The Chamber of Genesis

by N. E. Michael

  “Now, we may not have the numbers they have, nor the resources,” Rio said, “But we know the terrain inside and out. We know the alleyways, we know the sewers, and we know the streets. This is our city, our home, and it’s about time we make them understand that!”

  Cheers broke out from every home and every street corner as Rio’s enthusiasm ignited the hearts and spirits of his people.

  “We will fight them in the streets!” Rio cried. “We will fight them from our rooftops! We will fight them from our kitchens, with fists and knives, if it comes to it! We shall defend our city, no matter what the cost may be!”

  “We have waited for this moment long enough. We are no strangers to pain and suffering, nor even death. One last sacrifice for liberation and our children will grow up in a better world, as equal citizens of this ancient Kingdom. Thank you, and may the angel Gavriel watch over us all.”

  “He will, actually,” Pete smirked as Rio put down the microphone, his arm trembling with vigor.

  “Yes, but they don’t know that yet, other than the people in this room,” Rio replied with a sigh, calming himself down. “I’m hoping the sight of him will give our fighters the inspiration they’ll need on the battlefield.”

  Pete nodded. “Oh, and nice speech, by the way,” he added. He glanced gesturingly around the room, and Rio looked up to see hundreds of rebels facing him from all directions, standing firmly and teary-eyed in solidarity with their leader.

  “Thank you,” Rio announced to them. “At ease, and back to work. Let’s get this war won.”

  “Rio!” a voice called from a hallway on the right of the chamber. Rio turned to see Suriel running towards him, followed by Gavriel.

  “What’s going on?” another voice called from his left as Raiden, Kiara, Sable, Mara, and Ferrus rushed in from the other side.

  “It’s an ambush!” Pete joked. Rio put his hands on his hips, shaking his head impatiently as they closed in on him from all sides.

  “My father promised to call off the attack!” Suriel shouted. “What was that speech about!?”

  “With all due respect, Prince, I don’t have time for this!” Rio growled. “I need’a make sure your monster of a Father doesn’t massacre this entire city!”

  “He won’t! This is a mistake!”

  “Tell that to the half-a-million knights and dinosaurs marchin’ on our gates!” Rio seethed. Suriel opened his mouth to respond but didn’t know what to say. He stood speechless in confusion.

  “Could something have happened to the King?” Raiden asked.

  “The King did not order this attack,” Gavriel interrupted them gravely. “My brother did.”

  “You mean Mikael is controlling my father?” Suriel asked. “How can you be sure?”

  “He is so close, I can feel his presence,” Gavriel replied. “He has come with the army.”

  “If you were able to sense Suriel’s location from the Shrine,” Mara asked as the question occurred to her. “Can Mikael also trace his location here?”

  Rio looked urgently up at Gavriel, waiting nervously for an answer.

  “My brother has begun to succumb to his inner darkness, just as the rest of our siblings did. The angels were originally created from the Electus Prime. I retained my purity and connection to it, but Mikael is already too far removed to sense it. There is no need for concern.”

  “You’d better be right,” Rio grunted. “But if my troops are going to be facing an army of angels, they could use one of their own on the front lines.”

  “We will go and fight,” Gavriel nodded. “The Prince is ready.”

  “We will go too,” Mara said, speaking for her and Ferrus.

  “And I suppose I’ll go hide,” Raiden muttered. Kiara grasped his hand, smiling at him. “Don’t worry, Skarai and I will keep you company.”

  Suriel glanced uncomfortably at Kiara as she stood by Raiden, then turned quickly away.

  “Sir!” one of the rebels scurried over to him, holding a communication device. “The battle has started! The enemy has fallen in range, and we’ve begun our long-range strike.”

  “You’d better get going then,” Rio gestured towards Gavriel and Suriel, then he followed the rebel back to his station along with Pete, discussing the details of the situation.

  Gavriel, Suriel, Mara, and Ferrus rushed out of the chamber to the main exit tunnel, sprinting for the open door along with a multitude of hectic rebels lugging a variety of vehicles and weaponry. When they emerged back to the dump yard surface, the mist around Gavriel’s form began to solidify, and he grew to his usual, towering self, sprouting a pair of brilliant, gold-striped, white-feathered wings.

