“So she is finally here,” the chair swiveled around smoothly. A tall man was seated in the chair. He wore a white business suit with a flashy red tie. He rapped his fingers against each other, each one adorned with gold and silver rings. His face was long and sly, with his black wavy hair falling to one side. He had a rod of pure gold next to him - his scepter no doubt - and with that information Taylor knew who she was facing right now.
“You must be the Knight King,” she said.
The man looked impressed. “Well done, child, my name is Albion. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
“Can you try reading his mind?” Taylor asked Ruby in her mind. She still didn't know what this man wanted with her. She had to find out if she wanted to get out of this situation anytime soon.
“He’s protecting his mind from being read,” Ruby seemed shocked, “He knows what I can do. He isn't ordinary.”
“Of course he isn't ordinary. He’s the knight king.”
“You must be wondering why I have brought you here,” Albion said, “It is true that Dr.D was the one who ordered you be taken in, but I was the one who expressed interest in you. So why do you think I went this far to meet you face to face?”
She looked at him cluelessly. What is he trying to imply? she wondered.
“Dr.D may have a scientific interest in you, but my uses for you are much more….practical,” he said. “I have a job for you.”
“What makes you think I’ll agree to do it?” she glared at him. There was no way she was taking some job offer from the White Knight King.
“It would suit you well to listen to what we have to say,” Albion slowly made his way to the screen, which automatically turned on and played a live video feed. A griffin shot through the air with two riders on its back.
“For if you do not listen to us-” the White Knight King pointed to one of the riders.
He had a familiar crop of black hair and gray eyes.
Albion flashed a wicked smile, “-the Wielder of Light will die.”
***
Q lay back on the griffin and looked up at the stars in the night sky. The Zygrade in the Anti-verse lay in a dense star cluster. Hundreds of stars lit up the sky, like an artist painting a dark canvas.
Burke snapped him out of his trance, “We’ve reached the tower,” he said.
Q got up and looked ahead. A huge circular white wall stood firm in the middle of the desert, and a white tower rose from the center and into the sky, its top ending in a sharp point.
“We better land here,” Q said. He needed to assess the enemy’s base before attempting any sort of attack.
Jade descended quickly onto the ground, his talons latching onto the loose sand and helping him come to a stop.
“What do we do?” Burke asked.
“We throw everything we have at that base and tear it down,” Q said. "But I’ll have to check the perimeter first.” He closed his eyes and activated his Q-maps. The images flowed into his mind. He focused his sights on the tower and tried to look deeper into it. A pocket of green energy glistened, turning everything else into a dull blur. He breathed deeply and opened his eyes, his face serious and silent.
“What’s wrong?” Burke asked.
Jade looked at Q with an expression of concern. Q figured the griffin had already finished reading his thoughts. He knew what was going on.
“We can't destroy the tower,” Q said. "Not yet.”
“Why not?” Burke asked.
“I sensed a familiar high-energy reading at the top of the tower,” Q sighed deeply. "It’s the Lambda Driver.”
Burke was stunned for a second, and then his expression changed to pure excitement. “So we get the driver and then we can go back home,” he pumped his fist into the air. “Let’s do this!”
“It isn't that simple,” Q bit his lip. "I saw a few security measures around the Driver.”
“I’m guessing they’re not easy to break.”
“I don't know. But considering that they’re in charge of protecting the Lambda Driver, I’m sure they won't be that easy to get past.”
“Wait a second,” Burke caught their attention. "Why exactly do these people have the Lambda Driver anyway?”
“The White Knights had taken the last one with them had they not?” Jade asked.
“Yes,” Q’s mind made the obvious connection. "That’s the White Knights’ tower.”
“Well,” Burke said. “It does follow their ‘we love white’ color code.”
Q diverted his thoughts back to the mission, “Let’s assume this is the White Knight compound. How do we get in?”
Burke put his face in his hands and thought hard. Q could almost see the imaginary gears in his head turning.
“I’m assuming the Lambda Driver is high up in the tower?” he asked.
Q nodded.
He sighed, “It’ll be very difficult to get to the top if we enter the tower from the bottom. That tower is likely to be teeming with knights. An assault is the least efficient option.”
“I don't think we have any other method of entering the place though,” Q said.
Burke pointed to the top of the tower, “We’re going to have to take that route,” he said.
Now it was Q’s turn to sign. For once he would have liked to have a straightforward mission that didn't involve any unnecessary complications.
Burke kept explaining, “We’ll land on the top of the tower and head down to the level the Lambda Driver is on.”
“I’m guessing you won't be coming along,” Q said.
“Actually I’ll have to come along with you,” Burke said, but he clearly didn’t like the idea. “Remember you told me the driver was behind heavy security? It’ll be tough to crack. Leaving that to you is-” He paused for a second, “-not wise.”
Q smiled a bit. That was the first time someone hadn't left him in charge of the whole operation. Usually he was the one who everyone turned to when they faced situations like these. He had to admit that it was pretty nice to see someone else bear the burden for once.
