Authors: Dhayaa Anbajagane
“Carlos,” Kai said. “We’re in a fatal situation. I need you to answer me: Just what is wrong with the Ascalon?”
Carlos sighed, “The Ascalon is an ancient piece of machinery used during an inter-dimensional war. In the beginning, our side was hopelessly lagging behind, so they had to resort to extreme measures. A few men designed a machine that would somehow use the wielder’s life force to power it up to even higher levels, and this other idiot came up with an idea to use two pilots instead of one and double the energy that was sucked out.”
Kai went wide-eyed, “People were used as fuel resources,” he said.
“That wasn't even the worst part. Soon people figured out that if you connect two different beings together using their life force, the combined energy was larger than the sum of the individual energies of the two beings. And this combined energy increased exponentially when the relationship between the two beings was filled with emotions, negative or positive.”
Kai caught on to what Carlos was saying, “So Trisha and Lisara have their life force connected right now.”
Carlos nodded.
“And you have no idea how we can cause them to revert back to their original form.”
“No
definite
idea,” he said. “I do have a theory though. The Ascalon needs the life force of two beings connected to run right? What if we cut off one of the beings from that chain of energy? That way the Ascalon wouldn’t get enough energy to run and it would shut down.”
“That seems like a good idea,” Kai said and charged at the machine.
Carlos opened up a small gap in the shield for him to get through.
The Ascalon stopped its barrage of attacks at once and faced Kai, its machinery humming, as though it were powering up.
“Bring it on,” he grinned and charged at it. Ancient machinery or not, he was going to take this thing down.
***
Carlos hoped Kai wouldn’t hurt himself during his attacks. He was pretty sure that kid wasn't as careful as he should be. Plus the Ascalon wasn't some piece of ancient junk that anyone could wreck apart just like that.
Speaking of the Ascalon, he wasn’t very comfortable with the fact that he was seeing one right in front of him. Something that he had made painfully obvious.
That sort of machinery wasn't supposed to exist anymore so he felt really weird to see it standing right in front of him, towering over his body like some pillar of power. He watched as Kai rushed up to the huge machine, confidence flowing out of his body. Carlos didn’t know whether that was good or bad, but he wished it were for the better.
“I hope he stays safe,” Juliana said.
“He’ll be fine,” he said, even though he himself wasn’t sure of it.
Kai held his hand out and metal shards rose from the ground, gathering around his arms and turning it into a human hammer. The Ascalon charged at him, its cannons pointed straight at his torso. Kai jumped left and right as he charged down to the Ascalon, trying to disrupt the machine’s shooting patterns.
He waited until he was close enough to the machine and jumped into air, bringing himself within striking range. The machine was ready for that too. It retracted its fist and swung at Kai, who was flailing about in mid-air.
Carlos turned away, expecting the worst. But he had a pleasant surprise when he heard the familiar clank of metal against metal resonate through the air. He turned around and the Ascalon kneeling on the ground, its side slashed and scarred. Kai stood behind the kneeling figure, his back facing its metal body.
Carlos took one look at Kai and realized how he’d won this round, for on Kai’s previously free hand now appeared a long, blue sword, its blade sharp and deadly. Kai had blocked the blow with the hammer and slashed at the Ascalon with his makeshift sword, causing the machine to drop to the floor. But that didn't mean it was down for good. A blue glow covered the Ascalon and Carlos could see the slash on its side slowly patch up.
Oh my god
, he thought. The machine just healed itself from a deformation. He had forgotten all about that part of the Ascalon. The fact that it could use its pilots’ energy to heal itself had completely slipped his mind.
“What just happened?” Kai ran back, his face filled with confusion and alarm.
“The machine can keep healing itself until its pilot’s energy runs out,” Carlos said.
“So my best bet is?”
“Same plan as before, cut off its energy connection. Without that connection the Ascalon is just a fancy tin can.”
“You keep saying break the connection, but it would be better if you gave me some concrete method to use. I couldn't find any physical way to break the connection between the two pilots. The build on that thing is solid.”
