by Adair Hart
Seeros tossed the now-bent utility handle to the side. “My weapon is useless, and now, so is yours.”
Evaran grabbed three orbs off his belt and tossed them at Seeros. The orbs stuck to Seeros’s shield, then emitted a white cloud.
Seeros waved his hand through the white mist while laughing. “You trying to blind me?” After a moment, Seeros’s eyes widened as he fell to his knees. His pulsating red armor pads had faded out. “What’s this?”
“Your Palisin energy armor is now neutralized,” said Evaran as he ran up and kicked Seeros, sending him skidding off into one of the containers. He walked over to the platform, which now had an unconscious Rakar and a dead Silva lying on it. He tapped at his ARI. “I am going to shield the platform.”
Dr. Snowden swallowed hard with wide eyes and a shaky voice. “What can we do to help?”
“Just stay inside.”
A shield shot up from the base of the platform to the ceiling.
Seeros smirked. “You think that will protect them?”
“I do,” said Evaran.
Seeros stood up with his big armor pads on the ground around him. His black interlaced suit with silver lines pulsed. He pointed at Evaran. “You seem to be a bit stronger since the last time we met.” He rushed over to Evaran.
Evaran engaged him in a round of kicks and punches. He went flying past the shielded platform and into one of the containers. He shook his head and looked at Dr. Snowden, then stood up and rushed forward to meet Seeros. He attempted a leg sweep, but Seeros moved out of the way and kicked Evaran’s leg. Evaran fell to the ground, but not before grabbing Seeros’s leg and making him fall. They both jumped back and did several rounds of kicks and punches. Evaran was able to avoid most of the hits Seeros was dealing by simply moving out of the way, but when Seeros connected, Evaran went flying.
After another few rounds, Evaran waist tackled Seeros, who staggered back. In response, Seeros hit Evaran in the back, causing Evaran to fall to the ground. Seeros flipped Evaran and straddled him, landing a big blow on Evaran’s face. Evaran was trying to block the blows but began to react slower and was unable to prevent the pummeling that followed.
“We have to do something!” said Andia, holding her crushed hand close to her chest.
“What can we do?” asked Emily, grimacing.
Dr. Snowden pulled out his PSD and looked at it. He opened up the weapons screen and selected the stun beam. He looked at Andia and Emily. “We’re going to stun him.”
Emily shook her head. “That didn’t work.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “No, look.” He held up the PSD and showed her a vertical line under a small circle on the stun beam PSD interface. “That line is a charged line. We can do a one-shot. I think if we both fire at the same time with that, it might do something.”
“Are you sure?” asked Emily.
“I think so. I’ve never looked at the screen before, but I just know what it is,” said Dr. Snowden.
Emily nodded, then interacted with her PSD. She looked up. “I’m ready.”
Dr. Snowden looked out at Evaran and Seeros. Evaran had managed to kick Seeros away, but Evaran was not standing up, and Seeros was coming back. He knew if he did not do something now, it was over. He pressed the shield-release option on the platform console, causing the shield to go down. Emily moved to his side, and in unison, they raised their PSDs and pointed them at Seeros.
“Seeros!” shouted Dr. Snowden.
Seeros turned his head toward Dr. Snowden and Emily. “Ahh, you wish to shoot me with those ineffective beams again. You shouldn’t have lowered the shield.” He glanced at Evaran, who was struggling to get up. “I think we know how this will end.” He rushed over to them.
Dr. Snowden and Emily fired their PSDs, and a larger-than-normal blue stun beam shot out from both of them. The beam had traces of red lines and green orbs floating in it. The PSDs fizzled out as the beams connected with Seeros. He flew backward into the wall.
Seeros shook his head and chuckled. “That’s it?” He stood up and began walking over to them. He clenched his teeth “This ends now. Tired of hearing about the great Dr. Snowden and his heroic niece, Emily.” He reached them and extended his arm to grab Emily by the neck.
