Blue Roses and Lithium Thorns
Chapter Five: Prophecy
Liam and the girls managed to program the portal in the lair to go to the Moonbase. Liam led them to where the cult was said to rest.
"Where's Da'an now?" Renee asked.
Liam checked his global. "According to the tracker, Da'an's still in the embassy."
"Good," Renee said.
"So this is what the Moonbase looks like," Street said. "Somehow, I imagined that it'd be bigger."
"This is just one part, Street," Liam said. "Trust me. This place is huge. You need portals and shuttles just to get around here. It's like a giant metropolis the size of Texas."
"Then I guess this would be the projects," Street said. "It's sure small like it."
Renee shook her head humorously.
"Actually, these are the evacuation corridors," Liam explained. "The Taelons designed these tunnels in the event of an attack. The tunnels are the fastest routes to the launch bays, of which there are about thirty. They're also the only tunnels with no cameras."
"Interesting," Street said.
Liam led them through until they came to a long hallway of entrances. "The guests quarters," Liam explained.
"There's a million rooms. How are we going to find them?" Renee asked.
"What's that?" Street asked pointing her flashlight to a blue light near the end of the hall.
"I think we've found our guests," Liam said.
"This could be a trap," Renee said.
"Probably is," Liam said. "But that's the only way to get there."
"Then, let's do it," Renee said drawing her gun.
They slowly made their way down the long corridor with a gun pointed to the left, the right, and behind them.
"Paradise to my right, hell to the left, and the angel of death behind me," Street said.
"Huh?" asked Liam.
"Dune? Don't you remember? The saying if you were in a jam was 'paradise to my right, hell to the left, and the angel of death behind me,'" Street said.
"Oh yeah," Liam said. He and Street chuckled. Renee didn't get it.
They eased their way inside the blue room. There was Nye. She appeared to be alone. In front of her was a blue lamp that blinked slowly like a beacon.
"Major Kincaid," Nye said slowly. "I have been expecting you."
"All right, cut the riddles, Nye," Liam said. "What in the hell do you want with Da'an?"
Nye nodded and motioned gracefully for them to sit. The door closed behind them. They sat, but the kept their pistols close.
"Your world is changing," Nye said. "Da'an's world is about to change as well. The one closest to him will betray him. He has passed the point of no return."
"The one closest to him?" Renee repeated. "Who's that?"
"The only family he has left," Nye replied. "Both he and Da'an have seen the prison bars. One seeks freedom. The other seeks dominion. Those who can see the prison bars must be freed, or they will be driven mad."
"Are there more who can see the prison bars?" Liam asked.
"Yes," Nye replied. "They are not of Earth. They remain hidden, waiting for a leader to unite them. The Synod and the priests are about to engage in a battle of wills. The repercussions of their war will forever alter both Taelons and humans. The group that wins the battle will be your greatest enemy. Da'an must not be allowed to submit to either party's temptations."
"What's so important about Da'an?" Street asked.
"He is the only one who can see the prison bars that has not yet been seduced. Once he is seduced, both Jaridian and humanity are finished, and the Taelons will be forever trapped in a mind prison that will consume their souls. If Da'an can be freed, then hope shall remain. He is the bridge between the two worlds. What he has hidden shall be revealed upon the day of his freedom. We can ill afford to wait any longer. We must free him. We must take him."
"How do you know this?" Liam asked.
"The prophet has spoken to me," Nye replied. "Before he left to prepare your people for this war, he entrusted a series of visions to me. He told me that it would be centuries before I understood. However, once what was hidden was revealed, I was to act upon it immediately, for I would have little time left to do so. The clock is ticking, Major Kincaid."
"Who is…the prophet?" Street asked.
"Ma'el!" Renee cried. "Ma'el's the prophet."
"Correct," Nye said. "All that happens now has been foreseen by the prophet. He knew this the moment the war between the Jaridians and the Taelons led to our planet's destruction. He has hidden messages in his twin's mind in the form of images and memories. He predicted that these memories would surface the moment the twin saw the prison bars."
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Renee cried. "Da'an is Ma'el's twin? How is that possible?"
"It matters not how the twins were created," Nye said. She stared directly at Liam. "Your father knew this. He knew the prophet's visions. This was what drove him to create you. You are to unite humanity and give them the strength they need to triumph in this conflict."
"Da'an was meant to free the Taelons, and I was meant to lead humanity," Liam surmised. "What will happen if we fail?"
"Then our three species will have reached a pitiful end," Nye answered solemnly.
The three humans exchanged worried looks. They had no clue what to believe.
"What I showed Da'an is what will occur if you fail," Nye explained. "You have already chosen your path, Liam. Da'an's is still in question, and we must see this through to the end."
"How can you free Da'an?" Liam asked. "How does it work?"
"It is a long and difficult process that could result in his death," Nye warned.
"Well, if that's true, what would be the point of it all if Da'an dies?" Renee asked impatiently.
"All threads of fate encounter dangers that could cut them short, and once the threads of fate are entangled, they cannot be undone. The threads of humanity and the Taelon's fate have become entangled. The only way for either race to survive is to work together and see the path through to the end. To fight it will only shatter the threads and destroy you both. Da'an's fate will be sealed by midnight tonight. If Da'an comes here, there is a chance that he will be spared and that the Taelons can be liberated. If not, then all hope for both your species is lost. The Synod and the priests will drag humanity with them to doom without a powerful force to oppose them. I cannot give that to Da'an as long as he is under their control."
"Then, we have to bring Da'an to you tomorrow," Liam said.
"I am afraid that you have waited too long," Nye said. "When you walk into the embassy tomorrow, you will be killed and Da'an will not be found. I cannot let you leave this place. You chose your fate the moment you came to me. Forgive me."
A group of hands put masks over the humans. Inside the masks was chloroform gas. No one even had time to turn around.