by Bruce Burk
Suddenly, Aiden rose to his feet and the crowd became silent. “Citizens of the One State, hear me. For years now, we have been at war with the terrorists. Every day, they seek to kill us because we’re strong. They hate us for our unity and seek to divide us. However, the resolve of the One State and its loyal citizens cannot be defeated. Today, I am here to announce to all of you: the leaders of the terrorist rebellion have been captured!” he said. Half of the savage crowd applauded. But the applause was not as great as it was for the Christians and the Indians who had just been killed.
Elizabeth sat in the booth with Aiden. Her insides were in complete torment. She was there but her thoughts dwelled on her loyalty to the One State. After seeing John, she seemed to feel slightly different.
“Bring out the last of the terrorist scum!” Aiden commanded. John, Gavin and Clark sat in the dark with their hands tied behind their back. A large door began to open. John turned his head to the side as the blinding light from the sun reflecting off the dusty floor of the arena. Their weapons had been taken from them. They only had on their robes with the hoods down. Several darks shoved the three rebels forward into the light. “Behold: the terrorists!” Aiden said. A large portion of the crowd booed and hawed at them. The darks escorted the rebels toward the center of the arena. Some of the crowd towards the lower seats began to throw things at them. “Terrorist! Traitors!” the crowd yelled. A pretzel hit John across the face. Then, several beer bottles hit him in the chest. He gave the crowd a heated look. Clark also got hit with pretzels and beer bottles. Clark tripped and the crowd laughed and applauded in a savage roar. Finally, the rebels were chained to three stones in the center of the arena. The darks left them and they sat alone in the middle of the crowd.
Little did the Knights know, One State drones had finally caught wind of the relative location of Atlantis. While the Knights were busy, Eidolon sent a fleet of underwater death machines to destroy their save haven. An armada of submarines headed straight for them. Sophia woke up to a thunderous sound and a vibration which shook the walls. The rebels had installed some cameras underwater to monitor the surrounding areas. She went to one of the holo-screens where Dr. Verne was. “They’re coming for us,” he said. “What now, fearless leader,” Gavin said to John. They had been communicating through soul speak the entire time but there was little to say. They weren’t sure they had any options. “We can take them. Just stay close and keep focused,” John said. Clark was trying to loosen the chains that held him. “We have to get these chains off!” Clark said. Then, Aiden said to the crowd, “Today, they will feel the full power of the One State. Citizens, I have a special treat for you today. Eidolon himself has decided to do away with the last of the terrorists himself!” The crowd reacted in thunderous applause. “Behold: your glorious Emperor!” Many people faked applause because they were still scared of being seen as a dissenter. A large set of doors opened at the side of the arena opposite from the rebels. Bob became angry inside. He felt a strong distaste for Eidolon but he couldn’t put it into words.
Then, Eidolon emerged in all of his glory. Elizabeth looked behind her in the booth where all the rulers were to see this strange machine. It had his purple light coming out from it. She had heard the dark marines talking about it when they beat her. This was Eidolon’s cloaking device; a veil superimposed over him to hide his true appearance. They also had told her that it was a matter-altering machine; that it gave him near invincibility and the ability to manipulate matter itself. She gave it a long, thoughtful stare and turned back to the arena. No one even seemed to pay attention to her anymore. Eidolon walked forward into the arena. He was dressed in all black. He looked like a human but was taller. His face was blue and had a strange alien type look to it. He had two eyes but no pupils.
“One State! One State!” some of the audience chanted. The dark marines handed him a matter sword and then disappeared back into the crowd. He walked towards the rebels slowly, in a taunting way. John stared into the eyes of his enemy. The anger he felt towards him was almost indescribable. It was like he was looking into all the world’s murderous dictators combined into one. John had pulled out a small piece of metal he had swiped from the guards earlier. He tried inconspicuously to free himself while Eidolon walked towards him. “At last, the Knights will be no more and we will have a truly secure empire! You will pay for all the people you have murdered, for your religious extremism, and for your terrorist acts,” Eidolon said. John said nothing. He knew who the true terrorist was. All he had done. All he planned to do. John felt like he was the only thing standing in the way of Eidolon’s total control of Earth and he was ready to die to stop him.
