Terminus Project: Mars (Dystopian Child Prodigy SciFi)

by Casey Herzog

  “I promise I will not give up until my very last breath. I want the same thing, to grow up and become something extraordinary. Some may consider me the devil’s spawn, but your father labeled me as misunderstood. I knew coming here I was made for great things. What they were teaching was control, but I already had that. I felt like they didn’t know who I was. They couldn’t understand why I was lashing out. I admit to having a stubborn attitude.” Damien was showing that magic wasn’t lost. Our passion was seen in our eyes and in how we acted.

  “I am very proud of you. You’ve had a bad few days, but it hasn’t broken you like some people believed. You were shaken, but you managed to realize where your loyalties lie. The time to act is now. I want more information, but getting it from William doesn’t seem likely. I would’ve liked to have a lay of the land and maybe a way to catch them when they didn’t know what was coming.” I took his hand in mine and there was something in his eyes that translated into a man ready to do the right thing.

  “You mentioned we have an army to lead. I need to see where they are. This only works with them understanding the true purpose of this exercise. They need to have the courage to ask why. We need to prepare them for the eventuality that they aren’t coming back from this. I’ve accepted that possibility and will protect them with my life if need be.” I’ve found the ember of a leader underneath his fear and somehow fanned it into a flame of resolution.

  “I was just getting by; my rejection of my father was born from his absence. I didn’t understand there were more things going on. Important steps were being taken for the sake of magic. It was my fault for being blind to what was really going on. All of us need to stand up and try to make things better.” I found myself regretful of not giving my father the benefit of the doubt. He had relied on me being self-sufficient and able to fend for myself.

  "The Elders deceit against the public is going to be hard to disprove. They will need to see what we do has a purpose. We are not the only leaders. We are but a ripple in the pond, but we will be the ones to give those standing on the side a reason to do something.” I felt a kinship with him like he was truly my little brother. We had many things in common, which included a contradiction when it came to my father. We both hated him, but we both loved him in our own way.

  “The children may be our future, but they won’t have one without us. Your words are wise, Damien, and I am listening with both ears. You’re going to be well received by the children. You speak their language and they won’t feel like adults are talking down to them. You will be the loudest voice; the one they hear with vivid clarity. We can’t hope to win unless we have everybody on the same page. If it helps, I have something up my sleeve which might turn the tide in our favor.” I’d thought about this, and it was becoming clearer. It was the only way to make a true difference.

  I’d talked to professor Bethesda about this and he thought I was crazy for even considering it. I reminded him I didn’t need his permission. I just wanted him to know what I had in mind and to find a way to make it possible. He’d managed to dig into an old text and come up with a fragment of information. The wording was the most important part. There was no room for error.

  “There will always be indecision Gillian, but there’s nothing we can do about that. We push through it and give it no more thought. This world is counting on us. We’re not the only ones willing to do what we believe in. I sense others waiting for the right time to strike. They won’t do it alone, but seeing us fight will make them see it’s time.” These were words from his mouth to God’s ears.

  “Letting the Elders have power was what got us into this trouble in the first place. We’d come this far and it seemed useless not to go all the way. The battle was heading our way.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The next couple of hours, I witnessed transformation in the children. Some could conjure things out of midair, and others were masters of natural elements like fire and ice. They looked dead on their feet. They had aged 20 years in the span of a few hours after being drilled incessantly. They needed time to be kids and that was precisely the reason why I brought them into a game I devised. It was actually a version of something my father had told me about from his youth.

  They were split evenly down the middle, with each one taking a stance around the ring of fire. The intention was to get that ring of fire into the floating ring of energy. It didn’t matter how they did it, and this was where their magic was going to come into play.

  Some took the advantage of flight, and others drove them back with fire, water and ice.

  “I’m glad you thought of this; I was at my wit’s end. This gives them a reason to use their power for something fun, but you do know this is only a breather before they stand and deliver a performance of a lifetime. They have come close and some have managed to break free of all the bonds holding them securely. Everyone else needs to emulate them. They are forced to look inside themselves where they have never been before. You and Damien are good for them, and I hope you will continue in a teaching role when all of this is said and done. If there are no complications, I imagine you’re going to have a lot more students in the real world looking for guidance.” Professor Bethesda and I watched as they put themselves through their paces.

  The competitive spirit came out to play in a big way. Damien was taking a leadership role for his group, and I had done the same for the other side. Working together, we were at a stalemate, but there were small victories that we could grow from.

  The purpose of the game was to unlock potential and make them work as a team. They were having a great time, and the competitive juices were flowing. Neither side wanted to be on losing side, which forced them to push past what they believed they could do.

