by T. S. Hall
Cy turned his head toward Allora and opened his eye. Allora put her hand up, cupping her gasp as she watched the whites of his eye turn black. He looked at the blue cube clutched to her chest. He pointed his enormous finger toward the back of her left hand that held on tightly to the cube and said, “Find it before he does.”
Cy’s arm fell limp, and his breath let go. She put her chin to her chest and sank down, staring at the small blue cube held within her blood-covered hands.
Twenty-Three
HADES
Milly was yelling down the hall, followed by a contingent of security forces, each barking orders to the hospital staff members who were trying to save the severely hurt victims of the bombing at the base of the building. Once in the room, Milly checked her daughter for wounds. She then saw the blackened eyes of her friend, who was lying motionless in the bed. She stepped over and slowly dropped Cyclops’s eyelid down. Then, she grabbed his large hand and laid it gently against his side, pausing with her palm on his chest.
Milly knelt down, grabbed Allora’s cheeks, looked into her eyes, and said, “We need to get out of here.”
Allora shook her head and blinked rapidly. Milly then took her hand and pulled her to her feet. They ran through the darkened halls, guided by the emergency lights. The air was slightly smoky as the fires below were being put out. The distant sounds of sirens grew louder as they stepped onto the landing pad. A transport ship was waiting. Almas popped out of the back, motioning them to hurry. As they ran across the concrete turf, the ground beneath them shook, and a large fireball billowed from the structure next to them. The building shuttered, knocking everyone to the ground.
It was a full attack from the inside. Somehow the enemy had gotten into Shangri-La and had smuggled explosives in as well. Allora pushed off the ground, helped up by Katie, who was moving her jaw in an attempt to get the sound back in her ears. On the other side of the city, another explosion was triggered. Panic set in as a few of the security forces pulled rods from their backs, sparked them, unrolled the skippers, and dropped over the side of the landing pad. Milly pushed the girls forward as Almas was swinging his arms even more frantically. Dax & Tanner followed behind them.
Captain Theus helped while barking orders into his intercom.
“We need to get you guys to a safe location,” he said as they ran up the ramp and into the transport. “I have no idea how these Titans got in, but they are taking out key components of our internal security apparatus. I’ve got to go.” He then addressed Almas, who was giving instructions to the pilot. “We are in complete shutdown, so I need you to take them to the conveyance room and lock it down.”
Captain Theus sparked his skipper and took off toward the fight, followed by Brutus and Grunt. Almas shut the back ramp, and they took off, descending toward the acropolis at the center of the city. Allora stared out at the orange glow of the burning city. From the streets below, there was a firefight going on, and she wondered whether Jakar and Kali were safe. Another explosion shook the interior of the transport as they descended to the platform on the roof of the acropolis. Once inside the secret corridor toward the conveyance room, the sounds of battle dissipated.
Allora looked to her left, where Katie was staring down at her feet. There was an inner struggle playing out in the refracted depths of Katie’s eyes. Allora grabbed her hand, squeezing slightly, and knocking the blonde from her self-induced trance. No words were necessary for what they both could feel emanating from within. Katie smiled and squeezed back.
Just as they entered the conveyance room, a light exploded against Milly’s back, dropping her to the ground. As Allora tried to make sense of their surroundings, the guards who were escorting them started firing their pistols. She tried to fight back but was suddenly consumed in balloon glue.
Almas took out a blade and stabbed the two security guards in the back, killing them instantly. From the other entrances, shadowy figures wearing masks entered the room, as all of them dropped to the floor. Allora’s vision blurred, and then she passed out, still trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
* * *
In her mind, she found herself in a bright fog, standing on a green field. Out of the fog came a voice. “Do not give up, and do not give in.” Her vision came to focus on her uncle kneeling next to her while she looked out onto a soccer field. The memory was vivid, like jumping into the outer realm. It was as if the memory orb was intensifying this particular memory.
“But, Uncle Ben, they just scored, and we only have thirty seconds left in the game,” she could feel herself saying, fully immersed in a distant memory.
“Well, then we should go tell the other team that we forfeit.”
“No,” Allora answered.
“Why not? It sounds to me like you’ve already given up.”
She could feel the defiant attitude that she had felt at the age of ten. Allora took the kickoff, passed it up the field, quickly moved past a defender, and got ready for a cross pass from her teammate. She stopped the ball, wound up, and kicked it. The soccer ball ricocheted off the goal post, time expired, and her team lost. It was one of the first times in her life that she felt like she had let everyone down. The sullen looks on her teammates’ and her coach’s faces further exacerbated the feelings of disappointment and guilt. The only one who was smiling on the sideline was her uncle.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked, stuffing her shin guards into a duffel bag.
“You gave it everything you had,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”
“What are you talking about?” Allora said angrily. “I single handedly lost us the game. I’m done with soccer.”
Allora stormed off toward the car, unconvinced of her uncle’s argument. She threw her bag into the trunk and slumped down into the passenger seat. Uncle Ben slowly walked over and got into the driver’s seat. He put the key into the ignition and then paused, staring straight ahead. He then turned his head.
