Raising Sera- Lineage

by Andre Ellison

  He pulled out a syringe and injected Ethan in his neck with the needle. "You're in my house now."

  Ethan’s head dropped.

  "I see you agree."

  The guard chuckled as he switched on the white noise.

  The compartment door hissed open as two more guards entered carrying a man in handcuffs. The prisoner had a sack covering his face and a collar restraint wrapped around his neck. The two guards dropped the man to the floor and removed the sack from his head. His mouth was covered with a dirty cloth. The prisoner hummed a few incoherent words before an Apex guard came to remove the fabric.

  "About damn time!" the man cried out. "You brutes are real tough guys! You know I can’t stand!”

  The prisoner glanced at Ethan.

  "You," he uttered surprised. "Guards... guards!" The man screamed out. "Get me outta here... get me outta here, NOW!"

  "Shut up!" a guard replied, hitting the prisoner in the face with his gun. He grabbed the inmate by his short hair.

  "Don't expect to be rescued. Your brother is long gone."

  Another guard approached the prisoner with a syringe from the briefcase.

  "You've been real lucky so far... but we all knew it was a matter of time before you and your brother would fuck it all up. Pity though... I was hoping to see a bunch of exploding heads."

  The guard removed the device from around the prisoner's neck.

  "You won't be needing this anymore. We've got something else in mind for you," The guard threaten as he prepared the syringe. "Try and hack this."

  "Wait... wait! I will comply, I can! You want to know about Chaos headquarters,right?... I can tell you! Just bring me back to level one holding."

  The two guards laughed.

  "It too late! Chaos is dead... and so is New Gate."

  "Wait... what! That can't be..." The prisoner uttered.

  Struggling as the two guards pinned him down, the man screamed out. "Ethan... Ethan!"

  Ethan sat in his chair motionless.

  One guard held the prisoners head back as the other inserted a needle into his neck. The prisoner closed his eyes as the guard injected the serum.

  A yellow light flashed overhead. As the train came to a screeching halt, a tremor shook the railcar.

  The injected prisoner dropped his head on the floor.

  One of the guards stood up quickly and approached a computer terminal near the end of the railcar. He placed the collar device on the console and picked up a radio transmitter.

  "Report now! What the hell is going on?"

  The guard slammed the radio against the wall. Looking at the other guards, he continued. "Tremors outside the train. It could be another incident."

  "What about him?" one of the guards replied, pointing to the prisoner.

  "He ain't going nowhere. The drug should take effect any minute now... we'll deal with him later."

  Hastily, they grabbed their weapons and left the railcar.

  Another tremor shook the train dropping the collar restraint onto the floor. As the prisoner stared at the device, he crawled his way towards it. Cautiously, he bent his arms underneath his legs. He stopped at his ankles and pulled up his pant leg. He reached for the holster wrapped around his calf and grabbed a syringe. He injected himself with the needle in between two toes. The prisoner discarded the device and continued to crawl forward.

  The train shook again. Sounds of gunfire rang loud in the distance.

  The man retrieved the device on the floor but struggled to pull himself up on the computer console. Another tremor shook the railcar.

  Gunfire drew near.

  With impeded effort, he finally reached the top of the console. Without warning, the floor tore apart from underneath the railcar. As a massive spiked rock impaled the computer terminal, sparks popped off the control dashboard. The headgear securing the inmates deactivated.

  The prisoner fell backward and fought to catch his breath. As he scrambled towards Ethan, rocks and debris flew across his face as he reached for Ethan's leg. He tugged at it repeatedly.

  “Get up!” he yelled. “C’mon... Get up!"

  Ethan didn’t respond.

  "I don't wanna die like this," he pleaded.

  Ethan’s head rose up and he looked down at the prisoner. With no hesitantion, he kicked out his leg.

  "Ethan..." the man uttered. ”...wait a minute!”

  He still held tight to his leg.

  "Please help me!” he continued.

  Ethan leaped up from his seat but his harness was till in place.

