Until We Break

by Scott Kinkade

  “It’s a terrorist attack, pure and simple,” General Sem Haig said. He had a thick neck and a no-nonsense attitude. “This Zero Grade is obviously a group of radical extremists.”

  Lyra Connors, Lambda’s Chief of Staff, shook her head. “I’m not so sure. We have to face the possibility we’re looking at another attack by gods.” With her beautiful amber skin, the [resident couldn’t help but be attracted to her, even though he was a married man. The attraction always bothered him, but this was not the time for such thoughts.

  “There’s no such thing as gods,” Haig insisted. “Obviously the enemy has created some sort of chemical weapon and is using it to terrorize us.”

  Lambda furrowed his brow. “That seems unlikely. Just look at what they did in Stiftung, and then in the Tru Republic. We’re obviously dealing with beings that possess powers far beyond what humans are capable of. Right now we need a way to retake Upton and rescue survivors.”

  “It doesn’t appear that there are survivors,” Lyra said.

  “We can’t assume that,” Lambda said.

  Nevertheless, she replied, “We still have phone service in Upton; both cell towers and land lines are active. If there was still someone alive down there, we would have heard from them by now. In addition, thermal images taken by satellite aren’t picking up anything. I’m sorry to say this, but the town appears to be quite dead.”

  Lambda sighed and rubbed his face warily. “Why Upton? What’s so special about it that they’d attack there first?”

  Ben Hinsom, the Secretary of State, said, “Do you remember the satellite we launched last year? SatTech 5?”

  “It was filled with the latest in scientific instruments, wasn’t it?” Lambda said.

  “Yes, sir. It was designed to detect things never before seen by man. Well, not too long ago, our tech geeks began finding unusual energy signatures scattered around the planet. They hypothesize it could be a previously unknown fuel source. One of these so-called Hot Zones is located in Upton.”

  “Why wasn’t I informed of this?”

  “We planned to bring it to your attention when we had more information. Currently, we have no idea how to use this new fuel source, if it even is that.”

  Lambda steepled his fingers. “So you believe this Zero Grade wants these…what did you call them… Hot Zones… for themselves?”

  “We believe it to be a strong possibility,” Hinsom said. “I don’t see any other reason to attack a small town or an isolated site like Stonecroft last year. They have no strategic value whatsoever.”

  Lyra pointed out, “Not to humans, anyway. There’s no telling with gods.”

  Haig rolled his eyes. “Mr. President, I still believe we’re dealing with fanatics with chemical weapons who want to strike terror into the hearts of small towns everywhere. Think about it—if a small town isn’t safe, no place is. They want to prove they can attack us anywhere.”

  Crossing his arms, Lambda said, “We have to assume we’re dealing with a worst-case scenario, that we’re up against gods. The Murnau military couldn’t make a dent in the giants that appeared in Stiftung, and our weapons aren’t much better. We need some sort of defense should they appear in Morovia.”

  “Let me send in the 103rd Batallion. We’ll put a swift end to these bastards,” Haig said.

  “But if they really are gods, it won’t matter how many soldiers we send,” Lyra said.

  “What do you suggest?” Lambda asked her.

  She sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, Mr. President. If they really are gods, then our only option might be nuclear if all else fails.”

  “You’re suggesting we detonate a nuclear bomb on Morovian soil?” he said, dumbfounded.

  “That’s outrageous,” Haig said. “If we start launching nukes at bogeymen, we’ll make this country uninhabitable.”

  She insisted, “If we’re dealing with hostile deities, we’ll have to stand strong and deliver a powerful message: ‘We won’t bow to you.’”

  Lamba sighed. “At this point, nukes are off the table. I need something else, something that will give us an edge but limit civilian casualties and environmental impact.”

  It was then that Cid Larson, the Secretary of Technology, finally spoke up. “Mr. President, I think there’s something you need to see.”

  * * *

  Maya and Jaysin arrived at Freya’s office that evening. “Thank you for coming,” she said from behind her desk.

  Maya’s face was still marred by fresh tears. “Have you heard from Ev?”

  Freya leaned forward, hands folded. “I’m afraid not. Please, sit down.” They did so. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but earlier today his hometown was attacked by Zero Grade. We believe he went there to fight them off.”

  “We already figured that out,” Maya snapped. “Where is he now?”

  Freya replied, “Maya, I’m not going to insult you by pretending everything’s OK. It’s not. Right now, we fear the worst. We have reason to believe Ev may have had a run-in with a member of the Flawless Few. We haven’t heard from him at all since the attack.”

  Maya found her self-control disintegrating. “No! He’s not dead! He can’t be! Why aren’t we out looking for him?”

  Freya explained, “Bethos has decided to wait until we have reinforcements before going to Upton.”

