Titan began to bend Claq in the opposite direction. He wailed in pain before Titan finished the job. Claq’s back broke and his spine shattered. When it was over, his head had reached the underside of his knees.
The rage inside him subsided, and Titan let the dead carcass fall to the ground. He personal y threw the lifeless soldier into the trash chute.
~~~
An hour passed before Sonovan and Ryan relaxed from meditating. Johnny had come up to check on them, but when he saw the two, he knew to keep his distance.
Sonovan was bonding with Ryan the same way he had done.
Johnny returned to the brothers and Jane. “Hey Chronos,” he said, “Can you take us over there?” He pointed to a clearing at the bottom of the mountain.
“Affirmative,” was the reply. Jane’s chest glowed blue with each word the artificial intelligence spoke. “You must ask either the Aurora V5 or Echo V9 to aid you.”
“The Aurora is mine,” Dustin answered. “Sam has the Echo.”
“All right, wel who wants to do the honors this time?”
“I will.”
“OK.”
Dustin swung his arms in a circular motion. The generators were activated.
The Aurora system turned on. “Where would you desire to go?”
“There,” Dustin guided, pointing to the location. “I want to teleport to that location, at the edge of the forest.”
“Certainly.” A sphere arose from the floor and floated to them. “Guess that’s the taxi.”
“Damn, just look at that thing,” said Sam.
“How does it even know how to form a wormhole? I thought only bulk beings could do that.”
“Yeah, wel , there’s so much we don’t know,” Johnny replied. “We are like at the bottom of the ladder in progression as a civilization.”
“Whoa, what the hell are you guys doing?” Ryan exclaimed as he burst into the room.
Sonovan fol owed behind him. “Spectacular. Titan has even utilized Zydok’s teleportation powers. Incredible.”
“That dude had teleportation powers as wel ? Who doesn’t have powers?”
“Most do not. But the ones who do, they are the chosen ones.”
“Chosen?”
“Yes. Even you are chosen. Heroes are chosen from the sea of the population. In fact, the ones who are least likely to go anywhere in life are the ones who could be chosen.”
“OK, but chosen by who?” asked Johnny.
“Fate. Fate elects heroes.”
“Are you telling us fate is a person?” Sam tried to clarify.
“No. It is not, but I am using it as an analogy. After all, one way or another, it all comes for us.”
“Who?”
“Time.”
Dustin coughed. “Wow, this has gotten awfully philosophical. Can we just take the cute little sphere to our destination? We can come back and talk however much you want.”
“Good plan,” Sonovan replied.
They jumped into the floating sphere. In a moment, they arrived on the other side, several thousand feet below the hideout on dry ground. Down here, the air was much fuller, scent of Herook captivating their senses.
“How did you ever explore?” Johnny asked, staring up at the monstrous mountain next to him.
“Stairs had already been here when I arrived.”
“Oh.”
“So, what are we doing down here?” he asked. A brook streamed happily by, nearly at their feet. Each drank the life-giving liquid to their heart’s content.
“Why is this place so much like Earth?” Jane thought aloud. “I never thought anything could be so similar.”
“That is true,” Sonovan agreed. “It has its pleasures, a world unaffected by man, machine, or the Tetra. Nevertheless, we must find a way off this heap of rock. We must confront Titan. I must confront him.”
“Yeah, wel let’s find a different kind of food first.”
“There are multiple species of fish in this stream. Blue Yile, as I have cal ed them, are in this picturesque brook.” The crystal-clear water flowed by, in no hurry. It made a pleasant whoosh sound by its movement.
“How far have you explored?” Sam asked.
“I have mounted a few dozen voyages. Since food is inessential to me, I have managed year-long expeditions. The longest I have done is eight years.”
“Eight years?!” Dustin exclaimed, shocked.
“One does eventually grow bored,” Sonovan responded. They laughed at the felicitous joke. Dustin, always doing things in excess, fel down in laughter.
