by Adair Hart
Lord Vygon half smiled. “Consider it from me, on Evaran’s behalf.”
Lord Noskov paused as he scrutinized Lord Vygon. “Very well. You shall have your house challenge. I will assume you know of the no-weapons rule.”
Evaran nodded and then handed his utility handle to Dr. Snowden.
Lord Noskov gestured to the right, and the vampires on the right moved back. With a motion to the left, the left side stood back. He extended his hand toward the fire. “I will deal with this personally. I’ve never lost a fight. Your death will be quick.”
Evaran narrowed his eyes as he went to the open area in front of the fire.
Lord Vygon shook his head.
“Worried?” asked Lord Noskov with a smile, revealing two sharp fangs.
“Not about Evaran …”
Lord Noskov laughed.
The man who had been brought out to be sliced up was moved to the side.
Dr. Snowden swallowed hard. He knew Evaran was tough, but Lord Noskov looked menacing. Some of the fights Evaran had been in were with tough individuals, but Evaran had the advantage of his gadgets and preparation to even the odds, or a group around him. He was not as sure as Lord Vygon was.
Lord Noskov circled Evaran, who turned to face him. Lord Noskov reached out with his right arm to grab Evaran. Evaran grabbed Lord Noskov’s wrist and yanked down hard. Lord Noskov flew to the ground. He shook his head as he stood. With a growl, he slashed out with his now-clawed hands. Evaran caught Lord Noskov’s arm. He pulled him forward while jumping over him. When Evaran was halfway down, he kicked Lord Noskov in the back. Lord Noskov sprawled to the earth.
Lord Noskov got back up and grunted. He charged, but then stopped when Evaran jumped over him. Lord Noskov reached up. He grabbed Evaran’s ankles and slammed him to the ground. Evaran winced. Lord Noskov jumped on Evaran and in a flurry of blows shredded Evaran’s chest. Evaran reacted by grabbing Lord Noskov’s right wrist, then his left wrist. With a concentrated effort, Evaran moved Lord Noskov’s hands up, then rolled over.
Evaran, now on top, spread Lord Noskov’s arms to the side and held him down. “Submit.”
“Never!” said Lord Noskov.
Evaran released his grip on Lord Noskov’s wrists and rolled forward. Lord Noskov scrambled to get up, and Evaran took up an opposite position. Evaran flattened his hands as Lord Noskov approached in a blur of motion, moving erratically from side to side. When Lord Noskov reached him, Evaran struck the inside of Lord Noskov’s right forearm. Snap! With a motion to the left, Evaran hit Lord Noskov’s inside left forearm. Snap! In a flash, Evaran kicked Lord Noskov’s right knee. Snap! With another kick, Evaran struck Lord Noskov’s left knee. Snap!
Lord Noskov fell to the ground and cried out in pain.
Evaran knelt beside Lord Noskov’s head. “Submit.”
“Never!” said Lord Noskov in a strained voice.
Evaran shook his head. “I cannot accept that. I have need of your service later. You will heal.” He stood up and panned the hushed group. “By right of the victor, I claim this fight over and allow the house lord to live.” While pointing to the naked man who was to be dinner, he said, “That man will come with us.”
Lord Noskov rolled to his side and, with the help of some of his group, sat up. He spit blood while squinting. “Fine … you’ve ruined dinner anyways.”
Evaran waved his hand off to the side for the naked man to come over to him. “If you agree to help us, then in three years from this day, gather your men where we first met and prepare for a fight.”
Lord Noskov paused as he studied Evaran. He glanced at Lord Vygon and Dr. Snowden, then turned his head toward Evaran. “I’ll think about it.”
“It’s all we ask,” said Evaran. He gestured at Dr. Snowden. “My utility handle, please.”
Dr. Snowden tossed it over to Evaran.
Evaran caught it midair and extended his utility handle into a baton. The naked man crumpled to the ground as Evaran’s baton, with a glowing blue end, touched him. Evaran slung the man over his shoulder and gestured back to the Torvatta. “We are done here.”
