PHALANX - The series
Episode eighteen: Rage
So, he had relaxed. For one of the very few moments since becoming Phalanx, he felt his life was almost normal. Suddenly, his eyes shot wide open, and he jumped out of bed. His keen instincts had warned him. His Force-sense flew into full power, and he focused on the present and the immediate future.
A flash, and his force-sense was blinded by an enormous outburst of energy. The sense deactivated as a safety measure. Now that his normal vision was the only one active, he saw a tunnel. What he saw next froze his blood in his veins. Zells' second in command, Darth Marauder, jumped out of the tunnel, grabbed Jennifer, and disappeared into the tunnel, which closed immediately.
Linda had barely sounded an intruder alert by the time the tunnel had closed. Frederic set on a dead-run, his teleportation spell taking him immediately to the bridge. His feelings were hidden behind a wall of emotion blockers. His mind had gone into a high state of alert, blocking all his emotions to the best of its abilities. Nevertheless, Frederic could still feel rage, worry, and a kaleidoscope of other emotions wash over the first few blocks.
It took Daphnix only a few moments longer to reach the bridge.
"What happened?" he shouted, over Linda's blaring alerts.
"Zells kidnapped Jenny," Frederic brought out, his eyes cold as chips of ice as his fingers raced the small keypads on his command chair. He was trying to backtrack the dimensional tunnel.
Incoming transmission, Gordon Zells.
Linda's voice told the two warriors exactly what she would be most happy to do to the guy if she got her holographic hands on him.
"On screen," Frederic's voice was robot-like, but his mind wasn't. It was in turmoil, as his blockers kept bulging under the onslaught of raging emotions.
"Ah, Phalanx. You're just the man I was looking for," Zells' voice was cheerful. The man was obviously happy with himself. "I am keeping your lovely wife as insurance. For the next 48 hours, you and your pesky friends and allies won't do anything against me, or my organization, or she will join her ancestors. Oh, and don't try anything foolish, because it would be damn shame if something happened to those two kids of yours." The screen went blank.
Frederic's hands clenched at the armrests of his seat. With an impassive face, not bulging a single muscle, the armrests broke off.
Daphnix was worried, and outraged, but when he saw Frederic tear of the duranium-enforced armrests without twitching a muscle, he felt fear as well. Fear for what this would do to Frederic. Slowly, very slowly, Frederic got to his feet. He started walking to the exit. He only made it halfway before his blocks broke.
He sunk to the ground, and buried his face in his hands, and Daphnix could see the shaking of his sobs. The next moment, Frederic started vomiting. It went on and on. Daphnix had no idea a person could vomit for 2 minutes at a stretch.
As if he didn't notice the mess, Frederic got to his feet, and walked out the door. Linda's holographic clean-up crew took care of the mess in less than a minute, while Daphnix ran after his friend. He found him entering his quarters. The doors slid shut, and Daphnix got the point. Frederic wanted some time alone. Daphnix sunk to the ground, his back supported by the wall opposite Frederic's quarters.
"Linda, music. Increase volume by 500%."
Linda played a piece of Gregorian music, with male choirs singing religious texts.
"Increase volume by another 500%," Frederic ordered, his back leaning against the wall next to the door. He didn't even have the strength to get into a chair. The audio system blared; it's volume exceeding maximum tolerance. Outside, Daphnix could feel the duranium walls vibrate under the pounding on the audio system. He had no idea how Frederic could take this volume.
For the next 2 hours, Frederic played music. It went from Beethoven's ninth symphony, over Mozart's last, and unfinished, requiem, to music that sounded as if it were recorded in Hell itself.
The music, as it descended to Hell, also left Earth. No Human ever could match the darkness of the Oech-anya. Frederic's mind had programmed the music into Linda, who was now very busy using it to blow out the transparent duranium windows.
Finally, after two agonizing hours, Frederic emerged from the cabin. He looked like something even Hell didn't want. Without saying a word, Frederic turned, and left. Daphnix shot up, and followed his friend, who had by now disappeared into a turbolift.
He took the next turbolift, and he caught up with his friend underway to the hangar.
"What are you going to do?" Daphnix asked his friend.
"I can't endanger Jenny," Frederic's voice sounded dead, and it sent shivers down Daphnix's spine.
