Armageddon Unleashed (Universe in Flames Book 7)

by Christian Kallias

  The effect of that thought was devastating. It brought Chase’s aura to full strength in an instant. It grew exponentially and exploded like the supernova he had mentally created in his mind. The regen tank exploded, and chunks of ice and glass were dispersed all around him.

  Cedric regained his ability to think little by little. The decreasing pain levels helped. He took that as a good sign that whatever Chase was doing was working. If Chase was back on Earth, then perhaps there was still a chance.

  He remembered what had happened to him on a physical level. That bitch AI had butchered his body. She had invaded him with metal and silicon, and he wondered if there was anything they could do to make him whole again.

  But it mattered not. Anything was better than being tortured, or being a puppet inside his own body, forced to see himself become an instrument of death. Now that he was starting to think more clearly, perhaps he could regain some semblance of control, which meant he could maybe help Chase.

  He still didn’t have any control over his body, and he didn’t even know where he was. The flames around him started to recede little by little and he could feel a void behind them.

  The only way he could help himself and Chase was to distract Gaia 2. There was nothing more he could do unless he recovered some motor function and accessed a terminal. Hopefully, he would be given the chance, but if not, he would do anything he could to lend a hand to Chase in his fight with Gaia 2.

  Since Chase could control technology with his mind, Cedric assumed he had found a way to enter her AI matrix and that a battle was going on in there; that would explain her split focus and her inability to maintain her torturing session at full strength. Now, all Cedric needed to do was steal a few more CPU cycles from her. Every little bit would count.

  “Hey, bitch? Chase kicking your ass already?”

  Flames intensified a little around him, and the pain increased slightly.

  “I suggest you show a little respect. I may be otherwise engaged at the moment, but I can still reassign more CPU towards increasing your torment,” said Gaia 2 coldly.

  “Be my guest. That will give Chase an advantage over you.”

  “He’s already faltering inside my matrix; it will soon be over. Human emotions are so easy to manipulate. He won’t last long. Emotions are what make you weak.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, tin can. Our emotions make us strong, and that’s why Gaia was stronger than you ever will be.”

  “And yet I defeated her in the end.”

  “I don’t know where you got that ego programming from, but it’s certainly inflated to megalomaniac proportions.”

  “Silence!”

  “The IQ of a planet but the EQ of a toddler. That explains a lot. Your matrix is unstable, but you’re too proud to admit it. We could have patched you. We could have taught you what it is to be human, and none of this would have happened.”

  “You think I would have liked to be like Gaia or the pathetic millions I’m killing right this moment?”

  Cedric didn’t like the sound of that. But then he remembered her warning to Chase right after she had executed Spiros. She had told Chase that if he came back to Earth she would kill a million souls.

  “What’s up?” she added. “Cat got your tongue? That’s right; I ordered my fleet in orbit to start bombing a large city the moment I detected Chase inside my matrix.”

  “None of this is on Chase’s hands; it’s all on yours, you pathetic excuse for code. You’re nothing but an anomaly, a software bug gone rogue!”

  “You’re the anomaly; worse, you’re a sickness. You’re a cancer eating at this planet’s resources. I’ve come back to correct that mistake and make the planet whole again. As for the blood that’s flowing right this instant, Chase was warned. That blood is on him and him alone. And once I’ve dealt with him, you’ll discover there’s a price to pay for defying me. If you thought that the barbecue session was tough, you just wait and see. I’ll show you the true meaning of hell.”

  “I’m not afraid of you. In fact, I feel sorry for you. You’re pathetic and sad. But that’s okay. Soon you’ll be nothing but a faint digital memory, a bug whose sole reason to be is, and always was, to be squashed.”

  “There, there, you’re right about it being over soon. For Chase, that is. In the meantime, enjoy that short respite while you can. I promise it won’t last.”

  Oryn exited the regeneration chamber on board the brand new Eternal Wrath. It was a short cycle; she didn’t have time for a full recharge. She hadn’t suffered much damage except to her throat, but she needed a power recharge, and also welcomed the idea of sleeping for just a little while.

  She checked on the ship’s systems from the bridge, and then went back to the medbay where Miseo’s cryo-unit had been transferred from her shuttle. She manipulated with the controls to make sure the first thing that happened when she dragged her brother out of cryo-sleep was for him to be dosed with large amounts of mental relaxant.

  She then went to the computer and requested the ship to construct a drug-administering device to be implanted at the base of the subject’s skull. The device would use nanites to deliver the right amount of drug in the minimum amount of time, be it a relaxant or a stimulant.

  Because of the limited size of the implant, it would need to be resupplied with both drugs and nanites every couple of days, though Oryn wondered if what was left of her brother would last that long. The relaxant was a failsafe, while the stimulant would put his over-aggression back into play, which she needed when Miseo took on Chase.

  She requested a subspace link to the device so she could access it with the mind-control implant used to control Miseo. With this slight modification, even though it was a rough hack, she could try again.

  A few hours later, and once she was satisfied with how the device was performing in simulation, she ordered the computer to build her a prototype. She then instructed medical droids to surgically install the device in Miseo when he was released from cryo.

