Shadows of Olympus (Universe in Flames Book 6)

by Christian Kallias

  “Very well.”

  Sarah turned her attention back to the main holo-screen.

  “What do you mean, ‘banished?’ We were under the impression that this was Asgardian territory, perhaps even not too far from your homeworld.”

  The eyes of Kvasir gleamed and his tattoos flashed.

  “No, we’re quite far from home. That is, if it’s still there. I’ve been trapped here for thousands of years. When a ship finally made it through the automated defense systems, I thought someone was finally coming to get me, but before I could even hail them they opened fire on me. I’m so glad you came. These savages almost destroyed all my research projects.”

  “What kind of research?”

  “I’m a scientist. For the first twenty years I tried to escape this place, but the fail-safes in place are unbreakable. Now, with the damage that ship has caused, perhaps I can finally leave here. Well, with your help maybe, so we can jump outside of the eternity gun’s range.”

  “The eternity gun? You mean that thing that encases ships inside a thick layer of resin?”

  “The technology behind it is a little more complicated than that, but yes.”

  “Is it possible to reverse the process and, if so, would the people trapped on board a ship that was hit with the eternity gun still be alive?”

  “While I haven’t tested it, one of my inventions is designed to do just that. In case I managed somehow to escape here, I was hoping to be able to reclaim one of the ships that got, well, for lack of a better word, frozen in space.”

  Sarah’s mind raced. If they could unfreeze the first fleet parked outside, she would not only have found an Asgardian but she could go home with a fleet of ships.

  “Alright, tell us how we can assist you in getting you out of here.”

  “Sure, I’ll open the cargo ba—”Kvasir was hit with an energy discharge on his back and he fell outside of the holo-camera’s frame.

  Sarah saw Miseo in the background and swore.

  “I told you we should have destroyed his ship!” barked Daniel.

  Chris shot him a cold look. “So he could have come here and wreaked havoc on ours?”

  “Didn’t think of that.”

  “Well, that’s why she’s the captain of this ship,” said Chris.

  Daniel raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side but he didn’t respond to Chris’ derogatory remark.

  Sarah was both proud of her son’s intervention and equally annoyed. She didn’t need anyone to come to her aid. When she saw Chris get up she raised a finger at him.

  “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”

  “Well, someone has to deal with Miseo. We can’t possibly entertain the idea of letting him get his hands on Kvasir.”

  As much as she wanted to argue with that logic, he was right. But logic aside, Miseo had almost killed Chase. How was Chris supposed to deal with him?

  “I’ll go with him,” said Daniel.

  “That’s comforting,” she said without hiding her sarcasm and before letting herself sink back into her chair.

  Daniel made a face at her remark and she grabbed his hand as he and Chris passed near her on their way to the turbolift. “I’m sorry, Daniel, please don’t let anything happen to my son.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Let’s go!” shouted Chris impatiently from within the turbolift.

  * * *

  “I know you’ve promised my mom you will come and help me, but let’s be realistic here. You can’t possibly help me fight Miseo,” said Chris the moment the turbolift doors closed.

  “I’ve helped your father defeat Argos.”

  “Have you now?”

  “Well, I almost died in the process and, well, Argos didn’t see me approach from behind.”

  “Yeah, that’s more like it. Don’t get me wrong, Daniel, I appreciate your willingness and courage to help. But Miseo might use you against me. I can’t let that happen. I know how much you mean to my father.”

  “What are you saying exactly? What am I supposed to do if I’m not coming with you?”

  “You’re gonna help, just in a different way, okay?”

  “I’m listening.”

  * * *

  Keera and Tar’Lock were helping patch up the wounded the best they could while Ryonna inspected the dead body of the Fury she had helped kill. The fight had been difficult to say the least. He had damaged almost every system of her super-suit. The battle bots had sacrificed themselves to hold the Fury in place so that she could deliver the fatal blow.

