Cautiously, I entered, looking for him, but I only found a large room filled with white furniture. To my surprise, there were lavender pillows on the sofas and a lavender rug beneath a white polished table. I walked to the next room and that was where I found him, lying on his bed; the sheets were lavender.
He turned to me. He had been crying.
Holding a clear glass of some liquid, he said in slurred speech, “Well, well—look who came back.”
He was drunk. I tried to remain emotionless.
“You knew I would. Why did you lie to John, Loren, and Henrietta?”
He smiled. “I’m a liar. I lied to you. I never loved you—never! I’ve always hated you—you worthless brat!”
I took a step forward. “Well,” I began, teasing him, “I loved you, very much. In fact, I’ll always love you.”
He dropped the glass on the lavender carpet. “Oh, Ava, my love, come here! Come to me!”
He opened his arms for me and I came to him, allowing him to hold me while we lay on the bed. He wore the same clothes I’d seen him in before—a black shirt, but unbuttoned all the way down, showing his muscular chest, with black pants; no shoes.
We just lay there, looking at each other. I went to open my mouth, to speak, but he silenced me with his lips, kissing me softly, then wild, deep, passionate. I rolled on top of him, straddling his waist, running my fingers through his black hair. He moaned and turned, bringing me beneath him, as he freed my lips, trailing the tip of his tongue down my neck. I gasped, relishing the sensation, remembering the times we’d been like this on our home planet.
“Let’s just stay here, like this, forever,” he said against my neck. Then he pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Avalora, please, help me! Call off the Overlord. Save me!”
I sighed. “Oh, Julius,” I said, caressing his cheek. He was so warm. “I am the Overlord.”
His face went still and then he smiled, bursting into laughter. He rolled on his back, bringing me with him to lie on his chest. He hugged me tight. “Oh, Ava! You, the Overlord! It’s…it’s…well, I don’t know what it is.” He looked at me. “It’s a good thing, right? I feared the Overlord’s arrival…that he was going to freeze me and put me in that containment pod like that scout did with you…but now that I know it’s you, well, this changes things.”
I pushed away from him and sat up. “No, it doesn’t, Julius.” I got up and stood away from him. I had forgotten about the containment pod. I didn’t have to die. And he didn’t have to give up his immortality, dying too. But was that the right decision? Freezing him? What if in the future, someone freed him? Would he go back to his reign of terror?
He sat up but made no move towards me. “What do you mean, my love?”
I sighed. “There are so many out there who want your head on a platter. Do you have any idea how much you’re hated?”
He shot off the bed. “I don’t care!” He advanced towards me and tightened his hands around my arms—his fingers digging into my flesh. It didn’t hurt. “I only care about what you think!”
“You know how much I love you, but that doesn’t mean you’re pardoned!”
“Ava…” He held me to him, caressing my back. “Ava, my love, please, you know me! You know me! I served you on Prominence. I did everything for you.” He pulled away from me but still held on. “Wasn’t I loyal? Wasn’t I good to you?”
I remembered my conversation with Cory on the ship. “You were loyal because you loved me, but you hated serving. You hated being a slave. That’s why you’ve done everything—the dome—Sanctuary—the Corporation. You have to be in charge. You have to be above everyone else. What about me? I’m your Overlord. You serve me.”
He smiled. “I’ve always served you, my love.” He began kissing me, trailing his lips down my neck. “Would you like me to comfort you like I did before?”
I didn’t resist as he guided me towards the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. He got down on his knees and looked up at me. “You’ll always be my sweet princess.”
I felt hot all over and found myself succumbing to his touch as he ran his hands up my legs. There was another explosion outside and I was reminded of where we were and who I was.
“NO!”
I shifted away from him. He looked at me with horror and then stood.
“Ava, my love…don’t you know that I love you? I would do anything for you—anything!”
“Julius—”
The bedroom door burst open and there she was, the Red Woman, looking haggard and unkempt, barefoot. So that was why I didn’t hear her approach.
“YOU!” she yelled at me, snarling. “YOU!” she said again, shaking, trembling.
It all happened so fast. She pulled out a gun and aimed it at me. The first shot went off and I was down on the floor, disoriented. I managed to look up and see her fighting with Julius. He snatched the gun easily from her and pulled the trigger, killing her instantly. She fell to the floor with her eyes open, staring at me, accusing me still—but for what, I didn’t know. Perhaps ruining her life or ruining her ill-conceived chances with Julius.
“Ava,” he said, dropping the gun and falling to the floor next to me. “Ava, are you all right?”
I nodded, unable to speak. He picked me up and carried me to the bed. It was soft and I felt like going to sleep, so tired—so very tired of everything. I was jolted back to reality when the black button on my shirt—the communication device to the ship—gave me a slight shock. I slapped the button.
“Yes?” I asked, exhausted.
“What’s your location, Overlord?”
It was Jax. This was it. It was now or never. Julius had been holding my hand and caressing my cheek. I gently pushed him aside and got off the bed. Julius remained sitting while I stood away.
“I’m in Quadrant 1. How are things in the dome?”
“It’s complete chaos. Overlord, will you permit us to teleport to the surface? We could bring back order.”
Julius grunted and opened his mouth to speak, but I rushed to him, and silenced him with my hand. He smiled and kissed my palm. Then he embraced me and began kissing me lightly through my shirt. I almost melted on the floor. This was what he’d done back on our planet. When we’d been in public, at my father’s court in the royal palace, he couldn’t help kissing me through my gowns, sneaking them in, whenever he could.
I sighed, holding him to me, running my fingers through his black, shiny hair. I loved his hair.