  A guard returned to the railcar. He aimed his gun at the prisoner on the floor. As a boulder hit the side of the car, it forced the train to derail, spinning the guard violently as he fired his weapon.

  The prisoner held tight to Ethan.

  As the railcar crashed sideways, the spinning guard fell upon the prisoner release switch. It deactivated the locks containing the inmates harness. The prisoners rushed the Apex guard, beat him relentlessly as he laid on the floor.

  Ethan grabbed Bernard.

  “You!” he growled. “You and your brother... You set me up!”

  "Whoa.." Bernard spoke as he choked on the word. "...you have every right to be mad!”

  Ethan grabbed Bernard by his throat and squeezed.

  “Please...” Bernard winced, just listen-"

  Ethan glanced at Bernard’s neck.

  "No fancy tech to save you!"

  Gunfire blazed outside of the railcar.

  "They're going to kill us," Bernard strained.

  "Let them. We all gotta die from something."

  "No," Bernard continued. "The Titans."

  The top of the railcar peeled off as a gigantic creature roared in the distance.

  Ethan let go of Bernard as he looked up at the Titan.

  “Ethan...” Bernard cried out. “...he betrayed me too!"

  Mobile pods deploy from the last railcar as inmate scattered throughout the desert. The pods fired lasers, incinerating the inmates as they ran away.

  A large cannon emerged from the top of the train and fired an enormous blast towards the chest of the gigantic Titan.

  The creature fell to one knee. It dug its hands deep in the ground and picked up a huge chunk of the ground. The cannon fired another blast. Piles of rock fell from the Titan’s face as the beam hit. It stumbled to the ground, dropping the massive slab.

  "You gotta get me out of here!" Bernard pleaded.

  Ethan glanced down at Bernard's legs. He rose up from his seat and walked over him.

  "She's with Leo..." Bernard called out. "They're in an abandoned club called Black Angel... at least if it’s not too late.”

  Ethan halted. He turned and looked down at Bernard. A barrage of bullets sweep over Ethan’s head. He dove behind the wreckage of the train as a group of Apex soldiers advanced towards him. He looked amongst the debris and noticed Bernard's collar. He kept his head lowered and sprinted towards the device. Gunfire surrounded him as he ran.

  The Apex soldiers gathered in numbers.

  He raeched the device and hurled it into the onslaught of Apex gunfire. The bomb ignited, exploding on impact. A wave of pulse energy vaporized the soldiers in range.

  Ethan and Bernard were thrusted over a sand dune.

  The Titan cried out then sunk beneath the desert.

  "There it is..." Bernard spoke, pointing to a random pile of twisted junk. "My legs! My legs!"

  Ethan snatched Bernard by his handcuffs. He dragged the man through the sand as he marched to the pile.

  "Where?” Ethan barked.

  “Here,” Bernard uttered pointing to a metal case located behind a broken storage unit. Ethan grabbed the tote and dropped it in front of Bernard.

  “Now what?" Ethan insisted.

  "Push this button."

  Bernard pointed at the spine of the contraption.

  The suitcase opened and an exo-suit unfolded from itself. It suddenly collapsed and formed into a metal rod. Ethan rea
ched down and picked up the bar. Bernard’s eyes glistened as he marveled at his own creation.

  “Okay, now...” Bernard insisted. “...place it on my back."

  “Uh, No!” Ethan replied. “You got some explaining-”

  “Wait!”

  Bernard glanced passed Ethan. Two Apex vehicles accelerated towards them. Bernard looked up at Ethan.

  “C’mon man... Now!”

  “Yes!”

  “What do you want?”

  "You said it was too late... What did you mean?”

  Bernard dragged himself closer to Ethan. He held out his hands as he reached for his suit.

  "That thing that you saw..." Bernard uttered. "There are more of them... and from what I've learned, it just found its way to New Gate."

  "For fuck sake!"

  "I'm not an Awoken," he spoke. "And for that, my brother has left me out here to die."

  Bernard lifted up his leg and dropped it. "He made that a clear point a long time ago I wasn't like him."

  Ethan dropped the device in front of Bernard. He walked towards the train wreckage.

