Legendz of The Ten Islands: Volume III

8. Communication Down

Lenny and Alex woke up early the next morning after a good night's rest. They resumed their usual morning workout of running and endurance exercises. "So where are we going today?" Alex asked Lenny who was pouring milk into his cereal. "I don't know, there are a lots of other places that we have not visit. Why don't you choose this time?" Lenny replied. "Okay, we'll have a look at the map of Yume after this and decide." Alex chomped on a bread roll. "How about visiting Celestial City? It's the most developed city in all of Yume." Mrs. Parker said when she brought a bowl of fried rice for Alex. "Thanks. Is it really that great there, Mrs. Parker?" Alex asked. "I've been there once a few years back. The city is quite populated, the streets are much more crowded compared to Saamaya City. You can go up the Celestial Tower to watch the night scenery of the city. The tower is the tallest building in all of Yume and it also functions as the main satellite relay for the entire Yume. However, it had a bloody history to its construction." "Thanks for the suggestion, Mrs. Parker. We'll look into it once we finish our meal." Lenny said. "Glad to be of help." Mrs. Parker replied and left. "Well, what do you think Lenny? It doesn't sound half bad." Alex said. "Let's go then," Lenny finished his cereal and proceeded to wash the dishes. After that, the two boys went to the workshop to pick up some items. Alex opened up his storage and moved two oxygen tanks into it. Later, he was seen carrying a rebreather and other underwater equipment into the portal. "Hey, what's with all the gear?" Lenny asked. "Just to make sure we're prepared if we ever needed to go on an underwater mission." Lenny approached the black smith to take his new katana since he left the last one in the underwater cave in the Great Lake. Alex loaded more items into his storage portal while Lenny browsed the display shelf for new experimental items. They were given the privilege to request for any weapons or supplies by General Max as long as they are within reasonable range. "Hey, mister, can I try this out?" Lenny pointed at a metal disc. "It's called the 'chaos disc'. It will produce a high decibel sound when it is spinning and also activate a laser blade circumference when thrown. You can also control it via this remote to alter its course in mid-air or switch the disc to manual by turning off the remote." The man handed Lenny the weapon while explaining to him. "Hmm, interesting weapon. I'll give it a try." Lenny said and took the disc along with its remote. "Are you done?" Lenny asked Alex. "Pretty much, just need to restock my ammo and grenades from the armory." Alex replied. Before they left the workshop, an emergency news broadcasted on the big screen above the front door caught everyone's attention. "Breaking news! A fight just broke out between the representatives of Fire and Water Clans. Here is a close up footage, live at the scene." The female reporter said. The screen then showed the chaos that occurred in the meeting. Lenny and Alex took a seat near one of the table and watched the news. "The Fire Clan is now investigating the cause of all these mayhem. The number of deaths and injured have yet to be confirmed. The Fire Clan is now pursing Count Fleming, the former advisor of the Fire Clan, General Max Jr. Power, the general of the Freedom Clan, Lieutenant Erik Jacob from the Freedom Clan, Lady Mary Alden, leader of the Sleeping Forest…" "General Max and Erik are fugitives? I don't believe this," Alex said. "Yeah, me either. Something must have gone wrong…" The news reporter continued. "There are several people missing from the meeting including a junior representative from the Sleeping Forest named Cindy Autumn. A full list of those who went missing shall be released soon once the investigation started. In another news pertaining to the Yume Summit, the Fire Clan authorities had evacuated the Ustrina Palace where all the foreign ambassadors were staying soon after the fight broke out. But they were unable to locate Master Shin Yamato and her daughter Iris Yamato. And also two junior representatives, Calvin Saunders from the Freedom Clan and Alia Faure from Gaea. The Fire Clan authorities had requested the help of the major parties on Yume to aid in the investigation. Anyone who has any information on these people can contact the Fire Clan via …" "Master Shin and Calvin had gone missing as well. Something is definitely wrong somewhere." Lenny said. "I agree with you. So what do we do now?" Alex asked. "We try to find them and get to the bottom of this." First Sergeant Rashed approached the two boys from behind. "Sergeant, you startled me. Were you watching the news? What do you think happened?" Alex asked, eager for an answer to calm his nerves. "I don't know Alex, but I bet we'll find out soon if we manage to find them before the Fire Clan did." Sergeant Rashed replied. "But how are we going to find them? We don't have any leads." Alex asked. "General Max sent me a message when he escaped from the Fire Clan. He told me that they are heading for Celestial City and want us to meet them there." "Okay, let's go then." Lenny said, his voice filled with energy. "Not so fast cowboy. We need to get some supplies before we head there. It's a long way from here to Celestial City." Sergeant Rashed said and led the two boys out of the workshop.

Kelvin and his friends managed to navigate their way through the complex tunnels of the flood channel to emerge in a small town about thirty kilometers from Magma City. All of them were tired from the long journey. The fear and adrenaline that drove them into the flood channel waned and was replaced by exhaustion. "We'll stop and rest in this town. There is an emergency supply shed built in this town by the Spirit World." Chris withdrew a cellphone from his sweater. "Hey, how did you get pass the security with that?" Kenneth asked. "We didn't exactly went through the security check. Come this way," Chris answered and led the group to a row of shops which seemed to be closing. The folks there did not pay heed to the seven newcomers as they were busy closing their business for the day. The evening sun was getting low on the horizon when Chris brought them to an old wooden door located at the corner of the building. He put his palm on the door and it shimmered. "C'mon, get in before anyone sees us." Chris ordered. Jia Hao and Jason walked through the shinning door as if there were nothing there. The rest followed and all the while Chris's hand was on the door. He then picked up the rear and the wooden door reverted to its prior state. The inside of the building was that of the usual household except that most of the rooms were filled with shelves, boxes and various containers. There were three rooms with two double beds and a living room with sofa but no television. However, there was no kitchen, only a simple pantry in the whole three stories building. The rest of the rooms were filled with items. "There is a communication room in the attic, you guys can use it to contact for help." Chris said. "Wait a minute, if you all have access to all these, why didn't you guys call for help sooner?" Kelvin asked. "Look Kelvin, we were called to investigate this case just two days ago. Our group was ambushed the moment we reached Spring Garden. It was as if they knew we would be there at that exact moment. Our team leader and a few other senior members were killed in the combat and we were on the run ever since then. We thought we're safe once we get in touch with General Max or Erik at the summit but this happened." Chris replied. "Oh, that's terrible! Did you know who they were? Your assailant?" Julee asked. "We were pretty sure at first that they were Water Clan members because all of them only knew how to use Water-based elemental attacks but then another group came at us with Fire-based attacks. The two groups overwhelmed us and we barely managed to escape only with the sacrifice of our comrades." Jason said, his face full of sorrow and regret. "I thought the Fire Clan and Water Clan are bitter enemy." Cindy said. "We thought so too. That's why we're still puzzled as to why they were working together." Jia Hao replied. "Sorry about your friends, Chris, Jason and Jia Hao." Kelvin said. "We shall not let their sacrifice be in vain. Jason and I will report back to the Spirit World while Jia Hao stays here with you guys. You guys are welcome to stay here as long as you like. We'll seek for reinforcement, there is more to this case than meets the eye." "Wait, you're going now? How do you plan to go to the Spirit World?" Kelvin asked. "How we always did, through a portal." Jason answered. "Wait, you can open a portal? Why didn't you do it when we were escaping?" Kenneth asked impatiently. "Because, the portal we open can only be travelled through in Ghost Form. And the portal only takes us back to the Spirit World and nowhere else." Jia Hao replied calmly. "Oh, my bad," Kenneth said. "Alright guys, see you guys soon. Stay safe. We'll be in touch through the coms." Chris and Jason's bodies turned transparent and a portal opened before them. The portal was quite different from the one Erik opened. It was greyish and chilling to all those near it, raising goosebumps on Kelvin's arms and forearms for being the one closest to it. Chris and Jason stepped through the portal and disappeared. The portal closed but a faint cold air could still be felt in the air.

