The Vanguard

by Jeffrey Ellis

  “Are you certain? You have lived a long time and experienced a lot of pain. All of that would come back to you and when it's done you might not be the people you are now. Your memories return slowly on their own and give you time to adjust. Why not just be patient?” Morgana asked.

  “Because I'm tired of not knowing who I am. You can't know what it's like to not know yourself. You were my mother. My first mother. I can barely remember anything about you and what I remember is cold and emotionless. It's like looking at pictures. I want to know what I've done. I want to know who I've been. I need to know,” Chelsea told her.

  “We need to know,” Sebastian said, backing her up.

  “That is your decision and your decision alone. They may not be able to do it though. The magic that bound you is ancient and powerful, and an equally powerful creature imbued it with her own life essence. That's going to be hard to undo. Don't get your hopes up,” Morgana said.

  “We won't. We have settlements all over Antarctica. How do they stay hidden?” Chelsea asked her.

  “Their magic is very strong. They keep to themselves and sleep for long periods of time. When they do leave they can keep themselves hidden in many ways with their magic or leave through tunnels in the ruins that connect to the ocean,” Morgana replied.

  “What ruins?” asked Sebastian.

  “No one knows. Even the dragons don't know their origin. They are tremendous. The outside has worn away, so they can't be readily seen but inside the mountain is a labyrinth of gargantuan passages. Some of the dragons believe their ancestors made them in an antiquity so far passed that even they have forgotten. Others believe it was another race that died out long before the first dragons ever took to the skies. However, they got there, they have stood the test of time. There is an entrance on the north side near the peak. About halfway up the mountain you will see the entrance. It's unmistakable to anyone who can sense the Weave and you'll feel it before you see it. You can feel the magic of the dragons inside and with your bond with Asala, I suspect you'll feel it stronger than I would,” Morgana told them.

  “You sound like you won't be going,” Chelsea said.

  “I won't. Absillion has unresolved issues with you and if you don't take my advice and go to see him then you two and you two only should go. I don't believe you would be in any mortal danger. His daughter's soul will keep him from hurting you but don't push him. His daughter is dead, and her remnant might not be enough to save you if you invoke his wrath,” Morgana told them. “This is something you need to do on your own.”

  “There is one other thing you should consider. Absillion is your father in a way. Asala was his daughter and her spirit entwines the two of you. While they are in many ways very different from us, they share the same emotions and love their children as deeply as we do. They can also sense their own kind to a degree through the same magic we use and the stronger the bond, the more powerful that sense. It is especially strong among family lines. Every time you have died, every time I have felt my own heartbreak, so has he. He feels his daughter die every time either of you has passed from this realm and hurts as much as I. Even though you don't know how that feels, respect that he might see you as a physical representation of that pain,” Morgana told them.

  “We will. Thank you for telling us,” Sebastian said.

  “There is one more thing we need to do. We need to assemble the Vanguard and tell them everything. When we finish that discussion, I want everything laid bare,” Sebastian said.

  “Now? We should spend some more time together, talking and catching up,” Chelsea said.

  “I want to, but we can't. We have to catch everyone up on everything and get the trip to Socrates' island taken care of before we leave for...well you know,” Sebastian said to Chelsea.

  “What do you mean by that?” asked Morgana.

  “It's nothing,” said Chelsea.

  “No secrets, remember? It goes both ways,” Morgana replied.

  “You're right and you deserve to know. We're leaving. After we finish the investigation of the island we're taking off for a while,” Chelsea said.

  “Why?” asked Morgana.

  “Because we have to find ourselves. We must discover who we are. We have so many memories and things have changed so fast we've lost ourselves along the way in the jumble of the chaos, magic and past lives. We have to find ourselves so we're going on a trip to do so,” Sebastian told her.

  “Where is that journey taking you?” Morgana asked.

  “We'll fill everyone in at the meeting,” Chelsea replied.

