by Paul Ormond
Launching into the air, Master Brogun raised his weapon to strike, but an immense explosion occurred within the writhing mass, sending out a shockwave in all directions.
“By the Gods,” a priest shouted as he looked up at the specter hovering overhead. “It’s her.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“COMMANDER HOLRATHU, THIS has gone too far,” President Edwards said. “We have done everything we can to oblige your requests, but you continue to alter our arrangement. I will not stand for any more of this. We are a sovereign nation, and this planet is our home.”
“I fully agree with you,” Commander Holrathu said through the holographic screen. “And if you wish to remain that way, you should follow my instructions, or I will be forced to cripple your government and replace you with someone I can trust. The threat I am preparing this planet for is real and imminent. If you do not wish to stand with us, I will be forced to consider you an enemy. Nothing will interfere with the Emperor’s transcendence.”
“But that is exactly what I am referring to,” Edwards said. “We never agreed to this transcendence operation. The reports I see regarding what you are doing beneath the city of Kingsford are shocking, to say the least. My scientists are telling me that the operation you wish to proceed with will tear this planet apart.”
“Why would I destroy the future home of the Emperor and Empress?” Holrathu asked in admonishment. “Do you realize how much of an honor it will be for your planet to host our most divine ruler? Systems all across the network would execute half their populations just to be considered for such a prestigious role.”
“As honored as we are to be a part of this great endeavor, I wonder why it is that you chose our planet over all the others for your Emperor’s domain?”
“There is a simple answer to that question, but the explanation will require you to understand the inner workings of the multi-verse. Long before the network, this thing we call the multi-verse was a disjointed mess. Chaos reigned supreme as entire universes collided with each other, causing catastrophe on top of catastrophe. This is obviously an oversimplification, and there are many other factors at play, but just understand that before the network, chaos was the ruling factor in the multi-verse. The ancestors of my civilization sought answers to the chaos of the multi-verse, and they discovered it within the material your scientists describe as dark matter. This matter is the key to linking worlds together. As abundant as it is throughout the multi-verse, it takes great concentrations of this material to manifest the network. Long before my time, the greatest minds in our civilization discovered a way to harness this energy, and we have been using it ever since with greater and greater efficiency, and the network I speak of has grown in accordance. But, like all things, chaos has a way of seeping in. During our efforts to enhance the network, we manufactured a mechanism designed to stabilize the network and expand our reach, but our fool of a leader hesitated and a meltdown occurred. From the fires of this chaos our Emperor and Empress were born. But this birth was not without sacrifice. As the mechanism failed, a tremendous release of energy incinerated our home planet and destroyed our civilization.”
“I am sorry to hear that, but I still don’t understand why it is that you chose Earth of all places for your Emperor and Empress. There must be an uninhabited planet in the multi-verse that you can claim as your home. Our scientists have been discovering new planets near our system that they say may host hospitable climates. Surely you could find a planet suitable for your Emperor in some other place.”
“I imagine that you consider yourself rather persuasive, Madam President. But the Emperor doesn’t appreciate it when his subjects attempt to wriggle free from their duties. It is a great blessing that this planet has been selected by the Emperor as his future home. And you should be honored to serve him as such. Do not question his decisions or you will live to regret it.”
“This is not time to be making threats, Commander. I made and arrangement with you to protect this planet at your urging. You claimed this planet would be attacked by forces led by one of our own. But this attack has failed to materialize. All the while, you have been toiling away under the surface of our planet, constructing a mechanism you say will bring your Emperor here. As I sit here speaking with you, I wonder if it is not you who is invading us.”
“That is an absolutely ludicrous claim, President Edwards. I am astonished that you would accuse me of such underhanded practices. There is no entity in the multi-verse more honorable than the Emperor. Every arrangement we have made has been made with the greatest intentions, and we fulfilled our end of the bargain in our great and glorious Emperor’s name. Have we not provided you with the technology and weaponry you need to protect your planet? And did you not agree to allow us access to the subsurface of your planet in exchange for this technology?”
“I did agree to these terms, but I did not agree to allowing your deity to take up residence here.”
“I’m afraid you did, President Edwards. Our agreement clearly states that you would not question or interfere with our endeavors. I believe it is you that is in violation of our contract not the Emperor, but since you insist upon prying into our affairs, I will enlighten you as to why we chose your planet above all others as the seat of the Emperor’s extent.”
“Asking you a direct question is not in violation of our contract, Commander.”
“It is not, but if you continue this line of questioning, I will be forced to reconsider some of our arrangements. If you’ll allow me to continue, I was about to answer your question. We have searched the multi-verse for a system with characteristics suitable for the transcendence of the Emperor and Empress. Although the multi-verse is vast and endless, it is immensely difficult to find candidates which fit our very specific requirements. When we examine systems, there are several criteria we keep in mind as we search for an ideal host: available energy, proximity to the network, stability, star age. The list goes on and on, but the most important factor we take into consideration is the energy available. Your system checked off every item on our list and the energy available far surpasses the necessary level for transcendence. Therefore, of all the systems in the multi-verse, we selected this location for our Emperor to come into being in his full form alongside the Empress.”
