Now we're entering the final act. This is where things get interesting.
The rules of this self-imposed writing challenge say the story must end at Chapter 14 and that individual chapters cannot be longer than 1200 words. Time management has become a real issue now. I spent so much time on worldbuilding that the climax and finale are now going to be pretty seriously compressed. I'm worried this'll make the ending seem rushed, but we'll see how it shakes out.
It was the first time Mina and Kiri ever got into a fight. And even then, they had to disguise it under the veil of some other activity to avoid getting spotted.
At the time, the whole city of Rotorua was in an uproar over the arrest of the Human Ambassador, Freya Kinsella. In the Partogan part of the city, the Kealoha Detention Center was the scene of incredible tension. Hundreds of Humans gathered outside of the prison, demanding the release of their Ambassador. Perhaps realizing the potential for violence, the Condominium government dispatched uniformed officers wearing riot gear formed to the scene. They formed a line in front of the prison, all while brandishing non-lethal weapons.
Unfortunately, a small number of agitators were mixed into the crowd of angry Humans. Covering their clan tattoos and wearing their hair down to conceal their pointy ears, Hiigaran MCS agents seized the opportunity to drive a wedge between the Humans and their former allies. Mina was embedded in the crowd, pretending to be a Human like her fellow agents.
“The Half-Breed betrayed us!” Mina screamed at the top of her voice. She used a Human Supremacist slur to refer to the Commonwealth Queen.
To her disgust, she spotted Kiri nearby. He, along with several DIA agents, was pretending to be a bystander, watching the scene play out from behind a wall of police officers.
At that moment, Mina felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her handler, Dasra Naabal-Sa.
“That woman over there with the blond hair.” He said, pointing with one hand. “Intel says she was at Canaveral. Grab her and take her to Ambush Alley.”
Mina glanced over at a middle-aged Human woman, who was too busy protesting to notice someone looking at her. Mina recognized her right away.
“No. Absolutely not.” Mina replied. “I remember her. She worked in sanitation. Hear me? She was a janitor. Leave her alone.”
There was a moment’s pause, and then, out of the corner of her eye, Mina spotted Dasra’s fist. He punched Mina in the face, knocking her to the pavement! The atmosphere around the protest changed at once. People panicked and screamed at the sudden violence. Mina tried to scramble to her feet, and that was when it happened.
Dozens of protesters were so busy helping Mina to her feet that they did not notice Dasra. He walked across the road and tapped the Human woman on the shoulder.
“Excuse me,” Dasra said. “You look familiar. Were you at Cape Canaveral?”
The Human replied nonchalantly:
“Yeah, I was a janitor. Laid down as soon as the shooting started and just waited for someone to capture me. I regret everything now. I wish I never got wrapped up in the Paradox’s plot.”
The woman looked like she was going to say something else, but she never got the chance. Dasra drew a laser pistol, grabbed the woman, and started to drag her toward a crowd of Hiigarans.
Chaos erupted instantly. People ran in all directions, screaming. Condominium police swarmed into the protest, detaining any person they could reach. The mass protest descended into a chaotic street brawl.
The violence spilled into other parts of the city. Civilians began to riot. Storefronts were smashed and looting was widespread. Order would have broken down entirely if not for the timely arrival of soldiers from all three Galactic Superpowers. Fortunately, the soldiers concentrated their efforts on the out-of-control riot and not each other.
In the middle of the city-wide riot, Kiri somehow managed to find Mina. Or rather, he tracked her down. He caught Mina while she was trying to return to the Cosmic Garden. She was forced to take a shortcut through Ambush Alley, and was about halfway through the treacherous lane when she heard Kiri coming. Mina whirled around, drew her laser pistol, and fired a warning shot into the air.
The red light from her weapon illuminated the alley and gave away Kiri’s position.
“Stay back!” Mina shouted. “I told you to leave me alone!”
“I thought you were in trouble.” Kiri responded. “I wanted to help!”
Mina leveled her pistol and fired another blast. This time the beam sailed about twenty feet above Kiri’s head, cutting a clothesline strung between two buildings.
“Do I look like I need help!?” Mina shrieked. “You did you even see my message!? I needed some space! You broke my trust! Screw you!”
Mina fired a third warning shot, this one just ten feet above Kiri’s head. He kept his hands raised and did not move.
“Why’d you come to the Garden!?” Mina’s voice wavered. “You could have been spotted, you could have been killed! And it would have been my fault!”
“Absolutely not.” Kiri replied. “The fault would have been mine. From what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned about you, you haven’t done anything wrong. Not now or back then.”
Slowly, Kiri reached over and tapped his right forearm.
“This was not your fault, neither was anything that happened because of it.”
Mina’s eyes went wide and she lowered her weapon.
“How do you know?” She breathed.
“The same way you learned how my family abandoned me.” Kiri said, shrugging. “It’s part of the espionage business to find other people’s secrets. My DIA comrades were expecting your tattoo to have some complicated and profound meaning, but I guessed the simple answer might be the correct one.”
Kiri took a step forward.
“I did a recon mission to your base to get more info. Then I solved the puzzle. So tell me if I’m wrong: Your real name is Mina Manaan. You were born right here on Hokianga, in the Hiigaran part of the city. Twelve years ago, you were kidnapped by the Human military and taken to Earth. You were a captive for two years, only known as Subject Two-One-Four. You were tested for Psionic Sensitivity and then transferred to Cape Canaveral. You were there on the day of the big rescue. You saw everything. The Hiigaran MCS scooped you up after the rescue by having two agents pose as your parents. They tricked the Stormbreakers into handing you over. Now MCS is using you to positively I.D. Humans marked for extrajudicial killing. You’re not comfortable or happy with that assignment, but you don’t weren’t given a choice in the matter. Am I wrong?”
Mina dropped her gun; she was shaking.
“No.” She breathed. “That’s all true. You must hate me now… My life’s a wreck, I get people killed, and I’m like three different types of damaged goods. No one could love me knowing all that.”
“I do.” Kiri replied. “I did. I still do, and I will love you, Mina.”
“Really?” Mina asked. “You’re not just saying that? You know how often people say they like me just because they wanna get something from me? I hate that!”
Mina and Kiri finally came together and embraced.
“I’m sorry.” They both said at the same time.
And then a third voice spoke:
“Yeah… We’re sorry too.”
Ayaan Soban and Tuterangi Patariki stared at one another, dumbfounded. Each agent lowered their weapons and addressed their love-struck comrade:
“It’s over. Time to go.”