Dr. Snowden’s face turned red, and his eyes bulged. “No!” he said in a guttural voice. He knocked away Seeros’s arm mid reach, then punched him, sending a startled Seeros staggering backward. Dr. Snowden rushed over and bowled Seeros over, then kicked him in the stomach. Seeros doubled over in pain. Dr. Snowden flipped Seeros over and straddled him like Seeros had done to Evaran and began pummeling him. Seeros tried to fend off Dr. Snowden’s flurry of punches, but after a few minutes, he stopped trying. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Dr. Snowden,” said Evaran, standing with the support of Emily.
Dr. Snowden stopped hitting Seeros, and his breathing went ragged. His eyes flared as he clenched his jaw.
Seeros lay on the ground, blood oozing from his face.
Dr. Snowden took several deep breaths, ending in a long one. He was not sure what happened, but Seeros seemed to have lost his strength after the stun blast. He looked over at Evaran. “Are you okay?”
Evaran half smiled. “I am, thanks to my bodyguards.” He gestured at Seeros. “You shorted out his power suit, which he not only relied upon for strength, but basic regulation of his internal system. Impossible by normal weapons, but the PSD is not normal. I did not know the one shot would be effective. How did you know it would work?”
Emily shook her head. “We didn’t, but Uncle Albert seemed to understand that it might somehow.”
“It popped in my head,” said Dr. Snowden.
“I see,” said Evaran. He looked at Seeros. “He is mostly machine at this point and no match in his current state against a rage-fueled human with his family at stake. The nanobots might have helped too.” He tilted his head and then pointed at a device on Seeros’s forearm. “Dr. Snowden, please get that device off his forearm.”
Dr. Snowden walked over to Seeros and knelt beside him. It took him a bit to get the forearm device off, and although Seeros struggled to prevent him, it was a halfhearted effort. He returned to Evaran with the device and handed it to him.
Evaran walked over to the platform with Dr. Snowden and Emily in tow. He grabbed his UIC and placed it on the device. He then scrutinized his ARI.
Seeros had rolled over and rested on his arm. He began to laugh as he coughed up blood. “You won’t make it past the Covendrin mercenaries.”
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “Many have died in your quest for me. I cannot allow this to continue.” He glanced at Dr. Snowden and Emily as he placed his UIC back on his belt. “Wait here.” He walked over to Seeros and grabbed him by the wrists.
Seeros cried out in pain as he was dragged from the room.
After five minutes, Evaran returned. He pointed at Silva. “Dr. Snowden, please pick him up.” He walked over to Rakar and slung him over his shoulder and then gestured with his free arm at Emily. “Emily, please get the Arkaron.”
Emily nodded and walked over to the now brightly lit Arkaron and picked it up. “Got it.”
“Follow me,” said Evaran as he walked toward the room entrance.
They exited the room and reached the T-junction. They took a right and reached the window.
As they passed it, Dr. Snowden looked in. He saw Seeros screaming as he lay strapped to one of the tilted slabs. The shield around the Malazim obelisk was gone, and a red mist was surrounding Seeros. Dr. Snowden swallowed hard, as he knew Seeros would be transformed. Otherwise Evaran would not have put him in there. Would the fact that Seeros was part machine affect the Malazim? He figured Evaran would let the military know, and they would bomb the facility from what Jazto had mentioned earlier.
They reached the initial T-junction. They paused as Evaran laid Rakar down and then placed his UIC on one of the consoles on the wall. He tossed an orb into the air, which situated itself over the ce
nter of the hallway door. He touched his ARI, causing a door in front of them to slide down, effectively sealing them off from the rest of the T-junction.
“What’s the plan,” said Andia, grimacing.
“Time to call his friends,” said Evaran, taking the UIC from the wall console and placing it on Seeros’s forearm device. He swiped his hand across his ARI, then extended his left arm, palm up. A projection shot out from his ring, showing the other side of the door.
After a few moments, the Covendrin mercenaries appeared and went right.
Evaran placed his UIC on the wall console again, and a door slid down on the other side of the T-junction, but not before Yuldaris slid underneath it. He sighed. “Almost.” He tapped at his ARI, and the door in front of them began to slide up. When it was halfway up, he activated his left arm shield.
