Betrayal is such that it may be subtle or openly blatant. When it is subtle it rips and tears at your heart and your dignity and all that you stand for. When it is blatant you see it coming and can mount an adequate defense. Confronting this type of betrayal takes all the energies and all the feelings one can squeeze out at a moments notice- that’s easy. The other can never be fully confronted. The assault is too devastating, too deep, and too thorough to confront in one battle.
Chapter 24
Randals looked up at the laughing Statues. They were like Agegi but not like him. He had a gold sheen. They were dull brushed silver. After a moment they stopped. One of the other Ancients spoke.
It looked down at Randals and said, “Our new front line troops?”
“Greruti, yes. This one is Randals, a most helpful one indeed. Without him and his fellows you would still be frozen. But we most hurry. The Elders are asleep in their folly of a plan. We but have to open the Great Doors and slaughter them as they sleep. Then we may take the other’s flying crafts and make claim to other systems.”
Greruti nodded.
As Randals followed them down the chamber he could not help but think that the Ancient ones all had history together. He and the other humans were the babes in the woods, the new hired hand. ‘New front line troops’ particularly didn’t sit well with him. He was not going to be any ones red shirt. He decided that once this was over he would take a shuttle of his own and find his own place in history. The hell with them all.
***
Adruqu frowned and said, “It is almost time.”
Sean turned to her, “What do you mean, ‘it is almost time?’”
“Agegi has awakened the other Ancient ones. He has others with him. The other Ancient ones being awakened were not foreseen.”
Herb said, “Our fault. I created a device that would fool your DNA sniffer thing.”
Adruqu thought for a moment and smiled, “Of course, that should have been foreseen. I suppose that is the price to pay for arrogance. Being as old as we are, we think we have all the answers.” She laughed out loud. Almost scaring the group. “No matter,” She said, “we will still make our stance. Agegi and his minions wish to destroy us in our sleep. He would kill or transform you. I hope we are in agreement that this must not happen.”
Sean thought for a second. “Wait a moment here. You knew all this was going to happen. Why didn’t you stop us before awakening Agegi? You could have prevented all this in the very beginning. You’d be asleep and safe.”
Adruqu looked at him inquisitively.
Sean tried again, “We didn’t have to go through all this.” Then it dawned on him. “You wanted all this to happen. You wanted to put yourself in danger; you wanted Agegi to be revived. This is all some sick game you wanted played out.”
Adruqu turned to Sean. She stepped toward him and he took a step toward her – stopping her from moving any closer on her own choice.
He stared deeply into her eyes. He was mad as hell, yet another arrogant shit manipulating him. Playing him like some pawned in a twisted game of chess. “I’m getting tired of having my fucking chain jerked around.”
Loggar stiffened, but Sean reached back and touched her on the shoulder to reassure her it was all right.
Adruqu thought and said, ”Sean, I am sorry for all this, but at this moment it is something that can’t be changed...”
“Yes it can! We can run through that time machine of yours!”
“It is not that simple,” Adruqu said, “The events have been put into motion. Yes it true that we could have stopped you, but that would have defeated our purpose.”
Sean hissed, “And what purpose is that?”
Adruqu blinked as if the answer was simple and very plain. “For you to be able to earn the right to do Magick.”
Sean stood still and looked at his hands. Some how he knew things he didn’t know before. He scowled and thought of a fireball and threw his hands at the corner of the door. A ball of fire whipped and whirled in front of him and roared toward the door and exploded in licks of flames and heat knocking everyone to their feet except Adruqu.
“Sean!” Adruqu yelled. “Think defense” and she fired a light ball at him.
Sean hesitated for a second but thought the word ‘defense’ and the energy ball engulfed him and a second later passed behind him.
Everyone stood silent.
Herb spoke first, “We can all do that?”
Adruqu said, “Yes. You just have to believe, think it, give the word and it will happen.”
The natural ambient silence of the chamber was broken by the sound of the Great Doors’ mechanism. The Great Doors’ were unlocking.
Herb said, “Oh shit. This is not the time to just learn how to do this. You guys are sick for throwing us into the fire like this. I’ll never forgive you!”
