Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 9: A Private Little Excursion
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was in a decompression chamber as I was mainly in there after going underwater to find Ravenna's sons in which they were alive and safe. Still, I wasn't the only one who was in a decompression chamber as I noticed Nibori in there while reading one of those popular Supernatural books. Both of us were there after going underwater as it was better than getting a bad case of the bends. I didn't mind being in a decompression chamber as I wasn't bothered too much the moment I was fully in the clear once I stepped out of there. Even Nibori stepped out of hers as she was dressed in a robe while I also had my own the moment we noticed Kotori coming into the room where the decompression chambers were, for she was ready to give us the go-ahead to resume our work.
"I never expected you to go down there to rescue Ravenna's sons," she said.
"I found the coffin first while I was busy spelunking for old parts," said Nibori.
"I can't believe that Margo would do that to her own grandsons… For a while, she was wanting to get back at her daughter for not following the outdated traditions that her clan abandoned after the suicide of her brother. Recently she's been arrested after Seto got word of her abducting her grandsons and nearly putting them in a watery grave."
"She had it coming, let's put it to that…," I said.
"Ravenna's doing much better after tossing out the toxicity she's been under since her husband's death two years ago. She even introduced Dean to incorporating classic rock all over the citadel."
"That's good to hear. As for her mother, I hope that she gets what's coming to her after what she tried to do to Revata and Rohidra yesterday. For a while, she wanted Ravenna to remain widowed so she couldn't marry again, but taking her grandsons and nearly putting them in a watery grave was the last straw. No, all grandparents should protect their grandchildren, not kill them. Margo is nothing more than heartless bitch who valued outdated traditions over her own kin."
"For the record, Sam, the McLaren Clan is a matriarchal line in which it started with a Terran named Martha McLaren, whose husband was mercilessly killed at the behest of the British Men of Letters in the Elder Days. All she had were her daughters in which she wanted to start a matriarchy while continuing her life as a hunter. After she heard of the British Men of Letters fleeing with their tails in their legs after your past self got rid of one of their units, she took her daughters and fled with a group of Draaza scouts once they left Earth. Why did they leave? It's because the British Men of Letters signed a death warrant towards her and her daughters in which she had no other choice but to go on a Draaza ship and left for a journey to the Ashizoka System. The McLaren Clan thrived in which the daughters married their husbands who were Draaza while dealing with the lingering threat of monsters who ended up on other planets, especially Essos, where they established a homestead while saving people, hunting things, and upholding the family business. There was also the tradition of never marrying again after the death of one's spouse in which most of the clan's members fell prey to the monsters they fought over the centuries. There's not much left in that clan in which if a girl child is born, she must have the McLaren surname to continue the matriarchal line."
"Well, I heard Ravenna abandoning the surname after what her mom did to her," said Nibori. "She even said that she would rather have her future children with Dean having them to be Winchesters than that of the McLaren one. Margo may not be Mother of the Year, but putting honor and outdated traditions over family is toxic."
It wasn't long until I noticed Reiko coming into the room where the decompression chamber was as she was glad that I was safe along with Nibori. With a basket of food in her hands, she was more than ready to give us some lunch after spending the rest of our day in the decompression chambers that consisted of smoked mackerel and salmon with some bagels and cream cheese, for it was worth it while spending time being in there after going underwater.
"It's about time that we got some sustenance," said Nibori as she got out a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. "Yesterday was hell, but at least I found some old tech underwater."
"I'm glad that you recovered," said Reiko.
"There was a Va'Kihri ship that was underwater in which I also noticed that some of their scrap I salvaged also had a lockbox in it."
"I noticed it when I opened it up to find most of the usual smut that's often paraded in the Tsubaki District."
"You looked at what's inside of it, didn't you?" I said.
"There were old magazines that were similar to what I found during my trip through time in the Men of Letters bunker. Brother's past self had an old habit of collecting such smut like that back in the day, but the old magazines are now archived."