Kelvin and his friends had their late dinner and gathered at the living room to discuss their next move. "Is there anything we can do while Chris and Jason call for help?" Kenneth asked. "We thought you would say that, so we prepared these to help us with the investigation." Jia Hao said and opened his laptop. An image was projected onto the wall so that everyone could see. "Here is another laptop for you. It contains the entire database the Spirit World had collected over the years." "Okay, this is fascinating information we have but what do you hope to achieve with these?" Kelvin replied. "There is a lot that we do not know about this case besides the information General Max gave us. Just like you guys, we are still rookies on a mission guided by our team leader and senior officers. At first, we thought that this is just another war between clans, fighting over resources but clearly this is more than that. It involves the entire Yume. If we investigate further into the case, maybe we can get some clue as to what might happen next." Jia Hao explained. "That make sense," Kenneth responded. And so, they started browsing through the Spirit World database. Kenneth wanted to learn more regarding his grandfather so he searched for him. His biography was long but the name 'Lalkarz' caught Kenneth's attention as it appeared quite frequently. "Hey Jia Hao, what do you know about a person named Lalkarz?" Kenneth asked. Jia Hao turned his gaze away from the monitor and said. "I only know that he is one of Narakiya's nine generals during the Great War. Other than that, I guess you have to search the database." "His name appeared quite frequently in Count Fleming's biography. It seems grandpa had quite a few confrontations with him during the war." Kenneth clicked into the link for data on Lalkarz. "It says here that his real name is Lalkarz Herbert, he is also known as the Puppet Master for his skills in hypnosis and mind control. He once train and led a team of espionage responsible for countless sabotages, assassinations and also infiltrations. He is also known for making allies fight one another. His most notable work of all was the chaos at the Alsa Meeting fifty years ago." "But it says here that he was killed near the end of the war after a fatal mistake he made. He was so hated by his enemies that they tortured him for days before burning him alive." Jia Hao read from the passage. "That's a horrible way to die," Cindy commended. "Wait, there is more," Jia Hao continued. "It's an old report from one of the detectives from Spirit World. He found evidences that Lalkarz was resurrected in Ghost Form towards the end of his mortal life by the Necromancer, one of the nine generals of Narakiya. And hence a team was formed to hunt him down. It says here that Lalkarz's power diminished after he lost his body but he gained a new ability – the ability to possess other's body." "Like a ghost?" Julee asked. "It's not surprising since he is practically a ghost after he lost his body. I have seen a few cases of possession by spirit during my training but they are rare though." Jia Hao explained. "So, what happened to the investigation?" Cindy asked. "The trail went cold after their final encounter with him in Celestial City twenty years ago." Kenneth read the end of the passage aloud. "They monitored the case for five more years but nothing turned out to be useful. So the case was put aside." "Do you think it's him this time?" Kelvin asked. "I don't know…" Jia Hao was in doubt. "The pattern of event in the Alsa Meeting was the same as the Yume Summit." Kenneth pointed out after he quickly browsed through the passage regarding Alsa Meeting. "It says here that the Earth Clan and the Council of Light who had a bitter history of dispute in the past started fighting over a small argument not long after the meeting started. After that, more parties with past conflicts began acting violently. It sounds just like the Yume Summit." "I agree. Maybe we should tell Chris what we found and he can convey it to your leader. And perhaps we might get more reinforcement to handle this conflict." Kelvin suggested. Jia Hao thought for a moment and said "I guess it won't hurt to do so. And if it turns out to be true, we have the reinforcement for it." He stood from his seat and went upstairs to the attic. Kelvin and Kenneth followed after him while the girls kept searching the database for more info. The communication room had a large screen computer with a few cameras attached to it. Jia Hao turned the computer on and tried to connect to Chris. He stopped after several attempts at the keyboard. "That's funny, we aren't getting any signal at all." "What do you mean?" Kenneth asked. "Look at this," Jia Hao pointed at the monitor. "It's either our device is faulty which I doubt it is. Or something is jamming our signal." "How about we try to contact my friend Lenny, see if it works." Kelvin suggested. Kelvin always has the habit of memorizing phone numbers and it proved to be extremely helpful especially in this situation where most of their belongings had been stored at the security check point at Old Volcano. He punched in the number on the keyboard and waited . . . Nothing. "Something must be wrong," Jia Hao typed rapidly on the keyboard and ran a system check. "There is nothing wrong on our side. Maybe something is jamming our signal." Jia Hao left his chair and went to a cupboard nearby. He removed what seemed to be a small satellite dish attached to a small metal box. "Help me get to the roof, we'll know for sure once we activate this." Jia Hao opened the window. "Won't somebody sees us?" Kelvin asked. "Nobody will be here at this time of the night. It's a small town and all the shops are closed." Jia Hao replied. The three of them carefully climbed onto the roof and Jia Hao worked on the satellite dish. "What is it supposed to do?" Kenneth asked, fascinated by the device. "This is sort of like a sonar, it picks up transmission waves. And also localize the source of the jamming signals." The satellite dish enlarged to twice its original size and began rotating slowly. "Oh my, this is worse than I thought." Jia Hao said after he analyzed the data from the monitor. "It seems the jamming signals cover the entire range of this radar which is about fifty kilometers radius. This isn't a localized phenomenon as I thought it would be," "I don't get what you're saying Jia Hao." Kenneth said. "It means this jamming signals are not produced locally. They are generated from somewhere far away. I could only think of one possible place." Jia Hao explained. "The Celestial Tower."

First Sergeant Rashed took the boys to the armory to get an MPV, one much larger than the one they used to travel to the Great Lake. Sergeant Rashed also requested for a storage trailer attached behind the MPV. Then, they went to an old storage facility to gather for supplies. "What are we doing here? Why don't we just use the supply at the armory instead?" Alex asked. "Budget cuts. Ever since the incident at the Spring Garden, the Freedom Fortress had spent a lot of money on rebuilding the town. The Freedom Clan was not as well funded as it used to be since the Great War ended half a century ago." Sergeant Rashed replied. "Right, how come General Max never mention this before?" Lenny said. "He probably think you kids won't understand." Sergeant Rashed laughed and opened the shutter gate to the storage. "Now, you guys help me move these and those crates into the trailer and then we're good to go." He pointed at the crates before heading back to open the trailer door. "Alright, let's get it done then," Alex said and headed for the closest crate. Each crate was no bigger than the size of a short stool but when Alex tried to lift it, it felt much heavier than it looked. "Woah, this thing is pretty heavy for its size. What's in it anyway?" Lenny asked, feeling the weight of the crate on his palms as he lifted it. "Alright then, you guys settle these while I head to the back." Sergeant Rashed ignored Lenny's question and went further back into the storage. "Oh shit!" Alex cursed as he accidentally tripped, falling face down onto the ground and dropping the crate that he was holding. The top of the crate opened and rocks fell out of the crate. Rapid footsteps were heard approaching from the back. Lenny put the crate he was carrying to help Alex replace the content back into the crate. "You fools! What are you doing? These are dangerous materials!" Sergeant Rashed shouted rudely at the boys. "Sorry, I tripped. Look, we put the contents back already. Good as new," Alex apologized. Sergeant Rashed approached the fallen crate and examined it after Alex had closed the lid. "Everything seems to be intact," Sergeant Rashed nodded curtly as he examined the crate. "Sorry I yelled at you. Please be more careful next time," He stood from his half-knelt position and headed to the back again. "It won't happen again. Hey sergeant, do you mind if I ask what were those rocks and why are they needed?" Alex called out to the sergeant who seemed to be in a hurry. "It's something General Max wants. Just be careful with them!" Sergeant Rashed yelled and strode off. "Something doesn't feel right," Alex said to himself. "Yeah, I felt light headed after the crate spilled." Lenny replied. "I'm going to use the restroom for a while if the sergeant ask." Alex placed the crate he was carrying on top of another crate in the trailer and headed off. "You go ahead, I'll finish off in here." Lenny replied and went to grab another crate. Alex withdrew his communicator device and tried to contact Kelvin once he was inside the restroom. However, his communicator was unable to reach Kelvin. He tried again with General Max but the same error was displayed on the screen. Not satisfied by what he saw, he tried again with Calvin but Calvin too was unreachable. He then proceeded into an office nearby after making sure Sergeant Rashed was not around. A heavy man with grey-white hair greeted him as he entered the office. "What can I do for you, son?" The man said. "I was wondering if I can borrow your communicator, mine seems faulty." Alex said, straight to the point. "Who are you trying to call?" The man asked. "A friend of mine in the Fire Clan," Alex replied. "Sorry son but you won't be able to reach him. All communications have been jammed since this morning. The only working ones are the shortwave radio which only works in a thirty kilometers radius." The man replied. "Since this morning?" "Yup, radioed the technician an hour ago and they said the matter still have not been resolved yet. They said the source most likely came from the main satellite relay…" "The Celestial Tower. Thanks for the help mister." Alex interrupted and then left the office.