Sean faced the door and realized this is exactly how they meant this to happen. Adruqu said that the Necronians were aware of everything that was happening and that they all were watching this. It was something like a AV program to them. Look, behold, the Monkeys learned Magick and now they are going to show us some tricks. Sean shot Adruqu a dirty look. She nodded that she understood him perfectly well. Sean turned back to the door. “Okay, if this is how you want this played out then so be it. Let’s have our showdown and give you guys millennia to talk about the Hu-muns and how they fought the Ancient ones.”
Loggar understood, so did Herb, Milkens and Kurp. Robin stood in the background, uncertain.
Herb closed his eyes and yelled, “Ruogka!” And he was dressed in a purple long tunic covered with Griffin motif. It was something out of the 12 th century, animal skin boots and a thick leather belt. He wore a tall pointed hat complimented by a purple long cape and in his hand was a large wooden walking stick.
Not to be out done, Milkens imagined himself as some white sorcerer, a fine white linen gown with a white rope belt around his waist with a heavy cotton mid-waist cape. He saw a heavy oak wood staff six feet tall in his mind’s eye and uttered, “Ruogka!”
Be careful of the words you say. Someone may get pissed off! Also, be worried of a woman scorned and all that.
Chapter 25
Randals stood in front of the door. Davis and Collins stood on both his sides. They were all that was left of the turned Most High. After he touched the Door to unlock it Agegi had the other Ancient ones fell behind him. Agegi stood directly at Randals back and said, “Now my faithful Randals open the door.”
Sean stood facing the door. Loggar and Herb to his right. Milkens and Kurp to his left. Adruqu was directly behind him kneeling. Robin was somewhere in the background. He didn’t think that she would be of any use to them or herself. She still had her own internal battle to win.
Randals faced the door and said, “ Aba ca na dabra!” and the door started to open.
Sean heard the door open before he saw it. He looked and saw Randals with his arms outstretched. Then he saw Davis, Collins, Agegi and twelve other things like Agegi.
Agegi looked down at the spectacle and laughed. The remnant of the Elders and his companions were taking a stand against him. He spoke, “Sean, remnant of the Elders, join me, move aside, or die. It is now my destiny...”
Sean thought about what he was going to say. He wanted to say something witty and maybe provoking. In the end, only two words would probably give him the effect he wanted from this arrogant SOB. Sean summed up all the anger he was feeling and dumped it all at Agegi. He screamed, “Shut up!”
Agegi hesitated for a moment. Sean told him to ‘Shut up!’ How extraordinary. That was the last thing he’d image anyone to say to him. “Move out the... “
“Shuddup!”
Agegi paused again. “And you are going to make me?”
Adruqu stepped from behind Sean smiling. “I will do that Agegi.”
Agegi searched his mind to remember the face of this Necronian. “Adruqu. I am surprised...”
Adruqu interrupted him and said, “Shut up!”
Agegi stepped back as if he had been slapped. Anger boiled up inside him and he roared. The sound carried energy through out the chambers. “How dare you...”
Sean, Adruqu and the rest just simply yelled, “Shuddup!”
Agegi clenched his fist and shoved Randals aside.
Randals slammed against the wall and dropped his arms and the doors slammed shut.
Agegi stumped toward Randals and demanded the doors be opened.
Randals slowly got out. “Yes, Master.” As he was about to take his place the doors opened and Adruqu, Milkens, Kurp, Loggar and Sean ran through the open doors. Milkens, Kurp and Herb ran through with glowing hands and fired bright white light balls at one of the Ancient Ones. It was hit by all three balls, screamed, hollered and disappeared in a bright flash of light. Sean and Loggar cleared the door. Sean dropped his arms and the door slammed shut locking them outside the cathedral. Loggar volleyed a huge red flame ball at an ancient. It was enveloped and it screamed and yelled and vanished in a flash of light. Sean hit two Ancients at once. He tossed two large balls of fire at them, both Ancients poofed in flashes.
Agegi roared his anger and ran toward Sean. Adruqu stepped in front of him and surrounded Agegi with an energy field. He screamed and roared and screamed and roared.
Randals and the others stood stunned. They saw the others doing Magick! That meant that the chamber held the secret all Wicca had been looking for. It had to hold it. How else could they do the things they did. And this woman, who was she? An Elder?