"At least it's not in front of the prying eyes of children," said Kotori.
Speaking of children, I noticed the cries of Kazuko and Giles as I rushed out of the room and straight to the nursery where they were crying the moment they were also teething due to the fact that they were eight months old. When I picked up one of them, I pried open her mouth as I noticed a tooth that poked out of it. I also spotted Giles crying as he also had his teeth poking out in which he was feeling uncomfortable while sitting in the playpen. Just as I was about to check up on him, I saw Sona enter into the room as she had a pair of binkies in her hands, for she wanted to comfort the youngest twins and subdue their cries before it got worse.
"There you go," she said as she gave Giles one of the binkies. "Dirk and Gyatso should've came back earlier and us girls get stuck with the babies."
"Do you know where they are?" I asked.
"They said something about going to the room with the red rubber ball all the way to Shiganshina."
"Are you serious?" Sona nods. "I'll find them, okay?" I put Kazuko in the playpen with Giles as I noticed Sona giving putting a binky in her mouth. "They shouldn't be wandering off like that when we have so much around this castle, but there were times that I wandered off to such great adventures like that until I spent most of my years living on Gehenna at the time. Still, I'll have Dirk and Gyatso home soon enough, just try not to worry."
I left the nursery as I was on my way to find Dirk and Gyatso and bring them back. Still, I had a gut feeling that something would be wrong as I had to find them, for they had a lot of explaining to do once they got home…
Dirk and Gyatso were in the room with the red rubber ball as they were waiting to go to Shiganshina as planned. Both boys were curious about what went on in the base in the Dabb Mountains as they noticed the ball glowing to where they needed to get to. By the time they saw it stop glowing, the got out of the room as they were on Shiganshina in which they were at the stairs of the mountain trail where the Dabb Mountains were. When they saw the elevator, it was an improvement as they stepped into it and took it up to the base in which it was under new management. The sight of the Hunter Corps' fourth squad here was something new as they were busy enforcing it in which they spotted the leader of it, who happened to be a Draaza woman with blue eyes and maroon comb while dressed in a uniform with a gold sash on it, for she was there with her unit as well.
"Something tells me that you boys aren't here for the exam, are you?" she said.
"You must be the captain of this unit in the Hunter Corps, aren't you?" said Dirk.
"My name is Elspeth Yaodar, Princess of Germanicus and captain of the Hunter Corps' fourth squad."
"My name is Dirk Matheson and I'm studying to get into the Hunter Corps. As for the other boy, his name is Gyatso and he tagged along with me before I leave to do training as a soldier."
"Wait!" yelled Ben as he rushed out to find out what was going on. "No way! Gyatso?!"
"Ben!" he yelled as he was glad that he was there. "Thank the Matriarch that you tagged along with us!"
"You know this guy?" asked Dirk.
"His name is Ben. He tagged along with us on our ship before I was in stasis. He also had his memories erased once and later brought back. That's why he's a good hunter when he came along with us. He's also in love with Miss Borta in which I hope that they get married and start a family."
"Young master!"
Dirk and Gyatso saw Borta rush outside as she spotted the latter here after all that time being in stasis. What they also didn't expect was that she was carrying another baby while she had Liam with her dressed in his summer clothes. Gyatso never saw anything like it before as he was glad that Ben and Borta were alive and safe while being here at the base on Shiganshina, for it was their home after all.
"Thank the Matriarch that you're safe," she said.
"It's been years since I was here," said Gyatso.
"I thought that you were gone…"
"No, but I was raised by a loving family who saved me when I was in stasis."
"And the place happened to be the meat locker," said Dirk.
"Hey! You better get your asses in the mess hall 'cause there's lunch starting," said Elspeth as she led the way into the base. "We got a long road ahead, but we can't leave this place unguarded after all that has happened four months prior. Let's go!"
