Feros and the Underworld Prince

by A. L. Bridges

  “No, people die when you drop heavy objects, such as anvils or safes, on their heads.”

  After dinner, I drove Addie and Cheza to a nearby park. When we get there, all the other families are leaving.

  “Daddy, why is that lady so big?” Addie asks when she sees a rather obese woman getting into a minivan.

  “Airi, what should I tell her?”

  (Because she made poor eating choices)

  “Because she made poor eating choices.” I tell Addie.

  “Why?” Addie asks.

  (Because she wasn’t taught better)

  “Because she wasn’t taught better.” I respond.

  “Why?” Addie asks.

  (Because her parents didn’t love her enough)

  “Because her parents didn’t love her enough.” I reply.

  “You love me, don’t you Daddy?” Addie asks.

  (I love you unconditionally, sweetie)

  “I love you unconditionally, sweetie.” I repeat. Airi has some really good lines!

  (Until you get fat)

  “Until you get fat.” I tell Addie without thinking.

  Cheza slowly turns her head and glares at me. Looks like I might have just given Addie a new complex for her future… and possibly an eating disorder.

  “Anyway, this is the park, Addie. Those are slides, that’s a jungle gym, those are swings, that’s a play set…” I explain how to use the equipment and then I sit down on a nearby bench with Cheza while Addie goes down some slides.

  “So what the hell was that? Are you trying to fuck her up?” Cheza asks pointedly.

  “Airi was giving me advice and I repeated what she said without thinking. Cheza, can we talk about us?” I inquire.

  “I don’t see what there is to talk about.” Cheza says while folding her arms across her chest.

  “Cheza… I want to be with you… I want us to be a family for Addie… I—grab Addie, take cover in the play set, and shield her from what I’m about to do. I’ll handle this. GO!” I order when I spot two armed men in tactical armor advancing towards the playground.

  My helmet engages as one of the men spots Cheza running and raises his M4 Carbine to fire. I toss a smoke bomb to interrupt and obstruct his view. I flash forward through the smoke and crush the guy’s head with my left hand. I grab his M4 while throwing the body at the second gunman, snapping the carbine’s strap. The body knocks the second gunman over and I fire a three-round burst into the second gunman’s head to finish him off.

  Three bullets whizz past me coming from the other side of the playground. I launch myself into the air and fire a burst at each of the three enemies that are advancing across the playground. With a velocity of 2970ft/s, the three combatants don’t stand a chance at only two hundred feet away, even with their enhanced speed. I have eighteen rounds or six bursts remaining in the magazine. I turn in midair and fire on six of the eight remaining enemies throughout the park.

  I land as the final two enemies take cover behind a saguaro cactus. I draw an explosive dart and throw it at the saguaro, five hundred feet away. When they realize that I’m no longer firing, the two gunmen come out of their cover so I detonate the dart. I race forward while they are stunned, wielding the M4 in my right hand like a club. I smash the butt of the M4 into the head of the guy on the right, caving his metal helmet into his skull, as I punch through the saguaro to grab the other guy… or that had been the plan at least. I end up just standing there with my hand in a cactus, groping around blindly while the final gunman walks around the cactus and unloads all thirty rounds into my lumbar. All the rounds pass through my stomach, except for the three rounds that are responsible for shattering one of my vertebrae.

  “This is Whiskey Tango three, I have neutralized the target. Requesting backup for transport.” The gunman says into his radio as I lay on the ground.

  Cheza runs up behind him and grabs his head in both of her hands. I watch as the gunman’s eyes glaze over, quickly followed by them literally freezing over; that has got to be one hell of a brain freeze. Cheza drops the gunman, puts her hands on her hips, and looks down at my sorry state.

  “What happened to you handling it?” Cheza asks in a snarky manner from her superior position.

  I watch as one of three new gunmen raises his M4 and fires at Cheza. My Drive takes over and uses my blood to make up for the lack of a complete nervous system as I launch myself into the path of the bullets; two strike my right shoulder and the other hits my helmet. Using my blood to control my muscles, I stand and hold my left arm out towards the three enemies as it suddenly turns black.

