by Jakob Farrar
“They’re in Sector Eight,” Randy Vargas said, approaching Thomas. Thomas had appointed Vargas as his personal assistant since Kristine had suddenly disappeared.
“I figured,” Thomas said, “Hurry up and arrange a transport for me. I want to be there by tomorrow morning.” He began to walk away to get ready for his departure.
“Apparently Peyton has finished Project Zero,” Vargas said, stopping Thomas in his tracks.
“Then get me there tonight,” Thomas said, “Peyton’s methods are going to wreak havoc. This needs to be controlled, and I need to beat him to the Unnatural.”
“Your Highness,” Matthew Scott said, walking up to Kristine. “We’ve found the Unnatural.”
“Excellent,” Kristine said, “Prepare a vehicle for me. I want to leave as soon as possible.”
“There’s something else,” Matthew said, “We’ve found someone that you’ll be interested in wandering just outside Sector Eight.”
“What do you mean?” Kristine asked, puzzled.
“I think it’s best if you find out for yourself.”
It was the middle of the night before Thomas exited his jet onto the roof of the Sector Eight Control Center, where he saw Sector Eight governor Sarah Spyre approaching him.
“What are you doing here, Thomas?” she asked in a tone that told Thomas she was irritated by his presence.
“The Unnatural are here,” Thomas said, cutting to the chase. “I’m here to find them.”
“We are aware that this is the last Sector the Unnatural will be visiting and we are adequately prepared,” Sarah responded, “We don’t need you here.”
“Trust me, I need to be here.”
“You know that Sector Eight possesses the most advanced technology in the entire Nation. If there’s any reason-”
“Peyton has created a weapon,” Thomas interrupted, walking next to Sarah to a stairwell. “He calls it Project Zero. He has deployed it and it is on its way here.”
“Why wasn’t the Council notified about this?”
“Peyton is the Head of the Secret Service. I’d imagine there’s a lot he does that the rest of us know nothing about.”
“What’s so wrong with him using this weapon? What is it going to do?”
“Let’s hope we never have to find out. All that I know is that it has the potential to cause unnecessary damage and casualties if it gets out of control.”
“You think you can stop it?”
“No. I doubt anyone but Peyton could stop it. I’m here to get to the Unnatural before it does.”
“We already have enough resources being exhausted for the search for the Unnatural. Believe me, we will find them.”
“You know what’s going on in Sector Seven, right?” Thomas paused in front of the doorway to the stairwell, turning to Sarah.
“There was some sort of local uprising and the authorities are handling it,” Sarah said, “It’s because of that the Unnatural slipped through.”
“Peyton ordered them to,” Thomas replied, “It was all him, the entire thing. Sector Seven didn’t do anything wrong; if they wanted to they definitely could have. Do you really think they couldn’t outsmart us all? Peyton convinced Governor Ormiston to send in as many Sector One troops as he could to get the Unnatural at any cost.”
“And Ormiston didn’t say anything?”
“He’s selfish enough to take whatever money Peyton offered him to keep the whole thing under the rug. We both know that.”
“You’re saying there’s a conspiracy?”
“I’m saying Peyton is running this country. Xandar may hold the name of President but he seems too apathetic to do much except expand. Peyton will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He won’t stop at hurting civilians, that’s for sure. He’s already done that to Sector Seven. I know you’re not selfish like most of the other governors, Sarah, so please allow me to do this. Let me stay here so I can help bring down Peyton.”
Phoebe anxiously sat on the thin couch, her knees nervously bouncing up and down as she and the other Unnatural sat in the small room Kyle had furnished for himself. It was underground, and was lit only by a small grate in the roof and the dim light of a poorly lit lamp that was shoved into the corner on a small shelf. The only furnishing the room held was the couch Phoebe sat on and some bedsheets. There appeared to be a small drawer next to the couch that Phoebe guessed held food. There was very little space, and Phoebe felt extremely uncomfortable sitting in such close proximity to the others. She felt anxious for Byron and Mark as well, as she was sure everyone did. And, as much as she cared for Byron, she felt her thoughts dwelling on Mark especially. He seemed to act very selflessly towards her, going so far as to risk his life when she threatened it in Sector Seven.
