Into the Fire Part I: Requiem of Souls (Universe in Flames Book 9) Read online

  And now the continuation . . .

  PROLOGUE

  Chase’s eyes grew wide. Oryn’s words still echoing in his head. “Your father is still alive.”

  The realization hit Chase in an unexpected way. After all, he didn’t really know the man. But now he had both a father and a mother, and they were both alive. It felt as if his entire foundation was crumbling. For a long time, family had been a strange concept for Chase. Especially for a man who didn’t remember who he was, or why he had been abandoned.

  “Are you sure?” inquired Argos.

  Oryn nodded.

  “Yes, absolutely, I’ve seen this man before. I wasn’t supposed to, and this was a while back, so I can’t be certain of his current whereabouts. But I remember seeing him in a cell on Erevos. I had followed Arakan one night after one of his bouts talking to himself. I thought he was losing it, and I wanted to see where he could possibly go in the middle of the night.”

  Chase’s mind filled with possibilities and plans on how to rescue his father. In fact, he could probably just teleport and get him out now. But he had never been on Erevos, except in orbit around the place when the planet reappeared. Perhaps linking his mind with Oryn or Argos would be enough so he could feel where to go.

  “Chase!” cried Argos. “Let’s go! Let’s get him out, now. Arakan can’t have returned to Erevos yet, so let’s storm the place and just get our father out of there.”

  Argos was making a good point that Arakan was probably not back home yet. He had killed their grandfather less than an hour earlier.

  “He’s on his way back,” said Oryn. “Arakan has access to a technology allowing him to detect wormholes, allowing him to travel faster to various places. There’s a random variable to it, but he’s known to traverse half the galaxy and be back in hours. He rarely uses it, but I’m sure that’s what he did to get to—”

  Oryn stopped, and tears flowed down her eyes. “Zeus.”

  “Then let’s move!” insisted Argos.

  “We need to be smart about this,” countered Chase. “We need to get Aphroditis out of there as well. I doubt we’ll get the opportunity to do both unless we do it as one mission.”

  Chase could tell Argos wanted to argue but he also felt his brother’s remorse about their aunt.

  “Whatever the two of you decide to do,” said Oryn. “I’m coming with you. If Arakan is there when we arrive, then I’ll kill him myself.”

  Chase felt the hatred from Oryn’s heart permeate through the air of Odin’s throne room, lowering its overall temperature. He worried that Oryn would let blind revenge guide her actions, and would get herself killed in the process. He had promised his grandfather, just before he died, that he would take care of her. Right now, Oryn was being consumed by her hatred for Arakan. Knowing the feelings of revenge and hatred, and having been where she is now when Chase thought he killed Sarah, he also knew that she wouldn’t listen to reason and would rush in without a plan to face Arakan in battle.

  “I’d rather none of us engages Arakan on their own. That’s a surefire way of getting killed,” said Chase.

  Oryn shot him a deadly look; her eyes glowing an icy blue. “He’s mine, and mine alone!”

  Chase wanted to argue, but he knew better than try to reason with Oryn in her current emotional state. That would only lead to tension that they didn’t need. He could always mount a rescue without her, though he knew that there would be hell to pay if he did that. Right now, and before they could move toward Erevos, they had a few things to prepare, like make sure they had a solid plan in place and be ready for what could await them on Erevos. The last thing they needed was to go half-assed, unprepared and perhaps even play into Arakan’s plan in doing so.

  I’m with Oryn on this one, said Argos. Let’s kill the bastard and get our family out of that infernal place I wish I had never brought back into our reality.

  Chase felt how sincere Argos was on that last statement. But he knew better than to linger in the past. Whatever had brought them there couldn’t be changed, and looking back would not serve any practical purpose. The only thing that mattered is that now they were on the same side with their goals aligned.

  But we don’t let Oryn engage Arakan alone, countered Chase.

  We may not have a choice, brother. We have to get both Aphroditis and our father out of there. If Arakan is there when we do this, we may need her to keep him occupied while we rescue them both.

  Chase exhaled in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to go there, get them both out and return, but deep inside he felt they weren’t ready. They needed a fully grown clone body to swap with Aphroditis. Not to mention Kvasir still had to reprogram the machine on-the-fly.

  Disregarding his brother’s last telepathic message, Chase took a step forward.

  “Alright, we have a lot to do and not too much time to do it. Let’s get to it.”

  1

  Chase gazed into the regen tank where they had put Poseidon. He had tried to heal him earlier, but just like with Zeus on Olympus, he couldn’t do it. Whatever Arakan had done to them, it seemed that he had a power that prevented Chase’s regenerative and healing abilities from working. Chase knew this meant that they would have to proceed very carefully from now on. Especially when the time came to fight and kill Arakan.

  “How is he doing, doc?” asked Chase absently.

  “It’s a miracle he’s still alive, really” answered the doctor. “We had to amputate every tissue infected with that black— whatever that thing is.”

  “Have you managed to analyze the substance?”

