Earth

2027

"It's you. You're the one." Golden eyes stared into hers. "You're the one I'll send before we come."

The short snippet of memory had torn apart the world just like the day Rory came to kneeling in the desert ten years ago. It came apart in slow motion, in secrecy, hidden away in rooms filled with power, in a mounting tidal wave that would soon shadow homes and innocent people below before inevitably crashing into everyone's lives.

"You're the one."

The words and their ruthless intention pounded her mind.

Rory ran her fingers through her hair, struggling to unknot the tangles from the helicopter ride. Heels clacked as she rushed forward with the group–Theo, several military officers she vaguely remembered meeting before, White House aides.

"In here."

Two Secret Service agents stood beside a metal door.

No one spoke a word until the door had been closed and locked.

"Everyone stay quiet while we ensure the room is secure." General Price held his hand up while uniformed officers checked the room and everyone gathered.

It was hard to breathe seeing the group that had been assembled. Most of them were seated at the large table, while some lingered at the edge of the room. From the equipment on the tables, Rory knew they'd have others joining them, likely heads of state of several United Nations countries. Those in person were enough to intimidate. The president, vice president, the gang of eight, more generals, and a handful of cabinet members. All stared quietly at Rory.

After ten years of highly classified meetings with leaders from all over the world, Rory should have stopped feeling intimidated. At some level, she still felt like that young woman kneeling in the desert, an utterly lost stranger to this world.

But those feelings felt like a mere pinprick now. Even the terror she felt at what little she'd managed to remember about why she came to earth only scratched at the surface. The slow trickle of memories hadn't stopped since last night, and with every passing second, the unbearable weight of sorrow built. It wasn't enough to piece together very much. But while Rory had always suspected that she'd left behind people, she now felt it, and knew. Very far away on a planet filled with shadows in her mind, she'd been forced to say goodbye to people she loved.

Tears had never come easily for Rory. Since last night, though, the only reason she'd stopped crying was that she must have dried out every drop in her body. The floodgates of ten years had opened and she could not close them.

Worst of all, she couldn't picture their faces, or even think of their names. Love filled her with the notion that it belonged to people she'd once called hers. That was it. Love for people couldn't bring to her mind. It was like not remembering a word that was on the tip of her tongue, only so much worse.

Tears wet her eyes now as the military officers finished their sweep of the room. One officer ran a wand along her. "Clear," he said.

There was only one name that Rory remembered. Vehru. She could even see her striking golden eyes shining in her mind. The eyes of the woman who had sent her to Earth.

Oh, how infuriating it was to remember her name when that of her family and friends was still lost.

"We're ready," General Price said.

An aide showed Rory and Theo to their seats. He squeezed her hand beneath the table, and guilt flooded her like a bitter taste in her mouth. Why? Rory didn't entirely understand. Maybe because she'd always felt guilty, feeling like Theo was all she needed, and yet knowing she did need these people she once loved. People who were total strangers and shadows to her now.

She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to stay present in this moment. All eyes were on her.

The president sat at the head of the table and spoke. "Let's not waste time. Brief us first and then we'll have others call in."

"Thank you, Madam President." She was thankful, as she had been many times before, that Hinata Saito was president at this time. Rory trusted her more than any other who came before her. "I've begun recovering memories." She'd been instructed not to reveal details until meeting in this secured location, but that was the one piece of news everyone in this room would have heard. Shock still flooded their faces, though they already knew. "I don't remember much. However, I am continuing to remember more." She gripped Theo's hand hard. "I was sent to Earth by a woman named Commander Vehru. She purposefully withheld my memories."

The president's face darkened. Generals whispered. One White House aide looked like he might throw up on the table.

"I don't remember why she sent me or what she wants. I know that she forced me against my will." The pain burst within her as she spoke and tears trailed her cheeks. How were there any left to shed? Theo traced his thumb along the back of her hand. "She's not from my planet. She's human like us, but so much more advanced."

President Saito lowered her head at this, eyes closed.

"I wish I remembered more. I'm sorry."

"Have you begun preparing our contingencies?" The president asked.

"Yes, Madam President." A general at the far end of the table spoke. "I'll brief you once this meeting is finished."

"Can you think of any other details?" General Price asked. "Weapons she might possess? What her intentions are?"

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Rory shook her head. "No."

"How do we know she's not lying?" One of the Gang of Eight spoke up–a senator from Michigan.

"Rory has earned the trust of the United States government over the past decade. I can personally vouch for her." The president's voice stiffened. "We don't have time to waste on facts that we have already thoroughly investigated."

"That's the problem." The senator rose up, drilling Rory. "Maybe she wanted to earn our trust. All this goodwill she seems to have for our planet. Those charities she's spearheaded. It's all to make us trust her!"

Rory held the man's eyes, refusing to get emotional. In a level voice, she said, "I haven't deceived anyone. I can understand why you'd worry about that." Her friends often expressed frustration with her for giving people too much credit and being too patient. It wasn't that fury didn't boil beneath Rory's surface or that she never wanted to lash out. She believed that seeing the other person's point of view the best she could and reserving her anger allowed her to build the relationships people needed to trust her. As an alien on a foreign planet, she had learned very well over this past decade how hard it could be to get along and to coexist. On a daily basis, Rory had to say no to a fight someone tried to pick. There was power in choosing not to engage in a battle she did not need to fight.

