Rise of the Ultra Fury (Universe in Flames Book 5)

by Christian Kallias

“We humans tend to think too much, worry about the future, linger in the past and, more often than not, we don’t devote enough of our time being grounded in the present. The side effect is that we get anxious, worrying on a daily basis, distracting us from what needs to be done. Most of the time sucking the fun out of our own lives in the process.”

  “That would explain the rise in my CPU emotive subroutines.”

  “And that last statement didn’t sound like an AI that passed the Turing test.”

  “And yet I did with flying colors, didn’t I?”

  “You did.”

  “So . . . Should we take a look at the schematics for the artificial black-hole generator?”

  “Indeed we should. Time to get to work.”

  C H A P T E R

  VII

  Sarah ran through the dark corridors of her ship. The damage was substantial and her heartbeat was dangerously elevated. But the footsteps that followed her at a running pace, resonating within the corridor, pumped adrenaline into her body. She dared not look back, but she felt her pursuer gaining on her. How was she to outrun a Fury in her current condition?

  Then she heard him. “You can’t outrun me, human.”

  The deep, almost demonic voice sent a shiver down her spine but she kept running as fast as she could. All she thought about was Chris. She couldn’t let harm come to him.

  Then a fireball grazed her right cheek and impacted with the ceiling twenty-something feet in front of her. The explosion knocked her off her feet and she barely had time to pivot to protect Chris from her now inevitable fall. She hit the floor with her right shoulder with such force that she heard a bone-cracking sound, accompanied by a sharp pain that radiated throughout her upper body.

  She turned on her back and saw the Fury walking towards her. With most of the lights off, and only a few flickering LED panels, his approach felt like a horror movie. She was helpless to do anything and soon he was upon her. A light flashing nearby revealed his face for a brief instant, and the evil smile she saw terrified her.

  This is it. We’re going to die. I’m so sorry, Chris.

  The Fury raised one hand, fingers locked in a claw. Before she could do anything he plunged it into her womb. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced. Not even when she had been tortured by Argos did she feel so much pain. It was intensified tenfold by the emotional implications of what was happening. She closed her eyes as a reflex but she felt it. She felt that vile creature grasp her unborn baby from deep within herself.

  A few seconds of overwhelming emotional and physical pain ensued. It was the longest and most agonizing moment of her life. It felt like the last one, too.

  When she opened her eyes she saw the Fury holding her bloody baby in his hand. His eyes flashed red as he crushed the baby in his hand, little by little. She heard his frail bones crack one by one.

  This can’t be! Please no!

  She screamed.

  Then everything changed. She was in her quarters on her bed, still screaming for dear life. She had been dreaming. The nightmare had been so realistic, so intense, that her heart was beating like a machine gun firing inside her chest. She dripped with sweat and panted heavily.

  What the hell was that!?

  She took deep breaths in order to calm herself. Soon she got up from her bed and went into the bathroom. She was looking at herself in the mirror when she thought she saw something move from the corner of her eye.

  When she reached for her belly and found it flat, that spun her again into a whirlwind panic attack.

  “Chris! Where’s my baby!?”

  Was she still in her nightmare?

  She pinched herself and felt the pain. Her heart, which had finally stabilized, went back into overdrive.

  She turned back to the room and that’s when she saw him.

  A baby was crawling on the carpet, smiling and giggling. He saw Sarah and crawled towards her.

  This is not happening . . . this . . . is not . . . possible.

  What she could only surmise was baby Chris crawled to her on all fours. He looked at her and beamed the cutest of smiles. A warm, golden aura engulfed him.

  I’m still dreaming.

  Then she heard him in her thoughts. You aren’t, Mother.

  What are you telling me? You got out on your own?

  Yes. I know it’s difficult to understand, but I did it so you wouldn’t experience the pain of birth while being conscious.

  That nightmare?

  It was a distraction, so you wouldn’t feel it happening.

  You couldn’t have chosen different imagery?

  I didn’t control the nightmare, just enhanced the part of your brain that deals with fear. So whatever you saw in there, it was of your own creation.

  I’m not sure I like this version better. But okay. How can you be crawling already? How old are you? Have I been asleep for weeks?

  No, I’m barely an hour old.

  Is this the way all Furies are born?

  No, the birth is usually very similar to any other humanoid species. But we do age a little faster and reach adolescence about two years faster than humans.

  Is this why you are already able to crawl?

  Not exactly. I did something to my genetic makeup so I could grow faster, much faster.

  WHAT?

  I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t tell you about it because I knew you would object. But there was no other way. I need to be walking and fighting as fast as possible so we can win this war.

  For a brief moment Sarah thought she had lost her mind. Then she thought that this was still a dream, a nightmare or a little of both.

  I assure you, Mother, all of this is real.

  How can you have changed your own genetic makeup? Do you have any idea of the absurdity of what you’re telling me?

  I do. When Argos tortured us, I felt his presence inside me. Part of his psyche, in fact, was transferred somehow. When he realized my presence inside you and decided to grow a clone of us, that was when I got a glimpse of how he did it so quickly. I used that knowledge to affect my own DNA in order to grow as fast as his clones do.