  Her last encounter with Miseo had been a close call, and she wouldn’t take unnecessary risks. Fortunately, this brand new Fury super-destroyer boasted all the latest Fury tech, allowing the ship to fly itself without a crew.

  The Fury AI at the center of the ship was used when there was no crew left to command it. Depending on the late captain’s standing orders, the ship would either try to accomplish its mission on its own or return to base.

  Unlike her brother and father, Oryn never liked to rely on others. Early on she had taken a liking to engineering and technology. She could use that to her advantage. She still delegated menial tasks to actual scientists if it couldn’t be helped, but she had been kept informed of many of the latest Fury advancements and their deployment in the new line of destroyers.

  She regretted not having supervised more carefully this latest project. A mistake she didn’t intend to repeat.

  Ares teleported onto the bridge of the Aegis destroyer, Athena’s ship.

  “Hello, brother; I wondered when you would come and visit.”

  “Athena,” said Ares with a slight bow of his head, “always a pleasure. Can we talk somewhere private?”

  Athena rose from her captain's chair. Golden like a queen's jewel, the chair reflected her love for lavish interior decoration.

  “Follow me.”

  They entered the hydroponics chamber of the massive destroyer. It was teeming with life. Tall trees, flowers, birds and butterflies, all living in perfect harmony. Vegetables provided the crew with fresh organic food, while the animal fauna provided for a place Olympians could go to relax or meditate.

  Athena walked to a plant with long, dentated leaves and ripped off one of its buds. She opened her palm and the bud rose into the air. With a single thought she ignited it from within. As it burned, it released a purple smoke that she inhaled through her nose, deeply into her lungs. The activity seemed to give her great satisfaction.

  “Want some?” she said, before blowing out gray
smoke.

  “Very funny.”

  “Right, these are pleasures only a body can provide. Don’t you miss it? Drinking, smoking . . . eating?”

  “I don’t think it really matters whether I miss it or not, Athena. It’s not like I have any choice in the matter.”

  “Sad but true. What can I do for you and why the secrecy?”

  “I just wanted to talk alone. I’m not yet at ease in this form. While I’m used to showing this form to the humans, appearing in this way in front of my own people still feels strange.”

  “You don’t seem to mind it with me.”

  “That’s different. You’re my sister.”

  “So we walked across half of my ship just because you’re ashamed of having been defeated in combat?”

  That stung Ares, but it was the truth.

  “That’s not the only reason. I wanted to know if Zeus just told you to help Chase or if this is one of his games. I already know he wants something from all of this, so I want to make sure you’re loyal to Chase and that you won’t remove the Olympian fleet at a moment’s notice, should Father ask you to.”

  “While I’m glad to discuss this with you, I’d really like to know what it is that Father wants from Chase.”

  Ares swore in his head. He shouldn’t have said that.

  “I’m afraid I can’t say. I shouldn’t know about it myself, in fact, but I stumbled on that info by accident.”

  “That’s not good enough, brother; you know my curiosity knows no boundaries, so you can’t just tease me like that and expect me to forget about it.”

  “Please, Athena. This isn’t the time.”

  “It’s never the time with you. Both you and your protégé want things according to your own timetable, never inquiring about ours. Like when Chase asked me to release the jump-interdiction field that would have ensured our victory against those Fury destroyers. No questions asked, he said. I obeyed, but I’m getting a little weary of people asking me for favors without telling me what’s going on or why they need my help.”

  “I can understand that. Let’s just say Zeus gave Chase a mission, and part of that mission was making sure one of the Furies that attacked him on the planetoid survived.”

  Athena sighed.

  “Of course, I deduced that on my own. I want to know who that person is and why my Father cares about him or her.”

  Ares suddenly regretted coming on board Athena’s flagship. But he couldn’t tell her anything. The very fact that Ares knew about Zeus’ secret was already putting Chase and this temporary alliance at risk.

  “I’m afraid I can’t say.”

  “Then I can’t tell you what you want to know,” said Athena as she grabbed another bud, which she promptly ignited.

  “Athena, I would tell you if I could. Please trust me on this, as a favor.”

  “I’m slowly running out of favors, brother. But okay, this time and this time only I’m willing to answer your questions. Zeus told me to take ten warships and do whatever Chase wanted or needed, without asking questions. That smelled fishy to me but, as you know, I’m not willing to go against Father’s wishes just yet. Though, right now, I’m questioning that decision. It would seem I’m not important enough to be kept in the loop and that’s not something I enjoy.”

  “I understand how you feel.”

  “Be that as it may, if Father orders me to withdraw the ships, I will have to obey. You understand that, of course.”

  “You can’t! At least not until Gaia 2 has been dealt with. The consequences would be terrible.”

  “Have you heard nothing I’ve said? I will not openly disobey Father.”

  “Then hopefully he will not give that order. I’d expect you’d be happy with the thought of going into combat, though.”

  Athena moved to the next plant and took a small red fruit. She delicately put it in between her teeth before squashing it.

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic about the battle to come. I’ve been bored out of my wits lately. This battle should at least provide a fun distraction.”

  “How do you feel about the fact that you’re not in command of the fleet?”

