Ascension

by Christopher De Sousa

  Blake yawned, and nodded at Kulullu. “That’s more than enough time. But I guess there’s no time like the present to trial this new technique we’ve been working on.”

  Lance realised that Kulullu had generated a pool of water in her free palm. He watched as the oily scales along her arms swelled and dampened with a concentrated build-up of water. This achieved, and with Blake simultaneously channelling his own element, jagged and rigid layers of ice to abruptly protrude out of the water spirit’s soaked arms. The spirit instantly began to slice through the thick strands of webbing as if her arms were scissors on paper, and she flung a cluster of frozen needles from the end of her fingertips toward the Corrupted’s pet; piercing the creature with an oozing gurgle.

  The horned Corrupted shrieked, cradling the sickly arachnid; its wings and body penetrated with shards of ice. “What have you done? You will pay for this with your lives…, you will all pay. I swear it!”

  As she continued to curse, the distraught Corrupted summoned up a wave of her spiders to focus upon the water guardian. But Kulullu was not to be found wanting; for she slashed at the spiders, blasted many of them away with the full potency of her element, and set about tearing the other operatives free from their bindings. Once they were able, the other operatives staggered forward with their weapons pointed and encircled the grieving Corrupted.

  Paying them little heed, and with the Corrupted’s attention having yet to waver from the limp body and crinkled wings of her pet, Lance barked the order for the operatives to open fire. An immense barrage of ammunition poured down on the Corrupted. With each bullet that hit its target, numerous insects fell from the Corrupted’s body, littering the gymnasium floor with their carcases. Eventually, when no more response came from the Corrupted, Lance signalled for the operatives to ceasefire. Only when the operatives had followed his order and stopped shooting, did the Corrupted step forward – fully immersed in a wall of her swarm.

  “Fire at will,” Lance cried.

  But as soon as they’d reloaded, the swarm had dispersed in all directions about the gymnasium. Aside from what still lingered of her swarm, Lance couldn’t find any semblance of the Corrupted that remained.

  He fell to his knees, clasping at his wrist. “Where’d she go…?”

  “Not far…,” said Blake, as he pointed upward to an array of insects amalgamating above them.

  Amidst the growing collection of insects, a noticeable number separated and assumed the Corrupted’s womanly shape. The horned Corrupted now reformed, rushed toward Blake and flooded the room with her forever-increasing offspring.

  Lance, and also those few operatives who could still fight, immediately responded by retrieving the plasma grenades from their belts and detonated them upon the evolving swarm. The Corrupted let out a shrill cry of rage as she charged back toward the operatives while brandishing a webbed whip. She struck at Lance and the operatives, dislodging a number of guns and grenades from their grasp, before she crashed through them and submerged herself within the remains of her swarm.

  Before long, the level of insects rose and were soon crawling, writhing, and creeping about their waistlines. Lance peered down at the pool of insects; his senses consumed by the itchiness of their touch, the pinching of their stingers and teeth, and the mixing of both the vile and sweet odours emanating their numerous toxins. But soon enough, and as the Corrupted had promised, he’d grown numb and could no longer feel anything. But then he suddenly remembered…

  “Blake, amongst this swarm, are some capable of paralysis,” he warned, as he was fast finding any movement impossible.

  Blake scowled, and for the first time his confidence appeared to wane. “Why didn’t you warn me of this before?”

  By now, so rapidly had the gymnasium filled with this Corrupted’s offspring that the operatives found themselves fighting through the tide to keep their heads above the surface. Now that Lance found himself barely able to hang on, having on numerous occasions come close to being fully submerged beneath the waves of insects, the flow of his energy discharged from the pores of his skin, and he envisioned the entire swarm engulfed within a thunderous tempest.

  “I have let you all live long enough,” the Corrupted screamed, as Lance could feel the insects clawing at his face. “This is where it ends; my children shall finally have their feast.”

  No, I mustn’t…, for if I do…, I’ll kill them all,” He was forced to remind himself. But what should I do?

