by Bryan Cohen
As she flew her jet pack towards Ted and Erica, she saw something rippling in the water in the distance.
Erica seemed to be all business as she spoke to Ted. "Tell me more about these chicken of the sea."
"They all work as a collective. They don't really have any leaders, though they do worship some gods. The dark soul army tried to play on that a little bit, but they weren't really able to get into the society."
Natalie watched the ripple in the sea come closer and closer. "Guys, I have a bad feeling about this."
Erica gave a hint of a glance in Natalie's direction. "It's going to be fine. Maybe you're just getting seasick like Ted."
Natalie stared at the approaching movement. "Something's weird about this world. You can listen to me or go about your business."
The movement in the water stopped, and a creature slowly ascended out of the water. Just as Ted had mentioned, the merman had the top half of a humanoid creature and the bottom half of a fish. Much like the angels, he was also dead sexy.
"Greetings! Explain yourselves."
Erica gave Ted a pat on the back. "That's your cue."
Ted sighed and flew forward. "Hello! First of all, we come in peace."
The merman nodded. "He said you would tell us that."
Ted shifted uncomfortably. "Okay. Well, we do come in peace. Much like your world, ours was assaulted by the dark souls. We were hoping that you might consider joining up with us to stop this threat once and for all."
The sea creature took in the words slowly. "He also told us you would say that."
Ted turned back to Erica. "This is really strange. They don't have one leader. It's a cooperative."
The merman rose higher in the water. "It has been decided by the god of the sky that you are now prisoners of ours. Come with us so that we may see just how high a price you fetch."
Natalie watched the water ripple once again as hundreds of mermen and mermaids rose to the surface. They carried spears and pointed the weapons in their direction.
When Doren and the other team members raised their weapons, Natalie gestured for them to withdraw. Erica gestured for them to stand down. "If it's what the god of the sky wants, it's what the god of the sky gets. Let's see what he has to say about our proposal."
The chief merman grinned. "He will be very pleased. Follow us."
The sea creatures ducked down and all headed in the same direction.
Natalie grumbled. "Let's just all keep in mind that when I say I have a bad feeling about things, we may end up the property of some strange deity."
Erica gave Natalie a death stare. "Duly noted. Come on, everybody, let's see how much they wanna sell us for."
The protector waved the team forward as they flew toward an uncertain future.
19
Dhiraj scribbled in the margins of a book he knew the General and his men would never open up. Unless of course, they had some interest in low-money-down real estate. Kristen, the guard, had helped him to work out a time in the middle of the night when the cameras would go down for an entire hour. This was his opportunity to do something about the upcoming attack on the Virginia settlement. This was his opportunity to no longer be a captive or a talking head. He refused to stay down much longer.
Dhiraj wasn't sure if there'd been any national fallout from his retraction, but he hoped the damage had already been done a month ago. He wondered if Jennifer had seen the broadcast. He didn't know if she'd ever consider trusting him again. Dhiraj continued to plot out the escape in the margins as the door to his cell opened.
Kristen had switched shifts in order to be there when the cameras went dark. She stood there with a smile on her face. "I'm going with you."
Dhiraj shut his book. "How much time do we have?"
She raised an eyebrow. "We're up to five minutes."
Dhiraj shook his head. "It's too dangerous. It's easier for one person to travel than two."
"I'm a dark soul, Dhiraj. You know, super strength and speed. Your mouth moves fast, but the rest of you, pretty slow."
Dhiraj sighed. "I know you're right, but it's really helpful to have someone on the inside. We don't really know what's going to happen in the next couple of months. If you stay here, we might have a chance of infiltrating."
Kristen stepped forward. "I don't want to be here anymore. Just like you, I want to stop pretending. None of you deserve this."
Dhiraj moved over on the bed to accommodate the turncoat dark soul.
She joined him. "Besides, wouldn't it be nice if while you were trying to stop this attack, you had a bit of knowledge on the inner workings of the General's plan?"
Dhiraj looked to Kristen and back toward the door. "Okay. You can be there to bust down doors and stuff."
Kristen smiled and took his hand. "This way we can stay together."
Dhiraj let Kristen's hand linger for a moment before pulling his away. "You know that my heart's with someone else, right?"
Kristen nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."
Dhiraj sighed. "If she'll even have me back. I did kind of betray the cause on national TV."
Kristen's eyes twinkled. "She'll know that you only did it because you had to. We all have to make sacrifices." She stood up and walked back to the door. "I can't wait to join you in all of this. The General has made too many people suffer."
Dhiraj tried to keep the images of that suffering at bay. "Thank you. I'll see you in about eight hours."
Kristen smiled once more before exiting.
Dhiraj let out a sigh of relief. "You still got it, Dhiraj. Maybe too much sometimes."
The captive went back to his book and planned and ran through the escape in his mind. As cameras went down and a diversion took place on the east end of the building, he and Kristen would head west. There was an old service elevator that was rarely used. If they could get to it before the guards caught wind of the plan, they wouldn't be far off from freedom. Dhiraj knew that the real challenge would come after they'd escaped. He had absolutely no clue how they'd reach the settlement in time to warn the potential victims. He wished his stack of books came with a primer on hot-wiring a vehicle.
