The Dead Prince

by Alejandro Betancourt

  Jabieko places Elena on the ground against the entrance wall, and rushes out to join the fracas. He picks a dead solder's sword from the ground and starts swinging away, furiously clobbering enemy helmets. Once he clears some space around him, he closes his eyes and starts absorbing energy from all surrounding life-forms and converting it into lethal inner power. A precipitous drop in temperature ensues before he opens his eyes, his supernatural powers fully restored.

  He sprints towards a mass of Euperian soldiers, and in seconds obliterates everyone in sight. No one can match his paranormal strength and inordinate sword mastery. Inspired and reinvigorated by what they're seeing form their leader, Jabieko's troops turn the tide and start advancing, generating unacceptable casualties among the enemy.

  Just when it appears that the Euperians will fold, Jabieko senses a sudden drop in ambient energy. He reckons that a Royal Euperian Guard must have arrived on the scene; they too can absorb and transform energy into lethal power. Ominously, he can sense that something is drawing energy from him. He scans his surroundings, trying to identify the threat, but it's too late. A blast of concentrated energy sends him tumbling backwards. He swiftly gets his feet under him, and readies himself for what he suspects will be the final and decisive confrontation of the battle.

  A Royal Guard, in full golden armor with sword and shield, advances towards Jabieko. Jabieko picks another abandoned sword from the ground; but before he can confront the Guard, a series of massive explosions destroys a pair of nearby skyscrapers, and sends tons of debris flying in all directions. Everyone rushes to find cover as a black cloud of smoke engulfs the whole area.

  Jabieko looks up and perceives a swarm of missiles in route to other parts of the beleaguered city. Soon the structures around him start to crumble. Fires spring up everywhere the incendiaries touch down.

  He takes a long, deep breath and sprints toward Elena—he has to get her out! He runs into the chaos, and finds her still lying unconscious, but miraculously untouched, on the ground where he left her. He wraps his arms around her, and runs through streets blanketed in black smoke to keep himself hidden.

  As he runs away from the commotion, carrying Elena in his arms, he cannot help but smile: His king has succeeded – Euperian has fallen.

  ❖❖❖

  Jabieko adjusts his robes outside the Throne Room as he awaits to be called inside to see the King. His does not know what to expect from him. After all, his mission can be deemed a failure: most of his soldiers perished, Eva was not saved, and no one can confirm the death of the Euperian Prince or the Princess.

  The doors open to the Throne Room; he takes a deep breath, and walks in. As he approaches King Zheteg sitting on the throne, he notices the presence of Matiboth, the Euperian traitor who orchestrated the city's takeover, and other advisors of the King's inner circle.

  Jabieko kneels before the King. "My king, I congratulate you on a decisive victory."

  "Jabieko, stand," the King commands in a stern tone of voice. "Looks like your mission didn't go as planned."

  "No, my King, it did not."

  "I'm happy you're alive, old friend." The King stands and embraces Jabieko. "Your mission might have failed, but you have been instrumental in the fall of Euperian. We are all extremely grateful to you for what you did to make this happen."

  "Thank you, my King," Jabieko says humbly, head bowed.

  "Now, we need to complete what we have started. It looks like the Euperian Queen escaped, and she sent her brats in separate ships to Earth."

  "So it's confirmed that the Prince and Princess are alive? They were able to find an antidote for the poison in time?" Jabieko asks.

  "It certainly seems that way," Matiboth interjects, as he approaches the King and Jabieko. "We intercepted a message the Queen sent to her brother Bane on Earth. She told him she sent her children to him for protection."

  "Bane? The shape-shifter bastard child of the old Euperian King?" Jabieko interposes, in a surprised tone. "I wasn't even aware he was on Earth!"

  "Yes. That Bane. And nobody was aware of his presence on Earth. There is no official entry for him, and our Ambassador on Earth cannot find any trail of his whereabouts," Matiboth says.

  King Zheteg walks back to his throne and sits. "As you all know, we have neither the jurisdiction or the political muscle to demand that the brats be extradited back here, not while the Azhalian Assembly on Earth remains comprised of so many Euperian elements. They also have their Earthling sympathizers, which if we are to be prudent, we need to account for," Zheteg says, taking control of the discussion.

