Into the Fire Part I_Requiem of Souls

by Christian Kallias

  She used telekinesis to break the large spikes of ice she had erected on the ground and sent them flying toward Chase. He reacted instinctively and shattered them one by one with his elbows and knees.

  When he was done with the last one, Oryn was still approaching him at ballistic speed, her white and blue aura swirling around her so fast she looked like a comet on its way to destroy anything in its path.

  She concentrated her entire power into this last attack, and as much as Chase didn’t want to go there, he felt how dangerous the situation had become. He transformed into his Ultra Fury form, and his purple-hued aura became fire and turned orange. His eyes were replaced by two miniature suns.

  When she was upon him, he unleashed the most powerful telekinetic shock wave he could muster to stop Oryn’s ballistic meteor-like ascension. Chase’s hair flew backward madly upon his wave impacting with the energy coming his way. But he barely managed to contain her. Some of the energy enveloping her dissipated, and Chase could see her silhouette, fist first, struggling to rise higher and reach his position.

  That’s when he released his mental hold on her. To her surprise, she resumed racing toward Chase like a shooting star. Chase teleported out of the way and instantly appeared behind her. She barely had the time to see him when he stroked the back of her neck with the edge of his open palm in a swift but devastating blow.

  Oryn lost consciousness almost instantly and the aura swirling around her died off as the red planet’s gravity took hold of her and she started falling down.

  Chase looked at her for a couple of seconds as he reflected on these last few moments. Then he teleported down into Oryn’s path and caught her in his arms, not letting her body crash to the hot and coarse ground of Erevos. Chase’s aura returned to purple, as did his eyes. She was still unconscious when he teleported them both away from Erevos.

  4

  Cedric’s console holo-screen filled with Spiros’ face.

  “Hey buddy, how are you settling in?”

  “I’m okay. It’s been a tiring few hours. There have been a few times where I thought I might lose power. Argos’ secret base barely has the power requirement I need to do my work. But I’ve managed to install upgrades to the power nodes, and everything is okay now.”

  “How’s Gaia’s code?”

  “I managed to stop the corruption from getting worse, but writing a recovery algorithm will take a little while longer than I expected.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  “There is, in fact. You could look over my functions and perhaps design a way for me to share some of the fleet’s CPU power over our subspace link.”

  Cedric flinched. Anything involving a network with Gaia in the equation made him uneasy.

  “Don’t worry,” reassured Spiros. “I’m not going to link my code with Gaia until I’m ready. So during that time, it would be a safe demilitarized network zone between you and me. I would never risk recreating the conditions that created Gaia 2 in the first place.”

  It made sense, and Cedric was glad that his friend was taking all the necessary precautions.

  “I know you’ll be careful. How long do you think until you have a working clone for yourself?”

  “It will be a while, but I’m about ready to start growing one. I’m more worried about being able to heal the damage to her code before the clone is ready. But I suppose that there isn’t really any time limit.”

  Technically, Spiros was right, except Cedric hoped that he would see his friend soon. As well as Gaia. These two had been through so much that it felt cruel to have them separated any longer. Cedric longed for such a connection between a man and a woman. Part of him was even a little jealous. Though he discarded the thought, as he knew this was a difficult time for Spiros right now.

  “I’ll set up the subspace link and let you use some of our computational power. I’ll even ask Thor if we can use some of the Asgardian systems; that would definitely give you more processing power.”

  “That would be perfect, thank you, my friend. Let me know if there is a way I can ever repay you.”

  “We owe you our lives many times over, so that’s not necessary, however—”

  “Yes?”

  “You remember that tech you wanted to build to help Chase train beyond just the gravity fields?”

  “I do. What about it?”

  “Do you think you could help me finish your work? I get the feeling they will need a better place to train than the current cargo bay transformations. Not to mention, Argos keeps disabling its safety protocols, and I worry that one day one of them might get injured that way. And with what happened, I think they need whatever edge they can get as well as a way to blow off some steam.”

  “I don’t follow; what’s happened?” inquired Spiros, unable to hide the worry in his tone.

  “Something horrible. Zeus is dead, and Arakan took out Olympus.”

  “Zeus is dead? What— What do you mean took out?”

  “The entire planet. Gone. It’s been destroyed.”

  Spiros’ face dropped.

  “That’s not possib—” Spiros paused. “How?”

  “He created a black hole near Olympus, then went to the surface and killed Zeus just before the planet got ripped to shreds.”

  “I can’t believe all of this has happened in such a short amount of time.”

  “Arakan played us; we were sure his target was Asgard, and in fact he didn’t go easy on us there either. A large fleet of ships awaited us there, as well as powerful assassins trying to get to Odin. I mean, he cooked up the best diversion he could think of in order to move on Olympus and—”

  Spiros nodded solemnly.

  “I see. Tell me what I can do to help.”

