by Lyra Shanti
Her sight felt limited, and it bothered her. She knew they were close to Osha - she could feel it - but she didn’t know if the Sea-Goddess had made up her mind or not about their fate. All Kiyana could do was protect those she cared about and hope for the best.
“We’re here,” she said, putting her hand on Pei’s shoulder. “Remember, do not disturb Osha. Get in as quickly and silently as you can without bothering Her.”
Pei nodded, though he didn’t really understand her orders. He figured Lady Kiyana meant for them to conduct their mission as discreetly as possible, which was something his troop was already highly trained in. No matter how strong the sea creature was, he didn’t foresee a problem, especially with Sterek’s plan in place.
Turning to face Reese, Pei said, “I’m counting on you to take out that security alarm.”
She looked back at him with a smirk and plasma-gun in her hand. “Come now, General,” she replied, “it’s me.”
Pei gave a slight laugh, then turned to address his team. “Listen up! There will be a lot of sick and weary prisoners in there. I want you to do your best to help them get out quickly, and without causing panic. That goes for you too, Tirleni soldiers. You may inadvertently scare some of the people just by your looks alone. Be kind to them, though, and I’m sure they’ll be grateful for your help. We want this operation to go as clean and quick as possible. Sterek is giving us about ten minutes, which is more than enough time. Everyone ready?”
He looked at his troop, Tah, and Tirleni together in a unit of about fifty, and waited for any possible questions. None came, however. They all knew their positions and their goals. “Alright,” said Pei, speaking into his wrist-com. “Sterek, it’s up to you.”
“Yes, Sir!” came Sterek’s voice. “Alright, General Pei, The Dome’s system is now compromised. Your free to move.”
“Fola… Reese,” said Pei, “You’re on.”
They nodded and took their positions on the two water-cycles near the front of the hatch-door of the ship. They activated their breathing helmets and started up their engines. Then, they drove up to the decompression room and waited. As soon as the hatch opened, they zoomed into the darkness of the ocean.
Pei watched from the main viewing room where the soldiers were gathered. He could see Reese and Fola zipping up to the bottom of The Dome. Their job was simple, and yet, complex.
“What exactly will they do down there?” asked Kiyana.
“Well,” said Pei, “If they can get into the security room, which Sterek located at the base, then they’ll relay to Sterek what they see. He’ll tell them what to do, and they should be able to dismantle the alarm - long enough for us to get inside without being detected.”
“I see,” she quietly replied. “But… what if they’re detected before then?”
“Sterek assures me that their bikes are camouflaged,” Pei replied, “and set to stealth-mode. They shouldn’t be seen or heard. Let’s hope not, anyway.”
Kiyana sighed and silently prayed. The general put his faith, however, in Reese, Fola, and Sterek.
Unaware of Pei’s plan set in motion, Zin was acting on his own design.
“Are you ready?” he asked Raven. She nodded as they silently slipped down the dimly lit hallway. Then, they met his mother at the end of the hall where the only known door in the entire dome stood locked and unbreakable. Zin was pretty sure the door led to the waste shoot, but he wasn’t certain. He had hoped to find another way out, but they were running out of time. He just couldn’t chance his mother and Raven getting any sicker.
Determined to break through the door, no matter what it took, Zin brought two items he believed were the keys to their freedom.
The first item was a stolen security card he had secretly attained when speaking with Dr. Quine. Sleight of hand came naturally to Zin since he had learned magic tricks from his music teacher, Varvin, and he had distracted Quine with his spoiled prince routine - just long enough to steal the card on the flustered doctor’s desk.
The second item he needed was a sample of Quine’s voice, which he had memorized. Always imitating others since he was a child, he was a master at voice manipulation. Unsure if it would work, he knew he had to at least try. Whatever happens, thought Zin as they approached the door, we’re getting out. I don’t care how!
“Halt,” said the cold, computerized female-sounding voice. “You are not authorized to-”
“I am Doctor Quine,” said Zin, “and I need this door opened immediately.”