Carlos pointed to the clear hemisphere on the Ascalon’s body, “You see the two cockpits on the Ascalon?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“It’s built in such a way that when the cockpit cracks the pilot is ejected. And when the pilot is ejected the connection between the two pilots is cut off. That means the Ascalon’s energy supply is-”
“-Cut off,” Kai finished, a wide smile on his face. “So I have to destroy the hemisphere right?”
Carlos grinned, “That’s pretty much it.”
“Wait,” Juliana stopped Kai before he could leave. “Be careful when you break the cockpit. We don't know what world this is. We could have been teleported here, or it could be a simulation as well. But chances are, if you hurt Lisara or Trisha, they could be hurt for real.”
“Got it,” Kai said. “Destroy the hemisphere, don't destroy the pilots.”
Juliana smiled, “That’s right.” And with that Kai ran off towards the Ascalon. “I really hope they’ll all be okay,” she said.
“They’re Aliea’s Cadets,” Carlos smiled. “They were trained for this.”
Kai charged forward at amazing speed, but the Ascalon was ready for him. Its hands reached out to its back and pulled out a huge cannon. The weapon hummed, the pitch becoming higher, the sound becoming louder. A large sphere of black energy shot out of the cannon. Kai used the hammer on his arm to block the attack from reaching him, but the sphere exploded as soon as it touched his makeshift weapon, knocking him into the air.
Carlos’ instincts made him rush forward. He raced past Kai and headed straight for the Ascalon. He jumped onto the machine’s cockpit and retracted his arm. He felt his life force and pushed it into his hand. His fingers curled into a fist and he punched down onto the hemisphere, putting all his body weight into a downward thrust.
The cockpit cracked, ejecting Lisara high into the air, and the machine fell to the ground, lifeless. A circle formed around them, its inside filled with more circles and familiar runes.
“We’re done here,” Carlos said. One moment they were on this ethereal plane, and the next they were in the darkness.
***
Elizabeth stood in the now empty room, wondering where the others had gone. Chris paced up and down, just as worried as she was.
“Just where are they?” Chris asked.
Elizabeth kept quiet and looked around the room. The men had locked them up and left after Levi. She knew there was no way out, but she wasn't really that interested in escape right now. She needed to know what was going on here.
She’d seen a flash of lightning in the room and then everybody had disappeared.
“Why didn't you use your Elementa of Wind?” She asked.
“Why do you think we’re the only ones who didn't get sucked in?”
“Wait, so you pulled me out of that circle?”
“Well, yeah.”
Elizabeth stood quietly for a while. She hadn't expected that. She knew Chris and Kai were really close, so why hadn't she saved him? Maybe she had just been standing closest to Chris, so it would have been much easier for her to pull her away.
She felt her back heat up a bit, and a piercing pain shot through her skin.
Chris yelped out, “You’re smoking.”
“What?”
A huge bolt of lightning hit the floor, sizzling the carpets and charring them to a dark black. Smoke filled the room, expanding out through the air. Elizabeth saw a few dark silhouettes come out through the dull smoke, their forms very familiar to her.
Kai walked out, “I really don't like that Levi guy,” he complained.
Chris ran up and hugged Kai, “I was so worried,” she said, a wide smile on her face.
“What about us?” Carlos teased.
Chris blushed, and Kai grinned sheepishly.
“What happened back there?” Elizabeth asked.
Carlos glanced at Trisha and Lisara, who looked like they had no idea what was going on.
“We had to face the Ascalon,” he said in hushed tones, trying to prevent the siblings from overhearing him.
“What?” Elizabeth, her face turning as confused as that of the two sisters.
“I don't know how Levi did it, but he just unlocked the whole potential of that machine. He even managed to turn it against us with whatever methods he used.”
“Luckily, it’s under control now,” Juliana added. “We just have to figure a way to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
“We’ll work on that later,” Elizabeth said. “Let’s focus on getting out of here for now.”
Chris turned to Lisara and Trisha, who looked like they were beginning to realize something was wrong, “You know, I just realized. How come you guys didn't know the Commander was Levi?” she said, trying to get their attention elsewhere.
“We’ve never met him before,” Trisha confessed. “We’ve only met with officials lower down on the power scale.”
“We need to find a way to get out of here,” Kai moved the conversation in another direction.
