Chapter Nineteen

Jez stepped onto the wooden planks of the large pirate ship, in awe of the drastic change in setting. "You spent a year just changing the setting?" Jez asked, and the General laughed loudly, the sound warm in Jez's ears. "No, son. This is just one Arena. There are two others in this Super-Arena. It is going to house many more Spectres and, a new addition, traitors." Jez felt pleased with his father, which he had not felt before. It was truly amazing he had rejected his father, even though they were the side he had to be fighting for. "What do you think?" the General asked, and Jez nodded slowly, looking over the side of the ship and saying, "It's floating on water!" The General chuckled again. "Together, you and I can change the world!" The General exclaimed, and Jez nodded excitedly. "I can't wait to rule by your side, father."

The General grasped Jez's shoulder firmly and said, "You already are ruled by my side." Jez felt a rush of joy pass over him. This was what he had always wanted! While the Kernel, Black Knight and other soldiers were watching Jez and the General, the Resistors crept along the sides of the Arena seating areas, ropes attached to the top of the Arena unnoticed. "Are we all in position?" Cleo asked, her black and red armour clinking softly as the sword bounced off its waist, and Zack nodded. "Are we going to kill them all?" he whispered, and Cleo nodded, "We think they have a lot more soldiers with swords waiting outside, but if we take them by surprise we can kill them all and escape before the other soldiers get here!" Zack nodded, satisfied with the plan, but then a shadow passed over his face.

He looked up curiously, and then grabbed Cleo's wrist. "What?" she hissed, but Zack did not say anything, pointing upwards as something slowed to a halt in the air and stopped right on the middle mast of the pirate ship. On the ship, the General looked up in shock, Jez and the others who stood on the raised bridge doing the same, as a figure in a green tunic and white tights stood high, silver sword strapped to his waist. "Who is that, father?" Jez asked, not recognising the cleanly-shaven man as he jumped down, flipped through the air, and landed at the bottom of the staircase. The soldiers who had also been on the deck skirted away from the man, as the General whispered, "It's the Prodigy!" Jez's mouth fell open as Robert stood still, the soldiers surrounding him looking afraid as he stared up at the General.

"I see you can fly again," the General noted, nodding his head at the Prodigy as he stepped up the first step bravely, the smooth wood creaking slightly. "How on earth did you manage to fit into those tights again?" the General asked, grinning at his own humour as Robert ascended the rest of the steps and stopped when he was two away from the General. "Hand over Jez and you and your men may go free," the Prodigy said, and the General cackled with laughter, as did the Kernel and others. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Robert turned to Jez, slowly outstretching his hand and gently saying, "Jez, I'm sorry. It's time to come home." Jez took a step away from the General, anger in his eyes as he whispered, "I am home." The General and others burst out laughing as Jez moved closer to the General, and the Prodigy glared at the General.

"You see, he has realised he was fighting for the wrong side. He has realised he needs to be by my side, and like a good leader, I will fight for him!" The General pushed Jez aside and raised his left hand, the glove falling away as a large knife sprung from it, revealing a stump with only a knife on the end, shiny and silver. "I have been waiting to shake your hand with this!" the General hissed, as he reached for the sword that was sheathed by his side. "Prodigy, prepare to meet your end!" The General withdrew his sword, a foil, while the Prodigy did the same, their swords close to one another as the Prodigy said, "Come forth then." There was an uproar of shouts, and twelve soldiers withdrew their weapons and jabbed at the Prodigy. The Prodigy leapt into the air, flipped backwards, and landed on the main deck, turning quickly and running along with the wood as a soldier charged at him.

He twisted his swords forward, and the soldier fell, blood splattering onto the polished deck as the Prodigy locked swords with a second Zodiac, parried it away, and then backhanded the man across the face, sending him spinning away and collapsing onto the ground. The Prodigy turned yet again, his sword flashing through the air, and another two fell, fatal slashes across their chests. The Prodigy ducked a sword sailed over his head, and then he quickly rose to stab the Zodiac through the back. Two Zodiacs ran forwards and slashed down at the Prodigy, who raised his sword, caught both blades, and flipped the two Zodiacs through the air. The sound of running footsteps made the Prodigy turn, finding many, many Zodiacs charging towards the ship's main dock. There was a sound of roaring, and the nearest Zodiac toppled over the rope barrier on the side of the plank that led onto the main dock and splashed into the water.