It wasn't long until Dirk and Gyatso followed everyone into the base as they saw it to be different. The place was different as it changed from an old slug roe home to what it was known today. Even Gyatso was astonished to see how his former home changed as he noticed some of the members of Elspeth's unit going into the mess hall and getting their fill of lunch that consisted of venison stew and baked Depression-Era bread. When Dirk and Gyatso sat down in the mess hall, they tasted the lunch that was there as it was made with great care. They even noticed Ben and his family sitting with them as they were eating their fill in which they also had their reasons to protect the base, for somehing happened in the past four months.
"I heard about what happened to Magda," said Dirk as he finished up his meal.
"Yeah, but the scumbag and his group who came here will pay for what they've done," said Ben.
"I know what happened to her and some of the unit that Dean had in it," said Elspeth. "The clothes that they wear come from a polymer that was crafted by the Va'Kihri in which it's been impervious to most attacks, but one weak point is that it can't withstand the puncture of diamond. As for the bastard who led the attack on this base, he's still at large and dangerous. What's even beyond disgusting is that Jacob Doran had the gall to cut open a pregnant woman and then dangle her baby over a cliff, only for Desna to save the newborn."
"Poor Magda," said Gyatso sadly.
"It can't be helped, but things went downhill after her death," said Ben. "Dean left after the Medical Corps salted and burned Magda's body and had her remains buried. He fled in the Impala after her funeral in which we got word that he was spending the last four months drinking his sorrows away. If Sam hadn't found him in time just to have him come to his senses, he would've been sinking further away in that rabbit hole of misery."
"I hope that Dean's okay…"
"After what happened to Magda, it wasn't the same," said Borta. "She was everything here in this base in which she also helped her children with what they needed. I know that she's no longer with us, but I hope that Dean doesn't go into further despair."
"He won't! He's already got Ravenna with him in which she's hurting just like him. We can't fall into further despair right now when we need help the most because it's not healthy for us to do so. I also know that Dirk will be joining the Hunter Corps once he's accepted, but I also have to shoulder the burden to help everyone in my family because it doesn't end with blood."
Gyatso was bold in his words as he was starting to grow up a little bit. He was also happy to have Dirk for a big brother as he was more than likely to be put in his own right, for it was also his calling after all. When everyone got finished with their dishes washed and the mess hall cleaned, Dirk and Gyatso went towards the meat locker as they saw it to be loaded with some of the game that was caught for further meals. When they got to the stasis tube, Gyatso looked it carefully as he remembered being in there once his ship was hit by an asteroid while it crashed into the Dabb Mountains. He also remembered the kindness that was shown to him as he never forgot about how our family helped him adjust in which he even remembered Ben and Borta who were on the ship as him. He was raised as a compassionate boy in which he never forgot how we helped him once we took him in, for it was the best thing that ever happened for a Draaza boy who was found in a meat locker.
"I miss being here, but I also have a home with the people who love me," he said.
"I'm lucky to have a little brother," said Dirk. "It was a godsend that Sam and I found you here in which we took care of you before Dean plucked us out of here on Shiganshina."
"There you are!"
Dirk and Gyatso saw me in the meat locker as I escorted them out of there. I may have had the gall to scold them, but I also had a reason to assess the base and pay respects to the dead as well. When we went outside, we saw the cemetery as it was adorned with so many obsidian obelisks that became gravestones in which we spotted one that was adorned with a snowflake that was crafted from diamonds. It was Magda's grave as I prayed in front of it in which I also saw the flowers and stuffed animals that were all over it. I was paying my respects to Magda as I vowed to bring her killer to justice, for it was the most that I could do for now.
"Hey," I said. "I found Dean in which he's now happy with a widow with two sons. It took him a while to adjust to his predicament, but he ended up bending the knee when Cynthia told him off about the children not having a mother. She even threatened to take them away if he didn't up and get with Ravenna right away. I heard about your death from Dean after I found him in a bar drinking his sorrows away. He even had trash in the Impala in which I had to clean it up, but he was adamant into not marrying again until Cynthia gave him an ultimatum in the end. Still…, I hope to the gods and the Matriarch that there will be justice for you, for his group is dangerous to everyone here in the Ashizoka System. I'll come visit again soon, Magda, for I will also make sure that Dean doesn't fall off the rails again."