  “Our scanners can’t seem to penetrate it; it’s as if it’s not even from this dimension.”

  Perhaps it isn’t, thought Chase.

  “We suspect Arakan is talking to a being that could be from another plane of existence. Perhaps that came from this— shadow.”

  “I’m afraid, Admiral, that I would need to see that shadow, as you say, and put him under a medical scanner to tell you if they were related.”

  “Somehow I don’t think that will be happening.”

  “Then, unfortunately, I can’t answer your question.”

  Chase didn’t need an answer. Something inside of him told him that whatever or whomever that shadow was, it was responsible for his grandfather’s death and Chase’s inability to heal him. Chase looked at Poseidon’s wound. Not only was his arm missing but most of his shoulder and some of his chest as well.

  “How can he still be alive?”

  “The regen tank is barely managing that. But I suspect it’s because of this,” said the doctor, pointing at the Trident next to the tank.

  “How so?”

  “Poseidon crashed and almost died while we were operating on him. The Trident started trembling on the other side of the room. Before I understood what was happening, it flew next to him and glowed for a long time. Poseidon’s vital signs grew stronger in minutes. I also suspect Olympians are very resilient by nature. No mere human could have survived this, that’s for sure. The initial wound perhaps, only if treated properly. But with everything we had to remove, so much tissue, muscles and nerves…”

  “I guess the god of the seas is not easily killed,” said Chase absently. “What’s next?”

  “You tell me, Admiral. We could equip him with a cybernetic prosthetic arm, but other than that…unless you’d want to take another shot at using your healing powers on him now that the black substance has been purged from his tissues?”

  Laying his hand on the glass of the regen tank, Chase closed his eyes and projected his mind to reach Poseidon’s, trying to heal him through the glass. Even though he couldn’t touch the Olympian at the moment, he immediately felt the same painful and resistive feedback he had when he tried healing Zeus.

  He sighed. “Let’s make the prosthetic arm. Make it a strong one and have Yanis help you design a warrior’s prosthetic, something that gives him a tactical advantage. I get the feeling we’ll need Poseidon’s help before this i
s all over.”

  CHASE WALKED inside the Hope’s corridor. He needed to be alone for a little while; to reflect on what had just happened but also what was to come. His solitude was short-lived when the walls around him glowed gold briefly.

  “Hello, Ares.”

  “How could you let this happen?” cried Ares.

  His mentor’s words cut through Chase’s heart like a knife.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. Don’t think you’re the only one suffering, though.”

  Chase just realized that Ares was also part of his family, his uncle in fact. He didn’t want to think how many more family members he had lost when Olympus was destroyed.

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better? My entire world has been destroyed! I’ve lost everyone I know or cared about. My brother, my father, everyone, Chase!”

  “I can only imagine how you are feeling right now, but there’s nothing I could have done to prevent that, Ares. And don’t get all high and mighty with me; you weren’t there either! As a matter of fact, where the hell were you?”

  “By my sister’s side.”

  If only Ares had been on Olympus, he could have done something about it, like warn Chase. Part of him wanted to blame Ares, but he knew better.

  “I can hear your thoughts,” said Ares. “And I’ve been beating myself up just the same. I’m mad at you, the universe, and myself more than I can express, Chase. But the fact of the matter is, Arakan played us, and he did it very well. You were in the middle of an important battle, I— I should have stayed on Olympus.”

  “Well, I think we both feel guilty for what has happened. But what’s done is done. It’s not your fault, Ares.”

  “It feels like it is. Just when I finally made peace with my Father, and instead of staying there, enjoying this newfound understanding between us, I was drawn to Erevos. Checking on a mute Aphroditis. I was so impatient to let her know that soon she would be free of that infernal machine siphoning her body and soul one molecule at a time.”

  Chase felt that if Ares could cry in his current energy form, he would be doing so now.

  “Look, this war has been crazy. We never have time just to stop and think for a second. Arakan took out your people, your Father, your entire world. But now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. I know I must sound heartless in a moment like this, to tell you to delay feeling your grief, but we need to look ahead; and stop Arakan!”

  “I know. I wish I could be the one that kills him.”

  “You may want to take a number; we all want to kill him!”

  Ares allowed a small chuckle to escape.

  “Ares,” Chase continued. “Any idea why your father hasn’t yet materialized in energy form like you did when you were killed by Argos?”

  “We have traditions; normally we don’t stay in this form. Once we die, we’re supposed to go to Elysium. I stayed around to help both you and my sister.”

  “Yes, but these are hardly times to follow tradition.”

  “I agree. Perhaps that presence I sensed near Arakan has something to do with it. I understand you tried healing Zeus and failed.”

  “Both Zeus and Poseidon.”

  “How is my uncle doing?”

  “I think he’ll pull through. But yes, I couldn’t heal either of them. Whatever that presence or shadow you saw with Arakan is, it has given him some power that prevents my healing powers from working.”

