Chapter 11: PROLOGUE – The Cost for a Future, and Who Pays the Price.

The primal elements of Light and Dark cannot coexist. Where there is Light, there is not Darkness. The brighter the Light, the deeper it cuts into Darkness; but, if obstructed, would also cast a longer shadow. If even the tiniest sliver of Darkness were to touch the source of a Light, the shadow it cast would outreach even the rays of the sun. A covered Light, no matter how bright, casts naught but shadow. From this we can derive two immutable truths. Where Light is, Darkness isn’t. Where Light isn’t, Darkness is. Even the smallest sliver of Light would appear blindingly bright when beheld in Darkness unfathomable. 

 

For those whom much is given…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       …much is required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Alpha, what’s your status?” The communications officer’s voice called out, shattering the silence the soldier had been standing in as he stared down with a pair of unyielding eyes, something heavy about them.

“I’m close now, just scoping the situation and waiting for my moment. You wanted perfect.” The soldier stated matter-of-factly, eyes locked on to his target.

“Yea, yea, you keep giving me that; how about an ETA? Beta already has his target in custody and is en route to the drop off point now. The way he ‘highly’ recommended you and sung your praises, I was certain you’d be the first one to arrive.” The communications officer said sarcastically.

“Beta’s job was in the outskirts of the city, I have armed guards to deal with - the kind a lot of money gets you.” The warrior said icily, blinking for the first time in what felt like ages before looking over at the two unconscious and still armed men lying in the hallway outside the door. “Amateurs…” he sighed after muting his mic. 

Blinking again and bringing his piercing gaze back to the young girl laying silently asleep on the floor in front of him. The stern look on his face softened as the soldier thought of his daughter, “They kind of look alike…” He admitted out loud.

“Yea, yea; but you said you could handle the job. You were aware from the beginning that this was to be a coordinated speed grab. We asked for the best, we were told that’s you. You damn well better deliver! Besides, you’re being paid quite the pretty penny for this!” The comms officer stated, annoyed.

And they were. No less than a small fortune, and all he had to do was retrieve one single girl. But it would take no less than a small fortune to secure his family’s place within the walls.

The Soldier stared at her, as if weighing the lives of this single girl against those of his family. It wasn’t fair, but it never is. “Sorry, this is just… survival of the fittest…” He mumbled softly as he reached down and tenderly picked the girl up, no less so than as if he was picking up his own daughter. This one, single yet precious life would provide a future for his family.

“Target acquired, I’ll be back shortly.” The soldier reported into his comms device and turned it off. He held the girl tight, she was warm. “I’ll burn in hell for this…” He closed his eyes, “May my wretched soul burn hot enough to warm those dear to me.” He said, wondering how a future would fare, were it built on this kind of foundation. Begrudgingly, he headed for his destination.

 

The soldier designated Alpha carried the girl into the compound and to the transport that would take her to her destination. It was like a small train comprised of a lead car with four units trailing behind, one of which was loaded with two medical capsule chambers. He gently laid her in one of the empty compartments and carefully strapped her in place. “I’m so sorry…” He said, pained, then reaching up and brushing the hair out of her face.

“Ahh, you did beat Beta back, excellent!” A familiar voice exited the lead unit of the transport.

“My target was in the city not far from here, I figured that’s why the drop off was so close. His target was in the outskirts on the other side of the city.” The soldier said, not so much as looking away from the girl. “He’ll be here soon-” 

The soldier was cut off when a nearby door swung open and another experienced soldier stepped through with a young girl in tow. “Speak the name of the devil, and the sooner he shall appear -heh.” Alpha stated as he continued securing his target to the transport.

“Yo!” Beta declared as he entered the room and carried his target to the empty capsule next to Alpha and set her down. “So what did I tell you? Was that easy money, or was that easy money, eh?” He walked over to Alpha and playfully jabbed him in the shoulder. “I know the work isn’t the most honest, but we’d never so much as see the inside of those big walls without it!”

Alpha shrugged him off, “It’s just one tough pill to swallow.”

“Look, I get it, I know what this seems like,” The comms officer walked up, carrying a slip of paper in each hand, “But Dr. Tellamar can use these two for something special. It’s gradual, but change is happening. Here, money well earned! You two definitely exceeded expectations!” The comms officer handed a slip of paper to each of them.

Beta whistled sharply, “Look at all those beautiful zeros!”

Alpha stared blankly at the slip of paper. It was a relief, all those zero’s would be going to make sure his family was taken care of. One single slip of paper, so light, and yet it carried with it the weight of the lives of his family… as well as the lives of two complete strangers; neither of which could be much older than his own daughter. “Give this to them for me.” He said, handing his slip of paper to Beta.

“Uh, ok…” Beta said confused, “and in the meantime, you’ll be…?”

“I’m going to see that our sleeping beauties here get to their destination without hindrance… we do owe them a lot.” Alpha said with a stern look.

“I don’t think so!” The comms officer chimed in, “We’re going into HIS jungle, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories.”

Beta was speechless. A concerned Alpha retorted with, “But you don’t have an escort!”

“That’s because this baby doesn’t need one! It’s a little slow, but it’s got a top of the line stealth system on it!” The comms officer cornered him. “A nice, quiet cruise through the moonlight for these two.”

Alpha folded his arms, “Then I’ll just follow you and make sure they arrive where they’re going without incident.”

“Ugh, fine, but don’t expect any more compensation! And you better be ready, we are leaving soon and I’m sure as hell not going to wait for you.” The comms officer turned and walked to the front of the craft, shrugging nonchalantly.