I noticed Dirk and Gyatso praying in front of Magda's grave as they also paid their respects to her before we left the cemetery. When we went back into the base, we were ready to look around everywhere as it changed so much the last time we were here. When we went towards the smelter room, we noticed a beef brisket cooking in the oven as the smell of it was enticing anyone to hunger, but now wasn't the time. We had fond memories here as we would soon return back to our castle in Skald Island on Valinor just in time for dinner. Just as we were about to do so, we heard footsteps approaching as we ran out of the smelter room and into the further caverns where some of the ship's wreckage was there and embedded near the volcano. What we didn't expect was that a salvager was traversing the caves in which the intruder turned out to be a Va'Kihri man dressed in the same clothing that Magda's killer and his group wore, for he was dismayed by the fact that they went here to cause mayhem in the base. The Va'Kihri man in question was mainly an avid explorer as he had dark grey skin with a red comb and green eyes while he was carrying a harmonica in his hands while playing a tune, for he also had to play for the fallen here.
"Nice tune," said Dirk as he saw the Va'Kihri man stop playing his harmonica.
"You startled me!" he yelled.
"We didn't mean to, but you're far away from your home," I said.
"My name is Qu'Vaar Natraathi and my old man's clothing design has been besmirched by those asshats who wear it all the live long. Luckily, diamond is the only material sharp enough to tear it in which the polymer has diamond needles to stitch it to what it is today."
"You don't look like a Draaza," said Gyatso.
"No, but I'm a Va'Kihri who has to pay for the mistakes that were made."
"What kind of mistakes?" I asked.
"My old man made that design of clothing that the intruders wore in which it is made indestructible and impervious to most attacks, but weak against diamond. I was in stasis with my people in the Va'Kihri ship that was found in the Shigan town of Mithrandir, only to see my old man's creations stolen and abused." Qu'Vaar broke down in tears as he couldn't take the fact that the Zenith Vectors stole the clothing that his father made. "This ain't fair when our outfits become suits for terrorists in which I also heard the screams of a woman being killed. I also noticed the guy who wears my old man's designs having his face cut when he fled this planet. If anyone else sees him and his group, I hope to the Fa'Uluur that those asshats get their comeuppance for what they've done."
"And they will have it in this life or the next…"
It wasn't long until I noticed an unexplored room near a cave wall as I walked towards it with everyone in tow. When I went to the doors, I used my raw power to open them up in which the room was empty, but littered with junk the moment I spotted two stasis tubes that were empty. What were they for, exactly? Who was here before us? When I noticed a compartment, it was mainly a security device that scanned the retina of anyone here the moment I saw it scan one of my own eyes, for it knew of me for some odd reason.
"Retinol print scanned," said a computer voice. "Access approved. Welcome Sam Winchester, you have access to our archives on this ship."
I went into the compartment as I saw a shelf filled with so many files on the explorations that the Draaza crew had in their travels. When I saw a codex on a table, I picked it up as examined it carefully in which whoever had access to my past self's seed must've wanted them to be saviors in their own right, but to no avail. Even Qu'Vaar was stunned to see such data on the Winchesters of Old in fine condition as it hasn't been touched for centuries until now, for it was a huge find indeed.
"This is a very old codex," he said. "Talk about a Rosetta Stone for the Winchesters…"
"I may not know about how my past self got into such a mess like this, but I never saw anything like this before," I said as I stared at the codex. "This is very new to me, but I have a gut feeling that a few of my past self's descendants never knew of this until now."
"It's old, but I bet that Fa'Uluur in all her glory must've wanted you to find it before anyone else could take it."