  “Gaze upon Erasure… and return to the Void.” I command.

  Black tendrils shoot out of the holes in my arm and wrap around the legs of the three enemies. Glorious screams of panic ensue as the gunmen’s legs start turning into dust as the force that is causing them to disintegrate travels up towards their heads. Control of my body is relinquished to me and my arm returns to its regular silver color.

  “We need to leave before reinforcements show up.” I tell Cheza when the screams stop as the disintegration reaches their lungs.

  We walk over to the playground and Cheza grabs a crying and cowering Addie. We walk over to the car and I drive us to a Target parking lot, not trusting the limited control I have over the lower half of my body with the three bullets in my spine and deciding that I should eliminate the chance of an ambush during the drive home. I turn off the car, grab Cheza’s shoulder, and port all three of us home. I port onto the couch so that we don’t fall down when our seats are suddenly removed.

  “Cheza, I need you to call Natasha and tell her about this. Those guys will most likely have reinforcements on scene quickly so tell her that anyone she sends should be prepared for a fight.” I tell Cheza.

  “Cole! What happened!?” Sara asks.

  “We were attacked by those guys and I got careless. I have three bullets in my spine that I need removed before I can heal.” I explain.

  Sara nods and leads me through her room and down into the clinic.

  “How many times were you shot?” Sara asks.

  “A whole M4 magazine, so thirty but, only three are in my spine.” I reply when my right pectoral aches as if to say ‘Hey, I got shot too!’

  “Wait, I forgot the two in my right shoulder. Those are probably still there considering that Cheza didn’t get hit…” I inform her.

  “I’ll take a look.” Sara replies.

  “Airi, if you’d please.”

  I feel that being a father means three things: 1) Never having time to yourself 2) Fucking up the psyche of your child 3) Keeping your child from dying.

  I think I hit the trifecta today.

  ****

  Chapter 22: Trip Preparation

  “It seems that you have a talent for putting those around you in danger.” Bullet-hole Kita crackles as I open my eyes to see Kita floating over me in my bedroom.

  “They will all be joining us soon if you hang around, so why don’t you just join us in their stead?” Bullet-hole Kita suggests.

  “No. I can’t do that to Adelaide.” I reply.

  “Do you really think that you’re doing her any favors by pretending to be her father? Do you really think she will live a longer, happier life with you around?” Bullet-hole Kita asks.

  “You can end all of this now, Cole. It’s as easy as pulling the trigger…”

  ****

  [September 18th]

  I awaken in my bed with a feeling that something was unusual about that dream, along with feelings of regret. Maybe Kita is right… am I really doing any good by staying with them or would they all be safer if I wasn’t around? I’ll be leaving tomorrow, but they won’t be safe if they stay here. I try to move out of bed, but I find that my legs aren’t responding; my spine must not be fully healed yet.

  “Tia, can you please come in here? I have something to discuss with you.” I say. Tia walks into the room about fifteen seconds later.

  “What’
s up?” Tia inquires.

  “I think you guys should move. Those Templar guys are watching the house; tailing us is the only way they could have known we were at the park quickly enough to get a team there. This place isn’t safe enough for you guys to stay here.” I tell her.

  “Way ahead of you, Cole. Sara has already found a house and we will be moving there tomorrow.” Tia announces.

  “Oh, okay… good. I guess I’ll just port you guys to the new location then… shit! Since I’m leaving later I won’t be able to… I don’t think Dagda would mind doing me a favor by helping you move.” I respond.

  “Just rest up and get healed, Cole. Sara and I will handle the rest.” Tia says and leaves the room. I sit up in bed and turn on my TV.

  “Daddy? Are you okay?” Addie asks from the crack in my door.

  “I’m just fine sweetie. I’m sorry if I scared you yesterday.” I tell her with a warm smile.

  “DADDY!” Addie cries while bursting into my room and jumping on my bed to hug me.

  I hug her back while she cries into my shirt for a while. When she finally calms down, Addie sits down next to me and we watch cartoons while I teach her more about reality.