Beta turned to Alpha and started with one of his ‘Don’t get in over your head!’ Speeches, but Alpha stopped him. Holding out his hand, Alpha replied, “Save it for when I get back!”

Beta smiled weakly, reached out and grabbed his friend’s hand firmly. “But what happens if this is the one you don’t come back from?”

Alpha clinched his brother in law’s hand as tightly as he could, “Then your sister, niece and unborn nephew are in your hands!”

“I know better than to worry about you!” Beta insisted, but was drowned out by the sound of the transport’s engine whirring up to a stabilized hum, then dropping down to a dull droning.

“What?” Alpha yelled over the sounds of the engine.

Beta jerked his arm hard, pulling him closer and bellowing, “You damn well better make it back in one piece! I’m just not dad material!” He then shoved Alpha towards the transport that started to slowly pull out.

“I’ll hurry back!” Alpha yelled as he made his way to the ladder on the back of the transport. “Back home.” He said to himself as he hopped up on the transport and saluted his brother.

Beta saluted him back, “Just come home…”

 

“Damn, he wasn’t kidding!” Alpha sighed to himself as he sat atop the transport thinking about how the small electrical engine it was equipped with was indeed quiet and easy to hide, but offered little in the way of speed. They were a little ways out of the city, and he kept hoping they were going to speed up; but they kept a snail’s pace.

The small, streamlined compartmentalized transport was composed of multiple units linked together in a train like fashion. In addition to the head of the transport where the comms officer drove the unit and the 2 capsules the young girls resided in; there were a few other units with unknown contents – supplies and equipment most likely. Alpha laid atop the rear unit watching the stars and making sure nothing came up behind them.

The soldier also did not want to see the dimly glowing, translucent bubble that was growing ever closer. The barrier that served as a fence could be seen from a great distance, especially at night. It wasn’t a barrier to keep strangers out, either. No, this barrier was a cage meant to imprison the Garden of Hell. A destination he had hoped would never be his.

There wasn’t always a barrier surrounding it. No, it used to just have a big wall with lots of signs warning would be trespassers of danger. There had been tales of curious people venturing over the walls for just a look. What they might have seen could only be speculated, as none ever returned to tell the tale.

The barrier is a more recent addition, popping up overnight little less than four years ago and covering the entirety of the crater and some of the surrounding area. Shortly after that, lush green vegetation grew rampant. Trees reached for the top of the barrier, some bearing fruit that would appear to be larger than people.

Just over two years ago, some sightseers went to the barrier for fun. They brought back some blurry footage of what appeared to be someone on the other side of the barrier… someone that wasn’t quite… human. This clips surfaced, but no one ever claimed the deed as their own.

The government played it off as a hoax; but when asked what was going on out there, they gave just this one answer. “What’s necessary for the continuation of the human race.” They don’t allow sight seers out there anymore. In fact the government went so far as to patrol around it as well as set up surveillance systems.

None of it sat well with the soldier, but he’d never really given it much thought. After all, he never really planned on going there. And yet here he was, inching ever closer. They were crawling at a walking pace, so he had a good idea of how long it would take him to make it back home.

 

A few hours had passed, and they were getting close now. The soldier wasn’t facing the barrier, but he didn’t have to be to know. His surroundings were illuminated in the pale light of the barrier. The transport slowed to a stop. “About damn time!” he yelled, shifting his unease to the back of his mind, he wondered how they’d actually get into the barrier. Turning, he realized they were still a good distance away. “What gives?” he questioned as the front unit opened and the comms officer hopped out and stretched.

“You’re still here, eh?” The comms officer inquired with a yawn. “Surprised you didn’t turn tail when you realized I was serious about coming here.”

“Well ‘here’ isn’t where I was aiming for. I thought we were taking them…” Alpha stated as he pointed at the capsules, and then over to the barrier, “…in there.”

“We will, but you’re getting ahead of yourself. We’re also under strict orders to stay out of there when it’s dark – no matter what; and if something were to happen, help won’t come until the sun rises.” The comms officer reflected the same serious look on the face of his superior when he was told not to go in even an hour before dark... and the way he was stonewalled when he asked questions.

“How come?” Alpha questioned.

“That’s classified.” The comms officer stated, as if mocking the only answer his superior would give him.

“Well how do we get through the barrier?” Alpha asked with an annoyed look.

“Ahh, barrier aetherics; now that’s a tricky one!” The comms officer said excitedly.

“Spare me the technical jargon.” Alpha interrupted, holding his arm out and hand up as if to block all the big words.

“We use this device…” The comms officer answered dully, losing his enthusiasm and pulling something out of his pocket, “To project a smaller version of the exact same barrier (that’s the tricky part) around ourselves. When the big one and our barrier come into contact, they will merge and let us pass. One for each unit, so you’ll just pick whichever looks the most comfortable and ride on through.”

“So wait, this stealth transport is also equipped with the same barrier as that?” Alpha questioned, pointing at the huge barrier looming before them, “And what, it’s afraid of the dark?”

“Same barrier, different power source; basic aetherics!” The comms officer retorted confidently, “Besides…” he trailed off.

“Besides…?” Alpha replied with questioning eyes.

“That transport as well as most of the equipment used here is solar powered.” The comms officer stated, matter-of-factly.

“Anticlimactic…” Alpha sighed, losing interest.

“Well what did you expect, zombies?” The comms officer laughed.

“Bah, I feel like an idiot for having worried.” Alpha said, annoyed again.

