Zein: The Prophecy Read online

  ‘So, they would control our TV pictures, satellites, phones….?’ Gemma asked.

  ‘Yes, but that is not all. If they control your communications they control your weapons,’ said Remo worriedly.

  ‘You mean our nukes?’ said Gemma, horrified.

  ‘Yes and probably can launch them without the humans having any say in the matter,’ Remo replied.

  Gemma gasped. ‘Kabel, we need to stop them. Even if they let one nuke off, other countries will retaliate. Billions of people will die,’ said Gemma grabbing hold of Kabel. Kabel didn’t need any convincing. Thoughts of his sister were pushed firmly to the back of his mind.

  ‘We can’t get across the parade ground without being seen even if all those soldiers are gone. Look at the fortifications on the bunker. We need to find another way.’ They looked across the parade ground, which was quickly emptying as the soldiers made their way into the portal.

  ‘Who are you?’ a woman’s voice cut across their conversation. The trio turned from the window and along with Dante and Grampion stared at a beautiful young woman with blonde hair who held a blaster in her right hand. Beside her was another woman with her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

  ‘If you think I can’t use this, think again, my uncle trained me as hard as any of his soldiers so don’t….’ Her voice trailed off as her eyes focused on Kabel. He saw the pendent, a replica to his, hanging down from her neck. His eyes met hers.

  Hello Belina, I am your brother, he whispered in her mind. Her hand holding the blaster wavered, her head moved from side as she tried to rationalise the situation.

  ‘You’re d-d—dead. The Southgates killed you, mother and father,’ she gasped, the weapon dropping lower and lower. Her body sagged forward and before she could fall to the ground, Kabel was there. He held his sister close. She clutched him, not wanting to let go. Great sobs emerged from her as the love and protection of her brother radiated from him through her. All the time Kabel stroked her hair and sent loving thoughts to her. I am here for you. I will never, never let you go. Kabel was in turmoil inside. He loved the Wheatstones and Gemma but this was his twin, his blood. He never felt so whole.

  Remo and Gemma watched quietly, knowing that this was a special moment for Kabel. They waited patiently as Belina and Kabel comforted each other.

  ‘How are you feeling, Belina?’ Kabel asked as he helped her onto her feet. Belina didn’t answer; she still clutched his arm as if he may disappear on her.

  ‘W-what are you doing here?’ Belina asked Kabel.

  Kabel told her about his dreams and what had happened to him over the last few days. Belina was confused.

  ‘My uncle is not like that. It was the Southgates who caused all the problems. My uncle just tried to protect the other quadrants.’

  ‘I am sorry, Belina, he has lied to you. He didn’t mean to kill our mother but he did try to kill me and he did kill our father.’ He let this sink in. ‘Lord Southgate is our grandfather.’

  Belina was more than a little upset and sat down on the edge of the massive bed. Her world was falling apart. Belina beckoned the other woman forward.

  ‘This is my friend Milano who has looked after me for many years,’ said Belina as an introduction. Milano walked across from the door where she had stood frozen as the events unfolded. She tried to think quickly. General Chad needed to know and have time to get back over here. Kabel bowed in greeting and Milano gave him a winning smile. She sat down next to Belina and comforted her.

  While Kabel was hugging Belina, Gemma had been studying the maid. It was the initial look she saw on Milano’s face which concerned her. It wasn’t joy that her mistress had found her brother, but fear. Why was she scared? This didn’t smell right…

  ‘My lady, I realise this is your brother but your uncle has only ever looked out for you,’ Milano said, building her story. ‘Will you accept fully this story these strangers tell? Maybe there has been some misunderstanding,’ she paused and then as an afterthought, ‘I am just looking out for you.’ Belina smiled at her friend and rested her hand over hers.

  ‘Faithful Milano, old friend, this is my brother and, yes,’ she turned back to her brother, who was watching the exchange carefully, ‘I need to understand this further.’ Kabel acknowledged the request and knew this was a lot to take in. He was surprised that he couldn’t read Milano’s mind; she has had some training, he thought, strange.