"But…"
"I need time. Alone," Frederic said, entering the Daedalus III. The door closed in Daphnix's face. The last thing he heard from the ship was,
Deactivating Linda and Borlan units.
Then, it cloaked, and Daphnix saw the huge hangar doors open up, 1 kilometer above where he was standing now. When he saw the doors close again, he knew that the Daedalus had gone. Shaking his head, Daphnix ran back to the bridge, trying to finish Frederic's work on backtracking the tunnel.
He meditated for hours, trying to calm his mind. How could he trust Zells? Would Zells give Jenny back after those 48 hours? And if he did, what were the chances that she would be unharmed? Tears rolled down Frederic's cheeks as he tried in vain to calm himself. He knew he was losing his mind, that the only things keeping him sane were the barriers and programs he had installed in his own mind.
Suddenly, he was transported. To where, he didn't know. To what time, he had no idea either. All he knew was that he was close. Close to release, to eternal happiness. All he needed to do was cross the border he was standing on.
A ghostly figure appeared next to him, and he turned to it. He saw that it was a woman, in her mid-twenties, dressed solely in white. He hair was hidden under a hood, but he could see friendliness in her blue eyes.
"Who … are you?" he ventured.
"I am the guardian of the ghost roads. You are now standing at a turning point, young Phalanx. You can cross the border, and enjoy what you have earned, in the afterlife. You can also go back, in which case you have two options once more," she said.
Frederic looked at her. She could see something she had not expected. He was actually considering staying here! Was he expecting Jennifer to join him soon? The guardian thought he was… the situation was more dire than she had first thought it was.
"Allow me to show you what you have brought to the worlds," she said, waiving her hand. "You have influenced many people over your short life-span."
"I know that! But I am not irreplaceable! Daphnix can continue my work, and there is the ESMF, the Slayers, and all our allies!"
"Please, young Phalanx, Allow me,"
Frederic nodded his consent. "Go ahead," he said, unconvinced that this would change anything.
Frederic and the woman appeared in a hospital room, where a man and a woman were smiling at a newborn baby. A small girl was looking on, with large eyes full of wonder, staring at the little miracle. Frederic's heart broke, and he had to forcibly restrain himself not to hurt the woman.
"Why are you letting me see this?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "You know how much problems I have with the memories of my parents!"
"Those were the first two lives you influenced, young Phalanx. Those two people were part of an experiment; they never saw you for anything more than that, until you were born."
Frederic closed his eyes. A tear slid down his cheek. "They sacrificed themselves trying to save me," his voice indicated he wanted to cry, but he didn't allow himself to. He knew that the guardian was trying to get a point across.
"Exactly," the guardian said. "Now, this is the next life you influenced."
The scene shifted to first grade. He saw a tiny Daphnix sitting on a bench, being made fun of, for being smarter. He saw his tiny self intervening, or trying to, at least, earning him the same treatment.
"That was when Daphnix and I became friends," Frederic said.
"Can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn't intervened that day?"
"I don't want to think about that," Frederic grunted. "The Sagittarius powers might have erupted. Who knows what might have happened."
"Exactly," the guardian said. "Now, do you recognize this one?"
He could see his teenage-self write an e-mail message on his computer. Frederic read the message, knowing almost immediately what it was.
"That was when I helped that guy out of the U.S." Frederic said.
"Correct. Do you know what he did later? He set up an orphanage in Mexico, and has helped a lot of children."
"How come he changed to much?"
"He had a religious experience. An experience he never would have had if he had been thrown in jail."
"Damn," Frederic muttered. "You know, I always wondered what happened to that guy. I never realized it might have been something like that."
"Now, I am sure you are familiar with the people you helped after you became Phalanx. But, have you checked up on them afterwards?"
"Not many of them," Frederic admitted.
The guardian showed him how lives of many people had been changed, how many people had enjoyed life after their brief touch with the undead. He could see how people had turned their lives around.
"And now, here is someone you have to see," the guardian said.
"Who?" Frederic asked.
The guardian flashed them to a room. He could see a computer, with someone sitting behind it, typing. The man was around twenty, and wore glasses. Frederic glanced over the figure's shoulder at the screen. His face turned pale.
"He is…"
"In that universe, you exist only as a story. He is, for all intents and purposes, you father." The guardian said.
"You mean… without him, there would be no me?"