  “Despite what that rat is doing, you cannot control someone by pulling on strands of their hair; neurology doesn’t work like that.”

  I swear, between Cheza, Sara, and I, this kid is going to be a genius. Two hours later, I notice that Addie has fallen asleep.

  “Hey Cole?” Cheza asks as she walks in my room. I motion for her to be quiet.

  “Can we talk about what happened at the park?” Cheza whispers.

  “Sure, what did you want to know?” I ask in a similarly hushed tone.

  “What was that; what you did to those soldiers?” Cheza inquires.

  “I’m not sure, but it seemed to be a variant on the tendrils that I used against Illapa. My Drive had been the one to use them.” I inform her.

  “I thought your Drive was gone?” Cheza asks.

  “It seems that it just assimilated with me instead of vanishing. Airi told me that my time spent with amnesia weakened the barrier between us. Lately I’ve been having bouts during times of extreme emotion where my Drive will take over and I’ll blackout. It happened after I watched Kita die and as I watched the life drain from Addie’s eyes when I first found her.” I explain.

  “Oh… well, thanks for taking a bullet for me… again… but I can handle myself now.” Cheza says in a quiet tone that sounds almost shy.

  “I know you can. I was so insanely proud of you when you stabbed me in Katie’s room.” I tell her.

  “Flattery won’t get you very far, Cole.” Cheza informs me while playing with a strand of her hair.

  “That isn’t flattery, Cheza; that’s sickness. You had just stabbed me and all I could think about is how badly I wanted to kiss you… and how much I wasn’t able to.” I clarify.

  “I-I have to go.” Cheza says with a touch of red in her cheeks before standing up and fleeing my room.

  I look down at Addie’s peacefully sleeping face and realize how much I’m going to miss her during the mission; and how much I’m not looking forward to telling her that I’ll be leaving. Natasha knocks quietly on my door before entering.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Natasha whispers.

  “My legs feel tingly so that’s a good sign, but I’ll still require a few more hours before I can walk.” I explain.

  “Well take your time; Carla knows the situation and said that we can leave tomorrow if it’s absolutely necessary. Have you told Adelaide yet?” Natasha asks.

  “No, but I plan on using Skype while I’m there so that we can still see each other. What are the room accommodations like?” I inquire.

  “You will be staying in the dorms, but you will have your own room. Chezarei and Naia will be staying in the dorms as well.” Natasha informs me.

  “Good; at least I don’t have to worry about a roommate blowing my cover.” I reply.

  “Hey Cole, the silicon sleeve came today; try it on.” Sara says as she enters my room.

  Sara hands me a silicon glove that is incredibly difficult to put on. After about five minutes, I’m finally able to get it on. It looks relatively real, but I don’t think it will stand up to close inspection; plus it has a particular smell to it.

  “Thanks Sara, but I think I’ll just stick with the bandages and say that I was badly burned so I use bandages to hide the scarring.” I tell her.

  “What? Why?” Sara asks.

  “Three reasons: One, I can put the bandages on quicker. Two, this won’t stand up to close inspection. Three, its smell will probably give it away, especially to werewolves.” I explain and as if to exemplify my point, Addie wakes up.

  “Daddy, what’s so stinky?” Addie asks while rubbing her eye, scrunching up her nose, and looking adorable.

  “See?” I say to Sara.

  “Yeah… you have a point and I suppose the back story is good enough.” Sara concedes.

  “Well, I suppose I should help you pack.” Sara says.

  I watch as Natasha and Sara spend the next half hour going through my clothes and tossing the ones they approve of into a large duffle bag. Sara is about to toss my jacket in when I stop her.

  “Sara, can you cut the inlay out of the left sleeve?” I request.

  “Sure, I’ll be right back.” Sara replies.

  “Daddy? Why are they putting your clothes in a bag?” Addie asks.

  “I… uh, Daddy has to go on a trip for work and he will be gone for a while, but you will still be able to see and talk to Daddy with the computer.” I say, trying to sound positive.

