Chap. 13
The sun was falling in the sky giving way to the night lights of Athens. The city looked spectacular from the distance. It was majestic and proud spreading and conquering the mountains before it. Ani and the rest of the team were walking by the pool and the stairs that led to the bridge. The stairs and rooms leading to the bridge was reminiscent of a honeycomb. It was a misleading maze of stairs and walkways. But after the recon they did the whole day before they found the weakness. Ani sat by a lonely gentlemen at the pool bar. He was almost finished with his drink when she sat down. The sun was flickering out and she started talking with the lonesome man. They talked and laughed after awhile then they started walking away towards the bridge. The man was the lieutenant for night watch duty and was taking Ani upstairs just to show her around. As soon as they got out of sight and up the stairs she pulled a gun on him. “ Don’t say a word and youll live just open the door.” As she finished her sentence five men rushed behind her in a line formation. The man shrugged and cooperated. The team marched up the winding stairway carefully and cautious not to excite alarm if anybody saw them coming.
When they reached the bulkhead everybody was smiling and in a jovial mood inside the bridge. The lieutenant knocked and entered thankfullly nobody paid mind to the dreadful look on his face then somebody yelled in russian.
“ON the ground!!” Ani rushed the man aside and started handcuffing the entire crew. One of the crew members rushed for the alarm but was stopped immediately. The man behind Ani shot him down then looked at her and said, “Relax maam their tranquilizers alright no need to worry we are the good guys remember” he said with an english accent. They had control of the bridge in seconds then more agency men came rushing in the other side. “ We have sealed the other entrances with anti personal mines that will persuade anybody from coming that way. We still need to secure the engine room.” Jim halted them before they went down then he handed him his tablet ,“Now u have camera access to whats going on around there I tapped into their network so Ill also be able to hear if anything important starts to happen.
They marched downstairs quietly putting to sleep anybody they encountered. Ani was leading the way at the bottom of their destination. Once they gotton to the bottom floor of the ship they split in two teams. One for each side of the ship. The elevator dropped them into a different world. It was dark and cold which was the opposite of the bright interior of the rest of the ship. The hum from the engine could be heard from every angle. Jim moved silently behind Ani scanning for any booby traps or false walls. They reached the engine room when the other team radioed in that they just got to the other side.
Everybody was brimming with anticipation which is why they had their real guns ready. The doors were locked naturally. So each team placed timed explosives. Sweat fell down the brow of everybody waiting for the breach signal. It was starting to get hot and hard to breathe. The explosion was short and not as loud as most movies would make it. The directional c4 blew a hole weather lock was and enabled the doors to be open from the outside. Smoke filled the inside the room. The interior was alive with mechanical sounds but no alarm came forth. No group of engineers ran back and forth in the explosion.
Alarms did go of they just couldn’t hear it. The bridge was alight with alarms and sirens. On the submarine, when Nick was trapped, alarms sounded sending the whole sub into code red. Silas debated what to do for a moment. “Turn around get back to the Intiution immediately full speed.” Damn those stupid agents they didn’t even know who or what they were really working for. IF they want a fight he would give them one. He told the men he had on the sub the situation and gave a list of orders to the pilot of the Sub. He knew this would be a hard fight but they needed this to work. It had been years the project was underway and he could not come back empty handed.
The sub changed direction thankfully they were in the area when the alert came through. The engine started into overdrive and Silas was ready for battle since he had been tired of hiding.
The teams walked in the room and found only machinery and panel of buttons. After milling about they set up some lights and starting to look for the base of the signal booster in order to destroy it. Two agency men went down the metal stairs in the under side of the engine. The engine was large in size because it had to process so much sea water for energy. They reached the bottom and were walking by the engine admiring its inner workings. Two flashes of light cut the darkness the two men dropped as the silenced pistol shot killed them. Silas had told the men to make it easy for them to fall for the trap and they did as they allowed their enemy to walk right into their hands.
Pat had been calling for all men to report back and two of them had not shown. Adrenaline flooded his blood he could feel his enemy he yelled, “Their coming get down open fire now.” All the veterans opened up immediately without hesitation unfortunately one rookie was caught by surprise and reacted a second to slow as he was cut down by bullets. Their automatic guns echoed loudly in a symphony of violence in the small room. The gun smoke was starting fill the room to the point where it was impeding visibility.
The opening salvo only took seconds which left two wounded and one dead. Jim and Ani were by the control panel which was in a room overlooking the engine room. The rest of the assault team was pinned down behind cover. There were two floors in the room with engine in the middle catwalks provided only a little cover with barrels and machinery terminals. The doors to the engine room were still open. Ani called over Pat while laying down cover fire. She hit a steam valve and it hissed in the distance. Pat came over hunched over and looking around desperately trying to get a fix on the shooters. “Look you know they could send for reinforcements from the back they knew we were coming. We have to leave this position or else we are going to end up like general Custer in his final battle. Why can’t you do that thing you do when you were speeding up and whooping ass back at the hotel.” He looked down, “ It requires that there be another mind with the same capabilities I piggyback off their power. If I tap into my own I burn through my neurons at an accelerated rate by bouncing my energy off another emg field I won’t become brain dead. Im waiting for him to send the robes in even with them I can only use so much energy but it will buy us the time we need and thats why they have us pinned while they figure out what to do.”????