  Gemma squinted at Milano, not trusting her.

  ‘Belina, we need a way to get into the bunker over there?’ Kabel said, still amazed at how similar in facial expression Belina was to him.

  ‘Why?’ Belina stood up, now composed. Kabel looked at Remo and he explained his thought process on the use of the antenna.

  Belina became excited. ‘I have seen it, maybe that will answer some of my questions!’ She then took them through how she had followed General Chad down the secret passage and what she had seen in the bunker.

  ‘It sounds like they are targeting different areas in the world by disrupting all communications. And one of the operators said they were nearly operational?’ Remo asked.

  ‘Yes, and that it would be tonight,’ answered Belina, telling them what she had overheard. She was still not fully sure they were right. Her uncle had been so good to her.

  ‘We can use that passageway to get in behind them,’ said Kabel. No one noticed that Milano had set off her own personal alarm that was around her neck, disguised as a pendent. Gemma had been watching her but thought she was simply playing with the pendent. They all agreed they needed to go as soon as possible.

  ‘I want to help you, but I am not dressed appropriately.’ Milano gestured down at her maid’s attire. Belina was all for her help as Milano had been her main sparring partner in her combat training. Both had grown up comfortable with handling weapons. She was just as good as Belina. The others waited patiently as the two girls searched for suitable clothes and quickly found a pair of black trousers and a red tunic. Belina was wearing the blue of the Blackstones. Milano got dressed behind a screen, taking as much time as possible without drawing too much attention.

  Eventually they set off down the corridor with Milano volunteering to scout ahead to make sure they did not run into any guards. If they were caught up in a fight, any chance to get to the antenna would be all the more difficult. Gemma was uneasy. She sidled up to Kabel as they walked down the corridor.

  ‘I don’t trust the maid. I caught the look on her face when she saw you. To be honest it was not a look of delight.’

  ‘Belina trusts her and that is good enough for me,’

  ‘It stinks,’ said Gemma stubbornly. Kabel instructed her to keep her voice down as he watched ahead and kept glancing behind him. Gemma fell into a moody silence.

  Milano was only twenty yards ahead when suddenly an arm came out of one of the rooms and grabbed her. Milano shrieked and a man edged out of the room holding her close. It was General Chad. He had one of his swords in his hands across her throat. Milano looked petrified. Out of the other rooms in front of them and behind them, other soldiers appeared. Trapped.

  ‘Drop your weapons. I said drop them or I will take off her head,’ General Chad ordered. Milano cried. Belina dropped her blaster first, the others, apart from Gemma, followed reluctantly.

  ‘Gemma, drop the gun,’ said Kabel. Gemma snarled at him. Disgusted, she dropped her weapon. The soldiers moved in on them. General Chad threw a pair of red glowing manacles to one of the soldiers, which were placed on Kabel’s wrists to prevent the use of the magics. No one except Kabel noticed the small mouse that scurried away from the melee. The Changeling had hung back and kept himself away from the group. He was still free.

  Once all the prisoners were handcuffed, General Chad released Milano, who turned round and kissed him passionately. He placed one of his hands on her well-formed behind and clamped her to him.

  ‘Milano!’ cried out Belina. Milano broke off the kiss and looked at her former friend and mist
ress.

  ‘You stupid bitch, I have had enough of your whiney, love-struck ways. That is the last time I am going to clean your stinking hair and run everywhere to your snivelling commands,’ said Milano spitefully. Belina could not believe it. Kabel dropped his head in frustration and Gemma’s anger at Kabel for not listening to her melted away as she felt sorry for Belina. General Chad laughed.