As Dhiraj unsuccessfully tried to sleep, he pictured the early days of the super heroic startup.
"I was so concerned how we were going to make money off of Ted, I never considered the consequences. I helped to break apart our world. All I got was a few hundred k in the bank. None of which I can access or invest right now. This whole thing is as much my fault as it is the dark souls."
As his pity party raged on well into the night, he never expected the doors to open at 3 AM. Dhiraj jumped in his bed as another body was tossed through the doorway. The doors closed as quickly as they'd opened, and Dhiraj examined the bruised and battered body of a girl on the floor.
Dhiraj hopped off the mattress and put his fingers on the girl's neck. She remained face down as he felt her pulse. "She's alive."
He turned her over, and his heart felt like it had just been shocked with jumper cables. The girl in his cell wasn't just anybody. It was Jennifer Norris.
Dhiraj couldn't stop the tears from streaming out of his eyes as he looked down at the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. "You found me. You found me. And now we're going to get out of this together."
20
While Ted knew he was a prisoner of whoever this god of the sky was, he couldn't help but take in the beautiful scenery that pervaded his every view. As the mermen swam in a parallel pool, he and his team walked through a breathtaking corridor of blues and greens. The walls shimmered as they went past, and Ted could barely believe just how amazing the place felt. He knew right away there was nothing like it on Earth and maybe nowhere like it in the multiverse.
Several of the mermen toward the back continued to sport their spears, and Erica and Natalie flanked his side.
Natalie let out a light cough. "I expected more sea creatures with instruments down here. Maybe a little red talking crab with a Jamaican accent?"
Ted smiled. "They do say it's better down where it's wetter."
Erica shushed them. "Can you two not take anything seriously? We are prisoners on a strange world."
Natalie's eyebrows danced. "As long as the god of the sky isn't Ursula, we should probably be okay."
Erica groaned as they reached the edge of the platform and walked into a massive throne room with a ceiling that seemed to stretch up stories into the sky.
Ted looked to his right at the lead merman. "You built all of this for your god of the sky?"
The sea creature nodded. "We had to build a temple worthy of he who came from the heavens."
Ted whispered to Erica. "None of this had happened when the dark souls came here. This must have been extremely recent."
Erica nodded. "We're not exactly working with an updated database here."
Ted and the others continued to step forward as the room became even shinier and more ornate. It was as if the sea creatures had gathered the most beautiful objects of the sea and placed them all in one room. All as homage to their god of the sky.
Ted looked to Natalie. "Are you getting anymore feelings about this?"
Natalie sighed. "Now you want my opinion? I think it's going to be worse than Ursula."
When the platform ended at a moat that surrounded the throne, Ted and the others ceased their walking. While the massive chair itself was empty, Ted could feel something familiar in the area behind the throne.
"I never expected to see you again."
A voice he'd never forget echoed through the chamber. His eyes immediately shot to Erica.
Erica looked dumbfounded. "I thought you said he was dead."
Ted couldn't find the words to form a response as the supposed god of the sky came into view. The first portal the living soul had ever created was the only way he would escape death by samurai.
Yoshi stepped into the light. "Kikuchiyo. Living soul. Welcome to your final resting place."
21
Dhiraj wasn't quite sure how much time had gone by when Jennifer opened her eyes. She sprang to life and let out a small scream as she turned from side to side.
"The General! He's got a gun! He killed Dad! He killed Dad."
"Jen, it's me. It's okay." Dhiraj attempted to touch her back to comfort her, but it only spooked his fellow prisoner more.
She pushed away from him and got to her feet. "Where am I? What's happening?"
Dhiraj stood up. "Jen. You found me."
As if she had just come back into herself, Jennifer looked upon Dhiraj with new eyes. "Is that really you?"
Dhiraj blinked back tears. "It's me. And I'm so glad to see you."
As if she'd forgotten all of the torture and the pain, Jennifer walked over and placed her lips on his. Dhiraj wasn't sure if heaven existed, but at that moment it certainly felt like it. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He could hardly believe this was happening.
Jennifer pulled away first. "I'm sorry, but I need to know for sure. Can you show me if you have any dark soul tattoos?"
Dhiraj nodded. "Of course! Of course." While it made him feel a little self-conscious, he pulled up his shirt and rolled up his sleeves to show no marks.
Jennifer nodded. "I still feel like I can't be sure. The General might've changed you before he breached the treaty."
Dhiraj put his hand to Jennifer's cheek. "Look into my eyes and tell me what you see."
Jennifer did. Dhiraj could hardly keep up the eye contact. The most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Eventually, her eyes softened and she pulled Dhiraj in for a hug. "It's you. I know that it's you."
Dhiraj felt himself melt into Jennifer's arms. "I can't believe you're here. You said somebody got killed."
Dhiraj could feel the heavy sobs come from Jennifer's chest.
"I was here with Van Housen and my dad. My dad is dead again."
The news hit Dhiraj hard. It was almost enough to pull him from Jennifer's embrace, but he had to keep her close. She'd been one of the only things keeping him sane, and now that she was here, he never wanted to let her go.
