Titus

by Caleb Byrnand

  When the gunfire started up again, this created a sufficient diversion from the pain. Jason is firing at Tony and Cap’n, who are firing back at him. He can’t see Rosita anywhere.

  Bullets are loosed wildly from the three shooters and sparks from ricochets ignite a stream of petrol that broke away from the growing pool. The flames follow the liquid path back to its source, and a large fire ball with thick black smoke spews into the air, covering the ground with fire-rain. The gunfire stops and Jason can be seen running for his life. Then Noah remembers. The dynamite.

  Noah watches the flames trace the petrol collecting in the tunnel before Rosita grabs his arms and drags him away as fast as she can. Her desperation and chaos indicates that there is little time left. Panic usually precedes the darkness. Somewhere positioned in between those two things is a large explosion.

  The dynamite.

  Then darkness.

  CHAPTER XIV

  Jason

  “Jason, what are you…”

  Jason just shot his best friend. Ex-best friend now. Any chance of salvaging what they had is now gone. If he’s being honest, it went with the Fall.

  While Noah lies on the ground, clutching his side and grimacing in pain, he recharges the gun and points it at the traitor Titus. Whatever he is doing inside the hover plane could only be against Jason’s interests, and the fighting has to stop. The Church of Light have won.

  Jason is now surrounded but he feels protected by Mother. Even when a shotgun is rammed in the back of his head, he feels safe. Until learning that his aggressors are not subject to the same laws he is. Jason surrenders his weapon and is rendered unconscious per Noah’s request.

  He wakes up a minute later, unsupervised and unrestrained.

  Good.

  Noah’s three comrades are now a serious threat to his sovereignty and could potentially cause real harm to the Church of Light if they are left to their own devices--helping Titus kill Dumachus.

  They are still unaware that Jason is now fully conscious, and this small window should allow him time to arm himself and steal some leverage. Should, being the operative term.

  He looks around and just outside of arm’s reach he finds a revolver protruding from the loose soil, sparkling in the sun like semi-buried treasure. To reach it, he could go slow as to not arouse suspicion, or scurry and have it in possession sooner.

  “What are we even doing here?”

  “You can go if you want but don’t forget, he saved our lives and we abandoned him.”

  “And we just repaid him. Let’s go.”

  The three sailors arguing among themselves gives Jason the perfect opportunity to move towards the gun. Focusing harder than he ever has in his life, he controls his breathing and moves silently forwards. The loose soil under him is fit for a smoother quieter ride, but it also meant he could not get a purchase in his grip, so moving through looked a lot like swimming and became a less subtle affair. After re-evaluating his position he opts to just go for it and pounces up and lands on the gun, grabbing it and rolling to his side in one graceful motion.

  Being in the Cap’s line of sight, she is quick to see Jason’s manoeuvre and fires her shotgun at him, clipping him in the arm. Quick to fire, but slow to chamber another cartridge. Tony is quick on the draw as well, except he spent his magazine shooting Dumachus’s protective force field.

  “Click, click, click, click.” Jason’s heart skipped a beat. But only one. Completely unfazed from the gunshot in his arm, he leaps towards Tony and wrestles him into a headlock, which also serves as a convenient human body shield now that Cap’n has pumped her shotgun. Jason presses the gun to Tony’s head and manages to hold the three in a stand-off. Rosita is dead still but for her eyes busy combing the ground for another weapon.

  Cap’n is the first to open dialogue. “If I remember correctly, didn’t you say those with the mark would be unable to hold that gun if you had any intention of pulling that trigger…” Jason turns the gun from Tony to Cap’n and fires. The gunshot deafens Tony, but the bullet grounds his target. Rosita runs to the Cap’s aid while Tony screams and struggles in his hold.

  “What I didn’t mention is that we can fight in self-defence. We can fight to protect our followers. We can fight to ensure the prosperity of the Church. You are in direct violation of our laws and threaten our sovereignty.”