“Well what DID you expect? All our resources are being poured into it; it’s supposed to save our race! Of course it’s going to be something big. Even I don’t know what’s going on in there, but come on, it’s supposed to help us, nothing to be afraid of!” The comms officer declared with a sense of pride. “That said, I do wonder what exactly they’re doing…”

“And what they need them for…” Alpha said, staring softly at the capsules.

“Probably what they feed the zombies.” The comms officer replied jokingly. Alpha just glared back at him, in response to which the comms officer shrugged and asked, “Well what do you take your government for? No, this isn’t exactly my standard cargo – though I do get the occasional odd request. I mean, the personnel don’t get to leave very often and I’m their only link to the outside.”

There was a pause before the comms officer continued with, “This is the first time I’ve taken anything alive, let alone two people as cargo! Hell, transportation isn’t even my job, this a rather special gig, you know? I’m from the communications department, specifically at the facility run by Dr. Tellamar. These girls are actually going to help with some genetics experiments, something about Huntington’s Disease. Don’t tell me you didn’t find out or recognize the name of the girl you picked up, Mr. Best-in-the-business!”

Alpha listened quietly with an unsatisfied look on his face. “I don’t really get to complain, after all, I was the one who took her… I just don’t know what I took her for. As far as who she is... ” A silent moment passed as Alpha recalled her name. “Cromwell. Aren’t her parent’s some elite intellectuals? For that aetherics mumbo jumbo?”

“Her parents wrote THE books, plural, on that aetherics mumbo jumbo! In fact, the little miss has recently undergone a series of surgeries to implant mana. Her parent’s used their own daughter to prove one of their theories on the medicinal applications of biological aetherics, it’s all cutting edge stuff and quite fascinating, really.” The communications officer explained.

“Damn! So I kidnapped a genuine princess… how am I supposed to not be curious as to why?” Alpha questioned as he shook his head.

“You mean aside from the rather large pile of money you were paid?” The comms officer stated sharply.

“I’d like to know I’m not feeding her to the wolves, both literal and figurative.” Alpha said, almost regretfully.

“Alright, alright; I’ll cut you some slack here. Seriously though, you think I didn’t have these same concerns? Dr. Tellamar runs the facility I work at. He is involved in a number of advanced projects here. His specialty is as a geneticist, specifically because his wife had Huntington’s Disease. Sadly, she’s gone now; but their daughter has it too. Your girl can use biological aetheircs to heal people, and the other is actually a relation.” The comms officer stated confidently.

“And he couldn’t bring them in normally?” Alpha inquired.

“There is no ‘normally’ bringing people here! Especially children! The vast majority of the staff live on site, and the only other comings and goings are through the military. The rest of the staff was about to riot just trying to get personal effects, other small things and the like. The military offered us this single transport, and guess who just so happens to have a hungry curiosity for aetherics?” The comms officer beamed proudly.

“I just don’t like it. It’s too fishy when it wraps up that neatly. The wrinkles are there, they’re just small. I hope I’m worried over nothing, maybe it’s just guilt gnawing at me. I just never thought I’d have to do something like this, simply trying to provide for my family…” Alpha’s voice ran cold with what he said next: “But if it is her or my family, she loses.”

“Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.” The comms officer shrugged and smiled half heartedly as he said the words.

“Bellyaching over it won’t solve anything. The sun will be up in a couple hours, I’m going to try and sleep a little while we wait.” Alpha said as he walked over to rest against the transport.

“Not a bad idea.” The comms officer agreed, then grinned wryly, "First though, we have something to discuss."

"And what would that be?" Alpha asked in response, turning back to face the comms officer.

"Well I'm not exactly authorized to bring any extra passengers." The comms officer replied wryly, his grin widening.

"Well you're a shrewd one, waiting till we get out here to bring it up." Alpha glared at him, sizing him up. "Well, what do you want?"

"You're a merc, right? You’ve got all kinds of connections." He could see Alpha's face start to sour and added, "Hey, now! It's not as if I have a job for you, and I’m neither blackmailing nor looking for payment! I'd just rather you not forget who helped you get through this barrier."

"I'm not a damned merc, but I get you, a favor for a favor." Alpha spat our bitterly.

"Just as you have yours to worry about, I have mine. The issue at hand is, you want something from me. Underhanded or not, you won't get past here without me." The comms officer could have been looking right through Alpha. "Feel free to turn back now..."

"And if I refuse to help you when the time comes?" Alpha scoffed, meeting the comms officer's gaze.

"Come now," The comms officer's attitude lightened as he turned towards the transport; "you've come all this way to repay a debt that you didn't have to. Your loyalty appears to have value."

Alpha sighed dejectedly.

"Then we have an understanding? Nothing in this world's for free. If you're dumb enough to believe something is free, then you just haven’t realized what you're buying into." With that, the comms officer climbed back into the transport.

"Cocky bastard!" Alpha spat out as he turned towards the transport and looked for a... comfortable spot to take a rest, and ended up leaning against the capsule of his target.

Alpha slept, but it was for at most an hour as he restlessly dreamed of his family – of the time he almost lost his daughter; of the promise he had made to his wife to do everything in his power to see that she be taken care of.

Dawn came quickly, and brought with it the means for them to reach their destination. The sun had just barely broken the horizon when the door to the front of the transport opened and the comms officer started to step out. 

“Finally time to go?” Alpha called out from his perch on the end of the transport.

“Well, you’re just rearing to go, aren’t you?” The comms officer called back, shutting the door and starting up the transport. They made their way towards the great barrier looming before them.