As Jennifer settled over the next few hours, she told Dhiraj everything that had happened. While he'd gotten most information secondhand, now he could confirm for sure that the real Ted had saved Treasure. She told him that his parents were alive and well and safe in the Realm of Souls. The last bit of information intrigued Dhiraj the most.
"He's building an army. And you were kind of the one who came up with the idea." He kissed her on the top of the head. "Brilliant!"
Jennifer shook her head. "Someone who was really brilliant probably wouldn't get two people killed in order to get herself captured."
Dhiraj put his hand under her chin and lifted up her face. "You came for me. That's all that really matters."
She sniffled and shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know."
Dhiraj took her by the shoulders. "Look, we could sit here and beat ourselves up and more. Heck, I was doing that before you showed up here. We have a chance to stop the General from killing more people. All we have to do is get out of here and stop the next attack."
Jennifer nodded and looked deep into his eyes. "Okay. It was nearly impossible to get in here. How do you expect to get out?"
Dhiraj gave a sly smile. "It's been a while since you've seen me, so you may have forgotten—I always have a plan."
22
Erica could hardly believe her eyes at the sight of the samurai on the throne. While she'd heard everything secondhand, she knew that Yoshi had betrayed not only them, but the entire light soul cause. And all of it had been because of ambition.
She folded her arms. "Such a pleasure to see you again. Have you scammed your way into the hearts of another species since we last met?"
Yoshi's stoic smile was barely a hint above neutral, but she could tell the supposed god of the sky was enjoying every moment on top.
He gestured to the mermen who bore spears. "Leave us. I'm not concerned with these prisoners. They need us."
The lead merman hesitated before he led the school of fishmen out of the throne room.
Yoshi crossed his legs and leaned back in the seat of power. "I bet you're wondering how I got here."
Erica looked over at Ted. He seemed more surprised than angry. "Not especially. But I have a feeling you're going to tell us anyway. Perhaps before you try to kill us."
Yoshi relaxed deeper into his seat of leadership. "I have no need to harm you. My followers could've speared you through the heart in a matter of moments. I was the one who chose to bring you here in one piece."
Doren grumbled. "Can we kill him now? This guy's starting to make me angry."
Erica held up a hand. "Tell your story, traitor. I'm sure this is going to be interesting."
While Yoshi's expressions remained muted, he seemed as though he'd been wanting to tell this story to someone for quite some time. "When the living soul sent me through the portal, I resigned myself to death. I fell through the sky and expected to land on rock or soil and die a warrior's death. Obviously, a higher power had something in mind."
Natalie smirked. "For you to become god of the fish?"
"I hit water. And while I was unconscious, the creatures of this land didn't see a fallen samurai. They assumed I was a god sent from the heavens above. I have the General to thank for them being so fearful of what might come next. They wanted a sign, and the living soul inadvertently gave it to them."
Ted shifted uncomfortably. "You're welcome?"
Yoshi let out a sharp chuckle. "When I came to, I was already their leader. They crafted this incredible cavern for me. And now here I am today to hear your proposal."
Erica looked at Yoshi and then at Ted. "Can you take over his mind so we'll be done with this before dinner?"
Ted snapped to attention and focused his gaze on Yoshi. His face scrunched up hard as he appeared to be aiming for the former samurai's mind. He let out a grunt before falling to one knee.
He looked up a
t Erica. "There's something blocking me. I can't get in there."
Yoshi stood up. "It's not actually the creatures themselves that are resistant to your powers, living soul. It's the food they eat. When I realized this, I made sure to supplement my daily diet."
Doren stepped forward and put his hand on his sword. "Now can we kill him? Patience went away a long time ago."
Erica shook her head. "You said you'd hear our proposal. We propose you send some of your warriors to the Realm of Souls. With your help, we can end this war once and for all."
Yoshi put his hands together and bowed. "Proposal denied." His voice grew louder. "Guards! Take them to their prison." This time his smile took over the room. "It truly was a pleasure to see you again."
As the mermen with spears streamed into the room, Doren took another step toward the throne, but Erica stopped him. "We'll have our opportunity. Let's take this as a chance to cool our heels."
Doren glared in her direction before taking his hand off the hilt of his sword. "As long as you know I don't like this."
"Duly noted."
The guards led Erica and her team to a makeshift prison. The walls were nearly as beautiful as they were in Yoshi's throne room, but the one difference here was that the entire platform of solid blue was surrounded by water. Three mermen patrolled the area around their prison.
Ted sat Indian style on the floor. "We have the ships and the underwater assassins. I could portal us out of here and we could cut our losses."
Natalie and several of the other crewmembers nodded. "It would save us from wasting any more time here. Though I have to admit, I haven't minded looking at the bare-chested mermen. A real perk of being in this mission."
Erica paced. "We'll lose those ships and the assassins in the first two attacks. We just don't have enough of them. The mermen were going to be the bulk of our navy."
Ted swirled his fingers and the smallest bit of a portal began to form. "The best laid plans often go awry. Should we go?"
