The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance
Introduction
Immortality. Just saying this word springs gods and titans to mind. However, they are not the only ones who possess it. There was a race, hidden in the far corners of the Universe. But not just any race - it was a race known as the Immortals. They were almost as old as the Universe itself and were just as fearsome. Young ones were trained from an early age not only to defend themselves, but also to retaliate, spread fear, chaos, destruction, annihilation wherever they go. They charged their souls, along with their firearms, prepared their blades, hammers, maces and many other weapons at their disposal and plunged in the face of death. They won the hearts of many and ripped the hearts of even more - literally and metaphorically. Through alliances they insured their safety. After many generations the ancestors believed that their existence was no longer meaningful and that their power was now a right. At some point three members of this rather enigmatic race rebelled against the new philosophy and rules of their brethren. Soon after they voiced their discontent, they were named "The Unholy Trinity", because they were seen as sinners and their bold actions and words as blasphemy. Despite this label, they had supporters... until one night the authority decided to eliminate all who opposed them. They knew that if they gained more man- and firepower, the balance would tip in favour of the rebels. That night was later known as "The Night of Extermination" - its aim was to erase the blasphemers and restore everything to the state after the mindset conversion. Blood was shed, lives were lost and the three heroes lost their support. To avoid becoming prisoners or slaves, they did something unthinkable and unimaginable - they took three sacred gems, transferred all of their technology into them and launched them into deep space. Along with the technology, they added their looks, their images into the gems, but decided to let their own souls turn to dust and ashes, because they didn't want their own way of thinking to affect the inheritor's mindset. They hoped that someone out there would preserve the ways of the true Immortals, the ones who formed the morals that everyone followed, and use the technology as a helping hand. The Unholy Trinity also managed to push their own planet into a black hole, thus eliminating their own brothers and sisters.
One of the Immortals' allies - called New Hope - quickly learned of their extinction. New Hope is a group of former mercenaries who did the opposite to the ancient Immortals - they decided to become a part of a good cause, to become a role model for other races. They became allies with the Immortals not only because of their power, but also because they wanted to learn from them, to become like them. New Hope became allies with the Immortals long before the mindset conversion and that is why they were not affected in any way, shape or form by the newly developed philosophy. They realised that something went horribly wrong, when they saw that the Immortals' home planet was missing. Scanning the remains brought little in terms of results. So they set off in search of survivors. They didn't pick a specific route - they scanned every inch of space that could be scanned. The Bearers of Hope, as they conveniently call themselves, knew that without their biggest ally, a much stronger, evil force would spread all over the Universe and corrupt it. That force was known as The Overlord. He enslaves, pillages, decimates and destroys in order to rule as much as he can, using his military forces known as The Hordes. He doesn't enslave races and nations the way the Universe is familiar with; he is fully aware that at a certain point the enslaved will rebel, cause chaos and foil his plans. Instead, he takes samples of their strongest warriors and leaders' DNA, infuses part of those samples into himself to boost his stamina, strength and intelligence and leaves a tiny fraction (thus he controls their intelligence and keeps them under his banner) to create mutated clones, which form his Hordes. After he's done with forming a new Horde, he kills the race or nation, from which he took the DNA, so that they don't interfere with him. He does whatever it takes to put down any potential danger that would prohibit him from absolute control. The only forces that stand in his way are New Hope and the remaining three Immortals, whose gems drift into space and about which the Overlord doesn't know... yet.
Though the situation may seem very bleak, a new hope in the hands, hearts and souls of three warriors must be found so that all of existence can be preserved from extinction. Luckily the gems were stored in a container fitted with powerful scanners prior to their blast-off into space in order to find suitable inheritors for the precious technology and the fearsome looks. This is where a ray of light pierces the darkness - the container's scanners locate signs of life. After centuries of drifting into the unknown, avoiding all manner of asteroids and planets, it arrives at the Milky Way and sets course for the Solar System and its only habitable planet - Earth.
Chapter I
Enter The Madness
The night was chilly and rain was pouring from the sky. However the young Ronnie Mason was walking down the soggy street with his hood on his head. He didn't ignore the rain; in fact one could say the rain helped him reach a state of harmony and balance, a state where he could control himself. Why is self-control mentioned? Ronnie has suffered from anxiety and inner struggles from an early age; he has never been very confident in himself, his abilities and his intelligence. Questions and doubt were one of his ways of interacting with certain, if not all people and his surroundings. All of these issues stem from his status in school - a loner, a silent sack of meat, a walking shadow of a human being, isolated by his peers as an outsider. What he felt from the world surrounding him was not exactly hatred; it was closer to ignorance, because it felt cold to him, distant even, whilst hatred is often, in many cases, associated with heat. A variation of hatred was present in his most recent conversation - he had a row with his parents regarding his wish to go out by himself. They wanted him to socialise, instead of isolating himself from his peers. But listening to so much yelling and the various messages it contained only caused confusion and even more hatred, so in the end he left the house without saying a word. It was his way of dealing with issues - when he cannot do anything at present, he leaves, does something completely different and shortly afterwards he comes back with a fresh mind to deal with the problem at hand.