When things calmed down, Ryan said, “Blue Yile, huh? Let’s find ‘em!”
Sonovan watched as Ryan splashed in the water, large body flashing about in his emerald-enameled suit. Though he could not pinpoint the exact moment, when Dustin and the rest fell into hysterics at his own pertinent wit, Sonovan felt something. A feeling not sensed for what seemed an eternity passed—like he was in a family again. But, like before, no ordinary family. A family of heroes.
CHAPTER 24
PREPARATION
In his throne room, Titan studied the information sent to him via his scouts.
Recordings of television programs, everyday events, and specific lives of people comprised the information.
Solis, now temporarily Voir, stayed close by as he worked on picking the new recruit.
Justice, on the other hand, headed towards Xalen, her home planet.
“Humanity’s hunger to worship something higher than them is far more exorbitant than I had previously surmised.”
“Which indicates?”
“Other civilizations we have encountered have nowhere close the religious emphasis. Many of the conflicts on Earth are nothing akin to what we have both experienced. Most of these are not political or military wars, but spiritual ones. They search for meaning and purpose, but fail in their quests. Their so-cal ed free life is only a prison. These people imprison themselves to their lusts and addictions, and thus impede themselves and those around them from ever growing beyond their myopic vision of reality. Humans need to be woken up! What they yearn for is coming for them!
Since when has the master sought to free the servant? Never!”
“Yes, my lord. What you say is true.”
“This planet and its rulers are exactly the same as Hallux, despite its lack of advancement.”
“I too agree.”
“I am genuinely fascinated. When are the scouts scheduled to arrive? Is the variable sedated?”
“About twenty-three hours, my lord. And yes, he is sedated.”
“Excellent.”
~~~
When Justice arrived on Xalen, she knew she reached home. The reddish sky provided a surely exotic environment for the advanced species. Once she arrived at her father’s citadel, she sank to her knees, fighting hard to prevent herself from crying. She then stood, stomping to the giant door. As she pushed, it creaked open little by little, pouring light into the abandoned, dark home of Ta-Vir and Kira.
Wandering the halls, she found his former quarters; made obvious by the fact his room had been labeled ‘ TA-VIR.’ Inside the dimly lit room, she uncovered broken computers lying on the floor, a holographic machine, and numerous other kinds of technology and furniture. The place was a wreck, undoubtedly abandoned.
Across the way, she espied the room of her mother, Kira. In contrast, this chamber was far more arranged and organized. In the corner, she again espied a petite bed.
Walking over, she examined it. With smal white barricades on attached like a fence and a soft mattress, it was undeniable this was a baby carriage—the one she would have occupied. Clenching her jaw, she fought to suppress her emotions, the force of Titan’s will still imposed on her. She gulped to do so, only one tear oozed out of her eye and dropped to the floor.
After searching the entire house for thirty minutes, she discovered nothing abnormal.
In turn, she slowly backed out of the citadel, closing the door behind her; she shuf
fled down the hil to her craft, where her pilot and seven outfitted soldiers kept watch. “Take me to Iopia, Officer Dox.”
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
Justice arrived on Iopia after a safe travel. Her cruiser landed on a pad located on a command station’s property. Officers ran to the door of the cruiser and met the second-in-command as the hatch opened.
“My sovereign, I am grateful and honored to meet you. I am Commander Zev of the First Legion. What news do you have for us?”
As he spoke, Justice continued to stride towards the pyramid-shaped main building.
“I have news that concerns even you, Commander. Please accompany me as I make it known.”
“Surely,” he acceded.
Once she entered, the soldiers inside gaped and instantaneously fell into line.
Silence sprang upon the air in the large room. Everyone gathered around the bright room.
“Comrades, I regret to inform you that Titan has been displeased with the work done on this planet. Rumors have spread that there is insubordination and rebel ion in this sector. Are these rumors true?” The entire crowd fel silent, and the high-ranking officers gulped. “Well? Is there not truth among you?”
“No, there has not been,” Zev answered at last. His face was dirty and scuffed.