"Where were you Alex? Did you went to poop or something?" Lenny asked when he saw his friend. "Where is Sergeant Rashed?" Alex asked, his forehead was sweating from the running. "He brought a crate into the trailer and headed to the back again." "Did he asked where I was?" Alex with another question. "Yeah, I told him you went to the toilet, why?" Lenny felt a little annoyed with Alex's question. "Look, something is definitely off, okay. General Max couldn't have contacted Sergeant Rashed and told him where they were because the communication signals were jammed since this morning." Alex spoke quickly while walking into the storage to avoid the afternoon sun. "Slow down, what do you mean the communications are down?" Lenny asked, suddenly puzzled by what Alex said. "It means Sergeant Rashed was lying about receiving a message from Max. He couldn't have gotten one." "Sometimes you're just too bright for your own good," A voice came from behind Lenny. "Why did you lied to us?" Alex demanded. Sergeant Rashed appeared behind the trailer and walked slowly towards the shutter gate. "I was thinking of sparing your life because you are just kids. But it seems impossible now that you knew," "Look out Lenny!" Alex warned as a bullet came straight for Lenny's head. Lenny managed to duck and rolled to safety. "It seems I taught you well, a bit too well." Sergeant Rashed closed the shutter gate behind him and trapped the boys in the storage facility with him. "I can let the both of you die swiftly with one shot to the head or you can die after your futile struggling. Either way you'll end up dead." Alex and Lenny hid behind stack crates and listened to what Sergeant Rashed had to say. "Why are you doing this?" Alex asked. "For money and power, something this clan lacks since its establishment." Sergeant Rashed moved quietly as he searched for the boys. Alex extended his arms sideways, a gesture he adapted whenever he was reaching for his dual pistols. However, unlike last time, he was unable to withdraw his pistols. Sergeant Rashed suddenly appeared right before him with a handgun in hand and was about to fire but a crate got in his way; disarming him. Sergeant Rashed crossed his arms to block Lenny's double kick while Alex rolled to one side and picked up Sergeant Rashed's handgun. "It's over sergeant!" Alex pointed the handgun at Sergeant Rashed while he was getting up. "You're a naïve boy, Alex." Sergeant Rashed's image suddenly blurred and Alex crossed his arms and lowered his head, a defensive reflex from days of hand-to-hand combat training. A heavy blow landed on Alex's stomach followed by a powerful kick that sent Alex crashing into a stacks of crates. Alex tried to teleport when he saw the sergeant raised his leg but he was unable to do so; it was as if something was preventing him from teleporting. Sergeant Rashed side stepped and rolled to a corner, dodging Lenny's lightsaber strike from behind. "It's useless to try and teleport your way out of this Alex. This place is covered with the Arc Net." Sergeant Rashed's voice came from behind a pile of crate which Lenny smashed with his fists. Outdated weapons were scattered all over the floor as the tower of crates crumbled when they hit the ground. "You alright Alex?" Lenny rushed to his friend who was covered in cuts and bruises. "I'll live but I cannot reach my arsenal and I can't teleport." Alex slowly stood up, his left hand was still clutching onto his stomach. "You are finish!" Three hand grenades dropped before them and exploded. Lenny was quick to create a barrier of air that protected them from the blast. "It seems that the only way out is to defeat him," Alex picked up an AK-47 from floor and started shooting at Sergeant Rashed's direction. He signaled for Lenny to sneak up behind Sergeant Rashed, so that they could pin him down with a pincer attack.

9. First Blood

Lenny found Sergeant Rashed with his back facing him while shooting at Alex's direction with a laser pistol. Lenny's instinct told him that it was probably a trap but he charged in anyway. Sergeant Rashed suddenly turned around and grabbed Lenny by the throat before his lightsaber could do any damage. He then lifted Lenny off his feet and started choking him. Alex immediately charged towards Sergeant Rashed with his super speed and knocked him off balance with his shoulder. Lenny coughed and inhaled deeply to clear the carbon dioxide that was building up. "Ouch…" Alex squeezed his left shoulder as he stood up. His shoulder was swollen and burning in pain from the collision. Sergeant Rashed winced when he was getting up, Alex seemed to have inflicted some damage. Lenny leapt into the air and swung his lightsaber down hard while Sergeant Rashed was getting up. His lightsaber was met with Sergeant Rashed's right forearm which blocked the attack. Lenny retreated and put some distance between them. "How did you do that?" Alex said, surprised by Sergeant Rashed's action. "It's called Armor Skin, it can block anything you could possibly throw at me. It was my mistake underestimating you two," Sergeant Rashed's image blurred again as he dashed towards Alex. Alex learnt from his mistake and make use of his speed to outrun his opponent. Sergeant Rashed was unable to keep up with Alex and changed his target. Lenny anticipated Sergeant Rashed's attack and dodged it with a quick dive to the left before throwing the chaos disc at his opponent. Glass shattered from the loud sound and Sergeant Rashed dropped to his knees while closing both his ears with his palms. The disc didn't leave any mark on him even though it was a direct hit. A rocket propelled grenade was launched at Sergeant Rashed's back followed by a second one while he was on his knees. However, all they did were destroying his clothes; his back remained unharmed. Suddenly, the high decibel sound stopped as a fire ball incinerated the weapon. "This is not looking good Lenny." Alex dropped the rocket launcher and picked up a high caliber sniper rifle. Blood oozed from Sergeant Rashed's ears when his hands moved away. Flame engulfed his whole body and he started blasting waves and waves of fire at the boys. The whole storage facility caught fire and the fire sprinkler system was triggered, raining water with extinguisher fluid. Many explosives were set off, causing the whole place to be covered in thick dust and fog.

Sergeant Rashed slowly marched through the fog, firing at anything that moved. Just then, he spotted Alex at the side and put both his palms together, sending an arrays of flame energy at Alex. The hit landed and Alex was down on the ground. Sergeant Rashed wasted no time to finish Alex off with another wave of flame, sending more dust and debris into the air. When he lowered his palms, a hard object connected under his chin, making him stumbled. A broken sniper rifle fell onto the ground followed by a loud gunshot. Sergeant Rashed clutched his left eye with his right hand and shrieked. Fire surrounded Sergeant Rashed and ignited the broken pieces of wooden crates all around him as he screamed. "How could you still be alive?" A lightning fast jab took Alex by surprise while he was retreating from the flame aura. A right hook quickly followed and sent him into the air. Lenny doused Sergeant Rashed's flame aura with a wave of water he gathered from the ground and continued his assault with his lightsaber coated by a thin layer of water. Lenny slashed the back of Sergeant Rashed's knee when he was hitting Alex. The attack was perfect but again no damage was dealt. Lenny's eyes widened when Sergeant Rashed suddenly turned around and grabbed the blade of his lightsaber before yanking it away. He then delivered a slap to Lenny's face with the back of his right hand, knocking him to the ground. "He's a monster!" Lenny thought to himself. "How are we supposed to beat him?" Sergeant Rashed's left eye socket was a bloody gaping hole, the result of a .45 Magnum bullet. But he was still able to move, raging to kill the two boys with his fiery hands. Lenny spotted the hilt of a sword on the ground nearby and dived for it when Sergeant Rashed charged towards him. His movement seemed to have slowed down, probably from all the injuries he sustained. Lenny jerked the sword free from all the rubble and swung it just in time to block Sergeant Rashed's fist. Alex dropped to a half knelt position after trying to get up, his head was still dizzy and his ears buzzing. He coughed blood a moment ago when he landed and hit his head hard. Lenny was still fighting with Sergeant Rashed but he seemed to be on the offensive. Somehow, the rusted sword was able to slice through Sergeant Rashed's Armor Skin but only barely. Blood oozed from the multiple shallow gashes inflicted by the sword on Sergeant Rashed's forearms. "We should stop this madness!" Lenny shouted, panting from the effort. "When you are dead!" Sergeant Rashed replied, his lust for blood remained strong despite his state. Lenny bit his lips and lifted his sword. His tiredness got the better of him and Sergeant Rashed was able to dodge his first strike. He feinted a low kick that made Lenny stepped sideways and then sent Lenny to the ground with a spinning right kick to the chest. Sergeant Rashed raised both his palms to finish off Lenny but was again knocked off balance by Alex with an elbow to his side. The ball of fire unleashed sent a crate of ammo ricocheting everywhere. Alex grabbed Lenny by his collar and dragged him behind a metal container for cover as bullets flew randomly at all directions. "You alright?" Alex looked at his friend who was coughing blood and taking rapid breaths. "I think he broke my ribs." Lenny replied while trying to catch his breath. "He's coming," Alex picked up a Desert Eagle handgun that seemed to have survived the fire. He nodded at Lenny as footsteps grew louder behind them. Alex mustered his last ounce of strength to stand up and fight. Unfortunately, Sergeant Rashed caught the barrel of the gun when Alex fired, deviating the trajectory of the bullet. Sergeant Rashed's other hand was burning brightly with an orange flame that aimed directly at Alex's face. Before the final blow can be dealt, a sword was plunged into Sergeant Rashed's chest; dropping him to his knees and extinguishing the flame on his hand.

