“I do,” she pointed out. “I see no reason to bring you.”
“But the prophecy?—”
“Is but words.”
“Sage is rarely wrong, and according to what she said, you’ll help me in exchange for a favor.”
She paused on the stairs to look at him. “It also claims you’ll die, or are you willfully ignoring the part about the stars weeping?”
He shrugged. “Can’t live forever, and if my life is the price to save the world, then so be it.”
Courage and more. Ishtar wanted to dislike the Zodiac Warrior, and yet his charming manner, his determination, even his willingness to sacrifice himself kept raising him in her esteem.
At her silence, he finally asked, “How often do you visit?”
“More than I should,” her quiet admission, and each time she left depressed.
“To do what?”
“To weep and wail.” She wasn’t about to admit the real reason; that she kept looking for a way to revive her planet.
“If you could have one thing in the world, what would it be?”
“You not asking any more questions,” she grumbled.
He laughed. “Are all Martians this grouchy?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m the only one left.”
“Not really. You said it yourself, pretty much everyone on Earth is Martian.”
“With no memories. No connection to their roots. For all intents and purposes, they are human now.” She paused and added, “Nimrod, may I impose upon you for some guest accommodations?”
Rather than reply, Nimrod suddenly encased them in a bubble and rocketed them upwards. As levels flashed past, her stomach tightened for, while she’d not visited the tower in eons, she knew where it took her.
“Guess I should have known the queen who built Tower would end up in the penthouse suite,” Aquarius crowed as Nimrod deposited them on the top floor. While some of the décor had changed, it matched her early recollections. Canopied bed. Ornate furniture. A new item was the television mounted to the wall. The windows offered a view of the world below, and the space above.
“I don’t deserve this,” her soft murmur. Didn’t deserve her title or the perks that came with it. Failure should not be rewarded.
“Tower, I mean, Nimrod, is the one who decides, and it apparently still thinks you’re very important.” Aquarius winked.
Before she could reply, the television turned on, and a newscaster, who looked unusually giddy, was waving his hands.“…most shocking thing you’ll ever see. Churches and religions around the world are in a tizzy at his appearance.”
“What the heck is he going on about?” Aquarius approached the screen with a frown.
The newscaster spoke quickly. “The following footage was captured by our very own videographer, Gary, but I will add that dozens of other people witnessed and recorded it too. What you are about to see is real, folks, and being repeated around the world as we speak. But it started here, in New York’s very own Times Square. For those just tuning in, prepare for the shock of your life.”
The anchor’s face disappeared, replaced by a shot aimed at the sky. A sky that glowed, framing the person descending slowly. A man, dressed in pale loose cotton pants and shirt, his feet, bare, his hair long and flowing, his beard trimmed short.
“Is it me or dude looks like Jesus?” Aquarius muttered.
“It’s intentional,” Ishtar muttered, her stomach tightening.
“You know who it is?”
“Take a wild guess,” she drawled
“Fuck me, is that the alien?” Just saying it aloud dropped his jaw and widened his eyes.
