Aegis: Catalyst Grove

by Nathan Roten

  Ailey looked down in panicked breaths, fighting against her illuminated shackles. She twisted her arms and pushed against the light, but the bonds were too strong. Cavaness wrapped his large arm around her waist and picked her up again as he had done before. Ailey kicked and slammed her arms against Cavaness trying to escape, but it made no difference. Evidently her power came by grabbing others with her hands, which was impossible now. Cavaness continued to walk over to the hole in the ground where Damien and Kel were.

  Kel was still trying to stand up, the world spinning in circles around her. Damien took his fighting stance again, ready to take on Cavaness. If he was going down, he was going down swinging. As Cavaness approached, he held up his free hand as swirls of flame-like light engulfed it. Instead of holding it out to blast Damien or Kel like they expected, he bend his arm at a 90 degree angle and held his hand to the side of Ailey’s head.

  Ailey immediately ceased to kick and flail, her fear stricken eyes reflecting the golden light. Damien and Kel stopped moving. Graham was just now coming back around, blinking his eyes in an effort to bring the dark sky back into focus.

  Cavaness raised his right foot in the air, holding it a couple of feet above the ground for a moment, then stomped the ground with the intensity of a small earthquake. Damien and Kel could feel a flow of energy flow past them, making the earth around them tremble. The quake flowed to where Murphy and Branson lay, then pushed its way to the surface, cracking the ground beneath them. The force looked as though the ground had given the men CPR, their bodies rising up a few inches and then falling back to the ground, the ground giving way to a miniature crater. As they hit the ground again, they both grunted, and opened their eyes.

  “Get up, you two,” said Cavaness.

  Following orders as best they could, they stood to their feet, both holding their heads. They looked around trying to process what had just happened.

  “Murphy, bind these two, then stand guard over Kel. Branson, you take Damien.”

  Murphy and Branson walked over to the others. Murphy held his fists side by side with his thumbs touching, as if he were about to pull a sword from its sheath. As he moved his hands away from each other, golden chains of light formed between them. They appeared to be a mixture of light and mist, but as Murphy wrapped them around Kel’s wrists, they were as strong as real chains. Murphy did the same to Damien, binding his hands with the luminous chains, then walked behind Kel to stand guard. Branson was already positioned behind Damien, with his hands on Damien’s shoulders. Tiny bolts of electricity danced across the back of Branson’s hands ready to flow into Damien at Branson’s command.

  Damien and Kel swallowed hard. They gave it their best shot, but they had exhausted the playbook. There was only one final move to make. Damien looked over at Graham, who was just now beginning to stand.

  “Time to shine, amigo,” he muttered under his breath.

  Cavaness sat Ailey down in front of Kel, laying her gently on her side.

  “Chase, take the little one. It is time to pop the cork.”

  Chase looked over at Graham with a glint of sorrow and compassion in his eyes. He walked past, not breaking eye contact. His eyes were a little swollen from the head butt, and the corners were beginning to turn purple. His wrists were still glowing, and his eyes retained the odd amber color. Graham looked beyond Chase at Cavaness, Murphy and Branson. They all were the same. The wrist bands radiating through their skin and their eyes a deep amber.

  Chase walked past Ailey, positioning himself between her and Kel. The table was set and the pieces were in place. Damien’s plan, though the details were different than he described, had succeeded. All four men were together, and Graham could make his move.

  Graham stood facing the others. Cavaness had his back to everyone else as he stepped from the edge of the lake bed. He continued walking towards Graham until there was only a couple feet separating them. The two kings stood face to face, each one believing they had Check-mate.

  “Your move, Graham. It is time to show us all what you have been holding back this whole time.”

  Graham said nothing. His quickened pulse led to short, shallow puffs of white vapor from his mouth. Graham clenched his teeth and balled his fists as the bands on his wrists began to illuminate. The storm churning from within manifested with streaks of lightening-like flashes darting around his body as his entire form began to radiate with an iridescent glow.

  “Now that is more like it,” said Cavaness.