The computer didn’t respond for a few moments. “Vocal key confirmed,” it finally replied. “Retina-scan required.”
Oh, damn it! thought Zin. I didn’t know there’d be a retina scan needed too!
“What should we do?” whispered Raven.
Zin was not about to give up. Frustrated, he looked at the door’s console, studying its set-up. He recognized the security system; it was the same one used at the palace. “Override,” said Zin in Dr. Quine’s voice. “The retina scan is not needed.”
The computer hesitated again, then said, “Denied. Only emergency password may override retina scan. Password required.”
“Oh, screw this!” Zin loudly whispered as he swiped his stolen key-card through the allotted slot by the door.
“Access denied,” said the computer.
Looking as if he’d break down the door, Zin squinted his aqua eyes and said, “I am Dr. Quine! Now Open the door.”
“Denied. Vocal key unconfirmed.”
“Zin, you’re not sounding enough like him now, and it can tell,” whispered Raven. “If you let your anger get to you, you can’t concentrate, and the computer will set off the alarm.”
“I swear, Raven,” he replied, “I’m gonna kill this computer!” Taking a deep breath, he tried again. “I am Dr. Quine. Now, open the door.”
“Access denied. Security breached. Alarm will be activated in three… two… one…”
Zin was sure the alarm would soon be heard all across the dome, but no sound came. Standing by the door, Raven, Loda, and Zin all looked at each other with confused expressions.
“What just happened?” asked Raven.
“I don’t know,” he replied while looking at the door’s console, “but the alarm has somehow been deactivated.”
“Did you do something?” asked his mother.
“No, I didn’t, but… someone did.”
“Who?” asked Loda.
Zin shook his head and twitched his sensitive gills. It was faint, but he was picking up a vibration. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he felt a sound coming from the other side of the door. As the vibration grew, Zin felt certain something was breaking through.
“Mother! Raven! Stand back!” he yelled as he instinctively tugged at their arms.
Just in time, they moved out of the way as two powerful cycles came crashing through the door. Sea-water sprayed inside, and Reese and Fola jumped off their bikes.
Reese took off her breathing helmet and faced Zin. “Long time no see, kid,” she said with a smile. “General Pei thought you could use some help.”
Zin laughed and said, “See? I told you they’d come!”
“We have to be quick,” Fola reminded Reese. Holding her earpiece, she added, “Sterek says we have less than eight minutes before the security alarm will reset and go off.”
“Right,” said Reese with a nod. “Lod Zin, take your mother and lady to the ship outside. The Tah and Tirleni are waiting in stealth-mode just outside this door. The water is cold, but I know you can swim and hold your breath.”
“We sure can!” he happily replied. “Mother, you first.”
Escorting his mother through the door to the decompression area, Zin turned around and said, “You next, my love.”
Nodding, Raven was about to follow his mother when she noticed Zin wasn’t following behind. “Aren’t you coming?”
He shook his head. “No, not yet. I want to stay and help my people escape this horrid place. But don’t wo
rry, my soul’s wife. I’ll be with you soon, I promise.”
Raven didn’t like his answer, but she understood, and once again felt enormous pride for her hero, and king.
“Take care of my mother and swim as fast as you can toward the ship,” he added.
Raven nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “I love you, my brave man!”
He smiled and said, “I love you too. Now go!”
As soon as Zin knew his mother and Raven were swimming to the safety of the Tirleni ship, he turned to Reese and said, “We’re rescuing everybody here, right?”
Reese smirked and said, “Of course we are.”
“What can I do?” he asked while following Reese and Fola down the hall.
“Here,” said Fola as she handed him a plasma-gun. “If you know how to use one of these, go for it.”
“Got it,” said Zin as he held the gun, ready for anything.
“Strange. This place doesn’t seem heavily guarded,” remarked Fola.
“Most people are asleep right now,” said Zin.
Reese shook her head while she looked at her wrist-com. “Don’t be fooled by the lack of guards. There are A.I. everywhere. I detect computer-energy all throughout this floor. They’re probably reporting us at this very minute.”
