“What the hell are you?” asked Saki, referring to James’ freakish fighting ability.
James ignored him, instead helping Sophie to her feet. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m…fine” she answered, sounding as if she didn’t know quite where she was.
James glanced at the large gash in her head where the bat had struck her. You’re not fine at all. We have to get out of here. A helicopter appeared out of nowhere outside of the shattered window. “Come one, that’s our ride. Let’s get you out of here,” James said helping his friend to walk.
“Sophie, what’s going on?” asked a bewildered Marty, who had stood in confusion whilst he watched the whole thing transpire. Marty called out to the Irish girl once more. “Sophie!” he shouted, as loud as he could.
“James, wait a minute,” said Sophie.
James stopped for a moment and helped her to turn around and face Marty. She could barely stand, and blood poured from her head. She made a conscious effort to look Marty in the eye. I owe him that much. Sadness filled her heart as she gazed upon him. She was filled with a deep sense of regret about the way she had lied to him, and also, for letting herself become close to him.
Marty realised that she was about to disappear from his life forever. “Sophie, please…I Love you…”
Sophie waited for a few moments and uttered her final words to him. “I’m sorry.”
James carried her on board the helicopter that was hovering right next to the window and it flew off into the distance. Sophie took one last look back at Marty as he stood at the edge of the window looking up at her. She looked down at him until she could see him no more. Deep down in her heart she knew that that would be the last time she would ever see Marty again.
Chapter 8: The Forbidden Lovers
A large plane flew through the red sky as the sun rose up from it’s nightly grave. Dawn was upon the passengers of the aircraft as it glided gracefully through the morning clouds. The plane touched down on the runway, landing safely at the airport of Paris, France. Stacey Cooper disembarked from the vessel and made her way through customs. The airport was frantic and people were rushing about, bumping into each other whilst they were coming to and from flights. As Stacey passed through customs, there was an angry exchange next to her between a man and a boarding officer. She could not speak a single word of French, however, she gathered by the aggressive manner of the man waving a passport, and the way the boarding officer was repeatedly shaking his head, the man was being refused access to his flight. Stacey rushed passed the argument and hurried towards the exit of the airport. The girl struggled along as she carried two large suitcases, being careful as she moved around the crowded area. As she neared the exit, her suitcases were knocked out of her hands by a group of people rushing to catch their flight. “Hey watch where you’re going!” she shouted back to them but the rushing passers-by were long gone.
Stacey continued her walk towards the airport’s exit. She passed through a group of people who held up signposts with people’s names on them. They were all waiting for other people or loved ones that had just disembarked from their flights. Stacey noticed an odd looking man within the group, holding up a large white cardboard sign with the words ‘Madam Cooper’ on it. Does he mean me? She cautiously walked towards the man. Upon closer examination of the gentleman, she realised that she had never seen him before in her life.
The man wore a dark blue suit jacket and pants, along with a dickie bow to match. He had a white shirt beneath the jacket and above the man’s head was an old fashioned top hat. He reminded Stacey of a butler by the way he dressed. The man also had a thick dark moustache, which curled upwards on either side. Stacey thought this looked ridiculous and struggled to keep a straight face when finally addressing the man.
She began to speak, but the man beat her to it. “Ah Madam Cooper, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said in a strong French accent.
Stacey looked the man up and down, examining him closely. She knew her father had many enemies, due to his particular line of employment. Stacey however, had been very careful to keep her trip to Paris very discreet. Indeed, even her father knew nothing of her journey to the French capital, and for good reason. Stacey could not for the life of her figure out who this man was. She figured the person she had come to visit in the city might have sent him here. She finally tired of guessing the man’s identity. “Who are you?” she asked bluntly.
“Why madam, I was sent here to pick you up and escort you to the Theatre De La Ville, as per request of my client.”
This much was true enough. Stacey was over in Paris for a few days and had arranged to meet up with a close friend. This man must have known her friend otherwise he would not have known about her planned trip to the famous theatre in Paris. Still there was something odd about him although what it was Stacey could not say.
The man felt Stacey’s mistrust and acted accordingly. “What’s the matter honey, don’t you recognize me?” he said. This time, there was not a hint of the French accent the man had displayed up until this point.
Stacey recognized the voice and smiled. She embraced the man with a hug. As Stacey held the man tight, he tossed his hat to one side, revealing him to be Chad.
The pair hugged for a few moments and then their lips locked as they passionately kissed. It had been two long months since they had last seen each other. Ever since the pair had met during Chad’s graduation night, over two years ago, they had been seeing each other in secret. Chad and Stacey were boyfriend and girlfriend now, however, this was far from a traditional relationship. The first obstacle they faced was Sergeant Cooper, Stacey’s father. The sergeant was overly protective of his daughter anyway, however he had grave concerns about Chad.
Had it been up to Sergeant Cooper, Chad would never have been promoted to the status of an agent. The sergeant thought Chad to be reckless and had kept a close watch over him ever since he had blown up the tower during his agent practical exam. Needless to say, Chad would be cast out of the World Order and into a civilian life if the truth about he and Stacey was ever to become common knowledge, and it was for this reason, above all, that the pair kept their relationship a secret.