 

“Soon…” A voice spoke softly. “Wait for me, Leacy. I won’t give up. Every day I draw closer. Daddy is so close now, and he’ll be able to give you the future you deserve!” A man donning a lab coat spoke to a glowing capsule containing a young girl hooked up to a life support system and submersed in a translucent, glowing gel. “Daddy can’t wait to hear your voice again!”

There was a long silence as the man went over his notes, occasionally pausing to glance at the numbers on the terminal on the side of his daughter’s capsule. “Good, everything has stabilized nicely… It looks safe to initiate the next phase. Daddy’s sorry it’s taking so long, but he promises you won’t have to wait much longer! The last few pieces of the equation are on their way now!”

He went back to checking over his notes. He couldn’t afford any mistakes, and he was running out of time. His thoughts were interrupted by his intercom. “Dr. Tellamar, we have a situation. Your presence is required immediately in the command room!” An excited voice said loudly.

“On my way.” He answered coldly into his comms device as he scowled. “And so it begins.” He said to himself as he pinned his clipboard under his arm, shoved his hands into his pockets and headed away from his daughter. “Daddy has some important guests coming to help him make you better! I love you Leacy, I’ll be back as soon as I can!” He said gently to her as he walked out of the room.

 

The sun was barely up as the transport slowed to a stop next to a small construct that was basically just a terminal kept out of the weather to be used for communications. They were right outside the barrier.

The comms officer opened his door and stepped out, faced the barrier and with a whistle said, "Look at the size of that thing! It never ceases to amaze me! You know it actually extends underground completing a full sphere?! Can you imagine how much power it takes to maintain this thing?!"

"You're loud." Alpha glowered as he sat up, stretched and yawned.

The comms officer sighed and pulled a handle out of the terminal that extended from a retractable cord and plugged it into the transport. "The constant aetherical flow needed to maintain something this massive is simply incredible! This feat alone gives me hope for mankind’s future!" The comm's officer stated proudly.

Alpha stared back blankly at him.

"If they can pour that kind of raw power into defense, imagining the offensive capabilities is, well, somewhat frightening. Then again, if it was something to be afraid of, it probably would have been made apparent by now." The comms officer rattled off, thinking back to how long the barrier had been there and caused seemingly no problems, then, for good measure added, “A barrier’s main purpose is to protect, and they’ve built a barrier that can protect whole cities!”

“I get it, enough with the lecture!” Alpha almost whined, “They’re not the bad guys, thank you professor! It just feels like they’re… hiding something!”

They stared at each other in a silent opposition that was broken after a few moments by a loud beep that must have signaled whatever had been hooked up had completed its task, as in response the comms officer unplugged and reattached the handle to the terminal, then turned back to face Alpha with a big smile on his face. “Ready to see the truth for your own eyes?”

“Yea, yea, let’s get on with it.” Alpha inhaled deeply and held his breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. He then turned towards the back of the transport.

The comms officer’s smile faded as he grumbled, “I think you just like bursting my bubble! Anyway this time you ride shotgun! Won’t do any good to have you sitting on an invisible transport!”

Alpha paused and tried to mask his piqued curiosity before turning to the comms officer and stating, “Alright, but save your lectures!”

This time, the comms officer sighed dejectedly before making his way to the transport, “We have other things to discuss.” He stated before opening up the transport and climbing in.

“Like what?” Alpha said, following suit.

“For starters, I can’t actually take you into the lab with me.” The comms officer said as he closed his door and started up a terminal.

“So drop me off before we get there. I’ll watch you deliver our cargo and will have to be satisfied knowing she made it safely to her destination.” Alpha said as he looked at the control panel for the transport and grimaced at its complexity.

The comms officer pulled the transport closer up to the barrier then turned to Alpha and laughed at the look on his face, “I’ll show you what all this does!”

Alpha watched the comms officer navigate through some menus on the console’s interface and upon bringing up a particular window, typed in some numbers and fidgeted with the various buttons before the sound of a generator whirred up and the transport lifted a few feet off the ground. “Wow, it hovers?!” He exclaimed.

The comms officer just smiled as he refrained from explaining. Alpha peered at him inquisitively.

“Leaving the aetherics out of it, once the object has been surrounded with a barrier; it’s actually rather trivial to do the rest. Transportation, the anti gravity field, even cloaking and rendering us invisible are just different methods of utilizing the sigils and aetherics. The complicated part is managing to do this-” The comms officer was getting excited as he pulled the transport up to the barrier, which seemed to open up for them.

Before their very eyes a vast scene of lush green unfolded as plant life covered the area and reached for the skies. Several plumes of steam could be seen rising to a cloud that hid the top of the barrier from view, still a good distance above the trees. The gentle slope of the hill sprawled out before them beckoned them down to the bottom.

For once, Alpha was content to just sit and listen as he took in everything going on around him. While he didn't really care about the science behind it, it was no less of an incredible sight to behold. The world he knew was slowly but noticeably decaying into a wasteland capable of sustaining little but dust, but the world beyond the barrier was lush and vibrant, full of color and life! While taken aback, he was reserved, only allowing a quiet "Wow...!" to escape. The comms officer pretended not to notice.

“While the term 'barrier' is little more than the envelopment of a target with aether; it has a wide variety of functions depending on how the emitter shapes the aether.” The comms officer continued on, oblivious to the fact that Alpha was utterly ignoring him and instead engrossed within the scenery around them. 

“They are, however, rather difficult to maintain - requiring an immensely powerful energy source. In this case, a series of high end generators take turns keeping it up.” The comms officer continued.