Silas trusted Elizabeth because she had already proved her loyalty and worth. She had taken over operations until Silas dropped off their guest at headquarters unfortunately they had to turn around before they could. “ Sir we will be momentarily delayed it seems our agency friends have hijacked our cruise I can’t leave those poor souls unattended and miss the party now can I.” Prometheus’s face was stone cold when he gave the order to fulfill the mission personally. There could be no running away today he had been preparing for centuries. Only now did he complete the piece of the frequency. He had spent years collecting the energies that had flown away at the site of Stonehenge. That test showed him it could be done but he needed more people and he needed an amplifier so the ship was the perfect cover. Prometheus was at his end if this time failed then he would give up his search for global enlightenment. He knew there would be a great cost of lives from the process. To him the wars men fought over the years was more of a human cost then the small amount that may not survive the artificial evolution.
The sound of boots coming from the doors could be heard in the brief period of tense silence. JIm figured they had to be using night vision so he told everybody to throw flares and flashbangs or flashlights to throw off their goggles but then they found the light switch on the panel. The lights came on and they saw all the way to the far back area but now they could be seen to and their position was more open. A wall of bullets echoed into the room with deadly ricochets bouncing of the metal walls. Jim managed to get ahold of the bridge and told them they were pinned down and to watch their back. Then he told them to set off the fire extinguisher sensors in the hallway behind them and in the hallway
on their right flank. A moment later a smothering cloud of white smoke was blasted into the hallways sucking up oxygen making almost unbearable to stand in. The whole team opened up this time. Everybody moved as one towards the doors. They threw grenades before entering scaring away the enemy reinforcements and blowing the fire extinguisher chemicals. The wounded made it out first JIm was covering the last guy leaving threw the door. Three men moved up the far stairs and opened fire jim jumped behind a pump station next to the door. He told them to keep going ANi resisted violently but she was already caught in a flood of motion and they kept moving while they had the chance.
Jim was breathing deeply and then he saw his leg had managed to catch one of the bullets. He heard more steps and more boots coming from all directions. He saw he had two options. To Jim giving up was never an option never a choice then he smiled and knew what he had to do. Jim grabbed the tablet from his backpack entered a code and then looked up.
The lights went dark in engine room again. “Sir we have regained control of the upper engine room but the lights..” he was cut off by gunfire coming from the door and then two pinging sounds. Something hit the metal ground “grenaddee” yelled one the men but it was too late. The explosions rocked the room sending a horrible shriek in the air. Now even more smoke and burnt metal littered the room yet the engine was not damaged because this was a superficial engine set only to appease the eyes of others who were not privy to the true intention of the ship.
The Intuition had given no sign of the fierce firefight going on in bowels of the ship. An emergency hospital helicopter had been scrambled to meet some people on the ship. The men on the bridge were curious but maintained the act. They had donned the uniforms of the crew and were trying to help the rest of the team get back. Sir we have report of a scheduled pick up here we need to land and refuel the radio ceased after that and they landed on the helipad above. The team went to greet the chopper and check it out. The pilots got of the helicopter and kept their helmets on. They walked briskly towards the men and saluted then kept walking towards the bridge instead of down the stairs. one of the agency men tried to ask, “Sir where are your orders. We haven’t given permission to come aboard. We need to see your orders.” One pilot kept walking and one stopped dead in his tracks. He turned then reached for something in his bag. When he pulled out his hand it was turned into a blade made out of bone. Shock paralyzed the agent as he tried to run back the blade penetrated his heart clear through the rib cage. The pilot turned around and ran to catch up to his partner they turned a corner and disappeared in the locker room below the bridge.
The modern submarine docked within seconds half of its crew already had climbed in through the docking tube. They found their comrades just finishing up apparently they scared the enemy away into their trap. Just as Silas came on board He could feel Pat’s presence. They had fought once before and it was a startling draw. They also took out a third of a small city in the process luckily Stalingrad was under siege and the destruction of world war two covered their tracks. Silas took a few steps when the lights went out and two large explosions could be heard from the far end. He ignored the distraction. He looked around and used his pyrokinetic abilities to set the roof alight with lines of fire that provided as a light source for his men. “There go clean up the mess.” Silas was more focused on getting to the secondary engine room. He hit a sequence of numbers then pulled a lever. A whole section of machinery gave way to a smaller room flooded with a blue light coming from the center. The process of cold fusion always gave off a blue light and shown brightly and beautifully. He smiled every time he saw except this time his mind was on his duty. It was the first form of clean continuous energy that could revolutionize the world after the “ Enlightenment” was complete Silas and Prometheus would spread this technology over the world helping millions. In addition to that their farming techniques and hydroponic methods would end starvation around the world. The ends justified the means. he closed the door behind him then started hitting buttons on the holographic display before him staring the process. He called on Elizabeth through the visual display. “ Hows the distraction coming along that we set up for our guests?” “They won’t know what hit them. The twins are getting ready to morph now and take out the bridge crew then I have secured all the bulkheads funneling the rest of our guests into a bottleneck by the stairs and hallways, they will think there is a fire on board and all they will see and smell is smoke and fire. That should disorienet them enough for our boys to go to work. Im sorry they couldn’t be reasoned with.” “Yes yes we tried that route to no avail. Good work please get on the helicopter and leave this place I dont want your brain to overload and turn your gift into a curse if that initial hits us we will die a very painful death.” “You got it is NIck still in the Submarine?” Silas understood her concern for him but warned her against it since they were on different sides.