  Sebastian went over to the comm screen and opened a channel. “Lt. Mavis, are you there?”

  “Yes, sir,” came the reply as the screen lit us showing the young man.

  “Hi, Bobby. I need you to do something for me. Send a request to all of the absent Field Marshalls requesting their immediate return for a priority meeting,” Sebastian told him.

  “You got it, brother. I'll forward their replies,” he said.

  Sebastian closed the channel and opened a comm to Xavier. “Xavier, I need you to do something. Get word to Boudicca. We're going to be meeting as soon as everyone can get here. I obviously don't expect her to be here but would like her to at least listen as best she can over the comm. I would call her myself, but she isn't answering the comm I left her, and she seems to prefer your company.”

  “Will do. Any time frame?” Xavier replied.

  “As soon as possible,” Sebastian told him.

  He closed that channel and opened another one to William and Anna. “I need you both back at Camelot immediately. We have a priority meeting and I need you both to be there.”

  “Are you sure we can't do it via conference? Anna is still recovering,” William said.

  “According to her last medical briefing the socket placement was a success, she's fully healed internally, and her artificial limb is connected. I want you both here,” Sebastian said and closed the channel.

  He opened another video channel, this time to Nefertiti and Ra.

  “Sebastian!” Ra said loudly as their faces filled the screen. “How are you, my friend?”

  “I should be asking you that. I understand your therapy is going well and your muscles are regaining strength at an extraordinary rate,” Sebastian said.

  “I am progressing. I am almost able to walk on my own and the doctor tells me in a few weeks I will be fully recovered,” Ra said. “Once I can walk, Nefertiti may have trouble doing so for a few days,” he said with a boisterous laugh.

  “As I have told you, the world changes but Ra is always Ra,” Nefertiti said, smiling at her husband.

  “I wish I had more time for pleasantries but I'm prepping for a meeting. I know you can't be here in person, but I would like you to be available by conference. This is important,” Sebastian told him.

  “Can't be there? Do you think something like this could stop Ra? I will be there as quickly as a shuttle can take me. I tire of these white walls and the smell, it is so...clean. And the food is good but not as good as what we have at Camelot. We shall be there with haste,” Ra said.

  “It's not expected but your presence is always welcome. Thank you, friends,” Sebastian said as he closed the channel then opened another comm.

  “Bethany, this is Sebastian,” he said and paused. “No, this isn't about Greenland. I need a favor. I need you to contact Alexander and ask him if he can come to Camelot.” He paused again. “As soon as possible. If he can manage it today, he can sit in on the meeting we're having. If not, we'll coordinate with him to find a time.”

  #

  “The Great Alpha is displeased. You have failed again,” V'dal said to Mordred.

  “I have not failed. Socrates failed. You're the ones who trained him. You gave him the scepter,” Mordred told him. “And let’s not forget your feeble attempt at deception that cost you one of your clans.”

  “You idiot. That feeble attempt as you call it was calculated. That clan was expendable. Th
ey were weak and power hungry and that is a combination that will always end in disaster. Now Baldric has a false impression of our strength. We were pleased with the results,” the dreb told him.

  “Is what they told Socrates true? Did the drebs initiate the war? I spoke with mother about it and she tells a different story,” Mordred said.

  “Your mother lies. She doesn't care about you only her own quest for power. Atlanteans cannot be trusted. She withheld power from you. She hid your past from you. Without us, you would be nothing. You would be another child born to power and denied it,” V'dal told him.

  The dreb seemed annoyed but continued. “Now, our next move. They will come here soon. You will kill them. We have toyed with them enough and it is time to act. Baldric and Malka will come, and you will take them captive and take the life of Morgana and end their feeble attempts to stop the inevitable.”

  “They will come, and I will be waiting. Why do you want Sebastian and Chelsea captured instead of killed?” Mordred asked V’dal.