The door thudded open and Levi ran back into the room, looking like he’d just run the race of his life. He hunched over his knees and caught his breath while several of his guards stood behind him, their faces showing they had no clue what was going on.
“Ah...you….survived,” he gasped.
“Yes we did,” Elizabeth glared at him. “Your cheap party tricks won’t work on anyone.”
He turned to his guards, “Get….them…..to the….hangar,” he still gasped for breath.
“You said we had another half hour!” Trisha argued.
He took a deep breath, “I’m not going to dump you onto the surface,” he said. “I figured my friends would want to meet you.”
What is he talking about?
Elizabeth thought. The Dark Knights were this guy’s friends?
Levi looked at the guards, “Well? What are you waiting for?! Bring them!” he yelled out.
The guards surrounded them and urged them out of the room. They headed into a corridor and walked straight ahead. Elizabeth wondered if these knights Levi was talking about were really the Dark Knights. He sure didn't act like it.
“Keep your cool,” Carlos said. “And whatever happens. Don't show any fear.” The others nodded in approval.
They walked through a door at the end of corridor, and headed into the hangar. Ten ships stood in front of them. One of them alone dominated the others with its huge size and build. It was a pure white ship with an array of weapons fixed to it. Huge cannons were loaded onto the sides, and missile launchers were attached below its hull. The ship itself seemed like it would survive a nuclear explosion without a scratch.
“Whoa,” Kai exclaimed.
“Whoa indeed,” Levi said. “Bring them closer,” he gestured to the guards. The guards didn't need to do anything though. Curiosity got the better of everyone and they found themselves slowly walking in awe towards the massive spacecraft.
“This ship is pretty cool isn't it?” Levi said. Elizabeth didn't like that Levi was boasting about it but she had to admit that the ship really was cool.
“Guess whose it is?” Levi smirked.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. Knights. White ship. There was only one answer and she knew it.
“Get ready guys,” she said. She had read about these Knights before. They were the other major Knight faction, the one that constantly went up against the Dark Knights.
“Whose ship is that?” Chris asked.
Elizabeth turned to her, “The White Knights’.”
***
Q stared in front of him.
The world seemed to morph and change. Stray leaves flew. The wet mud formed a pair of hands and gripped at his ankles. The terrifying beasts charged at him, mutant squirrels, horrifying birds and ghastly trees.
He would have tried to fight back, but his powers were gone. He had returned to being a regular teenager again.
“
You are helpless, young one,
” a voice boomed.
No,
he thought. He felt a small flame of hope inside him. Throughout his battles his most powerful weapon had been the
way
he used his powers, and not his powers itself. His intricate mind had always been superior to any Elementa he had ever summoned. He just had to trust in it again. He had to trust in himself again.
He closed his eyes. “This can't be real” he told himself. All of these weird things had to be because of some sort of illusion. They just had to be!
He focused on his breathing. In and out. In and out. His mind calmed down.
I’m taking this reality down,
he thought. He opened his eyes with a renewed confidence. He wasn't afraid anymore.
Instantly, the scene before him changed and the whole image was sucked into one point like a black hole. Another scene spread out in front of him as soon as the previous one disappeared. He was in some sort of desert. He stood on the hot and cracked surface. The radiant Sun shone through the bright blue sky. Not a single cloud was in sight. Two cages lay in front of him, each about two hundred yards from the other.
Inside the cages were his friends. Each cage had a huge explosive tied at the top of the inside of the cage. A timer appeared in the sky. It started at thirty seconds and counted down fast.
“Help us!”
“Save us!”
His friends’ cries and pleas flew through the air. Q stood still. He knew what this was. This was something he was aware he had always been afraid about; being given the choice of which life to save, and which life to abandon.
The cages were too far apart for Q to save everyone in time. It might have been possible if he had had his powers but right now he was just an ordinary human being. He could only save one group of people. The other had to be left to their demise.
Taylor and Elizabeth lay in one cage.
Kai and Chris in the other.
“
Choose,
” a voice whispered into his ear, urging him to make his decision.
No,
he thought. He wouldn't give into his fear. He wasn't going to be forced to save one of them.
