Sons of Chaos

by Jerry Hart

  “You can do that?” Owen said. “You can read objects like you can people?”

  “Sometimes, if an object has a very, very strong history or an energy about it. But I see absolutely nothing with this orb. It’s like my mind goes blank when I even try.”

  Owen thought about that for a second. “Jason said he was using the orb to make the world a better place.”

  “Well, I don’t see how he can do that with this.”

  Owen was close to the breaking point. He had already told her how Chris had disappeared from the condo for no apparent reason. He told her, hoping she could locate him somehow with her weird ability. She couldn’t.

  “Do you think Chris’s disappearance has anything to do with the orb?” Owen asked her. “With what happened tonight?”

  “I’ve known Chris a while, and I know he likes to be in charge of things, and if things don’t go his way, he punishes himself for it.”

  Owen nodded. “Like his production company?”

  “Exactly.”

  “What does that have to do...” It clicked home for Owen what Nikki was implying. “You think Chris abandoned me?”

  Nikki shrugged.

  “He wouldn’t do that,” Owen said heatedly. “Besides, how is that punishing himself? That’s punishing me, leaving me to deal with this alone. Chris would never do that. You don’t know him at all.”

  He didn’t remember standing up and didn’t realize he’d been shouting until he was done. Nikki and Darlington stared at him with wide eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Owen said as he sat down again. “Chris didn’t abandon me. I know he didn’t. Something bad happened to him and I have to help.”

  Nikki reached forward and placed her hand on his. “You’re a good man, Owen Walters. You and Chris saved the world and defeated the bad guys. You should be proud.” She patted his hand. “Cheer up, will you? Everything else should be a piece of cake. Hard part’s over.”

  Owen chuckled. Despite her comforting words, he couldn’t help but feel the hard part was yet to come.

  Suddenly, he looked into Darlington’s eyes once again, but this time, he saw the most unusual, unspeakable things.

  Myriad images flashed through Owen’s mind: vast fields rolling upon themselves; buildings crumbling only to reform moments later; clouds passing quickly overhead as if the world had sped up its rotation.

  Then there was a round, blue ship soaring through a night sky. It was glowing like it was on fire as it headed straight for a farmhouse surrounded by fields of grass.

  The ship crashed; a blond man who’d been standing near the crash site inspected the ship; a pale being in a strange jumpsuit hopped out of the ship; a strange, smoky substance flowed from the pale being to the blond man; the pale being jumped to his feet and ran away. Who was the blond man? Was that Owen? Was this what happened the night his father died?

  Had it been a space ship that killed Russell Walters instead of a meteor?

  Yes. Deep down, Owen believed it to be so. He could not remember anything directly after his father’s death. It had all been a blur. Until now.

  Now he was in an open round pavilion lined with blue columns. There were three figures sitting on thrones upon a dais, with canyons spread out behind them. The three thrones were formed like a triangle; the figures wore robes, and their faces...looked so familiar.

  “You’ve done a terrible thing, Armenus,” said the front figure on the dais, though it was in a language Owen didn’t know. Yet, he had still understood it.

  The figures.... They all looked like Darlington.

  Only they couldn’t all be Darlington. And who was Armenus? What was happening? Why was Owen having these visions? They kept changing. He now found himself surrounded by long-limbed creatures like the shape-shifter from the alley, the one who’d looked like Eric Spencer. But the creatures only stared at him.

  I don’t want to see any of this anymore! Owen screamed in his head.

  The creatures suddenly disappeared.

  He was now in a strange black place with golden light swirling around him.

  And then a voice said, “These are things you’re not supposed to know, Owen.”

  He jumped in shock. “Who are you?” he asked the voice.

  “I’m your mother.”

  A breathless pause. And then, “But you disappeared a long time ago, when I was young.” He didn’t have it in him to question anything at the moment, not after all the images he’d seen in the span of a moment.

  “I know, sweetie. I did it in order to save another world.”

  “Save it from what?”

  “From an evil creature that grew way too greedy and way too powerful for its own good. And now you and your friends have done the same thing, and I’m so proud of you.”

  “But...my friends are dead.”

  “Not all of them. Two of them are here with me. And the other is only lost. You will find him again someday.”

  “I want to find him.”

  “I know, honey, and you will.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Owen suddenly realized he was having a conversation with someone he couldn’t see, someone claiming to be his mother. He looked around at the blackness with the strange swirls of golden light, trying to locate the source of the voice. “What was all that stuff I just saw? The ship and the rolling hills?”

  “Some of it was part of a secret of the world you weren’t supposed to know,” Mother replied. “If I hadn’t found out myself, I would probably still be with you and your father today.”

  “But Dad is dead.”

  “I know.”

  “Is he with you?”

  “No, honey, he’s not.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t answer that. I can tell you everything is as it should be, now. They cannot be any other way.”

  “Because my friends and I saved the world from Jason and Michael?”

  “Exactly. Though I doubt you’ve seen the last of the brothers. In fact, they have done a terrible thing that will need undoing. I can’t explain it because I don’t yet understand, but you will.”

