Ivory did not sleep. She tossed and turned until giving up on what should have been a nice slumber. She sat on the edge of her bed with Lyra resting against her chest, listening to the silence of the mansion.
It was strange.
For years, silence had meant safety.
It meant Blue was gone .... that there were no arguments downstairs, no missions being discussed, no footsteps approaching her door.
Now silence felt like the calm before something terrible.
Ivory held Lyra close to her and she began to cry; Earth, her home, her people, her species, would all be gone in a matter of seconds, and she couldn't stop it.
The world outside the mansion continued as if nothing had happened.
The trees moved with the wind; the moon remained bright, and the animals continued through the forest, unaware that their world was about to change. No living creature knew what would take place once Blue was done.
She didn't even know exactly how he would exact his world domination and make Earth his dominion; Ivory knew she had to wait and see.
Ivory looked down at her daughter. Lyra was peaceful.
She had no idea who her father was, and no idea what he planned to do. But she looked up at her mother and smiled, and Ivory had forgotten about the outside world for a mere millisecond.
Lyra had no idea that the man who held her so gently was preparing to take control of an entire planet.
A part of Ivory hated that. Another part of her hated herself for understanding him.
That was the most frightening thing about Blue; he was never unpredictable. He was always several steps ahead. He was ambitious, calculated, intelligent, intuitive, and ready to use those traits to his advantage.
A knock echoed through the room.
Ivory immediately looked toward the door. For a brief moment, fear returned.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
"Ivory?"
She relaxed slightly.
"Lily."
The door opened, and Lily stepped inside.
Unlike everyone else in the mansion, Lily looked afraid.
Really afraid.
She closed the door behind her.
"Is it true?"
Ivory didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Lily looked toward Lyra.
"He's actually going to do it tomorrow? Take over Earth."
Ivory looked away.
"Yes."
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Lily had been through so much with her. She was the person who remained after Viper. The person who saw Ivory become someone she never thought she would become. She was the person who knew why Ivory stayed and didn't judge her for it; someone who knew that Ivory was forced to adapt to a lifestyle she never anticipated, wanted, or thought of having in her lifetime.
"What are we supposed to do?" Lily whispered.
For years, Ivory had survived by finding choices and sneaking around the bases.
But now?
What choice did she have against something that had been planned for centuries?
"I don't know. His domination plan has been around for centuries; it's older than us. There's nothing we can do."
And that answer terrified her.
Lily stood by the window and peered outside. "When Harley and I needed him; we were homeless, our family disowned us; he promises us loyalty, wealth, and power. But I didnt' realize how far he would take it. I didn't --- an alien ---- taking over Earth," she turned to Ivory with tears in her eyes, "and we can't stop him." Lily sniffed.
Ivory placed Lyra in her crib and walked over to Lily, never expecting that she'd be the level headed one or the one with the answers this far into their relationship.
"I won't tell you it will be okay, but I know Blue will stop at nothing to make sure we are safe from his plans," Ivory sighed. "Either you're with him, or you're against him. And you know what the second choice means."
"What do you mean? That we just go along with that crazy bastard?"
"Yes!" Ivory chimed. "We can't kill him; we aren't powerful enough, Lily. We are just humans. We are .... inferior to him." Ivory whispered the last part.
Lily nodded and sank to the floor.
"Stay here tonight," Ivory said, "please."
Lily nodded and the two young women stayed in the master bedroom bed, and waited for what would happen.