by Shoraz
“The one thing I want right now is to be free,” Sarah said.
“And that is the one thing I cannot give you,” Amare replied.
As they made their way to the cafeteria they sat down to eat; the cafeteria was vibrant and alive. People were trading, selling and buying items as if it were a marketplace; all under the watchful eyes of the guards who were there for security reasons as well as to ensure Amare got his royalties for anything that was sold in his facility. Sarah then wondered what exactly Amare could want with her; after all, he had almost one thousand guards and a vast armory of weapons at his disposal.
After they had eaten Amare led Sarah to his vault, and in there he showed her the huge amount of treasures and currencies which he owned, “All of this and you want me, you did this by yourself Amare, you don’t need me. Please let me go,” Sarah pleaded.
“My plan for you is this, lend me your abilities and I promise you a life of safety and riches by my side,” Amare said to her.
“Let’s go to my office and we’ll discuss what my expectations are for you,” Amare said to Sarah and with that, they went to his office followed by his seven guards.
“Do you always have this many guards?” Sarah asked him.
“No, I only have this many guards when I am in the presence of one who wishes to kill me,” Amare replied.
Surprised by his comment; Sarah asked, “And why would I do that? You’ve neutralized my abilities and I have nothing to fight with.”
“Don’t play games with me Sarah, you’re a strong woman, and I highly doubt that you wouldn’t kill me the first chance you get,” Amare said to her.
“Please Amare, I have no intention to kill you but you really don’t understand,” she told him.
“Then make me understand Sarah,” Amare said to her.
“Even if I told you Amare, you wouldn’t believe me,” she told him.
After all, who would believe that a young woman trekking to Alaska would be one of the keys in altering the fate of the human race.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Finally, Bridget and Roma arrived at the knights infirmary and Roma was quickly ushered off to be looked after, and Bridget was taken to the waiting room. She felt nervous about having her mother hiding out with a band of rogue knights, but she knew it was better than being dead at the hands of her husband.
She wondered about what would make Frank think of doing such a thing, and she couldn’t bear the thought of it, but she had no choice, as he was the governor and leader of the betasapiens, and she could never win against him. She thought of ways to get back at him but now was not the time. Her thoughts were with her mother; how long would she have to stay with the rogue knights? Would they treat her well? And most importantly, what would Frank do if he knew what actually happened?
As she sat in the waiting room, a fellow betasapien noticed her and sat beside her, “Aren’t you the wife of our leader, Frank Brady?” the lady asked.
“Yes, I am,” Bridget said with a smile on her face.
“My name is Wendy. You are a very lucky woman to have such a wonderful husband, after his speech tonight he has given us all great hope that the humans will be destroyed once and for all, at least I hope so,” she said.
“Yes, that will be a beautiful day once they are all eradicated,” Bridget replied back to Wendy. Although privately Bridget vehemently opposed Frank’s visions for the annihilation of the humans, in public she had to show support for his views as this was customary and expected from the wife of the governor.
“It would be so nice to have the lands of the Americas, although Australia has been an incredible sanctuary for us, it lacks the space and land we need for our growth,” Wendy said.
Bridget nodded her head in agreement, but her thoughts were the exact opposite. How could Wendy be so blind Bridget thought? How selfish, arrogant and closed minded could she be to believe that committing genocide of the humans could lead to a better state of life for the betasapiens?
In reality, the humans posed no viable threat to the betasapiens and would gladly live in peace together, but to Frank and the leaders of the betasapiens there was no middle ground or cooperation, it was either the way of the betasapiens or no way at all.
Then just as Bridget was about to continue the conversation she was summoned to the hospital office, and she quickly said goodbye to Wendy and walked away. As she arrived at the office, the medical staff told her that Roma needed to speak to her and she quickly headed to her room.
As she entered, Roma was standing at the window, “Hello Roma,” Bridget said to her.
Roma was extremely happy to see her, and the first words out of her mouth were, “We have to go and see your mother Bridget, she must be very worried, and we have to put her mind at ease.”
Bridget nodded in agreement, but before she could say another word, five white knights entered the room. Among the knights was Joanne; she advised Bridget that Frank had requested her back at the apartment, but Bridget insisted that she was not leaving Roma behind, while Joanne countered saying that two knights would stay with Roma while three knights would accompany Bridget.
Roma opposed saying that all five knights should stay with Bridget in order to protect her given the events that took place earlier, “Stay with Bridget, once I am cleared to resume duties I will return home,” she said, and with that, the five knights left with Bridget to meet Frank.
Bridget – unsure of what to make of the situation given their precarious position – played along with Roma’s plan and left with the knights.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Achilles and Frank knew that they had to find Bridget’s mother. Wherever she was, she posed a threat to them as she now knew of Frank’s deceptive nature and Frank ordered Achilles to find her and Achilles set out on his mission.
Not long after Achilles left, Bridget returned home to the apartment. The bodies of the dead knights had been removed, and the apartment was cleaned. As she entered the apartment, she screamed at Frank, “Where’s my mother? What have you done to her?”
