Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis

by Danny R Negron

  She gently places her wine glass on the table and says calmly, “That doesn't surprise me, Abaris. I'll take care of them when the time comes.”

  Diana rises to her feet and looks at the president. She says frigidly, “It's time to administer the vaccine.”

  Meanwhile, as Dawn rides on a boat with Henry, she observes the sea life and says, “This is all just amazing. I'm afraid to even think about what would happen if people found out about this city.”

  He tells her in response, “It is something.”

  Alexandria dives into the water and Dawn becomes fascinated with how the lower half of her body transforms completely into a fish tail. Her head surfaces and she giggles mischievously while using her tail to splash them both with water. Henry attempts to shield his face with his hand and yells, “Hey! Watch it, Alex!”

  Inside one of recreation rooms inside of Atlantis, Barbara observes Phoebe as she holds onto Wolf's leg while marveling at the surroundings. She then asks a contemplative Dr. Frankenstein, “What now? Do we just sit back and let Diana get away with this?”

  He sighs and replies, “There isn't much that we can do, Barbara. We must assume that the entire population has been infected with the virus. Those that have not, must do what they can to survive.”

  Dr. Frankenstein stands up and glances at his team. He says in a somber tone, “Commander Derceto has already begun the preparations. We're leaving Earth in twenty-four hours.” Just as he turns around to walk away, he adds, “We have failed.”

  As Dr. Frankenstein exits the room, Barbara's mouth drops open in disbelief. She looks at Indrid and asks, “Is he serious?”

  She senses everyone staring at her as if she has an alternative to what has been decided by the queen. She replies, “Yes. There is no other option, Barbara.”

  Alexandria arrives and Fluffy runs toward her while wagging his tail. She picks him up and laughs as he licks her entire face. Phoebe looks up at her with a smile on her face and says confidently, “I took care of him, Alex! Like you told me to!”

  Alexandria pats her on the head and replies, “Thanks, Phoebe. I knew you could do it.”

  Alexandria senses that something is not quite right, looks up and notices that everyone else appears to be very upset for some reason. She asks everyone, “What's up with all of you? Where's dad?”

  Phoebe begins to say while using Dr. Frankenstein's voice, “We're leaving Earth in twenty-four hours.”

  At the main control center of Atlantis, Commander Derceto is seen showing Dr. Frankenstein a hologram of the oceanic planet of Meropis which is located in the constellation of Ophiuchus. She explains, “The queen is, at the present moment, requesting permission from Oceanus. The god of Meropis.”

  He adds, “Interestingly enough, this planet is also referred to as Gliese 1214 b...discovered by David Charbonneau in December of 2009. The parent star is forty-two light-years from our Sun.”

  “Yes, doctor. While the atmosphere does contain oxygen, the human body differs slightly from that of a Meropes so, as a result, you will all have a difficult time getting acclimated. Fortunately, using the ocean, Atlantis can process it in a way...”

  Alexandria is suddenly heard shouting angrily, “Dad!”

  They both turn around to look at her approaching. She says to her father while glancing at the hologram, “Meropis. Really? We're just gonna give up?”

  Dr. Frankenstein tries to calm her down by replying, “We failed, konfect. There is no other option.”

  “Yes, there is, dad. We fight for what's ours!”

  Commander Derceto says sternly to her, “No. We live to fight another day, princess. Once humanity rises to reclaim their homeland, we can offer our assistance. For now...we must survive.”

  Alexandria folds her arms in frustration and walks away. A tear rolls down her cheek while she whispers to herself, “No...this isn't fair.”

  Chapter XVIII

  Inside of the underground shelter, Rikki is focusing on the live news broadcast on her touchscreen tablet. It seems that the vaccine is being administered ahead of schedule. Strange how the plan is being altered now given the tremendous risks involved. Oh, well...it isn't her place to question her superiors. For some reason, she's starting to think about her fond experiences with Gina and is hoping that she has not become infected.

  Haruka sips on her tea as she watches people from all parts of the world getting vaccinated on her TV. Luckily, she, as well as her father, did not become infected. She gently places the cup on the saucer and says to herself, “Well. That was quick.”