“Look at you now, Shepard. Iam has abandoned you. Your God has turned his back on you, and so has your father!” Eidolon said. John was taken aback, “You don’t know my father! You’ll pay for his death!” John said struggling to get himself free. “After I kill you, I will take your head and place in front of the capital to remind everyone that dissent is treason and treason is death!” Gavin also felt the anger in his heart, “Let me at that son of a bitch!” Gavin said, straining forward and being yanked back by his chains. Eidolon closed in on John, “I will enjoy killing you.” Eidolon raised his matter sword high into the air. The crowd became silent. John reached down into his soul and ordered the matter in the chain keeping him tied to the rock to break. Eidolon swung his sword straight down towards John’s head.
Finally, nature complied with John’s request and his chain was broken. John quickly rolled out of the way as Eidolon’s sword cut through the rock he had been held to. The rock split into the two and the crowd roared in applause. It was unclear if they were applauding the fact that he escaped or that he had nearly died. Eidolon swung his sword again, smashing it down into the ground. John nearly rolled out of the way to find his footing. Eidolon back handed him across the face and sent him flying across the arena onto the dust. Clark had given up with trying to pick his lock and instead focused their energy on asking nature to release them. Bob watched with a dueling heart. Back in the Knights’ base, Dr. Verne observed the chess map. He looked at the two pawns sitting near the king, one white and one dark. He did not know where to put them or where they would go.
Elizabeth watched from high above. Her insides too were sick with duality – a battle between good and evil for her heart and her loyalty. Eidolon threw John again. His body hit the ground and threw dust up from the arena floor. The two men to the side of Bob continued their chanting.
Suddenly, Eidolon changed shapes. John looked up from the ground. “Give me your hand son,” the figure said. “Father!? John said. “Everything’s going to be ok John, just give up. You’ve turned your back on me. Don’t turn your back on your country too,” the spirit said. “What?” John replied. “Give yourself up. Don’t be a fool,” John’s father said. “You’re not my father,” John yelled. “You never did listen,” his father said to him, smacking him across the face. John struggled to find his footing. Eidolon then shape shifted into Sophia. “I never loved you John. I was just using you,” Sophia said to him. Then, she kicked him and threw sand into his eyes. John cried out in pain. He quickly tried to remove the sand from his eyes. They flickered open and he saw a man with long hair in a white robe. “I turned my back on you John, because you’re not worthy,” the spirit said. “No! This is all a lie. You’re not real!” John said. “Don’t you know me John Shepard? I am Jesus Christ,” the spirit said, turning to the crowd. “My father has abandoned you because he does not love you,” said Jesus. “No!! He loves me and you aren’t real!” John yelled. Jesus picked up his matter sword and swung it at John. John barely dove out of the way.
Eidolon morphed back into his regular self. “Hahahaha!” he laughed. The crowd had calmed. They were not cheering at all anymore. Something disturbed them. Deep down, they all felt torn inside; a swirling of fear and dissent dancing on their hearts. Eidolon picked up John by the neck. He struggled, looking straight into Eidolon’s ey
es. “I want to enjoy your death. I want to remember it for all time,” Eidolon said as he slammed John onto the floor. He moaned in pain. “You have nothing Shepard. God turned his back on you … just as your father. You are the one who lost all the scriptures! The rebellion will fall and it will be all your fault!” Eidolon said. He turned his face to the crowd as John lie on the ground barely able to move.
