

Chapter 1. Dark beginnings

England 2700 BC

The placing of the sacred rocks was complete. The large one piece block stones would bring about controversy for centuries to come since their very size and weight made it hard to describe how they placed them without the help of modern tools. The stone circle was finished and their leader was pleased. Although it was a bone chilling wind that whipped about them with light rain their leader gave them warmth on this night. He was pleased with their construction because it would bring him closer to success. The powers he had given them had empowered them and brought them to a state of true freedom. Then he asked them to stand in the circle and commune. He told them to set each other free as he brought their destiny to them. The ground rumbled and the clouds choked the light from the sky and filled it with bolts of lightning. The followers did as they were told because their loyalty melted the fear away. Then the light grabbed all of them and as they sacrificed themselves for their leader their energy combined into one bright light green and blue with vibrant streaks. The lights cascaded around the sky then different colors shot all over the globe and the galaxy leaving stonehenge quiet and blanketed in mystery.

The age of Pharaohs Cairo 2500 BC

Two flashes of a brilliant and colorful light lit up the night sky. Ahmet and Kahmen were astounded by and continued to track the lights as streaked across the sky. As high priests for Pharaoh they were sure of the meaning of this sign of confirmation from the Gods. They looked to their scribes and dictated pages worth of orders and explanations. Preparations were made and the prophecy was written and given to the pharaoh in order to pass it on to heirs.One day plagues hit egypt consecutively and the pharaoh consulted the prophecy and its meaning. The next day Pharaoh agreed to the demands of the man who led the slaves after violently disregarding the demands. The jews were freed from their slavers. Yet the pharaoh could not follow the prophecy and disagreed with the priests at the end. So he chased the slaves until him and his men were killed by huge crashing waves of the dead sea that seemed to be lifted and separated Prometheus looked up and smiled as his plan was slowly coming together.

Mid-18th century American colonies

Benny was a little tipsy this Christmas night. He enjoyed several flasks of drink and ate a feast with his friends but instead of enjoying a night in the warm with his companions he was playing with his kite at night. All of sudden lightning struck his kite and the ground around him which left the ground was enshrouded in layers of steam. He cleared some away then saw a sliver of metal or light. He couldn't manage to think as he passed out slowly onto the ground. Couple days after that, Benjamin Franklin and his mysterious friend were on a boat headed to France to ask for help from the French. The French were in negotiations for a while but eventually their help led to the success of the American Revolution at a critical turning point in the war. Right up to the day he died Benjamin Franklin could not explain where he got the idea to go to the French. He also couldn't explain the advanced memory recall he had either.

Chap. 2 Two wrongs make a Right

On the moon of Earth a dark room was set ablaze by the red laser that shot into the terminal setting off a chain reaction in the mechanics of the central control terminal. Then the controllers chair was engulfed in a series of wires and robotic arms. Finally the visiplate came online and a ball of light appeared in the center of the room illuminating the five beings attending the machine and its consoles. The Constructionists was the name their alien race had given itself since they felt as if they were the builders of advanced civilization. Even though it comprised of multiple species from different planets the race of constructionists considered themselves to be apart of the same group. They had peacefully helped many different species join their ranks and end pointless wars and saved countless lives from starvation or resource depletion.

Each of their unique faces were lined with concern and determination. The ball of light on the display was Earth. The scan they had placed had took them Earth years to finish. Usually the scan took longer but they had done this twice before finding the right person for the mission was a long and arduous task. The controller asked "Find final engineer!" The illuminated globe span for a second then stopped. A bright red dot glowed on the surface. "Search complete" uttered a female computer voice. The dot was focused on and then it zoomed in on it. A picture of a boy came on and filled the room. He was playing with a toy as another boy came. They sat down together and the smaller one offered the toy to the other kid. The bigger kid grabbed the toy violently ripping it from his hands and pushed the smaller kid on the floor and left. The picture blurred and sped up as the smaller boy was older now and he was riding his bike in his neighborhood in the afternoon. The boy stopped when he saw that a girl was crying next to a willow tree. He stopped and tried to find out what was wrong then she asked if she could ride his bike and he shared it with her. He smiled as she saw her smiling and as he waited for her to come back his smile faded. She did not come back he waited there all day all night until the police shown their bright light on his sleeping body on the soft grass. His parents had been looking for him for hours worried sick. As he awoke in the big arms of the policeman he said, "Somebody borrowed my bike and I was waiting for her to come back." The police looked at each other and frowned as they took him home.

As the visual ended the controller stepped up rapidly from his chair. He looked at his counterparts with a self-satisfied look of triumph. Then he turned to look above, the stars were shining in the billions. The coldness vast expanse of space seemed to beckon him. He missed the younger days when he could fly about and not have a care in the world but fate did not allow for such luxuries. Your destiny doesn't follow you it becomes you and you become it. With a curt nod to the others he hit a series of buttons rapidly on the chair and slowly, proudly walked towards the hangar. "Inform the agency of my arrival. It is time to put an end to this."

Chapter 3 Gone with the wind

Present day-Spain, Ibiza

Nick was jet skiing across the waves at a good 23 knots with the water and wind whipping in his face. He looked like he was getting a back rub with the way he was smiling from ear to ear. Nothing could be better than seeing all his close buddies ride jet skis in the sun with him, especially since he kept small circle of friends and usually isolated himself with his work. That week had been a hard one since he lost his girl to her boss of all people. Backstabbing bitch he thought to himself but he never trusted her anyways and in retrospection they really didn't make a good match so he brushed any anger off his chest. Despite the petty thought he had a huge grin on his face as he looked back because he met this beautiful girl at the hotel with the motivation of his friends. She had long black flowing hair that embraced her face highlighting her beautiful eyes and smile. Nick couldn't understand how he got her to come along but he went for it. It was like the girl from his dreams he laughed. Earlier Nick saw her by the pool of the hotel and she caught him looking at her as he shied away from her gazed embarrassed at his obvious attraction to her. She was just so beautiful he just kept smiling at her. Later she was gone from his gaze and he couldn't find her until a tap on his shoulder revealed she had snuck behind them. He offered to buy her lunch by the pool and they hit it off from there. He could tell that she was not a regular girl, she was special. They talked incessantly and he could tell she was a smart independent individual. The tension between them was mounting and he realized she was somebody he wanted in his life yet he pushed the thought out of his mind and just went to have fun.

The sun captured the horizon with a sparkling ocean as the background. It beckoned Nick and his friends to jump in and have fun. They grabbed their things and plotted a romantic route for the group to ride revealing the beautiful coast. So everybody rallied and decided to bring their gorgeous companions along for a fun filled day. His friends ran to the jet ski shack to rent out a couple of the jet skiis Nick was happy that he changed his isolationist method of dealing with stress. Usually he was a private person and only made small attempts at the bare minimum of being socially active in order not to be a total recluse. Elizabeth and her laugh reminded him the joy of making others happy.

The jet skis handled very well and provided another way to look at the coast and enjoy Ibiza. The sun was falling over the mountains now dimming the light. Yet the beaches still looked amazing. They were finished with their ride. Life was nice but all of sudden the sky started turning gray. Clouds that seemed far away at first had crawled in and started blocking the fading sun. The sky boomed with thunder and lightning. The crack of thunder loomed in the bellies of Nick and his friends as they were just finishing their jet ski ride. The four couples scurried in disarray at first. They couldn't remember which way they had come from because it had turned very dark. Nick shouted for everyone to follow him back since he could just make out the buildings from where they departed.. Nick headed away towards the dock. His date Elizabeth Monterro was waving them in with a flare she had found in a side compartment. Unfortunately, the lightning storm approaching was already bombarding the area Nick was speeding into. He slowed the engine then tried to turn as a lightning bolt struck his jet ski. Miraculously, Nick saw the light and grabbed his date covering her with his body as they jumped from the jet ski as the lightning bolt hit him. A wave of color flooded his vision then it faded to black as he became unconscious. Elizabeth grabbed him held tight then one of his friends grabbed her arm and towed them to safety before the jet ski exploded.

Nick woke up a couple days later in the hospital to a bright beautiful day in Miami-beach. Confusion and disorientation assaulted his brain as he tried to piece together what was going on. The bright day was only shaded with tall palms towering above Nick. He managed to maintain a strong pace as he limped along the road towards the parking lot. After he got in his mustang he started to relax as his music came on and the amazing a/c soothed the heat of summer away. The disorientation melted away as he started driving back home against his doctor's wishes. Still Nick passed all the cognitive and response tests so they let him go. Nick thought back to the doctor who spoke with him before he left, "A coma is a very serious brain trauma. I know you are young but still I would like you to come back for a check-up I was reading weird wavelengths on your brain scan." Nick looked down and nodded, "Alright doc. I appreciate it but where is my family and friends?" Nick asked with a pained look as he listened for a good answer. "Well you had quite a lot of visitors and the family we contacted said that you should stay in the hospital longer. Alas, they figured you wouldn't stay so they stayed home to avoid an argument. So they want you to come to their house but relax and take it easy do not fluster yourself." "Cool thanks I guess." What he didn't know was that the doctor made a phone call once he turned the corner and whispered what had happened to Nick to someone very interested on his situation. Nick tossed the conversation out of his memory and enjoyed the beautiful Miami skyline.

Nick was a good kid his whole life. He was an only child whose needs were all met. His parents worked diligently and were religious in their own way. The time he had to himself he met with other kids and played in the neighborhood but he still felt lonely in a crowd of people. So eventually he turned to himself for entertainment. Then he started rebelling in high school and college. After he got in some trouble he realized he had to stop playing around. In college the selfish rebel character died because he had understood success took an attitude change. He learned early on to rely on anybody else was weakness. To trust anybody would open you to be hurt. So Nick stayed sucker free and maintained a normal social life on the outside made friends had girlfriends, but at night he became something else. His way of letting loose was through nonviolent crime probably because he knew he could get away with it. Since he was studying criminal psychology and tactics for finding and arresting them he knew all the tricks and pitfalls. Eventually he started working for an internet security firm in a managerial role making an adequate salary. On the other side he had created another circle of friends all who were heavily involved in crime and loved fast money. In fact he created a whole different personality, which miraculously had not consumed him.

Eventually, he started a marijuana grow house on the side. Once he was able he paid people to maintain his illegal enterprises in such a way that by the time he graduated he was a successful black market man as they called him. He did not understand his antisocial behavior but it brought him to life during the monotony of the regular rate race. Yet he still considered himself a good guy he didn't like what he did and he tried not to hurt anybody but the pull of the excitement and fast money was too tempting. He did it because he could, for the thrill of it which even he knew was classic case of narcissism. He was getting close now he could tell from the nice houses and luxurious well manicured lawns that his old home was just around the block.

A beautiful home appeared in view shining with its new paint and freshly cut lawn. When nick pulled up to his house he quickly turned off the car and grabbed his things in one quick motion. He knocked on the door squinting his eyes as the reflection from the setting sun. His parents were up waiting and they greeted him with a cajoling series of hugs each tighter then the next. "Relax alright you might just hug me back into oblivion. Just kidding I missed you guys too. I had the craziest dreams while I was unconscious but I felt your presence. But where is patsy?" His father smiled and pointed, "He's in the back. Beware he is probably going to go nuts when he sees you so prepare to be trampled since it looks like you lost some weight."

Their backyard was a shaded paradise. With gazebos flanking both sides of a bean shaped pool with jacuzzi. The trees covered the area with a fair amount of shade and there was still room for enough grass and space for a trampoline and room for soccer game. His dad had worked hard as a lawyer losing a lot of time with his family so he could have a nice house which was fine for him.

A tall fat golden retriever ran and jumped on Nick at the sight of him grinning and wagging his tail, Patsy was Nick's dog. He named him Patsy since he blamed him for everything when they were together. When he was a puppy, disaster followed the duo wherever they went. They have been each other's best friend ever since. Nick saw Patsy run under the willow on the high point of the backyard then Patsy ran enthusiastically back towards Nick beckoning him to play with a ball he picked up in his mouth. Nick smiled and laughed while he threw the ball with his dog, no he was his friend. After awhile he felt tired and left to rest in his favorite spot in the backyard his hammock. Nick felt at home in his hammock which cradled him and teased his mind away from the events of the past two weeks. Slowly he rocked to sleep as the sun fell.

The next morning he awoke to nature's alarm which was the sound of birds. The blue jays dotted the trees and provided a wake up call. The morning was beautiful as the sun peeked over the horizon steadily lighting up the trees. A breeze blew the smell of jasmine over him as he smirked he got up slowly. When he started walking towards the house he lost his breath. For a second it seemed as if he was stunned and not in control of his body. He crumpled to the ground. He closed his eyes and images streamed across his vision. The images burned yet he could not open his eyes. His back was arched in tension and arms were tightly closed wrapping himself. An image of a boat no a cruise ship in a tropical beach on fire with a cloud of smoke with the name Intuition melting off the side. Then a cloud of green gas burst from the bowels of the ship with a large explosion. Then fire streaked through his body. The pain ceased for a moment as he saw through first person himself standing on a sandy hill then a bearded man came to him with an extremely long sniper rifle and said, "Don't Polo Nick, these things always work themself out the easy part is done now comes the hard part as you americans say it will be just like a park in the walk." It came out in broken English yet understandable.

This whole horrifying experience lasted only thirty seconds. He got up despite the aches and pains. Shock could barely describe what he was feeling because it was a fear that racked his body then just as violently as it hit him it left. A feeling of peaceful warmth spread through every limb to every finger and toe. Then he woke up in a cold sweat and awoke to reality he hoped. The dreams were so real that he had trouble distinguishing. He looked down and saw a piece of his shirt was torn. He took in a deep breath then he just sat on the edge of the bed and went inside himself with a blank look on his face and began to eat breakfast. It was still quiet in the house and nobody had woken up this Saturday morning from last night's celebrations. He ate the bland cereal and cleaned the bowl. Nick was a robot feeling like cold hard metal. He couldn't feel or process anything it seemed like curiosity flooded his brain yet he could still see clearly and his observation skills were growing yet it was like so much information was thrown at him at one time his brain wanted to handle all of it at the same time leaving him with a headache. The only thing Nick could do was head straight to the office and search through the internet for the ship Intuition.

Chap 4 The Search

His parents came in as they were making their own breakfast and asked what he was doing up so early with a look of concerned confusion. He explained he was having bad dreams that kept him up and he just wanted to do some research. "Nick if there is anything you want to talk about please lean on me, use me I'm right here." "Don't worry dad I will. Oh by the way Im going back to my apartment today okay so I won't overstay my welcome haha." His father smiled and laughed without detecting the hint of sarcasm as he left the room and nodded. Nick loved his parents but he understood that they would never understand him or his mind so he kept them at a healthy distance. They would not talk for days or weeks even. He experienced so much conflict with them and within himself as well. He just chose to separate himself from them.

Soon he found something that looked just like the ship from his dreams. After miserable unproductive hours of searching the wrong forums and historical databases he found it. But it wasn't an old ship or a private one it was a cruise liner that was being developed with the latest technology. It employed advanced Magneto-hydrodynamic engines which used the seawater as the fuel by breaking down the chemical components it needs for energy. It also revolutionized cruise industry by utilizing part of the ship for oceanographic research in a variety of functions. It was a scientific/vacation cruise. The maiden voyage was only a couple days away. The ship looked almost exactly like the one from his dream. This fact startled him at first and then it set ablaze to his curiosity. How did he know this ship and why the heck was he having these dreams torment his conscious after the crazy incident in spain? Images and visions assaulted his conscious what was going on with his brain.

Questions filled his mind like ants in an anthill. They swarmed over him making him forget about lunch. He took a break and went for a jog. "Come on Pasty lets get the hell out here my damn head is driving me crazy again." He said this as he grabbed Patsy's leash even though he didn't use it because Patsy was well behaved it was just in case, but he hated making him wear it. The sun was nice out and the breeze made it easy to keep running. Nick tried to focus on his pace or the beautiful girls smiling at him but he couldn't keep his mind from thinking. The thoughts and flashes of memories he didn't know kept flooding his mind. Then he didn't know whether this was all connected." He finished a crisp three miles in thirty minutes. He was still in shape as he smiled to himself with self -satisfaction.

The shower soothed him with cold water. His mind was at ease for the first time since his resurrection as his family called it jokingly. The sun shone through the window with a bright gold hugh that lit up little dust and steam in the air. He studied the dust for a moment getting lost in his stare he felt himself slipping, almost melting away into his conscious. Then he opened his eyes to a bright ocean and bright white sand yet there were burning papers floating about him. It was as if it were snowing burning papers all about him. He could barely make out the picture of a person walking through a heat wave. He could almost make out the person he knew it was a girl at the very least. Then the girl was next to him with a gun pointed at his head click..boom.

"Nick are you in there. Nick hellloooooo!" Nick rose quickly with a momentarily blinding pain that assaulted his head. He noticed he was sitting in the bathtub not standing. Nick grabbed his head and shut his eyes closed, "What the hell is happening to me ahhh just keep it together." Then he told his dad, "Just tell the man to go away I'm busy." "Huh how'd u know someone was here for you son? You couldn't have seen from the window anyways just get dressed quickly its no big deal. Yet, it was a big deal, Nick was still reeling from the dream and then his sudden wave of mind reading or future telling or guessing only put a bigger question mark on his forehead.

