Chapter 57

Evan paused when he stepped into the Central Processing Unit lobby.  The ceiling went higher than any building in Athens, Kansas, and every surface reflected a pristine gloss.  Much to his surprise, there was no one in the lobby to stop him, so he walked briskly toward the opposite side of the space where a dramatic staircase stretched upward once he got his bearings.

“This place could use an elevator,” Evan mumbled to himself, and Lillian quickly inserted a thought that elevators would leave him fewer escape options.  “Yep,” he sighed and began his ascent up the staircase.  At the top, with burning thighs, Evan reached a landing.  “Which way?” he asked no one.  No signs, no room numbers, nothing to hint where he should go.  On a hunch, he turned to the left and picked up his pace.  Everything in him wanted to run so that he could get to the end of what was likely the wrong choice, so he could turn and make the right one.

“Steady,” Lillian soothed in his mind, “steady.  Don’t draw attention.”

“Don’t draw attention?” he thought.  “I’m the only one here.”

“Someone is always watching,” she reminded him.

Evan pressed his jaw together and restrained his anxiety.  He passed corridors and doors.  It seemed the hallway he was on would stretch forever.  Then, he came to a sign that said DO NOT ENTER and pulled on the door.  It opened easily.  Evan kept walking, and his nerves were heightened when no alarms went off.  Was the chaos outside so intriguing that everyone had left the building?  He couldn’t believe that was true.  Evan grew certain that he was stepping into a trap, but he couldn’t see it yet, and even if he could, he would have to keep going if he was to keep any hope of seeing Katherine again or getting out of this in one piece.

At the end of the hallway was another door that slid open easily as he approached it.  “Are you doing that?” Evan asked Lillian.

“Doing what?”

“This is all happening too easily.  Makes me think you’re pulling some trick.”

“It’s all I can do to stay awake, right now Evan.  I hope I can hang on until you find the Unit.  Evan picked up his pace.  

That’s when he saw them.  At the end of the corridor was yet another door, but this time, two uniformed men stood guard holding intimidating weapons.  “Our luck might have just run out,” Evan thought to Lillian.  She gave no reply.  Evan increased his grip on the pearl.  He saw one of the men press on his shoulder communicator, and a moment later, both men adjusted their stance and made their weapons more accessible.

“Stop,” one of them barked at Evan.  He stopped.  “State your business.”  Evan hadn’t thought of a story different from the truth, and he didn’t think that stating that would be any better for him than remaining silent, so he kept his mouth closed.

“This area is for authorized personnel only.  Turn around the way you came,” the other soldier said.  Evan stayed still.  His eyes bounced around the area to see what he could use to his advantage.  He had no weapon on him, he was down his best hand because he held onto Lillian, and there was no feature of the building that was going to give him cover.  For the soldiers, it would be the easiest thing in the world to shoot and not miss.

“Put your hand up,” the first one said.  Slowly, Evan complied, raising both hands in a fist to disguise Lillian.  His mind raced about what he would do next.  He was quickly running out of options, if he ever had any.

“Open your hands,” the solder commanded.  Evan hesitated.

“Open your hand,” Lillian told him.  “It’s okay.

“I promised I would protect you.  I can’t let you fall,” he thought to her.

“I did pretty okay protecting myself before I met you.  You need to let me go.”

“Open your hand!” repeated the soldier, and they both tightened their grips on their weapons.

“Drop me!” Lillian said.

Evan pressed his lips together and opened both of his hands.  The pearl-like Lillian dropped to the floor but she never made it.  In a flash of brilliance, she resumed her physical shape.  The light both surprised and blinded the three men.  Evan recovered first and seeing the stunned apperance of the soldiers, he ran full speed at the one to his left, grabbing him in a bear hug and slamming him into the door behind him.  The soldier’s head bounced off the glossy door, and Evan felt him suddenly go limp.  Evan let the soldier’s body slump to the floor.  

By this time, the other soldier had gotten wise and turned his weapon on Evan.  Evan tried to wrap the soldier up, but the muzzle of the weapon had gotten in the way.  So, he hunched down and nudged the gun away with his shoulder just as a blast fired and marred the wall.  Raising up, Evan caught the gun on his shoulder putting the soldier off balance.  Evan made a grab for the gun but the soldier held on tight.  The soldier made a sweep with his foot and knocked Evan to his knees before taking a swing with the butt of his gun at Evan’s head.  Evan ducked to the floor and avoided the knockout. He snatched at the other gun laying on the floor but it was kicked away before Evan could get a good grip.  Just as well, he thought, I’m better with my fists anyway.