“It hasn’t been easy being down here,” she heard Kyle’s voice fade back into her senses. He had been speaking to the Unnatural, but Phoebe had been tuning him out. “I always knew there was someone coming for me, though, so I just stayed put. Of course I found it easier to scavenge for food and money and stuff stopped. He looked skeptically up at the grate in the ceiling as if he had heard something suspicious.
“Is something wrong?” Phoebe asked, leaning towards him.
“Yes,” Kyle said, his look of intrigue shifting to one of dread. “Something’s very wrong. We need to get moving.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Fall of the Unnatural
Thomas paced the suite as he had been for what seemed like all night. It seemed as though he had been doing everything but sleeping the entire night. Sarah had insisted that he stayed safe for the night; Sector Eight was the most crime-ridden area in the Nation, and she wouldn't allow for him to go anywhere at night, especially without proper preparation. Thomas felt like a caged animal, with rage and anxiety building up inside of him. He could almost feel Peyton's grip on the Unnatural tightening, but there were innocent lives being caught up in his fist. Thomas knew he had to stop whatever Project Zero was. His anxiety over this would not leave him, and here he was, walking around the room like a paranoid idiot.
Thomas turned quickly as he heard the sound of his door opening. In walked a familiar figure. Dressed just as she had been when he last saw her, with her plain gray suit and skirt, thin rimmed glasses, high heels, and a ponytail holding back her brown hair, his former assistant Kristine Neff walked into the suite.
"Kristine?" Thomas said, shocked.
"That's me," Kristine said, smiling. "I thought you knew I was in Sector Eight."
"They told me that's where you were headed," Thomas said, "But they said the jet you were on went off the grid before you got here."
"That's strange. I'm sure it was just some sort of malfunction."
"Where have you been? Why haven't you tried to contact anyone?"
"I've been busy getting that shipment of weapons ready for transport."
"That's interesting," Thomas said, stepping towards her. "I spoke with Governor Spyre earlier and she told me she had not authorized that shipment. In fact, she said she had no clue there even was one." Of course, Thomas had not done such a thing, but he lied to Kristine in order to keep her on her toes. Something seemed different about her this time. She seemed more confident, not as quiet and reserved as she usually was. The surprised look on Kristine's face only raised Thomas' suspicions higher.
"You were worried about me then?" she replied.
"Also, how did you even get in here?" Thomas didn't bother to answer her question. "My guards have specific instructions to keep anyone away from my room without my permission." Again, Thomas was bluffing. Kristine didn't answer him. She simply stood, looking at the ground in front of her.
"You need to leave, Kristine," Thomas said, "I know something is going on. You haven't done a very good job of covering your tracks. I like you well enough that I'm going to give you this one chance to get out of here without being arrested. And if I ever see you again I promise you I will not be so forgiving." Kristine looked back up at him, a loo
k of innocence in her eyes. "You're a good enough actor," Thomas said, not swaying a bit. "But I won't fall for anything you have planned."
"Fine," Kristine said, suddenly jumping straight towards him. She pushed him back, sending Thomas stumbling backwards in surprise. Before Thomas could regain his composure she grabbed his collar and pushed him backwards onto a desk. She pulled a knife from her pocket, leveling it with Thomas' neck. Thomas breathed rapidly, shock and panic taking him over. He could feel the knife digging into his flesh, causing just a trickle of blood to roll down his skin.
"This is an ancient knife," Kristine said, a look of insanity of her face as she grinned, her smile stretching across her face. Her glasses had fallen off and a few strands of her hair had come loose and were now dangling beside Thomas' face. "Just as I myself am ancient," Kristine continued, "This is the knife that I killed my own father with. It has taken the lives of many since then, and you will be added to the growing list, I swear that to you Thomas."
"What are you doing?" Thomas said, panicked, trying to think of a way to buy himself time to think. "Was the work I made you do really all that bad?"
