"Connor, I told you to quit running off like that!" my mother scolded me like a misbehaving child.
"I'm seventeen, Mom! I can go wherever I want. You don't have to worry about me." I had seriously had it with this. "I only was out for a walk. You didn't have to worry."
"You were gone for three hours and never even told us where you were! Of course I'm going to worry about you, Conner, even if you are seventeen."
  "Mom," I moaned.
"Be respectful to your mother, Connor," my father warned sternly.
"Ugh. You can't keep me here for the rest of my life!"
"Connor, wait! Come back! Connor!"
I didn't care. There was no way I'd let my parents push me around for the rest of my life. For crying out loud, I was going to be graduating in less than a couple months! I could do whatever I wanted.
Grumbling, I strode down the street. It was nearly dark out. A star began to twinkle and rise above the deep, blood-red sunset. The chilly, spring air cleared my head and calmed me down. I slowed my lengthy strides to a casual walk and headed to my usual spot deep in the woods by my house. As soon as I entered into the towering haven of trees, I felt immediately at home. No rules, no people, just me and my trees. I've spent a lot of time out here in solitude lately. It seems to be the only place I can think. With college looming closer and responsibilities becoming more demanding and stressful, I feel like my childhood is slipping away faster than ever. Soon, my life will direct me far away from this serene haven of mine. Sighing, I tucked the matter to the back of my head and made my way to my favorite tree, which had two limbs shooting out in a fork, making a perfect bed. I climbed the limbs with ease and flopped like a pancake in my sturdy bed. The crickets and frogs chimed their exotic duet as my eyes grew heavy with weariness and I felt myself begin to drift off to sleep. Whatever happens, I thought sleepily to myself, wherever I go, I promise I'll come back here. I promise I'll return to my safe haven some day.

BOOM! An explosion ripped through the air before the whole world was engulfed in blinding light. Vibrations shot through the tree and I suddenly felt the sting of branches and chill of air before slamming into something hard. The world whirled in circles. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth, feeling sick. What's happening?! my brain screamed as I lifted my fingertips to my face. Something warm and moist trickled down my forehead and into my eyes. My heart pounded in my chest as I began to hyperventilate. Okay, Connor, calm down. Figure out where you are. I groped at the hard, cold surface I lay upon. I'm on the ground, I decided. I must have fallen out of the tree. No big deal. Nothing feels broken. I cautiously opened my eyes again, massaging my temples.
Ominous trees loomed overhead in the gloomy night, swaying and whistling in the gusts of wind. A full moon shone through branches, haunting the forest. I bit my cheek and began to slowly ease my way to my feet. What happened? my mind seemed to cry. Why am I on the ground? I searched my memory for any clues, but all I seemed to remember is a loud noise and a white light lighting up the dark skies brighter than day. Just then, movement flickered out of the corner of my eye. Curiosity seemed to take hold of all of my senses, pushing my aching body towards a clearing. Tumbling through the undergrowth in a ruckus, I entered a clearing, and nearly fainted upon the sight that was there.
A sort of machine resembling a spaceship rested in a slight crater imprinted on the ground, but even stranger was the thing moving around it. A tall, slender, humanoid creature with a helmet and jumpsuit seemed to be examining the ship with great care. I stumbled backwards into some twigs. The thing must have heard me, because it snapped around and looked at me, it's body moving with unnatural stealth. Then, something caught my foot, I fell through the air, and then slammed my head against something hard. Everything was enveloped in darkness.

I awoke stiffly lying on a cold surface. My face pressed against the floor in a puddle of drool. My bleary eyes began to focus as I sat up and yawned nonchalantly. Then, something caught my eye. I looked around.
"Where am I?" I wondered aloud.
"You're in my ship," replied a bright, feminine voice.
My heart leapt. "Who's there?!"
Just then, a tall, beautiful girl of approximately nineteen emerged from behind a wall. Her face was a perfect jewel. Her eyes seemed to change color by the second, and I couldn't decide if they were blue, green, or purple. Finally, long, voluminous golden hair swept in a waterfall of sunlight down her shoulders. She wore a snowflake white jumpsuit with an emblem of wings on her suit.
"W-who a-are y-y-you?" I stuttered.
"I think a better question would be who are you and how did you find me," she stated flatly.