  This is irresponsible and unacceptable. I have carried you in me for nearly eight and half months. This was not your decision to make! How can you be certain this won’t kill you?

  I know it’s a risk, but I have acted for the greater good. I’m sorry, Mom. I know this is not what you wanted to hear, and I know you looked forward to seeing me grow, and I’m so very sorry to rob you of that experience. But please, Mother, believe me when I say this was absolutely necessary.

  How fast will you grow up?

  You may want to sit down before I answer this.

  Sarah didn’t like the sound of that, but she complied and sat on the edge of her bed.

  I will be an adolescent in a matter of days. At which point we’ll need to find a way to reverse what I did to my DNA, otherwise my lifespan will be extremely short.

  What? How short?

  Weeks, a couple of months at best.

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  Chris, do you even realize the enormity of what you’ve done?

  * * *

  When Chase opened his eyes he was still lying on the ground. He sat up and massaged his stiff neck.

  “What the hell was that?” he said out loud.

  I must have been dreaming. But then again I’m still in this hellish place.

  “My kingdom is not hellish.”

  Hades’ voice startled Chase, who instinctively jumped back to his feet.

  “I understand it’s not the warmest of realms,” continued Hades, “but I won’t let you call it that.”

  “Are we really gonna argue about whether the underworld feels like hell? Alright, granted there are no flames or pitchforks, but this isn’t anyone’s dream holiday destination either.”

  Hades smiled.

  “Why did you attack me?” inquired Chase.

  “You want to pass beyond this point, and to do so you mus
t defeat me in combat. Anyone who defeats me here can go back to the land of the living. But I don’t have many conscious visitors, and the very few that tried all failed. I don’t see how you will be any different.”

  Chase reflected on Hades’ words. It was not a matter of choice. He had to get back to Sarah and Chris, and he had to get back into the fight with the Furies.

  “I need to go back. If you know anything about what’s happening out there, you know I need to get out of here!”

  “I am aware. The Furies have sent me many souls lately; by the billions, in fact. There hasn’t been as much work around here in thousands of years. But each soul that steps into the pit makes me slightly more powerful, so why would I want that to stop?”

  “Oh, so you’re one of those.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Like Ares once was, drunk on power.”

  “You’ve got me all wrong. Ares went a little mad, yes. I, on the other hand, know exactly what I’m doing.”

  “You do realize that’s pretty much what a madman would say?”

  Hades laughed. “I guess it is, isn’t it? Still, I’m not on a quest for power. I don’t decide who ends up in my realm.”

  “Be that as it may, I need to leave this place.”

  “Then you need to fight harder, much harder. Unfortunately for you, though, since billions of souls came here in the last day, it has made me extremely powerful. More than I have been in over ten thousand years. Your failure to stop the Furies on Droxia is the reason this fight you must win now is nearly impossible.”

  Chase felt anger rise in his core. He didn’t have time for this right now. He needed to go back to the land of the living. Yet he realized the irony of the predicament he was in. Because billions had died on Droxia, their passing souls had strengthened Hades’ power and that was why he moved so fast and hit so hard.

  “I’ll tell you what, Chase. I will lower my speed so you can at least see me come at you. Let’s see if you can hit me even then.”

  I need to find the chink in his armor real fast. If he has one.

  “I can feel your internal turmoil. Know that there is no other way to get out of here. You must defeat me.”

  “Then let’s get to it,” said Chase as he assumed a fighting stance.

  Chase briefly closed his eyes as he grew his purple aura to the maximum. When he opened his eyes, they too shone purple.

  He created an ice-cold blue fireball in each hand and threw them at Hades, who deflected the first one with the palm of his hand and blocked the second with his other hand. He closed it and disintegrated the attack with ease.

  “Come on, now, we both know you can do better than this.”

  Chase smiled.

  He launched a series of punch and kick combos towards Hades, who blocked and parried them with incredible ease. Chase kept coming at him from every angle, with more complex combos, pushing himself to his maximum speed. But Hades kept countering him without breaking a sweat.

  “This is useless! I’m not fast enough!”

  “Then I suggest you get faster.”

  “How?”

  “Well, think faster for one. And perhaps you may want to get angry. In the past that has brought your speed up by a considerable amount.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “While you are here in my realm I know everything you know.”

  “Is that how you anticipate my every move?”

  “It would be if you moved fast enough. At the moment I just need to slowly move out of the way of your sluggishness.”

  Chase started to get angrier.

  “Good, you will need that anger to win.”

  Chase knew what Hades was doing. He was antagonizing him so he would reach his full potential. But why did Hades care? Chase reflected on that for a moment. It did seem that only his rage, his internal fury, the point where he lost all conscious grounding with reality and let his hatred and anger take over, were the moments when he was the most powerful. Ares had warned him about it, yet on some occasions he had encouraged him to use this to his advantage. Chase didn’t like entering this mode. He was afraid of losing control and what it could mean for the people around him.

