Year One

by Jason Hamilton

  Well, he wasn't going to rescue the children if he was captured. So right now, he needed to get away as fast as possible and try a new approach. Without a word, he slammed on the breaks. The car beside him shot past, making the soldier miss his mark as he fired. The other smart car behind Sergio breaked to a halt. Sergio, moving as fast as he could, spun the car and went to proceed in the opposite direction.

  A loud pop echoed and Sergio felt his car lurch to one side as a back tire blew. Invergence had targeted his tires. Smart move. He tried to keep going with one bad tire before another one exploded when a bullet hit it.

  With two back tires now completely useless, Sergio wasn't going anywhere. The three smart cars surrounded him and their occupants emerged with guns trained on him. Slowly, he raised his hands. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but there was nothing he could do. Rough hands dragged him from the car, and he could here Alice crying as she too was taken.

  "Don't you hurt her!" but his words fell on deaf ears. Within moments, a black bag fell around his face, his hands were bound and he was shoved inside of one of the vehicles. He tried to struggle, but that was a mistake. Something hard connected with his head, and blackness took him.

  He awoke a while later, slowly coming to his senses and blinking under a bright light. His head swam and it took a moment to remember what had happened. With the memory came a flood of panic and his adrenaline spiked. He took in his surroundings. He was in a long but narrow room, with wavy sheets of metal lining the walls. No, it was not a room, this was the inside of a truck. The light came from a large lamp pointed in his direction. Chains bound him to a chair. He looked around and noticed equipment stacked behind him.

  "Ah good, you're awake," came a voice behind the light. Sergio couldn't quite make out who was speaking, but he recognized the voice. It sounded like his own voice.

  The figure walked casually into the light. He was dressed in a warm trench coat and the light brought out a multitude of scars on his face, behind a mass of unkempt hair. It had been nearly ten months since Sergio had spoken to this man, but he would never forget him. It was Anti-Sergio, Sergio's look-a-like from another dimension, one that bore a twisted resemblance.

  "Sergio Rios," the man said. "We've been looking for you for a long time. I must admit you've led us on a merry chase."

  "Where's my daughter?" Sergio growled.

  "Oh she's safe, for now. She quieted down as soon as I held her. I think she thinks I'm you, which in one sense I am. Quiet a lovely girl."

  "You keep away from her!" Sergio sounded far more courageous than he felt. He was as powerless as he had ever been.

  "Now I'm afraid that's going to be quite difficult to manage," said Anti-Sergio. "Quite difficult, yes."

  He walked to the back of the truck and gave an order that Sergio couldn't quite hear.

  "Where's my wife." Sergio called after him. Anti-Sergio paused and walked back to where Sergio was sitting.

  He moved in close. "I killed her." Sergio felt the blood drain from his face. "Yes, I killed her. She had no idea where you were, so she was of no use to us. A shame really, she really was a beautiful woman."

  Sergio tried to reply, but all that came out was a choke from an emerging sob. Tears rose unbidden.

  Anti-Sergio continued. "We're keeping you alive, just in case we need additional information about your daughter. But only until we leave this pitiful dimension of yours. I've just given the order to find a good place to camp and set up shop. Crossing dimensions takes a lot of energy as you can imagine. As soon as your...precious daughter has successfully crossed over, we will have no further need of you. And you will be able to join your wife then."

  "No...I, please don't take Alice." Sergio was having trouble speaking.

  "Again, that's going to be quite difficult. Not to worry. We will take good care of her." Anti-Sergio grinned. He strode out of the truck and the backdoor slid shut. Sergio could do nothing but cry out, for Alice, for his wife.

  No one listened to his cries. No one cared.

  Episode 12

  “Hey, I actually do something in this one! Sort of…”

  Kat paused, a fork of food held partway to her mouth. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

  Not long ago she had felt Alice move away east. She assumed that Sergio was the one taking her that direction, but now she wasn't so sure. The connection that she felt with her daughter, through the Argo Force ring, seemed clouded. Like trying to see through a windshield when it was raining.

