“Please don’t do this, Liberty. I can help in another way.”
Liberty gave him an odd look. “Yes, this is the way you can help us. You’ve chosen.”
“I did not choose to die.”
“I know,” replied Liberty.
“Then what are you doing? Let me live.”
She clapped her hands together. “Excellent.” The chair lifted in the air, this time hovering on its own. It turned, heading for the light seeping through the open doors. To Jaxx, living in infamy wasn’t by dying for people he barely knew.
“Don’t worry, Jaxx,” said Liberty, “I’ll be watching when you transfer over.”
“Transfer over?” The chair hovered through the doorway and out into an open meadow where an SF-13 Air Wing sat, tall grass hiding the landing gear and touching the starfighter’s belly. The chair descended to the ground.
Jaxx stood and turned, facing the temple. His body relaxed. He had read Liberty wrong. He was indeed going to the coordinates, and apparently in an Air Wing.
Liberty walked out. “Get into your Air Wing and you’ll be shown what to do next.” She bowed. “Thank you for being in service to us.”
He walked over to his Air Wing, pulled himself on top of the wing, and climbed into the cockpit. To his surprise, a helmet was on the dashboard. He put the helmet on, started the ion boosters, and gave Liberty and the few commanders standing around her a thumbs up.
“The helmet is connected to my mind,” came Liberty’s voice. “Fly to the coordinates on your holographic control display.”
A map popped up. Jaxx narrowed his eyes. Never mind. This wasn’t good. “The coordinates are on Callisto. I thought I was going to the stars?”
“We don’t have time for that. The coordinates are to the apex of our great pyramid.”
Jaxx’s shoulder’s drooped. “So, I am giving away my life?”
“You are being in service.”
Shit. “What if I decline?”
“Your ship is already set to the coordinates. You have given us your choice and we are setting that choice into motion.”
The Air Wing lifted off of the ground. “No, wait! I decided against it. You know I did. Stop this thing!” He pounded against the cockpit window.
“There is no stopping, there is only doing. Now, Jaxx, you have decided against the transmutation of your DNA to end the darkness in the Beings who are currently attacking us. That we understand and we applaud your choice.”
The starfighter blasted forward, heading through an opening in the glass dome’s wall. “Then where am I going?”
“You’re going on the second route, the second idea to end the war and bring peace to our civilization once again.”
“You just said I was —” Jaxx cut himself off, more confused than ever, but if he was taking a second route, then he wasn’t going to question anymore.
His Air Wing exited the domed city and zipped forward, heading right for the great pyramid where a mess of beings were amassing, entering through a large opening at the pyramid’s base.
He covered his eyes and braced for impact. A golden light enveloped the cockpit and Jaxx’s eyelids shot open. A white flash and then darkness.
He gasped, looking around, seeing stars and Jupiter in front of him.
“I didn’t go far.” He patted himself. “And I am alive?”
“Very much so,” responded Liberty. “In two minutes, you’ll be catapulted to another star system in our galaxy. From there, follow the coordinates, Jaxx.”
37
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Flood of Dawn, Callisto
Rivkah wrung her hands together and glanced at Bogle. “Are you fine with this?”
They were in a small structure just outside Flood of Dawn’s great pyramid. Bogle stood over a table with a holographic display illuminated in front of her. It was a view of the battlefield. None of the teams had deployed yet, but in a matter of minutes, the assault and survivor retrieval would commence. She had on a device similar to the device around the Princess Leia statue’s head, looking like futuristic headphones – ear cups around the ears cushioned with soft ear pads that illuminated in an inner glow the moment they were placed on Bogle’s head. The head band was positioned toward the back of the head instead of on top. Blue, glowing lights projected a few inches outward from the band, forming hieroglyphs that zoomed by quickly, similar to stats running across the board at the New York Stock Exchange. A few Atlanteans, wearing similar devices, stood around tables in the large, crystalline room, in charge of specialized teams and leaders in the coming assault.
