The Shadow Connection

by Adair Hart

  “There may still be hope for him,” said Evaran. “The others pose a more serious threat. Psyotica will need to be taken down quickly.”

  Tim tapped the side of his head. “Her mind games won’t work on me.”

  “I would not be too hasty in that conclusion,” said Evaran. “She was able to control a Helian council member. That means she has the ability to control some Outsiders.”

  Tim cracked his neck. “She needs to be conscious to do it, though, right?”

  “That is correct.”

  Tim smiled. “Then we’ll do our best to make sure she isn’t.”

  “I understand your confidence, especially given the present company and everyone else that has come. Psyotica will not be alone, and can cause havoc in all the chaos of fighting.”

  Thor slapped Evaran on the back. “We can do this, brother! I was not on Earth at the time of the Purification crisis, but I’m here now. We shall prevail!”

  Jake smiled. Thor’s confidence was infectious, and he was popular among the old gods and the Outsider community in general.

  It amazed Jake that Earth had all these powerful beings. He treasured the chance to get to interact with them. He watched Dr. Snowden and Robert talk with Erik. Jake swallowed hard. Although they were about to go into battle, he was enjoying the calm before the storm. He realized how lucky he was to be there. With a nod at Thor and the others, Jake headed over to Dr. Snowden, Robert, and Erik. Jake figured he would get some talk time in with them before the fight.

  Emily cracked her neck as the boat neared the island. The three-hour trip had gone much quicker than she expected, probably due to the great conversations she had had with everyone. Getting back the Torvatta was something she was looking forward to. She was still in the lounge area when a muted alarm rang out.

  “We are approaching the base,” said Evaran. He interacted with his ARI and, after a moment, said, “It appears we are still undetected. We need to prepare for battle.”

  Lady Hassrik glanced around at the others. “We’re ready. Come, Erik, time to don our battle armor.”

  Erik bowed and then followed Lady Hassrik out of the room.

  “Time to kick some ass,” said Tim, slapping Thor’s arm.

  “You and me both, my werebear brother. I’ll try to leave some for you and Guan Yu.”

  Tim and Guan Yu shook their heads as they exited the room.

  Evaran gestured forward. “Let us go.”

  They hustled back to a section of the ship that looked like it was used for unloading cargo.

  After everyone had assembled, Emily took a moment to survey the group. Erik had dropped the business suit and had on what looked like advanced plate mail with a Gothic design to it. It fit him well. He had a long cape, and in addition to an advanced weapon he was holding, he had two swords on his side. She wondered how old he was, and if his choice was due to something he wore in the past. Lady Hassrik wore a tight-fitting leather outfit with various sidearms and gadgets on it. Thor had on his battle armor, and Emily did not see any weapons other than his hammer. Maybe that was all he needed.

  Guan Yu wore his green robe, but it was the guandao that stood out to her. Its pole was metallic with intricate designs on it, and the curved blade was massive. Where the pole met the blade, there was a small, round, technical-looking device. Hermes had a light armored suit and wielded two small sidearms. She assumed they would be used for stunning. Mary and Tim wore gray mesh-like outfits. Emily understood that the fabric would allow them to transform while keeping their suits on. She had seen it before during the Purification.

  Jake and Robert had on their usual adventuring outfits, Dr. Snowden wore his survival suit, like she did hers, and V was flying around in orb mode. Dr. Snowden and Robert were raring to go, which seemed unusual to her. She could see why Robert was anxious to take care of Psyotica. Being mind controlled must have been a very uneasy feeling. Dr. Snowden, she suspected, really wanted the Torvatta back. She did too. Jake, as always, was optimistic and was checking out his weapon and gear nonstop.

  A swarm of excitement washed over Emily. Her nanobots were tingling, and the exhilaration of a fight was the release she needed. She scrutinized the interior of the ship as it began to slow down. Jake looked up at her.

  She smiled.

  He smiled back. “Ready for all this?”

  “Hell yeah,” said Emily.

  “This time, Psyotica goes down first.”