"It's finally over," Lenny released the hilt off from his hands and fell to the floor, exhausted. Sergeant Rashed's body lay motionless on the ground before them, giving Alex a false sense of relief. But his muscles suddenly tensed when he caught sight of a bright object from the corner of his eye. A fire ball was shot from Sergeant Rashed's right hand, directed at Lenny who was unaware of it. Alex jumped forth and made it at the last minute to use his body as a shield. The fire ball turned Alex's back charcoal black the instant it made contact. Lenny's eyes widened as he stared at his fallen comrade. His mind snapped at that very moment. Lenny seemed to have gained strength all of a sudden and ran towards Sergeant Rashed like a mad bull. He kicked his enemy's face hard and fractured his nose. He then forcefully yanked the sword from the sergeant's chest before raining down continuous slashes at the man's neck. Blood spurted all over the place as Sergeant Rashed's head was decapitated. A hand squeezed Lenny's right shoulder and that made him stopped hitting the corpse. "Stop it Lenny! That's enough!" Alex shouted from behind. Lenny dropped his blade and turned to see Alex face a mess; his chin was swollen, bruises covered his cheeks and forehead and fresh blood still lingered at the corners of his mouth but he was alive! Lenny pulled his friend close and gave him a tight hug with tears all over his face. "But how?" was the only thing Lenny said. "The body that saved you was my Doppelgänger. It's not exactly a pleasant ability but it has it uses sometimes." Alex replied. Lenny turned to see where Alex's Doppelgänger was but all that left was a pile of ashes. "It'll return to its host once it dies. But it sure drains the hell out of me," Alex explained. "What should we do now?" The two boys just sat down and stared at the headless corpse, they were still in the state of shock. An hour passed before Alex finally spoke. His hands and voice were no longer trembling like before. "We need to hide the corpse and get out of here." Alex suggested and stood up. "We killed a man Alex," Lenny replied. "I know but we have no choice! It's either him or us and if anybody else find out about this, we're in big trouble. It's our words against his… I meant he's a veteran and we're new here, no one will believe us." Alex said and wandered off. "You're right. What do you suggest we should do?" Lenny was still aching all over his body but he managed to stand up. Alex came back with what looked like a gasoline lamp but with a crystal at the center instead of fire. "What's that?" Lenny asked. "I think this is the Arc Net Sergeant Rashed mentioned. But we'll find out soon." Alex tinkered with the device and the crystal no longer shone. "Alright then," Alex straightened his right hand and a portal opened before him. "Well, that confirms it. This is the Arc Net that was blocking my ability." Alex kept the device into his storage portal and came back out with a plastic container. He opened the lid and Lenny could instantly tell what it was inside. "Is this really a good idea?" Lenny questioned what Alex was about to do. "I watched it on a detective movie that if you burn a corpse, there is much less to deal with and it will make it hard for them to identify the corpse." Alex said and took off his shirt. He tore it in half and covered the arms of the corpse before dragging it away from the flammable materials that the facility kept. "This is insane Alex! As if killing him wasn't enough, now you're going to burn his corpse?" Lenny yelled. Alex ignored Lenny's commend and poured the gasoline over the corpse and its head. "Are you even listening to me?" Lenny yelled again. "Look Lenny! It will be all over for us if we get caught now. We'll never be able to prove that we're innocent alright." Alex put down the gasoline container and continued. "The fact that no alarm had sounded after a few explosions and the entire place was on fire meant that Sergeant Rashed had somehow deactivated the alarm and also security cameras in this place. We've no proof that he attacked us first and no witness to help us either. Our only chance is to find the others and General Max. Maybe they can help us. Doing this will help buy us some time to get away from here. Who knows how many traitors are there besides him." Alex explained. "You're right…" Lenny agreed at last. "Now we should clean that pool of blood and burnt our clothes as well. I have spares in the storage." "Now?" Lenny asked and began taking off his shirt. "Eww, go somewhere else! I don't want to see your naked butt!" Alex handed Lenny his spare clothes and the two boys changed. They cleaned up the traces of blood with their clothes and burnt them along with Sergeant Rashed's body. "What about this sword?" Lenny suddenly realized the murder weapon was still there. "Should we burn it?" Lenny asked. Alex took the blade and cleaned it with gasoline before tossing the cloth into the fire. "No, we wouldn't be able to melt it with that kind of temperature. I'll just keep it." Alex opened his storage portal and left the sword at one corner. "Now what do we do?" Lenny asked. "We should get our injuries taken care of. But we have to lie about how we got them." Alex replied. Lenny sighed and said. "Sounds like a plan." The two boys locked the shutter gate and tossed the key back into the storage facility. Despite the mess from the intense battle, the building looked just the same from the outside apart from the shattered windows high up. After that, they drove the MPV to the nearest medical facility to get treated.

"What the heck happened to you two? You two looked like you have just fought a dragon or some wild ferocious beast." Doctor Lesley said. "It was something similar," Alex forced a smile. The doctor ordered them to lie onto the bed before examining their injuries via a scanner mounted to the ceiling. "My god! What did the two of you do? Besides the physical damage, your body also suffer from radiation damage. Where did you people went exactly?" Dr. Lesley demanded after he glanced at the monitor. "Radiation? When did we get exposed to that?" Lenny asked, pure surprise in his tone. All of a sudden, Alex vomited blood, massive amount of it. Dr. Lesley rushed to his side and gave him two injections on the shoulder. Alex stopped vomiting instantly and was given a cup of medicine to drink. "I don't know what happened but I think the two of you should be admitted." The doctor said. "No doctor, we have an important mission to do tomorrow. Can't you do something about it? Please," Alex tried his best to persuade the doctor. Dr. Lesley looked at Alex's pale face and hesitated. "Are you sure you have to go? Because this is kind of serious you know." "Please doctor, I'm begging you. We must go by tomorrow." Alex persisted. "Yeah doc, we have to go. It's important." Lenny joined in. "Oh alright! You two don't need to be admitted. But please promise me that you will finish your medicine. All of it!" Dr. Lesley's hands glowed and hovered over Alex's body. The superficial wounds and bruises began fading. The nausea feeling Alex had a while ago was diminished as well. Dr. Lesley then proceeded to treat Lenny. After that, the two of them were asked to sit on a couch and were lectured by Dr. Lesley on how to take their medicine properly. "Do take note not to strain yourselves too much because your wounds are not completely healed yet, especially your fractured bones. Take care now. If there is any worsening of your symptoms, don't hesitate to go to the nearest medical facility for help." Dr. Lesley handed the two boys their medicines and sent them off. "Thanks doc." Alex and Lenny waved at Dr. Lesley as they departed the medical facility in their MPV after spending nearly three hours inside. While Lenny was driving, Alex pointed at the corner that would lead to the workshop. "Why do you want to go there?" Lenny asked. "I think I know where all the radiation came from." Alex replied. "Where?" Lenny sounded surprised and curious at the same time. "Do you remember the crate I spilled? I think they are more than just ordinary rocks, I think they are radioactive ores. But I can't say for sure, so we have to test it out." Alex explained. "Remember that nausea feeling we felt when the crate spilled? That is what high dose of radiation does to your body. Now we need to get some protective equipment before we test the ore. The workshop should be closing at this hour of the day but I know someone who will still be there. C'mon."

