Shooting him a glance, Dustin replied, “I don’t know what to do. Look at me! I’m an ordinary guy! I’m not a hero!”
“Do not say that,” Sonovan replied. “Quiet.”
Nevertheless, he persisted. “I don’t have these qualities or the will necessary to prevent my mind from disappearing like Rose! I…I don’t know—” he stammered, sniffling through the tears. Unable to bear his brother’s show of fear, Sam reciprocated the release of emotions.
“Quiet, please,” Sonovan repeated. Refusing to stop, Dustin continued to stammer out words of trepidation and distress. Therefore, Sonovan took matters into his own hands. “Quiet!” he boomed, grabbing Dustin by the shoulders. Dustin and Sam both looked up in shock. “Say no more! The words you speak bring only disaster!” Frozen, the brothers just stared at him. “If you want to save every person you hold dear, you must be attentive right now whilst I speak.”
“I don’t know either—”
“It is not for you to know! Listen to my words. Heed them. Your only hope is in yourselves. If you do not focus and keep yourself optimistic, you will never win. The wil to succeed will only come if you believe you will succeed. There can be not an ounce of doubt, for the enemy will use it to his advantage!”
“You don’t understand,” Sam retorted. Dustin rubbed away the snot from his nose.
“We aren’t these people you say we can be. We’re just—”
“Quiet!” Sonovan boomed again. “I understand perfectly. You think you cannot, but the truth is the very opposite. Trust me, I share your feelings,” he spoke, eyes far away.
He remembered. He remembered the first time and the difficulty he had faced. “But in the hour of need, you wil rise to the occasion. I see it in you, for you are the chosen ones, but have yet to accept this. When you look into the eyes of the Titan, you will attain that wil I speak of, for fear shall find you again. Fear of losing everything you care about. And in that moment, nothing can ever again stand in your way.”
Eyes wide, they both stared, blinking several times to make sure they had heard correctly. No man had ever spoken with such authority yet such humility. “I-I don’t know what to say,” Sam replied. Dustin stayed quiet, eyes still red from the tears. He knew Sonovan spoke the truth he had tried to escape, but destiny held him fast.
“Good. I only seek for your triumph, and I only know one truth. If not today, we shall prevail and overcome the forces of the Titan. Why? Because I have made myself believe so. If not, I would be worse off than you. The doubt would swallow me up, and my fate would already be decided.”
“I understand,” replied Sam, glancing at Dustin. Uncharacteristically, Dustin’s eyes were narrowed, and he appeared more focused and ready than Sam had ever seen him. In fact, it was as if his brother had become someone new.
Rubbing off more, Dustin nodded in agreement. “You have opened my eyes,” he replied, looking up to Sonovan in respect but also readiness for the time coming.
Holding his gaze, Sonovan instinctively knew he had accomplished the responsibility that life tossed at him that minute. “I know I have,” he answered. “Never fall prey to doubt. You are prepared.” Smiling, he watched the two nod in consonance before together sauntering down the corridor. Dustin turned his head once and nodded, the body language speaking for itself.
Only twenty minutes later, Sonovan called this band of heroes he had mobilized together.
“My al ies, the moment is upon us. Dustin, activate the portal to CS0341, Herook.”
“Already set.”
“In the short time I’ve known you all, I have become fond of you. This is not the end.
Remember, believe in yourselves. If you believe hard enough, his power can do nothing to harm you. Believe in yourselves as I do. Then, we will never fail.”
“I am so hyped,” Sam replied. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Sonovan raised his hands to the sky. “Oora, I call on you. Fil me.” A hole in the room opened, and a jet-black mist flowed from it. Before anyone understood what ensued, the mist touched Sonovan’s human skin.
Contact was made on the fingers first, and then the blueish-blackness traveled down his arms, his neck, and finally down to his feet. His appearance had changed from a human to a celestial being. Mist clothed him and surrounded his body, similar to dust attracted to an object. His eyes il uminated into flashlights, piercing through even the darkest and most opaque environments. The mist resembled a shroud, for a few parts of his body were not covered by the Ooris.
