Chapter 154: A familiar form

James fought for calm. The sudden silence, the horrific stillness, only made it seem as if the world were spinning out from under him all the more.

He wanted movement. Noise. Life.

This stillness..

Serenity dropped to her knees beside Kimmie and touched the side of her neck only to snatch her hand back.

Dazed, James blinked and tried to get his shit together.

He couldn’t even remember what had happened, exactly. He’d burning through his Aeviternum in what felt like seconds. Had been forced to wait during those crucial seconds for his divine pool to recharge.

Nine Aeviternum. Why had he thought that would ever be enough?

He stated/believed that the symbology was important/amusing, and that more than that indicated a failure to dominate a conflict.

A failure to dominate a conflict. James stared at the corpse of the spider. They sure as fuck had failed to dominate this whole encounter.

Serenity scooted over to Olaf and touched the side of his neck in turn. Hissed and drew it away.

James inhaled deeply. Never had he missed Mental Dominion so much. Even his Arete wasn’t helping him do more than just stand there and not lose his shit.

Jason returned. Just appeared in a flash of white fire, staggered as he caught his balance, and then stared, aghast, at the dead all around.

“Where did you go?” rasped James.

Jason looked up, eyes wide, uncomprehending. Then he blinked. “Miriam. I had to get her to safety.”

James crossed the intervening yards in a flash. Grabbed hold of Jason by the lapels and sought to lift him off the ground - but the other man clamped him about the wrists and prevented him from doing so.

“You left us.” James felt blinding hot rage pulsing behind his eyes. “You abandoned us when we needed you most.”

Jason’s’ face flushed. “I had to protect her.”

Serenity looked up from Denzel’s side. “That what she wanted?”

Jason grimaced. “No. She was furious with me. But that doesn’t matter. I don’t need her to understand. I just need her to be safe.”

“You fucking arrogant prick,” said Serenity tiredly. “Did she want to come back with you?”

Jason didn’t answer.

James pushed the young man away, his fury dying and turning to ash in his mouth. The betrayal felt so huge that he couldn’t wrap his mind around it, but compared to the grief?

“We need to get back to Mavthua,” said Serenity numbly. “He can reprogram us to have the resurrection power. We can come back and fix this.”

“Right,” said James, then paused. “Wait. Mavthua’s dead.”

“Then we convince someone else to do it for us.” Serenity rose to her feet. “However we have to do it.”

Hope flared in James’s chest. “All right. Yes. Jason?”

“Sure.” The man still wouldn’t meet James’s eyes. “Though the Zorathians were pretty intent on killing us the last time we were there. Not sure how we’re going to convince them.”

“James’s attack can kill Zorathians. Mine can’t, because we thought Mavthua and his crew were coming with us. But if James takes out enough of them…”

James frowned. “I’m out of Aeviternum. Without it, my attack is fifty times weaker. The Zorathians were pretty tough.”

“We need to fucking resurrect our friends,” said Serenity, biting off each word.

“I know.” James pressed the heels of his palms to his temples. “But just appearing in Iron Wave and getting killed won’t help anyone.”

Jason rubbed at his neck. “Then we appear outside it. We capture a Zorathian patrol and interrogate them, find out what happened. If Mavthua is still alive, and if not, if there are any other fragmented Zorathians like him.”

“Wait,” said Serenity. “Their substrate shit. What if they communicate telepathically with the fortress while we’re talking to them?”

“Then…” Jason’s eyes were empty, no more ideas.

“We grab them and teleport them somewhere else. Earth, here, wherever,” said James. “Out of range. Then we get the info and plan our next move.”

“Right,” said Serenity. “Perfect.”

“OK.” Jason gave a shaky exhalation. “So maybe where we first originally appeared on Arkhos?”

“Sure,” said James coldly. He held the young man’s eyes till Jason looked away.

“Look,” began Jason. “I know you - I know what I did was wrong. But I love Miriam. In all this shit, she’s the one thing that makes sense. I couldn’t… I mean, I just…”

“Save it,” said Serenity. “Nobody cares.”

