Truth of the Children

by Adam DiSalvo

  “Got a pulse old man?” she jeered.

  “Captain, I’ve managed to locate the dead zone.”

  Lusio grabbed his binoculars and peered through them.

  “Can you share your vision with mine?” he requested.

  Saber tapped the side of his helmet three times and flicked his fingers towards Lusio’s binoculars. The second in command pointed to the right side of the apartment.

  “Not these rooms in front but, the ones behind them are being avoided.”

  Saber’s HUD shifted, turning the visuals into a white mist allowing sight through solid objects. With a wave of his hand he highlighted the walls of the patrol-free rooms.

  “This section, back here.”

  “Alright,” Lusio observed. "All we do now is wait for our target to enter one of these rooms.”

  He turned to Xero and Nova punching his palm.

  “No soldiers can be allowed a visual. Concealment must be maintained.”

  “Weapons hot!” Nova rejoiced.

  Lusio pointed at her addressing her outburst.

  “Only to preserve concealment. If things go to styx, it’s better any authorities think it was a terrorist attack and that they were fired upon from outside.”

  “They’ll know it wasn’t conventional fire.” Dutch pointed out.

  “Still doesn’t matter. They’ll think it’s Imperial backed.”

  “Won’t they link that to Raffa?” Dutch warned.

  “Let’s not assume we’re going to fail okay? Shit,” Lusio snapped. “Let’s get this done."

  He turned marching toward the sole stationary black arclight. The back of the machine folded open exposing the purple padded interior and myriad of sensors. Lusio moved around it and slipped inside. The back locked tight behind him. The suit activated in silence. Lusio swung the arms and twisted from side to side.

  “Com check,” chirped Lusio through the teams headsets.”

  The team gestured their affirmatives.

  "External cloak check."

  Each suit shifted in and out of the visible spectrum.

  “Do not engage your cloak when inside the building unless it’s one hundred percent necessary. Any nearby illuminated will sense the light warp. Are the jump points set?”

  “All green,” Saber replied.

  Lusio pulled the glossy black AGR from his back.

  “Capture team. Ready gravity wells to capture all sound, post reentry. Weapons hot.”

  The team brandished their guns.

  “Saber. Dutch. Ready for jump on mark three.”

  The pair of soldiers stepped forward.

  "One. Two.”

  With a flash the three vanished. In the same instant the capture team disappeared, they reemerged from a brilliant light inside the Minister's apartment. The heavy suits crushed the ground beneath the their feet in dead silence. With AGRs trained they cleared the room. There was no sound.

  “Sir,” came Xero’s voice over the com. ‘Target approaching the door on your left."

  The three whipped around sighting down the door. Lusio pointed at his two soldiers and then to the right side of the threshold. The team stacked up.

  “Target clear of patrol visual,” advised Xero. “Prepare for contact.”

  The door slid open and in stepped Laylani Sundive. Lusio did not hesitate. He grabbed the Minister and shoved her to the ground. She screamed but, the sound failed to escape her lips. Lusio shoved his gun into the back of her head.

  “We got our package,” called Lusio over the mic.

  “EL’s fired Captain,” Theneece replied through his earpiece.

  Lusio lifted a dazed Laylani form the ground who continued her silent screams.

  “Ready for return jump. Mark.”

  In another wild flash of light the team returned to their balcony overlook. Lusio released Laylani who fell to the ground. She rolled over backing away on all fours from the team of arclights. Her voice warped back into the auditory spectrum.

  “Who are you?! What do you want?!” she yelled as she clamored backward in dazed confusion.

  Xero grabbed Laylani and pulled her to her feet. Nova packed away the deployable tacking device and secured it to her back.

  “Second jump coordinates sent. Jump on my mark,” ordered Lusio through coms.

  Xero pulled Laylani in close.

  “Minister of Security,” she mocked, talking into Laylani’s ear. “He give you that title so you can fuck in private?”

  “You have no idea what he’s going to do to you once you’re discovered,” threatened Laylani through wavering conviction. "He’ll burn your minds to ash.”

