Stephan held the wave in place, his fist in the air, and jumped onto the ruined deck. He eyed the familiar girl before him.

“Can I at least have your name now,” he said, smirking.

Her eyes widened. “It’s you! Weren’t you an Elite brat?”

Marco snickered and Stephan sighed. “I’ll be what I have to be to find Edline,” he said.

“So your sister really is kidnapped?” she asked.

“Yes, she is. Now I believe you have something for me?” He said smiling that devilish smile she knew well.

“I do but I can’t take it off and anyone that tries is beamed,” she said shrugging.

“Are you telling me that the crystal has chosen you as a guardian!” He raked his fingers through his hair.

“Is that what I am?”

“Yes!”

Zen sighed. “Then, yeah that’s what it's done.”

Stephan let his hand fall and the wave slowly diminished. “You’re going to have to come with us to the GC to take the crystal off,” he said.

“Hey, Pirate! She’s going nowhere with you!” Yelled Isaias who was under the bull at the moment.

“Yo, mafia! She hasn’t got a choice,” replied Stephan, shaking his head and turning to Zen.

“You know that right?”

“All I know is I wish I wasn’t in this situation,” she grumbled.

Your wish has been granted.

What wish?

You will no longer be here

What?

Stephan stood confused. Was she arguing with someone or something? Something he couldn’t hear? Perhaps the crystal then, but she shouldn’t be able to communicate with the crystal!

The crystal began to glow.

Zen took the glowing crystal in hand. “What now!”

The glow intensified and slowly it began to engulf Zen’s body.

“Zen,” cried Isaias, who struggled under Val. He melted into the shadows and appeared just as Zen was disappearing. Marco teleported to Isaias and grabbed hold while Stephan stepped back not wanting to go wherever it was the crystal was going to lead them.

“The crystal should be dormant! Only a Galactian can use it! She’s human, right?” whimpered Marek from behind him. Zen’s desperate gaze met his and then in a flash of light Zen, her brother, and Marco were elsewhere. It had taken all three. Stephan stood confused. He walked back to his crew.

“Call GC. Tell them we have an active crystal on the loose and unaccounted for now.”

Val nodded and tapped his ear.

Kiera sidled up to him. “What do we do now Stephan?”

“Now…we hunt down a crystal K. Marek can you trace the gem?”

“It’s gone into a chaotic magnetic field…most likely somewhere near the Deadlands,” Marek said, opening glowing silver eyes. He could sense the Intergalactic crystal being a Galactian.

“That’s where we’ll begin our search then. Let’s go crew! What did the GC say Val?”

“We have access to every available source…just find the crystal and bring it to them.”

“That’s the plan.”

###

Alejandro floated in the Caribbean sea trying to stay aloft. In the end, he did jump into the cool waters. He was treading water when a ship came upon him. It was the Don’s escape vessel. Alejandro blinked and the men aboard gasped.

“Pull him in!”

“He’s alive! He’s one of us!” Pull him in!”

Alejandro grabbed the floaty that was thrown and was tugged on board. He shivered from the cold and fever.

“He’s sick!”

“Let me through!” roared a familiar voice. Bernado was in his jammies still and even wore bunny slippers. He wasn’t all that intimidating with vomit stuck to his beard.

“You! Where is my niece?”

Alejandro’s teeth shattered. “She-she was taken by the pirates,” he said. He lied. He had no idea what happened with Zen and the others after he threw himself overboard. It was likely they won but who was to know? He shrugged and tugged his Guardian closer to him for a modicum of comfort.

###

Zen groaned, something heavy was over her body, pinning her to the ground. She could feel sharp rocks digging into her back and hips. Where am I and what is this big thing on top of me? She tilted her head slightly and caught sight of coal-grey pants. A groan to her right alerted her that she was not alone. She turned her head to meet Marco’s smokey gaze. If he’s over there that means…!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Isaias get…off me you’re squishing me!”

Isaias groaned and looked up dazed.

“Easy there, hermanita. I took a pounding while you were running around the boat,” he muttered, grabbing his ribs.

Zen huffed and turned away.

“I think you should get off your sister Isaias before she hurts you,” Marco said, scrambling to sit up.

Isaias blinked in the harsh sun, nodding sluggishly and crawling off Zen. He collapsed beside Marco, who still hadn’t gotten up. Neither had Zen, but then she had a near one hundred and eighty-pound weight suffocating her before. She stood slowly, taking in her surroundings. The ground was cracked from the suffocating heat that beat down on her from above in brilliant light. All around her was a barren deserted plain as far as the eye could see.

“Where are we?”

It looks like the Deadlands,” Marco muttered, taking in the cracked plain. There was no tree or fauna in sight, and a light coating of white dusted the ground. He moved his hand, and it left a black smudge.

“Ash,” he muttered.

Isaias tapped his ear once and only heard static. “We’re in the Deadlands, alright. The comms don’t work here.”

Zen tapped her ear, hearing the same static. “What do we do now?” She had heard the crystal talk of someplace else, but this? Why couldn’t it have brought them home?

Isaias eyed the crystal around Zen’s neck. “That crystal brought us here. At least we’re away from the SMVK. They were going to take you to the GC.”

“Wouldn’t that have been a better option than this,” she said, kicking a small rock.

“The GC isn’t known for their compassion, Zen,” said Marco.

“Yeah, who knows what they would do to you to get their gem back,” Isaias said as he took a small step forward and winced, holding his ribs. It was going to be a long walk like this. He healed fast, but two broken ribs were too much even for him.

“I hate to say it, but your brother is right. The GC is ruthless. Better to be in the middle of nowhere than to be in their hands.”

Zen nodded and faced Isaias. “Where to from here?”