“Yeah.” James gathered himself up. “Or if you gotta explain, tell it to the others you left behind.”

Jason glanced at the corpses of their friends and looked away as if scalded.

“I didn’t think,” he whispered. “To take everyone with me. I panicked. I just thought of her.”

“And they paid the price.” James felt cold disgust settle in his gut. “But enough. We need to focus on bringing them back. You ready, Serenity?”

“Let’s take some Cubes with us in case we can’t come back,” she said. “We can resurrect them from wherever, right? It’s the time that makes the difference, not the location?”

“I think so,” said James uncertainly. “Actually, no. Their bodies revert, so they’d come back to life here. I think?”

“Let’s take some cubes anyway in case we need a power-up.” Serenity led the way to the center of the geodome, skirting around the dead spider alien. “What the fuck was this thing, anyway?”

“I caught the word ‘seraph’ early on,” said Jason. “That’s a term for an angel. Maybe what comes after Thrones?”

Neither James nor Serenity acknowledged him.

Yadriel lay in a twisted heap. James paused beside the corpse. We’re bringing him back. This is just temporary. Keep moving.

Serenity moved to the base of the dimensional spindles. The harvesting process had stalled out from the panels that Yadriel had corrupted. Even though the spider had returned them to their original form, they’d not resumed drawing threads from whatever lay without.

“Here,” said Serenity, crouching beside a small pile of cubes.

“How come there are only four?” asked James.

“Maybe the spider was transporting them away as they appeared.” Serenity gingerly picked up a cube. “Still warm. Here, two for me, two for you.”

Jason went to protest then fell silent.

James accepted two of the cubes.

You have acquired two Reservoir Cubes.

Absorb?

For a second he was tempted. But then he recalled the astral projection that followed absorbing his first. They didn’t have time for him to wander amongst the stars. He’d absorb them later once their friends were back.

He slipped the cubes into his pocket. “We’re going to collect Miriam. We need her power. Then we’ll go after some Zorathians.”

Jason shook his head. “She’ll… I mean, I need time to talk to her, to explain…”

Serenity narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even.”

“I… right. You’re right.” Jason hung his head. “Fuck. Fuck. Let’s go.”

James inhaled deeply. Mavthua had said they couldn’t teleport in here, but that was probably when the spider guy was alive. Now that he’d died, it was clear they could come and go as they pleased.

“Wait for us,” James whispered to his dead friends. “We’ll be back, I promise.”

“OK.” Jason raised his palm - then frowned.

“What is it?” asked Serenity.

“It’s not working.”

“What do you mean it’s not working?” James took a step toward him. “You better not be fucking with us.”

“No, I mean, I can sense the power, but when I picture where I left Miriam and try to lock in on it, I can’t.”

“Try again.”

Jason’s frown deepened. “No. Nothing. It’s like there’s a pane of glass between me and the power.”

“What the fuck?” Serenity looked at Jason. “What’s going on?”

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James turned to stare at the spider. It lay completely still. “Maybe it’s fucking with us.” He strode around the huge corpse to the head.

Which was ruined. It was too alien for him to judge if it was still alive in some capacity, but his rage suddenly found an outlet and he began stomping on what remained of its face, crushing the eyes, caving in the exoskeleton, mangling the mouth.

Splashes of white milky blood flew up and coated his legs.

A few moments later he stopped. He was panting, his heart pounding again.

“There.” He looked up at Jason. “Try again.”

Once more Jason raised his palm. This time he closed his eyes and grimaced.

Nothing happened.

“What the actual fuck?” Serenity started to sound panicked. “Are we trapped in here?”

“He got out and came back in,” said James. “More like he’s choosing to not take us to Miriam.”

“I’m not, I swear.” Jason raised both palms. “I can’t access my power.”

“Or is it that you’re still trying to defend her? Or buy yourself time to explain to her later?”

“James, I promise. I know I fucked up, but I swear to you, on everything -” He glanced guiltily at the dead. “I swear to you I can’t use it.”

James raised his chin. He could still hear Kimmie’s screams echoing in his ears. “You know I can drop you right here, right now.”

