Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

"He's a distant cousin," Zormna shot back. "And family helps family."

The Kevin's eyes widened.

"Very distant cousin," Jafarr murmured as they forced their way through another door, but he smiled. In fact, he kind of wished they had told that to their friends back in Pennington. It could have killed all the rumors that had spread about them.

"You told him..." the Kevin murmured.

"No," Zormna shook her head at him as they went along. "He told me."

The Kevin recoiled, shooting Jafarr dirty looks, which Jafarr ignored.

They managed to get the Kevin out just past the shed before they met their first People's Military officer. Armed, the P.M. fired. And missed. The shot hit the door near them, mostly because he was running.

"Hold him." Zormna let go of the Kevin at once, dropping the weight all on Jafarr. Jafarr staggered under the older man's hefty body, hissing for the man to please use his legs.

It took only a couple minutes for Zormna to dispatch the People's Military officer and take his weapon. Both Jafarr and the Kevin watched, the older man murmuring, "This really is my Zormna."

She walked back to them and handed Jafarr the laser she retrieved, lifting up her half of her weary leader. "Take it. I will get another one."

Jafarr would have laughed had the Kevin's dead weight not taken the wind out of him. He tucked the weapon into his seer robes.

A second P.M. attacked them near the bushes, quickly followed by a third. This time, both Jafarr and Zormna dropped the Kevin into the bushes to defend themselves. Sputtering among the potting soil, leaves and branches, Kevin Desbah glared bleary-eyed after them while the pair took out their attackers. Zormna returned with another laser, and Jafarr followed her to the collection of potted bushes.

"So which one is it?" Jafarr asked gesturing at the potted plants.

The Kevin forced himself onto his feet. "I do not appreciate being discarded like a sack of rocks!"

"Hey, you can stand. That's great," Jafarr exclaimed with fake cheer. But then he regarded the man more seriously, still watching Zormna wade in and out among the pots while examining the bases. With a polite bow this time, he said, "I am sorry, but under the circumstances, we thought it was best."

Glowering severely at Jafarr, the Kevin muttered "You are nothing more than a criminal, Zeldar."

Jafarr rolled his eyes and looked back at Zormna. She was still peering at the pots - but she did look up at the Kevin when she heard him, shaking her head. "Propaganda."

"Not propaganda," the Kevin protested. "As you full well know. You arrested him yourself."

Zormna rolled her eyes. But he couldn't see it.

"Only the PMs consider me a criminal, just like they consider you one for hiding a Tarrn," Jafarr replied as respectfully as possible under the circumstances.

The Kevin glared more at him. "It is no crime to hide a Tarrn."

Jafarr nodded in agreement. "I agree. And it is no crime to be a Zeldar."

The Kevin blinked in response. He pulled back.

"Ah ha! I found it!" Zormna exclaimed joyfully.

Jafarr walked over to her. "It is about time. I'm getting sick of him."

Ignoring his impatient tone, she lifted the potted plant off of the circular disk. The disk itself was gray silver and was as large as a hubcap. It had a circular spiral pattern in the center with crystals imbedded in the metal that glittered like ice. She bent over it and pressed a few buttons. Standing up, she smiled. "All right, Kevin. Get on."

"Blast it, Zormna! It is you! I'm not getting on that contraption!" the Kevin exclaimed, backing up. "You and Alea Arden. You expect me to get myself killed on that thing?"

Groaning, Zormna stalked over and pushed the Kevin towards the disk. "We have no time to argue about it now. More P.M.s will come in here and kill us all if you stick around and weigh us down."

 "Weigh you down? Of all the..." The Kevin gawped at her. "I raised you! I deserve more respect than that!"

Zormna smiled wanly at him. "And you forced me to Partha for my safety. Well, I'm forcing you to go my way for your safety. Say hi to Alea Arden for me."

Zormna Clendar bent down to the disk and punched the glowing blue button. She waved to her leader like she would friends on Earth. He was already standing on the pad.

Before the Kevin could throw back a retort, he vanished.

Jafarr shook his head and laughed, resting his hands in his hair. "That man is a piece of work."

Zormna chuckled with a nod.

"Let's get out of here." Zormna set the pot back on the pad and stepped out of the bushes.

The commotion in the arboretum had drawn more than just the three People's Military officers past the wall where the seers mourned. Two more ran by a few minutes later, then another ran in, making it a total of six People's Military officers gone to the arboretum. Only one P.M. ran back, returning fire at some unseen enemy. The laser blasts grazed the wall. He hurried out the corridor to call for backup.

Screaming and getting out of the way, the seers cleared the passage. The next second, Jafarr jumped in with them, slipping his laser into his robes. His hood was torn on one side, but he tucked it down so it was not noticeable. Zormna ran in right behind him, chasing the one PM they had missed. That one returned with two more People's Military officers, both engaging her in rapid fire. Zormna took cover behind a wall post, shooting back.

Jafarr would have jumped back out to help, but she screamed, "Stick to the plan!"

Ducking among the seers, Jafarr took aim from the crowd instead, dispatching the one P.M. who had returned.

"Stop! Stop!" Sir Banden shrieked with righteous indignation. "Must you fight here and desecrate this ground too?"

One of the P.M.s. aimed at him.

Zormna dispatched that soldier then charged after the remaining People's Military officer. He fell to the floor, stunned from the blue beam.