“Allora, I’ve got to go away for a little while.”
“Another one of your expeditions?” she asked, unaware that this would be the last time that she would see her uncle alive.
“Something like that,” he said. “I want you to promise me something.”
“Sure, whatever.”
“I need you to promise me that when it gets difficult, to the point where you think that surviving it may be impossible, that you’ll never give up—that you’ll always fight until that last second no matter what.”
“Seriously, Uncle Ben? Can’t you save your speeches for another—”
“Just promise me!” Ben exclaimed. His demeanor was serious and forceful. She nodded, unsure of what he meant. He gently placed his right hand on her head and smiled.
The fog rolled in, and the image of her uncle faded.
* * *
As her eyes focused again, she awoke to a familiar face that made her grind her teeth.
“Hello, Allora,” Barmanu said, grinning victoriously.
She tried to swing her fist into the hairy, arrogant face, but her hands were secured behind a steel chair, which was held to the ground by balloon glue. She couldn’t see the contraption that held her to the chair, but she could feel the glue substance. She fought again, jerking herself forward, rattling the metal chair and forcing Barmanu to take a step back. To her left and right, Katie, Tanner, Dax, and Milly sat in similar chairs, slowly waking from their forced slumber.
“I see that you still have some fight left in you,” a voice said from a shadow at the right of the room. “It’s admirable but futile.”
Almas stepped out from the corner, stopping next to Barmanu with his hands behind his back. He stood tall, grinning victoriously at his captives.
“You bastard,” Milly said, struggling in her chair. “I should have known that you were the traitor.”
“Ah, but you didn’t,” he said, leaning in toward Milly and smiling even more maniacally. “I played all of you like fiddles.
And traitors are only titled by the winners. To the Titans, I’m a hero and will be welcomed as such.”
“You took an oath!”
“Yes, I took the guardian oath, which says that I will protect this world against the onslaught of those who try to destroy it, which I am doing.”
“By helping Salazar?” Milly asked.
“The humans are an infestation on this world. They are destroying it, and I intend to wipe them from the face of this planet so that it can thrive once more.”
“You would murder billions of people?” Allora asked.
“Yes!” Almas yelled, leaning on Allora’s chair and pushing his face in front of hers. “And because of you, I almost didn’t complete my mission.”
“That was you at Alexandria, wasn’t it?” Allora said, unintimidated by the snarling warlock.
“Yes,” he answered happily, pulling the stolen sapphire orb from his satchel.
“And the shadow gang in Shambhala?”
“Yes.”
“And the sphinx?”
He responded with a grin.
“So you’re the one who betrayed my brother?” Milly said, her face turning red with anger.
“Ben was integral in finding the path toward the ancient city of Alexandria,” Almas said, walking around the center podium, surveying the room. “He was my pupil, and I considered him a friend, but when he got too close, I had to take steps to protect my identity. I had no choice but to order his assassination.”
Milly fought the restraints hopelessly. The chairs were designed to keep even the strongest from escaping. The confident soldier was reduced to a powerless observer.
“If it’s any consolation, I thought that he was one of the finest agents I have ever worked with. I made a grave mistake when I had him killed. You see, we were on the same quest to find the Scroll of Alexandria, and when he found the ancient city, I thought that everything was set. I made a miscalculation. The original gods of old were far more intelligent and savvy when they hid the scroll. What I learned when we found the city was that Alexandria was a ship, not a city, and the key to finding it was in the shipping manifest, which Ben hid from me when he learned of my involvement with Salazar. Unfortunately, when he died, he took all of the information with him, and I was left trying to pick up where he left off. That is where you came in, Allora.”
“Why did you try to kill me if you needed me to find the scroll’s location?”
“I didn’t try to kill you. I was trying to capture you,” Almas corrected, gently brushing Allora’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I had no idea that you’d be this difficult.
“Don’t you dare touch her,” Tanner commanded, writhing in his chair.
Allora struggled and then spit in his face. Almas pulled back with a shocked, angry look. He backhanded her cheek, cutting and bruising the skin.
“I’m going to kill you!” Tanner yelled, shaking uncontrollably.
“We’ve wasted enough time with these five. I need you to terminate the exterior shield to allow us to leave.”
Barmanu paused and then went over to the other side of the room. Allora thought it odd because it was where the screen that projected all of them to the outside chamber was located. She stared at Barmanu, who looked at her and winked.
Almas pulled out the sapphire cube located in Allora’s pocket and placed it in the indentation on the other side of the orb. The cube lit up around the edges and melted with the sapphire, forming a perfectly round orb. He then placed the object into the concave indent in the center podium of the round table. A light escaped the interior, forming a golden outline of the earth. The continents were slightly different, showing how Earth looked over five thousand years ago. A glowing light appeared at a spot in Egypt, an obvious reference to Abu Simbel and the city of Alexandria. Then the light made a path across the globe, showing the flight trajectory of the ship as it left the city. It made an arching curve across the Atlantic Ocean and then left the upper atmosphere, where it flew in orbit around the earth for many cycles. After a few minutes, Almas became agitated, uneasy with how much time it was taking.