  A streak of confidence sprang from Graham’s core. “No more games. You wanted a way for our energy to be released, well here you have it, but I will not let you or anyone else take it from us.”

  Cavaness grinned. “Then I suggest stop holding back.”

  Holding back? This was more than he had ever done. Graham let this fuel him even more. The streaks of light and the glow became more intense as it began to slowly swirl around him. The winds created by the force emanating from Graham made Cavaness’ clothing flap.

  “I said stop holding BACK!”

  Cavaness threw a ball of light at Graham. Graham ducked to the right as the blast shot over his shoulder. Graham flung his hand forward in retaliation, shooting a thick ray of light at Cavaness. Not trying to avoid it, Cavaness shot a larger ray at Graham, overpowering his own and deflecting it straight up into the sky. Cavaness darted to the side, positioning himself so that their blasts were perpendicular to the other kids, out of harms way. Cavaness fired again. Graham leapt into the air, letting the light fly underneath him as he fired at Cavaness. He fell to the ground, ducking his head into a forward roll, then popping back up on his feet. Blast after blast, the two waged war on one another, dodging and deflecting the attacks.

  Cavaness kept his feet planted, but twisted his body so that Graham’s blast flew past his head, letting it crash into the tree behind him, causing the entire trunk to explode. Cavaness watched Graham carefully as he finished his roll, then fired another shot, hitting Graham in the chest. The force knocked Graham to the ground, but it did not hurt nearly as much as the previous blast. This glowing force around him must be absorbing some of the shock.

  As Graham’s back hit the ground, he pulled his arms back, cupping the heels of his hands together with his fingers curled to the sides. Light swirled around in his hands, then fired a shot directly at Cavaness. The force of this blast actually sent Graham’s shoulders digging into the ground. His muscles tensed under the extra force. The beam of light hit Cavaness in the shoulder, causing him to stumble to the side.

  Finally, a hit!

  Cavaness regained his balance, but in reaction to the hit, he held his injured shoulder in his hand. Not wanting to waste the moment, Graham fired another beam of light from his hands. The shot was more intense, sending Graham scooting backwards a few feet in recoil, leaving a trail of mud a dirt underneath him.

  Cavaness was surprised at how much power this little kid had. The strength of his shots were beyond most adults, however they were still no match for his own. Shaking off the pain, Cavaness fired back, but this time the light did not deflect into the sky. Like Robin Hood’s arrow splitting the competition’s arrow in half, his blast penetrated Graham’s shot. Graham did not know what to do, but there was no time to react. The beam tore through his own until it hit the palms of his hands, exploding in a giant flash of light. The force sent Graham flying backwards into a tree behind him. The glow around him faded away as he crumpled to the ground.

  Chase winced as he watched Graham slam into the tree.

  “Cavaness, that is enough!”

  Looking back at Chase he pointed at him and said, “Hold your tongue! He is strong. Stronger than anyone else that has come through here. He can take it. He is going to have to.”

  Kel looked over at Chase, perplexed by his compassion for Graham. Why was he concerned? He is the one that led them here.

  Cavaness walked over to Graham, watching him try to stand to his feet. Before he could stand fully erect, Cavanes
s fired another shot straight into Graham’s gut, sending him back down into the base of the tree. Graham held his stomach as he fell to his side. He cringed in pain as Cavaness fired another shot into his ribs.

  Graham cried out in pain, but Cavaness did not stop. He hit Graham three more times with blasts of light, until it looked as though Graham was going to pass out. Cavaness reached down and grabbed Graham by the collar and picked him up off the ground. Graham grabbed Cavaness’ hands as his feet dangled in the air. He carried Graham over to the others, flinging him to the ground at the edge of the lake bed.

  Graham looked over to see Kel’s backpack lying beside him. He shuffled his body next to it, quickly opened the front pocket and retrieved the knife he took from the cabin. He pulled the blade from the sheath and held it in front of him.

  “Get away from me, or I swear I will use this.”