  ‘Just so you know, you stuck up Blackstone, I had your precious boyfriend sliced and gutted,’ said Milano spitefully. Belina burst her bonds; her latent Blackstone power pulsed out of her and threw the two soldiers away from her. Milano stood transfixed. Belina pulled one of the daggers from the soldier she had pushed away and launched herself forward. One of the other soldiers tried to get in the way but she brushed him aside, fury overtaking her. She reached Milano, who had been trying to get behind General Chad, who at the same time was trying to push the girl away from him so he could bring his sword to bear. Milano just got in the way. Belina reached Milano and thrust the knife deep into the belly of her maid.

  ‘Now I am going to gut you, you bitch,’ said Belina through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing a bright sapphire blue. She pulled the knife up and then to the right as Milano’s mouth was open in horror. Belina removed her hand and stepped back. She was immediately apprehended by two soldiers who held her and forced the same red manacles onto her wrists that they had placed on Kabel.

  Milano grasped the knife in her belly and fell back onto General Chad looking for comfort, who, initially surprised by events, pushed her away. Girls like Milano were many for General Chad. Milano’s last desperate gasps for air were completed alone and on a cold stone floor, her hand outstretched for help. All ignored her. Her body thrashed a couple of times and then laid still, eyes unblinking. General Chad simply directed his men to bring the captives down to the dungeons. The little mouse scampered after them.

  Chapter 23

  Production

  Lord Malacca paced contentedly in the Throne Room. His advisors had told him that once they had replenished the Core Perimeter Wall they had started shipping record amounts of zinithium to Zylar. Each hour a new shipment was being transported to the Southern Quadrant. His guards were flogging the excavators in Base Station Zero. When one collapsed, another was given a shovel. The large machines were digging deeper and deeper into the ground. Manek walked in with a big smile on his face.

  ‘You look like you have something to smile about, son,’ Lord Malacca said as Manek pulled out a chair and sat down. He placed his feet on the expensive table, gouging deep marks with his boots.

  ‘There is one princess who now knows what a real man is like,’ said Manek, placing his hands behind his head smugly. ‘I need to teach her a few more lessons then I will let the guards have her.’ He reached for an apple and took a bite.

  Lord Malacca grunted, no longer interested in the young girl’s fate. ‘What about the men who were infected by the water?’

  ‘They are all silent and motionless in the barracks, locked in and guarded by our troops,’ Manek replied, frowning. ‘It is all very strange. They should still be going through the madness stage before indoctrination.’ Lord Malacca stopped strolling round the room. He was surprised.

  ‘Have they been given any medication by the Fathoms?’

  ‘Just a powerful sleep sedative but that should not be effective for such a length of time. They only had time to treat those in Base Station Zero with bluejack,’ said Manek, as he anticipated his father’s next question.

  ‘It was interesting how the Blackstone human was able to control the crazed ones sufficiently for the antidote to be administered. We would normally have to strap them down and force the suppression drug down their throats,’ he said. Lord Malacca started pacing again, forcing Manek to ask, ‘Do you have any other orders, Father?’

  ‘Where have you dispersed the troops?’ he asked. The troops had arrived throughout the day and Manek was in charge of where they should be placed.

  ‘I have two thousand in the Lower Town patrolling in groups of twenty and a thousand guarding the Palace under Cronje’s command.’ Lord Malacca was pleased. Negotiations had been swift with the overly confident Lord Fathom. Once he had pointed out to Lord Fathom that his son had not just poisoned the water but had placed explosives around the Outer Perimeter Wall, Lord Fathom had buckled. He had blustered initially threatening to hold them prisoner, however, Lord Malacca had shown him the emergency portal on his wrist he could trigger if threatened. Detonation would have seen the collapse of millions of gallons of sea water onto the Fathom Clan, wiping them out. They had rounded all the Fathom Guard of around nine hundred men and either locked them in the dungeons or placed them under armed guard in the same section of the Lower Town as the infected men were being held. Manek had left fifty soldiers to guard them.

  ‘Good, good. Zylar is due to make a move on Earth later today and soon the Malacca Clan will be the most powerful clan of Zein,’ he said triumphantly.

  ‘Will not Zylar have a say on that, Father?’ said Manek, taking a new huge bite of his apple. Lord Malacca stopped pacing and it was his turn to look smugly at his son.