"Nope. I really think my question should be answered first."
She grinned, her smile lighting up the whole room, "I'm Serenity."
I frowned. "Like the word? That's kind of dumb. If you're going to pick a fake name, you should at least make it a good one."
She rolled her eyes at me. "Well fine. Don't believe me. Who are you?"
I eyed her suspiciously, "I'm Connor."
"Well, Connor, that's the silliest name I've ever heard of. Pick a better one, would you?"
I chuckled. "Nice. Real mature of you."
"I should like to say the same for you."
I sighed. "Alright, really, where am I?"
"I told you, you're trespassing in my spaceship."
I laughed hysterically for quite some time. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Joke?"
"Yeah. I mean, where are the cameras? Is this some reality tv show?"
"What's a tv show?"
I laughed again. "You're kidding, right? C'mon, you could at least make yourself look like an alien if you wanted to convince me."
   "I'm deadly serious. This is my spaceship and my name is Serenity. I'm from the planet Heaven, which is thirty thousand light years away. I am an alien to you, although I believe your race has confused us with your religion after our first visit here. We call ourselves Angels. Does that ring a bell to you?"
My jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, what'd you say?"
"Connor, I'm an Angel come to investigate humanity to see if our experimenting with biology finally created an honorable species. My mission is to decide whether or not your species is a success, in which your race would be educated by mine. If not, well, I can have you destroyed in a second and the experiment starts over on a fresh slate. And by the way, I wasn't named after the word. I was the reason that word was created," she paused. "I'm kind of immortal, and I was here thousands of years ago back when it was made."
    She talked as if this summed everything up, but it only made me more confused. She sighed. 
"Hey, can I show you something?"
I nodded slightly, my head buzzing.

Serenity and I lay on our backs, side by side, looking up at the night sky. A soft, spring breeze swept across the long, flowing grass and wild flowers. Emerging crickets began to sing their soothing song. I sighed with contentment and looked over at Serenity lying next to me. Her long, beautiful blonde hair shone white like starlight in the light of the moon, circling around her exquisite, pale face like a halo. She looked like an angel. Then again, I reminded myself, she really was one.
Suddenly, Serenity broke the peaceful silence surrounding us.
"What do you think of the stars?" she said in a far off voice, as if in a day dream.
"The stars?"
"Yes. The stars, the planets, the galaxies, all spread out above our heads like a canopy of light. What do you think?"
I paused a minute to think.
"I guess I've never really thought about them before," I said truthfully. "They've always just, you know, been there."
She bit her lip.
Suddenly, she blurted, "But haven't you ever wondered what's out there?"
I peered at her strangely.
She continued on, motioning with ardor at the sky with her arms, "I mean, haven't you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how far you could travel without hitting some sort of wall? Haven't you ever wondered what lies beyond this universe? There's a whole universe of universes out there just waiting to be explored! Don't you want to be out there exploring it?"
I looked at her uncomprehendingly, wondering how she dramatically got so aspired. Serenity looked desperately at my face, almost as if searching for something. Soon, though, the light from her sparkling, passionate eyes seemed to diminish like rays of sunlight. Serenity gently rested her head back upon the ground, turning her head to avoid my gaze.
"Oh." she sighed, crestfallen. "I suppose not.
"Hey," I said, trying to cheer her up, "you flew all the way from Heaven to Earth. That's got to count for something. And I mean, I thought you and the Angels already had explored the universe. You have spaceships and all of that stuff. Don't you know what's out there?"
She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.
"No. We don't believe in exploration," her voice hollow. "We're kind of afraid of things we can't control. If we found another species out there, I think we'd probably be terrified."
I looked at her questioningly. "Then how'd you find us? What d'you mean your race is afraid of aliens? Hey, wait a second! Why aren't you afraid of us?!"
