by K. T. Tomb
Morina lowered her head. “Forgive me, my Queen. We are all that escaped. Evan Knight proved more than formidable. He was aided by a Daughter. Jessima IL Eve.”
There was a fire in Sulina’s eyes as her anger reached a height that Morina had never seen before.
“Evan Knight? In trying to stay one step ahead of Konstantin, I almost forgot about the supposed Chosen One.”
Morina, Ellisia, and the other Fallen dropped to their knees and were not prepared for what came next. Sulina grabbed large clumps of her own hair in frustration. She then let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded more like the cry of a banshee.
All in Eden heard the cry. Shala stopped near the cleansing pool of water and turned toward the sound. Alexey and his men who made their way through the forest froze in their tracks. Alexey smiled almost as if he knew the origin. The Daughters heard it as well, but continued to find places that would gain them an advantage in the battle to come.
Sulina breathed heavily. “Get up my Fallen. We have work to do. Ellisia, take care of the door to the Daughters’ lair.”
Without a thought, Ellisia wedged her fingers into the thin metal track that the door slid into once again. She then pulled back with considerable difficulty. The track started to give as Morina looked on in shock at the power of the Daughter. Every muscle in her arms strained against the superhuman feat. Metal creaked and eventually cracked as Ellisia fell backward. She rubbed her arms, took a breath, and then went back to work. She slipped her fingers into the new opening that she had created and placed each fingertip against the door. She then followed the door with her fingers and pushed on through to find the door’s end. The skin on the back of her fingers was being slowly scraped off as she let out pained grunts. She didn’t stop, no matter how painful it was. The others moved to help her but Sulina raised a hand to stop them.
Ellisia’s arm muscles once again were taxed to the limit. She leaned back and placed one foot on the edge of the door frame to brace herself as she pulled the door toward her. They watched her intently.
The metal door started to give, to the amazement of the others, including Sulina. The metal started to bend just a bit as Sulina saw the opening. It was about an inch, but it increased with each breath by Ellisia. Once the opening was about a foot, Ellisia reversed positions. She placed her back against the edge where she had her foot and started to push the door out. It slid another foot before it bent downward. There was just enough of an opening for a human being to get through…or a Fallen.
“Well done Ellisia, you do not disappoint.”
Sulina stepped halfway through the opening and looked back at her followers.
“I want Morina to bring up the rear. The rest can come in in whatever order.”
Ellisia walked up to Sulina before she disappeared into the lair. Blood dripped steadily from her knuckles.
“Are we going to reactivate the lair?”
Sulina smiled as she placed her hand gently on Ellisia’s shoulder.
“My dear. The virus should have taken that option away from us. Our task is much different. In order for my takeover of Eden to be complete, I need to know if my good-hearted sister is still alive.”
Chapter Ten
Knight and Jess had to abandon the tank and hike the rest of the way. It had served its purpose; getting them up the mountain road much faster than if they had decided to walk. When they finally found the river, they followed it to a point where it appeared to just stop at ground level, despite the fact that it still flowed.
Knight tightened his lips and looked at Jess.
“Underground. We have to follow the river underground. I would ask if you can swim, but I assume that it was part of your all-encompassing training.”
Jess looked surprised.
“How can you be so selfish, Evan Knight? Did you not hear that explosion? Your friend could be…”
“Don’t say that!” he interrupted. “Don’t ever say that! He’s okay. I know he’s okay. Besides, isn’t saving Eden the bigger mission here?”
“Don’t mock me, Evan Knight,” Jess barked. She frowned as she continued, “I know the mission. I just thought that showing no emotion for a friend is not part of your all-encompassing training.”
Knight grimaced as he moved in close to Jess.
“Of all the things that you learned from me, sarcasm is my least favorite. We‘re wasting time, Jess.”
She looked at a small crevice that the river drained into under the mountain. She looked back at Knight.
“I feel when my sisters are in pain. I have ignored the pain I have felt since we arrived. Not because I do not care, but because I honor them in my heart.”
That being said, she dived into the crevice and disappeared from sight.
“This hasn’t been easy for me either, Jess,” Knight sighed as he took a deep breath and eased his way into the 3 foot wide opening.
***
Knight was swept along by the furious underground torrent. The darkness made it more frightening when he was slammed into the rock wall around each turn. He tumbled and spun while trying to hold his breath. He tried to get into a fetal position to prevent any damage to his limbs, or more importantly his head.
That’s where he realized he made his biggest mistake.
Holding his breath while being curled up was next to impossible. He started to panic as he thought his ride would never end. His lungs started to burn and his chest tightened. He knew that if he wasn’t able to breathe soon, the Chosen One would be knocked out of the war, before he even had a chance to fight.
***
Geronimo rested underneath the truck next to the one he’d blown up. The ground was uncomfortable as he repositioned himself while he protected the backpack. Well, they did want to see what was in his backpack. Since it was their last request, it was the least he could do. He doubted it would work the same way if he ran into any others.