The MPV stopped at the side of the workshop and the two boys disembarked the vehicle. Alex grabbed the crate which he spilled and headed into the workshop. Most of the lights were offed since the working hour had ended half an hour ago. Alex led Lenny to a more secluded corner of the workshop and found a room with lights still on. Alex knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a reply. "Alex, I knew it would be you. So, what brings you here at this hour of the day?" A young man in white uniform turned to face the boys from his work desk. "I have a favor to ask Peter, but can you keep this a secret between just the three of us?" Alex said. "What's with all the secrecy?" Peter replied casually. "I'll not continue unless you promise to tell no one about this, alright?" Alex said. Peter sighed and said. "Very well, I promise not to tell anyone about it okay?" "You swear on it?" Alex said firmly. "Yes, yes. Now would you please tell me what it going on?" Peter replied impatiently. We found a crate of highly radioactive ores and would like to know what they are. Can you help us out?" Alex showed Peter the crate. Peter received the crate and was about to open the lid but Alex and Lenny stopped him. "Stop! Are you nuts? We just told you it's highly radioactive. Are you trying to get us killed?" "Judging from your expressions, this isn't a joke right? Because I thought no one would be silly enough to put radioactive stuff in a simple crate like this one." Peter began to doubt the two boys. "No! This isn't a joke. We didn't put the ores in there, we just found it alright. Now can we please go somewhere more suitable to examine it?" Alex explained. Peter sighed again and led the two of them to a larger working space with multiple sophisticated equipment lying around. Peter on the light and instructed Alex to place the crate into one of the glass container. "This is a mass spectrometer and the screen and the entire container is coated with lead. This should protect us from the radiation if what you said is true." Peter operated the machine and data began showing on the monitor. "Where, where did you guys said you found this again?" Peter's hands were trembling and his face looked pale when he saw the result. "Why, what's the matter?" Peter ran the test again by rapidly typing the keyboard. "Yup, there is no mistake." Peter bit his thumb while reviewing the data. He turned to face the two boys and said. "These are Lenox ores, they are an extremely rare resources not to mention highly radioactive and hazardous. How did you get them?" "So that was what in those crates. No wonder he yelled at us." Lenny said. "Peter, I know you have tons of questions that you're dying to ask but please tell no body about this. This is for both our sake. Let's just say this thing is nothing but trouble." Alex put on a serious face, with no trace of that happy go lucky twelve-year-old he used to be. "Listen Peter, something really bad happened and we need to get out of here. We'll leave tomorrow to look for General Max, he'll know what to do. I don't want to see you get hurt because of this." Peter smiled and patted Alex on the head. "I understand. You two were never here. I'll delete the security footage once you leave. So, what do you plan on doing with the Lenox ores?" Peter asked. "I think we'll take them with us until we find General Max." Alex answered. "You know, I take back what I said about these silly crates. Although they don't look much from the outside, the inside of the crate is actually covered in a thick lead paint that cloaked the radioactive substance inside. Someone must have gone through a lot of trouble to disguise them." Peter replaced the lid of the crate using robotic arms attached to the inside of the mass spectrometer before removing the container. "You guys should hurry up and get out of here. The guard on duty will arrive soon to close off the workshop. Leave the security footage to me." Peter showed them to the door and went upstairs. The two boys went back to the MPV with the crate of Lenox ores and drove back to their dormitory. "Can we trust him?" Lenny asked while steering the vehicle. "I'm afraid it's hard to tell friends from foes. After what happened back at the storage facility, I don't know who we can trust anymore. Anyway, we'll be leaving early next morning, before dawn. Is that alright?" Alex replied. "Okay but won't the security be tighter seeing as we are leaving at such an odd hour. And where do you plan to go?" Lenny asked while parking the MPV. "It won't be a problem if we have this." Alex showed Lenny Sergeant Rashed's ID card. "He left his wallet here when we fought. It would come in handy since nobody found out he's dead yet. As for where we're heading, we're going to Celestial City. I don't know whether he was lying about General Max escaping to Celestial City but he wasn't lying when he said he was going there." Alex showed Lenny the onboard GPS device, the destination was set at Celestial City.

"I'll ask Mrs. Parker to pack some food for us while you work on the tracking device." Lenny told Alex and entered the dormitory. Alex opened the lid to the engine compartment of the vehicle before searching for an orange colored box which held the tracking device on all Freedom Fortress vehicles. He learnt that from one of the soldier during his training with the army. Alex located the box after a meticulous search and destroyed it with a laser pistol after failing to remove it. After that, he closed the bonnet and headed into the dormitory to pack his belongings. He looked at the evening twilight and silently prayed for the next day in hope that their fate will change once they manage to locate General Max. The two boys tried their best to sleep but fear of being discovered kept them up from time to time. It was three in the morning when Alex's alarm sounded. He off it and went to wake Lenny up. Both of them then took a cold bath to drive the sleepiness away before heading downstairs for breakfast. Mrs. Parker usually starts her work in the dormitory at six in the morning so nobody was there to serve them their breakfast. However, Lenny had already planned ahead and requested Mrs. Parker to make their breakfast a day ago. The boys took their frozen breakfast from the fridge and microwaved it. They finished their meal quicker than ever and also the first time Mrs. Parker's dishes tasted so bland. They were anxious to find General Max but at the same time sad to leave the Freedom Fortress. The two boys silently made it into the MPV and drove off after loading their belongings into the trailer. Just as Alex had predicted, the guards didn't bother to check their vehicle or who was driving it when Alex showed them Sergeant Rashed's ID card. They were more than happy to open the barricade and let them pass so that they could resume their nap. They exited the fortress through the west gate and drove off onto the long and lonely road ahead with the occasional street lamp as their only companion.

Alia stopped and anchored the submarine near a secluded beach a few kilometers from the Celestial City before disembarking. The rest were advised to leave all their weapons in the submarine as the city has a very strict regulation on weapons. Everyone dropped their weapons except for Master Shin who insisted that his katana goes with him. "Don't worry young lady, I been there before and have a license for carrying it in public." Master Shin flashed Alia his wallet. Alia nodded and led them to the main road. They walked along the road until they reached a security check point that screen all incoming personnel before entering the city. "Just do as they say." Alia said and went forward. On a closer look at the security guards, Calvin realized that they were all humanoid robots instead of people. All of them showed their identity cards and went through an X-ray machine for a thorough scanning. All of them were allowed into the city and Master Shin was permitted to carry his sword in public. After the security check point, Alia fished out a cellphone from her side pocket and opened a map to locate the safe house. "Sorry guys but this is my first time to this safe house, so I don't exactly know where it is. It might take some time to find it." Alia apologized. "Don't worry about it, take your time." Master Shin reassured her. After a few wrong turns, Alia finally led them to the right building. It was a hotel located at the southernmost part of the city. From the outside, one can tell that the hotel did not have good business compared to those located near the bustling center business district. They entered through the front door and was greeted by a middle aged man in uniform at the reception. The entire lobby was empty, just like the parking lot outside the hotel. "How may I be of your assistance miss?" The man said. "Hi, have you seen a lost boy?" Alia asked. "What is his name?" The man asked in return. "Bonde and Faure." Alia replied. "And who might you be?" Another question from the man. "A farmer and a blacksmith." "Right this way please," The man showed Alia to a door behind the reception counter. "Gaea bless you." She said and followed him. She beamed for the rest to follow after her. They entered a dark room with a bright circle on the floor, the man then pointed at the circle and asked Alia to step into it. "Don't worry guys, this is part of the security verification." Alia said and followed his instruction. The moment she stepped into the circle, a cylindrical glass panel rose from the ground and entrapped her! "Relax, she's fine." The man ensured the rest of them. After a flashy light show, the glass cylinder was lowered and the entire room brightened. The room they were in was revealed to be surprisingly small, with an elevator at the end of the room. "Lady Christina is expecting your arrival Miss Alia Faure. She is on the third floor, take the elevator in front of you. And if you will excuse me, I must return to my work. Have a good evening." The man left without another word. They took the elevator and got to the third floor. As mentioned by the receptionist, Lady Christina greeted them with open arms. She hugged and kissed her nephew on the forehead. "Are you alright Calvin? I was so worried that you guys won't make it out of there." "We're fine thanks to Alia and Master Shin. By the way, how was everyone else?" Calvin asked. "General Max is still in a coma after suffering serious burn injury. Erik had gone to the Spirit World to seek help seeing as our adversary is a formidable one. The rest are resting in their own rooms. I am sure you all are exhausted and hungry. Lucy here will guide you to your room." Master Shin, Iris and Chen followed Lucy while Calvin and Alia stayed behind with Lady Christina. "What happened to my parents?" Calvin asked after Lucy had led them away. "Don't worry about them, they went back to Earth yesterday, before all these even begun. They're safe. Good job Alia, get some rest you two, I'm sure you're tired. Dinner will be ready soon." Lady Christina caressed Alia's forehead and then went into the elevator. The two watched the elevator ascended before moving into the corridor that Lucy took.