“Wow, just wow. I’m amazed, to say the least,” Johnny exclaimed.
“Can I touch it?” Sam jested in sarcasm.
“No, you cannot. Focus. Our moment of truth is here.”
“You look dope,” Ryan added. Both of Ryan’s hands reached the rock floor. “Bulk time.” The particles contacted his skin, activating his absorption powers. The mil ions of them traversed the floor into his body. In about twenty seconds, he had grown seven inches, his voice changed to a deeper tone, and his form took on a dark gray appearance, or a rock.
“Yep, this is so fitting for me,” he exclaimed as he flexed his muscles. “I like the term Rocky. You guys remember that? Damn, that was weeks ago.”
“Yeah, I guess you weren’t blessed with the ability to control flowers,” Sam replied.
“Blessed? Nah, that’s a curse.”
“Whatever you say, Rocky.”
Ryan smiled in pride at the new title, or in this case, nickname.
Dustin swung his arms and the generator inside his armored outfit activated. A light shot out from his chest. They heard rumblings beneath their feet. As it had been done before, the sphere rose from out of the ground. It rotated as it lied in wait for its travelers.
“That is so awesome.”
“I’m never gonna get used to that.”
“Yeah, wel it’s only open for fifteen more seconds, so I recommend you move it,”
Dustin motioned.
Sonovan went first, followed by Johnny, Ryan, Dustin, Jane, and then Sam. The ride was short and fast. Almost instantly, the group landed on the other side, right in the middle of the station.
Soldiers turned in shock and recognized Sonovan. Their eyes widened. Captains and commanders acted promptly. Their blasters and weapons were in their hands at a moment’s notice.
Sonovan smirked. “Red!” he shouted.
“Yes sir!” Ryan corresponded.
Dozens of soldiers arrived on the scene. Johnny sprang upon them, and the rest followed his lead. Ice poured out of Sam’s hands, and Dustin united with his brother by using his powers. The air from his palms blew in such swift currents no one was a match for it. “Watch out for the blasters!”
The blue and yellow streaks flew by them, some only missing by inches. Johnny took care of most of the fire, though. Johnny sprinted, speed doing the work for him as he slipped through elegantly. He stripped the guns from the guards and tripped each. Jane telekinetically pinned the soldiers to the wall and flung them into each other, cracking the helmets.
Ryan was busy doing his thing. On one soldier, he kicked it in the ankle, fol owing the spiteful y weak attack with a spinning side kick. The brutal strike broke every bone in the poor soldier as he launched it into three behind it.
Two more appeared behind Ryan and shot. They obviously hadn’t realized Ryan’s power. The blasts of fatal energy bounced off his body. Johnny was there in an instant and stripped them of their weapons. Sam noticed and froze them. Ryan smiled and a single crossover side kick was enough to do the job. The ice shattered their bodies.
Four more armed soldiers were behind the ones which had been killed, so Ryan leapt like a cat towards them, arm outstretched in a fist. They froze in fear. Only a second passed before Ryan’s fist rammed into them, rocketing their insubstantial bodies into
the back wall. The force of the impact was so great that they went straight through it.
Another ran at him from behind, shooting like a madman. Th
e fire bounced off his frame. Ryan, still turned, elegantly spun around into a spinning hook kick, an instant kill-shot.
More soldiers and guards were called in. “Get everyone in here! We’re under attack!”
Before the commander could utter the last words, Sonovan came up behind him and kicked him between the legs, elbowed his side, and kneed him in the perfect spot to render him useless in the fight. Though not Johnny Sparks levels of fast, Sonovan had done it all within two seconds. Two guards came up behind him and fired. Sonovan dodged both and swept the guards’ legs. The power was with him now. The Ooris ripped their legs off their bodies. To complete the combo, Sonovan jumped high and punched his fist into the floor, which sent a shockwave of Ooris into the ground, erupting like an earthquake. The ferocious and unexpected attack kil ed al soldiers within a twenty-foot radius.