  Cavaness stood there unimpressed. “I am disappointed, Graham. Murder isn’t your thing.”

  “You have hurt us enough for it to be self-defense,” said Graham in shallow breaths. He was dizzy from the pain. The metal blade in his hand was multiplying into three knifes as his eyes crossed. He drifted to the side a bit and then forced himself to refocus. His wrists were still glowing, though they were fading with each attack.

  “There is a big difference between close combat weapons and long range weapons.” Cavaness extended his hand, firing a blast of light from his palm. The light hit the knife, sending it spiraling into the air.

  “Now you know the difference.”

  Graham recoiled from the attack. The knife had taken the bulk of the hit, but his hand was stinging from the aftershock. As he pulled his hand to his chest, his heart sank into his gut. There was no way he could win.

  “Fight back,” said Cavaness.

  Graham remained motionless.

  “I said fight back!” Cavaness fired a blast into the ground, just in front of Graham, sending dirt and rock into the air.

  Graham wanted to fight, but he was so fatigued that it took all his strength to remain upright on his knees and not succumb to the dizziness.

  “Fine. Have it your way.”

  Cavaness reached out and shot a blast just in front of Kel and Damien, making the ground erupt in front of their feet. They shuffled back in reaction to the explosion, but were held in place by Murphy and Branson.

  “STOP IT! Why are you doing this?!” yelled Graham.

  Cavaness did not respond. He just stared back into Graham’s eyes as his hand illuminated again.

  “Hit me! Leave them out of this!” Graham’s chest was wracked with pain as he pleaded.

  “You need to fight. The catalysts have taken effect. You should be able to use your full strength, but you are still holding back.”

  Cavaness let the ball of light loose, hitting Damien in the gut. Damien shrieked in pain, doubling over to his knees.

  “Does everyone have to get hurt before you let go?”

  Graham tried to react, but it was no use. His mind was numb with the pain surging through his body. He could not focus. He could hardly even breathe. Trying to stand back up, he braced on one foot, but it gave way, sending him back onto his side. All Graham could do was lie there in pain, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

  “I see. This is your play then? Giving in to pain and fatigue?” Cavaness paused, letting his words seep into Graham’s very soul. Looking over at the others, Cavaness nodded his head, giving the authority to them to act.

  Damien was the first to fall. A bolt of energy surged through his body from Branson’s hands until he fell flat to the ground, unconscious. Kel was not far behind. A wave of energy flowed from Murphy’s hands, through Kel’s shoulders, to the rest of her body. Her knees gave way as she fell beside Damien. A tear ran down his cheek as he watched Ailey’s eyes roll in the back of her head, as she fell on top of Kel. They were all unconscious and he had failed. Everyone had done their part but him.

  No, it can’t end this way. I will not let it end this way. Closing his eyes, Graham pressed his face against the wet grass. In his mind, he saw a wave of black smoke. He heard his parents screaming to keep away, and then his own screams fill the air as the light surrounded him. Taking a deep breath, Graham let the memory empower him.

  His nightmare that once infused him with fear had now given him an odd sense of confidence. With his eyes now open, he pushed himself upright with his hand. His head was swimming, but he forced himself to focus. In slow movements, he swung his legs around so that he was on his hands and knees. Graham’s wrists began to glow as he painfully stood to his feet. He clenched his jaw as he made eye contact through the fog. His fingers curled up into fists, making the light around his wrists intensify.

  “Yes, now you are beginning to understand.” Cavaness took a step back into a fighting stance. “Now we are getting somewhere.” The chill in the air caused his breath to form white puffs of vapor as he spoke.

  The pain that wracked his body was subsiding. He could feel his energy levels rising with his anger as the light around him grew brighter.

  “This ends now.”

  The once faint light that encircled Graham had now intensified so that the surrounding fog was illuminated. With one final surge of energy, Graham yelled as loud as he could as the wind around him picked up speed; his wrists glowing as brightly as the light he emitted. For the first time, he was able to will this power to happen. He was learning to control it.