“Artificial Intelligence?” asked Zin. “I’ve never seen any robotic people in The Dome before.”
Reese turned to him with a raised brow and said, “Really? If they were highly advanced bots, how would you know the difference?”
Zin was about to respond when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Well, now…” said Dr. Quine, “I see someone has let their friends in through a security-locked door. Very clever, Lod Zin, but I am afraid I can’t let you leave just yet. Your treatment has only just begun.”
Zin shook his head with a scowl on his face. “Oh, I think my treatment is quite over, thank you,” he bitterly said while pointing his plasma-gun at the doctor. “In fact, everyone’s so-called treatment is over. Now stand back or I swear, I’ll shoot you.”
The always calm doctor just smiled and said, “Go ahead, my boy, if it makes you feel better. However, I have already called for reinforcements, and they are on their way. Even if you shoot me and make your escape, you will find yourself surrounded by Prime Minister Vax’s finest, fastest ships. He is quite worried about his specimens, you see, and can’t afford you to reach the surface.”
“What you really mean is that he doesn’t want us to tell the rest of the galaxy what he’s been doing down here!” Zin loudly exclaimed. “Well, I have news for him, and you; I will tell everyone! And you both will be thrown in jail for the rest of your lives!”
The doctor smirked and said, “Oh, I don’t think so, Your Majesty… although, I suppose it’s good to have dreams. Now, I would stay and chat, but like you, I have a ship to catch. Go ahead and take my patients with you, if you so desire. They’ll only end up back here once the fighting is over, and believe me, it will be over before you’ve even begun.”
As Quine turned to walk down the hallway to the side, Zin shouted, “No!” and shot the doctor in the back. Instantly, Quine fell to the floor, landing on his stomach.
Shocked at his own actions, Zin gulped and explained, “I couldn’t let him leave. I just couldn’t!”
“It’s alright, kid,” said Reese as she squatted down to check Quine’s pulse. “you didn’t kill him. I’m not even sure you can.”
“What do you mean?” asked Zin.
“He’s a bot, isn’t he?” asked Fola.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he is, which would explain why I detected A.I. energy. Anyway, we don’t have time for this. Zin, lead us to the patients’ rooms, and let’s get the hell out of here. This place is gonna blow the second we get everyone out and we’re clear.”
Zin nodded as he raced through the halls, helping Reese and Fola wake the patients before guiding them to the door that led to the ocean outside. Once they felt sure they had evacuated the entire dome, Reese alerted Pei with, “Dome clear. We’re water bound, General.”
“Good,” she heard him reply through her ear-piece. “Now, get out of there. You have thirty seconds before we set off the bomb.”
Reese and Fola put on their breathing helmets as they jumped onto their bikes. Zin then quickly jumped on the back of Reese’s bike as they zoomed into the decompression chamber. In seconds, the door to the ocean auto-opened, and the three of them raced through the deep of the water.
Zin’s gills instinctively opened wide as he gulped in the water’s oxygen. However, it didn’t take long to reach the ship’s decompression area.
“Shut the door!” yelled Reese. Fola did as Reese commanded while Zin re-adjusted, taking in the air through his mouth once again.
As the three of them rushed through into the main hull of the ship, they were surprised to find themselves walking into an argument.
“What do you mean you’ve planted a bomb?!” Kiyana nearly shouted.
“Look, my Lady, it’ll be fine. It’s just a small plasma-bomb that has been strategically placed to take down The Dome with little to no after shock. I swear, it’ll be fine.”
Kiyana’s eyes widened. “It will NOT be fine, General!” she exclaimed in a tone that made Pei feel like he was being scolded by an angry Lan. “I told you, Osha will not like it. She may very well feel that you are attacking her and her children. You must call off the bomb this instant!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Kiyana,” said Pei, “but this is the only way to ensure Vax will not use such a facility again. Plus, the bomb is already set to-”
Interrupting his words came a loud, lightning crack type of sound. Kiyana ran to the viewing window, looking without her eyes for the destruction. Sure enough, she heard and felt The Dome’s structure breaking and falling to the bottom of the ocean.