After dropping off the unconscious naked man at a nearby village, the Torvatta jumped three years into the future to five thirty in the morning on the day they initially left. Evaran sat in his command chair, Lord Vygon in the left seating area, Dr. Snowden in the right seating area, and V on the front console.
“V, stealth mode, then take us down to where we met Delia. We need to be careful to not be detected by ourselves,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
Dr. Snowden thought it was interesting that they came back two and a half hours before they had left to go into the past. Their previous selves would be at Lord Vygon’s base. His other self would be waking up in thirty minutes in a cave room. Since they were going to be in different areas, maybe it would not be too much of an issue. Based on what Evaran said, the Torvatta in stealth mode must have made it invisible even to itself.
The Torvatta stealthed and headed to the Pacific Northwest, where they initially met the Ollikrin. As the Torvatta descended, the sensors picked up a mass of people near the landing area. The Torvatta touched down, and they exited it.
Dr. Snowden jerked his head back as he scanned the assembled crowd behind Delia. He guessed there was about a hundred or so. There were various packs of werebears, werewolves, owl shifters, tree shifters, and other shifter types he did not recognize. They wore various types of bone and stone armor in a patchwork manner. This was a tough-looking group. Several Native Americans were in the group as well. He wondered if they were Wildborn. Several of the assembled were huge versions of animals instead of a shifted humanoid form. His heartbeat raced a bit upon seeing the large crows.
Delia walked up to them.
Evaran bowed. “It is good to see you. It appears you have made your decision.”
Delia nodded. “You have our support. After this is over, the balance of power will for once be an actual balance.” She glanced at the Torvatta. “How are we all going to fit in there?”
Evaran half smiled. “You will see. Everyone will need to be in humanoid form. V will show you where to go.” He glanced at Dr. Snowden. “Would you mind helping?”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Sure.” He smiled for the first time in long while. Something about Delia made him at ease, as if her mere presence demanded calm. He hoped to spend more time getting to know her.
Delia circled her hand in the air, and the crowd around her transformed into humanoid forms. She followed V and Dr. Snowden into the Torvatta. Her group lined up behind her and followed her in. Evaran had transformed the holo room into a larger version of the conference room. There were multiple tables with replicators scattered about at the end of the tables. In the back of the room were various doors. Dr. Snowden assumed those were bathrooms. It did not take long for the Ollikrin to board.
Once they were ready to depart, Delia took a seat next to Lord Vygon in the command area. She glanced at Evaran. “Your ship is quite impressive. That room should not exist, yet it does. I have seen alien ships before, but this is new. I’m unfamiliar with this technology.”
Dr. Snowden half grinned. “Dimensional mechanics, and yeah … it takes a bit to get used to.”
Delia looked at Dr. Snowden. “It would be very useful for many situations.”
Dr. Snowden nodded.
Delia faced Evaran. “So, to Atlantis now?”
Evaran shook his head. “We have another group to pick up.”
“Who?”
Lord Vygon cast a sidelong glance at Delia. “House Noskov.”
Delia narrowed her eyes.
Lord Vygon extended a hand. “There are only four ancient vampires in the world, as you know. What you may not know is that the first two are asleep, and their houses are, for the most part, just their bodyguards. I am a solo house, and Lord Noskov’s house is the only one with a formidable group.”
Dr. Snowden studied Lord Vygon. He thought it was intere
sting that he had already met Lord Vygon’s house in the future, except they called themselves the Earth Guard. Maybe this was the event that would lead to their formation.
“You know what he did to that village … The bounty is one thing I agree with the Helians on,” said Delia.
“Yes, I’m aware of that. What you might not be aware of is that the village killed his four-hundred-year-old wife. Lord Noskov only killed those who did the actual deed,” said Lord Vygon. He gestured outward. “Nonetheless, I ask that you put that to the side for this. We are hoping that you might give him a reprieve after this event.”
“I was not aware of this information.”
Lord Vygon shook his head. “The Helians … left that part out when they issued the bounty. Of course, they only had footage of the resulting action by Lord Noskov. It makes you wonder how they happened to be in the area. To them, it was an opportunity to thin the power of the Daedrould.”