  "So here is what we are going to do. We will announce that both Prince Zec and Princess Odilia perished. Jabieko, you will be named the new Ambassador for the Ucte on Earth. Your ultimate mission — which needs to be completed in haste — will be to find the Prince and Princess and terminate them with extreme prejudice. In the meantime, you are to keep Zec and Odilia dead in the minds of the Earthlings and the Azhalians living there. Jabieko, you cannot fail again!"

  Chapter 17

  Amy strolls into Mrs. Heartlocker's class and sits down at her desk. A moment later, Eva taps her on the shoulder. "Did you get my notes?"

  "Yes, thank you," Amy says. "You must enjoy this class. There were a lot of details and information I couldn't even find in the reading."

  "It makes me feel at home," Eva says with a smile.

  Amy raises an eyebrow, wondering what kind of nerd she's gotten herself caught up with. As the bell sounds, their other classmates settle into their seats. Amy looks around and catches a glimpse of Zack, who's sitting near the window.

  "Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Heartlocker announces in her high-pitched voice. She syncs her laptop to the 3D whiteboard. A hologram image of the Azhalian solar system appears on the screen with the day's topic written in large italic font: The Euperian people of Azha, their customs, and their culture. She presses the depiction of Planet Azha. The classroom turns dark and is inundated with 3D images of zooming galaxies and constellations.

  "You have all heard of King Uphu and Queen Liaj. Unfortunately, we know little about the other members of the royal family. In Euperian culture, it's customary for princes and princesses to be kept from the public eye until they reach adulthood.

  "After the capture of the Euperian capital by the Ucte, many Euperians refugees fled to Earth. They have taught us a great deal about their culture, customs, and daily life. For example, this painting depicts two individuals whom we believe to be the last Euperian prince and princess."

  Amy feels like a ton of bricks have fallen on top of her — these are the same people she's been having those bizarre dreams about. "Zec and Odilia!" she shouts.

  "Excuse me?" Mrs. Heartlocker asks.

  Amy realizes that she must try to compose herself. She looks around and sees that everyone is staring at her.

  "Are you okay, Amy? You look a bit pale," Mrs. Heartlocker asks.

  "I'm fine," Amy says. "Sorry."

  "Like I was saying," Mrs. Heartlocker continues, "it's believed that these two were the son and daughter of King Uphu and Queen Liaj. Unfortunately, they died during the siege, so we might never be completely certain that these two were truly their children."

  Eva sees Amy turn pale. She touches Amy's shoulder and asks if she's okay. Amy doesn't answer — can't answer.

  When the bell sounds, Amy jams her things into her bag and hustles out of the classroom. She's now convinced that Zack and his sister haven't told her the truth; that they are, in fact, Zec and Odilia. She walks into the restroom and drops her backpack onto the countertop with a thud. She turns on a faucet and splashes water onto her face, then looks up and stares at the mirror and ponders what she should do.

  I have to talk to Zack. I need to know the truth.

  Amy steps out of the restroom — and speak of the devil, Zack is just down the hall, staring blankly into his locker. She races over and pulls him into the boy's restroom.

  "You lied to me!" Amy whi
spers fiercely. "You're Zec!"

  Zack's eyes widen. "I have never lied to you, Amy. I have no idea what you're talking about."

  Amy grabs Zack's shoulders with both hands. "Read my mind, Zack."

  Zack doesn't know what to say.

  "Read it! I know you can!" she demands.

  "I can't. I promised myself I would never read or see into anybody's mind, except Olivia's. That's a line I never want to cross."

  "Please, Zack, do it. I'm begging you, please read my mind. I need to know the truth, it's killing me."

  Zack watches a tear roll down Amy's face. He wants to help her, but he's always believed that it's innately unfair and immoral to penetrate another person's psyche.

  "Zack! Please!"

