“Watch out!” shouted Ryonna as she jumped out of the way.
But Keera hadn’t been so lucky. Her scream pierced through the ear-deafening sound the concrete made as it crashed to the ground. When Ryonna had finished her evasive roll she turned and looked for Keera. She was lying on the ground, most of her lower body caught under concrete rubble.
“Keera!” she yelled as she ran to her side.
Ryonna feared the worst but was relieved to find a pulse on Keera’s neck. She was unconscious, though. The ground trembled again and some of the rubble on Keera shifted to the side. Only a few pieces of concrete and a large metallic beam pressed onto Keera’s left ankle.
The next tremor dislodged another piece of concrete from the ceiling, right on top of them. Ryonna acted instinctively, took her blaster and switched it to maximum power, and shot the piece of concrete dead center a few feet before it crashed onto them. The concrete split in two and Ryonna used her own body to protect Keera, with both forearms protecting her own head. At the moment of impact she flexed her arms muscles as hard as she could. The concrete parts hit and she felt one of her bones crack. But in the end her quick blaster reflexes and stance succeeded in deflecting the concrete to the sides.
We need to get out of here, now!
Spiros entered the control room on their new flying facility. The training center had been moved to a jump-capable ship graciously provided by the Earth Alliance. It hadn’t been very difficult to convince them to lend them one. The moment Spiros uttered the words black hole, the Alliance was eager to help. They voiced their concern for the entire enterprise, though, especially now that Chase was deadly wounded, but Spiros was very convincing and told them of the importance of this technology.
The starboard viewport gave the nicest view of the blue marble, and Spiros got lost in it for a moment.
“Such a beautiful planet. Even more water than my home world.”
“Are you talking to yourself again?” said Gaia over the speakers.
“I know you’re always on. The benefit of being artificial. No down time, no need to sleep, no aching bones.”
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your statements, my friend?”
“You betcha. The more time passes the more difficult it gets. I have augmented so much in my body already. Mostly due to health issues but also in the hope these augments would carry me a little longer than my, how should I put this, vanilla body would ever have.”
“Most of your augments could be improved, you know.”
“Yes, I’ve thought of that while we were designing the training bots together. Your grasp of technology is impressive. I’d say decades in advance of the Alliance’s current level.”
“That must not help your hierarchy sleep better at night if I’m still considered a threat.”
“Potential threat. I keep insisting on that point during every single report.”
“And I’m grateful, but let’s not worry about that. We have more important work to do. Still, if you’d like us to work on your augments, I have a few ideas.”
“I’m sure you do and I look forward to hearing them. Perhaps from time to time in between our work on the artificial black-hole generator, we can have a look at them.”
“As you wish, Spiros.”
“How many training—” Spiros paused for a second. “How many battle bots are ready?”
“I don’t remember us renaming the training bots to battle bots.”
“We both know these are no longer just for training. We’ve armed them to the teeth and loaded them with much more powerful quadrinium power cells than their predecessors. On that note, that’s why I came here early today. I received a subspace transmission just a few minutes ago. It contains a raw data dump of your recovered avatar’s black box. The Hope sent it as-is. They did warn me that one of the storage chips on the black box was heavily damaged, so the data is incomplete. Since it was encrypted, they doubt we’ll be able to make heads or tails of the incomplete data stream.”
Spiros took a blue data crystal from his pocket and inserted it into the crystal port of his workspace console.
The door opposite Spiros slid open and Gaia’s new avatar entered the room.
“I see you kept the old exterior design for your avatar’s body, along with the silver and crimson paint job. May I ask why?”
“It may look the same but it’s of the same alloy as the new units.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question now, does it?”
“I have grown attached to this look.”
Spiros smiled.
“What did I say that is funny?”
“Not funny, just . . . human.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good, ’cause that’s the spirit in which it was said.”
“Then thank you, Spiros. I am not yet fully receptive to the whole human emotional spectrum, though. But the more I devote CPU time to that task, the more some emotions seem to take over. In fact, I do find it disturbing to the point of wondering if I should pause or reduce this activity.”
“Interesting. May I ask which emotion in particular is taking over?”
“According to my database I’d say that the emotion is anxiety.”
“This is remarkable.”
“How so?”
“We humans tend to think too much, worry about the future, linger in the past and, more often than not, we don’t devote enough of our time being grounded in the present. The side effect is that we get anxious, worrying on a daily basis, distracting us from what needs to be done. Most of the time sucking the fun out of our own lives in the process.”
“That would explain the rise in my CPU emotive sub-routines.”
“And that last statement didn’t sound like an AI that passed the Turing test.”
“And yet I did with flying colors, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“So . . . Should we take a look at the schematics for the artificial black-hole generator?”
“Indeed we should. Time to get to work.”
