Paradise Awakened Trilogy

by Mackenzie Morris

  Katarina screams as Jarred trips and the force of the explosion throws him into her, knocking her to the ground. Once the dust settles, she coughs and crawls out from under Jarred and Zach. Oh no. "Jarred, the entrance collapsed."

  "We have bigger problems."

  "Bigger than being trapped down here?"

  "Look." He holds out his arms where Zach is lying unconscious.

  "No." She kneels down and pulls Zach into her lap as she checks for breathing. "He's alive. What do I do?"

  Jarred stands and brushes off the dirt from his clothes. "I'm gonna go check things out farther down. Keep his head elevated and monitor him closely. I don't think he's injured. Hey, at least we killed the spider."

  "Never thought it would take a roll of microgrenade tape to squash a bug."

  "That was no ordinary bug." Zach says weakly as he opens his eyes and grabs onto Katarina's leg.

  "Good. Welcome back to the land of the living. You hurt?" Jarred asks.

  "Don't think so."

  He helps Zach to his feet. "Can you pull up your map so we can find a way out of this place?"

  "There should be a secondary emergency tunnel in about a mile."

  "A mile?" Katarina asks. "What if that spider has a daddy?"

  "Then we'll blow it up too." Jarred says. "We can't just stay here. I'm not strong enough to move those large rocks."

  Zach adjusts his watch. "Well then, let's get moving. We need to find that power core anyway. Hopefully it hasn't already been moved. If our suspicions about that power armor are true, then it is probably what Clark needs to power them in some way. And what was that in Michael's note about Paradise waking up?"

  "Weren't you and Kazimir working on something like that?" Katarina asks.

  "We were working on the Paradise Awakened Project that . . . sorry. I can't tell you. It's classified."

  "Is now really the time for secrets?"

  "I'll let Kazimir tell you when he sees fit. It's really not my place." Zach takes Jarred's wrist and looks at his hands. "Dude, you're shaking even more now. It might be stress related. I want to run some tests to figure out the cause of your tremors. I have a theory, but it's not a favorable one. I just want to rule out the worst case scenario."

  "What do you think it is?" Jarred asks.

  "I'd rather not say yet."

  "Tell me."

  He turns Jarred's hand over and studies it. "It's called NOIS."

  "What does that stand for?"

  "Nanobot overdose intolerance syndrome. If the concentration of regenerative nanobots gets too high in a damaged body, they can begin to grow out of control and metastasize in the brain."

  "That sounds like cancer." Jarred sounds understandably concerned.

  "Exactly."

  "Oh God."

  "It's extremely rare, but because you were turned into a Nymph, you already had a high concentration of nanobots in your body." Zach says. "Kazimir kind of gave you ten times the recommended dose of regenerative nanobots six times."

  "So he's killing me."

  "We don't have any evidence to support that yet and I won't have it unless you let me conduct the tests."

  "And how do you cure it?"

  "We don't." Zach says. "There are a few treatments that can slow it down like blood transfusions or introducing more powerful destructive nanobots to counteract the regenerative ones, but those aren't permanent and can wind up doing more harm than good. But again, I wouldn't worry about it yet. I'm sure it's nothing."

  "Forget about it. Let's get moving."

  * * *

  A few minutes of walking without finding the dreaded daddy spider go by and they stop outside a wooden door at the end of the hallway.

  "This isn't on the map." Zach says.

  "Well, your map hasn't been very helpful anyway." Jarred says. "I didn't see that emergency tunnel you were talking about. I don't see any other options for us right now. If I try to use the rest of my microgrenade tape to blast our way out of here, we could cause more to collapse and this time we might not be so lucky to make it out alive. I say we open the door."

  "There's no telling what's on the other side. If the Blood Force agents found out what happened to their buddies, then they could have holed up in here. What if it's an ambush? We're not in any shape to fight them. Not to mention if Clark is with them. He may be old with a bad leg, but Clark can definitely hold his own in a fight."