  “Do you know anything about the orb?” Owen suddenly asked, figuring that was where she was going with this.

  There was a long pause as he stood there in the glowing darkness. Finally, his mother said, “All I know is it is an instrument of peace that can be used as an instrument of evil...if put in the wrong hands. You have to protect it.”

  “I will. But who built it? Do you know?”

  “His name is Armenus. You know who he is; you’ve met him already.” Mother’s voice sounded nervous at this point, and that, in turn, made Owen nervous.

  And then it came to him. “Darlington! It’s him, isn’t it? Mom, Darlington is Armenus.”

  She didn’t answer.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “I have to leave you now, Owen. I know you will be fine on your own, and you will find your friend again. There’s something inside you—something that gives you strength—that will help you in the future. Promise me you’ll never abuse that power.”

  “What power?”

  “The power I passed on to you.”

  “I...I prom—”

  Suddenly Owen found himself in a large, green field. The sky was big and gray and stormy. He wasn’t alone. There was something gliding around, far away. He could just barely see it. Whatever it was, it was cyan-colored. It seemed to fly around aimlessly, like a bug.

  But then it stopped just as a thunderclap erupted overhead. Lightning traveled through the clouds, making Owen jump.

  The cyan-colored thing began to glide toward him now. As it grew closer, Owen could see it more clearly. It was a large round cluster of energy the size of a basketball. Owen wasn’t sure if he should run or stand still. He watched as the cluster grew closer, larger. A thunderous sound accompanied it, and he walked backward, away from that glowing, fiery orb.

  “Hello, little one,�
� said a pleasant voice to Owen.

  He merely stood there, shocked the voice had come from the cluster. “Who are you? What are you? Where’s my mom?”

  “She’s gone, but I’m here.” The cluster seemed to smile. “I have come to make you an offer.”

  “What kind of offer? Who are you?”

  The cluster did not respond; it only studied Owen.

  “Where am I?”

  “Another world. Come with me.”

  The cluster circled Owen, covering him with its glowing energy. And then Owen was flying.

  The two of them soared high into the sky, going from the field to a large, futuristic city with shiny buildings and incredibly complex streets. The roads rose and fell, like roller coasters, and Owen couldn’t imagine traveling on them. The cars were sleek and bullet-shaped and multicolored; Owen had seen similar vehicles on the covers of sci-fi novels. What was this place?

  He had only a moment to survey the city as he and the cluster flew over it. Then they were flying over another field, this one teeming with large, giraffe-like creatures at least fifty feet tall.

  “Where are you taking me?” Owen asked the cluster.

  “To my master.”

  They approached a large temple built into a massive hill. Large pillars lined the dark entrance, and Owen was astounded by the mere size of the place. It looked to be built for giants.

  They flew down a monstrous staircase, and then down a long corridor. There was a big round door made of stone, but they flew through it as if it wasn’t there. Down a spiral staircase now, and through another door.

  And then they were in a large, dark chamber.

  Something large was in the center of the chamber on a large round platform, surrounded by a deep pit—a giant beast of some kind, with glowing orange eyes and blue, rotting skin.

  Those eyes....

  “You’re the Beast with Orange Eyes,” Owen said without knowing why.

  “Yes,” replied the giant. “I am the Beast, but I do not like that name.”

  “What name, then?”

  “That’s not important. I have only a moment to offer you a bargain. Your mother managed to travel through barriers of existence—a very impressive feat, I might add—and I intruded on her trail to speak with you. I need you to free me.”

  “Free you? From where?”

  “This prison,” said the Beast, showing Owen large bronze shackles attached to its arms and legs. “I will make it worth your while. Anything you desire, I can give you. Once I’m free, that is.”

  “Anything?” Owen felt like he was being assaulted with color: the cyan of the energy cluster; the blue of the Beast’s skin; the bronze of the shackles; the orange eyes.

  The Beast smiled. Suddenly, the cyan-colored cluster sprang forth and settled in front of Owen. And then it transformed into a person. But not just any person.

  It was Chris.

  More energy surrounded Owen, transforming into more people: Alyssa, Daniel.

  And then even more energy, this time behind Owen. He turned and saw a blond man standing there, with a brunet woman—Mom and Dad. Mom’s green eyes glistened as tears fell down her cheeks. It broke Owen’s heart to see her like that. He remembered her from his childhood, yet had grown so used to not having her around for the past three years.

  He’d almost forgotten about her entirely.

  Owen was speechless as the people he loved the most surrounded him. They smiled at him.

  “I can return the ones you’ve lost,” said the Beast.

  Owen spun back to the eyes. The giant continued to smile at him.

  “All you have to do is release me from my prison.”

  “Why were you imprisoned in the first place?” Owen asked cautiously.

  “For crimes I did not commit,” the Beast replied. “The ones who captured me did not understand me. They thought I was a monster, but I am not. I am a god. Watch.”

  At that moment, the chamber surrounding Owen and the others transformed into rolling, beautiful hills and fields of luscious green grass. The sky was big and blue, with white fluffy clouds. The fields were filled with yellow and purple flowers. An assortment of large and small creatures roamed the field.