7
Sarah ran through the dark corridors of her ship. The damage was substantial and her heartbeat was dangerously elevated. But the footsteps that followed her at a running pace, resonating within the corridor, pumped adrenaline into her body. She dared not look back, but she felt her pursuer gaining on her. How was she to outrun a Fury in her current condition?
Then she heard him. “You can’t outrun me, human.”
The deep, almost demonic voice sent a shiver down her spine but she kept running as fast as she could. All she thought about was Chris. She couldn’t let harm come to him.
Then a fireball grazed her right cheek and impacted with the ceiling twenty-something feet in front of her. The explosion knocked her off her feet and she barely had time to pivot to protect Chris from her now inevitable fall. She hit the floor with her right shoulder with such force that she heard a bone-cracking sound, accompanied by a sharp pain that radiated throughout her upper body.
She turned on her back and saw the Fury walking towards her. With most of the lights off, and only a few flickering LED panels, his approach felt like a horror movie. She was helpless to do anything and soon he was upon her. A light flashing nearby revealed his face for a brief instant, and the evil smile she saw terrified her.
This is it. We’re going to die. I’m so sorry, Chris.
The Fury raised one hand, fingers locked in a claw. Before she could do anything he plunged it into her womb. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced. Not even when she had been tortured by Argos did she feel so much pain. It was intensified tenfold by the emotional implications of what was happening. She closed her eyes as a reflex but she felt it. She felt that vile creature grasp her unborn baby from deep within herself.
A few seconds of overwhelming emotional and physical pain ensued. It was the longest and most agonizing moment of her life. It felt like the last one, too.
When she opened her e
yes she saw the Fury holding her bloody baby in his hand. His eyes flashed red as he crushed the baby in his hand, little by little. She heard his frail bones crack one by one.
This can’t be! Please no!
She screamed.
Then everything changed. She was in her quarters on her bed, still screaming for dear life. She had been dreaming. The nightmare had been so realistic, so intense, that her heart was beating like a machine gun firing inside her chest. She dripped with sweat and panted heavily.
What the hell was that!?
She took deep breaths in order to calm herself. Soon she got up from her bed and went into the bathroom. She was looking at herself in the mirror when she thought she saw something move from the corner of her eye.
When she reached for her belly and found it flat that spun her again into a whirlwind panic attack.
“Chris! Where’s my baby!?”
Was she still in her nightmare?
She pinched herself and felt the pain. Her heart, which had finally stabilized, went back into overdrive.
She turned back to the room and that’s when she saw him.
A baby was crawling on the carpet, smiling and giggling. He saw Sarah and crawled towards her.
This is not happening . . . this . . . is not . . . possible.
What she could only surmise was baby Chris crawled to her on all fours. He looked at her and beamed the cutest of smiles. A warm, golden aura engulfed him.
I’m still dreaming.
Then she heard him in her thoughts. You aren’t, Mother.
What are you telling me? You got out on your own?
Yes. I know it’s difficult to understand, but I did it so you wouldn’t experience the pain of birth while being conscious.
That nightmare?
It was a distraction, so you wouldn’t feel it happening.
You couldn’t have chosen different imagery?
I didn’t control the nightmare, just enhanced the part of your brain that deals with fear. So whatever you saw in there, it was of your own creation.
I’m not sure I like this version better. But okay. How can you be crawling already? How old are you? Have I been asleep for weeks?
No, I’m barely an hour old.
Is this the way all Furies are born?
No, the birth is usually very similar to any other humanoid species. But we do age a little faster and reach adolescence about two years faster than humans.
Is this why you are already able to crawl?
Not exactly. I did something to my genetic makeup so I could grow faster, much faster.
WHAT?
I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t tell you about it because I knew you would object. But there was no other way. I need to be walking and fighting as fast as possible so we can win this war.
For a brief moment Sarah thought she had lost her mind. Then she thought that this was still a dream, a nightmare or a little of both.
I assure you, Mother, all of this is real.
How can you have changed your own genetic makeup? Do you have any idea of the absurdity of what you’re telling me?
I do. When Argos tortured us, I felt his presence inside me. Part of his psyche, in fact, was transferred somehow. When he realized my presence inside you and decided to grow a clone of us, that was when I got a glimpse of how he did it so quickly. I used that knowledge to affect my own DNA in order to grow as fast as his clones do.
This is irresponsible and unacceptable. I have carried you in me for nearly eight and half months. This was not your decision to make! How can you be certain this won’t kill you?
I know it’s a risk, but I have acted for the greater good. I’m sorry, Mom. I know this is not what you wanted to hear, and I know you looked forward to seeing me grow, and I’m so very sorry to rob you of that experience. But please, Mother, believe me when I say this was absolutely necessary.
How fast will you grow up?
You may want to sit down before I answer this.
Sarah didn’t like the sound of that, but she complied. She walked back into the room and sat on the edge of her bed.
