Royal Hearts (29 page)

“Great,” he grumbled. “Omin’s clone just left
this building, and no one in my army saw him. They have no idea
what he left in because they didn’t see anything but human aircraft
in the area.” He placed a trace on Jaz, Falon, and Lino. “Second
Commander Jaz and Guard Falon are with him. What can he want to do
with them? It looks like Guard Lino is still here. I’ll see if I
can locate Queen Ann.”

Hathor drummed his fingers on the sword as he
waited for Paff to tell him where Ann was.

“She’s with Omin’s clone, too,” Paff told
him. “Let me see if I can tell where they’re headed.”

Hathor’s heart sank. Just when he thought he
was going to find her, she disappeared again.

“It looks like they’re going to Xenia,
Ohio.”

“Why is he going back there? Ann was just
taken from there,” Hathor said.

“Is there anyone else Omin’s clone could
possibly want to have with him right now?”

Hathor began to shake his head when a name
flashed through his mind. “William. He wants Ann to be with William
instead of me.” But why? Forcing aside the question, he said, “I
have to go find the queen. Will you be alright?”

Paff nodded. “I have the best Palers with me.
We’ll do fine.”

“Thank you, Leader Paff. May we see each
other back in the future and celebrate our victory.”

Paff smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Good luck.”

***

Ann’s house

Xenia, Ohio

Stacey and Kent waited for the ambulance to
take Ann’s parents to the hospital before they left the house. They
had helped her father set the door back in its proper place and
locked it behind them before the ambulance pulled out of the
driveway.

“I don’t know what to do now,” Kent said once
he and Stacey were alone. “I don’t know where Hathor or Ann are. I
wish I could do something.”

“It’s frustrating to know what’s going on and
not be able to do anything about it,” she agreed.

They were ready to get into his car when
William pulled into the driveway, blocking their exit. He jumped
out of his car, holding a backpack. “Where’s Ann?” he demanded,
looking desperate.

“You’re too late,” Kent said. “She’s
gone.”

“Where did she go?”

“You know what? You’ve been nothing but a
bully, and that behavior needs to stop. We don’t have to tell you
anything. Let’s just get out of here,” he told Stacey.

Kent made a move to open his car door.

William reached out and shut it. His face was
two inches away from Kent’s. “Listen, I will do whatever it takes
to get her, so if you think I’m just going to go away, you’re
mistaken.”

“You’re a creep!” Stacey spat.

Ignoring her, William stared at Kent. “Where
is Ann?”

“I’m not telling you,” Kent replied through
gritted teeth. Just who did William think he was?

“You’ll tell me or else.”

“Or else what? You’re a high school senior.
I’m a college freshman. What do you think you’re going to do to
me?”

Stacey crept up behind William. “I’ll tell
you where Ann is.”

Kent started to protest when he noticed what
she was carrying in her hand. He shut his mouth and watched as
William turned to face her.

Before William could say anything, she
sprayed mace in his eyes. He dropped his backpack and screamed in
pain as he covered his face.

Kent grabbed the backpack and rummaged
through it. Carson had mentioned something else William had,
something that was in the form of a gun. Just as he reached for it,
a hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

The image of Alexander Napoli stood before
him. “That belongs to me,” Omin-2 said. “I advise you to keep your
distance.”

Too stunned to react, Kent let go of the
backpack.

Omin-2 took the chip injector out of the
backpack and dragged William across Ann’s front yard. “Be sure to
tell Hathor I took the queen to Pale. Four years into the future,”
he said.

Then he and William disappeared.

Kent blinked, not believing what he had just
seen and heard.

“What just happened?” Stacey asked, her voice
wavering.

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but we
should stay here in case Hathor shows up. That alien thinks Hathor
will be back.”

***

Alexander Napoli’s Underground Chamber

United Nations

Leader Paff and his nine team members stood
outside the chamber door. It was oddly silent. He knew that Guard
Lino, Apollo, Ares, and Zeus were in the room. He took a deep
breath, trying to gain his composure before their attack.

