Hello everyone! :] This is only a draft to a chapter of the first story of a series (Shattering Suns) I'm writing and, when I'm through, publishing. Since it's my first chapter, I want to be sure this story is interesting enough. Forgive me if there are any proofreading mistakes. I've been too busy to proofread every line. Please do comment and tell me what you think! Thankies so so much for willingly reading and sharing your helpful thoughts. Take care sweethearts, and enjoy! :D ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blissful Ignorance
My name is Naomi Hart. I am a sixteen year old girl who is, actually…more like was, the average teenage girl. I kept to myself unless if I was with my loved ones, I wasn’t some superstar beauty, I wasn’t an incredibly talented kid, I wasn’t the girl everyone wanted to be around. I was only me, and that was it. I was simple, and I had no desire to be much of anything else. As long as I became educated, I was content. I only wanted the average life. You know, graduate, get married, have kids…until he came into my life. He enchanted my world, while I destroyed it. I became involved in things I knew were dangerous. I tasted the forbidden fruit, and longed for more with each bite. He was the angel I couldn’t resist, but he came from a long line of fallen angels. Yet, I didn’t and still do not believe he’s fallen. He was so…flawless, so charming, lacking every trace of evil. Apparently though, I was blind. Maybe he did have some evil in him. How could I have argued with a cliché? People aren’t perfect. Period. There will always be something wrong with them. But, he didn’t seem like a person. He seemed like a captivating devil. Anyways, all I know now is that I’ve made a mess of many lives. I’ve been a hindrance to death and hope. The future is unclear, but the scent of blood permeates the air, reminding me that death to life is speeding towards the present. However, before you can understand the present and future, you have to understand the past first. I remember the first time he explained the past to me. His perfect voice distracted my focus, until the word “death” popped up. I became disillusioned, and the blood ran numb through my veins when I realized the truth behind everything.

Give a man too much power and they will corrupt themselves to the fullest. This truth was solidly bolted within the heart of young Aiden James. Thought as an idiotic boy who would never aspire to anything worth praise, he defeated the notorious Arcos at age 23. This was astonishing, to say the least. The Arcos were a clan of ruthless, ferocious vampires determined to maintain their tyrannical rule over their kind, the shape-shifting Treks called werewolves, and the original Treks, the native race. They had no respect for any other race except their own. The Treks and werewolves were looked upon as locked up food for the vampires. The Arcos’ rule expanded throughout the majority of the planet, Derision. Out of these three species, the Treks were the weakest, thus making them prone to submission under the Arcos. Still, they devised thousands of failed rebellions against the Arcos for hundreds of years. The Arcos saw the Treks’ schemes as insignificant jokes, so they began “recruiting” male and female Treks for their armies and personal preferences. Each passing day, at least one Trek would be bitten in the heart by an Arco, turning them into a monstrous vampire. The Treks could merely sit back and watch in agony while their race was shattering like broken glass. Aiden’s father, Jonathan James, was the last Trek lieutenant to die leading a small army toward a battlefield filled with the divinely pale-faced Arcos. From then on, Aiden vowed to force suffering on the Arcos because of Jonathan’s death.

In 2033 A.D., ten years later, Aiden was drafted into the military as a foot soldier. Within six months, he was promoted to Army General due to his amazing tactical skills. He believed the only possible way to defeat the Arcos was through secretly invading their hideaway; the other Generals instantly agreed to his battle plans. Aiden called upon the most intelligent and wise of their kind, requesting unique creations designed to take down the powerful vampire clan. Clashing their intellects, the Treks’ army gained numerous quantities of weapons robust enough to hold off the Arcos. Their new artillery consisted of lightweight machine guns, stealth snipers, extremely volatile bombs, and laser gunfire. These weapons were not able to kill the vampires, but they were definitely able to stun them, allowing time for the army to behead the Arcos. Aiden postponed the midnight attack waiting the night of his father’s death. Their plan was to kill those who resisted and place the rest in frozen stasis. Though Aiden left the Arcos’ territory with five-hundred men instead two thousand, the Arcos finally experienced death and defeat. The Arcos’ elders and vampire civilians were sealed underground in armored metal containers, deep in stasis sleep. Werewolves and Treks alike cheered Aiden’s valiant confrontation with the Arcos, and they were pleased to have the Treks ruling in place of the vampires. A time of peace followed the Arcos’ defeat. The Treks and werewolves lived together in harmony and happiness. Later on, since the military was quite dormant, Aiden married a Trek female, Darlene, the daughter of Derision’s influential emperor, Liam Mann.