10. The Trade

The sun was sinking close to the horizon, the birds that went foraging were flocking back to their nests in the forest; filling the air with their chirps. It had been fourteen hours since they left the Freedom Fortress. The road however was as desolated as the one they left in the wee hour of the day. There was hardly any traffic on the road after they passed the last town two hours ago. It was Alex's turn to drive while Lenny slept. It was evening on the first day of 13th November, another fifty kilometers before they reached Celestial City. Alex paid close attention to their distance from the city and when they were only twenty kilometers from the city, he woke Lenny up from his nap. "Wake up Lenny, we're within range." He shook Lenny on the shoulder. "What? We're that near already?" Lenny was still drowsy after waking up. "Here," Alex passed him a bottle of water and stopped beside the road. The Celestial Tower which was visible an hour ago became much larger as they got closer to the city. Lenny took a few sips from the bottle before operating the communication device on the MPV. "Who should we call first?" Lenny asked. "Try General Max first, if he doesn't picks up, go for Erik." Alex replied. After several attempts to call them failed, Alex and Lenny decided to contact Kelvin instead. However, Kelvin was also unreachable. "Damn it! Let's try Calvin next." Alex said, frustrated. "Hey, I got a signal! But it's weak." Lenny replied, excited. "We'll get closer to the city then." The two boys fastened their seatbelts and resumed driving. Lenny tried the communicator again when they were around fifteen kilometers from the city. "Hello Calvin, this is Lenny. Do you copy? Over." Lenny spoke into the microphone. There was some static interference before a clear signal was received. "Lenny? Oh my god! Where are you now? Over." There was a clear sense of relief on both boys' faces when they heard Calvin's reply. "Listen Calvin, is General Max or Erik with you? We have something very important to tell them. We're currently outside Celestial City. Over." Lenny replied. "General Max is in a coma while Erik had gone to the Spirit World to seek help. What is the situation exactly? Over." Calvin replied. Alex stopped the MPV and parked it beside the road when the security check point came into view. "Alright Lenny, give me the communicator. I'll talk to Calvin while you look out for trouble." Lenny passed the microphone to Alex and both of them switched seats. Alex told Calvin regarding the Lenox and First Sergeant Rashed while Lenny kept his eyes on the road for any potential threats. "Basically, that's the gist of it. So do you know anyone that we can trust with that information? And while you are at it, could you find us a way for us to get pass the security? Over." Alex said. "I think I'll need to discuss this with my aunt…" "Who?" Alex suddenly interrupted. "Never mind what I just said. Will get back to you later. Just hang in there." Calvin replied and closed the channel. "His aunt is here in Nirvana?" Lenny who heard the message asked. "Beats me? Let's just wait for his reply." Alex shrugged his shoulders.

Calvin put down his communicator and went to his aunt's room to discuss the situation after listening to Alex's story. "So that means the Lenox deposit had been mined even before the massacre even happened." Count Fleming said. Lady Christina decided to share the situation with everyone else in the safe house so that they could dealt with the situation together. "Basically, that's all that we were able to find out," Alex's voice was broadcasted from a computer. Calvin had modified his communicator to facilitate better communication by converting the half duplex device to a full duplex device which allowed them to talk and listen at the same time. "Any suggestions on what we should do next?" Lenny asked. "We'll sent Alia and Calvin to get you guys, just wait where you are and they will lead you to the safe house." Lady Christina replied. "What about the Lenox? How are we supposed to get those through the security check point?" Alex asked. "Alex, if I recalled correctly, you do have the ability to open a dimensional storage right? Just dump the crates inside along with whatever weapons you have. The detector at the check point won't be able to scan through the stuff you have in another dimension." Count Fleming suggested. "Yeah, why didn't we thought of that? Thanks. Anything else you guys would like to discuss?" Alex asked. "Just one last question, did Sergeant Rashed left any clues behind as to who he was meeting to trade the Lenox to?" Count Fleming asked. "No idea. But we can try going through his stuff again after I moved the crates. We'll let you know if we find anything." Alex replied and offed the communicator. Calvin and Alia changed into an ultralight armor that was disguised to look like layman clothes. They did not carry any weapons with them since it would be a hassle if they get caught at the security check point. "We'll be at your location in fifteen minutes." Calvin sent a text message to his friend before heading out. Lenny drove the MPV to a more secluded location while Alex went into the trailer to move the stuff. Alex moved his spare supplies such as food, clothes, oxygen tank, rebreather, diving gears and other non-weapon stuff into the trailer in order to make space for the crates of Lenox ores and weapons the trailer was carrying. He also took all of Lenny's weapons and stored them in his storage portal. Once he was done, he went back into the MPV and waited for Calvin's arrival. Another few minutes passed before they saw someone coming out of the security checkpoint. It was a blonde hair boy that the two boys know too well and a girl with a prominent greenish hair. They walked towards the MPV and entered the back seats. "Yo Calvin, it's good to see you again. And you must be Alia, nice to meet you. I'm Lenny by the way and he's Alex." Lenny shook Alia's hand. They drove towards the security check point and got through it uneventfully. While Alia was guiding Alex towards the safe house, Calvin told the rest of them what actually happened in the Fire Clan. "Did you guys really like killed the Sergeant cold blooded and all?" Calvin asked out of the blue. "It was pure self-defense!" Lenny replied abruptly. "Can we please stop talking about it? I really don't want to be reminded of that incident again!" Alex raised his voice slightly, causing everyone else to keep quiet. "Sorry about that. So you're still unable to locate Kelvin and Kenneth?" Alex restarted the conversation after some time. "No, we escaped through different routes." Calvin answered. Then the atmosphere went silent again. Alex tried his best to suppress memories of the incident but First Sergeant Rashed's image kept reappearing in his mind; haunting him while he drove on. Alex made a turn to the right and parked into the nearest available parking slot. "Alfonzo Hotel, doesn't seems that many people check-in here." Lenny said as he stared at the empty parking spaces. "That's the first thing that came across my mind when we first came here." Calvin replied. "However, the inside is much fancier than it looks." He added. "Oh, I almost forgot, we found this note clipped onto the back of the visor. It seems to be an instruction of sort." Alex showed them the piece of paper. "Meet with the goods at the Gemini Harbor, twelve midnight." Alia read from the paper. "There isn't any name of the recipient or the sender." "Gemini Harbor is actually not far from where we're staying but there isn't any date on it. It could be any day! Or just an old note." Alia examined the note and said. "I don't think that's the case because from the GPS Sergeant Rashed had set, he planned to arrive here today. That would make tonight a likely date for the trade. How about we show it to Count Fleming or Lady Christina before we jump into conclusions." Alex said. "I agree." Alia led the three boys into the hotel and up the hidden elevator behind the reception counter. "Can we just leave this to you guys? My butt is sore from the long hours of driving." Alex said while they were in the elevator. "Yeah, we didn't have much quality sleep since we left the Freedom Fortress." Lenny added. "Don't worry about it. You guys can leave the rest to us." Calvin said confidently. "Thanks." The elevator door opened into a corridor that branched into three. Lucy was waiting for them in front of the elevator. "She's Lucy. She'll be taking you guys to your room while we discuss this with Lady Christina and Count Fleming." Alia took the piece of paper and went into one of the corridors with Calvin running behind her.