Turning to High Ranking Official Baugh, he
asked, “Do you have the detonator?”

“Yes, Leader,” he said, holding it. “It will
be enough to disorient them for one minute. We will have to act
fast.”

Paff took a deep breath. “Remember, we go
after Ares first. He’s an expert in war, so if we can get the chip
out of him, then he can lead us in a strategy for getting chips out
of everyone else.”

The nine Palers agreed.

“Good.” He put his hand on the doorknob.
“Go.”

Baugh threw the detonator into the room.
Someone fired a gun in response, starting a small fire, which began
to devour a computer and a box full of chips.

Paff led the nine inside the room, their
masks on. They went after Ares. Since Ares was strong for an
Olympian, it took all nine of them to pin him down while Paff took
out a knife to remove the chip.

As soon as the chip was out, Ares stopped
struggling and looked around him in confusion. “What am I doing
here?”

“I don’t have time to explain,” Paff said.
“We need to get a chip out of everyone in this room. Here’s a
knife. We need you to plan a strategy to get as many chips out of
people in the shortest amount of time.”

Without hesitation, Ares began to do as Paff
instructed.

By the time Ares and Paff had Zeus pinned
down, the smoke began to clear.

“There they are! Shoot them!” one human
exclaimed as he fired his gun.

The sound of gunfire filled the air as Ares
hurried from one person to another to remove their chips. When the
chips were removed, he ordered the people to block his opponents
from shooting at him or the Palers in the room.

At one point, one of the few remaining humans
still implanted with a chip almost shot Paff in the back, but Zeus
raised his gun and shot his hand first. The human screamed but was
suddenly free of his chip’s control.

Paff briefly noted that two of his men were
wounded and another was dead. He grimaced. He hated the price of
war. Pushing aside his sorrow over the wounded Palers, he focused
on his mission. He followed Ares to the next person so they could
remove their chip.

***

Two years in the past

Alpha Head I

Planet: Pale

“Olympian ships are impressively fast,”
Omin-2, now in Paler form, remarked. “I’m not easily amazed, so
that’s a great compliment, Athena.”

Ann’s mind was still reeling from gaining
four years’ worth of memories. The switch to the future had done
something to give her back her memories, and although she couldn’t
explain it, she was glad to be able to remember a part of her past.
It had felt strange to know about her life without having lived it.
She remembered everything up to the time she was in North
Dakota.

Her last specific memory was calling William
on the phone. He had been going on and on about someone named Carol
and how wonderful she was. Ann clenched her teeth. How could she
have been blind for so long? William only cared about himself. He’d
only wanted her around so he could listen to her express her desire
to be with him again, and she played right into his hands.

She’d continually fed his ego. Why hadn’t she
seen it before? Why had it taken her another trip into the past to
see things the way they really were? She glanced at William. He was
in another chair, his eyes slowly recovering from the mace that
Stacey had sprayed in them. What did he want with her now? She was
sure he was using her for something.

She shivered in disgust. To think she spent
so much time dreaming about him. Thankfully, she ended up marrying
Hathor instead. She would like to remember meeting Hathor and
finding out why she eventually chose him instead of William, but
she knew those memories would not return to her until she went
forward two more years into the future.

Athena landed the spaceship in Omin’s secret
hideout.

Omin-2 stood up. “I have a personal matter to
tend to. Athena, stay here with this ship and guard it from any
intruders. Falon and Jaz, take Queen Ann and the soon-to-be king
William to my private room. You remember that room, don’t you? It’s
where I was created.”

“We remember and will do as you say,” Falon
acknowledged.

“Yes, Omin-2,” Jaz agreed, sounding as
mindless as Falon did.

After Omin-2 left the ship, Falon stood up
and untied Ann’s hands and feet.

She breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her
sore wrists.

“Come. We don’t have much time,” Falon
ordered. He pointed a gun in her direction.

Jaz took his lead and pointed her gun at
William. “Get up,” she demanded.

William jumped up, whether from excitement or
fear, Ann couldn’t tell. Maybe it was a little of both.