  Haruka's cell phone begins to ring. She picks it up and sees that it is Ken. She answers the call by asking in Japanese, “Yes, my love?”

  [J]“It is done. We have been given the vaccine.”[J]

  [J]“Great news.”[J]

  [J]“Yes. We will be arriving there shortly.”[J]

  [J]“I understand. I'll see you soon.”[J]

  In the recreation room of Atlantis, Henry is playing pool with David. He prepares to hit the cue ball in order to sink the eight ball in the corner pocket. The tip of his stick hits the white ball which, in turn, hits the eight ball gently. Henry gets frustrated when he sees that the black ball will miss the side pocket by just a few inches. He notices that David is not looking at the table and decides to bend the rules a little bit. Henry becomes invisible at this point and makes his way toward the corner of the pool table. The eight ball changes direction and, just as it is about to go straight into the hole, David's stick is seen blocking it from entering. David grins and says, “My turn, you goddamn cheater.”

  Henry chuckles and materializes seconds later. He asks David, “You think we'll ever go back?”

  David firmly holds his stick with both hands and, while leaning on it, replies, “I don't know, Henry. In the blink of an eye, our lives have changed. I hope so.”

  Indrid flips to the next page of her Incredible Hulk comic book. She is sitting on her bed dressed in her black pajamas while remembering those simple times of her childhood. Those memories make her smile. Even though she was always inside that small bubble in the basement of the Frankenstein household, she found the meaning of the family bond. Indrid rests her head on the pillow and says to herself, “I'm sorry that you lost your home, Ludwig.”

  Dr. Frankenstein strokes his goatee as he, along with Commander Derceto, views the televised broadcast of the Presidential news conference. Not surprisingly, Diana Garrison is seen standing right next to the President as he answers the myriad of questions.

  “President Townsend. Many are speculating as to how the vaccine could've been created in such a short amount of time.”

  “Yes, of course. I think I'll let Miss Garrison explain.”

  The President steps aside and Diana approaches the podium. She stares at the reporter and says, “Unfortunately, there were some corrupt elements within our organization.”

  Dr. Frankenstein grins and whispers, “You don't say.”

  Suddenly, a female reporter covers her mouth as if to prevent herself from vomiting. Shortly afterwards, she begins salivating and looks up at the podium. Diana notices her and nods. The reporter then hisses and bites the neck of the person standing next to her.

  Haruka and her father gasp at what they are witnessing on live television. Ryu asks in Japanese, “What is this?”

  Haruka remains silent while she thinks about the bizarre event which just unfolded. She wastes no time and runs toward the living room to grab the katana sword hanging on the wall. Haruka then shouts, [J]”Stay where you are, father!”[J]

  She hears a knock on the front door and immediately goes into her battle stance. Ken is heard asking, [J]”Haruka? Father? Are you both unharmed?”[J]

  After an uncomfortable silence, Ryu replies by shouting, [J]”We are unharmed, my son! Open the door, Haruka.”

  Even though she does have a bad feeling about this, she places the sword against the wall and respectfully bows her head at her father. Haruka cautiously walks t
oward the front door and prays that her assumption is proven wrong. The last thing she wants is to kill her father's only son right before his eyes. She opens the door, greets her husband as he, along with his bodyguards, steps inside. They all appear to be fine but she remains wary as she shuts the door completely.

  Ryu closely examines Ken to make certain that he does not exhibit any kind of the strange behavior that he observed earlier on the news. So far, he seems to be normal. He asks him, [J]”Did you watch the news on television, son?”[J]

  [J]”Yes, father. Quite disturbing, to say the least.”[J]

  Ryu glances over at Haruka and notices that the bodyguards seem to be behaving strangely. As if they are waiting for the order to kill her. Ken turns his head to look at them and shouts, [J]”Enough!”[J]

  Upon seeing their unwillingness to obey, Ryu tosses the katana blade toward his daughter and yells, [J]”Haruka!”[J]

  She pushes the guards aside and catches the sword with one hand. She then uses her katana to chop off four fingers of the guard in front of her and decapitates him seconds later. Haruka suddenly finds herself surrounded and prepares to defend herself. She senses someone approaching to grab her from behind and performs a split. Haruka pulls out her handgun and fires a shot right into the man's testicles making him scream in agony. She then swings her katana in a rapid motion and manages to sever off numerous feet from the other men's ankles. Haruka uses her hands to push her body into the air and lands on her feet. One of the guards pulls out a gun and points it at her.

