“In the meantime,” said Chase, looking at his family. “You three, my parents, Poseidon and Thor have to go against the Spectre on your own. Just don’t take any unnecessary risks until I return. I should only be a few minutes in the regen tank, if things get too hot, have the Asgardians beam you out.
“Argos, you’re in charge of that part of the plan. I’m counting on you to buy me the necessary time to return and help you finish off Tanak’Vor.”
“Understood,” said Argos.
“We need to find a way to tax the new Fury shields more efficiently,” said Cedric.
“I think I may have an idea about that,” said Spiros. “The energy signature on the shield impacts closely matches those of the spider ship we have on file. It’s not an exact match, but it’s close enough that I think we can assume that the tech has been baked into Fury shielding. It would explain why it’s not as efficient. They probably had to do an ugly hack to make it work.”
“Can we use what we’ve learned from our previous encounter with the spider ship?” asked Kvasir.
“That’s what I’m hoping, but the few simulations I’ve run have not yielded any substantial result so far. We need to think outside of the box, but we need to do it fast. With more ships being destroyed, we’re now at a numerical disadvantage, and unless we find a way to better tax the enemies shields, this could be our last battle.”
“We also need to find a way to pierce through the spider ship shields,” added Cedric. “Their reflective ability is not something we’ve encountered in the past.”
“I agree,” said Spiros. “Kvasir, would you please analyze the logs of the fleet opening fire on them?”
“Absolutely. What am I looking for?”
“Anything that gives us an edge, such as power drain and frequencies. Don’t just focus on finding weak spots, even a temporary fix at this point would be helpful.”
“Understood,” said Kvasir with a synced flash of his facial tattoos.
“Yanis, let’s focus on these new Fury shields. I’ll work on their frequency modulation, and you focus on yield and what we can tweak on our weaponry to make more of a dent no matter if I’m successful in finding their weaknesses.”
Yanis nodded and went to work on a nearby holo-console.
Spiros had missed this in the last few weeks, using his brain and knowledge under pressure to fix problems. He didn’t necessarily enjoy the stress that came with it, but he was no stranger to thinking under the threat of impending doom. And, as far as he could remember, that’s where he worked the best. He was no longer protecting just himself or the rest of the crew, but also the woman he loved.
“I believe I found a patch to our spider ship problem,” said Kvasir.
Spiros’ eyes grew wide. “Already?”
“You’ll find he’s a quick study,” commented Cedric.
“It’s only a temporary measure though, but it could buy us some time,” said Kvasir.
“I’ll take anything at this point,” said Spiros.
“There’s a caveat though, and a big one, in order to prevent the spider ship from firing its deadly weapon, we must tax its shields. The only weapon that seems to be doing that are the torpedoes. If the spider ship is using all its energy powering its shields, it won’t be allowed to fire. I’ve calculated that seventy torpedoes every minute should be sufficient to prevent it from firing its weapon.”
“How long will that buy us?”
“Less than an hour, and it will make bringing down Fury destroyers more difficult. Hopefully, the Asgardian ship’s superior firepower could help us compensate.”
“An hour is better than nothing. Good job, Kvasir. Inform the captain.”
“Thank you, Mr. Malayianis. I will do so immediately.”
“Drop the Mister, Kvasir. Call me Spiros.”
As his friends were being beamed aboard the palace ship, Chase teleported to the cargo bay and stopped just before entering the time chamber. He contacted Kvasir telepathically.
Kvasir, I need your help.
Rather busy at the moment, Chase, but tell me what you need.
Does the computer know what is now the maximum time dilation my body can take post-training?
Let me check…there it is. The computer estimates you can probably sustain a five hundred and fifty-five factor, perhaps a little more if you stay in the room for no more than a day.
I’ll need a three-day cycle to recover my entire pool of energy. Set the factor to six hundred for me, will you?
Chase, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ll only shave off a minute or two by boosting the dilation factor that much, but your body could suffer irreversible damage.
I don’t have time to argue. A minute could make all the difference in the world, set the chamber to these specifications.
Chase entered the time chamber and climbed into the nearest regen tank. Once the cycle started, while only minutes passed on the outside of the room, Chase would have seventy-two hours to reflect on the fight he had lost against Tanak’Vor, not to mention worry about the safety of his family while he regenerated.
Needless to say, those seventy-two hours would feel like an eternity.
28
Daniel requested the help of the Asgardian captain to beam the away team that would face Tanak’Vor. They were waiting for reinforcements to arrive at the bridge. Argos, once again, could feel something odd in Sarah’s emotional state.
She feared what was to come. That in and of itself wasn’t a telltale sign, as Argos too, feared the next battle. Even with all their training, Argos could feel Tanak’Vor was a much more powerful warrior than any of them.
What ticked him off was the deception behind Sarah’s fear that he was sensing, which was a mixture of maternal instincts and wishing she could run away. But that made no sense to Argos since she wouldn’t abandon Chris or Chase in a moment like this.
She noticed he was looking at her, and for a brief moment, she looked down, back into his eyes, and then looked away. Argos was now convinced she was hiding something. Why had she looked down?