Once the door was up completely, Evaran rushed Yuldaris, who had pivoted and fired. He grabbed Yuldaris's gun, then kicked him against the door causing him to crumple. “Stay down.”
Yuldaris slid up the wall and rushed Evaran.
Evaran sidestepped Yuldaris and then stepped behind him. He grabbed Yuldaris’s shoulders and kicked out his legs, causing Yuldaris to fall. “Stay down.”
Yuldaris gulped. “What do you want?”
“For you to stay right where you are. I will not be as generous next round should you stand up,” said Evaran. He gestured for Dr. Snowden to exit the T-junction into the main hallway leading to the front door. He then tilted his head to the side. “Emily, please hand me my UIC and then drag Rakar to where Dr. Snowden is.”
Dr. Snowden walked behind Evaran and into the main hallway.
Emily grabbed Evaran’s UIC and handed it to him. She then grabbed Rakar’s arms and dragged him to where Dr. Snowden was.
Andia followed Emily.
Evaran stepped back into the main hallway and placed his UIC on the wall console. He narrowed his eyes at Yuldaris. “So you know, I am letting you and your mercenaries live. Enough life has been lost today.”
“What did you do to Seeros?”
“He is no longer a threat to my friends. Nor will you and your friends be. Do not make me regret my decision.”
Yuldaris nodded with his lips drawn flat. “Not a problem. This is just a contract. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Good. After we leave, I suggest you get as far away from here as you can, unless you want to feel firsthand the impact of the military bombing this facility,” said Evaran. With his free arm, Evaran swiped his hand across his ARI. The door in front of them slid down. Once it was closed, he slung Rakar over his shoulder and nodded his head forward. “Let us leave this place.”
They walked in silence toward the main front door. Once they arrived, Evaran laid Rakar down and placed his UIC on the door console. The door slid up, and V was waiting outside, with the Torvatta behind him. Evaran gestured at Rakar. “V, take Rakar to the medical lab.”
“Acknowledged,” said V. He walked over and picked up Rakar, then headed to the Torvatta.
Evaran grabbed his UIC and walked outside, replacing it on the outer door console. He gestured for Dr. Snowden, Andia, and Emily to come out. “Head to the medical lab. I will be there shortly. I need to open the doors in the facility and alert the Kreagans that containment has been lost here. We do not want to be here when the bombing occurs.”
Once they were out and walking up the ramp to the Torvatta, Evaran interacted with his ARI. He then boarded the Torvatta.
They assembled in the medical lab.
Evaran walked over to the side wall near a set of rectangular panels. Each panel had a console in the center of it. He accessed the console on the one nearest to the room’s entrance, then stepped out of the way as it slid out, revealing a capsule large enough to hold a humanoid form. He gestured for Dr. Snowden to place Silva in it.
Dr. Snowden carried Silva over and gently laid him down in the capsule. His eyes misted. “Damn.”
Evaran touched the console on the front, and the capsule slid back into the wall. He then pointed at an adjacent slab to the one V had laid Rakar on. “Andia, please lie down on that slab.”
Andia nodded and headed over to the slab, with Emily in tow. With Emily’s help, she was able to get onto the slab and lie down.
Evaran walked over to Rakar’s slab and accessed a side panel console that hung off it.
A beam shot down from the ceiling for a moment, then faded out. Several three-dimensional holographic models of Rakar appeared above him, one stacked upon the other, with the lowest having the most amount of detail. Each model showed Rakar with his various biological systems.
Evaran studied the models, then attached several tubes to Rakar’s arm. He then pointed to a machine at the other side of the room.
V walked over to it and, after a few moments, returned with a nanobot syringe. He handed it to Evaran.
Evaran injected Rakar in the neck and then glanced at Dr. Snowden. “He had some internal bleeding and has a concussion. It should be repaired within a few hours.” He then walked over to Andia and pulled up the same holographic models. Touching the crushed hand on the lowest model caused it to zoom in. After a moment of scrutinizing it, he faced Andia. “You will need reconstruction.” He waved off to one of the smaller rooms. “V, get the reconstruction glove.”
“Acknowledged,” said V as he took off in the direction Evaran had indicated.