"You changed his life as well, young Phalanx," the guardian said. "He is becoming a good writer, and it is all thanks to you. His first story was about your dream, but the success of that brought forth the story about you becoming Phalanx of the Human race, and later on, your adventures with the Ketari, the Slayers, everything."
"That bastard has put me through the pains and misery of the last 4 years?" Frederic's voice was almost shouting.
"And he has always brought you through. BorgFred has a loving girlfriend once more, and you have had a lot of happy moments during your career as well,"
Frederic stared at the guardian, and let his gaze trail over the figure, who was still typing.
"He seems…strange," Frederic finally said.
"He doesn't have many friends. To be honest, he only has one real friend, the rest are more acquaintances really, be they over the Internet, or in real life. He is quiet, and introvert. He enjoys watching movies, TV, or just plain writing. He can sit there for hours, reading stories he downloaded from the Internet, or write your adventures or the adventures of his newer, more recent stories. Sometimes, he feels very lonely. Deep inside, he longs for a relationship like yours and Jenny's, and he also knows that it is very likely that it will never be his. That's the reason why he made your connection so deep… a subconscious attempt to, if he can't have it, to at least give you what he can't have."
Frederic looked at the guardian, and to the muted figure, still typing on the computer.
"I feel sorry for you. If you only knew how deep it went," Frederic said, putting his hand on the writer's shoulder. Startled, he felt the muscles ripple across the shoulder, and the figure turned around, startled, as if he could somehow feel Frederic's touch. A sole tear slid down the figure's cheek as he shook his head, turned around, and continued typing. Frederic looked back over the man's shoulder, and saw the lines appear on the screen. He read what he had just said.
Not understanding, Frederic looked back at the guardian, who flashed him back to his own universe.
"That was strange, it was almost as if my life was created in front of my own eyes," Frederic muttered.
"I know," the guardian said. "Now, forget you met him."
"I will no…" Frederic woke up in the baobab tree. He knew he had just experienced something intense, but he couldn't remember what. But he did know one thing: he wouldn't allow his wife to remain in the hands of that bastard Zells!!
He jumped down form the tree, and started a campfire with a single motion of his hand. He sat down in front of it, and stared into the very center of the flames. His mind cleared, and Frederic gently brought his emotion blocks down. Raging emotions washed over him. Again, his mind calmed. He looked up from the flames, and went into a meditative position. He closed his eyes, and focused.
He focused on the dormant Ketari gene he had inherited when he became their Phalanx. It was this gene that allowed his body to adapt to various conditions, like running faster and faster, or becoming stronger. The gene allowed his body to 'evolve' as it were to what the mind wanted. All it needed was time, both to evolve, and to de-evolve, allowing the body to return to normal.
The double helix that was his genome flew into vision. Next he called up the genomes of every Human, Oech-anya and Ketari animal he knew the genome of. He estimated that he knew of 99% of the total numbers of animals.
He gave himself the eyesight of the Human eagle. Next came the endurance and speed of the Ketari version of a leopard. Mars had a lower air-pressure than Earth, and therefore, the Oech-anya could extract more oxygen from the air, and their hearing was more acute. Frederic incorporated changes from several Martian animals, allowing him more acute hearing, smell, and an enormous amount of red blood cells, facilitating oxygen transportation.
His mind warned him. This genome he had created was highly unstable, and would fall apart in less than 2 hours if he dared to incorporate it. He ignored the warning, and started burning the changes into his cells. After he did so, he could feel his body changing, adapting to the alterations he had made.
He could see so far…and hear so much! He could smell things he never thought were possible. Then he remembered something. Something he hadn't used in a long time. He surfaced his nature senses. Immediately, his senses nearly doubled in accuracy and range.
He beamed to the Daedalus, and set course for 503, under full cloak.
"AL, this is Frederic. I need your help."
With what? AL's voice was curious, another indication that he was more evolved than Borlan was.
"Jennifer has been kidnapped. I don't yet know where she is, but I need weapons and equipment."
I'll relocate you to the armory. I'll see you there.
The next moment, Frederic found himself in the armory of the WarShip Ortega. The walls were lined with racks of weapons ranging from swords, bows and arrows to quantum disruptor pistols. A holographic version of AL was waiting for him.
"What do you need?" the hologram asked.
