She…she’s dead, Q thought.
He tried opening his eyes slowly. He didn’t want to see the terrible sight.
The Zyxian had just frozen with the sword inches away from Elizabeth.
It had a horn growing from its stomach. It took Q a while to realize that it wasn’t a horn. It was a dagger. Chris stepped out from behind the Zyxian.
“Good thing I didn’t come out to fight, huh?” she asked, her voice deathly quiet.
Elizabeth was still frozen. Her brain was still processing why she hadn't died yet.
“ELIZABETH!” Chris yelled into her ears.
Elizabeth flinched a little bit and turned normal again. She just stared at Chris and then realized what had happened.
“Thank you so much!” she said, and hugged Chris.
“Umm... you’re welcome?” Chris didn't know how to react.
Taylor and Kai came running in.
“What happened?” Taylor asked. “We heard screams.”
Chris told them the whole story. At the end of it Taylor’s face was full of awe.
Elizabeth punched Q. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Taylor too looked at Q. “Yeah... why didn’t we wake her up?”
“Well she did faint and we didn’t know how much she could fight, so the best thing to do was to let her sleep,” Q said.
“So how long till we reach?” Taylor asked.
“About half a day or so,” Kai said.
“We haven’t got much time; we’re going to have to rush,” Q told Kai.
“About that” Taylor started. “You never really told us what it is that we’re after.”
Q hit the panic button. He didn’t know if he should tell them the truth or not. If he did tell them, they might panic, like he was doing; but they did have a right to know. He decided to take a plunge for it and tell them anyway.
So he told them the whole deal. The super black hole, the other black holes that were making him bigger and worst of all, their seven-day deadline till a hole was ripped in space-time and the universe ended.
“Didn't see that coming,” Kai said.
“So do you know where it is that we’re going?” Taylor asked him.
“All Carlos told me is that we’ll meet a guy there who’ll tell us what we’ve got to do,” Q replied.
“C’mon guys. Just relax. We’ve got half a day to burn,” Elizabeth suggested.
After that, everyone went about doing their own stuff.
Q picked up a superman comic that Kai had brought and flicked through the pages. Chris studied Elizabeth to try and figure out why she had fainted like that.
Taylor sat in the bunks practicing her sword stance. She had started acting more seriously now that everyone knew that she was a dark knight.
Q wondered if this was her actual personality and the ‘always cheerful’ Taylor was just a gag.
Kai sat in the pit looking at the constellations in space. He had a lot on his mind.
What Q had told them only gave them a general idea and not the complete picture. He hoped that this guy that they were going to meet would clear it up for them.
Q put the comic down after a while and went over to Taylor. She was sitting on her bunk looking out into space.
“What’s wrong?” she turned to Q.
“I was just wondering why this stuff was kept a secret from me for so long,” Q said.
Taylor sighed. “You weren't ready. The universe wasn't facing any threats either. I may be wrong, but I think the whole reason Carlos brought you into this now is because he thinks you're the only one who can save the universe.”
“Isn’t that kind of funny? I mean, why can't you do it? Why can't Elizabeth? All those kids from the other classes? Carlos himself could take on this mission.”
“It’s simple really. None of them ever created a force field.”
“I don't even know how to wield a sword!”
“And yet you were able to beat a seasoned swordsman,” she said. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re much more than what you think.”
Q recalled Carlos telling him the same thing. “Thanks Taylor,” he smiled.
He walked back to the pit and picked up another comic.
Chris was fully focused. She just needed to know why Elizabeth had reacted like that.
“Thank you for saving me,” Elizabeth said.
She was lying on a table in the infirmary right behind the bunker. There were machines all around her taking scans.
“No problem at all,” Chris smiled.
“So what do you think is the problem?”
“I’d like to tell you that I know but actually, I have no idea what went wrong.”
Elizabeth got up from the table. “Maybe we should try it some other time,” she said.
“Yeah. Maybe.” Chris agreed.
“You must be an amazing healer if Carlos recommended you to be our medic.”
“Let’s just say I’m good,” Chris smiled.
Kai was still deep in thought when he saw a bright orange speck far away. He used the telescope to look at it. It seemed to be a planet.
“Q, Just take a look at this.” He handed the telescope to Q.
Q looked through the telescope excitedly. He saw the planet. He even searched around to see if there were other planets in the area. There weren’t. This was the planet that they were looking for. It had to be.
They’d reached.
“I’ll go tell the others,” Q said
He got everyone up and ready.
“Let’s take a look at this planet.” Elizabeth looked through the telescope.
“Take a look,” she said and handed it to Taylor. “It looks like a desert.”
Taylor took a look as well. “I’d hate to say this but she’s right,” she concluded.
“Why? What’s the problem with a desert?” Q was confused. They could beat up huge giants but they were afraid of a desert?
“The heat is nothing compared to the Sahara. Us Gaia won't survive in it for long,” Elizabeth said.
“Huh? Gaia?” Q asked.
“The other name for Earthlings. You do know that right?” Elizabeth said.