  With what little sight he had, Lance glanced over to where he’d last seen Blake; but the young Indigo was nowhere to be seen.

  “Blake,” he cried, fearing his brother was lost.

  The water spirit promptly hoisted Blake through the sea of insects and back toward the surface. “I’ve got him.”

  But any relief he’d received was short lived; for the head of this horned Corrupted had risen from the swarm, and now tore toward Blake and Kulullu as if she were the fin of a shark.

  I’ve got it, but this may be our last chance…, he quickly realised, and not a moment too soon, as he’d caught sight of what he believed to be their only hope.

  Deciding to make use of his limited telekinetic talents, he closed his eyes and focused his mind. With what little energy he still possessed, Lance wrestled free a plasma grenade from his belt and hurled it toward the ceiling.

  He guided the plasma grenade upward and into where a couple of sprinklers were placed. “Blake, this is it.”

  The grenade detonated and the pipes in the ceiling burst, showering them below in a stream of cold water. And Blake did not disappoint; for once the gymnasium had filled with enough water for Kulullu to use her element effectively, Blake seized the opportunity provided and froze the tide of insects within a firm sheet of solid ice.

  Blake beamed at his older brother with pride. “It worked better than I could ever have expected.”

  For whether he intended it or not, Blake had never before fused his own element with so much water.

  As he stood there shivering, Lance scanned about in search of the horned Corrupted. It wasn’t long before he found her, or at least what was left of her; for her head now lay unmoving atop the ice’s glassy surface.

  “You’ve done well, I’m proud of you little brother,” he shivered, his breath hanging in the air. “But now we need to do something about breaking ourselves free from this ice.”

  Once the ice had slightly thawed, Kulullu thrust down with her elbow and broke herself free. She moved to help the operatives around her, giving them enough freedom so they could chip away at the rest. Lance saw this as no easy task. Despite his ailing body and the other wounded operatives, his thoughts were preoccupied with concern about whether this Corrupted might somehow revive if they were to thaw too much ice and disturb too many of these frozen insects.

  Thinking he’d avoided this risk, he carefully slid his way through the ice. It was agonizing for him to stand. He then carefully positioned himself beneath the Senator bound above. At this point, Kulullu had sprung toward the ceiling and had started slashing at the black sludge with her arms to free both Margaret and Kishar from the filthy tar. Margaret eventually plummeted toward the icy floor, and Lance had to dive to protect her head prior to impact. As for Kishar, the spirit alive with new-found energy, floated smoothly down to the icy surface and went about stamping on any insects that had survived.

  When all operatives were free, Lance knew that a quick decision needed to be made about what was to be done with the Corrupted’s remains. He noticed the Corrupted’s head now seemed to have partially thawed. Sadly, it wasn’t long before his fear that she might somehow become resurrected came to fruition.

  The bodiless head of the Corrupted cursed them. “Do not think you’ve won just yet.”

  Her head appeared to violently bulge and burst open, becoming replaced with a new spawn of insects.

  With her swarm sufficiently replenished, the Corrupted’s head soon reformed and arose into the air. She charged toward Blake.
Lance looked on as Blake sought to grasp for a plasma grenade. But as his brother failed to grasp one in time, Lance launched himself forward and pushed his brother out of harm’s way. Within the same motion, and clutching a grenade of his own, Lance thrust his arm inside the swarm. He pressed his thumb at its centre, and the grenade exploded.

  The blast of the grenade rang in his ears, and he was blinded by the soot left behind by the smouldering insects. But he could also feel the cold clamp of a frozen covering about his arm around where he’d let go of the grenade. He quickly realised that Blake had saved his arm from the explosion by encasing it in a thick coating of ice.

  “That was a close one…,” he mumbled, as the smoke cleared and he staggered to his feet.

  Blake admonished him, his nose scrunched. “What were you thinking? You could have lost your arm.”