Everyone gathered at the common room after dinner including the two boys who just woke from their nap. Lady Christina began the conversation and said. "From our discussion earlier, we think the deal is most likely scheduled for tonight. We'll form a team to go to the harbor and complete the deal." "What? I don't mean to disrespect your decision or anything but are we actually going to give them the Lenox? Do we even know who the dealer is?" Alex was surprised by their decision. "Calm down now, Count Fleming will explain why." Lady Christina glanced at the old man. "From my experience, there is only one person in Nirvana where you can deal virtually anything with him. They called him The Merchant. He always travel with his crew on a ship called The Leviathan. He makes an excellent trading partner especially for the criminals since he would not ask anything regarding the purpose of your purchases. He kept all his dealings a secret unless someone else offers to buy that information. Business is all he cares after all. However shrewd he may be, they say he's fair in his dealings. That's why he never seems to run out of customers. Besides that, he boast an army consisting of the top mercenaries Nirvana has to offer. There were a few incidents in the past where they tried to pull a fast one with him but all of them ended up dead. My suggestion is for us to use the Lenox to make a new deal with him in exchange for information. But we have to be sincere about it. It won't be a good idea to try and deceive him or fight him in our current state." "I see. It's worth it if we know what our enemy is planning. Besides, these Lenox isn't even ours in the first place." Alex said. "So we'll just go with whatever you have planned." "Very well then, we'll go over the plan now."

It was ten minutes before midnight, Calvin, Alia, Alex, Lenny, Chen, Mr. Mednik, Lady Christina and Count Fleming were wandering at the Gemini Harbor; hoping to catch a glimpse of The Leviathan. The harbor was bigger than the boys had imagined since they had never been to one before. There were two massive cargo ships anchored at the ports. Normally one would expect the harbor to be busy at this time of the night when the cargo arrived but that night was different. The harbor was eerily quiet that night, with the only sound being the clashing of the sea waves onto the piers. The humanoid robots that patrolled all around the city were not seen at the harbor. As midnight grew closer, a mysterious fog began shrouding the harbor. Moments later, they could hear the sound of a ship's horn before the fog grew even thicker. "What's up with this fog? I can't see a thing." Lenny spoke into the microphone attached to his ear piece. "Just head towards the light." Count Fleming's voice was heard over everyone's receiver. Suddenly, a bright light pierced through the fog, guiding them to Count Fleming's location. After getting closer to the source, Lenny was surprised to find that the light came from Chen! When everyone was assembled, Count Fleming led them towards the direction of the horn. As they were heading towards one of the docks, a voice called out to them. "Stop right there, that's close enough." Count Fleming stopped and waited but never let his guard down. The fog suddenly cleared around them until they were able to see the person in front of them. "Hey, you're not Sergeant Rashed! What happened?" The man said. "He's dead! Are you The Merchant?" Alex asked. "That's what they called me. I must say I'm very disappointed. His death is very bad for business. So, what do you want then?" The Merchant replied. "We have the Lenox you want but we want something in return." Count Fleming said. "Ah, a new deal! At least this is not a complete loss. Very well then, let's see the Lenox first." The Merchant sat down on a chair brought by one of his men whose presence was not detected by any of them until the moment he moved. Count Fleming nodded at Alex and he proceeded to open his storage portal. Then, Lenny, Chen, Alia and Calvin helped moved all the crates of Lenox ores onto the dock. More of The Merchant's men appeared out of the fog and approached the crates that Alex and his friends placed on the ground. Alex tried to stop the closest man from opening the lid but Count Fleming stopped him. "Hey, don't open it! You will kill us all with radiation!" Alex shouted. "Relax kid, they're professionals. They know what they are doing." The Merchant said. The men examined the crates with some sort of hand held device without opening the lid. They then reported to their boss by whispering into his ears before disappearing back into the fog. "It seems the Lenox are genuine and exactly the amount I had agreed with First Sergeant Rashed. So, what is it that you guys want in return?" The Merchant said. "We're looking for information regarding your deal with Sergeant Rashed and the Lenox. What did you exchanged with them for the Lenox?" Count Fleming asked. "I'll tell you all that I know but I don't think this is a fair deal seeing as my information are limited. However, as you wish. Have a seat please." The Merchant's men reappeared from the fog with chairs for everyone to sit down and also refreshments as well. "Thanks." Chen said. "As you know, Sergeant Rashed is only an errand boy for his boss Lord Moto who is possessed by Lalkarz." "We know that part already. Please continue with the trading part." Count Fleming interrupted. "We started trading about a month ago. As for the deal, he traded his Lenox for a newly enhanced Psionic Amplifier. It was custom built on Mechanical Island and the machine is huge compared to the usual ones carried around by power users." The Merchant was interrupted by Count Fleming again. "How big are we talking about?" "Let's just say it's about a few hundred times what they usually make. He even hired a whole team of experts to help him move the machine undetected." "Where did he moved it and did he said anything about when it would be used?" Count Fleming interrupted with another question. "It was moved and built into the Celestial Tower. As for the timing, I have no idea but you can use this device as a guide." The Merchant showed Count Fleming a sphere. "It traces the level of psionic energy in a ten kilometer radius. Only very high level of energy will trigger the sensors." The Merchant tapped on the sphere and a map was projected from the sphere. "It seemed they had started preparing the machine already." A faint purplish glow was seen radiating from the tower icon on the map. "It takes a lot of energy to power up the machine of that size so they need to pre-charge it first." "How long do we have before the machine is fully operational?" Mr. Mednik asked. "A day or two, it depends but that's not the only large scale machinery he purchased. Lord Moto also traded a sizable amount of Lenox for a Rift Breaker and this shipment of Lenox that you have is actually the payment he owed me. I'm sure you guys can figure out what he is planning to do from here onwards." "Lalkarz is planning to free Narakiya from his prison." Count Fleming said. "Exactly," The Merchant replied. "Why did you trade with him if you already knew what he was going to do?" Mr. Mednik raised his voice, his tone was full of anger. "It seemed you're still unfamiliar with the merchant's code. We do business Mr. Mednik, we don't discriminate between race, religion, ideology or social status. As long as you can come up with the right price, you're more than welcome to do business with us. What our clients wish to do with their merchandise is none of our business." The Merchant replied calmly. "I'm very well aware of that. It seems you and your father have very different view on this matter. So, is that all the information you have?" Count Fleming said. "Indeed my father and I don't see eye to eye with each other most of the time. I'm afraid that's all the information I have to offer. So, I don't think it's a fair deal unless I give you these as well. You'll need it." The Merchant snapped his finger. His men reappeared from the fog one last time with two crates. One of them pried open one of the crates and removed one of the many helmets inside. "I'm sure you know what these are Count Fleming. They are not the latest version but they should help. They are free size helmets, so I'm sure they will fit your younger companions as well." The Merchant then slowly rose from his chair and turned to leave. Everyone else followed when the men came to retrieve the chairs. "One last question Merchant. Do you suppose you can tell us the name of the Lenox buyer?" Count Fleming asked. "Even ten times these amount of Lenox won't do I'm afraid. Good luck on your venture Count." The Merchant handed Count Fleming the sphere and walked away. "You don't look genuinely surprised when you first saw us even though you acted like you were." Count Fleming said as The Merchant disappeared into the fog. "That's a trade secret I like to keep. Pleasure doing business with you all." The Merchant and his men went with the fog that slowly drifted into the ocean. The horn of a ship echoed from a distant when the harbor was ridded of the fog. Sounds of the tide clashing onto the piers resumed haunting the deserted harbor as the gang made their way back to base.

