by CJ Davis
Luka typed away. A few moments passed as Reese looked out the window behind Luka. There were several other hovercrafts that flew by Luka's giant office window. He was amazed by the technology and was eager to fly in one.
“This's very strange,” Luka said. “You’re not in the system.”
Reese paused. His chest tightened.
“How often does that happen?” Reese asked.
“I’ve never heard of it happening,” Luka replied.
“Can you pull up my Dad?” Reese asked.
“Unfortunately, I cannot pull up anybody’s name that’s not sitting in front of me, it’s a rule,” Luka said. “It’s to protect people’s privacy. Sometimes we have some pretty evil people in the Afterlife who have scores to settle from their Earth life. I’m sure you understand.”
Reese shoved his right fist into his other hand.
“Well, is there anything you can do?” Reese asked. He tightly gripped his knees.
“I can submit a request to have a formal search completed, but that will take at least forty-eight hours to complete,” Luka said. “Can you come back in a couple of days?”
“A couple of days?” Reese scoffed.
“I’m sorry,” Luka said. “There’s not much I can do.”
“All right, well thank you very much for your time,” Reese said sarcastically, wanting to smash his fist into his face.
Reese turned around without saying goodbye and walked back towards the elevator.
Reese wanted to punch the wall on his way back to C block. He dreaded the thought of not being able to find his Dad, and was getting more frustrated by the minute that his memory was not coming back. This play better be good tonight, Reese thought to himself. He needed the distraction.
Chapter 6
Mexico - The Recent Past: The sound of a chicken getting kicked woke Reese up. He was sure that the heat of the jungle had caused him to sweat every ounce of water from his body. He heard the guards laughing outside, while another man yelled something in Spanish at them. The bird was either dead or had flown away.
“You’ve been sleeping for over fourteen hours,” Kate whispered. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Just a little groggy.”
“So, you still plan to get us out of here?” asked Tom. He had doubtful eyes.
“Give it a rest Tom,” Jessica said. The ire in her voice was unmistakable. “Reese is your only hope of getting out of here alive.”
Kate grabbed Reese by the upper arm and slowly tugged him to the side.
“You were spouting all sorts of delusions when you first got here,” Kate said. “You even said you would buy me my favorite drink at the bar after we escape.”
Reese winked at Kate. “Those were not delusions.” He was rewarded with a small snort of derision.
“So, what’s your favorite drink?” Reese asked, wishing that all women were so easy to talk to.
“A mojito.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve never had a mojito?” Kate shook her head. “It’s only the most delicious drink ever. It basically white rum, lime juice, sparkling water, sugar and mint.”
“Hmm... sounds interesting.”
“I promise you’ll love it if you try it,” Kate said.
“All right, I will have a mojito with you at the bar.”
The way Kate looked at Reese made him glow inside. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew there was something special about this girl.
“So you really are a Navy Seal and champion fighter?”
“Check and check,” Reese declared.
Reese rose very carefully, and shuffled over to the window to look through the cracks in the boards. He tried to figure out how many men there were in the immediate area. There wasn’t much to see.
After spending a few minutes surveying the area outside of the prison house, Reese crawled back over to Kate and Jessica.
“I need your help to call the guards over,” Reese whispered to Kate. “I’m going to fake being violently ill. I’ll do jumping jacks until I’m sweating and flushed. With any luck, your performance combined with my profusely sweating body will convince them to pull me out of here and separate me from the group. They know you’re a doctor, so if you tell them I’m contagious, they would be fools not to believe you. Once I’m isolated, I can escape, and do what I do best under the cover of darkness.”
“That sounds extremely dangerous, and if you get caught they might suspect I was a part of it,” Kate protested. “I just don’t know if I can pull it off.”
Reese wondered how far he should push Kate. Tom sat with his arms crossed over his chest, and Jessica was biting her fingernails. He knew they were nervous, but sitting around like chickens wasn’t going to accomplish anything.
“Kate, I know this will work,” Reese lied.
Jessica and Kate exchanged glances.
Kate let out a sigh. “All right, let’s get this over with,” she said.
“Thank you Kate,” Reese said. He began to do jumping jacks as quietly as possible, clinching his teeth as he felt the soreness of his fresh wounds. “Now, we just have to wait for me to start sweating.”
When the sweat drenched him, he huddled on the ground in fetal position and focused on controlling his breathing.
“Good luck,” he whispered to her.
“Guards, hurry!” Kate yelled. They unlocked the rusty door and rushed into the dingy room.
“Somebody better be dying in here?” The smallest guard said.
“There is!” Kate said. She pointed toward Reese.
The three men armed with AK-47s swiveled their heads to the right of the room. Reese shook violently on the ground.
“He’s very sick,” Kate said. “It may be Hepatitis A, and unless you want us all to be shaking on the ground like this, you have to get him out of here immediately.”
Kate’s professional demeanor seemed to be persuading the men. Reese trembled and moaned on the floor. The three guards stood for a brief moment taking in the unsettling scene, their faces draped in fear. They huddle together and rapidly talked in Spanish.