"Why is it so full of life in here?" Alpha inquired.

"Well, they are experimenting with the biology of the plants in here as well. Though, the barrier is partially responsible, being as it keeps out the polluted rains; it also serves another interesting function.” The comms officer paused to take a breath, he was turning this into a lecture. “It’s an artificial atmosphere.”

The comms officer continued on with, “Every four hours, the barrier passes to another generator. To keep the barrier from going down even for a split second, the generator coming online starts up a fraction of a second before the generator going offline ceases it's output. For that small fraction of a second, the barrier output is doubled and the power spike causes it to vibrate rather violently as it expands for a moment until it's back to one generator.”

“You've probably noticed all the steam from the geothermal conduit vents; as a result, condensation builds up on the barrier. When it vibrates, all that condensation is released and pours down like a light shower. Everything in here gets plenty of clean water. They’re looking to create a viable, albeit contained, atmosphere." The comms officer paused and grinned at Alpha before adding, "Unfortunately, none of that promotes our zombie horde, so we whisk away young children in the night!"

"I wonder what else they experiment on in here..." Alpha asked, ignoring the comms officer's remark.

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The comms officer shrugged, "Probably anything they think might help us out of this mess." 

Alpha just stared silently across the vast jungle sprawled out before him, trying to take it all in; yet wondering why it didn't add up...

"Wait till we get to the turtle dragons, they'll change your mind!" The comms officer said with a goofy grin.

"Turtle what?" Alpha said dumbfounded.

"Turtle dragon." The comms officer said, almost respectfully.

"The hell is a turtle dragon?" Alpha questioned, almost annoyed.

"A prime example of this place's progress!" The comms officer replied, getting excited again.

Alpha paused and then warily inquired, "How so...?"

The comms officer took a deep breath, and upon taking notice of the annoyance spreading across Alpha's face decided to keep it short and simple, "Turtle dragon's led to the discovery of the barrier spell!"

"Hmmmm, so animals are experimented on here in order for us to learn more about mana and aetherics?" Alpha asked, unsatisfied.

This time it was the comms officer that was annoyed, "That's just the tip of the iceberg! The project that created the turtle dragon's were initially trying to create a creature that would, well, actively take care of plant life."

"What do you mean?" Alpha questioned.

"Ugh!" The comms officer declared with growing agitation, "It's hard to explain all this in layman's terms! Look at it this way: farming crops is a necessity for humans, right?"

"Well yea, it's the most efficient method for mass food production." Alpha said.

"And to take care of that, a project was set into motion to create a small creature with enough intelligence to take care of the farming!" The comms officer stated, exasperation permeating his voice.

Alpha responded, "So turtle dragons are little farmers that can cast barriers?" 

"That's the kindergarten definition." The comms officer sighed.

"Hmmm..." Alpha tugged his beard in contemplation.

"We'll see them shortly, a simple description just doesn't do them justice!" The comms officer insisted.

"At least they aren't making little monsters!" Alpha said as if relieved.

"Well..." The comms officer's excitement faded. "Not every story is a success story, and intentions do little to shape reality..."

"So we're accidentally making monsters?" Alpha said, baffled.

"Did God's most beloved angel accidentally fall from grace and rebel against his creator?" The comms officer retorted.

"That's not a fair comparison, it's not even realistic!" Alpha exclaimed.

The comms officer shrugged, "Fine. You intend on being a 'good' father and are doing your absolute best to raise a 'good' daughter, right?"

"Well yea, being a father is everything to me!" Alpha answered.

"Are you setting a 'good' example with... the string of events that brought our paths together?" The comms officer reminded him of why he was even here. "Intentions only set something in motion. Events out of your control will no less than steer your path in... unexpected directions. I know you don't think those two back there intended on coming here, and yet..." The comms officer trailed off.

"Yea, yea!" Alpha said loudly, "In intending to do right by my daughter, events beyond my control steered me to where I am now - and my subsequent actions are anything but right." Alpha smiled widely, "But my girl is innocent, she deserves no less, she's a-"

"Turtle dragon!" The comms officer enthusiastically interrupted.

"No, not even close." Alpha sighed dejectedly.

"No, no! There -" The comms officer pointed a ways in front of them. "Turtle dragons!"

The transport slowed to a stop as Alpha took in the scene unfolding before him. Numerous small scaly creatures were seemingly working in unison! Some were digging holes while others were tending to small trees and other types of flora in the area.

"Little farmers, huh?" Alpha couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Yea, that just doesn't do them justice..."

They silently sat and watched the turtle dragons toil in the ground for a time before the comms officer broke the silence with a widening smile. "Want to get out and take a closer look?"

"Can we?!" Alpha exclaimed, not even trying to contain his excitement.

"Well I've got to let you out somewhere, and if you climb a tree here you'll be able to see me make my delivery. These guys are totally non aggressive and I think they'll show you what we're really up to in here!" The comms officer exclaimed, even more excited. "Besides, these guys know which fruits are the best!"

"Hell yea turtle dragons! I haven't eaten since yesterday!" Alpha half yelled, his excitement piqued.

The comms officer landed the transport, held his finger up to a button and said, "Watch this!" With that, he pushed the button and the generator behind them whirred down; dropping the barrier around them and revealing the transport.

Both immediately as well as simultaneously, the turtle dragons in the vicinity stopped mid action and erected small, individual barriers around themselves.

"Heh heh, never fails to amaze me!" The comms officer laughed.

