Dorange leaned closer to Jake and whispered into his ear. “Oh, but you will. And know this, Jake, whomever you choose to save, I will make sure that person suffers every waking day of his or her miserable existence.”
“No!”
The intense scream shocked Dorange for a moment, as if his body had suddenly become weak. Jake dropped to the floor, catching himself with his arms. Instinctively, he whipped his legs around, catching Dorange just below both knees and knocking him to the floor.
“Kill him!” Dorange ordered as he quickly stumbled back to his feet and just as Jake had regained his balance.
Jake heard two plasma blasts, expecting to instantly be hit by the oncoming bolts. But the bolts didn’t come. Instead, the two remaining guards fell forward onto their faces, both with smoldering holes in the back of their skulls.
Wide-eyed, Dorange whirled around just as the barrel of a plasma rifle came into contact with his forehead. Nichelle appeared through the thick, choking dust and darkness with the rifle in hand. “What’s the matter, Dorange? You look weak, as if your abilities have waned.”
Dorange glared at Nichelle without a response and with a hint of confusion. He tried to knock the rifle away from Nichelle’s grip, but Nichelle’s natural strength held it in place.
“So,” he finally said. “Why don’t you just shoot me and get it over with? Isn’t that what you want? To finally kill me?”
Nichelle clenched her teeth hard. “I think I will,” she replied as she began to squeeze the trigger.
A massive explosion ripped through what was left of the infirmary. More thick dust permeated the room, making it even more difficult to see. Nichelle was knocked forward just as she fired, and Dorange squealed in pain. Anyta and Lexis took cover to protect Calum.
Jake coughed and wheezed. His eyes burned from the blanket of dust in the room. He frantically searched for Celeste as he saw the dim lights of more Gnols entering the room.
“Kill them all!” Dorange ordered.
Two Gnols rushed toward Jake. Feeling along the floor, he found the plasma rifle of one of the dead Gnol soldiers and quickly fired. The two Gnols dropped dead in their tracks. He frantically searched for Dorange through the darkness. Three more plasma blasts exploded through the room, and he heard the groan of another Gnol. Two other lights remained on the mounted rifles of the two remaining Gnols. He quickly fired at one light, hitting his target. Just as he was about to fire at the one remaining light, a boot caught him under his chin.
He staggered backwards, falling over broken concrete from the ceiling. As he stumbled to his feet, a black gloved hand penetrated the thick cloud of dust, clutching Jake by the throat. He was raised into the air and pulled forward, meeting the cold black eyes of Dorange.
Another plasma blast flashed through the room.
“Now you d—”
The evil within Dorange’s eyes was immediately replaced with the realization that he had just been shot in the back. He dropped Jake to the floor and stumbled forward. Jake scurried away before Dorange fell onto him. He jumped to his feet and whirled around. His father stepped through the darkness, pointing a plasma rifle at Dorange. “Dad,” Jake responded with relief in his voice.
Dorange pushed himself up from the rubble on the floor, staggering to his feet, and turned around. “A-Adrian,” he said.
Without a response, Adrian pulled the trigger. The blast hit Dorange squarely in the chest, flinging him backwards into the wall. His body fell into a heap upon concrete rubble.
Adrian lowered the rifle and limped slowly toward the body of his mortal enemy. His left thigh was bleeding. He stared at Dorange’s body with a cold gaze that sent shivers through Jake. Adrian slowly raised the rifle one last time, pointing the barrel at Dorange’s forehead. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Jake watched his father’s finger slowly squeeze the trigger. Jake knew he needed to stop him. There was no need to maim his enemy’s body any further. But Jake froze, the disdain he had for Dorange overtaking his sense of morality.
Through the darkness, a dark figure approached Adrian. It was Anyta, still holding Calum. She placed her hand upon her husband’s shoulder and spoke in a whisper, “Adrian, don’t. Don’t. You will only become what he is if you do this.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened as a tear ran down his soiled face. “He has caused so much pain to my family. He must die for his sins.”