Nothing she said would calm this man's fears, anyway. Having been shot by her neighbor all those years ago, she learned the burn of unbridled panic.

Another general spoke up now. "What if her allegiance changes as she is remembering?"

"Rory let you people torture her." Theo's voice shook with anger. "She's let you conduct tests for ten years. Ten years. She's proven herself trustworthy."

"Enough." President Saito lifted a hand. "Please. Are the specialists on their way yet? The team you're flying in to help with memory recovery?"

A White House aide nodded. "They'll be here within the hour."

"Good. Maybe now that she's had some memories return this will be more helpful than previous failed attempts."

"We need to know how these people are monitoring us. How have we still found nothing. How is that possible?" General Price slammed his fist on the table.

"We're continuing to search."

"It's been ten years. This isn't good enough. Nothing came of studying that pod either. Still nothing. Just a hollow shell of scrap metal."

The arguing continued. She didn't know who said what anymore. Why had Vehru sent her? Who was the commander really? Why couldn't Rory remember and exactly what was the purpose of sending her here?

What would Vehru do once she reached Earth?

Rory felt as if she was slipping away as everyone at the table talked, often over one another, and as her mind reeled with questions. This world had become home to her. She had people here. A family. She couldn't let anyone hurt this world. But what could she do?

Theo's hand was trembling in hers. She tried to reassure him it would be okay, but he was saying the same to her. Likely he didn't believe her anymore than she believed him.

"I'm remembering pieces still," she said to her husband. "Sometimes I'll just know things, like I never forgot them. Other times, I'm stuck in a memory, like it's happening all over again."

"Just keep breathing. We'll take this minute by minute."

She met his eyes, eyes she'd looked into every day for ten years. "I love you, Theodore."

He traced her cheek, managing a smile. Beneath his touch, she could feel the ghost of another man's fingers. A dagger stabbed her chest. There'd been another man at some point. And she'd loved him. She could feel it. Had she been with him when she left?

"I love you too, Rory," Theo whispered.

Betrayal burned through her veins. Confusion. Overwhelming sorrow.

"Rory." An aide met her eyes. "Are you ready to speak with other world leaders?"

She dabbed her eyes and nodded.

Within minutes, faces flooded the screens along the wall. She recognized them all. Had met with many in person. The presidents of Germany, Sweden, and Spain. All kind people who had treated her like she belonged. So many others.

The information Rory had to share didn't take long. But she knew the discussion, the fighting, that would happen after would take more time.

"As you can see, we're facing a threat we hoped we would avoid." President Saito sounded grave but steady.

Her voice faded to a hum. Rory's body started to feel numb. It was happening again. Memories were coming, strong this time.

Pain shot through her head and she doubled over, nearly throwing up on the ground.

Distantly, she felt hands grabbing her, but soon even those faded.

The images flooding her mind were dark and the details hidden from her, but her heart filled in the missing with brushstrokes of emotion, so she could feel what she couldn't see.

A man stood before the bedroom window in the moon's glow, his torso bare and toned back dipping into shadows. He held the baby against his chest, rocking him slowly, husky voice singing low. "Sleep, in our arms. Sleep, sweet baby."

And she loved them both so ferociously she would have given up entire worlds for them.

Theo's voice reached her first. His embrace. Others crowded around her.

"She's remembering again," Theo said. "It's the second time this has happened." He held her head against his chest. "Hang on, honey. I've got you."

Every time Rory blinked, the man and baby erupted in her mind in a flickering slideshow. She could see her hands slipping down his shoulders and chest from behind, as she kissed the base of his neck. Could see them both brushing their knuckles along their son's cheek.

Their son. The baby was a boy.

A sob shuddered from her lips as the husky voice rang through her mind again.

"Sleep, in our arms."

It was the song she'd sung to Theo when she first came to earth, the first day she'd really connected with Theo.

Rory had left a man she loved. Her baby. God, what were their names? Why couldn't she remember? How could she ever forget her baby? What kind of mother could forget her baby?

It didn't matter if it was fair. The judgment ripped apart Rory's soul.

"Forever…" The man's voice whispered through her mind. The phantom feel of lips grazed her ear. "My forever girl…"

Snapshots of memory bombarded her mind.

Tiny, soft fingers curled around her pinky.

She dug her nails into her chest, unable to contain the pain. Through the years, she'd thought she felt the grief buried too deep in her lost memory to retrieve, but she hadn't. That heartbreak had only been drops of water in an ocean. The tidal wave coming for Earth hit her now and it was the most devastating thing she'd ever felt. She would have rather been shot a thousand times over again.

Were they alive? Were they safe? Did they remember her?

She'd missed her son's life. She hadn't seen him growing up. Her stomach lurched and she tore away from Theo as she threw up on the floor.

Her poor, precious baby. And the man in the moonlight. The man she loved so badly she couldn't bear to even see his face. How must he have suffered without her? If he was even still alive. If either of them were alive.

And Theo... How would Theo feel knowing she'd had another family? She loved him ferociously.

How would Rory feel seeing Benji's family come home to him... Seeing the love light in his eyes...

Her vision swam.

Rory dug her nails into the carpet and screamed.