Bob began to sweat. He was worried. His soul was title wave of torment. The white pawn seemed to shake on the chessboard. “Look around you,” Eidolon said, gesturing toward the crowd. “The people are in complete obedience to the One State. They no longer have the desire to be free. They want you to die!” he added. Eidolon turned to the crowd, “If there be a single person here who is with John Shepard, let them stand now!” The crowd was silent. Three hundred thousand citizens did not make a sound. John could barely move near Eidolon’s feet. The world seemed to slow down. Bob’s awareness of his surroundings became almost supernatural. He could feel every cell in his body in torment: the sweat running down face, his heart pumping faster, and his mind racing at the speed of light. He could feel the light touch of his skin on the metal seat. He could see the others in the crowd looking around to see if anyone else was standing. Through the chaos in his body a tiny voice inside of him spoke. “Stand,” it said. Deep down, Bob knew the evils of the One State. He knew something was just wrong, but it had been suppressed. For almost all his life, he had lived in a world where all his information had been tainted, manipulated, indoctrinated, and fed to him as lies. Bob looked up and saw no natural law written into the sky. But that did not matter, for the natural law was written on his heart. He began to smile. He could see all of it. He just knew. It was written on his soul. Sometimes revolutions are carried on the backs of a grand army, a powerful king, or a rebel group marching in the streets. But sometimes, it takes more than that. Sometimes, it takes the brave and passionate heart of the average citizen.
Eidolon turned from the crowd, raising his sword to strike John down. Slowly, and with grace, Bob did what he had to do. He did the only thing he his heart would allow. Bob stood up. He stood alone; a tiny blip in a crowd of darkness. The crowd gasped in surprise.
Eidolon stopped himself and turned around. He saw Bob standing in the crowd. “Arrest him!” Eidolon commanded. Several OSS officers ran in Bob’s direction. Suddenly, an elderly woman across from Bob stood up also. “Arrest her!” he commanded. Then, a small African girl in the front stood up. Then a Chinese couple, holding hands, stood up. An Indian man stood up. A group of Canadians stood up. A lesbian stood up. Mothers holding their children stood up. Fathers stood up. The Russians, the Australians, the British, the Argentinians, the Egyptians, the Indonesians, the peasants, the frightened, the sick, the outcasts, and the doctors all stood up. “Arrest them all!” Eidolon yelled. Rows and rows of people rose from their seats. Soon, Bob stood with the entire coliseum in dissent against Eidolon of the One State. The OSS stormed the stands, incredibly outnumbered by the people. Dr. Verne saw the chess pieces move. The people had joined them. The tiny black pawn near the king began to shake.
Tears filled Elizabeth’s eyes. She broke. The fear that clouded her loyalty for years left her. The beauty of the sight of a people rising up in opposition to oppression woke the tiny voice inside her that longed to be free. Aiden and his guards were standing at the front of the booth. Elizabeth ran toward the strange machine empowering Eidolon. There was one guard standing beside it. “I’m sorry,” she said to him. Then, Elizabeth stabbed the guard in the stomach. He fell to his knees and the machine was undefended. Elizabeth picked up the machine. With all her might, she ran and threw it over the edge of the ruler’s booth. Then, she grabbed Aiden’s matter sword and threw it towards Joh. The OSS were too late to stop her. Aiden gave the command to kill her. A dark marine ran up to Elizabeth, grabbed her by the shoulder and ran her through with matter sword. Elizabeth fell to her knees. She looked up at the sun, and fell flat on the ground. Aiden watched as the machine tumbled down into the arena. The machine smashed to pieces in front of the whole crowd. “Ahhhhh!” Eidolon seemed to scream out in pain. His body began to shape shift. His cloak and protective aurora were no more. Eidolon’s body began to burst through his clothes.