  Tony’s fidgeting has loosened the hold on his neck, giving him room to throw his head back into Jason’s face, caving in his nose. Jason loses his hold on Tony and the pair fall in opposite directions, scrambling to get away from each other. Rosita grabs the shotgun, closes her eyes and shoots in Jason’s direction. With Jason’s eyes watering so badly he can’t see a thing, he blindly shoots back as the two opposing sides create some space between them. Jason rolls behind a large steel recycling bin and waits for the nanotech to restore him. Tony, Cap’n and Rosita drag themselves behind a toppled pop-up canopy and assess their damage. Everyone also looking around for more guns or ammunition, but since a few feet of soil has been layered over the grounds, locating any is fruitless. They’ll have to use what they have left.

  Jason pokes out and fires a few rounds through the thick canvas canopy but hits no one. Rosita fires back, missing him but hitting something. Both parties shooting at each other as if their finite supply of bullets is a lot larger than the reality. Sparks are flying, bullets are ricocheting, everyone unaware that hundreds of gallons of flammable liquid is in the firing line. Everyone except Noah, but he is no position to warn them.

  A random spark lands in a small stream of petrol, just enough for ignition. The stream feeds the fire towards the source, Jason being the first to notice. He throws his gun and sprints away in full view of Rosita which clues her on.

  “Run!” Rosita sprints towards Noah and drags him backwards while Tony does his best to help Cap’n. Jason has made some distance now but it was not enough. He sees a flash, and nothing else after.

  CHAPTER XIV

  Titus

  “Make me.”

  He looks down to Noah and is about to give him a little kick up the butt for missing his cue, but Noah is nearly in position. He aims the rifle at Dumachus but is unable to pull the trigger.

  Damn! Lucky that Dumachus hasn’t reacted yet, but Titus is quickly losing hope. Noah bellows a war cry and fires the weapon, the consequence of which immobilises him in torturous pain. Dumachus looks shocked and in disbelief when Elias drops to the ground. His hold over him now void, Dumachus is vulnerable. Titus dives into the tunnel and tackles Dumachus to the ground attacking him tempestuously, dropping elbows and fists into his face and neck. His wild punches tip him off balance and Dumachus manages to shift his weight and throw Titus off him. Rolling to the side and on to all fours, his nanotech begins to heal the damage inflicted. Elias is having serious trouble moving and is using the weight of the hunter’s dead body to drag himself back, desperately trying to get to his son.

  Dumachus becomes the aggressor now and charges at Titus, responding with his own flurry of punches. Titus catches one of his furious arms and turns his body, breaking Dumachus’s arm at the elbow. Tossing the limp appendage aside he spins back and uses the momentum to snap his leg out, breaking Dumachus’s knee. While the goliath is falling Titus catches him with a rear choke and squeezes. He has to fight Dumachus and his nanotech, as any injury delivered is quickly healed, and Dumachus is not losing consciousness. His knee and elbow click back into place and Dumachus begins to fight against his hold, managing to slip out and reverse their position, now with Titus in a death grip.

  Titus’s vision begins to vignette, the border ever increasing till he is left with tunnel vision. His arms go weak and he loses his grip on Dumachus’s arm. His knees begin to buckle, and just like that he realises that all is lost.

  Elias has pulled Gloria’s knife out from the Guardian’s side, pushes himself up to his knees and lunges forward, driving the knife into Dumachus’s back. He immediately releases Titus and swings his heavy ar
m, knocking Elias once again to the ground. Now extremely frustrated, he looks around and spots baby Seth lying helpless on the ground, right in view of Elias. Dumachus steps forward and raises his foot, ready to stomp on the child. He shifts his weight and drops his leg…

  Got you.

  Titus’s powers have returned, and Dumachus is centimetres from the baby when his body freezes. Titus stands up and walks around Dumachus, savouring the moment as he previously did. Elias is still alive and reaches out for Seth. Titus tightens his fist, plants his feet and throws his entire body and mind behind one single punch. Dumachus flies back as if he is hit by a train, pushed so deep into the wall that only his feet are exposed.

