DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE: BOOK TWO OF THE REALM OF ZERROS SAGA

by Shoraz

  Ava then left the room to head back outside to see Max and John, and as she did so, Sarah joined her. After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived to where John and Max were sitting along with Gannon.

  “John, how are you feeling?” Ava asked.

  “I’m feeling fine Ava, a bit dizzy but I’ll be okay,” John replied.

  “And how about you Max, are you okay?” Ava asked.

  “As long as I’m with you Ava, I’ll be fine,” Max replied as he looked at Ava’s face that was now moist with tears.

  Max’s reply caught John by surprise as his words were filled with emotion, and added to the emotion of the words was the look that they both gave each other which made John feel a slight bit jealous as he also had feelings for Ava even though they had just met for the first time since he had dreamt of Luanne.

  As John looked at Ava, feelings of raw emotion overcame him and he had to hold himself back from saying to her what he really wanted to say, which was that although they had known each other for less than two hours, he had feelings for her that were more than just feelings of friendship.

  Ava then sat beside Max and put her hands around him and said, “You won’t believe it Max, my dad could be alive and Sarah just sent a broadcast message over the airwaves telling him that I’m in Alaska. Hopefully he heard it and he’ll be here soon.”

  “That’s great Ava, I’m so glad for you,” Max said.

  “We should head back to the barracks and get some rest Max,” Ava said to him.

  “Ava we have to prepare for the invasion, there’s no time to rest now, the betasapiens and knights are getting ready to attack us and we need to be ready for them,” Sarah said.

  “I can’t do much to help Sarah, I’m just a regular superhuman like the others,” Ava replied.

  “No Ava, you’re more than that. I saw your mother in my dream and she told me to protect you, I also saw you in my dream, and we went to another world together. I don’t know what it all means but all I know is that you are special Ava and you may not realize it now but you will one day.” John said to Ava.

  “Don’t say that you saw my mother, she’s dead alright, don’t put things in my head and don’t make me out to be more than I am. I’ll do whatever I can to help you but please don’t make me out to be the leader of this resistance,” Ava replied and then walked away from everyone as Max quickly followed her.

  As they made their way to the barracks Max lay down on his bed while Ava lay down beside him, “They can’t do this to me Max, they can’t put the weight of the world on me,” Ava said to him.

  “Do what you feel is right Ava, if something is supposed to happen it will happen whether you want it to or not,” Max said to Ava.

  “I need to rest Max and you should get some rest too,” Ava said to him and they both lay down and fell asleep.

  Meanwhile back outside, Sarah, John, and Gannon headed back to Gannon’s office along with a few superhumans to discuss a plan on how to protect and defend themselves from the betasapien onslaught that was headed their way.

  As they arrived in the office, Sarah asked, “How are we supposed to win this war when the one that we believe in doesn’t even believe in herself?”

  “Have patience Sarah, she’ll come around,” John replied.

  “We have no time to wait for her to come around, perhaps there is no savior Sarah, maybe we just have to save ourselves,” Gannon said.

  Gannon then took it upon himself and started the process of coordinating his superhuman army and they all began preparing their defenses for the inevitable attack which they all knew would be the end of the humans, and superhumans, on earth.

  Gannon called upon his second in command whose name was Ben, “We need to set up our defenses on the outer edges of the region, go and find Marco and Linda and get them to help you, do whatever you feel is right and just know that I trust you Ben,” Gannon said to him. Ben then quickly left to find Marco and Linda to help him complete his task.

  As more and more superhumans came to the main facility, Gannon confidently gave them orders on what to do, and he also showed the utmost trust in his people which made them feel confident and gave them the assurance they needed, given the gloom of the situation.

  As droves upon droves of superhumans, humans, and knights came in to receive their orders, Gannon and his team of commanders sent them off to duties such as border defenses, air defenses, ground defenses, mechanical assistance and medical assistance among other duties.

  To keep the betasapiens on their toes he mixed the humans, superhumans and knights together and sent them out in groups hoping that the knights would use their great strength and tactical abilities, while the superhumans would use their uncanny mental abilities and the humans would do whatever they can to help their fellow soldiers of Freedom City.

  It was clear from the outset that the humans were the weak link in this fight and although Gannon and everyone else knew it, they all put their bravest of faces forward and prepared for the battle against the largest and most powerful army the earth had ever seen.

  Throughout the night, Freedom City was abuzz and everyone was anxious for what lay ahead, and in the middle of the city Gannon ordered a massive fire be lit and everyone that remained in the city brought their food and drinks and celebrated what was in all likelihood the last great celebration the earth would ever witness.

  Back in the main facility Sarah and Gannon sat looking towards the large bonfire as John and Stryker walked up to them, “That was very well coordinated Gannon, I couldn’t have done it better myself,” Stryker said.

  “We knew it would come to this one day, and we knew when the time came that we had to defend ourselves and that is what we’ll do,” Gannon said.

  “What’s with the party though, I don’t think that’s a good idea, we should be rationing that food and keeping some for later,” Stryker said.

  “He’s right Gannon, I wanted to say that to you as well but I didn’t feel it was my place but now that Stryker said it I think perhaps we should call it a night so that everyone can rest and get ready for the attack,” Sarah said to Gannon.

  “Look at them, they’re enjoying themselves, they’re happy and they believe that we can win this war, look at the hope in their faces. Who am I to take that away from them?” Gannon replied.

  “You’re too nice Gannon and I respect that but they have to know the reality of the situation, and I don’t think that they know of the true number of knights that are coming to attack us,” Stryker said.

  “Maybe they do or maybe they don’t but I can’t do that to them, I’m their leader and if I show an ounce of fear they will feel it,” Gannon said.

  As the conversation between Gannon, Sarah, John, and Stryker continued, Ava and Max entered the area where they were sitting.

  “Hey everyone,” Ava said.

  “Hi Ava, how was your sleep? I came in to check on you earlier but left you alone as I saw that you were asleep,” Sarah said.

  “My sleep was good, I really needed it. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about earlier and about how I acted, I shouldn’t have said some of the things I said to you,” Ava told Sarah.

  “No apologies are necessary Ava, we all do the best we can and I know you will do your best,” Gannon said to her.

  “Is there any news on my dad? Has anyone heard from him?” Ava asked.

  “No we haven’t heard back from him, I sent out a few more broadcasts so hopefully he heard them, and don’t worry about what you said earlier, as Gannon said, no apology needed,” Sarah said to Ava to show that there were no ill feelings towards her.

  “Thank you Sarah, I hope that he did hear them,” Ava said to her.

  “How about the betasapiens? When do we expect them to attack?” Max asked.

  “We’re expecting the attack to begin sometime in the next day or two, we began preparations and have set up some good defenses; and given our numbers and the situation at hand, that’s the best that we can do,
let’s hope that it holds when the time comes,” Gannon said.

  “I hope that it does, you’re the leader here Gannon, and the people know and trust you. Look at them, they’re having a big party in the middle of the city right before a war. If they die at least they’ll die happy.” Ava said.

  “You speak of death and dying like it’s no big deal Ava, these are their lives and the lives of their children. There’s sorrow in death.” Stryker said.

  “Only for those that are alive Stryker, we’re the ones that suffer,” Ava replied back to him.

  “How do you know that? How do you know that the dead don’t suffer?” Stryker lashed back at her.

  “I can’t prove it Stryker but I just feel it,” Ava said to him.

  “I hope that you’re right Ava,” Stryker replied back to her.

  As the group continued talking, Max had a sudden urge of hunger and started walking towards the middle of the city and everyone in the group followed along with him. As they entered the crowd, they sat on some benches and some of the people brought them food and drinks.

  As they sat together and ate, Ava’s memories flashed back to the last breakfast that she had with her father and brother, and she vividly remembered the smell of the food and the conversations that she had with her father and Jonah which were now etched into her memory – a distant reminder of the joy she once had.

  As she remembered the feeling of warmth and love that she felt with them her mind faded away and all that she saw was bright yellow and gold and she heard the faintest of voices say, “You can’t escape your destiny,” and with that her mind floated into the abyss, and she heard her name being said over and over again, “Ava…..Ava…..Ava,” and with that she was jolted back to reality and as she looked into the distance she was in total disbelief.

  It was her father and he was screaming her name as he ran towards her, “Ava…..Ava…..Ava,” he said as he ran towards her and she then jolted up from her seat and began running towards him as quickly as she can screaming, “Dad…..Dad,” as tears of unfettered joy ran down her face.

  As John, Stryker, Max, and Sarah looked on they were extremely happy to see Ava and her father reunited and ran towards them. Then as the people in the area looked on, Ava and Dean finally reached each other and they hugged each other tightly, neither of them wanting to let go of the other, as tears of happiness flowed down their cheeks.

  Initially there were no words, but none were needed as the raw emotion of the situation overtook them, and finally after holding each other for a few minutes the first words said were from Ava, “Dad, I can’t believe you’re here, I love you so much.”

  “I can’t believe that we’re together again, I never thought I would see this day. Where’s Jonah? I can’t wait to see him too,” Dean said to Ava.

  “Dad, there’s something you need to know, Jonah’s not alive,” Ava somberly told her father.

  “No, no Ava, please tell me he’s not dead,” Dean said to Ava as his tears of joy now turned to tears of sorrow for his beloved son.

  “I’m so sorry dad,” Ava said.

  “How did it happen Ava? Please tell me that he didn’t suffer,” Dean said.

  “He didn’t suffer dad, he died trying to save me,” Ava said to her father.

  As Ava and her father spoke they both tried to console each other from the devastating loss of Jonah and upon seeing the sadness on her father’s face, Ava said to him, “They’ll pay for what they did to him dad, I’ll make sure of it,” referring to the betasapiens and knights who were the ones that killed her cherished brother, Jonah.

  As John heard those words he realized that the fire under Ava was now lit and her mission to destroy the betasapiens was back on track. As John looked towards Ava he uttered the words, “I’m ready Ava, I’m ready to stand by your side and fight with you for what you believe in.”

  As Stryker, Sarah, Max, and Gannon heard those words they looked towards Ava, and Sarah then said, “You are everything that the savior is supposed to be Ava and I’m ready to die for you,” and just as she said those fateful words Amare snuck up behind her and put his gun to her head while the rest of his gang members surrounded the area and pointed their weapons towards Stryker and the others.

  “Hello Stryker, my old friend, good to see you again,” Amare said to him.

  “Just leave her alone Amare, I’m the one that betrayed you,” Stryker replied back to him.

  “Go ahead Amare, pull the trigger,” Sarah said to him as she was ready to accept her fate.

  Ava then walked towards Amare and said, “Put your weapons down now or I swear that I will kill you and your crew; every single one of them.”

  “You’re in no position to negotiate,” Amare shouted back at her.

  “This fight is against the betasapiens,” Ava shouted, and as she looked at Amare his gun disappeared into thin air.

  Amare then shouted for one of his gang members to throw him another gun and as one of them threw the gun at Amare it turned to stone and fell to the ground.

  Sarah then looked at Ava and she knew that it was Ava who was behind this magic. At the same time, Amare also looked at Ava and he could see the conviction that she had and he gestured to his crew to lower their weapons and as they did so they were in turn surrounded by superhumans and rogue knights.

  “Leave them alone, the war will be long and we need as many soldiers as we can get,” Ava said, as Amare now joined Sarah in her belief that Ava was special.

  As Amare’s and Sarah’s eyes met, he walked up to both her and Stryker and apologized for what he did. Their paths were now intertwined and they were now all ready to put the past behind them and focus on the task at hand which was the upcoming battle against the betasapiens. More importantly however, they as well as everyone else were starting to believe in Ava which in turn was causing Ava to believe in herself more than ever before.

  As Ava pondered upon what John and Sarah had said earlier as well as understanding how they felt towards her, Ava knew that she had an important role to play in the battle for earth and she knew that fate had something in store for her more than she could ever imagine.

  As the minutes went by and the betasapiens stood on the verge of beginning their onslaught upon the humans, superhumans, and knights. Ava could feel an unknown power coursing through her veins and rising within her body. Her transformation was now raging full speed ahead, and unknown to her, her journey to the realm of immortality was now within reach.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Back inside the Invisible Dome, the reprogramming of Milo and Roma was complete, and they were now born again white knights who were ready to live their lives serving their master, Frank Brady. As they prepared to join their fellow white knights patrolling inside the Invisible Dome, the memories of their past lives were now gone, and they were just shells of their former selves.

  As Achilles gave them a final inspection before putting them back into service he had a brief moment of guilt as he looked at them. For some unknown reason he hoped that the old Milo and Roma still existed within them, but as he looked into their eyes, there were just blank stares back at him at which point he knew that the reprogramming of them was successful and they were ready to be put back into service.

  Achilles then left Milo and Roma to continue their lives and went to see Frank to get an update on the attack on Freedom City.

  As Achilles entered the office, Frank sat on a nearby couch and Bernard sat on a chair beside him as they watched live camera feeds that were being broadcasted on a few of the large carriers that were carrying the knights to their destination of Freedom City, Alaska.

  “Can you believe it Achilles? The time of the humans and superhumans will soon come to an end and the world will be ours,” Frank said.

  “My master, with you leading us I knew that this day would come,” Achilles replied.

  “Once the threat of the humans and superhumans are gone we will finally rebuild earth and bring back to life this great planet
which the humans have destroyed with their pollution and archaic ways of life,” Frank boldly said.

  “Yes my master, as usual your plan is working as expected and only you have the vision and intellect to rebuild earth in a manner that you see fit,” Bernard exuberantly said to Frank.

  “Achilles, has order been restored within the Invisible Dome? Is there any news of any more rogue white knights?” Frank asked.

  “My master, everything is almost back to normal, and the betasapien public is at ease again and have returned to their homes, and I have not heard any news regarding any further rogue knights within the dome,” Achilles replied back to him.

  “And what of Milo and Roma? Have they been reprogrammed?” Frank asked.

  “Yes Sir, I inspected them myself and they have been successfully reprogrammed and have been put back into service,” Achilles said to Frank.

  “Very good Achilles, I’m going to the war room now, feel free to join me if you wish,” Frank said, and he left his office to go to the war room to get an update on how much longer until his deadly army of knights reached Freedom City. As they entered the war room, the white knights stood at attention as Frank asked for a status update.

  “Master, we are ahead of schedule, and our army will reach Freedom City in less than one day. Everything is going according to plan and we do not foresee any issues in the near future,” one of the knights replied.

  As Frank and Achilles heard the update, they felt confident in the approach that Frank took, “Master, things seem to be going as expected, perhaps you should go back to your home and get some rest,” Achilles said.

  “That is no longer my home Achilles, I will never step foot in that apartment ever again,” Frank replied.

  “Forgive me my master, I was wrong to say that. I should have known better,” Achilles said, and just as he finished his sentence a call from a fellow knight came to him.