Fall of the Stars: Clint's Story

Chapter 28

"Our civilization is now in the transition stage between the age of warring empires and a new age of world unity and peace."
-John Boyd Orr

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Clint landed awkwardly as he got to the top of the mountain. The altitude was freezing up and here and so high, but for some reason he didn't pass out from the lack of oxygen. He curled his lip and walked a little faster to the mouth of the mountain. This is probably where Lisa wanted him to go.

As he stepped inside, he could see nothing. His eyes suddenly adjusted and he found himself staring at a place adjoined with crystals and gemstone that marked the floor. "This is the place," he said quietly, "definitely."

Careful not to step over anything that would trigger an alarm, he looked down at the path before him. He had to rest his head on the gemstone didn't he? Clint shifted, looking around.

"Lay your head on the rock," Kathleen said inside his head.

"What rock?" He questioned.

"Look a little harder. You'll see rock marking in the middle of the gemstone. It leads to a source of water."

Clint felt curious. Water. He'd always wanted to see that on another planet.

"You have to hurry," she sounded worried. "They know you're here."

He held down the fear that he felt and bounded over to stop at the water. The water was a blue icy color, it didn't look natural. He blinked. It also had gemstones in it.

"Dip a claw of your wing in the water. Your wounded wing." Kathleen said.

He looked down at his wounded wing. "Are you implying I take the cast off?"

"Yes!" She sounded troubled and annoyed. "Hurry up!"

He started unwrapping the bandage, careful not to hurt his wing. He dropped the loose pile near the water. He looked down at the water. Suddenly he didn't want to do this.

Kathleen was freaking out. "Put your wing in the water! We have to hurry..."

"Is there another way?" Clint asked all of a sudden.

"What kind of questions is that?" Kathleen shakes her head. "There is no other way! Put it in..."

"I'm not doing it." Clint backs up from the pool.

Kathleen is breathing slowly. "What?"

"You tricked me, didn't you? There has to be another pool in here. This one is radiating with evil." Clint spoke softly.

Her breathing was labored. "This was for your own good, Clint. I was the voice you heard inside your head all those years ago. I was just sleeping. Waiting for the return."

Clint felt his heart be crushed. "You lied to me. And I trusted you."

"You need to go back to your family," she said ignoring him. "The earth means nothing to you now."

Clint felt his chest rise. "The earth is my home. Not this planet."

She snorts. "That place had nothing to you. I really tried, Clint. My abilities are linked to you. This is the reason why you're so dangerous to them. If your power isn't tampered by someone who actually knows what they're doing, it could destroy everything. You don't need some Guardian showing you how to control it. You have abilities that they don't have. They cannot help you. Only someone of your own kind can help."

Clint grew angered. "I've been controlling it myself for the past ten years! I can do this! I don't need anyone's help."

"Everyone says that," Kathleen grew quiet. "But in the end, it's the runaways and the halfbloods that can't control themselves. You're unstable. You need to go and turn yourself in. I know this isn't what you wanted, but I've seen you in the past few days and years. The anger of what happened to your planet is messing with your head. I know you want revenge, but you're growing unstable. You're like a bomb ready to tick off."

"But," she continued, "I'll help you find the other pool. Turn to the left, then go right."

Clint found himself moving forward. This pool looked normal now. He dropped down and dipped his wing down on the water.

A rush of power came tingling up his spine. Clint held on for dear life as the power coursed again through his veins. Clint almost fell over.

A thousand images seared through his brain. Clint fell to his knees.

The birth of the universe.

Millions of years before humans, other species evolving to form races.

The beginning and end of the dinosaurs.

A group of Guardians rising to protect the universe itself.

The Zygers rising to challenge the authority of the Guardians.

The discovery of earth.

The rise of mankind.

Centuries flashed before his eyes, making him close his eyes and grit his teeth. He held his head as if to hold his brains in.

The Zygers invading earth.

The galaxy laying in ruins.

Screaming, Clint pulled his wing back finally. His wing was propped now in place. He could feel his elements surging beneath him.

"What the hell was that?" He asked to no one in particular.

"You saw the future," a voice said from behind him. "And the past as well."

Clint whipped behind.

Behind him, with her wings at her sides, stood Kathleen.

<>

Jackie inspected the traces of liquid she had found.

She knew she was supposed to be looking for clues to find the other aliens, but the weird looking liquid attracted her more than the Zygers.

She held a can of glass and scooped up some liquid without touching it. She didn't want the liquid to poison her fingers.

"Interesting," she said looking at it. It had gemstones surrounding the water.

She had never seen anything like it. She was curious, she ran her fingers across the jar.

She put it in her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She looked down at herself. She hated what she had become. She was now a paler color since living with the Guardians, and her hair was still short surprisingly. Her sneakers were the only thing that remained torn and somewhat bloody.

She sat down and took her backpack off and opened it up. There were pictures that showed her mother and father before the invasion. And then her books and notebook. She sighed softly.

She heard the flapping of wings and quickly looked up. Two scouting Zygers were flying up in the sky. Jackie was well camouflaged so she didn't mind.

She was jealous. Jealous of these creatures. They could fly. That's what she wanted. But only Clint could. She admitted she was jealous of how he was so smitten with Lisa. She wanted affection like that.

"Maybe your love won't come from him," a voice in her head said. "Maybe it'll be a creature with intentions to make you his."

A shiver ran down Jackie's spine. She wanted that. She wanted someone who treated her with affection.

She felt like someone was watching her but she dismissed it and stood once again, slipping her backpack up.

A pair of eyes watched her from the cover of the trees. Silver flexed her wings and talons. The dragoness was back. And now all she needed to do was bring the human to the Overlord.