  My side was a little off, but it was in how they were looking at me. It put them on the defensive quickly. I could tell the idea of a girl with magic was hard for them to swallow. They weren’t the only ones having a problem with it. I didn’t think I was worthy of the gift of the magic eye, but my father thought otherwise. He made sure I found my legacy and didn’t squander the right by disallowing any knowledge of magic.

  I was pitted up against Julian. He leapt into the air like gravity didn’t even matter. I let go of an energy burst inside me that was building to dangerous levels. It was nice to relieve myself of the burden. It struck him heavily and knocked him down onto the ground, giving me the opening I was looking for.

  There was no way for him to cry foul; it was a matter of who could win the game by any means necessary. I made steps of energy that I scaled with relative ease, not even paying attention to the height. I shot across the sky and witnessed fireworks when I got the last and final point of the game. I left them speechless.

  I felt like my father had closed all the doors, but I had found a window to slip in and take what was rightfully mine. I let my potential show through and I was becoming a role model for the other students. I was showing what I was worth with my colors exploding like a lesson to the others not to let anybody hold them down.

  I was surrounded by the admiration of those students on my side. There were no hard feelings and everybody seemed to find a reason to let go. They weren’t thinking of the daunting task ahead of them, and it was better that way.

  “You do realize I’m going to want a rematch as soon as possible. I think a game of one on one would help to finally solidify my reputation for beating a girl at her own game.” Julian was teasing me and purposely making me laugh on the inside.

  I don’t fear going crazy around you, Julian. You are definitely in love with yourself, and there’s no reason not to have a high opinion of oneself. Nobody is going to give us anything if we don't step outside of our comfort zone. I say there’s no time like the present. Let’s put it all out there for our respective groups. You never know, I might’ve been lucky, but I wouldn’t bet on that.” He stared at me with determination; it was a battle of the sexes.

  “You surprised me, but that’s not going to h
appen again, Gillian. We’ve been best friends for a long time, but don’t think our friendship is going to play a part in any of this. I don’t want there to be a mistake about who wins. We are both going to have to give our best; there’s no sense in holding back. I’m sure you’ll know if I am. Our respective groups need this morale booster.”

  I understood where he was coming from, but the idea of beating him and leaving him embarrassed wasn’t the highlight of my day. “You have no idea what you’re asking of me, Julian. You don’t have magic eyes and I do. That gives me an unfair advantage, which I will not use in my favor. I will refrain from using something more than natural magic.”

  “I trust you more than anyone, Gillian. You’ve shown yourself to be a remarkable young woman. Your father would be very proud of how you have stepped up when you were needed the most. It’s too bad he’s not here to witness this remarkable transformation. He wouldn’t even recognize you as the same little girl you were a few days ago.”

  He had me suppressing pride filled tears of joy. I was distracted, and he took flight. It was a nice way to say he manipulated me.

  He was flying, and there was the freezing cold breeze coming from his hands to lift him into the air with relative ease. He was near completing a trouncing that was going to leave me cloaked in failure. I shook myself from the effect of his words. I used the fireball’s momentum to cast me skyward.

  We met at the top, and there was no way both fireballs were going to fit into the ring of energy. We smiled; knowing one of us was going to stand victorious, and the other to wallow in self-pity. It was counterproductive for either one of us to lose, which meant it was time to compromise. Instead of going for the energy ring, I threw my fireball into his to combine it into an intense orb that burned brightly.

  We both had our hands on it at the same time. We pressed it into the ring to make it fit. We clapped hands and lowered ourselves back to the ground without missing a stride. It was a tie: a decision made because of the need to have everybody working with a purpose.

  “Since there is no clear winner, we will declare this one a tie. Both sides have fought with distinction and should be proud of their accomplishments. I’ve seen real growth in many of the students. There’s still more to learn, but you’ll have to do that in the real world. I want to be the first to congratulate you on graduating with the highest degree possible. We brought out in you the real power you hold inside.”

  I listened to Professor Bethesda and I was waiting to jump in with my 2¢ worth.

  “The professor and the rest of the teachers have given you something more than hope. They have given you a real chance to strive for your best. There is no better feeling than knowing you’re doing the right thing for the right reasons. Magic has been condemned for far too long. Life has never been the same without it. Some of you were not around when magic was taken away. You were brought here because your parents were afraid of losing you. They will not agree with this action, but you can make your own decisions. I won’t ask any of you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. This is a promise I don’t take lightly.” I felt like we had a chance, but only if we could work as one.

  “Gillian is her father’s daughter, and we all know what he brought to all of you. There have been no commitments about her staying on to continue his good work. Perhaps, there is a way for all of you to convince her.” I hadn’t agreed to anything, but the pleading eyes of the children were hard to ignore.