Together, the passionately in love couple birthed three beautiful daughters, and Aiden became Liam’s right hand advisor. Presently, Aiden and Darlene’s children have moved on to live their individual lives, leaving the mid-forties couple alone but satisfied. The society, too, is well underway. They now have advanced medicine, more lightweight and adequate artillery, affordable aerocars, and advancements in technology. Not only did they build ultra slim touch screen televisions, computers, and cell phones, but also portable music systems embedded in earphones and microphones minute enough to never be spotted on any bare wall. These progressions greatly aid life’s comfort on Derision, but the government knows something the people do not. The people’s basic needs were wilting the planet’s natural resources. Soon, Derision would no longer be apt to support life. Liam, who is still the emperor, could assign each scientist the task of devising a way to live on a dying planet, but time is excessively short for that. The safety risks are increasing with each breath taken, compelling the government to sit on the edges of their seats. Government officials and their families would be safe from harm, but the people have no escape. Threats against their lives swell each hour, yet they have no clue about the lurking dangers. Liam seemed to care less about the public lately. Aiden has begun to neglect them also; Darlene spitefully calls him a “mini-Liam” at times. Her father was not the loving man people believed he was, and she understood his real personality much too well. She and Aiden would complain and argue about trusting Liam’s choices almost every evening when he came home from work. Today, Aiden was positive things would be no different.

“Aiden sweetheart, wake up.” Darlene gently shook her husband’s shoulder. He was still laying under the wrinkled blue sheets, sound asleep. He rolled on his back and groggily craned his neck upwards slightly. Blonde haired and blue eyed Darlene sat on the edge of the bed holding out a phone to him. He blinked his eyes to eliminate his blurry vision, “What?” He barely mumbled. Darlene rolled her eyes and dropped the phone on his chest, “It’s my dad.” She gracefully glided out the room, her loose blonde curls playing in wisps at her waist. Aiden scowled, putting the phone to his ear, “Hello?” He tried his best not to grumble. The line remained quiet for a moment. “Oh,” Liam’s rough, bass-toned voice broke the silence, “Aiden? It’s about time you’ve answered. Come down the office immediately.” His voice indicated that he was stressed and, above all, pressed for time. Aiden knew not to anger Liam. He had all the power of a dictator. “Uh, okay Liam. For wha—“ Liam had already hung up.

Aiden’s lips tightened as he placed the phone onto the bedside nightstand. He folded his arms across his bare, muscular chest. Staring up at the floral patterned ceiling, his face tensed from thought. Liam was certainly on his toes today. What could be so drastically important that he’d need to work at 6am, three hours earlier than the usual starting time? Hopefully their long awaited chaos didn’t choose to ensue today. He wasn’t quite ready for all hell to break loose just yet. Aiden pulled off the covers and jumped onto his feet. He walked into their designer bathroom, brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his chocolate brown hair. He tugged on a loose white button up shirt, starchy brown pants, and a flowing dark brown robe, the common dress for Derision’s males. He grabbed his briefcase and an orange before unlocking the front door. “Where are you going?” Aiden heard his wife call to him from the living room. He froze; she had the TV’s volume maximized. How on earth could she hear him leaving? Women’s senses really freaked him out every so often. He turned to face his scolding wife, who looked quite stunning in her multicolored tulle strapless and backless floor length dress, the current everyday wear for Derision’s upper class women. Her warm eyes turned fierce, and her hands encompassed her delicate waist. She was clearly waiting for a response. Aiden’s bewitching green eyes only stared at his petite wife. She soon grew impatient, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Aiden?” She angrily stomped her foot on the tiled floor. Aiden straightened his robe and cleared his throat, “To work, darling. Where else?” “No,” she shook her head, edging toward him slowly, “you never leave this early for work.” Aiden’s mouth gaped open, “Your father called me this morning practically commanding me to rush down to the office! I don’t want to go myself, but he seemed too out of sorts, so I must!” Darlene’s gaze softened, mainly because her husband yelled at her.

