Atlantis Rising (40 page)

“What the hell is going on,
here?” Jon said.

The figure struck out with the staff,
hitting Terri in the chest. Terri immediately crumbled to the floor as Jon
eased her fall.

“What did you do to her?” Jon
said. He had taken up a defensive stance.

“I only put her to sleep,” the
figure said. “You aren’t supposed to be here. You might cost her everything,
including her life.”

The figure swung the staff at
Jon’s head. Jon reached up and deflected the blow. Jon’s foot snapped out, and
struck the figure in the chest. The figure reacted instantly, and grabbed Jon’s
foot as its other hand lanced out, catching Jon in the chest. Jon's body wanted
to stumble back, but the hold on his foot made that impossible.

The figure’s hand lanced out
again, this time grabbing Jon by the throat. It picked him up off the floor.
The pressure increased around his throat making it hard for him to breathe, as
his feet dangled. Jon reacted and grabbed the hand around his throat trying to
break free.

“Nice, but not good enough,” the
figure said.

The pressure increased, and Jon
began to black out.

on woke up in a small nondescript room. He sat up on the bed as he
looked around. He rotated himself so he could get out of the small bed. Pain
lanced through his chest, and his throat ached from the recent fight. Jon
unzipped his uniform, and looked at his chest. A large ugly bruise had formed
in the center of his chest. He reached up and touched it lightly, which sent
waves of pain coursing to his brain.

“Cracked sternum and three
cracked ribs,” a familiar voice said. “Your throat is also slightly bruised.”

Jon jumped and turned on the bed
to face the person speaking. The figure stood in the doorway, its arms crossed.

“Where’s my sister?” Jon said.

Pain radiated from his throat as
he spoke. Jon ignored it as his anger flared.

“She is fine,” the figure said.
“Her trials will start soon.”

“Trials?” Jon said. “What
trials?”

“I’ve bound the ribs,” the figure
said as Jon stood up and groaned from the pain. “I wouldn’t move around much,
though; you could do more damage to yourself.”

“You didn’t answer my question,”
Jon said.

“She must go through the trials
to secure her place,” the figure said. “You can watch the trials from this
terminal since they do pertain to you, too.”

“I want to see her right now,”
Jon said.

“That is impossible,” the figure
said. “She is preparing.”

Jon took a step towards the
figure as he spoke, “I’m not asking.”

“That would be very unwise,
Captain Hunter,” the figure said. “You’re in no condition to fight me. You will
see her in due time. As I have said, the outcome of these trials will affect
you, too.”

Jon stopped for a second and
sized up the figure then turned and took a seat at the display table. “You said
these trials affect me?” Jon said.

“Yes,” the figure said.

“How so?” Jon asked.

“If she fails,” the figure said,
“she forfeits her life; and because you’re here, you do too.”

“I think I’m liking this trials
thing less and less by the moment,” Jon said.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” the figure
said, “but, by the rules of the trials, you being here makes you a part of the
trials. You will take part in them at a later date, as her last test … if she
makes it that far.”

“Great, sounds like fun,” Jon
said.

“I’m glad you approve,” the
figure said.

“That was sarcasm, asshole,” Jon
said. “After this is over, you and I are going to have a very long talk.”

“Assuming she completes the
trials and commands me to do such,” the figure said.

“Let me get this straight,” Jon
said. “My sister can command you?”

“Not right now, as she has no
status in the guild,” the figure said. “However, she is my commanding officer,
and yes I must follow her orders.”

“Wow,” Jon said. “Confuse people
much?”

“Captain,” the figure said. “It’s
very simple. She is my commanding officer and has the ability to give me
orders. However, the orders I have to follow, at this point, are very limited.
She has no real status in the guild yet. If she is what she appears to be, I’ll
be very happy to serve her. She will be the first Ga’sahde in ages, and as such
will be able to rebuild the guild to its former glory and usefulness. I have
been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now that it’s here I find
myself hopeful.”

“Right, I’m sure you are,” Jon
said. “Sarcasm again, in the event you missed it.”