  After a second passes, she uses the dull end of her sword to slap his wrist as soon as he pulls the trigger. The bullet hits the man next to her right in his throat which makes him grab his neck and fall to the floor. Her next two swings of the katana results in the slicing off of the guard's hand followed by a decapitation. Haruka dodges an attack with a katana from behind and before she even has a chance to use her handgun, it gets kicked away from her hand. She avoids another attack with a back-flip and lands on top of a stool. After poking an eye out, Haruka jumps off of the stool, lands on the floor and rolls on the ground toward her father and husband.

  Ken is astonished at how Haruka managed to decimate most of his men in such a short period of time. He truly underestimated her abilities. As he reaches for his gun, Haruka leg sweeps causing him to fall backwards and land directly one of her katanas. The blade exits his shoulder and he screams in agony.

  Haruka tosses him aside, grabs her father's hand and proceeds to run toward the front door. Moments later, she opens the driver's side door of the limousine and quickly gets inside. Ryu enters the limo as well. After slamming the door shut, she turns on the engine and shifts the gear into drive. The vehicle's tires screech loudly as it moves forward helping them escape from the dangerous scene.

  Indrid is sitting down in her usual position on her bed while observing a whale pass by. She suddenly hears the voice of Haruka shouting in desperation, “Indrid Cold! My father and I need your help! Please!”

  Indrid quickly stands up and thinks in response, “Haruka Miyazaki. I will come for you.”

  Minutes later, Barbara notices Indrid walking toward the docking area at a brisk pace and asks her, “Indrid? What's going on?”

  As Indrid presses a button on her wrist, she explains to the approaching Barbara, “Haruka Miyazaki and her father are requesting assistance. They seem to have avoided infection.”

  Barbara takes her hand without hesitation and says, “I'm coming with you.”

  This takes Indrid by surprise. She is still trying to get accustomed to being part of a team, it would seem. They both get surrounded by the white light and disappear shortly afterwards.

  Haruka hears a gunshot and immediately senses the car's tire getting blown out. She does her very best to maintain control of the vehicle as Ryu yells in Japanese, “My daughter! If this is the end for us, know that I love you!”

  [J]”I love you, father.”[J]

  Haruka makes peace with herself and closes her eyes tightly. She would rather take her own life than to be eaten alive by the monstrosities waiting for them outside. Ryu sees her driving off the road and toward the edge of the cliff. He feels the sickening sensation of vertigo as the car tilts downward and begins falling at a high rate of speed. Haruka closes her eyes again and whispers, “Rikki...”

  Barbara's voice is heard shouting, “We got you, Haruka!”

  She opens her eyes to find that Indrid did in fact save them just before crashing into the rocks. Her father kisses her on the cheek and hugs her tightly while they both let out a teary eyed laughter. Haruka rises to her feet and embraces Barbara. She tells her, “Thank you, Barbara-san.”

  Indrid says, “We will be taking the both of you to the city of Atlantis.”

  Haruka gives Barbara a befuddled expression which makes her say in response, “Yeah, Haruka. Believe it.”

  Haruka grins as she nods and asks Indrid, ”Ummm...Indrid? Can I ask for one other favor?”

  Melanie is watching the news with Rikki and asks, “What the hell was that?”

  Rikki is biting her fingernail at this point and replies in a low tone, “This isn't supposed to happen.”

  Adam steps closer to her and asks, “Did you just say this isn't supposed to happen?”

  Melanie becomes startled when she sees a white light begin to surround her body. She frightfully asks everyone, “Um, guys? Do you see what I'm seeing?”

  Rikki fears that this may be coming from the city in the sky so she pulls out her shotgun while shouting, “All of you get behind me!”

