Page 123 of Between Earth and Eternity
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell Vallen, resigned. My voice doesn’t shake, selling my bravery. He doesn’t notice my hand moving toward the holster on his hip. No one does, too distracted by the flashing lights and shrieking alarm.
“Get my family off Earth. Keep them safe,” I whisper, my lips grazing his ear as my voice breaks with my heart.
And then . . . I pull the trigger.
I angle the gun to hit him right above the knee. He breathes in a sharp inhale, shock keeping some of the pain at bay. I back up slowly as he looks down to where the bullet landed. It’s a stun bullet, but at such close range, it punctured the skin. The fabricstarts to turn a darker shade around the entry point. Before he tilts his head up, I put both hands on his chest and shove him back.
Bex is the first to notice what’s happening, jumping into action and catching Vallen to break his fall. The rest of the group is stunned, watching in horror. I sprint toward the door, my hat falling off in the process. I’m thankful for all my years of training; my speed may be what saves them if I can execute my plan.
Seconds was all it took to seal my fate—sealed for all of my new friends, some who I would even say have become family to me.
A blink in time may seem insignificant against the vastness of forever, yet a single moment holds the power to shape everything that follows. I hope I made those five seconds count for something.
I know I will never forget the look of pure devastation on Vallen’s face. It will never leave me and will break my heart over and over again every time I picture it.
“Skyler!” he screams, stumbling forward, but the moment he puts weight on his leg, he drops to the floor. He catches himself before lifting his head to watch in horror as the door seals shut behind me. I push the keypad to lock them inside.
There is a finality in it, as it blocks out any noise coming from the other side. Vallen somehow climbs to his feet and pounds his fist over and over again against the window. I punch a seven-minute countdown into the pod’s launch sequence. If Laz’s estimations were correct, it should give me enough time to implement my distraction.
I search Vallen’s eyes one last time, hoping he can see through mine why I had to do it.
“I’m so sorry,” I cry. I know he can’t hear me, but I repeat it, placing my hand against the glass.
He mimics me, placing his hand opposite mine as he mouths, “Open the door, Sky. Please open the door.”
I shake my head, my lip trembling as I push the launch button. I don’t wait to watch the pod detach from the ship, sprinting as quickly as I can down the hallway.
I can’t afford to lose myself now. I have to do this for my family, my friends, for Vallen, for Earth, and the generations to come.
Focus, Skyler.
I pull out my StarComm, setting a timer for seven minutes, praying that Laz’s overrides hold for just a little bit longer. Filed away in my brain are flickers of the safety videos we eventually watched all those months ago. I recall them mentioning something about an airlock protocol, that if a section of the ship is especially compromised, it will seal off every exposed section. If I can time it right, I can set a detonator to explode right after the escape pod launches. The chase will be over before it even begins.
I examine Zenith’s map to determine my distance from the largest hangar bay; it’s closer than I anticipated. Down two levels, followed by a series of six turns.
“Left, left, right, left, right, and a final right,” I say aloud, echoing the sequence again and again.
Six minutes, twelve seconds.
Left. Five minutes, four seconds.
Left. Four minutes, thirty seconds.
I need to pick up the pace.
Right. Four minutes, three seconds.
Left. Three minutes, thirty-three seconds.
Right.
I hear voices up ahead.
Shit.
I slow my pace and peek around the corner. A group of badges are trying to go through a door, but it’s jammed. Well done, Laz.
I slip into the adjacent hallway.
