Extraterrestrial Refugees
Chapter Twenty

Justine ran up to Gemma and the others when they arrived at Killian City. “What’s going on Justine?” Gemma asked.

“It’s Barkley. His strange friend Alberto was here earlier. He and Barkley left in a pretty big hurry. They had boxes,” Justine explained between breaths. She shook her head. “Something about it just doesn’t seem right.” She looked at Clarence. “Did they pass you when you were coming in?”

“I don’t know… There was too much traffic to say for sure,” Clarence said.

“I’ve spent the last two hours racking my brain, trying to think of what could possibly be in all those boxes. And then I remembered about a suspicion Gemma once had…” Her gaze shifted to Gemma, whose face went white.

“Weapons?” Gemma gasped. Justine nodded.

“What suspicion?” Clarence asked.

“Barkley has made comments before—even before we left Tetra—that led me to believe he may have smuggled some Tetranese weapons onboard.” Gemma gave Clarence a solemn look. “I’m sure some terrorists would pay a fortune for them.”

“We have to stop him,” Clarence said, pulling his car key out of his pocket.

“Let’s go,” Gemma said, turning back toward the direction they had just come.

“Gemma, maybe you should stay here. This could get dangerous,” Oscar said.

“I agree,” Vance said. Gemma shook her head.

“Maybe I can talk some sense into the idiot before it’s too late. I’m going.”

Justine gave Gemma a hug. “Be careful, my friend. Keep me posted. I hope we’re wrong.”

“So do I.”

“How are we going to replace him?” Clarence asked as they walked toward his car. Its engine was still warm.

“I’ve got connections. We can ping his phone,” Oscar said. They piled into the car and Clarence began speeding down the road.

“His phone says he’s on this street,” Oscar said, showing his screen to Gemma.

“But I’m telling you that was Alberto’s car I saw going this way,” Gemma said. They were standing in a quiet town. A few dogs barked in the quiet of the night. “We can’t risk losing sight of them.”

“Where are the cops going?” Clarence quietly asked.

“Down this street.” Oscar pointed down a dark street.

“Let’s split up,” Gemma suggested. “I’m going to see if that really was them going down this street.”

“Gemma—” Vance began, concern in his voice.

“I won’t approach them. Like I said, we can’t lose track of them.”

“I’m going with you,” Oscar said, looking to Vance. “I’m armed.”

“Then you and me go. Gemma, you go meet the cops with Clarence,” Vance said.

“We don’t have time to argue about this.” Gemma turned and started jogging down the alleyway, careful about every foot placement so that her steps were silent. Oscar was right behind her. Shortly thereafter, Barkley and Alberto came into view. Two cars were parked along the curb. “There they are,” Gemma whispered.

“Gemma, let’s stop and wait for the police like—” Oscar started, but Gemma cut him off.

“Barkley, stop!” she yelled. She skidded to a stop in the alley. A single streetlight provided a ring of light. “You can’t do this.”

Barkley glared at Gemma, handing a final case to Alberto. He placed it into the trunk of a parked car and closed the hatch. The engine kicked on and the car peeled away. Gemma watched in horror as it vanished into the darkness.

“Wow, you finally caught onto me.” Barkley clicked his tongue. “I guess I underestimated you.”

“I always suspected you smuggled weapons onto the ship, but I didn’t pursue it. I was giving you the benefit of a doubt. I had hoped you were better than that. Having them is one thing, but selling them?” Gemma shook her head, winded from her sprint. “Do you have any idea what the repercussions will be—putting powerful weapons like those into the hands of already violent people?”

“I’d love to chitchat, but I’ve got a very motivated buyer who does not like to be kept waiting.”

Gemma stepped forward. Alberto eyed her. “This will jeopardize everything,” Gemma said. “Everything! You risk ruining the lives of six billion people.”

“And why should I care?” Barkley took a step closer. “Betrayal hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Barkley, I didn’t betray you. I did what was necessary to keep the peace.”

“To keep your peace!” Barkley snapped. “You’ve been wanting to get rid of me since day one. What better way to silence me than have me locked away? Not one of you showed up.” He gave her a cold, empty look. “It’s not wise to abandon your own.”

“Abandon?” Gemma whispered. “Wait, have you been talking to Legend?” Her eyes went wide. “Is he the buyer?”

“Barkley, man, she knows too much!” Alberto said. Barkley held out a hand to him.

“Don’t create a scene right now, Alberto!” he snapped.

“We have to take care of her.” Alberto pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Gemma.

“Gemma, get down!” Oscar yelled, pushing her back as he jumped in front of her. He reached for his gun with his other hand. There was a loud pop as he was lifting it. Gemma closed her eyes as she collided with the cold pavement. When she opened them again, Oscar was falling to the ground, blood oozing from his chest. His gun clashed down against the pavement and bounced a few feet away. Instincts kicked in and Gemma shuffled over to the gun and lifted it with her trembling hands. It was heavier than she expected. She pointed it at Alberto. Barkley chuckled.

“Do you even know how to use that thing?” he said.

“We’ll see,” she replied. More shots tore through the air, but they weren’t from Oscar’s nor Alberto’s gun. Alberto dropped his weapon and yelled in pain. He clutched his bleeding hand. Barkley doubled over, holding his thigh. He fell onto his rearend. Alberto was shot again as he reached to pick up his weapon. Two police officers ran up, holding their weapons out in front of them.

“Freeze!” they yelled. One grabbed the radio clipped to his chest. “We need an ambulance,” he said into it.

