“Leander is imprisoned. Soon he will face death as well if his sentence is carried out. He faces execution for going against orders, mutiny, and endangering life aboard the Thalassic.”
She stood silent, faced with two crippling losses at once. Dio gone to the netherworld, and Leander fated to join him. Execution was severe, though in the end of times, as in the beginning of times, the uncompromising sentence outweighed the risk of continued mutiny.
“The guard on watch warned that I would be placed under arrest if I entered Thalassic. He was ordered to do so on sight of me, but his loyalty to me outweighed the current government. I could not risk imprisonment, yet, for I did not know your fate. I needed to make sure you were safe, Nyx. I ...”
His voice faltered, broken between his allegiance to his captain and his wish to ensure her safety. Rather than have him struggle between the two, she spoke. “We will go. We will save him.”
“But I cannot put you at risk.” He crossed the distance between them and placed his hand upon her arm. In his actions were the love of a father, of a brother, and of a friend. Unconditional and protective.
“You will not be. I will put myself at risk,” Nyx said.
A smile lifted his lower lip in a roguish arch, as if knowing that despite his wish to safeguard her, she was self-ruling to the point of no return. It was almost as if he expected her answer. Trouble would lay ahead and she welcomed it with him at her side.
“So be it,” he said. “We will leave at dusk and enter the Thalassic.”
Placing her hand over his, she at first felt his body stiffened, but soon he relaxed under her touch.
“I am sorry about Megaira,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.
“I am too.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The day was clear and sunny. The ocean lulled a false sense of serenity. Hector and Nyx sat on the rocky outcroppings near the shore. They ate wild blueberries. No fish though, for they could not start a fire and risk exposing their location to the Chaots, the Scipian, or the Thalassicians. She heard the ruffle of feathers in the pines, assuring her that the falcon still looked over them and perhaps in wait for another treat.
The only other sound was Hector’s voice, a resonating undertone carrying plans and strategies. Planning precautions of going down to Thalassic by way of the submersible stationed near the shore. He warned of the waiting party that guarded the sub and spoke of the leadership of the Thalassic under the self-proclaimed Admiral Telphousian. Telphousian had taken the title in the aftermath of the War, claiming that society needed a ranking leader to continue efficiency.
After strategies were discussed, Nyx spoke of what happened aboard the flagship of the Scipian. She repeated what Triton had claimed, all the mysteries of life erased by his words, her last sentiment striking her one concern: “Am I free if this mutation structures who I am and I pose a risk?”
“There is a saying: In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. Nyx, it is a distinction you see between yourself and your genes. But as with the sky, there is no division. Your genetics do not dictate who you are, rather they are you. As for the risk, just be wary for now.”
That there was no distinction seemed at odds with the Mythos: the distinction between Mount Olympus, Hades and the Elysian fields were clear. Gods and humans. Distinctions were what ruled a hierarchy. And even beyond the mythos, many aspects of society had distinctions. “Where did you hear that?” she asked.
“In Greece, in Kalambaka,” Hector said.
“Tell me about that time,” she said, knowing he needed to tell someone. He needed to go to the Thalassic free from the burden of his past.
“I was serving the Bavarian Coalition, the one world government. People praised their unity. Finally they believed global peace could be achieved. I didn’t see it that way though. Of course, I saw a lot more than the civilians did. Firsthand, I saw the price for this unification.”
“What did we fight for?” he continued. “The stated rationale was to secure the one world government. Supposedly, one government that encompassed the world would end wars and disputes. It would redistribute wealth. It would homogenize society. It would put total control into the Bavarian Coalition’s hands. Wrong or right ... that was not for me to question. My duty was to my squadron.”
“Our initial assignment was to protect Central Europe; there I understood the war. The Uprising in that area not only desired independence from the world government, but they were extremists. They fought for dominion. Their war cries still resound in my sleep, followed by cries and screams as bombs detonated.”
A pause. The death, the brutality left unspoken. He continued as if he had never hesitated in his retelling, but Nyx could see the memories stained in his face. The war.
“I was later reassigned to Kalambaka, Greece. Our government wanted to strike at the heart of the Uprising’s rebellion, at the ideas that had shaped such an outcry. They could not risk another rebellion forming because of the Uprising’s ideas. I arrived in Kalambaka ready to die for the Bavarian Coalition, as any soldier should. But what I found changed me, and it was there I learned the wisdom of the priests. I thought they were naive to the situation, but now that I look back, maybe it was I that did not understand.”
“I was there for the initial outbreak of the disease,” he said, his voice conveyed so much more. The unsaid hardship played out in Nyx’s mind over what occurred. His squadron. The Chaots. His difficulty in leaving those who he fought besides. “At the same time the World Government bombed Kalambaka, they also proceeded with similar biological attacks throughout the world to pinpoint different cells of the Uprising and destroy the entirety of it in one go. They did not anticipate the consequence: the Chaots.”
“I was brought to the Thalassic in order to give a firsthand account of the initial repercussions. The Thalassic was originally used for scientific development; however, with the onset of biological warfare it was used as a secure underwater bunker. Before I could return surface side to fight, the chaos peaked, causing the undersea colony to quarantine themselves from the outside. And you know the rest.”