  She quickly finished eating at the small diner she was at, and returned to her rental car. Her saviors Valerie, Leslie, and Charlie had all pitched in to give Kat a little money for her travels, which she fully intended and promised to pay back. As soon as she could get her hands back on that unlimited credit card that Argo Force gave them, she'd have the money to do so.

  Getting back into the rental car, she sped off in the direction she thought Alice was located. She seemed to be beyond the east mountains now, so Kat found the nearest canyon pass through the mountains at the north end of Provo, and continued on from there. As she progressed, she grew more certain that she was going in the right direction. But that nagging feeling that something was off kept weighing down on her. She sped up, hoping to close the distance as soon as she could.

  The day was already starting to stretch into evening. With the mountains in the way, light in the west quickly dimmed. Kat turned on her headlights and continued forward. She was getting closer.

  It wasn't long before she found the Invergence base.

  She recognized it instantly. A handful of trucks and smart cars, with a makeshift tent in the center. They had moved since Kat had been held by them, but their setup was almost exactly the same. Their home base lay in a field accessible from the road, but not too far away. Just like when she had been their prisoner.

  It was unmistakable. The ring was pointing her towards the Invergence base. That could only mean one thing. Invergence had Alice. Probably Sergio too. Although the ring only pointed her to Alice. She didn't even know if Sergio was still alive.

  She pushed that thought away. One problem at a time. If she thought too much about Sergio now, fear for his fate would paralyze her. She couldn't deal with that now.

  Rounding a bend, she found a place to pull over and waited for about an hour for night to set in.

  When the hour was up, she opened her door and began walking back the way she came. When she rounded the bend again, she could see the Invergence base a few hundred yards in front of her. The sun was gone, but several spotlights still brought light into the camp. She would need extreme care not to get caught once she came closer to the light. She had no weapon, other than the Argo Force ring, and she had no way of calling a member of Argo Force to help. At least, not that she knew of.

  She kept walking, and came closer and closer to the camp. Once she was within a hundred yards, she ducked down and tried to hide in the tall grass as best she could. Her steps slowed as she tried to mask the sound her feet made.

  Soon, she was close to one of the trucks. None of the guards had seen her yet in the darkness. She listened closely to the truck, wondering if perhaps Sergio was inside, chained up like she had been. She could tell from the ring she wore that Alice was somewhere else. In the tent, she thought. But it wasn't likely that Alice and Sergio were kept together. If Sergio was even here at all.

  The truck suddenly lurched to one side, and Kat stifled a cry of surprise. She could hear roars and growls from inside the truck now. That must be where they kept the monsters that had attacked them earlier. And from the sound of it, they smelled her outside.

  She ran to the front of the truck and peeked her head around the corner. She could see the tent from here, but there was a guard standing at the entrance.

  Kat had an idea.

  She snuck back to the center of the truck, and knocked softly against the side. The monsters inside increased their frenzy. The truck was visibly moving at their struggle. />
  "What's up with them?" a voice called out. Kat tiptoed back to the front of the truck. The guard who had been in front of the tent, had taken a few steps forward, curious about what was setting off the monsters.

  "I don't know," another voice answered. This voice was closer and Kat instinctively ducked down lower. Hopefully they would move to the back of the truck and not notice her hiding near the front.

  Kat heard the sound of the back door of the truck being opened. The sound of the raving monsters within was suddenly much clearer. Access to the open air caused the demons to struggle even further. Likely they could smell Kat's blood nearby.

  "Hey, be careful with those things. You don't want to accidentally set them off. You saw what happened to the other guys." The first guard's voice seemed to be moving closer. Kat looked and saw him moving towards the truck, and away from his post.

  Now was her chance. Quickly, Kat rounded the front of the truck, and moved between other large objects like the smart cars and unloaded equipment. She moved in an uneven line towards the front of the tent.

  She knew that the moment she stepped through the tent, she would likely find someone there waiting for her. But she had to take that risk.

