Pegasus and the New Olympians (29 page)

‘I don’t want you going down there, Pegs.’ She kissed his muzzle. ‘There are a lot of clones and I don’t want them hurting you when they’re released. I lost you once, I couldn’t bear it again.’

Pegasus snorted, but finally agreed. Emily approached Alexis. ‘I think you should come too. There is someone you should see.’

As they made their way to the facility, Jupiter, Pluto and a large number of Olympians joined them. ‘We must all see,’ Jupiter explained. ‘I must understand what has happened here.’

Emily feared that Jupiter might change his mind if he actually saw what the CRU had done. But as if reading her mind he put his arm around her and reassured her. ‘Your world is safe, Emily,’ he said. ‘But I must still see.’

The facility was eerily quiet as Emily, her father and the Olympians journeyed down to the lowest levels where failed clone experiments were kept. When Jupiter saw what had been done to his daughter’s clones, his fury arose.

‘This must not be tolerated!’ He went up to the nearest cage and tore the door off. The crippled Diana clone cried as she struggled to climb out.

Jupiter knelt down to her level and stroked the clone’s misshapen head. ‘You will come home with me, my child,’ he said gently. ‘You are safe.’

He commanded the Olympians to collect every last one of the broken, tormented clones. They would all be given a home on Olympus and cared for till the end of their lives.

From there, Emily escorted them to the lab containing the tall tubes. ‘These are the unfinished clones,’ she said softly. ‘I don’t know how to save all of them. The younger ones need these machines to develop.’

‘We can not save them all,’ Jupiter said sadly, ‘but we will do our best to release those ready for the world. Leave it to us.’

With a heavy heart, Emily reluctantly left the room to wait for Jupiter and Pluto to do what they must. She knew it was a hard task and grieved for those clones who could not survive. When it was done, she led the Olympians to the level of the Pegasus clones. When she pushed open the door, the clones began kicking their stalls and trying to escape.

Emily led the group to one stall in particular. ‘This is Tornado Warning.’

Jupiter stepped forward. Emily was frightened Tornado might bite or try to attack him, but the stallion was calmed in his presence.

‘So my young friend, you are the one who caused all this mischief.’

Tornado neighed softly and invited more attention.

Jupiter and his brothers walked from stall to stall, talking to and touching all the clones. Their touch tamed the wild stallions.

Neptune raised his hands in the air. ‘Open!’

The stall doors flew open releasing the winged stallions. Emily was stunned to see there was no fighting among the clones. They all pressed in close to be with her and the Olympians.

The final spot on their tour of the CRU facility was the medical centre. Two Nirad guards were keeping watch over their patient.

‘Tom!’ Alexis sprang over to his bed and leaned over the ex-CRU agent and kissed his face.

Agent T was making strange, excited sounds as his grateful eyes filled with tears at the sight of Alexis.

The Sphinx looked anxiously to Emily. ‘Heal him!’

Emily felt her throat tighten. ‘I’ve tried. It won’t work.’

‘It can not work,’ Jupiter explained. ‘He is a human, who has never consumed ambrosia. The Flame’s powers can not touch him.’

‘Give him some ambrosia,’ Alexis demanded. ‘Then Emily can heal him.’

Jupiter looked at all the strange devices attached to Agent T. ‘Do these machines keep him alive?’

Emily nodded. ‘His spine is destroyed. He is paralysed and can’t breathe or eat on his own.’

Jupiter dropped his head and placed his hand on the Sphinx’s shoulder. ‘I am sorry, Alexis. The damage is too great. Ambrosia will not heal him sufficiently. It would only keep him alive but in this state. That would be too cruel.’

‘Please, Jupiter,’ Alexis begged. ‘I have never asked anything of you in all my life. But I ask you this. Please let me have my Tom. I love him.’

‘But he will not survive the journey to Olympus away from these machines. His life in this form is over.’

‘Then change his form,’ Alexis pleaded desperately. ‘You have the power. Turn him into something that does not require a moving body to survive. A rock, a jewel, a tree? Anything, but let him live.’

Jupiter approached the side of the bed. He looked down on Agent T thoughtfully. ‘I am sorry that I do not have the power to restore your body. But I can change it. I will do this only if you wish me to. It must be your choice.’