Without warning, I heard footsteps approaching as I also heard a gun being pointed towards me. Turning around, I saw someone dressed in Draaza clothing and hooded cloak as I spotted him to be like me, but he had white hair that was shoulder-length and put up. He wasn't ready to let us pass as he wanted something from us very badly, for he was desperate for something in mind.
"Where the hell is he?!" he cried.
"Who are you talking about?" I asked.
"My brother… I can't find him, but I also can't find any of my crew here!"
"I'm sure that your brother is safe, but you should also take it up with whoever's running this base," said Qu'Vaar. "I'm just a mountaineer who wants to put the kibosh on the scum who took my old man's clothing designs just to abuse what he had."
"Are you talking about them, the Zenith Vectors?" Qu'Vaar nods. "No… Their attack on the base was just a cover to steal my brother while Jacob Doran had a vendetta with one of the people here who live on this base! All I want is to get him back and rip a hole in Doran for causing this mess!"
"Who are you?"
"My name is Aleph." The man stares at me as he knelt in front of me. "I know who you are, My Lord, in which I look like you, but I don't have a jeweled sigil on my forehead. I'm considered to be a clone of your past self just in case that his seed didn't work throughout the remaining journey. I also know that some of the successful ones made it to Alecrast before making their way to Erebor until the asteroid crashed into the ship and landed here on Shiganshina."
"Freeze!"
It wasn't long until Elspeth and her unit caught onto us as they spotted Aleph with his hands up. It wasn't long until Dirk and Gyatso noticed what was happening as they rushed to my aid in which they also spotted my past self's clone the moment he put down his gun. We never expected something like this before as we were about to have a long day ahead of us, for this was the very start of our worries…
Shion was in her office in the Order's main headquarters on Westeros as she got word about what was discovered on Shiganshina since Magda's death four months ago. After seeing reports about the Zenith Vectors causing terrorist attacks, she had to advise everyone here in her part of the Ashizoka System to be careful and use extreme caution as they were a very dangerous threat. When she saw Quintus enter into her office, he was alarmed at what he saw in previous reports as he had to remain calm in this situation, for this was something that was far worse than what was seen in the war six months prior.
"Any other reports?" asked Shion.
"On Shiganshina, Princess Elspeth and her unit found something interesting in their base in the Dabb Mountains," said Quintus.
"Is it more about the bastard who killed Magda Winchester four months ago?"
"No, but the god of the Ashizoka System found a clone of his former self that was hidden in the caves where the Draaza ship's wreckage was embedded in. The clone goes by the name of Aleph and he has a bone to pick with Jacob Doran and his group."
"Everyone and their mother has a hate boner for the Zenith Vectors. As for the clone, however, he needs to be detained in which he is proved to be a serious risk."
"He's a humanoid being, My Lady, not a shelter animal that's about to be put down."
"Cloning is illegal all over the Ashizoka System or have you forgotten about the soulless dolls that Darbus Toller churned out just to be war fodder?"
"No, but in the Elder Days, scientists succeeded into cloning a sheep that surpassed expectations."
"We're humanoids, Quintus, not sheep! As for the clone in question, he will be detained, but if he poses a threat, he will be put down, is that understood?"
"As you wish, My Lady…"
Shion watched Quintus leave her office as she was feeling uncomfortable about having a clone of my past self coming here to Westeros. She had her fair share of fighting the soulless dolls that were crafted from Darbus Toller and the Executive Division as she also had to deal with the presence of Aleph in which she saw him as a threat to everyone, for she wasn't into dealing with clones at all. To her shock, she saw a message on the desk as she picked it up in which she had a gut feeling that the clone was in danger, for he was an easy target when it came to the Zenith Vectors and their tactics...