  “Come, I shall fly us there,” Gavriel said to his mortal companions, laying his open palm out on the ground. They climbed into his massive hand and gripped his fingers, and he took off into the sky, soaring between the rusty, skeletal buildings of the Dinges. Rebels cheered from their rooftops as the angel passed, leaving a mass of invigorated soldiers in his wake.

  As they neared the city gates, the cries of battle rang through their ears. Rebels fired relentlessly from their scaffolds above the gate, equipped with powerful laser cannons. The cannons released thick, searing beams of energy, scorching entire holes in the enemy lines as the knights scrambled to avoid them.

  “Chargers and Molders at the gate!” A cry echoed across the rebel lines.

  As the royal army reached the city, A platoon of fifty Chargers pushed at the gate, trying to force it open. An equal number of Molders worked beside them, trying to destabilize the earth beneath the wall and cause it to collapse.

  A group of sixty insurgents bolted towards the entrance and placed their hands against the metal gate and the ground beneath it, using their abilities to counteract the enemy assault. The wall began to shake and deform as the insurgents, although greatly outnumbered, fought with all their might to hold it. When they spotted Gavriel approaching from the sky behind them, their spirits lifted, and they pushed even harder.

  Suriel looked over the wall at the army below. The rugged, rocky landscape was painted in a sea of white as hundreds of thousands of knights marched for the Dinges, waiting for the gates to fall. They brought with them a variety of deadly, razor-toothed dinosaurs, some of them even larger than Gavriel, thirsting for a kill. Flight capable and pterodactyl-ridden Enlai assailed the scaffolds at the top of the walls, sending rebel fighters tumbling to their deaths.

  “Gavriel, look,” Suriel pointed as he squinted towards a black cloud approaching in the distance.

  “My brothers,” Gavriel said grimly. “They have arrived.”

  “Surgers!” the rebels announced once again, and a group of thirty Surgers rushed to defend the gate against an assault of resonant soundwaves issued by their counterparts on the other side.”

  “We should get to the surface and help,” Mara said.

  Enlai scattered out of the way as Gavriel dropped down onto the ground, carving a crater where he landed. The nearby rebels stared at him in awe, sneaking any glance they could get at him as they fought. Ferrus ran up to the gate and assisted the other Surgers in counteracting the soundwaves, while Mara fired arrows at the enemies and their dinosaurs.

  All along the wall’s periphery, scaffolds began to collapse under enemy fire. Rebel ground troops yelled and scurried out of the way as the structures smashed onto the floor, splintering to pieces. More and more royal Chargers, Molders, and Surgers swarmed to the front, tearing holes within and beneath the walls as the rebel defense was overwhelmed.

  “We have to help them!” Suriel told Gavriel.

  “Patience, my Prince,” Gavriel replied cooly. “We must conserve our strength for the true battle. Although I have been revived, my energy force is still weakened.”

  “Abandon the gate! Fall back!” a cry rang throughout the rebel ranks as a hole tore through the giant gate, widening quickly. The crew defending it fled backward, Ferrus among them, as the structure deformed, twisting and tearing viole
ntly until it finally collapsed. The rebels ran for cover as hefty chunks of metal rained down upon them, and the real battle commenced.

  Enemy troops poured into the city streets as rebels fired at them from all directions, stationed in hidden alleyways, camouflaged trash heaps, and on the roofs of buildings. Enemy Chargers glided through the air on sheets of metal alongside pterodactyl-ridden Surgers, working in packs to topple the feeble, rusty buildings. Tall structures collapsed with thunderous booms, leveling entire blocks and clogging the roads with their debris. Enormous tyrannosaurus rex ushered terrifying roars as they plowed over the smaller homes, crushing them and their inhabitants beneath massive, taloned feet. Each was controlled by a team of Coder dinosaur tamers that sat upon the beast’s shoulders, issuing pre-coordinated commands. Ground troops comprised of all types of Enlai and dinosaurs stormed the streets, engaging with the scattered, hidden rebels in a costly house by house raid.

