“You— you’re Equillian?!” I gasped, as I stared into his bulging grey eyes in shock.
“Now he gets it,” Wells mocked, surprisingly in the same voice that I was used to.
“I— I don’t understand,” I admitted as I struggled to maintain my consciousness due to my continued blood loss.
“Of course you don’t. After all, you are only human. An incredibly gifted human, but a human nonetheless,” Wells gloated. “Think of me as… an ambassador of sorts. I was stationed on this forsaken rock in order to strengthen the ties between the Equillian Federation and the United States of America. During my time here your world began to serve as a Guantanamo Bay of sorts for our most valued prisoners due to the third world nature of this underdeveloped galaxy. Our agreement with the United States prohibited me from maintaining an Equillian presence on this planet, so unfortunately I found myself having to rely upon the ineptitudes of you humans to guard the most dangerous prisoners in the universe.”
“If you’re supposed to be so smart, why are you blaming us for your mistakes?” I asked, trying to keep him talking.
“Humans were the reason The Righteous escaped, not me! It wasn’t my fault but I knew that they would blame me… and that is why I disabled the master wormhole generator and cut off all communication with my superiors.”
“So it wasn’t Reaper’s mother who disabled it! It was you!” I exclaimed. “But why? Why would you cut off communication from your own people?”
“You think I was going to let them just swoop in and fix everything and make myself look like a fool in the process?! Hell no!” Wells scoffed. “This mission was doomed from the very start but I’ll be damned if my career goes down in flames because of something that was completely outside of my control! By disabling the master generator I was able to buy myself several years to make this right before the Equillian fleet arrives.”
“The Equillians are coming to Earth?” I gasped.
“Of course they are. I signaled them right before I disabled the generator, and by my calculations they should be arriving within the month.”
“You’re talking about an all-out war, aren’t you? In our galaxy?!” I asked.
“If it comes to that. Though I doubt it will be necessary now that Reaper has obtained the Right Hand of the Anokian Crown. Once he kills The Greater and assumes control of the Anokian Empire they will all become our pawns and with that my legacy will be fulfilled. I may even be able to transfer back home after this,” Wells grinned, flashing his eerie black teeth once again.
“You won’t get away with this,” I said.
“And how are you going to stop me, Vargas? Operation Deliverance?” Wells asked as his wicked grin grew wider. “You don’t think I know about what you and The Suspect have been planning behind my back?”
“Just because you know our plan doesn’t mean you can stop us,” I said defiantly.
“How optimistic of you, Mr. Vargas, but surely you must see that an alliance between the Anokians and you humans will never happen. Hell, you can’t even unite your own people; what makes you think they’ll join you? Just look at how easily The Righteous was able to drive this world into tearing itself apart. And even without his influence you humans have always sought to destroy each other. You foolishly divide yourselves based on something as piddling as skin pigmentation, yet you believe that your race will somehow see through the centuries of self-hate in order to join together to defeat us? I seriously doubt that.”
“And that is exactly why you will fail— because you can’t see what we’re capable of. Think about it, Wellsy— who would have thought in a million years that the Russians would have come to our aide tonight? They even went as far as to pull out of the operation right before it began, but in the end, when the chips were down and we needed them the most, despite our differences, they came through for us. Just think of us as one big dysfunctional family. We may hate each other’s guts and we may fight amongst ourselves at every turn but if you cross one of us you can bet your ass that you’ll have to answer to the whole bunch.”
“We will destroy this planet before we allow you to align with the Anokians,” Wells threatened as he tightened his three-fingered grip around his pistol and glared down at me.
“Well, tell your boys to get ready to bring it because that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Pretty soon the entire world is going to know the truth about you and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it,” I warned.
“Where is Nina Delgado?” Wells suddenly demanded as he narrowed his giant eyes at me and aimed his pistol for my head.
“She’s with The Suspect. And he’s in the wind… you’ll never find them,” I said as my body began to shiver due to the massive amount of blood that I had lost. I was hoping to keep him talking long enough for Reaper to arrive and save me, but I was starting to realize that by the time he actually arrived it would already be too late. A chuckle escaped my lips as I fought against the pain in my core and leaned back against the gigantic super-computer behind me.
“What’s so funny?” Wells asked as my hands fell aimlessly by my sides and splashed into a puddle of my own blood.
“You have no idea of what I’m capable of,” I said as I wiped blood from my mouth and stared into his eyes. “But you will,” I warned just as he squeezed the trigger.
The silencer made a whisper of the gunshot and for a fraction of a second I saw a blinding flash of white light— and then… I saw nothing.
