A Storm on the Highlands (part 1)

They did indeed purchase the land on the shore of Loch Orodale and, within a few months, had settled into a comfortable life of retirement. They abandoned their hero names and became, simply, Jessica and Heath Morrison – a wealthy American couple who had always dreamed of buying a farm in Scotland. Mender Ramiel kept his promise and visited them from time to time.



The days passed as they normally would for an ordinary married couple. They found that they were both quite happy in their new lives. Then, on a cold spring morning the following year, Jessica came to her husband with some wonderful news – she was pregnant with their first child.



The following months were spent preparing for the new arrival. Jessica had found an obstetrician in nearby Campbeltown that she could trust with their secret. Considering their abilities, the doctor thought it best that she be extra attentive to the child’s prenatal development. However, by all indications, the baby would be born healthy and normal. In the twelfth week of the pregnancy, they learned that they were having a boy.



Summer and autumn came and went. Then, on a blustery December night, Jessica gave birth to their son. He was born with Heath’s auburn hair, but he had his mother’s silver-blue eyes. He was a large baby, but he had all the necessary parts. The doctor examined him thoroughly and the new parents were relieved to learn that he was perfectly healthy.



Sean grew like any other boy. He eventually started school and shared in the work around the farm. He seemed to have an affinity for the animals on the farm. However, his schoolwork always came first. His parents seldom had to remind him to do his homework – he relished it – especially if the subject was History. If he didn’t have his nose in a book, he was asking his father for stories. Heath told him of knights and warriors – both real and fictional. Sean hung onto every word and proudly proclaimed that he would be a knight when he grew up.



During Sean’s tenth year, Mender Ramiel delivered what would be the first of several refugee children that the Morrison’s would take in – either temporarily or permanently. The first was one of the a few survivors of a world that had been decimated by a race that Sean would later learn were the Rikti. She was tiny, with nut-brown skin, flame-orange hair, and eyes like tiny emeralds. They gave her the Scottish name, Grizell… or Zelly. She would become Sean’s little sister.



Four years later – in 2002 – their lives would be forever changed. It was a chilly April morning and Sean was in the barn, doing his morning chores. Suddenly, he heard his father call out to him. When he stepped outside to see what he wanted, his father rushed past him – he was carrying his sword. His father stopped and pointed toward the house.



“Take your sister and go to cellar! Don’t come out until you hear from me!”



“Dad! What’s going on?!” Sean protested. It was then that he saw them. A brigade of Rikti warriors were coming down the hill from the direction of the Loch… and the portal. Sean’s attention was drawn to the sky as a bright flash of white light streaked overhead. It was his mother, racing to meet the aliens. “GO!!!” his father roared before turning and running toward the hill.



Sean ran into the kitchen to find little Zelly standing on the kitchen counter, her eyes wide, staring out the window at the approaching army. The boy snatched her up as he ran toward the stairs to the cellar. Once there, he used boxes to construct a wall for him and his sister to hide behind. He wrapped her in a blanket, and they sat on the floor and waited for their father to return. Sean could hear the din of battle in the distance. His father’s voice, roaring curses and battle cries, was plain over the sound of the alien’s strange weapons. He could feel Zelly trembling in his lap, but she didn’t make a sound.



After what felt like hours, the weapons fell silent. Sean strained to hear, but there was nothing. “Stay here, Zell. I’ll be right back,” he whispered to his sister. She nodded and pulled the blanket up over her head. He quietly made his way up the stairs and out the kitchen door. It was eerily quiet. Peering into the distance, he watched for any movement, then sprinted toward the barn. He slowed to a trot as he reached the opposite end of the building. Sean turned the corner to make his way up the hill but was met by a terrifying sight. Not fifty feet from where he stood, lay his father. One of the aliens towered over him. The Rikti was clad in black armor and held a huge axe-like blaster weapon. The alien raised the weapon over his head and was about to bring it down on Sean’s helpless father.



“NOOOO!!!” Sean cried without thinking, then charged toward the enemy. The alien turned to face the boy, leveled the weapon toward him, and fired. The blast of green energy caught Sean in center of his chest and threw him back against the side of the barn. He rebounded off the building and landed in a heap. He felt the searing heat of the blast, but it only fueled the growing rage inside him. Sean scrambled to his feet. As he did, he put his hand on a small stone – his fingers closed around it instinctively.



“Is that the best you can do, you bastard!!!” the boy roared. The alien turned his weapon on him again but, before he could fire, Sean flung the stone in the enemy’s direction. As his fingers broke contact with the projectile, there was a blinding flash as an arc of electricity leapt from Sean’s outstretched arm. The bolt streaked forth and struck the alien in the head… destroying it. The Rikti’s body stood there spasming for a few seconds before crumpling to the ground.



Sean didn’t take time to consider what had just happened, but immediately ran over to his injured father. “Dad!” he cried, shaking his father’s arm. A few seconds later, Heath’s eyes fluttered open.



“Sean… help me stand up.” His father said, gritting his teeth. He was covered in Rikti blood, and some of his own. His son helped him to his feet.



“My sword… “ Heath grunted as he attempted to walk. Sean found the huge weapon and dragged it over to his father. He took the sword and used it like a crutch to steady himself.



It was then that Sean saw the carnage on the hillside. The ground was covered with hundreds of alien bodies. The pair took in the scene for a moment, then Sean’s father called out, “Jess… Jessica!!!” There was only silence. They scrambled to the top of the hill – Heath continued calling his wife’s name.



“Mom!!!” Sean called out, but there was nothing. They crested the top of the hill and surveyed the area. There was no sign of the woman, or of the portal. Sean’s father released his sword and dropped to his knees. “They’ve taken her. The bastards have taken her!” he growled.



It was then that Sean realized what had just transpired. He looked down at his hands and what was left of his clothes. His jacket and the front of his shirt had been burned away… but the skin underneath was unharmed. He placed his hand on his grieving father’s shoulder and said, “We’ll get her back, Dad. We’ll find her and bring her home.”