  Xero placed her AGR against the left side of Laylani’s sweat beaded face.

  “Shutting the fuck up would be an illuminated idea right now.” Xero snapped back.

  “Mark,” barked Lusio.

  The group disappeared in a flash once more, reentering into the sealed haul of a jettisoned life pod. Laylani fell to the floor, disoriented and unable to stand.

  “Jump-spins sweetheart. Gotta build a tolerance.” Nova laughed.

  Laylani struggled to her feet only to crash to the ground again.

  Xero and Nova laughed.

  “What a delicate flower!” Xero smirked.

  “Stow it, Xero,” demanded Lusio.

  He pulled out his communicator and brought it to his face.

  “Sun's down. Standing by.”

  “Prep for show and tell,” Raffa ordered over the com.

  Raffa stowed his comm as the door to Serena’s transport opened. She took Raffa’s outstretched hand and exited the vehicle. He wore a jet black suit with and indigo collared shirt. The upper buttons were left undone. Under his arm was a small black satchel.

  “Crimson. Power color. Nice choice,” Raffa appraised.

  “Don’t patronize me right before we die,” Serena hissed.

  The pair started for the grand stair case laid out before the capital building's entrance. The quiet of the city surrounding them projected an eerie atmosphere. The lines of trees on either side of the large staircase were made home by hundreds of different, rainbow colored birds. An artificial sun-satellite stationed high in orbit above, refracted the light of Uruteth’s twin suns directly upon the city below. Serena looked up into the sky.

  “The never ending light of day,” she sighed.

  “To be sure his power is without end,” Raffa mused.

  Serena shook her head.

  “They’re all the same.”

  “They are,” Raffa agreed.

  The twenty foot tall white doors of the capital building opened as they approached. They stepped over the threshold and into a grand hall. The air was cold. A stark contrast to the heat beyond the doors behind them. Giant beige pillars adorning the Tyserene flag, lined the center walkway. In between each pillar sat bronze cauldrons of crackling fire with royal guards to either side maintaining a silent vigil. Their polished silver and rose gold plate armor was a perfect combination of fine and ferocious. Sharp edges and spikes covered their shoulders and forearms with helmets to match. Clasped between their hands blade down, were massive two handed swords.

  While Serena and Raffa proceeded down the rows of pillars, someone approached from the opposite end of the large room, walking down the center between the columns just as they. He was a tall man with long brown hair and adorned the official Tyserene colors. The group met halfway between. He greeted them with a bow.

  “Mr. Calderon. Ms Redbird. My name is Shordan. If you would follow me, Our Lord is ready to receive you.”

  Serena and Raffa both bowed.

  “Thank you Shordan,” Raffa replied.

  Shordan smiled.

  “Right this way.”

  The light dimmed the deeper they went as Shordan led them down the rest of the way. Only the cauldron's fires now lit the way beyond the second threshold. The floors and walls were constructed of black marble and polished to a reflective shine. Serena shot Raffa a sideways gla
nce. Shordan stretched out his hand urging them forward.

  “Follow the red carpet to the pool at the end. Our Lord will greet you there.”

  Serena swallowed hard. Shordan bowed his head.

  “Farewell Mr Cadleron. Ms Redbird.”

  Their escort disappeared into the shadows. Raffa adjusted the collar of his button-up shirt.

  “Wether we live or die I hope this doesn’t drag.”

  Serena furrowed her brow and turned.

  “Are you serious?”

  Raffa shot her a confused look.

  “What? Yes of course I’m serious .”

  Raffa peered into the next room.

  "If we’re going to die let’s just get it over with. I have things to do.”

  Serena let out a huff.

  “Wow.”

  “Shall we?” he asked.

  “Oh no, after you.”

  Raffa took the lead into the dark room with Serena close behind. The area around them was lit by a sharp blue light as his foot hit the ground. The light paced them as they walked, refracting off of the marble floor to either side of the carpet. The armor worn by the soldiers hidden in shadow behind the fires glinted in the darkness as they passed. They slowed as they came upon the raised edge of a shallow indoor reservoir. Bright white and yellow lights burst to life, illuminating a crimson liquid resting within. The marble edges rose a foot above the floor, tapering outwards into small steps. The scent of rot, rust and metal shavings permeated the air. Serena cleared her throat trying to push out the smell.

