by Marc Mulero
“Jen!” he shouted in a loud whisper.
“Eugene,” she said back in between her sobs, “I knew you would be here, I saw it in this goddamn head,” Jen slammed her fist down onto her own skull. She looked up at him with tears flowing down her scars. “What's happening to me, Eugene?” she asked as she held up her red tinted hands. “I want to go home!” she pleaded.
Eugene tried to reach for her, but she swatted him away.
“What made you kill that patrol guard?” he asked.
“I didn't,” she said, shaking her head violently, “He was dead when I got here.”
Holy shit, she's lost her mind. Her hands are soaked with his blood.
“Jen, snap out of it, please!” he pleaded.
Jen stopped shaking and looked up at Eugene with familiar unfocused dead eyes.
“You let them do this to me! How could you just stand there and watch? For days, Eugene? How could you betray me like that?” she said in a deep, scolding tone.
Defeated from the madness, Eugene let himself fall on his ass across from Jen.
“It's over, isn't it?” Eugene said out loud to himself, “There's no escape.”
Jen crawled over and put her hand on his. He turned his head downward to face her, surprised.
Her face was twitching, “Don't give up,” she said in a soft voice.
His arms filled with goosebumps; the tone of her voice immediately brought back memories of them being together in their house.
The memory faded from his vision and he grasped her hand with both of his, “I won't give up. We have to make it past this. I've been given a second chance to save you and I'm not passing it up. You can bet my life on it.”
Jen struggled to keep her attention honed on what he was saying. She smiled and then immediately curled up into a ball, screaming in excruciating pain. She kept violently tearing at her hair and hitting her head. Eugene hastily ran over to carefully shut the front door of the jet. He ran back to her as quickly as he could, frustrated, not knowing how to help her.
“You have to get this under control somehow,” Eugene said hesitantly.
“My name is Asura!” she screamed back. “You lost me the moment you let that scum have their way with me. I'm no longer yours!” she screamed.
Maybe the effects of that geyser depend upon the mental state of the person.
“Eugene,” she said softly, moments after the screaming, “I see scenarios playing out in my head. One of them ends with Jason murdering you and enslaving me.”
Eugene shook his head, “Pick a different one.”
“This doesn't make any sense,” Jen said, “It feels like I met you yesterday, but I have a lifetime of thoughts racing through my head and you're in so many of them.”
“I heard Jason babbling about similar feelings through Blague's radio back in Senation,” Eugene said. “He seems to have embraced this feeling. Maybe you should try doing the same,” he continued.
Jen continued to hold her head, “I can feel Jason's thoughts. He's finishing up a speech as we speak.”
Is this it? Has she lost her mind?
“I think that geyser connected us somehow,” Jen said.
She let out another scream and slammed her head onto the metal floor. Her blonde hair made a small puddle on the floor around her. Eugene ran over to the dead body, and scrapped his clothes, and started dressing himself with what he needed.
“Eugene!” she screamed. “What if Jason can feel my thoughts too?”
Just then, they felt the vibrations of a large group walking in unison. Eugene rushed to a window to see the entire Aura surrounding their jet. His eyes widened and Jen stood up, her eyes completely unfocused. She slowly walked over to Eugene, who was scrambling to take the dead guard’s weapons in hopes of making a final stand.
This is it, this is how it ends.
Jen walked up behind him with a gash on her forehead from when she slammed her head. Eugene tried to turn around, but she already had her arms firmly around his neck and head, strangling him.
“This is squad leader. When you're done stuffing your face, meet us at coordinates 65, 146; the lighthouse entrance. We're investigating an ambush as directed by the quartermaster,” both Ronnie’s and Gus' radios projected at the same time.
“I guess he's referring to me,” Gus said while laughing.
“Wes seemed a little worried to me. That's very unlike him,” Ronnie said, hoping for a response from Gus.
I have to make my escape somehow. I have all of the information I'm going to get.
“Ready for your first mission as a Balista, Trevor?” Ronnie asked, patting her back.
“Affirmative, I need to avenge my squad,” Volaina said.
“Careful,” Ronnie said, “make sure you keep your head on straight. As you know, elite guards have no room for error.”
These two are good people. It's a shame that we view the world so differently.
“Hey! Go easy on him. He knows the ropes. He just lost his second family,” Gus said. He then turned to Trevor, “I know you're motivated to kick ass on our next missions, but you could lay low and follow along until you’re acclimated.”
Volaina put her head down, “I'll see how I'm taking things as they progress.”
Gus nodded and turned back around. Ronnie stepped ahead of Gus and they each headed single file toward the exit of the main quarters, back into the scanning room.
“The snipers are still out there,” Ronnie said, “Stay alert.”
The three of them ducked forward and began running toward their next mission.
This is always the worst part of my line of work. I wish I was a sociopath and could detach from emotion or rationalize hatred. But unfortunately, that’s not me and this is reality. I've seen too much to think that I'm on the wrong side.
“Slow down,” Volaina said, “I see something far ahead.”
