by Shoraz
Flashback: Inside the base of the silver knights prior to Bismarck’s death
As the trio of Bismarck, Pops and Tony watched as the last knight left the room and the door began to shut, Pops knew that it was now or never and lunged towards the door to prevent it from closing. As he lunged, his hand barely kept the door open, and he scampered into the room that housed the power supply, and Tony and Bismarck started running towards the room as well.
Given the short amount of time that Pops had to dive for the door, the last knight that had left the room saw them out of the corner of his eye and shouted to his fellow silver knights, “Intruders, we have intruders,” and with that a small pack of silver knights came running back with the intention of killing Pops, Tony, and Bismarck.
As they ran towards them, they shot at them, and Pops fired back as Tony and Bismarck darted towards him. Bismarck then somehow noticed the card reader device on the wall, and he knew that was the only way that the silver knights would be able to enter the room.
Then – without as much as a second thought – he did the only thing he could do to ensure that Pops and Tony had enough time to destroy the power supply – and he pushed Tony into the room and locked the door shut.
As Tony realized what had happened, he desperately tried to open the door, but without the access to open it, both he and Pops were now on the inside and Bismarck bravely and selflessly stood outside the door. As he stood outside, he aimed his laser at the card reader and then pulled the trigger which instantly destroyed it and with it, any hopes the silver knights had of reentering the room.
He then turned around and waited for the incoming pack of knights and began to open fire on them in hopes of giving Pops and Tony the time they needed to destroy the power supply.
Back inside the room, Pops and Tony fired at the power supply but the armor around it was thick and strong, and they quickly realized that there was no way they would destroy it by shooting at it. Then Pops, in another moment of unselfishness by a member of the thirteen kamikazes said to Tony, “Well my friend, my time has come to an end. This has been a marvelous journey.”
“No Pops, there has to be another way,” Tony said as he knew fully well of Pops’ intent to self–destruct himself, which would surely destroy the power supply of the silver knights as well.
“No my friend, unfortunately there isn’t,” Pops replied.
Then, without a second thought, and as if their minds were one, both Pops and Tony initiated their self–destruct sequence.
“For the humans,” Pops said.
“Yes my friend, for the humans,” Tony solemnly repeated, and they both then jumped down the shaft of the power supply.
Then, as their metallic bodies plunged into the darkness they both simultaneously activated their self–destruct feature, and as their robotic bodies violently exploded it caused a chain reaction which destroyed the power supply of the knights, and then in unison, every single silver knight across the face of the earth stopped functioning and fell to the floor – dead.
Back outside the room, the vibrations of the explosion echoed throughout the facility, and a badly wounded Bismarck began to drag himself towards the exit of the base proudly knowing that he gave Pops and Tony the chance to destroy the power supply.
As the blood flowed from his wounds and the pain overtook his mind, he was happy as he saw the silver knights lying dead on the floor. Then as his mind began to fade in and out, he knew that the mission was accomplished and that Zeus was safe and sound, and as thoughts of his great friend and companion went through his head, he collapsed to the floor.
But with his last ounce of strength, he pulled himself up again and continued to drag himself to the exit of the base. As he did so, he thought that this was not the way he wanted to end his life, on the cold and hard floor deep within the base of the silver knights, and as he dragged himself forward, he thought of what he would say to Zeus if he got the chance.
As the melancholy thoughts raced through his head he wanted to thank Zeus, for not only being a good friend, but he also wanted to thank him for loving him, for protecting him and lastly but not least, he wanted to thank Zeus for accepting him and letting him be who he truly was – a caring and loving person and soul.
The end of the flashback inside the base of the silver knights prior to Bismarck’s death
CHAPTER THIRTY
As Frank, Achilles and what remained of the board, along with a barrage of loyal white knights entered a secondary control room they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. For a brief moment, they thought that it was a malfunction of the screen, but as the white knights in the room called out to the leaders of the silver knights, there was no response from neither the base in Lake Baikal or from the carriers in Freedom City.
As what remained from the camera feeds from the carriers in Freedom City showed on the screens, Frank and the others were at a loss at the unexplainable sight of the thousands upon thousands of silver knights assisting the humans, superhumans and rogue knights of Freedom City.
“Wha…what is this? How is this possible?” Frank shouted.
“Sir I am not sure,” one of the white knights replied.
“Contact the base of the silver knights at once,” Frank vehemently asked.
“We have my master, but there is no answer,” the knight stated.
“Master I saw it all,” another white knight said.
“What do you mean?” Frank asked.
“They all died master, I saw them all fall from the sky, and they lay dead on the floor. Then, out of nowhere, they all came back to life,” the white knight continued saying.
“Have you tried rerouting controls from the base of the silver knights back to the Invisible Dome?” Achilles asked.
“Look Sir, I have tried but it says that it cannot be found,” the white knight replied.
“Sir, look what I have found, I think you might want to see this,” a white knight said and as Frank, Achilles, and the board looked at the screen he was pointing to, they were in shock and awe as they looked at video footage from outside of the base of the silver knights.
