The Betrayal Chapter 12 (brand new) in it's entirity

The snow was blinding to her as she walked.

A strong wind blew through the air, whipping her raven-colored hair into a tizzy. Shivering from the brutal wind, she pulled her coat tighter before her. It wasn’t much further to go, she reminded herself as she saw her breath.

Through the blizzard, she could make out trees in the murk. How any of this was happening, she wondered, beat the hell out of her. The last thing she remember was lying on her couch reading ‘The Raven.’

How did I get here? She asked herself, trundling through the snow. She pulled a coat, which she surprisingly was wearing, tighter around her.

Each step felt like her last as the cold tore at her without mercy. Chilling her body to the core, she continued through the forest. Whatever she was out her for, she told herself, it had to be ahead of her. Looking behind her, she saw the wind erasing her footsteps.

No sense going that way, she thought.

She came to a clearing and spotted a small house ahead. A steady stream of smoke came from its chimney, showing her someone lived there. Moving with a sense of urgency, she made her way towards it.

Maybe they can help me, she thought. If they can’t, at least I can get out of this storm!

Stopping before the door, she reached out to knock on it. With a great surprise, her hand passed through the door. An eyebrow rose in surprise as she took a step forward.

As she stepped through the door, Kate felt nothing. The warmth of a fire burning helped to break the chill she felt. Inside the house, a single woman hurried along as she packed items into a small travel bag.

Surprise crossed Kate’s face as she saw a lethal pistol on the woman’s belt. Whoever she was, she mused; she was armed to kill someone. Just what the hell was going on here?

“That is a very good question to ask, Katherine,”

She whirled around in surprise at the voice. Standing in the center of the room was a woman who looked like her. Kate felt her jaw drop, as he eyes grew wide with shock.

“Who the hell are you?” She challenged.

“Oh Katherine,” the other woman said. “Calm down. I’m you and you’re me.”

Kate looked over her shoulder at the other woman. The entire time they had spoken, she continued to pack. It was as if she could hear them, she reflected.

“Which is the case,” the other woman said.
“She can’t hear us.”

“I don’t understand,” Kate said.

“You aren’t expected to,” the other woman said. “My name is Missy Brown.”

Kate looked at the other woman with a suspicious eye. The uniform she wore was blue and not unlike a military person would wear. The name NASA was embroidered on the right breast.

“How do you know who I am?” Kate asked, moving into a defensive stance.

“Will you relax, Katherine,” Brown said. “I told you: you’re me and I’m you.”

“Call me Katherine again,” Kate said. “And I’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”

“You know something, Kate,” Brown said. “You’re aggressiveness can be a pain in the ass.”

“Yeah?” Kate said, a sarcastic smile crossing her face. “I would have never guessed.”

The other woman looked at her with a giant sigh. Rolling her eyes, she took a step towards Kate, ignoring her stance. Stopping inches from her, she look into Kate’s eyes with the same eyes Kate had.

“You need to pay attention to what is happening here,” Brown said. “It’s important.”

“Why?” Kate asked.

Before the Brown could answer, the woman who was packing pulled a com unit out. Watching her punch in a frequency, Kate held her breath. After a seconds delay, she started to speak into the unit.

“Ok,” she said. “Everything’s ready. You outside?”

“Just hurry up,” a man’s voice said. “The mercs are getting close.”

“Mercs?” Kate asked, looking at Brown. “Mercenaries?”

“Yes,”

“Why?”

“She has stumbled on something she shouldn’t have,” Brown said. “A piece of technology no one should have found. Something that will cause the balance of power in the galaxy to shift.”

“Do you have the packages?” the woman said into her unit.

“They’re both safe,” the man said.

“I’m one my way out,”

She closed the com unit and picked up the bag in her hand. With a quick glance at the house, she stepped through the door. As if there was magic, Kate could see her enter a waiting shuttle. Once the door shut, it throttled up and shot skywards.

“What kind of technology?” Kate asked.

“Oh you know what it is,” Brown said. “You just saw it.”

“Are you talking the alien technology?”

“Yes,”

With that pronouncement, she stared at her feet. So this woman was the one who found the alien craft for the government. How long ago was that, because the station’s computer didn’t have that information.

“How long ago was that?”

“Twenty-three years ago,” Brown said.

“That long ago?” Kate shook her head. “I was only one when they found the craft!”

“And there is something you need to know about that,” Brown said with a frown.

“What is that?”

“That woman you saw,” Brown said. “She’s your mother…”

###

She awoke with a start, her book falling off her chest. Looking around nervously, she remembered she was in her compartment. With a sigh of relief, she swiped her bangs out of her eyes.

So it was my mother who found the alien craft, she thought. And started this whole mess…