She stared mutely at her feet, “Fine. Someone’s money has to pay for this vacant mansion.” Aiden raised an eyebrow in suspicion. He placed his briefcase on the floor and stood before his wife. He stroked her rosy cheek with his thumb, “I wish we could spend the day together, love.” Her sparkling eyes met his gaze, making the couple smile. “It’s okay, Aiden. Go ahead. We’ll spend time together later.” He embraced her affectionately, “Thank you, honey.” She reached up to kiss his lips. The time slipped by quickly, though the two failed to notice. Aiden let go of his wife with a final hug. He locked the Venetian-styled front doors and hopped into the driver’s seat of his black, sleek Auradi. He was in such a rush that he hadn’t observed how beautiful it was outside. The sky was cloudless for once, the sun shined generously, the canopies of trees in the James’ front lawn flitted with the breeze, and speeding cars busily soared above the narrow streets. Aiden sat in silence while hustling to downtown, known as the region of Eotai. Everything appeared as normal. Reflections and sunlight bounced off the towering glass skyscrapers. Cafés and street shops were packed full. The sidewalks below were lined with women, children, babies and toddlers in mothers’ arms or prams, and hurrying business men who acted and dressed identically to Aiden. Aiden swerved into the tallest skyscraper’s enclosed parking garage, where the Treks’ government offices were located. Since he was earlier than usual, finding a parking space was effortless. As soon as the automatic doors slid open, Aiden spotted Liam standing with the other “elders” near the large indoor water fountain. The lobby would be breathtaking to someone who hadn’t been here hundreds of times before. The interior was sophisticated and stylish, nothing short of first class decorating. The walls were painted beige, beautiful paintings hung on every corridor, cream concrete tiles paved the floor, statues stood majestically at every corner, and diamond chandeliers adorned the high-low ceiling structure. Aiden breathed in deeply to calm himself.

Liam’s wrinkled countenance was utterly upset, something Aiden knew to fear. Liam caught sight of Aiden in his peripheral vision, “Get over here, Aiden! We have no time to waste!” Aiden ran to meet Liam, Samuel, and Jared. They began making their way to the largest conference room, Liam briskly leading the way. “What is this about?” Aiden mouthed to thirty-four year old Jared. Jared shrugged his shoulders and glared at Aiden in confusion. Samuel, who was the quiet one, kept his eyes looking forward. He wanted no part in discussing why they were here early. He just wanted it to be done with in a matter of minutes. Liam halted when he reached the closed mahogany doors. He pushed them open, revealing a lengthy hardwood table surrounded by blue leather chairs. Already there was Mr. Ali Dresden, the General in charge of spacecraft battles and protecting the chambers that secured the vampires. He was nervously playing with a pencil, until the emperor walked in. He stood to salute him. “At ease, Dresden. Take a seat, men.” Liam’s three followers took seats to the right while Liam and Ali sat opposite of them. Liam leaned forward and folded his hands. He ignored everyone’s pressuring stares. He solemnly looked at the three seated elders, “You all are stressed. I can see it plainly on each of your faces. I’m not going to beat around the bush.” The trio braced themselves for the worst. “You are aware of our planet’s situation.” Liam began, his tone coarse and low, “The people are drowning in danger, and so are we. Derision has become too unstable for life. Our oxygen and water supplies are now basically emptied, the atmosphere’s holes are expanding by the second, and the mixture of these different gases will most likely stir turmoil over the land’s soil.” Was this actually happening? Aiden could barely believe it. He knew they would face this situation at some point, of course. However, he never thought it would be so soon. The public was sure to panic, riot, and possibly kill when they heard this dreadful news. The government’s true personality would tragically be revealed to them, after all these years of peace.

“There is some good news midst all this, though. Ali here will explain.” Ali nodded to Liam and faced the elders, “The army’s spacecraft division has been executing undisclosed exploration missions for the past three years. Although they had no hope of finding anything significant, they have discovered a new Derision-like planet. Last year, they landed on it to do further testing. The oxygen levels are high and plentiful, water is available by the gallons, the soil is very fertile, and the atmosphere is barely touched. With your consent, the army believes it best to evacuate the public to this land. They know our society likes to remain together, so they have reserved a massive, fertile, vacant piece of land and developed enough shelter as well as crops for the public to thrive upon.”