"I guess, despite believing in peace and equality, we don't really know how to coexist equally with another species, because we've had nothing but a bad experience with trying to do so. That's kind of how you guys were created. We wanted to study what components made a perfect society of peace and equality. We, the Angels, were slaves a long time ago. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Masters, as we were forced to call them, grew too selfish and arrogant, and it led to their utter destruction. It was a devastating war. All of the Masters, or as we like to call them, Monsters, were dying all in one night by each other's hands. Yet as grim as the situation was, my race and I saw a glimmer of hope. We could escape. We knew that that was our only chance to flee to freedom, and we were willing to risk anything. That was the day I flew up in my first spaceship. And it was wonderful, watching the apocalyptic world fall away, revealing a whole new and promising opportunity ahead. Many of the Angels were upset, crying, tears streaming down their cheeks. Others curled up and refused to speak for days, suffering from post-dramatic stress. But not I. As we broke the atmosphere in our tiny spaceship, I was ecstatic. The apocalyptic world, which had once been my prison, gave way to a mysterious blackness, and in that blackness lie the grandest things I had ever seen: stars. Oh how the stars shimmered that night, burning, bursting, swirling through the night sky. I had never seen the stars before. Since then, stars have always been a symbol of freedom... A constant reminder that no matter what happens, no matter where life takes me, I will always be okay; that somehow, everything will be alright in the end, and tomorrow will be better."
Serenity paused a moment, fiddling with her hair, "We wouldn't admit it, but I think the real reason why we're conducting this experiment is so we could have insurance that nobody would ever control or enslave us again... So that we will always have the upper hand."
"Then why are you here? For all you knew, we could have made you a slave, or thrown you in prison, or even tortured you! Why did you come? Are you some sort of, I don't know, sacrifice from your people?" I asked, flabbergasted.
Her melodious laughter rang out like a chiming bell in the night.
"No," she simply said. "I volunteered."
I stared at her in shock. If her whole race had these deep-rooted fears of slavery and control, why on Earth would she volunteer?
Serenity grinned at my bewilderment.
"Yes, that's a good question," she chuckled, my jaw still hanging to the ground.
"I guess I didn't want to spend my life cooped up on a small planet, even if that meant risking my life." A small smile crept to her lips. "I mean, if I die, I want to die knowing that my life was worth living."
For once, I understood what she meant. I understood that feeling of recklessness, of the dire necessity for freedom. The difference between the two of us, though, was the fact that she had stopped daydreaming and started doing. I still had yet to do. 
Serenity seemed to look prettier by the second. She lay so close to me now. Suddenly a desire built up in my chest and I could not ignore it. I leaned over, laced my fingers between hers, and, finally, kissed her on the cheek.
I leaned back to look in her beautiful eyes, only to find them wide open and startled, almost as if they were haunted.
"What did you do?" she asked warningly.
"It's called a kiss."
Serenity shot to her feet and backed away from me.
"You're trying to posses me. I was warned about this. No, I've experienced this. You're going to try to win me over as a lover, and then you'll marry me and take possession of myself like a prize. No, I won't let anyone do this to me. No! Stay away from me!"
"What?! No, not at all," I tried desperately. "I don't know what came over me! I didn't mean to."
Serenity glared at me for a second. "Fine. Hit me."
That struck me off balance. "What?" I asked incredulously.
"You heard me. Prove it. Hit me."
"No! Are you insane? I'm not going to hit you!"
"Why?!"
"What do you mean 'why?' I'm not going to hit you!"
"Yes, but why?!"
I stared at Serenity for a moment. She stood so close to me. Her shapely, slender body was perfect. It was almost as if one blow would break the fragile body, like dropping a beautiful vase onto a wooden floor. Her bright, blue eyes shone like diamonds in the moonlight, as beautiful and mysterious as the moon itself. I would never hurt Serenity. She was lovely.
But Serenity wasn't backing down.
"Why won't you hit me, Connor?!"
"Because..."
"Because why?!" Her usual melodious voice was almost piercing now... hysterical.
The warning siren seemed to go off in my head. What did she want to hear? I thought. What if I get the wrong answer?
Her long, slender arms suddenly reached out and grasped my shirt collar. She pulled me close. She smelled like wild flowers on a spring evening. I wanted so badly to kiss her again. Maybe that's what she had grabbed me for?
But, once again, Serenity had other ideas.
"Why won't you hit me?" she growled.
Tired of this interrogation, I finally gave her an answer that I knew I'd regret.
"Because you're a girl, Serenity! Alright, you happy? I said it. Because you're a girl, and I would never, ever hurt you."
She grunted and threw me to the ground, angrily stomping her way down the hill.
"Hey! Serenity!"