Is everything alright? he asked.
Mind your own business, this doesn’t concern you.
It does if it’s going to affect you, especially now.
Even if there was something concerning me, and I’m not saying there is, you’re the last person I would talk to about it. I’m on the side of the people who wished you were in front of a firing squad. I know that you saved Chase before, multiple times, but that doesn’t make up for what you did to me.
And there it was. For just a millisecond, Argos felt what he would describe as a strong maternal instinct kick in. He lowered his gaze and felt…something, and it froze his blood. Inside Sarah was another life sign. A very faint one; the beginning of a new life.
You’re pregnant?
She shot him the most hateful look he had ever seen. He could tell, at that moment, she hated him even more than before. Soon the fire in her eyes was replaced by an emotional plea.
I beg you, Argos, don’t say anything, least of all to Chase. We can’t deal with this now, not when we’re so close to the end.
While Argos understood what she was trying to do, and even agreed that informing Chase could have catastrophic consequences, he hated the idea of having to hide anything from his brother. It had taken a long time for them to finally trust each other that the thought of breaking that trust felt wrong. Even if he did it to protect him, or in this case, everyone else in the universe, the fate of every living being hung in the balance of what would soon unfold today.
Argos suddenly was angry at himself. Why did he pry? Why did he have to listen to his instincts and put himself in this position? In doing so, he would either have to tell Chase, which could distract his focus and cost them everything, or lie to the one person in the world he didn’t want to hurt.
I’m truly sorry, said Argos.
He could tell from the look of surprise that it was the last thing she expected him to say.
I’m sorry for everything I did to you, and I’m sorry to learn that you’re pregnant. I can only imagine what you must be going through right now and how hard it must be for you to hide this from Chase. And, I’m also sorry I know this. But, we have to do something about it.
No, Argos! We don’t.
I understand what you’re doing, and I even respect it. I know that probably means nothing coming from me.
You’re right. It means little to me, but Chase trusts you and that means something to me. I should set aside my disdain for you for the good of this mission.
At least, there’s that. But, there are only two ways I can deal with the fact that I know about your situation. One is to tell Chase, which I realize is not an option. That could distract him and cost us all our lives. The other way is for us to keep quiet and tell him after the battle.
Don’t worry, I won’t tell Chase you knew. No matter what happens.
That doesn’t matter, Sarah. He will know I knew and didn’t tell him, after him trusting me, accepting me as a brother, an honor we both know I don’t deserve. And now I have to deceive him once more. But, I don’t blame you, I just blame myself. I shouldn’t have tried to find out what was bothering you.
I…I don’t know what to say. I never expected you to say all these things to me, and least of all mean every word of it. As I can feel it now, you’re as tormented as I am to know this secret.
Let’s not say anything anymore, but I will ask that you try and limit the risks in what’s to come.
I can’t do that. That would be the same thing as telling Chase I’m pregnant and him insisting on me sitting this one out. We both know the domino effect that could arise from this.
I’m not asking you not to fight, I’m just asking you to fight in a way that you protect that new life in you, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, as well.
That’s why I didn’t want Chase to know. Let’s face it Argos, there’s no love lost between the two of us, but you being distracted by my condition could jeopardize our mission just the same as if Chase knew.
Argos swore inside. Damn his curiosity. Sarah was right, now not only did Argos feel he needed to protect Chase and Chris, but he had to add Sarah’s unborn child to the list.
All I ask is that you avoid any unnecessary risks. Let us fight and distract Tanak’Vor, even if Chris intervenes. I give you my word, I will protect all of you with my own life, but don’t put the unborn child in danger when it can be avoided.
That’s not fair, and that could also cost us the battle.
Anything at this point can cost us this day. So, just please, do as I say. I hate doing this, but that’s the price I’ll request for my silence.
Sarah nodded. Understood.
Athena and Menelas were flying through the corridors of the Victory toward the nearest turbo-lift to get to the bridge.
“I’m scared,” she said. “I— I wish we didn’t have to do this.”
Menelas was scared as well. While he would not back down from the fight, he wished with all his heart that Athena wouldn’t have to come with them.
“I’m scared, too. But we’ve come so far, it all depends on what happens next.”
“I had a few discussions with Chase about the Spectre when we were training; he seems so powerful.”
“I have no doubt he is, but we’ve trained well. We’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”
However, a dark pit in his stomach told him that he didn’t believe a word he was saying. He had to calm Athena down.
They arrived at the turbo-lift. It would take about twenty seconds to reach the bridge.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded. “While we still can.”
Menelas took Athena in his arms and kissed her passionately. For a moment it felt as if time stopped. Menelas could feel the depth of her love for him in that kiss, and he didn’t want her in harm’s way. He would never forgive himself if she perished.
While they were still kissing, Menelas made up his mind. Even though he knew she would never forgive him for this.
He raised an open palm behind her neck.
Forgive me. I love you.
Menelas focused all his strength in that one blow and hit an unsuspecting Athena in the back of her head with such force that she lost consciousness immediately, in his arms.
“Computer, redirect turbo-lift to deck three.”