  “Definitely,” said Robert. “At least we know what to look for now.”

  “We may not see any of the bigger players until we get farther into the base,” said Evaran. “However, I would agree, Psyotica is a big target to take down first.”

  The ship came to a stop.

  Evaran interacted with his ARI. “We are approaching a docking port on the southern part of the island. We will have to fight for it. Once it is secured, we will make our way to the rift door room. It is underground and near the center of the island. The Ollikrin Nation has a second group that will land on the north side after we begin fighting. We will converge in the center.” He took a moment to survey the group. “Is everyone ready?”

  They acknowledged they were.

  The door in front of them lowered down onto a sandy beach.

  Emily burst out of the ship and squinted as the brightness surrounded her. A walkway, surrounded by silky sand, led up to a small tower sat off in the distance. Vegetation dotted the landscape, and she could smell the mix of the ocean along with the scent of the flora.

  “V, scouting mode,” said Evaran.

  “Acknowledged. Scouting mode engaged,” said V as he shimmered out of view.

  “We need to secure that tower and then go from there. Caltorus probably knows we are coming, but most likely does not know we are here yet,” said Evaran.

  It did not take long for the small group to reach the tower.

  Emily noticed that everyone except Robert could keep up with Evaran. Looking around, she realized that this was a reverse of the situation at Count Boris’s fort. Evaran now had his own special team, just like Caltorus had his when he attacked. This time, the advantage was theirs.

  V had stunned the two Druuz guards in the tower, but not before the guards could trigger the alarm.

  Evaran gestured at a building in the distance. “We need to get there.”

  Druuz guards took cover ahead of them. Several large Druuz brutes with heavy battle armor and large weapons charged toward them.

  “Well, now he knows we’re here,” said Emily. “Looks like we got company!”

  Tim growled as he transformed into an eight-foot werebear. The mesh suit armor on him stretched to accommodate his form. “More like targets.” He charged forward, taking several shots to his armor. When he met the first brute, he bowled it over. The second one hit Tim across the chest, sending him flying off to the side. Mary transformed into a tree and, with her vines, grabbed two Druuz from cover and then used them to beat the brute that had hit Tim.

  Evaran, Dr. Snowden, and Emily used their shields to advance slowly while taking fire. They countered with mist and stun beams, taking down three of the guards. Erik and Lady Hassrik were a blur as they circled the engagement and then ended up behind the guards. Using a combination of swordplay and gunfire, the guards went down.

  Emily’s eyes widened as she saw guards go sailing through the air. Thor and Guan Yu were tossing guards left and right, while Hermes hung back and took shots at them.

  V was flying above and shooting stun beams at isolated guards.

  The brutes regrouped and focused fire on Evaran.

  The first one fell as a hammer flew from behind and smashed it in the back of the head. Another flew into the air as Tim uppercut it. It landed and stopped moving.

  Evaran and the rest of the group reassembled outside the rift door building.

  Caltorus, Decatron, Red Lightning, Ares, and Psyotica, along with a small group of guards and two elite guardsmen, walked out onto a balcony overlooking t
he area.

  Emily focused on the two elite guardsmen that stood next to Caltorus. They were bigger than she was led to believe. Their dragon-like heads were more defined compared to the other Druuz. A horde of Druuz guards accompanied by several brutes swarmed out of the building and began to encircle Evaran’s group.

  “Ares! Brother!” said Thor, looking up. “You’re on the wrong side.”

  Ares’s eyes swept over Evaran’s group.

  Emily could see the familiar outline of doubt imprint itself on Ares’s face.

  “Silence!” said Caltorus. He eyed Evaran. “You’re even more persistent than I gave you credit for. Leave now and I will consider sparing you and your friends from what is to come.”

  “Counter proposal,” said Evaran. He raised a finger. “Surrender to me, and I will be lenient in my judgment. Choose otherwise, and you and whoever is with you will receive my full punishment.”

  Caltorus’s eyes glowed dark gray for a moment. “I may be weaker in this world, but I am a god and command legions. If it’s a challenge you want, it’s a challenge you shall have!” He circled a hand in the air, and his guards began to swarm Evaran and crew.