Isaias groaned, “Why look at me for directions? You know I suck at them,” he muttered.

“Let’s pick a direction and follow it then,” Zen said.

“Hold on. I have something better,” said Marco as he summoned the wind. He coughed from the ash floating around him. “Jet streams can only move from west to east due to the Earth’s rotation. I’ll summon one, and we can follow that along with the sun,” he said, eyes glowing grey. From the sky, a large wind gust was felt, running through their hair and blowing their clothes slightly.

“It’s a strong one due to the low pressure moving in,” muttered Marco as he pointed to storm clouds in the distance.

“I do not want to get caught in one of those,” said Isias as he cupped his hands and measured the sun’s distance from their shadows.

“We should have four hours of sunshine left,” he said limping slightly. Marco put his arm around his shoulders and helped him walk. He blushed.

“Let’s get moving. It’s going to be hell,” Marco muttered.

“Hell? Why?” Asked Zen as she followed after them.

“The farther west we go, the closer we come to Yellowstone’s Caldera,” replied Marco.

“Caldera?”

“Yeah, Zen. The big volcano that rocked the U.S. a long time ago,” said Isaias.

“I thought it was an asteroid that hit the Gulf of Mexico?”

“That was just the beginning, hermanita. The asteroid took out the coastal states in one huge tsunami and ended three states but it was Caldera that did the damage. It’s a supervolcano spanning miles across the states and it erupted like a geyser, taking half the U.S. with it. The ash on the ground that you see? It’s from it.”

“The asteroid changed the world’s climate and shifted the Earth’s polarity, Isaias. It started Impact winter around the globe and not just the U.S. was taken in that tsunami. Europe and Asia, Australia even Africa felt the devastation of that tsunami. Then came the Silent years where the world went into collective shock,” said Marco.

“Yeah, and in the revoluz, anarchy reigned until the monarchies popped up again,” said Isaias groaning when he misstepped and Marco brushed his tender ribs.

Zen nodded, worried for her brother. They were going to walk in hostile terrain with him all banged up? Could the crystal heal him?

It would take some of your life force

Zen’s eyes widened in fear. Could she lose her life force for her brother? She turned to watch as Isaias stifled a whimper and Marco pet his back. He won’t make it like this! How much of my life force must I give up?

Less than a quarter. You have a lot of life force to give.

Is that normal?

Not particularly but it suits our purposes now.

Ok, what do I do?

I will guide you.

Zen began to glow. It seized Marco’s and Isaias’s attention.

“Let Isaias go, Marco,” she said, her voice echoing with another’s.

Marco did so, not knowing what else to do. Had the crystal possessed Zen?

Zen walked over to Isaias and placed a glowing hand on his side pressing down slightly.

Isaias winced. “Zen?” He breathed.

“Reverse,” she said and the glow spread to Isaias for a minute before washing like a wave back to Zen. She crumpled over with a smile on her face and Isaias managed to catch her, before she hit the ground. His eyes widened as he realized he had moved with no difficulty. He swept her up and motioned for Marco.

“Do you see that shadow, Marco?” Asked Isaias as he shifted Zen in his arms.

Marco cupped his hands to his forehead and looked out into the empty plain. “No, but I’ll take your word for it,” he said leaning in.

Isaias sighed, ruffling his bangs.” We are close to something, probably some form of shelter. I’m going to run there and get Zen out of the sun,” he said.

Marco nodded and both males started jogging toward the east.

Isaias didn’t know much about cars, but this was a piece of junk. It was an early twentieth-century car. A four-door sedan. It was rusted by age and the top layer of paint was completely scratched off. The hood was hanging by a screw. The seats were nothing but springs and bolts. It was missing the engine and the transmission among other things. He moved to pop the trunk. It moved on rusty hinges. That at least was still in one piece. He laid Zen down and sat at the edge watching her breathe.

“The engine was missing. Think some nomads took it for parts?” Isaias asked Marco, who preferred the ground to the sweltering car. There wasn’t any real difference.

“Most likely scenario,” Marco answered, propping his arm over his leg.

“Do you think they might be hostile?” Isaias asked taking a water bottle from his dimensional pocket and taking a swig. He passed it to Marco who took it gratefully. He uncapped it and drank his fill.

“Not unless we’re too near the Caldera. I don’t think we have anything to worry over.”

“Zen healed me.”

“I know.”

“I wonder what it cost her. Intergalactic crystals don’t work for free,” said Isaias, moving some of Zen’s hair from her face. Marco returned the water and Isaias watched as Zen slowly breathed in and out. Marco stood and placed his hand on Isaias’s shoulder.

“She’ll be fine. Come on. I think we’re near a city.”

Isaias nodded and sealed away his water bottle before collecting Zen and carefully removing her from the trunk and back into his arms.

“Lead the way, Wind Whisperer,” Isaias said and Marco smirked, calling upon the jet stream and checking their direction.

“Northeast. If we keep traveling this way, we’ll reach a city in about another hour. My wind has been parting for large buildings.”

Soon the road was littered with buildings on either side and Isaias and Marco decided to travel on the main road. The buildings reminded them of lonely dogs waiting for their masters to come home. They were stripped of paint and most had their windows blown in. They were all covered in a thin layer of ash. They eventually came upon a rusted road sign.

“ Chicago 1km,” said Isaias as he squinted to read the rusted print.

“We’re in the middle of what used to be the United States before the asteroid and the climate shift,” said Marco.

“And the Caldera,” muttered Isaias.

Zen took that moment to open her eyes. “Uh, Isaias? Can you put me down?” She asked, shifting around in his arms.

“The Sleeping princess finally awakes,” said Isaias as he set Zen on the ash-covered ground.