“He may already be dead, Adrian. If he is, then you killed him out of self-defense for your family. If he isn’t, then leave him be and let God decide his fate. Don’t become the murderer Dorange was.”
“No,” Adrian replied, shaking his head.
Anyta stepped in front of her husband, meeting his eyes. “Please . . . Don’t do this. Don’t let hate consume you.” She paused for a moment, waiting for Adrian to respond.
Adrian still gazed coldly at Dorange. Jake approached his father with Lexis and Nichelle by his side. He noticed Dorange’s chest rise a little, indicating that life was still in him. He then put one hand on his father’s back and another on the dark hair of his newborn son. “Anyta is right, Dad. You can’t do this. Let God decide. . . . Here, hold your new grandson. His name is Calum.”
Adrian hesitated, glancing at the baby and then back toward Dorange. “B-but he has done so much . . . so much harm to not only our family but to the Terrestrian people as well.”
“I know, Dad. I know. But please let God decide. It’s not worth losing your salvation over.”
With his eyes completely moist and red, Adrian looked at his son and then down at his newborn grandson in Anyta’s arms. The baby, who had been strangely calm throughout the entire ordeal, opened his bright blue eyes, meeting Adrian’s eyes. Calum seemed to take joy upon looking at his grandfather for the first time.
Adrian dropped the rifle and swept the baby in his arms. He began to sob as he nestled the baby into the small of his neck.
“What is it?” Anyta asked.
“I-I don’t know. When I looked at Calum, it was almost as if he s—”
“Jake! Jake, Where are you?”
Everyone spun around and looked in the direction of where Celeste’s voice was coming from. Blindly, Jake rushed into the darkness, the others following close behind. Jake found Celeste on the rubble of the floor with the gurney turned on its side. He gently lifted his wife’s head from the rubble and kissed her forehead. “Celeste, are you okay?”
Celeste nodded. “I think so.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes, I believe I can.”
Jake turned and looked at his youngest sister. “Lexis, see if you can find some fatigues for her. If not, take some off one of the dead Gnols. We’ve got to get out of here before any more Gnols come searching through the rubble.”
CHAPTER 3: EVIL RISING
Garden of Taosheoa within Mount Resumpsi, Gnolom . . .
Koroan Chast slowly stepped backwards into the hollow of Mount Resumpsi and into the rotting smell of the dying Garden of Taosheoa. Cringing his nose, he levitated the equipment scavenged from the old Mars I space shuttle, at least what remained of it. He turned around and levitated the equipment toward the other supplies he had gathered from the wreckage. He noticed the goddess of light staring at him and felt a twinge of fear.
Macaria, now in physical form, stared at him with an icy cold glare as he lowered the supplies onto the rotting brush of the ground. “How long until the communication array is ready?” she questioned harshly.
Koroan met her cold stare with one of regret as he pulled down his breathing mask. What had he done? The woman before him was his former wife Ciminae in body. Her spirit, on the other hand, the one that now possessed his wife’s body, was evil in its purest form. The plan had worked to perfection. It was the plan the goddess of light had revealed to him when he had first encountered her on that fateful day when he discovered the wreckage of the shuttle from Earth.
She told him that he was the chosen one and the one who would free her fr
om her prison within the computer system of the ship. With the discovery of the tree of life within the Garden of Taosheoa and the power of its fruit, she could come forth in physical form. All she needed was a body and, of course, one of the gold plates.
“Well!” she demanded.
Koroan glowered at her. “It will be ready very soon,” he replied as he turned around. In an instant, Macaria was in front of him, her glowing blue eyes meeting his.
“You forget your place, Koroan!” she howled, levitating him a few feet in the air.
Koroan was frozen. For decades, he had been the most dominant Gnol amongst his race. He now had the energy from the fruit surging through his veins, making him near immortal and more powerful than he had been before the transformation. But now the soul possessing his wife’s body was the superior Gnol. He thought he had complete mastery of his telepathic and telekinetic abilities, but they were minuscule compared to what Macaria could do now, combining her spiritual traits with the DNA of a Gnol’s body, and the fact that pure energy resonated through her veins as well.