"So even animals can synch with mana, that's..." Alpha trailed off.

"These guys were actually born with mana injected into their body; their synch ratio far surpasses the norm." The comms officer stated matter-of-factly, as if reading it from a textbook.

"So if they did create a monster here..." Alpha trailed off again.

"You're focusing on one small part of it." The comms officer stated solemnly.

"Seems like a pretty big part to me." Alpha retorted.

"It's not what's made, but it's how it's used!" The comms officer said sternly. "Man made fire, then gunpowder. Then there were bullets and grenades as well as biological and even nuclear weapons."

"Are you saying I have to worry about a mana bomb?" Alpha protested.

"I'm saying you have to worry about the extinction of the human race! Pretty profound, right? Guess what? It will take something no less profound to save it! Did you simply think that maybe if we all hold hands and ask the stars nicely, they'll grant us a comfortable future? Wrong. Both of us, and that daughter of yours included, have to scrape out a future with nothing more than our two bare hands!" The comms officer half yelled at him.

"I'm perfectly aware of that, I've soiled my own hands to protect the future of my family!" Alpha yelled back.

"And all you've managed to save was your own family, at HER expense no less!" The comms officer pointed at the capsules on the transport and glared at Alpha, "You don't get to judge the men willing to 'soil' their hands with the welfare of the entire human race!"

With that, the two just glared at each other in a silence that was broken when the comms officer opened his door and said, "Arguing about it isn't getting us anywhere, if these guys can't show you that were here for nothing more than the betterment of mankind... then you're blind!"

The comms officer stepped out of the transport and started off towards the turtle dragons, Alpha shook his head as he hesitated before reluctantly stepping out himself and following. "How do you expect me to believe that something here won't in fact be detrimental to the human race?

"My word, I show you farming turtles that emit barriers, and yet, all you see is a potential fire breathing menace!" The comms officer said, annoyed, "It's like you'd actually prefer the zombies!"

"I'd prefer," Alpha quickened his step to catch up to the comms officer, "some of this fruit you mentioned."

The comms officer grinned as he walked over to a shrub that was almost his height and pulled off two brownish tomato looking fruits and tossed one to Alpha and said, "Healthiest fruit here! Turtle dragons love them, they are packed full of nutrients and vitamins, and they grow like weeds!"

Alpha took him at his word and he could feel the comms officers piercing gaze as he bit into the fruit and his own eyes went wide.

"Unfortunately, they taste like ass!" The comms officer busted up laughing as Alpha spat out and threw down the fruit.

Alpha shuddered, "Ugh, ass might taste better!"

The comms officer was still laughing as he walked over to another tree with what appeared to be clusters of red bananas and, using a knife he produced from his pocket, cut off several and turned to Alpha. "These are my favorites, they taste like melon!" He peeled one and took a bite before tossing one to Alpha, who stared cautiously at it.

Alpha hesitated, taking note of their growing audience of turtle dragons before cautiously taking a bite. "Hey, that's pretty good!" He said with a mouthful.

The comms officer, having finished his fruit; tossed the peel and tore another open before squatting down and holding it out in his hand, offering it to a nearby turtle dragon. "Want some num-nums, little buddy?"

Alpha watched as the turtle dragon warily crept up to the comms officer, lowered it's barrier and gently took the piece of fruit out of his hand before quickly replacing it’s barrier and devouring the offering. Upon finishing the piece of fruit, it looked up at the comms officer and cooed a couple times before groaning and affectionately nuzzled it’s head against the comms officer's leg.

"Heh, just like a big kitten!" The comms officer proclaimed as he bent down to pet the turtle dragon.

Alpha walked over to a similar tree and pulled off a red banana fruit, peeled it tried tempting a nearby turtle dragon, "Here boy, want some food?"

The turtle dragon he was trying to tempt over ignored him, but a few of the smaller ones in the area shuffled up but stopped just out of his reach. Alpha sat the fruit on the ground and took a couple steps back. The turtle dragons approached the fruit and dropped their barriers to inspect it more closely; sniffed it a few times before each looked up at Alpha. The one in the middle let out a low groaning noise. "Don't want the banana, huh?"

"Ahh, yea that's a were-zombie. It may look like a turtle dragon now; but the light of the full moon will reveal it to be the child-eater out of your nightmares!" The comms officer said as he scratched his turtle dragon's chin who just lay on the ground before him.

With that, Alpha got up, cut and peeled three more red bananas before squatting back down, holding them out and again tried coaxing over the turtle dragons. "One for each of you!"

The turtle dragons crept closer, dropping their barrier but not their guard. They went to sniff the fruit he offered, but he slowly retracted his hand. One turtle dragon squeaked at him and a tail that could have belonged to any of them swiftly reached in and knocked the fruit out of his hand. Each turtle dragon reached down and grabbed one before darting off. "Hey!" Alpha cried with reproach. 

The comms officer pretended not to notice as he scratched the back of the turtle dragon's head who responded by rapidly pawing at the ground whimpering sofly. "You are a good boy, aren’t you?! Yes you are!" He cooed at the turtle dragon.

By now, they were surrounded by turtle dragons, a few of which had even dropped their barriers. Alpha obtained another peeled banana and again tried enticing a turtle dragon. After calling out to a few of them, who seemed to just ignore him; he got frustrated. "Bleh!" He exclaimed as he lobbed the piece of fruit into the crowd. 

The red banana bounced off one scaley head only to be snatched up by another. The barriers that were down in that immediate area shot back up and several of them groaned, with the one who took a banana to the head hissing and glaring at Alpha. "I see that got your attention!"