"Everything," Frederic responded, his voice cold as ice. AL nodded, and preceded Frederic to the far end of the room, where he opened a small vault.
"These are the modified Borg nanoprobes," AL explained. "You have 24 hours before the changes become permanent."
"I understand," Frederic said. The nanoprobes would keep his unstable genome stable. He could already feel it disintegrating. AL took the syringe, and put it to Frederic's arm. The nanoprobes were injected into his bloodstream, and he could feel them connecting to him almost immediately. The drain on his mental powers was incredible as he sped up his own assimilation to the maximum.
Implants erupted all over his body, which was now becoming the equinox of Human power. First, he had made himself the top of biological power, and now he was adding the top in technology. He would be stronger than BorgFred, stronger than ever before. He would really be what he was supposed to be!
He opened his eyes ten minutes later. He felt his genome was stable. The nanoprobes had halted the disintegration, just as he had suspected. He accessed his new cranial implant, and the booster implant erupted as he started shouting off orders.
Again, he lost his vision as his powers were taxed in a way they were never intended to be taxed. Frederic could feel the Borg mesh covering his body, enhancing his strength, stamina, and speed even further.
For the second time, he opened his eyes. Experimentally, he clenched his fingers. They did his bidding. He jumped up, and had to suppress a startled yelp as he hit the ceiling. His strength had indeed increased dramatically!
He moved his arm, and a crash, as if it were thunder, sounded through the room. He looked at the AL hologram, which grinned savagely. Both knew what this meant. Frederic's body was capable of moving its parts at supersonic speeds.
Frederic got a bottle of drink to replenish his reserves, and two bottles for the fifth-generation battle-uniform he was creating. He had connected to AL's database, drawing in BorgFred's designs. He made adaptations to the designs, putting in knowledge he had and BorgFred didn't. He was stronger, faster, and smarter; he had more stamina, and was simply vastly superior to what he was ever intended to be!
"Be careful with those type-2 quantum disruptors. They're experimental," AL warned Frederic as he holstered the two weapons.
"Anything else I might be able to use?" Frederic asked.
"Dual Blade light saber, " AL pointed out. "And might I suggest you bring your mystical weaponry as well?"
"Good suggestion," Frederic said, clipping the saber to his belt. His movements were light, and very precise. He found that he had a detailed knowledge of where everything and everybody was, just by letting his gaze trail over the room earlier.
"Thanks, AL," Frederic said, starting to call for transport. AL stopped him.
"Come with me," the hologram said. Curious, Frederic followed the hologram to the shuttle bay.
"Take the WS Daedalus. The GAV is still in it, if you need it. The Daedalus has sensors that will enable you to track Jennifer. Just connect to the neural interface, and it will scan to find the other side of your link."
"Thank you. I appreciate it," Frederic jumped on board the ship, and planted himself in the pilot's seat. As his hands clenched around the armrests, he could feel the connection form.
It was even more beautiful than BorgFred had said. He was the spaceship! With only a thought, he opened the bay doors, and left the WS Ortega. The Daedalus started scanning without him even having to think about it. His subconscious had been the one to give that task.
As the Daedalus scanned, Frederic thought of another thing. His Instruction file would keep him too much from his duty. Even know, his rage was diminishing, and worry was creeping into its place.
For the first time in a long time, Frederic entered the command center in his own mind. He sat down, and ripped out his Instruction file. He didn't deactivate it. He ripped it out. Frederic then went to his Directives.
Directive one - protect Human, Oech-anya, Ketari race - destroy evil
Directive two - protect innocent
Directive three - protect loved ones
He started thinking. The list blurred, so fast were the alterations being made.
Directive one - Get Jenny Back
He gave a content nod, and moved on. He accessed his entire personality file. He backed it up, and then started making alterations. He incorporated warrior clauses, making him disregard life in general if it meant getting his love back. He knew that, with his Instructions gone, and with one Directive, he was already lethal. But this was beyond lethal. He remembered something John Rambo once said: "to survive war, you have to become war."
He was becoming war incarnate, a fury that was a force of nature. He could feel his mind tightening, and his blood pounded in his veins. As he pulled out of his command center, he could feel the adaptations coming to full effect.
A dark grin was on his face as he felt the elemental dragon lurking not far away. If need arose, a single thought would bring it out. His eyes flashed. Green. Red. Black.