  “The wreak of death,” she shuddered.

  Raffa looked at her from the corner of his eye.

  “Your nerve, Serena Rebird,” reminded Raffa.

  Ripples formed on the surface of the pool giving way to Lord Ty as he rose from the viscous fluid. The red liquid fell from his long braided, gold-encrusted hair without effort and slipped from his white and bronze robes leaving no trace behind. His glowing yellow eyes burned bright, an antithesis to his smooth dark skin. Gripped in his left fist was a mangled human corpse with his hand clasped around the bottom edge of the rib cage. The torso was an empty cavity and most of the victims face had been torn off. The Lord of Light smiled, dropping the bloody heap on the floor before him. He lifted his arms out to either side and tilted back his head. The center point in the ceiling thousands of feet above opened. A sharp ray of sun light fell around Lord Ty. He looked down and lowered his left hand. A wave of golden light erupted from Tyserin’s palm incinerating the body. Only a billowing plume of glowing cinders remained. Serena went stiff. Raffa bowed his head low.

  “Lord of Light and Master of Cantiga, Tyserin Agova,” acknowledged Raffa, still bowing low.

  Lord Ty tilted his head before responding.

  “Raffa Calderon of Pyra Prime,” he smiled. “Welcome back.”

  Raffa raised his eyes before standing up straight. Serena’s eyes stayed locked on the ground as Raffa gestured towards her with his hand.

  “May I introduce Serena Redbird. A chief engineer at Genotech and my personal assistant.”

  “My Lord,” she quivered, keeping her focus on the floor.

  Lord Ty bowed and looked back to Raffa, placing one hand in the other.

  “Well now, Mr. Calderon,” the Lord pressed. "Fascinate me.”

  Raffa forced a smile.

  “My Lord, thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”

  Lord Ty grinned and nodded.

  “You are not one normally pressed for time Mr. Calderon,” revealed the Lord of Light. “And I am not he with which one can make demands.”

  “Certainly. Of course my Lord.” Raffa replied. “I would never dream of making demands of yourself or of the Grand Council. I am here to make a humble offer.”

  Lord Ty strode down the tapered edge of the pool towards them.

  “Do not test me Mr. Calderon,” Tyserin growled, the intensity of his glowing eyes growing.

  Serena stood frozen.

  “I wish nothing of the sort My Lord. I assure you,” Raffa affirmed.

  “You are assured nothing here Mr. Calderon. Here, you are only allowed.”

  The guards simultaneously drew their weapons. The rings of sliding steel danced through the hall.

  “Indeed,” Raffa noted. “I expect no less.”

  He took a step forward.

  “If I may though. Allowance, or rather admission, is why I am here.”

  “Is it?” Lord Ty inquired.

  “My Lord is aware of the quarantine of Skylauren inside Imperial space?”

  Tyserin squinted taking Raffa in.

  “I am.”

  “It is there, where my desires lie.”

  Lord Ty stepped around Raffa coming shoulder to shoulder with him. He turned his head to look at the CEO.

  “Mr. Calderon. Plague has ravaged Skylauren, has it not? It’s been under quarantine for nearly a century."

  Lord Ty strode past Raffa, circling around the pair.

  “It has, your radiance.”

  Ty stopped mid stride.

  “Then what is it you want there?”

  “Immortality,” Raffa answered with conviction.

  In a blink of light Lord Ty materialized in front of them.

  “Now that is something worth a sacrifice.”

  He took a step towards them.

  "What is the mechanism of your ascendance?”

  “Historical significance,” Raffa clarified.

  Serena jumped as Lord Ty threw up his hands. He then turned, folding in his left arm, laying a finger from his right hand on the bridge of his nose.

  “How human,” Lord Ty sneered. “You don’t search for real immortality?”

  “I’m no saint,” Raffa responded. “That is beyond my grasp.”