  Titus drops down and hands Elias his baby son. Elias just stares into his son’s eyes and says, “Save my son.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll find him somewhere…”

  Elias interrupts and looks up at Titus. “No. He cannot live here under their rule. You can protect him. Train him to fight them. Like you do.” Dumachus begins to groan as his broken bones heal, his feet kicking slightly as his body slowly rocks out of the alcove. The interruption only lasting a second. “He comes from a long line of soldiers. He is your key to salvation.”

  Titus doesn’t know what to do. Or what to say. His attention became diverted when Dumachus rolls himself out into fresh air, standing with a big smile on his face.

  Arrogant bastard.

  Dumachus takes very slow, ginger steps towards Titus as he speaks, “I guess that means I just have to hang on for a few more minutes.”

  Titus pauses for a beat. He is in a quandary. “Hurting you serves no purpose; you’ll just heal right away. If I let you go you’ll keep hunting me. Killing you seems to be my only resolve.”

  “That’s not very Christian of you. But you know me, it’s what I’d do.”

  “And that’s what bothers me.”

  Elias pleads with Titus to kill him but he still has reservations.

  Dumachus holds his arms out to the side and says, “Kill me or not, you will never wash the blood from your hands. I wasn’t killed on that cross by the Romans or the Church, but by you.” He drops his arm and moves forward. “For what you did and what you have done, you will never find redemption you so desperately seek.”

  “Kill him.” Elias isn’t asking anymore. He’s telling.

  Titus approaches Dumachus and puts his hands around his neck and squeezes. Feeling the wind pipes collapse and the spine crush, he wipes the smile off Dumachus’s face, ending their rivalry once and for all.

  “Goodbye, old friend.”

  Seconds before the fatality something catches his eye. A flame. He has been so preoccupied he fails to recognise the deathly hazard building before them.

  The dynamite.

  As the flames reach the hover plane Titus throws Dumachus to the side and drops down in front of Elias and Seth, throwing up a protective force field around them before tensing with all his strength. The flames catch the pool of petrol and the dozens of sticks of dynamite. A quick flash of light immediately followed by a massive shockwave, fire and a huge mushroom cloud. Bodies both alive and dead are flying through the air--no one was able to retreat to a safe distance. Even more land is displaced and thick black smoke heaves over the ruins of the relief station, now just one large crater. The tunnel is lost to obscurity along with anyone in it. The town of Lobos has returned to its ghost town status.

  A large mound of earth rises and slides away from an invisible force field revealing Titus, Elias and Seth. Titus sits up and kneels beside Elias, who despite all efforts did not survive. The soldier died staring into the eyes of his beautiful son. There is no physical sign of Dumachus anywhere, and his attempt to sense his presence was unsuccessful. The thing that is most troubling is that he can’t sense anyone.

  Was Dumachus right? Everyone around me dies…

  A strained wail comes from the baby orphan’s mouth redirecting Titus’s thoughts towards someone who is actually alive. He looks down at the baby, absorbing Elias’s dying wish.

  How can I protect you?

  Thoughts and questions begin to flood his mind. Scenarios and hypotheticals cloud his thoughts with new priorities and anxieties…

  Just. Go.

  Titus finds a baby bag, picks up the child and gently floats to the surface. Unable to distinguish the bodies of his friends amongst the massacred locals, Titus becomes despondent, but as he looks down at the innocent face of Seth this gives him a ray of hope. He wraps the baby up, takes a deep breath and bursts into the air, disappearing into the clouds.

  Dumachus is still in his head.

  Everyone.

  CHAPTER XIV

  The Fallout

  Hours later, three hover planes fly over the town of Lobos and land near the relief station crater. A dozen Guardians disembark and begin scanning the area for life signs. One by one, Noah, Jason, Tony, Cap’n and Rosita are dug out and carried away. All alive. Barely.