“All right, get back!” The man said to Kate while pointing his machine gun at her. The other guards strapped their guns on their backs, and dragged Reese by his feet out of the prison house. They held Reese gingerly, as though even his shoes were contagious.
They pulled him across a dirt road and dropped him by the stairs of one of the buildings. Reese stopped shaking and pretended to be unconscious.
Two of the men stood over Reese. The other man ran off to get help.
Quickly assessing no other guards were in the area Reese sprung to his feet, and before the men could react he attacked them. In three swift moves Reese broke the neck of the first man and disarmed the other. The remaining guard stood defenseless, wide-eyed.
Before he could muster a scream, Reese pulled a large knife from the dead man’s belt, and thrust it into the stunned guard. Reese covered the man’s mouth as he stabbed him and muffled his last scream.
Nobody noticed the commotion, so Reese dragged the bodies off the road and hid them in the brush by one of the buildings. He took one of the AK-47s and all the ammo clips from the dead men.
Knowing that he had little time before the other guard returned, he hurried to gather Jessica, Kate and Tom.
Reese opened the prison door. The three of them instinctively took steps back.
Kate and Jessica lit up when they saw that Reese was all right.
“There’s not much time to explain,” Reese said. “We have to get out of here now.”
“It’s not too late,” Tom said. “Our best shot is to stay here.”
“You’ll be dead within the hour,” Reese responded.
“How long do we have?” Kate asked.
“Ten minutes if we’re lucky,” Reese replied. Without waiting to see if Tom followed, Reese spun on his heel and disappeared into the jungle.
Chapter 7
; Afterlife - Present Day: The bright city lights of Asgelot lit up the night sky. On their way to the playhouse Reese and Marquis walked by a massive crowd filling an enormous city square. They were all fixated on a gigantic holovision screen. It was the biggest screen Reese had ever seen.
An electric advertisement of the Centennial was playing, showcasing highlights from the previous events. The crowd hung on every word.
“After one hundred years the wait is nearly over, and the stakes have never been bigger,” the narrator of the commercial said. “The deadly race between the most elite Blues and Red warriors is finally upon us. Watch every death and triumph as you relive the past glories of former Centennials right here on the biggest screen in Asgelot. Witness some of the most amazing super human abilities to ever be captured on film.”
Marquis grabbed Reese by the arm and pulled him.
“Keep up man,” Marquis said. “I don’t want to be late.”
Reese swiveled his head away from the crowd, and they hustled down the street.
“Have you ever seen any Blues or Reds perform their abilities?” Reese asked. They weren’t quite jogging yet, but almost were.
“Not in person,” Marquis replied. “I’ve only seen them use their powers in the Centennial. The last couple of Centennials were actually broadcast, so that everybody could watch them. There were some pretty unbelievable abilities in the last Centennial, with a Red warrior that could shoot lighting out of his hands, and a Blue warrior woman who could move objects with just her thoughts.”
When the two finally arrived at the auditorium Marquis pointed at two very large banners of armored warriors that were hanging outside the theatre.
“Those are the main figures from the story of tonight’s play,” Marquis said. “The man in the Red with blonde wavy hair is Cyrus. He’s arguably one of the most powerful Reds, and is the greatest Red Centennial warrior of all time. The two Blues in the other banner are Arshan and Pantea. They’re the last Inseparables to ever compete in the Centennial. Arshan is probably the greatest Blue Centennial warrior of all time.”
Upon entering the theatre Reese is astonished by how ornately decorated the vast auditorium is. Like the lobby and the face of the building, the whole interior is done indifferent shades of purple. It’s a full house. Since the seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis they were very fortunate to have seats waiting for them towards the front by the stage. Some of Marquis’s Red pledge brothers and sisters are holding the seats for them.
“One of the perks of being a Red pledge,” Marquis said to Reese. They navigate their way through the crowded aisle.
“This is Reese everybody,” Marquis said to the group. “He’s a noob, but is cool, so be nice to him.”
Several of them nodded, but were clearly distracted with the anticipation for the performance to start.
An orchestra, tucked out of sight in the pit bellowed out the fresh sounds of classical musicians warming up. To the right and left of the stage were special elevated open balconies. The seats are completely empty. Just as Reese wondered why nobody sat in them, the lights dimmed, and the audience greeted the moment with wild clapping. Reese’s eyes widened and he leaned forward.
Spotlights shone on both the right and left boxed off sections, while the rest of the room remained dark. Reese watched eagerly in anticipation. Several hooded men in red robes entered the balcony on right side of the stage, and an equal number of hooded men in blue robes entered the balcony on the left side of the stage. Those in red bowed grandly to the audience, holding up their hands in victory. The Blue figures were more subdued. It was hard to tell who the applause was for, but it was clear that emotions were riding high.
“Why is everybody so excited?” Reese asked Marquis.
“It’s rare for the Blues and the Reds to be seen in the same room in public,” Marquis replied. “They spend most of their time in their temples. This is a big deal for them to be at an event like this.”
Reese looked at the men in awe. He tried hard to see their faces, but the spot lights moved, drawing the crowd’s attention towards the center of the stage onto a couple of performers.
