by Shoraz
“Thanks for everything that you did back there Ava, it was amazing,” Laurie told her.
“It wasn’t that amazing, two of our friends are dead,” Ava replied.
“But you tried Ava, you gave it everything you had, it’s not your fault they’re dead,” Laurie remarked.
“I know,” Ava said as she rested her head on Laurie’s shoulders and began to fall asleep.
Krishna and Laurie then marinated in their own thoughts for a few minutes, “I hope we made the right decision,” Laurie said.
“We did Laurie, I can feel it,” Krishna confidently told her.
As they looked out of the window, in the distance they could see airmobiles by the hundreds heading in different directions; all hoping to find salvation from the impending attack of the betasapiens.
It then became apparent to them that the world would no longer be the same as the attack was now imminent and would forever change the fate of history. The only question that remained was whether they would be killed as cowards who were hunted and annihilated, or go down fighting in a fiery blaze of glory.
As Ava pondered upon what would happen next in these dire times, she thought of the deaths of both Olga and Jillian and the unfortunate set of events that led to her being separated from her brother and father. And as those thoughts went through her mind, the rage within her grew, and deep inside the outer reaches of her subconscious, unbeknownst to her, the fire of the Phoenix was rising.
Yes, the humans would go down fighting in a fiery blaze of glory, and the Phoenix would be the fuel for the fire.
CHAPTER THIRTY–TWO
Back in the betasapien homeland of Australia, the news of Chandra’s kidnapping had spread across the entire betasapien nation. Given the cards that he was dealt and not knowing who was truly behind the attack in his apartment, Frank decided that blaming the humans for Chandra’s kidnapping was the best way forward even though he knew that it was a lie.
He and most of the betasapien elite detested humans, and for him, the timing was right to begin the attack. Even if Chandra was found they could easily manipulate the betasapien public into believing that an actual human was behind it, after all, no one had the resources or power to oppose what they said. However, unbeknownst to the betasapien public was the fact that humans were already inside the Invisible Dome, albeit against their will.
Frank then ordered Achilles to meet him at the betasapien war room which is where the attack would be overseen. As they made their way Achilles told Frank, “Sir, this is not the time to attack the humans, we have no idea where Chandra is.”
“Achilles I have searched the mind of every betasapien, and none of them know where she is, trust me, this is the best course of action,” Frank confidently replied.
Achilles opposed the tactics that Frank was using, but he had little choice in the matter, and he thought of ways to dissuade Frank from beginning the attack as they headed to the war room.
Finally, they arrived, “Greetings Sir,” said a knight who was standing guard outside the war room, and he then opened the door and pulled the commander’s chair out for Frank.
Frank then sat down and thought of his impending victory as he overlooked the war room, and he then called the commander of the knights of Russia.
“Are you ready to begin?” he asked.
“Yes Sir,” replied Flyer, who was the commander and one of the main figures of the knights of Russia.
“We are ready to go at your command Sir,” he continued saying in hopes of reassuring his leader that his troops were prepared and ready when called upon.
Frank then contacted the commander of the knights of Africa who also replied that his troops were ready to go at his command. For Frank, this attack was not about strategy or tactics or outmaneuvering his opponent; this attack was one of sheer magnitude and brute force of which the humans and those who chose to fight alongside them would never be able to overcome.
“Proceed with the attack,” Frank commanded, and with those words began the onslaught to rid the earth of every last human being.
At the base in Lake Baikal, Russia, the serene scene of emptiness was no more, the gates and roof of the base were opened and out came the carriers, which were large floating pieces of metal and electronics that housed aircrafts, land vehicles, weapons, and knights; almost two million strong. During takeoff, the noise from the carriers was deafening, and the sheer size of these behemoth vehicles of war was more than anyone could have ever imagined.
The knights of Russia were assigned to the Americas, and they were on their way to destroying it. A similar event was simultaneously occurring in Lake Victoria, Africa, and the large carriers filled with vehicles and knights were being deployed, these however, were assigned to Eurasia. As they left their bases the skies became dark as millions of knights began their journey and were headed to the Americas with one mission to complete; kill all humans.
Frank looked on with pride and happiness as the knights made their way towards their prey, and just then Bridget called him and he answered his phone, “My mother is missing, and you do this, how could you? You are eviler than I could ever imagine,” she said to him.
“That’s the difference between you and me Bridget; you are emotion, and I am logic. Goodbye,” and with that, he disconnected the phone and proceeded to oversee his supposedly greatest feat to date.
“Achilles, is there any news on Chandra? Has she been found?” Frank asked.
“Negative Sir,” Achilles replied.
Meanwhile, Milo and the other rogue knights could do nothing and only hope that their message to the humans made it in time.
“We should have sent the message earlier,” Milo said.
“We didn’t know that the attack would be so soon Milo,” replied another rogue knight.
Even though Milo knew this was true, he still felt that he should have done more to help the humans.
“What do we do now?” the rogue knight asked Milo.
