There would be no reason for him to come back, she knew that. The relationship between him and his wife had long since been destroyed. There was neither any love lost between him and his son. But then again, it never hurt to make sure.
As Drusilla wiped the blood from her crystal blade, she noticed the puddle had now reached her foot, staining her light grey footwear.
“Damn humans. Your blood never comes out. Still, I wonder if Mrs Harry Ransome has some delightful shoes in her closet I could borrow. She isn’t going to need them, after all.”
The visit had been unprompted. Drusilla had watched the Odyssey, and three of the other ships leave orbit from the space dock, and it had occurred to her that although Harry’s destination was always going to be in front of him, she would help him along by removing any temptation to return. Nothing could distract him from hunting down the Darla. And of course when the President of Earth knocks on your door, you don’t slam the door in her face.
Unfortunately for Annette Ransome and her son Finlay, the pretence of friendship was a very well worn mask. Being in the public eye for as many years as they had been, they had almost grown an automatic skin that responded to pleasantries and greetings almost without them even noticing it. It wasn’t until Annette had gone to replicate some tea, that she had heard the sound of Finlay choking on his own blood. A blink of an eye later, and the same blade of crystal which had sliced her son’s throat from ear to ear had flown through the air and embedded itself dead centre in her jugular, impaling her against the refrigerator, tea cascading over the edge of the counter.
“Much better.”
Drusilla was now sporting a pair of diamond blue heels that Harry had bought Annette for their last anniversary. It had indeed been their last for a variety of reasons, one of which was the work of the President.
“You know my dear, I often wondered if he was happy that he had gotten away from you. He seemed so much happier with me. Certainly more enthusiastic. But there was always a part of him that loved you. A small percentage of his willpower, trying to drag him back to you. Pathetic really. At least now I have removed that temptation for him. Consider this a release from the horror of what is to befall this place.”
A small tap on the shoulder of the two presidential guards outside the house, and their eyes glazed over immediately.
“Dispose of the wife and child. Make it look like an accident.”
A simple nod from each of them, and they disappeared into the house, the door closing behind them. Drusilla stepped into her transportation pod, and closed the door.
“Pod, return me to the White House.”
“Destination set, President Drusilla. ETA six minutes.”
It was during these small travels between locations that Drusilla allowed her own mind to wander. She reflected on her homeworld, her family, and how happy she had been all those centuries ago. Then inevitably, her mind would switch to the image of her father being shot dead by Darla invaders. They had killed more than one of her family that night. Her mother, overcome with grief had taken her own life the following week, and her brother the month afterwards. She had known she would have to be stronger than all of those she loved to find those responsible. And when she did, she would not simply take the life of her father’s killer. She would take everything from them.
She chuckled to herself as she recalled the destruction of Jupiter. Some wars were over resources, some over territory. But sometimes, there was nothing more complicated about a war than simple revenge. No double crossing, no second guessing. Simple revenge.
Her grandfather had been the one to tell Drusilla after the loss of her family that when someone wrongs you in this life, it is your honour bound duty to right that wrong. It was his crystal blade she now carried. She had no way of learning if he was even still alive. Drusilla’s people were extremely long lived, with lifespans of up to twelve-hundred years. But at the time of her leaving their home, he was already over a thousand years old. She mourned for him briefly, and a tear threatened to escape from her cobalt blue eyes. Then the pod interrupted her thought process, and she placed her protective barriers back up in her mind.
“Destination achieved, President Drusilla.”
She stepped out of the pod, and was immediately surrounded by White House staff. They were very attentive, even without any extra manipulation on her part, and she found herself feeling more and more comfortable the longer she had reigned. The building, however, had never been to her taste. No place of power had been built on any world without standing on the back of slaves, and she knew the American fortress at the heart of Washington D.C. was no different. One of her first acts as President had been to have the entire building reconstructed from new materials, on what was formerly the Spanish coastline. She kept the name for familiarity, but she was the President of Earth. Not of America. Once the new building was complete on the outskirts of Benalmadena, she ordered the original White House to be destroyed.
Most of the Utopia facilities were now in mainland Spain. The families of those onboard the ships were almost exclusively stationed there. They believed it was one of the few countries that still had a wide abundance of clean air. In reality, it was Drusilla’s way of keeping them all under the thumb. Company owned housing, company provided meals, and clothes, and everything else they could possibly need. One day, a small additive in their company supplied cups of coffee, and they’d relinquish their lives without ever knowing that anything was wrong.
That was another mantra she had brought in. Don’t question the company. Whatever the question, the answer would always be the same. For the good of humanity. Same answer every time, so don’t ask. Drusilla walked the long trek from the lawn, through the ground floor, and up to her private elevator. She never allowed anyone else access to her living accommodation. This was actually written into law years earlier. Anyone caught in her private residence would be executed without trial. Did people question such a barbaric rule? Of course not. Why? Because anyone who did, was swiftly executed. Without trial. Telepathy and power. A terrifying combination.
Closing the door to her suite, she changed out of her visiting attire, and the stolen shoes, and slipped into her favourite loungewear. It had been her mother’s and was made of the finest silk, embroidered with golden symbols of her people. It brought her comfort when she was alone, and allowed her to sleep at night without too much disturbance.
Pouring herself a large glass of whiskey (another favourite she had made sure was stacked on a ship ready to depart any minute), she tapped an access code into a seemingly unspectacular panel of wood, the numbers only illuminating after being pressed. The wall behind the drinks cabinet then slid backwards by several inches, before rotating one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, revealing a hidden doorway into another room. As Drusilla stepped through, the door swung shut again, and the room was as it had been moments before.
The secret room, on the other hand, was vastly different. Computer terminals ran the entire length of the far wall, several screens displaying what appeared to be both a series of schematics and co-ordinates along a flight path. Silently, Drusilla slipped herself into the command style chair at the centre of this wall of terminals, and began tapping commands into the console with practiced speed. The central screen changed from a blueprint of the Odyssey, to an overview of the Sol System. Several multicoloured dots flashed at various points. There were seven in total. One for each ship. The Odyssey was indicated with a red glowing dot, slightly larger than the rest. It had currently left the Sol System, and was approaching its first alien planet, a place that Drusilla knew was desolate. The other ships had fanned out in six other directions. But it was not the ships and their flight plan that she was interested in.
A few more commands later, the view had changed to display a wonderous array of golden clouds. A nebula of sorts which spanned several lightyears, twisted and flowed like water among the stars that surrounded it. A few more taps of the console saw the nebula move to the lower half of the screen, and above it, was nothing.
A large black void filled the screen, visible only as a phenomenon rather than a malfunction because of the few stars bordering it, giving it a definitive edge. The co-ordinates marker on the screen labelled it as ‘unknown expanse.’ Drusilla rested her face on the palm of her hand, and stared at the co-ordinates. An hour went by, with her not moving from her position, and her eyes never moving from the screen.
After ninety minutes, directly in the middle of the expanse, a locator dot flashed into life. Three flashes, and it was gone again. Drusilla sat back in her chair and her smile grew wide, her eyes gleaming with excitement in the glow of the displays.
“So, there you are.”