Justice turned to him and stared. “Are you absolutely sure, Commander?”
The few moments passed excruciatingly slow. She narrowed her eyes. “Fine, I will take it as a group effort, then.”
A terrifying few seconds passed, no one owning up to the deed. “No, it-it was I,” Zev stuttered, knowing what was to come as a result. “I want to leave. Titan is not who he once was. It is becoming an intolerant state of government in the Tetra.”
“And who are you to cause such savagery, Zev?”
Zev gulped before responding again. “There is a rebellion stirring, Justice. And I want to be on the side of the good guys.”
“Since when are we the bad guys?” she replied, anger festering like a boiling pan.
“You were never the good guys, either.”
She scoffed at the remark. This was not how she had hoped this meeting would go.
“You do know Titan told me to use my own good judgment, correct?”
“No, I did not.”
“I hoped to leave with good news! Why must it always be difficult?”
“When Titan fal s, we wil eradicate the queen bee. It will be easy to overtake you. He will not affect your minds.”
“That day you speak of will never come. You shal die in your belief.”
Zev gulped, for he knew the repercussions. But he had readied himself. “I would rather die believing in something, than nothing at al .”
Justice’s scowl deepened. She sprinted to him, and in one motion, she was at his side. Justice picked him up by the neck and held him high for al to see. “This is what happens to rebels! Justice for the universe!” She unsheathed a swirly blade and stabbed him in the chest with it. He fell to the ground, already dead.
~~~
It took about a half-hour to fish for the Blue Yile. Instead of fishing poles, Sonovan insisted on using one’s own body to catch the Blue Yile. Ryan had a fun time, and at the end of it, he had caught about eight fish. They ranged from a foot to a foot-and-a-half long. Johnny placed each in a container Sonovan brought.
The geography of Herook was thought-provokingly similar to Earth. In fact, the trees were strikingly analogous to spruce and fir trees.
But out of nowhere, there were sounds of footsteps and blaster fire in the forest as well as voices. Of course, due to his abilities, Sonovan was the first to take notice while the others were bantering about everything imaginable. He narrowed his eyes towards the forest, searching—listening. The voices increased as he watched for movement. He clenched his jaw and turned in a way that sent the necessary message.
Johnny looked up at him. “What is it?” Sonovan only held up a single finger in front of his lips. Silence.
Everyone got up to listen and prepare. “Soldiers,” Johnny noted.
Dustin’s eyes widened. “Shit! Let’s go…now!” He rushed to try to open a portal but Sonovan himself held up his hand to stop him.
“No,” he started, “I want to see your spectacular abilities myself.”
Ryan raised his eyebrow. “You want us to take them out? Wil you help?”
“No. I would simply erase their bodies from existence with one attack. I want to finally see what you are capable of. Through this assault by members of the enemy, I glimpse your destinies, for you are the ones who wil prevail over darkness.”
“Let’s do it,” Jane said.
“Wow Dustin, she is more fearless than you are,” Ryan jested.
“Aw man shut up!” Dustin retorted.
“Shh!” Sonovan hushed. “They are approaching.” The blue blades of light which were shot out from the blasters zoomed out of the forest. Whoever meandered through was clearing a path. And soon, these soldiers of the Tetra exited the forest’s embrace and caught sight of the group, including Sonovan Lung.
“You!” one screamed. They wore dark blue armor with large helmets, weapons of every sort attached to belts. “Filth!” They pointed their weapons of warfare at each.
Another stepped out but donned an angelic white armor, except he was far from an angel. “If it is not for the ones who escaped…and Sonovan Lung! This is incredible! I am Officer Turion of the Third Sector, Herook.”
The two groups were separated by the brook. “We don’t care who you are!” Sam shot back. “In short, you’re idiots!”
Another twenty assailants creeped away from the forest. “And as surely as Titan lives and I live, you are dead,” Turion spat. “Engage.”
