Chapter Twelve
It had been three years, since Drellic’s arrival on Earth, and the survivors of the Hades mission were still holed up aboard the International Space Station. All communication with Earth had been terminated for over a year.
The last radio transmission the ISS received from home, came in March of 2030. It was a gargled message from the current Prime Minister of Japan, who was in protective custody, inside the Darkside facility.
Due to the static and violent sounds in the background, the residents of the ISS could only understand six words.
“We’ve lost. We’ve lost the planet,” the Prime Minister had said.
That was the last time anyone heard a human voice from the planet below. It had also been nearly two years, since any electric lights on the surface had been seen from space.
It wasn’t long after Drellic’s arrival on Earth that the killing began. After Hades crashed into the Rocky Mountains, Drellic made his way to Denver, where he made a heartbreaking discovery. He stood on a hillside overlooking the city and was met by bitter confusion. He was expecting to find at least a trace of his former life, but was instead met with cities comprised of what he perceived to be primitive architecture.
He hoped to encounter humans that more closely resembled the people of his time, but found them all to be small, weak and hopelessly self- absorbed. After spending a few hours cautiously observing from the outskirts of the city, he was satisfied that there was no alien presence on the planet. He knew that his enemies were gone and had been for some time.
Drellic’s heightened senses detected the familiar smell of one of his great loves. It was the smell of the Pacific Ocean, which reminded him of Moya and the beaches of Siren. He used his incredible speed to propel himself west, until he reached the Pacific Beach in San Diego, California.
It was almost nightfall when he arrived and the area was deserted. He took advantage of the situation and used the time to relax and collect his thoughts. Drellic sat on the warm sand, still draped in the tattered white cloth he had been wrapped in aboard Hades and watched the sun set.
The ocean air made him feel more and more at home, as it caressed his lungs. Finally, the sun gave way to the night sky. It was a calm clear night and Drellic looked up to the stars, searching for familiar constellations. Astronomy had been another one of his passions in his former life. He knew a great deal about the planets, stars and constellations that were visible from Siren, depending on where you were standing and when. Unfortunately for Drellic, the only thing waiting for him in the night sky, was more confusion and disheartening truth. It was all alien to him. Every last celestial body that shined down upon him seemed out of place and was unrecognizable. He knew all too well, the amount of time it would’ve taken for the visible galaxy to have changed in this manner.
Thinking back to his days aboard Hades, he remembered feeling the same uncomfortable, displaced sensation, when he had first heard the language of the crew, observed their uncivilized behavior and sampled their primitive technology. None of it ever felt right to him, but he refused to believe that his world had simply come and gone with time.
Drellic looked up into the night sky once again, this time desperately searching for Tyrran, Siren’s brother world. It was gone without a trace, but should’ve been clearly visible from any position on the planet, regardless of time of day. Billions of years ago, the elliptical orbital paths of Earth and Mars were much closer together, and the two worlds rarely strayed very far from one another, as they traveled around the sun.
The bitter truth was becoming all too clear to Drellic. The calendar he had started etching into the walls with his bloodstained fingers, when he had first awakened within his prison on Charon, only accounted for roughly one thousand Siren years. However, the celestial events that must’ve taken place to change the visible galaxy, must’ve taken billions.
At that moment, he knew his search for the truth was over. His world was long gone and a new one had taken its place. Even more so at the forefront of his mind, he knew that Callum and the others had lied to him. They had made him believe that there was still hope and that he would be greeted by a great army of loyal followers. He had allowed them to convince him that his people would remember his name, and show their undying gratitude for all he had done, while trying to save them. That realization alone, was enough to reawaken the monster that had always been within him, just waiting its next chance to strike.
Upon relinquishing his belief in reentering the world he once knew, Drellic’s need for revenge devoured whatever good was still inside him. His hatred for the Architects, and even more so for Callum and Simone, drove him to reveal his power to the world in the most devastating of ways.
He spent the next few months learning everything he could about his surroundings. He perfected the English language and also learned to speak Japanese, Spanish and French, fluently. Drellic then collected various fabrics and other materials, which he used to stitch together an appropriately sized uniform for himself. It was an outfit that closely resembled his official attire, from his days as a public servant.