  “Mmm. Yes. You are so fragile,” he mocked, meeting Raffa’s gaze.

  “You wish to put your name in the history books, do you?”

  “I do,” Raffa acknowledged.

  “By what?” Lord Ty laughed. "Breaking through the quarantine won’t earn you any sort of recognition. You remember that fool William Steralt? He made it past the blockade, didn’t he?"

  Raffa chuckled and pulled the satchel from under his arm. Serena grit her teeth.

  “In several pieces. Yes”

  The lord of light joined Raffa’s laughter.

  “Yes. Pieces,” laughed Ty. “How do you think you can survive such fragmentation?”

  “I need your help, my Lord.”

  “I see. And what do you offer?”

  Raffa gave Serena a sideways glance and took a breath.

  “Faster than light travel my Lord.”

  Lord Ty scowled.

  “Actually, your radiance,” Serena corrected. “It’s more accurately described as near-instant transmission.”

  Lord Ty glared at Serena who averted her eyes. The Lord of Light entered Serena’s close orbit. His seven and a half foot frame towered over her.

  “Do not test my patients, human.” he growled.

  “She is correct my Lord,” Raffa interjected. “We offer the ultimate freedom of movement.

  “You speak of teleportation.”

  “I do, my Lord.”

  Lord Ty turned and started away from them. He gestured to the guards on either side of the blood filled pond.

  “The strongest of the illuminated already enjoy travel through beams of light,” remarked Lord Ty.

  The guards fanned out through the room then folded in around their Lord. Raffa held his ground.

  “The illuminated can only transmute mater into photons that’s within ten feet of their cardio vascular center. And also only along an unbroken beam of light. Am I correct?” Raffa postulated.

  The pair waited.

  “Go on.”

  Raffa looked back at Serena before he continued.

  “Well, I am sure you are aware that my company, Genotech, made the claim that we had officially cracked the light speed barrier.”

  “Yes, I h
eard. How?”

  Serena took a bold step forward.

  “By harnessing the combined powers of syrens. Gites to be exact.”

  “What?” bellowed Lord Ty. “You harnessed the power within dirty syrens?"

  The surrounding guards leveled their weapons brandishing the tips towards the two visitants. Raffa raised his hands still gripping the satchel.

  “Please, your radiance. We mean no disrespect,” appealed Raffa.

  “You come into my house and offer me a power you stole from the muddied essence of syrens?”

  “My Lord. We have not stolen anything. The machines I have developed make it possible for ethers with command over gravity, magnetism, and light to amalgamate their powers to create wormholes. The machines are not required however, if the ether’s power and control are great enough. Like Your Radiance and the other Lords.”

  Lord Ty’s burning gaze shifted between Raffa and Serena, his chest heaved with anger. The guards stood frozen, poised to strike. Serena began to shake. She clenched her firsts tight, staring at the floor.

  “Please, My Lord,” begged Raffa. “We’ve come all this way. I would never imagine to make an offer that wouldn’t be of great benefit to you and all of Cantiga.”

  The guards took a clamorous step forward.

  “My Lord we have more to offer!” blurted Serena.

  The guards stalled. Lord Ty stepped toward Serena.

  “What would you offer that is of equal to what you have already pledged?”

  “The Hydra’s Crown.”

  The Lord of Light stared down his nose at Serena, his expression disgusted. He turned to Raffa.

  “My Lord?” offered Raffa, brandishing the crown and dropping the satchel.

  The platinum crown was elegant in design. It’s massive, triangle cut emeralds were set into five stylized hydra heads with the center gem pointing down between the would-be wearer’s eyes. Sparks flew upon the Lord’s reentry as he snatched the crown from Raffa’s grasp. Tyserin disappeared once more, reappearing atop the highest step on the edge the blood filled pool.

  “I think I’ll kill you and take the crown instead,” smirked Tyserin.

  “I thought you might say that,” muttered Raffa.

  Serena shot him a glance.

  “What?” demanded The Lord of Light.

  “Sun’s up! Run it!”

  Raffa held is PDC around his left wrist high in the air.