He threw on some clothes and slowly walked down the stairs into the dimly lit living room. The man was sitting sipping tea his mom no doubt had forced upon with overwhelming politeness. His mom always said you could judge a person on how they drink tea or even if they drank tea and she stood by her pseudo-psychological evaluation. Funny thing is she is always right. He stood up and offered his hand, "Hello, my name is Mr. Swordson I work for an agency that works for different governments, we track and analyze different events that involve international incidents to help diplomatic channels as well as to help individual people. I'm only here to ask you a few question about what happened to you in Spain and to make sure you were well treated etc." Nick sat with a puzzled look on his face allowing his guest to know his confusion. Then he leaned forward and the puzzled look subsided into cooperation. "Sure Ill dance. Alright, so I was well taken care of I imagine since I am alive. Surprisingly there was no trouble with the medical emergency. They handled me well and there was no problem with the local authorities. The jet ski rental place even gave me a coupon so any time I decide to go back there I got a free ride. Now we did away with the bullshit. What do you really want? Why are you really here?" Nick decided a confrontational strategy would garner the best results but no truth or change came from the man in fact his body language and disposition didn't even change an inch.

"Sir I am only here to record, observe and make better. Have you been experiencing any side effects from the trauma, such as memory loss, motor function loss, headaches etc.?" Nick was beside himself with anger but he played along due to his growing curiosity. "Well I appreciate the immense concern for my well being from our beloved government but no. I have not experienced anything like that. Thank you for your time but I must be on my way." The man smirked then with a curt nod he grabbed his belongings and was out the door and around the corner before Nick could even absorb what just happened. He called over Patsy and sat with him on his couch petting him while contemplating everything all these weird pieces in the puzzle. He closed his eyes determined not to think or dream a thing for the next hour just sleep.

The same man from the suspicious interview was in his car making a phone call. "You got it boss. He's definitely seen or experienced something. I don't think it was full conversion though his chi was all over the place and he is experiencing severe inner conflict he is lost like a puppy trying to find his way home yet he is deciding between two houses which look the same. Anything specific would care to address?" "Just make sure he is taken care of and have the team watching his moves Prometheus may try to make a move on the target. If Nick is on edge he is going to make a move soon and it will take us closer to where we need to be. Soon we will activate our wild card in order to protect our engineer." "Yes sir right away sir." The man drove on faster now with determination to finally bring the end of a timeless mistake.

Chap.5 Friends in low places.

"Jim! Jim are you here I was told by your secretary..." Nick stumbled as he almost tripped on his old college buddy since he was under the table in a forest of wires and computer hardware. "Ohhh my God is that Nick Adamson? How the hell are you little magician. I haven't seen you for ages." Nick grabbed Jim's hand and gave a hearty hand shake and man hug. They looked each other up and down and then Nick took in a panoramic view of the room he was now standing in. The room was a symphony of medical scanners and advanced computers beeping at their own rhythmic pace. As well as an MRI scanner that seemed it was from a sci-fi movie. "It seems like you have been a busy, busy bee. What is all this stuff for I thought you were working to become a medical doctor?" "Well I handled that already but it was no fun so I turned to technology as well. So here is an office or lab rather where I am combining the most advanced technology with medicine. Here we are converting medical scans into projection ready data. I have created software that works to predict certain patterns based on the data given. These patterns extrapolate conclusions based on data the trick is giving it so much data that it will make correct prediction. This is where the AI comes in."

"An AI dammit Jim you are the magician. You did well for yourself Im truly proud not surprised though. But the main reason I am here is to ask for your help. I was involved in a lightning strike recently which left me in a coma." "Holy shit bro, ouch. Really epic though what are you superman. I wish I could help you but how besides buying some more of your amazing weed hahah you still moving that?" Nick laughed and smirked as he remembered that Jim had a knack for taking a serious situation and making it light hearted. "Yeah I got people for that now but what I need is your professional opinion. I have been having these crazy indescribable dreams. They seem real because one of them actually have a real world object in them. Problem is I don't have any conscious way that I could have known. Its like I can't tell when I'm dreaming and what is reality. I wake up in positions and places I wasn't in before. Little things seem different I don't know what or where they are but I know in my heart its different. I think I am having a brain meltdown." "Well that sounds great, just kidding damn bro that sucks. Alright, well you could be my first patient lets' find out what is making pain in your brain."

After twenty excruciating minutes of waiting in his over colored office waiting room Jim beckoned him in. The lab/office was dark now with some floor lights providing a safe pathway to the scanner. Jim asked him to connect some wires to his head and wrists. Nick laid down in what could possibly be the most advanced scanner in the world. Luckily he had geniuses in his circle that could help him out with his random needs. He laid down and tried to remain still. The machine purred on and hummed into action. Lasers and scanners were buzzing about him when a screen appeared and started showing images. He was prompted to look only at these random images and absorb them. They flashed before his eyes some fast and some were slow. "What is family? What is love? What is hate?" A computer like voice uttered these questions then it said on the screen, "Think but do not answer!" Random questions were asked more images were shown. These sent wave patterns coursing into the machine after his brain reacted to each of these stimulations.

After a marathon of random questions and images Nick was released from his metal prison. "Wow that was interesting." Nick said with a tired look as he rubbed his neck and temples. "Yea Becky, the AI, was asking some weird questions but the readings and your brain wave output was even more interesting it was amazing because I have literally never seen this before and Nick I've seen a lot. Now come here." Jim rushed over and grabbed another chair in what seemed to be a small studio booth of technology. "Let me show you something while becky works. This here is a regular brain or as regular as they get. You the hotspots of action for example the electric activity in this section represents motor movement that section represents emotion over here and over finally is a commonly inactive spot. Here many neurons are in a state of rest waiting for their next assignment. Now look at your brain and tell me what you see different."

Nick looked at the screen the regular brain looked like weather radar readout. It had a couple splashes of red, green and yellow. Then his brain scan was coming up. Jim explained, "I am going to show you your brain activity parallel with the images being shown and questions being asked. It came up like a slide show. At first there were a couple splashes of color. Then as the images came on the picture exploded with color. Red and green were a wave that inundated his brain. A look of shock came over Jim and Nicks face. The picture kept flowing with intense color when the questioning section started the colors faded and changed their pattern. What was once inconsistent color wave output became a series of activity that moved all throughout the brain finishing with the most activity ever recorded in parts of the brain that have not been mapped or understood by modern science.

Nick jumped up and shouted, "What the fuck, what the fuck is that. I mean really I thought I was good what the hell is happening in my brain. Who the hell am I if I don't even know what my brain is doing." Jim walked over and told him to chill, "Listen this ain't the way to deal with this we have to contemplate this the right way." Five minutes later they were on the roof of the small office building smoking a joint that Bob Marley would have been proud of.

"Okay so we know two things. First the lightning strike is the root cause of this incident. Second thing is that you have been experiencing cognitive disruption both on a conscious and unconscious level. Now we see the different activity that has been going on in your brain maybe we can pin the catalyst. Didn't you have any scans done in the hospital either way I doubt they would be able to have picked this up because it is on a different brain wave frequency. That is what is most interesting that this wave length isn't like other people in fact the instruments were just reading heavy distortion until Becky compensated." Nick thought for a moment about how the doctor had asked to do further tests even though everything was reading normal. In fact it was not reading normal but why did he keep that to himself. "Look Jim I appreciate your help I can't ask any more of you. There is just too many variables and a lot of things are looking weirder by the minute." Jim looked at his hands looked around his office and smiled at Jim, " Everything happens for a reason buddy and you got my help whether you want it or not now lets get some damn food buddy I got the munchies." Nick smiled and chuckled, remembering how much he missed his friend and replied, "Great but I have to link up with somebody else after and pick up some equipment just in case I just have this weird feeling."

After they finished eating a delicious meal all on Nick since he insisted. They slurped down the hundred year old wine from France and dried their face on their shirt almost synchronously. Laughing and smirking as they left the fancy ornately decorated restaurant. "Ahh I love acting like a regular joe in those stuffy uptight restaurants, just gives me that warm feeling inside hahaha anyways look so I have to go to a very heated spot so understand there is risk of loss of freedom where you trod young man. So if you want I'll just take you home or your car whichever." Jim replied enthusiastically, "Shoot this just gets even more interesting. hell yea Im down as long as you let me smoke on the way."

The duo was driving around the city in what seemed like a random direction. Nick was driving through tunnels down one way roads and through isolated areas then he stopped at a gas station and checked under the car and got back in the car and sped up. "Ok was that like some counter-surveillance shit?' "Yes you can never be too careful!" Unfortunately, Nick was instinctually tense and paranoid even if he was not headed to one of his grow-ops he still drove in a sporadic pattern in order to throw off the tail if there was one.

Finally, they pulled up to an old worn out building in the industrial section of town. The night was chilly and the sky was clear except for a couple of clouds blocking the moonlight periodically. Nick walked down one of the alleyways next to the building towards a pair of trash cans. Jim was curious but remained silent in anxious anticipation. Nick kicked one trash can to the side then lifted up some trash bags revealing a well hidden keypad. He dialed some numbers and a clicking sound came from within the structure. Nick walked to the corner and tapped a brick then pressed it deep in its place and stood back as a door opened. They walked into a cage and Nick opened the lock then waved to the camera checking for the response up down the camera went in response.

They walked down a cramped dark hallway that felt humid and stuffy. When they reached the end there was a metal door with no handle. Jim wore an amused and curious look on his face as he saw Nick tap a spot on the floor to open the metal door. Inside the dark room were several monitors and a luxurious leather chair which held the firm buttocks of Nick's assistant. Ms. Anna Hathaway was a tall fit dark blonde example of perfection. Jim couldn't keep his mouth closed in shock since he was expecting some mean looking big ex-convict, yet a beautiful graceful woman sat there smiling.

"Hey Nicky what brings you down here at this time, come to check on your babies? And whose your friend?" she said the friend part with a certain distaste as she looked upon Jim's unkempt appearance. She got up and gracefully strolled towards Nick as she gave him a more than friendly hug. "MMh hello Ani. Jim meet Ms. Hathaway the best farmer I know. This is my good friend Jim Ani I hope I didn't startle you by bringing him along." As Nick said that she put back a small MP5 sub-machine gun with silencer into a part in the desk they all smiled in a causal manner brushing it off. Ani Hathaway was a med student once upon a time in a different life. She stopped her pursuit of a doctor's title after finding out that medicine was just about numbers and money. She just wanted to help people and had been very smart and good at what she did especially since her family was full of doctors. She had a mean twist of elegant class mixed with dangerous don't give a fuck attitude. Her mom had passed away earlier from cancer "He is a good friend from college. He is an electrical engineer/ neuroscientist/ computer engineer. Actually, I don't something that you are not good at hahaha, but he has helped me a lot with a couple problems I have been having. So he is riding with me. How are the babies by the way?" Nick walked towards some of the monitors and was examining numbers and data.

"Well the new babies are coming along strong and fine the cross breeding worked and we should have an advanced hybrid soon." Then Ani sat down and pressed a button and the wall to their right separated slowly to reveal a thick glass window which in turn revealed a huge room. Jim's jaw couldn't drop any further or it would have fallen off due to the sight before him. Nick stood taller and smiled before this beautiful sight. What lay beyond the glass was an industrial warehouse full of tall marijuana trees on hydroponic rows terraced to form a jungle. The rows were stacked diagonally with some rows planted with upside down indica plants. There were trees in every stage of development and the "babies" as they were called placed in a separate room on the right. It was his commercial grow house he said. He walked in and went to one of the taller trees and picked off one of the hanging buds. He came back and presented a red and yellow bud the size of a baby's leg to Jim. Jim was astonished and looked confused with happiness and he looked around and gave Nick a bear hug and laughed long and heartily.

Nick was laughing as Jim did what he does best and rolled the perfect joints. Nick reached into the safe grabbed some cash and his glock 9 with extended clip and looked behind him said, "Shit can't be too careful." He would come to thank himself for having made that decision and laugh at how prophetic simple words can be. He grabbed his things and threw them in the backpack hugged Ani and mumbled good bye Ms. Hathaway. They marched briskly down the hallway. Stepped out and headed back to the car.

The night was giving way to morning light and the air was nice and crisp. They rounded the corner of the alley and were halfway to the car before Nick stopped short immediately then leaned down to tie his shoe. "Jim come here dammit, slowly." When Jim got close Nick whispered, "Ok look you see the van behind the car a block. Well its been following me and I don't think they got friendly intentions so walk slowly to the car and relax but just be ready and use this if you have to." Nick handed over another pistol minus the extended clip. They got in the car and Nick started to turn the key nothing happened. Dead silence after a small click. Nick could feel his heart drop into his stomach as his body was preparing for fight or flight mode. He could feel the adrenaline rush into his body as everything became sharper he grabbed his backpack and rush out of the car yelling follow me to Jim. The once silent van revved up and was closing the distance. Nick popped the gas tank open as they jumped out of the car. When Jim was rounding the corner Nick said, "13 51 is the code hurry up and close your ears." Nick waited for the menacing van to get close then he grabbed the gun out of the backpack and emptied the clip into the gas tank and watched his favorite car blew up.

The explosion threw him back a little bit and the van was slowed down couple yards from his car. As the van slowed the back doors flew open and a blur of metal and black clothed men before the van even came to a complete stop. The men opened up with a fierce volley of bullets. Nick instinctively took cover and returned fire from behind the smoky wreck that was his car. He was able to wound one of the attackers but they had got into positions where they could flank them so their time was running short. Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calm started to seep in every cell of his body he felt at peace in control then he opened his eyes. He stood and slowly walked towards the center of the alleyway miraculously dodging their bullets with his timing. He brought the pistols up and shot methodically one two three...in seconds three of the attackers were killed effortlessly yet more kept coming from another van that had been around the corner. He was momentarily shocked at his gaul. He just killed three people and shot with perfect aim its like he knew exactly what time they would be moving and where the enemies bullets would go. He ran back towards Jim hoping the door was open.Screech from tires could be heard from around the corner as Nick grabbed one last glance before running towards safety and saw another huge black SUV barreling down the road.

Ms. Hathaway was watching the events unfold from the cameras surrounding the warehouse. As she was watching she opened the main lock via remote so they could run in and then she started setting the booby traps. Although confusion racked her brain she still responded effortlessly and without hesitation. Jim and Nick ran through the door hitting the ground as they got in partly because they stumbled on each other and partly because of the flying bullets ricocheting around them. When they were inside behind the huge metal door they grinned with self-satisfaction and let loose a light chuckle. "Come on over here hurry up they were doing some weird stuff on the other side of the building. I think we should get out of here." Jim nodded enthusiastically in agreement, "Yea I second that motion so let's get moving."

Nick grabbed more money from the safe then started running towards the main weed room. "We are going to have to destroy it you know," he looked around and said goodbye. They started to walk out when a huge explosion rocked them back. The van had driven through far wall leaving a gaping hole. Behind that they could see fire and another fire and smoke billowing in. "Hurry this way. Their impeccable timing has me curious as to how they followed me. Look run through there Jim and start the car." Nick said this as he handed him the keys and surveyed the room. Ani led him through a tunnel under a table. They shuffled through and after Nick gave it about one minute he pressed the button. He crawled out through the tunnel feeling strangely relieved.

Chap. 6 New horizons

By the time he exited the tunnel into the morning light shining through the garage he felt reborn. The smoke from the fire he set billowed into the sky leaving the whole block enough smoke to stay as high as the sun. Jim already had the car started and Nick hopped in and sped away keeping a vigilant eye on the rearview mirror the whole time. "Okay whenever you feel like telling me what the hell is going on go for it because I am more lost then a retard in a porn store." "Shit if I know, but I can tell u I'ma get some answers. I always hated mysteries." Nick thought about all the events leading up to this and how his little house of cards stood up to the chaos life brings. People could make all the plans they can but life has a way of steering you on a path that you have to constantly adapt to. No matter what Nick grew to learn it doesn't matter what happens as long as you learn from your mistakes and jump up when you fall down.

They decided to go to Ani's house first since its location is more isolated and Nick wanted them to get somewhere safe so they could figure what was happening. They were winding through the city's outskirts on old highway 934. Nick was reclined thinking intensely with his eyebrows furrowed focus on the events as he drove. Nick felt as if he was looking at a mountain from the clouds up and he couldn't see the base. The man that visited the other was no doubt apart of this but Nick couldn't piece together how he was connected. Then he remembered his parents. They could be in danger or have some information that could help them but he most certainly knew if those people were after could find him there they could find him anywhere. He hit the brakes immediately making a u-turn and sped up rapidly towards his home.

"I have to head home and talk to my parents asked if anything weird has happened to them, or worse I may have to protect them so you two can stay here if you want or come with me. Look its up to you. Honestly I want you to stay back forget about this whole damn thing," he said with a shrug. "This isn't your fight but I can't lie and say I wouldn't mind if you two came." He looked at both of with a smile of unconditional love and respect for them.

"Look they made this personal. My office just got burned and you lost your favorite car 'cause you had to blow it up to push back the attackers. You know Im in Nicky!" She cocked the mp5 and smiled playfully. "I'm with you bro. Besides look at her I have never seen anything sexier than this violent sexy model you got in the back. For real life is so boring I spent years in classrooms and old smelling offices. What's life if you can't live with your friends right." Nick smiled saw Ani blushing. He kept driving faster now and with more energy in his heart something he thought he could call hope. Deep down he knew somehow the incident earlier had to be the cause of these past events. He didn't know how he knew to jump off the jet ski but he just had a strong feeling deep in his gut that wrenched him out of the seat while saving the girl's life as well as they hit the water in their dry suits and life vest. The dreams he was having started to seem like the least of his problems now.