“
Think what you must,
” the voice said “
But in the end-
”
A key materialized in his hand.
“
-you must choose.
”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands were trembling, but he ignored them. He ran to the cage with Chris and Kai in it. His fingers turned the key in the lock and the cage clicked open. Kai and Chris both instantly vanished, and so did the key.
“
You have chosen,
” the voice said.
The ground shook, and threw him to the ground. A huge fault opened below the other cage and a tower of lava spurted out, incinerating the cage and everything in it.
“I’m sorry,” Q fought back tears as he saw the vapors rise into the sky; the last remains of Taylor and Elizabeth.
The magnitude of what he had done began to sink into him. He had been strong before, but he couldn’t hold back anymore. He fell to his knees, his hands over his face, his eyes shedding tears. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m really sorry.”
***
Taylor lay next to Q, her hand gripping his cold fingers. She lay there while he screamed in terror, his body reacting to his fears. She didn't know if she could take any more screaming. Each sound he made pierced her heart.
She regretted him coming to save her.
I should have taken the serum instead
, she thought.
The sight before her was a hundred times worse than her fear of death. She couldn't take it anymore. She felt like she was going to break from the pain. Q’s whole body was tense. The nerves around his neck flexed under the strain he was going through. His eyes were still a milky white and his face was vampiric pale.
“I see he’s still tormented by the F.E.A.R. serum,” Albion walked in, a pleasant smile on his face, his eyes watching as Q writhed and screamed in pain.
Taylor couldn’t take it anymore, “You’ll kill him!” she screamed.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” the White Knight King said. “I have to say though, using him as a mindless warrior might prove to be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
She charged at him, but two guards pinned her down. Her face lay on the table, her eyes watching Q’s face, her ears hearing his screams.
Please. Help me
, her mind pleaded.
A man walked into the room. “Sire, we’ve arrived.”
“Looks like our time has run out,” Albion said and waved at his guards. “Let us take our leave.”
“And what of these two prisoners, Sire?” Tobias asked.
“Free them both. There is no escape for the boy. The Dark Knight can mourn his death for as long as she wishes,” he said as he left the room with his guards. Tobias obeyed his orders and released Q and Taylor from their energy bonds.
“I wish you luck, brave warrior,” Tobias said and walked away with his face completely emotionless. The door closed behind him, leaving the room in the whisper of sobs.
Q slid off the table and slumped to the floor. Taylor knelt down and held him tight. A tear ran down her cheek as she felt his body tremble. She looked at his face. She no longer saw the small boy she played with when she was little. She no longer saw the Q who ran away from his teachers when he got into trouble. This was a Q she had hoped she would never see, one she would have done anything to prevent. She put her hand to his cheek, but all she felt was his cold skin.
She lay his head on her chest, and held him. “I’m here,” she choked on her sobs. “I’m here for you.”
***
Q sifted through the darkness. He was alone, isolated. But he didn’t want it to end there. He couldn’t leave Taylor alone. He couldn’t.
The frustration built up within him. “ARRGHH!” he yelled out.
Suddenly, a stream of rainbows surrounded him in a melody of vibrant colors. The darkness vanished, replaced by splashes of all sorts of unimaginable colors.
“
Wielder of Light,
” a voice rang out loud and clear. No. It wasn't a voice. It was a group of voices speaking in perfect synchrony.
“The energy beings,” Q said.
“
You are on the verge of insanity. You mind has been taken over completely.
”
“Taylor!” he yelled. “Is Taylor okay?”
“
You are on the verge of death yet you worry about the Dark Knight.
”
“She means a lot me,” he said. “I need to know if she’s okay.”
Why don’t you go find out?
”
“What?”
“
You have played your part in breaking free from this nightmare. Now it is our turn.
”
A blast of colors hit Q in the face and pushed him away. A surge of energy flowed through him and his thoughts became calmer.
“
Use your second chance well, sorcerer,
” the beings said. The scenery changed, and a blurry image stood in front of Q. He blinked his eyes to see clearer.
He felt someone hug him, “You’re okay,” a voice sobbed.
His eyes widened.
Taylor
, he thought. He pulled back and saw a tear-struck blonde, a wide smile on her face. “Taylor, are you okay?”