“Jax,” I croaked out, “send only a small team down. I don’t want the humans to panic. Have the leader find Selwyn. He’s the rebel commander. Tell him that I approved of Stargazer interference.”
“It’s not interference to restore order, my Overlord.”
“Insolent bastard,” whispered Julius. “You should have his head removed.”
I clamped my hand over his mouth again, silencing him, and again, he kissed me.
“Are you questioning my orders, Jax?”
“No, my Overlord. I will prepare a team immediately.”
“Jax, one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Prepare a containment pod.”
Julius didn’t look up at me, but he clasped me tighter to him. If I were human, I’d be in pain.
“A containment pod?” asked Jax.
“It’s for Julius.”
“Have you apprehended him?”
I smiled, despite my sadness. “In a manner of speaking.”
Julius shook his head against my stomach. “No, Ava, please!” he pleaded.
“Shall I send down some guards? I could come as well.”
“No, you’re needed as Viceroy. And no guards will be necessary. He won’t put up a fight. Prepare to transport us back to the ship.”
“I could send him straight to the pod, Overlord. It would be safer.”
“Do as I command.”
“Yes, my Overlord.”
I sighed, feeling so exhausted.
Julius looked up at me. “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you want me to go straight into cryogenic sleep?”
“I want to say goodbye to you…before”—I sighed—“before I never see you again.”
He stood up and held me. His eyes were so black, so sad. “Will you come and visit me, everyday?”
“You know I will.” I held him tight. “You don’t have to do this, you know? You could give up your immortality.”
He shook his head. “I’d do that if I was confident I’d go to that starry realm. After all the things I’ve done, I know where I’ll be: in the ground. That’d be fine, if you were with me, but you’re so good, so forgiving—you’ll be above me while I rot away.”
I started to cry. “You don’t know that. You could get there, among the stars, and when it’s my turn, I’ll join you, and we’ll be together, until the end of time.”
“No, my love; my heart is black; my redemption is gone; there’s no hope for me.”
I said nothing, crying, holding him to me, as we were teleported back to the ship.
***
After a few months, Sanctuary was normal. Humans and Stargazers cooperated to rebuild society. There was a new government, elected by the people. A human president was chosen with a Stargazer vice-president. The cabinet was a mixture of Stargazers, former dome residents, and ex-rebels.
I spent my days on the surface with Henrietta, John, Loren, Selwyn, Zeke, and Gina. It took some time for everyone to acclimate, but they finally found their place in the world. Medusa was reprogrammed with the help of Zeke. She kept vigil over everyone, but not as before—not as a spy. I spoke to her often, when I wanted someone emotionless to converse with. I was lonely and depressed. The Calumny was all but deserted on my orders. Only Willa and Cody remained with me. Jax had a place in the new government which he took to immediately.
I remembered Victor and even though he was burned, his remains unfound, I had a marker made for him, as well as markers for the thousands of people who died and never were given a chance to be memorialized. A large cemetery was built, outside what used to be the dome. There were so many markers that after a few days, I stopped going. I needed to be reminded of the tragedy, but I couldn’t bear any more tears.
My nights were spent with Julius. I watched him with his eyes closed, asleep, in that containment pod. He was isolated in a small black room, as his container stood erect against the wall.
It was a year later, the anniversary when Sanctuary had been freed, that I stood in that cold black room, watching him sleep. I dismissed Willa and Cody, telling them I wanted to be alone. I stood there the whole day, staring at him, desiring to be with him. He was my whole life even though I had people like John and Loren and Selwyn who would love me and not try to rule with an iron fist. Anyone of them would be good for me. But it was always Julius—forever.
Celebrations were kicking off on the surface. There were fireworks. I had been invited to join them, but I’d made an excuse that I was needed on the ship. While the festivities went on into the night, I wrote a letter to Willa and Cody, telling them goodbye, and making Willa the new Overlord.
Then I sealed the room. It was the sturdiest room on the ship. It could withstand a nuclear blast. I deactivated Julius’s pod and clothed him in a black robe so he wouldn’t be cold. It took some time, but he finally opened his eyes.
“Ava,” he whispered.
“It’s time,” I told him.
He nodded, understanding. Perhaps he always knew it, but I had only figured it out weeks ago. I was linked with the computer on the ship, trying to understand who I was, and where I got my powers from. I learned that I died when I was small and my parents brought me to a sacred place in Prominence, at the center of the planet where ancient spirits existed. They brought me back to life, but with a terrible curse, for life could not be returned, unless something was taken away. My petulant attitude was my undoing. I was imbued with destruction. I could never live a normal life because I was capable of chaos. And in that chaos, if I channeled it against myself, I would die.
“I’ll go first,” he said. “And then you follow me.”
I nodded, holding him to me, while we sat on our knees. He embraced me and kissed me on my lips. It was sweet. It was our last kiss.
“I love you, Avalora.”
He said it in Stellar. It sounded so much more beautiful.
“I love you,” I repeated back in our language.
He sighed and closed his eyes, beginning the process of Deliverance. I watched as his soul, dark and misty, separated from his body. It evaporated and I didn’t know where he went. I laid his dead body on the floor of the room, and then I stretched out next to him, resting my head against his chest. I closed my eyes and started to cry, trembling, building up the destructive energy inside me. I harnessed it, bringing all its chaos down upon us. The wind gushed and whistled around the room like we were in a massive cyclone. I felt the floor tremble and groan as if it were going to fall out from under us.
And then I was surrounded by darkness, sprinkled with bright, twinkling lights.
I was all alone in that starry realm.