CHAPTER 24
Countdown
The control room was disturbingly quiet. All the computers were shutdown. The burning electrical equipment that Liam had tossed about before had been doused by an automated sprinkler system. No longer did the distraught beeping or the subtle, hoarse whispers of flame disrupt the tranquility. All that remained was the eerie calm.
Darek swirled around and around in the office chair, kicking and dragging his feet along the ground. He stopped and turned his attention to the door. He glanced over Liam’s comatose body, then shook his head and started spinning again.
“How do I get out of here now?” he wondered out loud.
As he kept spinning, the chair support snapped out of place. The seat collapsed. Darek fell flat on his face. But he wasn’t angry; he was too worried to be angry. Darek picked himself up and rubbed off the pain.
“I have to get out of here and let everyone know what’s going on.” Darek walked over to one of the computers and turned it on. He searched through the files, seeking a way to unlock the door. Then Darek sung ruefully, “Where is the number? Where is the code? I’ve got to leave before it explodes.” He tapped his fingers along the keyboard. The harder he searched, the more frustrated he became.
Full of anger, Darek got up and tossed the keyboard to the floor. Then he ripped the monitors off the table and threw them against the wall. He kicked a computer across the floor and flipped over a table. “There’s nothing here at all! NOTHING!”
Darek walked up to the door and kicked it. “Why can’t I get out of here?” He kicked the door again. “I fought an immortal and lived.” Darek kicked the door repeatedly. After kicking it so much, his toes hurt, and he slouched to the ground. Exhausted, he put his back against the door and looked across. Through his goggles, he could see the beautiful core through the broken window. It had a bright, furious red color and its flames looked close enough to sear the outer platform. “The world’s going to end.” He hung his head. “I’m dead.”
“No—there must be something I can do!” Darek rubbed his hand against his forehead. But as he was doing so he noticed he was still wearing the thick gloves that had appeared on his hands while he was fighting Liam. He gazed at them. “These gloves are amazing. I don’t know what they are but…they can create fire and even melt crystal. I wonder if it’s a heat thing.” An intriguing notion crossed his mind.
Darek stepped in front of the door. Warmth pulsated through his hands as he gently ran his fingers across the sides of the door. He pushed against the door, and like a piece of cloth, it floated into the hallway; the thick door lay on the ground, contorted. “I guess I’m not totally insane yet.” Darek looked at Liam’s body. “Let’s get you out of here.” Darek heaved him up on his back and left the room.
The place was in disarray. Sirens were blaring and lights were flashing on the ceiling. Left and right, people scurried into hall. Some of the guards who were running along even caught a glimpse of Darek and did not appear to care.
“So that’s where you were!” Azura met up with Darek. Sorren was close behind her. “We’ve been going around in circles looking for you. Where have you been?”
Darek asked, “Where’s everyone going?”
“Elder Rendall called for a meeting in the city,” said Sorren. “He said it was an emergency. Most have already left and the rest are leaving. They won’t be bothering us. Now about the mission, Azura and I went through the research laboratories and we saved as much data as we could. We did our job.” Sorren paused and pointed curiously at Liam. “Who’s that on your back and why’s he burnt to a crisp?”
“He’s a friend. He just had a little mishap.” Darek was afraid of how they might react if they found out Liam was an elder.
A shockwave made its way from the core. The tower trembled so hard that several of the walls were ripped apart and whole chunks of the tower broke apart.
“We’ll discuss this later,” said Sorren, shaken.
Azura had no complaints. “I agree. Something weird is going on. There was a similar shockwave just a moment ago. I don’t think this tower will last.”
Sorren led the others down through the stairwell, fearing that the elevator might be too dangerous. As they ran down, they cut corners wherever they could, sliding along the rails and jumping off steps to speed things up. A loud explosion came from above, rattling the stairs; it shook so hard that they couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.
“I’m almost afraid to find out what that is.” Darek was reluctant to look, but seeing the surprised expression on Azura’s face, as she gazed above in awe, piqued his curiosity. He flung his head back and looked up. The upper levels of the tower were all gone; it had crumbled away, most likely from the impact of the shockwave. But that wasn’t what had astonished Darek most.
“Is it just my imagination or does the core look larger than before?” asked Darek, frightened. He turned to Azura and Sorren, but they were already down the stairs, going faster than before. “Hey, wait for me!”
The structure of the tower became frail. The stairs began to swerve and bend like a swinging bridge.