As he got back home he saw his parents outside talking with the neighbor. They seem distressed more then usual. " What happened?" Nick yelled as he got in the driveway. "Nothing but we just can't find Patsy." His mother said. "Right but that's what Im telling you he walked off into this Suv. A suv came round the block while I was taking out the trash and I saw Patsy just jump on into the suv," his neighbor said with a pleading tone. "When was this?" Nick demanded from the neighbor with a look of trust and belief which encouraged him further to remember further details. The Man driving the car yelled in a different language outside his window and they left." Nick looked by the road and saw screech marks. This part of the growing puzzle really made no sense. He just couldn't see why would the men want his dog.

They eventually went back in the house and enjoyed a quiet dinner. Jim and Ani helped clean the dishes in the kitchen while Nick sat in the room talking with his parents. They were conversing about nothing so it probably meant they were trying to distract him from the gnawing feeling in his belly. Soon his parents went to bed after offering their hospitality and being quite gracious to Jim and Ani. Everybody was laughing and cracking some jokes before they went bed. A great ending to a horrible day Nick thought as he showered and got ready for bed. The night clouds gave way to a rainy stormy night. The lightning webbed across the night sky temporarily lighting up the streets below. He grabbed his pistol and he knew Ani was probably holding the mp5 tighter then a newborn baby. He laughed at himself out of stress and overwhelming fatigue. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at all the different kinds of friends he has. Then he smiled bigger as he realized they were all a reflection of pieces of who he was. He had amazing people in his life and he constantly isolated himself due to a fear of something he did not know yet. He shook his head throwing the thoughts away and focused on more recent matters. He made sure that all the doors were locked and that there were no random cars or vans outside he just couldn't blow up two perfectly working cars in one day.

Chap. 7 New tricks for an old dog

The men put the dog in the crate and pushed the trolley down the long dark hallway. The lights that frequently dotted the hallway flickered sometimes as they passed by showing signs of aging and long use. The men stopped at what appeared to be a huge bunker door. They entered numbers into a telephone and waited. The operator on the other line answered and they spoke the code then stood back and waited. The door slid open from all angles. The once solid looking bunker door broke opened like a pizza or pie divided into slices revealing layers of thick space worthy steel. The men pushed the crate through the gaping opening and proceeded down a spiral walkway lit from the floor up. The incline did nothing to wobble the crate because a magnetic force took hold of the crew and was steadily and safely moving them down the walkway at a brisk pace. Once they reached the bottom the magnetic force released and they began walking towards a room in front of them. The door slid open and revealed others working in lab coats and goggles covering most of their bodies.

One of the scientists motioned the men towards him and the table. They opened the crate and placed the dog onto the table. Then the table's metal surface began to fold and fall into the shape of a bath as the dog stand in it. A watery and gelatin substance began filling the tub. A group of wires were attached to the dog and a helmet was brought over. In seconds the dog was completely submerged and held in place. "The sun is now within range and our signal strength is reading high. It is now or never!" The scientist from the other side yelled over a table of computers. The other scientist nodded and pressed a couple buttons. The energy it would take to complete the transfer was three times what New York City uses in a year. The servers and electronics were compressed into luminescent cells which carried the codes and functions into microscopic cells. The codes could convert bio signals from the brains of any species and store the brain codes in a frequency that was retained in the sun's electromagnetic field. This enabled people to copy their personhood and put it in another body or animal while retaining their memories and experiences. So this means they can change bodies when they needed to or store their conscience into a series of electromagnetic fields.

The constructionists found that this technique could also be perfected enough to teach others a lifetime's worth of knowledge in seconds so it helped spread and make their race the smartest they could be. The machine started buzzing to life and the lights of energy could be seen going through the fiber optic cables and the translucent gel came to life with energy as the transfer began.

The dog closed its eyes and minutes later the transfer of consciousness was complete. In the corner of the room steam blew out in a small cloud hissing. The lights on the floor revealed a pathway leading up to a coffin looking box. The box seized the pathway and started moving towards the center of the room. The men in the coats pressed more buttons and watched in an anxiety. The dark gave way to more light and shed light on the coffin that held the being that was being brought to life. The seal on the pod opened up slowly and as the hissing smoke escaped the person sat up quickly. He seemed to be human and was holding his hands over his eyes. The person looked around and started coughing loudly. "Get him secured and everything he needs," two men rushed over with a robe and shots to help the being wake up and scanners to make sure it was alright.

In twenty minutes Paticlus Medling or "Patsy" was standing tall in his new suit in a luxurious room they called the suite. The agency had been operating under Paticlus and his team for centuries. They utilized covert means to subdue most of Merlin's or whatever name he was using at the time. It was usually a group of individuals from a soldier's way of life and with nothing to lose. The agency employed all kinds of people by the time the 21st century came around like doctors, politicians, and military leaders even criminals at some points. They were loyal men who lived for the mission and that mission was to protect earth or at least that is what they were led to believe.

He opened the curtains to reveal a panorama of a warehouse sized cavernous interior underground. There were small buildings erected and buildings built into the walls and stone of the cavern. Men were scrambling all about there even was a hangar that led to a large runway. He could see a small hydroponic station that looked like some of the plants from his home which succeeded the genetic structure of any plant found on earth. It was a beehive of activity but he knew that the real work had to be done by his hands soon. He had been with Nick for so long they were like family. He knew Nick better than he knew himself. Being a dog was not as hard of a switch that he thought. After taking the assignment from his commander first he held a pit of anxiety and trepidation about the posting but he knew it was time to clean up the mistake they made. Still he couldn't help but be a little angry that the agency could not pick up the only engineer with the power to stop this madness without incident. The failure at the industrial warehouse by miami river would be discussed with the agency members. Still they kept the enemy at bay. They needed to find out how their enemy was finding the target with such ease the only way would be if they had access to the Constructionist method of pinging. The constructionist found that if you can send a strong enough signal on the right frequency you could find a person based upon their specific brain pattern. The hard part was getting the brain pattern since earth did not have such technology yet. " So then how did you do it Merlin or whatever name you go by these days. Ill find you yet."

Chapter.8 Questions and Answers and more questions ???

He pulled to what was his home for the last two decades from a different viewpoint. As Paticlus Medling stepped out of the tinted tahoe he smiled feeling glad to not be a dog. Seeing the world from the low viewpoint made for an annoying day. Plus he missed the lack of color. He still felt close to Nick he had seen him as a boy watched over him all these years. He saw his true nature without any filter. The only way he could have watched him so closely was as a dog even though it meant he had to endure the transfer of conscious. HE had done it before just never transferred into an animal.

The porch light came on when he stepped by the door it was a little late so he decided against actually knocking. He just used his strength and forced the lock apart and moved through the door effortlessly. He silently walked upstairs and opened Nicks door. He coughed loudly. Nick shot up in his bed. "Shit what the.." Nick jumped out of the bed grabbing at anything in the dark he could use as a weapon then he saw his backpack just out of his reach. Nick was poised ready to pounce on his backpack and take out his gun. " Wait Nick there is no need for that. you do not have to go in your backpack and grab your gun please. I'm a friend and I'm sorry for the intrusion." Paticlus stepped toward the bag and handed it to a befuddled Nick. "You are confused fearful and you need answers plus if you feel more comfortable you can grab your gun." Nick sat back down slumped in confusion as he acquiesced to this oddly familiar stranger. The flashes came back to him he crumpled to the floor by the bed while grabbing the sides of his head. "They are going to come back stronger more and more as you reach the zenith of your brain capacity. Listen to me closely. I had no way to keep an eye on you except if I was apart of your family." Confusion burned inside Nick but he was listening patiently. "You remember Patsy your best friend for years. You know how he left in the suv. Well I am patsy your dog. I had my conscious mind transferred into the body of a dog so that we may protect and keep an eye on you. It was a necessary step because I am part of an alien race that hold many similarities to human homo sapiens and we have been involved with your species for quite some time now. I am a professor or teacher as you call it on your world. Except in our society the teacher and professors are the leaders of our culture we are the councillors, the police, the military, the religious leaders Professors are everything in our society because we teach through experiences and transfer them to our people so that we all advance quite fast. We have advanced our culture and learned progress as a way of life. See why didn't you stop me look Im ranting again going on and on listen Nick do you even hear me" Paticlus took in the shocked and tense body language coming from Nick as a sign that he did not believe. The A/c turned back on in the house shaking Nick from his dreamlike state looking at the man who was his dog for years. "Prove it then if you were my dog for years tell me something only we would know!"

Paticlus waited looked around for a second then beamed with enthusiasm. " Okay remember the day your grandma's antique vase broke while you were here playing. Well you lied and said it was me. You blamed me for running into the table trying to catch a lizard and knocking down your parents beloved family heirloom. So there how is that for securing the fact that I was your dog for so long. You lied and everybody believed you because it actually was a good excuse but we both know you were playing and knocked it off by accident."

Nick's jaw could not drop any further or else it would fallen off. He was damn right the man standing in front of him was not only his dog but a alien from a different galaxy. If he wasn't in shock before he was now. His whole understanding of the world around him was crumbling and being reconstructed dammit not only were there aliens but they have been involved with us for centuries. If Nick had been a regular person he would have been two blocks down the road and in the psych ward with the rest of the crazies in a matter of hours. Fortunately he had an open mind and believed there were in fact aliens. Yet this belief did not stop the overwhelming flood of emotion and additional questions inundating his mind.

"So why were you watching me all these years? Why me? what makes me so important?" Nick beckoned him towards the door motioning to step out of the room. Paticlus took a deep breath and smiled projecting a sense of confidence and wisdom. "Along time ago we visited Beta 325 or earth as you call it. Your species was in the infancy of civilization yet we did an unauthorized test to see if we could proceed with artificial progress development. What this means is that our culture helps other species that are deemed friendly and non-threatening into becoming a thriving culture by advancing their mental capacity. One constant remains among the universe the species with the best brains last the longest and cause the least problems. There was much violence among the stars whole races of people or reptilia and mammalia species were wiped out. Colonies were always at risk and technology advanced while our morals began to degrade into selfish desires. After a long time a group of individuals from all species began an organization and began working together in order to stop the constant skirmishes and random criminal violence. We called ourselves the Constructionists." He took a deep breath and a swig from his drink savoring the feeling.

"We did our best to plead with the individual governments but they opposed us at every turn. So we went to the individual citizens of each race we could find. Eventually our numbers grew and so did our technology and experience. We learned that in order for there to be peace; knowledge, wisdom, and empathy must be spread across the stars. We developed and perfected the method of transference. Utilizing the power of the stars and the power of our brains we created a method that could teach lifetimes of knowledge and experience of dozens of people in minutes. Our attempts failed with some but became so successful eventually all levels of government officials saw the benefit and began accepting the knowledge. Soon we began restructuring society on a Galactic scale. An era of peace and progress began. Species were sharing knowledge ,entertainment and ideas. Economics and greed became obsolete because food and nourishment became so plentiful that poverty was abolished. The excuse for war over resources or land became a crime. Any violence committed was treated like a virus to the point where citizens lost sight of violence. Defense systems encircled planets and shipping lanes alike. Technology grew to the point where the Constructionists were not even needed to run the day to day operations. We had found and made peace finally." PAticlus and Nick were in the kitchen now sitting at the center cooking table. Nick replaced his robe with a shirt and jeans. He was sitting attentively drinking a beer. "You mind if I grab a drink?" "Umm no of course not this is your house too technically." Paticlus surprised Nick as he went towards the bar in the family room and grabbed crystal and some Johnnie Walker and dropped some ice cubes in the glass swirling the brown liquor over the ice repeatedly. "Didn't you drank cool haha wierd but cool but how do you even like earth drink or food. I mean damn all I have is questions for you pardon me keep going." Paticlus smirked, "We have something like this in our group of planets it just tastes alot stronger and alot more bitter with a long lasting aftertaste. These drinks are specific to earth only and are very smooth but we are not allowed trade with earth it just would ruin your world if we opened the market in terms of bringing down the value of your currency and banking industries because there would be such a large demand from the numerous planets. Anyways after we had established peace and a progressive society our elders decided to look beyond our immediate section of space. We looked farther at other species other planets in order to determine if they were fit for advancement or if they need more supervision and any intervention if allowed. The justification for this is important. Our elders knew that the best way to maintain this peace was to find out more about other civilizations to see if they would become a problem later on. we then devised ways to test different species and my father was assigned earth. Mind you we have been doing this for centuries of your earth time but mistakes do happen. One these mistakes occurred when me and my colleague made a huge mistake. We ran an unauthorized exploratory test to find out if we could start with the procedure. Unfortunately we did not take certain precautions. Our intervention started out with good intentions for we were very hopeful for this planet. We picked up a man from the northern area of what you call england. He was a barbarian in his own right. He seemed like an amazing candidate despite his barbaric ways he showed compassion on the battlefield and showed mercy to his enemies. Even though he was just a low ranking member of his clan he still commanded the respect of others around him. After we picked him up we gave him the gift of total access to his brain. Slowly we taught him through symbols and myths we finally got through to him so he could understand. The complete access to his brain gave him powers beyond belief in fact they were above our expectations because of one fatal misunderstanding. Although our genetic structures are similar people of earth carry what we call a kickstart gene. This gene we believe was planted in your species to help you evolve faster and adapt better. This gene mutated our test and gave him extensive physic powers enabling him to move objects with his mind, read other humans' thoughts and more.. He fell into an obsession of the mythology of the druids and absorbed as much knowledge as he could from us pretending to cooperate. Eventually he took what he wanted from us and attacked. That night we lost three people which were the only ones that could stop him at the time. We called them engineers because they could engineer the parameters of what our brains created having power over reality and structure around us. Engineers that can manipulate time and emotions they are the most advanced form of Constructionist. After that we started searching for him before we knew it he had gathered a group of people helping them tap into more parts of their brain giving them this amazing gift but did not give them all of their gift instead he controlled and manipulated them into helping him become an even stronger being. Merlin was his name. He took the people and their combined energy and created Stonehenge. Nobody knows how Stonehenge was built except us and the agency. It was used as a signal booster. Essentially he used the spiritual energy of the people he brainwashed and converted their energy into the stones which then amplified into the center of the circle in order to give him more power. Fortunately for us he did not know the whole process and he messed it up. He let most of the energy escape his reach and thats how we found him and continue to find him. See each piece that is missing of the energy is a piece he needs in order to survive and continue to get stronger. Our brains were designed for full capacity usage but the brighter the light bulb burns the quicker it burns out. So he did not use the procedure or mechanisms in place to stop the 'reversion' which is what we call it. The reversion takes a toll on those that can not stop the process of using their abilities so the blessing is actually their curse."

Nick sighed, " Okay okay enough I'm starting to get the picture. This guy had all this power and it corrupted him that I get what I don't understand is why you felt like you and your people had the right to intervene. There is no justification for a society of advanced thinkers as yourself to come into a culture and determine whether they are worthy. There is no justification to dive headlong into another planet and start building their police policies or their way of life. How did you create a measurement system for finding out if a civilization was ready for this advancement. How could you do that to this man? He was fine without your intervention? I understand how your preemptive act may keep you safe from future threats but just because mr. nobody over there could rob that old lady does not give me the right to arrest him." Paticlus was astounded by his response. He didn't disagree at all with Nick's opinion but some lines needed to be crossed in order to maintain peace. "Although I see your point Nick the safety of billions of lifeforms is in the balance. Besides it is not like we are your Darth Vader from the movie pictures we don't just blow up a planet on a whim hell Nick we don't even blow up planets. If we find a planet that can be a threat due to their violent and greedy nature then we just keep a wary eye on them. The least intervention possible is our goal. Yet sometimes intervention may become necessary. How would you feel if you saw three children walking by a deep water fountain that they could easily drown in? Would you stop them?" Nick looked in disgust and nodded, " Of course I would tell them to get away from there." "Now imagine that the children started squabbling with each other and fighting would you stop them from fighting so they may all grow up and live happy lives or would you let them drown after squabbling over nothing?" "Wow I know, I know I mean I get it but I don't like it at the same time," NIck sighed and slumped down and then he did something very odd he began to laugh. Nick let loose his booming laugh strong and heartily.

Paticlus smirked with a confused look painted across his face while he sipped his drink. Nick dried the laughing tears from his face sat on the floor was about to hug his knees to his chest when instead he spoke, " Its just that this is by far the most interesting conversation and debate I have ever had or will ever have and its with my dog. But my dog is really a super intelligent creature from a race of people and planets that are ages beyond humans. I mean there are so many questions I have to ask but I feel the answers before I know them. Ahh whats going on in my head at least explain that much." "Okay that is the easy part well remember the lightning that hit you and that girl. Well that wasn't really lightning but a ..." Paticlus stopped abruptly and got. " Did you hear that?" Nick stood too in quiet focus. He could hear the air conditioning blowing a cat meowing then a low clicking sound. The clicking sound turned to a scraping sound as well. They looked at each other then at the front door which is where the noise was coming from.

The night air bit at Nick's neck as he slowly opened the door against Paticlus's wishes. The sight before them left both Nick and Paticlus with a shocked dropped jaw. In the porch of his parent's house was a dog that looked just like Patsy. The dog was sitting wagging his tail. "So you guys didn't just dispose of Patsy. Cool great come in bubba come on in!" "No No don't. Patsy passed away his body was very sick and ravaged by tumors. My conscious being is what was keeping him alive. Get behind me." Paticlus grabbed Nick by the arm and told him to go up stairs and get his parents.

