New Zion

Cole rushed forwards, pushing through the crowd towards the Namhaid residence. He finally made it to the front of the crowd and began slashing his way through the Namhaid members.

“Fall back!” Cole looked up to see a lieutenant on the walls of the Namhaid family estate. “Fall back into the estate!” he yelled. The Namhaid members slowly backed in through the gates. The gates closed with a thud that reverberated through the square in front of the estate. Cole pounded his fist on the gate.

“Hah! The cowards can’t deal with it when they’re the ones outnumbered,” Brawler exclaimed.

“Everyone, fall back into the buildings!” Cole shouted. Brawler looked down at him.

“Why?” he asked.

“They’re bound to have ranged weapons of some kind. Just tell them to get back, now!” Cole shouted. Brawler nodded.

“Everyone fall back to the buildings! Don’t waste your lives. There will be a chance for us to get our revenge!” Brawler yelled as the first arrow flew into the air. The mob retreated back. Cole followed Brawler into a nearby café.

“So, what’re we gonna do?” he asked. Cole shook his head.

“We’ve still got the Third Eye to deal with. We won’t be able to get close to Namhaid with him around. I’ll deal with him, and once he’s gone, I’ll figure out how to open up the gates. How’s that sound?” Cole asked. Brawler slowly nodded.

“Fine by me,” he said. Cole nodded.

“Good. In the meantime, round up whatever family members you can find. Also, feed and clothe the miners. We need them to be as ready as possible before we can expect them to do any more than they already have,” Cole said.

“You got it. I’ll wait to see the Third Eyes head before mobilising,” Brawler said. Cole stood up and started walking towards the door, rays of the midday sun piercing through the glass into the darkened room.

“Where are you goin?” Brawler asked.

“I’ve gotta wait for the night. Until then, I might as well help clean up the streets,” he said, leaving the door. Arrows fell around him as he sprinted in the direction of the trailer.

“So, where are you taking me?” Aria asked aloud. An entity nearby shifted in the lavender mist around her.

“To Cole,” it said.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Cole calls me Able,” it replied. “It has to do with a story back on Earth that many believed to be true,” Able said.

“What was the story?” she asked.

“A jealous brother killed his younger brother as he had earned more favour with a powerful being. Cain is the name of the murderer, and Able is the name of the younger one,” Able explained.

“Is the story true?” Aria looked at Able intently.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. That is not for me to tell you. I also hope that I do not end up like the Able in the story,” he said. “Now, you will be on earth in its final moments. It will be difficult, but I will make sure that you are close enough to find Cole. Here is what he looks like,” Able waved a tendril of lavender mist and an image of a young boy appeared. “You must get him to the ‘Rift Gate’ as the humans call it. After he’s been handed off, I’ll pick you up and set you on your next assignment,” he said.

“My next assignment?” Aria asked.

“Yes. There is much more that needs to be done, and I can’t have Cole do it all. He must never meet himself,” Able replied.

“Why?” Aria asked.

“Because he doesn’t remember meeting himself, except for one time. If that is how it has happened, then that is how it shall be. Now, get going; his parents are expecting you,” Able said. Aria blinked and she was in a public restroom. She exited the restroom and looked around to see a park. People were calmly strolling around, some couples with their children, a few businessmen on phones. The earth suddenly began to shake, knocking Aria to the ground.

The people in the park slowly got up, and after a second tremor they began running. Aria sniffed the air, and a familiar scent wafted towards her upwind. She looked in the direction, and could see Cole and a woman, a large man approaching them. Another man bumped into Aria as she made her way over to them. She looked up at the man, who bore a great resemblance to Cole.

“There’s a woman and child over there that need help!” she said, pointing at Cole. The man looked, and swore as he ran in their direction. Aria began running too, but was knocked to the ground by another person. She finally managed to get up and run towards them in time to see the man who looked like Cole fighting the large man. She ran forwards, and saw the mother beckon to her. She went over and knelt down next to the dying woman.

“Take our son to the Rift, please!” she whispered. “We aren’t going to make it, but he must. I can’t stand the thought of him dying here. Something told us that you’d be coming here, so when you see Cole in the future, tell him that we love him. We love him so…” she trailed off, her hand falling to the ground.

“Mom? Dad?” Cole said, his mouth moving on autopilot. Aria looked back at Cole and grabbed his hand.

“Cole, we have to go now,” she said. Cole didn’t respond.

“Mom! Dad!” he yelled. Aria blinked away a tear, and knelt down in front of him.

“Cole, we have to go, now!” she said, forcing him to look at her. She wiped away his tears, and stood up, pulling him along. Cole was crying, swiping at his eyes with one hand as he gripped hers. They made it to the gate, but a crowd had already formed and the gate was closed. She ran to the side, looking for a soldier that would look at them. She finally found one.

“Sir, please take this boy! Save him, please!” she cried out. The soldier looked down at them.

“What about all the other people? I’m sure they want to get through the Rift. What makes you more special than them?” he replied.

“And how many have you saved? How many have you let through?” the man opened his mouth to answer, but a quake shook the ground. He took one last look down at them before shaking his head.

“Fine, but only him. You can’t go with him,” Aria smiled. She crouched down, looking Cole in the eye.

“Cole, when you reach the other side, find me. I’ll be mean at first, and I’ll be difficult, but please don’t give up on me, ok? You don’t know me yet, but you will someday. So please, don’t forget about me, and pursue me, no matter what,” Cole nodded. Aria smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

“We don’t have time! Get him up here or else it’ll be too late!” she lifted Cole up to the soldier, who then pulled him up and over.