He heard people running all around what was left of the destroyed truck. They seemed to be cursing. He saw legs dressed in military boots running all around the area. He counted at least ten soldiers. Ten to one? Been there. Done that.
Never had the stakes been so high. Just trying to imagine his mission was surreal. It was like a wild dream. No matter what the outcome was, it was most assuredly not a happy ending for him. Geronimo slowly pulled out a picture of his wife and him. It was his favorite photo of Molly. He was behind her with his arms wrapped around her as she faced the camera. She had that sparkle in her eyes. That sparkle was for him and him alone.
Whenever he was away from her for any amount of time, he would kiss the photo as if it would be the last time he would get a chance to kiss her. When he returned, he gave her the most passionate kiss he had ever given her up to that point.
He smiled as he closed his eyes and kissed the picture. He always held on to the belief that he would see his Molly again.
He couldn’t have picked a better place to keep his faith strong.
He opened his eyes, put his picture away and looked in the direction of the tanks. He couldn’t judge the exact distance because of the trucks in front of him; being flat on the ground didn’t help either and he’d lost one of his Mac 10s in his hurry to find shelter from the explosion. Carefully, he loaded the other.
He inched closer to the side of the truck that was furthest from the gathering of soldiers and checked as much of the area as he could from his supine position.
He took a breath and clutched the backpack with all of his might. He inched out from under the truck. He was vulnerable. Thankfully, his enemy was focused on pulling their friends out of the mess he’d made. A mess he made just to survive. It was worth it.
He stood slowly and looked around. He tried to walk as stealthily as he could to the next truck when he heard someone behind him shout.
“Shoot him! There he is!”
Geronimo started to run to toward the tank. It seemed even further away than before. As he ran he zigzagged back and forth to make
himself a harder target to hit. He gritted his teeth and focused on his goal. If he could just reach the tank.
That’s when the automatic weapons opened fire.
***
It was dead quiet inside the fortress. Sulina strained to hear the low hum of the emergency lighting. The lights were positioned on the wall, every twenty feet and mainly in the halls.
Sulina took point as Morina and the others followed. Ellisia brought up the rear. Despite not having much light, they could see just as easily as if it were outside in broad daylight. The Fallen had a keen sense of night vision.
Sulina stopped in front of the metal door that led to the stairs.
“It looks like we have our work cut out for us,” she said, as she looked through the small glass window crisscrossed with wire. She saw that the stairwell was undamaged.
“I’m curious, Ellisia. How are the lights still operational? I thought all of the power was taken care of with the computer virus.”
Ellisia looked up at the closest light.
“It’s an emergency power system activated only when the main power is cut off.”
“So, that means there is a possibility that the main power can be restored through the emergency power generator?” Sulina asked, as if she already knew the answer.
“I’m not sure,” Ellisia replied. “I never received my complete training. I’m sure if there is some source of power that there would be a way to tap into it. The only problem with that is the emergency power grid isn’t set up to provide power to the entire complex. It would burn out before you had a chance to power up the entire grid.”
Sulina turned her attention away from the door for a moment.
“Would you be able to find that emergency power source, Ellisia?”
Ellisia smiled.
“I know exactly where it is. I suppose you want me to find it and try to restore power to the control center. If I do that, you still won’t be able to do anything from the control center. Everything else takes power of its own.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Sulina said, as she sneered. “You work on that and Morina and my minions will work on getting us to the fourth floor.”
Ellisia looked concerned.
“I won’t be able to contact you if I’m able to switch the power. All of the emergency lights will no longer be functioning either.”
Sulina smiled as she placed a reassuring hand on her newly formed Fallen’s shoulder.
“Come to the control center whether you succeed or not. The emergency lights not functioning will be exactly how we will know if you’ve succeeded. How many metal doors do you have to power yourself through?”
Ellisia counted silently. “Only two.”
“Then get started,” Sulina urged. “The rest of us have to make our way to the control center. That’s the last known whereabouts of my dear sister. I want to make sure that the lack of oxygen in her giant metal tomb was more than enough to finish her for good.”
Ellisia went on her mission, as the two of the others started to work on opening the door to the stairwell.
Morina crossed her arms in disgust.
“What if we find sister dearest still alive? How much could that turn the tide in favor of the Daughters?”
Sulina’s eyes became dark as she clenched her fists.
“Not to sound overly dramatic, but that could win the war for them.”
Chapter Eleven
Knight was slammed hard into a rock formation, which caused him to not only straighten up slightly, but it also made most of the breath that he frantically held onto to evacuate his lungs. He was swallowing water and started to panic. His arms flailed as his mind raced.
He was the Chosen One but he wouldn’t make it to help the Daughters of Eve. What if they failed without him? He betrayed the Daughters. He betrayed Geronimo. More importantly, he betrayed Jess.
Jess was all he could think of as he felt himself blacking out. He pictured how beautiful she was when she smiled at him. He had failed his love.
