“Now, get yourselves ready. In a few minutes, we attack!” A large resonant battle cry shook the walls of the Hangar as the men shouted in excitement, anxious to fight.
The soldiers were dressed in black and they wore shiny lightweight metallic armor. It fitted easily, and with help of the latest nanotechnology and quantum mechanics, adapted to their stature, muscle mass, and body weight. Their helmets covered their entire faces except for two eye holes. The eye holes could be fitted with night-vision lenses, infrared, thermal vision, or lenses for the desert and the tundra. The armor had its own heating system for fights in the tundra and cooling vents for hotter climates.
John pulled Richard aside so he could speak to him privately. “Listen. If anything happens to me, take care of Alex and my mother.”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” Richard said. “You’ll be back to protect them.”
“You really think so?”
“You can’t die so easily. You know that.”
John nodded and kept one hand on his sword, which was sheathed and latched onto his belt. “Be careful out there.” John put his right arm round Richard’s shoulder and they walked to the private space-transport jet. They sat down, while the others prepared themselves. John pushed the intercom button on his right armrest and said, “Captain.”
“Yes sir,” said the pilot of the jet.
“Connect me to all frequencies.”
“Right away.” There was a pause and then the pilot said, “You’re connected sir.”
“Thanks,” John said and gave the orders, “All units move out on my command.”
“Yes sir,” they responded.
“Let’s go, captain,” John said.
“Sure sir,” the pilot said, and the main thrusters heated up, their force vibrating throughout the jet. A few minutes later, it sped off at mach 5 and John closed his eyes, thankful that he would be back on the Earth.
Alex thought his spine was bound to break any moment as the heat rose to an unbearable level. It was as if a large gush of acid had been pumped into his vertebrae and was trying to break free. Whatever little space that must have been in between the vertebrae was filled up and whatever was filling it was growing larger, wider, and more painful by the minute. It was like something was crawling and eating away at his spine. He wanted to move, to be free, but he knew he couldn’t. His body wavered in the air as if some invisible giant shook him around. His neck straightened further, and his chest widened, but he wanted to bend and move to relieve the tension. His patience was tested to the limits and every moment only got worse. He concentrated on the space between his eyes. He concentrated so hard that he felt like his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. He clenched his gums, tightened his cheeks and ground his teeth to break the monotony of pain. If he moved another muscle related to or connected to the neck and back areas he would be reduced to a pile of burning flesh and ashes.
A spirit or one who had perfect vision would have been able to see the play of light, shadow and rainbow colors as they all flowed from Nikolas’s room and down to Alex’s mind, heart and spine. Alex soon felt the calming effect and he realized the pain subsided when he concentrated on the lights he felt and saw through his meditative inner vision. The immaculate and holy colors comforted him and cleansed all his worries, taxing emotions, and burdening thoughts. The pain seeped out little by little.
Suddenly he felt a stabbing pain in his brain that came and went in an instant. But the overtly soothing sensation of joy and power overwhelmed all pain, dissolving it fully. He felt energized and electric. He wanted more of it. He calmed his mind and listened intently to the hum and the whirling sensation, as if the neurons in the pathways of his brain were fueled and accelerated by pure energy. Now came the second phase: patience and revival, rejuvenation and absorption of power, silence of mind, and the relaxation of what felt like a thousand years.
Well,” Nikolas said, “We’ve done what we could. Now the rest is up to him.” His chalk-pale face aged considerably and the whites of his eyes had yellowed as a result of fatigue and a sudden loss of energy. He panted as the others reached his state. They sat down to conserve what little energy they had. “I know it will not go in vain.”
“You’re right,” said Dante. For some reason, he seemed older. It was as though they showed their true ages on their faces, appearing graver by the minute.
Efarius said, “I just hope our lives won’t go in vain.”
Dark bags started to appear under their eyes and seemed to pull their faces towards the floor. Nikolas struggled to breathe. “We won’t die. We will have to call Daniel and refresh ourselves with blood.” He wondered whether it would be too late.
*****
Alex saw many events that occurred since his kidnapping. As a result of his meditation, he developed clairvoyance and clairaudience, which allowed him to see and hear things far away in the present and the future. He saw Grandma in a coma, desperately fighting for her life. He saw that Uncle John had now taken over the democratic system and turned it into his own personal dictatorship. John said he did it for the people, but Alex felt it unnecessary. Anger rose in his veins like lava, boiling and rising into the crevices of his mind. He didn’t like this at all. He worried for Grandma and felt confusion and repulse at his uncle’s actions.
What he saw next made him wish he hadn’t. With Angel was a man with long flowing crimson hair, a vampire. He took her in his arms and unsheathed a small serpentine dagger and slit her throat. “No!” Alex yelled as he materialized a sword and slashed at the vampire’s shoulder. It was no use as the vampire revitalized himself and laughed, showing edged and sharpened teeth set crookedly on blackening gums. A foul stench emitted from his mouth accompanied by red, green, and black smoke. The colored smoke condensed into figures with eyes of reddish gold and soon enough, Alex perceived them to be demons. Their dark leathery skin shone in the light and curly ram’s horns protruded from their heads. They wore nothing but ragged loincloths and their hands held massive axes and hammers. Alex backed away as they tried to circle him.
Alex’s body remained rigid. He sweated massive drops; his t-shirt was soaked. His hair, now glossy with sweat, covered his eyes and his arms became uncomfortably hot and wet. He let out deep hard breaths and still felt restless. Claustrophobia took the better of him; the room seemed to squeeze him, the walls converged at him. Then, it stopped. Someone was knocking.
Alex opened his eyes and felt a sudden, cool relief.
A guard came in saying, “Come with me. You’re expected at the President’s office.”
A knock was heard at Nikolas’s suite as well, but no one answered it. The Rebels were now too weak and their flesh sagged to the point that it looked like it would fall off their bones. They had become like zombies, slowly decomposing before their very eyes. A muffled voice sounded through the thick, bulletproof door. When no answer came, a loud thud followed the voice. Still no answer and so this time it turned into a louder rhythmic hammering at the door.
The Rebels, half dead, wheezed with heavy efforts. The door blasted open by the power of an energy beam. “What the hell is going on in here?” Daniel shouted, glancing around the place, now filled with smoke from the blast. He saw the Rebels sitting sluggishly on the plush sofa and chairs, about to fall off them. “What’s going on?” He rushed to his father, who he recognized not by his face but by his attire. Daniel used his telepathy to call Erik. “Listen!” he said to Erik, “I need some help.”