“Don’t forget me!” Aria yelled as Cole and the soldier disappeared. Aria smiled, dropping to her knees. She looked at the world around her as it fell apart. So this is where Cole lived before, she thought. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she was back in the Rift.

Cole watched as the light slowly faded, and the sky changed from crimson to a deep violet. He sprinted forward in the twilight, the fading sun casting shadows that fell on others, mingling into a mass of darkness. He came upon the wall in front of him, and threw up a roped hook. He began climbing, his black clothes whispering with each movement. He looked both ways, and replaced the hook on his belt before pulling himself over. Lights shone on the wall; patrols marching back and forth. He looked up at a tower where no light shone, but he could make out the silhouettes of two men. He padded over to the tower and peeked inside; this floor was empty. He entered, and carefully closed the door behind him. The door on the other side of the tower began to open, and Cole hid behind a box.

“I knew this was gonna happen!” the one man whispered sharply. The other nodded emphatically.

“We all knew that they would rise up one day. We just thought we had more time,” he replied. The first one snorted.

“Yeah. Always more time… Turn off that damn light!” he said. His companion complied. “How are we supposed to see in the dark on our shift if we’ve been staring at a light the whole time,” he muttered. The second one shrugged.

“Did you hear me?” the first one asked.

“Yeah, I heard you. I shrugged,” he said. The first one sighed.

“Well, I couldn’t see you do that in the dark yet!” he hissed. They began climbing the ladder. Soon enough, two others came down the ladder and turned on the lantern that the first two had brought with them. They waited a moment before leaving. Cole let out a low breath once the door had closed and approached the ladder, climbing up. He peeked over the top and saw both men looking out into the city. He pulled out his knife and slit one’s throat while holding his hand over the other ones mouth.

“How long until the next watch takes over?” Cole asked. The guard blinked. “Hold up the number with your hand, ten minutes per finger,” he commanded. The guard held up a hand of five, and clenched and unclenched his hand 6 times. “So I’ve got five hours?” he asked. The guard nodded. “Thank you,” he said, slashing the guard across his throat as well. He began to struggle, but Cole held him down, calmly shushing him until he stopped moving. Cole peeked out of the tower and took note of the patrols, and the mist that was rolling in.

“Damn, they‘ve got a lot,” he said. He carefully climbed down the ladder all the way to the ground floor, and peeked out of the door. The mist roiled and twisted in front of him, covering the grounds. Lights bobbed in the distance as he rushed towards the main building. He peeked into the building through a window. The main entrance hall was filled with guards. Cole sighed, and began walking towards the front door. He was passing it when he heard a shout.

Lights turned on all over the residence, and one light focused on Cole. He looked to the right as the main doors opened, and the guards rushed outside, surrounding him. Cole set his plasma sword and prepared himself as the fog around him dissipated. He heard someone laughing and slowly clapping, and looked up to a balcony above him.

“Good job on making it this far, little Avalon,” Cole studied the man. He wasn’t as old as Ryan, but he was older than Cole. He wore a tank top underneath a suit jacket with jeans. “It’s good to see that Ryan still has some useful people in his merry band of misfits,” he said.

“It’s good to see that you’re not going to cower in your safe room, Namhaid,” Cole responded. The man smiled, waving one hand dismissively.

“Yes, yes… So, what’s that you have there? It seems pretty fancy,” he said. Cole locked eyes with him.

“An Avian Captains sword,” he replied. Namhaid’s eyebrows shot up.

“Exquisite. We’ve been trying to figure out the Avian technology for some time now. I would love to study it. Hand it over, and I’ll let you go,” he said. Cole tilted his head, slightly.

“And if I refuse?” he said. Namhaid shrugged.

“Then we kill you and take it anyways…” he trailed off as Murphy approached him.

“Don, we can’t actually kill him,” he said.

“Why the fock not?” Namhaid responded.

“He isn’t able to die. I shot him and he healed,” he said. Namhaid’s eyes widened.

“So you’re Ryan’s adopted son, aren’t you?” he asked. Cole nodded. Namhaid slowly nodded, placing his ringed hand on his chin. “Hmm… Well, let’s tear him apart and see what happens,” he said, waving one hand. The Mafia around Cole rushed at him. Cole swung his blade in a wide arc, cutting through the people in front of him, and ducked out of the way of two others, who swung their swords into each other.

“Come now, little Avalon. If you can heal, then just show me! Why does it matter if they hit you or not?” he said. “You’re making me want more than just your weapon, y’know,” he said. Cole cut down another swath of Mafia, but a spear was rammed into his back. Cole stumbled forwards as the spear was pulled out. His blood flowed back into his body, and Namhaid’s smile grew.

“That looks like it’s be useful…” he mused. “Little Avalon, why don’t you join me?” the Mafia stopped and backed away. “I could use someone of your talents,” he said.

“You want me to betray the man who took me in and has taken care of me for the last eight years?” Cole asked. Namhaid shrugged.

“Well, when you put it that way…” he trailed off. “Murph, take care of him please,” he said. Murph nodded and dropped down to the ground, pulling out a pistol.

“You guys have a pistol as well? That’s interesting…” Cole said, setting his feet. “Come at me!” he yelled at Murph. Flame came out the end of the barrel as a lead bullet flew at Cole. The projectile lodged itself in his chest.

©2017