“Follow me,” Jaz said.

William followed her, still blinking to clear
his vision.

Falon motioned to Ann that she should follow
him. She obeyed. Her ankles protested with each step she took, but
she forced aside her pain and kept walking. She hoped Hathor would
get there soon. She didn’t like the way things were going.

***

Six years in the past

In front of Ann’s house

Xenia, Ohio

Planet: Earth

Kent glanced at his watch as he and Stacey
sat in his car, listening to the news on the radio. From where they
sat, everything looked relatively calm. There was no sign of war,
but several people drove around the neighborhood faster than the
speed limit allowed.

“I hope Hathor’s alright,” Stacey said. “I
don’t want Ann to be hurt or have to end up with that creep
William.”

“I wonder if he even knows to come here. What
if that alien was wrong?” Kent asked.

“Something strange is occurring over here at
the United Nations where the alien invasion began,” a reporter
stated over the radio. “It no longer appears that the aliens are
going to hurt us. They aren’t firing at our military or displaying
any other aggressive behaviors. In fact, all they are doing is
removing the chips out of people’s hands. It seems they are trying
to undo the damage the alien we thought was Alexander Napoli was
doing to us. Perhaps their goal is not to make us a slave race.
Perhaps they wish to save us from a tyrant’s rule. These aliens may
be our friends.”

“Thank goodness,” Stacey said. “Maybe we’re
safe.”

Just as Kent was about to respond, Hathor
appeared in the middle of the yard.

“How do they just appear and disappear like
that?” she commented in wonder.

“Who cares? I’m just glad he came.” Kent got
out of his car, went to Hathor, and explained everything. “So Ann’s
going to the planet called Pale, but she’ll be four years in the
future,” he finished.

Hathor shook his head. “I can’t believe I
missed her at the United Nations.” He pulled out a foreign device
and turned it on.

“Whatever that clone is planning, he’s
expecting you to follow him. Be careful. I think it may be a
trap.”

“Yes, I know. As Ann would say, he’s playing
cat and mouse with me.”

“Good luck, Hathor.”

Hathor glanced at his friend then at Stacey.
“You really like her, don’t you?” He nodded to Stacey.

“Yeah. She’s great.”

Hathor paused for a moment before he finally
plugged in the information he needed to get to where Ann was.
“Thank you, Kent. For everything.”

“I’m guessing I won’t see you again,” Kent
said. Though he’d only known Hathor a short time, he was going to
miss him.

A long moment passed then Hathor shook his
head. “I’m afraid not. The past will have to go back to how it was
before all of this happened.”

“I figured as much.”

“You’re a good friend, Kent. I’ll never
forget you,” Hathor said then pressed a button on the device in his
hand and vanished.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Two years in the past

Omin-2’s secret room

Alpha Head I

Planet: Pale

Ann glanced around the secret room. It was
small, and she noticed an ovular-shaped glass capsule. From the
looks of it, Omin’s clone was asleep inside of it, waiting until
the moment was right to wake up.

Falon closed the door. “Now we will wait for
Omin-2’s orders. You might as well make yourselves comfortable.” He
motioned for Ann and William to sit on the floor.

Ann didn’t like the idea of sitting next to
William but obeyed since there wasn’t enough room to sit anywhere
else. She put her head in her hands, wondering how much time she
had before Omin-2 returned. If Hathor didn’t come soon, she wasn’t
sure if she would make it out of this alive.

She had determined that she would fight to
the death rather than marry William, which was obviously Omin-2’s
plan. She knew that if she was with William, she would be
manipulated by Omin-2 and that would put Raz at risk. She also
didn’t want to marry anyone but Hathor. She thought about what he
had told her about their daughter. Katherine was her name. If she
didn’t marry Hathor, then Katherine wouldn’t exist.

She scanned the room again. If only there was
a way to escape…

A flickering light hit her eyes. Jerking her
head to the source of the distraction, she realized the light was
bouncing off a small knife. She glanced up at Jaz who gave her a
slight nod.