She ignored me, heading for the woods. I sprinted down after her, grabbing her shoulder and yanking her around.
"Hey, look, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend-"
Serenity wrenched her shoulder away from me and continued her angry trek down the hill, not even looking back.
"Serenity! Serenity, come back!"
Pleadingly, I pulled at her shoulder again. This time she threw me back to the ground. I skidded to a halt on the hill while Serenity continued striding away.
Scared and desperate, I followed close behind her, trying to talk some sense into her.
"Serenity, please! I'm sorry! Please! I really am."
Still she ignored me. I almost grew angry.
"Why are you so upset?! All I said was I wouldn't hurt you! I don't understand-"
"You don't understand?!" She whipped around and shoved me to the ground, towering above me. Her beautiful hair seemed to turn raven black, her eyes poisonous.
"You should not have hit me because I am a living, breathing, intelligent being, Connor!" she cried. "You shouldn't have hit me because I am as real and undeserving to be struck as any other life form on this forsaken planet; because you hold equal respect, dignity, and camaraderie to those around you, principles that are dire for a successful and honorable civilization. You should never judge one by their gender, race, or rank! Yet you still don't see that! You've failed, Connor! You've failed, and I can't save you or anyone else on this bloody, savage planet. Goodbye, Connor." Serenity, with tears in her eyes, fled into the woods.
Suddenly black silhouettes emerged from the shadowy darkness, and sweet Serenity was grasped and restrained by multiple, hooded beings. I scrambled to my feet when a blow to the chest sent me tumbling backwards. I screamed, but it was soon muffled by a gag as my hands were cuffed behind my back. Relentlessly struggling, I wriggled and squirmed to get away from the hooded beings when a strong hand gripped my face, pressing a damp cloth to my nose and mouth. The world seemed to swirl in circles. Panicking, I tried in vain to break away from these monsters one last time before blackness enveloped me and I blacked out.

A piercing, white light shone directly in my eyes. Voices sounded all around me, muffled as if they were a thousand miles away. A vague outline of a head leaning over me came into focus.
"You alright, son? Hey, can you hear me? I need you to wake up now. You're going to be fine.Your Mom and Dad are here. They're going to take you home soon, okay? You're going to be alright. Just hang in there for a second and don't move, buddy, okay?"
A groan escaped my lips as something sharp pierced my arm. Pain shot all through my body as I tried to see what was happening to me.
"Hey, you're fine. You're okay. I just hooked you up to an I.V. to hydrate you again."
"W-w-where am I? Who are you? What's going on?" Ignoring the pain, I tried to sit up again, but a firm hand held me down.
"Hey, just calm down for me, okay son? You've been through a lot. You're in the hospital. Some government agents picked you up... thought you were an alien. Your parents reported you missing a few hours before. They had no idea you'd been captured by the alien! Some say it was preparing to eat you alive. Don't worry now. That alien's been taken care of. That must've been some experience for you, huh?"
My head spun in circles as realization dawned upon me. The hooded figures, the restraints. It had all been real.
"Serenity!" I cried, struggling like a deranged lunatic out of bed once more.
The doctor held me down, trying to calm me. My heart pounded faster than the speed of light. Hot, salty tears gushed from my eyes down my cheeks. Hyperventilating, I cried and cried for Serenity, begging to leave the hospital until finally, I felt a sharp needle slide beneath my skin and darkness envelop me once more.
I awoke with my head pressed against a hard, clean hospital pillow. The doctor stood off to the side conversing with my parents while they glanced worriedly over in my direction.
"Connor!" My mother shrieked when she saw me open my eyes. "Oh, we were so worried about you," she cried, grasping my hands. "I'm so sorry. It's a good thing the police realized who you were before throwing you in the slammer like that thing they found. Oh thank God you're okay. Thank the Lord, and Heaven, and all of the Angels. I'm so glad that otherworldly demon didn't hurt you."
Horror crept into my eyes and sickened my heart. Serenity was imprisoned. Her worst fear had come true. I had to do something! I couldn't let her rot inside a cell for all of eternity.
"Sweetie, don't worry. Calm done. You're okay. That thing won't ever see the light of day again. You've been recovering here for three days now. The doctor says if you're feeling alright, we can take you home tonight." Her warm, innocent smile seemed to beg me to go home.