  "Then what would you have us do?" Jarred asks. "We already established that there's no way out. We can't get out the way we came in. If you have any brilliant ideas, then please tell us."

  Zach continues to scroll through the data on the screen of his watch. "I'm calling Kazimir. Maybe he'll have an idea. Oh, hell. I don't have enough signal in here."

  "Then I guess we're going with my plan. Kat, open the door."

  As she pushes the door open, golden warm natural light burns her eyes that had grown accustomed to the darkness. When her vision adjusts, she looks around the metal room lined with file cabinets, computers, and windows up near the ceiling that let in the light from outside where it has started to rain. No sign of any Blood Force agents.

  Zach seems enraptured by all of it. He spins around as he takes it all in. Going to one of the computers and picking away the leafy vines growing on the walls and trailing down to the floor, he starts it up and looks through the files.

  Jarred ignores the computers and instead stacks chairs on the table along the far wall underneath the row of large windows. "We need to get back to the ship. I don't see anything that could be called a power core. We can't stay here and risk them coming back. I'll get this stuff stacked up. If it can support my weight, you two won't have any issues climbing it. Once I break this window, we should have a clear path to the ship."

  "Oh my God." Zach gasps as he examines some data on the monitor. "It's a good thing we were able to get Zodiac to Himmel before Jayce dies."

  Jarred calls over to him. "What did you say?"

  "Nothing. Forget it."

  "Tell me what you just said."

  "Jayce . . . can't survive being attached to the network. I thought you already knew that. We have to go down there and stop Clark from using his army. Once we destroy the power supply to Paradise in order to shut down the robot army, Jayce will die as well."

  "Then we're not going to do that." Jarred says.

  "We have to."

  "No. The only thing I have to do is get Jayce out of there."

  Zach shakes his head. "You can't trade the lives of millions for one man."

  "Is that a challenge? I will kill you right here if I have to."

  "If it will make you feel better, then I'll tell you that we'll find a way to save him. Is that what you want to hear?"

  "You're lying!" Jarred screams.

  "What do you want me to say? You don't like my lie and you refuse to accept the truth. So you need to send whatever kind of message you want to tell him before we go down there. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do."

  "He's not going to die."

  "For that to happen, we'd have to find another archon to take his place." Zach says.

  "I'll do it!" Jarred shouts. "Make me into an archon like they did with Jayce."

  "No. It won't work. Because of your Nymph nanobots, you will just shutdown everything and kill Jayce anyway. If you have a discharge like you did when you shutdown the atmosphere generator, you'll kill Jayce and everyone else in Paradise. It would have to be one of the archons we already have or we make someone who isn't a Nymph into an archon."

  "We'll discuss this later. Now, we're leaving."

  "Let me pray right quick." Zach says as he makes three incisions on the palm of his left hand. "Would you like to join me?"

  "Uh, no. I'm not a Technotheist." Jarred says.

  "It saved your life. I thought you might have been enlightened."

  "I'm an atheist."

  "No, you're not."

  "Is there something wrong with that?" Jarred as
ks.

  Zach places his hand on the computer. "Your mother was a nun."

  "So?"

  "That makes you Catholic, right? You can run, but you can't hide."

  "You're an ass."

  "Whatever happened to the pope?"

  "I don't know." Jarred says. "I'm not Catholic."

  "Then why are you getting so defensive?"

  "I'm not defensive."

  "Isn't lying against your ten commandments?" Zach asks with a facetious grin on his face.

  "One more. Say one more thing about my religion and I will beat the hell out of you."

  "How medieval of you. I just made my point."

  "You are walking on thin ice." Jarred warns. "I strongly suggest that you hold your tongue, do whatever praying you need to do, then never say another word in my presence. What I choose to believe is my own business. My private life has no bearing on my ability to do what needs to be done. It's how I've always been and it's not hurting anyone."

  Zach eyes him curiously. "This isn't about your religion anymore, is it?"