John rose to his feet and caught the matter sword. It changed color when it touched his hand. The chains holding Gavin and Clark back finally broke by their own command. They ran to John’s side. Finally, the rebels stood united against Eidolon. Dozens of dark marines and OSS officers stormed onto the field. Suddenly, John’s strength had returned to him. The power of the people united gave him energy and power. But they were surrounded. John extended his sword high into the air and the choirs of the heavens roared. Eidolon had morphed into a large, dark, vile dragon like beast from hell. He smashed his arms against the floor of the arena, shaking the rebels. Eidolon tried to slither away into the door but it was jammed shut. He turned and headed for the rebels. His red eyes became angry. He cocked his head and blew a huge burst of fire straight at the knights. The flame engulfed all three of them entirely. The crowd watched in horror. After a few seconds, one onlooker said, “They’re not catching on fire. Something is protecting them!” The smoke cleared and the knights stood unscathed. Nature had altered the cells of their body to keep them from being burned. The OSS stormed the stands and began shooting at the unarmed civilians. The people sitting in the front rows were killed. But the people were tired of being bossed around by the OSS. Their pent up rage proved an asset when large groups of men rushed towards the OSS stealing their weapons and killing them. Eidolon shot blasts from his eyes that the knights were able to deflect. Eidolon blasted several of his own dark marines in the process.
Gavin jumped onto Eidolon’s tail and held on for dear life as he was swung violently from side to side. John cut through several more dark marines and tried to get Eidolon’s attention.
“Over here ugly,” he yelled. Eidolon slid towards John, firing blasts at his eyes. John deflected them right back into his face. John slid to the side of Eidolon’s dragon like body and stabbed him in the chest. Eidolon yelled out in pain, blowing fire into the air. Gavin punched Eidolon in the tail and was thrown onto the bottom of the arena seating. Clark picked up a matter sword from a downed dark marine and clashed swords with one of his friends. He was able to stab out both of the dark’s eyes. Clark jumped on the dark marine’s back and spoke to him, sending him off attacking other dark marines. Eidolon smashed Clark into the wall and headed straight for John. Eidolon opened his mouth and attempted to swallow John whole. John grabbed onto Eidolon’s teeth. He struggled. Each hand was grabbing onto each set of Eidolon’s pointed teeth. Eidolon’s red eyes swelled with the fires of inferno. With a swift move of the neck, Eidolon swallowed John whole. Gavin and Clark became surrounded by overwhelming force of dark marines. But suddenly, the people jumped into the arena. They surrounded Eidolon and began smashing into him with rocks and small knives. Eidolon screamed out on pain. The people came to the aid of the knights, overpowering the OSS and dark marines with overwhelming numbers. Everyone looked on and thought John was gone. Suddenly, John cut through the top of Eidolon’s back, tearing through his skin. Eidolon became weak and his large dark, dragon-like body slammed into the ground. The knights rushed to him and climbed up the side of his skin.
John stood on top of Eidolon’s head. All the people watched in awe. He raised his sword into the air and said, “In the shadows death shall lurk, for all those who threaten the Earth. Cross the lines drawn in the sand, and you will fall by our hand.” The he stabbed Eidolon through the head. “Ahhhhh!” Eidolon’s body began to shape shift. The reds of his eyes went out. In a distorted ameba of color and light, Eidolon’s body exploded all over the arena. John was thrown onto the first row of seats. “Eidolon is dead!” John said. The crowd applauded with an explosion of freedom and joy. For just a few seconds he was so happy with himself. He had kept his promise to his grandfather. However, he realized the war
was not yet over.
Back in Atlantis, the One State Navy surrounded them with the entire armada of submarines. The surface of the Atlantic was crawling with ships, blocking the rebel army from making contact with land. The rebels had navy ships, but nowhere near enough to counter what stood against them. Sophia, Dr. Verne, and Kaslov all sat in the command center waiting for John’s signal to begin the attack. “There are too many ships for us to take!” Sophia said. The OS Navy began blasting the outside of the Atlantis barrier, constructed of an underwater forest. “We can’t let them get through that barrier! Send what ships we have!” Sophia said. Several rebel fighters got into their tiny submarines capable of firing lasers underwater. The exited the rebel base and the force field of Atlantis.