  Just as the group obeys her command, they all disappear from sight. Rikki finds herself looking at a strange female creature with two hair colors and an older Asian man. This causes her to aim her gun directly at both of them. As they both raise their hands to surrender, a familiar voice is heard saying, “Stand down, soldier.”

  Rikki's eyes open wide and a tear rolls down her cheek. She whispers, “Gina?”

  Her gun drops to the floor as she watches Gina walk toward her. Gina wipes the tear from her face and says softly while embracing her in her arms, “I came for you.”

  Rikki hugs her tightly and begins to cry uncontrollably. They then kiss each other passionately while Terry, Adam and Melanie all watch in amazement. Terry leans over and says to Adam, “Whoa. Am I imagining this?”

  Melanie elbows him in the ribs and tells him to shut up. After they finish kissing, Indrid arrives and greets her by saying, “Welcome, Rikki Hillman. I am Indrid Cold.”

  Rikki cannot believe what is standing in front of her. She asks, “Where are we?”

  Barbara explains, “On board a space ship and we're on our way to Atlantis now.”

  Rikki doesn't know how to respond to this and instead looks at Gina. Haruka laughs and says, “True story. Oh, and my name is now Haruka Miyazaki. That's my dad. Ryu Miyazaki.”

  With a look of shock on her face, Melanie asks in a low voice, “A space ship?”

  Soon afterwards, she faints and falls to the floor. Terry looks at an equally frightened Adam and says, “Come on! This is awesome!”

  A beep is heard followed by Dr. Frankenstein asking, “Indrid? May I ask where the hell you are right now?”

  Barbara whispers, “Uh, oh. We're in trouble.”

  Indrid replies, “My apologies, Ludwig. I have rescued several human survivors. I am returning to Atlantis.”

  The doctor pauses for a moment and asks, “Did I just hear you correctly?”

  Indrid turns off the ship's communications and says to Barbara, “He really does need to calm down sometimes.”

  The ship accelerates until it disappears and makes a sonic boom in the horizon.

  Abaris opens the door of Diana's bedroom and watches her getting dressed. She tells her softly while bowing her head, “I apologize for the intrusion, mon maître.”

  “What is it, Abaris?”

  “We have spotted their ship. Shall we terminate it?”

  “No. Send one
of the drones to follow it. I want to find that fucking city and destroy it.”

  Diana then looks at a very pale President Laird in shackles and tells him while laughing, “Wow. You look like shit, Mr. President.”

  Indrid's ship dives into the ocean followed shortly afterwards by a transparent sphere. Melanie is sitting down while holding a white ice pack on her head. Adam asks her, “Feeling better?”

  She becomes angry and replies sarcastically, “Yeah. Thanks for catching me, by the way.”

  Rikki and Haruka watch from the cockpit in disbelief as they approach the majestic underwater city of Atlantis. Indrid swipes her hand and rapidly types the security password into the keyboard. Rikki confesses, “I've seen secret documents about something out here...but I never expected this.”

  Haruka tells her, “It all feels like a dream.”

  Indrid grins and adds, “There is truth to many myths.”

  An opening appears which resembles the formation of a whirlpool. As the ship slowly accelerates and begins to make its way inside, the transparent sphere behind it stops just in front of the entrance. It pulsates various times and begins transmitting coordinates.

  Back in the secretive city beneath Denver's Airport, one of the system analysts observes the coordinates and says to Diana, “25 North, 71 West.”

  She slams her fist on the armrest of her chair and shouts, “Fire the main cannon at once! I want that city gone!”

  As an opening appears nearby one of the airstrips, gears are heard and a large cannon can be seen exiting. It then begins to position itself and the tip glows as it prepares to fire.

  Dr. Frankenstein watches Indrid's ship arrive at the docking bay and says to himself, “You will be the end of me, Indrid.”

  The crew appears directly in front of him while the whirlpool closes. Barbara says to him, “Before you flip out, doc. They asked Indrid for help.”

  Melanie feels a few drops of water land on her head and she looks up to find a somewhat transparent sphere hovering above them. She points at it and asking everyone loudly, “Excuse me. Is that part of Atlantis?”