He set course for the PSS Ortega. He walked on board, and went to the armory. Daphnix had detected him, however. The moment he saw Frederic, his blood froze.
"What have you done to yourself?" he exclaimed.
"I am going to get her back. Get out of my way," Frederic said, his black-black eyes resting on Daphnix, who shivered involuntary. He hurriedly jumped out of the way. Frederic nodded, and retrieved his mystical weaponry. Of mundane he had enough from the WS Ortega.
He started strapping the stuff to his battle-uniform as Daphnix looked on, not knowing what to say. The fear he had earlier had now vanished. He was now terrified. He had never, ever, seen Frederic like this. It seemed like he was the ultimate embodiment of rage.
"Young Phalanx…" Frederic's body whirled around at the sound of the voice. Daphnix didn't have the time, even if he had known about the supersonic capability, to shield his ears from the supersonic boom that followed.
"If you're here to stop me, let me save you the trouble," Frederic said, his voice full of menace. In a fraction of a second, all his powers had been brought to full fight status, his shields up to level 11, his Force and telepathic abilities ready to lash out. His right hand covered the deactivated light saber, while his left hand was holding on to a quantum disruptor pistol.
"I am not here to stop you, young Phalanx. I am here to offer our support," the God said.
Frederic's jaw fell, but he immediately picked it up. "Meaning?" his voice was still stone cold, and his fight stance didn't waver. It was plainly visible he didn't trust the God for a bit.
"We will grant you full authority to do what you see as right," the God said.
Frederic's fight stance fell, along with his shields, the Force, and his telekinetic powers. "Thank you," he said, totally unsure on how to react. "But… I mean… why are you doing this?"
"We have made mistakes in the past, young Phalanx. We are attempting to make it up to you."
Frederic seemed to ponder that for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well. Thank you for your offer. Now, please excuse me. I have to get myself ready."
The God nodded, much to Daphnix's astonishment. The Gods actually went along with this crazy scheme?
Frederic drew both his Swords, and created the Dual Blade. He then deactivated the blades, leaving just the Dual Blade handle to be clipped to the belt of the suit.
Having done this, Frederic started walking, shimmered, and disappeared. Daphnix gaped at the display.
"Linda, what happened?"
Frederic used the built-in spatial relocation node. He is now in Holodeck one.
"Thank you," Daphnix said, and called for transport to the holodeck in question. He appeared moments later at the closed doors. No matter what he tried, he could not get them to open. Frederic had locked out all computer access, and his powers had literally melted the doors shut. It was very clear that Frederic didn't want to be disturbed. Daphnix decided to wait.
Slowly, very slowly, he started humming an ancient tune. The Oech-anya were masters of music, and its workings on the mind and body. It was one of their tunes he was humming now. To the contrary of the War Song, everybody could use this one. The rage in his mind erupted once more, and it made his blood boil. The Oech-anya Blood Fever was upon him! He knew that his face must have Oech-anya traits now that he was using their heritage. He could almost feel the bony ridges on his forehead.
He stood up, and asked for a holographic knife. Cutting his hand, he let the blood drip into the campfire. Due to his immortal nature, and the Borg nanoprobes, the wound closed in less than a second, but the effect had been reached. Frederic's blood mingled with the air, and he called out, in the Ketari language:
"I, Phalanx Frederic Fromthefield of the Human, Oech-anya and Ketari races, commander of the ESMF, Master Slayer, Jedi Knight, and personal champion to the Gods of the Universe swear that I will not rest until I have retrieved my love, and avenged the dishonor of her kidnapping!"
The effects were almost immediate. The Oech-anya Blood Fever made him ready for battle, releasing massive amounts of adrenalin, endorphins, and a whole range of Oech-anya hormones into his system. The Ketari Blood Revenge made his mind ready for whatever was required of it; the internal organs were almost shut down, all energy rerouted to his muscles and his brain.
Frederic also knew that, upon the moment of battle, the Human Frenzy would come over him, deactivating his judgment, and bringing out his fury in its entire splendor. He thought grimly at that. He didn't care anymore. He had already betrayed all he was.
"Linda, class 10 bio-hazard detected in holodeck one. Decontaminate."
Sensors do not indicate such a…
"Linda, override Phalanx-Omega-Four. Decontaminate holodeck one."
