Hero Falls Kingdom Rises

by Farhat Kidwai

  "This is pretty messed up!" Stan blurts out in disgust as the mood in the room abruptly shifts.

  "What is it?" Yasmine asked as her focus shifted to the screen Stan was watching.

  "These poachers poisoned a carcass that lions would eat just to kill them and take their claws and teeth." Stan's tone changed from matter of fact to slightly upset as the video went on. "They just hack off their paws and leave?! All that for a few bucks on the black market?" Stan remained fixed to the screen as the video went on to show what happens to the lions’ remains." Yasmine look at this shit! Massive stack of lion paws and stuffed heads they found when they busted these poachers.”

  This is probably what happened to Omega’s friend," Stan added without thinking of how insensitive he sounded.

  "Don't be such an ass, Stan!" Kat firmly responded, still sensitive to Omega’s recent loss.

  "Oh man I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that." Stan apologized for his brash comment.

  “Remember, Omega bonded with these animals like he bonded with us. It’s no different than if those were our heads up there,” Kat explained as she tried to convey how Omega must have felt.

  “Wait, they just kill the lion for its claws to make necklaces?” Yasmine said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

  “You think they could just 3D print those or something, no one would notice” Sol added, always looking at the world logically. “It’s not like you’re going to change people’s behavior. If someone is as irrational as to think wearing a lion claw around your neck will give them strength they aren’t going to consider the impacts this has on the ecosystem. No, they will just keep killing them till they’re all gone, then the real damage begins,” Sol concluded.

  “What do you mean, Sol? Impact to what?” Yasmine asked. “Once the lions are gone there won’t be anything left to kill.”

  “Impact to the ecosystem. Food chain is disrupted. Once the big cats stop eating all the little wildebeests and other prey animals then their population will in turn grow out of control, they will eat all the vegetation too fast which will cause food shortage. Nature has a delicate balance. You take one species out and the ecosystem becomes unbalanced and could wipe of hundreds of other species,” Sol explained.

  “Breaks the circle of life,” Stan proudly explained. Normally he didn’t have much to add to the conversation intellectually but even he understood the big picture of removing the predators from the picture.

  “Look who has been paying attention in class.” Yasmine seem proud of her little brother. “Good for you. Finally you are taking something seriously.”

  Stan, Yasmine, and Kat continued to watch way after sun was up. They were surprised at how much there was to see. Sol continued loading and streaming more videos like a machine, occasionally sitting back, looking up and shaking his head in disappointment.

  "Look at all those tusks!" Yasmine said in disbelief at the sight of a large supply of elephant tusks and rhino horns found in an ivory trade bust. "Makes you wonder how many elephants and rhinos were killed to make up such a huge stockpile."

  "Thousands," Kat added softly. The images started taking their toll on her as she reminded herself to be strong, for Omega. "More than they can afford to lose, their population probably won't recover from this. Elephants care deeply for each other and have some of the strongest emotional connections of any animal including humans. They even mourn the loss members of their herd like we do. We still can’t treat them any better than a resource for us to exploit.”

  "Oh, what the fuck, man?!" Stan redirected the focus onto one of several videos playing, this one showing captive elephants in Thailand going through the brutal training process to become domesticated.

  "Are they beating the baby with spikes!?" Yasmine exclaimed, too stunned to look away. "The fuck is wrong with people? That baby elephant can’t even move!” Yasmine was getting visibly upset.

  “Give me one shot with these fuckers, I’d like to see how they enjoy getting beat with a spiked club.” Stan started getting upset too.

  “This is pretty disturbing,” Sol brings up a video from India that makes the room go silent for a moment, then filled with gasps as Stan, Yasmine, and Kat look in horror.

  “Did… did they just light a baby elephant on fire?!” Stan yelled as he slammed his thermos down on the desk leaving a mark. “I’ve seen some fucked up shit during UN missions but I’ve never seen anything like this before! These people should be burned alive for what they did!” Stan’s mood quickly escalated as the video of the baby elephant burning to death kept rolling. In the background people could be seen throwing rocks and torches at it.

  The room grew tenser as time went on. Everyone was visibly distraught, even a battle-hardened warrior like Yasmine who sees death and killing all over the world had to pause to wipe a solitary tear from the corner of her eye.

  “This is too much,” Yasmine said, fighting back tears. “I can’t imagine what that baby elephant must have felt.”

  “This just gets worse and worse,” Sol cut in as he switched videos on the screen. “Circus elephants in route to their next show.”

  It isn’t clear what’s playing in the video.

  “What is this? A car crash?” Yasmine asked, unsure what she was watching.

  “Just wait,” Sol reassured her.

  The video was taken by a passing motorist from their smartphone. They got out of the car and panned around showing a large truck trailer crashed across the road, debris covering both sides of the highway. Then a surprise. Elephants, on the loose. They were travelling to a nearby circus. The elephants are badly injured and appear stunned. The video follows them as they run over to the side of the road where another elephant lays on the ground, motionless. They walk around it, placing their trunks on its head and face, but it’s no use. The elephant is dead.

