by Shoraz
Then, as Usain powered himself down, he prayed that those on the side of good would be victorious and those who plagued the world with their vile and evil deeds would one day see the light of the One Great Creator.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
As the thirteen kamikazes gathered to discuss their plan, Zeus and Pops were given the lead roles once the crew had reached the mega–base in Russia as they knew how to best infiltrate the base as well as maneuver themselves once they were inside.
“So what’s your plan Zeus?” Dean asked.
“Each base has a control room that monitors all knights from that base, and given that the Russian base is closest to us I think it would be best if we infiltrate that base and enter the control room and power down all knights from that base, which would decrease their numbers drastically,” Zeus replied.
“We can then do the same for the other bases, if we’re still alive of course,” Dean said with a smirk.
“Highly unlikely Dean, as once we infiltrate the first base, the knights will adapt and be on high alert at their other bases, so it’s a one–time deal,” Zeus replied.
Zeus’ plan, although simple in nature was extremely dangerous and the chances of success were low given the fact that the Russian base was heavily guarded by the silver knights.
Meanwhile, Gannon who was not one of the thirteen kamikazes left with Ava and Max to gather weapons for the diverse group of characters as they prepared for their mission to save Freedom City from the onslaught of the knights.
“Are you sure that you want to do this Ava?” Max asked.
“I don’t have to do it Max, but I want to do it. I feel that something inside me is changing Max and I can’t stop it,” Ava replied.
“What’s changing Ava? Is there anything I can help you with?” Max asked her.
“No Max, you’ve already done so much for me, but thank you very much,” Ava said as she gently touched Max’s face.
“And I would do it all over again for you Ava, I would do anything for you,” Max said to her.
“I know you would Max, and I love you for that,” Ava said to him.
“I love you too Ava, meeting you is the best thing to ever happen to me,” Max said to her.
As Gannon lead them to the armory, he listened closely to their conversation and pondered upon it as he himself had fallen in love as a young boy only to lose the love of his life in a battle against a gang of ruthless outlaws.
“Please be careful, falling in love is a dangerous thing, especially in times like this,” he said to Ava and Max.
“Thank you Gannon, but we’ll be fine,” Max said to him.
“I know you will, it’s just that when I look at you both I want the best for you and I don’t think that we’ll survive the incoming attack,” Gannon said to them.
“Have hope Gannon, you’re in charge of the people of Freedom City and if you don’t have hope how will you be able to lead them,” Ava replied to him.
“I don’t know what to do Ava, I’ve fought in battles before but nothing like this, the odds seem insurmountable,” Gannon replied as they finally arrived at the armory.
As they entered the armory, Gannon was greeted by two superhumans. They then made their way through the halls to the main weapons stash, and they loaded their bags with enough weapons for a small army.
The weapons included grenades, sniper rifles, high powered machine guns, lasers, night–vision helmets as well as a host of other weapons. Once Gannon felt comfortable with the amount of weapons he had given them they left the armory and began heading back to meet up with the rest of the group to begin their trek to Lake Baikal in Russia.
As they sat in their vehicle, Gannon looked at Ava and Max and said, “Although the odds are against us I hope that you both make it back alive.”
“Thank you Gannon, and I hope that you are here to greet us upon our arrival,” Ava replied as they all smiled knowing fully well that the odds of them surviving this attack was minimal.
Then suddenly Ava screamed out in pain, and her body began to convulse. Max then quickly grabbed onto her to keep her from falling to the floor, and Gannon stopped the vehicle and rushed to her side. As they tried holding her body down from the extreme convulsions, they felt a heat emanating from within her and they had to pull their hands away from her as they were being burnt from touching her.
“What do we do?” Gannon asked Max.
“I don’t know,” Max said as they both helplessly looked on as Ava quivered in pain.
Gannon then rushed back to the driver’s seat and put the airmobile to full speed and sped back towards the main facility in hopes of helping Ava.
Max then tried his best to hold Ava down but her strength was growing, and even with his strength from his robotic suit he was no match for her superior power. In desperation, Max then put his hands on her head and he then suddenly sensed Ava’s internal plea for help. Although there were no words, Max could feel Ava’s desperation and her feeling of being petrified at the unknown distress that her body and mind were experiencing.
“Be strong Ava, hold on, you’ll be fine,” he said to her in hopes of calming her down but her body still severely trembled in pain.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Max felt a force unlike anything imaginable, and he was thrown away from Ava due to the power from within her. As he hit the wall, he put a dent in it and fell to the floor. Injured and in pain he rushed back to Ava and to his surprise her body now lay motionless on the floor of the airmobile, and she was unconscious.
As he touched her skin, it was back to her normal body temperature, and Max checked her pulse to make sure that she was alive, which she was.
Relieved at the thought that Ava was okay, Max shouted to Gannon that all was well and they continued back towards the main facility. As they arrived at the main facility, Max lifted Ava and brought her to the medical area of the facility so that she could be looked at by the superhuman doctors. As he lay her down on the bed, the doctors rushed into the room and just as they did so Ava awoke and arose from the bed as if nothing had occurred.