Dr. Snowden walked over to Andia’s slab. He wiped a tear off his face and then smiled at Andia. “Everything will be all right.”
Andia smiled back, then gritted her teeth and squinted hard. “I hope so. This pain is killing me.”
V returned carrying an oversize metallic glove. In his other hand was a syringe. He walked up and placed both items on a tray at the front of the slab.
Evaran nodded at V, then tilted his head at Andia. “I am going to inject you with nanobots that will neutralize your pain sensations.”
Andia nodded and winced as Evaran used the syringe on her neck. After a few moments, she exhaled slowly from her mouth. “Ohh, that is so much better.”
Evaran grabbed the mitt from the slab and placed Andia’s hand inside. He pressed a button on it, and a holographic image shot up showing various options. Selecting the seal option caused the mitt to shrink, creating a form-fitting glove on Andia’s hand. After a moment, the projection showed sealed. “You will not be able to move your hand until the reconstruction is complete. Once the reconstruction is complete, the cover will fall off by itself. The cover will ensure your hand is rigid at all times.”
Andia raised her left arm and rotated her hand with the mitt. “Once these nanobots are gone, will I feel pain?”
“The nanobots will suppress all pain signals from your hand. Once reconstruction is complete, they will leave your body by merging into the mitt, where they will stop functioning.”
Emily chuckled. “Sort of like a fire-and-forget cast.”
“Yes,” said Evaran.
“So what now?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“You all should get some rest. We can reconvene in the morning. V, take us to Kreagus.”
“Acknowledged.”
At nine the next morning, Dr. Snowden awoke to his PSD chirping. He rubbed his eyes and thought about the previous day. A lump formed in his throat as he thought of Silva. His death was senseless, and Dr. Snowden had finally begun to bond with him. Although Silva was rough initially, he had shown himself to be a team player. He gritted his teeth as he thought of Seeros. How much death had he caused? Seeros had called him great and Emily heroic, and then mentioned meeting Evaran in the past, maybe it was related to that. He shook his head and went to take a shower.
After Dr. Snowden was cleaned up, he headed to the conference room. He glanced at Silva’s empty seat and drew his lips flat. He saw that Andia and Emily had taken their seats, along with Evaran, Rakar, and V. He saw the Arkaron sitting on the table next to Evaran.
“Sleep well?” asked Rakar.
&n
bsp; “Yeah, bit of a rough day yesterday. You look much better.”
“This has been a rough mission, and we have lost Silva, but we made it.”
Dr. Snowden got a cup of coffee and took his seat.
Evaran nodded at Dr. Snowden. “I have updated Rakar on the situation, and we are currently at the Fredorian embassy now. Andia, what is our next step here?”
“I need to get another senator, but that shouldn’t be a problem with the Arkaron in our possession. I will need the information on Senator Kraas, and I need to update the Kreagan authorities on Silva,” said Andia with her lips drawn down. She tilted her head toward Rakar and sighed. “I will need your assistance to verify the events.”
“Not a problem,” said Rakar as he clenched his teeth. “I look forward to Senator Kraas finally facing justice.”
Evaran slid a small device toward Andia. “Everything you need is there. It is formatted in a medium your system can understand.”
Andia picked up the device. “Once everything is set up, we will head to the emperor’s palace. The Arkaron can stay here until then.” She gestured at Evaran, Dr. Snowden, Emily, and V. “I would request all of your presence when we meet the emperor.”
“You got it,” said Dr. Snowden with wide eyes. He had just wanted to see Kreagus, but to get to meet the emperor was not something he had expected would happen.
Evaran stood up. “Then we have a plan. Let us know when you are ready.”
Andia tilted her head at the doorway while looking at Rakar. “Ready when you are.”
“Mind if I come?” asked Emily.
Andia nodded. “I would prefer that.”
“I’ll be in the planar cartography lab if anyone needs me,” said Dr. Snowden.
Six hours later, Dr. Snowden felt a presence in the planar cartography lab. He had been deep into looking at the nearest solar systems to Earth’s. He tapped the console, causing the holographic display to fade, and the room lit up. He looked over to the entrance and saw Emily.