  He felt like he had just been plugged into a power plant. Pure energy was coursing through his veins. It was exhilarating. Finally, Graham thought that he just might have the upper hand. The same raw power from his dream was finally manifesting at his will. His whole body was tingling.

  Now was the time to strike. Graham pulled back his hand to fire, but just as he thought the power within was going to overtake him, however, a wave of fatigue started to take hold. The light around him quickly began to fade along with the bands. His body began to tremble. The pain that once dissipated moments ago came back with full force. The power was too much for his body to handle. Instead of an eruption of pure energy, his body was handling the shock by shutting down. Graham immediately collapsed to his knees as the momentum carried him over onto his hands. It was over, and all he could do now was wait for his turn. His body continued to tremble as he watched Cavaness walk over, kneeling down beside him. He put his mouth to Graham’s ear.

  “You gave it your best shot, kid. You really did. I’m proud of you.”

  Wait, what? Graham thought, but before he could verbalize his question, a warm wave of shock flowed from Cavaness’ hand. It was not a painful shock, but rather a soothing one. The whole clearing spun in circles as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Graham’s head hit to the ground. Guilt, failure and confusion were the final thoughts to fill his mind before blacking out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Coming Full Circle

  The bright light of dawn penetrated the window panes, making Graham flinch and pull the covers over his head. He held them there for a moment not wanting to leave the warm embrace of the mattress, trying to shake off terrifying dreams of monsters and glowing wrists. Graham blinked his eyes a few times.

  Wait a minute. Glowing wrists? Graham’s head shot off the pillow excited at the possibility that he had just woken up from a horrific nightmare. He sat upright expecting to see the other kids of Greenwood asleep. He expected to catch a glimpse of his belongings hovering it midair before it all crashed to the ground. He saw neither. He looked to his right, flinching again at the bright morning sun. He held his hand up to block the light as he looked to his left. There were other beds there, but he was definitely not in Greenwood. Damien was in the next bed rolled over on his side with his back to Graham. He watched Damien intently, making sure that the blanket rose and fell slightly with each breath. Good, he was alive.

  Graham then turned around facing the foot of his bed. There was a small aisle between his bed and the next row of beds lining the op
posite wall. There were four total beds in that row. The two nearest the door were vacant, but Kel and Ailey were lying in the other two. Graham sat there watching their breaths like he did Damien, just to be sure they were still alive. They were sound asleep, and looking as peaceful and content as a dog curled beside a warm fireplace.

  Graham flung the sheets off, and twisted his legs around to the side of the bed. He held his breath expecting to be wracked with pain, but there was none. He moved his hips side to side, then started to pound his chest, stomach and arms with his fist. He felt like a million bucks. Not a single ache or pain. He looked down to see that he had a fresh pair of logo’d sweats on, except these had golden fabric sewn into the sleeves to mimic the bands around their wrists. He pulled up his sweatshirt to inspect for bruising, but there was not a single scratch on him. What in the world was going on?

  Alex sat at a table with his forearms rested on top with one hand resting on top of the other. Cavaness sat to his right and Murphy beside him. To his left were Chase and Branson. Alex turned towards Chase.

  “How’s the nose?”

  Chase turned to face Alex. There was no sign of trauma on his face.

  “Good as new, Sir. Never felt better in my life.”

  “I am glad to hear that, Chase. How are the children?

  “They were pretty frazzled when it was all said and done, but they are resting now, and well deserved. I have never seen a group like this one before. They really gelled as a team.”

  “Then I suppose that is the way they will stay, should they accept.”

  Alex stood to his feet. He brought his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat to speak. He took a few steps back after tucking his chair under the table in order to address all four men.

  “Gentlemen, before we begin, I would like to take a moment and congratulate you on another successful venture. The stage of the catalysts is a difficult one. A lot of time and effort goes into the planning and execution of Catalyst Grove, and you all have done a marvelous job, as usual. You are men of integrity and impeccable character, and to you I raise my glass to say, ‘Well done.’”