Anne Winchell - The Last War

Nalia reached into the small bag she had brought and pulled out Raven’s computer. She had kept it with her at all times since he left, hoping he would attempt to contact her. So far, she hadn’t even figured out how to turn it on.

“That’s Raven’s, isn’t it?” Scott asked. She nodded and he sat next to her as if waiting for her to do something with it.

“Um, you can look at it,” she said, embarrassed to admit that she didn’t know how to work it.

She understood computers, of course. Just not this one. She had tried every single button, every possible switch, and as many combinations as she could think of, but still the screen remained black.

Scott took the computer and held his palm over the screen for a few seconds. The screen blinked on. Nalia couldn’t believe it and her surprise must have been evident because Scott patted her shoulder.

“Fingerprint lock,” he explained. “I always make him put my prints in his security system just in case. He claims it weakens the security, but it hardly makes a difference whether one or two sets of prints unlock it. I’m sure he’ll add you when we find him,” he added.

She nodded. She would be happy finding him first. She didn’t need access to his personal files. Although if she did have access, she thought, leaning forward to examine the screen, she could find out more about him.

“I think,” Scott murmured, fingers racing across the keypad. “Yeah. I can find him with this. Medane.”

Scott moved back into the pilot’s area and Nalia followed, reluctant to leave Raven’s computer and equally reluctant to be near Medane. Scott was explaining something about radio signals and Medane was nodding. They seemed to know exactly what they were doing and she felt completely out of place. Both men were dressed in dark gray with long-sleeved jackets despite the heat, and they looked casual and sophisticated, as if they had rescued Raven a dozen times before. Maybe they had, Nalia thought sadly. She would have no way of knowing. Raven hadn’t even asked for her help. She was just a girl who had gotten caught up in the bigger world and she was scared that when Raven saw her out of her element like this, he would dismiss her.

She wanted him to value her and see her as a real person worthy of respect, but what if he kept seeing her as a child who needed protection? He had been so desperate to keep her safe before he was taken and she had agreed without a fight. Not anymore, though. From now on, she would be the one protecting him. She was a díamont, after all. The experience with the bracelet in her fight with Atheus had frightened her and she hadn’t transformed into a díamont since then, but she could. Medane and Scott and even Raven would have to acknowledge her then.

“Nalia,” Medane said. She snapped to attention. “We’ve found Raven. He’s somewhere in this building,” and he tapped one of the screens displaying a map. “I can land on the roof, but you and Scott need to get Raven back here immediately.”

Nalia nodded and was reassured by Scott’s hand on her shoulder. She could already imagine Raven waiting for her and she realized that she might actually survive to see her father again. It didn’t seem like Medane was going to kill her, and once she found Raven, they would be able to return to the Eastern World in triumph. Klaus wouldn’t be thrilled to see Raven, she knew, but he would be glad to see his daughter again. And Klaus would certainly be happy that Nalia had succeeded in something as risky as asking Medane for help.

She thought of her father and realized with surprise that she missed him intensely. She had lived at home with him for over two years and had gotten used to having him nearby. They didn’t speak much and often went days without seeing each other, but just having her father nearby was a comfort Nalia hadn’t fully appreciated. Now, thousands of miles away and surrounded by strangers, Nalia wished she could be home.

As the plane approached increasingly urban areas, Medane was in constant communication with flight towers, repeating information again and again. He had fake clearance to land in old Washington DC but not anywhere near where Raven was. Still, he was somehow managing to land where Scott said the signal was indicating. Scott was positive that the signal was Raven and he promised that Raven would be looking for them when they arrived. Nalia wondered how he could be so certain. Scott reminded her of her father a little, how he could enter any situation with a level head and complete faith that things would turn out for the best.

“That’s it,” Scott said as the plane slowed down. Scott opened the exit and Medane lowered the plane towards the roof. The engine groaned at having to maneuver vertically, but it was well within the plane’s capabilities.

When the roof was just a few feet below, Scott jumped. He stumbled and fell, but waved for Nalia to come down quickly. She leapt and the shock of landing jarred her shins and knees. She was tempted to adopt her díamont form, but she didn’t want to attract attention.

Scott pushed her towards one of the stairways and she glanced back to see him descending another. They only had minutes to find Raven before the police would suspect something unusual about the hovering aircraft. Nalia stopped at each floor, making a quick loop before continuing down. She had no idea what she was looking for, aside from Raven. The building was mostly empty but she ran past two startled women who were carrying baskets of wire stripped from the walls. When she had gone down five stories, she paused and leaned against the stairway. Where was Raven?

She stared down the stairs. Nine more stories. It was possible that Scott had already found Raven and they were waiting for her to return. Raven wouldn’t be on a lower level, would he? Nalia shut her eyes and tried to think. Time was important. She could either continue checking even though it was unlikely Raven was below her, or she could return to the plane and hope Scott and Raven were there. She wished Scott had given her clearer instructions on how to look for Raven.

A loud crash from above made Nalia’s decision for her; it had to be the sound of fighting. She leapt up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the stitch in her side as she hastened back upstairs. The sounds were coming from the second to top floor and Nalia was surprised to see Scott and Raven backing into the stairway only a few steps above her. She didn’t have time to be happy, however, because a man with a gun followed Raven and Scott. He hadn’t seen Nalia yet. He had the gun pointed at Raven and he was making some sort of threat. Raven was attempting to reason with him. Nalia saw her chance to protect him and acted without thought.

She transformed into Galley, almost relishing the momentary paralysis that signaled her díamont form. She pushed Raven and Scott to the ground and grabbed the man’s gun. He was pale. She squeezed her hand around the gun and it shattered. The man screamed and ran. Nalia was tempted to follow him but the thought of Raven stopped her. She didn’t have time to make the man pay; she needed to get Raven to safety.

Still in díamont form, Galley gently lifted Raven and Scott in her arms before racing up the final flight of stairs. They weighed next to nothing and she was delighted to be able to carry them so easily to safety. Medane was still hovering in the plane, but other planes were approaching rapidly. Galley easily lifted the men into the plane but when it came time for her to get in, she was unable to maneuver her bulkier diamond body into the door as the plane started turning. Medane shouted and one of the nearby planes opened fire. Bullets glanced off her diamond skin. She heard Raven cry out and looked up to see a bullet slice through his leg. Galley gathered all of her strength and jumped upwards into the plane, changing back into her human form just as she landed. The plane wobbled but held. She could barely believe that the move had worked. Scott yanked the door closed as more bullets sprayed across the plane, and all three of them fell backwards as Medane pulled the throttle.