The team of agents with Ani stopped before a bulkhead that was at the top of stairs. They could feel heat from the other end and the heat made it hot to open the door. So a group of them had separated and left to check the other side. In a minute they reported the same thing. “ Damm they are funneling us.” The other agent agreed, “Yea but if we can beat them to the punch by doing the exact opposite of what they want us to do then we will have the advantage or we do exactly what they want us to and then that would be the opposite either way we have to do something quick we are sitting ducks in here. Im going to send five men to check down stairs and leave the other six with us while we cover our rear as why try to retreat most likely the main contingent downstairs is just buying time in order to gear up to take us all down.” The situation looked grim and everybody was showing it most were running low on ammunition and there were wounded but they were pushing through valiantly. Ani had no tactical training and had never seen a person die in front of her but her medical knowledge still helped the team so she had naturally went into doctor mode helping the wounded. She was a natural born soldier the leader of the agency men told her. His name was Jack a californian born navy seals retiree. She was pleased she stepped up to the plate so easily. It was amazing all the characters that are within us from heros to villians we choose who we are every second of every choice we make our story she thought to herself as she sat two thousand miles away from her home. Now she realized it was time to get these men out of here safely and her morale increased tenfold. “Lets get those bastards she yelled with the other men heading down the stairs. They worked symbiotically the five man team covered the six and vice versa as they climbed back down.
As all of them made it to the floor right above the engine room a door opened on the far side in the dark since Elizabeth had shut down all of the lights. The polygenetic shifters called the twins came in through the side. They shed their pilots’ suits and wore nothing at all. They marched towards where they could smell blood. Ani was thinking hard and keeping her eyes on alert. The heat was getting worse in the small compartments. Then she saw a vision ahead in the darkness. Some of the others turned around then they shone their flashlights into the abyss. Nothing appeared then all of sudden two naked men came walking out of the darkness. “Freeze hold it or we will open fire” PAt turned after he heard the yelling but it was too late. The twins grew larger and started to grow into each other then they became a blob of moving flesh so fast nobody could make out what was happening nor did they care to see. “Open fire run now” The men around him started to fall back. The rest opened fire trying to avoid hitting each other. The two twins became one.
A large creature with six legs filled the hallway touching the ceiling. It was a mass of large sharp teeth with a smaller row of teeth inside. It had the tongue of a snake except on it were barbed needle like fangs. The creature was a grotesque example of pure function. Its main only purpose was destruction and killing. The creature lurched forward slicing three men as it trampled over them the whole team opened up with a volley of bullets each kept shooting until the magazines hit empt
y. The gunsmoke cleared only to show emptiness. “Go run keep running down towards the engine room whatever you hear don’t stop.”
Pat knew that it was there behind the emptiness. The creature had jumped in the cavity of the ceiling melting itself by the pipes in order to avoid the damage from the gunfire although it could have survived it. Pat could use his energy to a certain extent but he felt the presence of two strong beings he could bounce the power from. He set fire to the walls. The flames burned blue giving him some light he saw the creature rematerializing now. He grabbed a gun from a fallen comrade then set the gun free in the air and picked up the others with his mind. The creature started running towards him. The guns fired their whole clips while Pat set each bullet alight with fire as he closed his eyes and used the most of his abilities to burn a hole through that monstrosity. That creature was taken aback by the force of this new opponent.
It opened its large mouth and reached its tongue towards Pat he grabbed his knife from his waist and tried to stab it but it was too late. IT had grabbed a hold of him and now the monster was closing in on him slowly ready to devour him. Its eyes were pure blackness and evil. Devoid of anything except lust for life. Just as it reached towards Pat he grabbed a flashbang grenade and threw into the cavernous mouth of the creature. It swallowed it and two seconds later the tongue unraveled around Pat as soon as his arms were freed up a little bit he stabbed the creature in the eyes and ran for the first bulkhead. The heat was gone there was no fire a trick it had been an illusion shit that means the rest of the team walked right into an ambush shit. He spun the door lock open and ran outside into the open air. The twins never knew defeat or death all they knew was their orders from the master. The heat and explosion in their belly left half it on the floor. For the first time it was scared squealing in horror. The beast got up on its two front legs crawling towards the light of the open door hoping to end its pain by defeating its enemy that caused it such pain. Vengeance glazed over its eyes Pat was trying another bulkhead on the side of the ship. The beast dragged itself to its prey and was about to lunge its teeth and claws into Pat when the sound of a crack of lightning came from behind him. A black helicopter sat in the distance hovering he could see a sniper hanging off the side waving at him. Pat turned around and saw the beast had part of its face blow off. THe whole beast started to steam up and melt as its molecular structured reverted back to its original beginning. Damm that was close he waved thank you wondering who it was aboard the helicopter.
Nick heard all sorts of noises starting up around him. He couldn’t take the restraints he had to get out somehow or he would be murdered like a dog. He began to focus within himself. He collected all of his energy in his heart and realized nothing could hold him back. Nick saw his family his Mom and Dad his friends he saw his dog then he saw Pat. The bright fuzzy visions gave him strength his friends and family gave him the strength he yearned for then his hands began to flame up. His whole body began to exert a blue flame and Nick felt a surge of power. THE surge overtook the room as the metal walls buckled under the invisible force he exerted upon them. The emg field Silas put on Nick had failed. Nick could feel his strength coming from within. He burned the metal restraints into liquid metal then moved faster than light. In a flash the room was empty leaving only the smell of burning metal and a gust of wind.