“Often, I wonder about the priests of Meteora. Did they survive up on the pillars? I like to believe so. But I now know what the priest there meant, Nyx. I have found my place. I know what will come. And I need you to understand that it is with all my heart that I give myself to it.”
Hector had sounded as if he had prepared to die. She could not understand, nor accept, that.
“Hector. I told you to stay away,” an armed guard warned as Hector and Nyx approached. Wariness in his voice could be heard through the respirator, signaling that the encounter would not go well. There were three guards against only Hector and her.
“I know,” Hector said. “And I am sorry.”
But sorry for what, he did not say as he moved forward before the watchman had time to react. Hector brought his elbow across his face. The guard went down. Hector took his weapon as he fell, and aimed it on the other two before they could ready themselves. His reflexes surprised Nyx. She knew she should not be, after all he not only trained in combat but had been in battle many times. These three guards seemed green, and were all too quick to relinquish their weapons to Hector without hesitation.
Hector checked the unconscious guard over, though his aim never wavered.
“Rope?” he asked. One guard removed his backpack, and obeying Hector’s command, kicked it over to Nyx. She rummaged through it, finding the rope. Hector moved up besides her, giving her one of the guard’s guns. At least he had showed her the basics. So she held the aim on the three as Hector restrained them with the rope. However, given enough time they could free themselves. He then motioned toward her to come by his side and together they crossed the dock and entered the compact submersible.
Once inside, Hector began programming the coordinates to Thalassic. Then he had her memorize a m
ap of the Thalassic, including the basics of using the submersible, from radar to initiation of the autopilot. Her heart crumpled, almost unwilling to listen to the latter. She did not want to believe any possibilities of Hector not returning with her. But she watched in order to learn.
Underwater, the feel of the breeze and music of the waves were lost. Instead only the emptiness of this place persisted; a void of sensation, cutting her off from the world. Some might feel safe from the Chaots, so insulated and protected. The Chaots could not penetrate these walls of steel, nor get pass the unfathomable depth of the ocean. But for Nyx, it was a transport to a society she was neither accepted by nor desired to be a part of.
Hector must have seen her uneasiness as the waters split to allow them to traverse the deep sea, and moved to her side. A sound mind was necessary in order to defeat the odds. Neither fear nor insecurity would provide them with the edge they needed to rescue Leander from the underwater cell.
“This is the easy part, going into the below and the hell that will stand before us. All our strength will be needed to face the climb back above the ground. All our fortitude will be needed to get back to the skies.”
She gave a nod in response, knowing he was right. She could not lose her wits now when Leander needed her. She could not lose him, as they had lost Diomedes.
Through the circular windows, she viewed the small fish slipping by and the larger ones that baited them. Life then gave way to darkness as the water lost the blue sparkle. The only light came from the submersible’s beams, and in it the sand floor emerged. But soon from the black, came light so extensive. It was as if they found the bed of the rising sun, its place beneath the waves, where it rested before springing upwards to break the sea and bring the dawn.
The light came from the Thalassic. She looked out of the submersible to see an extensive collaboration of man-made edges and lines. Tunnels spiraled across her view, going in and out of larger compounds with the lights visible from the outside. The complex formed a labyrinth of interconnecting tunnels adjoining pods. The pods of residence, of work, of communal gatherings, all came to form one organism, the colony under the sea. Most visible was a greenhouse that cultivated sea vegetation, the massive uv lights dispensing life-abiding energy for the plants. The collaboration of the domed civilization against the perpetual night seascape was awe-inspiring.
“The Thalassic is what is left of civilization that we know of. All contained essentially in the Underworld. What irony becomes of humanity’s fate,” Hector said though did not join her to look out upon his home. Or did his home now become what was behind enemy’s lines for him, she wondered.
The sub soared through the sea as the falcon may have crossed the skies above, but without the grace and beauty of the winged predator. It lurched forward and underneath the Thalassic toward the docking port before traveling upward. The hull consumed the sub into its underbelly, as if a marsupial welcoming home a wayward offspring. Water dripped away at the emerging sub as it came to a halt within the moon-pool in the docking port.
Hector held the gun he had confiscated from the guard. He stood on one side of the circular door as the submersible aligned its exit with the egress bridge connecting to the emerging vessel. He looked toward Nyx, as if trying to drown out all second thoughts of bringing her down here. She hid to the side of the door to await his signal. What lay outside the door would be war, she realized. In moments it would come crashing upon them with no relief.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The hatch of the sub opened. Hector jumped out and grabbed the first crew member he could. He pressed the stainless barrel to the crewman’s temple as he looked through unyielding eyes at those who may have been his friends.
“Back off. I come for Cap’n Leander,” he growled, “and will leave once I have him.”
Nyx stayed behind as planned, still in the shadows of the submersible. She wished to do something but knew her role was simply to find and release Leander when Hector gave the signal.
The crew circled and readied their weapons, aiming them at the dissident soldier, but not firing. They were not trained for war but for research. They knew that Hector had the tactical advantage. His bullet would go through their crew-mate’s brain if he fired. Conversely, they did not have a direct shot and if the bullets ricocheted, they could possibly damage the Thalassic.