  Ryonna had seen her fair share of dead people but didn’t like the fact that a mission she had been in command of had resulted in so many casualties. It had been a real mess, and she shouldn’t have let that happen.

  The Fury presence had been a curveball, as the humans say, but still, she wondered if her cavalier, shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude was why the mission had cost so many lives.

  Tar’Lock came to see her. “Are you alright, Ryonna? You seem worried. We have what we came for, the mission is successful, so why do I read failure and regret in your eyes?”

  “Perhaps because we have a different definition of success, my friend.”

  “It’s sad about the soldiers that died. I get it. But we’re talking about saving sixty trillion Gorgar.”

  “Sixty trillion?”

  “Give or take. Well, that’s what I think it was back then. It might have changed since then. Perhaps the Furies have killed many of them, or overworked them to death. I’m really mad my people are being used as slaves, doing the Furies’ bidding, of all races.”

  “That’s why we’re doing all of this, Tar’Lock, to liberate your people. If they then want to help the Alliance, it would be great, but it will be their choice.”

  Tar’Lock clicked. “Thank you, Ryonna, I know I can always count on you.”

  “Likewise, my friend. But you know what, your homeworld isn’t that far from here, so before we regroup with Saroudis on Alpha Prime, why don’t we go check on your people?”

  Tar’Lock’s eyes lit up and he smiled.

  C H A P T E R

  XVI

  Chase stood next to Argos’ bed in medbay. Euphoreon’s Doctor Tackis came back with a data tablet, frowning at the results of his scans.

  “What is it, Doc?”

  “Argos has suffered an overdose.”

  “What? An overdose of what?”

  “I should have known. I’m sorry, Captain.”

  “What are you talking about, Doc?”

  “Vials of morphine have disappeared from my inventory lately. But from his scan results, it’s possible he’s been in withdrawal from another substance and used morphine to compensate. We’ll have to ask him when he wakes up. At least he’s out of danger now.”

  “That remains to be seen,” said Chase dryly. “That other substance, could it be Kyrian snake venom, Doctor?”

  “Could be, yes. But it’s beyond addictive. Why would he take that?”

  “I know he likes to take it for recreation, but he asked Ryonna to get his clone snake from one of his bases, so I’m gonna make an educated guess that this is no coincidence. I should have known he used the mission as an excuse to get the venom back.”

  “Whatever the reason, I’m surprised. I didn’t know anyone could actually survive the direct bite of that snake.”

  “Furies can. As for the synthetic version, I only took it once, a double dose, but I didn’t feel the urge to return to it.”

  “It might be something in your Fury genetic make-up, because Kyrian snake venom, in its synthetized version, is not lethal but ten times more addictive. Like any black market drug it’s been manufactured with one goal only: to make instant junkies. If Argos, and possibly yourself, can take bites or the synthetic drug without the usual side effects, I’d love to examine you and try to find a counter agent to the drug.”

  “Sure, but at another time. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Thanks, Doc.”
<
br />   “You’re welcome, Captain. I’ll be in my lab if you require my assistance.”

  Chase nodded.

  Chase had known there had to be something wrong with Argos. He had been acting erratically these last few days and even worse when they reached Olympus. And while he had been evil and vile before, it was a stark contrast to the helpful and almost caring persona he had shown days earlier.

  If he had been in withdrawal that could explain it, but even so, Chase was angry. Fortunately, no Olympians had been severely wounded but if they had been, it could have nullified the deal with Zeus. He would have to answer for that.

  The real kicker now was: Could Chase ever trust him again? It had already taken a serious leap of faith to do so in the first place.

  Chase put his hand on Argos’ shoulder and closed his eyes. He sent some of his own life force into his brother’ system. Argos moaned and his facial muscles came to life little by little.

  “Wake up. You’re out of the woods now,” said Chase coldly.

  Argos blinked a few times. He looked around to see where he was.