“Come on, Darek,” Azura yelled back, “pick up the pace!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Darek struggled to keep up with the others. A rough tremor made him lose his balance and miss a step. Darek tumbled down. Liam’s body flopped out of his grasp. Both of them landed on their backs. Darek groaned, unwilling to move.
A loud creak came from the stairs above. The upper stairs came crashing down one after the other like a domino effect. When Azura discovered Darek wasn’t behind her, she ran back up to check on him. She found Darek and Liam on the floor.
“This’ll be rough.” Azura grabbed hold of both of them, but Darek stared up in horror. Whole sections of the stairs were collapsing down toward their position, and they were about to be crushed under it.
Sorren saw the situation and flicked his wrist at Azura. A small black circular mass appeared above the group and swallowed up the influx of collapsing debris, giving them time to escape. “Keep moving!” he shouted.
Azura took Darek for a piggyback ride and held Liam’s broken body in her arms. She followed after Sorren in haste but, with the added weight, was slower than before. Darek gawked at the sight above. Everything was getting worse. The core was expanding at an alarming rate. The core became so large that it started to engulf the higher areas of the tower.
“Hurry!” said Darek. “The core is getting closer!”
“Shut up!” Azura growled through clenched teeth. “I’m hurrying as fast as I can!”
They zipped and zoomed down the stairwell, desperately trying to reach the bottom of the tower as fast as they could.
“We’re not going to make it!” cried Darek. “It’s too far!”
“I said shut up!” shrilled Azura. “Or at least say something encouraging!”
When they reached the bottom floor, Sorren kicked open the door and let Azura run out first. He followed after her and the two of them sprinted across the deserted lobby.
After exiting the Tower of Legai, Sorren spun around, running backwards to see the situation for himself. The massive core had already swallowed up half of the tower. However, for some reason, a thick white layer of molecules formed around the core. Sorren believed it to be the work of spirits, like Ios, that lived in this place. The layer acted like a barrier, holding back the core’s growth.
Azura stopped walking and set Darek down as soon as they reached the end of the road. The elevator was not there, most likely because the workers in the tower had last used it to return to the surface. The hole, through which the elevator made its trips up and down through the earth’s crust, was still there. Beside the hole was a stand with a button that activated the elevator. She anxiously pushed the button. Nothing happened. Still jittery, she pushed the button several times. Still nothing.
“Maybe it takes a while?” said Darek.
“There’s something here,” said Azura. S
he found a tiny flashing screen next to the button. “It says, ‘Not Available.’”
“They must’ve overworked it,” said Sorren. “Since it travels at high velocities and rarely gets used, it probably couldn’t handle the increased usage.”
“What should we do?” Darek quivered at the thought of being incinerated by a giant core.
“What can we do? Not much,” said Sorren. “ The only thing we can do, I suppose, is jump down the hole. It’s better than being out here…”
“Wait.” Darek remembered something. “I want to see if Ios is okay. I accidentally—er—dropped her and—”
Go, said Ios. Don’t worry about me.
“Is that really you?” said Darek, startled by the voice in his mind.
“Who’s he talking to?” said Azura.
“Probably himself,” said Sorren. “He’s weird like that.”
The voice continued, This is my place, my home. The core is my responsibility. I will help slow it down, but you must leave. We cannot keep the core from expanding. In time it will encompass the planet.
“I’m sorry,” said Darek. “This was all my fault.”
This was unavoidable. Now leave. You will die if you do not leave right now.
Darek nodded and then turned to Sorren. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
The three of them jumped inside the hole, taking Liam with them as well. At the beginning they were falling normally, the acceleration of gravity caused them to fall faster and faster. After falling for a long time, they slowed down. Then, as if they were held by an invisible rubber band, they bounced up and down from a central point.
“Why aren’t we falling anymore?” said Darek, getting a little dizzy in midair.
“This is the between the crust above and the crust below where the two directions of gravity meet. We’ll get pulled up and down until we come to a stop in the center.”
“Then what?”
“Then nothing,” said Sorren. “We’ll just end up floating here in the middle.”
“We can’t do anything?”
Sorren scratched his head. “If you really want to, I guess we could try to climb the miles of earth above us.”
“You came in here knowing this?” exclaimed Darek.
“I forgot,” said Sorren. “When there’s an abnormality such as an enlarging core that could effectively lead to our imminent destruction, I can’t think straight. Jumping down sounded like a good idea at the time.” Sorren paused. “Now that you mention it, there is something I could do. But I haven’t done it in so long...”
Two bolts of light came rushing from below them.
“What’s that?” Azura was the first to notice with her sharp senses.
It was Reza and Drey. Blanketed in light, these two flew up to meet the group. Though they did not have wings, they were able to control their movement through the air.
