The Revelation Chronicles
Locked.
I looked around, and as quietly and discreetly as I could, I pressed my left shoulder into the door while forcing the lock open with my mind. My abilities were starting to come as second nature to me. I opened the door cautiously and peered up the stairs. The coast was clear.
“Let’s do this,” said Freddy.
I nodded in agreement and we made our way up the stairs and into the unknown. Hopefully, we weren’t taking the proverbial dead man’s walk to our own demise. I started to second guess bringing Freddy along. Vicktor was already a formidable foe, but having to watch Freddy’s back could prove costly. What was I thinking? If something were to happen to him, I would never forgive myself.
There was no time to dwell on such thoughts as we reached the top of the stairs and paused at the door. I looked back at Freddy, who only grinned and winked to signal he was ready. The guy didn’t have one single special ability, but he was ready and willing to walk into the mouth of uncertainty with a smile on his face.
And then, I realized I was wrong. He did have a special ability. One more valuable than all the others combined. He possessed courage, which at that very moment was shining through brightly. He was my airport runway lights on an overcast night. Tremendous pride swelled in me that such a good friend stood proudly by my side in the face of such adversity. A newfound confidence invigorated me. I was ready to fulfill my destiny.
Chapter 68
I grasped the knob and pushed the door open, cold gusts of gripping wind enveloping me as I stepped onto the roof. Vicktor stood off to the side, surrounded by several men. They were tinkering with the Orion device I’d seen on the hologram earlier. It looked even more daunting up close. Maybe it was the smoky vapors seeping from it. But, it was much smaller than I had imagined, no taller than seven feet or so in height. The device seemed to be preparing for launch. Freddy and I exchanged a worried glance.
Vicktor slowly turned away from the device. His arms were folded across his chest, and he brandished the same enchanting smile as before.
“So you made it. And I see you didn’t take my advice and come alone,” he said staring at Freddy with amusement in his eyes. He shrugged. “Oh well, what can I expect? Kids never listen to their parents.”
His words made me cringe in disgust.
“I’d say you were a pretty poor excuse for a parent.”
Vicktor chuckled lightly.
“I’m sorry my absence may have caused you some daddy issues, but I’m trying to rectify that now. I’m extending the olive branch of friendship to you. We can be a family as we were meant to be. If you would only acknowledge the silver spoon in your mouth. You simply need to bite down, and everything will be yours.”
“Don’t listen to him, Charlie,” Freddy whispered out the corner of his mouth.
“You see, Charlie,” Vicktor continued, “when you play by the rules of the world, it becomes your prison. When you play with no rules whatsoever, no constraints, the world becomes your playground. Are you ready to play? Are you ready to take my hand and join me in making this dream a reality?” He swept his hand toward the Orion device towering in the background. “With you at my side, no one can stand against us.”
I stood my ground.
“I told you before, and I will tell you again. I will never join you. This is madness, do you not see that? This device may work on a few select humans, but what about the others? Have you thought about how many could die?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The people of Etheus were far more advanced and could withstand the effects of exposure to the Orion device. Humans are a much more primitive race in comparison and the effects could be catastrophic. Who knows what could happen, what abominations would result from your actions?”
Vicktor only shrugged, totally unfazed by the potential destruction of all mankind.
“Well, how does that famous Earth saying go? You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. So fitting, don’t you think?” He flashed a radiant smile.
How could a man with such a brilliant mind and strong ideals turn into a maniacal cold-hearted bastard? I was convinced he wasn’t the same man my mother once loved, at least not in any way that mattered anymore. He was only Vicktor, the vicious and brutal leader of the Chirac who had a burning desire to destroy everything I’d ever known. I couldn’t let that happen, not while there was still breath left in my body.
“I won’t join you, and I won’t let you do this to the people of Earth. I guess that leaves us with only one option.”