  “That’s easy for him to say!” she said, hot tears rolling down her face. “There isn’t anyone he cares about in Upton, no one who saved his life and means everything to him.”

  Jaysin tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be OK, Maya.”

  She swatted him away. “No, it won’t! Didn’t you hear her? Ev could be dying in Upton right now, and these professors don’t give a damn about him!” With Ev missing and CiCi facing her own crisis, Maya firmly believed she was at her emotional limit. She saw her life crumbling before her eyes, and no one was doing anything about it.

  “How can you say that?” Freya said. Maya looked up and was astonished to see tears in her eyes. “Have you forgotten? I’m a goddess of love; I feel the pain known only by lovers. I know exactly what you’re going through, so please don’t say I don’t care. It’s just that… sometimes we have to make choices that could kill us because any other choice will kill many more people.”

  Maya stared at her. “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I was only thinking of myself.”

  Smiling, Freya said, “You weren’t just thinking of yourself; you were thinking of the bond you share with Ev. Love is selfish, Maya, and that’s OK. We do what we do because we want to be happy with someone else, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, Professor. But I can’t just stand by while Ev faces his execution. I’m going to save him.”

  * * *

  Ev didn’t know how, but suddenly, he was in the kitchen. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed up by Hades. But now Hades was gone, though the sight that now greeted him was just as unreal.

  Lying on the floor was the body of his father, the knife still in his kidney, the tile soaked with blood. The scene wrenched Ev’s heart open again, the guilt threatening to drive him mad.

  From somewhere, Hades’ voice called out to him. “You couldn’t save your father.”

  Ev panicked and ran into the living room. There, he saw the horrifically familiar sight of his mother nailed to the wall.

  “You couldn’t save your mother.”

  Ev howled in agony before running out the front door. This time, he was on a bridge, and the house vanished behind him. The body of Arcturus Reich lay on the concrete, his heart punctured by steel shrapnel from their battle.

  “You couldn’t save Arcturus Reich.”

  Ev bolted over Arcturus’ body and kept running until he was on the other side of the bridge. This time, he was faced with a gruesome scene that hadn’t yet happened: Maya’s head hung on a pike, blood dripping down. “No!”

  “You won’t be able to save Maya B
rünhart.”

  Ev screamed, “What do you want from me?”

  “To recognize your own sins. Their blood is on your hands. You cannot change that.”

  He cried out, even louder, “You’re the one who murdered my mother!” He could feel his voice getting raw.

  “You provoked us. You mocked us. This is how gods settle affairs.”

  “She had nothing to do with this!”

  “She is your blood. You care about her. That is reason enough.” Ev could feel the tears coming and knew there was no stopping them. But Hades suddenly said, “Not yet. I will not allow you the luxury of grieving so soon. Your suffering must continue. For now, embrace the darkness, the nothingness.”

  Everything faded to black, and Ev was suddenly in a void not unlike Gehenna. But Gehenna had the Tower of Babel and other things inside it; he somehow knew there was absolutely nothing here. It was completely empty.

  He cried out for someone to hear him, to find him, to help him. He was ashamed of his weakness, but he couldn’t help it; he desperately wanted to be anywhere but here.

  Maya. He wanted to see her again. He didn’t deserve it, though; he had failed to avenge Mom, he had killed his own father and Arcturus Reich, and he knew he should die here as penance. He believed this with every fiber of his being.

  Nevertheless, selfishness won out, and he found himself wishing he could be with Maya one last time. If only I could hear her voice.

  Suddenly, he heard something in this desolate void: “Thank you, Professor. But I can’t just stand by while Ev faces his execution. I’m going to save him.” It was far off, yet distinct. Someone was speaking.

  He moved his arms and legs to swim through the gulf that separated them. Further and further he went—as least, he thought he was moving—until he spotted a light up ahead. He reached out. He could almost touch it…

  * * *

  “Please don’t do this, Maya,” Freya said as Maya got up to leave.

  “I won’t change my mind,” she said.

  “Ev wouldn’t want you getting yourself killed.”

  “It doesn’t matter what he wants,” Maya insisted. “You said it yourself; love is selfish. We both know you’d do the same thing for Professor Strong. We’ve all seen how you look at him.”

  “That has nothing to do with—”

  Maya held up a hand to silence her. “You know it doesn’t matter what you say to me. I’m going.”

  Sighing, Freya said, “Jaysin, please talk some sense into her.”

  He shrugged. “That would make me quite the hypocrite, dontcha think? Me, who risked my life to save her, telling her not to do the same for someone else? I’m afraid I can’t do that. In fact, I’m inclined to go with her.”

  “This isn’t a game!” Freya said, her emotional control almost gone. “You can’t just go running off to die! If you die, how will that make Ev feel?” Her hands were shaking.