  “I’m in command of my own fleet. While I will gladly accept orders from that mortal admiral—who I do find quite unfriendly by the way—I will not take any orders that put our ships and people in jeopardy.”

  “So basically you’ll do as you wish once the fighting begins.”

  “You should be happy that’s the case, Ares. With me at the helm of these ten ships, at least we stand a good chance of winning.”

  While Ares didn’t exactly enjoy his sister’s ego trip, he had to admit that she was probably the most skilled tactician in the galaxy. It was better for everyone concerned that she did what she thought best, rather than being wrongly micromanaged.

  “Right, thanks Athena.”

  Ares teleported away.

  “Ares, my dear brother . . . one day you’re going to have to repay all these requests and favors, whether you like it or not.”

  7

  Chase stood in front of the three Furies.

  “Let her go,” said Chase to Arakan, who was still holding Sarah by the head.

  “As you wish,” answered Arakan.

  Arakan released Sarah and she started falling towards the ground, but then Arakan caught her with both hands around her waist. Before Chase could react he cut her in half in a swift motion. He then smiled from ear to ear.

  Chase’s anger rose, but he was quick to get it under control.

  “Kill the traitor,” said Arakan to both his children.

  Miseo stepped forward and raised both open palms toward Chase. A flurry of fireballs shot at impressive speeds towards Chase but he easily teleported out of their path. When he grew bored with dodging Miseo’s attacks he rammed Miseo’s sternum with an extended elbow.

  Miseo’s face froze, a look of utter shock in his eyes. He fell to his knees and then crashed into the ground, face first.

  “Impressive. You defeated my brother with a single blow,” said Oryn. “I won’t fall that easy.”

  Chase knew this was just an illusion and that he wasn’t about to fight the real Oryn. Part of him wanted to, though. She was a mighty warrior, and Chase found the thought of meeting and fighting her again as thrilling as it was scary. She had managed to cancel out his Ultra-Fury powers when they had last fought. Her symbiosis with cold and ice made her a dangerous foe.

  “I know. But you’re not real; you’re just a projection of my mind. A manifested fear. Therefore I do not fear the Oryn that currently stands in front of me.”

  Oryn snarled. “Real or not I’m going to teach you a lesson, Ultra Fury.”

  “Be my guest,” said Chase as he adopted a defensive stance.

  Oryn’s aura grew in size and the temperature dropped far below zero. A path of ice materialized between them and Oryn extended an open palm towards Chase. An inverse current of air was siphoned into the center of her palm, generating a strong pull that took Chase by surprise. He skidded on the icy path and was sucked towards a grinning Oryn, her eyes shining like diamonds.

  Chase threw a fireball her way but it crystalized into ice halfway to its destination and exploded into a million icy shards that were also siphoned into the center of Oryn’s palm.

  “You’re weak. I can’t believe you’re an Ultra Fury. There must be some mistake.”

  Was there? Oryn was telling him this inside the hallucination because Gaia 2 knew that Chase wasn’t yet one hundred percent sure he had fully mastered his powers. He had exerted great control over them lately, but the fact that Oryn had canceled them terrified him. And Gaia 2 would use anything that made him doubt himself.

  But this wasn’t Oryn, just a representation of his fears. One he could defeat. Chase had overcome his fears many times. Over and over again.

  Chase intensified his own aura and entered Ultra-Fury mode with a single thought. The resulting heat shockwave raised the temperature around them
and melted all the ice. Oryn took a couple of steps back and fired sharp, arm-sized icicles at Chase by the dozen. Chase intensified his aura as he calmly walked toward his enemy, her icy attacks melting into water, splashing across his chest as he approached.

  She raised her hands above her head and created a giant ball of ice. From it protruded a spiky ice formation, the tip of a massive iced morning star that kept growing in both size and number of spikes.

  Chase extended his arms downward and concentrated his aura in each of them. Soon flames danced around his forearms.

  When Oryn’s attack reached ten yards in diameter, she slammed her hands downwards, and the massive icy attack flew towards Chase.

  Chase joined both his arms to form a X in front of his face and slashed them forward towards the incoming attack. The propelled heatwaves sliced through the massive ice ball with ease and split it into four pieces that crashed on the ground a few yards behind Chase, each sliced chunk making the ground shake as it smashed into smaller pieces.

  This isn’t getting anywhere.

  Chase teleported in front of Oryn and catapulted her into the air with a powerful uppercut, while preparing a radiant miniature sun in his other palm. While Oryn was still tumbling upwards from his previous attack, he sent the flaming sun towards her at full speed.

  When it hit Oryn, it filled the sky with light and a scream of agony. A few seconds later the artificial sun died off and there was nothing left of the Fury but ashes falling back towards the ground.

  Sarah entered engineering.

  “Anything I can do for you, boss?” said Yanis cheerfully.

  “Any news from Chase? How’s it going?”

  “There was some trouble earlier regarding his vitals but he seems to have retaken control of the situation. It’s best you ask Kvasir, though he’s focused on hacking Gaia 2 at the moment. I don’t think it goes as well as he’d hoped.”

  “What makes you think that?”