I asked.
No, but once you enter I should be able to bypass the elevator’s programming. He answered.
“Once we get to the top we have to hurry. There is a lift nearby, hopefully the codes have not been changed.” She said.
I looked at her. She was pretty, but her face was marred with the reality of life, her edges were sharp and her eyes held a depth of strength.
“Why are you helping me?” I asked, truly intrigued.
She didn’t have to; she knew I wasn’t interested in fighting her war. I had one goal, get Kim to safety. She was taking a huge risk.
“There is a saying on the surface, one I am fond of. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” She answered, “Besides you are my king.” She added and then hurried up the ladder before I could respond.
I followed her up and climbed out of the tunnel, my eyes quickly adjusting to the bright light coming from the ceiling of the small room we were in.
I stepped aside and went to the door leading out.
“Once we are outside, we have to turn right and go down a hallway, we are not far from the lift. The last time I was here there was minimal security, but I fear Karakatos may have increased it.” I nodded as she turned and slowly opened the door leading into the hall.
She peeked out for a few seconds, looking for anyone who would spot us sneaking out of the maintenance closet. Without a word she slipped out with me close behind. The hallway was bright, the light streamed in from a number of large windows spaced along the wall. The marble walls and floor reflected the light and it took a second for my eyes to adjust.
“C’mon.” Sessarian said as she started walking down the hall, towards the lift.
We passed a couple of people, but they moved with hurried purpose, only taking a brief look at us, before moving about their business. Within a few seconds we were standing in front of the lift door. It was made of a brightly polished metal and had the same sun burst I had seen elsewhere emblazoned on it. The symbol began to split in two and separate as the lift door opened.
Julake stood just inside the lift with four other soldiers. His attention was obviously on something else as he lifted his head and saw me. Time stood still as it took him a few seconds to recognize me. I too was caught unprepared at his arrival and there was a brief span of unmoving shock as we both realized each other was standing within killing distance of one another.
His scarred face twisted in hate as he moved first, breaking the spell. He reached over and punched something on the elevator’s panel. Loud sirens began blaring and the other soldiers in the lift looked alarmed at Julake’s actions.
“This man is a wanted fugitive; bring him in at all costs.” He said then launched at me.
I fell back and brought my feet up, as Julake came for me. I caught him by the chest and as I rolled onto my back I kicked off, sending him flying down the hall, behind us. I popped back onto my feet to see Sessarian grappling with three other soldiers, the fourth one was trying to stun her with his wand, but she was doing a great job of keeping him from getting a clean shot.
I ran full throttle into them and was able to create a huge mess as I knocked two of them off her and she slugged the other one in the head, causing him to lose his grip, we used the distraction to hurry into the lift and Sessarian hit a button, causing the door to close. I saw Julake barreling towards us, hoping to reach us before the door shut. He got to within a few feet but was a second too slow as the doors closed. There was a loud impact as he slammed into the metal and I heard him curse at missing us.
“Keep the door shut while I try the codes.” She said, furiously punching buttons into the keypad.
I did as she said.
I waited for a few seconds, thinking he was concentrating on getting us moving.
Nothing. That was very unlike him.
In all my years with Neal, he had never ignored me. I think it was against his programming. Sure if we were out of range of each other we couldn’t communicate, but I knew I hadn’t gone that far. He should be able to hear me, unless he was knocked out, or dead.
Still nothing.
I didn’t know what to do, I felt oddly naked without his voice inside my head, especially since I didn’t know why it wasn’t there.
I heard loud banging as Julake and his men kept trying to enter.
“We need to get moving before they figure out a way in.” I said to Sessarian.
Her face was one of panicked concentration, she kept punching in different combinations, furiously trying to find one that worked.
“It’s no use, the codes have all changed, I cannot get us access to the lower levels.” She said in defeat.
She looked at me, fear and disappointment filled her features, but didn’t stop trying. I wasn’t sure what to do. I had a moment of panic, waiting for Neal to give me some direction, only to remember he wasn’t answering.
“What the hell?” Sessarian said, stepping away from the control panel.
“You got it!” I said excitedly.
“It wasn’t me.” She answered.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I was halfway through a code sequence when it accepted it. There’s no way it was me. Someone else overrode the elevator.” She said.
Nothing.
It was possible he had done it, but for some reason was unable to answer me. It was also possible that Neal hadn’t done it, that someone else had, someone who actually wanted us to get to the lower levels, levels that were designed to hold Atlantean criminals. It would actually be a great place to apprehend us; we would be trapped underground with nowhere to go.
The sirens abruptly stopped and I felt as we started moving, the elevator descending, most likely descending straight towards those who wanted me captured and Sessarian dead.
“That’s not good.” Sessarian said.
“I was thinking the same thing.” I answered.
She backed up, to the far side of the small space. She checked her arm guards and did a rundown of her rifle, making sure it was ready for action.
“Well, we tried.” She said, resigned to fighting one last time.