  Hades interrupted his train of thought. “There’s no one else but me here, so don’t worry about that now. Unleash your fury.”

  “Stay out of my head!”

  “Make me.”

  Another layer of hate was added to Chase’s anger. Hades was taunting him. But that wasn’t nearly enough to get him to lose control. It would require much more than this.

  “Alright then,” said Hades as he waved an arm in the air.

  Someone materialized in front of him. Chase couldn’t believe his eyes. Sarah was standing there. She wasn’t pregnant anymore.

  This can’t be real.

  “Sarah? Is that you?”

  Her voice was just as he remembered it. “It’s me, Chase. It’s so good to see you. We miss you. Please come back home, Chase.”

  Tears formed at the corners of Chase’s eyes.

  “Where’s Chris? Did you give birth already?”

  “I did. I wish you’d been there, though.”

  Chase swore inside his head. He had missed the birth of his child. He really needed to get out of here.

  Behind Sarah, Hades pointed his right hand towards her and she started levitating. She was startled and scared, flailing her limbs uncontrollably.

  “Stop it! Let her go!” shouted Chase, his anger almost reaching boiling point.

  “I’m sorry, but you need this,” said Hades.

  Hades shot a powerful column of energy that burst through her rib cage. Blood, bones and guts spilled out. Her eyes turned blank and Hades threw her lifeless body in front of Chase as if she was nothing.

  Overwhelming hatred fed into Chase’s soul. His entire body tensed to the limit of exploding. Every muscle in his body grew as his aura expanded exponentially. Dozens upon dozens of lightning bolts sizzled and crackled around him. Chase unleashed a furious roar that shook the ground and echoed throughout the entire underworld.

  “About time. Now we’re finally getting somewhere,” said Hades with a smirk.

  “I’m going to kill you!” said Chase, his eyes now shining orange so brightly they looked like two miniature suns.

  * * *

  Argos was first to step out of the Silver Arrow. Ares and Apollo followed. The air was dry and hot. Wind swept large quantities of fine-grained sand dancing into the air in a way that reminded Argos of smoke patterns.

  Argos lifted a hand. “I’m good. I don’t need chaperones.”

  “Don’t be in such a hurry to fight this Titan mindlessly. Menoitios is not just a dumb brute. He will fight intelligently. If you need our help we’ll come and join you,” said Apollo.

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Be that as it may, this mission is critical, Argos,” said Ares. “And I know you don’t want Chase to die. He did save your life in your last battle with a Titan.”

  Argos stopped and turned around with a questioning look. “What are you talking about, old man? I’m the one who saved his pathetic life from being crushed by the Titan’s foot.”

  “Right, you wouldn’t remember, since Chase had to reverse time to save you.”

  Argos saw a flash of himself being smashed between two giant palms. Perhaps the old man was being truthful. Still, while Argos felt the need to help save Chase—even though he still couldn’t really understand the true motives behind his actions— he was not in the mood to befriend Olympians and was still determined to end them all when the time was right.

  “Supposing that’s true, how did my brother reverse time? And, more importantly, if he did, how is it you remember it?”

  “Aphroditis gave him her pendant before the fight. It was destroyed, so when I asked her she explained its true function to me.”

  “I see. Well, then that only makes us even, since I had saved him just moments before.”

&
nbsp; Apollo approached Argos. “Look, you might need my help. I think it’s best I don’t show my face right away, since I’m the one who put the Titan in here. Seeing me could make things worse. But if required, I won’t be far.”

  “Whatever.”

  “There,” said Apollo as he handed Argos a small, round piece of tech.

  “What’s this?”

  “You’ll need it to get in or out of the facility.”

  “So it’s a key?”

  “It’s a little more complicated than that . . . but yeah.”

  “Where do I go now?”

  “Let me walk you there. It’s near.”

  After a minute they reached a metallic obelisk that rose from the sand. Some blue Olympian runes on its surface pulsated slowly.

  “Don’t lose the device I gave you, or you might end up trapped there as well.”

  “Very well. Now let’s go. The sooner I’m done with this, the sooner we can part ways.”

  “Ares was right; you’re positively charming.”

  “At least you’re still breathing. Count your blessings.”

  Apollo shook his head in dismay, pressed controls on the obelisk and Argos was transported away.

  Ares stepped next to Apollo. “I know he’s insufferable, but right now he’s our only hope.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  * * *

  It took a little while for Ryonna to remove most of the rubble that covered Keera. She had been lucky. None of the heavy concrete was resting directly on her body so her wounds appeared minimal. But a heavy beam tightly locked her lower leg against the floor. Ryonna tried to lift it but it was simply too heavy for her to lift or budge in her current condition. She was starting to feel dizzy. The coolant-to-fresh-air ratio was becoming increasingly dangerous.

  Keera blinked as she regained consciousness.

  “Are you alright, Keera?”

  She moaned and groaned, but suddenly looked worried. “I . . . I’m stuck!” She tried to pull herself out.

  “I know. Stop trying to move or you’ll injure your ankle. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  Keera pointed at blood dripping from one of Ryonna’s arms. “You’re also hurt.”