Nick started for the stairs when the dog growled. The dog sat down and started to growl louder and he started to shake violently. The hair began to fall off and his paws began to mutate. The claws started to become enlarged turning into boney razor sharp like talons. The mouth became more elongated and pronounced oddly misshapen to the point of deformity with the function of killing. The growling ceased and became a low mumble and snarling breath. The once small dog was breaking and shedding the skin while it grew almost as tall as Nick the hunched back arched to reveal spikes on its spine. The dog became a evil grim looking monster right before his eyes. "oh shit o shit why'd I open the door dammit, Paticlus what the hell is that. Garage one minute I'm getting my parents and friends use the tools by the fireplace!!" Paticlus had seen this before and knew what to do but it would cost lots of blood. " Go just go. I will handle this!" Paticlus grabbed the fire poker and watched the Crudle-Morpher which is what his old colleague called it. The creature finished changing and steam rose from the creatures back due to the poly-genetic structure.

Drool hung from its gaping teeth as it approached Paticlus slowly. Paticlus heard a car turn on then he sprung into action. He sprang towards the couch jumping off of it over the creature's back as it swiveled toward him almost falling on itself. As he glided over the creature he stabbed the poker deep behind its shoulder. A spray of yellow and red blood spewed forth but to no effect. The creature turned rapidly on its heels and jumped on the wall clinging onto the side running full speed towards the kitchen where Paticlus was waiting with a butcher knife and the fire poker.

As soon as the creature barrelled through the double doors it hit the table in the center. Paticlus capitalized on the one second it was dazed and stabbed the beast in the side then flung the butcher down as fast as he could on the creature deformed leg. The leg came off clean at the joint spewing a haze of blood onto him blinding him momentarily. Yet, that didn't stop him as he kept bringing down the butcher knife on the other feet and legs. Swinging violently Paticlus hit the head right by the nose making it finally squeal out in pain. It bit ferociously at his leg crippled by the blows to its leg. Regardless of all the blood spilled it still attacked with the strength of a wolf. The missing and destroyed limbs did not stop it in fact they were starting to heal. Paticlus swung around the other side of the table and grabbed a bottle of lighter fluid that had fallen out of the drawer during the fight. He stood up on the center table and grabbed the fire poker sticking out of the side. As he brought the Morpher closer he squeezed the whole bottle of lighter fluid onto the face and limbs of the monster. Then he managed drop a huge match in the puddle of lighter fluid under the belly of the beast and ran out of the kitchen. The flames grew as the screams of the dying monster got louder echoing in a disturbing screech of death.

Nick got his friends and parents in the car while trying to explain nothing and everything to his disoriented and confused parents. His parents kept slowing him down wanting to find out what all the fuss was about. With every loud crashing sound that came from the kitchen Nick winced hoping that Paticlus didn't die before telling him everything that was going on and how he could fix it. NIck still could not get over some of the resentments he had against the constructionists for their interventionist policy. He hated the fact of another planet or race of beings playing the role of galactic police. Despite his feelings he did understand. Nick remembered a phrase from a movie saying that the worst part of war was the waiting. Everybody's gut was wrenched in a knot. NIck thought about leaving him behind but something in his gut told him that it wasn't right. Ani screamed loudly pointing to the back door of the garage. The door started to open but nobody was there then hooded men appeared through the doorway silhouetted against the moonlight. Nick turned the truck on and flew out of the garage in a fury barely avoiding the hooded men's reach.

Paticlus was catching his breath when he saw the truck burst from the garage in an explosion of wood and metal scraping. The sound was deafening for a moment and then he saw why they left the garage. He started running faster then Nick or any person has seen another person run. He caught up with the car half a block down the road. Paticlus hopped in yelling, "Drive. Drive until you can not drive any further but head north towards Ft. Lauderdale. We will meet the agency along the way hopefully. Ill explain later I must check what happened to our men that were supposed to guarding the house." The men guarding the house were found later ripped apart by the enemy. Their death was quiet and painless which is more than can be said for most of their victims.

Chap. 9 Dirty deeds and good friends

The sun was coming up as they stopped at a gas station in Ft. Lauderdale near the international airport. Nick was buying everybody protein shakes and other assorted snacks. Ani was walking with him checking this and that. " Hey Nick so what's the story with that guy Paticlus? I mean he seems different, realll different. I saw him touching the mirror and closing the eyes while talking to himself or to somebody else. Is he crazy?" "Nick right now he is all I got and besides you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Sorry to be so vague and cliche look just trust me okay he saved our lives from that thing and he has the answers I need to the problems I got." She nodded curtly then smiled and bought her things and jumped in the truck. Nick was sure JIm was thinking the same thing and hoped that he would trust his judgement.

"The agency will meet us at the airport. We have flight tickets for your friends and family. We can wait at the hotel near the airport until my reinforcements arrive." They started driving towards the hotel. Nick felt a new burst of energy as his morale increased. He saw an end to this waking nightmare. They reached the hotel and got the key for the room with no incident. Paticlus kept a wary eye on everything and everyone. Everyone trudged toward the room tired and hunched over. Jim broke the silence as they reached the room,"Finally, I get to stay in a five star hotel. Look nick cheap hookers down stairs and even cheaper booze in the bar. Thats the perfect combination for Russian roulette with STDs haahah no but for real I think that is a game in some places." Nick cracked up and caught a glimpse of Ani smirking seeming guilty for enjoying the joke.

"Paticlus could we talk for a second more? I was hoping you could finish telling me what is going on in my head." "Sure so I guess you are not taking up your friend's offer of this game you call STD russian roulette hahaha. Sorry to act so lighthearted in such serious time but when you have lived as long as I have you realize how precious laughter truly is. As i was saying the lightning wasn't really lightning but spiritual energy finding its home. You are a natural engineer for your planet. You are capable of quite a lot more than just visions and daydreams." Nick's face turned pale white as he sat down on the balcony of the room. The sliding door creaked open, "Hey guys sorry to interrupt we are going to get some real food down at that shitty restaurant they have there, your parents offered to buy okay I'll save you some." Ani smiled and closed the door grabbing Jim off the chair and pushing his hesitant self out of the room.

"Look its not that bad or as profound an evolution as you think. most of your species actually has been developing that kickstart gene. In fact your planet is a prime candidate for help with advancement in a thousand years maybe they will be ready." " O only a thousand years thats not that long at all," Nick said sarcastically. " Well in the scheme of things it truly isn't that long. Anyways the point is that you can see things in different time periods and literally hop into that time. You can not stay indefinitely but you may be there long enough to do what is need. We call it temporal displacement. You can also access the part of your brain that uses your mirror neurons to read the thoughts of others around you. It takes alot of practice but you will get the hang of it. But we have little time so today I will start giving you some tips on how to at least control what you see and how you can see it. Also we are going to have to do a scan to see your brain and the capacity it can work at. But for now how bout we go downstairs and eat some real food?" " Oo my friend that sounds great to me Im telling you." They headed out the door. The two could have not looked stranger together. Paticlus older and was still wearing the roughed up suit that looked like it went through a bloody mud pit and the other was a sweaty bruised mess that was at least half the other man's outward age. " So what kind of visions were you having."

Nick thought back, "Well it began with a flash to a desert like area with a huge ship a cruise ship stalled on the beach. Smoke and charred metal was all I could see of the ship. Then a man came to me and told me something I forgot. Then it gets blurry." "You can't forget. The information is already in your brain you must allow yourself to remember. Try this before we get to the restaurant sit down right here on this step. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly while picturing the things you do remember just focus and then tell yourself to remember." Nick usually would have told somebody to back off and leave him alone at this point but with the past events he felt he could do it in fact he knew he could do it because as he closed his eyes the dream was rematerializing. He breathed and as he exhaled he lost all contact with his body. Then he remembered it came clear as day in fact he started jogging then running through his memory as if it was a library where everything was in reach. He was able to tap in so many different memories that he had to calm his brain. He focused and then saw clearly. "He said Don't Polo Nick, these things always work themself out, the easy part is done now come the hard part as you americans say it will be just like a park in the walk. It was like he had a middle eastern accent. And the beach was sandy and long with aqua green color." Paticlus got up and extended his hand, " See already making progress. Now lets eat some real food as you said."

Nick reached the door first opening politely for his new found alien friend. Once they stepped inside the dimly lit restaurant both immediately felt like something was wrong. Nobody was there and it was quiet except for some scrambling they heard coming from the kitchen. Nick grabbed for his gun but remembered that he left it in the room. They both started for the kitchen cautiously. Paticlus pushed him aside going through the double doors first. As he burst through he could see the exit of the kitchen and black hooded men dragging Jim and Ani through the door as they were struggling.

Nick Immediately sprang into action, " I've had enough of this" They turned and two stayed while the rest continued dragging his friends away. No wait Nick focus they can't hurt you if you use your mind. Nick and Paticlus grabbed anything they could in the kitchen. They flanked each side of the cooking station island. NIck charged at the black hooded figure. He threw a pot as he ran towards his enemy. It bought him the second he needed. He held tight to the knife in his other hand as he jumped on the island and jumped over the assailant landing behind him planting the large kitchen knife in between the shoulder blades of his enemy. The assailant staggered then stood up straight and turned on Nick. To his horrible surprise he saw that nobody was inside the hood black emptiness and swirling mist was all that met Nick's horrified stare. The arms of the robe came up revealing skeletal fingers reaching to grab him.

Paticlus finished his opponent off and saw Nick in trouble. He jumped over the empty robe. As Paticlus touched Nick on the shoulder Nick's eyes closed. When Nick opened his eyes he saw a bright world. Everything was shining he looked at the robed entity in front of him and saw a green glowing plasma like energy emanating from its head. He heard a whisper empty your enemies head take away his energy and you defeat him. He turned and saw Pat standing stuck in motion then he looked at the robed figure again noticing that it had slowed too. Nick reached inside the hood grabbed the energy and squeezed. It felt like a ball of grapes. He winced as he felt a surge ripple through his body leaving a warm tingling feeling. The brightness faded and Nick came back to reality. He looked at his hands then at Pat the robe was on the floor now empty. pat grabbed nick by the shoulders, "You did good! you did good those are Robed entities that a strong telekinetic force creates. He fills the robe with echtoplasmic energy then winds them up and sends them off they can't be killed unless the heart of their energy receiver is destroyed sometimes it hides in their chest or their foot or their head it depends on where they want. These robed entities have unparalleled strength compared to regular men but to us they can be easily stopped just think of them as pawns." "Okay yea that was fun lets try this again. I know I'll need the practice." They perked up as they heard van doors closing outside.

He made a right out of the door and moved lightly on his feet. Pat met up with him outside nodding in silent understanding to each other they bolted for the van. When they reached it the sight confused Nick and angered Pat. His mom and dad were walking of their own accord towards the van while the robed figures pushed and pulled Jim and Ani along. "ITs your parents NIck they turned their possessed or something. Run man get the hell gooo their going to.." A pistol across his face silenced him quickly then Nick's dad turned the pistol on Nick opening fire. Nick and Pat dived behind a car breathing deeply. "They inhabited your parents or spirit copied them which just means if their possessed our enemy has been watching and learning about us for a short while. If they were spirit copied then they have been watching us for quite some time which would explain why they only sent one Crudle-morph to your parent's house." "How can we find out which one they are?" " Follow my lead Nick close your eyes and feel their presence the answers to all your problems is within you!" As he said this he stood up and disappeared into the line of fire.

Nick closed his eyes and imagined his parents but could not feel their warm presence. Then a searing vision of them crying out to each other in the dark place. He opened his eyes in astonishment and shock. The reach of his sight was stunning. He smiled then frowned as he came back to reality. The awe had subsided into fear for his parents then anger. They were copies meaning their real selves were hidden somewhere. Pat was on the short side of the L shaped parking lot hiding by their right flank behind a car. Jim and Ani were putting up an amazing fight which bought him just the second he needed. He nodded to Pat and they dashed from behind cover. Nick's fake parents and the robed entities dropped what they were doing and opened fire. As Jim and Ani hit the floor they scrambled for safety horrified at what they saw at the same time. Any of the onlookers watching the scene unfold had already taking cover and police sirens could be heard in the background. Pat jumped from the hood of a car with one foot acting as a spring and the other kicking the gun out of Nick's dad's hand. Nick dived for his mom's gun barely missing the bullets as one grazed his ear lobe. Then he slowed everything down. He saw red ball of energy where the heart of his parents should have been. The robed entities green orbs shown dimly as Pat seized one quickly destroying their energy with his hand. The smoke from the guns hung still in the air as Nick passed through it taking the gun from his fake mom's hand. Then he tried grabbing the orb. His fake mom suddenly broke into the same speed as him blocking his hand for an instant like a flash of energy. He was taken aback at first at the surprising speed she reacted. Then another flash and she turned on him with one hand over her heart and one hand reaching for his heart. He immediately realized they couldn't go as fast as him as long as he could but they could in flashes. He quickly grabbed her wrist trying to neutralize her in order to turn her around and throw her on the ground. He held tight and flung her other hand behind her back holding both her wrists tightly forcing her to the ground in flashes. He came back to normal time for a second to regain his strength. When he did this he noticed there were black Suvs posted on either end of the parking lot and men dressed in full tactical gear came running to the scene. Something odd started to happen his hands grew hot then he looked down his the body of his mom was becoming red hot her eyes were gone and appeared only as red orbs. " What the hell!!!" He tried to jump back into speed mode but couldn't and he heard Pat scream, " Let goo run let go!!!!" but he couldn't her eyes were hypnotizing him he felt a strange pull then he forced himself out of the daze using the pain as he guide back to reality. He pulled back. Pat had already finished off his fake dad and grabbed Nick and started running towards safety. His Mom's body begin to turn into a white light then a beam shot up to the sky arching her back in the process the robed entities were sucked into her like a vacuum. Just as Nick and Pat got behind one of the stairwells an explosion shook them off the ground rippling everything in sight shaking a layer of dust in the air as cars and everything else seemed to float for an instance. The explosion ripped through the air deafening anybody with a couple blocks. A wave of hot air burst from the epicenter of the explosion scorching everything within a small parameter. Then the hot air was sucked back into where the explosion began leaving behind cold freezing air hung dry. No flames or fires only cold.

"OKay umm what the hell, Reallly though Pat you could have warned about that! Im feeling things and seeing things in my head or in reality what the hell, there was my mom then red energy instead of green then it wasn't my mom!" Pat slapped him across the face. NIck stopped breathing so hard looked at him in disbelief. He squinted his eyes then said, " OKay yea I needed that. But look we need to start this whole training thing as soon as possible. O shit Jim and Ani." As he got out from behind cover he ran to where he saw a group of the agency men putting blankets over Jim and Ani. JIm was badly burnt on his arm and shoulder and they were treating his wounds. Nick walked through the grizzly scene with flashing lights all over and blockade set about. He saw agency men working with others to contain the scene. It looked like a scene from the end of a Die Hard movie. Nick thought as he allowed himself a small chuckle. "Holy shit what did I tell you about playing with fire," Jim coughed after he said this. Ani look worried at Nick and Jim. "NIcky Jim here saved my life he almost died saving me." She teared up as she said this which is something he had never seen or thought he would ever see for that matter. "Shit you don't look so good yourself my friend look you got a cut there bro," Jim pointed down by Nicks chest with his good arm and when he looked down he brought his finger up flicking his face. "Got you hah dam didn't see that coming. Just like the fact that your parents were actually bad guys umm by the way what the fuck was that. One minute you were over there the next you were moving in flashes so fast we couldn't see where you were at a time in fact your new found friend did the same trick. I no we would appreciate some answers and a hot meal we still didn't get to eat!" Nick laughed slightly then looked at Ani and she began to start laughing uncontrollably. The three were laughing heartily together bring tears to each others eyes. Pat came and sat down next to the cut and bruised bunch and calmly said, "Come on lets get the hell out of here. We are going to an agency safe house. I'm afraid your friends are in it for the long run too now." JIm scoffed, "You are afraid no Im afraid but its okay havne't had a dull moment yet." They all started laughing together as they got up and got into the Suv together. The authorities blamed the explosion on a drug deal gone wrong due to stray bullets penetrating a gas pipe. A gas explosion how cliche thought Paticlus. It reminded him of his time spent in the french revolution and the ridiculous excuses they made for the deaths caused by Merlin's monsters. He drove slowly to their safe house near the beach everyone was due for some rest and relaxation.

Chap 10.

The seagulls woke him up from the much needed deep sleep. Nick got up in a groggy daze due to all the beer and burgers they ate last night. He drank a little more then he should have last night due to the fact that he was extremely worried about his parents. The house sat on a beautiful pristine piece of east Florida's beach. The water turned aqua green with the rising sun. The beach sparkled and made for an inviting scene. Nick enjoyed the panoramic view from his bedroom on the third floor. He saw a couple sailboats and powerboats enjoying the beautiful sunny day. A light knock came from the door. " You awake Nick?" Pat came to his door with a small breakfast. "Yeaup I was just enjoying the view when you guys said a safe house you weren't playing." "Yes we managed to attain some nice things over the years, look we need to start training yesterday you were thrown back by the red energy weren't you." Nick nodded while he chewed on his breakfast. "Well the energy comes from the controller he operates a direct link with the look alikes which was your parents unfortunately. Which is a good thing because in order to create the link they must actually be alive. The Robed entities which we just call robes, are like drones. They operate only after the controller initiates their energy and gives them mission purpose after that nothing can destroy them. Nothing can stop them unless an engineer converts their energy into his own other they are shot with plasmic energy disrupters which essentially tears up their echto-plasmic make up." That explained the weird guns the other agency men were carrying. Nick grabbed his plate brought towards the kitchen outside in the main room.

