“Behind you.”
Chase barely had time to turn his head before a terrible blow hit him full force and catapulted him into the air. He crashed to the ground, blood flying from his mouth.
“You bastard, I’m gonna—”
“You’re gonna what?” the man demanded mockingly. “No, really. I’m interested to see what you’re going to do now. In fact, I’d be surprised if you simply managed to get up. You never were strong; I should have killed you a long time ago. You were always complaining, crying, never able to fend for yourself.” He spat on the ground. “You were always pathetic.”
Chase’s skin began to tingle with rage. His face burned. His hands curled to fists. For a moment he recognized the feeling. It reminded him of his vision with Sarah. Control or not, brother or not, he would use this fury inside him to strike this man down. He got up, his legs shaking, but he managed to stabilize himself as he looked towards his brother’s eyes.
“Tell me where Sarah is right now!”
“I suppose I could do that, as a sort of dying wish, last request kind of thing.”
“Tell me now, asshole!”
“Ah, Chase, always thinking you’re in control of the situation. It’s funny, really. But you know what, why not? I played with her, toyed with her emotions, tortured her, and made her crack. And once I was satisfied that she told all I wanted to know, I spaced her off the airlock of my ship. You should have seen her eyes blow up. Dear oh dear, have you seen what spacing does to a body? I’m telling you, Chase. It ain’t pretty.”
With a roaring growl, Chase entered a state of pure fury. His eyes started glowing purple, his hair waved about as though in a strong wind, tears formed in the corners of his eyes but he was emitting such power that they too started flying upward instead of falling on his cheek.
“Good,” the man called excitedly, “show me what you’ve got!”
“You asked for it!”
Acting on pure instinct, Chase raised his right hand in front of him, palm pointing towards his opponent. A ball of blue fire started forming, growing from the size of a cherry to the size of a soccer ball in almost no time, blue lightning crackling all around.
“Don’t shoot! Hold your fire, Ensign!”
What? Chase echoed the distant call back in his mind. He knew that voice.
“Move away from the bed, sir. Now!” another voice called in his mind.
What was happening? Chase looked back at his brother. He was smirking with a wicked glee. Chase took a deep breath and prepared to launch his attack.
“Wake up now, Chase!” Aphroditis shouted in his mind.
Then everything changed all at once. He was no longer standing, but sitting in a bed. Daniel was in front of him, waving his arms. A security guard, rifle in hand, was shouting at them both.
“Get away, Commander, we don’t know what will happen. He must be dealt with!” the guard shouted in clear panic.
“Stand down, now! This is a direct order, Ensign!” Daniel shouted back.
Chase shifted his focus towards his right arm. Hovering in front of it was the same blue fireball that he had been about to launch towards the man in what he could only surmise had been yet another vision. Or perhaps it had been a nightmare? It didn’t matter anymore. He quickly closed his eyes and concentrated on calming down. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. The ball was receding little by little. Soon it was gone.
The guard saw and lowered his weapon. Almost instantly, Daniel turned to look into his friend’s eyes, turned again, took three steps forward, and punched the security guard across the jaw, sending him flying to the ground.
“You’re dismissed, asshole. Report to the brig for insubordination.”
“But…”
“Now!”
The ensign got up, still holding his face as blood spilled out from his cracked lip.
“Yes, Commander, sorry, sir.”
He took off from the med-bay, leaving his weapon on the ground.
“You okay, buddy?” Daniel said cautiously, approaching Chase’s side.
“Yeah, I think so.” Chase sat with his legs hanging over the side of the bed and rubbed his temples.
“You scared me shitless. What the hell was that?”
Chase sighed. “Wish I knew.”
“This is getting out of hand. First the incident in your quarters, now this?”
“I know... I need to get off the Destiny before I hurt someone.”
Daniel’s face tightened. “I didn’t mean...”
“I know you didn’t, but we both know I’m endangering the ship and everyone onboard.”
Daniel took him calmly by the shoulders. “What actually happened? How did you destroy your quarters? And what the hell was that sphere of light just now?”
“My powers.”
“Don’t patronize me,” Daniel reproached, then his face changed. “What powers?”
“Aphroditis told me I wasn’t originally from the Alliance. You remember those subtle differences in my DNA?”
“Yeah, what about them?”
“Well, I’m a Fury, or at least half of one. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it.”
“What’s a Fury?”
“An older race that apparently has very strong powers.”
“Are there others like you?”
“I don’t know. Aphroditis said the Fury were extinct but I met one in my vision, nightmare, whatever that was just now.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows. “And he was… unfriendly, I take it?”
“Yeah, I think he’s the one who took Sarah.” Chase’s face tightened. “And Dan… he looked just like me.”
“Dude, you lost consciousness so many times the last few days, I’ve stopped counting. I wouldn’t interpret anything you saw while dreaming.”
“I would. I think Ryonna is in trouble.”
“Who the hell is Ryonna?”
“She’s the one who got us the quadrinium and helped us find the rest of the ships.”
Daniel nodded quickly, trying to follow along. “Where is she now?”