An Ancient one stepped forward and swung at Kurp. A split second before Kurp remembered to think defense. The blow swept him up into the air and shattered his arm. He landed against the back wall but had enough sense to hurl an energy bolt at the Ancient. It flashed out of existence. Kurp fainted.
Herb and Milkens ran further right and each took out an Ancient. Then they saw two Ancients rush them. They both thought the word ‘Defense’ and it felt like a freight train hit them. They slammed against the wall and blacked out.
Loggar imagined an intense fireball and hurled it at the two Ancients. They flashed out of existence.
Sean crossed left, ducked a swing from an Ancient and fireballed it to the hinterlands.
An Ancient stepped the distance behind Sean, raised its arms and flashed in a bright light. Sean looked back and saw that Loggar had saved him.
Randals witnessed the carnage. It had happened no less than seconds. He moved up quick on Loggar and slammed her into the wall. She crumbled like a ragdoll. Then he and the others lunged for Sean. Sean sidestepped one, but caught a fist in the stomach and dropped to his knees. Then he felt hands grab both his arms and squeeze hard. The radius and ulna bone from each arm shattered and he fainted from the pain.
Adruqu yelled, “Stop or I’ll destroy your Master.”
Randals grabbed Sean and moved his limp body to the door. He touched his hand to it and the Great Doors unlocked.
Adruqu repeated, “Stop or I’ll destroy your Master.”
He dragged Sean’s body back a bit and yelled out,” aba ca na dabra!”
And the Great Doors opened.
Randals yelled back, “Destroy him then. I’m busy.”
All three ran the distance to the other side, dragging Sean with them. They dropped Sean’s unconscious body on the ground with his arms still outstretched.
Randals saw the rows and rows of containers. Then he saw the bright column of light. “That must be how they learned Magick.”
Robin kicked herself for not following the others through the door. She did the ultimate act of cowardliness. She let her friends and comrades go into battle alone. But just as soon as the doors closed they opened and she saw Agegi suspended by Adruqu. She heard Randals say ‘Destroy him then. I’m busy.’ And drag Sean through the door. Randals dropped him. He and the others looked around and Robin knew what she had to do. She saw in her mind’s eye that she had power. She believed she could do it. She had to, and deep down inside she knew the reason she could do it. She still loved Sean and he needed her at this very moment.
Randals took a step and Robin stood in front of them.
“You’re not going to go any further.”
Randals looked at her and laughed. “Your friends are defeated. Move out of the way... stupid bitch!”
Robin clenched her fists tight and thought for a second. Her anger was building up and up. She hissed, “How dare you call me that.”
Randals laughed and said, “They left you here because you are the weakest. Yeah, I know the whole story. You let Blakemore hang to dry. You are a coward. Screw you, you Bitch! Move out of my way.” And he ran toward her.
Randals outraged Robin! How dare he call her such things? Damn him and the others. She was not a coward, not stupid and certainly not a bitch. In a split second she thought the word ‘Stop’ and in that moment everything seemed to crawl. She saw Randals and the others slowly come at her. She saw Sean raise his head to see her. She saw Loggar, Herb, Milkens and Kurp open their eyes – all on her. And she saw Adruqu smile as she held Agegi within a barrier. A second seemed to take forever, everything, time, perception dragged on for eternity minus a minute...then...in a flash Randals, Davis , and Collins stood frozen inches before her. They were solid metal.
Epilogue 1
Sean and Robin stood at the entryway to the shuttle. Adruqu was back asleep waiting for her other self to return in another 514 days. Sean cursed her and all the Necronians for all this. Their little group played out like some AV show for the common masses and Sean hated that. But that was a memory now. After Robin froze Randals, Davis and Collins, Adruqu did the same to Agegi. She said she could only do so after all the superfluous stuff had been dealt with, meaning the other Ancient Ones and Agegi’s minions. Sean doubted it and believed she could have taken them all out at once. Adruqu also fixed their wounds. She said that the Nanobots would always be with them until their natural death, but that they could only perform Magick on Necron.