He saw JIm and Ani relaxing by the pool side. Ever since the explosion and the near death experience Ani had took an obvious liking to Jim. She was the only one who didn't notice. The pool was glistening in the florida sun. There were only a few clouds in the sky. " You mentioned something about a controller it seems that Merlin has a team but he needs a place to operate from why can't we use our minds to find him?" Pat sat down on the white leather couch and pressed a button the glass wall changed to a darker tint and raised up from the floor changing into a angle that allowed the breeze inside while blocking the sun. " Thats a good question. First off he doesn't go by Merlin or the wandering jew or whatever mythological name different cultures have given him. He does have a team he gave his powers with some of the tech that he stole from us. We have always been either one or five steps behind by the time we find his headquarters. But every time we find one we find people that he has been experimenting on. The death toll is extremely high do you remember Dr. Mengele from the nazi regime well that was him. He used Hitler and tried to give him powers which was actually a brain disease that killed him. Hitler thought it would have brought him immortality." "Wow with every sentence you are blowing my world changing my whole perception of history dam Pat you just a ball of fun," Nick said this half joking while he was sipping on his mimosa he poured at the extravagant bar with ornate carvings in what seemed like was ivory but in reality was treated concrete. Pat asked for one as well and they sat in silence for a moment then Nick stared at him. "What is this that im feeling PAt!?" Nick looked deeply at Pat confused yet angry. PAt did not think his powers were that strong so soon. Pat had to block his emotions better or else Nick would find out the other part of his mission. So Pat tried to distract himself and Nick forcing a smile. "Well your mirror neurons have been super charged which means you can feel what others feel. Everybody has these neurons thats why movies can instill emotional reactions like when people wince when they see somebody get hurt they feel what they feel. Yours are so active that you could feel what your friends feel by the pool. You can't see mine because my brain's emg field is on a different frequency." Pat hated the fact he had to lie but he knew that the mission was bigger then a couple people and their small lives.

"This all seemed so unreal at first but in fact its quite scientific there really is no magic just advanced science." Pat stood now leaning on a pillar enjoying the breeze on his face. "Yup you could say that. What is magic but unexplained science after all. Now follow me into the basement we need to practice your skills so you don't feel everything or see random images now is when we focus your energy."

Meanwhile in Greece

He stared out into the morning sunrise. The wind was picking up making the waves taller and the birds were headed back to the island looking for safety. He never thought about the consequences of his actions only the goal, only the dream he had for people. He understood the costs have been great and it had turned his heart cold like water in Antartica, ice in his veins. Yet every time he read his diary he remembered who he was and why he was doing what he had to. The diary was his foundation his lighthouse in the fury of a storm that he created in order to save those around him from ignorance. Although he had changed his name from Merlin to Prometheus he still missed his simple identity before he changed. That was another life another person he regretted but with power comes responsibility.

After his evolution he understood that those who gave power to others held even greater power above them. He understood that the people of earth would never be free. After reading the minds of his captors and experimenters he saw the worlds they had conquered and not all were peaceful diplomatic occupations. Some cultures simply wanted to maintain their way of life yet under the Constructionist federation law it was illegal. So their interventionist policy hid under the flag of cooperation and help was a form of subjugation.

"Sir we have a transmission coming from Silas." " Put in on the main screen in the ready room." Prometheus walked down the corridor through the large vault like door into his chair and tapped the keypad on the side. "Yes Silas what's the good news?" "We are almost finished sir the lab is set and the submarine should be here momentarily the Intuition has all its guests already on board and our men are in place." Prometheus turned slightly looking down at his table then spoke, "What of our recent guests or hostages are they handling themselves well?" Silas responded quickly, " Yes sir their memory and identity have been altered they are enjoying the hospitality of the Inuition. We tried to use their look alike to distract the enemy and it worked by slowing them down for an instant but I still think they are getting close." Silas was always a cautious optimist it was his duty to be paranoid. "Very well, thank you for keeping me updated be safe and good luck my friend we are almost at the crucial point in this war of independence soon we will be able to tell the world our problem and our solution. No more bloodshed no more lies."

They ended the connection and Silas went about his work. The Intuition was amazing example of technology and style. Form and function met elegantly on this ship. Having a bio-tech/ oceanographic research lab was a great disguise for their true intentions. All the energy requirements were supplied by an unknown third engine on the submarine that was on the bottom of the ship. The ship had two main magneto-hydrodynamic engines which used the seawater to fuel its engines by extracting the chemicals it needed to propel itself. The third engine is in the submarine although it uses the same principal it is more advanced because it uses microwave it uses microwaves to heat compressed water to create steam which is converted into energy. These are advanced microwave frequencies which have not yet been discovered by earth scientists even though they are used in most ships in other galaxies. The energy needed for the experiment would be great and demand extreme consistency on the electro-magnetic field matrixes.

Silas had been by Prometheus side ever since he had been found by him in the woods disease stricken and poor. Yet he had passed the test because Prometheus had sent the image of a lone hurt wolf into his brain. Then Silas, despite his broken state gave the wolf some of his food and water and gave it a stint to help its leg heal. This act of kindness and spirit proved worthy for Prometheus to save his life and give him a new one. Now Silas was his controller he worked by his side and gave him his full loyalty.

The ship shined majestically from the still water with its bridge high in the sky acting as a beacon. The project had been years in the making and the money used was enough to start a small healthy country. Silas and his team were the best in computer engineering bio technology and most important of all neuroscientists. They had all been hand picked for this project they called "Enlightenment".

Silas knew the constructionists would try to stop them from setting the minds of every person on the planet free from the ignorant selfish materialistic view they had.

No matter the cost they must complete the task.

Chap. 11

NIck was sweating bullets in the dark yet he remained vigilant. The cave was dark but the torches on the wall were bright enough to show the path he needed. He breathed in the humid stagnant air around him. He heard a scraping noise behind him he turned slowly to see only a large boulder by a crevasse that descended into an abyss. Then immediately he turned around bringing his long sword into a upright position. The creature had jumped just a second before and Nick felt it come down violently on the sword yet he never wavered and never flinched. The large beast jumped right into the sword leaving the torso exposed. Nick watched the life flicker from its eyes. Then threw the beast to the side and stabbed it in the face.

Pat was surprised at the skill and ease of which Nick was dispatching his tests. "Not bad Nick Im actually a little proud. Okay lets take a break and get some dinner and talk strategy." They got out of the basement where Pat had constructed an alter reality to train him in and challenge his mental abilities. The stars shined brightly with no cloud in sight so everybody was eating dinner on the beautiful patio.

"So we have traced certain assets and corporate accounts and found nothing only a project named enlightenment does that ring a bell?" "NO sorry, but The word Intuition is still etched in my mind somehow I know that is in my destiny." Pat stood up quickly leaving his steak to get cold as he pulled up a computer screen on the glass table they were eating on. " Intuition is the ship that is leaving the port tomorrow morning. The ship is not only for cruise guests but has an advanced lab rented out to a company called GENCO." Pat showed him the picture of the cruise ship as they both nodded in agreement. "Shit thats the one from my dream." Ani coughed loudly, " May I interject brainiacs. Me and JIm were talking and we figured since we are involved anyways we are going to lend a helping hand. some of the agency men showed me how to use those weird looking guns they use and I am pretty proficient." JIm chimed in, "Yea and I am amazing at almost everything so I am gonna help with computers in fact let me see the keyboard display!" Pat and Nick looked at each other and shrugged they were not opposed to any and all help they could get.

Pat passed over the keyboard display which slid under the plates of food they were eating on the table. JIm moved it aside and pulled up the display observing momentarily checking the type of network connection it had and making sure it was encrypted. He typed up a couple keys and pulled up the manifest display for Intuition's maiden voyage. " Wow it looks like somebody deleted their reservation and ooo whats this Nick is going to get a room. Well you needed a vacation anyways didn't you. Hmm and whats this it seems that one of the waiters was fired by human resources for failing a drug test what a shame. There you go Pat and Nick now have passes and orders being emailed to their accounts now. Pat your name is Abel Wellington and NIck your name is well Nick no need to change since your id could still work with this charade but you are a wealthy businessman."

Jim looked pleased with himself. " Not bad at all looks like you got great friends behind you. That is exactly what we needed. I will have agency men get picked up for a distress call midway. We'll have the weapons shipped in the medical supplies. We have to move quick so I am going to be in the office making some phone calls. Nick you guys can handle it I have faith in your abilities and so should you." Pat left in a hurry and disappeared up the stairs. Jim turned to Nick smiling then he leaned over the table, "Hmm I have faith in your abilities what abilities Nick what the hell is going on?" NIck sighed and began at the beginning. He told them everything. They listened attentively even though sometimes they had to take a break because of simple fact that it was so much to absorb. It radically changed the way they viewed the world but after everything they witnessed it really didn't come as a surprise. It took about a hour to go over most of the important details.

Nobody could sleep that night due to anxiety for the upcoming events everybody except Pat. Nick's mind was a tumultuous bundle of questions and anxiety. He took a deep breath and relaxed. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. The one thought that could not leave his mind is why would somebody given amazing brain powers and incredible intelligence seek to kill those who had given it to him. He asked himself if it was true about what scientists debated about higher intelligence leading to create serial killers but he couldn't believe that nonsense. If someone suddenly became smarter and more aware of the power of his brain then that should lead that person to want to do good and help people. Then he started examining himself he thought his powers isolated him from others if anything. he felt like he could do a lot of good wait a minute that was it. The first thing he would want was to end his mental isolation from others therefore project "Enlightenment" He jumped up from his bed grabbed a robe and marched to Pat's room. Merlin was not going to destroy the world or enslave it he was going to force the same experiment that changed him upon the world.

" That would explain the name of the project. But why Intuition anyways get some rest we will handle it in the morning." Nick left the room and finally was able to get some rest. As Pat heard the footsteps fade away he picked up his phone and made a quick call, " He found out his true purpose why didn't you tell me he was going to recreate our test. Sir, it seems to me that there have been pieces of this puzzle that you have been holding back. I understand but...yes sir right away I will follow your orders to the letter forgive my doubts." Pat hung up the phone and now he couldn't sleep. He didn't understand why he had been fed a different story but it was okay he knew their mission was true and just.

Chap 12.

That morning they woke ate and showered quickly they had to be at the port in under an hour but with the helicopter provided time was not an issue. everybody was anxious to be under way. " So listen we will be able to sneak Jim and Ani on the boat that has the other agency men on board that will signal for the distress call by the azores. It takes about two weeks to cross the atlantic but the reports say Intuition can beat that record and do it in about 8 days. We will take our time and be observant we must get into the lab area without being noticed or detected okay Nick. And you two I want you to research the route and stops the intuition is going to make in order for their mission to work they will need to be around a major population center." "No problem I'll work on it right away." Jim grabbed his things and was getting his computer tech ready as Ani helped him.

Nick and Pat hopped into the chopper and headed for the port. Nick was dressed as a wealthy businessman with a nice suit and nice luggage. Pat had worker's attire and had little baggage. The beautiful beaches were dotted with beach goers and dogs and kids. People played happily in the water. Pat seemed pensive staring out at the beach yet looking at nothing at the same time. " You okay something bothering you?" Nick asked. " No just a little tired. Look you have be patient at first unfortunately we can not just trample down their door and go in guns blazing we have to take our time and spy in order to see what is going on so we don't make a bigger mess out of the whole thing." NIck agreed and then they talked about the different beaches they have been too and Pat started talking about his history and the beaches of early history. They arrived at the portly shortly and briskly walked towards the ship. Pat through the service entrance and Nick through the main gate.

Nick knew he couldn't screw this up he wanted to find his parents and he wanted to end this cat and mouse game. He was a confrontational sort of guy. He didn't like games and pretending this or that but he reserve his anger and his determination for when the time was right. As he got to his room his jaw dropped it was luxurious truly a combination of form and function. Every space was used effectively while maintaining a unique characteristic about it. He relaxed on the bed for a while then unpacked his things. He grabbed the pieces of the echto-plasmic gun he was able to smuggle aboard and put them together and hid it in his suit. The view from his cabin was stunning and the balcony had ornate carving depicting images of historical scenes from it. This would be a fun trip he thought to himself.

Meanwhile Pat was busy being harassed by his boss that was extremely younger then him, for being untimely and unprofessional as he so eloquently put it. Pat put away his modest belongings in his cramped bunk bed locker and marched with the rest of the staff. Everybody held multiple roles and the meeting was maintaining discipline in those roles and not complaining. Pat laughed to himself thinking that he actually missed playing the role of a dog at least they got treated better.

The ship sounded the horns signaling they were leaving people were on the dock waving goodbye and everyone was on the railing or balcony waving back. As Nick looked below he saw some trucks that were barreling down a service road leaving the cargo bay area where the boat received its supplies. The trucks and containers were painted with the name "Prometheus". Nick thought to himself what an interesting name for a company he wondered what they did and would ask Jim when they come aboard in a couple of days.

That afternoon Nick jumped in the pool and enjoyed the sun getting a much needed tan in the process. After his nap he woke to get some dinner. He strolled by the starboard side of the ship enjoying the starry night listening to low hum of the ship's propellers churning the water. He couldn't help but thirst for more as he stared at the stars. He wanted to know more about the worlds and civilizations that were out there now that he knew without a shadow of a doubt there were aliens out there even aliens that looked human. It almost seemed like you could touch the Milkyway. He arrived at one of the more expensive restaurants and sat down by himself in a corner booth. His waiter came and asked if he was enjoying himself. NIck almost laughed as he saw Pat. The smile on his face angered him slightly. "Wow I never thought in the short time I have known that I would have the chance to see you where that sir. Ill have the churasco with mashed plantains and a house salad." Pat feigned disgust then smiled and said, "Even the assignment as your dog is preferable to this they treat us like shit but the pay is okay according to my co-workers. Except I am not getting paid anyways have you seen anything out of the ordinary?" " No not yet but you know how to reach me though Im in cabin 102 dolphin section. Have you felt anything though I feel the presence of my parents I think I don't know." Nick looked down in disappointment at the fact he had not honed his mental abilities as well as he needed to. Pat sensing this said, " Listen your doing fine okay just maintain a clear head and remember not to overthink anything the power is within you it is within every self aware being. You just have to turn on the faucet alright." PAt caught sight of his manager passing by and switched to waiter mode, " Your food will be ready right away could I interest you in any of our wines?" "Yes I would like your best Pinot Noir." Nick smirked almost unnoticeably but Pat caught it and laughed at the situation inside his head. As Pat walked away he realized that he took a liking to this Nick person. He knew he shouldn't but he could see them becoming friends. In fact he cared about him as family a younger brother almost which is something Pat had never had with his fellow people of his own race. Friendship was part of their culture yes but not how the earthling's culture did it. So many pieces of Earth's culture he liked although they were very primitive still. They still had wars and petty squabbles amongst themselves. They were still selfish and egocentric but outside of the reality tv shows and horrible destruction they forced on each other he saw hope a glimmer of hope in the heart of Nick.

Nick left the beautiful restaurant and walked towards the bow. He wanted to get a good idea of the ship. The wine sat well in his belly and the steak left him satisfied and happy. As he reached the bow he sat on one the modern lounge chairs that were set up for the guest to enjoy.

A couple was flirting and whispering a couple chairs away in the dark. Nick sat away from them giving them some space. he was staring at the milky way again dreaming and thinking. A woman in a slender black dress revealing some of her left leg and thigh gracefully approached the edge of the bow with a glass in her hand. He was taken aback by her beauty and her elegance. Then she turned her face to fix her hair. Adrenaline pumped into Nick's heart and brain shock overwhelmed his brain melting it and freezing him in place. It was the girl from the jet ski day. There was no mistaking those deep engaging eyes. she glanced up from the floor as she finished fixing her hair as if she could feel his alert presence and shock. She calmly turned back and started walking slowly toward the far stairs around the corner. He ran around the corner only to see the edge of dress slip through the door into the corridor on the floor beneath. He bolted down the stairs almost falling in the process. He ran through the door only to catch a glimpse of her walking briskly down the corridor then she turned around and the lights flickered and shut off. Not even the emergency lights turned on. That didn't stop him from running in the dark. Confusion scattered his thoughts and his focus. The lights turned back on and emptiness is all that met his eyes.

His heart sank and he left back to his cabin. He slumped in his chair and pulled the plasma screen from its hiding place and turned the tv on to catch some news. Was it really her and if it was why did she just walk away. One thing Nick learned for certain is that there are no coincidences. He turned on the bath trying to relax and think clearly. He left the water running and went to grab a towel he left on the balcony. He heard a clicking sound at the door somebody was coming inside. Was it Pat or somebody else, surely Pat would have knocked or found some way to alert him it was him at the door. Nick crouched behind the chair quickly. A large man entered the room wearing regular clothes yet there was a familiar bulge where a gun and holster would usually go. Nick debated whether to fight or flee for a second until he saw the second man and then a third enter the room. As they headed towards the steamy bathroom Nick jumped into the night. He landed on the protruding balcony below making a loud thud and almost falling off into the oblivion of the ocean. He heard shouts from above, "Wait don't run damn get him he's underneath us!" Nick banged on the sliding glass door nobody was there at the moment thankfully. He grabbed whatever clothes he found laying about and ran through the door. He didn't know where he was running yet but he ran until his lungs were burning for air.