  “Humans take animals out of the wild, place them in cages then kill them. Fucking pathetic,” Stan said trying to contain himself.

  “Yasmine you are not going to like this next one. Did you guys know what whaling is?” Sol had saved the worst for the end.

  “No! Come on, you’re kidding me right?” Yasmine was not looking forward to this.

  The room got quiet again as one video showed a beach covered in blood. Hundreds of people gathered on the beach as the red tide washed dolphins ashore, driven by a fleet of fishing boats behind them.

  “This is fucking sick, man!” Stan shouted as he watched the people wielding spears wading in the surf which has turned red with blood as they stab and kill hundreds of dolphins trapped between the beach and the boats.

  “This is hunting in the Faroe Islands,” Sol added as he read off the description.

  “This isn’t a hunt, this is a slaughter,” said Yasmine as a tear rolled down her eye. Dolphins were her favorite animal and this broke her heart.

  “I’d cook these people and feed them to their kids,” Stan said in a cold voice and he held Yasmine’s hand. He knew how much this hurt her.

  “Stan that’s too much,” Kat tried to calm the situation. “These people are just doing what they’ve been taught, it’s part of their traditions passed down for generations to kill these animals for food as they used to, it’s all they know.”

  “That much mercury can’t be good for you,” Sol added. “Besides, that’s way too much meat for a small village. There’s no way they could consume all that.”

  “Yea fuck that,” Yasmine butts in to agree with Stan. “I’m with Stan. You see the way they just kill hundreds of dolphins? Who kills dolphins? This is barbaric. I can’t even watch this. These people aren’t going to change.”

  “Then we’ll make them,” Stan said as stood up. “These fuckers are going to pay for this!”

  Kat nodded back in agreement, relieved that everyone started to understand what Omega must be going through. He lost his family for no good reason. They continued watching in the briefing room all morning.

  “How are you feeling Omega?” Elliot was wa
iting on the other side of the door just as Omega opened it. This was the first time seeing his son since he returned to the GSRC. “I feel responsible for this. I pushed you to go and learn about animals and bond with them. I can see that you are hurting. It was not my intention. I am sorry, son.” They talked walking through the hallway that led towards the briefing room.

  “I am glad I got to connect with other species on this planet. I felt a connection with them that was simple and pure. It felt good. They accepted me for who I am without any agenda. I am thankful that you pushed me to do this. What happened to Roman would have happened either way. At least I was able to save his cubs. Now I know what I need to do. I know my mission. I need to stand up for them. This needs to stop. Humans need to be stopped.” Omega seemed to have clarity.

  “Just let me join you.” Stan joined in from the back. “I have been watching videos of what is being done to these animals all night. I won’t be able to get this out of my head. All I want to do is find some of the fucking people from these videos and straight up murder them. No, something much worse than murder.”

  “Seeing these videos of animal abuse and killings was truly shocking. I had no idea this was going on. We had been living in our own bubble. I can’t un-see what I saw. We need to do something,” Yasmine added.

  Omega felt better now that the people closest to him were willing to go to battle for the same cause. It was not going to be an easy road. They would need some strong allies and a good plan.

  “This is going to be a hard fight,” Elliot said to everyone. “But in the end it will be worth it if it can create a better world for all species.”

  Elliot was finally proud of Omega and the team. They were coming into their own. They had found their purpose; something worth fighting for. Omega could use his gifts for the greater good. He was over his desire to be liked and adored and was finally free of his debt to humans.

  Chapter 8

  “I think it’s time that you met the Dashki people. We may not agree with their ideologies but they have been instrumental in keeping you safe all these years. You are not going to get a pass after what happened in Arizona. There will be some heat coming this way. Honestly, I think Dashkis are nuts to be believe that you are their savior but right now we can use some allies,” Elliot explained.

  “Oh hail the one true King!! Lead us to the promise land.” Stan joked as he bowed to Omega.

  Dashkis prophesied that one day a magical child will fall from the sky and will grow up to lead humanity to the promise land. They had been waiting for centuries for the day when Omega’s ship landed on Earth. Since then they took it upon themselves to protect the child at any cost. They came from all over the world to the port city of Mersin where Omega was being raised. They left their old lives and settled in the area so that one day they can serve the one true King. Overtime they slowly pushed all the non-believers out of the city and created a city for the Dashki followers dedicated to Omega. They were even able to grow their followers in every country since Omega’s arrival.

  As Omega walked out of the GSRC Dashkis were lined up on the side of the road waiting in anticipation. The road was covered in flower petals as Omega walked over to the Dashki’s main Temple. He was showered with flowers as they kneeled and reached out to touch their savior. Omega was visibly uncomfortable as Stan took immense pleasure in Omega’s misery.

  As they arrived at the mega temple the priests greeted Omega by kneeling and touching his feet. Most of the people inside the temple were crying. This was the day they had been waiting on for centuries. Before Omega’s arrival they were ridiculed for their beliefs by everyone and some of their followers had walked away from the faith because they never believed this day would ever come. Since his arrival they all came back and their faith had never been stronger. They would happily sacrifice everything including their lives for their savior.