The three of them stayed low to the ground, but decreased their speed to a slow walk. Both Ronnie and Gus were trying to analyze what Volaina saw. They lifted their masks to get a better look. She slowly pulled out a silenced pistol, lifting her mask to reveal her strongly defined, but attractive female face.
“I'm sorry,” she said in a sincere voice, no longer masking her gender.
Ronnie was clearly shaken, as he slowly turned around and reached for his weapon. Volaina’s bullet pierced through the back of Gus' head.
Had to take out the marksman first.
She turned her pistol to Ronnie as they made eye contact. He swiftly tried to lift his rifle, but he knew it was already over for him. Volaina fired one shot to his forehead. A tear escaped her eye as she did it. She stood on the pathway between the Clestice headquarters and the lighthouse. At least a mile in between stood nothing but gravel hills. The silence became eerie, as it mostly did in these situations. Volaina extended her arm and looked the other way, pulling the trigger as she aimed at the wound she had just created; she tried making the bullet hole bigger so that it would look like a sniper rifle made the shot. She then dragged Gus' body about twenty feet ahead and did the same to his corpse.
She reached for Gus' radio and masked her voice, “The sniper got Ronnie and Trevor! I'm making a break for the lighthouse! Get inside!”
Hopefully the disappearance of "Trevor's" body gets lost in the chaos of the numerous Hiezer elite guard deaths.
Volaina reached for her Sin radio, “Blague, mission accomplished. I'm heading home and I have intel.”
Chapter 19
“Elaina, once we deliver this last piece, we can focus on your work for the rest of the year,” Blague said, while keeping his eyes on the road.
They were traveling west, admiring the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
“I know. You've worked very hard to make your dream a reality. Just focus on accomplishing this last task, then the rest is in his hands,” Elaina said.
Blague paused for a moment, “You know, my father was right. The business world I was once a part of was
fruitless. The sense of accomplishment was purely individualistic and selfish.”
“You could say that, but it pushed you in the direction that led you to me and your new purpose. It gave you the confidence to aspire to something greater. Not to mention, it gave you clarity on what you didn't like,” Elaina said with a smile.
Blague drove silently for a moment. “Hah, if nothing else I guess working with those assholes taught me how to handle myself differently. Maybe it wasn't all a waste,” he said looking over at her.
“It wasn't, Blague. I've been with you for a long time, trust me on this one.”
“What about you? Do you regret spending so much time in college pursuing a PHD?” Blague asked.
“Of course not! I now know what it takes to do something great!” she exclaimed. “I obviously didn't stop there,” Elaina paused for a moment, “It's been years since anyway,” she said while smiling, thinking back to her past life.
Blague glanced over at her and thought to himself, “Her ambition keeps on growing. I hope we can continue banking off of each other's drive.”
They drove silently for a while. Elaina had the passenger's side window open, letting her long brown hair dance in the wind. She was thin and of average height. She had illuminating energy; you could almost see her thoughts creating her actions. Blague admired everything about her, from her beautiful features to her ability to reinvent herself, constantly pursuing change and growth. It certainly kept Blague on his toes.
“I'm worried about Orin. He has his hands full with your brother. Maybe we should reconsider our trip until things are straightened out,” she said.
“Mulderan's peculiar way of operating led him down a very dark path. But I don't think he would actually act in a way that would harm people,” Blague responded.
“I don't know. You have too much faith in him. His ideologies are a little sociopathic,” she said while laughing nervously.
“I know, that's why I've detached from him for the most part. And you shouldn't worry about my father. If there's one thing that man can do, it's handle himself,” Blague responded.
“From a son who believes the end of the world is coming?” Elaina fired back, “And that anyone not pulling their weight should be killed?”
“Hah, you know Mulderan was never known for his heart,” he said.
Elaina paused and looked down for a moment, “I want to ask you a question that I haven't asked in years,” holding and then breaking eye contact.
Blague looked over for a moment, “What is it?”
“Have you still given up hope on the rest of your family?”
“Yes, dear,” Blague said trying to keep the conversation light. “I didn't grow up in a nurturing environment. You know it's only natural for me to continue on my own path without looking back,” he finished.
“But aren't you curious?” Elaina asked, “Hell, I'm curious for you.”
They both laughed, knowing the conversation wasn't going to go any further. Elaina looked at the dashboard and tensed her eyebrows, watching as it began to shake violently. A second later, they felt the entire car bouncing back and forth.
“What the fuck is going on,” Blague said.
As they continued forward, the ripples beneath the ground caused everything to tremble around them. In the distance, a skyscraper toppled over.
“Did you see that?” Blague screamed.
Elaina held onto the dashboard as her whole body tensed.
“Are we under attack again?” her shaky, terrified voice asked.
“No,” Blague said while calming himself, “this is something else.”
Another building imploded and fell vertically, lifting a huge cloud of smoke into the sky. The ground wildly started to crack around them. Piles of cement and rock were tossed in every direction.
“An earthquake?” Elaina screamed in terror.