Truth be told, Chad had no fear of Sergeant Cooper. In fact, Chad was not overly concerned if he was banished from the organisation for that matter. He loved the life and power that came with being an agent, of course, but he hated taking orders. Part of him wanted to be his own man and forge a destiny for himself, but he also appreciated what Professor Milton had done for him, and also the opportunities his job presented to him to travel the world. He had fallen deeply in love with Stacey over the course of their two years together, and he knew it would hurt her to be stuck in the middle of a feud between himself and her father.
For Stacey’s sake, he kept the peace. She was his world and he was hers. Chad who by nature was impatient and, at times, a short-tempered individual, was completely different around Stacey. She kept him calm, dampened his fears and he felt comfortable and at ease when with her.
Chad was a person who became bored easily. He had a short attention span and would indulge in the most random of activities to keep himself amused. He would volunteer for the most dangerous missions, as he loved the thrill and excitement that came with it. Outside of his job, he would undertake activities that always possessed an element of risk such as skydiving or rock climbing without wearing a harness. Chad never felt alive unless he was doing something big.
When he was around Stacey however things were different. He never felt the need to distract himself from boredom when he was with her. To begin with, their relationship had been very physically oriented. As time had passed though, Chad and Stacey had grown extremely close and were now very much in love. The only person besides themselves that knew of their relationship was James. If you remember, James had spotted the pair together the morning after his and Chad’s graduation. Even if James had not seen them together though, Chad would still have told him about
Stacey. They were best friends after all, and besides, the suspense had been killing Chad. He had to tell someone about it!
The pair brought their long kiss to an end and Chad brushed his hand softly through the fringe of her long brown hair. Stacey’s hazel eyes were a thing of beauty and the agent wished to look into them once more.
“I’ve missed you,” said Stacey, who could not remove the smile from her face. Chad’s work as an agent meant he spent long periods away from everyone, including her. Chad could see that Stacey was a little overcome with emotion and attempted to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, I know you have,” he said in a playful way.
“It’s been so long Chad,” she said, with a serious look in her eyes.
He realised that a more serious attitude was what Stacey needed at this moment. “I know, it’s been hard for me too. You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” The two embraced with a hug once more. “Here, let me take those for you,” said Chad, who picked up Stacey’s two large suitcases. “What have you got in here? Your entire wardrobe?” he asked, referring to the size and weight of the suitcases.
“A girl always travels heavy,” she answered, cheering up a little.
The pair began to make their way out of the airport. “I’ve got something special planned,” said Chad, as they exited through the main exit of the airport. Outside, parked on the roadside, was a Silver Mercedes Benz. “So, you like it?”
Stacey stared at the car for a few moments in awe. “Wow.”
The car was a thing of beauty. It was a three-door ‘SL’ class A vehicle. Chad pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and pressed a button. The vehicles roof began to automatically pull down from the car.
Stacey knew a thing or two about cars. Her father was formerly an engineer for the army and had a hobby for collecting antique motors. She knew that cars such as the one Chad had purchased did not come cheap and knew that it would have cost an awful lot of money to acquire such a vehicle. “Aren’t you meant to be keeping a low profile while you’re out here?” she asked him, referring to the orders given to all agents not to stand out from the crowd.
“Oh don’t worry, I am,” he replied. He tossed Stacey’s luggage into the boot of the car and took his place in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah I’m sure you are,” said Stacey, not sounding convinced at all as she looked at the Mercedes once again.
“Come on get in.”
Stacey took her place in the passenger seat and they sped off out onto the road.
This was Stacey’s first visit to the city of Paris and Chad made a conscious effort to drive through the streets to show her the sights of the great city. It was 9 pm in the evening and the city was even more beautiful in the night. With streets lighten only by lampposts and moonlight, Stacey looked around in awe as they passed the famous Notre Dame, one of the cities greatest gothic masterpieces. Chad next drove her up as close as he could get to the Eiffel Tower. Stacey admired the beauty of the tower as bright lights lit it up against the dark night sky.
“Can we go up?” she asked Chad.
“Tomorrow, I’ve got something special planned for tonight,” he answered, giving her a funny look.
“There’s plenty of time for that later Chad!” she said, giving him a playful slap on the arm.
Realising that Stacey thought he was talking about sex, Chad quickly shook his head. “Not that, something else.” Chad had been planning this evening since he learnt a few weeks earlier that Stacey would be coming over to visit him. Stacey had long talked about her love of theatre and art. In fact, when she had learned that Chad had been assigned to Paris several months ago, she was more excited than he was!
Stacey was aware that her father was keeping a close eye on Chad, so the pair had waited a few months before deciding to hook up in the city. Chad did not share his girlfriend’s love of art and theatre, but he wished to do something special for her since they had been apart for so long. Stacey was now very curious as to what Chad had planned for them in the night ahead. She tried numerous times to get it out of him as they drove across the city, but he let nothing slip.