The Prodigy found himself looking at Zack, who let go of the rope he had used to swing onto the ship and was now duelling a Zodiac Soldier, swords slashing through the air. The Prodigy turned quickly and stabbed another Zodiac through the gut, watching him fall as the other Zodiacs quickly thinned in numbers. As Zack fought the Zodiacs on the bridge leading downward, the Prodigy held his sword at the ready as the Kernel and the Black Knight slowly approached, swords drawn. "Gentlemen," the Prodigy said, bowing his head, and suddenly both of them darted forwards, swords jabbing at him. The Prodigy raised his sword and parried both of theirs aside, quickly landing a kick to the Kernel's stomach and sending him staggering backwards as the Black Knight charged. The Prodigy flicked his foil through the air, parrying and blocking the slashes and strikes that the Black Knight threw.

Cleo stabbed a Zodiac through the chest, ducked as two more advanced, feinted her blade through the air and slashed them both across their throats. As the two Zodiacs dropped, another engaged, but the fight lasted barely a second as the Zodiac dropped with blood splattering the smooth wooden deck. Cleo neared the staircase where the General and Jez watched. "Ah, I was wondering when our paths would cross," the General said, staring at Cleo as she grinned at the General. "Jez, go and wait with those of my men that remain," the General instructed, pointing behind him at the three Zodiacs who were on the raised deck, and Jez walked over and stopped beside them, turning to watch his father as he withdrew his sword again.

"No!" the Prodigy shouted, pushing the Black Knight away and hurrying to the staircase, sword pointed at the General. "The old man is mine!" There was a sudden shout, and Zack was flung backwards as the Black Knight towered over him, ready to deliver the killing blow. "Zack," the Prodigy murmured, and without a second's hesitation he charged forward and knocked the Knight aside, quickly helping Zack to his feet and then fighting the Black Knight. Cleo watched, and then slowly turned back to the General, who was staring at her with interest. "Cleo," he whispered, sword is drawn, and Cleo bowed her head, "We gave you every chance to surrender," Cleo said, and the General chuckled, the tips of their swords skimming one another. "We don't surrender," the General replied, and then he struck his sword through the air, Cleo quickly parrying it aside, spinning around the General and then slashing her sword up, the General now being forced to block.

Meanwhile, the Prodigy parried the extreme blows from the Black Knight, moving steadily backward as the two duelled before ducking and letting the Black Knight slice into one of the masts. The Black Knight tugged on the sword, but it would not come free, and the Prodigy took this opportunity to smash the butt of his hilt into the back of the Black Knight's head, and the Black Knight crumpled onto the wooden deck, unconscious. Panting, the Prodigy turned, only to duck aside as the Kernel slashed expertly through the air. The Prodigy blocked three separate blows, landed a hit to the Kernel's chest, and pushed him back advancing quickly as their swords darted and crashed through the air. The Kernel swayed dangerously as his back hit the low wall on the side of the ship, and the Prodigy slashed both of their swords up before kicking the Kernel in the chest, sending him spiralling over the side of the ship and into the water.

The Prodigy turned, seeing Cleo and the General battling furiously on the raised deck of the ship, and he began quickly floating into the air, rising higher and higher as he watched Cleo trap the General's sword onto the deck and shout, "I've got you!" the Prodigy leaned forwards and shot towards them. He was almost at the deck, and he watched as the General fainted a blow, making Cleo raise her sword, and he then drove his sword through Cleo's heart. Cleo gasped loudly as the sword sank out her back, and the General grinned as he withdrew the blade just as the Prodigy touched down and grasped Cleo's falling body. Her lips were moving, the sound incredibly faint, and when the Prodigy lowered his head to hear her, she whispered, "You are the Prodigy now." There was a shuddering rattle, and then she was still, eyes wide and staring.

Robert bowed his head, tossed his sword aside, gently lowered her body onto the deck, and then lifted the Prodigy sword. "What will you do now? Only three of you came here, and one of you is dead. You cannot defeat us," the General said logically, but to his surprise, the Prodigy chuckled. "Oh, there are more than three of us!" He lifted the sword into the air and shouted something, not words but more of a battle cry, and then the Resistors from around the Arena leapt onto their ropes and swung onto the pirate ship, swords drawn as they touched the smooth wood and battled the oncoming Zodiacs. Zack sprinted up the polished staircase and came to a skidding halt beside the Prodigy as the Resistors and Zodiacs instantly moved their battle from the ship and onto the docks, all of them swinging and stabbing.

"Are you sure you are ready for me?" the General asked, his left hand, which was missing and replaced with a dagger out behind him as he got into a fencing position. "You killed Cleo, took Jez from us and killed many innocent Spectres. I'm more than ready." The General raised his foil, smiling wickedly, and the Prodigy raised his golden sword, the short blade pointed straight at the General's chest. "Bring it on," the General grunted, and then he slashed his sword through the air, trying to catch the Prodigy off guard. However, the Prodigy was not easily deceived. He thrust back, his sword a golden blur as the General snarled, his foil twisting through the air in a desperate attempt to block the barrage of sharp and accurate blows. Zack and Jez watched side-by-side, transfixed, until Zack said, "Come back with us. We need you!"