“This isn't like any earthquake I've ever experienced. Everything is happening so fast,” Blague said while slowing down the car. “Elaina, look at me,” he grabbed her shoulder, “I love you,” he said as he closed his eyes and gave her a kiss. “Listen to me, we both know I'm trained for survival, but judging by the intensity, our living through this is largely up to chance.” Blague put his hand behind her head, “Ok?”
Elaina bit her lip as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She eventually nodded, “Ok, I love you too.”
She leaned in for a hug. Blague hugged her back and then swiftly reached for his bag in the back seat.
“Follow me,” he said.
Their surroundings appeared as if a tornado was forming of rock and terrain. Banging as loud as thunder sounded right at their feet.
“What the hell is that?” Elaina screamed while holding her ears.
Blague grabbed her hand, “Run now, ask later,” he shouted through the clamor.
Blague was clean shaven in a seemingly expensive suit; his wavy hair was pushed back.
He looked around frantically, quickly deciphering the best route to take, “Water. We need to get to a small body of water or a small brick shed.”
Blague gripped the bag tightly with one hand and grasped Elaina's hand with the other. People were abandoning their cars and running frantically through the streets. The poor souls who decided to hide out in their basements were crushed by toppling houses. The quake wasn't sluggish or predictable. The damage was occurring devastatingly fast. Terrain was whipping out from under them, launching people into the air as the cement flew, and crushing others as the blocks of asphalt fell. Blague sprinted only enough so that Elaina could keep up. They hopped fences in a residential area in Queens, New York, trying desperately to get to open ground and minimize the chance of being hit by flying debris.
Could Mulderan have been right? His theory that Earth's aging core would shoot flares that would eventually tear the earth apart from the inside… could this be it?
Blague spun around and grabbed Elaina, pulling both of them to the floor, ducking a massive boulder that flew past them.
Blague's radio went off snapping him back to reality. He looked up while the pupils within his green eyes became constricted. He was still sitting at the table where he revealed some of his past to his team. Endok and a few of his scientists remained, studying the puncture on his back.
Blague picked up his radio, “Lito, gather all of the commanders and meet at the front entrance.”
Mulderan and Eldra walked at the head of a group of highlords and high council as they approached a giant black marble roundtable. Mulderan remained standing as the others proceeded to sit. The highlords elegantly tucked their cloaks as they sat. Mulderan's Hiezer cloak continued to ripple as he stood still. His cold stare passed through all of the participants as he observed his audience. He slowly took a seat, keeping his elbows on the table and folding his hands close to his head.
“Is everything in position for Old New York?” he questioned.
One of the highlords spoke up, “The gatekeepers of the new fortress are awaiting our arrival.”
Mulderan nodded, “Then our departure will be one month from today,” he said with no room for debate.
“What is the purpose of this gathering, Mulderan?” another highlord probed.
Mulderan turned his head and coldly stared at him, “To ensure the next stage of our survival.”
The highlords began conversing with each other, trying to decipher what that could mean. Eldra and Mulderan sat back silently and exchanged a look. Another question rose above the chatter.
“What about the current uprisings among the Templos and Sin populations?” a highlord asked.
Mulderan backhanded the air, “Trivial in comparison. We will address that here. It's part of the agenda.”
A highlord with thick black hair sitting slightly over his face leaned forward. His robe had additional cloth hanging over the sleeves of his cloak.
“The assault on Dactuar estates is unacceptable,” the man said in a British accent.
“Alek, you can'
t possibly be serious,” Jeck said. “The Sin threat took over our Senation fortress and what's worse, they are in possession of Ayelan,” Jeck continued, “Your cousins are Dactuars, so your motive is personal.”
Eldra leaned forward, both Jeck and Alek shifted their eyes hesitantly to her. The icy stare from her crystal blue eyes was enough to divert anyone's attention. Her pupils were unusually small, making the crystal blue shine that much more noticeable.
“The Sin threat is currently contained to the exiled continents. The Templos threat is crossing borders and gaining ground. Regardless if it's personal, Alek is correct; we must stomp out the Templos threat first. I've proposed a means to do so,” Eldra said as she slid a device to the middle of the roundtable.
A picture projected out of the device.
“The three names listed above are the drivers of the Templos movement. We have the means to capture their immediate family members and use them as leverage to prevent their expansion. If they don't comply, we will execute each of the hostages until they do. This process will allow us to gain intelligence as to their motives and goals, at which point we will find their weaknesses and exploit them. The Sin threat will remain secondary so long as they remain contained. Remember highlords, there is an impending matter that takes priority over all of this,” Eldra said.
Alek nodded, content that her long winded declaration swayed in his favor.
“With all due respect,” Jeck said, “you haven't considered the rate of growth of the Sin uprising. I've resided among them. Blague is extremely capable and determined. This will bite us in the end,” he warned.
“My brother's capabilities have been noted, Jeck,” Mulderan interjected, “The fact is that the Templos uprising is better equipped and more likely to interfere with our research progress. As of this moment, that threat is on hold.”
Jeck reluctantly nodded and sat back.
