Shields

Chapter 30: Revelation

Sorry about taking so long with this one, guys. I was uninspired for a while, but then I had an awesome idea about how to end the chapter. Thanks for sticking with it this long guys! Enjoy! xD

I woke up in the helicopter as it was landing. Achmetha stared at me for a good minute before he spoke. "You shouldn't have exhausted yourself like that. You're lucky that we found before they shot you, but you made everything harder by using all of your energy up like that. You were barely coherent."

My head still pounded, but when I checked, I'd withdrawn all of my shields. Must be from all of the energy I used. "Surprised you care," I muttered.

Narian laughed behind me. "We all care, Dem," she said with a smile. I couldn't think of a good reply to that.

I climbed out of the helicopter and looked at my surroundings. We were at a military base surrounded by trees. Military cars drove around with soldiers in them and the sound of gunshots was coming from a shooting range somewhere on the property. The barracks were all what you would expect them to be: plain, white walled buildings with a different letter and troop number on each one. Men filed in and out of the barracks in their camouflage and a few troops marched by.

I could see almost everything from my point of view. I took in a breath of the clean, country air and let myself listen to the sounds of life below me. This was what the Powered wanted to destroy. They wanted everyone to be the same, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to make sure that didn't happen.

"How did you guys find us?" I asked when Achmetha and Narian joined me.

"A lot has gone on in the time you've been gone. I think you'd better wait so that I can explain it all to you with Lyss's help," Achmetha told me.

I shrugged. I could wait for that. "Fine. I'm going to explore this place," I replied.

"I'll come with you," Narian offered. I nodded and looked out at the woods. They were so beautiful, the tops of the trees swaying in the light breeze. The orange glow of the sun setting light up the trees from behind, making them seem to glow. I could see a narrow path going into the trees. It was lit by narrow beams of sunlight that danced along the path as they shone through the trees' green leaves. It was slightly overgrown, but still clearly visible from where I was standing. I decided I was going to take a look at it.

I felt refreshed from the nap I'd taken too, and I had the sudden urge to run. I knew it wouldn't go away if I ignored it, so I found the stairs down from the roof and exited the building.

The smell of pine and oak enveloped me as I crossed into the forest from the clearing where the base was. Narian jogged to catch up to me and we walked into the forest together, following the small path into the woods.

We walked in silence for a while, just listening to the wildlife and letting ourselves relax. It was peaceful here, and there wasn't anyone looking to shoot me or Narian. We were safe for the moment, and I wanted to enjoy it.

It couldn't last though. Julius was still out there, and now there was the Powered, who apparently wanted to kill humanity and let the Powered people take over the world. I'd probably end up having to stop them too, but I was going to deal with Julius first and hopefully prevent the world from erupting into war a third time.

Narian spoke up, her voice quiet with a slight tremor. "What you did back there, when I was going to shoot myself? Thank you for that. I... I wouldn't have been able to stop if you hadn't..." she stopped and looked up at me. "I just... thank you, Dem."

"I couldn't lose you, Narian. You and Thomas are all I have left now, and if I lost you it would have been too much for me. I can do all of this, Narian. It's just too hard. There's too much stress, responsibility and danger involved. I can't take it all, especially when it puts you and Thomas and so many others in constant danger. It's too much." I looked into her eyes and watched them sparkle in the sunlight filtering through the trees.