  “I don’t want you to go, Daddy!” Addie cries as she grabs onto me.

  “I’m sorry sweetie, but I have to.” I reply. I hold her while she cries into my shirt for ten minutes.

  “Cole, your jacket is finished and so is lunch.” Tia announces from the hallway.

  I try swinging my legs off of the bed and find that they are cooperating. I carry Addie into the kitchen while she clings onto me like a baby orangutan. Addie refuses to let go so I sit down at the table and feed her from that position.

  “My legs are feeling better so we should probably leave soon. Are you two ready to go?” I ask Naia and Cheza. They both nod in response as Addie starts crying again.

  “I want you to be a good girl for Auntie Sara and Auntie Tia, okay? I promise that we will see each other through the computer every night and that I’ll come home as soon as I can.” I tell her. Addie looks up at me and sadly nods.

  I go to my room and grab my bag. I consider bringing my holster to be brought in with the weapons cache, but it’s not like my gun will do me any good and I can make swords when I get there, so I decide to just leave the holster here instead. Everyone assembles in living room with their bags.

  “Alright, so where are we headed?” I ask.

  “A lighthouse on the Huron Islands, on Lake Superior. Here’s a picture.” Natasha answers while showing me her phone.

  “Okay, gather around.” I tell them.

  “Be safe Cole and we’ll see you soon.” Sara says while comforting Addie.

  “Yeah, I’ll call via Skype once I get settled in. I love you Addie.” I say.

  “*Sniffle* I love you too, Daddy.” Addie replies as I touch my triskele.

  Chapter 23: School, Pool, and Yaoi

  I look around at the evergreen trees and steep cliffs of this tiny island before turning my attention to the nineteenth century lighthouse.

  “So you were able to make it today after all, I see; Carla said you might not be able to.” An elderly African American gentleman smoking a pipe says from the doorway of the lighthouse’s main building. Something feels off about this place… I feel on edge and can’t seem to relax.

  “Cole?” Natasha thinks and I involuntarily jump in response.

  “What are you, boy? The security spells have that effect on humans, but it don’t make no sense for them to be affect
in’ you when you’re headed to the school.” The elderly gentleman says while inspecting me. He raises a bushy white eyebrow at me before walking away.

  “Well, let’s get goin’ before this one loses his nerve. The name’s Regis by the way; I’m this gate’s caretaker.” Regis says.

  Regis walks over to what must have been an oil storehouse, takes out a ring of keys, and unlocks the door.

  “Oh, before I forget, do you have any weapons that you want to be snuck in?” Regis asks.

  “Are our bags going to be searched?” Cheza inquires.

  “Nope, it’s somethin’ more like a magical detection device that goes off when guns are brought through the gates. So do you have anythin’ that needs to be snuck in?” Regis asks again.

  We all shake our heads in response so Regis walks into the storehouse and motions for us to follow. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Cheza packed the Synergistic blades. We follow him into the back storehouse, where he presses his hand against a section of the wall. A green light outlines his hand and then a section of the floor opens up and an elevator emerges. We pile into the elevator where Naia watches in fascination as Regis presses a combination of buttons and off we go.

  Nearly five minutes later, the elevator dings and the doors open to reveal an underground cavern that contains a dozen other elevator doors. We step out of the elevator as about ten people walk down a hallway to the right marked ‘Students’.

  “Well it was nice meeting you all; see you around campus!” Natasha says and heads towards the left hallway, marked ‘Faculty’. Naia, Cheza, and I follow the flow of students down the right hallway.

  “Name?” A preppy blonde with a tablet asks.

  “Cole Treyfair.” I reply.

  “Alright, it looks like you have been assigned to Graythorn Hall. Despite the ominous name, it is actually a pretty nice dorm. Just head up the stairs and follow the signs. Name?” The blonde says as she turns to Cheza.

  I consider waiting for Cheza and Naia, but I figure that may look a little bizarre for people that supposedly just met. I proceed up the stairs and find myself looking at clear blue skies, an expansive grass lawn, and loads of gothic architecture in the distance; I guess the elevator acts as some kind of portal.