“That is an impressive answer, but I do not see how allowing this to happen will preserve my country or the planets sovereignty.”
“This country you claim as your own on this planet does not belong to you, nor to anyone. Only a foolish being such as yourself could deluded themselves into thinking like this. But I can relate, for I was much the same as you, until I allowed the Emperor’s love to fill my heart. You see, the multi-verse is a cold, cruel place, indifferent to our suffering as sentient beings. Life as we know it can be taken away in a heartbeat and the things we hold dear will crumble to dust in our hands. Such is the nature of chaos, that dark terror ever lurking in the vast emptiness. So this nation you claim to rule and this planet you call your home is nothing to the forces of chaos amassing all around you. But the Emperor is the light which we can cling to in all this darkness. A force for creation, a force for love. Find him and you will truly be free.”
“I fail to see how believing in your Emperor will set us free.”
“It is not a matter of believing, my dear President. Any fool can believe in something. For one to step fully into the light of this existence, they must accept the Emperor into their heart. Anything short of this is oblivion. Therefore, you have a choice: open your heart or perish.”
“But this has nothing to do with our arrangement.”
“That may be true, but it has everything to do with your arrangement with the Emperor. The choice is yours. And I suggest you make it soon, for he is coming whether you like it or not. And with that, I will leave you to ponder your predicament. May he reign forever,” Commander Holrathu said before he ended the transmission.
“What the hell just happened?” President Edwards said after she
sat back in her chair in shock.
“It looks like our worst nightmares are coming true,” Dr. Nelson said while he stood up from the couch and approached the fireplace. “We knew that encountering these beings could be disastrous for our population, but I don’t think we could have possibly imagined that we would play host to their deity.”
“That is not what I want to hear,” Edwards said. “I tried to appease that lunatic based on all of your suggestions, but it just blew up in my face. Every single concession we have made has backfired. I fear the worst is yet to come, and I am looking at all the people in this room to help me come up with a solution. We are talking about the end of our of our existence as we know it.”
“I’m afraid that existence ended when we made contact,” Dr. Nelson said. “Unfortunately for us, we are merely speed bumps in the way of progress as far as these beings are concerned. They look at us as we would look at any other species on our planet when we consider our next development. Certainly, we care about the welfare of the great apes, but that concern is tossed out the window when we decide to dig up their habitat as we mine for precious metals.”
“That may be true, but it’s not doing me any good now,” Edwards said, standing up from her desk. “I will go down as the last President of the United States. If a world history exists sometime in the future, I will be described as the one who sold the world to these monstrous beings and their bloody Emperor.”
“Unless we can fight back,” General BroadBet said while seated on the couch.
“And how exactly should we do that, General?” Edwards asked, gazing out the window. “The situation is simple. We are outgunned and out manned. How can we possibly overcome such a force?”
“President Edwards, do not despair,” Broadbet said before he stood up and paced away from the couch. “In our own history there are dozens of examples of armies and civilizations overcoming incredible odds to vanquish invading Empires. King Leonidas of Sparta at Thermopylae, for one.”
“Didn’t all of Leonidas’s men die in that battle?” Edwards asked.
“That may be true, but their victory sent shock waves through the Persian army and emboldened the Greeks to stand up to the invaders,” General Broadbet said.
“It is a wonderful story, but I fail to see how it aids us now,” Edwards said. “Please spare me your fairy tales and provide me with a solution.”
“There are two solutions as far as I can tell,” Dr. Nelson said as he leaned against the fireplace and looked up at Washington’s portrait. “But before I make my suggestions, may I bring up a history lesson of my own. Washington suffered two historic defeats during the war of independence. The first occurred on Long Island in 1776. The redcoats made an amphibious assault, forcing Washington and his army to flee to Manhattan. The British immediately pursued, and Washington pulled back to what we now call New Jersey. These retreats gave Washington plenty of time to question his tactics. He knew he couldn’t defeat the redcoats head on. Instead, he opted to fight the enemy on his own terms with help from the sworn enemy of the British: the French.”
“We all know that story,” President Edwards said. “But what good does it do us know? We’ve already been defeated.”
“I believe Dr. Nelson has a point, Madam President,” Broadbet said, resting his hands on the back of a chair. “Without French help, Washington would have lost the war.”
“I don’t see how the French are going to help us now,” Edwards said.
“We’re not talking about the French, Madam President,” Dr. Nelson said. “Commander Holrathu has repeatedly insisted that we are about to be attacked by a radical terrorist hellbent on destroying the earth.”
“Yes, the legendary Mitch Mythic,” President Edwards said. “So far he has failed to materialize. I guess he is living up to his namesake.”
“That may not be entirely true,” General Broadbet said. “If this were all just a bunch of nonsense, why would the Commander put so much emphasis on external security. It is easy to see the tactical advantage of scaring us into corralling our own people as such, but from what I can gather about the Commanders troop movements they are preparing themselves for an external threat. That must mean there is something out there that gives him concern.”
