“Wha—?” It was then that Ev understood. “Ohhhhh.”
“You’ll have to introduce us when all this is finished,” Maya said, smiling.
“If we get the chance,” Daryn replied “If we finish this.”
“We will. Count on it, Mate.”
Ev now realized what Daryn was fighting for. And what he had given up. He could have stayed at the Academy with Joss, but this was bigger than what the two of them had.
* * *
They traveled through the V-shaped valley and came to the base of a small mountain. Here they found a large hole in the ground leading to a subterranean cavern. Thrill seekers often parachuted into such places, and Ev had to wonder if their mystery person had been doing that.
They stared into the gaping maw. “You think this person’s down there?” Maya said.
“Only one way to find out,” Ev replied. He then yelled down, “Hello? Is anybody down there?”
“Down there, down there, down there,” his voice echoed.
After several moments of silence, Ev said, “I don’t think—” His words were suddenly cut off as he sensed something coming at them. Fast. “Get down!” He tackled Maya to the ground, just barely saving her from a flying silver blur. The object soared over their heads and came to rest on the other side of the hole.
Ev stared at it, and realized he’d seen it before. Circular and silver with a gold crown emblem in the center, it was lined with razor-sharp blades. The memories came flooding back in an instant. He knew exactly who had thrown it, even though it now had a strong odor it didn’t have before.
The shield wriggled free of the ground and came flying back to its master who was standing behind them.
“Well, well, well. Look who it is: the pricks who ruined my life.”
Ev and Maya got back to their feet. “Priscilia Elipsen,” Ev said.
She now wore brown hiking clothes instead of her old school uniform, and her silver hair had been cut short, but it was unmistakably her. “That’s right. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you all here and now.”
“Wait,” Maya said. “We didn’t come here to fight.”
Priscilia pointed her shield at them. “I believe the terms of our arrangement were quite clear. I leave you alone, and you leave me alone.”
“We didn’t know it was you,” Daryn said.
CiCi nodded. “That’s right. We just came to find the last remaining god.”
Gritting her teeth, Prisicilia said, “Tsk. I knew it. I knew something wasn’t right. I haven’t sensed any other gods today. It’s like they all packed up and left.”
Ev explained, “Everyone except for us lost their powers because of an attack by Zero Grade. Didn’t you see the light from the sky?”
“No. I was underground exploring this cave system. When I came back out, the world had gone silent.” As one of the Academy’s elite, her senses had been particularly keen.
“Interesting,” Maya said. “The many feet of rock must have protected you from the blast, just as the Midgard’s shields protected us.”
Priscilia raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “The Midgard? What’s that?”
They explained to her everything that had happened since the beginning of the war. President Joe Lambda and his plan for peace; the intervention of Loki and Carnaval; the God Games; Priscilia got the full story.
When they were finished, she actually laughed. “What’s so funny?” Ev said.
With an expression of mirth, she replied, “You’re funny, Ev Bannen. You and your friends. Do you remember what I said when we parted ways? ‘The killing’s only just begun’. I tried to tell you all this was coming, but you wouldn’t listen. ‘We’ll deal with that later’, you said. But you didn’t give it any further thought, did you?
“I saw you on TV. You went around doing good deeds, calling yourself the god of justice. But you were just playing make-believe, ignoring the crisis that was brewing. Do you remember what else I said? There’s a price to be paid and people are coming to collect. Well, they came to collect, all right. What do you think? Was the price worth it?”
Ev looked at her for several moments. He then turned away, shame filling his being. “No, it wasn’t. I thought I was helping people, but I couldn’t see the big picture. So many people are dead now, and I can’t help but think it’s my fault.”
“That’s not true!” Maya said. “You did help people. You were on your way to becoming a great god of justice. None of what’s happened has been your fault. It’s all Zero Grade and the Flawless Few that have done this. Are we going to let them get away with it?”
“But… what can we do? We’re just five students,” Ev said.
Maya insisted, “We have a heavily-armed ship. We can fight back. And we’re not five students. We’re six.” She turned to look at Priscilia.
The haughty, silver-haired girl laughed even louder. “You can’t be serious. As if I’d ever join you. You seem to be forgetting the simple fact I hate you. All of you.”
“She does make a good point,” Daryn said.
“Yeah!” CiCi added. “And what does she have to offer anyway?
The laughter stopped. “What did you say?”
Perhaps sensing an opportunity, Jaysin said, “CiCi’s right. Priscilia wouldn’t be much help in a fight.”