Delia studied Lord Vygon for a moment. “You have proven yourself in the past to be trustworthy. We have watched you from afar. Based on this new testimony, we will suspend any justice.”
Evaran nodded. “You have my word that if they are coming to help, they will help. The Lord Noskov I know is honorable, despite what his past might be.”
Delia nodded. “Let’s hope so.”
After an hour, they approached the landing site where they met Lord Noskov. The beach was packed with several hundred or so bone-clad vampires.
A chill went through Dr. Snowden as he surveyed them. Although he knew they were there to help, he could not help thinking about how many people they must have killed between them.
The Torvatta landed, and they exited it.
Lord Noskov raised his head a bit. “Delia Everoak.”
“Lord Noskov. We meet again,” said Delia.
“On better terms this time, I hope,” said Lord Noskov, flashing a fanged smile.
Delia nodded. “For now. Evaran and Lord Vygon have vouched for you, and I have suspended any retribution. How you act will determine the next steps.”
Lord Noskov glanced at Evaran and Lord Vygon, then back at Delia. He dipped his head.
Lord Vygon stepped forward. “I’m glad you came. What made you decide to help?”
“You vouched for him,” said Lord Noskov. He looked at Evaran. “That and I’ve never lost a fight. You’re pretty tough.”
“Relative to an ancient vampire, perhaps.”
“I suspect you went easy on me. Why?” asked Lord Noskov.
Evaran half smiled. “I am honoring a request.”
Lord Noskov narrowed his eyes.
Evaran nodded. “V will guide you to where you need to go. Afterward, please join us in the command area.”
Lord Noskov nodded and then waved for his group to board the Torvatta. Dr. Snowden helped V guide them to the living quarters. It made sense to keep them separated from the Ollikrin. After they were all boarded, Lord Noskov joined them in the command area and sat next to Dr. Snowden.
“Nice ship,” said Lord Noskov. “It’s more advanced than anything I’ve seen from the Helians.”
“The Torvatta is unique. You will never see another like it,” said Evaran. “V, engage stealth mode and take us to Atlantis.”
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta flew into space, and after jumping forward an hour, descended to Atlantis. As it approached, the front right screen picked up the chaos of the sentinels swarming on the landing pads.
“In five minutes, our previous selves will be leaving the city to go back in time,” said Evaran. “Two minutes after that, they will be back in time. V, at that point, contact Helian command.”
“Acknowledged.”
Dr. Snowden’s attention focused on the front screen. Five minutes later, it showed another Torvatta flying out of the city. He shook his head. It was weird to think that he just saw the Torvatta with a past version of him in it. The concept of what is now intrigued him. At least they could get the city cleared, then hit the pyramid. Then they would be one step closer to finding Emily.
After two more minutes, V interacted with the front console.
An elder Helian dressed similarly to the other robed Helians appeared. The difference was that his robe was gold and his mantle was black. A symbol of a hollow gold circle with a line through it was on the left side of the mantle, and the right side had ten silver bars. He had gray hair and bronze skin. “Who is this?”
“I am Evaran, and I have with me Lord Noskov of House Noskov, Delia Everoak of the Ollikrin Nation, Lord Vygon of House Vygon, and my friends V and Dr. Albert Snowden. We are here to offer assistance.”
“I’m Cyrus, first elder of the Helians. We welcome any support.”
Evaran nodded. “I am sending you coordinates where we will land. Lord Noskov and Delia have with them their respective groups. If you can send all available Helian guards to that location, they can come with me and Lord Vygon.”
Cyrus eyed Evaran. “How can I trust you?”
“The alternative is we do not help and your city is lost.”
Cyrus paused as he sighed. “Send your coordinates.”
“Excellent. When the city is safe, we will meet in person.”
Cyrus nodded, and the screen went blank.
“V, send the coordinates.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Delia, Lord Noskov, the Torvatta will land in a place with only a handful of sentinels. Prepare your groups for combat.”
They nodded and headed to their respective rooms.
The Torvatta landed in an open square area of the city. Evaran and Lord Vygon stood at the end of the Torvatta’s ramp as V and Dr. Snowden helped Delia and Lord Noskov unload their groups. Dr. Snowden saw some snarling and jawing going on between the groups, but they were shut down immediately by Delia and Lord Noskov. Dr. Snowden pulled out his PSD as he watched the nonhumans begin to move forward.