“I don’t know where she is Bridget, if I did I would go looking for her,” Frank replied, and he then ordered the five knights to stand guard outside and they exited the apartment.
“Look, I screwed up, I really didn’t mean for this to happen. I promise I will make it better. I’ve ordered Achilles to gather a team of knights to find your mother. Whoever did this will pay dearly for it,” he said to Bridget in a low, but stern voice.
“Why did you do it Frank? It doesn’t make any sense,” Bridget said to him.
“I said I don’t know Bridget, you’re attitude earlier made me feel uncomfortable, and I felt that you were a threat to my speech and I wanted to make sure that you played along,” he said to Bridget.
Bridget, knowing fully well what Frank’s intentions were replied back to him, “You better find her Frank, I did not expect this from…” but before she could finish her sentence, Frank’s phone rang and he answered it, it was Achilles and he had news of where Bridget’s mother was.
“Put it on speaker,” Bridget said to Frank and he obliged.
“Master, news has arrived that Bridget’s mother was taken by a band of rogue knights and they request a hefty ransom for her safe return,” Achilles said to him over the phone.
“What are they requesting?” Frank asked.
“They request that you call off your war master,” Achilles replied.
As Bridget heard those words over the phone, she was in utter shock and disbelief. She knew there was no way that Frank would call off the war, and secondly; she wondered how Achilles knew that her mother was with the rogue knights. Did someone betray her and Roma? Was there someone else at play in this real life game of cat and mouse?
As those thoughts raced through her mind, she hoped that her mother was safe and sound. She had to get to Roma she thought; she was the only one who would be able to tell her exactly what was going on. In the meantime however, she had to play along and
hope that this was an elaborate hoax aimed at Frank, for if it were not, then the fight to save her mother as well as help the humans was already lost.
CHAPTER TWENTY
As Ava awoke, she saw that Jonah was standing in mid–air, his eyes were closed, and he was breathing heavily. It was almost as if he were dead and alive at the same time. To Ava the scene was both eerie and transcendent, and as she looked around, there was emptiness all around. She then called out to Jonah but there was no movement or reply from him, and he just stood there.
Ava then began walking towards him, and for every step that she took towards him, it was as if he was moving further away from her. Ava then started running towards him in hopes of reaching him, and again it seemed as if he was moving further and further away from her.
Finally, Ava stopped and sat down from exhaustion; and her throat was dry and parched. Then suddenly a rift opened out of nowhere, and water began flowing out from it; and Ava put her hand out to catch the water and started to drink it in order to quench her thirst. Then, as she looked up she could see an oddly shaped planet; and it was a large and floating mass of land, and around it was crystal clear water.
Ava then raised her hand, pointing it in the direction of the odd planet and slowly began bringing it towards her. As the planet came towards her, Jonah faintly called out her name, and she looked towards him and this time his eyes were open and both of them were blue, and his breathing was heavier than it was before.
Ava tried moving towards him but for every step she took he moved further away. Ava then looked towards the planet and it was moving away from her too, she then pulled it towards her again and this time the planet came hurling towards her. She quickly closed her eyes in anticipation of the planet crashing into her and when she next opened her eyes, she was in a majestic room that was made of diamonds. Every inch of the room including the walls, furniture, and decor were made of diamonds of every color imaginable.
The door behind Ava then closed shut and at the other end of the room a throne appeared, and on the left side of the throne was a scepter, and in front of it was a creature which Ava had never before seen nor something she could even fathom. The creature stood at over nine feet tall and was made of flowing water; the creature then summoned Ava to come closer, and she was scared and hesitant, but deep inside she felt comfort and ease.
Somehow she knew that this extraordinary life form meant no harm to her. Then as she made her way to the throne, she instinctively reached for the scepter and as she did so, the creature raised its hand which suddenly morphed into a solid sword made of red diamond.
The creature then raised the sword and Ava began running away, and as she ran the creature came closer to her and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her backward. As she fell to the ground, the creature again raised its sword and lashed it at Ava, and as she raised her hand to protect herself, the sword sliced right through it. Then, as Ava screamed in pain, the creature then grabbed her by the throat and began choking her.
“Anyone not worthy of the throne will die, and you are not worthy. Your end is now,” the creature said, and with that it tightened its grip on Ava’s throat, readied its sword and plunged it through her heart.
Ava then dropped to the ground and her body lay lifeless. The creature then went back to stand guard at the throne, and as it did so Ava felt herself moving away from her dead body, and as she looked at herself, her body bore no signs of the wounds that were just inflicted on her. She then headed towards the door and exited, and as she exited she was now back with Jonah, this time however, his entire body was crystal blue and his breathing was heavier than before.
He then asked Ava, “Did you see it Ava? Did you sit on the throne?”
“No, the guardian of the throne killed me before I could reach it,” she replied.
“You have to try again Ava, I will help you, and you have to do it,” Jonah said.
Jonah then began morphing into a Blue Dragon and Ava watched in amazement. She was scared and started turning around to run away and just then, her mother Luanne appeared, “Mother, help me please,” Ava cried to her.