  ‘Zylar is only interested in resurrecting the rule of Zylar the Emperor. He will still need at least one of the clans to support him. We can take whatever riches we want as all Zylar wants is power.’

  Manek listened well. He had watched over all these years as his father played one side against the next. He seemed to always know when to move against one or the other. He even used the death of his mother to broker a deal with Zylar. He also knew that the Tyther royal bloodline had been butchered by his father’s men all those years ago when they thought he was their friend. Manek had spoken with Cronje, who was just a young soldier then; even the hard bitten fighting man that he was couldn’t talk long about what had happened.

  Malacca had befriended Tyther some years before as they both grew tired of the Southgate–Blackstone–Fathom tri-clan close relationship. Tyther’s children played with Manek, his wife was friends with his late mother. The story Cronje told was that his father invited the whole Tyther royal family to his Eastern Quadrant Palace, consisting of Lord and Lady Tyther, Gwen, their twelve year old daughter, Titus, five year old son, and newest arrival, six month old Hector. They were accompanied by thirty of their Palace Guard and usual personal staff, numbering another twenty-five. They had arrived in full regalia expecting to attend an extravagant ball. They carried their standard with their coat of arms of an excavator and hammer on an orange background. The coat of arms befitted their engineering skills with every kind of material and tool. They were the clan who invented the environmental packages and their skill with zinithium was second to none in the known Universe. The Fathoms would challenge that statement but Tyther were in a different league.

  When they came through the portal they were escorted onto the parade ground. It was here that the photon machine guns opened up, killing them all. Cronje had closed his eyes when he was playing back what had happened. All he could remember was Titus screaming as he was left holding just his mother’s arm as a blast removed it from her shoulder, before another blast took his head from his shoulders. Lord Malacca himself had stepped forward once the firing had stopped and thrust his knife into the still screaming baby’s heart as he lay strapped into his pushchair. They had then conquered the Northern Quadrant and claimed it for the Malacca Clan.

  ‘What is his plan for Earth?’ Manek was intrigued. His father was all too willing to tell him, secure in the knowledge that now he had control of the critical supply of zinithium.

  ‘Zylar has built three battleships that he intends to conquer Zein with and he needs large amounts of zinithium to power the ships. He is going to use Earth’s own weapons against them to get it,’ Lord Malacca informed his son.

  He sat down on the throne of Lord Fathom. ‘There are huge deposits near the surface in the Arctic region, which, if we melt the glaciers, we can mine. The powerful photon tubes on the battlesh
ips can accomplish this. Of course this will devastate the delicate climate of Earth; many will die from rising sea levels, et cetera, et cetera.’ Lord Malacca was in full flow. ‘There are also huge deposits under the area they call Europe and Zylar intends to mine there as well with devastating consequences for those that live in that area. The humans, of course, will not agree to such actions so we need to conquer them first and then mine the zinithium.’

  ‘How is Zylar going to do that? The humans are a pretty aggressive race. They will not simply stand by.’

  ‘First he will leave them leaderless and then he will force the world into submission. He needs more soldiers for his Ilsid and a tenfold increase in mining of zinithium.’

  Even the cold hearted Manek was aghast. ‘How can you work with him?’

  ‘Means to an end, boy, means to an end,’ Lord Malacca said, with a beaming smile on his face.

  ‘I watched the communication feed which showed what happened on Earth at that football match. It was brutal. I wouldn’t like the Ilsid set against us,’ voiced a worried Manek. His father looked across the impressive room at his son.

  ‘He needs us to subdue the Fathom Clan, as he needed us to overcome the Tyther and the Blackstone Clans.’

  ‘What happens when he doesn’t need us?’ The question went unanswered as the Throne Room doors were flung open and Cronje strode purposefully into the room. Lord Malacca had initially turned in annoyance, which changed when he saw it was Cronje. Cronje never interrupted unless something major had occurred. Cronje dropped to one knee in front of his Lord.