A Long Ways From Home

Chapter Nine: A Future Yet to Come

"Let's try this again," Reynolds says calmly but urgently, his every word carrying as much weight as all of our lives. "Can you tell us what you saw?"

Jordan looks across the battered living room floor, at all the faces he wished he knew on his days on the run. Noah, his Chimæra raccoon rests in his lap while the others guard the perimeter.

The abandoned house they found is nothing like the mansion they stayed in at Yellowhammer ranch. It is much smaller and less rich. It seems more like an odd hideaway from one of Earth's wars than any previous residential home. That, or it is a war child's bedroom. It would explain why most of the place is a dead grey and the dead animals in the back. As if somebody passed through killing for sport, training to be in the marines. There are remnants of old toy soldiers and plastic dog figurines, German Shepherds and Huskies mostly – the kind of dogs usually associated with war, as horrifying as the thought is to Jordan. It was surprising to find that the electricity actually worked and that the water was left on. Though there isn't much to use it on. The few light bulbs are all burnt out and it's not like there are any appliances that require heat or power. There isn't a fridge or stove, so most of the food brought in is food that can be kept in the small rickety open pantry. Everything in this place is dirty and no matter where Jordan walks every room stinks like hell.

Better than nothing, Jordan keeps reminding himself.

Jordan nods to the worrying Cêpan, all eyes trained on him. He had tried to tell them about the vision as soon as he woke up, but he found himself struggling to verbalize it aloud. Now though, after internalizing and putting some context together, maybe he can share.

"I saw the future," Jordan begins. "At least, I think that's what it was. I saw New York in destruction and utter chaos. Buildings were destroyed, there were fires everywhere, and the streets were crumbled with smashed cars and shattered glass from store windows. I could smell and see it like I was there. The smoke rising up in the sky, it was everywhere. I could hear their screams, just like it was Lorien."

"Whose screams?" Stela asks in a curious tone but worried at the same time of the answer.

"Humans," Jordan says after a pause. "I could hear them all around me even though they weren't anywhere nearby. It's like it echoed in my ears, constantly, and in the back of my head. Men, women, I even heard children crying. There wasn't anyone around at first, but eventually I got to an intersection and turned onto another street; 96th Street. And I saw them."

"Saw who?" presses Reynolds, but it is easy to understand that the Garde already know.

"Mogadorians," Jordan answers, his hands beginning to tremble. "They were firing at civilians, executing them. No matter how young or old, they had their blasters and swords, cannons, daggers, and they never stopped. I tried to intervene, I tried to cease their fire, but they couldn't see me. I ran between them and the people, they didn't see me. I walked right up to them; I was inches from their crooked sharp teeth. They still didn't see me. I was practically invisible, except that I could see myself and I wasn't. They shot through me and I wasn't even hurt. But the people behind me, they died without a fight. Dropped dead blood pouring out and around their bodies."

There is a silence.

Jordan can feel his breathing intensify; he tries to slow it down. Cody puts a hand on his forearm but says nothing, only waiting for him to continue or for Reynolds to ask something more. And then he does.

"Did you see anything else? Anything that could tell us where they took Mae or why?"

Jordan shrugs. "I don't know..." he starts again. "There was also a stage, built out of wood. In the middle of Central Park. I don't know why or what was going on, but there were flags of every nation at its back. And in front were survivors, humans. All of them scared, trembling," he says, just noticing the shake in his hands. "Surrounding them were Mogadorians, blasters in hand. But that wasn't the scariest part."