson’s lips form a tight line. “Cutting our losses,” he replies. “Living to fight another day. Preserving the maximum number of lives possible.”
John and I exchange a look. If our counterattack fails, we probably won’t be alive to see what comes next anyway. What Lawson does in that bleak future doesn’t much matter.
“Do what you have to do,” John says.
We drop Lawson in an open field outside of Pittsburgh. There’s a military convoy waiting for him, replacements for the squads that died at Patience Creek. The headlights of their Humvees are the only illumination out here. A cool breeze blows across the field, swaying the overgrown grass. Our group—Loric, human Garde, friends, survivors—stand outside of Lexa’s ship. Gradually, the humans begin to drift towards the convoy, the scientists and the handful of surviving soldiers limping that way. Wherever they end up next, it’ll surely be safer than staying with us.
“I’ve got teams standing by at the coordinates you gave me, guarding those alien rocks of yours,” Lawson says. “They’re waiting on you. Once they’re armed, we’ll begin our attack.”
“We’re on it,” John replies.
“How exactly are Earth’s armies planning to take down the warships?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Every country’s a little different,” Lawson replies grimly. “From what I’ve heard, China and some others are planning to go nuclear. Most of the EU doesn’t want to risk the fallout, so they’re going with missile bombardment. The hope is that these big hulks of theirs can’t absorb much damage once you’re through the force field.”
“And America?” John asks.
Lawson smiles. “At my suggestion, we’re taking a page out of your book, John. Flying the biggest personnel carriers we’ve got right down their throats, boarding those ships and gunning down every goddamn alien we see.”
“I like it,” I say.
Lawson nods. He hooks his thumbs through his belt loops and looks us over. Then he nods to himself, like he’s satisfied we’re his best chance. Or resigned to the fact. Hard to say.
“I suppose that’s it,” the general says. “See you all on the other side.”
With that he walks across the field towards the convoy. Caleb, whose twin brother apparently never really existed, moves to follow after him.
“Caleb, wait,” John says.
With a nervous glance at Lawson, Caleb stops midstride and turns back to face the rest of us. He stands next to Nigel and Ran. The Japanese girl is unreadable as usual. Nigel, on the other hand, looks shaken up. All the bluster from before is gone. His ragged Misfits T-shirt still bears the bloodstains from Patience Creek. Even though Marina healed his wounds, this latest taste of combat left more than physical marks on the Brit. Daniela stands next to those two, watching over them. I’m not sure exactly what happened inside Patience Creek, but it seems like the hard city girl has developed some protective feelings for the two other human Garde.
“Our planet’s Elders sent us to Earth to keep us safe, so that we’d one day be ready to fight back and avenge our planet,” John says, addressing the humans. “Today is that day. Where we’re going next, it isn’t a battle that you’re ready for. We’ve trained our whole lives for it. Your training is just beginning. Your day will come.”
Daniela opens her mouth to protest. I catch her eye and subtly shake my head, shooting a look towards Nigel and Ran. She gets the message and stays quiet.
“Win or lose, tomorrow, your world will be a changed place. It’s going to need protectors. Eventually, you’ll need to step up.” John glances at Sam, who stands nearby and manages a smile. “For now, though, I think the future protectors need protecting. We all had charms burned into our ankles that would keep us safe, at least for a time. We can’t do that for you guys, but we can give you something else. . . .”
I’m not sure what John’s talking about until Regal, our hawk-shaped Chim?ra, lands on Caleb’s shoulder. The boy jumps, settling down only when it’s clear the bird’s talons won’t pierce him. Regal spreads out his wings and ruffles Caleb’s hair.
Bandit, the raccoon, scratches at Nigel’s leg with his black paws until the Brit is forced to pick him up. Gamera, trundling across the grass in turtle form, ends up staring up at Ran. She bends down to run one finger over his scaly forehead, and, for the first time, I see her crack a smile.
“His name is Gamera,” Malcolm says to Ran. “I named him after a favorite old monster of mine.”
Ran stares blankly at Malcolm.
“He fought Godzilla,” he explains further.
At the very least she must understand “Godzilla,” because Ran rolls her eyes and goes back to stroking the turtle.
The golden retriever Chim?ra, Biscuit, the one that Sarah was especially fond of, ambles over to Daniela, happily wagging her tail when Daniela starts to scratch behind her ears. I notice a flicker of something on John’s face; it’s hard to say exactly what in the near darkness, but he seems pleased.
And finally, with impossible agility for a feline of his girth, Stanley leaps into Sam’s arms. He laughs, and, at the sound, a tightness in my chest eases. I’d been so terrified that something horrible had befallen Sam at Patience Creek and that we were going to be apart when it happened—just like John and Sarah. Only now am I finally able to relax a bit.
“All right, Stanley, all right,” Sam says, holding the heavy, purring cat in his arms. “We can make it official.”
Nine scowls. “You need to rename that stupid cat.”
“These Chim?rae will be your protectors until you’ve come to fully grasp your Legacies,” John continues, glancing at Bernie Kosar, who, in beagle-form, sits quietly at his feet. “And then they will be your most valuable allies. One day, hopefully, we’ll be able to help you more, train you like our Cêpans trained us. . . .”
Five, standing off to the side of everyone, chuckles darkly at that. Everyone looks in his direction, Marina’s glare particularly icy, and he edges farther away in response.
“But until that day . . . ,” John continues, and then trails off. He doesn’t know what to say. Or maybe he doesn’t think that day will ever come.
“Kick some ass and do Earth proud,” Nine finishes for him.
After that, Caleb, Nigel and Ran say their good-byes and join Lawson’s convoy. Daniela lingers a little longer. She gives me a big hug, then turns to John and Sam.
“You know, I’m definitely badass enough to help you guys out,” she says. She jerks her thumb over her shoulder at the other humans. “But someone needs to watch out for them.”
John nods, smiling tiredly. “Take care, Daniela.”
“Don’t die,” she responds, then joins the others.
Sam strokes Stanley’s head, an eyebrow raised at John. “I know you’re not expecting me to leave with them.”
“No,” John replies with a shake of his head. “You’re stuck with us.”
Malcolm crosses his arms, looking at Sam. “I’m coming as well. Your mom would kill me if I let you face the end of the world without some form of supervision.”
I slip my arm around Sam’s waist and rest my head on his shoulder. “Seriously,” I say, scolding him. “Call your mom.”
Agent Walker is the last one to join the convoy. She stands in front of our group awkwardly, looking from me to John to Nine. Finally, she sighs.
“I just want to say . . .” She hesitates. “I want to say thank-you. For giving me a chance to fix some of the damage I caused. For . . .” She shakes her head and waves her hands. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Nine says.
“Take care of those kids, Walker,” John replies. “They need someone to watch out for them. Someone who doesn’t want to just use them for their powers. That could be you.”
Walker nods, turns and heads towards the headlights of the convoy. Soon those headlights become taillights, and then we’re alone in the dark field.