  “We . . . we’re no longer on Olympus?”

  “No, we’re back on board the Euphoreon, heading towards an Asgardian prison of sorts.”

  Argos tried to sit on the bed but fell backwards pretty quickly and held his head in his hands.

  “You should probably take it easy. The doc flushed the morphine out of your system, but you’ll be weak for a little while. I’ve given you some of my energy, even though you don’t deserve it.”

  Argos briefly met Chase’s eyes, before flitting away in shame.

  “I’m sorry, Chase,” said Argos. “I never before felt withdrawal from Kyrian snake venom, and I didn’t know how to deal with it when it started.”

  “Telling me would have been a good start.”

  “I was afraid you’d think I was a junkie and that you couldn’t trust me with anything after that.”

  “And you think I trust you now? Not only do I think that you’re a junkie, but you’re also reckless. We can also add deception to the list of grievances piling up against you.”

  “I know there isn’t anything I can say that will make me look good, but please believe this: I’m very sorry to have disappointed you.”

  Chase winced.

  You’re not getting out of this that easily!

  “You’re right, there’s nothing you can say to make things better right now. You’re lucky I need your sorry ass to save my son’s life, or you’d be saying hello to my friend Hades at the gates of the underworld by now.”

  Chase shook his head disapprovingly and walked towards the medbay’s exit.

  “Chase! Wait!”

  But Chase didn’t.

  * * *

  When Chase arrived on the bridge he sat in the captain’s chair.

  “Anything new while I was away?” he asked Ares.

  “Athena is aboard the Prometheus and has transmitted the coordinates of a wormhole not far from here. She said that would effectively cut our travel time in half.”

  “That’s good news. How do you feel?”

  “I feel like myself again. I wish I knew how you convinced Father to do what he did.”

  “It’s a long story, one I’m not able to divulge any details about, I’m afraid. Perhaps Zeus will tell you himself one day.”

  “Fat chance.”

  “You’d be surprised. I found him to be quite reasonable when I understood him better. But I agree that he didn’t make the best first impression.”

  “He tried to kill us.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I meant. For the time being, let’s be grateful we’re returning with ten Olympian battle destroyers in tow. Hopefully this will send the right message, and help us defend ourselves against the next wave of Fury ships. What did Athena say regarding my request to have Yanis look at their tech when we regroup with the Hope?”

  “She was a little hesitant at first but I convinced her that unless Zeus told her not to, she should help us in any way she can.”

  “And?”

  “While I can’t exactly say she was enthusiastic about the idea, she is considering it.”

  “Well, that’s a good start. Thanks, Ares.”

  “What’s next?”

  “Now we hopefully arrive on time to get Kvasir. The coordinates Zeus gave us are the same I sent for Sarah and Chris to check out. Zeus’ sensors have detected an enemy ship there. Let’s get rid of it. They must be there to grab Kvasir, just like us. Hopefully then we can open a dialogue with the Asgardians. Though we should probably do that after we return to Alpha Prime.”

  “Yes, one step at a time.”

  * * *

  “How are we looking?” asked Cedric.

  “I’m not sure,” said Gaia. “I’ve managed to restore the latest backup of my higher functions, but I can’t tell if Gaia 2 infiltrated some of my systems while Spiros was unconscious and before we changed the cypher.”

  “What are the chances that she didn’t?”

  “Small, unless she came at us without first duplicating herself on some of Earth’s systems.”

  “If I was a betting man I wouldn’t put any money on that.”

  “I have to agree. In fact, the moment Spiros wakes up, we need to get out of here.”

  “General Adams’ forces will arrive on site in ten minutes. Hopefully they can provide us with some support.”

  “I understand why you called them but, Cedric, my droids are way more powerful than human soldiers, even those carrying Alliance weaponry.”

  Cedric made a face and reached for one of his pockets. He took a cigarette out and lit it up.

  “You can’t smoke here.”