  Ferrus stood in the brunt of the onslaught with the other previous wall defenders, unable to reach cover on time. She battled ruthlessly beside her companions in the middle of the street, cutting down countless enemies with her mighty, energy-charged blade. As she crushed through a stone-armored Shifter, a cry bellowed from an ally Surger behind her. The ground ripped open beneath him, and he fell into the crack before it closed over his head and buried him alive. A similar cry echoed from her left, and Ferrus spun around to see a team of enemy Molders watching them intently from a distance, wielding stone staffs which reached the floor. Occupied with a surrounding horde of knights and dinosaurs, the stranded rebels had no way of defending themselves from the Molders’ long-ranged attacks. A few of the Molders struggled to stage a defense as, one by one, their comrades were swallowed by the ground beneath them.

  Ferrus rolled beneath the snapping jaw of a tall, two-legged dinosaur and plunged her sword into its belly. As the creature cried out, she pounced upwards beside it and swung at the unexpecting knight saddled to its back, slashing through his stomach. When she landed back on the ground, another two dinosaurs attacked from opposite sides. Just before they could reach her, a hand reached out from the ground beneath her and wrapped around her ankle. The dinosaurs’ jaws clenched over empty air as Ferrus became a shadow on the floor, racing under them and away from the center of the battlefield. She emerged behind a fallen house a few hundred meters away with Mara, who was sweating and panting with exhaustion.

  “You have no idea how hard it is to carry you through the second dimension,” she exhaled with a smile.

  “Mara!” Ferrus exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around her. “You saved me.”

  “If I don’t save you, then who will save me?” Mara winked playfully.

  “My sword,” Ferrus said suddenly, reaching nervously at her empty sheath.

  “You must have dropped it on the way,” Mara said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mara dropped back into the ground and slithered through the floor as a shadow, retracing her route. About halfway there, she came upon a similar, sword-shaped shadow. She retrieved the sword and started heading back, but before she could make it, an ambush of four other humanoid shadows closed in around her, blocking her path. Mara jumped up from the second dimension with Ferrus’s sword balanced over her shoulders and made a run for it, but the Shadow knights emerged before she could make it, drawing jagged, silvery blades.

  “Grab on!” a voice shouted from behind her. Mara turned to see a raptor speeding towards her with a one-armed knight on its back. The raptor slammed into one of the knights, knocking him out of the way, and the rider extended a hand towards Mara. Without time to question, Mara grabbed onto the knight’s arm with one hand and held onto the hefty sword with the other. Confused, the enemy Shadows dove out of the way as the raptor charged past them, dragging Mara along with it. Once they were far enough from the Shadows, the raptor stopped, and the knight dismounted, revealing his face before Mara.

  “Kain?” Mara asked, shocked to see him. “Why did you save me?”

  “Any friend of my niece is a friend of mine,” Kain replied sincerely. “I infiltrated the army ranks with the help of some soldiers still loyal to me. I will do anything to protect my family.”

  “So, it’s true…” Mara gasped.

  “The woman you know as Ferrus is my niece, and cousin to the Prince,” Kain replied quickly. “I need you to take me to her.”

  Hopping back onto the raptor, they headed to the ruins where Ferrus stood waiting. Two disfigured, Shadow knights lay dead beside her feet, their blades bent out of shape.

  “Ran into some trouble?” Mara asked as they dismounted.

  “They have dispatched Shadows to track and kill hidden rebels,” Ferrus replied. “We cannot-”

  She paused, her eyes widening as she noticed Kain dismount behind Mara, holding her sword.

  “What is he doing here!?” Ferrus seethed, her hands clenching to fists.

  “He claims to be your uncle,” Mara replied sharply. “And he just saved my life, so at least hear him out.”

  Ferrus glanced guiltily at Kain’s stump of a left arm as she snatched her sword from his right.

  “I do not blame you for that,” Kain sighed. “I deserved it.”

  “You have one minute before I cut off the second one,” Ferrus growled.

  “I did give you away, Liosa,” Kain admitted somberly. “But not to cyborg traders. After your father died, my sister and I had to decide what was best for you, his only child. As queen, my sister knew her husband would never accept you to be their first child, since they handn’t yet produced a firstborn of their own, so that left only me. I was a knight, and I was young and foolish. I knew nothing of raising children, so I gave you back to a good family from my brother’s village who agreed to adopt and raise you. A day later, I received word that their caravan had been attacked by bandits on the road, with no survivors.”