The holographic display popped up
as a control panel appeared with in Jon’s reach. He didn’t understand anything
written on either display.

“Why can’t I understand what I’m
looking at?” Jon turned to look at the figure that was still standing in the
same spot.

“Your nanites have been
suppressed and are currently in a sleep mode,” the figure said.

That brought another thing to
Jon’s attention, the emptiness he felt. Deatra was there, and he knew she was
okay, but that was it.

“You’re suppressing my bond,
too,” Jon said.

“Yes,” the figure said. “No
communication is allowed. I have changed the displays to English for you.”

“What about my ship?” Jon said.

“Unharmed, and in orbit around
the planet,” the figure said. “Sa’oliq and Deatra have explained to the crew
what is going on. There was a brief moment of tension when I took your sister
and, inadvertently, you. They will be monitoring the trials too. One last
thing, Captain Hunter …”

“Yes?” Jon said. He glanced back
over his shoulder at the figure.

“Any attack by you or your people
in orbit forfeit the trials, and both your lives,” the figure said. “You must
listen to my commands at all times, or again the trials will be forfeit. Do you
understand?”

“Yes,” Jon said. “I’ll be a good
boy.”

The figure nodded as it spoke,
“Good, most everything will be translated as it happens, so you will have an
idea what is going on. Now, I must go and start the trials.”

The figure turned and walked
through the doorway, which closed behind it as a panel beeped and then flashed
red, locking the door.

“This should be loads of fun,”
Jon said.

He brought up the holo display
and enlarged it to its fullest size. On the screen, Jon watched Terri enter the
room. She pulled her cloak off and tossed it into the corner, as she stepped
into a small circle, scribed on the floor.

“Terri Hunter,” a voice said.
“Are you ready to start your trials?”

“Yes,” Terri said.

“You understand what happens if
you fail?” the voice said.

“Perfectly,” Terri said. Terri
turned her head and stared directly at Jon. “Though, I ask he be excluded since
his coming here was an accident.”

“This is not possible,” the voice
said. “How your brother came to be here was of his own doing. As such, he is
bound by the old laws.”

“I understand,” Terri said.

She turned her head back so she
was staring straight ahead.

“Let the trials begin,” the voice
said. “Why have you sought us out?”

“To rebuild the Ga’sahde and
Cypher guilds,” Terri said.

“For what purpose?” the voice
said.

“To establish some stability
between the current races of this Galaxy,” Terri said.

Jon was following the questioning
and noticed Terri’s every answer was carefully constructed. Every question was
also in a different language.

“What status do you claim?” the
voice said.

“Ga’sahde,” Terri said.

“The Ga’sahde can’t be rebuilt
without a leader figure,” the voice said. “Are you claiming this title also?”

“Yes,” Terri said.

“You think you’re strong enough
to fill that position?” the voice said.

“Yes,” Terri said.

Jon watched as a figure slipped
into the room and slowly snuck up on Terri while she continued answering
questions. It was dressed in combat armor from head to toe. Jon didn’t see any
weapons on the strange figure. Jon yelled out for her to watch behind, as the
figure prepared to spring into action.

The figure leapt at Terri as a
small knife appeared in its hand. Terri turned to the side at the last second
and grabbed the figure by the arm slamming it into the floor. The figure
slammed a foot into the hand holding its arm. Terri released it just before the
foot connected and she took two steps back.

The figure spun around and leapt
to its feet, taking a defensive stance.

“You understand the meaning of
this trial?” the voice said.

“Yes,” Terri said.

“You understand it’s to the
death?” the voice said.

“Yes,” Terri said.

The figure ran towards Terri and
jumped into the air doing a spinning kick aimed where Terri’s head had been
just seconds ago. Terri had sidestepped and almost in a blur grabbed the
figure’s leg. Using its own momentum, she slammed it into the floor on its
back, forcing the air out of its lungs. Terri reacted quickly, slammed her foot
into its neck, and gave it a stiff pull on its leg. A sickening crack filled
the room as she killed her opponent.