“So you are saying that this whole Mitch Mythic thing is real and you want me to do some double dealing?” Edwards asked. “That sounds like all well and good but there are only two problems with your suggestion. We don’t know where the hell Mitch Mythic is, and if Commander Holrathu discovers we are going behind his back, we’ll all be instantly disintegrated.”
“But if we could get word to Mitch Mythic that we are sympathetic to his cause and that the situation on earth is dire. He could come to our aid. He is a human being, after all,” General Broadbet said.
“Those are a lot of hypotheticals you are spewing out, General,” Edwards said.
“That is not entirely true, Madam President,” Dr. Nelson said. “We know Mitch Mythic is a threat to the Masters. If not, why would the Commander make such a big deal out of it?”
“Fine, but how are we supposed to get word to him if he is lost in the multi-verse,” Edwards asked. “This whole thing is going completely off the rails. I cannot believe I am even considering any of this. I must be losing my mind.”
“This is a dark time, indeed,” Dr. Nelson said. “But all is not lost. If we act fast, we may be able to counter this, but at what cost it is hard to say. We do have the advantage of having a large population at our disposal. The only problem will be arming them without attracting any attention.”
As the Doctor spoke, an aid rushed in and handed the President a piece of paper.
“Well, this has just gone from bad to worse,” the President said before she crumpled the paper and threw into the garbage. “A pack of terrorists armed with inReal tech just assaulted ADX Florence and are attempting to break out O’Dell Grimes. Get General Vargas on the phone now. We’re heading to the situation room to see this thing out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
WITH ONE SLASH of his blade, Robert sliced through a half dozen guards in mid-fire, clearing the way to the loading zone.
“It’s shut Gaelin” Gerald shouted as he halted before the large bay door they had entered several minutes earlier.
“I don’t know what happened,” Gaelin shouted into the mic. “The guards must’ve shut it manually. I’m doing everything I can, but it looks like it's out of my hands.”
“Time for alternative measures,” Gerald shouted while the clamor of charging guards echoed down the long hall leading to the loading zone. “Altogether, give that door everything we’ve got.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Davis said after he let go of his grip on the unconscious body of O’Dell Grimes.
“Count us in, boss,” Babcock said, preparing an orb in her hand.
“Ready when you are,” Robert said with his arm pointed at the door.
“Here we go,” Gerald shouted. “Three, two, one fire.”
“That weakened it, but it wasn’t enough,” Gerald shouted as the orbs sunk into the thick metal plates.
“We better come up with something quick,” Robert shouted before he turned toward the door. “Everybody find some cover cause we’re gonna have company.”
As he dove behind a post, several guards charged into the room and opened fire in all directions, spraying the room with bullets. But they were pounded back by a volley of fire from Davis and Babcock, hiding behind a forklift at the far end of the room.
“You guys might want to put on some sunscreen,” Ramon said over the radio while more guards stormed into the room. “Things are about to get a little bright.”
Before anyone had a chance to answer, a searing light poured through the tight cracks of the bay door. The sound of screeching metal filled the air as the guards pulled back, expecting a blast.
Covering his eyes with his arm, Gerald felt an intense heat wash over his body before the doors exploded in a bu
rst of fire. Through a cloud of smoke, Ramon pushed into the loading bay and blasted the far door while the guards attempted to re-enter the room.
“They’ll live,” Ramon said. “But I think it’s time to spilt. Unless you guys feel like busting out anymore terrorists.”
“I think we’re full up on lunatic terrorists,” Gerald said, rising into the air.
“Whoa, what is that smell?” Ramon said. “Did somebody take a dump in here or something?”
“Don’t ask,” Davis said before he and Babcock elevated O’Dell Grimes.
“It appears the leader of the resistance has lost his grip on reality,” Babcock said while they pushed out of the bay and into the night sky.
“The package is on the move,” Gerald said, following after his companions. “And I’m in need of some napkins. It’s time to pull out people.”
“I’m terminating the cloak now, but it looks like they may have spotted us already,” Christine said over the intercom while a helicopter took flight from the roof of the far building.
“Robert, you think you can take that thing out without killing anyone?” Gerald shouted after Davis and Babcock passed over the fence.
“I think I can handle that,” Robert said, turning toward the aircraft. “But do I lose points if somebody dies?”
“No, but you’ll be responsible for the death of an innocent American,” Gerald said while racing out of the complex. “All of our actions have consequences.”
“Thanks for the morality lesson, Gerald,” Robert said, diving under the helicopter. “But I’m starting to get a little tired of this patronizing tone.”
“Once you start taking responsibility for your actions, I’ll stop patronizing you,” Gerald said, escorting Davis and Babcock out across the low foothills.
“I just can’t do anything to satisfy you, can I?” Robert said before grabbing hold of the helicopters left skid as a guard attempted to shoot him out of the side door.