“Oh, you think so do you?” Vicktor asked, arching his eyebrows in mocked surprise. “I tend to disagree. You see, your mistake was coming here thinking that you actually had a chance. That your feeble words would somehow change my mind, maybe due to some misplaced paternalistic instinct. Well, sorry to disappoint you, Charlie, but I don’t have it. And, I’m not going to take my ball and run home. What kind of leader would I be? I will, however, give you one last chance to walk away. Take your friend there, and get as far away from here as you possibly can.”
“I can’t do that,” I replied forcibly.
“In that case, my son,” Vicktor said with instant hostility and an icy glare, “you will die.”
The uniform sound of several rounds being chambered was unmistakable; over a dozen armed henchmen surrounded me and Freddy, each with their weapon trained on us. Then, a loud, almost deafening, humming sound erupted as several Scanners, too many to count, appeared and formed a circle above us, each with their menacing infrared lights at the ready.
“Is it too late to change my mind and go back to the mansion?” Freddy asked, reaching into his jacket for his weapon.
My eyes scanned the roof rapidly.
How were we going to get out of this one?
Chapter 69
I clenched my fists so tightly that the nails nearly drew blood from my palms. As fast as I could, I grabbed Freddy by the waist and hurled him into a pile of boxes behind a partial metal structure that jutted out from the roof about twenty feet to my left. He was going to hate me for it, but at least he’d be safe. I was severely outnumbered, but determined to take as many with me as possible.
I rushed at the armed henchman nearest me, and with a quick, accurate chop to the throat, he was down. The Scanners immediately sprang into action, ascending higher above the roof. I picked up the assault rifle dropped by the downed henchman and quickly destroyed two of the Scanners to my right. I had to keep moving. I wasn’t as fast as Nick, but with any luck I could make myself an extremely difficult target for the Scanners to get a bead on.
I did a barrel roll to my left and came up firing once more, hitting one henchman in the arm and another squarely in the chest. As they each went down, I dropped the assault rifle. The clip was completely empty. I had to depend on my abilities now.
Rushing toward another henchman, I dodged a hail of gunfire from his muzzle as well as repeated energy blasts from the Scanners trying desperately to land a shot. Without thinking, I leaped into the air, performing a near perfect somersault and landed behind him. I snatched the weapon from his hands and brought the butt of the rifle down hard on the back of his head. He crumbled face down on the ground in front of me.
Everything was a blur now as my only focus was on staying alive. The henchmen seemed to multiply as each one I took out was replaced by two more, all with the wanton desire to rip me limb from limb. I engaged another poor soul that made the mistake of moving in too close to me and brought my elbow down hard on his neck. A group of three others to my right took the opportunity to flank and surprise me. I was ready for them though, extending my palm, and by telekinesis, sent them reeling backwards into several others advancing on my position. But, before I could recover, I was overwhelmed by several of the remaining henchmen. They steadily piled on top of me, one after the other as if I was a fumbled football on the game-winning drive of a championship game.
I thrashed and fought back, but I was subdued now; fighting back seemed t
o be of no use. One of the henchmen placed my neck in a tight stranglehold. I struggled for short gasps in order to draw a breath. My eyes felt as if they’d pop right out of my head at any moment; my consciousness began to dwindle and collapse. I could see Vicktor’s smiling face from beneath the pile which infuriated me to no end. But, struggle as I might, I could not move.
A broad-shouldered henchman positioned himself in front of me with his rifle raised high above his head, the butt of which was headed for an ugly collision with my face. As I clenched my eyes shut, all I could think about was how bad it was going to hurt.
But, the blow never came.
Chapter 70
I heard a commotion a short distance away and shouts of confusion rang out upon the rooftop. I opened my eyes to see my would-be assailant lying on the ground, motionless, a few feet away. Thick smoke rose from a hole that was seared into his ballistic vest.
I glanced up to see a beautiful sight. About thirty yards away, Michael, Kara, and Nick were all engaging the armed henchmen and Scanners. Even Freddy had joined the fray, grabbing a body near him and landing a devastating head-butt. The henchmen who’d piled on top of me earlier seemed to have all but forgotten about me now as most of them turned their attention to the new threat. That was unfortunate for those who remained and were determined to hold me down.