He stopped by the casino on board catching his breath by the entrance. A man in a suit came around the corner already on a walkie talkie. Nick tried walking calmly to see if his pursuers already knew what he looked like. The man on the walkie starting walking briskly towards him. "Well that was a long shot damn they know what I look like," he whispered to himself. Nick started sprinting in the opposite direction. He turned a corner dodging a drunken couple barely missing a collision. He kept running then slowed as he heard music in the background , the club perfect spot to hide in a crowd of people. Nick ran towards the music and up the stairs. The fierce burning in his legs didn't matter adrenaline pushed him through the pain. He reached the entrance hearing shouts far behind him yet the pounding of feet grew closer. He stepped in the club and saw the multi tiered room and began moving towards a good vantage point. The top section overlooking the dance floor provided the perfect spot because it still had some crowds mingling by the upstairs bar. He sat in a darker part of the club. Two men came rushing in putting their walkie talkies away since the music probably made it impossible to hear. Nick sat back and realized even sitting down he would remain wide open so he looked for a way he could get into the dancing crowd without being noticed. The two men waited at the entrance until two other men showed up to take their place. The first two separated and began searching either side of the club. Nick's heart was pounding not only from the run but because for the first time he felt fear. It wasn't fear for himself or his well being but fear of failure. He could not fail his parents his friends or the world. He knew that if allowed to continue the change forced upon Merlin would destroy society and ravage our planet because people were not ready for such an extreme evolution.

The two men finished with the down stairs and started for the upper level. Nick lost sight of them when he went to the other crowd to dance with them yet it was too small for his purposes so he waited at the bar while peeking over his shoulder. He ordered bacardi 151 with the flame at the top. As the bartender passed him his drink a large hand grasped his shoulder. "Relax and come with us NIck!" Nick feigned surrender then turned in a whirlwind action throwing the flaming drink on his pursuer which then turned him into a human candle. He quickly released his grasp and his partner came rushing from the other side as Nick jumped over a chair avoiding the other man. He ran down the stairs glass in hand until he saw somebody at the base of the stairs. Screams could be heard from upstairs sending a ripple of panic through the already loud club. Nick saw the man reach inside his suit jacket and immediately hurled the glass in his hand at the man's face throwing him back into the floor and knocking him out. Nick jumped over the railing and sprinted through the crowd to the exit where he stood face to face with the other two men at the door. Nick gathered his strength as he was about to use his mental abilities to speed through them when he heard a girl's voice. " Relax Nick and go to sleep!" She touched him sending a surge of electricity through his body leaving him paralyzed. As he fell to the ground he saw the girl he had been looking for, the one from Ibiza. Curiosity spread across his face as the lights and vision blurred together fading to black.

Chap. 12

He awoke in a daze and the blur from the tranquilizer still had not worn off. He tried to move his arms and legs but could not get any feeling in his extremities. The room was dark and there were only a couple lights coming from what seemed like torches in the distance. He felt a small twitch in his hand and tried with more effort he could feel and move his hands within an hour. The darkness turned to dim light and he could see the room a little better it looked like a smaller dungeon with stone walls and metal doors.

Light footsteps could be heard in the distance. As the footsteps got closer the light from the torches grew brighter. He closed his eyes and pretended to go back to sleep. The footsteps stopped by his left side. "AHh Nick no use in pretending you are asleep. I can feel what you feel." Nick slowly opened his eyes then looked at his captor. Her voice echoed slightly in the room. "Im sure youre confused as to how I got here well its kind of like what happen to you. Remember our joy ride in the lightning storm. If you had not covered me with your body I wouldn't have made it. Since I was touching you when you were struck I got some of your powers. But I bet they told you nothing about why the lightning struck because it was no accident." "Elizabeth what did you do to me and why? Why are you helping these people you don't know who they are. They told me everything, " Nick managed to speak from a hoarse throat. "Sure they did. Well let me give you the real version. They are the ones who set the lightning upon you and they have done it before in history in order to preserve the timeline and the natural evolution of this planet. They use special people like you to preserve a balance that favors their goals and ambitions. They use them and their own extensive power to curtail any effort made in independent evolution but I am sure they have told you their own version of garbage."

She left abruptly not even giving him a chance to answer back. Nick barely had time to process the fact that she had survived and gained some of his abilities but to what extent and why did she come to talk to him. It was dark and damp again. He tried to stretch but couldn't under the chains. She came back all the lights came on and the stone walls evaporated into white metal walls. An airtight door cranked open somebody else walked in he could almost see the room on the other side. The man stood tall at least a foot over Elizabeth she nodded to him. The man walked over and touched Nick on the leg. A surge of burning electricity bled through his veins. His vision blurred for a moment then faded back to black.

By the time Jim and Ani were aboard with the reinforcements Pat had been looking for Jim for a week. He had not been on his cabin and Pat could not report him missing because it would raise too many red flags. Jim had fulfilled his promise about finding the best spot for carrying out the plan. Their concern for NIck was growing with time. they realized the route put them at three major population centers. Athens, Rome and Cairo were the top spots.

"Dammit he has to be below in the labs somewhere. Maybe he has the whole lab under his control or worse the ship in fact who paid for all this anyways?" Jim started typing up questions hopefully he could find the answers in time. The meanwhile Ani was talking with the agents checking blueprints of the ship that they had available. "But these measurements just don't add up look here there is an unaccounted space of about three meters in width thats enough for a hallway of sorts and over here by the engine room this space on this map say there is a power conduit and this map says in turns into a sewer main."

Pat walked into a room buzzing with activity and maps being displayed and examined and people conversing tactics in the corner. After much discussion they found that the only way would be to bring out their enemy giving them something they couldn't resist. Quiet deliberation led to a confrontation. "Ani are you sure your capable I have seen that from the way you handle yourself but this is extremely risky." "You want to talk risky what about our ace in the hole getting burned then we got nothing and my friend ends up dead for nothing." Then the agents and Ani looked at Pat. He had been sitting by the balcony in the room they had borrowed from Nick. "Soo Pat we are gonna need a little hand." He looked over and finished chewing his much needed dinner and whiskey. " Sure whats up you need bait and IM looking pretty. Well ill tell you what set me up and if they come for me at least we will be able to see them but if the whole boat if the whole company is in cahootz then we'll know for certain but its already too late we are in the mediterranean and its about time they start their project hahahah." "You don't seem like yourself sir are you alright." " Look lets just get him back he is the main piece to the puzzle its not like he is going to get killed. They need him for the last process if they want to expand."

Everybody looked at eachother and smiled with satisfaction they were ready to go. A frontal assault was out of the question which is why they opted for a hijacking of the ship they had the men they had the resources and it was the only thing that would grab the attention of the sinister operators behind the plot. They could not find a better way to get their attention. Unfortunately they didn't know that the submarine under the ship had already departed with Nick aboard. The submarine was headed towards the main base among one of the beautiful isolated islands Prometheus had picked for his homebase. Nick had been unconcious but could still feel the emotions of the ones close to him. Thankfully he knew his parents were safe and they were aboard yet they were under a sort of spell confusing and disorienting them.

JIm and Ani were hard at work the agency people were now spread acorss the boat on a beautiful afternoon. They carried regular weapons with the addition of a couple special weapons to help them deal with any threats from the robed entities. The sun shined brightly on this mediterranean afternoon. The sun made his brow sweat as JIm checked more blueprints by the poolside on his tablet. He saw something familiar then tried a new approach. He sent the blueprints of the ship to his artificial intelligence computer. He knew it was only a prototype but he felt in it could stand up to the test. The artificial intelligence assimilated the data and completed its scan. " Jim we had an unusual side question?" " Yes becky what is it?" JIm was ecstatic at the fact that the computer was asking for permission to pursue a different train of thought a different line of questioning. His computer had been in the small stages but it represented the future of all computers he thought to himself. " Well the formation of the ship and the placement of certain signal boosters and iron beams have me suspicious can you give me the blueprint of a neural cortex?" Jim obliged Becky his A.I. and gave her full access to his neuroscientific database. Five minutes later becky came back with an extensive report supporting her argument. Which was explained by her robotic voice, " After looking and comparing two pictures for several moments I realized the two are the same. She displayed two pictures. One picture on her display showed the neural synapses of a human brain and on the side showed the ship and highlighted few parts. The ships design was a mimic of the human brain. The ship appeared to have a fiber optic and iron beam network that symbolized that of a neo cortex human brain. "Om my god" uttered Ani. Jim blew up the image on the screen. " What are the bridge's metal composits and what are the main components and blow an image of those metals." In seconds the outline of the bridge of the ship came up framed by the larger picture of the boat. The whole room was staring at the image withe their breath held in silence trying to understand the image. The bridge started to appear as a satellite dish. The magnesium and copper alloys that were used in the construction of neuro-signal boosters were plentiful in the spiral that appeared. When the final image came online the view that highlighted the important parts it appeared as if the whole ship was used to boost brain emg signals in order to increase the capacity of any mind in a contagious wave that jumped from a large group of people. Essentially the goal seemed to be to use large group of people to increase their brain capacity by hitting each brain with advanced cell activation. Then it jumped from each population it hit. Each person boosted the signal and it bounces from person to person increasing with intensity. After that it was essentially just like a line of dominoes falling on each other except the dominoes were cities of people. " If we are lucky ⅔ of the people affected will survive but most likely only a third of the people contaminated will survive." Everybody looked grimly at each other. "Well lets get Nick and shut it down. Their best shot would have been at Rome but after I checked a few things I realized Athens would be the right spot because of a concert that they have planned for tomorrow night." They had less than a day to form an assault plan in a ship they could not even find the right blueprints for. They had finally agreed and set the time for their hijacking. Pat was able to get in contact with some of the agency men in greece and turkey and told them to be ready with tactical support. If allowed to continue this incident would cost millions of lives and nobody would be able to stop it after it started. Pat had never seen this kind of lack of regard from his archenemy and wondered at the thought of fighting an enemy who cares so little for his own people that he would willingly sacrifice them in order to preserve the whole of his operations. Paticlus saw no honor in this game he had been forced to play he missed the stars flying about nothingness watching the nebulae. Worst of all he realized that part of his mission may be impossible for him to carry out but he put that thought away and focused on the issue at hand.

Nick was stuck in a daze because the controller did not want him to be conscious while the submarine made its way to the headquarters of Prometheus. The submarine had made a few stops God knows where though since all Nick could see was impenetrable darkness. Despite his sense deprivation he felt when the ship surfaced twice. He remained calm and he focused all his energy within himself separating from his body and focusing on his energy. He cleared his mind and began to see clearly he felt clearly with no inhibitions then he realized what had to be done.

Chap. 13

The sun was falling in the sky giving way to the night lights of Athens. The city looked spectacular from the distance. It was majestic and proud spreading and conquering the mountains before it. Ani and the rest of the team were walking by the pool and the stairs that led to the bridge. The stairs and rooms leading to the bridge was reminiscent of a honeycomb. It was a misleading maze of stairs and walkways. But after the recon they did the whole day before they found the weakness. Ani sat by a lonely gentlemen at the pool bar. He was almost finished with his drink when she sat down. The sun was flickering out and she started talking with the lonesome man. They talked and laughed after awhile then they started walking away towards the bridge. The man was the lieutenant for night watch duty and was taking Ani upstairs just to show her around. As soon as they got out of sight and up the stairs she pulled a gun on him. " Don't say a word and youll live just open the door." As she finished her sentence five men rushed behind her in a line formation. The man shrugged and cooperated. The team marched up the winding stairway carefully and cautious not to excite alarm if anybody saw them coming.

When they reached the bulkhead everybody was smiling and in a jovial mood inside the bridge. The lieutenant knocked and entered thankfullly nobody paid mind to the dreadful look on his face then somebody yelled in russian.

"ON the ground!!" Ani rushed the man aside and started handcuffing the entire crew. One of the crew members rushed for the alarm but was stopped immediately. The man behind Ani shot him down then looked at her and said, "Relax maam their tranquilizers alright no need to worry we are the good guys remember" he said with an english accent. They had control of the bridge in seconds then more agency men came rushing in the other side. " We have sealed the other entrances with anti personal mines that will persuade anybody from coming that way. We still need to secure the engine room." Jim halted them before they went down then he handed him his tablet ,"Now u have camera access to whats going on around there I tapped into their network so Ill also be able to hear if anything important starts to happen.

They marched downstairs quietly putting to sleep anybody they encountered. Ani was leading the way at the bottom of their destination. Once they gotton to the bottom floor of the ship they split in two teams. One for each side of the ship. The elevator dropped them into a different world. It was dark and cold which was the opposite of the bright interior of the rest of the ship. The hum from the engine could be heard from every angle. Jim moved silently behind Ani scanning for any booby traps or false walls. They reached the engine room when the other team radioed in that they just got to the other side.

Everybody was brimming with anticipation which is why they had their real guns ready. The doors were locked naturally. So each team placed timed explosives. Sweat fell down the brow of everybody waiting for the breach signal. It was starting to get hot and hard to breathe. The explosion was short and not as loud as most movies would make it. The directional c4 blew a hole weather lock was and enabled the doors to be open from the outside. Smoke filled the inside the room. The interior was alive with mechanical sounds but no alarm came forth. No group of engineers ran back and forth in the explosion.

Alarms did go of they just couldn't hear it. The bridge was alight with alarms and sirens. On the submarine, when Nick was trapped, alarms sounded sending the whole sub into code red. Silas debated what to do for a moment. "Turn around get back to the Intiution immediately full speed." Damn those stupid agents they didn't even know who or what they were really working for. IF they want a fight he would give them one. He told the men he had on the sub the situation and gave a list of orders to the pilot of the Sub. He knew this would be a hard fight but they needed this to work. It had been years the project was underway and he could not come back empty handed.

The sub changed direction thankfully they were in the area when the alert came through. The engine started into overdrive and Silas was ready for battle since he had been tired of hiding.

The teams walked in the room and found only machinery and panel of buttons. After milling about they set up some lights and starting to look for the base of the signal booster in order to destroy it. Two agency men went down the metal stairs in the under side of the engine. The engine was large in size because it had to process so much sea water for energy. They reached the bottom and were walking by the engine admiring its inner workings. Two flashes of light cut the darkness the two men dropped as the silenced pistol shot killed them. Silas had told the men to make it easy for them to fall for the trap and they did as they allowed their enemy to walk right into their hands.

Pat had been calling for all men to report back and two of them had not shown. Adrenaline flooded his blood he could feel his enemy he yelled, "Their coming get down open fire now." All the veterans opened up immediately without hesitation unfortunately one rookie was caught by surprise and reacted a second to slow as he was cut down by bullets. Their automatic guns echoed loudly in a symphony of violence in the small room. The gun smoke was starting fill the room to the point where it was impeding visibility.

The opening salvo only took seconds which left two wounded and one dead. Jim and Ani were by the control panel which was in a room overlooking the engine room. The rest of the assault team was pinned down behind cover. There were two floors in the room with engine in the middle catwalks provided only a little cover with barrels and machinery terminals. The doors to the engine room were still open. Ani called over Pat while laying down cover fire. She hit a steam valve and it hissed in the distance. Pat came over hunched over and looking around desperately trying to get a fix on the shooters. "Look you know they could send for reinforcements from the back they knew we were coming. We have to leave this position or else we are going to end up like general Custer in his final battle. Why can't you do that thing you do when you were speeding up and whooping ass back at the hotel." He looked down, " It requires that there be another mind with the same capabilities I piggyback off their power. If I tap into my own I burn through my neurons at an accelerated rate by bouncing my energy off another emg field I won't become brain dead. Im waiting for him to send the robes in even with them I can only use so much energy but it will buy us the time we need and thats why they have us pinned while they figure out what to do."????

Silas trusted Elizabeth because she had already proved her loyalty and worth. She had taken over operations until Silas dropped off their guest at headquarters unfortunately they had to turn around before they could. " Sir we will be momentarily delayed it seems our agency friends have hijacked our cruise I can't leave those poor souls unattended and miss the party now can I." Prometheus's face was stone cold when he gave the order to fulfill the mission personally. There could be no running away today he had been preparing for centuries. Only now did he complete the piece of the frequency. He had spent years collecting the energies that had flown away at the site of Stonehenge. That test showed him it could be done but he needed more people and he needed an amplifier so the ship was the perfect cover. Prometheus was at his end if this time failed then he would give up his search for global enlightenment. He knew there would be a great cost of lives from the process. To him the wars men fought over the years was more of a human cost then the small amount that may not survive the artificial evolution.

The sound of boots coming from the doors could be heard in the brief period of tense silence. JIm figured they had to be using night vision so he told everybody to throw flares and flashbangs or flashlights to throw off their goggles but then they found the light switch on the panel. The lights came on and they saw all the way to the far back area but now they could be seen to and their position was more open. A wall of bullets echoed into the room with deadly ricochets bouncing of the metal walls. Jim managed to get ahold of the bridge and told them they were pinned down and to watch their back. Then he told them to set off the fire extinguisher sensors in the hallway behind them and in the hallway on their right flank. A moment later a smothering cloud of white smoke was blasted into the hallways sucking up oxygen making almost unbearable to stand in. The whole team opened up this time. Everybody moved as one towards the doors. They threw grenades before entering scaring away the enemy reinforcements and blowing the fire extinguisher chemicals. The wounded made it out first JIm was covering the last guy leaving threw the door. Three men moved up the far stairs and opened fire jim jumped behind a pump station next to the door. He told them to keep going ANi resisted violently but she was already caught in a flood of motion and they kept moving while they had the chance.