  The priest named Jeos took Omega and the rest of the team away from the chaos to a private room so they could talk. The room had a throne and they asked Omega to take a seat. “It’s not necessary,” Omega politely declined. Elliot whispered in Omega’s ear, “This is important to them. Just go with it.”

  Omega sat on the throne and the Dashkis began the ceremony to officially appoint him the king of all beings. A big bowl of water was brought to Omega and Jeos used it to wash Omega’s hands and feet while the rest of the priests chanted in the background. After the washing ceremony a crown was placed on Omega’s head. The crown was not shiny and didn’t have any precious stones on it. It was just a dark grey, few-inches-wide metal circle with what looked like an eye carved in the middle. It was strange looking but so was the entire ceremony. This was followed by another small bowl being brought to Jeos.

  “Is that blood?” Jasmine asked.

  “Yes. Don’t worry, no one died for it,” Jeos responded as he continued with the ceremony.

  He dipped his fingers in the blood and made some lines on Omega’s chest and shoulders. Finally he asked Omega to dip his hands in the bowl of blood. The blood dripped from Omega’s hands and he lifted them out of the bowl.

  “That’s gross!!” Stan couldn’t stop himself.

  Jeos explained the reasoning behind the blood ceremony, “Along the journey that is to come it will require a lot of sacrifices. The road to paradise that was promised will be built on the blood of his followers and his enemies. All our hands will be covered in blood.”

  “Still gross though,” Stan spoke under his breath.

  After the ceremony they all sit down at the table to finally talk.

  Once everyone was at the table Elliot opened the conversation by thanking the Dashkis for helping him keep Omega safe all these years. Jeos insisted that, “Protecting our savior in his vulnerable years was their duty. Soon the prophecy will come true and Omega will lead the world to promise land. He will create a better tomorrow for all of us.”

  Stan rolled his eyes, “You really still believe in this crap.”

  Jeos explained, “Our ancestors have believed for centuries that one day he will arrive to save us. You really want us to stop believing now when the prophecy is coming true in front of our eyes? Our faith has never been stronger.”

  “It’s a lucky coincidence that he ended up on Earth. He could have ended up on another planet just as easily. He is not leading you to the promise land,” Stan refuted.

  Jeos added, “We have faith that he will fulfil his destiny. Our people have died protecting him. Their sacrifice will not be in vain. I pray both of us are still around because he will need all of us by his side on this journey.”

  “What do you mean by ‘Your people have died protecting him’? What am I missing here?” Stan looked at Elliot for explanation.

  “A lot had happened before you guys came to the GSRC to live with Omega. The GSRC was not always the safe home that you guys grew up in.” Elliot looked a bit angry. “I have carried this secret for too long and you guys deserve the truth. I had to hide the truth from you guys to keep you safe but it is important that you know the real reason you guys were brought in to live with Omega.”

  “This should be interesting,” Yasmine who was the skeptic of the group was intrigued.

  Elliot went on to explain, “When the ship first arrived in this city we didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know if the aliens were going to be friendly or hostile. The ship was surrounded by UN armed forces ready to attack. Scientists were brought in to investigate. I was brought in because of my experience with studying and understanding the behavior of new species.

  “When my team finally arrived at the scene the ship had already been there for days. Humans had not been able to establish any communication with the ship. We didn’t know who or what was inside and what their intent was. Our task was to figure out a way to communicate with the ship and see if we can figure out the intent. Our first suggestion was to move the armed forces away from the ship. A species that was very likely far more advanced can detect hostility. If they were he
re to attack us they would have done when the ship was still in the air but instead they landed peacefully on the ground. If we wanted to come off as friendly we cannot surround the ship with weapons. It took a lot of convincing but we were able to move the armed forces away from the ship.

  “Then came the really difficult part. How do we communicate with an alien species far more advanced than our own? We had to make them understand that we are not being hostile. I know this may sound stupid but we put up giant screens in front of the ship and started playing videos of different species of animals showing affection and submissiveness in the hope that they may recognize any of those gestures. To this day we don’t know which one of the videos did the trick but it worked. Within a few hours we started to notice some activity inside the ship. We saw some lights turn on followed by a platform that came down from the ship.

  “We as scientists were beyond excited for our first interaction with an alien. We could hear something coming down the platform. We all collectively held our breaths. I still remember that moment like it was yesterday. I stood there frozen in the excitement and anticipation. We finally saw this pod come down the platform. It was just there, sitting at the base of the ship. We didn’t know what to do or how to react. There were no instructions on how to handle an event like this. Do we approach it or give it time? One wrong move could ruin everything. We could see that there was some activity going on with the pod but were too far to see what was inside.

  “After the initial shock was over and we could catch our breath we made the decision to wait. Our assumption was that the pod might be assessing Earth’s environment and its surroundings. We decided to wait till all the activity completely died down. Our hope was that the pod might open itself at some point and that would be the right time to make contact. We had to assume that we were dealing with a far more advanced species if they were capable of traveling lights years to another planet. Think of an ape trying to figure out how a smart phone works. That was us in that moment.