Jez clenched his fists, shook his head, and his right hand gently drifted towards the hilt of his sword, sheathed at his side. "Jez, I don't want to fight you," Zack muttered, seeing where Jez's hand went, and then Jez whipped out his blade and spun to face Zack. Zack ducked aside as the blade whistled through the air, quickly raised his own, and clashed his sword against Jez's. Across from them, the Prodigy and the General were battling furiously, swords flipping and striking through the air as though nothing else mattered, just the victor of the battle that ensued. "You're going to have to do better than that!" shouted the General as he kicked the Prodigy in the chest, sending him staggering back against the backboard of the ship, and then the General leaned against him, sword ready to slash his throat.

"You want better?" grunted the Prodigy, kneeing the General straight in the stomach, backhanding him across the face and then pushing him over the back of the ship. The General held onto the wood tightly, daggling several meters above the water, and the Prodigy pointed the tip of his sword at the General's throat. "See you in a few moments," the General murmured, and then he let go, spinning and crashing into the water hard. The Prodigy turned, only for Jez to grip onto his chest and shove him over the back of the ship, sending him tumbling into the cold depths below. Jez turned after pushing the Prodigy and deflected a slash from Zack, who was spinning his sword through the air like a Beyblade. Zack struck again, his sword bouncing off Jez's blade as the two traded slashes and jabs.

Under the water, the Prodigy gasped for air as he rose to the surface, treading the water lightly and then swimming over to the rocks near the docks, feeling his books hit the slimy rocks. He still had his sword, as he wiped the water from his eyes, but more splashing water made him turn on the spot, finding the Kernel holding a large spear, ready to stab him. The Prodigy moved aside as the Kernel stabbed the spear forwards, and he slashed his sword upward, the tip of the spear hitting the rocks and bouncing away as the Prodigy raised his leg and kicked the Kernel straight in the face. The Kernel's eyes snapped shut as he fell backwards, and then, besides the Kernel's unconscious, floating form, the General rose, soaked with water but his foil still in hand, a deathly gaze in his eyes. He sliced through the air, and the Prodigy dodged.

Robert scrambled up the wet rocks, turned, and darted his swords dangerously through the air, taking the General by surprise as their swords danced. On the ship, Jez and Zack ran forwards and back, their swords clashing loudly in the middle of the ship as they locked eyes. "Help us fight this!" Zack shouted desperately as the two held their swords together, and Jez snarled, pushing Zack back, grabbing his arm, and then flipping him through the air and onto the wooden deck. Zack felt winded as he gasped for breath, and Jez stood over him, sword pointed at Zack's throat. "It's too late, I've already realised I was fighting for the wrong side!" Jez hissed against Zack's protests, ready to kill the Spectre once and for all. "Jez...Take this," Zack mumbled, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a golden watch.

"What's this?" Jez asked, taking the watch and lifting it to the light. "Hope," Zack replied, the tip of the sword dangerously close to Zack's throat, and then Jez turned the watch around, staring at the back with wide eyes. Engraved onto the back in perfectly neat, tiny handwriting were the words Never Give Up. Jez looked down at Zack in shock and removed the sword, sheathing to his side and holding the watch high. "Where did you get this?" he whispered, and Zack shrugged as he got to his feet, "Cleo." Jez sighed, and looked over the side of the ship, finding the General and the Prodigy slashing and smashing their swords against one another's. "We need to stop this," Jez muttered, staring as his father dodged a slash from the Prodigy and almost slashed the latter's head off. "How can we stop all of this? The Resistors are almost all dead!" Zack said.

Jez withdrew his sword again and looked at the many Zodiacs fighting the few remaining Resistors. "We fight!" he shouted, and Zack drew his own sword, following Jez as they both charged down the wooden ramp and onto the docks. The Zodiacs turned in surprise, and Jez slashed one through the chest while Zack killed another. Then they fanned out, still fighting the Resistors as at least thirty stood between the two and the General and Prodigy. Jez and Zack fought side-by-side, swords slashing and darting through the air with a skill that was unmatched by the Zodiac Soldiers. One after one, they fell, blood hitting the wooden planks as the Zodiacs tried to halt their progress, but nothing would stop the unbeatable duo as they ducked under each other's swords to slash at Zodiacs. Two Zodiacs jabbed at the exact same time, and the two warriors, standing beside one another, parried the two swords and slashed diagonally the two falling.