Alexis was still standing up beside the bed. ‘Please, Tom, let him do it. You can come back to Olympus with me. We can be together. Tell him you wish this.’

Emily watched Agent T blinking his eyes. Jupiter reached forward and placed his hand on his forehead. The leader of Olympus closed his eyes. Finally he nodded his head.

‘Alexis, everyone, stand back.’

Emily stood back with her father as Jupiter unhooked Agent T from the equipment keeping him alive. When his breathing tube was removed, the agent’s eyes flashed open as he started to suffocate.

‘Jupiter, please!’ Alexis begged.

The leader of Olympus placed both his hands on Agent T’s chest. He closed his eyes again and lifted his head. The air around Jupiter snapped and sparkled and seemed to be filled with stars. There was a blinding flash and loud snap. In a moment it was over and when the light faded, the bed was empty.

Alexis’s frightened eyes looked desperately at Jupiter. ‘What has happened? Where is my Tom?’

Jupiter looked at the Sphinx and smiled gently. ‘I suggest you return to Olympus and see for yourself. He is at your home waiting for you.’

‘How will I know him?’

Jupiter smiled gently. ‘You will know him.’

Alexis didn’t pause to say goodbye. She flashed past Emily and was a blur flying down the empty corridor.

Emily looked at Jupiter. ‘What did you do to him?’

‘I asked the man what he wanted. He told me he wanted to live with Alexis. Then I asked him what he would choose to be if he could not move.’

‘What did he say?’

Jupiter smiled. ‘A willow tree. He told me his happiest childhood memories were of a treehouse he had in the giant willow in his back garden. The willow is soft and forgiving and moves gently in the breeze.’

‘Agent T is a willow tree?’

Jupiter nodded. ‘A very happy one. I am sure when we return to Olympus we will find Alexis sitting quite contentedly in her Tom-tree.’

With every last living being out of the facility and on the surface, Jupiter looked at Emily. ‘This is yours now. Proceed.’

Emily stood before the squat buildings. Her mind played back all the horrors that had occurred in this facility. Suddenly Agent PS darted away from the guards and ran up to her. ‘Please, Emily, don’t do it. Don’t destroy all that knowledge!’

Emily looked at him and felt her anger growing. ‘Knowledge? Is that what you call this?’

‘Yes, knowledge,’ the agent said. ‘There must always be some casualties in human development. But we could achieve something amazing here. We could change the world.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Jupiter said as he cast his eyes on the CRU agent. ‘Everything is permissible if it is for human development. Is that what you are telling me?’

The agent suddenly realized to whom he was talking. But instead of offering respect, he straightened his back and let his arrogance show. ‘Yes, Jupiter,
human development
! The only reason you’re here is because you’re frightened that one day we’ll be as powerful as you – and you hate that.’

Jupiter shook his head sadly. ‘No, we are here because you stole something precious from us and we have now taken it back.’ He sighed. ‘I have not been back to your world for a very long time. It saddens me greatly to see that your knowledge has far exceeded your wisdom to use it wisely. You are as hard and unforgiving as a Prometheus Oak.’

Suddenly a sparkle came into his eyes. ‘Prometheus Oak. Of course, how fitting.’ He concentrated on Emily. ‘Flame, let loose your power.’

Everyone but Pegasus moved back from Emily as she raised her hands in the air. She closed her eyes and summoned not only the power of the Flame, but all her other powers as well. She envisioned every room and every corridor of every level of the wretched facility. She thought of the unfortunates who had suffered and died there in the name of science. She grieved for the clones left in the tubes that they could not save.

When she was ready, Emily unleashed her full powers. Laser-like flames rushed from her hands and burned their way into the buildings. But they did not stop. From deep beneath the ground were deep rumblings and loud explosions. Emily felt the power of her collected tears on her hospital gown and sheets explode and add to the firestorm.

The ground started to shake like a powerful earthquake. The sounds of the groaning and crumbling facility filled the air and grew in intensity until it became almost unbearable. In one final push, Emily envisioned it all
gone
!

An instant later the sounds stopped. The dust settled and where once stood the CRU facility was nothing but an impossibly large crater.

‘Well done!’ Jupiter cheered as he and his brothers clapped their hands.

Pegasus nickered beside her and pressed his face to hers.

‘It’s over, Pegs,’ Emily sighed tiredly as she pressed her head to his.