I saw her steely determination; she knew we were heading towards a fight we couldn’t win. The sheer circumstances of our situation ensured we would lose. We would be outnumbered and in no position to escape, but she wasn’t going to go without a fight.
I liked the way she thought.
As she mentally prepared for what was to come, I did the same. I closed my eyes and began breathing slowly and in a steady rhythm. I reached inside and opened myself up to my familial power, feeling almost instantly as the energy began to flow into me.
I drew my sword in one hand and held my rifle in the other, using them to channel the power. I infused them both with energy, as well as myself, giving me a super charge. I had to force myself to stop, the energy wanted to push itself into me until I burst from it.
I brought my awareness back fully into the here and now a second before the doors opened.
The difference between this level and the above one was like day and night. Instead of a hallway, we stood in an open area that looked like a staging place for new prisoners. At least that’s what it looked like to me, I thought about asking Sessarian about it, but the twenty soldiers standing outside the elevator, aiming weapons at us made my curiosity a little pointless. If there had been less of them I would have had no problem forcing my way past, but their sheer numbers made that thought dwindle. I knew they wanted me alive, but I wasn’t about to surrender just so I could buy a few more minutes while they killed Sessarian.
One of them stepped forward, lowering his weapon.
<
br /> “Drop your weapons, you have nowhere to go.” He ordered.
“I’ll rush them, you try to get free, they want me dead, you have a chance.” Sessarian said.
“You’re not dying for me.” I answered.
“I said drop your weapons!” He said again, this time more forcefully.
I felt as Sessarian shifted her weight, preparing to attack when the whole area went dark. I heard gasps of surprise and orders to keep still.
“Don’t move, they have nowhere to go, the backup power will kick on in a few seconds.” I heard the same guy say.
“Look at him.” Someone else said as my weapons glowed blue in the darkness.
I saw about ten sets of silver eyes blaze in the shadows interspersed throughout the soldiers. It was then that I heard Sigmund speak, his voice filled with blood lust and hunger.
“A few seconds is all we need.” He said before the screaming started.
The pitch black concealed the chaos that followed. I could hear carnage all around and backed up, grabbing Sessarian. We went to the side of the elevator, keeping the wall to our backs.
“What is it?” She asked.
“Just stay still, if anything touches you, kill it.” I told her.
Sure enough the emergency lights kicked on and the darkness was replaced by a scene out of a horror movie. Vampires appeared in different positions of murder as they slaughtered the unprepared soldiers. Bodies lie all around, some with heads ripped off, others with necks gaping as their throats had been torn open. Blood covered everything as Sigmund stood in the middle of the carnage, watching as his kin ate, tore, ripped and drank from the dead and dying men.
“I have to say the look on your face is priceless.” He growled at me, walking closer.
“You’ve lost your damn mind.” I said, keeping between him and Sessarian.
She was in shock, seeing her people murdered in such gory detail was enough to shake up even the most seasoned warrior.
“Have I? HAVE I?!” He answered.
“The Warlord thinks he has control, but he is wrong. He thought he could use my particular talents to set up a neat little trap and lure you here in return for a few weapons to take out that bitch Agatha. He underestimated me, they all do.” He oozed fury, his eyes blazed as the stench of blood drove him crazy.
He absently reached down and grabbed a soldier, he whimpered in pain and fear as Sigmund lifted him. The soldier was bleeding from his arm, which had been ripped off; his life was a few seconds from ending due to his injury. Sigmund brought his neck to his mouth and while staring at me, bit down and began to drink his life’s blood, his eyes glowed even brighter as he swayed in ecstasy.
He threw the dead body aside as he finished, his mouth was clean, never spilling a drop. I felt the energy inside, my anger began building and I wanted to rush him and rip him apart. I almost did it too, but I stopped myself, he was being chatty, maybe I could learn more.
“So it was you who messed with Kim and Arendiol’s minds.” I said.
He focused on me; bringing himself back from the pleasure feeding gave him.
“Don’t forget those two poor fools who kidnapped the girl. Agatha is such an idiot, never suspecting. Do you know who she sent to investigate the matter? Her punishment for my actions against you, she sent me!”
“Why?” I asked.
The other vampires were finishing their meals, slowly rising from the rapidly cooling corpses, looking for new, hot blood. Each of them was Atlantean; their beauty in un-death even more striking than it was when they were alive.
“Karakatos wants you, you have something he needs. He knew you wouldn’t come here on your own and he knew you wouldn’t do as he asked unless he had something you wanted.” He kept slowly stalking closer; the other creatures began to close the circle.
“Kim.” I said.
“That’s right, the girl was perfect. Given what you did for a living, he figured it would be in your nature to save her, he was right.”
So it was all a ruse, a set up to get me here and to have something over me. Something he could leverage against me to get me to do what he wanted.