“Impressive,” the voice said. “I
believe that is the fastest I have ever seen an opponent taken out.”

Terri had returned to the circle
on the floor as two figures came into the room and retrieved the body. “I hope
you have better than that,” Terri said.

“Rest assured it will get
harder,” the voice said. “You have no qualms about killing?”

“That depends on the situation,”
Terri said.

“How so?” the voice said.

“Right now,” Terri said, “it
isn’t only my life on the line. I will kill to save another. The other is my
brother. That makes me the deadliest being on this planet right now.”

“You have strong ties to your
brother?” the voice said.

“Yes,” Terri said. “I would do
anything to save his life.”

“Even give your own?” the voice
said.

“In a heartbeat,” Terri said.

“What about the ship in orbit?”
the voice said. “Would you sacrifice all those people to save your brother?”

“Yes,” Terri said.

“What if I gave you an option
right now?” the voice said.

“I’m listening,” Terri said.

“Your life and those on board the
vessel in orbit and I’ll let your brother go,” the voice said.

Terri was silent.

Jon watched his sister as he
waited for her answer.

“No, Terri, don’t do it,” Jon
said.

“I can’t do that,” Terri said.

“You just said you would give
your life and those on the ship for your brother’s safety,” the voice said.

“My brother’s life isn’t in
danger right now. So, I have no reason to make that choice,” Terri said.
“Besides, the death of those aboard the Atlantis would also mean the death of
my brother because he is bonded to one of them.”

“That is a minor detail,” the
voice said. “I’ll let her go too if you agree.”

“No,” Terri said. “This trial
isn’t over yet, and as such, my life and my brother’s life haven’t been
forfeited.”

“It will be too late by the end
of this trial,” the voice said. “What if I told you that one of you will die?”

“I’m sorry, I still can’t make
that choice as the outcome is still unknown,” Terri said.

“So it is,” the voice said.

“You also asked if I would,”
Terri said. “You never asked me if I could do it.”

“There’s a difference?” the voice
said.

“Of course,” Terri said. “Being
willing to do something is one thing. Actually doing it is a completely
different matter. Would I be willing to sacrifice those on the ship and myself?
Yes. Could I do it? That depends on the situation; what would it actually
accomplish by doing so. Right now, my brother is very important to the events
in this Galaxy. If he dies the hopes of millions die with him.”

“That doesn’t change the trials,”
the voice said.

“That is why I’ll pass then,”
Terri said. “Something more important than me is at stake.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself,”
the voice said.

Jon yelled at the screen as one
of the two new figures swung a sword at Terri from behind. At the last second,
Terri dropped and the sword passed over her head where her neck had been just seconds
ago. Terri spun around sweeping her foot out and tripping her assailant. She
kicked again and dislodged the sword from its grasp and sending it spinning
across the room. Terri rolled back and regained her feet as the second figure’s
sword struck the ground where she had been laying.

“You’ll have to do better than
that,” Terri said. “You guys make too much noise, and give yourselves away.”

Jon sighed with relief as he saw
his sister was unhurt. The unarmed figure rushed Terri trying to strike her in the
chest. Terri countered, grabbing its wrist and using its own weight to toss it
past her. As the figure passed her, she lanced out with her foot and caught it
in the small of the back. The force of the kick and its own momentum caused it
to slam into the wall with a sickening thud. Terri was sure at least a few
bones were broken and smiled, turning her attention to the standing figure.

The figure’s sword flashed as it
attempted to hit a dodging Terri. Jon was having a hard time watching the
sword. The fluid motion and speed at which the figure was using the sword
showed years of practice. Suddenly, the figure stopped and backed away, taking
a defensive posture. Jon was trying to figure out what was going on when he
realized Terri now had the other sword. Then something caught Jon’s attention
as it dripped from Terri’s elbow and hit the ground, blood. She had received a
cut at some point in the attack. Her uniform made it hard to see where she was
cut or how badly.