Q nodded sheepishly. He’d completely forgotten what Carlos had taught him. Not good.
“Guys quiet. I need to focus,” Kai said.
“Why? Is landing such a tough thing?” Chris asked.
“You don’t know the air pressure, the air type. We don’t even know what the surface is made of! Heck, it might not even be a desert. It could just be an illusion that…”
“So are you saying we’re wrong?” Taylor and Elizabeth said in unison.
“I’d n...never say that. You’re the smartest p..people I know,” he laughed nervously.
“So when are we landing?” Q said.
“In like two minutes. I’d suggest you wear your armor now itself ‘cause if we crash that’s the only thing that can protect you.”
“C..c..crash?” Elizabeth asked. “I thought you said you were a good pilot!”
“He’s just kidding,” Q smiled at her. “We’d better put on our armor. Just in case”
“Ethosien,” they all said.
Q had seen Taylor’s and Kai’s armor but Elizabeth’s looked like it was fit for royalty.
It was a blue and white armor. She didn’t have a shield or a sword. Instead she had two sharp daggers on the sides of her calves.
Chris’s armor was amazing. It looked as if a fairy had made it!
It was made entirely out of something that looked like leaves. While everyone else’s armor looked all bulky and metallic, hers was slim and flexible. The leaf-like material wrapped around her body and covered the back of her head. The rest of her head was covered by some sort of a visor.
The suit had a certain charm about it; it radiated positive aura. Q felt a certain calmness in its presence. He wondered if the suit was supposed to enhance a healer’s capabilities.
“Cool suit,” Q told Chris.
&n
bsp; She pulled out a crossbow from her back and aimed at Q.
“Don’t underestimate me, kid” she mocked.
“Don’t call me a kid. I’m as old as you are, you know,” Q argued.
“You’re fifteen” she asked Q.
“Duh!” Q said.
“I’m fourteen,” Elizabeth said.
Q turned to Kai “How old are you?” he asked.
“Fifteen as well,” he mumbled.
“So that makes Taylor the oldest,” Q smiled.
“I am so not taking care of you kids,” she laughed.
“Can we have this age discussion later? I’m going in.”
Kai brought the Orion lower and lower.
The girls were right. Sand made up the whole surface. It was a desert all right.
Kai put the ship down expertly making everyone wonder what he had been cribbing about before. They hadn’t felt even a single jolt!
The door unlocked and Q jumped down. He immediately felt his legs sinking into the sand.
Q’s face tensed up. Terror seized him “Quicksand!” he shouted.
Elizabeth and Taylor came running out.
They started laughing uncontrollably.
“W..what’s wrong?” Q said. “I’m stuck in quicksand for god’s sake.”
“That isn’t quicksand.” Taylor managed to say in between laughs.
“You’re standing in a pit!” Elizabeth finished.
Q looked down. He was in a hole about a foot wide and another foot or so deep.
He blushed. That was seriously embarrassing. The heat must've played tricks on his eyes.
They looked around. There appeared to be no civilization for miles. There wasn’t any life either. Q wondered if they were on the right planet after all.
“I guess the only thing left to do now is to explore,” Chris suggested.
They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The heat felt like it could kill you!
They walked for a little while but the heat was just too much. Q wished that they had built-in air conditioners in their armor. They stopped in the shade of the dunes to catch their breath.
“Damn it!” Taylor was frustrated. “Who is it that we have to meet here?”
“I don’t know. All we know right now is that he’ll help us,” Q said.
Elizabeth too was frustrated. “He could be anywhere in the whole planet! Which is not small by any standards, by the way,” she said.
Kai walked back from the top of a dune “Guys, I think I’ve found it.”
They all followed Kai over the dune. There they saw it. A wooden cottage about a mile away.
“Huh,” Taylor said. “That was easy.”
“Almost too easy,” Elizabeth agreed.
“You were cribbing when we didn't find it!” Q complained.
“But finding it like this is also weird,” Elizabeth mumbled.
“And convenient,” Taylor added.
They walked to the cottage and knocked on the door. No answer. They knocked again. Still no answer.
Kai backed up. “Stand back. I’m gonna break it down,” he said.
He charged towards the door. Just as he was about to ram into it, Taylor tried the handle.
It opened!
While that was good news for her and the others, it wasn’t on the same level for Kai.
He kept running and running till he crashed into a pillar.
“Ouch!” He rubbed his head. “It’s safe guys, come on in!”
The place looked like it hadn't been occupied for a really long time.
“Maybe this is just the wrong house,” Kai said.
“Yeah” Q said “I don’t think this is the right place. We should go search elsewhere. C’mon.”
“Wait for me,” Kai tripped on a wooden stick that stuck out of the floor.
They heard a creaking noise.
Q ran to Kai. “Are you oka…” He fell into a trapdoor that opened up below him.
Elizabeth ran to the trapdoor “You okay, Q?” she asked.
“There’s a staircase in here. Come on down,” Q said.
Q focused and instantly his armor started radiating a light.
The spiraling staircase descended lower and lower.