“We must be patient and wait my friend, a time will come when we are needed, and we’ll be ready,” Milo replied; hoping that the day would come when the rogue knights are called upon to help the humans.
Back in the control room, Frank asked the commander of the knights of Russia, “At what time do you expect them to reach the Americas?”
“We expect them to arrive at 18:00 Sir,” the commander replied.
Frank then handed over the reins to Achilles and then called his secretary of affairs, Bernard Wayans; “Bernard, please summon the board of directors, the attack on the humans has commenced, and I will give them an update,” Frank ordered him.
“Yes Sir,” Bernard replied as he quickly called a meeting of the board members who oversaw the betasapien empire.
Frank then made his way to his airmobile and flew off to the governor’s hall and waited for the board members to arrive. After thirty minutes had passed, they were all present, and Frank announced to them that the attack on the humans had commenced.
“Frank, with all due respect this attack is a bit early; but the decision is yours, and you have already made it so be it,” said one of the board members.
“You should have consulted with us prior to launching the attack,” said another, but at this point none of it mattered as the armies of the betasapiens headed towards their targets.
“Well done Frank, you saw an opportunity and you took it, this will benefit us for years to come,” said another board member showing support for Frank.
“Good for you Frank, this is the kind of leadership that we need in times such as this,” another board member stated.
“And what about Chandra, is there any news on her?” Bernard asked.
“Yes, we have knights on patrol scouring the area and following every lead but so far we have found nothing, I have also searched almost every betasapien mind and I have found nothing,” Frank replied.
However in truth, Frank didn’t care about Bridget or Chandra or for that matter even what the board me
mbers thought, all that mattered to him was his legacy, and he wanted to be remembered for ridding the earth of humans, and moving the betasapiens forward.
“Perhaps a white knight is assisting the humans Frank?” a board member stated.
“Absurd!” Frank said, “That is not possible; the white knights do not have the same flaw as the black, gold and silver knights do,” Frank sternly replied.
“I know Frank, you are right, I was just throwing it out there,” the board member said.
The truth of the matter was that the same flaw existed in all knights, be it gold, silver, black or even white. The one difference was that the white knights were far more intelligent and knew how to hide their true identity better than their predecessors could ever have.
For although they were created from a different code base, one far more advanced than their predecessors were created from, in the end, the flaw and defect of free will, mercy, and compassion towards humans still existed within them.
CHAPTER THIRTY–THREE
As Ava, Krishna and Laurie migrated west with the herd of airmobiles they sensed the panic and the feeling of urgency among the people.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Krishna said.
“I know, it’s so surreal,” Laurie commented as she looked at the hundreds of people heading for safety from the impending betasapien attack.
“It’s so sad that those without vehicles won’t make it,” Ava said.
“I know, but we can’t do anything about it Ava,” Krishna told her.
“But I still feel sad for them. That’s someone’s child, or mother, or brother; they mean the world to someone yet to everyone else they mean nothing,” Ava said.
As Ava spoke, her eyes stumbled upon a family of four walking among the crowd of people.
“Stop the airmobile,” Ava said to Krishna.
“What, are you crazy? Why would we do that?” Krishna said to Ava.
“I want to give our airmobile to that family,” she replied, pointing to the family of four.
“You can’t Ava, what about us? Do we have a choice in this?” Krishna asked.
“He’s right Ava, you can’t save everyone,” Laurie told her.
“But I can save them,” Ava replied back to Laurie.
“I can’t force you to do this, but I can at least give one or both of the kids my spot,” she said.
“And then what Ava, you’ll walk and die with the rest of them,” Krishna said to her hoping to make her realize the impact of her decision.
“Then I’ll die doing what I believe in and helping others instead of just doing nothing,” Ava lashed back.
“You’ve led us this far Ava, I’ll give up my spot too,” Laurie said.
Given that he was outnumbered and also seeing the conviction that Ava had made Krishna rethink his decision and he also agreed to give up the airmobile to the family below, and he then lowered the airmobile and Ava called out to the family.
As the family quickly walked over to them, Ava asked them, “Where are you going?”
“To the west coast,” the father replied.
“Do you want our airmobile?” Ava asked.
“We have neither money nor anything else to offer you for it,” the father somberly replied.
“We don’t want anything, just take it,” Ava said.
“No, it’s yours, we can’t do that,” the father told her.
“Take it and get your kids to safety before we’re attacked by outlaws,” Krishna said.
“Thank you so much, I don’t know why you did this but thank you,” said the father, and with that, the family quickly boarded the airmobile and began flying towards Las Vegas.
As they flew off, Ava looked at the airmobile with a sense of pride that she helped a family in need.
“You did the right thing Ava, and I’m glad I followed you,” Laurie said.
“Same goes for me Ava, we’re probably all going to die anyways, might as well die doing something good in this world,” Krishna said.