  “I did what I thought was necessary,” he replied, praying that Walter had an antidote for this poison: his legs were now like jelly and his eyes had begun to sting.

  “Is it over?” He heard one of the other operatives ask.

  “It’s over,” Blake assured the operative in his stead, pointing to where a single insect lay squirming in the cold water.

  For a short while longer, the insect discharged of a faint glow. But this speck of light eventually dimmed, and the insect faded from sight.

  “That insect served as the Corrupted’s nucleus. Her very life force… I could see this particular insect flickering within the red of her eyes…,” Blake explained, before collapsing in a heap against the slippery ice.

  “My master needs urgent medical attention,” Kulullu told Lance, as she scooped up Blake in her arms. “I shall go it alone from here and rescue Ms Hawthorne.”

  “I must insist that you all immediately return for treatment,” Walter’s muffled voice ordered from Lance’s waterlogged communicator. “And you’re running out of time. I need to address those afflictions as soon as possible.”

  Lance winced, the taste of blood in his mouth. “I don’t think any of us have much choice. We need to find an antidote, and fast.”

  “You can leave that to me,” Walter affirmed. “But you must hurry.”

  No one argued with Walter, least of all Kulullu, and with an unconscious Blake in her arms, she hobbled for the gymnasiums nearest exit.

  “Kul,” Lance called out, trying to keep up, and seeing that the water spirit was struggling. “Let me help you carry him.”

  Chapter 26

  Once the sun had set in Anabasis, Katherine knew the last thing Walter wanted was for this winged Corrupted to sneak up and take them unaware. There were other operatives weary and wounded in need of assistance, and who were trying to make their way back. So to help them see their way back, Walter had asked Katherine to set up lights outside his surveillance van.

  As Walter had assigned her this task, she was eager to contribute in whatever way she could and took pride in the fact he’d put her to work. But she wasn’t certain about her capabilities of setting them up properly. As she was the last operative at Walter’s disposal, she believed it necessary to provide Walter with what he required. With the others already about the school and engaging the Corrupted, she saw it an opportunity to cultivate trust in this organisation’s director.

  But as she tinkered with each lamp, checking to ensure it was assembled properly, the suspense grew more unbearable. Her mind overflowed with worry for Monica’s wellbeing, and with how Aleisha and Gavin were faring in trying to save her. This was also compounded by the fact she felt her real talents were being squandered. Never again did she want to lose someone, and feel that she could have done more to prevent it.

  If this wasn’t disheartening enough, she found herself kneeling in a chilling breeze that swept across the empty school. Goose pimples had developed up and along her arms, and she sneezed constantly. Although her imagination might be running wild, it occurred to her that this sudden plummet in temperature was brought forth by this wraith of Atlantis.

  Perhaps we will soon encounter this subject of so many operative’s fear, she thought.

  “Walter, you don’t think Namtar might be somewhere in the school grounds?” She heard herself ask.

  “I don’t believe so,” he solemnly responded. “I can’t imagine I’d ever forget the haunting and numbing nature of his energy. Why do you ask?”

  She pulled at the hood of her cloak. “I’m probably overthinking it. This suddenly very cold wind has just put me on edge.”

  Setting aside her fears, she glanced up toward the block of classrooms where she’d seen the winged Corrupted land. She thought about what she’d read about the Corrupted twins and Namtar; wondering if anything she’d learned of that could translate into a strategy. But at the same time, she also pondered if there was any reason to bother. Walter had been adamant about her staying put, and she knew she’d have to adhere to his wishes if she were to remain a part of this organisation. In truth, staying with the organisation had given her newfound comradery with some of the other operatives, and had strengthened of her bond with Anzu.

  As for the winged Corrupted; she’d little to work with from her library search and she’d not been told much about him nor had she personally witnessed of his feats. This only made her more nervous about him in particular: it was this fear of the unknown. Nevertheless, she didn’t have time to dwell on what this winged Corrupted might be capable of. She heard a voice call out her name in the wind that sent a chill rolling down her spine.