“Couldn’t have done that earlier?” Ryan exclaimed. Sonovan smirked and found more opponents to eliminate. Truly, he had missed this. Centuries of nothing—of desolation—and now he was back in the game, more alive than ever. Eyes burning, he truly considered he had been transported into the past once again. All that was necessary in each strike was a bit of power, which, when executed, the opponents would either explode from the pure Energy, or were sent into walls, backs breaking upon impact. Like he had stated, not even Ryan Slade had yet accessed this power, and he never would, for only Sonovan Lung is a being of untainted, clean Ooris. The lone one who could generate an identical power was Titan himself, his nemesis.
Sam froze the remaining troops, which had dwindled to nigh none. Sonovan snuck up behind one, who tried to flee, but to no avail. He kicked him into Ryan’s punch. That was al for him. He exploded like a grenade.
On the last four, who also attempted desertion, Dustin pushed them into a wall, and Jane used a great amount of mental strength to collapse it on top of them. They had rid every enemy, the station now a ghost town.
“Woo hoo! We’re on a roll!” Ryan exclaimed.
“Yeah! You were awesome! I was awesome! It was all so awesome!” Sam added in exhilaration. “Or I can just say it was cool, if you know what I mean.”
“This fight was more violent than last one,” Jane replied. “But it was invigorating. I like being a hero.” She vigorously shook her arms to loosen up.
Those words brought Johnny back to the al eyway where he met Jane. He remembered Z, clear as day, speaking to him.
Remember Johnny, just do what you do best. Be the hero.
“Right Johnny?”
Jane snapped him out of his stupor. “Huh, what? Oh, yeah. I do too.”
“That’s what I thought. It was such a breeze,” Dustin laughed.
“Real y?”
“What? Sam is doing it. I should too!”
Sonovan walked over to them and wiped the blood off his currently half-Ooris, half-human fingers. “Brilliant, my friends. But it is not over. I wil now put on the invisibility suit. It wil render me undetectable.” Once it was applied, Sonovan disappeared from sight.
A strident noise echoed in the sky above. They looked up to see a small craft descend into the station amongst them.
The dirt was kicked up and the bodies were blown aside as it landed like a queen had arrived. Its main door slid apart, and out stepped an armored woman. She had red hair and a recognizable face.
“Rose,” Ryan whispered.
Johnny glanced at him. “You know what to do.”
She glared at each of them but said nothing, eyes like daggers. Without hesitation, Justice leapt into the air, fire screaming out of her hands. The impact on the way down blasted heat in al directions, unleashing a surge of energy which sent the heroes into the broken-down wal .
Grimacing, Ryan griped, “This isn’t you, Rose!”
She glared at him, eyes icy. “It is now,” she spat. It took some time for all to stand.
Ryan approached her. “Look, we don’t want to fight. Titan is controlling you. You must overcome your problems and fight it. You are a fighter. Please, do it for us, but especial y for yourself.”
“Actually, Mr. Slade, Titan is expecting you. That was a welcome gesture. Come along at once.”
The group, including an imperceptible Sonovan, boarded her craft, where seven other fully-equipped soldiers stood like figurines.
“Rose, listen to me. Fight it.”
She turned to him. “Do not say it again.”
“Or what? Little Titan is going to get mad? Aw!” Johnny heckled.
Instead of responding likewise, she chose not to. “You shal see.”
The craft took off, leaving the station in ruins. In a short time, it was in the outer atmosphere. That is when the group could see Titan’s gargantuan ship, hovering over like a demon.
At the top, Titan crossed his arms at the sight of the craft cruising towards the Titan.
“Permission to access Bay 1,” the pilot spoke into the system.
“Granted,” was the answer.
The small craft docked in the Titan’s main docking bay. Like the first time, they stared, without speaking, at all the equipment, technology, and ships which dotted the landscape. Passing soldiers in blue, green, and yellow armor eyed them in curiosity and suspicion. Justice led the way to the elevator, and they entered.
On the other hand, Sonovan disengaged a craft they would appropriate to escape.
The plethora of noises and sounds in the ship made it difficult to carry out, but he did nonetheless. Next, he would meet his al ies near the elevator, though once he did, had just snuck in before the door closed. His training allowed him to move inaudibly. Not even Justice heard his entrance.