  Cedric took one long drag and blew smoke at Gaia’s droid face. “All evidence to the contrary.”

  “I could force you to stop,” said Gaia, her eyes flashing briefly.

  Cedric took a step back. “You’re a killjoy. Have I told you that before?”

  “Several times, in fact. At least open a window, will you?”

  “You’re not affected by it, so why do you care?”

  “You’re in a hospital, Cedric. You shouldn’t smoke in here.”

  “And we’re trying to save the whole world from your evil counterpart. I think that creates a precedent and grants me this one little infraction. Plus, I need to lower my levels of anxiety.”

  “I can administrate non-smelly drugs to that effect anytime you want.”

  “No thanks. I like my smelly drug just fine,” said Cedric with a smile.

  Gaia shook her head and returned to working on her console.

  A nurse came in and smelled the room. She made a face but didn’t make a remark. “There’s a problem with your friend.”

  * * *

  Chris exited Daniel’s StarFury on the landing pad of the planetoid. He flashed him a thumbs up and Daniel’s starfighter flew back outside.

  He ran towards the entrance at the end of the bay and saw a large hole in the middle of what was left of large blast doors. He climbed through the hole and, the moment he was on the other side, saw Miseo dragging an unconscious Kvasir by the legs.

  His heart skipped a beat and then went into overdrive. While he was excited at the prospect of testing his improved fighting skills, Miseo was not just any Fury. Miseo had defeated his father in combat before, and Chris would need to stay on his toes.

  Miseo dropped Kvasir’s legs and continued walking.

  “And who the hell are you supposed to be?” said Miseo.

  Chris tried to use the most confident tone of voice he could muster. “My name is Chris, Chris Athanatos. I’m here to stop you. Leave Kvasir alone and leave this place now, and I might consider letting you live.”

  First, Miseo’s eyes twitched. Then he laughed out loud.

  “You’re funny, boy. I take it your Laiyos’ son? I defeated your father and I don’t think I’ll have any problems dealing with his half-breed child. So the way I see it, you’ve got things
backwards and you’ll be the one dead in a handful of seconds if you don’t get the fuck out of my way.”

  Chris’ heart rate increased even more but he ignored it and created two orange fireballs, one in each hand. “I’d like to see you try,” he said defiantly.

  “Very well, boy, it’s your funeral.”

  Miseo moved very fast. In the blink of an eye he was flying at Chris, ready to kick his face with the back of his foot. Chris dodged Miseo’s preemptive strike, swiveling on himself, letting Miseo’s foot pass only an inch from his face before responding in kind. He planted his first fireball into Miseo’s right lower back and sent the Fury crashing against the nearest wall. Before his adversary could react, Chris shot his second fireball. It hit Miseo’s shoulder and sent him spinning and tumbling away.

  Chris cracked his knuckles.

  A line of blood trickled from Miseo’s mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand as he got back up. He clapped his hands together.

  “Not bad, not bad at all, but you’ve lost the element of surprise now. I had gravely miscalculated your power, but it’s a mistake I’m not gonna repeat. You should have pressed your advantage and tried to finish me off.”

  “Oh, you don’t know how badly you’ve miscalculated my strength.”

  “I recognize your father’s defiance in you. Did he tell you that it almost cost him his life?”

  “I’m not my father. Now shut up and fight.”

  The Fury complied. Miseo let his rage get the better of him and an impressive crimson aura built up around him. The planetoid shook and cracks appeared in the walls of the corridor around them.

  Before Chris could understand what happened next, Miseo planted his knee deeply into his stomach. The next thing he knew he was flying backwards through the hole in the blast doors and back into the launch bay.

  Chris crashed hundreds of yards away, leaving a trail of broken concrete in his wake. Before he could get up something pushed him back against the floor. Miseo was standing on top of him, his foot pressing against Chris’ sternum. Miseo wore a wicked smile and his eye were a shiny shade of crimson.