  "Hey," Bernard yelled out. "He killed my parents, not yours! Son of a bitch... he slaughtered them both... right in front of me."

  Ethan picked up a gun and walked back towards Bernard.

  "He stabbed my mother..." Bernard continued. "...all because he thought she was unworthy."

  Ethan cocked the chamber of his gun.

  "Leo used me. 'Only the strong survive'... Whatever the hell that meant?"

  Bernard leaned in close to Ethan. "I told him he was insane. Science was the natural law. It's the only thing that makes sense.

  Ethan held the gun up to Bernard's head.

  "That's when he broke my legs."

  "Put the gun down!" commanded an Apex officer from his mobile vehicle.

  Sweat dripped down Ethan’s forehead as he cracked his neck. He gripped the hand of the gun firm as he felt the warmth of his body temperature heat up.

  "Chaos is not responsible for the fire or the disappearance of your mother. We found her... we protected her."

  Bernard reached for his pant leg. Ethan watched him. He rolled it up slowly and pulled out a syringe.

  “No more games!” Ethan ordered.

  “Drop your weapon!” a soldier blared.

  Ethan’s eyes blinked and his gun fell. Bernard covered his face as stabbed Ethan’s leg with the needle.

  "Son of a bitch!" Ethan roared. He reached down to grabbed the gun. Bernard scooted back on his behind.

  "Wait!” he insisted. “The serum is fast-acting. Their commands have no effect on you”

  “What did you do?”

  “It’s Kindle. I injected you with Kindle!”

  Ethan pointed the gun at Bernard.

  "No one ever searches the cripple guy, Okay!"

  Bernard rolled down his pants leg.

  As the mobile vehicles fired their weapons, Ethan scrambled for cover behind the storage unit. Bernard crawled forward and attached the rod to his back. Ethan returned fire to the soldiers. He shot through the glass of one of the pods, killing the driver with a head shot.

  Bernard's exo-suit wrapped around his lower torso, molding to his body. The mechanical legs forcefully propelling him up on his feet.

  The other vehicle approached Bernard. He lifted his leg as the pod approached and kicked at the transport. The collision ejected the soldier, killing him on impact.

  "Thank you, man-"

  "Don't," Ethan interrupted.

  Ethan approached the transport. He pulled the seat forward and searched the vehicle. A case of Kindle, just as he suspected.

  "They won't be needing this," he said.

  "True..." Bernard interrupted. "...but have you ever considered, where does it all assimilate from? That surge of artificial energy... it has to come from somewhere, right?"

  Bernard approached Ethan and passed him a flash drive.

  "If you truly want answers, I suggest you look at the common denominator, Dr. Edward Belmont."

  "I assume this is gonna help me figure that out?"

  "I downloaded a torrent from Apex headquarters. I don't know why... but I figured it would be enough to please Leo."

  "Does anyone else know about this?"

  "No... just you. It's no use to me now."

  Ethan shook his head and put the drive in his pocket. He pulled the seat forward and walked towards the other pod.

  "If I can suggest...” Bernard uttered. “I think you should travel to the Belmont Estate.”

  Ethan adjusted his seat as he climbed aboard the vehicle.

  "Well..." Bernard insisted.

  Ethan looked back at him with a blank stare.

  "You're going back to New Gate, aren’t you?"

  "Bingo!"

  Bernard turned around. He looked over at the damaged pod. It had considerable damage to the front end. Coupled with random bullet holes, he walked over to it and tore opened the hood.

  Ethan started the ignition to his vehicle. The engine roared and slowly rode over towards Bernard.

  "What about you?” he asked. “Where are you going?"

  Bernard turned around.

  "I don't know...” he replied. “Where ever I want to, I guess?"

  He pointed a laser at the mobile pod's engine. He tinkered with a few wires and pulled at a hose.

  "Any direction that opposite of you would suffice.”

  Ethan nodded his head.

  "I can respect that."

  Ethan put his pod into gear.

  “If that is all...” he continued. “I hope we never see each other again."