As their eyes looked at the screen and the white knight played the video, what they saw left them with more questions than answers. On the screen they saw a battered and injured Ava looking at the dead knights on the floor and then with a motion of her hands and her saying the word, “Rise,” the silver knights came back to life and kneeled before her.
As Frank saw what he never thought possible his jaw dropped to the floor, and as Achilles looked on he was also in disbelief and as the rest of the board saw the footage they were in complete astonishment of what they had just witnessed.
Then suddenly the screens went blank and an incoming call was coming in from one of the carriers of the silver knights, and as the call was answered by the white knights, to their shock as well as to the shock and surprise of everyone else in the room, on the screen was none other than Ava. And before Frank or anyone else in the room could say a word, Ava boldly stated without any fear whatsoever, “I am coming and I will destroy you and everything that you hold sacred, just as you have killed and destroyed everything that is sacred to me. Your Invisible Dome will not keep me out. I am coming, prepare to die.”
As Frank saw Ava’s face on the screen he felt that somehow he knew her and had seen her before but in the heat of the situation he shouted, “Come now, I am right here, come if you want to kill me,” but Ava just stared at him and then scoffed and said, “Be careful of what you wish for,” and cut the connection off.
On the inside, Frank quivered in fear as he was in disbelief and panic at the sight of Ava whom he felt uneasy about for reasons unknown to him. But on the outside, he put on a brave face and barked commands to Achilles and the white knights.
As Frank shouted orders and instructions his mind was still thinking about Ava and he was at a loss as he had never felt this type of fear in his entire life and was unsure of why he felt this way. Little did Frank
know that these feelings were well beyond his control and unknown to him, his reaction was simply due to events going as far back as the beginning of the creation of the earth and its original wave of inhabitants.
“Contact the bases of the golden and black knights, tell them to come to the Invisible Dome right away,” Frank shouted to the white knights.
“Master, I suggest we reroute the controls of the golden and black knights to the Invisible Dome given the threat at hand,” Achilles said.
“Yes, good thinking Achilles,” Frank replied and with that, the source of life for the golden and black knights was rerouted to the Invisible Dome.
As the commands went out for the golden and black knights to report to the Invisible Dome, every single golden and black knight along with the large carriers from the bases began their trek to the home of the betasapien empire.
Meanwhile, the two carriers controlled by Ava and the silver knights made their way to Freedom City. As they landed, the silver knights who just arrived from Russia looked at the silver knights who were in Freedom City as if they were long lost siblings seeing each other for the very first time.
Meanwhile, Ava, Max and the rest of the crew made their way to Jenna.
“Where’s Gannon?” Ava asked.
“He didn’t make it, we had many casualties,” Jenna replied.
“So did we,” Ava somberly told her as she continued describing the events which occurred in Lake Baikal.
As the story of Ava’s powers spread throughout Freedom City, it was now apparent that she was their chosen and destined leader and as what remained of the humans, superhumans and rogue knights along with their newfound allies – the silver knights – convened outside, Ava could feel the uncertainty of the situation amongst everyone.
As the crowd talked amongst each other, Sarah approached Ava and said, “They are waiting for you Ava, everyone here is ready to follow you to death, and your word is their command.”
“No Sarah, I am not their leader, I will help in any way I can but please don’t ask me to lead them all,” Ava said to Sarah.
“Why Ava? I saw what you could do, and I know in my heart that you are the savior of us all,” Sarah said to Ava.
“Sarah, my fight with the betasapiens is personal, they killed both my brother and my father, and I will destroy them on my own, and I will not ask anyone else to help me in my fight against them,” Ava said.
“You don’t have to ask us to help you Ava, we will help you and we are ready to die for you. I am ready to fight alongside you Ava and I know that everyone else is ready to do the same,” Sarah said to Ava.
Then as all great leaders do, Sarah stood up and grabbed the bullhorn and as the crowd began looking in her direction she said, “My friends, these are uncertain times, and the betasapiens without a doubt will strike at us again. But before they have that chance we must destroy them, and with that, we will destroy the evil of this earth and then we will start over and rebuild this earth for everyone – humans, superhumans, knights and those betasapiens who wish to live in peace – to live together in harmony. And Ava, our leader, is ready to strike at the heart of this evil empire. Who is with her?”
And before Sarah could say another word the crowd erupted in a wild cheer and everyone was ready to do battle against the betasapiens and knights. And the humans, superhumans, rogue knights and silver knights were fully behind Ava and as she looked at the crowd she knew what she had to do.
Then, with everything inside her she took the bullhorn from Sarah and shouted to the crowd, “I do not ask anything of you that I myself would not do, and I am ready to fight – even if it means certain death – against this vile and evil empire that has plagued us for years. I am ready to rebuild this earth and bring happiness and joy back to it. I want for you what I want for myself, and that is bliss and happiness. If you are with me, thank you for your support, and for those that are not, I hold nothing against you and we will hopefully see you after this fight is over and we will rebuild this earth together.”