  A moment later, and she was there. Sparing one glance behind her, she could see that neither of the guards had noticed her approach. Without a second thought, she entered the tent.

  The area was surprisingly clean, and without any guards that she could see. The tent was sectioned off into smaller compartments, so she began tiptoeing through. Occasionally, she heard a voice coming from elsewhere inside the tent, and took great care to avoid the sound. Thankfully, her ring was guiding her in a different direction.

  With the help of her ring, it didn't take her long. Opening one hanging tent flap, she finally saw her. Alice was asleep in a makeshift crib, that looked like it was made out of rolled up blankets and pillows inside a large box.

  Tears came unbidden to Kat's eyes as she saw her daughter for the first time in weeks. There were times when she thought she would never see her daughter again.

  With all the tenderness she could muster, she scooped her sleeping daughter up from the crib and held her. Oh, it felt so good to hold her again. Though, Kat noticed, that in the short time that they had been apart, Alice had already grown considerably.

  The little girl's eyes opened, sleepily. She blinked and looked up at Kat. Kat thought she saw recognition there. Alice smiled and reached one arm out to touch Kat's face. Kat smiled back, tears streaming down her cheeks. She kissed Alice on the forehead.

  Unfortunately, Alice didn't realize the danger they were both in. She started cooing and babbling in excitement, throwing in the occasional "mama." Kat tried to shush her daughter, but it was no use. Placing a hand on Alice's mouth, she began moving toward the exit. She had to get out of here, but now that she was inside, she realized that she had no plan for getting out.

  She rounded a corner, little Alice clutched in her arms, and nearly collided with a man there. Her heart dropped into her stomach. It was Anti-Sergio, the reverse-version of her husband. She almost felt satisfaction when she saw the shock on his face. But that shock soon turned to anger, and he reached for her.

  Kat ran. She ran for all she was worth. Exiting the tent, she nearly bowled over the guard standing there.

  She heard shouts behind her. Anti-Sergio was calling out orders, "DON'T FIRE, SHE HAS THE GIRL!"

  More guards began streaming in. Kat kept running as fast as she could, but guards appeared in front of her. When she turned to try and avoid them, she found more flanking her. She stopped and looked in every direction. She was surrounded! No! she thought. She had been so close!

  "Well, Katariina Rios, you have certainly proven yourself to be a giant thorn in my side." Anti-Sergio was walking towards her. "First you reject me, then you escape me, and now you're come to take my girl away from me too."

  Kat spat. This man deserved no less of a response. He paused and smiled at her.

  "You," he waved at the guard nearest him. "Go get the husband. I want him here to see this."

  Kat swallowed. So they did have Sergio here.

  A moment later and Sergio was dragged out of another truck. He stumbled as the chains on his feet limited his mobility. When he looked up and saw Kat standing there, his mouth fell open and his eyes glistened.

  "Kat," he said, "They told me you were dead."

  "Oh she very much is dead," said Anti-Sergio, "The bullet just hasn't caught up with her yet." He leveled his gun at Kat. "Now. Give me the girl."

  There was ice in his tone, and Kat began to panic. They were going to take Alice, shoot her and Sergio, and there was nothing she could do about it. Desperately, she tried to will her Argo Force ring to react. Nothing happened.

  She tried again, as Anti-Sergio cocked his weapon. "If you don't give her over, I will forcibly remove her from you."

  Kat tried the ring a third time. Perhaps willpower wasn't what she needed? She didn't know. She had tried over and over to get the ring to work, but nothing had come of it. She couldn't....

  She had an idea.

  Anti-Sergio waved an arm, and guards came for her, but not before she had slipped the ring from her finger. Anti-Sergio saw it in that moment, and his eyes widened. Kat took up Alice's arm in her own. Anti-Sergio lunged forward to stop her, but it was too late.

  The ring slipped on Alice's finger.

  Time seemed to freeze for a moment, while everyone's eyes turned on the baby girl. Even Anti-Sergio took a moment to stare, to see what happened next. Alice looked at her hand, curious to see the new shiny object she had in her possession.