"This isn't about you or your work," Kristine snarled, "This is about conquest."
"Conquest?"
"The Unnatural are here, I know that. And if you want to live through the night you will tell me all that you know about them."
"You're after them too," Thomas said. Suddenly, a high-pitched, screeching sound pierced the air. Thomas grimaced at the sound of it, but Kristine's face showed only fear. Thomas soon recognized the sound as one of insane laughter. Kristine stood up, letting loose her grip on Thomas and turning around. Thomas stood, breathing heavily and deeply. He looked over Kristine's shoulder and saw the most grotesque figure he had ever seen sitting in a chair, a mug in one hand as the character's legs crossed in an elegant fashion. The figure was anything but elegant, however, with its hair massively disheveled and skin scarred and discolored strangely. A warm smell filled the air as Thomas' eyes fell on the strange mug the figure held.
"This is quite the race going on!" the figure said, grinning from ear to ear. Thomas thought he recognized the voice, but as if it were from a dream.
"You do not need to be here!" Kristine shouted, pointing the knife at the man, who stood and took a step towards Kristine.
"Of course I need to be here!" The man said, stepping even closer to her, his arms spreading outward. "You are making false accusations about me, so why shouldn't I be here?"
"You have no business being here."
"Darling, it is literally my business to be everywhere I am," he said cryptically, still moving slowly towards Kristine, whose arm began to visibly quiver in fear.
"You have no right to call me that," she said, her voice shaking.
"What, I have no right to call you what I did when you were growing up? When I was raising you?" the man smiled, "You know, you keep saying that you killed me with that knife, but we both know that's not the case."
"I removed you from my life with it," she said, "That's doing good enough, I'd say."
"Why so much hate, Crystal?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned.
"You left me!" Kristine shouted. "You took my mother and left me with two siblings and a kingdom!"
"You know that it was not my fault," the man said, stepping forward so that the knife was pressed against his chest.
"It was no one else's."
"That isn't true. Your mother-"
"Would never have left me if it wasn't for you!"
"Was manipulative!" the man shouted, and Kristine's arm fell to her side. Thomas saw Kristine's mouth shaking, her eyes welling up. "She stole me from you, Crystal," the man said.
"Stop calling me that," Kristine said, a tear spilling from her eye. "Or should I utter your ancient name to him?" she pointed her knife at Thomas. The man looked over at him. Thomas felt intense fear under the yellow-eyed gaze of this man as he seemed to inspect Thomas.
"Thomas is expendable," the man said, looking back at Kristine. Thomas' heart began to beat at what seemed impossible speeds. This man very well seemed to have control over a lot, if not all, of the things that were going on in the Nation.
"Why are you here?" Kristine asked.
"I'm giving you a warning," the man said softly, his face just inches away from Kristine's. "I do not want any harm to come to you, Kristine. You are the only child I have left. The only family that I have. What is to come will do nothing but harm you; I have seen it. So I beg of you, do not go down this path."
"The Unnatural will be mine," Kristine said, her voice shaking even more. "Not even you can stop that." The man smiled, but seemingly of compassion this time.
"Of course I can stop it," the man said. "Compared to humans, Leonics, and even the Unnatural themselves I am just short of a god. But if it comes between that and my goal, nothing will deter me from achieving what I have worked so hard for."
"You can consider your warning acknowledged," Kristine said, "However it will be ignored." The two simply stared at each other for a moment, Kristine struggling to regain her threatening composure when faced with the threatening man that stood before her. Thomas saw the man as not threatening, however, but compassionate. It seemed as though he genuinely wanted good for Kristine, but was being harshly rejected. The man's face went stoic, as if not feeling anything at all under such rejection.
"I think it's time for you to leave," Kristine asked.
"What about Thomas?" The man said.
"Like you said," Kristine said, "He's expendable." Thomas' eyes went wide and his instincts took over. He bolted towards the door, running as fast as he could. He heard Kristine shouting at him and, even though he didn't look back, he could almost feel her throwing the knife at him, the blade hurling straight for his spine. Suddenly, the man appeared directly in front of Thomas.
