Guardians: The Triplex Part 27

"Yo, you need to be cool."

"You need to get out of my way," I warn.

She screams again.

"Jay, move!"

"Marcus, if you enter now, you could cause Chance to lose focus and injury Emmy."

"You could do much worse than injure her," Rio says.

She screams again. Each time her voice cuts me to my soul.

"She needs me."

"What she needs is for you to stay out here," Miku says gently.

Emmy screams again. I put my fist through the opposite wall. The cracks spread down the corridor.

"Marcus, enough, let's take a walk," Ameana says.

"No. I'm not leaving her."

"I'm not asking. I'm telling you," she says coldly.

"Who are you to command me?"

"I'm the second in charge. And when the first guy in charge is punching walls, I have the right to request we meet in private and discuss the situation."

"Fine," I snap. I follow her to the garden. Emmy's cries get further away but I can still hear her.

"What is it?" I ask her impatiently.

"Is this the way you're being strong for her, falling apart?"

"You don't understand-"

"Why? Because I don't cry every second of the day? Marcus, I know more about hurt and loss than you can even begin to understand. You need to stay focused."

"What if she doesn't survive this?"

"You girlfriend has a lot of issues. But she doesn't give up. She keeps going. She's like a really annoying rash that won't go away. No matter how many times you try to get rid of it," she says almost to herself.

"So you and Emmy will never get along even after everything?"

"No."

"I get along with Wolf."

"Please, Wolf gets along with Demons, Sellers, telemarketers..."

I laugh despite myself. Then Emmy does something that Ameana and I both know will cause me to stop the procedure: She calls out for me.

"Marcus, Marcus, help me. Help me!"

Ameana wisely steps in front of me. She's about to argue but before she speaks, I back down, knowing she's right.

"Okay," I relent, pacing up and down the garden.

I run my hands through my hair as if it will make this all go away. Then something happens that's almost as startling as Rage doing a good deed: My ex-girlfriend reaches out for me.

Her embrace feels warm, welcoming, and familiar. The intoxicating scent of her hair causes my mind to flashback to another time. Back when we used to playfully chase each other across continents. Back when we shared ideas and inner thoughts.

Back when we shared kisses and so much more...

We slowly pull apart from the embrace. But the distance between us is too small for Angels who are just friends. I step back.

"I...I should get inside..." I say apologetically.

"Yeah, okay," she says.

I rush back to the Temple. Before I can open the door, Ameana calls out to me.

"Marcus?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing..." she says with a sad smile.

I head back inside where I belong.

The next few hours are a h.e.l.l that mankind can't begin to understand. Finally, I see the sunrise through the windows.

"It's morning," I announce, still unable to stop pacing.

"How long has it been since she last cried out?" Rio says.

"It been forty-six minutes and twenty seven seconds" I inform them.

As much as her cries pain me, they let me know she's alive. So her being silent makes me wonder if something didn't go horribly wrong.

Miku comes over and rests against me.

"She's gonna be okay, Marcus. It's almost over," she a.s.sures me.

"Actually, it's over," Rio says.

I ask him if he's certain and he tells us Emmy's Wave is reading "relieved."

I slowly enter the room. Chance tells me it's okay to come all the way inside.

"How is she?" I ask.

"Weak, but otherwise okay."

I go over to her and stroke her hair. Her eyes are still closed. She moans softly.

I can't make out what she's saying.

"Emmy, what is it?"

"I deserve ice cream," she says in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"Okay, babe," I shake my head as relief makes its way down my wings.

"Big. Big. Ice cream," she adds.

"You got it," I a.s.sure her.

"Baby girl, I'm proud of you," Jay tells her.

"Thanks Jay. What happens now?"

"We release all the specks that have gathered in the tube. The map should rea.s.semble itself once it hits that air," Charity says.

"Since the Triplex was found by good, there should be a light that breaks into the sky. That light will summon the reflection of three Original Paras. Each one presents a Council member. Then the map will go into oblivion for another six hundred sixty-six years," Rio tells her.

"There's only one possible problem," Chance says.

Of course there is...

"What?" I ask, growing angrier because once again, the sisters withheld something from us.

"If we missed even one speck from the human's eyes, the map will be incomplete and the Para reflections won't appear," Choice says.

"Does that mean the Dy will be cast back inside me?"

"Yes, Emmy," Charity says regretfully.

"The only thing to do is cast it out onto the sky and see if all three Paras appear," Chance says, as if it's no big deal.

So far, I'm not loving the Quo people...

"If you missed a speck or two, we do this all over again?" Ameana asks.

"No. The human will not survive another attempt," Chance tells us.

"Why the h.e.l.l didn't you mention all this to us in the beginning?" I bark.

"Marcus calm down," Rio says.

"No, he's right. You three are full of secrets. What else are you hiding?" Jay asks.

"We should ask the same of you. Where is our Amulet?" Choice says.

"You get it if, and only if, this works," I reply.

"Look, let's just gather the specks and see what happens," Charity reasons with the group.

"This better work," I caution the three of them.

The triplets gather the tube and head outside. I help Emmy off the table and we all join the sisters in the garden. I look in Emmy's eyes and although the map isn't there anymore, her eyes are still a vivid purple.

They p.r.i.c.k the tube with the point of the needle. Gold specks leap out and take to the air. We wait with bated breath as the specks take the shape of the map and ascend to the sky.

Emmy takes my hand. Rio places his hand on Jay's shoulder.

"Reese died so we could get to this moment," Miku says softly. Ameana takes her hand. The map is so far up, it's now the size of a star.

Nothing happens.

I tell the group to wait a little while longer.

Nothing happens.

Emmy squeezes my hand tighter and tells everyone to give it a few more seconds.

Nothing happens.

"Oh no," Miku moans.

Then, a Para is reflected in the sky.

We're all frozen with antic.i.p.ation as we pray for Para number two.

The second Para appears.

"Yes!" Jay shouts.

"Shhhh," Rio says, as we look around for the third and final Para.

We wait.

We wait.

We wait.