“I love you, Jess!” Knight yelled as he was pulled up into something he thought he would never experience again…air.
He was placed on soft ground. He felt himself give in to the darkness. Jess smiled as she stood over him.
“I love you too, Evan Knight.”
That was the last thing he heard before darkness. At least he had seen her smile one last time.
***
Geronimo felt the searing pain from where his leg was grazed by a bullet. Why the leg of all places? He gritted his teeth and ran harder toward the tank. He turned on the run and fired a few shots of his own, just to keep them on their toes.
He saw that he was only about 20 yards away from his tank when he heard something strange. Nothing. No longer did he hear weapons firing or bullets hitting the ground around him.
He knew from his training that meant something or someone waited for him by the tank. He had come too far to stop. If that was his time, then he was going out swinging. Or in this case, shooting.
His thoughts were on his wife. Would he see her again? He remembered her dressed in her wedding dress. It was an off the shoulder Chantilly lace trumpet gown. It had lace layered into the gown. It had taken them a couple of years to find the perfect gown for Molly. That’s the one that made her heart sink when she saw it. He paid almost $2000.00 for it, which had set him back considerably. She was worth it.
He even bought the wedding gown preservation kit, though he thought it was a waste of money. Whatever Molly wanted, she got.
He smiled as he remembered her as she had walked down the aisle toward him. The sight of her had taken his breath away. She had her auburn hair up in a bun with loose strands that fell perfectly on both sides of her face. She had small eyes. When he first met Molly, he had to look closely to see what color they were. Brown.
Geronimo wanted to see his wife again. He would see her again.
He focused on the tank as he increased his speed. Ten feet from his objective. A soldier appeared from behind the tank with his weapon drawn. Another stood on the tank itself. Geronimo didn’t slow down. He was ready for it and nothing in the world would keep him from seeing Molly.
Nothing.
Never slowing down, he grabbed the soldier closest to him, the one on the ground. He dropped his own weapon as he grabbed the man’s weapon with one hand and his neck with other. He quickly turned the soldier so that he faced his fellow soldier. Geronimo used the soldier’s body as a shield when the Iranian standing on the tank opened fire with his automatic weapon. Geronimo’s human shield was riddled with bullets but worked perfectly with only a few stray bullets whizzing past their intended target and hitting the ground.
The frustrated soldier on the tank was out of options and out of ammo. The incessant clicking sound told Geronimo all he needed to know. He dropped his then dead shield as he dove for the legs of his next opponent.
The Iranian fell forward onto the ground. Geronimo knew from his youth on the streets that it was time for some good old- fashioned street fighting. He kicked the Iranian several times in the face.
“Where’s your damn smile now, you little shit? Where is it?” He yelled in triumph.
He looked up after he realized that he probably wasn’t alone. He saw several Iranian heads pop up from behind the trucks. Geronimo smiled.
“Come and get me you fuckers!” He then got into the tank and prepared for battle.
It was his time to stop running. It was his turn to go on offense. It was time for them to burn.
***
Evan Knight spit up what he believed to be several gallons of water and he coughed as he tried to sit up. His lungs burned. Jess kept him still.
“No, Evan Knight. You must recover. You almost died.”
There was a light around Jess. Knight saw the vision before him and forgot for a moment where he was.
“Am I dead?” he asked, calmly.
“That’s a strange question,” Jess responded, with a questioning l
ook. “You are obviously talking and “thankfully” breathing.”
Knight sat up.
“Just thought I saw an angel…never mind. Some Chosen One I turned out to be. I can’t even handle Eden’s waterslide.”
“Perhaps then you should be avoiding frivolous words and focus on staying alive,” Shala stepped out from the forest. “If you are indeed the Chosen One.”
Jess excitement could not be contained as she rushed to hug her sister.
“Shala! Thank God! How goes the war? What of Mother Daughter?”
Shala looked suspiciously at Knight as he struggled to his feet. She cautiously approached him.
“You don’t look like much, Evan Knight.”
“Oh yeah? Well, it’s what you don’t see that’s…pretty special,” he replied. He then realized that he had no idea on how to respond to her. “At least you know my name. That has to mean something.”
“It means that I have good hearing,” Shala said with a bite in her tone. “I heard Jessima call you by name.”
Jess brought Shala over to Knight.
“Evan Knight. I would like to introduce my sister, Shala IL Eve. Shala, this is the Chosen One.”
“We’ll see,” Shala responded, non-chalantly.
She walked up to Knight and was easily a foot taller than he was. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders. She was as beautiful as Jessima.
“I don’t see anything special. As you probably know, Mother Daughter is…dead.” She started to hold back a tear as she continued, “The war is imminent. The mortals have infiltrated Eden. There is more, Jessima. We have a traitor.”
“I know,” Jess replied.
Shala looked shocked at her sister’s response.
“You…knew? How…?”
“Mother Daughter reached out to me just before…I assumed that every sister received the telepathic message that I did.”