Aleph was in a holding cell as he was throwing a tennis ball against the wall. Even though he wanted to get out of there, he was surrounded by Elspeth's unit as there was no way of escaping the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina. He remembered being in that test tube as he saw the Zenith Vectors breaking into the lab in which he saw them steal the other person in stasis before leaving. He also remembered Jacob Doran clearly the moment he felt him killing Magda in cold blood just to spite Dean and his unit the moment his group raided the base. All he wanted was to gut the scumbag for what the attack as Dean wasn't the only one who wanted Doran's head on a stick, for he had a hate boner for all of the Zenith Vectors who caused the raid on the base.
"Jacob Doran," he said to himself. "One day, you'll get what's coming to you and sooner or later, I will bury you for even taking a life of a pregnant woman while your cronies stole my brother!"
It wasn't long until Elspeth entered the room where the holding cells were. She still saw Aleph in one of them as he was still throwing a tennis ball against the wall. She also sensed that he was not threat to anyone in which she noticed him getting angrier at the group who raided the base, for he wanted revenge against them for what they had done.
"You look like Sam, but you don't have the jeweled sigil on your forehead," she said.
"You mean the guy who's got a bullseye on his back?" said Aleph.
"Watch your tongue! You know why you're in this jail cell in which Shion got word about your presence and she hates clones."
"If you assume that I'm one of those idiots in gold armor without a soul, you're wrong! I have a soul and so does my brother! If you would let me out, then I'll go and find the prick and his posse just to rain on their parade for what they did to this place. Their leader most of all will have his throat slit for what he did to that woman and left her husband a widower."
It wasn't long until I entered into the holding area as I spotted Aleph still standing there the moment he stopped bouncing his tennis ball. He wanted answers from me just as I wanted to do the same as I was aware that he was shaking with both fear and anger from being in one cramped space and into another. I sensed rage within him as he wanted revenge against the Zenith Vectors for stealing what was rightfully his, for they were far more dangerous than our old foes, the Executive Division.
"Oh, it's you," he said to me.
"I mean you no harm, but I won't enter this cell if you don't behave," I said.
"You and I carry the same blood in our veins, My Lord, but that doesn't mean that we're working together to put down the Zenith Vectors."
"Shut your mouth!" yelled Elspeth as she was armed with her sword. "You got some nerve not yielding to the god of the Ashizoka System, so I suggest that you keep that tongue between your teeth!"
"He gets the point, but he's scared to death," he said.
"He's a fucking clone, Sam, and all clones have no souls."
"This clone has a soul and feelings, but he's wanting to get rid of the Zenith Vectors for a while now in which he bears a grudge against them for the raid on the base."
"I have a soul, but my feelings are my own!" yelled Aleph defensively. "As soon as I get out of here, I can start by taking out the Zenith Vectors without asking for help from such puny-minded individuals!"
It wasn't long until Elspeth turned off the shield of the holding cell as she rushed towards Aleph and punched him in the jaw. The blow of it caused him to reel with pain as he noticed her taking the tennis ball that he had the moment she used her sword and sliced in half. Anger flooded him as he was on the verge of strangling her until I stopped him the moment I used my hair to tangle him to the point of incapacitating him. I wasn't having it as I had to break up the fight before it got worse, for I was about to lose my temper against the clone who was in the holding cell.
"Let me go!" yelled Aleph as he was struggling to get free.
"You think that you can call us puny-minded all because we suffered the worst from the Zenith Vectors, but you're wrong!" I cried as I used my hair to tangle around the clone's neck. "We're not as puny-minded as you think you are and you have the gall to attack a member of the Hunter Corps for no reason!"
"The bitch destroyed my tennis ball!" he yelled.
"I'm gonna destroy more than just a tennis ball," said Elspeth as she kicked him in the ribs. "You're at my mercy, bitch! Get used to it before I kill you here!"
"If you want to kill me, go ahead! If I die, then the Zenith Vectors win and I'll never get my brother back. As for you, all you do is get in the way! As for me, I work alone because asking for help can make a man weak!"