  "Just shut up."

  Katarina goes over to Jarred and tries to end this. "Jarred, he wasn't saying anything about you and Jayce."

  Jarred jumps down from the stack of chairs and points at him. "If Jayce was a woman, you would fly down to Paradise in a heartbeat without a second thought."

  Zach rolls his eyes. "No."

  "You've never thought we could love each other because we're both men."

  "Stop right there, Jarred."

  "No. I won't stop. It's always been like this. So because we're men who love each other, he is sentenced to death."

  "That's not true and you know it." Zach says as he wraps his hand with a bandage. "You're constantly trying to play that card, but it's not going to work here. I couldn't care less what you do with other men."

  "You do. I see it. You hate me."

  "When have I ever said anything to make you think that?"

  "You're just like everyone else." Jarred says. "You judge me before you get to know me."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You're homophobic."

  "Is that even a word?" Zach asks.

  "If it's not, it needs to be. You hate people like me."

  "I'm not your father!"

  Jarred lunges at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there as he unleashes a flurry of punches. "You . . . don't . . . get to . . . talk . . . about . . . my . . . father!"

  Katarina has to do something so she slams the butt of her gun against Jarred's shoulder. "Stop it! Both of you, stop!"

  Jarred stands up and gives Zach one last good kick to the stomach before climbing back up his stack of chairs. He smashes the window, sending broken glass falling down around him then slips outside.

  13

  As Katarina and Zach make their way back to the ship, the rain continues to fall. While it only makes the humidity worse and provides little relief from the swarms of gnats and flies, it does allow Zach to wash away the blood from his busted lip. Jarred got him pretty good and Zach hasn't said another word about it. Perhaps he's planning how to get revenge. Surely he wouldn't go so far as to hand Jarred back over to the Inquisition. Kazimir would never allow that to happen. Though, the anger growing in Zach's bright green eyes only makes her worry. Why can't they get along, even for the duration of this mission? Now they have to go to another IGR planet and spy on the Blood Force activity there. They can't be very sneaky if those two men are bickering like little children all the time.

  Stepping into the ship, Katarina dries her hair with a towel and gives a small smile to Jarred who doesn't seem to be in a better mood at all. He stands in the corner by the consoles, ignoring the crew and everyone else. A fiery passion is smoldering there, one that Katarina has never seen in her owner. She silently begs him to not do anything stupid. Jarred is usually a levelheaded person, but when it comes to him feeling insulted, he will snap. That's the last thing they need right now.

  Zach goes to the command controls and begins issuing orders to the crew. "Listen up, everyone. Set a course for Friedhof."

  "We're not going to Friedhof." Jarred holds up a laser pistol and aims it at Zach.

  He puts up his hands and steps back. "Hey, now. Put the gun down. There's no reason for this."

  "Shut up." Jarred motions for one of the crew members. "Put him in handcuffs and take him to the brig. This is my ship now and I'm the one in charge. Is that clear?" When no one moves, Jarred fires once, shooting a man in the leg who crumples to the floor. "I said to take Zach Montgomery to the brig."

  "You shot him!" Katarina runs to the man and tries to keep him stable. "How could you? He didn't do anything wrong."

  "He'll be fine. One more word out of you and I'll have you locked up as well. Now, everyone get ready to go to Earth. We're going to Paradise."

  "You'll kill us all." Zach says.

  "So be it. That's a risk I'm willing to take."

  As the crew members secure handcuffs around Zach's wrists, he pulls against them and continues to yell at Jarred. "You can't go to Earth!"

  "You don't make the decisions here. Take off his watch and put it on the table. Take him away."

  "You're crazy!" Zach screams. "Jarred, don't do this. You can't go down to Earth."

  "Never tell me I can't do something."

  "So what? You're just gonna leave me in there?"

  "That's the plan. Hope you like lead walls because they are all you're going to see until we get back to Himmel."

  "Clark will kill you."