  After an awkward silence, Maya said, “This has happened to you before, hasn’t it? Someone you loved went on some mission and died, didn’t they?”

  Freya explained, “I have loved many people during my life. Mortals, they think they have to do something grand to impress a goddess. In those days, they would go off on epic adventures, risking their lives to win my favor. It’s not like the old tales; instead of succeeding and living happily ever after, they inevitably got themselves killed. I didn’t want to burden you with my problems, Maya, but you’ve left me no choice. I know I said love is selfish, but there is such a thing as being too selfish. Think about what it would do to Ev if you got butchered by Zero Grade. Think of what it would do to your friends. What about CiCi? She’s counting on you being there for her during her recovery.”

  There was another uncomfortable pause. Maya balled her fist, doubt wracking her soul. What should she do? It was an impossible choice.

  Finally she said, “I—”

  He words were cut off by a figure falling from the ceiling. Her eyes went wide as she saw who it was. “Ev!”

  He was unconscious and covered in black ooze, but it was definitely him. “Where on Narska did he come from?” Jaysin said.

  They looked up. A mysterious black hole had formed in the ceiling. They could see nothing beyond it. Within moments, it closed. “Hades,” Freya said.

  Maya blinked. “What?”

  “Ev got swallowed up into Hades of the Flawless Few. He should have been lost forever. I’ve never heard of anyone escaping before.” She felt his pulse. “He’s still alive.”

  Maya hugged his limp body. She didn’t care if she got slime on her clothes. Ev was alive and her world remained complete.

  * * *

  They promptly took Ev to the infirmary and laid him down next to CiCi’s bed. “Ev!” she said upon laying eyes on him. “What happened?”

  They explained the situation to her and Dian Cecht. He took it in with his usual stoic attitude, while she expressed shock. They hadn’t even told her Ev had left the Academy.

  After examining him, Dian Cecht made his diagnosis. “Ev is in a coma due to the shock of his experiences. No one but Hades himself can pass through his dimension unharmed. I’ve never heard of anyone surviving it before. Quite frankly, Ev should be dead.”

  “You sound almost disappointed,” Maya said. She wished the physician would show a little more happiness at Ev’s continued status among the living.

  “I’m merely trying to keep you from getting your hopes up. I don’t know if he’ll ever recover from this. Hades’ realm has wrecked his body and I may not be able to fully repair the damage, though I’ll do what I can.”

  Maya’s heart sank. “So then…Ev might stay this way for the rest of his life?”

  He nodded grimly. “There is a strong possibility of that, although I can’t say for certain. The effects of Hades’ realm on other life forms have not been studied because no one has ever emerged from it before. Ev may recover quickly or not at all.”

  “Damn you!” Maya yelled, and they had to hold her back. “You say these things as if you don’t care! Doesn’t this bother you even a little?”

  “I assure you, I have only the utmost concern for Ev’s life, though I don’t show it. I learned long ago that a doctor must avoid showing too much emotion for his patient. Getting excited won’t help Ev.”

  Maya managed to calm down. “Fine. But don’t you dare give anything less than your best when it comes to treating him.”

  Brandon came rushing into the room, nearly knocking everyone else over. “I heard what happened. Where is he?” They directed him to where Ev lay, and he staggered over to him. “No! Oh, Ev. This is all my fault,” he said, agony etched on his face. “I shouldn’t have listened to Bethos. I should have gone after you.”

  Freya put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have gotten there in time to save him.”

  “But I could have! If only I’d left as soon as I found out he was missing.”

  “You didn’t even know where he had gone,” Jaysin said. “For all you knew, he had gone somewhere else.”

  Brandon shook his head. “No. I knew. We all did. We just chose to not do anything about it.”

  “Dammit, Brandon, Bethos was right. It would have been suicide to go charging into Upton. You’d be lying dead beside everyone else in that town,” Freya said.

  Brandon stared at Ev in silence. He knew she was right, but he would continue to blame himself for this. Maya decided right now she had to be strong. “So what’s our next move?”

  Freya explained, “The president is summoning all alumni and former faculty members. Once they arrive, we can plan our attack. Until then, I don’t want anyone running off and getting themselves killed. Is that understood?”

  Maya nodded.

  “No worries there, mate; I have a very strong survival instinct.”

  “Good,” Freya said. “In the mean time, I want everyone training for the coming battles. Spread the word.”

  “Right,” M
aya said.

  “And away I go,” Jaysin added.

  Chapter V

  Six hundred miles southwest of Vinguard was Brazo Mountain, a heavily fortified military installation. Built decades ago through tunneling and explosives, the complex continued to act as the Morovian military’s heart and brain during crises.