While he was walking in the rain, occasionally skipping a puddle or two, his primary task was to calm down, which he successfully handled. After about 30 minutes of walking he heard the loud music coming from the local rock and heavy metal bar called "Pedal To The Metal", a place he wasn't quite familiar with. He'd seen the metalheads coming out of it and despite the fact that he listened to the music, he wasn't very keen on talking to those people. He was aware of the potential anger that could break out, so he steered away from them as much as he could. The issue was that all the other places in the town of Frankfort, Kentucky were mainstream in terms of the music being played and the people who frequented them were more or less the same, so in the end he entered "Pedal To The Metal", hoping that no trouble would arise. The scenery that his eyes were exposed to was dozens of metalheads drinking beer or whiskey, laughing out loud and having a good time. Two boys saw him entering the bar. They could easily sense Ronnie's bashfulness. Once they saw the Disturbed t-shirt that he was wearing under the cowl, their immediate decision was to invite him to their table. The two boys, named Garret and Tyler, were quite the opposite to Ronnie in their interactions with other people. In high school Tyler had to communicate with a lot of people due to his frequent participations in school projects, whilst Garret briefly worked as an assistant to a professor, who in turn introduced him to many people and broadened his horizon.
- You must be by yourself. Feel free to join us! - said Garret, as he put his hand on Ronnie's shoulder. Ronnie felt the positive note in his voice, so
he followed them. Though he was stopped by Tyler, who said:
- Hold on. Hey Timmy, a beer for this chap!
- How much does it cost? - Ronnie asked.
- It costs nothing to you; I'm paying this one. - Tyler replied.
As they were heading for the table, a middle-aged man quickly turned to Ronnie and scared him by growling, to which Tyler reacted:
- Hey! Mind your fuckin' business!
- Chill, dude. Just tryin' to soften up the newcomer. - the man said.
Ronnie's peace of mind was partially ruined by the rude behaviour of that swine.
- Calm down, buddy. Our friends don't mistreat other people like that.
- Um, forgive me, but we're not yet buddies... - said Ronnie.
- That can always change... and I firmly believe it can change to friendship. Oh, silly me - forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tyler. And this is Garret.
- I'm Ronnie.
- Nice to meet you, Ronnie.
- So, Ronnie - Garret spoke up - , are you a local?
- Yes, for good or bad reasons. - said Ronnie.
- Aw, come on now, there has to be some sort of redeeming factor, right, Tyler?
- Exactly! - Tyler agreed.
- Well, I live with my family, they all love me, but outside of it I have close to zero support. Most people are just... awful. - said Ronnie.
- Avoid being too critical of human society. I may run the risk of saying a cliché, but regardless of the fact that our society can be likened to a disease, there are always notable exceptions that exist. - said Tyler.
This topic was suddenly interrupted by Garret, who shouted:
- Hey, Freud and Socrates! We're here to drink and enjoy ourselves! Come on, raise your drinks!
- You have to excuse my friend; he says stuff like that for general benefit, even though what he says may sound like an insult. - Tyler reassured him.
- Oh no, quite the contrary - I found it amusing. Cheers! - said Ronnie.
And so Ronnie drank with the two boys and the rest of the people at the table. Several drinks and many laughs later Ronnie was convinced that those men, with whom he was drinking and sharing a table, had good souls. At one point Manowar's "Die for Metal" was put on and the whole table prepared to sing. Ronnie was silent for a significant amount of time... until he began singing:
- "Quit my job this morning, said: "Forever I will hold my head up high!""
The alcohol had relaxed his vocal chords and as a result he was able to sing the song in a deeper voice; deep enough to replicate that of Eric Adams. Loud applause followed and everyone else joined Ronnie. That song strengthened their bond.
It got late and they left the bar drunk and full of joy. Most of them were swaying so much one would say that one of them would end up in hospital with a fractured skull, should he fall to the ground. Fortunately those men had years of experience with alcohol and they'd constantly tell Ronnie: "T'is a'ight", because he was the one who was concerned the most about their safety. It would have been a shame to end such a good evening on a low note. As for Ronnie himself, he was escorted by Garret and Tyler to his home.
- There was no need for the escort. - he said.
- To be fair, there was. It has nothing to do with your physical stability while under the influence. We don't want you to do something stupid and irresponsible as a result of consuming alcohol while we're not looking. We don't have the full picture of you as a person. And also we really enjoyed your company. How about we see each other again later this week? On Saturday we're going to hang out at the football stadium.
Tyler's short speech and proposal struck a chord in Ronnie's consciousness. Offers like that one were far from frequent, considering the monotony of his everyday life.
- Yes, I'd love to see both of you again. At what time of the day will you go there?
- Hm, good question. Garret?
- Errr, let me see... - he pulled his phone out of his pocket to look at the calendar and the list of tasks he had to do on that day:
- Well, the afternoon is entirely at our disposal.