  "I invite him to try." Jarred says darkly.

  After they take Zach away, Katarina keeps watching Jarred closely. "Why are you doing this?"

  "Because he told me I can't. Well, look at me now. It's about time I get a chance to take control around here."

  "Is this why Jayce was the one in control? Because when you try to be in charge, you do crazy things like this?"

  "You know exactly why I'm doing this, Kat." Jarred says. "I can't let Jayce die without saying goodbye. Zach's right. No one's going to take his place. That's too much to ask anyone to do. Is it a crime to need to say goodbye? You know that Zach would never let me go down there. This was my only option and I saw my chance so I took it."

  "What are you planning to do if Clark is there waiting for us with his army? What are you going to do then?"

  "We'll fight until we win."

  "What if you can't win?" Katarina asks.

  "I can always win and I always will."

  "How can you be so sure of that?"

  "Because I either win or I die. If I die, then my enemies don't get to hurt me anymore. So I win."

  She shakes her head. "That doesn't make any sense."

  "It does to me and that's all that matters. Once I see Jayce again, I'll take whatever punishment Kazimir and Velex choose to deal out. Whatever it is, it will be worth it."

  "Is there anything you won't do for Jayce?"

  Jarred clutches his necklace in his hand. "Nothing. I will gladly give my life or suffer for all of eternity to know that he's safe and happy. I may have seemed distanced from it all recently, but these months apart have been killing me. I just can't take it anymore. The worst part is not knowing if he's okay. I have no way of knowing what Clark is doing to him. With Gabriel joining our side and being on Himmel, Jayce is now completely alone and at the mercy of that sadistic bastard. I can only hope that becoming a T.I.M.E. helped Jayce's PTSD. If not, he could be having flashbacks and panic attacks without me there to hold him and calm him down. That's what really hurts. Knowing he's suffering without anyone there who gives a damn is just too much."

  "But is risking all these innocent people's lives the answer?"

  "If anyone dies, it will be me." Jarred says. "I'll sacrifice myself to save everyone if it comes down to that. I can't live forever so I might as well die for a purpose."

  "And what cause is greater than love?"

  "Exactly."

  K
atarina gives up on this conversation and goes down the stairs to the brig where Zach is leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "Zach, I'm sorry."

  "You didn't do anything wrong. And don't worry about Jarred. He's angry, frustrated, and reaching for anything that can help explain the way things are happening. If I was in his situation, I would be doing the same thing. It's just how some people cope."

  "You don't hate him, do you?"

  "Of course not." Zach says. "I don't know where he's getting these ideas."

  "How did you know about his father?"

  "Just an educated guess. I could tell by the way he acts that something must have happened. I know what it's like to have a father who didn't care. Remember Vladimir Evans, Clark's old partner? He was my father. He brainwashed me and had his thugs manipulate my mind until I was about ten years old. I had so many mental issues. I don't know how much you've been told, but I killed my older brother, Xavier, in cold blood with a laser pistol when he tried to help your parents escape from my father's torture. At that time, I would have done anything to please my father, even killing my brother. To this day, my only living brother, Blice, won't have anything to do with me outside of our work in the lab."

  "So you think Blice is alive?" Katarina asks.

  "I use that term loosely. Bet you didn't know that you were my sister-in-law for a bit, huh?"

  "Byron was your brother? Oh, that's right. He and Blice were brothers."

  He takes off his red beanie and runs his fingers through his messy hair. "Yep. I had a different mother, but that doesn't matter. I wanted to be close to brothers. Speaking of Blice, can you keep a secret?"

  "Sure."

  "We have him a new body. We've been hiding it from him. It's modeled after how he looked when he was twenty-nine."

  "What? No Miss Lavender?" Katarina asks with a grin.

  "Seeing those pictures and videos on the internet was all the female Blice I ever want to see. By the way, did you see all the advertisements on Himmel with Miss Lavender as their model? You can thank me for that."

  "You're horrible."