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  Sacrifice

  Iseakai Fantasy Adventure

  Patrick Underwood

  Copyright © 2021 by Patrick Underwood. All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Except in the cases permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters are eighteen years or older.

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Rude Awakenings

  2. Let’s Try This Again

  3. Saving Tyla

  4. First Impressions

  5. A Nice Jog

  6. Bad Dreams

  7. Day in the woods

  8. Dinner in the woods

  9. Close Proximity

  10. The Den of Sex and Evil

  11. Discoveries

  12. Bonds

  13. Gods

  14. Power

  15. Ambush

  16. The Carriage Ride

  17. Cleaning up the mess

  18. Acknowledgement of Truth

  19. Hills Crest

  20. The Bairds

  21. Normalcy

  22. Last Vestiges of a Peaceful Life

  23. The Sacking of Hill Crest

  24. Sacrifice For Those We Love

  25. Interlude - Surrender and Fear

  26. Tears, Hope, and New Beginnings

  27. Then There Were Three

  28. Improvements

  29. Riven Hold

  30. Interlude - Anger

  31. Surprises

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Prologue

  “Crap,” I said as I scraped what I hoped was dog excrement off my black shoes. “This day just gets better and better, doesn't it?”

  The sarcasm was almost dripping off me.

  That should have been a clue right there that the world was about to end. I had just invited whoever controls the universe to show me that, yeah, it gets much better, just you wait, asshole.

  With most of the ick removed from my shoe—the overnight snow had partially frozen the foul substance, making the task easier—I continued to walk my beat in the Beacon Hill area of Boston. The shops and streets had changed little over the years.

  Glass fronts on each store, plus the cobblestone streets were a nice beat for a cop like me most of the time. The day I got assigned to it was one of the best in my law enforcement career. Though, right now, it smelled of spoiled booze mixed with tons of regret from the night before.

  “Good day, ma'am,” I said as I passed by a woman pushing her stroller up the street, her baby making cooing noises in the covered stroller.

  “Officer,” she said, her head and hair wrapped in a scarf and cap so tight I could only really tell she was a light-skinned woman with dark hair.

  The days of me enjoying my beat were over, however, as I soldiered on down the road, my attention strained to see most of the activity that occurred around me. Luckily, this morning was quiet. The evidence for this was clear as I stepped over several discarded '2133' emblazoned celebration hats and the other discarded detritus common after any New Year's Eve celebrations.

  I walked into a corner store to get out of the cold. The little bell on the door rang merrily in sharp contrast to my mood.

  “Derk,” the clerk said. “You workin' New Year's Day, too?”

  I nodded to the old man, his gray hair and shaven but wrinkly face familiar to me after three years on this beat. “Charles, I am surprised you're open today.”

  “Meh, I go to bed at the same time regardless. Too old to party anymore. Figure I would open up for the one or two people that didn't celebrate the new year…or the transit, who might actually need something.”

  My mood darkened at the mention of the transit. This must have been noticeable on my face to Charles.

  “You alright, son? You don't seem so happy about the colony ship leaving.”

  I shook my head. I was about to say it was nothing but changed my mind as I dropped my face down toward the floor. “You remember Jessica?”

  “That pretty young thing that you showed around once? Yeah, I remember, a real looker. Thought you guys were getting married?”

  I nodded. “We were. She, uh…got selected for the Sally Ride last year…I didn't.” A spike of emotional pain threatened to wail up inside me. I suppressed it down back into place as best as I could.

  Charles' facial expression changed from happy to one of sorrow. “Oh, I am so sorry, son. I didn't know. So, she went through yesterday and left you behind? I thought married couples got to stay together?”

  “We missed the cutoff to get married in time, and I…they assured me I was going to be selected…but something changed, and it didn't happen. We were both shocked. The captain of the ship even called me personally, said he fought it, but it was out of his hands…and he was sorry. Going to try for the next one, but that is…what? Ten years from now?”

  “Oh, Derk, I am so sorry to hear that. If there is anything I can do, let me know.”

  “I'll be okay. Survived six years in the marines and a shoot-out in space. I can wait for her."

  Charles rolled his eyes at me. "I don't care how heartbroken you are. I don't need another story about how you saved an officer from certain death again."

  I couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Said that one too many times, huh?"

  "Once or twice that I can remember at least, and I am old and forgetful. It's okay, though." He smiled as he said it.

  I held up my hands in defeat. “It's fine. Thinking I might go out to California and visit my kid, steal him from his mom, take him to Disney, or something to clear my head. I need to try and be a better father anyway. Thanks, though. Just going to go get some coffee before I head back out.”

  Charles nodded and went behind the register as I walked to the back.

  An old flat-screen television was on. Its volume was low, but I could hear it from where I now stood. I poured myself the straight black coffee that I personally thought was the best in the world, and I listened to what the broadcaster said.

