The Ark of Power

by David Barco

  Destines

  The Ark of Power

  Destines

  The Ark of Power

  David Barco

  Copyright © 2016 by David Barco.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written per-mission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  David Barco/Yarborough Press

  215 W First St

  Van Wert, Ohio/45891

  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavidBarco

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book design © 2017 BookDesignTemplates.com

  Ordering Information: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

  Destines: The Ark of Power — First Edition

  ASIN: B07S95F5NJ

  Printed in the United States of America

  To my mom, who believed in Harrison’s mission since the beginning!

  Contents

  Title Page

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 1

  Tears In The Night

  The shower's steam thickens the air while the walls appear as if they are weeping from the heat. Douglas Grady enjoys his showers like this. Stepping right underneath the shower head letting the water massage his aching muscles, it runs right through his short brown hair, dripping off his beard like teardrops. Squinting tightly, blocking his brown eyes from the water, he hears tiny feet hurrying down the hallway. The strong bangs on the door demand his attention.

  "Daddy...Daddy!" the excited voice screams through the door.

  Douglas slowly opens his eyes, grinning, as he hears his new favorite title squealing continually.

  "Harrison, daddy will be there in a second. Go get mommy, and I will be right there.”

  He could hear the peppy two-year-old scamper down the hallway.

  "Mommy...Mommy."

  Stepping out of the shower, Douglas grabs his towel and begins to dry his lean biceps off. He put his black shorts on first, pulling his gray shirt over his head that says Destine Academy Alumni.

  "BABE!" his eyes open instantly, as the voice captures his attention. The sadness in Francis’ voice motions him quickly out of the bathroom.

  Walking into the living room, blind by the towel covering his eyes as he finishes drying his hair, he hears Harrison unleashing his two-year-old vigorous energy. Uncovering his eyes, he sees Francis sitting on the end of the leather ottoman. Harrison climbs on top of her, pulling himself up by her long mustard blonde hair that travels down to her upper back.

  Tears run down her cheeks. Douglas picks Harrison up with one arm. Harrison giggles from the bottom of his belly with batty kicks assaulting the air. Flipping him around, Douglas smiles at Francis.

  "It's someone's bedtime,” Douglas announces loudly.

  Walking down the hallway into the room, he could hear Francis from the kitchen. Douglas cuts the light off and places Harrison in his crib. Springing up, Harrison stands straight up. "Daddy! Power light!"

  “How could I forget!" he playfully says back to him.

  Approaching the crib, Harrison claps with excitement. Douglas lifts his right hand up, fingers relaxed, spread, with his palm facing the ceiling. Tightening his hand slightly, a yellow glow covers his hand. Quickly, he closes his hand and opens it immediately.

  Hovering two inches over his right hand is a yellow energy ball the size of a tennis ball. It lights up the whole room, making everything have a yellow radiance. Harrison claps even stronger. Douglas smiles and grabs the yellow energy ball, turning his hand upside down. Darkness invades the room where the light was.

  Harrison drops back down into the crib. About to leave, Douglas stops halfway, watching him turning from side to side.

  "I love you son."

  As he steps into the hallway, Francis is standing there. Frowning, she hands him a note.

  "This was just slid underneath the door when you were in the shower.”

  He stares at the note:

  Captain Grady,

  The mission is rescheduled to start early. You must leave immediately! No talking to anyone until you arrive at the meeting point. Not even your family!

  Sincerely,

  Jovan Dirk,

  Destine Elder

  As Douglas looks down at his wife, he notices the sadness painted all over her face. Leaning against the wall, she gazes up at him.

  "I read it. I know I wasn't supposed to, but deep down I knew what it said, I just had to make sure. I packed your bag when you were in the shower. It's by the front door."

  Seeing the disappointment on her face, he leans and kisses her forehead. He walks towards the door, grabs his bag, and opens it. Turning back, he stares at Francis still leaning on the wall.

  "I love you," she says.

  Slowly closing the door, he hears from Harrison's room, "Daddy!"

  Squinting, he feels heavy tears rush down, drenching his face. Douglas walks out and closes the front door behind him.

  chapter 2

  The Silent Mission

  13 years later

  Glaring up at the ceiling, Harrison does not feel like getting out of the bed. Sitting up, he rubs his face trying to wake himself up. Constantly rubbing his eyes, the repeated motion makes his blue eyes as bright as the sky by all the tears piling up. He grabs the plastic water bottle on his nightstand, gazing at the family picture from when he was two years old.