  “That is not for you to know. What is for you to know is I will have a contingent of war mages to support your fight. If you fail us again you will die,” V'dal said and teleported out.

  Mordred reached into his pocket and felt the stained piece of cloth. He pulled it out and held it and felt the pain flow into him again.

  “I will indeed be waiting,” he said to himself.

  #

  Sebastian, Chelsea, Bruce, Xavier, Samantha, William, Anna, Alexander, Michael, Nefertiti, and Ra sat in the command room. Ra was temporarily confined to a wheelchair while he rebuilt his muscle strength due to atrophy from the coma. Anna had an artificial arm, a standard model that gave her some basic function until she went to Alexander's cybernetics lab to have a superior one fitted while her replacement arm was cloned. Bethany was putting the baby down for a nap and running a few minutes late. There was an open communicator channel to Boudicca.

  “Thank you for coming on short notice. We have a lot to cover and should get started. I would normally spend some time on pleasantries, but we have too many things going on and for too long we've compartmentalized our information and resources. Things have been withheld from you by me and things have been withheld from me by you,” he said looking towards Alexander and Anna.

  “I've been most guilty of it. Sometimes it has been accidental. We move fast in our lives and finding the time to do these kinds of meetings has gotten more difficult as things progress. Injuries, personal affairs, and the fight pull us all in many directions. We must stop that. So today, I'm going to start with me. I'm going to tell you everything I've learned. It's nothing game-changing. I don't have any information that will make this war easier.”

  “Our lives, at least Chelsea's and my own, are not what we thought. Many of you have heard of Baldric and Malka and know Atlantis was real. You know, or at least have been told, that in a past life many thousands of years ago, we were the last monarchs of the island nation as it fell. The story I'm going to tell you, and Morgana may need to fill in some of the gaps, is everything we know. I will say one thing. The drebs concern me more than Mordred. He is one man, albeit a powerful one but they are numerous, and they have been in the shadows for a long time pulling the strings of people like Mordred. I think they are our real enemy,” Sebastian told them.

  He spent the next couple of hours telling them everything he knew and left nothing out. The group had a lot of questions and he answered them to the best of his ability.

  “That's a lot to take in, mate. I don't like that you held anything from us, but I think I can speak for everyone when I say I understand why you did and appreciate you trusting us enough to tell us. Most of that sounds like you're right. I have some concerns from that I want to bring up,” Bruce told him.

  “And you should. Feel free and ask away,” Sebastian told him.

  “First and foremost are our plans changed any at all? Is the island still our next step or do you plan on heading off to Antarctica?” Bruce asked.

  “Antarctica can wait. We have a war to fight and taking a long shot on the dragons doesn't feel as productive. The trip to Antarctica is more of a personal issue at this point,” Sebastian told him. “We have to stop this and while the island might be a long shot as well, it's the only shot we have right now for information unless the code breakers get lucky,” Sebastian told the group. “I want you to plan that excursion, Bruce.”

  “Why me?” he asked.

  “I need to start delegating duties. Solomon told me I was your king and you are my generals and I should start treating you as such. I don't think that's true about me being a king, but he was right about you. You're all underutilized and have been little more than firepower at times. That was wrong of me and an example of my own inexperience. I'm not the same man I was when the Seal broke and neither are you the same people. Bruce, I want you to lead the Greece expedition. The reason I'm choosing you instead of Anna,” he said turning his attention to Bruce, “She already has a focus that she and Alexander will be bringing us up to speed on momentarily.”

  “On the subject of delegation,” Sebastian continued, “Xavier, you're in charge of hunt assignments. Prioritize and assign as you see fit. Boudicca and Nefertiti, I want you handling training of the advanced initiates. Trish, you're on GloCom duty. I want you handling troop delegation and assignments to hunts and other ops as Bruce or Xavier need. Michael, work with Trish when you’re not training but your training takes priority. I want you learning above all else. William and Anna will be handling beginner magical training. The Masters can observe and make judgment calls on who is ready for advanced training. Ra, your priority is on rehabilitation. Continue working with Bethany on the magic research but I also want you working with William and Anna to develop a training regimen as your recuperation allows. Once you're back on your feet, split your duties between that and helping with the advanced training,” Sebastian told them.