“Have you been able to access the exterior shield yet?” Almas asked as Barmanu turned around.
“No. The codes have been changed,” Barmanu said. “They are different than the ones I got from the sphinx attack. I need more time.”
“Well, hurry up,” Almas said, still watching the lines of light passing across the golden earth. “There is no telling when that Boy Scout of a captain will find us.”
“Theus is going to gut you when he learns who you really are,” Milly said.
Almas stomped over and snarled. “And who am I?” Almas stared her down. “Say my name.” Milly just glared back, clenching her fists within the confines of the glue that bound her. He pulled out a knife from within his side belt strapped to his thigh and held it against Milly’s neck. The blade ripped into her skin as she strained her head back, trying to pull away. “Say it!”
Barmanu found what he was looking for, turned around, and nodded at Allora.
Just then the Alexandria descended from its orbit. Hades watched as the line of golden light dropped down into North America. It zoomed into a spot near the Pacific Ocean. It was a very familiar location for most of those in the room.
“It was right underneath us the entire time,” Allora said, watching the light stop right at the geographical location of their school.
“I don’t understand. We already searched down there,” Tanner whispered. “Also, there is no way we can go back. It’s filled with water.”
“There must be another entrance,” Allora said.
Hades was transfixed with the light, finally able to look upon the location of what he had been searching for so long ago. He didn’t have much time to revel in the achievement. The skylights above shattered, raining glass down onto everyone in the room. Battle-clad security personnel took out the other guards as the windows around them exploded.
Sas and Mr. Swan came forward as Hades got to his feet. He faced his opponents but didn’t notice that Barmanu had come around the back of the podium, right behind him. Before he could do anything, he felt the horrid pain and pressure of something hit his back. Then he looked down at the blade protruding from his stomach.
“This is for my father,” Barmanu said, pulling up on the blade and then jerking it from Hades’s back.
Hades screamed, turned, and stared down his killer. “Apollo,” he gurgled, blood pouring from his mouth as he collapsed against the wall and slid down onto the ground in a sitting position, his head leaning on his shoulder.
Twenty-Four
ESCAPE
Mr. Swan released them from the chairs. Sas stood above Almas’s body. He then looked to his younger brother and gave him a long hug.
“You did it,” Sas said.
“We did it,” Barmanu answered, holding his brother’s forearm and smiling.
Allora rubbed her bruised jaw and got out of the chair. “So you were the agent they had inside Salazar’s army?”
“Yes,” Barmanu said. “I’m sorry about the cliff. I didn’t realize how slippery and windy it was up there. I had to sell it, though. My soldiers were watching, and it was the only way that they would believe that I was one of them. It was the only way that I could get this close to Hades.”
“What about the cyclops?” Allora asked, still remembering the black eye of the large giant.
“They had already beat him badly by the time I arrived,” Barmanu explained, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“You knew that this was going to happen?” Milly said as Mr. Swan released her constraints. “Why didn’t you warn us?”
“We had to let it play out, or else we would have never found out who Hades was,” Mr. Swan said. “This was my call.”
“You used us as bait?” Tanner asked.
Milly swung her fist, connecting with Swan’s chin and knocking him to the floor.
“The next time you try a stunt like that,
I’ll kill you myself,” Milly said, standing over Mr. Swan, who was grabbing his chin and blinking with raised eyebrows.
“You fools,” Almas said while spitting up blood. His gurgled laughter was chilling. “Your precious city….” He coughed repeatedly, trying to stay alive long enough to have the last word. “…will still die.” On his forearm, his bracelet lit up. He quickly punched a couple of glowing buttons before anyone could stop him. He then let out his last breath as his body slumped to the ground. His eyes were staring into the dirt, and a dark pool of blood covered the bottom of his body. They walked over to see a clock ticking down from fifteen minutes.
“There is a hadron hydrogen bomb somewhere in the city,” Barmanu said.
“How do you know?” Milly asked.
“It was a fail-safe in case we weren’t able to get the exterior shield down and take the city,” he explained. “I only got details right before we got here. I wasn’t able to get a message to Sas and Swan before I had to be ready to go.”
“How are we even going to find this thing?” Katie asked. “The city is huge. We need to evacuate everyone.”
“Not enough time,” Sas said, knowing the exact timing of previous evacuation drills from being on the safety protocol committee earlier in the year. “We’ve got to find that bomb. If it goes off, any chance we have of stopping a Titan invasion will be destroyed.”
Allora grabbed the sapphire orb from within the podium while Barmanu grabbed Almas’s bracelet indicating how much time they had.
“Maybe it’s at the university where he worked,” Allora said.
“Not enough time for a maybe,” Sas said.
“It’s gotta be somewhere in his house,” Katie said.
“No,” Mr. Swan said, hanging on a strap near the back of the transport. “I studied Hades for years. The spy I knew was arrogant and overconfident. He’s not going to hide this thing. He would have put it somewhere that was right under our nose, just to shove it in our face.”