“Wait a moment,” Liam interjected, “Isn’t all the land vacant?” Ali’s expression turned blank, “Well, uh,” his voice slightly wavered, “I was going to wait to tell you this, but there is a diverse race already living on this planet. They call themselves humans, and they look identical to us Treks. They have discovered nothing about us being Treks because our army has easily blended into their civilization.” He began breaking out in sweat as distrust pervaded the men’s faces. “They have different colored skin tones, exactly like us as well, some speak our exact language, and they have a very civilized culture precisely as our own, although they are much further behind in their innovations compared to us. They would wish no harm on us, even if they knew who we truly are.” Jared was the first to oppose, “Another race identical to ours? Our kind may very well clash with theirs, beginning an unnecessary war! And how accurate are these tests, and what is the name of this ‘Derision-like’ planet?” “Jared, their ‘world leaders’, so to speak, know who we are, and they accept us as long as we maintain peace and discretion. Their population is vast; literally in the billions. They live in separate regions they call ‘countries.’ Each country either shares our language or has a unique dialect. The planet’s name is earth, located in a galaxy about two light-years away, and these tests have been done many times over the last two years. They are quite accurate, but if you’d like, I can show you the logs. If you’re concerned on getting to earth’s galaxy alive, don’t worry. All we’ll need to do is prepare each transporter for hyperspace take-off. Hyperspace technology is now an average asset in spacecraft commute, so there will be no problems.” Liam waved his hand to the side, “Good, good. Checking the logs is uncalled for. Jared is simply a skeptic of everything.” Jared scoffed, “Alright then. I give in out of force.” Samuel inertly nodded, “I agree as well.” Aiden beamed widely. This was the fairytale ending he had longed for. Besides, a new planet sounded entirely riveting. How could someone disagree? “I give my consent, also. It’s a perfect plan.” Liam’s smile did not return. He was obviously, like Jared, giving in out of force. “There is one more request, gentlemen.” Ali interrupted. He was hesitant; this request was much more difficult to accept. The men patiently waited for Ali to continue. His stern voice became shaky, “Well, since we will begin evacuating people by Wednesday, Derision will be deserted by the end of this week. The vampires are still in frozen stasis, and I highly recommend we bring them along.” Jared slammed his fists on the table, “What the heck are you thinking, General?! Those menaces are to be kept under frozen stasis for eternity, and they will NEVER leave this planet. They will rot here for all we care.” “Calm yourself, Jared,” Liam warned, “you’re treading in deep waters here.” Samuel laid his hand on Jared’s shoulder, pulling him back into his chair, “We’ll discuss this rationally.” Samuel’s countenance, surprisingly, appeared taken aback also.

Liam crossed his arms, “Speak, Ali.” Ali cleared his throat, fear trembling in his dark brown eyes. “If the vampires are here, anyone who knows the code for their underground chamber can release them. They are a wise and sophisticated race. Their minds can devise plans for creating spacecraft in a matter of days, meaning they will eventually find their way to earth. Leaving the vampires here means jeopardizing our people’s lives.” Ali spoke with a certain inspiring fervor. Perhaps this was the best idea, Aiden thought, and the vampires would stay in frozen stasis at any cost. “Where will you be placing them?” Liam asked curiously. Ali cleared his throat again out of anxiety. Drops of sweat dripped down his pointed nose and flushed cheek, “On a military base located on earth’s third largest land mass, North America. They will be heavily guarded constantly underground, never left alone at any hour.” Liam reclined in his chair, doubt and understanding written on his lips. “What do you think of this, Samuel?” “I say no.” Samuel replied resolutely. Liam’s eyebrows furrowed as he turned his glare towards uneasy Jared, “You, Jared?” “I want nothing of it.” Jared bared his clenching teeth, “This man is insufferable and, most of all, illogical.” Liam discounted the brutal words Jared addressed to Ali beneath his breath, “What about you, Aiden? After all, you were the one to bring down the Arcos’ tyrannical empire.”