“Are you okay Ava?” Max asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, let’s go find the others, we have a mission to begin,” Ava said referring to the group’s trek to the base of the silver knights of Russia, and with that, she and Max headed back to meet up with the rest of the thirteen kamikazes.
“Ava, you can’t go on the mission like this, what if something like this happens again?” Max said to her.
“I’m going Max, and there’s no stopping it,” Ava said to him.
“Ava please, if that happens while we are under attack you won’t be able to protect yourself,” Max said to her in hopes of changing her mind.
“That’s why I have you Max,” Ava said to him with a smile on her face.
Max then smiled back at Ava as he was happy that she felt that way about him, and he then held her hand and kissed it and said, “I pledge my life to you Ava, for now, and forever.”
“Thank you Max, and thank you for everything you do for me,” Ava said to him as she hugged him.
As they held each other they heard Dean screaming, “Ava are you okay?” and as they looked up, they saw Dean, John, Sarah, Bismarck and Zeus running towards them followed in tow by Gannon who had told them about what had happened to Ava.
Ava then ran towards them and embraced her dad, “I’m okay dad, I’ll be fine,” she said to him, and she then hugged John and Sarah as well.
“I’m glad that you’re feeling better Ava, but I’m not allowing you to go on this mission,” Dean said to her.
“I’m sorry dad, but you can’t stop me from doing this,” Ava said to him.
“I don’t want to stop you Ava but I’ve lost your mother, and I’ve lost Jonah, and I’m not about to lose you,” Dean said to her.
As Ava heard those words, she felt the pain that her father was feeling and a sense of guilt overcame her and as she pondered on his words John said, “Dean, let her be who
she was meant to be, there’s no stopping destiny.”
“She’s not your daughter John, and I’m not going to let a dream that you had change my decision about this,” Dean said to him.
“You have no idea of the power that she has Dean, and she’s the only one who can help us win the war,” John said.
“Then she’ll help us win the war from here,” Dean shouted back. “What kind of father would I be if I let my only daughter walk into certain death?” he continued saying.
Bismarck then walked up to Dean and whispered in his ear, “Support her in whatever she chooses Dean, and don’t hold her back from being who she truly is.”
“Please don’t do this to me Bismarck, please don’t force me into a decision that I’ll live to regret,” Dean said.
“Dean, if she doesn’t go to the Russian base there’s no way we’ll succeed, and we’re all going to die anyways. I’ve seen her powers, and I know in my heart that she’s the only one who can stop them. In my dream, Luanne told me that they are coming and I know that Ava is the one who will destroy them,” John said to him.
“When I first met you I told you that I was ready to give my life for her and I still stand by those words, and I’ll protect her until the day I die Dean,” John continued saying.
“As will I Dean,” Max chimed in.
“She’s the one Dean, I believe that with everything in me, and the fate of the human race rests with her,” Sarah said to him.
Dean then looked at Ava and said, “It’s up to you pumpkin, do what you feel is right and I’ll support you all the way.”
“I have to go to the base dad, it’s the only way that gives us a chance at winning this war,” Ava said to her father.
“This burden shouldn’t fall on you Ava, you’re too young and precious for this,” Dean somberly said.
“I didn’t ask for this burden dad, but somehow it found its way to me. But you know what dad? I’m beginning to believe in myself,” Ava said.
As Sarah and John heard those words they felt both happy and sad about the situation; they were happy because they saw that Ava was finally beginning to see in herself what they already saw in her, but they were sad as they themselves felt bad for her given the burden that she was destined to carry.
Sarah then smiled at Ava and walked up to her and said, “I will gladly die by your side Ava.”
Dean then walked up to Ava and wrapped his arms around her and said, “I’m so proud of you my little angel, and I know in my heart that your mother and Jonah would be so proud of you too.”
“Thanks dad, that means a lot to me,” Ava replied.
Max then approached Ava and held her hands and she rested her head on his shoulders, “We should get going, we don’t have much time left. Are you ready for this?” he said to her.
Ava then nodded her head in agreement that she was ready, and Max shouted to the group, “Let’s roll out everyone, there’s no time to waste,” and with those words the thirteen kamikazes headed to the shores of Alaska to begin the arduous trek to the base of the silver knights in Lake Baikal, Russia.
“Is everything prepared for us?” Stryker asked Gannon.
“Yes, your weapons have been packed into the submarine and we’ve loaded more than enough airmobiles for you once you reach land. I also asked them to pack enough food, water, and nutrition pills to last you a while. Good luck to you all my friends,” Gannon replied.
As Ava headed out towards the submarine, she vividly remembered her horrible memories of her last trip on a submarine and images of Jonah, Krishna and the rest of the crew of the ill–fated submarine pranced through her head. This time however, she hoped that the outcome would be much different and as she looked at her father, Sarah, Stryker and the rest of the crew she knew that it was up to her to protect them.