When Gemma turned around to check on Oscar, Vance was already with him, holding a hand against his wound. Gemma leapt over to them. “Oscar—Oscar,” she whispered. She pressed two fingers against his wrist to check his pulse. There was none. “Vance, I can’t feel a pulse,” she stuttered. “Can you try? I think I’m too panicked.”

“Gemma, he’s gone,” Vance quietly said. Gemma shook her head.

“No, no, no. The ambulance will be here soon. I heard the cop call for one. They’ll help him.” Gemma clutched Oscar’s hand. His face was pale. She brought his hand to her lips and sobbed. Vance scooted up beside her and put an arm around her back.

“There’s nothing we can do, love,” he whispered.

“There has to be.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Oscar. She held onto his hand, but buried her face into Vance’s chest. Vance looked over his shoulder at the police officers.

“Can we get a medic over here?” he shouted, then lowered his voice and uttered a please.

“You got him?” one of the officers said to the other, gesturing at Barkley, before he strode toward Oscar.

“That guy dead?” the officer who was cuffing Barkley asked. The other officer nodded at him.

Vance watched as the officer assessed Oscar. The officer put his face in his hand and shook his head. He grabbed his radio. “What’s the status on that ambulance?” he said into it.

“They’re about three minutes out,” a female voice replied over the radio.

The officer looked at Vance and Gemma. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. I could try compressions, but I’m afraid it won’t do any good.” The officer stood up and returned to his colleague.

“He saved my life, Vance,” Gemma said. She was frozen. There was no emotion in her voice. “This is all my fault. I acted impulsively.”

Everything that happened next was a complete blur to Gemma. It did not seem fair that Barkley was loaded into the ambulance to be taken to the hospital where he would be treated for his wounds, whereas Oscar was being taken to a morgue. Vance held Gemma in his arms as she relayed what had happened to the police officers.

The police chased and captured the vehicle that had driven off with the weapons. They detained the man driving the vehicle—another of Legend’s puppets. The weapons were confiscated by law enforcement, which made Gemma very uncomfortable, but they would not allow her to take them back. All she wanted to do was make sure they were destroyed for good. It would be too easy for them to fall into the wrong hands again if the police had them.

Charles gave Gemma a hug at the funeral ten days later. She was surprised to see he actually did have a soft heart beneath his hard exterior. “That boy…was a good boy,” Charles said to her, choked up. “He was going places. I feel like I didn’t appreciate him as much as I should have while he was with us.” He shook his head. “What happened is a real shame.”

Gemma watched him link arms with his wife and walk away from the grave. She was sure he blamed her, and if he didn’t, he was a fool. Gemma blamed herself relentlessly. She and Vance were the last to leave the gravesite aside from Oscar’s mother who stood a short distance to the side visiting her late husband’s grave. She had leaned a bouquet of flowers against the marble gravestone.

Gemma laid a pale-yellow rose on Oscar’s coffin. She then kissed her fingertips and gingerly touched the casket. Vance stepped up beside her and grabbed her hand. “Thanks for taking care of my girl, Oscar,” Vance quietly said. Gemma turned and hugged him and cried into his chest again. She felt like her tears kept soaking his shirts before they had time to dry out again.

Vance stroked Gemma’s hair and kissed the top of her head. “We better go, honey,” he gently said. Gemma wiped her cheeks and nodded. She glanced up at the clear sky. A gentle breeze caused the leaves to tumble to the ground. “Sorry. I don’t mean to rush you,” Vance said.

“No, you’re right—they’ve waited long enough. They’ll be anxious for your return.” She placed a hand on Oscar’s cold coffin again. “You gave me hope in Earth’s humanity. Sadly, I feel that hope has died with you. Goodbye, dear Oscar.” She gave Oscar’s mother a sympathetic glance then turned and walked away. First, she and Vance would fly back to New Mexico from Ohio—this time without Oscar’s body accompanying them in the cargo deck—and then they would join Clarence and a few others on the rescue mission to Mars.

Gemma looked forward to the opportunity to get away from Earth for a few days. She hoped it would be an escape from her guilt.

Epilogue

After fifty years of slumber, Fortuna’s engines whirred to life. It was impressive, Gemma could not deny it. The vessels were a masterpiece. With the exception of the Resilience, they had delivered the Tetranese people safely to Earth, and now the Fortuna would bring a select few back—the ones who, like Gemma, even after half a century felt like they never managed to assimilate on Earth and they never would. For Gemma—an old woman now with grown children and grandchildren—she was never able to move past what happened to Oscar. He was a wonderful man who did not deserve to die in the violent way he had.

Her children did not understand it. Earth was home. All four of them had married Earthlings. Their children’s home was Earth. Gemma, in bidding them all farewell, told them Tetra could offer them a brand new beginning—a fresh start; a clean slate. Tetra had been purified by fire. Assuming it was at this point inhabitable again, the prospect of a new beginning was too tempting for Gemma to resist.

Vance was heartbroken to leave the children, even if only temporarily. He worried even if they discovered Tetra could support life again, they would never convince their children and their families to leave their home—a home his people had drastically improved. Life on Earth was significantly better for the Earthlings than it was before their arrival.

However, in spite of everything the Tetranese had given and taught, racism against them still flourished. Many still believed that Earthlings and Tetranese shouldn’t mix. Many rejoiced when Gemma announced she would be leading a voyage back to Tetra to see if they could inhabit it again. World hunger was gone, cancer was curable, and yet millions refused to accept the extraterrestrial refugees.

The ship gradually lifted from the ground. Gemma watched as the brown mountains of New Mexico shrunk beneath them. Vance, seated beside her, grabbed her hand. Together, they looked toward into the sky as it darkened and filled with stars.