- So is mine. - Ronnie replied. - After I see my girlfriend, I'll head straight for the stadium.
- How does half past four sound? - Tyler asked.
- Perfect! I'll see you guys then. Good night!
- Same to you, buddy! Sleep tight! - said Garret.
As the two boys were walking away into the shadows, Garret turned to Ronnie once again:
- Oh, and Ronnie? Whatever problems you may have, they will be resolved. There's always a way out.
- I'll keep that in mind. - Ronnie said. He then walked into the house with a smirk on his face - strangely enough, it stayed there for quite some time.
His father came down the stairs to drink some water and saw his son with a smirk on his face; he considered it a rare occurrence, almost an impossible one.
- Son, what's the matter? Is everything alright?
- Yes, I'm fine; in fact, I feel great - a little buzzed, but overall great.
- That's good to hear. You'll tell me the whole story tomorrow. It's best if we don't wake your mother up.
- Agreed. Good night. - Ronnie whispered to his father and retired to his room.
***
- Are there any traces? Do you have any theories as to how some of them could have survived and consequently escaped the explosion? - said Stromak.
- 3 options definitely exist - space cruisers, fighters and escape pods. Unfortunately our search team cannot locate traces by any of the aforementioned.
- Very well. Have you found anything particularly intriguing? - Stromak asked.
- Affirmative - there is a faint trace. It is made by a sort of propulsion system that is very unusual; the readings are very strong from the centre of the source, but after a significant distance the trace leads to an end; it's as if the vessel had vanished from reality. The reading itself is weaker than that of a cruiser and stronger than those of escape pods and fighters. We also believe that whatever the propulsion system is, it has most likely used a significant amount of fuel to escape the planet's orbit and later the fuel flow rate was lowered or completely shut down in order to preserve the propulsion system and only use fuel when needed. Whatever the vessel is, I doubt it contains survivors - such propulsion is ineffective and the vessel is probably too compact to be an escape vehicle.
- Keep searching.
- Yes, sir.
Stromak was both irritated and concerned at that point. He was fully aware of the development of the situation; the Overlord has certainly found out about the destroyed home of the Immortals and the missing vessel. Hiding information from an evil entity of that calibre was next to impossible. New Hope's only chance to even the odds was the contents of the container - the three gems, about which neither side knows. Yet.
His contemplating was interrupted when a scientist from the search team jumped from his chair:
- We have a new trace!
- Tell me everything you know - location, intensity... everything. - Stromak demanded.
- The trace leads to the galaxy in the far right quadrant.
- Any signs of life? - Stromak said.
- Not at present. Should we follow it, sir?
- Is the trace with the exact same characteristics? - said Stromak.
- Affirmative.
- Follow it - we're all fully aware that whoever or whatever is in that vessel could aid us immensely against Ren'ul Furot and his armies. New Hope cannot rely on the help of the Immortals anymore, or at least in this very moment, so it's vital that we use whatever or whoever comes out of that vehicle to its full potential. That is our only option. You know exactly what to do.
With those words Stromak let the scientists do their magic. He had a lot of trust in his crew, despite the low morale caused by the tireless and fruitless search for the vessel. Most of the crew members were taken over by anxiety, fear, at times even panic and the frequent nightmares did not improve their concentration. New Hope was
always prepared to take military actions, should the Overlord's armada surprise them. The container was their goal and their aim was simple - reach it before Furot does.
Chapter II
Fountain of Evil
- "The sun is shining, I had lunch with my angel and I'm about to hang out with some nice people. Am I daydreaming or is this reality?"
Those were the sort of thoughts that were darting left and right in Ronnie's mind. Several days after he met Garret and Tyler he felt rejuvenated; he wasn't constantly smiling, but there was a discreet smirk that refused to leave his face. To most people that might seem an unperceivable difference, but some of the residents of Frankfort noticed his uplifted state of emotion. Ronnie was nicknamed "The Walking Shadow" by his peers in university. That change was noticeable mostly because he had his cowl down.
- This is the first time I've seen him smile in months. I wonder what he's so happy about. - said Abigail.
- He's probably lost his virginity... in a videogame. - said Sharon.
That made them burst into laughter. Those girls were Abigail, Sharon and Zoey or, as Ronnie liked to call them, "The Gossip Crew". These girls simply lived to discuss, point out and revel into the imperfections of people around them. To Ronnie's discontent his girlfriend Ashley was one of them. Though that fact didn't even come close to ruining his day. He attended all of the lectures in his program and after he strode home to leave his books, he went to the stadium where Garret and Tyler were waiting for him to arrive.
- He-hey, Ronnie's here! "They can't stop us, let 'em try..."
- For God's sake, Garret! Ugh, he's been singing that song since the night we met. Anyway, how are you doing?
- I'm delighted to say that I have not felt this good in months! I went to lectures, saw my girlfriend, had beans for lunch... and now I see you guys! Couldn't get any better than this! - said Ronnie.
- That's great to hear! - Garret responded with a similar tone of excitement.
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