“Hellstar Prison, if I had to venture a guess.”
“Nothing you can do about her now then.”
“I’m not going to just sit here when we have a lead,” Chase replied.
“That place is no picnic, Chase! How do you even get inside?”
“I’ll find a way.”
Daniel sighed. “Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say you find a way to get there. How will you fight your way inside? With what assault force? I know the captain trusts you, but after these two lasts stunts of yours, I don’t see him going along with you on this one.”
“I know. I didn’t intend to involve the Destiny. This is probably something I have to do on my own,” said Chase gravely.
Captain Saroudis’ voice resonated from the comm.
“All senior officers report to the bridge. We’ll be arriving on Droxia any minute now.”
“Feel like taking a walk?” Daniel asked.
“Absolutely.” Chase jumped out of the bed. “Let’s go.”
5
Sarah felt as though every muscle in her body had been ripped apart. She hardly had the energy to keep herself conscious and could feel her spirits beginning to falter. She had lost a lot of blood, and little by little she could feel herself slipping away. Each passing moment left her feeling less and less anchored to her own body. She began to lose her grip on reality. She knew she needed to remember something; there was a secret she was meant to keep. She vaguely remembered being captured by Obsidian, and she knew she wanted to stay quiet.
And she remembered Chase. Of course she remembered Chase. But truth be told, she was in so much torment that she could barely picture his face anymore.
“Where are you?” The voice was her own, but she didn’t remember allowing herself to speak.
“My brother isn’t coming, I’m afraid,” a man answered her. “And unless you start talking soon, I am afraid you’ll never see him again.
”
Her eyes shot open, but she saw nothing. Tears poured down her cheeks. She no longer had the strength to keep him at bay. With each passing moment, her will weakened as her body slowly began to shut down.
“Alright, maybe it’s time for a change of pace,” the man said, when Sarah still refused to speak.
He gestured with two fingers, and Sarah came crashing down to the floor, barely able to protect her face with her hands before hitting the ground. The pain was excruciating—almost unbearable. But she was a soldier, after all, and soldiers didn’t quit.
“Go to hell!” she spat with what little voice she had left.
“Somehow I doubt I’ll get there before you,” he replied with a scoff. “Let me make you a deal. Obviously you don’t want to give up any information about your precious planet or the Alliance. I commend your courage, though right now I think it borders more on utter stupidity, but it is commendable nonetheless. So… what about the Droxians?”
“Droxians... Ryonna,” Sarah mumbled deliriously. She was on the verge of losing consciousness.
“Who’s Ryonna?”
“Friend…”
“Yours? Chase’s?” The man’s questions held a frantic tone.
But Sarah’s energy had left her. She tried to keep her thoughts straight, but she felt as though she was experiencing everything through a hazy fog. The pain was simply too agonizing. She could hold on no longer.
“Come on, one last effort and you’ll be rewarded,” he offered. “If Ryonna is your friend, where is she now?”
“Hell…” Sarah croaked.
“She’s dead?”
“…Star.”
“Hellstar Prison?”
“We need to help her. Chase... we need to…”
“Poor thing, you think I’m...” The man suddenly stopped himself. He studied her closely before continuing in a hesitant voice. “Yes, Sarah, hang on. I need you to help get Ryonna.”
“Help...”
The word fell quiet on her lips as her heart gave out once and for all.
The man sighed. “Not again.”
He raised his hands and a white energy flowed in strands from his fingers, enveloping her body for a brief moment. The light glowed warmly, then vanished as she opened her eyes.
“Chase,” she murmured, “thank you.”
“You’re welcome…”—the man hesitated—“dear.”
“Earth?” she said suddenly. “What...” She was still too weak to make full sentences.
“Don’t worry. Earth is safe. We saved it. Together.”
He approached her and knelt down, lifting her chin so she would face him. “Open your eyes… my love.”
“I... I love you too.”
Isn’t that sweet, thought the man, my brother fell for a pathetic Earthling. I can use that.
“I know,” he answered with as sweet a voice as he could manage. “Open your eyes and look at me.”
She struggled to do as he asked and finally got them open. It was a mistake.
The man’s eyes glowed bright red and she was blinded almost instantly. A powerful red beam of light shone so brightly that it seemed to burn into her very brain. It was like razorblades scraping their way down into the depths of her mind.
She tried to scream, but a few seconds later, it came to a sudden stop.
Realization rushed back to her in a flood of chilled understanding. This was not Chase. She tried to insult the assailant but her mouth wouldn’t move. The hair stood up on the back of her neck and she tried again. Nothing. A thin layer of sweat dotted her forehead as she realized with a stab of horror that she couldn’t move. She couldn’t do anything. She was paralyzed beyond recovery—staring into the fathomless red eyes of this terrible man.
“There’s no need to struggle anymore; your body is mine now,” his voice said in her mind.
“What the hell?” she mentally cursed.
“I call the shots now. See for yourself,” he answered her.
Sarah’s arm moved and she slapped herself. Hot panic bubbled up in her stomach.
“I will kill you!” she said in her mind, filled with rage.