"Well, aren't you the charmer?" The comms officer chuckled. Much to Alpha's dismay, several turtle dragon's had gathered around the comms officer with their barriers down; who was petting two at a time.

Alpha got another banana, peeled it, and upon taking a bite heard a squeak behind him. Turning around, he saw a tiny turtle dragon looking up at him with wanting eyes. Slowly, so as not to scare the little one, Alpha pulled off a piece of the banana, squatted down and offered it to the tiny turtle dragon.

Accepting his offer, the turtle dragon cooed at him, picked the piece of fruit out of his hand and happily chowed down on it. Upon seeing this, some of the nearby turtle dragons lowered their barrier and casually yet cautiously stepped closer.

"So you can make friends!" the comms officer said in exaggerated disbelief.

"Quiet, you!" Alpha responded as he reached down and scratched the little one on the back of the head, "Well you're a brave little booger, aren't you?"

The comms officer stood up and walked over to Alpha. Looking around, he noticed that most of the turtle dragons in the area had their barrier down. "Think you'll be ok here for about an hour? I don't really have a timed schedule; but they will be expecting me this morning for my first delivery.”

"I'll manage." Was all Alpha said as the little turtle dragon that was attempting to climb up his leg had his full attention. "Don't suppose I could take one of these home to my daughter?"

"I just smuggled you in and already you're trying to take souvenirs!" The comms officer chuckled.

"Well wouldn't it be great to show the rest of the world some of the good that's being hid in here?" Alpha questioned.

"Well it's not like they'll be able to link it back to me, so why not? Anyway I'm going to get this over with, I don't see this taking more than an hour; but you never know." The comms officer turned towards the transport, paused and turned back to Alpha. Offering his hand to Alpha he said, "I guess we don't even know each other's name's yet, do we? I'm-"

 A sudden gust of wind caused the comms officer to fall silent. Barrier's shot up all around him as chills ran down his spine.

 

"Tellamar, what are you doing? We'll be slaughtered!" A young man in a white coat marked 'Technician' desperately cried into his communicator.

"No, you'll be slaughtered. I warned you didn't I?! You saw them as insects and yet, you were the ones being played for fools!" Replied his communicator coldly.

"I won't let you do this!" The lab tech raced to a terminal and began typing furiously, "I CAN'T let you do this!"

"You can't stop me either." His communicator spat out as the lights around him flickered off.

"I knew you weren't to be trusted! What kind of monster experiments on his own daughter!?" The lab tech yelled angrily into his communicator.

"Why couldn't you just leave with the others? Your suspicions were indeed well founded, and yet, this is where they led you? Brilliant. And what do you know of my daughter? This is -ALL- for her sake!" The communicator replied.

"What point is there in saving her if the rest of the world burns?" The lab tech was frantically rushing back and forth between terminals, hoping to find one that would respond.

"No, that equation has been solved. They promised me once I gave them my help, they'd allow me full access to equipment necessary to save my daughter. They drove me into this corner!" The communicator argued back.

"You say it's been solved but that isn't good enough! We haven’t even had a chance to fully test either Point!" The tech yelled as he slammed his fists into the unresponsive terminal.

"Test them? HA! You arrogant pissant! We can't even measure them, testing them is out of the question!" The communicator screamed back.

"Dammit, Tellamar, you're not leaving me with many options here." The tech pulled a handheld terminal out of his pocket and turned it on. 'CONTAINMENT BREACH' repeated over and over on the screen.

"I've left you with two options- obey and maybe survive, or resist and die. Either way, I will not be stopped!" The communicator replied.

"I have one other-" The lab tech nearly jumped as he heard a loud screech from the door behind him. He shuddered and gathered his courage. "I have another option!" He shouted as he pulled up a program marked 'FAILSAFE.' He raised his finger to the button and hesitated once he heard banging on the other side of the room. 

"Even if you succeed, you'll still die." The communicator replied calmly.

The scurrying of something or somethings overhead sent more chills down the back of the lab tech. His handheld prompted him to input his ID and password. "Yes, it's too late for me..." The lab tech closed his eyes and sighed, "However!" He declared defiantly as he began typing in his password. "I can still stop you!"

"Wrong." Was the last thing he heard out of the communicator. 

There was a metal on metal grating sound and the lab tech gasped at the realization that the doors keeping those things out were just opened. Immediately he felt a chill. He barely caught a glimpse of his assailant before it was over. His handheld lay on the ground next to his limp body. FAILSAFE blinked on the screen waiting to be executed. Tellamar was unopposed.

"What's holding up that damned transport?!" Tellamar growled. His voice softened as he turned to an eerily glowing tube containing a young girl, "Leacy, please be patient, the last pieces of the puzzle will be here shortly, daddy promises..."

 

A dark, shadow enshrouded figure hovered just above the ground, it reflected no light and  had no discernable eyes or other facial features aside from a mouth that was twisted into something of a smile. In its arm was something metallic that a silvery liquid was leaking out of and down the length of the shadows body.

"The hell is this thing?" Alpha asked, taking note of the turtle dragons that were slowly backing away; even the little one that had finally warmed up to him darted off with the appearance of this... living shadow.

"I... Honestly... Have... No... Idea..." The comms officer said slowly, backing away himself.

Tension was growing as Alpha reached back and tightly grasped the hilt of his weapon. The shadow in front of him hadn't so much as twitched or even made a sound since it's sudden arrival.

"What in the bloody hell do you want?!" Alpha barked at it defiantly.