“My chosen ones, engage,” Sonovan ordered. “Accept your destiny and destroy them.”
Johnny acted. He sprinted like a superpowered locomotive across the brook, towards the assailants. As he passed, he laid powerful elbows on the rib-cage region of every soldier. He imagined the scene would make a perfect poster, since these attackers were shoved down like dominoes under the force of the superspeed elbows.
Sonovan merely watched in place as his protégés retaliated. Dustin generated a supercharged stream of air onto the downed attackers. The ferocity of this airstream picked them up and hurled the bewildered soldiers towards the others. Ryan, his appearance like rock, jumped into a monstrous punch which annihilated three, the contact severing the very life from their bodies.
Jane aided by lifting up a few at a time while Johnny stripped the weapons from the holsters and belts. He liked where she was going. “Good idea!” he screamed back. “Do it!”
She could feel a burning sensation from her very core. As if she wanted to release her anger. The indignation she had kept since her parents were taken. Jane howled in fury, but also uncertainty, of whether she can control this power. “Stay in control, Jane,”
Sonovan instructed. He had stood like a statue next to her throughout. “Stay in control.”
The remaining twenty opponents were raised thirty feet off the ground, subjected to a Titan-like breadth of telekinesis. Now an opening had been created. To eliminate them al .
Sam got the cue and stepped into a brutal attack. “Freeze!” he shouted as silvery-blue jets of frozen energy landed on the enemies. They froze despite their screams.
Jane immediately released, paving the way for gravity to do its work. Like meteorites, the once-proud, well-trained attackers plummeted into the current of the smal brook.
They proved to be no match.
Throughout the short battle, Sonovan marveled at their teamwork. This…was something he had never seen. Well, not for a millennium. They reminded him of the band of warriors he had been a part of all those years ago—The Shadows. Zydok, Orslon, Venarian. And now, the destiny of those legends was not also to defeat Titan, but to inspire the next generation of heroes: these humans before him.
The fight ended without another hassle. Johnny
sped back and Ryan rushed over.
Jane was exasperated, letting out a long breath as she collapsed to the ground. “That’s al for one day,” she said.
Johnny tried to help her up but she resisted. “Sorry Johnny, but give me a little while.”
“Oh, uh, OK. Take your time.”
Dustin rol ed his eyes and looked to Sam. “That was damn awesome,” Sam said.
“This is how life should be. Awesome.”
“It was,” Ryan agreed. He high-fived Sam. “Nice shooting. Too bad you suck every time you tried those RPG’s and shooter games back home.”
Sam shook his head in dismissal of the remark. “It’s true though, dude,” Dustin replied. “It really is.”
“Whatever,” Sam answered.
Sonovan walked back to them. “My friends, I am impressed. Impressed beyond any imagination. You are truly the chosen. I have seen your destiny, and it is brighter than the stars of the universe.”
As if in sync, the others smiled wide. This all felt so right—like this is what they were born to do. “With you as our leader, Sonovan, we will never lose.” The man humbly nodded once.
On the return journey, Sonovan insisted they walk up the stairs to a checkpoint instead of a quick teleportation. This elicited complaints from Dustin and Sam, of course. It was a hike taking two hours to complete. Sonovan said the trek would aid them, yet they had no clue why.
“How much longer will this take?” Ryan grumbled.
“About thirty more minutes.”
“Oh, thank heaven!”
“I am forcing you to do this for one reason. It will increase your patience and your core. Patience is always useful for the warrior.”
“Yeah, wel I’m starved now. The gravity is punishing.”
“So am I,” Sam groaned, sighing.
“Me too,” Dustin added.
“Your bel ies will be ful soon. I will al ow you to transport once we arrive at the checkpoint.”
Thirty minutes later, the entourage reached the said checkpoint. Sonovan al owed them to teleport the remainder of the trek. Finally at their destination, the group sat down and prepared to feast.
Once they ate the meal and rested for an hour, Sonovan called them over to the main room. “Now, we will practice again. Are you ready?”
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