Aiden’s mouth twitched and tightened, “I…I…” he smacked himself mentally for foolishly stuttering, “I have not made a decision about this as yet.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. Liam’s eyes widened from doubt, “You are always the first to make a decision, and now you tell me you are undecided? This must be quite the choice if Aiden James cannot decide on it immediately.” A silent laugh infused Liam’s words. Jared and Ali chuckled lowly, but Samuel maintained his somber state. Aiden sat motionless and subdued, but his internal thoughts raged within his head. Whether they moved the vampires or not, threats posed on each side, mistrust being the highlighted one. Liam gasped suddenly, obviously experiencing an epiphany, “Since my head elder is undecided, and so am I, we’ll rest the choice on him. Aiden, if you say yes, then we transport the vampires. If you say no, they will stay here. Do you gentlemen agree to that?” They nodded, glowering in jealousy at Aiden. “Wonderful!” Liam exclaimed, clasping his hands together. The devious smirk on his face projected as an alert to Aiden. Aiden cocked his head lightly to the side, his green eyes narrowing. “You have till tomorrow morning to make your decision, Aiden.” Liam cautioned. Aiden let out a heavy sigh, “Must we do this?” Liam raised an eyebrow, “Of course. It’s the most efficient way.” “Fine,” Aiden muttered. Surrender was honestly his only option at the moment. “Good,” Liam smiled at him politely, “you all may leave and attend to your business now. We’ll touch base first thing tomorrow morning, General.” “Yes, sir.” He responded, shaking hands with Liam and the elders before departing. Liam patted Aiden on the back before heading to his suite, “Make me proud, son.” He winked and walked down the hall in the opposite direction, leaving Aiden unaccompanied and uncertain.

Questions were the only answers he could find so far. “Why must it be me?” Aiden questioned himself, “He could have chosen Samuel, the sanest one of us all.” Aiden entered his beautifully decorated office and seated himself behind his desk. He tried his best to focus on work, but every minute of the day was spent assessing his dilemma. He gave up attempting to work and resolved to spend some time in the city park. It wasn’t much of a park, rather a round piece of land with a sizeable marble water fountain in the middle, surrounded by many benches and chess tables. Aiden sat on a bench there until sunset, his mind dashing from one topic to the next as he gazed at the spouting water. How would the majority of people respond to evacuating from Derision, let alone transporting the vampires to a planet with billions of other people? Aiden buried his face in his freezing palms and sighed, “I’m ready for these politics to stop.” He whispered softly to himself. He shook off the daze, walking back to the empty parking lot after sunset. When he arrived home, Darlene immediately dropped the pot she was washing and ran to hug Aiden by the neck. “Aiden, where have you been?! You were—“ “Supposed to be here hours ago?” He finished her sentence, laughing at her stunned expression. He pecked her on the lips, “Sorry, honey,” He involuntarily sighed, “long day…” His voice trailed off. Darlene’s forehead creased in concern. She clutched his shoulders, staring directly into his distressed eyes, “What happened at the office? Why was my dad so aggravated this morning?” Aiden let go of her waist and took a seat on the living room recliner. He motioned for Darlene to sit on his lap. Her gaze never darted away from her trouble husband. She reached for his hand, “You can tell me anything, Aiden.”

Aiden stared mutely at the portrait of he and his father on the center table, “Your father, the other elders, and I have agreed to a soon-to-be controversial plan that deals with our dying planet.” She squeezed his hand lovingly. “The army’s spacecraft division has discovered a new planet created exactly like Derision, with a vast race called ‘humans’, who’s appearance and lifestyle matches ours. Some even speak our language.” Darlene cocked her head to the side, eyes fully widened, “How is that possible?” Aiden shrugged, “I’m just as confused as you are, sweetheart. Anyhow, we have agreed, partially out of force from Liam, to send away the Treks and werewolves to earth, where they will easily blend in with the humans.” Darlene quietly gasped, “That’s not the absolute worst part though, dear.” Aiden continued, “General Ali, who is in charge of spacecraft battles and protecting the vampire chamber, made a specific request asking us to allow the vampires to be transported to a military base on earth for protection. He claims that if they are left on Derision, they will be without protecting, thus risking the safety of the Treks, werewolves, and humans. He believes that since they are such an intelligent race, if anyone set them free, they would eventually find out that the Treks and werewolves have moved to earth, and they would also find a way to access it. Samuel and Jared disapproved, but Liam and I were undecided. So, Liam chose to place the decision on MY head.” Aiden’s voice dripped with aggression, “He said I have till morning to select the fate of the static vampires.”

