A Daniel XFanfic
by Sakura Martinez
Disclaimer:
I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson owns the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.
Summary:
The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the drang must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his drang are ready.
Daniel X: Armageddon
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Lord of the Underworld
It was all I could do to keep my voice from shaking when I spoke to Daniel and the others. It was all I could do to keep myself from telling them just how badly it was in Ahlom. I could only close my eyes and silently apologize to the people who had been entrusted into my command. They had thought—maybe even went so far as hoped—that I would be asking for reinforcements. The gods know we needed them.
But I couldn't tell Daniel the truth. I couldn't risk him coming to our aid. Not when he couldn't get his powers in order. Not when there might be a chance he could die.
"Are you okay, Dana?" One of the Alparians who were under my command asked.
"Yes," was all I could reply. Of course, being a fellow Alparian, he knew that I wasn't. So I had to assure him, "I'm fine, Kalel."
"Are they going to send help?" he asked.
I shook my head.
Sensing that I didn't want to talk and my mind was already elsewhere—perhaps thinking I was already devising some sort of plan to ensure that our end of the mission would not fail—Kalel decided not to press me further. Bowing his head, he allowed me to walk on to where the others were camped, awaiting my orders.
Amber met me before I could even enter our makeshift tent, stopping me with a knowing look on her face.
"Are you going to go through with it?" She asked in a hushed voice.
As my second-in-command, she was the only one who knew the truth about what I had said to Daniel and the others. She was also the only one whom I could talk to truthfully about our predicament.
"You know we don't have a choice, Amber." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. I could feel a headache coming along and it was not what I needed at that moment. "We have to go through with this. Same with the others."
"And I take it you didn't say anything to Daniel about that demon-looking alien."
"I didn't," I sighed. "We are on our own here, Amber. And we have to make sure to succeed on our own."
"Easier said than done," she got that right. "But, it's your call. I'll just do my job and make sure most of us get back alive."
I could only nod at her in gratitude before we entered the tent to meet with our other allies.
"So, this is it," An older Alparian warrior who would have been more fitted to lead said as he looked at our battle plan. "There is no other way around it, is there?"
"Not if we want to minimize our losses, and not if we want to get that generator down." Amber answered for me. She was fierce and capable of intimidating even those who were twice her size. "This is the best plan we have."
"Alright," Cleaver said, nodding. He had been silent the entire time we had held the discussion. "Let's do this."
Everyone nodded, all of them were somber. They knew it wasn't out best plan, but with the enemies we had faced—and would be facing—there was no other choice. Our forces were small already, they knew how dangerous it was to divide it into even smaller groups.
One by one, they filed out of the tent leaving me alone with Cleaver who looked at me, sizing me up. "I do hope you know what you're doing, Dana."
I smiled a confident smile, even when I wasn't feeling all that confident. I couldn't help but agree with him, though. I hope so, too.
The three of us—me, Cleaver, and Amber—lay in wait for the operation to commence. They were the only two people I could take along with me; the only two people who knew how to shut the generators down and whose abilities I could strengthen.
The dozens of red-skined, obsidian-horned, bat-winged, and sharp-fanged aliens stood guard by the entrance of the base and kept us from doing our mission without having to resort to our plan. They did not only look frightening, they were also frighteningly strong and managed to wipe out half of our original numbers. They were the reason why we didn't manage to immediately set up our communication.
"What are those things?" Amber asked as we waited for the chaos to ensue. "They look like demons."
"I think they are demons with the way they fought earlier," Cleaver whispered, the look on his eyes spoke how much he would like to rip these 'demons' apart. "I'll make them pay for what they did to the others."
"Not now, Cleaver," I warned him. "You saw how strong they are, and you know that in order for this plan to work, we need to stick to it all the way. Besides, if we attack them, then their leader would no doubt come out again and we can't afford to battle him head on."
"You seem to know something about these aliens, Dana." Amber said what I knew she had been aching to say since the first time we came across them and I ordered a full-retreat as soon as I saw who we were up against.
"Not really," I answered. "I just...know the name of their leader. I...heard his name before."
Amber and Cleaver both looked at me expectantly and I waited a few more seconds before I went on saying, "Their leader's name is Abaddon...and I think he's strong enough to defeat even Daniel."
The attack came just on time, sending balls of fire raining down on the base and causing the ground to tremble and shake—such were the powers of the Alparians who had come along our mission. The demon-looking aliens panicked at first, not knowing what was going on. They scrambled around looking for where the attack was coming from, ready to retaliate. Soon, they left their post, charging to where our allies had been and are now falling back.