He sped across the United States in secret, dressed in all black overalls and large black leather boots. He wore the symbol of Siren and Tyrran on both shoulders; the symbol, being two circles, one gray and one white, representing both worlds. One partially eclipsed the other and the two closely bound planets, were surrounded by a white ring, surrounded by specks of stardust, representing a union between both societies. This ancient symbol, known worlds over, was referred to as, The Ringed Circles.
Months after his arrival, Drellic then turned his attention to Washington DC. He learned that the two most powerful nations on Earth at the time, were the United States and Japan. Knowing that the Prime Minister of Japan was scheduled to meet with the President of the United States at the White House in the fall of 2028, Drellic made sure to put himself in a position to eliminate both leaders with a single blow. He felt it would be the most effective way to get the undivided attention of the entire world.
On the day of the Prime Minister’s visit to the White House, Drellic had already burrowed his way underground and made himself a cubby hole beneath the house foundation. His heart raced, as he heard the Prime Minister’s entourage of vehicles pulling up to the main entrance.
Once he was satisfied that everyone was inside, he burst through the foundation and made his way up, pounding through floor after floor, and wall after wall, until he reached the diplomatic reception room. There he found the President, the Prime Minister, various other officials and members of the Secret Service.
His violent entrance sent everyone in the room, crashing to the floor. Drellic stood tall over the present members of the Secret Service, as they drew their handguns and opened fire; their bullets merely bouncing off of Drellic like racket balls, killing most of the same men who had fired them.
A press conference was already being assembled in the White House, for the purpose of broadcasting the announcement of a joint effort between the US and Japan, to capture Drellic. Ever since the Hades crash landing, Drellic’s face had been shown across the entire world. Reports of a mysterious giant with unfathomable speed and strength were starting to pour in from across the United States.
Drellic had already killed everyone in the room aside from the President and Prime Minister. He was saving them for the spotlight. Carrying a world leader under each arm, he made his way to the press room and forced the news crews to broadcast a live execution of both men. Over two billion people watched the event, when it happened. The rest of the world was informed by the internet and the widespread panic that followed.
The military stormed the White House in the coming hours, only to be met by an invincible Drellic, who mocked their efforts and threw soldiers and armored vehicles around like rag dolls. By the end of the day, the entire city was in chaos. Any who opposed Drellic, were met with a quick death.
Once the resistance movement finally
came to a halt, Drellic assumed control of the city and used the cease fire as an opportunity to broadcast his identity and intentions to the world. His face was on every television, phone and computer within minutes. Ironically, despite billions of years of waiting for his chance to reclaim his world, he had very little to say.
The residents of the ISS, including the five survivors of the Hades mission, looked on, as Drellic addressed the people of Earth.
“My people,” he began. “I am Drellic. I know that none of you know who I am. You do not remember me. But I promise you, tonight begins an era that will ensure that I will never be forgotten again. Tonight begins a new world, a better world. You will hate me today, but you will love me in the tomorrows to come. It is time for the people of this planet to seize the future they deserve. You do not remember. But you were once a great people, and you will be again. Those who oppose me, will not live long enough to speak a single word of defiance. Those who stand with me, will take a special place in the new world. Choose well, my people. Choose well.”
Shortly after, the transmission ended and was replaced by static.
Callum, Simone, Jack, Richard and Sophia were mere days away from finally being released from the station, just before the executions took place. But after witnessing Drellic’s incredible power and merciless tactics, Earth was looked upon as a quarantined zone. Every available pilot on the station refused to fly down to the surface. Every available ship was heavily guarded and decommissioned.
Mandrake had assumed command of the station and quickly decided that no one could be allowed to return to the surface, until their safety could be guaranteed. But three years after Drellic’s arrival, with food and water in short supply, and no way to ascertain the condition of the world below, Callum and Simone were assigned the grueling task of making a supply run to Earth.
It was the morning of May 15th, 2031. Callum and Simone awoke, as the sun rose from behind the earth and shined brightly into their quarters. They were both lying naked beneath their sheets. Callum was holding Simone tightly in his arms, as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, comforting her. She slowly turned to face him and smiled.
“Another beautiful morning,” she said, as she stared deeply into his eyes.
“It is as long as I’m waking up to you,” he said, as he lightly kissed her lips.
“It’s time isn’t it?” she asked with a hint of worry.
“It’s time,” Callum confidently replied. “And it’s now or never. Just like always.”
Simone looked away for a moment. Callum saw the fear in her eyes that she was desperately trying to hide. He kissed her on the forehead and held her close.