They kept climbing down for about an hour till they saw a huge metal door. They tried to budge it but it was no use. It didn’t look like it had a key either. It looked pretty high tech which meant that they were getting closer and closer to their target.
“Stand back,” Q told the others.
Q took out his Durendal and sliced the door into two.
Behind it was absolutely nothing!
Just plain darkness. Q couldn’t understand why there would be so much of security for nothing.
Q’s armor suddenly stopped glowing.
“Hey golden boy, who turned off the light?” Kai asked.
“I..I don’t know. It just stopped,” Q stammered.
Maybe I can only keep it going for a short while, Q thought.
“Hello, Q,” a voice said.
The lights came on. In front of them was a man.
He looked really weird. He had a long overcoat and a hat. He wore sunglasses, and about a hundred feet of bandages wrapped around his body.
“I heard that you needed help,” the man said.
“Yes please!” Kai said.
“You know what you’re facing, don’t you?” the man asked them.
They all nodded their head.
“The solution…” he paused.
“You've got to get to the ‘Palace of Being’,” he said.
Taylor’s and Elizabeth’s eyes widened. It seemed as if they had heard of this place before.
Apparently they were the only ones who knew, because Kai, Chris and Q looked clueless.
“What is this Palace of Being?” Q asked
“Sit down first,” he said and gestured to the seats next to him. They sat down and looked at him, waiting for an answer. He just got up and went to a refrigerator in a corner of the room.
He opened it and took a bottle out.
“Snapple?” he offered.
“Snapple? In this part of the universe?” Kai asked.
“You’d be surprised by the demand for earth products,” he replied.
“Sorry to interrupt but could we get back to the topic, Mr..?”
“Kareem. Just call me Kareem.”
“Like you said, let’s get back to business,” he continued. “The Palace of Being. It is the most powerful place in the whole universe.
When the big bang occurred you’d think that the universe would expand equally in all directions but no, it didn’t. Due to what we call Dimensional Rapture.”
“Dimensional what?” Taylor said. Obviously she didn’t know about this part of the Palace of Being.
“Dimensional Rapture. There are many dimensions that exist, not just ours. A circle of energy flows through the dimensions. This energy pushed our universe into a particular direction of growth. The point at which our universe started is called the Palace of Being. It is essentially the place where the big bang occurred.”
Q soaked up the new information like a sponge. This kind of stuff was way past anything he’d ever learnt.
“When the big bang happened, energy distributions were also not equal. Some parts stayed as energy, some changed into matter; and then there was this energy that over the course of years started possessing zyxians.”
“That’s horrid,” Kai said.
“Not really. It was actually beneficial since the zyxian was enhanced by the energy.”
“But why did the energy possess only zyxians?”
“There is something about zyxians that draws it towards them. Some like to say that it is because of their superior intellect, some say that it is sheer luck as a species. Anyway these energy beings are the most powerful in the universe and they’re your only option of help in defeating Apocalypse.”
“Beings? How many are there?”
“Even I do not know
that,” Kareem confessed.
“So where is this palace?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is not as simple as that. The palace is never at a single place for more than a few seconds. So it is very difficult to locate.”
“What?” Kai asked in disbelief.
Kareem took a deep breath. “Think of different times as different levels. There’s a level for 10:05 another for 10:06 and so on. The Palace of Being stays in each of these levels only for a limited amount of time. In addition, it changes its position in space as well.”
“That is so wicked!” Elizabeth said. “How cool is that?” she asked the others.
“Why did you tell us about the place if we can’t find it?” Taylor asked.
“I did say it was difficult but not impossible. Fortunately for you I have a solution; the only solution. You need to go to four temples located at the ends of the universe. In each one is a map that when pieced together forms the Map of Doom. This map will tell you where to find the Palace of Being.”
“Can you at least tell us how to find the temples?” Taylor asked.
“You don’t need me for that, you already know how.” He looked at Q.
“Me?” Q was confused. “But I don’t even have Google maps on my phone!”
“You don’t?” Kai asked. “What teenager doesn’t have Google maps?”
“Come here and I’ll show you what I mean,” Kareem said and stood up.
Q went over and stood in front of him.
“Close your eyes first. The universe has a constant flow of energy. It flows through you. Within every bit of that energy is a map, a map of the whole universe. Feel that energy. Draw on its knowledge. Visualize the universe.”
Q tried; but he couldn’t get anything. His mind drew a blank.
“Visualize, Q.” Kareem’s voice was a little more forceful this time.
“An image is the most powerful thing in your brain. Try to image what you’re trying to do.”
Q closed his eyes.
His back straightened and his face showed that he was calm. His hands were clenched into fists and lay by his sides. He seemed to be in a trance of sorts.
He exclaimed in delight! He did it!
It was the coolest thing he had ever felt. Even better than the armor, which was really saying something.
Images just flowed into his mind. He saw the whole universe with all the glowing galaxies, millions and zillions of stars, red giants, white dwarfs, the whole works.
ConQuest (The Quest Saga) Page 10