  Psyotica extended a hand.

  Jake stood straight up as Psyotica reached out to him. He took aim and shot a stun beam at Robert, causing him to crumple.

  Emily fired at Psyotica, who ducked out of the way.

  Jake broke the hold and shook his head, then ran over to Robert. “Damn it!”

  As the group engaged the guards, Emily made her way toward the balcony. She needed to get up top. As she looked for Evaran, he appeared next to her, and using his grapple beam, he pulled himself up along with her onto the balcony. A startled Psyotica turned to focus on them.

  Emily took aim.

  Psyotica moved to the side but ran into one of the elite guardsmen.

  Emily hit Psyotica with a stun beam, causing her to fall to the ground and stop moving.

  The elite guardsmen that Psyotica had bumped into engaged Emily. It swung its massive sword at her, which she dodged.

  She hit the sword on its way down with her staff, then slid it up the blade and hit the elite guardsman in the face.

  It stumbled.

  She converted her PSD into a baton, stepped back, and then fired a sticky globule into its helmet.

  As it tried to get the sticky globules out, its hands got stuck.

  She hit it in the stomach.

  It doubled over.

  She uppercut it with her baton.

  The elite guardsman flipped back into the air from the hit.

  As it came down, she hit it hard in the chest.

  It crashed to the ground and grabbed her leg, causing her to fall.

  Zed appeared next to the elite guardsman and gripped the arm holding Emily. The arm relaxed, and Zed used a paralyzing agent on the elite guardsmen.

  Emily nodded at Zed, who returned it.

  Caltorus and Evaran squared off in a blur of hits, while Decatron took to the air.

  Decatron did not get far before falling to the ground from a hit to the chest by Thor’s hammer.

  As Thor headed over to Decatron, a burst of red lightning engulfed him. He fell to his knees and gritted his teeth.

  Tim charged through a mass of guards and backhanded Red Lightning, sending her tumbling through several guards. As she began to stand up, Hermes appeared next to her and hit her point-blank with a stun shot.

  Thor nodded at Tim and Hermes.

  Tim went sprawling forward as the second elite guardsman landed next to him and hit him in the back with its shield.

  Guan Yu surged forward and, with his guandao, swept the legs of the elite guardsman. Once it was on the ground, he used the guandao to slice off its arms. It howled and then stopped moving.

  Tim gave Guan Yu a thumbs-up.

  Emily hopped off the balcony and joined Dr. Snowden in fighting the remaining guards and brutes. She was impressed that he was able to hold his own in the swirling mass. Jake had pulled Robert close to them, and together, they formed a small group that hunkered down and used cover to fend off waves of guards. She tried to keep the brutes away so the others could handle them.

  Although Erik and Lady Hassrik danced around the fight, she could see how fast they moved. The guards seemed like they were shooting at air when trying to hit them. Although Erik and Lady Hassrik were stronger than a regular human, their speed was their strongest asset. The single brute that attacked them discovered this when it was stabbed in the eyes, groin, and back of the neck in the time it took for it to try to swipe at them.

  It was not long before the remaining guards were routed. Mary was selectively stringing up guards and piercing them with her paralyzing vines. Other guards were tossed in the air as they got near her. Tim stood next to her and manhandled the ones who slipped through. The remaining brutes were pushed back by the combined show of force from Thor, Zed, and Guan Yu. Hermes joined Emily and the others and took pot shots with his stun weapon.

  The remaining Druuz had begun to retreat into the rift door building.

  “Defend me!” said Caltorus through gritted teeth. He kicked Evaran off the balcony and then hustled inside the building, sealing the door behind him.

  Evaran hopped back up on the balcony and headed over to the door console. As he placed his UIC, he faced Ares, who had not taken any action since the fight started, other than to move out of the way. “You have a choice to make at this exact moment. I am headed to the rift door room. You can stand down and assist me with this, or you can continue the path you are on now, suffering the same fate as Caltorus and the others.”