Warning! Human presence detected in Holodeck one. Decontamination will…
"Just do it, you stupid piece of scrap!" Frederic's mind, released of its inhibitions, now had no quarrels of barking an order.
Yes, sir! The AI's voice snapped at attention, not liking this one bit. The hologrid deactivated, and Frederic found himself in the empty holodeck, the yellow grid lines staring him in the face. Then, the entire room was filled with P-4, the best decontaminant the ESMF had. It literally liquefied all biologic materials, and Frederic could feel his skin dissolving. His mind worked overtime in compensating for the loss of his body's mass.
He grew blind as his eyes dissolved, and deaf as his ears did the same. Pain flooded his system for only a minute, before his nerve endings liquefied, depriving him of pain as well. His immortal physiology compensated, and his mind blew energy into the regeneration as fast as it could. Slowly, Frederic started to feel the enormous pain of being liquefied again. Right thereafter, his hearing, and his eyesight returned. The Borg implants, unaffected by the P-4, had started to make adaptations to Frederic's body.
When Frederic was whole again, he realized he had finally reached the full potential of his …unique physiology. His body could now take anything thrown at it. Fredric also realized that he would loose those adaptations the next time he slept. So, he vowed to stay awake. He knew that BorgFred had done it, so he was sure he could do it, too.
"Linda, cancel decontamination."
Decontamination cancelled.
"Thanks," Frederic grinned, and started to ask for the simulation
again. That moment, he received a message to his communications implant. The
Daedalus had located Jennifer.
Jennifer had awakened from her sleep, only to find herself strapped to a table. She looked around frantically, and her heart stopped as she saw Zells walking up to her.
"Zells!" she grunted. Her body was weak; she required nourishment. Urgently. And where was Frederic? She couldn't feel him, and it scared her. They hadn't…killed him?
"Ah, good afternoon, my dear," Zells grinned into her face. He put his hand on her pregnant belly. "Quite a situation you're in."
"Please…I'm hungry," she knew that she was in no position to fight. And she also knew that her first prerogative was the children that bastard was now putting his hand on.
"I can imagine," Zells continued. "But I'm afraid you'll have to last a little longer. Your husband still has to remain calm for 40 hours, and for so long, you'll be my…insurance."
"You won't feed me for another 40 hours?" her voice was showing fear, and she knew it. There was nothing she could do… her mind was swamped with hormones, and her body was so weak…
"Just a little here and there, but we wouldn't want you to become strong enough to get out of here," Zells laughed.
"Please…" she begged. "I can't survive that long."
"Look at you," Zells shook his head. "You were so strong. Now look at you, begging me for a morsel of food."
"You don't understand… I need to eat…"
"Ha! You pregnant bitches are all the same! Eating and sleeping, and meanwhile scowling at their husbands for not understanding!" And with those hard words, Zells turned and left, leaving a crying Jennifer.
Frederic landed on the 'uninhabited' Earth. Zells was obviously using this as his base of operations. Frederic could see he had amassed an army, and it was clear that he wanted to invade some planet.
Frederic could feel Jennifer's confusion, and her fear. Her fear only fueled his rage further. He could feel the elemental dragon, pressing to be released. The Daedalus couldn't get a clean lock on her; her signals were too messed up by interference. Without any further debate, Frederic walked up to the complex.
"Gordon Zells, I am Phalanx Frederic Fromthefield of the Human, Oech-anya and Ketari races! I am the commander of the ESMF; I am a Master Slayer, a Jedi Knight, and the personal champion to the Gods of the Universe!" Frederic's mind screamed over the complex. His lips didn't move, but his mental voice boomed over the complex. It was now on full alert. He could hear the blaring of alarms, and he could see the soldiers running around, taking up their stations.
Just as Frederic had hoped he would, Zells sent his second in command, Darth Marauder, after him. The guy came running up to him, his light saber ready for battle.
Frederic made an off-hand motion. Marauder was blown backwards.
"I am above and beyond, Zells!" Frederic's mind shouted. Marauder, not getting the point, attacked again. This time, Frederic actually let him come close enough to hit with the light saber. With a speed Marauder had never seen before, Frederic closed the additional distance, and grabbed Marauder at the neck, lifting him up into the air. Marauder struggled for breath.
"This is pure physical force. You wouldn't want me to use telekinetic abilities, now do you?" Frederic's mind told Marauder, who was now desperately trying to shake his head.