Several hours later the pair arrived outside a large white building. There was a crowd of people gathered outside the structure. The people were queuing up outside two large glass doors. Above the doors was a large banner. On it, in gold writing read Le Theatre Des Champs Elysees. The building was very tall in height and since it was built in 1913, was made of a very old and rare kind of stone. Stacey looked at the building full of wonder, marvelling over the ancient designs of the walls. She had read about the building and performances that had taken place over the many decades it had stood, and it was always a dream of hers to watch a performance inside the historical building.
Chad knew this, and it was for this reason that he had booked two tickets to see a play inside the French theatre. As they exited Chad’s Mercedes, he tossed the keys to one of the theatre staff. The staff at the theatre would park the cars for the guests so they could enter the building without having to worry about parking. Chad wasn’t best pleased with this. He would rather have parked his precious Mercedes himself. The staff member, who was quite elderly, caught the keys. Chad then got the man’s attention. “Hey, not a scratch granddad!” he barked in French at the man.
“I didn’t realise you could speak French!” said Stacey.
“Just a little,” replied Chad who gave her a wink.
Stacey’s took his arm and they made their way inside the auditorium. Chad had managed to get hold of tickets fairly close to the stage and they took their seats along with everyone else. Stacey looked around the whole auditorium, which was huge. Directly above them was a large glass plated chandelier, which was over sixty feet in width. This was the main light source for the theatre. Below the large light source were several rows of balconies. This was where the more upper-class person would tend to watch the performances. Just above the highest balcony, were old paintings from famous artists such as Michelangelo.
As Stacey looked around the auditorium she noticed one odd looking gentleman in a balcony high above them. The man, who looked in his early twenties, was dressed in a dark suit and tie, like the majority of the people in attendance however his hair was very distinctive. He had long white hair, a style that Stacey had never seen before. She was just about to nod Chad with her elbow to show him the man when all the lights in the theatre went out. The performance now began and everything else went to the back of Stacey’s mind.
The performance was a play entitled Dracula, which was, of course, a tale about the legendary vampire from Transylvania. A spotlight came down upon the darkened stage and centred upon a girl sat with her back to the audience She was dressed in what looked like maids clothing and wore a hood over here head. The girl rocked back and forth and looked to be holding a small baby in her arms. The girl began to sing a song in French. “Ring-a-ring-a-roses, a pocket full of posies; Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down…Aaaahhhhhh!” Suddenly out of nowhere, the girl screamed out and quickly rose to her feet. She turned around and looked at the audience. “My baby! MY BABY!” she screamed. The baby the girl held was covered in blood underneath the small blanket she held the child in.
Stacey held her mouth to her hand in shock. She really was fully engrossed in the performance. Chad, on the other hand, looked bemused. He had no care for the theatre. The only reason he had come to the performance was because he knew Stacey would enjoy it. Even though the performance was in French, Stacey was smart enough to understand what was going on simply by the performers actions alone.
The performance was different from your regular plays about vampires. This one focused more on how Dracula would hurt his victims mentally, torturing his prey with terrible nightmares of pain and despair. Only after the men and women had been driven insane and were literally begging for death, would Dracula end their torment.
High above, sat on the balconies, many of the viewers looked on at the performance through their binoculars
. The long silver haired man, who had caught Stacey’s attention briefly before the performance had begun, looked down from his balcony. However, the man wasn’t watching the performance, his eye had turned to Chad. After several moments of observing him through his binoculars, the silver-haired man took them down from his line of vision. The man’s eyes narrowed as he gazed upon Chad with his own eyes.
Several hours later the performance came to an end, with the infamous vampire hunter Van Helsing failing in another of his attempts to rid the world of his arch nemesis. As the lights in the auditorium came back on, the crowd rose to it’s feet and thunderous applause filled the theatre. Everyone was clapping and cheering wildly apart from Chad, who was clearly unimpressed by what he’d just seen. Stacey noticed Chad’s lack of enthusiasm and nudged him with her elbow. Chad finally began clapping but with a little less heart and passion than the others.
Long after the performance had ended and the galleries had dispersed out of the theatre, the lead conductor of the performance stood in the middle of the stage. He was a man in his late forties and looked someone of great importance. He wore thin glasses that were edged on the end of his long beak of a nose and he wore a slightly old-fashioned suit, one that looked like it was from a time gone by.
“What a lovely performance that was tonight,” said the man.
“Yes it was indeed an intriguing tale,” spoke a male voice from behind a curtain that was just off stage to the right. The silver-haired man, who had watched the performance from the balcony high above Chad and Stacey, emerged from behind the curtain. On closer view, this was no ordinary man. It was Lucius of the realm of Underworld.
Since his battle with Auron in the Dark Forest two years earlier, he had come to Earth through the gateway that led between the two worlds and which lay within the Wilderness. He did this under the orders of his king, Kanto. He had remained on Earth for the majority of the time since. The exact reason for his presence on Earth remained a mystery. Only Kanto and Lucius knew the true purpose of why he was here.
Clash Of Worlds Page 16