A semi-trailer left the small town of Tepalik at the break of dawn on a tarmac road. It was among the earliest supply truck to leave town. Tepalik was one of the many small towns in the Fire Clan that specialized in agriculture to provide food for the clan and also the surrounding regions. Kelvin and Jia Hao were at the front while the rest stayed behind in the storage compartment together with the supplies that they bought from the locals before they left town. "Are you sure this is gonna work?" Kelvin asked Jia Hao in a skeptical way. "We're going to find out soon." Jia Hao pointed at the security check point in front. "Just play along," He added before lowering the side window as an officer approach them. "License and ID please," The officer demanded. "Sure," Jia Hao handed his fabricated ID and driver license for inspection. "Mr. Herbert. Can I see your partner's ID and license as well?" The officer glanced at the documents before returning them back to Jia Hao. "He isn't my partner officer, he's my son Herbert Junior. Say hello, junior." Jia Hao's voice was that of a friendly middle-aged man. Kelvin waved at the officer and faked a warm smile. "Oh, hello there young one." The officer waved back at Kelvin. "Alright then, you're good to go. Drive safely." The officer signaled his partner to lift the barricade and allowed them to pass. After some distance from the check point, the two of them finally spoke. "Wow, I seriously didn't think that was going to work." Kelvin admitted. "Relax, I'm well trained in this kind of stuff. The Pliable Mask is a state-of-the-art facial disguise. It's made of a special gel that becomes activated once it absorbed water through imbibition. Cool right?" Jia Hao explained. Both of them kept their disguises on the entire time along their journey. They passed through a few more similar check points uneventfully and left the Fire Clan territory to enter Erdo. Erdo is a region bordering the Fire Clan and Celestial City. None of the two parties laid claim the right to the region and there had never been any territorial dispute because of it. However, both parties did share the responsibility to maintain the Erdo Expressway running through the mostly uninhabited region. The expressway served as the main trade route between Celestial City and the Fire Clan. Even though it was mostly uninhabited, the road was very well maintained and the two boys could see commercial supply delivery trucks passing by every few minutes or so. It seemed that business resumed as always even with all the commotions at the Yume Summit. As they were driving on the Erdo Expressway, Kelvin noted a flock of winged creature flying in the distance. "Are those fire dragons?" Kelvin pointed at the distant. "Yup, they're the Fire Dragon Squadron. Each squadron has six to eight fire dragons and their riders. Not say I'm surprised to see them all the way out here. Something major did happened to the telecommunication network on Yume. They're Fire Clan's main cavalry unit to be on patrol after the Yume Summit incident. And right now, I think they're heading where we're heading." Jia Hao replied. "Look! There's more of them." Kelvin pointed out. Jia Hao flashed the turn right signal and slowly stopped the trailer to one side of the road. "I think that's more than a reconnaissance squad. It looks more like an invasion!" Jia Hao exclaimed. "Wait a minute, something's not right…" Jia Hao muttered to himself. "What's wrong?" Kelvin asked. "Why are we stopping?" Kenneth's voice was heard over the speaker. "We just saw about forty or so fire dragons with their riders in the distant, can you see them?" Kelvin replied into the microphone. "Yeah, we saw them too but they aren't bothering us right? So why're we stopping?" Kenneth replied. "If our theory about Lalkarz behind all these incidents, then there's only one reason why he would sent an army in like that." Jia Hao flashed the turned left signal and returned onto the road. "It's not about the tower is it?" Kelvin asked. "I can't say for sure about the tower but I'm pretty confident that they are after the Celestial Rift." "What's that?" Kenneth asked. "Narakiya's prison." Julee answered and everyone became quiet.

"Narakiya? Isn't he like the super bad guy who started the Great War?" Kenneth spoke after some time of silence. "That's right Kenneth, he's that guy." Jia Hao answered. "From what my uncle told me, Narakiya was eventually captured, ending the long war. They tortured him before putting him on trial. The court then decided that it was too easy for him to just have him executed. They want him to suffer after all the terrible crimes he had committed. So, they had the last remaining few Gate Keepers made a trans-dimensional rift to imprison him for all eternity." Julee explained. "Yup, that's what I have been taught also. The rift was made to only be accessible in Celestial City and it requires enormous amount of energy to open it. After the rift had been opened, there are three more energy seals and guardians protecting the prison from anyone trying to free Narakiya." Jia Hao added. They continued driving on the expressway until a loud beep sounded on Jia Hao's watch. He slowed the truck gradually and stopped at the side of the road. "What is it?" Kelvin asked. "It's a distress signal coming from a nearby Spirit World operative. It uses a short frequency wavelength that can only be picked up by nearby Spirit World agents. It's odd though because as far as I know, we're the only team dispatched here." Jia Hao deactivated the alarm and projected the location of the distress signal on the GPS in the trailer. "It's fairly close from where we're, shall we go take a look?" Kelvin asked. "I don't know, it couldn't be just coincidence…" Jia Hao muttered to himself. "He's right Kelvin, why would he get a distress call now of all times? Plus it's so close as if they knew our exact location." Kenneth's voice was heard over the speaker. "Sorry about that, I became quite paranoid about these sudden development after what happened to my team. I think we should park the trailer near the source and scout the area before going in. How about that?" "Sounds like a plan," Kelvin answered and rerouted the GPS to take them somewhere close to the source. "I don't know about you guys but I have a gut feeling that something important is waiting for us there." Kenneth said. Jia Hao drove off the main expressway and brought the trailer to a stop in an empty parking space. The parking spaces were mostly empty as they were meant for midnight long distance supply trucks to rest. "I'll go in first while you guys scout the area. Let me know if there's anything." Jia Hao pointed at his ear piece. "We'll cover you from a distance if anything happens." Kenneth replied. Jia Hao checked his equipment one last time before entering the woods. The rest then split into a team of two and trailed a distance behind Jia Hao, covering his left and right flanks while looking out for potential threats. Jia Hao soon reached a clearing in the woods which seemed to belong to an abandoned lumber mill. "Zi? You're still alive?" Jia Hao's tone was of pure surprise and happy when he saw his supposedly dead comrade standing by a pile of logs. "Jia Hao, your right side is clear, I don't see anyone other than that hot purple hair lady." Kenneth reported. "Same here," Kelvin followed. However, Jia Hao's mood quickly swung when he noted two familiar faces sitting on the ground and well-hidden behind her. Both of them had their hands cuffed behind their back. Jia Hao immediately took a defensive stance and said. "Why did you do it?" A scythe appeared on his hands when he waited for her reply. "There are many reasons I supposed." Zi replied. "The ambush, was it your doing as well?" Jia Hao asked, agitation in his voice. "You can say that I helped." Zi replied calmly. "Why? The captain and the team cared for you. He even sacrificed his life trying to save you!" Jia Hao's grip on the scythe tightened. "Oh, save the sentiments for later. I know you didn't come alone. Where are they?" Suddenly, Cindy charged from a bush and came at Zi with a double vine whips. "Damn it! I couldn't stop her." Kenneth cursed. Zi acted calmly and the whips passed right through her body as if she were made of air! Zi quickly closed the distance between them as Cindy was still puzzled by how her attack could have missed. "Look out!" Jia Hao warned. Cindy immediately dropped her whips and fired hundreds of wooden spikes from her hands at the charging Zi. Again, all the spikes went right through her without harm. A knee connected to Cindy's gut followed by an elbow to the back of the neck knocked her out. Kelvin who was then just an inch away from hitting Zi retreated when he felt an enormous amount of energy coming from the ground. Kelvin dodged just in time to avoid being impaled by a dozen icicles rising from the ground. "Didn't I always teach you to watch your back when fighting?" Sir James Frost burst forth from the icicles and appeared behind Zi. Meanwhile, Kenneth and Julee managed to free Chris and Jason from their cuffs. "Your numbers won't do you any good, just surrender." Sir James Frost said. "Like hell we would!" Jia Hao's scythe blazed in a purplish glow as he charged into battle.