She hugged him tightly. He hesitated for a second, and then put his arms around her.
“I was so scared,” she cried into his chest.
He pulled her close, and held her tight, “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice but a whisper.
She pulled away and looked at him accusingly. “Don't you ever do that to me again,” she managed a smile, and wiped away her tears.
He smiled back, “I’ll do my best,” he said. “But seriously speaking, what exactly happened to me?”
“You were injected with something called a F.E.A.R serum. It creates a simulation of a person’s worst fears and traps them in it.”
Q nodded quietly. Everything made sense now. His sudden loss of his powers, the cages, his worst fears coming to life. It was all because of the serum.
She held his hand, “I still can’t believe you broke out of it,” she said.
He bit his lip, “I don’t think I broke out of it on my own,” he said. “The energy beings talked to me. They said they were giving me a second chance.”
She was taken aback for a moment, and then a wide smile ran across her face. “I guess they’re more helpful than we think,” she said.
“Yeah,” Q laughed. “Now c’mon. Let’s get out of here.”
Taylor was quick to shift away from her emotional self and into her battle mindset. “We’d better check up on what Albion is up to,” she said. “He seemed to have had something important on his agenda.”
“Let’s go then.” They charged out of the room and dashed along the empty corridor.
“
Q! You’re back!
” Ruby flew in out of nowhere.
“Ruby!” Q put his hands around her neck and felt her warm, golden-brown fur.
“Where were you?” Taylor asked her.
“
Those men were so busy with Q and you that they completely forgot about me. It was pretty easy for me to slip past them. Plus I might have played around with their minds. A little.
”
“Seriously?” Q smiled. That was typical Ruby. “What did you do?”
“
Well, I told the guards some pretty offensive ‘yo-mama’ jokes. Each one thought the other made the joke. I didn’t have to do anything really. They took themselves out.
”
“You’re going to get into trouble one day, I tell you,” he laughed.
“
I’ll cross that bridge when I reach it. So where are you guys going?
”
“Albion said he was going somewhere” Taylor said.
“
He’s going to his private ship. We better rush. He’s heading out somewhere.
”
They ran until they felt like their lungs would collapse. Ruby guided them to the hangar, which was pretty convenient since Q had no idea where it was. They kept going lower down, jumping through chutes and running down flights of stairs.
“Just where is this place?” Q asked. His body hadn’t completely recovered from the stress the F.E.A.R serum had put on him.
“
It’s in the lowest part of the ship,
” she said “
Don't worry. We’re almost there.
” She happily soared down the flights of stairs and the chutes, gliding gracefully with her long wings.
“Why didn't we ride Ruby again?” Taylor asked.
“Oh yeah, we could have done that.”
“
Too late,
” Ruby said as she stood beside a huge doorway. “
We’re here.
”
They headed through, and quickly found cover behind a large metal sheet that lay against the wall. They peeked out and took a look around the place. A huge white ship lay before them. It looked beautiful and deadly. Huge cannons were attached to its sides, and laser blaster hung from below the hull. It had clearly been tricked out for space warfare.
“
That’s Albion’s private ship,
” Ruby said.
“How do we get on board?” Q asked. There were bound to be plenty of guards around the place.
“Ruby, you want to start another fight?” Taylor smiled.
“
I can’t. I’m out of ‘yo-mama’ jokes,
” she said. “
But I get what you mean. I’ll create a distraction.
”
“Perfect.”
Ruby flew over them, “
I’m leading them away from the ship. Don't make me do this for too long,
” she said and screeched as she cut through the air. Q could hear terrified voices come from all over the hangar.
“What’s that?”
“A griffin!”
“Take it down!”
Footsteps faded away into the distance.
“Now!” Taylor said.
They sprang up from their cover and ran to the ship. Luckily its stairwell was already lowered and the door was open. Q headed in first and checked the inside of the ship. Absolutely empty. He didn't abandon the possibility that Albion was in some other part of the ship though.
“Ruby, we’re in,” Taylor said.
“
I’m bringing the cadets your way. Take them out, won’t you?
” she said. “
These guys are a little too persistent.
”