  “But my memories…” Ferrus said slowly, tears pooling in her eyes.

  “You were young, Ferrus,” Mara said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You remembered him giving you away, but not to who. I think he’s telling the truth.”

  An explosion sounded overhead as a hovercar transporting rebel troops from the front lines was bombarded with searing lasers and stars. It swerved out of control and crashed into a nearby building in a cloud of flames.

  “I wish we had more time,” Kain said, “but we must hurry. I have to find Suriel and bring him back to the Palace.”

  “What for?” Mara asked.

  “His father is dead, and I killed the fraud who took his place. The Kingdom’s throne is empty, and if Suriel claims his rightful place upon it, perhaps he can stop this war.”

  Suriel stood beside Gavriel on the main street leading to the fallen gates, his heart pounding as they joined the fight. Gavriel produced plumes of holy, golden fire from his hands, hurling them at the airborne foes. The flames reduced their targets to ashes, burning relentlessly through stone, metal, and skin. Drawing strength from the amulet, Suriel charged at an oncoming triceratops. The armored beast lunged its horned head forward, attempting to gore him, but Suriel side-stepped with superhuman speed and smashed his glowing fist into the creature’s face, shattering its horns and sending it sprawling to the floor, along with the knight on its back. The knight jumped to his feet and rushed at Suriel, but when he glimpsed the Prince’s face, he stopped in his tracks.

  “Your Highness?” the knight asked, confused. “You are alive?”

  “Who ordered this invasion!?” Suriel raged.

  “It was Bron, in the name of King Jaaro, priest of Mikael. We’d believe you dead, your Highness, along with-”

  Before the knight could finish, he was struck down by a barrage of rebel laser fire.

  “No!” Suriel exclaimed, kneeling down beside the man. “Along with who!?” he shouted apprehensively, but the knight was unresponsive, a hole burned through the front of his mask.

  “Get behind me!” Gavriel hollered as a T-R
ex rampaged towards their position, matching his stature. Suriel left the knight and ran behind the angel, along with a dozen rebels.

  “Throw your fire at it!” Suriel suggested.

  “My flames can punish only the guilty,” the angel replied. “Those beasts cannot be held liable for their actions.”

  Gavriel bent his knees and spread his wings, preparing for impact. The T-Rex roared as it crashed into him, biting ferociously into his golden shoulder. Gavriel absorbed the momentum with a powerful beat of his vast wings, then grabbed the dinosaur’s neck between his hands, unscathed by the bite. He lifted the twenty-ton creature effortlessly into the air as it dangled helplessly in his grasp, then slammed it down against the street, crushing dozens of enemy troops beneath it.

  The rebels broke into cheers as they watched the dinosaur fall at the hands of their guardian angel, but the excitement was shortlived. A dark, black cloud emerged over the city walls, swarming with hundreds of wrathing Decrepit. As the Decrepit poured down into the city below, the hovering cloud of darkness condensed into the form of a being even larger than Gavriel—Mikael, the King of Angels.

  “Good morning, my brother,” Mikael mocked as he stared down at Gavriel from atop the gates. His voice boomed across the city. “I see you have awakened.”

  “It is over, Mikael!” Gavriel responded. “I have the amulet and the chosen one!”

  “That pitiful thing?” Mikael laughed demeaningly as Suriel walked up beside Gavriel. “Your connection with the source has weakened, my foolish brother. I made him.”

  “He made me?” Suriel asked Gavriel, both puzzled and terrified.

  “He speaks nothing but lies,” Gavriel replied loud enough for all to hear. “He is so far removed from the divine truth, he himself has begun to fall like the rest of our brothers!”

  “An angel shall indeed fall today, brother,” Mikael seethed. “But it shall not be me.”

  Gavriel sounded a raging battle cry as he leaped into the air with a tremendous beat of his colossal wings, darting through the air at Mikael. A glistening, golden sword formed between his hands as he flew, feeding from Gavriel’s angel aura until achieving the towering height of his arm span. He swung the massive blade at the shrieking Decrepit in his path, cutting them down with a single blow.