That night Sean and Loggar slept together. They made love but were much more subdued and tender toward one another. Afterward they cried and made up and cried some more. And they both apologized and cried more still. Loggar was going to stay for a bit to collect more data. She wanted to find the other species the Elders developed, guided, changed or whatever the term of none guilt was. She told Sean that when she got what she needed she would contact GRID control and have Johnson pick them up – if they weren’t too busy and if it was okay with him. She told him that night that she loved him very much and asked him, in between love making, if he would consider being by her side – forever. Sean surprised himself and said yes, but he wanted to command the Johnson for a while. She understood and said that he dare never worry about asking for favors. He smiled and said he didn’t want to abuse her privileges and they made love again.
Robin called the Webster to rendezvous with the Johnson and pick her up.
Herb, Milkens and Kurp were the only ones left of the original staff. Loggar had requested new members to the team. The Webster, who was bringing them in, was waiting for Robin to authorize the transfer. Loggar also sent a detailed report to GRID control. Some things she left in, some things she left out, but the report was a masterpiece, though she claimed total responsibility over the accidental deaths of her staff. Herb knew that GRID control would look at the deaths as just another cause for the service. Why not, Loggar proved the existence of Aliens and that there are possibly brethren out there amongst the stars. That meant more to all of GRID than a handful of live lost.
Epilogue 2
Just before going to the Johnson, Sean read a message sent to him from Kirkland . It said “eyes only to Commander Blakemore.”
Kirkland knew what it was and he had leaked some of the contents out to the command staff. The common crew didn’t know yet. There were three messages. One to Loggar, one to the Commander, and the third addressed to Captain Robin Spaarin.
Now Sean held a hardcopy addressed to him in his jacket pocket. He and Robin entered the shuttle and he flew it the Johnson. He was amused by the contents, but considered it just one more thing to affirm that it was okay to like himself.
Dawn met them at the shuttle dock. She had this lopsided smile on her face. He knew that she knew. He figured Kirkland decoded the message and informed the entire command staff.
That evening Robin, Dawn, Sean, Kirkland , Foster and several other officiers were having mess in the Captain’s dining room. The conversation was light. No one really said anything of importance. Dawn was going to wait until Sean was alone before she asked him the actual specifics and not the damned cover-up report. Then Top Deck called.
Sean said, “Yes.”
The computer said, “Captain Spaarin, the Webster is here. They are ready to receive you.”
Sean reached under the table and pulled out a hard copy printout and handed it to Robin.
Kirkland watched with anticipation. He read all three messages. The message sent to Loggar read: Situation rectified. More messages to follow.
The message sent to Sean read: To one Sean Blakemore. After revisiting past issues it has been decided that past decisions were not in the interest of GRID control. The Quail family has made a public apology and admits that a mistake had been made. The Quail family gives you its deepest regrets for the entire misunderstanding. GRID control message follows - GRID control has reviewed past decisions and has hereby made changes to the status of Sean Blakemore. Sean Blakemore is now promoted to Captain, status and backpay are retroactive to five years 23 days.
The message to be given to Robin read: Commander Blakemore, under review has been promoted to Captain, retroactive five years 23 days. The Johnson is under Captain Blakemore’s command. Nothing follows.
Robin read the message more than once. She looked up to Sean. He nodded and took a sip from his soup. “I want you off my ship, Captain.”
Riker in security won the pool. Three months pay!
She nodded, wiped her mouth, and said, “Computer, get me the Webster.”
The computer beeped, then, “This is the Webster, Commander Rogers speaking.”
Robin said, “William, send a shuttle to pick me up ASAP.”
The voice said, “Captain Spaarin. Of Course, immediately.” And the connection broke. The Webster received the same message that Robin read. The shuttle was seconds away from docking. Captain Spaarin’s promotion was set at five years two days. Sean was now her senior.
At the end of the day Sean felt pretty good. He got his Captaincy – damn time, was bonded to a very beautiful, intelligent and influential woman and escaped death, all in less than 24 hours. He smiled at the “gift” he left the Necronians. It was something small and he hoped it would make them think about it for many years after he was long gone and dead. They left Randals, Davis and Collins in the main chamber with Agegi, motionless, still statues. Sean had a box placed just at Agegi’s feet. Within the box was an invoice. It read:
For a waste of time : 3,000,000,000,000 credits
For human life lost : Unpayable
For starting this entire mess : Unforgiveable
Terms to be negotiated : Upon arrival in the known here and now space-time continuum or until the Human species decides to occupy Necron in mass.
Have a nice day!