‘Not quite,’ Jupiter said. ‘Pegasus, if you look around us, you will see the remnants of a dead lake. I believe it is time for water and life to return to it. Would you oblige me?’

Emily looked at Pegasus and frowned. ‘What does he mean?’

Pegasus whinnied excitedly. He reared slightly and flapped his wings. The stallion galloped away from the group until he was a safe distance away.

‘Watch this,’ Paelen said, coming up to her. ‘I have not seen Pegasus do this in a very long time.’

‘Do what?’ Joel asked.

‘Use his powers,’ Paelen explained.

‘Pegasus has powers?’ Emily asked.

‘Just watch,’ Paelen said.

Far from where they stood, Pegasus opened his wings fully. He glowed so bright, Emily could barely see his outline in the blazing light. The stallion reared up as high as he could and came crashing back down to earth with a mighty blow.

Once again the ground rumbled and quaked. Pegasus moved further away and repeated the action. He did this several more times around the lake bed before he returned to Emily. They stood together and watched as the cracked, dry surface of the dead lake suddenly burst open and fresh water started to rise.

It filled the whole of Groom Lake and seeped into the crater Emily had created with the destruction of the CRU facility.

Over the roar of the rushing water, Jupiter caught hold of Agent PS by the scruff of the neck and hauled him over to the edge. ‘What lake would be complete without shady trees?’

He released the CRU agent and pointed his hands at him. ‘Prometheus Oak!’

Agent PS started to run from Jupiter but just a few steps away he slowed down. He turned back and looked at Emily. His eyes were filled with defiant hatred as his body changed and stretched out. He started to scream. Suddenly his black suit tore away and branches sprang from his body.

Emily watched in shock as Agent PS was turned into a giant oak tree.

‘Ouch!’ Paelen said. ‘Jupiter really
is
angry.’

‘What do you mean?’ Joel asked. ‘Being turned into a tree is letting him off easy. He did the same to Agent T. He’s now a willow tree.’

Paelen shook his head. ‘They are not the same at all. Agent T will never feel pain, but can still experience joy. He can think, speak and live a long and happy life with Alexis. But not Agent PS. Being turned into a Prometheus Oak is living torture. He will remain fully conscious and aware of his previous life. He will feel everything. A snapped branch will cause him to bleed. His bark is like breaking bones and when the wind blows through his leaves, you will hear him screaming. There is no worse punishment than that.’

Emily looked back at the tree that had once been Agent PS. Yet she could feel no pity for him.

Moments later, Jupiter approached the gathered scientists, military personnel and CRU agents. ‘You have offended all Olympus with your actions here. But I will not kill you. Instead I will give you a thousand years to consider your actions.’

Once again the leader of Olympus raised his hands in the air and shouted, ‘Prometheus Oak!’

Agent R and the other people of Area 51 scattered and tried to run away from the punishment raining down on them. But all they succeeded in doing was spreading out enough to create the most beautiful leafy forest around the shores of the New Groom Lake.

Emily and Pegasus stood in the cool shade of the tree formerly known as Agent PS. Those she cared for most were with her, including Prince Tobin and Tirk. They gathered together to watch the last of the Nirad soldiers enter the Solar Stream and head first to Olympus and then on to the Nirad world. Before they entered the Solar Stream A-Two and A-Three paused and waved excitedly at them. ‘See – you – soon!’

When they were gone, Jupiter sealed the entrance to the Solar Stream as if it had never been there.

Frankie was standing beside Joel with a big grin still painted on his face. ‘That was totally awesome. I knew you were aliens!’

‘We’re not aliens!’ Joel cried. But then he looked into the boy’s hopeful face. ‘OK, maybe we are.’

‘What now?’ Earl said. ‘Tom is gone, now you guys are going. What am I supposed to do?’

Emily frowned. She thought it was understood. ‘What do you mean? You’re coming with us?’

‘Really?’ Earl cried, excited. ‘I can finally see Olympus for myself !’

Emily’s father, Diana and Jupiter came forward. ‘Of course you may return with us to Olympus. It is not safe to leave you here in this desert. But you may come only for a visit,’ Jupiter said. ‘After everything the CRU have done here, I must ask if you would return to Earth to keep watch for us. We will ensure your safe return and you will have more wealth than you could ever spend. I promise you, no one will ever find you. But we need you here working for us.’