Surprised, Reza said, “Still here? Would you guys like some help?”
“Yes! Someone came to our rescue!” said Darek, smiling.
“Hold on to us,” Reza told them. “We’ll fly you out.”
Reza took hold of Azura and Liam. Drey held onto Darek, and was about to grab onto Sorren as well, but Sorren declined.
“I can do it myself,” said Sorren.
“Don’t wear yourself out,” said Reza. “You’re not one of us anymore. You’re human now. Save your strength.”
Displeased at her words, Sorren grunted, “Very well.”
Drey took hold of Sorren. Then in a brilliant flash, they took off, soaring upward. After flying for a while, they came to a halt. A massive oozing stream of molten rock obstructed their path. The stream rushed from one side of the tunnel to the other, leaving no gaps to squeeze through.
“I don’t remember this part,” said Darek in awe.
“Obviously,” said Azura. “You couldn’t see anything from inside the elevator.”
“There’s no way around this,” said Reza. “It’s a long way up. I’ll shield the humans. Drey will carry us up.”
Drey nodded. “Sure thing.”
Reza took a deep breath, and then breathed out an icy cool breeze. She twirled around with the cold vapor leaving her lips. The frosty air encircled them and instantly froze everyone, except Drey, in one large block of ice. Drey drew a deep breath, grabbed hold of the ice and slammed headfirst into the fiery stream. Holding onto the frozen surface of the icicle felt like having hundreds of knifelike needles pierce his chest. But despite this sharp, mind-numbing pain, he pressed on, fueled by the warmth and touch of the magma that enfolded around his body. The sensation of the molten rock on his skin was soothing to him.
It took a while but Drey was able to break out of the magma. Then Drey sailed all the way up through the crust and the shifting plates. Then they finally broke out from the dirt. Drey landed onto the earth and discovered that they were now behind the castle. The ice immediately cracked and shattered, freeing everyone from their frozen state. Feeling weak and faint from the ordeal, Reza fell on her knees, gulping air.
Darek laughed and shook the water out of his hair. “Well, I’m glad it’s over.”
Drey glanced at him and said, “It is far from over.”
Hundreds of brilliant lights zoomed across space. Appearing as comets, these celestial objects twisted and turned as they went along; their violent rumblings could be felt as tremors across the galaxy. They flew chaotically at first, jumping from direction to direction, unsure of where they were going. But once they heard it—the loud, bloodcurdling scream of the core—they tightened their formation and moved uniformly.
Reza pointed upward, showing everyone the new specks of light in the sky. “Look! They’ve come. It seems our time is short.”
Darek looked up. “Who or what are you talking about? The stars?” Then he realized something strange. “Wait a minute—it’s not even that dark out anymore. How can they be so bright?” While gaping at the wondrous sight, he took a step forward and almost tripped over Liam. Liam was so quiet, Darek had almost forgotten about him. Darek took him aside and let him rest on the grass.
Drey said to Reza, “Our fellow Guardians have arrived. No doubt they are seeking war.”
Reza nodded. “A war would be meaningless at this time. We must inform them of the situation and convince them to stand down.”
“War?” Darek remained rather puzzled. “What are you guys blabbering about?”
Acting strangely, Reza and Drey said nothing in reply and moved away from the rest of the group. Drey began a strange transformation. First there was fire rising from his feet. His whole body burst into a scorching pillar of fire. The flames spun around him like a tornado and his form changed into that of a giant red bull. His horns were ivory in color. He snorted out steam and stamped his feet wildly.
Reza was next to transform. A mist rose up from the beneath Reza’s body. Like a fog, it swept over her, veiling her from their sight. When the mist faded away, her appearance was different. A long flowing white robe wound around her body. Her complexion and hair became differing shades of blue and green. She hovered in the air, pretending like she was sitting down.
Darek and Azura stepped back, almost unable to believe what they were witnessing.
“Uhh…” Darek gibbered all sorts of nonsense before finally saying something. “I don’t get it. What just happened? Where did Reza and Drey go?”
Reza told them. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just us. These are our other forms.”
Darek couldn’t stop shivering at the sight of them. “What’s going on here? Other forms? You’re aliens, right? Weird, freakish, hideous aliens!”
“We don’t have time to explain,” said Drey, feeling a bit offended by Darek’s remarks. “We must hurry to the others. If we don’t stop them soon—”
“Mother.” Sorren approached Reza and said, “Do you need my help? What is happening may be out of your control. I could be of some assistance.”