I will be an adolescent in a matter of days. At which point we’ll need to find a way to reverse what I did to my DNA, otherwise my lifespan will be extremely short.
What? How short?
Weeks, a couple of months at best.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Chris, do you even realize the enormity of what you’ve done?
When Chase opened his eyes he was still lying on the ground. He sat up and massaged his stiff neck.
“What the hell was that?” he said out loud.
I must have been dreaming. But then again I’m still in this hellish place.
“My kingdom is not hellish.”
Hades’ voice startled Chase, who instinctively jumped back to his feet.
“I understand it’s not the warmest of realms,” continued Hades, “but I won’t let you call it that.”
“Are we really gonna argue about whether the Underworld feels like hell? Alright, granted there are no flames or pitchforks, but this isn’t anyone’s dream holiday destination either.”
Hades smiled.
“Why did you attack me?” inquired Chase.
“You want to pass beyond this point, and to do so you must defeat me in combat. Anyone who defeats me here can go back to the land of the living. But I don’t have many conscious visitors, and the very few that tried all failed. I don’t see how you will be any different.”
Chase reflected on Hades’ words. It was not a matter of choice. He had to get back to Sarah and Chris, and he had to get back into the fight with the Furies.
“I need to go back. If you know anything about what’s happening out there, you know I need to get out of here!”
“I am aware. The Furies have sent me many souls lately; by the billions, in fact. There hasn’t been as much work around here in thousands of years. But each soul that steps into the pit makes me slightly more powerful, so why would I want that to stop?”
“Oh, so you’re one of those.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Like Ares once was, drunk on power.”
“You’ve got me all wrong. Ares went a little mad, yes. I, on the other hand, know exactly what I’m doing.”
“You do realize that’s pretty much what a madman would say?”
Hades laughed. “I guess it is, isn’t it? Still, I’m not on a quest for power. I don’t decide who ends up in my realm.”
“Even so, I need to leave this place.”
“Then you need to fight harder, much harder. Unfortunately for you, though, since billions of souls came here in the last day, it has made me extremely powerful. More than I have been in over ten thousand years. Your failure to stop the Furies on Droxia is the reason this fight you must win now is nearly impossible.”
Chase felt anger rise in his core. He didn’t have time for this right now. He needed to go back to the land of the living. Yet he realized the irony of the predicament he was in. Because billions had died on Droxia, their passing souls had strengthened Hades’ power and that was why he moved so fast and hit so hard.
“I’ll tell you what, Chase. I will lower my speed so you can at least see me come at you. Let’s see if you can hit me even then.”
I need to find the chink in his armor real fast. If he has one.
“I can feel your internal turmoil. Know that there is no other way to get out of here. You must defeat me.”
“Then let’s get to it,” said Chase as he assumed a fighting stance.
Chase briefly closed his eyes as he grew his purple aura to the maximum. When he opened his eyes, they too shone purple.
He created an ice-cold blue fireball in each hand and threw them at Hades, who deflected the first one with the palm of his hand and blocked the second with his other hand. He closed it and disintegrated the attack with ease.
“Come on, now, we both know you can do better than this.”
C
hase smiled.
He launched a series of punches and kick combos toward Hades, who blocked and parried them with incredible ease. Chase kept coming at him from every angle, with more complex combos, pushing himself to his maximum speed. But Hades kept countering him without breaking a sweat.
“This is useless! I’m not fast enough!”
“Then I suggest you get faster.”
“How?”
“Well, think faster for one. And perhaps you may want to get angry. In the past that has brought your speed up by a considerable amount.”
“How do you know all this?”
“While you are here in my realm I know everything you know.”
“Is that how you anticipate my every move?”
“It would be if you moved fast enough. At the moment I just need to slowly move out of the way of your sluggishness.”
Chase started to get angrier.
“Good, you will need that anger to win.”
Chase knew what Hades was doing. He was antagonizing him so he would reach his full potential. But why did Hades care? Chase reflected on that for a moment. It did seem that only his rage, his internal fury, the point where he lost all conscious grounding with reality and let his hatred and anger take over, were the moments when he was the most powerful. Ares had warned him about it, yet on some occasions he had encouraged him to use this to his advantage. Chase didn’t like entering this mode. He was afraid of losing control and what it could mean for the people around him.
Hades interrupted his train of thought. “There’s no one else but me here, so don’t worry about that now. Unleash your fury.”
“Stay out of my head!”
“Make me.”
Another layer of hate was added to Chase’s anger. Hades was taunting him. But that wasn’t nearly enough to get him to lose control. It would require much more than this.
“Alright then,” said Hades as he waved an arm in the air.
Someone materialized in front of him. Chase couldn’t believe his eyes. Sarah was standing there. She wasn’t pregnant anymore.
Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure Page 149