We took that time to sneak past the guards and into the base that was suddenly filled with life. We ducked and weaved our way, trusting the map of the base we had memorized in our heads, taking the routes that we knew we would not meet any resistance in and we didn't slow down.
I knew the three of us were thinking the same thing: we didn't want to run across Abaddon. Amber and Cleaver may not have seen the vision I had seen when Blaleen issued me her challenge, but I know they didn't like the thought of meeting with an alien who they learned could defeat Daniel.
The sounds of battle resonated even as we were already deep inside the base. We had no idea who was winning, or if our forces had been utterly pushed back and defeated—massacred, even. We had cut our communication lines and had been using my powers to mask our presence. At that moment, having no idea what was going on outside, I couldn't help but wonder if it really was a good thing that we did.
"We're almost there," Cleaver whispered as we rounded another corner. "We just need to head south at the next intersection and we'll find the service elevator that will lead us to the generator."
I could only nod. The pit at my stomach kept me from giving a more adequate response. I was anxious, and nervous. We have yet to see Abaddon. He was not with his men when they swarmed out of the base to fight against our forces.
We swiftly made our way, following the directions Cleaver had given us: through the southern path and down the service elevator. The generator room, however, was still four floors down from where the service elevator stopped, and so we still had to descend four flights of stairs before we found ourselves facing a large door sealed shut by a tough computer security which required a retinal and bio-scan.
Thankfully, Joe had anticipated such a thing and he had worked with our spies to give us the necessary credentials to bypass the security check. Quickly, I got to work and it didn't take long for the doors to open with a hiss.
We took tentative steps forward, at first. When we noticed that no one—apart from the three of us—were around, we made a beeline for the generator's control panel. Once there, I went to work and had Amber and Cleaver watch my back.
"Am I the only one who thinks how easy we have it right now, compared to the others outside?" Amber suddenly spoke. Her words caused me to pause and caused both Cleaver and I to look at her. "I mean, we didn't even meet a single resistance. I would like to think we're pretty good at sneaking, but I don't think we're that good."
"And we haven't seen their mammoth-of-a-leader, too." Cleaver added as he scanned the room once again.
"Maybe he had left the planet," it was wishful thinking on my part, I know. Someone like Abaddon didn't seem like the type to just leave a battlefield like that. He looked like an alien who reveled and enjoyed battles.
None of us said anything else after that. Perhaps we were all feeling the same nervousness that the other was feeling, or perhaps we didn't want to jinx ourselves. And so, I worked on silence while Amber and Cleaver stood on guard.
I had just finished inputting the codes that would override the generator and keep others from using it again when a sudden explosion destroyed the entrance we had used.
"I'm done!" Quickly, I stood up and ran towards Amber and Cleaver, ready to make a retreat. We had done what we had come to do. All that was left was to notify our areal fleet and have them bombard the life out of the base.
"It's about time," Cleaver snorted, "But I think you should re-establish our communication lines right now, Dana. I don't think we'd be able to get out of here any time soon."
"What do you mean?" I had just asked that question out when a powerful roar reverberated around the room and the one alien I had feared meeting showed himself.
As soon as his roar died down, he laughed. It was a maniacal and cold laughter. Then he fixed his gaze on us, his bat-like wings outstretched.
"Well, well…look what we have here. Three rats." His voice boomed. Then his gaze locked on mine and his grin became even toothier, showing off his jagged, yellowish, teeth. "The Prayer was right, then. He knew you Alparian scum would come here. But, this is such a downer. I had hoped to face someone other than you, Lady Dana."
Hearing him say my name made me double back, even though I shouldn't at all be surprised that he would know who I am. After all, The Prayer could have easily debriefed him about us.
I chose not to be baited by his words, however. And I kept my mouth shut. This, however, only served to make him laugh louder.
He then began circling us, stalking us like a predator does his prey. "I find it quite amusing that Daniel X would send you here. Even more amusing than the fact that he would pit his own people against mine, considering that your kind are already dwindling in numbers. What's more, not only does he intend to herald in the extinction of the Alparian race, he had also chosen to send children here to fight against we, the people of the Underworld."
"But, I digress, I have yet to formally introduce myself," he went on, but I didn't let him. I already knew who he was.
"We know who you are." I surprised him in saying. His horned brow shot up and inch higher when he heard me say, "You're Abaddon!"
The surprise, however, was only momentary as he quickly regained his composure.
"So, you know my name. But one has to wonder if you really know who I am." He then spread his wings and his arms out, his horned tail flicked left and right as his eyes glinted with the kind of evil I thought only The Prayer possessed. "Yes, you are correct, I am Abaddon, the Lord of the Underworld, and the harbinger of your doom!"