  “What about these dragons?” Bruce asked. “Friend, foe or neutral?”

  “Neutral. I don't think they'll be our enemies, but we can't count on them as allies. Our own interest in the dragons is more of a history and personal issue. It shouldn't have any impact on how we proceed but I'll keep you informed of any developments in that regard,” Sebastian replied.

  “Can I be part of the Antarctica team? I really want to see a live dragon,” said Xavier.

  “There won't be a team. It will just be Chelsea and myself. It's too dangerous for anyone else,” Sebastian told them.

  “Why would it be safe for you and not anyone else?” asked Samantha.

  “Because of the dragon's soul. They won't harm their own, but we don't want to push it with anyone else's safety. They've kept away from humanity since the fall of Atlantis. They don't want to be involved in our affairs anymore, but they need to know the drebs have surfaced again. They refuse to speak to Morgana so we're going to go,” Chelsea said.

  “Why do think they'll speak to you if they won't speak to her?” asked Xavier.

  “We share the soul of Asala. She was the daughter of their leader. Her sacrifice is why we keep being reborn. Absillion will recognize that and I think he'll see us,” Chelsea said.

  “And if they won't, I'll kick down their door. I need to know what she did to us. Whether they like it or not, they owe us that much,” Sebastian said.

  “Assuming this is all true and not just some fairy tale that Morgana cooked up, I can't fault you there, mate. I would like to know myself. I want to know what you are. We need to know. We put our trust in you and that means knowing what to expect,” Bruce said.

  “I plan on keeping you completely informed. Honestly, it's difficult for us to deal with and having you to rely on is making it easier. It's scary at times not fully knowing who or what you are,” Chelsea said.

  “I didn't think the Vanguard field agents feared anything,” said Samantha.

  “Only an idiot is fearless,” said Ra. “Fear is a survival instinct and we all have to
face it at times. The measure of a warrior is that we control it.”

  “Truer words have never been spoken,” said Alexander.

  “Regardless, we have to go once the trip to the island is over,” Chelsea told them. “There is something else they might be able to help us with. We hope they can help us open up the walls between the memories of our past lives.”

  “That sounds like a lot of mental stress and possibly life-altering but I get it. If I had parts of my past I couldn't remember I would want to know. I hope it works out for you,” Samantha said.

  “I'm more concerned about you. What if you aren't the same afterward? You're not just our leaders you're our friends and I wouldn't want to lose that,” Xavier said.

  “I don't think you'll lose us. We might be different and maybe we won't be, but we can't do this much longer. It's getting hard to deal with,” Sebastian said.

  “I dream constantly of things that I shouldn't know. I don't know if they're just dreams or past lives. I have fragments of memories, whispers in the back of my mind. If the dragons can help and it does change us and we're not the same anymore, know that you are the best friends and team I could ever have and there is nothing that will ever change that,” Sebastian said.

  The room was quiet, and Bethany was sniffling. Bruce put his arm around her as she looked at Chelsea. “I don't care if it does change you. If that's what you need to make you whole, then you have my support and I'll call you friend no matter what. Don’t mind me, though. I’m just emotional from the baby.”

  “So, on to other news,” Sebastian said appearing uncomfortable.

  “You all know about the code-breaking attempts. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with Director Thomas and General Morrison when the signals were discovered. For those of you who don't know Director Thomas, he runs a division of the Wardens that is sort of a cross between intelligence and applied technology,” Sebastian told the group.

  “And he's a pompous dick. I worked with him at Munich,” Samantha told them.

  “I didn't deal with him much while I was there but what little I saw gave me the impression he's closed-minded and has a superiority complex,” Xavier said.