"You better watch your mouth or else I'll end you here and now!" I yelled. "You may think that you're strong to take on the Zenith Vectors alone, but all you are is a weakling who ends up getting backed in a corner! I may have been patient towards you, but even that has limits in which I can also be willing to put your sorry ass in an early grave! For the record, I won't allow you to attack anyone else because if you do that, then I'll make damn sure that you take your final breath!"
"Let him go, Sam," said Castiel as he appeared out of nowhere. "Aleph is no threat to us, so I suggest that you release him."
I let go of Aleph as he was struggling for air. I wasn't having it as I noticed the clone cowering in fear while reeling from the blow that Elspeth gave him. The sight of him on his knees made me want to strike him where it hurts until Castiel stopped me the moment he was ready to heal the captive clone, for he was at our mercy after all. Aleph was hurting all over as he was clutching at where Elspeth kicked him earlier in which he began to cough up blood. He also knew that he was in the wrong as he was feeling unworthy of himself the moment he was steeped into failing to stop the Zenith Vectors from stealing his brother, for he was out of options indeed.
"I'm sorry, Epsilon…," he said as he collapsed onto the floor. "I'm so sorry that I failed to stop your captors…" He sees Castiel wanting to heal him as he stopped him. "Don't bother healing me! I can do without it!"
I held Aleph down again with my hair as Castiel did his best to heal him in which the blows he sustained were gone for now. When he looked at me, he didn't lash out at me as he was still tangled up in my long silver hair in which he had no other choice but to cower in fear towards me. When I released him once again, he was up on his feet as he was still fearing the worst that could happen to his brother, for he wanted to find him and stop the Zenith Vectors before it was too late.
"I'm sorry that I got out of line," I said.
"Why are you sparing me?" asked Aleph.
"It's because this Epsilon must be precious to you," said Elspeth as she stood firm. "If it were one of my own members in my unit, I would be worried, too. I already lost the former captain in the ambush at that clinic on Lannister."
"For the record, Epsilon is my twin brother and the Zenith Vectors took him away from me just to use him to their advantage in their agenda to put humanity on top of the other humanoid races who live all over this galaxy."
"You can't shoulder this burden alone," said Castiel. "We're here with you till the end."
"Not all of us are considered to be 'puny-minded' as we seem, but you can't go in alone," I said as I stood in front of Aleph. "We'll find your brother, but I can't promise anything yet in—"
"You can't go in there!"
I heard Ben's voice in the distance as I noticed Quintus bursting into the chamber where the holding cells were kept. When he was ready to collect Aleph, he was adamant into doing so as he also remembered Shion's words about clones becoming a threat. When he saw him, we got out of the way as we spotted him grabbing Aleph's arm while slapping a pair of shackles on his wrists, for he was not messing around when it came to dealing with clones.
"What's the meaning of this, Quintus?" asked Elspeth.
"Shion demands that we take the clone into custody," he said.
"He's no threat, I assure you," I said.
"All clones pose a threat, you know that!"
"Lady Shion is making a mistake," said Castiel.
"Lady Shion knows what she's doing in which she views clones as a threat, Castiel, not a boon to humanoidkind. Like the forbears in gold armor, your friend is no exception in which cloning is illegal all over the Ashizoka System."
"I'm not a threat to you!" cried Aleph as he was scared to death. "All I want is to stop the Zenith Vectors before they try to destroy most of the humanoids all over the galaxy. They're a much bigger threat than any monster you find and take down or vengeful spirit that you salt and burn. They must be stopped before it's too late."
It wasn't long until several members of the Hunter Corps burst into the room as they escorted Aleph out of there in which we saw him being led by Quintus the moment he brought him towards an Order of Letters ship. What they didn't expect was that Shion was there as she saw Aleph directly in which she noticed him being scared for his life. Even though cloning was illegal, our model clone was about to be executed until it was stopped at the last minute.
"We're ready to escort the clone to be executed, My Lady," said Quintus.
"Sorry, but I'm rescinding that demand," said Shion.
"On what grounds?"