Ani’s team was heading back for the engine room at a slow cautious pace but they heard nothing. They could feel the engines turning over and the ship rumbling around them and they knew the process was starting. The ship had maneuvered into position already. Ani was scared to find Jim because she couldn’t stand the sight of his broken body that he had given for the rest of the team. Such a smart unassuming hippie looking man she thought to herself, yet he was as brave as a bull and his loyalty was unmatched. They reached the doors one agent peaked in quickly fell backwards with an extra bullet in his forehead. The lights came on and what appeared to be an empty hallway was not. The men appeared before them like a mirage being lifted in the desert then they all realized. The fire the heat the smoke had all been an illusion to get them back they were surrounded by at least a hundred people. The agents didn’t put down their weapons. They clung to them and looked at Ani. “Maam it has been a pleasure and honor fighting alongside you” They all saluted and she began to tear up. “Put the weapons down gentleman there has been enough bloodshed of good people here today from both sides.” The booming voice echoed in the corridor and seemed to come from everywhere at once. “Come in the engine room I have something you will want to see.” The guns they had all of a sudden become red hot and the threw them out of their hands. Ani led the way and looked around she didn’t see Jim’s body with the other bodies that had been gathered by the front of the console. A tall man in a blue shiny suit stood by the lower portion of the engine room.
As they were marched by the others downwards they were puzzled by a strong blue light that came from an opening towards the end of the room. Once downstairs and encircled by men with machine guns the man came in front of them. “ This is the beginning. This cold fusion reactor is the power source for that machine there.” A huge cylinder on the side was beaming with pink and blue and yellow lights. Silas pointed then spoke, “This is the signal booster that will send an EMG signal into the brains of everyone aboard then everyone in Athens which will then bounce around europe and africa and Asia. We are in the perfect location to enlighten the world. I think its fitting that we begin at the cradle of democracy and western philosophy even though the chinese had the west beat by a couple hundred years ashame about that isolationist position they took or they would have been running the world hahah ahh the things you know when see true history. Listen stop fighting us. People have shed their own blood for too long and when somebody like my master comes along to give us a gift you turn it down ridiculous.” With a turn he was gone in a second. Silas headed for the control room in the submarine and order them to be tied up.
NIck had seen what was going on and waited for the right moment to turn up the heat. He watched his friends being tied up. He created the illusion that he was a piece of machinery. Then he felt something who was it ahh Paticlus was here Nick was thankful he wasn’t dead. Pat sensed Nick. Then he heard his voice in his head. “Wait for it we will work together. Take care of the main contingent turn them on each other by making them seem like agents are coming at them I will use the ensuing confusion to enter the sub and take out Silas. You have to get out of here though and evacuate the boat but we have to destroy the ship. Run it aground on the island to our portside. Nick be careful okay I will see you on the Island. Nick agreed.
The men finished tying up the agents. They tapped some buttons and a couple men stayed behind to make sure the machine finished warming up and began producing the signal. Nick sent an image of agents attacking from each side when the rest of the crew about fifty or sixty in total started to head back down to the submarine. What happened after would have made even the most battle hardened soldier quiver. Each of them started shooting wildly at nothing and then at each other. They began fighting with their bare fists. It was medieval the way they were fighting. Pat squeezed through the lines of confusion managing to only have to put up with two men that tried to bite and stab him. The guns were empty and bodies lay everywhere. blood stained Pat’s shoes up to his ankles just like in jerusalem after the christians slaughtered everyone behind the walls so they could loot the city.
Pat sealed the dock clamps and released them on the sub side. The rest of the sub crew was abuzz with confusion as to what was going on above them nobody reported back and the docking tube was sealed and flooded. “Sir we have a problem the prisoner is not there!” Silas grimaced shit contiue with the power download then leave this ship we have no time for games and set about a security sweep set the proximity alarms and send security teams to sweep the sub now! Also tell Ms. Monterro to be ready at her end for anything and keep an eye on the light show.” Elizabeth returned to the island that had be
her home of rebirth. Prometheus taught her about the universe and showed her the power within herself it all seemed like a dream. She wasn’t herself she was a better more than human powerful force of nature. For the first time Elizabeth felt in control even though she wasn’t herself. The helicopter was engulfed in the fake trees and fell into the bunker below. The headquarters was part mansion and resort and part bunker. On the outside it was a beautiful whitewashed beachside mansion. She went to the living room which held a breathtaking panoramic view of Athens and the horizon which also enabled her to see the ship, but something funny was happening something incredibly shocking that made Elizabeth drop her drink on the floor, the ship was changing direction.
NIck was able to free the remaining agents and Ani. “Where’s JIm Ani he asked as they were untying the rest. I don’t know we lost him when we escaping the engine room he stayed behind Nick he protected our flank as we retreated He he ,....” Nick grabbed ahold of her. “Focus I know , I know okay get these men to the bridge call for emergency evac of the ship say it is out of control and will crash onto the Island.” “What its going to crash???” NIck finished with the last agent and helped him up on his feet and said, “No but you will make it crash. We have to destroy before it sends the signal and wipes out millions of people and changes the human race forever.” “ Okay and Nick I m sorry I couldn’t protect him. Jim was a great man.. no he was more than that I loved him Nick and i didn’t have the courage to tell him or face it. I really loved him Nick and I never told him. She fell into Nick’s arms who had been her best friend for so long. A man came from the stairs slowly, “Well if you love me so dam much why you giving him the hug, Im right here!” Jim came battered and burnt from the grenades he had set off just as he jumped into a box he had removed the panel from and hid. He was limping from his gunshot wound but Ani was already galloping towards and gave him an embrace that made Jim blush. Then she slapped him. “I love you you damn baastard I love you more than anything i HAVE CARED ABOUT IN MY LIFE” He smiled and kissed her deep and long. NIck smiled at his wonderful friends and knew they would be happy together despite the weird mix and odd couple they would make he laughed and hugged Jim too.