“Oh, Gods…” Kiyana whispered as she sensed the large, white structure collapse. “May Osha take pity on us all.”
Reese came up to Pei and said, “General, in case you were wondering, we survived. I see you got the survivors to their quarters already.”
“Yeah…” replied Pei, unnerved by Kiyana’s reaction.
“What’s her problem?” asked Reese.
Turning around from the huge see-through window, Kiyana said, “My problem, General Reese, is that you’ve destroyed one monster only to invoke a much bigger one.”
“What do you mean?” asked Pei. “I thought Osha is on our side. I thought you can connect to her. She’s a good creature, right?”
“No, Pei,” said Kiyana, “she is neither good nor evil. She is Nature itself, and I do not know of what she is capable, especially if she feels threatened. The Dome was a bad place, yes, but she protected it. I think she even cared for its sick and dead. I don’t know how to explain this, but… Mother Osha is coming, and she is neither good or bad. She is Vengeance… and she will destroy us all.”
Pei gulped and looked out the clear window of their ship.
“Sterek,” he said into his wrist-com, “head for Tirleni Beach. Full speed ahead!”
“Yes, General,” replied Sterek who was at the navigation helm.
Praying Kiyana was just being dramatic, Pei pushed his worries aside and checked the state of his passengers. Everyone who had been held prisoner at The Dome seemed relatively alright. Zin, however, wouldn’t stop pressuring Reese and Fola about their destination.
“You don’t understand,” said Zin loudly, “we have to stop Vax! He’s planning something terrible. Quine even warned me about how Vax is sending ships to fight us. If I know that villain, he’s planning something awful. He wants to wipe out the Tirleni, which he views as a tainted race, and he won't want any of us to survive and tell the world about The Dome. We have to gather our allied forces and directly attack Vax now - before he suspects what we’re doing!”
Reese nodded and replied, “It’s alright, Zin. Calm down. Baran has already sent The Lirhan, and I’m sure King Ayn has sent back
up for Pei and his troop. Right, General?”
Pei cringed and rubbed his neck. “Well,” he slowly replied, “you see… Ayn wasn’t exactly sure what was happening on Ohr, so… we’re the only Tah here at the moment.”
What?” sputtered Reese. “But we need backup! Doesn’t Ayn know that?!”
Pei crossed his arms and knotted his brow. “Look, Reese, my king knows what he’s doing. The plan was for us to free the prisoners and bring them all, including Lod Zin and his family, to the safety of Deius. Then, if Vax wants a war, it will be his move. At that point, Kri and Deius would be fully armed and ready for whatever happens. I highly doubt Vax wants a galactic war.”
“No, Pei! You have no idea how evil he is!” yelled Zin. “He murdered my father, and Atlar too! And he will stop at nothing to destroy the Tirleni whom he sees as the only threat left on Ohr. Plus, he has the technological power to destroy both Deius and Kri! I don’t understand. Why won’t Ayn send help? Has he changed so much since I last spoke with him? What has happened? Is he a coward now?!”
Pei shot Zin a look of rage. “That’s enough, Your Majesty!”
The look on Pei’s face was enough to silence Zin, though he still looked upset.
“Come on, both of you,” said Reese. “Let’s have some faith in Ayn. I’m sure he’s well aware of what’s going on, and as soon as we request backup, he’ll send it. Right, Pei?”
Still staring at Zin with angered gray-green eyes, he said, “Yes, I will contact him.”
“Good,” replied Reese. “Now, Zin, why don’t you go over to your girlfriend and your mother and help them relax. They’ve just been through a very trying experience. They must need you. Trust me, Ayn will send help. I’m sure of it.”
Zin took a deep breath and nodded. He then walked over to where Raven and his mother sat and took their hands.
“Now, go call Ayn, damn it,” she whispered into Pei’s ear. “Tell him to send The Tah, like, yesterday.”
Pei quickly nodded and went to the bridge to call his king in private.