A moment later, Menelas was carefully putting Athena in a suspended animation pod. He kissed her one more time before closing the pod’s door and activating it.
His heart ached as he flew back to the turbo-lift. Would he ever see her again?
Menelas was the last to arrive on the bridge. Everyone but Chase was there.
The Asgardians were standing by to beam them into the throne room of the palace ship. Today was the day they would all risk their lives to try and end a war that had seen civilizations fall, and friends and family members who sacrificed their lives for a future that still seemed so uncertain.
“Where’s Mother?” asked Argos.
“She’s right behind us, but she asked that we go forward without her. Don’t worry, she’ll only be a minute or two.”
Argos thought he sensed deception behind his father’s words, but this time, he decided not to ask questions he didn’t want to know the answers to.
“Okay, one last thing before you all go,” said Daniel as he walked toward the away team. “The Asgardians have given us these. They’re portable emergency transporter units. With the help of Kvasir, they have found a way to beam us inside the palace ship with its shields still up, but that is contingent upon us not running out of torpedoes as we are bombing the crap out of them. Once we run out, we won’t be able to establish a lock on you. The portable units will work for a single site to site transport.
“They’re subcutaneous, and Kvasir said you should put them on the backs of your necks. They will react to your DNA to prevent the enemy from accidentally beaming you out during the fight. Kvasir programmed them in a way that each of you can activate your own or one of your colleagues at any time if they get incapacitated and need urgent medical attention. I don’t have to tell you how important your mission is, you all know that already. But don’t hesitate to use them if you have to.”
Daniel handed them the portable transporter units that were barely bigger than a small coin, giving Argos an extra unit for Chase. Upon placing them on their necks, small nano-tendrils extended and positioned themselves onto each of the warriors.
“Alright, I wish we had more time and that I had a speech for the occasion worth a damn, but I’m no Saroudis, and we need to get you there while we still can. Let me thank you for your courage. History will remember what you’re about to do, no matter the outcome, and I’m proud to know each and every one of you. Godspeed, and good luck.”
“You’re doing a pretty good Saroudis,” said Sarah. “Thank you, Daniel, we’ll see you soon.”
As Daniel gave the signal to the Asgardian, he pondered Sarah’s words. Would they see each other soon? The battle raging outside was not going very well, and his friends were literally rushing to the head of the beast itself.
The Asgardian transporter beams engulfed every member of the away team, and they vanished from the bridge.
When the party arrived, Tanak’Vor was sitting on his throne.
“Welcome. I didn’t expect you to be dumb enough to come here, but I guess you keep surprising me.”
Argos sent a telepathic message to the rest of the party.
Remember, we just need to buy Chase a few minutes so he can rejoin us. No unnecessary risks.
“You seem to be one man short,” said Tanak’Vor. “Where’s Chase?”
“None of your business!” answered Argos. “But if you surrender now, we promise to make your death painless.”
The throne room echoed with the Spectre’s laughter, and he got to his feet.
“I’m going to enjoy killing all of you. How do you want to do this? Shou
ld I kill you all together? Or would you like to take turns?”
He’s trying to bait us; we don’t go at him alone, is that understood? communicated Argos to the team.
Poseidon took a few steps forward, anger boiling in his eyes while his hatred burned his soul.
“What are you doing?” protested Argos. “Don’t let him taunt you into doing something stupid.”
But Poseidon wasn’t listening, and his blue-green aura was growing with every step he took.
Before Argos could try and convince Poseidon to get back in the ranks, the Olympian darted forward and used his bionic arm to unleash a fiery inferno at Tanak’Vor, who didn’t move when the large flames engulfed his body.
A bright white light contoured his silhouette and could be seen through the flames around him. When the fires settled, his body was thinly layered in ice, and he appeared unscathed. He smiled, and the ice shattered. He had used Oryn’s freezing power to protect himself.
“That was pathetic!” he spat.
Poseidon roared and accelerated his pace toward the Spectre. His eyes flashed blue as his aura morphed into a hundred water-dancing dragons. Poseidon spun his Trident to focus on his next attack, and when he was in range, he unleashed it at Tanak’Vor. The waves of watery dragons shot forward, roaring and hungry for a kill.
Tanak’Vor didn’t move until the attack was nearly upon him. He lifted a single finger and blocked the attack. At the tip of his finger, a bright white light flashed in concert with his pupils. The watery dragonheads began to freeze, and frost traveled throughout their water-based bodies. Tanak’Vor then snapped his fingers and the frozen dragon-statues shattered into a million shards of ice. He then thrust forward an open palm and sent the swirling icy debris to Poseidon along with a powerful shockwave.
Poseidon used his forearms to protect his face, but many of the shards cut through his skin and some impaled into his flesh.
“That was foolish of you. If Chase was unable to bring me down with his mighty armor, what chance do you think you have with your oversized fork? Granted, I am impressed by how you managed to kill Arakan back on Olympus, but don’t think for a second that because I look like him I am him. I’m nothing like that weak, ego-driven Arakan.”
Into the Fire Part II: To End All Wars (Universe in Flames Book 10) Page 27