“No,” said Reza. “I want you to stay.
You are needed here. And as I’ve told you before, stop calling me Mother. I have long since abandoned you as my son.”
Reza and Drey both elevated several feet into the air. With a strong burst of energy like the liftoff of a rocket, they soared high into the sky, much to the surprise of everyone standing there.
“Mother?” Darek gave Sorren a suspicious stare, considering the possibility that he could also be an alien. If true, it would help to explain several things. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”
Azura said, “What should we do now?”
“We should head for the castle,” Sorren replied. “It’s the safest place to be.”
“Are you crazy?” Darek said, exasperated. “We’re going to run straight back into the home of the elders? Don’t you know I almost died in that tower? If it wasn’t for the giant talking face and these strange gloves, I—” Darek looked at his hands; the gloves weren’t there anymore.
Azura crossed her arms skeptically. “Go on. What’s this about a giant talking face?”
“Uh…never mind.” Darek knew his own words sounded unbelievable. “But I still don’t understand why we have to go back to the castle.”
“This is going to be a little difficult to explain, but I’ll try,” said Sorren. “I suppose I should start by explaining who Reza and Drey are.”
“You know them?” asked Azura.
“Yes.” Sorren turned to Darek. “Darek, where’d you say you found them?”
Darek replied, “In the basement of Merdon’s mansion. They were stuck in crystals and said something about an evil sorcerer that trapped them.”
“Ah,” said Sorren, coming to an understanding. “They weren’t exactly truthful. This might be hard to swallow, but Reza and Drey are spirit beings known as the Guardians of the Elements. Since they are spirits, they cannot die. If they’re injured severely, they’ll turn into crystal, waiting there for eternity. This is their death.” Sorren paused. “And since it’s their death…they shouldn’t be able to get out of their crystals. How did you free them?”
Darek shrugged. “I just touched it. That’s all.”
“You touched it?” Sorren stared at Darek’s hands, looking for something peculiar.
Seeing how Sorren was distracted, Darek faked a loud cough. “Is something wrong?”
Sorren came back to his senses. “Oh, no. What were we talking about again?”
“You said something about Reza and Drey being Guardians of something or other.”
“Yes, they are Guardians,” said Sorren. “And they are also those stars above. They can glow quite bright in space.”
“But why would they—” Darek stopped speaking, his mouth still open as though he suddenly froze in place.
There was a drawn out silence. Azura tugged on Darek’s jacket. “Hey, are you okay?”
All of a sudden, Darek smacked himself in the forehead. He said animatedly, “Of course! They came for the core! That’s why Reza and Drey were inside the tower!”
“The core?” said Sorren.
“Yes,” said Darek. He pointed at Liam who was unconscious and sprawled on the grass. “At the top of the tower I met him. His name is Liam. He’s an elder—”
“An elder?” Sorren raised his voice in anger. He was about to draw his sword, but Darek quickly gestured with his hands for Sorren to relax.
“Don’t worry. Just let me finish first. He’s on our side now—I think,” Darek said. “Anyway, he explained everything to me. He injected a strange solution into the core. The core will eventually explode and the radiation will transform people on nearby planets into immortals. That’s their goal.”
Sorren’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell us this earlier? The core will explode? How much time do we have left?”
“A few hours, I guess. Liam also said that there’s a spaceship inside the castle.”
“A spaceship…” repeated Sorren, licking his lips. He was now worried. Within a few hours, the planet would explode. It was like a ticking time bomb right under their feet. “Let’s go find that ship.”
“Wait,” said Darek. “Isn’t there a way to stop the core from exploding?”
Appalled by his question, Sorren replied, “You’re thinking of that at a time like this? How should I know? Besides, we don’t have time!”
A wave of guilt washed over Darek as he remembered that he was the one who had helped the old scientist get that devilish machine working. He had caused the problem so he felt that it was only natural that he should be the one to set things straight.
Darek said, “But it’s not right to just leave. How can we even consider running away when everyone else will die?”
Sorren said, “If it makes you feel better, all of the immortals here are already over a hundred years old. They’ve lived their lives to the fullest—you haven’t.”
“But other planets will be affected! The lives of billions are at stake here!”
“Darek’s right,” said Azura. “We should figure out a way to save this planet.”
Sorren sighed deeply. “This exactly the reason why I wish I was working with a few more cold-hearted assassins.” He grabbed Darek by the shoulders and shouted, “Listen to me! Why waste your time? You don’t even know them! Most of them deserve to die anyway.”
Darek gasped at Sorren’s harsh words.