“I love you. Everything’s going to be alright,” he assured her. “I love you too, and I’m not so sure,” she replied.
Callum and Simone had been husband and wife for six months. They had already begun to rekindle their relationship on their way back from Charon, but hadn’t fully rediscovered their deep love for one another, until being trapped aboard ISS for nearly three years.
They helped each other cope with the stress and loneliness of living in what had become a prison-like environment. Mandrake had implemented Marshal Law aboard ISS after the assassination of the American President and Japanese Prime Minister. There were 121 people living on ISS when the lock down took effect. There were now 127.
Six children had been born aboard the station, since Drellic’s rise to power. The first humans beings born in space were thrust into a confined, metallic world, governed by the military, and the knowledge of being so close to home, but being unable to return to it, consumed everyone. What made matters even worse was knowing that their hometowns had either already been burned to the ground, or were perhaps next on the list.
Hope eroded away, as the people spent more time out of contact with family and friends on Earth. Rumors of another resistance movement had reached the station, just before the planet went dark, but there were also rumors of a traitorous regime of Drellic followers, who were aiding Drellic in his conquest of the globe. The notion that people were defecting to Drellic was the most frightening of all. It was the idea that he wasn’t only crippling mankind, but also turning brother against brother.
Due to the unprecedented circumstances leading to the ISS lock down, the station only had three years’ worth of food and water, given its population of nearly 130. Power and oxygen were thankfully not a concern. The oxygen aboard the station was recycled via carbon dioxide scrubbers. The station was also primarily solar powered.
There was a growing fear that Drellic would one day attack the station with either nuclear missiles or a spacecraft assault, but in three years, the only things the people of ISS observed, were widening darkness and deafening silence.
Mandrake against his better judgment, decided that Callum, Simone, Jack, Richard and Sophia would be reunited for the supply run. Despite his misgivings, he knew that they were the most effective team at his disposal. The five of them would be joined by Lt. Tim Sirus and Lt. Jake Barns, who were not astronauts at all, but highly decorated sharp shooters. Their sole purpose was to provide cover for the team collecting and storing supplies for ISS.
Callum and Simone dressed themselves in their old blue flight gear and reluctantly made their way to the hangar deck. Richard and Sophia were there to meet them.
“Are you ready for this?” Callum asked Richard.
He chuckled and replied, “You know me. I’m always ready to get my hands dirty.”
Sophia rolled her eyes at him, as Callum turned his attention to her.
“What about you?” Callum asked. “Ready to get back out there?”
“I’d be more worried about him, if I were you,” she replied, as she looked over Callum’s shoulder.
Callum turned around to see Jack enter the room. They smiled and shook hands, as they hadn’t seen each other in a few months.
“Where’ve you been hiding, Jack?” Callum asked him.
“I’ve just been waiting for another opportunity to watch you screw up,” Jack replied.
Sophia looked Jack over with uncertainty, as he was the smallest and most fragile one in the group.
“I’m surprised you’re back with us,” she snickered. “This isn’t like before. We’ll be on the ground, exposed. You’re going to have to defend yourself.”
Jack just smiled and replied, “That’s what they’re here for.”
The group turned to see Lt.’s Sirus and Barns approaching them. They appeared awkward and uncomfortable in their flight suits. Tim and Jake naturally preferred to be covered in camouflage and in the company of their normal combat unit, and they looked over the former Hades crew with judgmental eyes.
After an uncomfortable silence, Tim asked, “Have any of you even handled an assault rifle before?”
“No. But we’re fast learners,” Simone snapped.
“Easy, Sirus,” scolded Jake. “These are the same people that lived in a tin can with Drellic for eight months. I’m sure they can handle themselves.”
“I just hope we don’t run into too many sympathizers,” Tim replied.
Together with their two new rugged companions, Callum and his old crew boarded the state of the art stealth shuttle, which would be carrying them down into the warzone below. Moments later, the hangar deck was evacuated and depressurized. The massive metal doors beneath the shuttle then parted ways, allowing for the ship to begin its descent towards Earth.
Callum looked up through the canopy from the pilot’s seat, as the hangar doors closed above them. It wasn’t until those doors slammed shut that Callum realized he may not have been as eager to return to Earth, as he thought.
The Drellic Saga: Books One, Two and Three Page 15