Chapter 14: Sacrifice Part 1

Trevor gave Sam the last part of the tour. It was the electric barrier around the continent.

"This barrier will prevent the rest of the gatekeepers to make a portal to here. They won't have enough time to travel here from air or water. Phobos will come out unharmed."

"Very nice," Sam said.

"This is the power source," Trevor pointed at a enclosed metal room with electric power inside. "That's all for the tour. I'll just leave you alone. I'll come to get you tomorrow when the gate is about the open."

"Okay." He went to his new room which had dark energy all around. It didn't affect Sam but he can sense it. He laid down on his bed, staring in the black ceiling.

("Bet on It" by Zac Efron sung by the gatekeepers)

Sam: Everybody's always talkin' at me
Everybody's tryin' to get in my head
I wanna listen to my own heart talkin'
I need to count on myself instead
Jen: Did you ever
Sam: Lose yourself to get what you want
Packard: Did you ever
Sam: Get on a ride and wanna get off
Will: Did you ever
Sam: Push away the ones you should've held close
Did you ever let go
Did you ever not know

Sam went through a lot of flashbacks. He went thought back when Sam and Packard were still comedians having their own stand off. Packard was the one that made him laugh all the time. Until a creature showed up and killed their only guardian to support them, that's when everything turned around. Life became so different afterwards.

Sam: I'm not gonna stop
That's who I am
I'll give it all I got
That is my plan
Will I find what I lost
You know you can
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet on me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

Sam then thought about how Packard's personality changed. It confused him because he was usually on his side. Packard's niceness to Jen shocked Sam the most since they don't let anyone boss them around. He even yelled at him after Jen shocked Packard.

Sam: How will I know if there's a path worth takin'
Should I question every move I make
With all I've lost, my heart is breakin'
I don't wanna make the same mistakes
Nick: Did you ever
Sam: Doubt your dream will ever come true
Jen: Did you ever
Sam: Blame the world but never blame you
Packard: I will never
Sam: Try to live a lie again
I don't wanna win this game if I can't play it my way

Sam tried to stop thinking about the the bad memories. He thought back of the good times before he was introduced in the gatekeeper team. So many funny experiences with Packard.

Sam: I'm not gonna stop
That's who I am (Who I am)
I'll give it all I got
That is my plan (That's my plan)
Will I find what I lost
You know you can (You know you can)
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet on me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

It was enough to make Sam miss his brother. "Why did I ever chose this path?" He sneaked out his room to go outside. He made sure no one saw him and walked towards the metal room. It was just a plain metal room that only one person can fit in. Inside had a half metal pole containing the energy. He knows that if he breaks the power source, he will get electrocuted because the metal will conduct the electricity. He took a deep breath with the thought of Packard in his mind.

Sam: Oh, hold up
Give me room to think
Bring it on down
Gotta work on my swing
Gotta do my own thing
Hold up
It's no good at all
To see yourself and not recognize your face
Out on my own
It's such a scary place
Ooh The answers are all inside of me
All I gotta do is believe

Sam reached out to the pole and tried to metal bend it. The electricity flowed around the room and through his body. The pain was inevitable. He screamed but still concentrated on breaking the pole. The pole started to deform and the energy exploded. Sam was blown out of the room and landed right on the hard ice floor. The barrier was gone. Sam was unconscious on the ground, about to die.

Sam: I'm not gonna stop
Not gonna stop till I get my shot
That's who I am
That is my plan
Will I end up on top again
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, you can
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet On Me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it
You can bet on me

Meanwhile, the remaining gatekeepers made a pit stop at the South side of Brazil in Sao Paulo. Packard calmed himself down but still worries a lot for his brother. Jen walked up to him, "It must really hard for you to know your brother left us."

"You have no idea. We were so good with each other. That was until we got recruited into the team."

Nick was leaning against the wall, remembering when Sam was going to break the barrier. Not until 10 more minutes till he will. Will spoke up to end the awkward silence, "So do you think you guys are ready to fight the Old Ones?"

"If we had Sam with us, then I can honestly say that we can. We know the special abilities and convergence spells so we're ready," confirmed Jen.

"You were pretty scared the first time we saw him," said Nick.

"That was my first encounter with him! Now I feel more confident," replied Jen. When the ten minutes were up, Nick immediately shouted out, "Jen, it's time! Use the Heart to make the portal!"

Jen jumped up a little, "Why?"

"The barrier is broken. I told you a miracle can happen. And that time is now!" Nick shouted. Packard had hope in his eyes.

"Okay, okay," She made a portal to Antarctica and it appeared. "It worked! Let's go!" They ran through the portal and saw Sam laying on the floor.

"Sam!" Packard ran towards him and lifted his head up. "I'm sorry. Sorry for not being there for you. You didn't have to sacrifice your life for us," Packard starting to cry. Sam opened his eyes slowly. "Kyle... Don't be sorry. I should be the one saying sorry. I betrayed you and the team."

"I know you didn't mean it," Will and Jen were starting to get emotional in the scene. Nick knew all of this would happen but didn't know it would be this heartbreaking.

"Take good care. You are... the best brother ever," Sam closed his eyes and he was gone. Packard stared at him for a long time, not even able to cry. Jen noticed a change in the sky. There was a red sky.

(Credits to the song, "Bet On It" by Zac Efron)