  “If that’s the case, then that’s very, very bad news for us.”

  “Tell me about it. Don’t think I haven’t thought about the implications of that.”

  “And where did those thoughts lead you? Any plan?”

  Chase shook his head.

  “No, not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  CHASE APPEARED in front of Emperor Altair, causing him to jump from his desk.

  “Sorry about that, Emperor.”

  Altair cleared his throat, and Chase corrected himself.

  “Sorry— Altair. We need to talk.”

  “I take it this has something to do with the Gorgar home world?”

  “Yes, we need to secure it. We can’t allow Arakan to get his hands back on his main supply planet.”

  “That’s all good and well; it does seem that this place was instrumental in the Furies creating various armadas quickly. I’m not sure we have the resources left to divide our forces, though. Not if Arakan has a sizable fleet still under his command.”

  “Unless we get actual intelligence on this, I’m going to presume that he lost a good part of whatever fleet he had. And while I’m sure he’s not stupid enough to have only depended on a single world for his resources, he will probably try to get back to it. The way he sacrificed most of his ships lately tells me that he feels overconfident about his ability to build more and to build them fast. Otherwise, he’s a fool, and I don’t think a fool could have destroyed Olympus, killed Zeus and almost wiped out an entire civilization in the process.”

  “I don’t think he’s a fool either. His plan to divert us with Droxia and then Asgard so he could move to Olympus and do what he really wanted to do was quite cunning. These are not the actions of a fool.”

  “I’m glad we agree on this. Nonetheless, Arakan’s days are numbered. Even if I have to give my life to achieve this goal, Arakan and the Furies will fall. The sooner the better too.”

  “Careful, Chase. I can feel vengeance behind those words. And anger. I’m angry too, of course, and I want the Furies dealt with as much as you do. But let’s not lose ourselves in the process.”

  Chase knew the Emperor was right. But, with grief and darkness so fresh in his heart, Chase did want retribution. He longed to see Arakan die, probably almost as much as Oryn. And that was a dangerous path to take. However, he also knew he had to save his aunt, and if his father was indeed still alive, he had to rescue him as well. If Menelas truly knew where the soul ships were hidden, then rescuing him was paramount. Father or not, they needed those ships. The thought of a direct member of his family still being alive made Chase feel both excited and scared. Since it meant one more person he could lose in this war.

  “I know. I don’t want to go there either. But Zeus—” Chase paused. “Zeus was my grandfather.”

  “I had no idea, I— I’m so sorry for your loss, Chase.”

  “Thank you, Altair. Now, I would like you to head to the Gorgar home world, take a third of the fleet there, and defend it at all costs. I’m sure Arakan will try to retake it by force. We can’t let that happen!”

  “What if the forces he sent are too much for a third of the fleet?”

  A fire lit inside Chase’s purple eyes.

  “I have an idea about that. One that Tar’Lock is not going to be happy about. But I’m through reacting to this war and always trying to just survive it. It’s time to go on the offensive. It’s time to shake this motherfucker’s confidence and send a similar message of fear that he has struck into our hearts.”

  Altair’s face grew somber. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Have the Gorgar build more Warheart class ships for us. And, now that the Asgardians are joining the Alliance, let’s have both Olympian and Asgardian designs provided to Yanis so he can create the most powerful Earth Alliance ships yet.”

  “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this plan. Doesn’t that make us no better than the Furies in exploiting this poor innocent race?”

  “Alright, let me rephrase it, then. Go there, and explain it to the Gorgar. Explain what every living being in the universe is facing and what will happen if the Furies win, including what will happen to their world, and ask them what they think and what they are willing to do about it.”

  “And if they refuse to help willingly?”

  Chase flinched.

  “Then use your best judgment as to what you should do, but you know as well as I do that in letting their world fall back into the hands of Arakan could have irreparable consequences.”

  “Why don’t you make it an order,
then, Admiral?”

  Chase smiled.

  “Because, just like you, I don’t want to do that to the Gorgar without their consent. Not if we can get them on board of their own volition. You should take Ryonna and Tar’Lock with you. If anyone can help you convince his people to help, it’s those two.”

  “I get the feeling she would still like to slit my throat, and I’m not sure it will be a pleasant trip.”

  “Don’t worry about that, I’ll talk to her. I should go; there are so many things I need to do, and so little time.”

  “Wait— just a minute.”

  “Why? What is it?”

  “Come here,” said Altair, gesturing Chase toward the nearest viewport. “I want you to see this.”

  A moment later, a new ship jumped around Asgard’s orbit. Chase recognized it instantly from the 3D holo-images he had seen. The Victory had arrived. Chase hoped her name, and the fact that she arrived in these troubled times, was a good sign of things to come.

  “She’s magnificent.”

  “That she is. And, she’s all yours, Admiral.”

  CHRIS COULD FEEL something was off when he entered the training cargo bay. The lights were blinking red, and something didn’t feel right. Ahead of him Argos was kicking and punching the air at unusually slow speeds.