Darlene’s cheeks paled and her fingers ran cold, “But…what if someone unleashes the vampires on earth, such as one of the guards? Millions will be murdered,” she clutched his upper arms, “and you may very well be the first, Aiden.” A tear strolled down her panic-stricken face. Aiden wiped her cheek with a kiss, leaning in to hold her, “I know, dear. That’s what’s upsetting me the most.” The room filled with a heavy pause. She caressed his lower neck using her fingertips, “It’s better if they were guarded, compared to if they were not. I think you should agree to General Ali’s plan, sweets.” Aiden opened his mouth to reject, but Darlene pressed her finger against his lips, “Just be sure the same guards will be guarding him on the new military base. Much less is risked if the vampires are heavily guarded.” Aiden smirked, “You really are an astute woman, Darlene.” He brushed back her wispy blonde hair, obliging her to blush, “What would I do without you?” Darlene giggled and tapped him on the nose, “Die from over-thinking.” Aiden threw his head back in laughter, “Yes,” he forced through his laughing, “yes, I most definitely would.” She ran her hands through his buzzed-cut hair. Aiden felt a certain static in her touch, prompting him of every reason why he had married her. He compressed her supple hand against his cheek. Gradually, she crept closer towards his face with faintly parted lips, till finally their mouths
interlocked, and they kissed into the night.

It was 5am at the James household, the phone ringing nosily as it did the morning before. Endeavoring not to awake sleeping Darlene, Aiden grasped the bedside phone. He had a gut feeling about the caller, “Morning, Liam.” He mumbled out of sleepiness. Liam chuckled, “You knew it was me. Good. I’m in a bit of a rush, Aiden, so I’ll cut to the chase.” Aiden rolled his eyes. Liam was ALWAYS a preoccupied man. “Have you selected your choice?” Aiden exhaled loudly, his mouth tightening, “Yes, I have. I say yes, we should transport the vampires to this military base before we evacuate the public.” “Okay.” Liam seemed like he wasn’t listening to Aiden, “Then get yourself down to the spacecraft base within the hour. General Ali is waiting to have you supervise their loading and take off.” Aiden’s jaw dropped slightly, “You were expecting me to say yes?” Liam burst into laughter, “My dear boy, you’re married to my only child and have been working with me for years! Of course I know you well enough to determine your choices before you choose them.” Aiden could feel his rage swelling up within his stomach and throat, incinerating him like a poison. He did not appreciate Liam treating him as though he could control him. “I will, Liam. I’ll let you go now.” Aiden sputtered through his teeth semi-angrily. Thankfully, Liam was too busy to account his anger, “Thank you, Aiden. Take care.” Aiden hung up the phone and sighed softly.

He went through his usual morning routine, left a note for Darlene by her bedside, and flew down to the spacecraft base. Aiden carefully slowed when he reached the shielded entrance, “Great…there’s a lineup of cars.” He sunk into the driver’s seat and switched on the radio, something bizarre for his behavior. He turned on the techno music station and found himself enjoying the songs. “I should escape to music more often.” Aiden thought to himself with a wide grin covering his face. He reached to the front of the line in minutes, stopped by a security guard. “License please, sir.” The black-haired, cloaked man asked him courteously. Aiden handed the guard his license. His eyes briefly scanned it, “Ah, you’ve been expected by General Ali, Mr. James. Pop open your trunk, I’ll have a quick look, and you’ll be on your way.” Aiden nodded and willingly opened up his car trunk. A moment later, the guard approached Aiden’s rolled down window again, “All set to go, sir!” Aiden smiled at the bronze-skinned man, “Thank you. Do you mind giving me directions to where General Ali is waiting for me?” “Sure, go straight down this one way street until you reach the stop sign. Then, take a right and you’ll soon arrive at a large spacecraft hangar.” “Great,” Aiden winked in appreciation, “thanks again.” He began driving in silence to the hangar, nervous to know what was lying in store for him.