“I can help steer the ship towards the Island,” JIm said offering a hand. So the rest of the team headed to the bridge once more to destroy the ship. The evacuation sounded. The ship was turning now and people were getting off in the lifeboats the real crew of the ship stood well to the test after all the drills they had done underway before the guest and crew were handling it well. People moved in tidy lines to their evacuation boats. There was concern etched on everyone’s face but there was no panic. The life boats hurried off in organized succession falling off the side of the ship into the water by athens.
Ani’s team had set charges behind them with extra explosives they had found on some of the dead bodies of the men NIck had set upon themselves. NIck got on the large medical helicopter that the evil twin monsters came in on he moved aside the two bodies of the real pilots and lay them to rest on the pad making the sign of a cross on his chest. Everybody hurried into the chopper. “I have to got to make sure PAt is okay you guys get the hell out of here.” “No Nick please just come with us its over.” Nick shook his head and closed the door. He told the Agent in the pilot’s seat to take off. Nick looked at the rapidly approaching Island and saw a black speck start lifting above the treeline. It was a helicopter he had seen before. He felt it was Elizabeth. He fell back and waited he would see the full extent of her power.
A voice came in through her ears but it wasn’t coming from the radio it was her liberator from ignorance her friend her master Prometheus. “Elizabeth you are not powerful enough to face him this is not the way it was not meant to be. I order you not to fight him.” She thought about it and tried to agree but the anger and loyalty in her heart made her keep going. We must be successful she thought and kept flying to her destiny whatever it may be.
Pat had turned time slow he moved fast through the sub killing and hurting only those that he had too. Over the years he had got too tired of bloodshed and the bodies and souls he had to destroy for his mission for the constructionist directive. He reached the control room and spoke, “Silas open the door we have unfinished business.” Silas stood straight with the sound coming from the monitor observing outside of the bridge. He stood by the elvated platform for the periscope his men looked at him then their consoles. One of the radio man called him over. “ Sir I am hearing a weird sound coming from one of the lower decks by our torpedo room.” It was a beeping sound very faint but a beeping sound but it couldn’t have been from one of his terminals he had put the sub on silent running. “ Dam you Paticlus why couldn’t we have worked together.” “ Because I right my wrongs and you just do wrong.” AFter he said that a huge explosion rocked the bay. A plume of water and smoke shot up from the water on the side of the cruise ship. A small explosive was set by the room by Pat. He knew he wouldn’t make it back to land but as long as he stopped them from carrying out their plan and leaving he was happy. “ Sir we have a breach in two lowest levels our torpedo room has been hit we are running on backup power and taking on water.” Pat smirked in satisfaction knowing that he gave the sub a knockout punch with the present he left. The sub broke free from the cruise ship. They were getting in shallow waters and had to break away or be crushed. It limped on in a final effort to head towards their underwater port. Bunker had an extension running into a cave by the beachline in the isolated cliffs.
The black helicopter landed nimbly on the helipad. Nick waited in patience for Elizabeth step out. She got out of the chopper and ran out pulling her glock 21. He waited she passed him without sensing him. She kept moving right around the starboard side. He moved away from cover and followed her around the corner. He turned Elizabeth had seen him and was pointing her gun right where his head would be if he turned the corner. A crack sounded in the wind and Nick could even see the shockwave from the light rain. He stopped time just on pure natural force he reacted without hesitation and it saved his life but he still couldn’t believe it she was smart Then he moved right and ran to her right side dropping her gun in one motion. He moved so fast through time he felt tired and stopped at her back. He was catching his breath when she flashed through towards the helicopter. She realized it was hopeless to try and fight him but her will drove her on. She was in the helicopter as he turned around. He saw the blades spinning signaling she was ready to leave. The stream of bullets she sent his away definitely meant to keep him away making him dodge them as he ran towards the chopper.
It was just above his head when he jumped on the ground poles dragging the small helicopter down noticeably. She peeked out the window and fired a round he heard a click then nothing the helicopter flew fast up the sky. It jolted around the sky aimlessly at first then sped rapidly towards the island mansion on the side of a steep hill. He held tight and tried to keep the wind from blinding him. He climbed up then shot the window open. He pushed the window open with his mind. Jumped in before she could reload. She dove the helicopter into a steep decline. He held tight then looked at her dead in the eyes. Nick got behind her eyes and into her mind. the helicopter stopped and was trimming the treeline by the mansion at this point. He jerked the steering column to the left and the copter dropped into the pool knocking him out.
The whole time this daring feat of helicopter hijacking another helicopter was following it watching the whole scene unfold. The same sniper that saved his life on the ship. The helicopter crashed in the pool. Davran was a hunter as a boy in the turkish mountains. He had been shooting for years before the agency picked him up after an agency plane crashed in the mountains. After that he never saw his parents they were led to believe he died by an avalanche. He shot for years but lived in remote parts of the globe and saw all corners of the world. His chopper landed and he got out and grabbed Nick before he drowned. He grabbed elizabeth and laid her by his pilot so he could sedate her.