30. CHOICES
ACE:
LUCKILY REAPER AND AUDREY WERE TOO BUSY ATTENDING to Tango to notice that my wormhole beacon had come back online. Once they finished applying first aid to our unconscious comrade Reaper and Audrey began to hash out their differences, so I used my beacon to open a portal and leap through to 3D as quickly as possible. I wanted to get there before them because I had a feeling that something big was happening on the other side, and as I emerged from the colorful wormhole I quickly realized that I couldn’t have been more correct. I froze dead in my tracks with my mouth gaped open as I saw Director Wells in his true form, dragging Howie’s lifeless body toward the exit.
“Are you gonna just stand there and watch or do you want to help me out?” Wells barked.
I didn’t know what to think and I wasn’t sure if I was more surprised by the fact that Wells was alive or by the fact that he had obviously killed Howie. It had been years since I last saw him in that other worldly form— so many years that I had begun to wonder if the few times I saw him like that were just a dream. Reaper had no idea, but, alien or not, Wells was practically the only family I had. He had handpicked me out of a horrendous foster home at a very young age in order for me to take part in a secret government program known as Project Orion— a project where Wells and the U.S. government wanted to create the ultimate human weapon. Because of that program my mind could process sensory information much faster than a regular human mind, allowing me to easily see and maintain focus on objects that could move much faster than the speed of sound. Of all the children who were subjected to the genome therapy that created me, I was the only one who survived. My mission was simple. I was supposed to find The Reaper and gain his trust and ultimately… if Director Wells ever gave the order… I was supposed to kill him.
As I stared at Howie’s lifeless corpse I couldn’t help but wonder if I was still truly committed to that bloody cause— a cause that had been engrained in me for almost my entire life. In the beginning Reaper and Howie were simply my assignments, but as the years went on I found it harder and harder not to think of them as friends. I wanted more than anything to be able to balance the two roles but one look at Howie’s lifeless face made me realize that in the end it was impossible to have it both ways. At some point I knew I’d have to make a choice.
“Yeah, I’ll get his feet,” I finally said to Director Wells as I hurried over to assist. “We can hide him in one of the other storage units for now. Reaper and the girl were going at it pretty good when I
left India so we should have a few more minutes before they arrive.”
“Nice to see you still have your priorities straight,” Wells said as we lifted Howie’s cadaver from the floor.
“Always,” I said as I looked to the floor and tried hard to dodge the cold glare of Howie’s lifeless brown eyes.
31. IT’S COMPLICATED
REAPER:
“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY, REAPER?” AUDREY DEMANDED as we stood in the middle of the dilapidated main hall within the Taj Mahal. “I told you I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, but I can’t change history and neither can you!”
“It’s not about changing history, Audrey. It's about the future and I just can’t see us having one. Not after what you did,” I said.
“You know you can’t get rid of me that easily, Reaper,” she insisted.
“This isn’t your decision to make, Audrey,” I replied.
“You’re right, Reaper. It’s yours and you've made it abundantly clear how you really feel every time you look at me. Even now I can tell that you still love me because you’re saying it with every part of your body except your mouth… and that’s why I can’t give up on us,” she said, forcing me to look away as my face grew warm with embarrassment.
As much as I hated to admit it, she was absolutely right. I still considered Monica the love of my life but I couldn’t deny the fact that a huge a part of me still loved Audrey— so much so that I wasn’t even capable of convincingly pretending like I didn’t.
“What do you expect me to do, Audrey? You know Monica’s still out there somewhere. I can’t just give up on her,” I said, as I peered into her crystal blue eyes.
“And I’m not asking you to, Reaper… Just don’t expect me to give up on you,” she replied as she moved closer and caused my heart to flutter with the excitement of finally being near her again.
Her soft, rosy lips lingered dangerously close to my own as we stood inches apart and gazed into each other’s eyes. A chill suddenly shot down my spine as her sweet breath gently brushed against my face and instantly compelled me to kiss her. It took everything in me to resist that temptation but I ultimately forced myself to do so because I knew that kissing her would only serve to further complicate things.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Audrey,” I said as I finally pulled her in for a tender hug. “And yes… I do still love you.”
“I know,” she said as we continued our embrace. “You just love her more.”
32. RISE OF THE DEMIGOD
THE GODDESS:
THE RITUAL WAS INCOMPLETE. FOILED BY THE VERY ONE whom I had chosen as my vessel's protector— and now the enemy was set to descend upon them all. Before long the Equillian Federation would emerge from the darkness of space and the battle between them and the Anokians shall bring about the complete annihilation of the planet Earth.
“I have seen it…” I whispered into Monica’s delicate ear as she lay unconscious upon the Altar of Eden, surrounded by The Greater and several Anokian Priests. “But as with all fates within the corporeal realm, this one is not beyond the possibility of change,” I continued as the Anokian priests hummed a low chant while the vessel lay motionless before them.
“The sacrifice was not large enough to accommodate my entire form but the one-hundred million lives that were lost in America were not without purpose… for a portion of my essence was able to make it through. I know you feel it, Monica. I know you feel my power. The part of my essence that crossed over into your world now thrives within you, dear girl— and in order to wield its power all you need to do is open your eyes.” None of the priests noticed, but the vessel’s left index finger suddenly twitched while they continued their steady chant as I whispered in her ear from across the veil of reality.