  “You know you’re not playing fair. I found something to believe in, and it’s hard to walk away knowing the potential of these children could be enhanced by my presence. I need some time to think about my future, and what kind of role I will have in the continued development of magic within children.” I found myself fascinated by a child’s mind and how easily they could be led astray by a bad influence. With me, they could be assured of having their best interest at heart.

  “What do you think about magic becoming a mainstay?” The professor wanted to know my opinion.

  “Magic is not a curse. Some of you may differ in this opinion, but I’ve come to learn it’s more a blessing in disguise. You are all treasures of your parents twinkling eyes. They want you to grow strong and become the man you’re supposed to be. I have this desperate need to give women the same rights when it comes to magic, but that is a crusade for another time. I’m sure I will have more than enough resistance.” I was surrounded by the children, and I draped my hands around those I could reach.

  “The students are not the only ones working with you. The teachers have talked about this, and they have come to an understanding of what they need to do. We will be your second line of defense with the children feeding on our magic. I just hope they can refrain from taking too much. It will render us useless in the fight. You’re going to need all the help you can get.” Professor Bethesda gave me a reason to break free of the chains of indecision around my ankles. I was feeling the weight of having these tiny lives in my care.

  There was more for them to learn, but it didn’t look like we were going to have time. There was a break in the reality of existence. I could hear the screams of the children and the cracks breaking like ice on a warm day.

  “I told you I would be back. You can’t get away from me that easily. It’s nice to see you have gathered them all here to witness this.” Jasper appeared in a vortex from which he stepped forward, making our safe haven a battleground.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I’m not going to give into you and I’ll be damned if you get anywhere close to these children. I should’ve realized you would find a way in.” I actually found it fortuitous he was here, not surrounded by the Guardians and the Elders. It still wasn’t a fair fight, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse, given the circumstances.

  “It’s amazing to me you think you have a choice. There are many phases of existence. I only had to narrow down my choices, and you helped. I concentrated on those with power exuding from within, and it wasn’t long before I zeroed in on this place. Your father has done himself proud, but I’m going to take it as a personal victory to ruin whatever plans you have. This world is not going to survive..” Jasper had lived up to the moniker of the hunter.

  “.I don’t know what your game is, but you have done something foolish by coming here. You might be strong, but here we can still use magic, which makes us willing and able to defend ourselves.” I had the children behind me with my arms outstretched hoping to protect them from whatever danger the hunter was going to throw my way.

  “The children are inconsequential; the real power is in the magic eyes. It’s your fault I found this place sooner than expected. By confronting me in my own world, I was able to look inside you. I didn’t see the magic eyes, but I do now. They are around you in a multicolor aura only I can see. I want the power and I don’t care what I have to do to get it.” His face shocked the children..

  “I’m not going to hesitate; there’s not much time left for your precious Elders to hold the power. You will be the perfect test to find out if we are ready for this. Be prepared for a fight. Competition is in my blood and vengeance for my father drives me to do insane acts just to know I’m alive.”

  “I don’t care about your blood lust for vengeance. You have no idea what real pain is, but you are about to find out.” He thrust out his hands and it felt like a brick wall was crashing into me. I fell to my knees, breathing heavily and feeling like I had asked too much of the children. “That is just a brief taste to give you a basic understanding of what you’re up against. I don’t see Damien. My child was taken away from me with no remorse and I want him back. He will be mine. It’s only a matter of time before I track him down and bring him back into the fold.”

  I still didn’t understand his statement about being Damien’s father. I looked around and Damien was nowhere to be seen. He had somehow slipped out without being noticed. I felt a pang of regret for putting him into the line of fire. I should have known he wasn’t ready to face the hunter
and the pain of being underneath his control. I couldn’t hope for miracles, not when this had something to do with his psychological makeup. It was all in his head; I should’ve reminded him of the hunter’s unwillingness to kill him.

  “You might consider Damien your child, but everyone you see here is my child. They deserve my respect and kindness. I will not let you get to them through me.” I managed to stand on shaky legs, but I felt like all the energy had been drained from my body.

  “You’re foolish to think you have any right to stand against me. Your father was a worthy opponent deserving of my respect. Before I turned him into vapor, he gave me a fight which I have been unable to duplicate.” He was purposely putting the blame for what happened to my father on his shoulders. He wanted me to make a mistake, which I would never do.

  “I don’t know if what you’re saying about my father is true, but it really doesn’t matter. These children are in my care and getting to them will be over my dead body.” He conjured something unseen, but a shimmer of something exploded in a blue lightning bolt streaming from where he was standing to where I was standing.

  The pain was unimaginable as electricity exploded into all of my limbs. I arched my back and forced out my chest with my eyes on fire and a blue flame spewing from my mouth. That flame was being extinguished. I had to concentrate to bring back the full power of the magic eyes. I gritted my teeth and expelled a burst of power.