"You're right. I wouldn't want either. But you kidnapped my wife, and you'll die because of it." Frederic's hand snapped Marauder's neck as if it were nothing, threw the lifeless body back towards the base, and hit it with telekinetically enforced Force. The body disintegrated.
The next moment, he could feel something shoot through the link. PAIN! Zells was hurting Jennifer! It was too much for Frederic, who now fell off the deep end completely. What thin shred of inhumanly strong sanity had been left was now gone.
He gave one order to his cranial implant: "activate."
His helmet grew into place, and his class-11 shield composed itself. He unclipped the light saber with his right hand, and activated it. His left hand took the disrupter pistol, now using his own internal energy source, on full disruption. To make matters even more complicated for the enemy, he had activated his cloaking implant.
"Please, love. I'll get you to the Daedalus. Wait there for me. And please, my love, whatever you do, don't look out the window. It won't be pretty," his voice was full of love.
"I will, my love. I will," she understood what he wanted to do, even though his side of the link was shielded with shields whose energy levels she never thought possible. She had also seen the implants, and it worried her. Slightly. She knew that Frederic always had a way out of things.
Frederic transported her to the Daedalus, and went the same route back, now with a cloaking shield around his body, past the now dead guards, the army, and back into the open field in front of the base. He now knew that there were a couple thousand soldiers present in the base annex barracks, and he also knew that they would all die.
"Zells, you hurt my wife!" he shouted. Zells sent his army as answer.
"Now, meet MY army!" Frederic shouted. The Blood Revenge instilled into him by the Ketari heritage made sure that he would avenge what Zells had done to him, his wife, and their children. Zells' armies wavered, unsure. Zells' words caused them to get going once more.
Frederic started chanting in the Divine language. Lightning crashed and thunder roared across the skies as the mysterious chant continued. Zells' armies felt a tremor going through the Earth. What was going on here?
In an exploding well of light, a book appeared into Frederic's hands. It had writing outside and in, and it was sealed with seven seals. He broke the first one.
A horseman, sitting on a white horse, appeared right next to Frederic, who nodded in welcome. The horseman took his bow, readied it, and took a stand in front of Frederic, who was now breaking the second seal.
A second horseman, sitting on a red horse, appeared. He had a great sword, and Frederic nodded a welcome to this figure as well. The second horseman took a stance next to the first one.
Frederic looked on in glee as his new allies were already doing their jobs of scaring off the army that was now standing still, scared to death. Frederic had lots more seals on this book. He broke the third one.
A black horse, with a figure bearing a scale, appeared. He took a stance as well, next to the other two, who nodded in welcome to their comrade. But all of them were waiting for the one, the one that struck terror into everyone's heart. The one…
And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him. (Rev. 6:8) Frederic's mind screamed the passage of the Bible as he broke the fourth seal.
The Horseman known as Death growled at being released back into the mortal realm, and took his place in front of Frederic as well. It was obvious that he wasn't too keen on following orders, but that he would follow them.
As Frederic broke the fifth seal, voices sounded through the air, and they struck terror into Zells' heart. They were the voices of all the people he had killed, or his army had killed! The disturbed souls of the vampires he had commanded, or the voices of the demons he had raised.
Frederic went on, relentlessly. He broke the sixth seal, and a great earthquake shook the planet, and it made Zells' army fall to the ground, struggling to keep their balance. Frederic's mind quoted another passage from the Bible, which he was now using, and with full permission of the Gods of the Universe.
The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind. (Rev 6:12, 6:13)
Zells' army cowered away, hiding in their base as balls of fire feel from the skies. The barracks were well constructed, but even they couldn't survive a meteor impact. Zells' army would soon find that out. The soldiers ran around in mortal fear, but none of them knew what to do. Frederic grinned as he saw some soldiers die of fear.
As Frederic broke the seventh seal, a total quiet settled on the planet. Not a wind was blowing, or a bird was singing. Nothing. The meteor shower had stopped, and the soldiers looked at each other in total confusion. By now, they had understood that they stood no chance against someone who carried the Wrath of God itself, someone who was actually insane enough to bring forth the Apocalypse itself!
Again, thunder struck through the air as lighting crashed down into the midst of the wriggling mass of frightened soldiers. Earthquakes shook the planet, throwing the men off guard even more. Even the most hardened amongst the soldiers forgot the discipline and chain of command as they ran for their very lives.