Bogle nodded her head. “I’ll be fine. That question should be asked to you, but you wouldn’t give me an honest answer, because your life has been embroiled in lies and deceit perpetrated by you, your family, and the people you worked for, so your habit to shrug everything off and call it normal would be catalyzed by your past loop. You’d tell me you’re good, but deep inside, you’re crying and craving for peace, for acceptance, and for your family – most notably your father – to applaud you as a human being, rather than look at you as if you were in the way and the scum of the Universe. Also – ” Bogle pulled the head phones off and touched her throat. “I’m so sorry. I could see everything in you and I couldn’t shut myself up.”
Rivkah looked away and placed her hand on Morning Star’s shoulder. “Do we have to do this? I’m all good with helping, but having someone in my mind the entire time is going to distract the shit out of me.”
Morning Star’s eyebrows pulled down in concentration. He gestured for Bogle to hand him the head phones, which she promptly did. He started pressing buttons on the head band. “This is connected to Lady of Atlantis statue and thus is connected to every individual on this planet. With this on, she will be able to telepathically communicate with you or whoever’s energy signature she wishes by pressing on any warrior’s signature on the holographic screen.” He pursed his lips, continually pressing more buttons. “There we go,” he said, his face relaxing. “We had it on a different mode. Now she will be able to communicate as she wishes, no longer getting into your issues to bring them to the forefront. She’ll be able to lead you from place to place, so you can complete your mission.” He gave the device back to Bogle.
Rivkah looked over Morning Star’s shoulder, grabbing a view of her team. They were outside the domes of the beautiful cities and a gang of female and male warriors stood behind him and out the door on the barren, cold moon, all battle-ready and prepared to enter the Great Pyramid to teleport to East Rise. The majority of them were part of Sey team, there to extract as many surviving Atlanteans in East Rise as possible. Twelve, including Morning Star, were part of Tos team – her team – there to assassinate the Kelhoon leader and change the tide of this war. They had the leader’s location and Bogle would be Rivkah’s eyes, leading the team there.
“You hear me, Rivkah?” asked Bogle.
Rivkah rubbed her ears. “I’m going to have to get used to hearing your voice in my head. This is disorienting.”
“During combat,” responded Morning Star. “It won’t be an intrusion into your mind. You get used to it fast.” He turned, putting a fist in the air. “Sey Team, are you ready?”
A hefty cheer engulfed the area and Morning Star dropped his hand. “Proceed to the coffer and when in East Rise, may the Law of One be with you. Defend yourselves and defend those of our friends in need and bring them all to safety.”
The soldiers spun on their heels and marched to an opening at the base of the pyramid, their gold clad armor shimmering brilliantly from Jupiter’s light and the light of Jupiter’s innermost moons. The troops held energy spears and tridents, which moved up and down as they traversed across the gray, white land.
Twelve stayed put and Morning Star motioned to them. “Do you wish to proceed, Rivkah?”
“Where is Jaxx?” she asked.
Bogle looked down, gathering information through her head phones. She shook her head, bringing her eyes to Rivka
h’s. “He chose another route.”
For a moment, Rivkah wanted to pick up something and throw it across the room. She should have known he’d chicken out and ditch them. It was nothing new with Jaxx, especially in her life. The asshole always had a way of throwing her to the wolves.
Morning Star placed his hand on her back. “He would have given his life, had there not been another option.”
Rivkah shot him a look. “I’m giving my life right now. Where is my other option? Mine is to run, but I decided against. Obviously Jaxx hasn’t changed.”
“Either option he chooses has the slightest chance to save us all. He has chosen wisely, my friend.”
“Says you,” replied Rivkah, calming herself down, something a captain that has been in charge of many people learns to do over time, especially in the Secret Space Program where people were dying left and right and the only thing keeping the survivors alive was a calm, cool, and collected leader.