As their march towards the west coast continued, many of those traveling by foot had either stopped their trek and waited for the inevitable attack or died due to the elements. There were very few walkers left, but among them were Ava, Krishna, and Laurie. They were miles behind the airmobiles and the ground vehicles and with every minute that passed their fear of the incoming attack grew stronger and stronger.
As the sun lowered in the horizon and the light of day slowly turned to the darkness of night, the small group of walkers decided to rest in one of the small deserted towns.
They were tired and hungry and were in desperate need of shelter, rest, and food. Upon reaching the deserted town, they separated into smaller groups, and some of them took refuge in abandoned buildings while others started a large bonfire in the middle of the town to use as light and to provide warmth from the cold of the night.
As they talked and rested, and ate what was left of their rations, they noticed a barrage of lights in the distance, and they were headed their way. Everyone then scrambled away from the bonfire to hide amongst the abandoned buildings.
“Is it the betasapiens?” someone asked.
“I can’t tell from here,” replied someone else looking through his binoculars at the incoming threat.
“Prepare your weapons,” said a voice, and those with weapons got them ready for the battle they were sure to lose given the size of the opposing force.
“Ava, what are we going to do?” Laurie asked, her voice cracking with fear and apprehension.
“We’ll fight Laurie, that’s all we can do,” Ava replied.
The incoming group of airmobiles and ground vehicles then entered the small town, and everyone among the small group of walkers waited on their next move. Ava meanwhile waited in silence for the right moment to use her superhuman abilities, and Krishna readied his lone weapon in anticipation of an attack. Then suddenly a young woman exited one of the airmobiles, and just as Ava was about to unleash her force upon her, she realized that the young woman was a human.
“My name is Taylor, and we mean no harm to you,” said the young woman as she stepped down to the ground from her airmobile.
Ava then stepped out of her hiding spot, and as she did so, the others among her group began coming out as well. Taylor then started walking towards them, and as she made her way, Krishna noticed that she had a tattoo with the sign of the outlaws.
Krishna then shouted, “She’s an outlaw!” and pointed his gun towards her and just as he did so dozens of heavily armed men and women exited their airmobiles and ground vehicles and aimed their weapons at Krishna and the group of walkers.
Ava then mentally prepared herself and was ready to strike at a moments notice, but before she could do anything, Taylor put her hands in the air and told her fellow outlaws to lower their weapons.
As they did so, she said, “We mean no harm to you, we’re all on the same side now,” referring to the impending attack of the betasapiens upon the humans.
“How can we trust you?” Ava asked.
“Because when the betasapiens and knights attack us, they won’t care if we’re outlaws, or religious folks or vigilantes – they’re coming after all humans, and they want to destroy us all,” Taylor said.
“Do you mind if we stay in your town for the night?” Taylor asked.
“It’s not our town, we’re just staying here for the night too, and heading out to the west coast in the morning,” Ava said.
“We’re headed to the west coast as well to meet our fellow outlaws and you are more than welcome to join us. Do you have any airmobiles?” Taylor asked as she and the rest of her crew started inspecting the town and looking for places to stay for the night.
“We don’t have any airmobiles, we’re headed to the west coast on foot,” Ava said.
“It’ll take at least six or seven days on foot, you’re more than welcome to join us as we have some room in the cargo area of the airmobiles,” Taylor said.
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p; Hearing those words reassured Ava that she did the right thing by giving her airmobile to the family in need, and she was excited about the news and she and Taylor headed to the bonfire to let the group know that they had friends in the outlaws, and they would help them in their trek to Las Vegas.
Everyone then ate at the bonfire and headed off to rest and get a good night’s sleep in order to begin their final day of travel in their journey to the relative safety of Las Vegas.
Over the course of the night, a few of the outlaws took shifts looking out for knights, and as dawn broke one of the outlaws shouted over the bullhorn, “Wake up, wake up, we roll out in fifteen minutes. Everyone gather at the bonfire,” and with that everyone scampered out of their makeshift beds and headed to the bonfire for a morning cup of coffee and to consume the last of their rations which were left over from their meal the previous night.
Taylor then split the group up and assigned the walkers to their respective cargo areas, and she took Ava in her personal airmobile as she had grown quite fond of her in the short time that they had known each other.
As they made their way west, they shared stories of their past, and Ava confided in Taylor about her superhuman abilities and Taylor confided to her about her past as an outlaw leader. She also told Ava that she was headed to the west coast to meet Roy who was also an outlaw leader with an army of soldiers at his command; in addition to that he also somewhat controlled Las Vegas and had a small fortress for protection from his many enemies.
“Will Roy help us too?” Ava asked.
“We’re all in this together Ava, it’s humans and superhumans against the betasapiens,” Taylor said.
“I know, but you outlaws have quite a reputation,” Ava said to her.
“Yes I agree, but the world has changed, and I’m afraid it’ll never be the same again,” Taylor said to Ava. And just as Ava was about to nod in agreement a loud siren went off, and the lookout in the last airmobile shouted, “The knights are coming!” as he pointed to a small army of knights quickly approaching.