Sir Banden heaved angrily at her, marching down with no concern for his life. "How dare you fight here!"

Shoving past him, Zormna tromped over to the wall in personal indignation. She took a hold of the Clendar family medallion hanging on the peg and jerked it off the wall with vehemence, thrusting it to the floor. The fake medallion shattered into several pieces.

"Blasphemer!" the old men cried, jumping to their feet.

But Sir Banden did not move. A true Tarrn medallion would not have broken.

Zormna ripped off her helmet and threw that to the ground also. Breaths drew in, watching Zormna unfastened the neck of her uniform where she reached inside, pulling on the chain. Lifting it up, revealing her medallion, Zormna glowered at the crowd. Silence consumed them as they all saw her circular medallion, the true Clendar medallion, and her face, which matched the queen's portrait beside her. 

"I am the last Tarrn, and I will fight where I will." Her chest heaved, her eyes fixed angrily on Sir Banden most particularly.

Jafarr shot up immediately. "Put that away and get out of here - now."

Zormna glared at him at first, "You made a fake one, you faker."

"Get mad at me later," Jafarr snapped.

"Fine." She dropped her medallion back into her suit and zipped it up. Snatching her helmet from the hands of a seer who had taken it up when she dropped it, she jammed it back on her head and strapped the neck brace on. She turned back once. "Jafarr, are you coming with us?"

He looked around at the seers and caught Sir Banden's gaze. The young seer whom he had come with stared right at him with hope that he would stay. Jafarr shook his head. "I think I'd better go with them. Less suspicious."

Sir Banden smiled and nodded.

Zormna shrugged. "See you, then." And she ran down the hall.

The seers surrounding Jafarr stood up and gazed at him more intently.

"I never noticed. Your scars...." one of the old men said.

Jafarr bowed his head and pulled the torn hood over his face, tucking the edges. "Well then, let us hope they do not notice either. Huh?"

The seers gazed at him, a few puzzled. But the young seer who had accompanied Jafarr laughed and nodded. Sir Banden grinned more broadly.

Zormna ran out of the doors past Alea Salvar and the curator. "Let's go."

Alea Salvar peered after her then immediately followed, climbing onto his flight scooter. "Pull out!"

The group of Surface Patrol officers followed them without questions. They left the curator standing at the doors. He stood stupidly for about three minutes. After that, he heard the murmur of many seers behind him and turned to see what the commotion was.

"So you are leaving?" the curator said wearily at the robed people passing through his doors.

Sir Banden stopped and nodded to him.

"Indubitably. The last Tarrn has shown herself. The revolution has begun." The head record keeper turned and walked away, joining the crowd of Seer Class people down the open cavern.

The curator went white. He staggered back from them then groped his machinery, probably contacting whomever for more backup. Jafarr last saw him leaning against the glass door shaking his head. "Impossible."

The seers said not a word to Jafarr the entire trip. They surrounded him, keeping him in the middle of the group as a barrier against all P.M.s yet also keeping him from slipping away from them. Jafarr could not have gotten out if he wanted to. They arrived all together at the Seer Class gates. Jafarr attempted to part company there, but the old men would not allow it.

"You are seer blood. You belong here," one of the old seers said.

Jafarr shook his head. "I promised I'd meet her. I..." he stammered. It was too odd. "I'm needed."

Sir Banden grinned yet said nothing. The young man at his side stayed by Jafarr like a bodyguard, which was even odder. It was getting annoying, actually. Jafarr finally understood how Zormna felt about having a self-appointed bodyguard thrust on her.

 When they reached the inner doors of the monastery, Jafarr peeled off his robe, revealing his t-shirt and jeans. Many seers admired his alien attire, pawing the English writing on his chest, which was the weirdest of all.

"Look," Jafarr burst out again, "I do not belong here. I am a Zeldar, for heaven's sake."

They all gazed at him with more awe.

"With seer traits? Maybe. Stay a while," an old man said again.

Jafarr moaned. He glanced up at the tunnel above his head. It was possible he might sneak out there.

"Enough," Sir Banden at last called out, like a command. "Leave the Leader-of-Many alone. He has work to do."

The old seers shook their heads sadly as if denied the best treat.

"But look at his eyes," one murmured.

"I know, Tarrn's eyes." Sir Banden said, waving the man away.

Jafarr flushed. He stepped nearer to Sir Banden as the crowd cleared out. Soon only the young man and Sir Banden remained near him.

"What did they just say about my eyes?" Jafarr asked, blinking.

Sir Banden smiled. "It is an old saying among seers. Seeing eyes are Tarrn's eyes. Eyes of depth unfathomable, like old Zeldar Tarrn. Haven't you noticed your partner's eyes? Her eyes are deep, like yours, but green like the ancient queen's."

Jafarr swallowed. "No, I've never heard that."

The young seer at his side nodded. "That's probably because you did not live among seers. You saw a vision earlier. No doubt she sees visions."

Jafarr blinked again.

"How did you know that?" Zormna's voice came from the doorway.

Jafarr looked back. He noticed Alea Salvar glaring at him from his flight scooter from behind her.

"You have visions?" Jafarr asked her, looking surprised.

Zormna waved her hand as if blowing away smoke. "You know about them. My dreams." Meaning their shared dreams. Jafarr could tell Alea Salvar didn't know about them as his face