And, truth be told, Rivkah was happy to take her anger out on the Kelhoon rather than Jaxx. She’d be calm until those pricks were in her crosshairs. “So be it.” She made her way past Morning Star, picked up a helmet attached to the wall, and walked out into the cold air. They were in a crater, three pyramids on hills stood before her, an obelisk to her right and Lady of Atlantis to her left. She hesitated for a moment, then trudged toward those heading into the biggest of the pyramids.
A cold wind blew against her, but her suit of armor somehow kept her warm. Her ears and face felt the touch of the arctic frost pervading the air.
She put her helmet on, her head and face instantly warming.
Morning Star caught up and handed her a rifle. “Here you go, Captain Rivkah Ravenwood.”
She looked down at the rifle in her hands, studying it. “An IPR-8. Where did you get one of these?”
“We have several we recovered that were floating undamaged in space from Star Warden’s demise.”
She patted the rifle. “At least you found something good out of it.” She looked through the scope. It still worked. She glanced behind her. “What are they waiting for?” Tos Team, her team, was huddled together, almost as if they were on an American football team.
“A pep talk, of sorts. Usually the team leader does that.” He gave her a wink.
“Nah, not me. No more. Let’s get this shit done and over with.” She stopped and turned. “Hey, Tos Team. Get over here. We have Kelhoon brains to smash.”
Tos Team looked at each other, obviously not expecting their leader to be so harsh. They dipped their heads and hurried to her.
“Let’s go,” Rivkah waved them forward.
They tread to the foot of the Great Pyramid. Rivkah stopped at the entrance, gazing up at the top of the pyramid. Its golden apex glowed, lighting up the sky, electricity flamed outward like lightening at the pyramid’s uppermost point. What was she getting herself into? She was going to teleport? Literally?
Vzzzoooom!
Rivkah fell back as the pyramid’s apex let out a beam of golden light and a craft, approaching at a ridiculous speed, plummeted straight into that beam, a white flash enveloped the sky, then the electricity died down and the craft vanished.
She pushed herself back up. “What was that?”
“Jaxx,” said Morning Star. “Pray that he completes his mission successfully.”
She waved a dismissive hand. She didn’t care. She had other things to worry about.
She stepped inside the pyramid, ducking her head when she entered a narrow and shallow tunnel, the walls emanating an inner glow, much like most of the walls she’d seen on this moon. Several soldiers were in front of her, waiting their turn to enter the coffers and teleport to East Rise’s Akmon Pyramid. By now, Din Team were in combat with the Kelhoon. And, as if on cue, a dozen almond shaped starfighters zoomed on by, zipping toward East Rise, ready to pin the Kelhoon – if everything went right.
In war, nothing goes right.
“It’s our turn,” said Morning Star, giving Rivkah a slight nudge.
“What?” Rivkah eyed in front of her, the long tunnel empty. “Scotty beamed them up that quickly?”
“Who beamed them up?”
“Never mind.”
Rivkah walked up a long ramp, almost crawling she had to bend down so low. “Who designed this piece of shit? You could have made it a little easier to walk through.”
“It’s designed by our master engineers.” Morning Star said, walking a pace behind her, the rest of Dut Team behind him. “This isn’t a passageway for people only. It’s for energy, water, and orb clusters to enter and exit out of. It’s made perfectly to create conductivity – ”
“Okay, got it,” interrupted Rivkah. “Let’s skip the quantum physics.” An opening came in view and Rivkah entered a rather wide, deep room, surrounded by black granite walls. An empty, stone sarcophagus, otherwise known as a coffer, sat in the middle.
“Everyone place your hands on the coffer,” ordered Morning Star. “And, for those that can’t, put your hands on our backs.”
Rivkah placed a hand on the coffer while holding her rifle in the other. Morning Star stood next to her, doing the same. One by one, the rest of the team placed their hands on the stone coffer, except for two who didn’t have room. A hand touched Rivkah’s back.
“Hi Rivkah,” said Bogle, booming into Rivkah’s mind.
Rivkah jerked back, startled, then rolled her eyes. “Don’t do that.” She looked at everyone, pointing to her head. “Bogle’s on the line.”