  “Who’s there?” She cried out, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

  “Katherine, please…,” the voice again called out her name.

  “Monica…?” She rushed for the surveillance van. “Walter. I mean, sir? I think I just heard Monica try and reach out to me.”

  “I can’t sense her presence,” he replied, sounding agitated. “If you please…, I really do need to concentrate.”

  Angry with disappointment, she stormed back out of the van. Despite her frustration, she rationally agreed that a suggestion that Monica had called out to her sounded ridiculous. But she couldn’t shake this feeling that what she’d heard was exactly that: Monica reaching out to her, and pleading for her to help.

  “Perhaps you’re just hearing things,” Anzu agreed, as he peered up at the school block’s rooftop. “But, stranger things have happened.”

  You can say that again…, she thought, glancing down at her guardian, thinking about the bizarre nature of their celestial bond.

  She paced up and along the line of vehicles. “I wasn’t just hearing things, I heard Monica speak to me…I’m sure of it. This is insufferable. We should be out there helping them.”

  Anzu sighed “Walter feels we’re not ready. And I can see his reasoning, given the way we fared against those earthen Corrupted…”

  “Katherine…, you must…help,” Monica’s voice pleaded in the wind.

  “You must have heard her that time?” She asked the guardian.

  Although Anzu had briefly glanced back at her with confusion, the guardian appeared to concede that something was awry; for he briskly shifted the focus of his golden eyes up ahead to where this voice was supposedly coming from. It was then that Katherine noticed his keen eyes had suddenly widened, and his beak now hung open with a look of dismay.

  He let out a dry gasp and motioned forward. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

  She followed his line of sight; her eyes coming to rest upon a grim and ghostly spirit. With hollowed blue eyes and long strands of black hair, this womanly figure quietly trudged toward them.

  “Anzu, wait…,” she pleaded, Anzu having bounded forward.

  Upon the guardian’s approach, they looked on as the spirit abruptly spun round and trailed off back towards the block of classrooms.

  “I may not have heard her…,” the guardian confessed with a shudder. “But I’m looking at her. At least, I think it’s her…, only I can’t work out how that’s even possible?”

&n
bsp; “That isn’t Monica you’re sensing,” Walter asserted, as he rolled toward them. “It is the Corrupted’s doing…”

  “I believe you’re right,” Katherine replied, brimming with confidence. “It’s an illusion conjured by the masked Corrupted Alu.”

  “Alu, what do you know of that spirit?”

  “He’s the Reaper of nightmares,” she clarified, scanning about her surroundings. “He must have us all trapped in one of his spells. When they attacked me at eleven Delphi Crescent, he crafted an illusion of Anzu to deceive me. I thought he was hurt…, so I went over to help him.”

  “And this was when they attacked you…, only to have their plans foiled by the real one suddenly coming to your aid,” Walter added, putting the pieces together.

  She looked down at the concrete. “It’s just as I thought. It’s the same bluish glow…”

  “And now we’ve made it that much easier for this Corrupted by setting up the lights, presenting him with shadows to weave his magic…,” the Director muttered. “Am I correct to presume that Monica has taught you about detecting foreign energies?”

  She guided her finger along the asphalt. “She has, and there are patches of his energy everywhere. We only needed to step on one spot and risk being caught under his spell.”

  She hustled over toward Anzu. “Can you still see the illusion?”

  “No, it disappeared inside the block of classrooms.”

  “And we’re about to follow,” she affirmed, spinning round to face Walter. “I’m sorry sir, but I refuse to just stand here and do nothing.”

  He looked up at her through bushy eyebrows and pushed his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose. She expected his admonishment, where he’d reiterate her lack of experience and insubordination. But he sat there in silence, rubbing the stubble on his chin.

  “If we follow, we’d be walking directly into his trap,” Anzu murmured, as he anxiously glanced back and forth between both Katherine and Walter.

  “We would, but we’re running out of time,” she asserted. “Sir…we can do this. You must trust us.”