Priscilia stared at him with an un-amused expression, but then suddenly softened. “Oh. I get it. Reverse psychology. Well, you can forget about that; it won’t work on me. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
She turned to walk away. Ev suddenly shouted, “Wait!”
“Give it up, Bannen. You’ll never convince me.”
But Ev wasn’t about to quit. “Just listen to me for a moment. Zero Grade just attacked the entire surface of the planet. I’m pretty sure some of their people were still here when it happened. They don’t give a damn about things like honor and friendship. They’re coming, and whatever they’re planning on doing, it won’t be good for any of us.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
“Think about it!” Maya said. “What if they fire that weapon again and you’re not belowground when it happens? You’ll lose your powers. You’ll be helpless against them.”
Priscilia paused, a look of hesitation on her face. “I… hadn’t thought of that.”
CiCi took a step towards her. “That scares you, doesn’t it? Losing the powers you worked so hard to get?”
Priscilia shook her head. “No, that’s ridiculous. Why would they fire it again?”
“To make sure,” Ev said.
Nodding, Jaysin said, “To get the people like us who they missed the first time.”
A look of anguish crossed Priscilia’s face. “No. They can’t take away my powers. Without them, I’d be nothing, just a weakling like everyone else. I can’t lose them!”
“You don’t want to become mortal?” Ev asked. It was a rhetorical question.
Priscilia’s icy façade was broken. At that moment, she looked just as human as anyone else. “No,” she whimpered.
“Then come with us,” Maya said.
“Where?”
“To the Midgard,” Ev said. “It’s shielded. It will protect you against Zero Grade’s weapon.”
Maya held out her hand. Priscilia studied it suspiciously, not knowing what she should do. Finally, though, she took it. “Very well. If it will stop me from becoming a helpless mortal, I will join together with you.”
* * *
Priscilia studied the Midgard’s bridge with the delight of a child. “This is wonderful! I never dreamed such a thing existed on Narska.” Her superior attitude was nowhere to be found. Ev suspected the protection the ship offered allowed her to relax.
“It’s from the previous universe,” Ev said, seated in the captain’s chair.
“So, it’s ancient as well. Fascinating.”
“You like old things?” Daryn asked her.
“I love old things. That’s why I was studying the caves. They
’re millions, maybe even billions, of years old.”
Jaysin smiled. “And this ship if way older.”
Priscilia paced back and forth, examining every detail of the bridge. “There is a distinct lack of consoles or buttons of any kind. How does it work?”
They explained to her that the captain basically told the ship what to do, and the ship did it. Most of the bridge crew was simply there to provide energy for the ship’s various functions. Furthermore, the ship’s AI was very good at determining the proper course of action in any given situation.
“Incredible,” Priscilia said. “The previous universe was exceedingly advanced. I wonder how it was destroyed.”
Ev knew the answer, thanks to Arcturus Reich, but it was too long a story to tell just then. “I’ll tell you about it when we have more time.”
“I will hold you to that.”
Suddenly, Ragnarok chimed in. “Captain Bannen, I am picking up disconcerting energy readings coming from the moon.”
“What kind of readings?” Ev said.
“It appears to be a large build-up. My guess is that something large and incredibly powerful is coming online.”
“That can’t be good,” Jaysin said.
“Thank you, genius,” Daryn shot back. “Ragnarok, is it the same weapon that took away everyone’s powers?”
“Negative. The energy level is much higher than before.”
Ev tensed up. “It’s even higher? Shit. We have to do something.”
“We need to tell the Academy,” Maya said.
Shaking his head, Ev replied, “Without their powers, there’s nothing they can do right now. And besides, we may not have time.”
“Ev’s right,” Daryn said. “We need to act decisively.”
CiCi looked nervous. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m saying, we need to attack Zero Grade before they attack us.”
Maya said, “That’s crazy. We have no idea what we’re up against. This ship might pale in comparison to whatever Zero Grade has up their sleeve.”
“You fool,” Priscilia said, this new development having restored her haughtiness. “Don’t you see what’s happening? They’re planning to attack on a larger scale than we’ve ever seen. If we stand around and do nothing, we’ll be destroyed.” She then turned to Ev. “You’re the captain, right? Give the order to attack.”
Ev grit his teeth as he mulled it over. “I just don’t know. Both sides make good points, but I’ve learned not to ignore Maya’s judgment.”
Jaysin chimed in. “Maybe you oughta consider a more democratic solution.”
“What? You mean hold a vote?” Ev said.
“Sure. Why not?”
Priscilia scoffed at the very notion. “I was under the impression the chain of command had been established. Apparently, I was mistaken.”