&n
bsp; He saw his boxers and shirt said Polo so Davran believed his name was Polo. When Nick awoke in a daze yet again. He saw a tall middle eastern man pick him up. “ AHhh good you have had your rest your head is not too messed up. How are you Mr. Polo.” Nick looked back in confusion who was Mr. Polo did he think he was somebody from the mansion he didn’t understand. Nick rubbed his head and eyes and looked around and understood when he saw the large gun lying by the floor. it was the sniper he was saved by earlier but he seemed more familiar. Wow it seemed a life ago when he had the dream. The man was the one from his dream calling him by Polo. “ My name is Nick. You saved my life sir what is your name?” “My name is Davran.” Nick got up and signaled them to walk away then her turned around abruptly. “ Did you find anybody else?” Nick asked hoping she wasn’t dead even though Elizabeth was hell bent on killing him. Yea I left her sedated with the pilot. He heard a loud screeching sound and saw as smoke and an explosion came from the engine room of the Intuition. Once majestic looking the tall ship now looked old and crippled. It was beached on a rocky beach with a little bit of sand but the rocks already did their damage if it wasn’t for the speed of the ship it would have sank right off the coast. There was a gaping hole by the engine room and a series of explosion and fires. The signal booster was destroyed thankfully the explosion from the submarine that Pat most likely set had knocked out the power conduits abilities to control the immense power flux. The result was an explosion that followed from the energy build up thankfully there was no critical mass like a nuclear reactor. Still the ship was severely crippled and the smoke stained the sky. Nick noticed weird green smoke and blue dark smoke. He thought about Elizabeth and hoped she was okay despite her attempts at killing him.
Paticlus had managed to get through the door to the bridge of the submarine but it was empty he assumed they were fleeing in the escape pods. He checked the emergency pod mechanisms two had left already. Pat looked around the consoles and found the weapon systems. “Just cause the torpedoes are out doesn’t mean I won’t blow you out of the water.” Then he saw the missile systems. It took him a couple seconds but he figured the remote locking procedures. They the most advanced weapons and now they turned on their creators. He locked the on the emergency transponder that the pods sent out hoping that Silas will not notice and turn them off. He checked the radar for confirmation. The button was red and ready to fire. PAticlus had thought about this war they had fought for centuries his rivals had been the only friends he had for they were the only ones who knew him best and yet he always won he always succeeded in his mission leaving all of his rivals dead. Yet the ones he killed personally had stayed with him due to the process of transference the power the knowledge the experiences all passed on when they took a life using their powers they assumed the energy into their brain. He pressed the button and followed the missiles on camera.
A bright light shot up into the sky from the water. Silas had been talking to his men consoling the wounded. A man yelled for them to look behind them. The emergency pods were nothing more than hard covered life rafts shaped in an octagon with a smooth hull on the bottom for direction. The engine was small so it could only move at a couple of knots. The sight behind them brought panic to some and pain to others. Silas knew they only had a couple of seconds and the airtight door took time to open. The men from the other escape pod were scrambling to jump out. Silas’s officers looked at him. “It has been my utmost honor serving under such admirable loyalty and dedication for so many years. You are the best soldiers a leader could have.” The men looked at each other some grabbing their harnesses poised to jump out but they nodded at themselves again knowing they had served their master well. Loyal to the end. The seconds flew by the explosion from the other pod sounded like a slap of water blowing it into millions of pieces in one flash. The other missile hit effectively erasing its existence from the ocean while destroying in an instant the lives of men who had lived well beyond their natural years. Men followed a leader and master who preached to them a dream of freedom and a warning from above. They followed orders without question and they died with pride after a battle that had been going on for years.
Nick had to find who was in the mansion. He charged inside through the glass doors. Davran followed in him in quietly like a hunter would. The room before was laid in marble and had paintings and lamps adorning the walls. A chandelier the size of a honda was hanging in the middle of the room. A bar wrapped around the right side of the room and an aquarium made up the floor and center piece. Fish darted about the floor and center piece that made up most of the room beside the couches and lounge chairs in the back side. He quietly walked around the end of the bar and peeked into a hallway. It was empty and dark. The hallway was decorated with mirror and paintings disguised in terminals. He reached the end of the hallway to an ornate door made from teak. It was thick and adorned with beautiful carvings Nick guessed this could have gone in a museum.
He told Davran stay back and cover the exit in case they needed to get out in a hurry. The light came in from a beautiful stainglass window that sent the room into a variety of colored hughes the lamps provided a larger sight of the room. It was expansive with tall ceilings and the desk at the far seemed to dominate the room’s furniture since it was taller than all of the couches in the room. A man with long gray hair stood by the window looking out drinking something then he turned. “Nick I’m sorry I have failed you and everyone else on this planet I was not able to protect from the reach of the Constructionists. I tried my best to set people free and liberate them from ignorance.” Nick stepped closer, “Yes but you were willing to kill a lot of those people.” Prometheus stood straighter and made a face of disgust. “Lies I was willing to save lives. I had to make certain sacrifices things you can’t even comprehend you are so young so malleable so easily told what is right what is wrong. When you live long enough you see there is no right or wrong there is only timing, if you are on the right side of time then you're okay if you are on the bad side you become bad. It is simply a matter of perception. I knew what had to be done in order to be free but you will see that I am right I will still win through you. I will not lose the most important battle man has fought. You think they are your friends that these aliens will just magically bless a civilization with powers beyond their belief making them smart beyond their years? how naive.” Nick was angry now at the things he was saying he almost felt himself lose control that this megalomaniac was justifying his actions “NO, NO, its not me that is naive, you only see a perversion on your negative reality. It makes sense that they want to make other races smarter so that they were less violent. The smarter people are the less likely they would be violent.” Prometheus walked closer now to Nick leaving only two yards or less between them his clothes were old yet brilliantly designed as middle eastern flowing garb it appeared as if he stole them from a sultan. The most likely case was he lived to be a sultan for a while in Persia’s richest dynasty.