I knew if I told them about Serenity, they'd think me insane and knock me out again. Even worse, it could get Serenity in an even more dangerous situation.
Somehow I managed a slight, trembling smile. "I'm ready to go home now, Mom. Really, I am. I don't know what came over me earlier. I'm alright now. It must have been some spell or something that the, uh, demon, cast upon me."
My mother bent down and enclosed me in a tight embrace. I could feel her body quake as she buried her head in my shoulder. My father ruffled my hair and grinned at me.
"Let's go home, Connor," he said calmly.

I lay on the old, musty couch in my living room, watching the flickering antique of a television. It didn't matter which channel I went on. The whole world was in an uproar about Serenity. She had been taken to a nearby prison. People were angered with the government being so tight-lipped about her. Many countries were convinced America would use her "witchcraft powers" to obliterate them. I sighed. There was no way I could break her out of jail. Zip. Nada. She must have every security system ever made locking her in. Unless...
I jumped out of the couch. What if I stole my father's I.D.? He's the captain of the police. Surely they'd let him in. And he'd taken me to similar jails before. With his I.D., I'd have access to the whole prison yard! This could work. I rushed upstairs to my father's office, where he kept all of his police gadgets and attire. Creeping into the tiny, deserted room, I turned on the light and looked around. Jackpot! His whole uniform with his I.D. attached right to the jacket lay spread out neatly on the ancient, moth-eaten desk chair. I was roughly the size and height of my father and slid into his uniform with ease. I made sure the I.D. was still attached and hastily looked over the Batman-like belt at my disposal. Filled with long lost hope, I stealthily snuck as skilled as a ninja down the hallway, past my parents room, down the stairwell, and finally out into the night. I hopped into my father's police car, which he ironically kept his keys in stowed beneath the floor mat. I started up the car and drove into the desolate streets.

Chapter 7
Upon arrival at the prison, I was questioned thoroughly of my business. I talked quickly and smoothly, despite my nervousness, and convinced the guards that I was called in as backup to guard the alien's cell, and at the seeing of my I.D., they skeptically let me inside. Rows upon rows of buildings boxed in the elite prison grounds. Guards crawled all over the place, giving me queer, questioning looks that made me shiver. Remaining calm, I drove the police cruiser up to a towering, brick building surrounded by more guards than soldiers in an army. I nodded curtly to another guard as he held up his hand to stop me.
"What do you want, officer?" he asked.
"I was called in as a reinforcement. Heard the alien wasn't cooperating or something. Said they needed me ASAP. Got a problem with that, sir?
He looked at me strangely. "Let me see your I.D."
"Name's Frank Parson," I said in a careless slang. "The one and only. Now, where do I find this alien?"
Grudgingly, the guard returned the I.D. and grumpily gave me directions. I drove up and parked my car, silently letting out a sigh of relief. Chilly spring air brushed my cheeks as I climbed the concrete stairs and swiped the I.D. card through the slot. The light turned green, allowing me to enter the prison.
My footsteps echo throughout the eerily empty corridor. I came to another door. I swiped my card and opened the door, which opened up to a deep stairwell. I descended hundreds of stairs until at last coming to the very bottom, in which a steel door lie with guards standing on either side. I nodded to them and swiped my card. They looked at me like I was insane. One pushed his hand against my chest.
"Where d'you think you're going?" one gruffly questioned.
"I've been called as backup for the alien," I replied curtly. "They said it was urgent."
"I ain't hear of no backup. We're the backup 'round here."
I grew nervous, "Look, all I know is that somebody called me for backup, and I intend to answer them."
The first guard looked at the other, and together they nodded. "Alright. I'll have to let them know you're comin'. You jus' wait here."
Pulling out a walkie talkie, he called another man.
"Yo Spencer, I got a Frank Parsons here who said you called him. Said you needed backup."
A tinny voice replied on the device, "Reinforcement? I didn't call anyone for reinforcement. Rodriguez, who do you have out there?" he asked worriedly.
The alarm seemed to go off inside the two guards' heads and they both dashed at me, but I had already slid into the final room and disappeared, slamming and locking the door behind me. Already, cacophonous alarms began sounding. Breathing heavily, I looked about in the room. A scientist stared at me in bewilderment.