Jim was breathing deeply and then he saw his leg had managed to catch one of the bullets. He heard more steps and more boots coming from all directions. He saw he had two options. To Jim giving up was never an option never a choice then he smiled and knew what he had to do. Jim grabbed the tablet from his backpack entered a code and then looked up.

The lights went dark in engine room again. "Sir we have regained control of the upper engine room but the lights.." he was cut off by gunfire coming from the door and then two pinging sounds. Something hit the metal ground "grenaddee" yelled one the men but it was too late. The explosions rocked the room sending a horrible shriek in the air. Now even more smoke and burnt metal littered the room yet the engine was not damaged because this was a superficial engine set only to appease the eyes of others who were not privy to the true intention of the ship.

The Intuition had given no sign of the fierce firefight going on in bowels of the ship. An emergency hospital helicopter had been scrambled to meet some people on the ship. The men on the bridge were curious but maintained the act. They had donned the uniforms of the crew and were trying to help the rest of the team get back. Sir we have report of a scheduled pick up here we need to land and refuel the radio ceased after that and they landed on the helipad above. The team went to greet the chopper and check it out. The pilots got of the helicopter and kept their helmets on. They walked briskly towards the men and saluted then kept walking towards the bridge instead of down the stairs. one of the agency men tried to ask, "Sir where are your orders. We haven't given permission to come aboard. We need to see your orders." One pilot kept walking and one stopped dead in his tracks. He turned then reached for something in his bag. When he pulled out his hand it was turned into a blade made out of bone. Shock paralyzed the agent as he tried to run back the blade penetrated his heart clear through the rib cage. The pilot turned around and ran to catch up to his partner they turned a corner and disappeared in the locker room below the bridge.

The modern submarine docked within seconds half of its crew already had climbed in through the docking tube. They found their comrades just finishing up apparently they scared the enemy away into their trap. Just as Silas came on board He could feel Pat's presence. They had fought once before and it was a startling draw. They also took out a third of a small city in the process luckily Stalingrad was under siege and the destruction of world war two covered their tracks. Silas took a few steps when the lights went out and two large explosions could be heard from the far end. He ignored the distraction. He looked around and used his pyrokinetic abilities to set the roof alight with lines of fire that provided as a light source for his men. "There go clean up the mess." Silas was more focused on getting to the secondary engine room. He hit a sequence of numbers then pulled a lever. A whole section of machinery gave way to a smaller room flooded with a blue light coming from the center. The process of cold fusion always gave off a blue light and shown brightly and beautifully. He smiled every time he saw except this time his mind was on his duty. It was the first form of clean continuous energy that could revolutionize the world after the " Enlightenment" was complete Silas and Prometheus would spread this technology over the world helping millions. In addition to that their farming techniques and hydroponic methods would end starvation around the world. The ends justified the means. he closed the door behind him then started hitting buttons on the holographic display before him staring the process. He called on Elizabeth through the visual display. " Hows the distraction coming along that we set up for our guests?" "They won't know what hit them. The twins are getting ready to morph now and take out the bridge crew then I have secured all the bulkheads funneling the rest of our guests into a bottleneck by the stairs and hallways, they will think there is a fire on board and all they will see and smell is smoke and fire. That should disorienet them enough for our boys to go to work. Im sorry they couldn't be reasoned with." "Yes yes we tried that route to no avail. Good work please get on the helicopter and leave this place I dont want your brain to overload and turn your gift into a curse if that initial hits us we will die a very painful death." "You got it is NIck still in the Submarine?" Silas understood her concern for him but warned her against it since they were on different sides.

The team of agents with Ani stopped before a bulkhead that was at the top of stairs. They could feel heat from the other end and the heat made it hot to open the door. So a group of them had separated and left to check the other side. In a minute they reported the same thing. " Damm they are funneling us." The other agent agreed, "Yea but if we can beat them to the punch by doing the exact opposite of what they want us to do then we will have the advantage or we do exactly what they want us to and then that would be the opposite either way we have to do something quick we are sitting ducks in here. Im going to send five men to check down stairs and leave the other six with us while we cover our rear as why try to retreat most likely the main contingent downstairs is just buying time in order to gear up to take us all down." The situation looked grim and everybody was showing it most were running low on ammunition and there were wounded but they were pushing through valiantly. Ani had no tactical training and had never seen a person die in front of her but her medical knowledge still helped the team so she had naturally went into doctor mode helping the wounded. She was a natural born soldier the leader of the agency men told her. His name was Jack a californian born navy seals retiree. She was pleased she stepped up to the plate so easily. It was amazing all the characters that are within us from heros to villians we choose who we are every second of every choice we make our story she thought to herself as she sat two thousand miles away from her home. Now she realized it was time to get these men out of here safely and her morale increased tenfold. "Lets get those bastards she yelled with the other men heading down the stairs. They worked symbiotically the five man team covered the six and vice versa as they climbed back down.

As all of them made it to the floor right above the engine room a door opened on the far side in the dark since Elizabeth had shut down all of the lights. The polygenetic shifters called the twins came in through the side. They shed their pilots' suits and wore nothing at all. They marched towards where they could smell blood. Ani was thinking hard and keeping her eyes on alert. The heat was getting worse in the small compartments. Then she saw a vision ahead in the darkness. Some of the others turned around then they shone their flashlights into the abyss. Nothing appeared then all of sudden two naked men came walking out of the darkness. "Freeze hold it or we will open fire" PAt turned after he heard the yelling but it was too late. The twins grew larger and started to grow into each other then they became a blob of moving flesh so fast nobody could make out what was happening nor did they care to see. "Open fire run now" The men around him started to fall back. The rest opened fire trying to avoid hitting each other. The two twins became one.

A large creature with six legs filled the hallway touching the ceiling. It was a mass of large sharp teeth with a smaller row of teeth inside. It had the tongue of a snake except on it were barbed needle like fangs. The creature was a grotesque example of pure function. Its main only purpose was destruction and killing. The creature lurched forward slicing three men as it trampled over them the whole team opened up with a volley of bullets each kept shooting until the magazines hit empty. The gunsmoke cleared only to show emptiness. "Go run keep running down towards the engine room whatever you hear don't stop."

Pat knew that it was there behind the emptiness. The creature had jumped in the cavity of the ceiling melting itself by the pipes in order to avoid the damage from the gunfire although it could have survived it. Pat could use his energy to a certain extent but he felt the presence of two strong beings he could bounce the power from. He set fire to the walls. The flames burned blue giving him some light he saw the creature rematerializing now. He grabbed a gun from a fallen comrade then set the gun free in the air and picked up the others with his mind. The creature started running towards him. The guns fired their whole clips while Pat set each bullet alight with fire as he closed his eyes and used the most of his abilities to burn a hole through that monstrosity. That creature was taken aback by the force of this new opponent.

It opened its large mouth and reached its tongue towards Pat he grabbed his knife from his waist and tried to stab it but it was too late. IT had grabbed a hold of him and now the monster was closing in on him slowly ready to devour him. Its eyes were pure blackness and evil. Devoid of anything except lust for life. Just as it reached towards Pat he grabbed a flashbang grenade and threw into the cavernous mouth of the creature. It swallowed it and two seconds later the tongue unraveled around Pat as soon as his arms were freed up a little bit he stabbed the creature in the eyes and ran for the first bulkhead. The heat was gone there was no fire a trick it had been an illusion shit that means the rest of the team walked right into an ambush shit. He spun the door lock open and ran outside into the open air. The twins never knew defeat or death all they knew was their orders from the master. The heat and explosion in their belly left half it on the floor. For the first time it was scared squealing in horror. The beast got up on its two front legs crawling towards the light of the open door hoping to end its pain by defeating its enemy that caused it such pain. Vengeance glazed over its eyes Pat was trying another bulkhead on the side of the ship. The beast dragged itself to its prey and was about to lunge its teeth and claws into Pat when the sound of a crack of lightning came from behind him. A black helicopter sat in the distance hovering he could see a sniper hanging off the side waving at him. Pat turned around and saw the beast had part of its face blow off. THe whole beast started to steam up and melt as its molecular structured reverted back to its original beginning. Damm that was close he waved thank you wondering who it was aboard the helicopter.

Nick heard all sorts of noises starting up around him. He couldn't take the restraints he had to get out somehow or he would be murdered like a dog. He began to focus within himself. He collected all of his energy in his heart and realized nothing could hold him back. Nick saw his family his Mom and Dad his friends he saw his dog then he saw Pat. The bright fuzzy visions gave him strength his friends and family gave him the strength he yearned for then his hands began to flame up. His whole body began to exert a blue flame and Nick felt a surge of power. THE surge overtook the room as the metal walls buckled under the invisible force he exerted upon them. The emg field Silas put on Nick had failed. Nick could feel his strength coming from within. He burned the metal restraints into liquid metal then moved faster than light. In a flash the room was empty leaving only the smell of burning metal and a gust of wind.

Ani's team was heading back for the engine room at a slow cautious pace but they heard nothing. They could feel the engines turning over and the ship rumbling around them and they knew the process was starting. The ship had maneuvered into position already. Ani was scared to find Jim because she couldn't stand the sight of his broken body that he had given for the rest of the team. Such a smart unassuming hippie looking man she thought to herself, yet he was as brave as a bull and his loyalty was unmatched. They reached the doors one agent peaked in quickly fell backwards with an extra bullet in his forehead. The lights came on and what appeared to be an empty hallway was not. The men appeared before them like a mirage being lifted in the desert then they all realized. The fire the heat the smoke had all been an illusion to get them back they were surrounded by at least a hundred people. The agents didn't put down their weapons. They clung to them and looked at Ani. "Maam it has been a pleasure and honor fighting alongside you" They all saluted and she began to tear up. "Put the weapons down gentleman there has been enough bloodshed of good people here today from both sides." The booming voice echoed in the corridor and seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Come in the engine room I have something you will want to see." The guns they had all of a sudden become red hot and the threw them out of their hands. Ani led the way and looked around she didn't see Jim's body with the other bodies that had been gathered by the front of the console. A tall man in a blue shiny suit stood by the lower portion of the engine room.

As they were marched by the others downwards they were puzzled by a strong blue light that came from an opening towards the end of the room. Once downstairs and encircled by men with machine guns the man came in front of them. " This is the beginning. This cold fusion reactor is the power source for that machine there." A huge cylinder on the side was beaming with pink and blue and yellow lights. Silas pointed then spoke, "This is the signal booster that will send an EMG signal into the brains of everyone aboard then everyone in Athens which will then bounce around europe and africa and Asia. We are in the perfect location to enlighten the world. I think its fitting that we begin at the cradle of democracy and western philosophy even though the chinese had the west beat by a couple hundred years ashame about that isolationist position they took or they would have been running the world hahah ahh the things you know when see true history. Listen stop fighting us. People have shed their own blood for too long and when somebody like my master comes along to give us a gift you turn it down ridiculous." With a turn he was gone in a second. Silas headed for the control room in the submarine and order them to be tied up.

NIck had seen what was going on and waited for the right moment to turn up the heat. He watched his friends being tied up. He created the illusion that he was a piece of machinery. Then he felt something who was it ahh Paticlus was here Nick was thankful he wasn't dead. Pat sensed Nick. Then he heard his voice in his head. "Wait for it we will work together. Take care of the main contingent turn them on each other by making them seem like agents are coming at them I will use the ensuing confusion to enter the sub and take out Silas. You have to get out of here though and evacuate the boat but we have to destroy the ship. Run it aground on the island to our portside. Nick be careful okay I will see you on the Island. Nick agreed.

The men finished tying up the agents. They tapped some buttons and a couple men stayed behind to make sure the machine finished warming up and began producing the signal. Nick sent an image of agents attacking from each side when the rest of the crew about fifty or sixty in total started to head back down to the submarine. What happened after would have made even the most battle hardened soldier quiver. Each of them started shooting wildly at nothing and then at each other. They began fighting with their bare fists. It was medieval the way they were fighting. Pat squeezed through the lines of confusion managing to only have to put up with two men that tried to bite and stab him. The guns were empty and bodies lay everywhere. blood stained Pat's shoes up to his ankles just like in jerusalem after the christians slaughtered everyone behind the walls so they could loot the city.

Pat sealed the dock clamps and released them on the sub side. The rest of the sub crew was abuzz with confusion as to what was going on above them nobody reported back and the docking tube was sealed and flooded. "Sir we have a problem the prisoner is not there!" Silas grimaced shit contiue with the power download then leave this ship we have no time for games and set about a security sweep set the proximity alarms and send security teams to sweep the sub now! Also tell Ms. Monterro to be ready at her end for anything and keep an eye on the light show." Elizabeth returned to the island that had be her home of rebirth. Prometheus taught her about the universe and showed her the power within herself it all seemed like a dream. She wasn't herself she was a better more than human powerful force of nature. For the first time Elizabeth felt in control even though she wasn't herself. The helicopter was engulfed in the fake trees and fell into the bunker below. The headquarters was part mansion and resort and part bunker. On the outside it was a beautiful whitewashed beachside mansion. She went to the living room which held a breathtaking panoramic view of Athens and the horizon which also enabled her to see the ship, but something funny was happening something incredibly shocking that made Elizabeth drop her drink on the floor, the ship was changing direction.

NIck was able to free the remaining agents and Ani. "Where's JIm Ani he asked as they were untying the rest. I don't know we lost him when we escaping the engine room he stayed behind Nick he protected our flank as we retreated He he ,...." Nick grabbed ahold of her. "Focus I know , I know okay get these men to the bridge call for emergency evac of the ship say it is out of control and will crash onto the Island." "What its going to crash???" NIck finished with the last agent and helped him up on his feet and said, "No but you will make it crash. We have to destroy before it sends the signal and wipes out millions of people and changes the human race forever." " Okay and Nick I m sorry I couldn't protect him. Jim was a great man.. no he was more than that I loved him Nick and i didn't have the courage to tell him or face it. I really loved him Nick and I never told him. She fell into Nick's arms who had been her best friend for so long. A man came from the stairs slowly, "Well if you love me so dam much why you giving him the hug, Im right here!" Jim came battered and burnt from the grenades he had set off just as he jumped into a box he had removed the panel from and hid. He was limping from his gunshot wound but Ani was already galloping towards and gave him an embrace that made Jim blush. Then she slapped him. "I love you you damn baastard I love you more than anything i HAVE CARED ABOUT IN MY LIFE" He smiled and kissed her deep and long. NIck smiled at his wonderful friends and knew they would be happy together despite the weird mix and odd couple they would make he laughed and hugged Jim too.

"I can help steer the ship towards the Island," JIm said offering a hand. So the rest of the team headed to the bridge once more to destroy the ship. The evacuation sounded. The ship was turning now and people were getting off in the lifeboats the real crew of the ship stood well to the test after all the drills they had done underway before the guest and crew were handling it well. People moved in tidy lines to their evacuation boats. There was concern etched on everyone's face but there was no panic. The life boats hurried off in organized succession falling off the side of the ship into the water by athens.

Ani's team had set charges behind them with extra explosives they had found on some of the dead bodies of the men NIck had set upon themselves. NIck got on the large medical helicopter that the evil twin monsters came in on he moved aside the two bodies of the real pilots and lay them to rest on the pad making the sign of a cross on his chest. Everybody hurried into the chopper. "I have to got to make sure PAt is okay you guys get the hell out of here." "No Nick please just come with us its over." Nick shook his head and closed the door. He told the Agent in the pilot's seat to take off. Nick looked at the rapidly approaching Island and saw a black speck start lifting above the treeline. It was a helicopter he had seen before. He felt it was Elizabeth. He fell back and waited he would see the full extent of her power.

A voice came in through her ears but it wasn't coming from the radio it was her liberator from ignorance her friend her master Prometheus. "Elizabeth you are not powerful enough to face him this is not the way it was not meant to be. I order you not to fight him." She thought about it and tried to agree but the anger and loyalty in her heart made her keep going. We must be successful she thought and kept flying to her destiny whatever it may be.

Pat had turned time slow he moved fast through the sub killing and hurting only those that he had too. Over the years he had got too tired of bloodshed and the bodies and souls he had to destroy for his mission for the constructionist directive. He reached the control room and spoke, "Silas open the door we have unfinished business." Silas stood straight with the sound coming from the monitor observing outside of the bridge. He stood by the elvated platform for the periscope his men looked at him then their consoles. One of the radio man called him over. " Sir I am hearing a weird sound coming from one of the lower decks by our torpedo room." It was a beeping sound very faint but a beeping sound but it couldn't have been from one of his terminals he had put the sub on silent running. " Dam you Paticlus why couldn't we have worked together." " Because I right my wrongs and you just do wrong." AFter he said that a huge explosion rocked the bay. A plume of water and smoke shot up from the water on the side of the cruise ship. A small explosive was set by the room by Pat. He knew he wouldn't make it back to land but as long as he stopped them from carrying out their plan and leaving he was happy. " Sir we have a breach in two lowest levels our torpedo room has been hit we are running on backup power and taking on water." Pat smirked in satisfaction knowing that he gave the sub a knockout punch with the present he left. The sub broke free from the cruise ship. They were getting in shallow waters and had to break away or be crushed. It limped on in a final effort to head towards their underwater port. Bunker had an extension running into a cave by the beachline in the isolated cliffs.