“We’ll fly up to the top and head down to the right floor,” Burke told Q. “We’ll need you to use your Q-maps to direct us to the Lambda Driver once we get in.”
“Just leave it to me,” Q smiled.
“We get down to the right floor, I take out the security system, we secure the driver and get back to the top, Jade comes up there and we escape.”
“You do realize we came here to take out the enemy as well.”
“Oh yeah,” Burke sighed. Q figured he would forget about that part.
“Can't you just create an explosion or something?” he asked.
“It isn't that easy,” Q said.
“What about those missiles?” Jade asked.
“That could work,” Burke said. “We could launch them and make them target the tower.”
“So now we have to go to the control room as well?” Q yawned drowsily. He hadn't slept in so long. He tried to snap his drowsy-self back into focus. The last thing he needed was to be distracted on an important mission like this one.
“There is another option,” Jade said. “I could get the missiles to fire at me and then misdirect them towards the tower. All I have to do it get the missiles to follow me and then head for the tower.”
“But then how are you planning to get out of the line of fire?” Burke asked.
“I think I’ve got that figured out,” Jade said.
“And if something goes wrong I could always use my shield to protect him,” Q said.
“Fine then. Jade can go ahead with that plan,” Burke said. “But right now we need to work on getting to the top of the tower.”
Jade lowered his wings to the ground, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Q and Burke got on his back. If they managed to pull this mission off then they would’ve accomplished everything they needed to do, and that meant they could go back home.
Jade stre
tched out his wings and flapped them rapidly, creating a gust of wind that expanded in a circle. In seconds they were in the sky, with Jade cutting through the air as they sped towards the tower of pure white.
The home of the White Knights.
This was definitely not a drill.
***
Chris gaped at the multitude of cadets that entered the room.
“We would like you to meet our Commander,” the squad leader said.
“I’m in the organization, cadet,” Trisha walked to the door authoritatively. “You’ve made a huge-”
The cadet knocked her to the floor, no questions asked. “Just how much of that conversation do you think we didn't hear?” he asked.
Chris looked around. Everyone was tense. Even Carlos couldn’t keep himself calm, which was saying a lot.
“Come along,” the man said and the cadets swarmed around them, cuffing everyone with energy bonds. They pushed them into the corridor and forced them to start walking forward.
“Where are they taking us?” Kai asked.
“Probably some sort of holding cell,” Carlos said. “These ships usually have a prison like facility. They’ll secure us in there.”
“What about this Commander who wanted to meet us?”
“He’ll probably come see us in there.”
Just as Carlos had predicted, the men took them to their prison facility. Several cells were lined up against the walls on either side, their walls completely transparent yet tensile. A single white cot was the only furnishing inside each one.
One of the cadets typed into a panel on the wall. A few of the cells hissed and their front walls collapsed to the ground. The men unlocked everyone’s energy bonds and pushed them inside individual cells. The collapsed walls restructured themselves and secured everyone inside. The cadets checked the facility one last time and headed out, leaving behind an air of silence among everyone.
Chris sat still on her bed. She didn't bother formulating some sort of plan. It wasn't like they were going to get out anytime soon. These were high tech cells, nearly impossible to destroy.
She looked around her. Carlos was in the cell opposite to her. To her left Lisara lay down on her bed and to her right an energetic Trisha paced around her cell in deep thought.
Trisha turned and noticed Chris. Chris could see her mouth moving but she couldn't hear a word of what she was saying.
What in the world is going on? she wondered. Her mind worked hard to connect the dots, the answer not that hard for her to get.
The walls are soundproof, she realized. They were blocking out any noise from entering or exiting the cells. That meant there was no way they could communicate with each other.
Chris had initially found it odd that they had all been put in different cells but now it made complete sense. This way they wouldn't be able to talk to each other. She looked at the cells on the other side. Carlos faced the cell to his right. His hands seemed to be moving vigorously, changing from one position to another with immense precision.
Sign language? Chris thought. That was a brilliant idea! Carlos soon turned to Chris and moved his hands around in different positions. Each sign was a letter. Chris strung up the different letters he mimed to get what he was trying to say.
“What should we do?” he asked her.
Chris thought for a while. The cells were indestructible. Using force to break through them would be impossible.
“Not sure,” she tried forming the letters with her hands.
He nodded his head after she finished her mime and signed to Trisha. Chris didn’t try to read him and instead looked around at the other cells. Juliana, contrary to the situation, was sleeping peacefully in the cell next to Carlos. On the opposite side was Kai, who on the other hand, sat quietly with his eyes closed.
Chris looked at the walls of her cell and wrapped her arms around her legs. What could they do now? She wished Q were here. He would have taken them out in a flash. If he had been here, Chris was sure they would never even be in the cells in the first place. He would probably have finished the enemy off before they had the chance to say ‘Attack!’
He’s not here now, she thought. Think. How can you get out of here?