Frederic raised his arms. "This is the End of Days, the bringing of Judgment Day! And this Judge proclaims you all…GUILTY!! YOU WILL DIE!"
Death threw a crooked grin at Frederic, who just nodded. He conjured up a war unicorn. The black beast had a black horn mounted on its forehead, and its eyes were fiery pits of red flame, threatening to burn holes into the person they were put upon. Frederic jumped up onto the war unicorn's back, and took his position at the font of his four new allies.
"Conquest, War, go from the left," Frederic ordered to the figure on the white and red horse. They nodded, and ran off to the left of the 'army'. "Famine, Death, follow me," Frederic ordered, and set a course for the right of the army. The two horsemen followed his example.
"There are only five of us," Death said. "We'll have too much fun. How about sharing some with our men?"
"What men?" Frederic asked.
The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them. Thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur. By these three plagues were one third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents, and have heads, and with them they harm. (Rev 9:16-9:19)
"Those men!" Death shouted, raising a hand. A cold shill ran over Frederic's back as the armies of Death descended upon Zells' army. The cold Blood Revenge demanded release, and Frederic could feel the Human Frenzy descend upon him.
As he held back, letting the armies of the four Horsemen do what they did best, he saw them bring down death and destruction upon Zells' army. Zells no doubt had thought that those few thousand soldiers would be enough for whatever he had planned. He hadn't planned for Frederic to bring the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as well as their armies.
After the slaughter, Frederic oversaw the battlefield. As per his instructions, the base had not been destroyed, and Zells had been left alive. The armies fell into position behind the four Horsemen, who had taken up position behind their commander: the Phalanx of the Human, Oech-anya and Ketari races, the overall commander of the ESMF, Master Slayer, Jedi Knight, and personal champion to the Gods of the Universe: Frederic Fromthefield.
"You have done your tasks well, my friends," Frederic said, addressing the massive army in general, and the Four Horsemen in particular. "Now it is time you rest," he added. The four nodded, and turned to their armies. The armies vanished. The four turned back to Frederic, gave a final nod, and disappeared.
Frederic turned to Zells. "As for you," he said, descending towards the quivering, frightened form of the Gordon Zells.
"I … I… We had a deal!" Zells barked out.
"And I broke it. What are you going to do? Sue me?" Frederic grinned savagely. "You made me abandon everything I ever believed in. And you know what? I don't mind! I would do it all over again!"
Zells cringed. He knew Frederic contained himself with mental programming, but he had never, ever believed that Frederic could just rip his belief out, and violate them to this extent. Zells now understood just what Frederic was capable of. And he was terrified by it.
"Are you…going to kill me?"
Frederic shook his head. "Life is more of a punishment for you. Remember that there are worse things than dying." Zells started shaking again. Torture? Frederic was going to torture him?
"But first, I want you to witness something," Frederic said, spreading his arms out towards the heavens. Clouds covered the sky as Frederic uttered an inhuman cry. The planet shook as the heavens seemed to split open, and a pure-white beam of energy enveloped Frederic. Through the haze of the light-storm, Zells could make out Frederic's changing form. The elemental dragon was making its reappearance, while drawing in the energy of the second-level powers.
The discharge was terrible. Zells was transported to the Daedalus, while being forced to watch out the window how the planet was ripped to bits by the combined force of the elemental dragon, the second level powers, and all the Force the dragon could muster.
Zells fainted in his force-field cell as Frederic reappeared on the
Daedalus. Whatever alien hormones had plagued his body had been burned out when
he destroyed that planet, as were the changes to his DNA. Frederic's naked body
was clad as soon as it was enveloped into the transporter. His mind thought
about the events of the last few hours. So far, he still didn't care about what
he had done. His body was still programmed to get Jennifer back, and that was
precisely what he was going to do.
"You will live with what you did, Zells. Let the fear of what transpired here burn inside you in this life and the next, for all eternity!" Frederic cursed Zells, and then tapped a few keys. The Daedalus set course for the nearest alternative universe, and Frederic beamed Zells down, minus his clothing. As soon as Frederic had done that, he turned the Daedalus around, started the decontamination cycle to remove the Borg implants, and set course to complete his only directive.