Chapter 54

It did not take long before Evan’s exhaustion and Lillian’s weight to encourage him to reassess his strategy.  The path to the other side of the Processing Unit seemed to get longer with every step, while its peril grew faster.

To their right lay the building, its tall, sleek facade providing the only protection from obvious prying eyes.  But even Evan had come to understand that the facade was likely covered in devices that pried anyway.  On their left was a cliff.  From Evan’s estimation, it was over three hundred feet to the bottom.  Between the building and the cliff ran a pathway that provided few places to duck and hide should that become necessary.

Evan made his reassessment in a matter of seconds, realized there was nothing to do but get to the other side of this gauntlet as fast as possible, focused his will, and trudged forward.

After a few short steps, Lillian spoke into Evan’s mind, “The path worries you.”  Evan grunted in the affirmative.  “Because there is nowhere to hide?”

“That’s at the top of the list, yes.”

“And you feel that this is the best path to take?”

“Do you know of another one?”  Evan didn’t know what she was driving at, and he didn’t appreciate the distraction away from putting one foot in front of the other.

“You are very determined,” she said.  “Have you considered what the goal of your goal is?”

Evan sighed as he halted momentarily.  “What?” he exhaled.

“Why are you doing what you’re doing in the way that you’re doing it?”

He adjusted his grip on her waist and began moving again.  “I don’t appreciate riddles right now, Princess.  If you want to tell me something, you’ll need to use plain English.”

“Your mind is troubled, Evan.  I’ve read your thoughts, and they are clouded in confusion and haste.  You’ve ended up in a situation you didn’t intend, and I want to know if you know how you ended up here.”

“Frankly,” Evan strained, “I don’t know.  I made a pledge to you.  I intend to keep that pledge.  But along the way, I’ve put my wife in grave danger, I’ve put my marriage in grave danger, and I’m certain Katherine is more devoted to Amnon than to me.  I went out on my own to get you, which has turned Keetha against me.  All I want to do right now is get this day or this mission over with as soon as possible so I can start forgetting it ever happened.”

“Forgetting can be a help at times,” Lillian said.  “But this is not one of those times.  I ask again: How did you end up here?”

“I guess I don’t know, but I’m also guessing you’re going to tell me.”

“Yes.”  Evan could hear the smile in the princess’ voice, which only darkened his heart more.  “You’ve made a whole life for yourself out of going it alone.  Since you were young, you didn’t like people telling you what to do or how to do it.  You preferred to figure out your own path.  This has protected you many times, as man’s hearts are prone to weaknesses, and those successes have convinced you that your way is not only the best but also the only way.  This, Evan, is how you see yourself: a lone freedom fighter in a vast sea of people who can’t tell their left hand from their right.

“This is the identity that stalled every promotion in the army, though you showed great aptitude.  This identity has convinced you that you quit the police academy instead of being forced to leave.  This identity placed you at arm’s length from your partner Gabe, and if you’re not careful, will implode your relationship with Katherine.  However, you will likely convince yourself that it was her weakness that caused her to leave you.”

“Thanks, princess,” Evan said, “I appreciate the pep talk.”

“I asked you to help me defeat the Merlain.  I gave you that mark with that goal in mind.  I put it in Amnon’s mind to contact you.  I am the one who brought all of you together.  What I failed to see is that you wouldn’t be able to see what I had assembled or why I had done it.”

Evan stopped and looked at Lillian.  Her face was pale, and her eyes closed.  Still, he wanted to know what she was keeping from him.  She had piqued his attention and he hoped there would be some good news coming and fast.

“I know you love Katherine,” Lillian continued.  “I can see that plainly.  But I also see that you have no knowledge what you are to do with that love.  You are as misguided in marriage as you are on this mission.  You’ve let your view of yourself color even that most precious of gifts.  She is not someone to shower you with praise, nor someone to watch your brave exploits and cheer you from afar.  Your wife, Evan, is your partner, she is to be as much a part of you as your arms or mind.  She has been given to you to help you face and solve problems.  But she has different attributes than you.  She, if you will let her into your thinking, will make you a better protector, a better provider, a better man.  You ignore her at your own peril.”

Evan’s eyes began to burn.  Lillian’s words had stabbed him to the core.  She’d described his deepest longing for his love for Katherine.  But, she was also right that years of people disappointing him had convinced him that going out on his own was the only way to get things done.  He was not someone who worked well on a team, and deep inside, he hated that about himself.

Just then a transport convoy turned onto the path behind the Unit building and coming carefully becasue of the narrow passage.  Evan’s pulse rose.  He looked again to his left – only death.  Plus they’d already been made, running would cause more attention.

“What should I do?” he said eventually.

“What do you want to do?” Lillian replied.

Evan grunted in frustration and fatigue.  “This is ridiculous.  You can see the future, you can see how this will work out.  Tell me what to do, so we can get out of here.”

Lillian gave a weak laugh, “You really are a piece of work.  Always looking for the easist and quickest.”

“Okay, I think we’re sitting ducks.  There is a convoy of soldiers coming our way, so unless I can fake an injury and convince them to pass us by, I think we’re going to end up in the soup.  I don’t have a plan.  I don’t see a way forward.”

“Would you like imput?”

Evan repressed a scream.  “Yes,” he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have the power I would if healthy.  I can’t see into the future, however I think I could go back to being a – pearl, I think you call it?  That would make you a single when they are looking for a pair.  Do you want me to do that?”

“It’s better than my plan,” Evan said.

Lillian took a deep breath before glowing bright for a moment.  When the light cleared a translucent orb suspended in air.  Evan gabbed the pearl quickly and refused to break contact with it.  “Start jogging, if you can,” he heard Lillian’s voice in his mind.  Evan began a slow jog that increased it’s pace as he neeared the convoy.  “Then what?” his thoughts shot back.  Lillian remained silent.

Evan raised his fisted hands to get them to stop.  It worked.  When the lead transport neared him, it slowed to a halt.  Making sure he was the first to speak, Evan said, “You’ve got to help me.  It’s crazy over there,” he said pointing behind him.  “You’ve got to get me out of here.”

“We’re looking for a man and a woman.  Escapes from the Tremination Center.  Seen anyone suspicious?” the commander asked.

“The tower is on fire, the plaza is mayhem.  Have I seen a man and a woman?  Yes, I’ve seen many.  You have to get me out of here!”  Evan did his best to act on the brink of insanity.

The commander shook his head and looked about ready to say that Evan would need to find better luck somewhere else, when an explosion shook the ground sending black smoke up a few yards behind the convoy.

“Forward!” the commander ordered his driver.  The driver didn’t need to be ordered twice.  He jerked the transport forward and the rest of the convoy followed quickly.  Evan kept up his act that he wanted to be saved until the last transport passed him.

“What was that?” Evan asked Lillian in his thoughts.

“I can’t see,” she said, “but it bought us some time.  Good job with the soldiers.”

“I’m glad you thought of turning into a pearl again.  That saved our bacon.”

“Yes, I have some special abilities.  Unfortunately for you, mine are obvious and Katherine’s are not.  Still she has them, and you would be a wise man to access them and develop them within her.”

Evan continued to walk in the direction of the explosion.  “Any tips on how I could do that given my track record so far?”

“Yes,” Lillian said, “be curious about her.”