The black helicopter landed nimbly on the helipad. Nick waited in patience for Elizabeth step out. She got out of the chopper and ran out pulling her glock 21. He waited she passed him without sensing him. She kept moving right around the starboard side. He moved away from cover and followed her around the corner. He turned Elizabeth had seen him and was pointing her gun right where his head would be if he turned the corner. A crack sounded in the wind and Nick could even see the shockwave from the light rain. He stopped time just on pure natural force he reacted without hesitation and it saved his life but he still couldn't believe it she was smart Then he moved right and ran to her right side dropping her gun in one motion. He moved so fast through time he felt tired and stopped at her back. He was catching his breath when she flashed through towards the helicopter. She realized it was hopeless to try and fight him but her will drove her on. She was in the helicopter as he turned around. He saw the blades spinning signaling she was ready to leave. The stream of bullets she sent his away definitely meant to keep him away making him dodge them as he ran towards the chopper.

It was just above his head when he jumped on the ground poles dragging the small helicopter down noticeably. She peeked out the window and fired a round he heard a click then nothing the helicopter flew fast up the sky. It jolted around the sky aimlessly at first then sped rapidly towards the island mansion on the side of a steep hill. He held tight and tried to keep the wind from blinding him. He climbed up then shot the window open. He pushed the window open with his mind. Jumped in before she could reload. She dove the helicopter into a steep decline. He held tight then looked at her dead in the eyes. Nick got behind her eyes and into her mind. the helicopter stopped and was trimming the treeline by the mansion at this point. He jerked the steering column to the left and the copter dropped into the pool knocking him out.

The whole time this daring feat of helicopter hijacking another helicopter was following it watching the whole scene unfold. The same sniper that saved his life on the ship. The helicopter crashed in the pool. Davran was a hunter as a boy in the turkish mountains. He had been shooting for years before the agency picked him up after an agency plane crashed in the mountains. After that he never saw his parents they were led to believe he died by an avalanche. He shot for years but lived in remote parts of the globe and saw all corners of the world. His chopper landed and he got out and grabbed Nick before he drowned. He grabbed elizabeth and laid her by his pilot so he could sedate her.

He saw his boxers and shirt said Polo so Davran believed his name was Polo. When Nick awoke in a daze yet again. He saw a tall middle eastern man pick him up. " AHhh good you have had your rest your head is not too messed up. How are you Mr. Polo." Nick looked back in confusion who was Mr. Polo did he think he was somebody from the mansion he didn't understand. Nick rubbed his head and eyes and looked around and understood when he saw the large gun lying by the floor. it was the sniper he was saved by earlier but he seemed more familiar. Wow it seemed a life ago when he had the dream. The man was the one from his dream calling him by Polo. " My name is Nick. You saved my life sir what is your name?" "My name is Davran." Nick got up and signaled them to walk away then her turned around abruptly. " Did you find anybody else?" Nick asked hoping she wasn't dead even though Elizabeth was hell bent on killing him. Yea I left her sedated with the pilot. He heard a loud screeching sound and saw as smoke and an explosion came from the engine room of the Intuition. Once majestic looking the tall ship now looked old and crippled. It was beached on a rocky beach with a little bit of sand but the rocks already did their damage if it wasn't for the speed of the ship it would have sank right off the coast. There was a gaping hole by the engine room and a series of explosion and fires. The signal booster was destroyed thankfully the explosion from the submarine that Pat most likely set had knocked out the power conduits abilities to control the immense power flux. The result was an explosion that followed from the energy build up thankfully there was no critical mass like a nuclear reactor. Still the ship was severely crippled and the smoke stained the sky. Nick noticed weird green smoke and blue dark smoke. He thought about Elizabeth and hoped she was okay despite her attempts at killing him.

Paticlus had managed to get through the door to the bridge of the submarine but it was empty he assumed they were fleeing in the escape pods. He checked the emergency pod mechanisms two had left already. Pat looked around the consoles and found the weapon systems. "Just cause the torpedoes are out doesn't mean I won't blow you out of the water." Then he saw the missile systems. It took him a couple seconds but he figured the remote locking procedures. They the most advanced weapons and now they turned on their creators. He locked the on the emergency transponder that the pods sent out hoping that Silas will not notice and turn them off. He checked the radar for confirmation. The button was red and ready to fire. PAticlus had thought about this war they had fought for centuries his rivals had been the only friends he had for they were the only ones who knew him best and yet he always won he always succeeded in his mission leaving all of his rivals dead. Yet the ones he killed personally had stayed with him due to the process of transference the power the knowledge the experiences all passed on when they took a life using their powers they assumed the energy into their brain. He pressed the button and followed the missiles on camera.

A bright light shot up into the sky from the water. Silas had been talking to his men consoling the wounded. A man yelled for them to look behind them. The emergency pods were nothing more than hard covered life rafts shaped in an octagon with a smooth hull on the bottom for direction. The engine was small so it could only move at a couple of knots. The sight behind them brought panic to some and pain to others. Silas knew they only had a couple of seconds and the airtight door took time to open. The men from the other escape pod were scrambling to jump out. Silas's officers looked at him. "It has been my utmost honor serving under such admirable loyalty and dedication for so many years. You are the best soldiers a leader could have." The men looked at each other some grabbing their harnesses poised to jump out but they nodded at themselves again knowing they had served their master well. Loyal to the end. The seconds flew by the explosion from the other pod sounded like a slap of water blowing it into millions of pieces in one flash. The other missile hit effectively erasing its existence from the ocean while destroying in an instant the lives of men who had lived well beyond their natural years. Men followed a leader and master who preached to them a dream of freedom and a warning from above. They followed orders without question and they died with pride after a battle that had been going on for years.

Nick had to find who was in the mansion. He charged inside through the glass doors. Davran followed in him in quietly like a hunter would. The room before was laid in marble and had paintings and lamps adorning the walls. A chandelier the size of a honda was hanging in the middle of the room. A bar wrapped around the right side of the room and an aquarium made up the floor and center piece. Fish darted about the floor and center piece that made up most of the room beside the couches and lounge chairs in the back side. He quietly walked around the end of the bar and peeked into a hallway. It was empty and dark. The hallway was decorated with mirror and paintings disguised in terminals. He reached the end of the hallway to an ornate door made from teak. It was thick and adorned with beautiful carvings Nick guessed this could have gone in a museum.

He told Davran stay back and cover the exit in case they needed to get out in a hurry. The light came in from a beautiful stainglass window that sent the room into a variety of colored hughes the lamps provided a larger sight of the room. It was expansive with tall ceilings and the desk at the far seemed to dominate the room's furniture since it was taller than all of the couches in the room. A man with long gray hair stood by the window looking out drinking something then he turned. "Nick I'm sorry I have failed you and everyone else on this planet I was not able to protect from the reach of the Constructionists. I tried my best to set people free and liberate them from ignorance." Nick stepped closer, "Yes but you were willing to kill a lot of those people." Prometheus stood straighter and made a face of disgust. "Lies I was willing to save lives. I had to make certain sacrifices things you can't even comprehend you are so young so malleable so easily told what is right what is wrong. When you live long enough you see there is no right or wrong there is only timing, if you are on the right side of time then you're okay if you are on the bad side you become bad. It is simply a matter of perception. I knew what had to be done in order to be free but you will see that I am right I will still win through you. I will not lose the most important battle man has fought. You think they are your friends that these aliens will just magically bless a civilization with powers beyond their belief making them smart beyond their years? how naive." Nick was angry now at the things he was saying he almost felt himself lose control that this megalomaniac was justifying his actions "NO, NO, its not me that is naive, you only see a perversion on your negative reality. It makes sense that they want to make other races smarter so that they were less violent. The smarter people are the less likely they would be violent." Prometheus walked closer now to Nick leaving only two yards or less between them his clothes were old yet brilliantly designed as middle eastern flowing garb it appeared as if he stole them from a sultan. The most likely case was he lived to be a sultan for a while in Persia's richest dynasty.

A shot sounded in the distance. Nick did not flinch he kept his eyes glued on the man before him. "My name is Prometheus and I tried to bring fire to the world but they stopped me. You will see soon that they mean to subjugate us their form of enlightenment turns us into their zombies their education is that of a brainwashing conqueror they do not mean to liberate Earth they mean to use it like we use horses or slaves. You shall die for insulting me with your presence of hostility. You should be my ally what say you." " I can't I cant think now what you are saying although may be true .." NIck really thought for a moment and remembered the feelings he was getting off of Paticlus he could tell he was keeping something back that he was hiding something. " The point is I just want to save lives and there has been enough bloodshed enough what I was forced to do on the ship destroyed me. I killed all those men I have become a monster not an looked him straight into his eyes. "I am helping you Nick. I enlightened being! It was your fault." "Yes but whose idea was it yours?" "No but either way you must stop!" "Okay I will stop." He turned back towards the window and then the lights went out. Nick moved fast for he knew what was coming. Prometheus grabbed a long diamond studded knife from his robes. He jumped in time flashes towards Nick. The dagger came from nowhere and landed in Nick's side. Nick thought he dodged him by jumping to the side under the chair. It protruded from his side while Prometheus looked deep in Nick's eyes. Nick looked back then thought of his family and his friends. Happy faces and bright sunny days flashed by his eyes.

Nick imagined himself as a shining light while the energy from the good thoughts of his family and friends pushed his energy higher. He became full of light illuminating darkness before him then he grabbed the knife handle and threw Prometheus back against the wall. The wall broke leaving wood and drywall falling around him yet Prometheus maintained a stone cold face, no fear only confidence in his eyes. Prometheus lunged at Nick with a side table in his hand ready to bring it down on Nick and smash him. Then Nick gathered all his strength slowed him down moved through time and ran so fast he went back in time. His temporal abilities exceeded Prometheus's expectations. The diamond studded knife was now planted in the chest of Prometheus. Blood seeped from his mouth as he fell to his knees and grabbed Nick's wrist while looking in his eyes and holding his arm tight in his death grasp. "IM free now I won. I won. It is time for me to rest." The grip on Nick's arm became tighter and then an electric shock stunned Nick sending flashes into his vision. He tried to pull back but lost control of his body as a wave of energy overtook him. Visions of ancient China, Rome and people by the thousands came before his eyes dying, smiling, laughing with stream of experiences hurtled into his brain at such a fast pace he was paralyzed. The first presence of Prometheus came in the version of a young man wildly roaming the side looking for his sheep. Then Nick could feel and see directly from his view. Paticlus was on the ship as a lower ranking member and it was the same ship that picked up Merlin who then became Prometheus over time. Prometheus had stolen a ship after the experiment but he didn't use it to run away he flew to the star systems that had been pacified as it was called. He saw a monotonous bland expanse of sameness. Each culture that had been absorbed turned into bureaucratic gray form of life. People were definitely happy because they could not think for themselves. Any form of self-expression was stamped out and dressed in conformity. For the first time Nick could see other planets. He saw other life forms besides Paticlus his once loyal dog. Nick was on the ground with an arched back with blue waves of soft light moving through and around him his body became the epicenter of a light so strong it blinded Davran who ran inside.

Nick levitated in the air for a moment then fell down. Rebirth, time and history had new meaning to Nick because his whole perception of the universe was expanded. When he opened his eyes he saw Davran on his back on the ground. Nick thought he must have fainted at the sight. "Nick you are awake!" A familiar voice came from behind the desk. A side wall that was holding books actually opened into an entrance that led to the lower levels of the bunker. "Are you alright. Nooo is that Merlin?" "Yes his new self chosen name was prometheus the greek god who gave fire to men on earth. I...I killed him. yet he is still alive I can feel him within my conscious centuries worth of a life's knowledge and experiences." "Prometheus fitting name for such an egocentric person what did he tell you how did you overpower him?" "I just thought of all the good things in my life it was stronger energy than the hate he had in his heart. I thought of my family and my friends friends like you Pat. But I see why the hate filled his heart before he was changed as a young man tending sheep he had a mate a lover. You did not just experiment on one but two people interfering in our timeline and evolution. The only problem was she burned up her neurons since she did not have the same gene that he had. So he watched her die before him. I can also feel and see alot more Pat."

Pat nodded at his remark about him being a friend it hurt PAt more than he could take so he sat down in the same chair his archenemy had sat in for so many years. Pat looked around the room then let his gaze fall on the horizon. It was so beautiful because Greece had a multitude of islands with hanging cliffs and amazing green mountains. The sunrise swept the ocean now letting the sun go to rest. Pat looked down then turned to Nick who was allowing him this moment. Pat held a gun in his hand. "They ordered me to destroy you. They told me to end you because you would be too powerful you would not be normal and they could not trust you. Other species and races go through extensive training in their academies before being allowed a third of the power that now resides in you. I used to fly with my dad on runs from our planet Deja to a distant moon research station by saturn which for us is a very long haul you guys are really out there. Our planet is beautiful like earth a little more land and each continent has the sweetest fruits and largest animals for eating. We had a rich and beautiful culture full of dancing and music and literature. Our clans fought from time to time over food rights until the Constructionists showed us another way. I was the last person left from my family after the pacification. They gave me an amazing explanation saying their interference was needed or else his dad could create a violent reaction to the pacification and they fed and took me in and taught me. They told me my family had to die in order for Deja to live peacefully. Everything has been a lie dressed in peace and equality yet they turned Deja into a couple of large cities instead of the vast empires that worked with nature creating a beautiful balance of technology and eco-systems. The missions they gave us and the things we did seemed like the right thing to do. Education does stop violence but only if it is an education of empathy. They educated people only what they wanted them to know they never taught them how to think for themselves and that is why you will stop them from taking away what makes Earth unique. You have great power at your fingertips do not let it slip through hands." Pat grabbed the gun and pointed it at Nick. "Pat don't do this what do you mean just wait. You know that gun is too slow for me now. Please Tell me more you can help me. I need you Pat I know you won't kill me I trust you." Pat looked him straight into his eyes. "I am helping you Nick. I know I can't kill you they will try to use me. Even now a controller on the Earth moon is sounding an alarm. Then they will then bounce a signal off of me into your head to kill you because they will find out they can't persuade me. I wish we had known each other longer but you must understand we had the best of intentions with the worst of methods. Just knowing how horrible some of the things I have done has put me in your earth hell yet it seems for a moment you and your friends have lifted me from that hell onto its canopy. Although Earth is not heaven... it is not perfect it is still a beautiful planet with beautiful cultures that deserve a chance to be unique. Goodbye my friend it was pleasure being your dog and your friend." With that he smiled and ran towards the window emptying the whole clip of bullets into the stain glass window to his right. The glass broke enough for him to jump through and down the cliff that ended two hundred feet below. Nick saw his friend fall to the raging waves below. His heart sank into his stomach and he pulled away from the broken glass and stared at the view.

The day was saved and millions or billions of people were not murdered and nick was sad. Davran came back to as soon as Pat died since Pat was the one who made him faint with telepathy and hypnosis. "Polo i mean Mr. Nick what happened here I can only remember blurs of what happened. I saw a man come from the bookcase and then I felt sleepy." Davran looked at the window in confusion. Nick explained what just transpired well not everything only the important parts. Nick sat and contemplated over the landscape before him then he realized what he had to do.

Chap. 13 Hesitations and Realizations

The sun set over the field of sunflowers in Tuscany, bathing the landscape in yellow. It seemed as if a sea of sunflowers were going to sleep only to wake up proud and tall in the morning. Nick sat back and threw his line in the water. The island the mansion was on also held a beautiful lagoon which had some interesting fish. He had already taken care of his parents' safety making sure they were happily rested in their home. They were told their son died in an accident releasing them from the thought of him. Nick did not want to but he felt he had to do what was right. He took over the operations center at the mansion and he took over control of the Prometheus Corporation. Nick had told Davran to tell the agency that it was finished that they had ended the threat with one additional white lie. Davran was promoted but Nick had talked to him and explained the whole situation. Davran explained his loyalty was to the people of earth and now Nick so he would make sure and let him know what the agency was doing occasionally in case Nick came back on their radar. The agency now thought Paticlus and Nick had died together in the same explosion.

Night sky had brought all the beautiful stars in sight without a cloud in view. Nick walked back to the mansion with a few fish in his bucket for dinner. He knocked on the back door and smiled proudly raising his fish for the camera to see. Elizabeth opened the door, "WOOWW okay okay I lost that bet I guess there is a lot more I could learn about you then hahaha. Come here my fisherman" She hugged him and grabbed the bucket from him. He shut the metal door after peering out into his new backyard which was lush with trees and a lagoon at the bottom of the mountains. Nick had persuaded and explained as much as he could to Elizabeth. Prometheus did a lot of brainwashing to unwash. He had become a victim of his own hate towards the thing he hated most. Elizabeth took time but she understood Nick's point of view and agreed it was right. Nick realized he had to take control over Prometheus corporation and master his powers and protect earth from the fate that befell Paticlus. Nick knew Elizabeth would help him gain access to the network that Prometheus used the hard part would be determining who was ready for the new boss.

Earth had problems and although it wasn't perfect it was home and it was beautiful the way it was. People will eventually learn to coexist peacefully helping to create a better more sustainable earth but it must be done naturally. He explained to her that although knowledge can end violence it can also lead to more violence because any group of beings that feel they know more than another race will consequently think their way is better than anything else.

The house was brighter than before there was a lot of remodeling done while still respecting and cultivating the historical value of everything that was left there over the years. It had modern glass that was also a live computer screen as well as a 3-D projector on a whole wall. Jim and Ani got married in a beautiful ceremony and were happy as ever. Jim brought his little A.I computer Becky into the house mainframe. Nick changed the security and closed the submarine port for now. The kitchen was alive with movement. Well everything except cook because the fish came out horrible and everybody joked about it. He smiled lovingly at Elizabeth as she looked at him adoringly with their friends laughing around them. Nick was anxious about the future and what it held for him but he knew with his friends by his side he could do anything especially when he believed in himself.

THE END

