Page 50 of The Last Aquarius
It glanced at Ishtar’s body. “You lured me here, and for what?”
“To kill you.”
“And how will you do that, star warrior? If I lose this body, I shall find another.”
“Good luck with that. Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but Mars ain’t exactly teeming with options.”
“Yet. But there are those on Earth working to send ships, and those will have suitable vessels.”
“That won’t be for years.”
“Bah. Time is not pressing when you live eternally. I can wait.” The Kukakk stepped forward, away from the elevator, and cocked its head. “You, on the other hand, will find your deathslow and most likely torturous. How much food do you have? A few days? Maybe weeks?”
“I’ll beam out of here before I starve.”
“Ah yes, the power imbued to you by the stars. Do it. Flee to your planet with the knowledge I will one day return. But when? A question that will likely drive you mad.”
“Actually, it won’t because this is where we say goodbye.”
With that, he flipped the lid on the remote and smashed the button.
CHAPTER 17
The moment Aquariuspushed the button, humming erupted from behind the mound he’d not had time to explore. A tingling wave of something washed past him, leaving him unharmed and not even disturbing the loose dirt on the ground. It seemed crazy that something strong enough to decimate the Kukakk didn’t tear him apart.
Maybe the bomb malfunctioned?
The Kukakk’s eyes widened. “Nnnoo—” The scream cut off abruptly as the energy emitted from the device smashed into the stolen body.
A bright flash erupted, forcing Aquarius’ eyes shut. Despite the visor, he kept them clamped as a buffeting wind whipped dirt against his helmet and body. Nothing he couldn’t handle.
The energy storm ended more quickly than expected. Kind of anticlimactic if you asked him, and yet when he opened his eyes, the body housing the Kukakk lay still on the rooftop.
He stalked over to it and gave the body a nudge. Not even a twitch. Had it truly died?
Tiny motes of light blinked in the air as the dust continued to settle. They zipped around, happy sparks that brought a smile to his face. The spirits the Kukakk had stolen were free.
The alien monster was dead.
But so was Ishtar.
If he could have figured out how to grow her a body, he would have, but the smashed tank, not to mention his lack of knowledge in that area, meant she wasn’t coming back.
Crushing defeat in the fact of victory. Her body remained where he’d lain it, covered in the detritus from the short-lived storm.
He knelt by her and whispered, “And now to keep my promise to you.” Some might have wondered why he’d bother; the dead didn’t care about anything.
Aquarius cared, though. She’d given her life for Earth. For him. He owed her this.
He tilted his head to face the sky and sought out his constellation, not hard to find given his affinity for those particular stars.
“Hey.” How did one address a star god? “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I have a favor to ask.”
He reached for Ishtar’s cold cheek. “I need some help. Big help.” He took a deep breath and stood. “I want to fix Mars and am willing to relinquish my avatar power to do so.”
His stars twinkled brighter.
And the voice that he’d only ever heard when he lay dying filled his head.