  Three Guardians begin digging through the caved in tunnel eventually reaching Dumachus, or what’s left of him. All the hard work of the surgeons undone, but he has a pulse.

  They leave Elias along with the hundred other corpses where they lie, board the planes and take off, disappearing into the dark sky.

  EPILOGUE

  Titus

  Inside a dark cold room a monitor is lit up projecting some tacky morning show with three hosts sharing the same couch. The Church of Light emblem watermark sits in the bottom right hand corner of the screen as well as in the background of the show. Dumachus is the guest today, looking decisively uncomfortable and defensive.

  “So, the numbers are in and we have it as seventy-five per cent of the population has been registered. Not to mention that the construction of over one thousand cities is in full swing.”

  The next person on the couch cuts in, “Power stations, I mean have you seen those things? What are they?”

  Followed by the third mouth, “I must say, you are a very resourceful people.”

  The bombardment of questions from a row of teeth and hairspray proved very challenging for Dumachus. “One has to be when hiding from persecution for thousands of years.”

  “But to this degree? It was almost as if you were preparing for such an operation.”

  Dumachus can feel himself getting dumber by the minute. “Yes, of course. It has been one of the foundations of our religion, written from the hand of the unknown master. The coming of the fall has been a reality for every follower, and every generation of followers have been preparing for this.”

  “Why exactly did your people move from the Middle East to Antarctica?”

  “Thousands of years of persecution.”

  “Can you tell me why Antarctica is now off-bounds for even your people?”

  Dumachus is looking at the clock, hating every second of this circus. “It was written that the fall would displace us as well, and that the need to help the rest of the world overshadows the need to return home. One of our poets describes it like a bud that blossomed in the light of dawn. A transformation never to return.”

  “Some people are saying you invaded with an army after your people took measures to ensure our technology would fail. Now you have subjugated and imprisoned us, is what some people are saying.”

  Dumachus has been holding back but he’d had enough. “The mass population, you people, had been living in a period of mass extinction and most didn’t even know it. Those that did were unwilling or unable to do anything about it. Even with access to all the research and science to achieve sustainability socially, environmentally and economically, most denied and rejected it. You had the technology to connect the world but instead it polarised you. Humans were given their freedom and freewill and failed, and in your ignorance you were prepared to take many living organisms down with you. This is why I shed no tear for your loss. I am happy because this collective failure is over. I see an end to intergenerational wealth and oligarchies, the end of corporate capitali
sm and the dismantling of all military powers. I see the end of poverty, famine, and war. The walls around your invisible borders torn down. The cancer that’s been killing this earth has been permanently and forcefully removed. Society has always looked for a leader, to be led by an authority. But power always corrupts and empires always fall. A system, one that is infallible, incorruptible, pure, and all-knowing, will be the authority the world needs. A leader the people deserve, guiding us to a new era of peace and prosperity. A culture that will be able to sustain itself for millennia to come. Those who have survived the fall will now climb into the light towards a better future. Those who oppose us will suffer in the dark.” Dumachus stands up and storms off the set, the three hosts looking a little taken back.

  “There you have it. Strong words from a strong... man?”

  “Not to sound racist, but what do we call them? Clones?”

  “Overlords? Ha ha, just kidding.”

  “Now Johnny…”

  The monitor is turned off and a soft ambient light bounces off the walls. Antarctican walls. Underground. Blessed. Titus has returned to where he was resurrected. Concealed from Guardians’ eyes and in the last place anybody would look.

  Seth is crawling around, forever inspecting and investigating. He stares off to the corner of the room where an inflatable ball rests. He holds out his hand and stares at it for a few seconds. The ball begins to roll in his direction and gains momentum with every revolution till it passes him at a high velocity. Seth watches it roll from sight before having his attention diverted by a teddy bear resting on top of the alter. Seth reaches up for it and a second later it drops from its perch and lands next to him. Seth tucks the teddy under his arm and continues his daily room inspection.