Roen screamed.
Behind him, Sean uttered one last gasp as well before going limp. Another sparkle of light sprang into the sky. Chiyva swam in a large circle over the helipad, moving desperately from body to body. Unable to find a suitable host, it rose into the air and tried to look elsewhere. Then a strong gust of wind blew it into the sky and out of sight.
Roen didn’t know how much time had passed as he cradled Sonya’s head, weeping. Tao tried to say a few comforting words, but Roen tuned him out. Nothing Tao said would ever make this all right.
He didn’t move when there was a large explosion behind him which blew open the damaged entranceway and the helipad was suddenly filled with agents. He shrugged off the first hands that tried to pull him away and pushed away those that tried to move her body.
Stephen appeared and rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s over, son. Let’s take her home.”
Roen stood, numb, and listlessly watched as they wrapped Sonya’s body up and took her away. He turned to follow Stephen back into the base when an ashen-faced Dylan ran up to them.
“Stephen,” he said, sucking in deep breaths. “You’re needed at the research lab. There’s something you have to see.”
Stephen frowned. “Can it wait?”
Dylan shook his head. “There’s half a dozen large vats of red liquid in a holding room. There’s dead Quasing inside.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: EPILOGUE
It would be amiss for me to not say a few words about Edward Blair. I met the young man at the height of the Cold War. Edward was a rare man, a treasure: raw, but confident, cocky, but with a soft heart. I had chosen well when I first met the young West Point student interning at the United States House of Representatives. In a way, he reminded me of a Zhu Yuanzhang before I failed him.
With Edward, I was determined not to make the same mistake I made in the past. I chose to put his priorities at the same level as mine. We were true partners and did great things together. That is my vision for the future. The world will never know his name, but humanity owes a debt of gratitude for the work he has done on their behalf. I would do you and Edward a disservice if you did not learn about the great man that was your predecessor.
Roen sat in his parked car along the side of a narrow road and waited, tapping the window with his finger as he turned his attention to the grassy knoll. He looked down at his watch and then looked out again. He had just returned from Italy this morning and the jet lag was killing him. However, there was much to do and little time to rest. The Penetra scanner prototype was damaged during the battle and the Prophus scientists were hard at work re-engineering it. It was now a race to see which side could utilize it first in the war, and which side could develop a counter for it.
He glanced down at the report Command had compiled on the attack at the Capulet’s Ski Lodge assault. The disturbing news about the mysterious red vats was confirmed. Scanners detected the remains of over fifty Quasing in those vats. The chemicals stored in the vats were being analyzed by multiple Prophus research divisions. Was this related to the P2 and P3 projects? What were the Genjix trying to achieve? Theories about its use ranged anywhere from a biological weapon to forced body expulsion formula to reproductive incubators. It would take time to unravel what the Genjix were up to.
He picked up his phone and called Jill’s number again. As with the rest of his calls, he only received a busy signal. It was killing him to not speak with her. Roen sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was too tired to be frustrated today. On the horizon, a row of people dressed in black were gathering on the crest of the hill next to a lone tree.
It is time.
“I know. It hurts.”
It never gets any easier.
Roen looked in the mirror, adjusted his tie, and stepped out of the car. It had rained earlier and the sun was still hidden behind the cloudy sky. Roen looked to both sides of the road and began the long trek up the hill. He walked up next to the tree and looked down at a small clearing where a larger group of people had gathered. Dylan and Stephen gave him a nod and Paula hugged him.
The four of them stood and watched as the funeral service continued in the distance. Sonya was about to be buried next to her mother. Gathered at the service were her extended family, friends, old classmates, and anyone else she had touched during her short-lived life. Anyone except the Prophus, that is.
It would have been too difficult to explain, Tao had said. It is Quasing tradition to stay in the shadows and grieve on our own.
While it hurt Roen to not be down there to properly pay his last respects, he understood. He had never thought of Sonya’s life outside of the Prophus. Now, he realized that there was much more to her than that. She had a life like everyone else. He wished that he had gotten to know that side of her better. The four of them waited until the service was over and the mourners, one by one, had paid their final respects. Roen’s eyes welled up with tears when they lowered the casket into the ground. The last ones to leave were her grandparents and her aunt’s family. They stayed until the last shovelful of dirt was patted down over Sonya’s grave.
The sun had almost set by the time the last of them left. Stephen, Dylan, Paula, and Roen walked down the hill to Sonya’s gravestone and stood around the burial plot. Roen stared at the simple markings on the headpiece. Lyte. That was her last name. Sonya Lyte. Roen hadn’t even known that.
He pulled out a single red rose from his coat and placed it with the other flowers. He closed his eyes and murmured a prayer as tears streamed down his face. The others turned to leave. Stephen put one hand on his shoulder and told him to take care. Paula hugged him again and told him to get some rest. And then he was alone.
The sun had long since set and the crickets chirping reverberated in the empty night. Roen sat on the ground, with his back to the tombstone, and looked up at the sky as the moon poked out behind the clouds, bathing the plot with a soft white glow. He looked at Dania’s plot, and then back at Sonya’s. The Prophus giveth, and the Prophus taketh away. When would his time be up?
“Hello, stranger,” a voice spoke from behind him.
Roen looked up with a start, his eyes filling with tears when he saw Jill walking up. He hadn’t seen her since that night in Italy. The Prophus had whisked her to a hospital in Rome and then sent her back to the States in a private transport. Roen had to stay with the Prophus for a week in Italy to analyze the data they found at the base. There was a treasure trove of information there.
Later on, he received word that Jill had suffered a concussion, a broken arm, and several broken ribs from the ordeal. He had been unable to reach her ever since.
“Hey you.” Roen gave her a fierce hug. He held her tightly and felt the brace around her chest. He pulled back and studied her beautiful face. Jill also had a fading bruise on her cheek and her hair was cut short. It killed Roen to know that her injuries were because of him. Wiping the tears from his face, he studied her delicate features and promised himself to never let her go. He brushed his fingers along her chin and kissed her gently on the lips.
“I see the doctor let you out and about.”
“I can’t spare the vacation days,” she replied solemnly with a small smile. “Your people told me you were here and gave me permission to come.” Jill melted into his arms again and they stood there together for several moments. He felt her beating heart and the heat from her body. Roen hoped this moment would never end. He knew right there he could never live a full life if she wasn’t by his side.
Roen kissed her again, inhaling her scent deep into him. “Gave you permission?”
She nodded. “I have a lot of new rules I’m supposed to follow now.”