"Let's get you somewhere safe," he said, and as soon as he touched Thomas' shoulder everything went black.
Phoebe looked over her shoulder as the Unnatural moved through the back streets and alleys that wound around Sector Eight like vacant veins in a dead body. Sector Eight was the most technologically advanced Sector, but by looking around Phoebe could tell that the press for technology left the less fortunate in an extremely dire position. She was extremely nervous, as the area Kyle said they were in he described as incredibly dangerous and full of criminals. Phoebe knew that little harm could come to the group of super-powered individuals they were, but her instincts told her to constantly be on the lookout.
"Stop," Ashley said quietly, the whole group coming to a halt. "He's talking to me," she said, pointing to her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment and gestured for the others to follow her. She led them confusingly through darker and more mysterious areas, and Phoebe only became more nervous. She trusted Byron and what he was doing, though, so she didn't say anything.
"Wait!" Kyle said suddenly, again abruptly stopping the whole group. "It's a trap!" Suddenly, out of the corner of Phoebe's eye she saw a figure appear in the air out of nowhere and kick Gabe in the head. He went down, his huge body crumbling from the surprise attack.
"What was that?" cried Phoebe, turning towards Gabe. The figure had disappeared.
"Duck!" Kyle shouted, and Phoebe did so. The figure again appeared, but it flew right over Phoebe's head, disappearing again before it could hit the ground. "Watch out Kaytlen!" he said. Kaytlen threw water forward, connecting with the figure just as it reappeared. However, the figure did not seem to be affected by the water. Instead, it seemed to catch the water in its hands, throwing it back at Kaytlen, tossing her backwards and onto the ground. "She's going for Phoebe!" Kyle said. Phoebe saw Stephen appear next to her and block the figure's attack. This time, Phoebe got a good enough look at the figure. It was a woman with a slim build. She had bright red hair and green eyes with white clothing that matching her pale skin. She seemed like a normal person with one exception. In the middle of her forehead rested an extra eye that was cu
rved in the same angry expression as the other two. As soon as she was blocked by Stephen's arm she disappeared yet again. Phoebe heard Kyle shout, and she looked behind her to see Kyle's body falling to the ground. Phoebe began to panic, without Kyle there was no way anybody could see this person coming. Her fears were proven to be valid when Phoebe felt something hit the back of her head, and she went down unconscious.
The sun was coming up just as Byron and Mark managed to get into Sector Eight's boundaries.
"I'll try to find Phoebe," Byron said. Mark nodded; that was their best chance at finding the others.
"Excuse me," came a voice from behind them. Mark shoved his hand into his pocket, ready to bring out the lighter at any second. He turned around, seeing a woman behind them. She wore a grey uniform and looked like some sort of official. Byron turned, a shocked look on his face.
"You're surprised to see me," the woman noted, "And I could see why. "I will spare you the questions. You may call me Kristine Neff, although that is not my real name."
"What do you want?" Byron said.
"You," Kristine said. She reached into her pocket, pulling out several small darts. Byron and Mark jumped to either side, avoiding the darts. They had grown used to reacting quickly. Mark struck a spark on his lighter and pulled it into his hand. He threw the fire forward, using the energy from his environment to feed the flame. Kristine leapt out of the way, tossing more darts at Mark, but they were easily consumed by the flame. Byron ran at Kristine, who threw more darts, but Byron was able to dodge them. "You'll make excellent tools," she said, jumping out of the way of another fireball. "What?" said Byron, "Explain what you're doing! Who are you?"
"I told you," Kristine said, ducking under a blow from Byron. She brought her own fist up, connecting it with his armpit, sending him down. "I am Kristine Neff."
Kristine moved towards Mark, ducking under the fire that he sent forward. Mark heard gunshots behind him. Kristine stopped. Mark looked behind him and saw soldiers moving in close to him. He spewed fire at them, creating a wall. He looked back at Kristine just in time to see a dart flying towards his chest.