A shot sounded in the distance. Nick did not flinch he kept his eyes glued on the man before him. “My name is Prometheus and I tried to bring fire to the world but they stopped me. You will see soon that they mean to subjugate us their form of enlightenment turns us into their zombies their education is that of a brainwashing conqueror they do not mean to liberate Earth they mean to use it like we use horses or slaves. You shall die for insulting me with your presence of hostility. You should be my ally what say you.” “ I can’t I cant think now what you are saying although may be true ..” NIck really thought for a moment and remembered the feelings he was getting off of Paticlus he could tell he was keeping something back that he was hiding something. “ The point is I just want to save lives and there has been enough bloodshed enough what I was forced to do on the ship destroyed me. I killed all those men I have become a monster not an looked him straight into his eyes. “I am helping you Nick. I enlightened being! It was your fault.” “Yes but whose idea was it yours?” “No but either way you must stop!” “Okay I wi
ll stop.” He turned back towards the window and then the lights went out. Nick moved fast for he knew what was coming. Prometheus grabbed a long diamond studded knife from his robes. He jumped in time flashes towards Nick. The dagger came from nowhere and landed in Nick’s side. Nick thought he dodged him by jumping to the side under the chair. It protruded from his side while Prometheus looked deep in Nick’s eyes. Nick looked back then thought of his family and his friends. Happy faces and bright sunny days flashed by his eyes.
Nick imagined himself as a shining light while the energy from the good thoughts of his family and friends pushed his energy higher. He became full of light illuminating darkness before him then he grabbed the knife handle and threw Prometheus back against the wall. The wall broke leaving wood and drywall falling around him yet Prometheus maintained a stone cold face, no fear only confidence in his eyes. Prometheus lunged at Nick with a side table in his hand ready to bring it down on Nick and smash him. Then Nick gathered all his strength slowed him down moved through time and ran so fast he went back in time. His temporal abilities exceeded Prometheus’s expectations. The diamond studded knife was now planted in the chest of Prometheus. Blood seeped from his mouth as he fell to his knees and grabbed Nick’s wrist while looking in his eyes and holding his arm tight in his death grasp. “IM free now I won. I won. It is time for me to rest.” The grip on Nick’s arm became tighter and then an electric shock stunned Nick sending flashes into his vision. He tried to pull back but lost control of his body as a wave of energy overtook him. Visions of ancient China, Rome and people by the thousands came before his eyes dying, smiling, laughing with stream of experiences hurtled into his brain at such a fast pace he was paralyzed. The first presence of Prometheus came in the version of a young man wildly roaming the side looking for his sheep. Then Nick could feel and see directly from his view. Paticlus was on the ship as a lower ranking member and it was the same ship that picked up Merlin who then became Prometheus over time. Prometheus had stolen a ship after the experiment but he didn’t use it to run away he flew to the star systems that had been pacified as it was called. He saw a monotonous bland expanse of sameness. Each culture that had been absorbed turned into bureaucratic gray form of life. People were definitely happy because they could not think for themselves. Any form of self-expression was stamped out and dressed in conformity. For the first time Nick could see other planets. He saw other life forms besides Paticlus his once loyal dog. Nick was on the ground with an arched back with blue waves of soft light moving through and around him his body became the epicenter of a light so strong it blinded Davran who ran inside.
Nick levitated in the air for a moment then fell down. Rebirth, time and history had new meaning to Nick because his whole perception of the universe was expanded. When he opened his eyes he saw Davran on his back on the ground. Nick thought he must have fainted at the sight. “Nick you are awake!” A familiar voice came from behind the desk. A side wall that was holding books actually opened into an entrance that led to the lower levels of the bunker. “Are you alright. Nooo is that Merlin?” “Yes his new self chosen name was prometheus the greek god who gave fire to men on earth. I...I killed him. yet he is still alive I can feel him within my conscious centuries worth of a life’s knowledge and experiences.” “Prometheus fitting name for such an egocentric person what did he tell you how did you overpower him?” “I just thought of all the good things in my life it was stronger energy than the hate he had in his heart. I thought of my family and my friends friends like you Pat. But I see why the hate filled his heart before he was changed as a young man tending sheep he had a mate a lover. You did not just experiment on one but two people interfering in our timeline and evolution. The only problem was she burned up her neurons since she did not have the same gene that he had. So he watched her die before him. I can also feel and see alot more Pat.”
