Free Survivor Planet III by Juliet Cardin

tiny copper-looking object that he’d been pinching into the palm of his other hand, displaying it before our eyes.
    â€œIt looks like a tiny penny,” I said.
    â€œExactly. In fact, it fits into a larger coin. There are actually two pieces that can be extracted from the whole. Unfortunately, in my haste, I lost one of the pieces when I escaped Calixtus. “
    â€œSo what?” Ayres demanded.
    Lourde gave him a haughty look. “So, this is your brother. Well, not exactly your brother, but it can bring him to us.”
    Ayres shook his head in disgust. “You’ve completely lost your mind.”
    â€œNot at all. In fact, it’s quite ingenious, I must admit. And I am thrilled to take full credit for this little creation. Though, unfortunately it’s the only one of its kind. But it does work, I assure you. I’ve tried it out myself with favorable results.”
    â€œWhat exactly does it do?” I asked. I was beginning to become as anxious and irritable as Ayres. The monitor was showing three ships had landed and at least four Akkadians had exited each one. They were spreading out and I feared it would only be a matter of time before all hell broke loose.
    â€œBefore I escaped to Taseeus, I made a pit stop on Earth. While there I sought out your brother, Kenix.” Before Ayres or I could interrupt, Lourde rushed on with his explanation. “I’d heard from my sources that he was on Earth and where exactly to find him.”
    I could tell by the look on Ayres face that he didn’t appreciate that bit of information.
    â€œFearing that your brother may one day face danger such as I was facing, I tried to convince him to come with me. If I could discover his whereabouts, how long would it take for others? Anyway, you know how stubborn he is. Having quite the time there, I fear.” He shook his head and chuckled. “He refused to leave, so I did what I could for him and left him with the larger part of this coin.”
    â€œWhat exactly does the coin do?” I repeated.
    â€œOne of my best inventions! The Cointos–C-o-i-n-t-o-s,” he spelled. “ Coin is self explanatory, t-o-s stands for The Other Side . It’s a coin with two circular pieces embedded in it that come apart. I gave the coin to Kenix, keeping the remaining small piece for myself. When I rub this piece thrice, it’ll pull whoever holds it—in this case, Kenix—across space to me. Hopefully, he’ll have heeded my advice and kept the coin on him at all times.”
    â€œHoly shit, that’s cool!” I had to admit.
    â€œAnd that’s not all,” Lourde said. “Kenix can also use the coin in his possession to move around the Earth as he wishes in the mean time. All he has to do is—”
    Suddenly the ground rumbled and an explosion sounded.
    â€œThat’ll really piss them off,” I said, viewing the monitor. The three of us stared at the screen displaying the carnage. It appeared only two Akkadian’s fell prey to our trap at one of the entryways, but now it was completely blocked off. Four more Akkadian’s warily explored the damage and then quickly set off to find an alternative way in.
    â€œRub the damn thing. We’re running out of time,” Ayres demanded.
    â€œAs you wish,” Lourde assented. He plucked the tiny coin up between his thumb and finger once more and rubbed it three times. Then, he waved his arms indicating we should make some room. Recalling the size of Kenix, I stepped back even farther.
    The air crackled a bit as though filled with static energy. Next, sparkling particles began swirling like a mini tornado in the space before Lourde. In the next moment the number of particles increased to the point that a shape could be made out. It took only seconds before Kenix completely materialized before us.
    â€œHoly shit,” Ayres and I exclaimed in unison.

Chapter 14
    Kenix stared down at his hands