  Bernard grinned as he continued his work.

  "Me too," he replied.

  Ethan rode off into the vast desert. He didn’t look back as he made his way forward to New Gate.

  NEW WORLD ORDER

  Madmen

  Madmen

  Aboard the Apex Helicopter, Hunter peered out his window with incredible disbelief. He looked upon the barren wasteland. It was endless and slightly foreign to him. He stared beyond the silent desert as the sound of a whirling rotor droned away his thoughts.

  Dr. Belmont scribbled solemnly in his memorandum as he sat across from his son. Hunter glanced up at his father as Dr. Belmont continued to write.

  "Blasted pen," the doctor uttered.

  He placed the ink pen down on his seat. He reached inside his coat pocket feverishly.

  "Forgot your pen?" Hunter asked.

  His father pulled an empty hand from his coat.

  "I suppose I did..." Dr. Belmont uttered. "It doesn't matter."

  Hunter shook his head.

  "Of course it doesn’t, I suppose it never did."

  "Is that suppose to mean something?"

  Hunter remained silent as Dr. Belmont closed his notebook.

  "An engraved pen from your mother. I suppose it was a nice gesture."

  Hunter clenched his jaw.

  "What do you want me to say about it?" the doctor continued.

  "Like you said... it doesn't matter."

  Dr. Belmont took off his glasses and proceeded to wipe them with a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

  "Seraphina, huh? Clever use of the word. In ancient societies, Sarai meant warrior princess."

  Dr. Belmont glanced at his son while putting on his glasses.

  "If my knowledge is correct, the first people thought the name Seraphina was sublime. A woman prophesized to be the fiery one above all. A divine creature that possessed six wings, hair of fire, and a hot temper. They said she brought balance to the stars."

  Hunter stared out the window.

  "But Sera doesn't have any wings..." the doctor continued. "...indeed she is a fiery-tempered child."

  "I named her after my mother."

  "I assume you would," the doctor replied. "Your mother's death has always been a factor in your life. Maybe if she was still around, you wouldn't have spent so much time brooding and such. Might of actually
had a beneficial relationship with Angela."

  Hunter leaned forward. "Of all people."

  "Be it as it may, Sarah and I were in love. There were contentions, of course, but we respected one another... and I understood her. She loved the people... all the people. She used to tell me, Not one soul couldn't be loved. I never believed in souls and such, but your mother's demise... by the hands of some street thugs... it was the price she paid for being vulnerable."

  Hunter shook his head and reclined back into his seat.

  "You ever think of Angela?" his father insisted.

  Hunter glanced at him with a sideward eye.

  "I fulfilled my duty as a Belmont. I became the President of the Apex Corporation. Just like you wanted?"

  "What I wanted was grandkids... plural! I wanted a better chance for my son and his family than what was given to me."

  "Legacy," Hunter interrupted. "Your precious legacy... a self-made black man who revolutionized the way we live by dividing a city in two? Or did the headline not use the word black man because it was culturally specific?"

  "I engineered a society! One devoided of crime. Advent City is the pinnacle of a utopian society."

  "Well, it's no more. Advent City is no more utopian then Central District or any other place."

  "You're very cheeky for a President who doesn't have a city to preside over. Get a grip! Figuring out what happened back there in New Gate should be your primary focus."

  "With your unlimited wisdom, father... you tell me... what in the world happened back there."

  Hunter gave his father the middle finger.

  "I assume you had a hand in Sera figuring that out?"

  "I'm confused?" Dr. Belmont replied.

  "You whispered something in her ear when you released her. I'm not surprised though. It was only a matter of time before her abilities became your weapon."

  "The young girl has been through a lot of stress in a short amount of time, son. Restraining that young girl was not an intelligent idea."

  "We still don't know what she's capable of."

  "A girl like that needs guidance, not fences."

  "Insubordination will not be tolerated, those were your words."

  Dr. Belmont remained silent as he stared at his son. Hunter's eyes widened as he recalled Sera wincing in pain.

  "You injected her with the serum, didn't you?"