Pat nodded at his remark about him being a friend it hurt PAt more than he could take so he sat down in the same chair his archenemy had sat in for so many years. Pat looked around the room then let his gaze fall on the horizon. It was so beautiful because Greece had a multitude of islands with hanging cliffs and amazing green mountains. The sunrise swept the ocean now letting the sun go to rest. Pat looked down then turned to Nick who was allowing him this moment. Pat held a gun in his hand. “They ordered me to destroy you. They told me to end you because you would be too powerful you would not be normal and they could not trust you. Other species and races go through extensive training in their academies before being allowed a third of the power that now resides in you. I used to fly with my dad on runs from our planet Deja to a distant moon research station by saturn which for us is a very long haul you guys are really out there. Our planet is beautiful like earth a little more land and each continent has the sweetest fruits and largest animals for eating. We had a rich and beautiful culture full of dancing and music and literature. Our clans fought from time to time over food rights until the Constructionists showed us another way. I was the last person left from my family after the pacification. They gave me an amazing explanation saying their interference was needed or else his dad could create a violent reaction to the pacification and they fed and took me in and taught me. They told me my family had to die in order for Deja to live peacefully. Everything has been a lie dressed in peace and equality yet they turned Deja into a couple of large cities instead of the vast empires that worked with nature creating a beautiful balance of technology and eco-systems. The missions they gave us and the things we did seemed like the right thing to do. Education does stop violence but only if it is an education of empathy. They educated people only what they wanted them to know they never taught them how to think for themselves and that is why you will stop them from taking away what makes Earth unique. You have great power at your fingertips do not let it slip through hands.” Pat grabbed the gun and pointed it at Nick. “Pat don’t do this what do you mean just wait. You know that gun is too slow for me now. Please Tell me more you can help me. I need you Pat I know you won’t kill me I trust you.” Pat looked him straight into his eyes. “I am helping you Nick. I know I can’t kill you they will try to use me. Even now a controller on the Earth moon is sounding an alarm. Then they will then bounce a signal off of me into your head to kill you because they will find out they can’t persuade me. I wish we had known each other longer but you must understand we had the best of intentions with the worst of methods. Just knowing how horrible some of the things I have done has put me in your earth hell yet it seems for a moment you and your friends have lifted me from that hell onto its canopy. Although Earth is not heaven… it is not perfect it is still a beautiful planet with beautiful cultures that deserve a chance to be unique. Goodbye my friend it was pleasure being your dog and your friend.” With that he smiled and ran towards the window emptying the whole clip of bullets into the stain glass window to his right. The glass broke enough for him to jump through and down the cliff that ended two hundred feet below. Nick saw his friend fall to the raging waves below. His heart sank into his stomach and he pulled away from the broken glass and stared at the view.
The day was saved and millions or billions of people were not murdered and nick was sad. Davran came back to as soon as Pat died since Pat was the one who made him faint with telepathy and hypnosis. “Polo i mean Mr. Nick what happened here I can only remember blurs of what happened. I saw a man come from the bookcase and then I felt sleepy.” Davran looked at the window in confusion. Nick explained what just transpired well not everything only the important parts. Nick sat and contemplated over the landscape before him then he realized what he had to do.
Chap. 13 Hesitations and Realizations
The sun set over the field of sunflowers in Tuscany, bathing the landscape in yellow. It seemed as if a sea of sunflowers were going to sleep only to wake up proud and tall in the morning. Nick sat back and threw his line in the water. The island the mansion was on also held a beautiful lagoon which had some interesting fish. He had
already taken care of his parents’ safety making sure they were happily rested in their home. They were told their son died in an accident releasing them from the thought of him. Nick did not want to but he felt he had to do what was right. He took over the operations center at the mansion and he took over control of the Prometheus Corporation. Nick had told Davran to tell the agency that it was finished that they had ended the threat with one additional white lie. Davran was promoted but Nick had talked to him and explained the whole situation. Davran explained his loyalty was to the people of earth and now Nick so he would make sure and let him know what the agency was doing occasionally in case Nick came back on their radar. The agency now thought Paticlus and Nick had died together in the same explosion.
Night sky had brought all the beautiful stars in sight without a cloud in view. Nick walked back to the mansion with a few fish in his bucket for dinner. He knocked on the back door and smiled proudly raising his fish for the camera to see. Elizabeth opened the door, “WOOWW okay okay I lost that bet I guess there is a lot more I could learn about you then hahaha. Come here my fisherman” She hugged him and grabbed the bucket from him. He shut the metal door after peering out into his new backyard which was lush with trees and a lagoon at the bottom of the mountains. Nick had persuaded and explained as much as he could to Elizabeth. Prometheus did a lot of brainwashing to unwash. He had become a victim of his own hate towards the thing he hated most. Elizabeth took time but she understood Nick’s point of view and agreed it was right. Nick realized he had to take control over Prometheus corporation and master his powers and protect earth from the fate that befell Paticlus. Nick knew Elizabeth would help him gain access to the network that Prometheus used the hard part would be determining who was ready for the new boss.
Earth had problems and although it wasn’t perfect it was home and it was beautiful the way it was. People will eventually learn to coexist peacefully helping to create a better more sustainable earth but it must be done naturally. He explained to her that although knowledge can end violence it can also lead to more violence because any group of beings that feel they know more than another race will consequently think their way is better than anything else.
The house was brighter than before there was a lot of remodeling done while still respecting and cultivating the historical value of everything that was left there over the years. It had modern glass that was also a live computer screen as well as a 3-D projector on a whole wall. Jim and Ani got married in a beautiful ceremony and were happy as ever. Jim brought his little A.I computer Becky into the house mainframe. Nick changed the security and closed the submarine port for now. The kitchen was alive with movement. Well everything except cook because the fish came out horrible and everybody joked about it. He smiled lovingly at Elizabeth as she looked at him adoringly with their friends laughing around them. Nick was anxious about the future and what it held for him but he knew with his friends by his side he could do anything especially when he believed in himself.
THE END
Hell's Canopy Page 7