The play unfolded with the tension and action that spoke to a competition with stakes as high as life and death. Reese could not follow the plot easily. There seemed to be two sides set against one another, but also set against creatures of mythical strength. Their goal, some kind of temple, eluded them all. For a time, Arshan and Pantea seemed to take the lead with superior minds and exquisite displays of physical prowess. But in a sudden turn of events, Pantea was attacked by a group of henchmen, and left to die on a lush jungle floor.
A single spotlight shone on the place where Pantea lay, her bloodied steel breastplate split wide, and her leg clearly broken.
“I can’t go on Arshan,” Pantea said. “You must leave me here and try to make it to the temple before Cyrus. You cannot give up because of me.”
Reese is startled by loud monstrous beast like screeches coming from all angles of the stage. Arshan raised his blade sternly in response.
“I will not leave you here to be destroyed,” Arshan cried. “You and I both know that the second I leave your side, the Raptors will devour you.”
He scanned the horizon and narrowed his eyes. His blade glimmered in the spotlight as he held it high, waiting and watching. “You see,” he said. His face filled with intensity. “They’re coming.”
“Cyrus is using me to pull you away from our goal! He knew you would not be able to leave me here,” Pantea said. “Don’t you see that he set this up? They wounded me and left me, then lured you here to try and save me. He knew to win one of us was going to have to sacrifice each other. I plead with you; prove him wrong about everything he has said about Inseparables. Sacrifice me, gain the power of flight and fly to the temple! You may still be able to beat him.”
“I can’t,” Arshan sobbed. “I can’t let you be destroyed!”
“Nothing can stop that now,” Pantea yelled back, matching his tone of frustration. “There are too many raptors. You might be able to hold them off for a while, but not all of them. They will eventually destroy you and me both if you stay. You must leave now before it’s too late!”
Arshan surveyed the area. He was breathing heavily. His face subtlety changed. It appeared the dreadful realization sunk in. He lowered his blade.
“I cannot go on without you my love,” Arshan said to his soul mate. “I’ll let the raptors destroy us both.”
Pantea’s face is immersed in despair. She looked at the jungle around them and into the face of Arshan with complete soberness. Without warning Pantea grabbed the sword out of Arshan’s hand, and buries it deep into her gut.
“Nooooo!” Arshan screamed.
She coughed up blood and winced in pain.
“I can’t let you be destroyed,” Pantea muttered. “Do one last thing for me, my love. Save yourself.”
The raptors were closing in now.
“I can’t go on without you,” Arshan said.
Pantea gently placed her hand on Arshan’s face who crouched over her. Tears filled his eyes.
“Your soothing touch has the same effect on me that it has for a thousand years,” He said.
Arshan became calmer, and looked around with controlled eyes.
“You’re everything to me,” Pantea barely said. “You must survive. One of us has to survive. I love you.”
Arshan’s face filled with determination. Tears rolled down his face. He looked all around him at the closing raptors. He stepped away from Pantea and lowered his sword. She looked proudly at him.
“I knew you could do it,” Pantea said. “You’re my best friend, and I’ve always believed in you. Never give up the struggle against the Reds. Don’t worry about me. You made every waking moment special. Being with you was the greatest gift I could ever have hoped for. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Arshan replied emotionally.
Arshan turned his body away from Pantea
, who was now completely unguarded. His Inseparable sacrifice was complete. His arms go stiff in the side of his body and he momentarily shook from some sort of electric shock. He pointed his right arm toward the sky and suddenly flew up and out of the stage.
The jungle plants shook again and the terrible screeches filled the stage. Pantea let’s out her last breath. A large flash appeared where she lay. She was gone.
The stage lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted.
Reese had never felt so strongly about a performance before. After several moments the applause died down. The lights eventually illuminated the stage where a Red Centennial warrior stood in the middle of the stage. Instead of a stage decorated in a jungle setting, the man stood by steep temple stairs. Before the man could speak, the playhouse echoed with the scream of a woman.
“It’s a Lost Soul!” cried a voice. “Get out of the way!
“I thought bringing him to this play would turn him around!” A red headed woman screamed over the crowd. “You must believe me. Please nobody harm him.”
Reese finally saw the ghoulish creature on top of a helpless victim. The creature gnawed on the man’s neck uncontrollably. The crowd had backed away from the gruesome spot. Several individuals screamed helplessly.
Without warning a robed Blue figure swooped in from the crowd and smoothly slashed his sword towards the Lost Soul. The creature was quickly decapitated. As quickly as the Blue figure appeared he had already disappeared back into the crowd. Reese’s jaw hung open.
The corpse of the Lost Soul flashed into oblivion and only seconds later the victim he had attacked also flashed. The sudden bright light made Reese’s skin crawl.
The red headed woman screamed out of control. “You killed my Dad, you killed my Dad!”
Within seconds, her ranting was interrupted by a Red hooded figure who calmly walked up to her. She put her hands up defensively, and tried to plead with the hooded figure. A moment later he aggressively stabbed her chest with some sort of steel blade. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream and then flashed into thin air.
“We better get out of here,” Marquis said to Reese. “We don’t want to be around here if the Reds and Blues decide to break their truce.”