Without a word, the figure raised it's free arm and pointed behind them. They both turned and saw it was pointing at the transport.

"Here's the keys!" The comms officer said in disbelief as he produced the small piece of metal from his pocket and tossed it toward the shadow only to have it intercepted by Alpha.

"Sorry," Alpha said, ignoring the comms officer, "precious cargo!"

The dark figure floated down to the ground and started towards the transport. Alpha quickly blocked it's path. The dark figure stared silently at him for a moment before turning and starting to go around Alpha. Again, Alpha moved to block his path, this time brandishing his weapon.

"Are you crazy?!" The comms officer said shocked, still in disbelief.

"Are you still here?" Alpha said, never turning away from the dark figure as he lobbed the keys back to the comms officer.

"I don't know what that is, but I don't think that running away would make any difference." The comms officer's eyes were wide with fear.

"I thought you said there wasn't anything here to be afraid of!" Alpha yelled.

"There isn't, at least not that I know of. The higher up projects were all classified, with both facilities working jointly on some top secret project. What I do know is that thing is using some very high class aetherics. Whatever he transported himself in with, is beyond anything I've ever seen, not to mention the anti-gravity. It has no barrier so it's doing all that by itself... Did Dr. Tellamar really make something like this?" The comms officer said with a voice full of fear.

"I am NOT that foolish child's creation!" Roared from all directions. "Relinquish the transport or your lives, I care not which." The shadowy figure started to go around Alpha again, who just pointed his blade at the figures head. The figure just stared down the length of the blade at Alpha. "Is this one..." The figure paused, "brave, or stupid? both are shortcuts to your end."

"I won't abandon my charge!" Alpha yelled with resolve.

"Are you nuts?!" The comms officer both yelled and pleaded at the same time, "He's giving us a chance to escape with our lives, do you not want to see your daughter again?!"

Alpha stared up at the figure, still pointing his weapon as he said, "I want to be able to look her in the eye the next time I see her."

"I will only ask this once more," the figure said without moving any part of its body, "will you abandon your transport, or your life?"

"I don't like repeating myself much either!" Alpha answered. "So long as I have the ability to fight, my will won't give out!" 

No sooner had the words escaped his mouth than the blade of his weapon down to the hilt melted like hot wax. "And now?" The figure asked.

Alpha was stunned. He knew he was in over his head, but he refused to allow himself to back down. Taking precious seconds to compose himself, he produced a short blade and replied, "I don't see how a broken weapon changes anything..."

"Oh-ho, we have an interesting one here. And you?" The figure turned towards the comms officer.

Paralyzed by the figure's eyeless gaze, all the comms officer managed to say was, "Oh man, I shouldn't even be here!"

"Return to the transport, you have your barrier. Get them to safety, I'll stall this... thing!" Alpha yelled as he stepped forward as he brandished his short blade.

'Barrier' was all the comms officer heard; before he realized what he was doing: he was in a full sprint, as if racing death to the transport.

"You stand alone." The dark figure said, turning back to Alpha. "What do you hope to achieve?"

"I stand between you and that which I protect." Alpha said with an unrelenting determination.

The shadowy figure cocked it's head to one side, as if trying to gain new perspective on the words spoken to it.

The comms officer was at the transport by now, when Alpha heard the door open and quickly slammed shut, he sighed in relief as he firmly gripped his weapon.

As if waiting for something, the figure simply stared at Alpha, who in turn glared back up at the figure. This stare down went on for a few moments before the transport broke the silence as it's generator revved up.

"Futile." The figure muttered.

Alpha didn't know what he was doing and he couldn't ignore the fact that he was in way over his head. He took a deep breath and thought of his family before gathering his courage and yelling, "I refuse to relinquish anything to the likes of you! Neither my charge nor my life!"

The transport slowly started to lift off the ground, this eased Alpha's mind. "Well what are you waiting for?!" He yelled at the shadowy figure.

The figure raised his free arm out open handed, palm up; as if reaching for the transport.

Alpha raised his blade.

The transport raised its barrier.

When the transport vanished from his sight, he started to breathe a sigh of relief, but it was in vain. His ears rang with the sound of metal screeching as it was stressed, giving way to a great force and crumpling like an empty can. Alpha watched in disbelief as the figure slowly balled his hand into a fist, somehow crushing transport! 

In horror, Alpha watched as the barrier was dispelled and just the cab of the transport was being crushed with the sound of agonized steel. The rest of the transport crashed a short distance to the ground and fell over on it’s side.

Without thinking, Alpha’s body lunged forward, springing into the air with his blade at the ready- it would not find purchase.

The shadowy figure snatched him out of the air, grabbing him by the face and held him a short distance off the ground.

Alpha swung his blade wildly through the air, unable to see his target or anything else. He panicked. In his last moments, his frantic brain showed him his family. The smiling faces of his pregnant wife and young daughter, the stern look his friend and brother in law always wore, even his parents and friends from when he was just a kid. "I'm sorry..." he started to say as both his consciousness and breath were torn from his body.

The dark figure dropped the lifeless body to the ground and started toward what was left of the transport.

"I am sorry, little one," The dark figure apologized to what he carried in his arm, "this is something you'll have to get used to." Without touching it, the figure opened the capsules revealing two sleeping young girls. "You will slay legions," The figure said, gently touching one girls forehead, "This is your only purpose in life..." then reaching over and touching the other girl's forehead, "for you are..." the figure reached high in the air and snapped his fingers "...born to end all war."

As if on cue, the girls groaned and started to wake up.

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