“Hello there, Mr. James!” Ali called out to him from behind an in-progress rocket. His voice echoed throughout the steel shed. Aiden slammed his black Auradi’s door shut and shook hands with Ali, “Hello, General Ali. How are you?” The General beamed joyously, “I’m doing okay, sir. Are you ready to supervise?” “Yes. Let’s get to it, shall we?” Ali signaled for Aiden to follow him. He led Aiden into the hollowed silver hanger. All that laid there was the large grey rocket turned on its side. It had the Trek’s flag painted on its side; the flag was colored a solid dark green and adorned with a circle of ten white stars, followed by two vertical black lines tracing the outskirts of the flag. The remainder of the hangar was either empty or accompanied by piles of tools and packed shelves. There was one elevator located on the back wall of the shed. Ali clicked the down arrow; the doors flew open without delay. The two men stepped inside, and Ali pressed the button for the basement. They descended hastily, disembarking in a period of ten seconds. The doors opened to a long, narrow passageway, visible and invisible cameras positioned every six inches across the walls. Aiden thought it best to break the silence, “Well done, General. This place is indeed very heavily guarded. Will it remain this way on earth?” Ali glanced behind his back for a moment, “Better than this, Mr. James. More cameras and many more guards will be provided.” “Good. Very good.” Wow, Aiden thought, I’m beginning to sound like Liam. He shook off the torturing thought once Ali typed in the password and unfastened the slender, severely bolted door at the end of the long hallway.

The sight didn’t have much of an impact on Aiden at first. It was only a mile long room overflowing with metal containers. About fifty male workers were eyeing Aiden and Ali. “Are you ready, General?” A husky voice asked from behind one of the containers. The men were obviously soldiers dressed in casual, white robe outfits for this special occasion. “Yes,” Ali replied to the unseen man, “Mr. James here will be our supervisor.” Aiden received both scowls and smiles. Love for politicians usually estimated around fifty-fifty. “Alright,” Ali yelled out, “Hustle, men!” The brawny males began scooping up bulky, self-powered wrenches, unbolting the tightly sealed boxes. Each worker was wearing a plastic face mask, for fear of any toxic particles secreting into the oxygen. It took them half an hour to unbolt, and two hours to load up the five parked jets. Aiden glared at the faces of the pale, lifeless vampires. They were individually solidified in liquid that kept them under frozen stasis, each in separate glass containers. The only way they could be freed is if the liquid was exposed to oxygen, but every container was air-tight and made of unbreakable, glassy material. At a length of three hours, the task was completed. The vampire race was squished inside five sizeable metallic space cruisers. Aiden sensed his heart racing speedily, the fastest pace it had achieved for quite some time. This wasn’t a do or die mission; it was a “one little mistake and life itself dies” mission. Whatever the Treks or werewolves could do, the vampires could succeed with significantly greater progress in less than half the time. This race was not one to trifle with. Ali’s voice smashed Aiden’s daydreaming nightmare, “We’re all clear for takeoff, Mr. James. Say the word and we’ll be on our way.” “Oh,” Aiden hesitated for a while, but caught himself quickly, “everything’s secure and in position?” Ali firmly nodded, maintaining his pleased countenance, “Packed and ready for shipment.” Aiden tried to smile, yet his lips only tightened into a hard line. Anxiety was written along every inch of his body, “Well then, General Ali, by all means, takeoff. Have a safe flight.” They shook hands again, “We’ll keep in contact, Mr. James. Thank you so very much.” Aiden saluted as his final goodbye, the cruisers roaring and blasting ferociously before him. Five thick metal doors lifted off the concrete floor, and the cruisers sped over the elevated underground runways. After they were out of sight, Aiden took in a deep breath. The staunch smell of oil suffused the air. Aiden cringed, not because of the revolting smell, but because his conscience was punching him in the heart for his choice. It was too late now, though. The lethal race was already on the way to their new planet, out of his or any of the elders’ power. “Those poor, ignorant humans.” Aiden mumbled, “Killers are readily being unleashed upon their soil, and they haven’t the slightest clue.”
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Hope you liked it :] Thanks again, sweets, for reading!