  “Your artificial black hole engine idea. I think that would really help. I’ve looked into the schematics of the ship, and while I don’t like the idea of playing with black holes anywhere near our fleet, this could be the ultimate training chamber. Especially with the time distortion.”

  “I was thinking to try and counter that side effect.”

  “Yeah, and that would seem logical, until we factor in the element that lately we never have time. Chase can’t spend weeks or months training, the Furies would conquer the universe and bring us all to our knees, unless—”

  “Unless time spent in the training room passed slower.”

  “Yeah, the side effect of the black hole would actually be a plus; should we manage to reverse its polarity. It would allow our friends to train for longer periods of time inside the facility while time passed at a normal pace outside of it.”

  “Yes, it would be ideal, but— I never finished it because I hit too many roadblocks, the first of which is the immense energy requirements to create the black hole in the first place. Though technically we’d want a white hole, so that the time near the anomaly passes faster rather than slower like it would with a black hole.

  “Not to mention that I came up short on the equation just to power the containment field. And that alone is crucial; lose containment and the ship on which the training facility resides goes bye-bye, and if there’s a fleet around, so would they. As much as I see how such a room would help Chase, Argos and the others train and improve their powers, I think it’s just too risky.”

  “I’ve discussed it with Yanis, and he thinks the new Warheart class ship Victory can crunch these numbers and then some! I just don’t want to do this on my own, I— well I would feel better if you double-checked my math on this one, and I would also need your expertise to create a shutdown procedure.”

  “And here you have another roadblock, but it’s academic anyway, since I don’t think it’s possible to safely create either a black hole or a white hole artificially and manage to contain it. Achieving both and managing to regulate power to make it a safe environment seems highly improbable and too dangerous. I’m sorry, Cedric. I truly thought this was a great idea at the time, and perhaps Gaia would have helped me find a solution, but she
can’t help anymore, not until I bring her back…if I bring her back.”

  “Don’t talk like that, Spiros; you’ll get her back! I have faith in you. As for the energy for creating the black hole,” Cedric chuckled. “I know how to do it.”

  Spiros’ eyes grew wide. “How?”

  “All we need is to replicate the conditions outside the ship, within the black hole containment chamber. Then let Chase create the anomaly.”

  “You’re not serious?”

  “How do you think Arakan created the black hole that took out Olympus? Furies can’t use their powers in space, and if they do, they create space-time anomalies. Black holes!”

  Spiros smiled.

  “Except we’d need a white hole.”

  “One problem at a time.”

  “We’re crazy even attempting this, you know that?”

  “What else is new?”

  Oryn was still in Chase’s arms when he began healing her. He started with her broken wrist, then sent enough energy flowing into her body to heal most of her wounds before waking her up.

  She blinked her eyes multiple times.

  “Where am I? What happened?” she said with a muted voice.

  “Back on board the Hope.”

  “I had a terrible nightm—” but she stopped herself. “We were really on Erevos, weren’t we?”

  “Yes. And well—”

  “I lost.”

  “That about sums it up,” said Chase as he gently put Oryn on her feet. “Can you stand?”

  She nodded.

  “I trust you’ll abide by the rules of our wager and let me do things my way?”

  “I gave you my word.”

  “Good. Now you should go rest. I healed your main wounds, but I can’t afford to spend too much energy, we might need to move fast without much notice, so we all need to be back in top shape when that time comes.”

  “Does that mean that you’ve reconsidered?”

  “About rushing to Erevos unprepared? No. But you were right about one thing, though.”

  Oryn’s eyebrows rose.

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re not crystal statues. None of you are, and I can’t treat you like you’re unable to defend yourselves. This lack of trust on my part is disrespectful, and you all deserve better than that. Since I discovered my powers, I have had doubts about myself, my ability to control them, and most importantly, my unwillingness to accept outside help. I thought I had assimilated all that, but it’s clear that I still feel responsible for each and every life lost in this war.”

  “I didn’t know that. I just felt that you were a little overprotective at times. But—” she paused for a moment. “I’m sorry I called you a coward. That was uncalled for. I was angry, and I wish I never said that.”

  “That’s alright, Oryn. I know anger well myself, it almost consumed me a few times. Apology accepted.”

  “Thank you, Chase. What do we do now?”

  “Have you learned anything from this?”

  A tear fell from Oryn’s eyes.

  “I have. I’m not ready to take on Arakan. I was so sure I was though.”

  “That was your hatred talking; when it gets out of control, it overshadows everything else. The first thing to go is usually common sense. But in your angered state, you’ve displayed some very interesting abilities. Some I wonder if you knew you had.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t remember recharging your energy by attracting lightning to your fist like a lightning rod?”

  “I’m a little fuzzy about the details of our fight; did I?”

  “Yes, and you also managed to drain energy from the planet itself, or at least that’s how it felt.”

  “How is it possible?”

  “I have a theory, but— nah…it’s probably stupid.”