  “—you, Marie, for that global weather report,” the news anchor said on the screen. “We now turn our attention back to the top stories of the hour.”

  The woman paused as she smiled. Her black hair was done up, her smile was damn near perfect, and her brown eyes shone on the ultra-high-definition screen.

  “In the latest news, worldwide celebrations continue as the first three colony ships and their six escorts crossed the event horizon of the planetary gate bridge connecting our solar system to the New Terran system just twenty-four hours ago. All nine ships reported a safe arrival and were making their way into parking orbit above the planet.”

  They showed a video of the Sally Ride as she crossed the event horizon. The great ship, which looked like a beer can with a nose cone strapped on its front, seemed to dematerialize bit by bit as it passed into the event horizon of the wormhole on its way to the New Terran system.

  A tear fell, streaming down my face at the image of the ship leaving me behind. I reached up and wiped it away with the side of my uniform sleeve. I tuned the news anchor out for a second as I remembered Jessica's last words to me before she left.

  “Don't worry, Derk. This is not the end. Even…even if we never see each other again, I will always love you. This is just…too important to pass up.

  “I know, Jess. I don't want you to wait for me. I just wish we had more time. It doesn't seem fair—”

&nbs
p; My thoughts were upended when I heard the alarm in the newscaster's voice.

  “—ing news that the planetary bridge connecting the Sol system to New Terra has collapsed. There is no sign of the phenomenon on any live cameras at unity station orbiting nearby.”

  The camera cut from the reporter and switched to archived footage.

  “As you can see from this footage, taken only moments ago, the wormhole seemed relatively stable before it just collapsed in on itself. No radio, electromagnetic signatures, or spikes were reported at the time of the collapse. It just simply ceased activity. For more on this, we go to— “

  My stomach dropped. “No…” I said aloud. My hands were suddenly numb. I turned and stumbled back to the front of the store, my heart aching. “Please, don't let it be true…”

  “What is it, D—” the sound of air raid sirens interrupted Charles, the forgotten system leftover from the Pacific War years ago. I looked outside and saw the young mother from before, staring into the sky. I ran out to see what the trouble was, my coffee forgotten on the counter.

  I grabbed my sidearm, pulling it from my holster as I went through the door, looking up to see what the woman was staring at. Above me, a giant black cube was hovering over the city. Easily blotting out a quarter of the sky, its shadow now falling over Boston.

  “Wha…what is that?' the woman asked, her hands gripped tightly to the stroller's handlebar.

  “I…really have no idea,” I said.

  The center of the cube began to glow with a purple ball of energy forming at its center.

  “Oh shit, run! Get indoors now!” I yelled at the woman as my atrophied combat instincts screamed at me to take control. She startled, then turned her stroller toward the store I had just exited a moment before. Everything slowed down just a bit as my adrenaline kicked in.

  A beam of purple energy, at least a mile wide, fired down toward the city's center, then slowly raked up the streets right toward us. I holstered my pistol in a flash, knowing it would not be of help.

  I heard screams in the distance as others panicked, but I could do nothing to help them, focusing on what was in front of me.

  “Move! Now! Leave the cart,” I said as I came up behind the woman to help.

  The woman reached over to grab her baby while moving toward the storefront. However, like in every movie I have ever seen, she tripped on the curb, falling forward then rolling sideways to protect her baby.

  I came up to her fast, but as I reached down, I gazed back to where the beam was coming from, now only half a mile away as it swept up the city streets. I froze momentarily as the few people in the street running from it instantly disappeared as it engulfed them. The wide purplish swath of energy spread over the cityscape towards me, and panic welled up into my chest.

  Knowing it was too late, I threw myself over the woman and her child in a futile attempt to save them from the approaching death ray.

  Darkness consumed me.

  “Controller, I have urgent news for you,” Vex said after he materialized into the Chief Archivist office. The Controller himself was sitting at his shadow wood desk.

  “What is it, Vex?”

  “The games have expanded to the human habitat area on Timeria. I do not know who is leading our people that have entered that part of the construct, but they have moved much faster than expected. The last of the human matriarchs will soon fall… Her army is walking into a trap as we speak.”

  The Controller sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “I was afraid of this. I have pushed back against the council for as long as I could, but they said two hundred and fifty years was long enough for the human test subjects to establish themselves. They believed we could no longer keep the mob from their entertainment before… problems from the lower cast arose. They forbade me from telling anyone with a Compact of Secrecy. I could not warn you, and for that I am sorry, Vex.”

  Vex startled. “Do they suspect?”

  “Possibly, some of them at least, but they have nothing they can use against me yet. We have taken what steps we could, and now we must implement them. Are you ready?”

  “Yes Controller, I have set aside a few humans that may accomplish the task we need. One in particular stands out to me, but he will need to be handled… carefully.”