The elevator ride to the throne room was silent and reticent. It picked up speed as the elevator ascended floor by floor. In a short while, they reached the top and disembarked into the throne of the Titan, Emperor of the Tetra.
CHAPTER 29
THE MIND
The throne room spoke an eerie silence when the elevator opened. A long way off, on the opposite side of the room, Titan stood with his arms crossed in front of him. As usual, he was staring out the giant, transparent encasement, but turned when he heard their entry.
“My young heroes,” he greeted, lowering his head to them. “Very nice outfits.
Vibrant.” Their suits il umined in each specific color. Fortification mode had been switched on, initiating the armor to form around their bodies like plates.
“Hello, Titan,” Sam answered. “You’ve gotten smaller since our last meeting.”
Titan laughed in a sinister tone. “Please, can we not fight this time?”
“That depends,” Johnny replied. “If I were you, I wouldn’t.” For some reason, he felt a bit cocky.
“I only want to help the humans, like you,” responded Titan, armor clattering on the floor. “My destiny lies in spreading the Justification throughout the universe. We do not need to be adversaries.”
“And you will find our destiny wil always lie in your path,” Johnny retorted.
“Was that destiny something you discovered on your own, or had it been told to you?” Titan shot back. “Do not try it, Sparks. Pain is something everyone must endure.”
“Trust me, buddy, you will feel pain,” Ryan replied, smashing his fists together.
“We know you want Earth,” Johnny complemented.
“So, Sonovan told you everything, did he?”
“Yes.”
“He did,” Dustin added.
“And he taught us a whole lot, too,” Sam said.
“Impressive! I cannot wait to see how much you have learned and retained.”
“Yeah, just like you said. ‘Come and see.’ Come and see, Titan. Let’s do this.”
Johnny backed into a fighting stance, ready to sprint at a moment’s notice. This time, he did not fear him. He hated him.
“Slow down, Sparks. There is much for you to know before you throw yourself into the heat of battle.”
“All right, let’s start from the beginning.
What do you want Earth for?”
“If I told you, it would not be much of a secret, correct?” His voice cut off for an unknown reason. “My oh my! I sense something with you. Your minds are resilient. I-I have not seen this kind of wil for a long time.” Uncharacteristical y, Titan had stuttered.
“Glad we could give you déjà vu.”
Justice surveyed the situation but then walked to Titan. “I know you want to fight me, but please, patience! I am sure Sonovan had taught you that from the outset, did he not?”
“You’re right,” Ryan replied. “He did. But he also taught us something else.
Knowledge.”
“Of what? How to be morose and depressed every second of life? Was he not? I shall be greatly disheartened if he was not.”
“Let’s just say we have given him a reason to live.”
“But do you not see? I will bring mankind to the pinnacle of creation! They wil be unstoppable!” he bellowed. This might be his last opportunity to turn them to his side.
“You, too, can be by my side, with me.”
“No, we won’t,” Jane responded, finally uttering a phrase.
“What you say might be true, but we believe in free wil .”
“Free will,” Titan sneered, shaking his head at the comment. “There is no such thing as free wil . I learned that many years ago. Your destiny is already inscribed in the annals of time. The future exists the same time as the past and present. Fate is already written.” With those words, Titan relaxed his head. The last two sentences he had spoken resonated within his mind, but unsure why. A clue.
“Our destiny is to never back down from you.”
“And Rose will be ours again,” Ryan added. “We’ve come back to hopeful y not fight you, but to take her.”
“You wil be greatly disheartened, then.” As they watched, Titan bent low onto one knee. The rest furrowed their brow at this. Similar to his action on Hallux, a blur orb formed and emerged from his cranium. Out of nowhere, the orb exploded, sending a shockwave of energy throughout the throne room. Only Sonovan Lung was not affected, but his one fear had been realized. Their minds had been taken over.
~~~
The team opened their eyes. Each had been laying down on a wet ground. The atmosphere around them was dreamlike, a light blue. The surface seemed to extend infinitely. “What…what happened?” groaned Johnny, rubbing his head as he stood.
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