I shut my eyes, and with all the strength I could summon, I flexed my arms and sent the four henchmen flying in each direction like a dog’s chew toy. I fought my way back to where the others had taken up position, and we battled furiously side by side, each covering the other’s back. I realized at that moment how important it was for us to fight together as a unit. Each of us possessed something the others did not. And together, we formed the ultimate weapon.
I looked to my right as Michael brought down two Scanners in a fiery blaze. To my left, Nick was almost comical as he zipped back and forth, engaging the attackers with speed and precision. At one point, he even went so far as to tie the shoestrings of two of the henchmen together and watched with his arms folded as they stumbled and fell over one another.
I bet you’re glad to see us.
I observed as one of the henchmen clutched his head suddenly with both hands and dropped his weapon with a look of pure terror in his eyes. Without hesitation, he raced to the edge of the roof and threw himself over.
Your handiwork I’m guessing? I asked Kara telepathically.
Hey, the way I look at it, they all have it coming.
I can’t argue with you there.
They were planning to do a lot worse to me, I was sure of it.
We need to take out those remaining Scanners, or this will be a very short reunion.
I’m on it.
There were at least seven Scanners remaining, and they were making it increasingly difficult to gain any ground; they moved to form a semi-circle around Vicktor and the Orion device. He’d dropped the arrogant smile, replacing it with a look of anger as he yelled at the men frantically working on the device. We had to stop them before they could launch it.
I closed my eyes once more. I could clearly envision the Scanners. I reached out with my mind and could sense each and every one of them while they hovered in the night sky above. Opening my eyes, I watched as the Scanners expanded their flight pattern and abruptly turned and flew toward each other at full speed. The machines were destroyed on impact and fiery debris rained upon the rooftop. Vicktor barely dodged the wreckage as he darted away just in time.
“Give it up, Vicktor,” I said. “There’s no need to continue this. We have the advantage now. There is no more need for violence or bloodshed.”
He sighed and smoothed his suit with each hand.
“My son, when will you ever learn? Have you stopped to think that maybe…just maybe, I have you right where I wanted you all along?”
Dozens of Chirac henchmen poured onto the rooftop and surrounded us. Grouped behind them stood a pack of young derelicts that would make any grown man nervous. From the looks of them, I could only assume they were the ‘supers’ Nick had mentioned.
“Now, who has the advantage?” Vicktor asked and laughed dryly.
“Nobody panic,” said Freddy anxiously as we all huddled closer together, our backs pressed firmly against each other. “I’m sure Charlie has a plan. Right, Charlie?”
“Um…I’m working on one,” I said.
“Well, work harder before we’re all reduced to skid marks on this rooftop,” Nick pleaded.
I didn’t know what to do honestly. If this were a game of chess, I would be staring down the barrel of checkmate. There was no possible move to make without sacrificing at least one of us. And that wasn’t a thought I was willing to entertain. It appeared I had been outsmarted and played right into Vicktor’s hands. Then, just as it seemed all hope was lost, the strangest thing occurred.
Chapter 71
A whizzing noise was audible directly above us. Due to my recent number of run-ins with the Scanners, I instinctively dismissed it as Vicktor adding further insult to injury. Boy, was I ever wrong.
To my disbelief, I looked up and realized the noise was actually the sound of The Great Standeval. He twirled his cane rapidly above his head, creating a vortex of wind similar to a helicopter blade, before landing directly in front of me. Before anyone on either side had a chance to react, he slammed the cane down hard on the rooftop. The resulting shock wave knocked most of Vicktor’s men clean off their feet. A red holographic depiction of a large dragon-like creature swooped down and snatched several others up in its large talons. The flame-engulfed beast soared up and dropped them over the side of the roof. It then circled a few times before dissipating into thin air.