"W-wh-what is going on?! You're tha-that man Rodriguez warned me about. Hey! Wha--"
I sprinted forward and hit the scientist hard on the head with the butt of my gun. He dropped limply on the ground, unconscious. Patting him down, I found keys stuck in his pocket. Swiping the card, my heart stirred with excitement as I opened the cell door and dashed inside, only to be horrified.
In the center of the claustrophobic, dank cell lay Serenity. She lay curled up in a fetal position upon the floor. Her pale face was drawn long and thin with a sickening gash slicing across her forehead. Her normally golden, vibrant hair lay limply in strands across her face. She wore a paper-thin gown that barely came down to her knees. Worst of all, there wasn't a single part of her body not wreathed with shackles. Heavy, cruel metal manacles were cinched tightly round her bleeding wrists, feet, and waist, which then were linked to loops in the floor. A part of me feared she was dead, but her defeated eyes suddenly flickered open and glanced at me towering above her. My eyes filled with tears of sorrow and relief as I swooped down and scooped her in my arms, embracing her tightly and burying my face in her hair.
"Let go of me!" she yelped. Her voice was strained, almost hysterical. Her feeble body shook and quaked uncontrollably at my touch.
"Hey," I whispered. "Serenity! It's me. It's Connor."
"Connor?" she breathed.
"Yes. Are you alright?" I asked as I unlocked her restraints.
"Connor, they took it!" she cried, her body racking with trembles as she held onto me for support. "They took my CommDev!"
I stared at her blankly, wondering if she was delusional. "Um, what's a CommDev?"
She shook her head. "It stands for 'communication device.' Protocol dictates that if I don't respond within 48 hours, the Angels assume something bad happened to me and they wipe out all life on the planet to reset the experiment. It's past the deadline! They're going to destroy everything on the Earth! The Angels are going to commit genocide, and I'll be responsible. I never meant to destroy Humanity, even though I said those things to you."
She tried to get to her feet, but her legs gave out and she collapsed into me.
"Calm down!" I cried worriedly. "You're going to hurt yourself!"
Serenity and I sank to the floor, her gripping onto my arm for dear life.
I peered into her haunted eyes. "Serenity, where is the communication device? We can contact the Angels, let them know you're okay, and they won't destroy Earth. Just tell me where you think they took it."
She shook her head, leaning into my body. "I haven't been outside this menagerie since they arrested me. I was unconscious when they took the CommDev from me."
I nodded. Suddenly, the locked door creaked and groaned on the other side of the room. Footsteps and shouts bustled about outside. The scientist still lay unmoving upon the ground while his walkie talkie rang with voices.
"Serenity, listen to me. We have to go right now if we're going to make it in time. The CommDev has to be nearby. Alright, let's go."
I wrapped Serenity's arm round my shoulder and lifted her to her feet. Together we made our way to the creaking door. I handed her my bottle of pepper spray and set her down beside the lab desk. Quickly, I yanked out my gun and screamed at the guards through the thick door.
"HEY," I hollered, firing off a bullet into the ceiling. "Hear that?! I've got a gun and I'm not afraid to use it! Now step AWAY from the door or I'll kill this scientist of yours!" I bluffed.
Silence immediately settled in the hallway. I motioned for Serenity to stay hidden as I carefully pulled the lock off the door and cautiously peeked my head into the corridor, pointing my gun at the guards. Roughly twenty guards stood obediently against the wall.
"Ah, much better. Now, you're going to drop your weapons and slide all of them to me."
Reluctantly, one by one the guards tossed their guns to the floor in a pile and placed their hands behind their head.
"Serenity!" I called.
Serenity slinked out from behind her hiding place and managed to boost herself up, using the desk for support.
"Okay, gentlemen, now here's what you're going to do. Each of you are going to file in here and walk neatly into that cell over there."
Looks of horror spread across their faces.
"But sir, how do you expect us all to fit in that cell?!" one cried.
"Oh, you'll fit just fine," I replied brightly.
They groaned, but began moving into the room. However, I blocked their path to the cell with my gun.
"Whoa. Not so fast! First you must apologize to poor, innocent Serenity over there." I knew our time was short, but I couldn't miss this opportunity to humiliate them even further.