“Enough of this, it all matters not. The Warlord will not get you. I have found something better than his meager weapons, an entire city full of compliant idiots. Down here there is no Agatha to stop me; her link is too weak for her to know what I am doing. By the time she begins to suspect it will be far too late. I will have thousands in my own coven, thousands of compliant brothers and sisters, unable to resist my will. I will send them to kill her and when it is done she will not be able to control me anymore, I will claim her place as coven leader and the world will shudder as a new age begins.”
“It’s official, you are bat shit crazy.” I said to him.
He stopped, narrowing his eyes at me.
“You have insulted me too many times. I was going to allow you to live as my pet, one I would torture for years, but now you must die.” With an unspoken word the vampires came for us, flowing over the ground with hunger and lust in their eyes.
Sessarian surprised us all buy opening fire, her rifle blasts blowing two vampires’ heads apart, leaving them to fall in a heap. Sigmund let out a moan of pain, his connection to his children allowed him to know what they were doing, and by extension what happened to them. Good.
I rushed into the fray, yelling as I ran. The first vampire tried to grab me, used to the easy prey he had encountered so far. I was anything but easy.
I brought my sword up and sliced his arms off at the elbow, some of the energy stored within it followed my stroke and rushed through his body, causing it to explode in a cloud of blood and meat.
That was a little surprising. I took a second to marvel at my handiwork, which almost killed me. Another vampire slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs and we crashed to the floor. I saw its fanged teeth rush for my throat and I was able to bring an elbow up into its neck, halting its advance. I continued the motion and followed through with my sword, both pushing the vampire off of me and chopping its head off in one stroke.
I quickly sprang to my feet and saw Sessarian struggling to stay alive as she had taken out three vampires but was being over powered by another. I stabbed her assailant in the chest and twisted, sending the remaining energy through its body, causing its head to explode. I helped her up and we stood back to back, facing the rest of the blood sucking bastards.
Sigmund was still standing amongst the dead, unmoving. He had a large maniacal smile stretched across his face. It was unnerving. Two other vampires stood by his side.
“You are a worthy adversary, Jack. I’ll give you that. But I don’t think you understand. You Atlanteans are a wonderful people. You have such a magnificent quality that makes you invaluable. Agatha kept a tight rein on who could make more children, I, however do not.” I watched in horror as all around us, soldiers began rising from the ground, their eyes glowed a bright silver as they began to wake from death, only to be reborn.
“When a human is turned, it can take days for them to rise, if ever. You Atlanteans have the ability to do this in minutes. It is amazing, is it not?” He finished as twenty sets of silver eyes surrounded us, focusing their newfound hunger our way.
Dread fell on me like a stone weight. We got lucky; taking out six vampires wasn’t something that could be done easily. Now we were looking at three times as many and I was almost out of juice. Sessarian was bleeding from a wound on her side and the way she held her arm I feared she had broken it.
“Whatever happens don’t let them bite you, you don’t want to come back as one of them.” I said to her.
Just then the elevator bell dinged. It opened, Julake and ten heavily armed men exited, quickly taking stock of the situation. He looked to me and to the bodies around us, then looked to Sigmund, making the connection quickly.
“You back stabbing monster.” He snarled before raising his rifle and firing, hitting Sigmund in the chest and sending him flying through the ai
r.
“Turn your weapons on lethal and kill the unnatural beasts!” He roared as the air thrummed with rifle blasts and inhuman screams of pain and rage.
I grabbed Sessarian and rushed towards an adjoining hallway, leaving the carnage behind.
“Where are you going? The battle is that way.” She said, trying to rush back into the action.
She was injured, bleeding and most likely had a broken arm. She had just came face to face with creatures out of a nightmare and knew they were fighting people who wanted her dead but she was ready to go back and give it all she had. It made me smile.
She looked at me, her eyes narrowing.
“What?” She asked, getting mad.
“We are here to save Kim, let them kill each other.” I answered.
She looked around, realizing I was right.
“Alright, I got you here, now what?” She asked.
“I can find them from this point, you are injured and need to get somewhere safe where you can recover.” I started, but she interrupted me.
“If you think you can dump me now you are sorely mistaken.” She said angrily.
She was tough alright, but she was in no condition to continue.
“How far are we from section 5?” I asked, now that Neal wasn’t talking, I was at a loss.
She took a deep breath, gathering herself.
“We are in section five; each section is in reference to sublevel. The holding rooms are down that hall, odds on the left, evens on the right.” She pointed towards a non-descript hall that turned right.
“Security should be on its way, we need to be quick, I’m actually surprised they aren’t here already.” She added, which was the exact time that a small group of soldiers turned the corner and saw us standing in the middle of the hall, completely exposed.
“Of course.” I muttered, lifting my rifle and firing as I crouched low.
My weapon jerked in my hands, causing me to drop it. I saw as my super charged rifle blast flew at the soldiers and caused a large concussive explosion. Bodies went flying everywhere and my knees threatened to buckle as the recent use of my powers caused me to weaken.
The carnage was surprising seeing as how I had actually forgotten that I boosted my rifle while in the elevator. I looked over at it, seeing a burned chunk of metal, its frame twisted from the energies it had to deal with.
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