“Do you not remember who gave you newfound knowledge when we first met? Do you not remember who saved your pitiful and mangled body from death after your ship crashed?”
“You, my Queen. It was you,” Koroan replied humbly.
Macaria lowered him back to the ground, giving him an incredulous look. “Your thoughts say otherwise, Koroan. Lest you forget, you cannot stop me from reading your mind.”
Koroan lowered his head in shame. She was right. His thoughts were betraying him, revealing to her his regret for raising this evil in physical form. “I am sorry, my Queen,” he responded, lowering to one knee and bowing his head in worship.
“Good, Koroan,” she said, placing her hand under his chin and patronizing him because of his thoughts. “Now rise.”
Koroan stood to his feet and looked down at the body of his former wife. He was a full head taller than she. Old feelings that he had felt for Ciminae poured through him. She was as stunning as ever. Despite the evil within, she was more beautiful now than even before he had poisoned her to death. Her dark hair was short - about shoulder length - and shimmered. Her skin was flawless. And her eyes were striking.
Koroan knew all too well how the evil that he had allowed to grow inside of him had changed the shade of his eyes to red. But for Macaria, it was different. While her spirit had glowing red eyes, the body she possessed had the same brilliant blue eyes of his former wife, but they glowed now and grew even brighter when she exhibited her powers or rage. In addition, her resemblance to Celeste was uncanny.
Obviously reading his thoughts again, Macaria gave him a seductive smile as she turned around and examined the communications equipment. Koroan watched her as she strolled gracefully around the supplies. She was dressed in a black skintight suit that his scientists had specially designed. The suit contained a microchip with micro-fiber optic threads throughout. The suit was artificially intelligent; monitoring her vitals and controlling her temperature. As a result, her body could withstand extreme temperature variations and conditions.
She stopped and looked down at her bare hands. “You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment, Koroan. I have possessed mortal bodies on Earth, but they were so limited and stifling. Nothing compared to this body . . . the body of this Gnol has power beyond mortals.”
She then raised her arms and closed her eyes. The hollow within Mount Resumpsi began to tremble violently. Koroan glanced around alertly for pieces of the mount that might fall his way as he prepared to use his own telekinetic powers to keep them at bay. But he didn’t need to. Thousands of rocks and boulders broke free from their ancient places of rest within the mount and began to pour down upon them as the mount continued to tremble. Before the rocks and boulders crushed them, they began to gently hover just above their heads.
Koroan was astonished. Yes, he could move massive amounts of weight with his abilities. But even he couldn’t move mountains.
“It is as if I have the power of God Himself!” she bellowed as she moved her arms in a circular motion. “The elements will do my bidding. Anything I want them to do, they will obey!”
The ominous rocks just a few feet above their heads began to swirl and collide with one another. The thunderous clashing echoed through the hollow for several minutes. Koroan continued to watch in amazement as rock collided with rock, boulder with boulder, separating the gold found within from the rock itself and the remaining minerals raining over them in a fine dust.
Macaria melded the gold together into a perfectly round sphere. She hovered the gold ball a few inches above her hand, looking at Koroan with satisfaction.
Consequently, the trepidation induced by the experience before him caused Koroan to betray his thoughts once again. What have I done?
*****
Macaria sat on a small boulder and watched Koroan carefully as he began to assemble the communication array that would enable them to send a signal to Terrest so that they could be rescued from this God forsaken world. Disgust and hate rippled through her. Her spiritual descent, which began the moment she chose to follow Lucifer, was complete. There was not even a hint of love or compassion for any living being. Her only goal was power, and she reveled in the misery of others, something that Koroan was beginning to question.