The General and Prodigy had taken their battle towards the end of the Arena, where the edges were lined with long wooden beams close to their heads. The two locked blades, the silver and gold scraping against one another as they glared into each other's eyes. "Why are you determined to keep killing innocent people?" the Prodigy asked as the two held the lock, and the General laughed loudly. "To rid the world of people like you and your daughter." The Prodigy's eyes went wide, and he shoved the General back while flicking his sword upward, the General's foil flying away and disappearing into the water beside the dock. The Prodigy shouted out in rage and drove his sword forwards, but the General stepped aside, tripped the Prodigy, and then tackled him back first onto the ground. The General pinned the Prodigy down, but the Prodigy smashed the butt of his sword against the General's temple.

The General rolled away on his back as the Prodigy stood and towered over his enemy, sword pointed at the Genera's head, but the General kicked out, landing his foot against the Prodigy's stomach and sending him staggering back. The General got to his feet and barely ducked aside as the Prodigy slashed forwards, and when he was clear the Prodigy turned on the spot and slashed again, this time his sword lodging into the wooden beam above their heads. The Prodigy pulled the blade free, and the General punched forwards, hitting the Prodigy once in the gut, then twice, and then thrice. The Prodigy grunted as the fourth uppercut hit his arm, and the golden sword flew up into the air. The General stepped backwards, caught the sword as it fell over the beam, and then lunged it forwards. The Prodigy gasped, the blade piercing his side as the General grunted, victory on his face.

"No!" Zack screamed as he watched the Prodigy fall to his knees, and Jez passed several Zodiacs and tackled his father to the ground. The General let out a sound of surprise as the two crashed onto the ground, and Jez rolled atop of him, sword flung aside as he gripped his father's throat. The General struggled, gasping for breath as he stared into Jez's eyes, and then he kneed Jez in the stomach, tossed him aside, rose onto one knee and pointed his dagger for a hand at Jez's throat. Jez was on both knees, fists raised but a look of fear in his eyes as the tip of the dagger drew a speck of blood from his neck. Jez looked to his left slowly and saw Zack tripped by several Zodiacs, and then they pointed their swords at him. "You are beaten!" the General hissed, "I had so much hope for you, Jez. Now you will die a traitor's death...in the Spectre Games!"

Jez looked down and saw the Prodigy slump to the side, blinking rapidly and in pain. "I will avenge you. I promise," Jez whispered, Robert inclined his head ever so slightly, and then he was still. Jez gently gripped his dropped sword, and then he flicked the dagger aside and jabbed at the General. It nicked the side of the General's face, but something happened that Jez could never have guessed to happen. His entire face was gone, the skin-like mask that had covered his own face falling away to reveal the General's new face. It was horrible. Several tiny scar lines ran up the side of his face, one of his eyes dead and ghostly while half his lip was deformed. The General sighed, looking around at the other Zodiacs who saw his new face, and then he stood, kicking the shocked Jez in the chest.

Jez fell backwards, coughing, and the General stood over his son. "Your Spectre friend is responsible for this...the explosion left me scarred and morphed. Now I have you to thank for revealing it to everyone." Jez looked up into his father's face, and the General looked to the soaked Kernel, "Bring her out." Jez cowered beneath his father, and then the sound of chains clashing filled the air as a woman, a Spectre, was brought out. "Leave her alone!" Jez snapped as Rose was forced forward, and the General sighed. "You don't know what you are talking about Jez. Rose was never going to be in the Spectre Games!" Jez stopped and stared at Rose, mouth hanging open in shock, and then he looked back at his father. "Haven't you always wondered how the Kernel knew you and Zara were going to try and free the Spectres?" The General asked.

Jez nodded, wondering what the General knew, and the General indicated to Rose. "Rose has been my eyes and ears this whole time. She has been the one to betray you and Zara, and ultimately, she guessed that something would happen today. She knew from past experiences with you that you were determined to free the Spectres, so what more than attacking the place where the Spectre Games? Where she has finally betrayed you, Zack, the Resistors, and her father." Rose looked up, the tears fading from her eyes as confusion took over. "My father?" she asked, and the General stood aside, revealing Robert's body. Rose dropped to her knees, tears spilling down her face as she wept, cried, and screamed. "You will all be in the Spectre Games! The Spectre, the traitor and the spy!" The General shouted over Rose's voice, and then their worlds went black as they were all knocked out from behind.

***

The Kernel sat in his office. The Spectre Games would begin in less than ten hours. The radio beside him flickered to life as the Black Knight said, "I can see them. They are with another person, grieving their loss." The Kernel sat forwards, took the radio, activated it and whispered, "Capture them and await my command!"