  Thor, Guan Yu, Zed, and Hermes had jumped up to the balcony.

  Ares gulped as he eyed Evaran. “I waited to see who would win … it appears you have. If I help you now … you’ll spare me?”

  “I will,” said Evaran.

  “C’mon, man,” said Hermes. “You’d really pick Caltorus over Evaran? After all you’ve seen in the past?”

  “Hermes is right,” said Thor. “You know what the end result would be. Don’t get caught up in this temporary madness.”

  “We are your brothers. Do not turn your back on us,” said Guan Yu.

  Ares sighed as he faced Evaran. “Fine … what do you want from me?”

  “Information.”

  Ares tapped at a device on his wrist. After a moment, he said, “What information did you need?”

  Evaran extended a hand out. “Walk with me to the rift door room. I’m sure Caltorus has already retreated to the second set of coordinates.”

  “He probably has, although I don’t think he expected to be overpowered so quickly.”

  Guan Yu slapped Ares on the back. “He faced some real gods.”

  The doors to the building opened.

  As they exited the balcony, Emily took a quick peek over the edge. The guards that were still around were being rounded up by Mary and Tim, and the Ollikrin group that landed on the other side of the island was beginning to arrive. After a few minutes, Evaran and the others had regrouped below on the ground floor.

  “The rift door room is on the lower levels,” said Ares.

  “I am guessing you also know where my Torvatta is,” said Evaran.

  “Yeah, and it’s heavily guarded. The rift door is probably secured already.”

  “Is it a shadow-matter world?”

  “Well … I think so. It’s a huge … cathedral or something sorta floating in space around weird strands.”

  Evaran eyed Ares.

  Ares sighed. “And I have a map of the area, although I don’t know how much good that will do you.”

  “That will be handy.”

  “Caltorus isn’t just going to give up your Torvatta without a fight. Besides, he can transform into some big humanoid form thing out there. He also has a small army of Druuz. The elite guardsmen are tough, although I see you killed one already. There’s also the brutes, which you saw earlier. It will not be easy.”

&nb
sp; “We will deal with him when we get there. Please, lead on,” said Evaran.

  Ares looked at Thor, Guan Yu, and Hermes for a moment.

  “I know what you’re thinking, brother,” said Thor. “That this makes you look weak. It doesn’t.”

  “Choosing Evaran is never a sign of weakness, that’s just being tactically smart,” said Guan Yu.

  Ares narrowed his eyes. “I was unsure of Caltorus to begin with and know he is no god. I’m not really tied to him. I guess I got caught up in his promises.”

  “What did he promise you?” asked Evaran.

  “Dominion over Earth once it was captured.”

  “That’s impossible with all the different power groups,” said Thor.

  “Don’t underestimate Caltorus’s power. I’ve seen it, and it’s … alluring.” Ares glanced at Zed. “Look what they did to the Helians.”

  “Power often is,” said Evaran. “To the rift door room.”

  Dr. Snowden rubbed the inner part of his hand with his thumb while taking in the rift door room. It was similar to the one back at the other Helian base. Ares had led them down to the room without much issue. The base was in Evaran’s control, and Mary and Tim were coordinating the arrival of their group from the north and subsequent takeover of the base’s functions.

  The fight outside had gone far better than he expected. The unity showed by the group stuck out in his mind. He knew that with so many power players fighting together, they would form a battle bond, something that would be used later in the formation of the new Earth council. Dr. Snowden had seen it before, and it was a valid strategy.

  It had taken them ten minutes to get to the rift door room, and then for the last fifteen minutes, Evaran had been coordinating with the other leaders out in the field in regard to the progress being made on the other bases. A majority had been taken over, some with little fighting.

  Dr. Snowden had learned that Mary’s girls had each led an assault on a base. Good training for them. He had also heard that Red Lightning, Psyotica, and Decatron were being taken into custody by the Helians. Caltorus had only just began to consolidate his power before messing with Evaran. It could have been worse had Caltorus had time to establish himself.