Evan jumped at the man’s knees, knocking him to the ground.  He hadn’t been in a good brawl in a while, but the moves came back quickly.  Evan punched the soldier in his back near the kidneys.  Evan hoped Merlain organs were similar enough to his.  He got three good punches in before the soldier flipped onto his back and pushed Evan off with his feet.  Evan landed a few feet away on his back and was thankful he hadn’t let his head hit the ground.  The soldier tried to get his gun aimed but Evan rolled to the right and hopped up on his feet.  Evan ran at the soldier and aimed a punch at the soft spot between the eye and the ear.  The solder reeled back.  Evan pressed forward and hit him in the same place.  He kept at it until the soldier lost consciousness.

With two soldiers at his feet, Evan had never felt so old.  His thighs were on fire, his knuckles were bruised or broken, but he was alive.  He was alive, but he couldn’t have done it without Lillian’s surprise.  Lillian!  Where had she gotten that energy?  Evan turned to her to see the princess passed out on the ground.  He went to her side and checked her breathing.  Lillian’s skin was damp and gray.  “Stay with me, Lillian,” he soothed, patting her hair.

Lillian lifted a weak arm and pointed to the door.  Evan looked at it.  Would it open like the rest?  “Don’t go anywhere,” he said to Lillian before standing and trying the door.  No good.  Next to the door was a flat panel.  SCAN HERE was written at the top.  Scan what?  Evan placed his hand on it, and a light beam moved down the screen, followed by a red light.  He looked at the soldiers, grabbed one of their hands, and placed it on the screen.  There was a white light this time, and the doors slid open.  Evan hurried to Lillian, scooped her up in his arms, and with screaming thigh muscles lifted her.  Evan made it past the door just before it slid closed behind him.

In front of him was a giant cylinder glowing with numerous blinking lights. Multiple bunches of wires, spidering out from the top of the cylinder, connected to the surrounding walls and connected with other panels of blinking lights.  Evan stood frozen in the alien majesty of it all.

“Keep going,” Lillian’s dry voice said.  Evan snapped out of his trance and carried the princess to the cylinder.  “Look for… another… panel,” she moaned.

Evan laid Lillian on the floor before hastily scanning the cylinder for the panel.  But of all the blinking lights and glowing screens was the elusive panel.  “I don’t see it,” he called out from the far side of the Unit.  If Lillian replied, he couldn’t hear her.  The hums and whirs of the Unit drowned out her weak voice.  Evan was just about all the way around the object when he saw what could have been the panel.  Unlike the rest of the Unit, it was dark and quiet.  Evan looked at his tattooed hand and hoped that this moment would make everything that had led up to this point worth it.

Placing his palm on the smooth surface, Evan immediately started to feel his arm buzz.  It was as if there was a low level current flowing through him.  His hand began to warm.  Then the panel came to life.  It first it glowed purple, then it began to cycle through a range of colored lights.  The speed of the cycle increased and increased until it seemed to be a continuous light again.  Then, in a quick series of loud knocks the lights and sounds of the Unit turned off from the top to the bottom.  The room was dropped into darkness.

Evan looked at his hand.  The sparkling glow of the tattoo faded away until he could no longer see it in the room.

“Good job,” he heard Lillian pant.  Evan turned to where he remembered she lay.  “One more thing.”

Evan went to her.  Lillian’s voice was so weak, he wanted to make sure he heard everything the first time.  “Must… tell… father,” she whispered.  Evan’s eyes bludged.  How was that going to happen?  He didn’t have any means of communicating with anyone let alone someone in a distant realm.  “Take my hand,” she said and lifted her arm slightly.  Evan grabbed her hand with both of his.  The moment his tattooed palm touched hers the same sensations of warm electricity flowed from his hand to the rest of his body.  He saw Lillian’s form begin to illuminate slightly.  Then she exhaled, faded into darkness, and lay spent on the floor.  Every ounce of strength left in Lillian’s grasp faded and Evan feared she’d died.  A quick fumbling for her pulse relieved Evan of that thought and he then wondered what he should do next.  

It was only then that he’d realized Keetha had failed to meet up with them.  She must have been delayed or diverted, Evan thought.  Regardless, if the Unit was truned off, if the king of the Coelleum was contacted, it would be good if he and Lillian got out of the building.  With one great effort, Evan scooped up the victorious princess and started to find the door.