Then, as Ava put the bullhorn down and began walking to her barracks the crowd began to shout, “We are with you, we are with you,” and it was then that Ava realized that everyone was ready to fight alongside her and she was indeed the leader of the free world.
As that realization engulfed her thoughts, she knew that it was up to her to lead her people into battle against a force of evil with an army of over three million strong. And even with the odds stacked against her, Ava knew the one thing which Frank and the betasapiens did not know; and what she knew was the simple yet complex and multilayered truth which was that the hand of destiny would ultimately decide the fate of everything in existence.
CHAPTER THIRTY–ONE
As the millions of golden and black knights made their way to the Invisible Dome, there was a sense of anxiety among them as never in their lives had they been called upon to protect the home of their leaders in such a manner.
“What is the reason for this unusual demand?” one of the golden knights asked his superior as they flew towards the Invisible Dome.
“The humans have threatened to attack the Invisible Dome, and we have been summoned to protect it,” the golden knight replied.
However, the truth of the matter was that although the golden and black knights knew they were beckoned because of a threat of an attack, they were unaware of the true realities which were that the silver knights no longer followed the orders of the betasapiens, and along with that they were unaware of who Ava was and the powers that she had at her command.
Back inside the Invisible Dome, Achilles and his fellow white knights made preparations for the incoming attack and were busy making strategic plans on how to defend and attack their enemies.
Meanwhile, Frank and the board of the betasapiens sat in the control room looking at the screens wondering how on earth could something like this happen, and more importantly they wondered what could be done in order to restore their power and make the earth belong to them once again.
A tired and distraught Frank then called Achilles and said, “Achilles, I am ready to send my message to the betasapien public, and once I am done, you must send the white knights to begin their patrol.”
“Yes my master,” Achilles replied, and with that Frank began his broadcast of the message to the betasapien public.
Frank then made his way to the head of the table and began his broadcast, “Hello my fellow betasapiens; I come to you with a message of sadness and fear, please listen carefully. The humans, along with the superhumans and rogue knights have taken command of the silver knights of Russia and are headed to our home to wage war against us. In anticipation of this war upon us, we have summoned the golden and black knights to the Invisible Dome to protect us from the incoming threat.
In addition to the golden and black knights, the white knights are also ready to fight for us against those that wish to harm us. My fellow betasapiens I ask that you shut yourselves in your homes and do not leave them until you are given instructions to do so. The white knights will begin patrolling the dome immediately, so please return to your homes and know that we will defeat our enemy. Peace be with you. Thank you,” and with that Frank disconnected the broadcast.
He then walked to the window, and as he looked down at his empire he saw the chaos and panic of his people, and for a brief moment, he thought of life under the rule of the humans which was something he would rather die than experience. His hatred for the humans was apparent, and he would rather destroy the Invisible Dome than have them overtake it.
Frank then made his way to the control room, and as the white knights sat in their seats working feverishly, Frank asked them how much longer until the golden and black knights arrived at the Invisible Dome.
“My master, they will arrive in roughly two hours,” one of the white knights replied.
Meanwhile, back outside, the white knights began their patrol within the Invisible Dome to make sure the betasapien public was safe. Among those
who were tasked with the safety of the betasapien public was Roma – who was a shell of her former self.
As she made her rounds, she noticed a few betasapiens sitting outside and as she approached them she realized that a couple of them were heavily intoxicated.
“Excuse me, I have been ordered to advise you to return to your homes,” Roma stated.
“We don’t take orders from white knights,” one of the drunken betasapiens said.
“This order is not from me,” Roma said.
“Whose order is it then? It’s not on my order,” another betasapien said.
“This is on the order of your leader – Mr. Frank Brady,” Roma replied.
“Frank Brady doesn’t care about us, he only cares about himself, look at what he did to Bridget, his own wife – he brutally killed her. Is that someone who cares about us?” another betasapien shouted.
As soon as Roma heard the name “Bridget,” her mechanical brain somehow remembered her past and she recollected seeing Frank kill Bridget right in front of her eyes. And as the vivid and awful memories flooded her mind she was in shock and walked away from the group of betasapiens and started heading to the apartment of her dead soulmate – Bridget.
As she began flying towards the apartment, every memory of her past flashed before her; she remembered Frank, she remembered Bridget, she remembered Chandra, and finally, she remembered her good friend Milo, and the memories of their minds being wiped clean took over her thoughts. As she finally arrived at the apartment she saw the pictures of happier times and wondered how on earth it could have gone so terribly wrong.
Then as she saw Bridget’s face on a picture on the wall she slowly walked up to it and gently touched it as she closed her eyes, and for the briefest of moments, it was as if Bridget were alive again.
As the memories of the warmth of her soul gave Roma a feeling of happiness and elation, it made her feel almost human again. Then, as she opened her eyes, to her dismay, she saw the reflection of a white knight slowly walking towards her. She then quickly reached for her laser, but before she could turn around, the white knight hit the laser out of her hands, then wrapped one of his hands around her neck and placed his laser on her temple.