“All right,” Ev said. “We’ll hold a vote. Obviously, Priscilia’s in favor of attacking the moon. Maya, how do you vote? For or against?
“Against.”
Ev nodded. “Jaysin?”
“For.”
“CiCi?”
“Against.”
“Daryn?”
“For.”
It didn’t take long for Ev to tally up the votes. “So that’s two votes against, and three votes for, attacking the moon. I guess that settles it.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Maya said.
Ev sighed. “So do I.”
Chapter III
“OK, Ragnarok,” Ev said. “Engage cloak and take us to the moon.”
The AI politely informed him, “It is unnecessary for you to verbally state your commands. You can direct this ship’s actions mentally.”
“How do I do that?”
“Simply concentrate on what you want me to do. Since becoming the new captain, you have been linked with me on a telepathic level. I can read your thoughts.”
That was cool, yet a bit creepy. “How can you tell the difference between what I’m thinking about doing, and what I want to do?”
“As long as your thoughts are emphatic, I can clearly understand what you want me to do.”
“Just think it with authority,” Jaysin said.
“All right,” Ev said. “That makes sense. I think.”
He closed his eyes and focused on a mental image of the Midgard becoming cloaked. “Engaging cloak,” Ragnarok said.
Ev observed, “That takes a lot of energy. I think it’s easier just to say it out loud.”
“I will become easier the more you do it. Soon, it will be second nature to you,” Ragnarok said.
“Amazing,” Priscilia said.
“Good to know.” Ev then stared at the forward view screen which offered a view of the area outside the ship. He focused his attention on the sky. To the moon, he commanded.
The ship began humming, and the g-forces increased slightly as they angled upwards and ascended.
With ride now getting a little bumpy, everyone took their seats. The Midgard shook and vibrated while moving closer to the stratosphere.
After less than ten minutes, the ship broke through Narska’s atmosphere and emerged into space. Ev had expected a dark void like Gehenna, but he was taken aback by what he saw.
“It’s beautiful,” Maya said.
Indeed, far from a void, it was a breathtaking expanse of color. Stars, planets, nebulas and comets greeted these explorers who had ventured outside the blue ball they called home.
“I can’t believe all the amazing things that are out here,” CiCi said.
Jaysin nodded. “Yeah. In the cities, you can’t see hardly anything because of all the lights.”
But Daryn said, “It certainly looks nice, but let’s not forget the reason we’re here.”
“He’s right; we have to take down Zero Grade,” Ev said.
“How long will it take us to get there?” Priscilia asked.
Ragnarok provided the answer. “Now that we are outside of the planet’s atmosphere, it is safe to operate at full power. We can be there within minutes. I took the liberty of bringing the Artificial Gravity System online. You will notice little change between what you felt on Narska and what you are experiencing now.
“Oh, yeah,” CiCi said, “We’re not weightless. Neat.”
Ev studied the gray orb that lay 250,000 miles away. It looked so small from here. Nevertheless, that was where mankind’s greatest enemy resided. Take us there.
The ship greatly accelerated, pushing him back into his seat. Ev guessed the Midgard wasn’t built for interstellar travel, or else the ride would have been a lot smoother.
Within the span of a few minutes, the moon rapidly grew to fill the forward view screen. Ev marveled at the increased detail this now gave them; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of craters from eons of being impacted by meteors were clearly visible, along with great lunar mountain ranges that stretched for hundreds of miles. “Amazing,” he said.
Daryn said, “Ragnarok, what kind of readings are you getting from the moon’s interior?”
“There is much interference, but I am detecting a multitude of energy readings. The interior seems to be at least partly hollow with multiple habitats.”
“You mean a city?” Ev said.
“It is difficult to say. I am getting only an extremely vague picture.”
Channeling his inner captain, Ev said, “Isolate the massive energy source you mentioned earlier. Where is it coming from?”
“It appears to be emanating from the center of the moon.”
“Can we get to it with the ship’s weapons?” Daryn said.
“Yes, but it would take an hour of intense laser drilling.”
Jaysin threw up his hands. “No way they’ll sit back and watch while we do that.”
Daryn sighed. “I agree. I hate to say this, but I really think we need to reconsider our strategy. With our cloak, we have the element of surprise, but we’ll lose it as soon as we start firing on them.”
Ragnarok replied, “T
he element of surprise may already be lost. I am detecting multiple openings in the surface of the moon.”
“Show us,” Ev said.
The view on the forward screen magnified to show numerous… panels, for lack of a better term… opening up below them, and long cylinders popper out.
Where Gods Dare (Divine Protector Book 4) Page 3