  “Good, start with one for now, and we will be more aggressive as needed later. We do not want to bring notice to our activities. Best if we avoid doing too much too quickly for now, it might sway those in the council who are still neutral against us.”

  “Can you tell me the name of who leads our kind on Timeria?” Vex asked.

  “Seir… He was the one who volunteered to risk his immortality as a human.”

  “Seir? I thought only the lower cast could enter?”

  The Controller paused a moment before answering, considering his words. “I do not know why he volunteered. I think someone on the council offered him… considerations. Timeria… I mean, habitat four-five-two will turn into a living hell for the beings living there if he wins the games.”

  “Agreed. We must stop his machinations, whatever they may be. At the very least he would ruin all chances for our research to continue there. Do you have any further questions for me?” Vex asked.

  “Does this human of yours have a name?”

  “Derrick Schultz, he calls himself Derk.”

  “Part of the group you took an interest in?” He paused, looking to Vex for confirmation and getting a nod. “Good.”

  “I noticed him when I picked the others, that is correct. Not as intelligent as the one I chose to lead the expedition through the planetary bridge, but his emotional imperatives should have him follow the path I seek.”

  “Proceed. I may have something that could give him a slight advantage over our kind. I will insert it into the code when I can. Now go.”

  Vex dissipated in a whirl of light without responding. The controller considered his friend and the task before them. Not sure if they would succeed but knowing if they did not stop the rest of his kind on this world, countless more would fall to the same existence.

  His hatred for what his own species had become increased and his resolve to stop them intensified.

  He brought up his interface, examining the code of Timeria and thought how best to give them an advantage without the council’s notice.

  Then he smiled to himself when he figured it out.

  1

  Rude Awakenings

  Oh God, the pain.

  Those were my first thoughts as I came to from… I couldn't remember what. I struggled through the pain to remember what was going on. Something about an attack… but the details were just out of reach.

  My eyes opened to a woodland setting, and I was laying with my back on the ground, looking up at a tree canopy of flora that did not seem right to me. I took a deep breath, but my nose filled with the smell of something coppery which mixed with the earthy smell of the woods I was in.

  It was warm but not hot. Nor was it overly humid either, so at least it was not a jungle. I hated jungles… even if I could not remember why I hated them.

  With the pain making any movement excruciating, I just gazed upon the leaves of the trees above. They reminded me of… the word willow tree entered my mind with the way the branches hung down. But there was something wrong with the leaves. As I focused on them, their pattern seemed familiar.

  “M… Maple?” I asked.

  My voice sounded odd, higher pitch than what felt right to me. I tried moving my head, as the pain seemed to be lessening bit by bit. First, to my right, seeing bushes of various shapes and sizes, some familiar, some not.

  “Blackberries?” My voice was a little stronger that time, though still much higher in pitch than what seemed right.

  Turning my head, the other way, I saw more bushes on that side, another mix of the blackberries and even a couple other fruits that I did not recognize at all.

  Finally getting the confidence in my ability to move, I shifted my arms to
make sure they functioned. It felt odd, like moving someone else's arms and not my own. Bringing them in front of my face, it surprised me to see that they were skinny, the arms of a youth, or a young man.

  Why is this surprising to me?

  A memory flooded in my head. Of me at a… gym? Yes, a gym, pushing weights with a bunch of other men with closely shaven hair standing at the various stations. They wore shirts that had a 'Boston Police' on the front, and I distinctly remembered my arms being much bigger than what I was seeing now.

  The mix of half memories was too confusing, so I dropped my arms back to my sides with a loud thump. Closing my eyes while the memories continued their assault on my mind.

  The attack!

  I felt it all click into place. The attack, the mother, the image of the wormhole disappearing… Jessica. Suddenly I knew who I was again, though that did not help explain where I was at. I should be dead, but maybe there really was a god, and this was the afterlife?

  If so, then why does it suck so badly?

  I opened my eyes again, put my not-right-arms underneath me and pushed off the ground, just enough to look down my front. First, looking at my chest and the shirt I was wearing, which was torn as though bitten by a wild beast. I could see wounds underneath and the blood that had soaked the shirt.

  I should have felt shocked at the amount of blood, not to mention the wounds, but something kept me from the panic that I would think would set in for any normal or sane person. Almost as if my emotions were being pushed into a box, which was likely not a good sign for being as sane as I had hoped I was. However, the panic was there, along with fear and anger and a full range of other things running up and down me. It was just as if they were not important right now, along with another thing that told me not to touch the wound while it healed.

  Healed?

  The wounds were closing in front of my eyes. Knitting themselves back together at a rate that was impossible, even with the most modern medicine back home. I stared at it while it finished closing, then scab, and finally even that flaked off into scars in but a moment. Like watching a time-lapse movie on a holo-screen before even those scars started shrinking and closing to nothingness.