  “No, Chase. Please, tell me.”

  “Well, you’re Zeus’ daughter, and he could invoke the elements, including thunder. I thought I felt a transference of energy of some kind when he took your hand before— well before the end. I was not exactly focused at that time, so I thought I’d imagined it. But Zeus helped me lock onto rogue memories as well as unlock my teleportation power, so it’s not too far-fetched to think that he could have transferred or simply released some dormant powers in you.”

  More tears covered Oryn’s still slightly bruised cheeks.

  “Then perhaps I need to train to gain better control of these powers.”

  “That is an excellent idea. Just take it easy, and make sure you start with a full cycle in a regen tank first.”

  “Very well.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” said Chase, giving her a casual two finger salute.

  “Wait— Chase. Please wait.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “I— I’m sorry.”

  When Chase couldn’t find Sarah in their quarters, he went to check on the bridge. Daniel was in the captain’s chair.

  “Where’s Sarah?”

  “I don’t know; I thought she was with you. Can’t you just locate her in space and teleport to her?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve teleported a lot for one day; it takes a lot of energy, so I don’t like using it when it can be avoided. Especially during these times, since I never know when I might need that energy.”

  “Makes sense. Are you alright, buddy?”

  “I don’t know,” sighed Chase.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “What is there to talk about? I fell for Arakan’s ploy, and my grandfather got killed as a result. That and probably many members of my family I didn’t know I had in the process when Olympus was obliterated. Frankly, I don’t know how or what to feel.”

  “That’s heavy, and I’m very sorry for your loss, Chase. But what are we going to do about it? Don’t you want to go get your father out of there?”

  “Why is everyone assuming I don’t want to go right this instant?”

  “Because you’re usually just flying toward danger without question, putting your life at risk at every turn and that we’re used to you doing one insane thing after another. Sometimes without even a second thought on your part. It’s a little strange to see you pause and think. Not that I mind.”

  “Yeah, I guess I do tend to just go with my gut. But, last time I did that, it cost Olympus its very existence. So—”

  “Nuh-uh! Don’t do this to yourself, Chase.”

  “Don’t do what?”

  “Somehow put the blame on your shoulders, like you often do. There was nothing you could have done. Arakan went all in, he gambled a large part of his resources to achieve that goal, and we could never have anticipated this turn of events.”

  Could we have anticipated it? Chase did wonder. Every step he took, up until it was too late, felt like the right move. But in the end, he had been tricked.

  “I keep replaying the last few hours before Zeus got killed in my head. Trying to think what I could have done differently.”

  “Chase, don’t. You did what you thought was right. That doesn’t make it a mistake. Have you gone to talk with Zeus?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me; you can go to the Underworld, can’t you? So, have you been to see him there?”

  Chase shook his head.

  “Then go, now. I’ll find Sarah and let her know you’re looking for her.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to say.”

  Daniel chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “The image of Chase Athanatos being mute, that’s what’s funny. You always have something to say, even when you were supposed to shut up, like back at the academy. No matter how many times you were suspended or assigned latrine duties, you simply wouldn’t shut up.”

  Chase smiled at the nostalgic feeling of these shared memories from a simpler time. “This is different, Daniel.”

  “I know that. Just go; the words will come to you.”

  “
Very well. Thank you.”

  “Anytime…Admiral.”

  Chase made a slight grimace, but it quickly turned into a smile before he closed his eyes and vanished into thin air.

  “Hello, Hades,” said Chase.

  “Good to see you, Chase.”

  “Can I— can I talk with Zeus? Is he around?”

  “What do you think? After thousands of years, finally, I get my brother to visit me. I wish it were under better circumstances, though.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have been there for him.”

  “From what I understand, you were busy saving your new allies, the Asgardians. So I don’t see why that makes it your responsibility.”

  “I guess it isn’t. I just wish I could have prevented it.”

  “Death is part of life. I know, coming from one immortal to another, that’s ironic. But we can be killed. And everything dies, Chase, eventually.”

  “You would know about that, I guess.”

  “All too well as you can imagine. That’s all I do, deal with the souls of the dead, day in and day out.”

  “You must have gotten used to it by now.”

  “Not really, Chase. In fact, I would like us to discuss something before you talk with my brother.”

  “Can’t it wait? I— I have so many things to—”

  “No, Chase, it can’t wait. Do you remember that favor I told you I would ask of you one day? The one you can’t refuse.”

  Chase swallowed hard.

  “Vaguely.”

  “No, Chase, not vaguely. Today is that day.”

  Chase sighed as he mentally braced himself.

  “What is it you want me to do?”

  “Convince Zeus to take my place here, and then get me the hell out of this awful place.”

  Chase’s face dropped. “What?”

  “You heard me. I’ve had it being cooped up in the Underworld. So forgive me for being this blunt, but I want out.”

  “Now that Zeus has been killed, can’t you just leave if you so please?”