  “You created all this?” Owen asked the Beast, which was no longer chained up.

  “Some of it, yes. And other things.”

  “Tell me,” Owen insisted as he looked at his friends and family.

  “All right. I helped create the power inside you.”

  Owen looked up at the eyes again. “My mom created that power.”

  “And I created your mother.”

  Owen thought over that a moment. “You...created her?”

  “Yes, and many others like her.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling me, Beast,” Owen said. “If you expect me to help you, why not tell me everything?”

  “Look around you, boy,” the Beast said with a trace of anger. “I am the world, I am everything. When the planet was first born, so was I. And then I used my power to create life, but that life turned on me when it decided not to believe.”

  “Believe what?” Owen asked.

  “Believe in me. They chose to deny my existence by locking me away.”

  Owen looked around at his loved ones. They began to flicker before him, to grow transparent. Owen wanted to cry out for them to stay, before he realized they hadn’t really been there.

  Or had they?

  “Can you really bring them all back?” he asked the Beast.

  It chuckled. “Yes. I can remake them. I can give you whatever you want. All you have to do is release me.”

  “Where are you?” Owen found himself asking.

  “Another world,” the Beast replied.

  Owen looked at the eyes. “What other world?”

  “You can get here; I can show you how.”

  Owen started to feel doubt. He was regretting ever agreeing to bargain with the Beast in the first place. Something wasn’t right: Mom had told him she’d helped to fight an evil creature that grew too greedy for its own good, and now a similar creature was trying to convince him to set it free. Was this what Mom had fought? It had to be.

  “No.” The word escaped Owen’s mouth.

  “What did you say?” The anger grew in the Beast’s voice.

  “I said no. I will not set you free.”

  Suddenly the fields disappeared as well as Owen’s loved ones. Owen and the Beast were once again in the musty chamber.

  “That power inside you,” the Beast said. “It will kill you in the end. Armenus’s supplement is aware of its own existence, and will do anything to protect itself. That includes making you forget you’re its host. Because, if you know it’s there, you’ll try to get rid of it.”

  “What do you mean? What supplement?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Are you sure you don’t want to help me?”

  Owen had never been more sure of anything in his life, and he told the Beast so.

  “Have it your way.” The eyes grew brighter. “That power is yours now. Take care of it...while you can.”

  The energy cluster, Owen’s guide, struck him in the chest. He fell back, into oblivion...

  ...and woke up in Nikki’s office. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there. It had all come so fast he couldn’t make any sense of it. He felt dizzy and nauseated as he touched his chest, which was unharmed.

  “Are you okay?” Nikki asked.

  Owen looked quickly to the man beside her. “Darlington—” He suddenly lost track of his own thoughts. What was he about to say? What about Darlington? Owen’s thoughts were a confusing swirl.

  “Owen?” Nikki called quietly. “Are you all right? You don’t look good.”

  He nodded. “I just had a weird daydream, that’s all.”

  “What was it about?”

  He tried to recall everything he’d seen and couldn’t. He smiled and shrugged. “I can’t really remember.”

  “
That sucks; I hate when that happens.”

  “Me too.” He got up and left the room. D followed him out onto the fairgrounds. They walked past the Ferris wheel and found an old carousel covered in grime. The white horses were yellowish.

  There was a food court, a few shops and other small attractions around him. He walked past them until he got a clear view of the sun. When he finally found a good spot, he stood there and stared at the bright orb in the sky.

  Two of his friends were dead and one was missing, but Owen forgot all about that at the moment. Jason and Michael had failed at their attempt to “better the world,” and if they were still alive, Owen vowed they would never get a second chance.

  He also vowed to find Chris, wherever he was, and together, they would avenge the deaths of Daniel and Alyssa. Owen refused to think for one second they died for nothing. If Owen and Michael somehow built the orb in their “other lives,” then Owen would make sure no one else ever gained control of it.

  “If Jason and Michael are still out there,” Owen said to D, “we’ll get them.”

  D looked to Owen and nodded.

  * * *

  Nikki gave up on the orb and stared at Darlington instead. She wondered if she should tell Owen something had in some weird way been protecting him for quite some time now. Nikki couldn’t quite explain it, but ever since Owen stepped foot in the reading room minutes ago, she had felt some kind of spirit around the young boy. And after his little “daydream” moments ago, she didn’t doubt Owen had experienced something profound as well.

  Nikki flustered at the idea she was reading ghosts’ fortunes. She couldn’t understand how she was able to do it; she would need to hear them speak, if her power could even work with spirits.

  In the silence, she noticed something that sounded like whispering. She looked around her reading room, trying to trace the source. It frightened her to be surrounded by a voice that had no source. She listened carefully to see if she could hear what it was saying.

  After a moment, she understood all too well, and she realized she’d heard the whispering from the moment Owen showed up.

  “Don’t tell him,” a female voice said. “Not yet. And don’t let him lose the orb.”

  Nikki decided to oblige. She had a feeling Owen wouldn’t be alone for long. She had a feeling that, for better or worse, others would join him soon to re-form the Unstoppable Titans. Their adventures weren’t over yet.