While she had succeeded in persuading Koroan to the dark side, and his deeds and actions were evidence of that fact, his thoughts indicated that he was beginning to question the plan. As he worked, she tried to read his thoughts once again. Even though she was powerful enough to get past his mental blocks, which he had mastered after years of practice, there were moments when his thoughts were shadowed, making them difficult to read. Nonetheless, she was able to get some glimpse into his current mental state. While he was hesitant about the plan, she could read that he was still loyal to her so long as he obtained power as well, part of the deal that Macaria would honor. His thoughts were sporadic, but they mostly focused on the task of completing the array.
Turning her attention away from Koroan, she reached down into the pack beside her. She pulled out the gold plate of Terrest that Koroan had confiscated and taken with him to Gnolom. The plate served as a catalyst in uniting her spirit with the repaired body of Ciminae Chast. She traced her fingers carefully through the grooves etched into the gold. A sickening feeling entered her gut, for she knew all too well whose finger had written the ancient symbols onto the plate.
Tempted to pull her finger from the grooves, she continued to trace, trying to read the ancient language that she once knew. But time had faded that knowledge from her mind. What was more, her banishment to Earth along with all of her other brothers and sisters who followed Lucifer had caused her to forget or even be privy to celestial knowledge.
What she did know, however, was that there was one person who could interpret the pure language of God. In an instant, a surge of energy resonated throughout her body, causing her eyes to glow brighter as she uttered his name. “Calum.”
*****
The makeshift communication array was large and awkward, patched together from the remains of the Mars I space shuttle. Its base was thick and circular. A ten-foot pole rose from its center. At the top of the pole was the satellite dish pieced together with whatever scrap metal Koroan could find. The dish was large and pointed up to Terresta Ok Ni, the star that represented an ancient goddess that Koroan’s ancestors had worshipped. Of course, the bright blue star was Terrest.
It was dark now and surprisingly calm. Koroan and Macaria, dressed in space suits with breathing masks, stood atop Mount Resumpsi where he had levitated the large array. Macaria stood by his side. To get the contraption to the top of the mountain, Macaria had levitated herself to the top of the mount. She then focused her energy upon Koroan and levitated him to the top as he concentrated on levitating the communication array.
“This had better work, Koroan,” Macaria said with a stifled voice as she spoke through her breathing ma
sk.
Koroan met her gaze, doing his best to hide his chagrin for his new queen. “It will, my Queen.”
Macaria didn’t respond and turned her attention back to the array. Koroan stepped forward and pressed the button to activate the dish. The dish began to emit a series of pulses in code, communicating the message:
Stranded on Gnolom. Send Rescue. Coordinates. Twenty-seven point nine, eight, eight, one degrees North. Eighty-six point nine, two, five, three East. Koroan Chast.
CHAPTER 4: DISCOVERY
Scott Air Force Base, Missouri, Earth . . .
General Chris Peterson sprinted through the empty halls of the command center of Scott Air Force Base, the new headquarters of the United States military. He turned to his left, nearly running into a private who was looking down at his electronic tablet. “Sorry, sir,” the private said.
Chris sidestepped the young private and continued his sprint down the long hallway. Bursting through the doors of the operations center, he searched frantically for John. A gigantic computer screen covered the wall just ahead of him with several hundred individual computer stations throughout, monitoring the chaos and wars raging around the planet. Even though the human race had been attacked by a superior race of extra-terrestrials, one would think that would unite mankind. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Human arrogance and greed for power spiraled civilization out of control. To make matters even worse, natural disasters were decimating populations as well.
There were only a handful of personnel on duty at four in the morning. An attractive major, startled from Chris’s abrupt entrance, spun around in her seat.
“Sir?”
“Have you seen John?”
“He was just here, sir. He was gathering our reports on foreign troop movements. I don’t know where he went after that.”
Chris paused and looked at the large computer screen ahead of him and cursed. “Why can’t heavenly beings sleep? That way, I’d know where to find him; in his quarters, asleep just like every other normal person.”
Worlds Without End: The Prophecy (Book 3) Page 8