“Well, that was pretty cool. And definitely unexpected,” I said. I looked out over the multitude of downed Chirac henchmen. They resembled toppled pins in a bowling alley. A perfect strike from an unexpected, but most welcome ally.
Standeval leaned on his cane and, in fitting mockery, he performed a half curtsy, tipping his bowler hat in Vicktor’s direction. Well, almost a perfect strike. Vicktor was still standing and glared at Standeval, his eyes now cold and filled with malice.
Standeval turned to face me and extended his hand along with a warm smile.
“I couldn’t just sit back and let you have all the fun now could I? I am in show biz, remember? And, this is the biggest stage in town. Besides, it appeared as though you could use a little help.”
“You will regret your involvement, I promise you,” growled Vicktor. His shoulders heaved up and down to match his wrath.
Standeval sighed and addressed Vicktor, twirling the cane between his fingers.
“Maybe,” he conceded. “But at least I won’t regret standing by and doing nothing anymore.”
Then he turned to me and grabbed my wrist, his hands like ice.
“Thanks for showing me the way and reminding me what it means to have honor. It’s up to you now. Your friends and I will take care of these thugs. Restore our planet’s legacy and save Earth. Bring him down.”
I nodded and stepped toward Vicktor, past the groggy and disoriented Chirac who’d just began to stir. This was it. I drew a deep breath as I approached him. My right arm ached badly, but I wasn’t about to let on that I was injured. Vicktor would surely exploit the fact if he knew about it.
I thought back to all the events that had led to this moment: the hypnosis, the kidnapping, meeting my mother for the first time. Everything had led to this exact moment.
The inevitable clash with my father, Vicktor.
“So this is it, huh?” His tone was crude and disingenuous. “The moment everyone has been waiting for. Time for the prodigal son to reclaim his birthright, to live up to all the lofty expectations. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you. There is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. There is nothing here for you but ruin, pain, and anguish. You have made your choice, and you will die for it.”
He motioned toward the device.
“Bu
t, let’s make things a little more interesting shall we? How about I give you a choice?”
“I’m not interested in your games. I came here for one reason and one reason only. To take you down and bring an end to this.”
“Well, that’s just the kind of choice I’m referring to. Please, just humor me.”
Vicktor spoke softly to one of the Chirac henchmen next to him who had risen back to his feet. The man nodded and whispered into his radio, too low to make out the words.
“That device,” said Vicktor, pointing to the simmering rocket, “is set to go off in fifteen minutes. Once it reaches the atmosphere, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.”
He climbed to the edge of the roof and waved his arm.
“Here is your choice.”
My jaw dropped as two henchmen approached Vicktor with Allison squirming in their grasp. Where had she come from? My mind raced while I tried to figure out how she could still be in Vicktor’s custody if Michael and the others were here. Why didn’t they tell me?
I’m sorry, but there was no time. She wasn’t there when we rescued Michael, and he had no idea where they might have taken her. Had we known, we would have gone for her.
Kara’s words did nothing to stifle my discontent as anger and rage coursed through my body.
“Bring her to me,” Vicktor commanded. He held out his hand and pulled Allison up onto the roof’s edge next to him. He clasped her by the neck and pulled her close. Sweat formed on my forehead as I clamped my fists and tightened my jaw.
“The choice is yours. You can either save her or save this world. Pretty simple really when you think about it. One life or the lives of millions. I think that’s fair.”
He stared at me and checked his wristwatch. My heart pounded as I contemplated the situation. Save Allison, the girl I loved dearly, or, save the world.
“Oh, and did I forget to mention?” Vicktor added. “You don’t get the luxury of weighing the pros and cons of your decision. Your time is up.”
He looked from me to Allison, studying her bewildered face and stroking a lock of her disheveled hair between two fingers. Allison looked at me. I knew she was scared. I wanted to be able to tell her that things would be OK, but I wasn’t so sure.
And then, Vicktor did the unimaginable. With one last ominous look expressly for me, he released his grip on Allison’s neck and shoved her over the side of the building.