“Only you can stop what is coming, Monica, but first you need to accept my power and open your eyes!” I insisted.
A hush befell the room as the vessel’s twitching suddenly stopped just as her chest ceased to rise. The Greater hung his head in sorrow after several moments passed by without her drawing another breath, but just when it seemed as though she had passed away Monica suddenly opened her eyes and slowly rose into the air. Imbued with the holy fire of my power, her eyes now smoldered with a brilliant bluish glow.
“What's happening?!” The Greater asked as Monica levitated above them all.
“She's bonding with the portion of the Goddess' essence that made it across the veil,” one of the nearby Anokian priests replied.
“Then my mother has returned,” The Greater remarked as he shielded his eyes from the vessel’s fiery glow.
“No, my King,” the priest replied as he too shielded his eyes from Monica’s overwhelming brilliance. “She is neither the vessel nor the Goddess, but something entirely different.”
“Do you think she’s like me, then?” The Greater asked as Monica continued to rise before them.
“I mean no disrespect, my King,” the priest said with his eyes still glued on Monica. “But something tells me that she is a great deal more powerful.”
EPILOGUE
REAPER:
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S GONE?” I ASKED ACE AS HE, Audrey and I stood within 3D near Howie's giant supercomputer. Audrey and I had just made the jump from the Taj Mahal back to 3D. I expected to see Howie and Ace in the middle of an argument but to my surprise Howie was nowhere to be seen.
“He’s just gone, Reaper. I— I looked everywhere for him but it looks like he took off before the beacons came back online,” Ace said as I studied his face and searched for any indication of deceit within his expression. He certainly seemed to be telling the truth but something about the entire situation just didn’t seem right.
“Did he say anything? I mean, where in the hell would he go? Why would he go? Did you threaten him or something?!” I demanded.
“No, I didn’t threaten him!” Ace protested. “He was already gone by the time I got here, and I can’t believe that you would even ask me something like that!”
“I’m just trying to make sense of it all, Ace. I mean, why would Howie just take off without telling us anything?” I asked.
“He’s responsible for the deaths of over one-hundred million Americans, Reaper... including the President! Isn’t it obvious why he went into hiding? Howie's about to become the most wanted person on the face of the planet,” Ace retorted.
“But why would he just up and leave without even leaving a note. This just isn't like him, Ace,” I argued.
“You said yourself that you were done with him, remember? Maybe he took that to heart,” Ace said as he glanced down at the floor. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed a flash of sadness wash over his face, and I wasn’t exactly sure of what that look meant but one thing I was sure of was that Ace was definitely hiding something from me.
“Well, I say we go after him,” I said firmly as I continued to study Ace’s demeanor.
“What’s the use, Reap? Howie’s smarter than both of us put together. If he wants to disappear you know there’s nothing we can do to find him. We should focus our efforts on rescuing Monica, bro. There’s no use in spinning our wheels chasing Howie when we still need to figure out how to stop what’s coming.”
I had no doubts that he had mentioned Monica in hopes of shifting my focus— and normally that would have worked, but suddenly I was seeing things a lot more clearly. Audrey watched us in silence as Ace and I stared at each other for a few uncomfortable moments.
“You’d tell me if something happened to him, right Ace?” I finally asked, clenching my fists as I waited for his reply.
“Of course I would, Reap. Why would you even ask me that?” he responded as he glanced down at my fists.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just… making sure,” I answered as I relaxed my fists but maintained strong eye contact with him.
“Well, I’m sure Howie will turn up at some point,” Ace replied.
“You bet he will— because I won’t stop until I find him. And if
I find out that something happened to him, whoever’s responsible is gonna have hell to pay,” I warned.
“You got that right,” Ace added as he nodded in reassurance. Again he seemed genuine but there was still something that wasn’t sitting right with me.
It all had something to do with what Howie was saying just before his transmission was suddenly cut off. Howie was a technological genius and quite possibly the smartest person on the face of the planet, so there’s no way a bit of technical difficulty would have stopped him from delivering that message. My gut was telling me that Howie wasn’t able to complete that last transmission because someone didn’t want him too. And now I was supposed to believe that he had conveniently decided to disappear just before we jumped back to 3D? Yeah, right. I wanted more than anything to believe that Ace was telling the truth but in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but think otherwise. I had no proof so I decided to keep quiet for the moment, but I had every intention of following up and finding out exactly what happened to Howie. And if I found out that he had been harmed in any way I intended to follow through with my promise to avenge him— even if it meant going after Ace.
END OF PART THREE
Phase One of The Savior Series will conclude with:
Savior Part 3: Legion of The Godhand (The Savior Series) Page 27