  He sits on his dad's lap in the picture. His toothless smile in the picture saddens him. Picking up the picture, he turns it upside down. Taking a couple of sips of water, he twists the lid on and flings it on the floor. As he begins to run his fingers through his dusky blonde hair, parting it to his right side, he hears his mom walking past his room.

  "Do most 15-year-olds take this long to get up? Today is an important day for us and for you!" his mom walks down the hallway. "So, get up. Your friend, JT, will be here in a little bit. Remember?"

  "Oh yeah, I forgot," Harrison responds back, stretching his lean arms in the air.

  "What do you mean you forgot? You couldn't forget. How could you forget that today is the day when you find out if you and your friends made it in the Destine Academy? Get
up and meet me in the kitchen," she says.

  Harrison scoots to the side of his bed, dangling his scrawny legs over it.

  Yeah, how could I forget this day?

  Walking past the TV on his way to the kitchen, Harrison hears the news reporter speaking. He sits down on the old and worn leather couch and starts watching and listening to the female reporter on TV.

  "Today makes, and I truly can't believe it, thirteen years since the mysterious vanishing of the Silver Falcons. Led by Captain Grady, the Silver Falcons left on what we all now refer to as the Silent Mission. Most believe that this elite task force made up of four of our finest Destine warriors died on that mission. A small remnant believes they are just missing or were captured by enemy forces. The Destine Elder of our great Destine nation has decreed that the mission was a high rank classified mission that cannot be discussed by anyone. He sends his regards to the four families affected."

  Harrison snatches the remote and cuts off the TV.

  Sends his regards. You're the Elder and that's all you can give us?

  He goes into the kitchen and meets his mom. She is sitting, slowly sipping her hot coffee. Flipping through the Destine nation newspaper, The Destine Chronicle, Harrison spots the front page;

  Remembering the Silver Falcons.

  Underneath, a massive picture of his dad with the other three men behind him covers the entire front page of The Destine Chronicle. Stuck in a daze viewing the picture, the hammering on the front door snaps him quickly out of it.

  KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

  "Must be JT,” his mother says, still reading, and sipping her coffee. "But he usually doesn't knock like that. He must be excited about today.”

  Suddenly, Harrison catches a glimpse of a slender figure, dashing past the kitchen window with his moppy, straw-colored hair bouncing in unison with each quick stride.

  "OPEN THE BACK DOOR! THESE EVIL THINGS ARE CRAZY!" the slender figure screams.

  Harrison rushes to the door, instantly. He hurries unlocking it. As soon as he is turning the lock, the door blasts open. Harrison falls swiftly on his back. He stares into JT's light brown eyes that were just slightly darker than honey.

  "JT, what in the world were you running from?" Francis asks with concern.

  At once, two tiny pearl white colored Chihuahuas press their paws against the screen door, growling softly as if they are trying to catch their breath.

  "Momma, those things are the definition of evil itself," JT climbs off Harrison and slams the door with disgust. "For years, they chase all the kids in the neighborhood. They live in that house at the bottom of the hill. Their owners must not like kids since their number one mission in life is to devour all the kids that live here."

  Still laying on the kitchen floor, he watches intently as JT walks to the cabinet without helping him up. He takes out a bowl, grabs a box of blueberry oats cereal and sits down next to Francis.

  "You bust through the door like a lunatic, tackle me, and you can't even help me up? Cereal is really that important to you?" Harrison asks as he stands up, joining them at the table.

  "We have been friends since we were seven,” JT pours his milk into the bowl of cereal. “You should know by now that cereal pretty much comes number one in my life."

  Francis laughs as she puts her cup on the table, placing the paper next to it. "Today is the day you boys find out if you made the Academy. I am just as nervous as I was for Douglas when he was waiting for his acceptance letter from the Academy."

  Harrison and JT listen, steadily crunching away at their cereal.

  "Letters are dropped off this evening. Did your family plan anything special for it?" Francis asks JT.

  Wiping the milk off his chin, JT smiles.

  "Actually, I came over this morning because my parents wanted me to ask if Harrison and you wanted to come to my parent's antique shop. They are going to close it and have a watching party for the delivery. If we get accepted, we will continue the party. If we don't, well, I guess we will just cry and continue to eat all the food."

  Harrison and his mom shake their heads and giggle.

  "What you want to do Harrison? It's your big day. You want to go over there?" Francis asks.

  "Yeah, if my friends are going to be there, I will go," he says, slurping the milk out of the bowl.

  "Great. I will contact your uncle Adam this morning and let him know to let the delivery person bring it there. He just started working at the Academy this year, so he should be able to do that. He can at least help his sister out like that, right?" Francis says smirking at Harrison as she still drinks her coffee.

  "Yeah, I guess," Harrison says.