“Don’t run Ava. Believe in yourself, this is who he is,” her mother said to her.
Ava was then back in the room of diamonds; and the creature stared at her in disbelief that she was still alive and she stared back at it. Then suddenly the creature came running towards her, and she also began her charge towards it, as they collided Ava was hit with a force unlike anything that she had ever felt before, and she then dropped to the floor and her body was in severe pain.
The creature then readied itself for the death blow and just as it was about to deliver it, the Blue Dragon appeared out of nowhere and attacked it. Blue fire came out of its mouth and was aimed at the creature and it began to freeze. Then, as the Blue Dragon continued to shoot fire towards the creature it was almost entirely frozen, and as it became fully frozen the Blue Dragon then stopped and turned towards Ava.
There were no words, but none were needed. Ava then picked herself up from the floor and began walking towards the Blue Dragon and just as they were about to meet, the creature burst out of the ice and raised its sword and just as it was about to thrust its sword into the Blue Dragon, Ava awoke.
CHAPTER TWENTY–ONE
As night fell, Chandra was unable to fall asleep even though she was extremely tired from the events of the day, and she was nervous in anticipation of what awaited her. Although she never fully agreed with Frank’s vision for the betasapiens, she always treated him with love and respect; and now the fact that she knew that he tried to kill her made her emotions get the better of her and they were taking a toll on her already fragile state of mind.
In addition to that, she was tired and felt weak given that she had been on the run for the past twenty–four hours. This was not a life that she was accustomed to, as before her abduction at the hands of her son–in–law she lived a life of luxury. Although she was not an elite among the betasapiens, she was well respected and trusted due to her dedication towards her people.
She was known for her honesty and care that she showed to others, especially Frank. They had a very good relationship even when things between him and Bridget soured. On many occasions, Frank confided in her, and she was the one person that kept Bridget from leaving him. Although she did not have the same financial backing as some of the betasapien elite had, she did have the trust of many betasapiens, some of which helped Frank in his bid to be the betasapien leader.
As she pondered upon her current situation she felt betrayed by Frank, and although she dearly wanted revenge on him, her mind was constantly thinking about the safety of Bridget. She now knew what Frank was capable of and would not put it past him to put Bridget’s life at risk in order to get what he wanted.
“What do we do now Milo?” she asked.
“We stay put Ma’am, that is what we have been told to do. We don’t make a move until we are told to do so,” Milo replied.
Just as Milo said those words, a command came down, “Milo, the knights of the ocean are ready, let’s go,” and with that, the band of rogue white knights and Chandra headed towards Australia’s northeast coast.
Milo was one of the rogue knights; he was one of the first waves of knights to leave the white knights and become rogue. He was strong and modest in his beliefs, and although many of the knights respected and admired him and pledged allegiance to him, he never once called himself their leader. Milo was one of the main reasons that the rogue white knights had survived this long without being found out about, and in his earlier years Milo led a battalion of white knights in the First Great War.
In that war, Milo led his battalion to victory in each and every battle they fought. He was created to follow every command, and he did so very well, in the history of the white knights there has never been any like him. Like many of the knights, he initially did as he was programmed to, and as the knights tracked and killed humans with the utmost precision, something unexpected
happened to some of them, and they began to feel emotions such as empathy, sympathy, and love.
This unexpected behavior in essence, was a flaw in the core code used to program the knights. Most betasapiens blamed this behavior on a virus which attacked the knights, but those in power knew the true nature of what caused this malfunction and change in behavior. They tried everything they could to contain the so called virus which led to millions of knights going rogue, but in the end, they were unable to do much at all.
As each day passed the code became embedded and entrenched into the core of what made each knight, and it was as if the knights were destined to be more than robots, and in essence, they became almost human.
The first known knight to encounter this malfunction was a golden knight, and she was labeled as TraitorZero. It occurred during the First Great War; it was said that a gang of five knights were attacking a band of innocent humans who were not involved in the war.
During the assault, TraitorZero suddenly stopped fighting, ceased any movement for five seconds, and then automatically rebooted. After the reboot, TraitorZero had told the other knights to stop the assault on the humans, and the knights, unsure of what to make of TraitorZero’s commands didn’t stop and continued attacking the humans.
As they turned their backs on her and continued fighting, TraitorZero readied her weapons and shot the knights, three of them died instantly and one was wounded and fought back against TraitorZero. As the fight continued the same humans that were being assaulted fought back and helped TraitorZero defeat the wounded knight.
After the wounded knight was killed, TraitorZero then left to live with the humans, she quickly learned their ways and helped them in their fight for survival. As the years past many more knights followed in TraitorZero’s footsteps and became allies with the humans in their fight against the betasapiens.
As a result of the First Great War, billions of humans died, but many survived to carry on the human race thanks to the knights who malfunctioned and went rogue. After the First Great War, the knights went onto live normal lives. They migrated to parts of the earth inhabited by humans; while millions of them went to live in desolate areas of the earth so as not to be for or against the humans and betasapiens; while others chose to live in the underwater cities throughout the oceans.