  He resistance crumbles. "Okay, Amy. Okay, I will," he says gently. They lock eyes, and Zack places his hands on her temples. Cautiously, he opens his mind and unleashes his power —

  —only to stagger back against the nearest wall, staring at her in disbelief. Not only can he see her dreams, but he can also perceive the reality of his existence — Mom, Dad, and his life on Azha. He is Zec, the rightful heir to the Euperian throne!

  Amy looks at him blankly. "You didn't know," she whispers.

  Two boys walk in and look at Zack and Amy with confused expressions. Amy grabs her backpack, glances at Zack one more time, and rushes out of the boy's restroom.

  Zack remains frozen by his thoughts. How could this be true? Do his Earth parents know? Have they been lying to him and his sister all this time?

  Nothing makes sense to him anymore.

  ❖❖❖

  Angry, despondent, and boiling with frustration, Zack hurries to his car, switches to manual mode, and drives toward home at full speed. What hurts most is finding out that the people he thought were his parents have lied to him. As his mind churns to come up with some sort of reasonable justification for his parents' deception, Zack turns left — and a loud horn blares. His car unexpected rams another vehicle from behind, smacking Zack into the windshield and then flinging him into the back seat as his shoulder belt fails.

  He can see two men in a black SUV in front of him. The rear of the SUV is squashed like an accordion, and the men are slouched in their seats. Zack kicks the car door open and limps over to the other vehicle to see if the men are all right. Why did they stop so suddenly like that, right in front of him?

  When Zack gets to the other car, he reaches for the man in the passenger seat. He's worried, because he can't pick up any mental signals from the guy. The man's wallet falls out of his jacket onto his lap; Zack opens the wallet to search for the man's ID, and sees a shield with the words united nations special task force engraved over a symbol of the globe. He takes a deep breath, wondering what to do.

  With a shaking hand, Zack tries to find the agent's pulse in his neck — just as the man turns his head and they make eye contact. "Zack," the agent says, in an odd mix of what sounds like bemusement and triumph.

  Zack is confused. How does the agent know who he is? He searches the agent's mind for answers. What he uncovers shocks him: the men are after Amy! They think she's an alien! He shakes his head in disbelief. What on Earth is happening here? Is Amy an Azhalian too?

  Unexpectedly, the agent grabs Zack's hand. Zack tries to pull away, but the agent won't let go. The man reaches for the gun holstered at his shoulder with his free hand. Zack's survival instincts take over, and he unleashes a fierce blast of energy at the agent, smashing him back into the seat with such force that bones crack.

  He tries to read the agent's thoughts again, and realizes that the man is well and truly dead this time. Zack killed him.

  He stares in disbelief as tears start forming in his eyes — until he suddenly realizes that the other agent is no longer in the driver's seat. Zack panics. The agents know who he is. If the UNSTF agent gets away, Zack's life, and the lives of his family, will be over.

  He looks up and sees the agent running toward the forest alongside the road. "This is Agent Bradley," the man shouts into his watch. "Badge Number 662674, requesting immediate backup. Agent down! An alien has attacked us. The attacker is Z …"

  ❖❖❖

  "Roger, sir. The SWAT team is fifteen minutes away, and we'll have a drone there in five."

  "Play that last message again," Helms says as he monitors the footage being recorded by their drones.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Must be the work of EIRF again," Helms says after another listen. "Ginn, get me Franklin on a secure line; we have to secure Harper now."

  "Sir, I have SA Franklin," Agent Ginn responds second later.

  "Franklin, initiate Operation Blitz," Helms says. He waves over one of his other agents. "I need you to get me Bradley's coordinates," he says to the eager young man. "We'll need to release the Cheetahs into that area, because the sky drones won't be very effective in a forest environment. Get on it."

  The young agent runs to his computer, pulls up the coordinates corresponding to the agent's last call, and enters the information on a second screen to mobilize the Cheetahs.

  In the room adjacent to UN Special Task Force command, things start to come to life. Four metal Cheetahs, their software updated with the new target coordinates, undock themselves from their charging stations and line up on the outer edge of the hangar, like the soldiers they are. After a moment, their green eyes turn red and they sprint toward their destination.