One woman stood away from the rest, hands palm forward as if waving the white flag to Hector. Shoulder length red hair framed a face that was pale; not by nature but reflecting the lack of sunshine inside the shell of their compound. Her expression glistened with feigned kindness as she approached. Her clothes were colored as the crew around her, dark navy slacks and shirt bearing the insignia of stripes down one arm. The stripes identified her as the Admiral, Telphousian.
“We will not allow Leander to leave. We must have the basics of society in place or face the consequence of falling into chaos ourselves as the surface dwellers have. The sentence must be carried out; he will pay for his crimes.” As Telphousian spoke her voice did not waver, despite having to face the renegade threat. “You yourself must face our judges for your own crimes. Disarm, Hector, and do not allow this disruption of the Thalassic to continue. Do not jeopardize all that we have worked for. You are a soldier, not an insurgent.”
“Leander is only guilty of desiring humankind to move forth, rather than wither beneath the scourge of the ocean. We should not live in fear, for in that fear those above will be damned and we will flicker out like a dying flame. Maybe you should question your own motivations, Tilphê,” Hector said to the Admiral. Endeared to her, as her name left his lips. Though when she had proclaimed leadership, when she had solitarily announced what was necessary to preserve humanity, she emerged as a changed creature. He had now lost her, it was in his voice, and what stood before him no longer bore resemblance to his friend. “Question if the true reason you imprison Leander is for the safety of the crew, or if his punishment stems from his rejection of you and your fear that others will question your claim of leadership.”
“Do not dare question my own motivations, Hector. Look what you have brought to the others,” Telphousian said, taking one step closer to Hector. From the shadowed sub, Nyx saw a mixed look of surprise and anger on her face. It was clear Telphousian did not expect him to know of such personal rationale that motivated her decisions.
“Consider what Leander’s lofty convictions brought. The death of Diomedes. Disloyalty towards the Thalassic. And the risk of infection to us all,” Telphousian said. Nyx knew what the Admiral said had truth, but Hector’s only response was to press the barrel more firmly against the crewman’s head.
“We are society’s last hope,” Telphousian continued. “Let us prosper under the seas, blooming above only after the threat of the Chaots destroy themselves.” Her voice filled with disregard to any who did not bear the Thalassic emblem. But to Tilphê it was not disregard, she believed herself to be justified.
“The Chaots are humans,” Hector said. His response opposed the Admiral’s detached idea of the Chaots. She was unconcerned about the victims and whatever hope they might have. She did not care to even look for any other groups of survivors.
“Surely if there is a chance to save them or any survivors, we should try,” Hector continued. “And even if you do not believe it is worth it to do so, the Chaots will not simply die. We will perish however, waiting for them to.”
Telphousian took another assured step toward Hector. Her complete attention on the warrior, as he had planned for. She did not believe any other was aboard the sub, and Hector was at the center of the Thalassicians’ attention.
“Go Nyx. Now,” Hector said. His stance remained resolute, as he roused the next part of his strategy.
The Admiral’s assurance wavered. She was no longer in control of the situation. The uncertainty to whom Hector called to came to an end as Nyx slipped by and ran. The presence of the outsider confounded Telphousian, incredulous that a human unaccounted
for could even be alive. Nyx ran forth, using the moment’s diversion to get past the leader of the Thalassic and head toward the barricades. The other crew dared not move to follow, as Hector pushed his captive down. In one precipitated movement, he reached for Telphousian and grabbed her as a hostage in replacement. And what happened after that Nyx did not know as she ran down the unfamiliar corridors of the familiar map, leaving Hector behind her.
Startling several members of the crew as she passed, appearing as a strange nymph, Nyx sprinted through the Thalassic halls. The crew wondered if she were real or a hallucination. They viewed her as one would seeing visages of mermaids spring to life before their eyes: a mermaid was more likely to be seen below the sea than a fabled survivor of the Armageddon. Should they trust their eyes, or blame the sight on cabin fever? But before decisiveness came to their actions, she was gone.
The detention center came to view. Her stomach fluttered partly in exhaustion from the sprint, but mostly in anticipation of if Hector’s plan would work. She could find Leander. The three of them could soon be safe back above the water. But what if they were too late ... what if Leander already faced his sentence of execution? However, her fears alleviated as she came to the cells.
Behind the bars was Leander.
“Nyx.” Her name left his lips, as if a forgotten dream sprung to reality. He came to the bars, gripping the metal as if not trusting himself to stand.
With voiceless haste she grabbed the keys that Hector spoke of, pushed them into the lock and turned.
The jail door opened. And there was Leander, free. Hers.
His disbelief was as tangible as the crew she had passed, but he moved with resolved single-mindedness out of the cell and towards her, taking her in his arms.
“Nyx ...” his voice now faltered as if all his hopes and desires had been fulfilled having her in his arms once more. His hands moved to cup her chin, wanting to speak of his objections at her risk in coming here, but unable to. All that was in his eyes was complete and unrivaled joy to see her again.
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