Bogle spoke. “I guess I just press this button and –”
Everything went white and Rivkah watched as her hands faded in front of her, then reappeared, hands still on the same coffer. “What was that?”
“Let’s go,” said Morning Star, lifting his hands off the coffer and running out of the door.
“Okay, we’re safe when you exit the coffer,” mentioned Bogle.
“Hold on. We teleported?”
“Yes,” responded Bogle. “You’re now in East Rise. Get out and get out fast. Kelhoon are coming.”
A woman soldier grabbed Rivkah’s hand, pulling her out of the opening and down another shallow and narrow tunnel.
Rivkah shook her hand loose from the woman just as an explosion pounded next to the pyramid they were about to exit, shaking the ground. Rivkah slid down the descending tunnel, her feet touching the ground at the exit. She popped up and ran, following Morning Star and the rest of the team.
Bogle’s voice blipped back into her mind. “Tell them to go left, down the Garden Downs alleyway.”
Rivkah ran forward, jumping over a man lying on the ground, dead and charred to the bones. “The Garden Downs alleyway?”
“They’ll know what I’m speaking of, so hurry. Tell them.”
The city burned, fire consuming the trees and smoke billowing out of dome windows, graying the sky. Tracer rounds pocketed the hills encompassing the city, followed an instant later by hefty explosions from ion blasts.
Rivkah couldn’t tell who was winning or losing, but East Rise and its inhabitants were in the middle of hell, which was much like most ground battles that Rivkah had witnessed and participated in when she was with the Secret Space Program.
The air was filled with burning skin and flaming trees, wafting all around in the breeze. She reached Morning Star.
“Bogle says we need to go down Garden Downs alleyway.”
Morning Star nodded and turned on a dime. “Follow us. We need you in the middle of the pack. We’re guarding you.”
They turned down a narrow passage in between domes and golden gates, untouched flowers of vibrant colors, streaming down green vines hanging off of the dome’s roofs and intertwining in the gates, lined the alleyway.
“Halt! And, duck down. Kelhoon will be passing your twelve very soon,” yelled Bogle.
Rivkah covered her ears, Bogle’s voice pounding against her brain. “Lighten up, Bogle. You about made me fucking deaf.” She ignored Bogle’s apologies and pu
t her hands up. “Stop. Kelhoon approaching. Take cover.”
Dut Team wasn’t about conflict. They were the assassin team, and they were in East Rise to kill off the Kelhoon beloved leader. Somehow, the Atlanteans knew where the leader was. How they could even tell a Kelhoon apart, let alone find their leader, was an anomaly to Rivkah. In combat, however, you don’t question and if you do, you better have a life-saving question, because any other question may be the hesitating moment you needed to duck, dive, or return fire.
The team spread out, butting up against anything and everything.
Rivkah leaned back against a gate, the colorful foliage somewhat camouflaging her, hiding her torso from view, but the rest was out in the open, begging to be seen.
A small troop of Kelhoon ran by a cobblestone path at the end of the alleyway, their green scales covering their very human-like faces, their bodies tall and wide, thick with muscle. Their weapons of choice were cannon blasters that hung over their shoulders by a strap and long, thin rifles, very much like the rifles issued to the Space Marines in the Secret Space Program.
One Kelhoon stopped at the alleyway opening and turned, his scales protruding outward, his pupils slit like a snake’s, his tongue pushing outward. He wore armor, thick and blue, his helmet covering his black hair, though its long strands fell down its back. He raised his rifle, then lowered it, slowly striding into the alleyway. “Boongasha!”
He let loose a few shots and a Dut Team member slumped over, shooting back with his three-pronged trident and missing wide before dying, his body slamming into the ground.
Everyone, including Rivkah, returned fire, riddling holes throughout the Kelhoon’s body. It fell back onto the cobblestone street, its blue blood oozing onto the ground, its eyes open, deathly staring at the heavens that its soul had no chance of reaching.
Atlantis Quadrilogy - Box Set Page 44