  "Well, thanks for the cereal and for saving me from those wretched beasts that are probably devouring a five-year-old right now, but I got to go help my parents get the shop ready for this evening," JT announces.

  "I’ll walk you outside to make sure you don't die," Harrison says playfully.

  "Bye, momma. I will see you tonight at the shop,” JT says.

  "Thanks, sweetie, see you then," Francis responds.

  Harrison slowly closes the door behind him.

  Walking side by side with JT, they stand in the middle of the street as if they own it. His house sits on top of the hill, towering above all the other houses on his street.

  "You a little nervous?" JT asks.

  "I’m not nervous about tonight and finding out if I get in. I guess I’m just a little nervous about when I actually start there and the whole process," Harrison answers.

  "Yeah, I’m sure all the classes for the next four years are going to be tough. But to be an elite warrior of the Destine nation what else would you expect, right?" JT says.

  "I'm not as worried about that," Harrison says noticing the interested look on JT's face.

  "What else would you be worried about?" JT curiously asks him.

  "Well, I am sure you heard that this year, Jovan Dirk, the Destine Elder, is overseeing the Academy. He has brought in some of his officials and people close to him to work there in various spots."

  "Yeah, my parents were telling me about that, but what is the big deal?" JT asks, eager to know.

  "You can't tell anyone, but when I am there, I will be able to get close to all the people that know about that night my dad went on that mission. I’m going to find out some answers and find out what really happened to him and his team. They’re hiding something and I’m going to find out."

  "You know how crazy that sounds! That will be about impossible. You are telling me that you are going to the Academy, hoping to find some intel from the people that made the Destine nation vow to silence?" JT asks, slightly laughing at the thought.

  Harrison laughs gently under his breath.

  "Yeah, but this is my only chance to see what truly happened to my dad. I just know they are hiding something, and I will find out. Whatever it takes.”

  "I understand, brother. I’m here to help any way I can. Let's just hope we get in," JT responds, putting his hand out, signaling their handshake.

  Harrison brings his hand to JT's. He slaps it twice; fist bumps and pretends their hands explode.

  Harrison, turning towards his house, hears JT sprint away.

  It's time for my silent mission now!

  Chapter 3

  A Mysterious Compass

  Stepping through the front door, the dense and muggy air sticks tightly to Harrison's skin as if it was trying to suffocate him. The burnt orange sun sliding down in the sky behind the clouds wasn't taking the heat with it.

  Walking to the car, he sees Gavin, an eleven-year old that has been his neighbor since he could remember. Gavin, soaking from sweat, strolls over to Harrison in his driveway, panting like an old dog. His abnormal, thick shadowy brown hair, usually waterproof and immovable, is dripping sweat from his bangs and dangling right above his olive-green eyes, which are at the same level as Harrison's chest.

  "Dang, the way you look, it looks like you been outside here for hours. Wha
t could you possibly be doing in this heat?" Harrison asks.

  "My parents are being lame. I was practicing my forms for our mixed martial arts class for school, and they told me to take that mess outside. They don't understand since they never went to the Academy that I have to take these martial arts classes for the next three years so I can even try to get into the Academy. These classes are a pre-requisite and I am struggling in the intro class," Gavin replies.

  Harrison chuckles and opens the passenger door of the car. His mom comes rushing to the car, anxiously looking for her keys in her oversized purse.

  "You will get it, don't worry,” Harrison sits down. “You are only eleven years old and just in the first class. It gets easier, believe me."

  "Great! Coming from the one who passed all those classes with straight A's. It must not come as natural to me as it does you. You’ll probably go to the Academy and totally impress the instructor who teaches the Power Flow classes. It's not fair. I just wish I was as good as you!" Gavin says.

  Shutting the door as his mom cranks the car, Harrison rolls the window down.

  Francis smiles at Gavin and lays her hand on Harrison’s shoulder. "It won't be a walk in the park. His dad was the only one in the history of the Academy to finish with a 5.0 GPA. No one has ever got higher than 3.9. But if anybody can do it, why not his son?"

  Harrison, feeling uncomfortable, tries to make the situation not feel as awkward, gazing steadily at the messy floorboard.

  "Tell your parents I said hello and tell your mom we need to do lunch sometime. Have a great evening sweetie," Francis says cheerfully.

  "Yes, ma'am," Gavin replies.

  Harrison fastens his seat belt as the car pulls out the driveway. He notices Gavin jogging slowly back to his yard, waving to be seen.

  "GOOD LUCK HARRISON!" Gavin shouts as they drive away.

  Peering into the rearview mirror, Harrison sees Gavin shrink in size still waving till he disappears entirely.