Chapter 4: What to do When the World Falls
After school ended, Ash occasionally stopped by the tent he and Leekoqåtii used to work in. Every time he showed up, he imagined her waiting for him. Each visit was marked with disappointment.
As time went by, Ash secured a job working for the International Space Agency (ISA). They were impressed with his intelligence, which was highlighted by the equations he came up with during his school projects. They assigned him to join a team. Their focus was to decipher various radio signals throughout the galaxy in hopes that one may be of intelligent origin.
Winter came and still no contact from Leekoqåtii. He had tried to reach out to her several times, but she never responded. Eventually, he let it be. That was until his team deciphered a message from one of the radio-wave signals. The signal had been repeatedly studied because of its strength and consistency, even before Ash began working for the ISA. Ash's algorithm was the one to decode the message, at least, a portion of the message. It was a voice speaking in a language unfamiliar to them.
The message was the breakthrough the agency needed, the proof that intelligent life did exist. As a publicly funded agency, their findings would be public domain, but they first needed to translate the message. It was sent to a team of linguists for translation. This was more excitement than Ash could handle. He had to let Leekoqåtii know she was right about intelligent life existing beyond their planet. He sent her a private message, with a sample of the message he decoded. Immediately he received a reply from her.
Meet me as soon as you receive this. You know where.
He was in shock. His heart fluttered, and his breathing quickened. It had been too long since he last saw or even heard from her. Without hesitation, he left work. The idea of telling others where he would be going never entered his mind. He reached the school, went to the rooftop, and looked toward their tent. There she was, standing with her back to him, looking out over the city. Her auburn hair blew in the wind. She was wearing a larger than normal bag on her back and white shoes he had never seen before. They were a mix between sneakers and boots that tightly hugged her legs and ran up just below her knees. Ash ran to her.
"Lee, I've missed you!" He wrapped his arms around her, forgetting her aversion to touch amid his excitement and relief.
She stiffened under his embrace before wiggling out of it. "Yes, but—"
"What's the backpack for?"
"It's so I can leave."
"Why are you wearing it now?"
"Forget the backpack, it doesn't matter."
"What's wrong, what is it?" He held on to her shoulders, afraid that he wouldn't see her again if he let go.
"I can't stay long."
Ash frowned. "Why? What's going on?"
"It's complicated but, they found me. I thought I would have more time. I'm not ready to leave." She wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked down, but not before Ash saw her eyes tearing up.
"Hey, is everything okay?" His mind spun with all the possible answers to her riddle.
She fell into his arms and held him close. "The signal you helped decode, the one from space. Did you respond?"
"No."
"Good."
"Well, I didn't respond, another team did, a while ago."
She pulled away and looked up to him. "What did they say in their response?"
"I don't know. I'm not part of that team. We're very compartmentalized. It was probably something simple like a confirmation that we received it with a series of sounds. What's wrong? I thought you would be happy to know there is life out there."
"Then it's true, that has to be it. I wasn't sure how they found me so quickly. The response your team sent confirmed life on this planet for them. All they had to do was send over some locators. Those locators must have detected my biomarker and notified Méinith. I was hoping my receivers were wrong when I noticed their attack signal." Her eyes met his, "They're on their way."
���Wait what? I don't understand? Are you okay, what's going on?"
Ash was about to ask more when he felt a sudden drop in temperature. He looked up and saw the sky turning dark. "Let's go inside and talk. Maybe I can help."
"You can't help. I have to leave right now, before they arrive."
"When's your departure from the city?"
"I'm not leaving that way," she looked to the edge of the building. "Listen, I just wanted you to know that…" She paused, and her eyes grew wide. Her focus shifted from Ash to the dark clouds. "It's too late! They're here now. Quick. Go inside. Now!" She tried to push him toward the door to enter back in the building. He resisted.
"No, I'm not letting you leave like this," he said while holding on to her.
A thunderous roar echoed from the sky, and the black clouds turned to a fiery red. A massive spaceship broke through the clouds. It was foreign, nothing like Ash had ever seen. Ash stood paralyzed with his mouth wide open, speechless. Out came a stream of smaller attack ships like a swarm of bees. Leekoqåtii saw a ship heading toward the building they were on. She reached for Ash's hand and pulled him close. "I can't let you die too. I can't handle anymore loss in my life."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone