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

by Shoraz

  Meanwhile, back inside the Invisible Dome, Frank, Bernard and the board of the betasapien empire watched as the drama of the attack unfolded right in front of their eyes.

  “They are putting up quite a fight Frank,” one of the board members said.

  “Their fight is futile, and they won’t be able to withstand the attack, Freedom City will soon be ours,” Frank replied.

  Then suddenly, and without any notice whatsoever, the door of the room where Frank and the rest of the board were sitting blasted open, and in rushed a pack of approximately one dozen rogue white knights. And as they entered they shot towards the leaders of the betasapien empire and everyone ran for cover.

  As they aimed at those who they blamed for the evil and injustice of the world; Carlos, the rogue white knight who only hours ago left Usain in mud lake, grabbed Bernard by the neck and as Bernard tried his best to squeeze out of his hold, Carlos readied his weapon and fired it straight through Bernard’s head, and he died instantly. Then, the white knights who were obedient to the betasapiens quickly flooded the room, and as they fought and protected their owners and leaders, Frank looked on in shock and disbelief as his dream of ruling the world seemed to be coming to an abrupt halt.

  As more and more white knights came to the rescue of their beloved leaders, they quickly outnumbered the rogues, and Carlos and the rest of the rogues fought valiantly to kill those that they believed were responsible for the destruction of the humans and superhumans. Their fight however, was short lived as they were quickly defeated, and their mission to kill the leaders of the betasapiens ended with only three casualties which were two board members as well as Bernard.

  As the fight ended and the last rogue white knight was killed, Frank stood up and looked at the carnage that almost took his life and said, “Find them all, find every single rogue white knight and bring them to me.”

  “Frank, are you okay?” asked one of the board members.

  “Yes, I’ll be fine,” Frank replied as he sat back down and wondered how on earth did a band of rogue knights make it all the way to him without detection.

  As he looked at the ruined screens on the floor he quickly realized that across the ocean, the silver knights were in the midst of their attack on Freedom City. He then quickly ran to another room within the facility to get an update on the battle as two dozen knights, and the rest of the board of the betasapien empire followed him.

  Just then Achilles appeared, “Are you okay my master?” he asked.

  “Yes Achilles I will be fine, follow me now,” Frank said to him.

  “Master I am truly sorry, I have failed you,” Achilles said.

  “Yes you have Achilles, I gave you one task which was to find and destroy the rogues, and you failed,” Frank said to him.

  “Please master, give me a chance at redemption,” Achilles pleaded.

  “How do I know you or any of these knights are not rogues Achilles?” Frank shouted.

  “Master I would never betray you, and neither would any of these noble knights, as we live to serve you,” Achilles said to Frank as they headed to watch the final act in the silver knights of Russia versus the army of Freedom City.

  CHAPTER TWENTY–EIGHT

  Back in Freedom City, the silver knights were stunned at the courageous and heroic effort which the army of humans, superhumans, and rogue knights were putting up against them. As the lasers, bullets and small projectiles ricocheted off of the shields which the superhumans put around the humans and knights, they knew that it would only be a matter of time before the pain of using their superhuman powers caught up to them.

  But in the meantime, their powers were at full strength which enabled the army of Freedom City to hold back the thousands upon thousands of silver knights that were heading their way.

  Meanwhile, back in Lake Baikal, Russia, at the base of the silver knights; Ava continued to unleash her otherworldly powers and wrath upon the knights, and as they shot at her and fired everything in their arsenal at her, it was as if she was immune to pain, hurt, and agony as nothing in their deadly arsenal could do damage to her.

  Her powers had now reached another level, and as she destroyed and thrashed the silver knights, she put a protective field around her friends as well as the body of her dead father in hopes that there was the slightest of chances that he was still alive.

  As Ava used the elements, both seen and unseen, to create majestic weapons the likes of which had never been created before on earth; Sarah, John and Max ran towards Dean to see if there was any way to help and revive him. Sarah used her supernatural powers, but it was of no use and her head throbbed in pain which caused her to faint.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Ava could see what had happened, and for the slightest of moments her mind wandered to her father, and in that instant the knights saw an opening and they pounced on it, and to the dismay of everyone, Ava’s powers had disappeared and with it so did the protective shield that secured her friends as well.

  Then as she tried to summon her powers, two silver knights grabbed her and began to drag her away from Max and John who chased after them to protect the girl who they both were in love with and who they both had pledged to love and protect.

  As Max shot towards the two knights many more knights came heading their way and as Sarah regained consciousness she saw Ava – in a battered and bruised state – being dragged away, and dozens of silver knights flying towards her with their weapons drawn and pointed directly at Ava.

  It was then that Sarah knew that this was the end of the fight, the end of Ava, and the end of hope; and then knowing fully well that there was nothing in the world that she could do to help Ava, she calmly closed her eyes and said a prayer in the hope that her Hail Mary would be answered.

  Meanwhile, back in Freedom City, the battle raged on and as the superhumans fell to the ground in agony and pain from using their supernatural powers, the shields that were protecting the humans and rogue knights began to fade as well. And as the shields faded, so did the hopes of Gannon and Jenna as they looked on as the army of silver knights began to overpower the army of Freedom City.

  As the silver knights used their superior weapons to kill the humans, the rogue knights passionately fought against their own kind in defense of the humans. But it was of no use given the sheer size of the army of the silver knights and as the time ticked away, it was evident that the silver knights had won the war and they mercilessly hunted and killed many humans, superhumans and rogue knights in their path to obvious victory.

  As Jenna looked on she also knew that this was the end as a silver knight landed next to Gannon; and as Gannon raised his weapon the knight pulled it away from him and then without hesitation turned the weapon and fired it at Gannon killing him instantly.

  As Jenna screamed at the sight of Gannon falling to the cold ground, she looked around her to see the knights continuing their onslaught on the people of Freedom City without any pity whatsoever. As she continued looking around, laying on the ground, she saw many people who she called friends that were now dead, and among them was Chandra.

  Then, as the silver knight that killed Gannon walked up to Jenna and raised its built–in weapon, she closed her eyes and waited for the solace of death. But all she heard was a thud on the floor, and then another, and another, and another and as she opened her eyes it was as if a miracle of epic proportions had occurred.

  She then looked as far as her eyes can see and all she saw was a sea of dead silver knights laying on the ground of Freedom City. And in the distance, just about one mile away, the behemoth carriers came crashing down to the ground below.

  Back in Lake Baikal, as Sarah said a prayer with her eyes calmly closed, it was as if everything around her went silent. Gone were Ava’s screams, gone were the gunfire and missiles and gone were the noises of the silver knights which only seconds ago echoed throughout the air as they hunted down those that remained of the thirteen kamikazes.

  As Sarah pondered upon her next mo
ve, she was terrified and afraid to open her eyes for fear of what she would see. As her mind wandered, she thought of her love for Stryker and wished that she had another chance to tell him that she loved him and cared for him very much. She also thought about Ava and wished that her dreams of her were true.

  She then thought about the human race and wished that she could have done more to save them from the evil empire of the betasapiens. And as she waited for the silver knights to take her life she heard a voice shouting her name and it was in this moment that Sarah knew that everything she believed in was true and that the Creator of the heavens and the earth, as well as everything in existence, was listening to her prayers.

  “Sarah, Sarah, are you okay?” shouted Stryker as he ran towards her.

  In disbelief, Sarah then opened her eyes and began to run towards Stryker and as they met, she hugged him tightly and said, “I love you,” to him.

  Meanwhile, not too far away, Ava managed to dig herself out from below the dozens of knights that lay dead on top of her and began to look for her father who lay dead on the ground. As she made her way to him, she was in a world of sadness that she experienced not too long ago with the death of Jonah.

  But this time however, it was different, as she was now the last surviving member of her family with no family to turn to for support and love. Gone were her mother, father and Jonah, and as the tears of pain and sorrow flowed down her face, the remaining members of the thirteen kamikazes slowly walked towards her to console her, and to show her that she still had a family in them and to let her know that the mission to destroy the silver knights was over.

  “I’m sorry Ava,” Max said to her breaking the silence.

  As Ava looked around, still stunned at the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of lifeless knights, a feeling of warmth came over her. Then, as if everything around her ceased to exist, she peered towards the base of the silver knights and closed her eyes and deep beneath the ground she sensed a power unlike anything she had ever felt before.

  As she realized what it was she somehow became one with the unresponsive and damaged artificial intelligence entity that controlled the knights and as she took control of it and motioned her hands, she uttered the word, “Rise,” and then something miraculous and beyond wonder occurred.

  The silver knights, who only seconds ago lay lifeless and dead across the vast earth, were now being resurrected, and as they began to rise, they kneeled in obedience to the humans and superhumans and they all knew that Ava was the one who resurrected them and to her they owed their lives.

  As the resurrected silver knights of Lake Baikal saluted their powerful master and leader; Sarah, Stryker, Max, John and the others kneeled before her as well but Ava wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

  “You bow to no one,” Ava said, and everyone and every silver knight stood up with pride knowing that they were now free souls who were no longer attached to the control of the betasapiens.

  As Ava willed her thoughts to the millions of silver knights across the world, they knew that another war was looming on the horizon. And they also knew that when the time came, they would be ready to fight side by side with what remained of the humans, superhumans and rogue knights against the betasapien empire and against their fellow golden, black and white knights in what would surely be an epic battle in the final conflict that the earth would ever witness.

  CHAPTER TWENTY–NINE

  Back inside the base of the silver knights the few remaining silver knights began walking to the surface of the base, and as Zeus and Elizabeth saw them they ran towards them asking about Pops, Tony, and Bismarck but the knights were dumbfounded and aloof given the explosion that was caused by the destruction of the power supply.

  As Zeus and Elizabeth began to make their way down to find their friends, a badly damaged Bismarck was lying on the floor of the base, and as they came closer to him, they realized that he was holding onto life by the thinnest of threads. Zeus then quickly ran towards him with great concern, and as he realized that Bismarck was still alive he then picked him up and asked, “Where’s Pops and Tony?”

  A barely conscious Bismarck shook his head ever so slightly and faintly mumbled the words, “Dead…they’re dead,” as Zeus lifted him, and then all three began to make their way up to the surface and back to what remained of the heroic group of friends.

  As they walked back, Zeus began to cry as he looked down at Bismarck’s face and body and saw the wounds and blood which showed the sacrifice that Bismarck made in an effort to destroy the device that gave the betasapiens control of the silver knights. As the three of them made their way back to their friends, they could hear Ava inconsolably crying over the dead body of her cherished and treasured father.

  As they looked at her, she was trying to desperately bring her father back to life in the same manner as she brought the silver knights back to life. She then put her hands on his face and summoned her deepest and most astonishing powers and as her mind wandered to a place where no human mind had ever before been, she felt that she was close and pushed ever so harder to bring the soul of her father back into his body and light the spark that would again give life to Dean.

  Her emotions were now more under control as she focused, and as everyone, including the silver knights looked on in absolute bewilderment; Dean’s lifeless body began to levitate. As Ava continued her amazing feat she felt Dean’s soul within her grasp and just as she was about to do the unthinkable and unimaginable, Dean’s body fell back to the ground, and Ava slumped over it from mental exhaustion.

  Then as Ava picked up her fatigued and shattered body she again broke into tears, and once more she tried to bring Dean back to life, but it was as if it was not meant to be. And as she cried over her father’s dead body she somehow began to remember Galiac, and she screamed out the words, “Help me Galiac, please help me, I need you,” as the tears flowed from her face and onto Dean’s body below.

  As everyone looked on in sadness and sorrow, Sarah slowly walked over to Ava and said, “You did your best Ava, there’s nothing more you can do,” but Ava wouldn’t hear any of it.

  She then once again tried valiantly to bring her father back to life, and as she summoned her powers once more, her mind was unable to handle the power she tried to summon, and from exhaustion of resurrecting the knights and from the attempts to resurrect her father, her mind gave way and she fell to the ground and fainted. Max then lunged towards her and cradled her, and as the emotions of the situation overcame him, he burst into tears as well.

  Meanwhile, Zeus lay a somewhat conscious Bismarck on the floor while Stryker and John tended to his severe wounds in hopes of keeping him alive.

  “Thank you Bismarck, thank you for destroying the power supply,” John said, as Bismarck nodded his head ever so slightly.

  “It was Pops and Tony, they did it,” Bismarck faintly said as he writhed in pain.

  “You can do it Bismarck,” Zeus said as he looked at Stryker and John desperately trying to keep his longtime friend alive.

  “I love you my brother,” Bismarck said to Zeus in a barely conscious state.

  “I love you too my brother,” Zeus replied.

  Then Bismarck, knowing the end was near made an effort to reach for Zeus, and in turn, Zeus leaned over and embraced Bismarck as everyone looked on in sadness and sorrow. Then with his final breath Bismarck said to Zeus, “Thank you for accepting me,” and with that, his soul escaped from his body and Bismarck lay dead as the silver knights, in which he played one of the key roles in destroying, looked on in gloom.

  Zeus then cradled Bismarck’s body like a mother cradling a child, and began to wail like no white knight before him, “There’s nothing to accept my friend, may your beautiful soul rest in peace,” he then said hoping that Bismarck’s soul would somehow hear the words.

  As the silver knights looked on at the dead bodies and the sadness that came with it the leader shouted, “We are sorry, and we are ashamed of what we have done, but we
will fight alongside you, and those responsible will pay for what they have done to you, and to us,” and with that he commanded his knights to prepare their two remaining carriers as well as all weapons and vehicles within the base for their eventual departure from their longtime home of Lake Baikal.

  As the knights left to make preparations, Ava slowly awoke and as Sarah and John saw that they both ran to her.

  “How are you feeling?” John asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” Ava said as she hugged John.

  “The knights are getting ready to leave Ava, and they await our instructions on where to go,” Sarah said.

  “Tell them we’re heading back to Freedom City, we’ll return there and recuperate,” Ava said and with that Sarah left to advise the knights of Ava’s decision.

  As Sarah walked away, Max came running towards Ava and embraced her as John looked on. Ava then hugged Max and kissed him, and he said, “I’m sorry about your father.”

  “There’s nothing more I can do, this is his destiny,” Ava sorrowfully said.

  “What do you want to do with the dead?” Max asked.

  “Bury them here, this is where they died, and this is where their bodies will remain, but their souls will roam free,” Ava replied as Max pulled her up from the floor and gave her a nutrition pill.

  “Thank you Max, I needed that,” Ava replied as they both began walking towards Dean’s body.

  “Are you coming John?” Ava asked.

  “Sure,” John replied, and he joined Max and Ava.

  As they buried the dead in the hard and cold ground they said their final and somber goodbyes, and as Zeus lay the final bit of dirt on Bismarck’s grave, little did he or anyone else know how selfless Bismarck was deep in the depths of the base of the silver knights. And it was his courageous act that gave Pops and Tony the time they needed to enter the room and destroy the power supply.