“Somehow I highly doubt that. But you’re welcome to try.”
Everything in her longed to shriek, cry, tear out her hair in anguish. Anything to break free of this new kind of prison. But there was nothing. Her body was no longer her own.
She rose robotically to her feet.
“Let’s go to Hellstar Prison,” the man said in her mind.
“Yes, let’s go,” her voice answered him, beyond her control.
They walked through a long hallway before reaching a large, open hangar where she saw a ship that she recognized—the ship that had captured her. As they stepped aboard, she started screaming at him in her mind.
“Let me out of here! Let me go!”
“There, there,” he mocked. “Hush now.”
“No way! If you invaded my body, be prepared to get an earful.”
“Suit yourself. It makes no difference to me.”
“We’ll see about that!”
“Feisty things, these humans... You are a combative race, I’ll grant you that.”
The arrogance in his tone made her blood boil.
“A combative race that’s going to destroy your precious Obsidian.”
He laughed. “Obsidian? They're just a means to an end. I have little use for those fools anymore.”
Sarah reflected a little on that. He was so confident he had already won that he was clearly not thinking carefully. This bit of information might already prove useful. A rush of determination warmed her icy limbs. She would not allow herself to be completely helpless. Maybe by antagonizing him, she could learn more. That is, supposing she would ever regain the control of her body…
“Tired already?” he asked.
“Oh no, mister. We’re just getting started.”
“Well at least it won’t be a boring trip to Hellstar.”
So that’s what I said when I was losing it. Damn, I hope I haven’t endangered Ronan’s or Ryonna’s life. I don’t think I could forgive myself if anything happened to them. But at least there’s a bigger chance of me seeing Chase soon.
“Why are we going there?” she inquired casually.
“You know very well why.”
“Well I guess so, but you’re wasting your time if you think Chase will be there.”
He pursed his lips doubtfully. “Not the vibe I got from you earlier.”
“I was delirious.”
“Yeah, right.”
“But I’m glad we’re going.” She brightened. “Ryonna’s going to kick your ass.”
“I’d love to see her try. Don’t forget I control you now. I could very well use you as a shield or cannon fodder.”
“I’d rather be dead than trapped in here with you.”
“Well, your wish may come true soon enough…”
A chill ran up her spine at the ominous tone to his words.
“As for this Ryonna,” he continued, “I don’t fear the Droxians. They’re very predictable. One of my fleets is turning their world to dust as we speak. So you see, the Droxians will soon be history as well.”
“You bastard!” Sarah screamed.
“There, there now. You’re just insulting your own boyfriend’s parents.”
“I don’t believe you are Chase’s brother.”
It was true. No matter how much they looked alike, there was no way that someone so evil could be related to someone as good as Chase.
“But I am. Soon he will join me, and together we will destroy your pathetic planet!”
She gave a hard laugh. “Chase would never work with you. He’ll kill you the first chance he gets.”
The man shook his head with a smile. “He is a Fury after all. It’s our destiny, to rid this universe of the weaker races.”
“Your destiny? Wow, you should hear yourself! Alright then, Mr. Fury,” she said, hoping to push him to reveal more information.
<
br /> “My name is Argos Thanatos.”
“Finally, I have something to call you besides creep, coward, or bastard. Though I must admit, I like those just fine.”
He ignored this with a scary calm. “Your attempts at making me angry are not going to work. But fortunately I have plans for you for the time being.”
“Yeah? Bring them on. Chase will end you. That is, unless I do it first.”
“Sure... you can keep thinking that while you enjoy the show.”
She sneered. “You seem pretty confident. Do you really believe the Earth Alliance is only made of humans? We have help.”
"I know, the Droxians. But wait, didn’t someone just say something about wiping them off the face of the universe?” He gave an evil laugh. “And then, of course, there is the Olympian scum as well.”
He knows about Aphroditis? That can’t be good. I wonder how much he knows…
“The who?” Sarah asked as innocently as she could manage.
“Don’t play dumb. My ship detected an Olympian subspace transmissions signature. I know they are talking with my brother.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who are these Olympians?”
“I guess my brother didn’t tell you everything then.”
She could almost feel his smug smirk. Bingo.
“Or you’re making up stories. The name sounds familiar, though. We had this mythology from a country that used to be called Greece; the Olympians were their gods.”
“So that’s why they intervened. Earth must be one of the worlds that was once under their… How do they put it? Ah yes, guidance.” Argos chuckled. “At least it makes some sort of sense now. They will pay the price for their crimes. They were strictly forbidden by the older races to intervene in the matters of the young ones.”
“Young ones?”
“Yes, you know, little cockroaches like you.”
“I’m surprised you know that word. Do you also have roaches on your planet? You know, other than you?”
“I am in control of your brain,” he explained, ignoring the last comment. “With each passing moment I gain more knowledge about your vermin of a race. You are weak, with a lifespan of eighty or so years. You bicker internally. No wonder the Alliance chose you to enslave.”
“The Alliance and Earth are allies. We are not enslaved.”
Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure Page 52