"I know that cloning is illegal, but Aleph is targeted by the Zenith Vectors after I got word that they want him dead after they retrieved his brother, Epsilon. They view him as a threat to their plans, but he wants to put the kibosh on them for various acts of terrorism."
"Shion!" I yelled as I rushed to where everyone was. "Aleph isn't the problem or a threat because of the fact that he wants to put the kibosh on Jacob Doran for the raid on the base."
"I thought that your furlough isn't over."
"It's not, but Aleph is in dire need of protection right now. Please, see that he's safe, okay?"
"We'll see that he's safe."
It wasn't long until Aleph followed Shion, Quintus and their unit on board the Order of Letters ship the moment it took off. Inside, he was ready to be put in a holding cell until he saw a Jefferson Starship in the hall feasting on one of the crewmembers. Aleph was screwed as he had a gut feeling that he would die before seeing the Zenith Vectors fall until a surge of raw power blew it up in which I appeared the moment I spotted the engine of the ship being sabotaged. The engine was overloaded and broken as I had to bring the ship to an emergency landing in which it touched down on a clearing. With everyone safe, we got out of the ship as we were in at the bottom of the Dabb Mountains in which we had a gut feeling that our intruders would resort to bringing in monsters to sabotage our efforts. It was the worst for all of us as we had to be careful about what was going on in which no one was safe from any monster or terrorist imaginable, for it was hell all over…
Later on in the evening, we returned to the base in the Dabb Mountains as we were more than likely to be taking our leave, but not without assessing everything first. We never saw it coming as we also noticed that Jefferson Starships knew how to cloak their presence before changing into their fallen victim's form even after feasting on it. I knew of them to be dangerous as they also had to be stopped in which my raw power was used to do one thing and that is by blowing the monsters up before they caused more problems at hand. By the time I was ready to collect Dirk and Gyatso, they were ready to go back home with me as they had to have their dinner soon enough, for it was a long day for all of us in general.
"What happened?" asked Gyatso.
"There was a monster in the ship," I said as I was starting to feel dizzy.
"You saved us again, Sam," said Shion as she escorted me to one of the sitting rooms.
"Wait!" yelled Aleph as he ran to where we were. "I wanna thank you for stopping… whatever was on that ship earlier."
"It was a Jefferson Starship," I said. "Luckily, I stopped it before it killed any more people."
"Alert the Medical Corps," said Shion. "Sam needs to return home to Skald Island on Valinor at once."
"I can get back to it by using the room with the red rubber ball in it. Therefore, I have to return a pair of troublemakers home just in time for dinner."
Dirk and Gyatso were watching in the distance as they never expected me to stop something like that. Still, they never expected me to be dealing with a monster like that as I was most likely to be put back to bedrest once I returned back to the castle in Skald Island on Valinor. Even Qu'Vaar was impressed to see me stop something like that as he was holding the codex that I found in his hands. Like any other fan of the popular Supernatural books, he was eager to hear about me taking out one of those Jefferson Starships that stowed away in the Order of Letters ship that Shion and Quintus were on, for he had fresh hope in me while I was still recovering from the overexertion of my raw power after shutting down Project Amaterasu three years ago.
"Sam must've went up against a monster," said Gyatso.
"Well, he did go and find a codex, didn't he?" said Qu'Vaar as he was holding it in his hands.
"Well, he needs to get back home with the two of us 'cause Reiko would worry about us."
"There you two are!"
Dirk and Gyatso saw Reiko appearing behind them as she wasn't about to let them off the hook after wandering off earlier. Still, she was ready to bring them home as there was dinner waiting for them, for it was that time already.
"It's time for dinner," she said.
"We know," said Dirk.
"At least Sam busted up a monster that was in the ship that Shion and Quintus rode in," said Gyatso.
Reiko saw me being carted out of the room as I was exhausted from protecting everyone. Still, we had to go home as we left the rest to Elspeth's unit and the others as we had enough fun for one day, for this was too much for now…
To be continued...