She looked at the walls around her cell. They were transparent and several feet thick. Soundproof, she reminded herself. She knew how a soundproof system worked. The walls would have either a dampening agent to absorb the sound completely or-
They would use a rigid wall, she thought. A rigid wall would completely reflect any noise inside it and prevent it from seeping out. If the soundproof system inside the cell used a rigid wall then the cell wasn't completely indestructible. If a good amount of strength was put on a small enough section then she could crack a little, and a crack could always be made larger.
She walked to the wall and felt it with her fingers. She pulled her arm back and was about to punch into the wall when she saw the color of the wall change into a deep black, the shade flowing through like a picture was being painted. She punched hard into the wall but couldn't even make a tiny scratch. She felt the walls again to see if they had changed.
They had.
And she had no clue why. The rigidity no longer existed. It was a little softer than before, and that really hurt her chances. But even that wasn't her biggest problem. The dark walls had blocked out any sort of light from entering her cell. That meant she couldn’t communicate with anyone else even through sign language.
And then it got worse.
A hissing sound came from inside her cell and a strong smell hit the air.
Gas, she panicked.
A piercing pain struck her chest. Her vision stuttered and warped. The dark walls sucked her in, trying to consume her very being. She felt suffocated and alone. A void opened up in the floor and skeletal hands reached out from the void and grasped at her ankles. She backed up against the walls but she couldn't hold out for long.
The hands grabbed her legs and dragged her into the void. She screamed in terror and clawed at the floor, desperately trying to get some sort of traction. The skeletal hands kept increasing in number. She finally lost her grip and fell inside.
Chris floated about aimlessly. She couldn't see anything in the frightening darkness. She could hear nothing but the screams of horror that escaped her lips.
She was alone. Isolated. Afraid. She wrapped her arms around her knees, curling up into a ball. She buried her face inside her arms and let the darkness consume her.
***
4-5
Taylor’s eyes stared at the feed on a screen. There was no mistaking it. The guy on the feed was Q. She felt a mix of emotions. She was relieved that nothing had happened to him, but worried that Albion was threatening to kill him.
Albion made a gesture in the air and the feed changed into an image. A tall white tower rose to the sky, surrounded by a large circular wall of the same color.
“He is trying to breach the stronghold of the White Knights in the Anti-verse. A very poor decision to make.”
“You’re not very bright are you,” Taylor chuckled.
Albion’s eyes widened. He stepped back in surprise.
“You think you can kill him?” she scoffed. “Do you even know who you’re dealing with?” She needed to stall for time and she might as well take down Albion’s confidence by a peg while she was at it.
Albion on the other hand, laughed madly, “Your stupidity is very amusing,” he smiled.
“Fine, I’ll play your little game,” she held her hands up. “You said you would let him go if I did something for you. What do you want me to do?”
“Ah, yes. Tobias?” he called out.
The White Knight came with a small box in his hand. He opened it and knelt as he handed it over to Albion. Taylor glanced at the contents. A syringe filled with purple liquid lay in the red velvet padding on the box. Taylor’s confidence plummeted. She didn't like the look of what was going on here.
“This is a little something that our la
b conjured up,” Albion smirked. “We call it F.E.A.R - Forgoing Eternal Arch Reign.”
She looked at him quizzically. She had no clue what that meant.
He sighed, “In simple terms, I am going to take over your mind.”
She took a step back. Is this what he wanted me to do? she thought. Her heart beat faster. Her eyes darted around the room, desperately trying to find a route to escape.
Albion’s smirk widened, “The best part is that when I’m controlling your body, your mind will be trapped in a cage of its own.” He walked around Taylor in a circle, “The serum can induce fear in those who are injected with it. It numbs the part of your brain that senses things like sight and sound. Then it stimulates the Amygdala, which is responsible for triggering fear.”
He stopped in his tracks and looked at Taylor’s horrified expression, “Imagine what it would feel like if you faced all your fears all the time. If you were trapped in a cage filled with fears and you could never escape back to reality,” his voice dragged off into a deathly whisper.
Taylor’s hands trembled. Her mind was filled with pure fear. She tried to calm herself but her body was going crazy. But in all this craziness she stalled to give her time to try to escape.
“Very nice,” she tried to sound as confident as possible. “But what if my mind is strong enough to break through to reality?”
“I am not a fool, Dark Knight, I know when one wants to stall for time. Guards! hold her!” He yelled out.
Two men held down a struggling Taylor as Albion took out the syringe. Her whole body fought with vigor, but the fear cut through her and all she could do was tremble. Her eyes were wide with horror, every part of her body reacting to the thought of having the serum injected. She watched helplessly as Albion walked towards her, carrying in his hands what might potentially be her death.
He pointed the needle above the skin of her neck. “Tobias. The screen,” he said.
AcQuest: A Space Opera Military Technothriller (The Quest Saga Science Fiction Adventure Series Book 3) Page 23