  Anti-Sergio rushed forward and grabbed Alice, pulling her away from Kat. Kat yelled and tried to pull back. Alice, distraught from the commotion and the distraction from her shiny new toy, started to cry.

  Then the area surrounding them exploded with light.

  Kat tried to see what was going on, her ring was glowing on Alice's finger, but it was not the main source light. That source was nearly too bright for Kat to make out. As her eyes adjusted, she thought she saw a male figure within the light, tall and muscular.

  The figure moved, and guards began to fall.

  Kat could do nothing but stare. Her husband, still chained, stared too. They were the only ones standing still.

  The figure was a tall man, with dark skin, of an ethnicity Kat couldn't quite place. His hair was white and there was a simple golden circlet around his head. In his hand was a sword that gleamed brightly in the night.

  But it was the symbol on his chest that raised Kat's hope. It was a stylized AF surrounded by a circle, the symbol of Argo Force! His outfit was just like the girl who had saved them nearly a year ago, only this member didn't have a cape and his sleeves were cutoff at the shoulders, exposing his considerable biceps.

  The figure darted back and forth, his sword cutting through guns and other weapons like they were butter. Anti-Sergio had turned now, and was firing shot after shot at the newcomer. A few of the bullets missed, but one grazed the arm of the superhero. That caused him to turn on Anti-Sergio and his sword lifted to intercept more bullets. That must be some sword, thought Kat. And watching this man deflect more bullets from Anti-Sergio, she realized that this man wasn't just a member of Argo Force, he had to be one with superpowers. She had seen Kira manifest some incredible powers, but nothing on this scale.

  The man in white spun towards Sergio, deflecting bullets as he went. With a graceful leap, his sword came down on Anti-Sergio's weapon. The Invergence leader was ready, he had a pistol in hand, which he fired just as the superhero cut through his automatic weapon. The newcomer knocked the pistol out of Anti-Sergio's hand.

  Anti-Sergio didn't waste any time. His hand shot out and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him forward to head-butt him squarely in the nose. The superhero staggered backward for a moment, dazed. Anti-Sergio took advantage of the moment to kick the sword out of the man's hand.

  They were
evenly matched now, and Anti-Sergio began pushing his advantage, punching and kicking with trained skill. Kat had never seen him show that level of skill in hand-to-hand combat. Clearly, there was more to Anti-Sergio then they expected.

  The newcomer raised his arms to protect himself from the first few blows, then he began to block and parry. Within a few seconds, he was on the offensive. Despite Anti-Sergio's skill, it was clear to Kat who was the master here. The superhero's arms were almost a blur as he parried Anti-Sergio's blows and delivered his own. Fists connected with Anti-Sergio's face and he staggered backward. That was all the in that the man in white needed. He punched the Invergence leader in the gut. When the man doubled over in pain, a knee was waiting to smash into his face. Anti-Sergio crumpled and fell still.

  The whole engagement had taken mere seconds, but Kat and her husband stood with their mouths hanging open. Alice was still playing with the new ring, and Kat barely noticed in time to stop the little girl from putting it in her mouth. The newcomer turned to look at Alice, and smiled. Then he bent to pick up the sword that had fallen to the ground.

  "Who are you?" Kat asked. The man didn't seem to hear, as he continued picking up his sword and cleaning it on the sleeve of a fallen guard.

  When he straightened, he put the sword in a sheath behind his back. Then he did the last thing that Kat had expected. He began to speak in sign language.

  The man's hands moved in familiar patterns, though Kat had to look closely to determine what he was saying. She had only some basic practice with American sign language, but she was able to make out the gist of what the man was saying.

  "Hello," he signed, "My name is Michael."

  Kat tried to sign back, but found it impossible while holding Alice. The man smiled again, pointed to his mouth, and indicating that he could read lips.

  "Thank you for saving us." Kat said. Sergio had risen to his feet and approached Kat. He still had chains on his wrists and ankles.