“Thank you for everything Gannon, do what you can to keep them at bay until we can shut down the silver knights,” Dean said.
“We’ll be fine Dean, I wish you all the best,” Gannon replied.
Then as everyone made their final steps and boarded the submarine, they all wished each other well not knowing whether or not this would be the last time they laid eyes on Freedom City, and as they embarked on their journey they knew fully well that no matter what happened; at the end of this most unlikely of journeys, the world would be a very, very different place.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
As the leaders heard the wishes of the ruler of Zerros, many of them were in utter shock at the drastic and extreme measures that were being undertaken to correct the breach in protocol.
“Alkazar, this is madness, and I refuse to take part in this,” one of the leaders named Silom said.
“This is a directive straight from our ruler my friend, and we are obliged to follow her every command,” Alkazar boldly stated, “We have no choice in this matter,” he continued saying.
“But this defies logic Alkazar; the Xerrolux has been in existence for many millennia. It is a magnificent and majestic life form, and to destroy it because of this breach is uncalled for,” Silom lashed back.
“We have no choice in the matter Silom, please do not speak ill of this decision or I will report you to Venetia herself,” Alkazar said.
As Alkazar said those words, Silom stood in silence as he knew of Venetia’s wrath and he wanted to be nowhere near it. He then vividly remembered the brutal takeover that Venetia commanded and he recalled her vicious treatment of the other clans during her so called revolution in overtaking the throne of Zerros, and he wanted no part of her vengeance as he and many others knew that it was swift and deadly.
The leaders and Alkazar then left to meet their troops and get their ships ready for their mission to destroy the Xerrolux.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest of Zerros, Manaka continued on his trek to notify those – whom Galiac had handpicked – that the war was coming and that the time had now come for them to follow Galiac’s instructions with the utmost secrecy and stealth. As he made his way, he was unaware of Galiac’s death and as he arrived at the home of Yokelis – one of Galiac’s closest friends – he knocked on the door.
Yokelis then opened the door and greeted him, “Manaka, it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too my friend, I come with news from Galiac, and he says that the time has come and the war for Zerros is near,” Manaka said to Yokelis.
“And where is Galiac?” Yokelis asked.
“He has gone to the Grand Castle,” Manaka replied.
“And who else have you given this warning to?” Yokelis asked.
“You are the first Yokelis, as Galiac made it clear that you were to be the first one that I speak of this too,” Manaka said to him.
“Very well, please come inside Manaka, I have something for you,” Yokelis said to him, and with that Manaka hesitantly entered the home of Yokelis unsure of what he could possibly have for him on such short notice.
Yokelis then told Manaka to sit down and then he went into another room and brought out a sealed box and gently placed it on a table.
“What is this?” Manaka asked.
“Galiac gave this to me a long time ago, and he told me that on the day that you come to my house with the warning of the war that I must give this to you, but unfortunately he never gave me the key,” Yokelis said.
Manaka – unsure of why Galiac would give Yokelis a sealed box with no key to give to him – lifted the box from the table and sat down and put it on his lap. Then as he lifted the box he noticed that the box was extremely light and he wondered what could possibly be inside, and he then remembered that Galiac had given him a key before he left to go to the Grand Castle and he quickly rummaged through his bag and found it.
Surprised to see that Manaka had the key to the box Yokelis said, “You have the key?”
“Galiac gave this to me before he departed for the Grand Castle but I am not sure if this is the key for the box,” Manaka said.
“Galiac is very shrewd, it must be the
key, many times I have wondered why he gave me a sealed box with no key, but now it makes sense, go ahead and open it,” Yokelis said.
Manaka then slowly put the key into the keyhole, and as he turned it there was a click, and the box was now unlocked. He then opened the box, and to his surprise, there was a lone piece of paper and nothing else. As Manaka looked at the piece of paper, he realized that it was a letter to him from Galiac and he wondered why Galiac would leave him a letter, and more importantly he wondered what the letter said as he sat down and began to read it.
Letter from Galiac to Manaka
My son, you are everything to me. If you are reading this then I want to be the first to tell you that I have given myself up in place of you as the one who mated with a human. I know you must be confused and wondering why I gave myself up in place of you, but the reason is simple, my time has come and my eternal life must end in order for another to begin. Also, Venetia knows that I was the only one who could bring the clans of old together to fight against her and with me out of the way she will not be expecting the clans of old to come together against her under your lead.
I know how unselfish you are my son and I also know that if I told you that I was going to the Grand Castle to tell Venetia that I was the one responsible for the breach in protocol you would not have let me go there. I did not mean to lie to you Manaka but it was my only option and it was the only thing I could have done to protect you and keep you safe from the royal guards. I am now with the God of gods my son, and this is my fate. I am truly blessed.
Know that you also have a fate, and that is to lead the army of the old clans of Zerros against Venetia and her clan. Be strong, you will have a great helper soon, one who has the ability to change the tides of war in our favor, and the Phoenix will again roam the skies of Zerros.