Serenity tried to look serious, but a hint of a smirk played on her lips. "Connor, we don't have time for that. C'mon, let's go."
I grinned. "Maybe next time, boys, but she will get that apology."
I ushered all but one scrawny little guard into the tiny cell. The last I got to tell me where the CommDev was. Finally, when everyone was inside, I slammed the door and locked them in. Satisfied, Serenity swung her arm around me for support and together we swept out of the room.
Rounding the winding corridors and stairwells, we searched and searched for the right room. The little guard had either been terrible at giving directions or simply lied to us, because we must have barged into at least twenty doors without having any luck. Serenity grew too weak to make it up the stairs after the first couple of flights, so I ended up carrying her. She rested her fatigued head against my chest as I briefly searched each room, growing more and more desperate with each one. Finally, we found the room.
Electronics and miscellaneous wires lay scattered in heaps, strewn across countertops and tables. In the center of the room lie the CommDev upon a small, fold-up table. Serenity hopped down and limped over to the table while I supported her weight. Feeble, trembling fingers picked up the delicate device with care, working the various dials and buttons as a skilled pianist plays the keys of a piano. Suddenly, the device burst to life with static, and soon, the sweet, chiming voice of another.
"Hello?" the voice asked.
"Hello? Hello! I-it's me! It's Serenity! I'm okay! You need to stop the missiles now! Do you read? Stop the missiles!"
"Serenity?! What's going on! Why didn't you respond? It is your duty as an envoy to-"
"Yes I know! I don't need to be lectured! Now stop the missiles!"
The CommDev suddenly went dead. Serenity and I looked at each other.
"Hello?! Do you read me?! Please come in! Stop the missiles! Hello?!" Serenity tried in vain again and again.
Seconds turned into minutes, and together we stood in a frenzy of panic.
"Why aren't they answering?" I cried.
"I- I don't know!" She shook the device rapidly. Still there was silence.
"Can't you do anything else?!" I brushed my hands through the jumbles of wires, looking for tools. Finding a hammer, I offered my finding to Serenity. "Is there anything you can do with this?"
Sarcastically, she cried, "Yeah, this just what I needed! A hammer for fine-detailed work!" She shook her head. "Seriously, what do you expect me to do with this?"
I groaned in frustration. "Well, we can't just stay here! Guards will be here any minute."
"Well then let's leave, genius!" she growled. "I'm waiting on you."
Sighing, I scooped her up and together we made a dash towards the exit. Maneuvering along walls and corners, we managed to evade every guard. Silently, I carried her to my dad's cruiser and dumped her in the passenger seat.
"What is this thing?" she wondered aloud.
I didn't respond. I only floored the car in reverse and then pretty much flew it out of there. Serenity dug her fingernails into the seat for dear life.
"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.
I kept the pedal all the way on the ground as we rocketed out of there. Still nothing came from the CommDev. The scenery whirled by us in a splash of reds and oranges as the sun rose in the east. Anybody who might have been pursuing us was lost in the dust. I still wanted to be certain, though.

After twenty minutes of maniacal driving, we finally came to a dead end. I pulled the car to a slow stop. Then, almost as if on cue, the CommDev burst to life.
"Serenity! Oh by the way,  just to let you know, we got your message. We stopped the missile attack about a half hour ago. We're so excited our experiment was successful! We've actually been having a huge celebration over here. Anyway, thanks for letting us know and see you soon!"
I could literally see steam spew out of Serenity's ears. "Ugh. Now they tell us. Unbelievable!"
But, nevertheless,  joy flooded through me, and I knew everything was going to be okay now. In a way, everything was much better than before. I now knew what I was destined to do.
"Serenity, I know this is probably a silly question, but I would like to make a proposal."
She looked at me alarmingly.
"No, not that kind of proposal."
Her eyebrow raised in a questioning look.
"Serenity, would you like to explore the universe with me?"
For the first time ever, it was her jaw that dropped rather than mine as she looked at me in disbelief.
"YES! Yes of course! Oh my gosh, this is amazing! I can only imagine-"
I grinned as the returning passion and excitement shone through the gloomy clouds in her eyes and she lit up like a kid in a candy store. She talked so fast I barely got a word she said, but it didn't matter. We were both going on an adventure that would change our lives forever. I would explore the universe with Serenity.