Evaran extended a hand, palm facing forward. “I will need you to stay on the Torvatta.”
“Again?” said Dr. Snowden.
“I need you on the Torvatta alongside V to help coordinate this.”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “Fine … what do you need me to do?”
“The Torvatta will sit above the city doing a continuous scan,” said Evaran. “It will detect the sentinels and nonhumans. Delia and Lord Noskov have communicator devices, and we have a shared channel. The city overlay will be divided into grid cells. You just need to call out the cells that have sentinel activity and direct where everyone needs to go.”
“I’m not a tactician …”
“I know,” said Evaran, lightly squeezing Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “But you are more capable than you realize.”
Lord Vygon slapped Dr. Snowden’s arm. “Trust me, there are only a few people I would trust to do this. You’re one of them.”
Dr. Snowden raised his hands with palms out and shook them. “All right, all right. I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Excellent,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden watched as the last of the nonhumans left the Torvatta. Lord Noskov and Delia had taken off with their groups, and Evaran and Lord Vygon had left with a sizable Helian group that met them at the landing spot. He went back to the command area and stood next to V at the front console. The front screen was halved, the right side showing the city with a grid over it and the left side showing a real-time view of the city. The grid had colored dots to represent a sentinel or nonhuman. V showed him the basics of how to interact with the console. He was glad to have V there to help him figure out how to interact with it.
For the next seven hours, Dr. Snowden coordinated the movements of the various groups. The ebb and flow of the battle was nonstop. He found it fascinating to watch as each cell was secured. It was almost like playing a video game. The grid highlighted once all cells were secured.
Looking at the number of dots left, it seemed there were some losses. He had moved Evaran’s group to the center of the city, w
here the sentinels had massed up. Lord Noskov’s group was sent to the landing pads to take out the teleporting patterns since their speed gave them an advantage against the sentinels’ ranged weaponry. Delia’s group swept through the areas of the city with more obstructions. Dr. Snowden moved them there because with their size and speed, they would make more effective use of cover. He figured if they could fight on a battlefield like a forest, fighting in a city would not be too much different.
Managing the groups was easier than he thought it would be. Although he could communicate with Lord Noskov and Delia, he was not sure how they were able to communicate to their respective groups. Maybe something he could talk to them about later.
The next step was to meet with Cyrus and the Helian council. Dr. Snowden’s mind was not on the meeting. It was on Emily. Although he had been focused on helping secure the city, he could not help but wonder if Emily was holding up. He grinned as he thought of the loss the sentinels were just handed. It did not make him feel that much better, but at least he contributed to punishing them. He was coming for Emily. She just had to survive, wherever she was.
Emily coughed as her eyes tried to open. Her right eye did not budge, but her left eye was able to squeeze open a bit. Pain raced throughout her body, making her clench her jaw.
She took a moment to focus on breathing, but even that hurt. Small stones slid around her as she struggled to sit up. She moved her right arm to her face but abandoned that after the pain told her to. Using her left arm, she was able to feel her right eye. It was puffed up, and tingling surrounded it. From her understanding of the nanobots, she knew they were trying to repair whatever damage was there.
The tingling sensations were stronger than she could recall. It was almost like she could feel them at a lower level. As bad of a shape as she was in, the nanobots must have been working overtime.
She reached down to her pants pocket. Her eyebrows wrinkled as she realized she was naked.
It took her roughly ten minutes of small movements to sit up. Her breathing had stabilized, and the pain had given her a headache.
Looking around, she saw she was in a stand-alone cone-shaped cell made of metal bars. Several other empty cells were around her. It was like pillars of metal from different structures had been ripped out and then stuck at a slant into the ground. There was a hole in the floor a few steps away. She could tell what the purpose of the hole was based on the nauseating smell that emanated from it. Looking through the bars, she found herself inside a dimly lit cave. Torches around the perimeter lit up the interior. Another smell caught her nose just as she looked at a table near the cells.