Jason met his stare. “I know.”

“I’m going to count to three. If we’re not by Miriam’s side by the time I’m done, I’m pulling the trigger.”

“I can’t do it, man. I’m telling you.”

“One.”

Serenity glanced back and forth between them.

Jason’s face grew pale. “James. I don’t know what I gotta say -”

“Two.”

“Please. Listen. If I could I’d get us out of here, but I swear it, I can’t -”

“Three.”

For a moment nobody breathed. Jason’s eyes were round, his mouth hanging open in fear.

“Fuck,” said James, lowering his head.

“Thank god.” Serenity raked her hair back. “Let’s just say he’s telling us the truth. What could be happening?”

“Interference. Like I said, it feels like something cut me off from teleporting out.”

“Mavthua said these locations were shielded.” James wanted nothing so much as to sit down, to stop thinking. “That the Eluthaarii protected them from portals. Maybe the defensive device has come back online.”

They turned in slow circles, studying the interior of the geodome. There was no sign of technology.

“If it’s in substrate space, we’re fucked,” said Serenity.

James continued to study the walls. “We need to find it. There’s no other option.”

“Hold up.” Serenity bit her lower lip. “Most of what that spider dude said sounded like gibberish. But at the very end, just before it died - it said something about activating a distress beacon?”

“I didn’t hear that,” said Jason.

“You wouldn’t have.” James stared at the kid before looking back at Serenity. “Right. Now I remember it, too. A distress beacon. There’s only one thing it could be summoning.”

Serenity’s eyes widened and then she scoffed. “Nah.”

“What?” asked Jason.

“Mavthua said this thing was the Eluthaarii’s highest ranked servant. I believe it. Who would the highest ranked servant call for help?”

Jason’s eyes widened. “An Eluthaarii? You think one’s coming?”

“Or already here.” James scanned the interior of the dome. “Something’s blocking your powers. These facilities are important to those fuckers, right?”

“Oh shit,” whispered Serenity. “No no no. That’s not how this is meant to go. We can’t face one of them yet.”

“Yet?” James laughed. “You mean ever.”

Serenity ran to the closest panel that rose up from the ground. “Maybe there’s a way out of here. Can we get back into the phase bead? We’re in a Demiplane right now, yeah? Maybe we can get out, back into the ship…”

James watched her pound on the marble panel.

Then he closed his eyes, and hands on his hips, lowered his head.

He had the ability to launch a neutered Death Attack. Serenity could drop an crowd control attack. Jason could teleport, but was neutered as well.

They had no other powers. They’d hyper specialized too much. But then again, if an Eluthaarii was really coming, there was nothing they could do against it regardless.

Think.

There had to be a solution.

A way out of this.

His friends depended on him.

Fuck, for better or worse, humanity did, too.

What could they do?

James frowned. Turned the situation over and over in his mind like a curious kid might a Rubix cube.

But nothing suggested itself.

Maybe he was still in shock from the horrific deaths. The suddenness of it all. Maybe he was just worn out, or had grown too reliant on Mental Dominion and Spiritual Exaltation.

Or maybe they’d finally run out of options.

He could sense Serenity and Jason watching him.

Waiting for him to come up with a miracle.

James stood still. Perfectly still. His mind felt like a highwire trapeze artist, perfectly balanced above the void.

What could he do?

The floor began to tremble.

James blinked, opened his eyes. The perfect white lighting was flickering. Ropes of Void thread swung back and forth.

“James?” Serenity stepped close to him. “What do we do?”

He reached out and drew Serenity to him, arm around her shoulders. “Time to face the music. All we can do now.”

She stared at him in incomprehension that became a moment’s horror and then settled into resigned resolve.

One curt nod and then she stood taller by his side.

James inhaled deeply, held the breath, then stared up at a pinprick of white light that had appeared in midair.

It burned and scintillated like a snowflake on fire, and then slowly began to grow.

C’mon, you bastard. James clenched his jaw and waited. Come face us at last.

A small form coalesced.

A familiar form.

Sword-armed, gilt in gold, hovering in mid-air.

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