“It doesn’t matter what you think.” Azura scowled. “You can’t measure the worth of their lives. It’s not like there’s harm in trying to help—”
“Oh,” scoffed Sorren, “come on! There is harm in trying. We could save three lives—ours. Or we could all die.”
“Or we could save everyone,” Azura added.
Sorren shook his head. “Impossible.”
An idea came to Azura’s mind. Smiling mischievously, she said, “Look, how about a deal? You’re a man of deals, aren’t you? How about I give you all my money?”
Sorren broke out in mock laughter. “I’m gambling my life away for chump change? Do I look that desperate?”
“Then what do you want?” Azura placed her hands on her hips. “If money’s not enough, there’s got to be at least a favor I can do!”
Sorren pondered on her question for a moment. He pursed his lips and then said with a grin, “Give me your Fate of the Hero.”
“My Fate? You want my Fate? I-I can’t do that,” said Azura. “I don’t even have that kind of authority…the power to give the Fate. And even if I did, I can’t just give it to anyone!”
Sorren shrugged and then started to leave them. “Oh well. That’s too bad. You guys can play around while I get out of here.”
“Now wait a minute,” said Azura, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I only said that I can’t give it to you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t earn it yourself. If you want, I can give you a special recommendation to join the ranks of the Heroes.”
Darek whistled. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t really think that’d work out. Sorren doesn’t look, act or think like a Hero. He’s even killed—”
“I’ll do it.” Sorren smiled, baring his teeth. “You better be good to your word.” He faced her and held out his open hand.
“Look who’s talking,” Azura countered. “Unlike you, I’m always good to my word.”
They shook on it and the deal was sealed.
The three of them rushed back to the castle. There was no time to waste. The end of the world was near. When they reached the front of the castle, they hit a barrier: an impenetrable throng of immortals crowded around the square, shouting and bickering amongst themselves. The streets were locked in chaos. Thousands of immortals flocked to the balcony where the elders were ready to give their announcement.
Rendall approached the balustrade. The crowd quieted down, attentive to what he had to say. Rendall said, “My fellow immortals. Heed my words. You may be wondering what is happening—wondering about those new stars in the sky. The phenomenon above us is not unexpected. We knew this day would come. These lights in the sky
are celestial beings that find our existence threatening. They wish to silence us by force.
“I assure you that we are fully prepared for this event. We have been in preparation for a while. However, we will need every man and woman to work together for our cause. For now, no one is allowed to leave the city. I will return soon to discuss the details of our operation.”
Rendall and the other elders disappeared into the castle. The pandemonium died down. The crowd scattered as people decided to rest while they waited for more news. Darek and the others were able to sneak into the castle.
“Don’t they know the world’s going to end?” said Darek. “If everyone’s going to die, why would the elders bother to fight?”
“You saw what happened,” said Sorren. “It’s a form of control. They are telling the people what they want to hear to prevent any armed revolt. But there’s also a possibility that the Guardians could stop the process. They’ll want to prevent the Guardians from reaching the core.”
“So they’re actually going to fight?” asked Azura.
“Of course,” said Sorren.
“But then, why don’t we just let the Guardians in?” Darek grinned with excitement. “If they can stop the core from exploding—problem solved!”
“It’s not that easy,” Sorren said. “In a war between two nations, who can be trusted? What you are saying is absolutely ludicrous. First of all, the Immortal Alliance needs to surrender openly, because if they don’t, the Guardians will attack. But for a complete surrender we would need the consent of the elders. The people will only listen to them. They’re certainly not going to listen to us.”
Darek grinned. “Then we’ll do that!”
“Do what? Are you even listening? The people will only obey the elders.”
“All we have to do is make the elders tell everyone to surrender.”
Incredulous, Sorren said, “How do you plan to do that?”
“By force! We take over the leadership!” Darek shouted. “There are only five elders and I’ve defeated one easily. With the three of us combined, it’ll be no problem!”
Sorren snapped, “That’s—”
“Brilliant!” added Azura. “We should try that.”
Sorren massaged his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. “Great,” he said sarcastically. “Just great. Let’s just do an impossible fight against the elders, which we can’t win, and force ridiculous demands upon them, which they will not listen to.”
“Oh come on Sorren,” said Azura. “I know I’m exaggerating about how good the idea is, but if the Guardians are the only way to stop the destruction of the world, then we need to get them inside as fast as we can. Do you have any better ideas?”
“Hmm…we’ll either die by the exploding core, die by the war with Guardians, or die by fighting the elders.” Sighing, Sorren looked very depressed. “Nope. Just lead the way.”