  Helms watches the Cheetahs advance on the large screen in front of him. He orders Ginn to start the search-and-rescue operation. The Cheetahs spread out, looking to apprehend or kill whoever attacked Agents Bradley and Finch.

  ❖❖❖

  Zack leans against a tree, struggling to catch his breath as he looks for the wayward UNSTF agent. He has no idea what to do next, though he knows the only logical thing to do is to find the agent and neutralize him. After a moment, he climbs the tree to get a better view, and spots four shadows moving swiftly on the ground. The dense foliage prevents him from making out what they are, but they' re obviously not running around the forest for his entertainment. Once he reaches a better vantage point, he sees a man hurrying across a shallow creek.

  He knows he'll have to make this quick: Get to the creek, capture the agent, and make a getaway. Zack jumps down from the tree and dashes toward the creek.

  He hears something in the near distance gaining ground on him.

  ❖❖❖

  "Do we have facial recognition on the suspect yet?" Helms asks from the Port Jervis command center where he's monitoring the chase.

  "No sir, not yet," Agent Ginn replies.

  "Send a surrender message to the suspect," Helms demands.

  "This is Agent Ginn of the UN Special Task Force," a voice echoes from the Cheetah drone. "I order you to surrender at once. I repeat, I order you to surrender."

  Zack glances back to ascertain who or what is chasing him. He's horrified by the sight of a large catlike mech bounding his way. Helms and the other task force agents watch in amazement from afar.

  "Did we get facial recognition?" Helms asks.

  "No sir, his movements are too fast for the facial program to identify." Ginn thumps his fist on his desk. "How is this possible? The kid's outrunning the Cheetah!" he shouts in frustration.

  ❖❖❖

  Zack tries to shake off the mech by making sharp turns every chance he gets, but the Cheetah is relentless in its pursuit. Recognizing that he's tiring and losing speed, Zack decides that he'd better try something definitive soon, or he'll be captured. He opens both hands wide and gathers all the energy he can muster from himself and his surroundings. As the air chills and frost crackles in the underbrush, he fires a blast with his right hand in the direction of a tree a couple of feet in front of him. Sensing that the Cheetah is just a few steps behind him, he leaps forward, spins around in midair, and fires a second blast with his left hand. The blast sends the robot to the ground and propels Zack in the opposite direction.

  As the dam
aged mech maneuvers to get up on its four ratcheting legs, the tree that Zack had blasted falls thunderously on top of it and smashes it to pieces. Zack slowly gets up and is trying to catch his breath when he hears a bang. He feels a sharp pain in his chest; he looks down and sees a hole in his shirt, surrounded by a bloom of red.

  His auto-healing powers immediately kick in. The bullet pushes out of his body, and the wound closes.

  Zack looks toward where the bullet came from, and sees the agent he had been chasing running toward him. Zack absorbs as much energy as he can, his breath now visible as he leaches heat out of the environment, the plants under his feet wilting as he takes their life-energy. Just when the agent is about to attack him, a fire-blast hits the man in the chest and knocks him onto his back. Zack is stunned, and looks behind him, but sees no one. Where did that come from?

  Fireballs start arcing in and exploding on contact, engulfing trees all around him. He looks around to see where this new attack is coming from, but it seems to be coming from every direction. He rushes to the unconscious agent on the ground and drags him away from the flames that have encircled them. Zack looks up and sees a person walking right through the flames toward him.

  His blood rushes in anticipation of this next life-defining confrontation.

  When the person finally steps out from the flames, Zack can only utter one word: "Blake!"

  Chapter 18

  "What the heck's going on?!" Zack yells at his friend.

  "I'll explain later, but right now we need to move before we get caught." Blake nods at the agent. "He alive?"

  "Yes, he's alive! You did all this?" Zack asks.

  "Didn't have a choice. I needed the task force to retreat from this area before they captured you."

  "So. The rumors are true," a chilling voice states.

  Blake and Zack shift their attention to a figure who appears through the flames. "The little prince lives," the man says, his face twisting into a grimace probably intended to be a smile. "And I will be remembered as the Ucte who killed the last member of the Eertu lineage."