"Jim, status report!" Dana yelled as Cal H1 attacked from her side of the vehicle.
A Cal H1 looks like a horse with a rider, but its legs are wheels, giving this machine a very mechanized look. One Cal H1 was to either side of the vehicle.
"The vehicle has sustained 35% damage, mostly cosmetic."
"How much longer can it take this?" Linda asked.
"I don't know."
After Dana said this, the Cal H1s both stopped and fell behind rapidly, as did all of the other vehicles and drones in pursuit. The Argo J1 continued on down the path through the wilderness.
"They stopped! They all stopped," Chad said, looking back.
"What's happening?" Linda asked.
Dana looked up in the sky in bewilderment. "That's what is happening!"
As Dana pointed up at the sky, Linda looked in the same direction. Her eyes widened as she saw the Fleece falling to the ground from above. As the craft collided with the ground, a huge dust cloud engulfed the region, reducing visibility to zero. Additionally, because the area around the Fleece was protected from the energy being released from the activation sequence or the remnant, that protection was now gone for Jezreel. Lightning began to infuse rapidly across the area.
"Oh great! As if the army we just faced wasn't bad enough," Allie said.
Jim alerted them, "Multiple lightning strikes in the area. Over 100 detected. Use caution."
"This is our chance," Linda said.
Dana looked at her.
"Get to the Fleece."
"How will we get in?"
"We'll find a way."
***********************************************************************************
Britton stood up in the chamber, but it was more surreal than usual. She knew she was dreaming, and it would only be a matter of time before she awakened.
Inside the real chamber, Jay's body was lying amidst damaged consoles and panels. Pat was also unconscious, for the moment. All power to the Fleece was shut down, but the computer was slowly coming back online. As the emergency lighting was activated, the chamber's main screen began rebooting.
"It's only a matter of time before the Fleece resets and can become airborne again. Release the angels," Rapha said, looking at the downed craft from his vessel. Angels, in this context, are drones that can take on any form needed. The angels will help reduce the issues caused by lightning, not by stopping it, but by removing individuals from the planet. Individuals who were loyal to the SIC will not be saved. One will be taken, another left. As the angels moved out away from the larger vessels hovering over Jezreel and the downed Fleece, the sky lit up like a giant swarm of robotic locusts. Millions, if not billions, of angels flew out in all directions around the world. Already, billions of people had died from the lightning strikes. The angels were simply trying to pick up the pieces. Fortunately, there weren't as many people loyal to the SIC as the SIC claimed.
"All other vessels, proceed back into orbit. This vessel will remain to assist here," Rapha ordered.
"Won't we need the help?" Jacob asked.
"We have Jay to help with that."
***********************************************************************************
Britton looked up at Jay, standing over her a few feet away. Jay stood there, defiantly. As an intense, angry stare came across Britton's face, she motioned with her arms, making a powerful thrust forward. Instantly, Jay shot backwards into the distant part of the room.
Britton began standing up, "I guess you forgot in a dream, Jay, anything can happen."
From a distance, out of sight, Jay responded, "Oh, I'm well aware, Britton. No need to worry about that."
Britton scanned the room, looking for Jay in the growing darkness. The lights were dimming, and a haze was filling the room, like smoke smoldering. Britton waded into the ever-growing fog.
"So, you think you can control this dream? You think you'll be able to control a dream in my head?" Britton said, defiantly.
Britton believed she was more powerful than Jay could ever be. Despite knowing Jay had been killed many years earlier, she was arrogant enough to perceive a greater ability than anyone could imagine. But Britton lacked the awareness to perceive what Jay was now capable of doing.
"You underestimate my powers. I've always wanted to say that," Jay replied with a chuckle.
"Come on out then, and show yourself, you star freak."
"With pleasure..."
Just then, a hand reached out and grabbed Britton's arm from behind. She was spun around one hundred eighty degrees to come face to face with a creature like no other. This beastly creation from Jay's mind had large fangs, big eyes, and a snout that pushed the fog aside as air escaped. A long tongue protruding from between the teeth. Once Britton saw the creature, she was startled, but it grabbed her by the head and chomped down with painful, unmerciful force.
Britton let out a blood-curdling scream as she could feel the teeth sink into your head and neck. With one final push down, the head severed from her body, jets of blood shooting out, as the rest of her body collapsed to the ground.
On the ground, Britton was still screaming, her head still attached to her body. She suddenly realized that she had not been decapitated. But within seconds after this realization, another creature lunged forward from the mist, with dagger-like claws stabbing into her torso. Britton instantly felt the pain as the two claws tore her torso wide open, revealing organs and blood. The tearing moved her body forward towards the creature as she looked it in the eye. Red glowing light began coming from the creature's eyes as it once again chomped down on Britton's head. As she felt the teeth dig in again, Britton screamed, only to hear the pulverizing gnashing of teeth tearing her skull and neck to pieces.
Britton awoke, screaming. Once she got her bearings, she realized she was back in the same spot she had been when she first saw Jay standing before her. None of it had happened, but it all felt so real.
"How does it feel getting a taste of your own medicine?" Jay's voice echoed through the chamber.
Britton stood up quickly and looked around, "Where are you?"
"Despite what happens here today, it pales in comparison to what awaits you in eternity, Britton."
"SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!"
"I have been, and always shall be your worst nightmare for you, for Rob, and for Pat."
"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT US! We're stronger than you. We always have been, and we always will be."
"You don't know the half of what you are saying, Britton. Because you killed me, you, Rob, and Pat, you created something much different than before. You say how I could control a dream in your head? This isn't a dream!"
Jay appeared as a shadowy figure behind Britton, who was still moving around in circular patterns in the room, looking for Jay.
"This is as real as your life will ever get."
Britton turned around the face, Jay.
"Come on then, boy. Show me what you can do, if you're so powerful."
"I know something you don't..."
An arm ripped through the floor beneath, Britton, grabbing her right leg. Another arm ripped through the floor and grabbed the back of your clothes, pulling Britton to the ground, landing on her back. As Britton lay there, more arms came up through the floor, grabbing all parts of her body, and began pulling her down into the depths below.
Britton was pulled down into what could only be described as the pits of hell. There, she was surrounded by numerous dead people. Some were decaying like zombies. Some were on fire. Some were dripping in blood. Each one grabbed another piece of Britton's body, pulling and tugging ferociously. Jay walked up through the mayhem and stared at Britton.
Britton stopped screaming from the agony being inflicted to stare back at Jay.
"You call this fear? This is nothing," Britton said defiantly again.
Jay just stared back, no expression.
Two of the hands of the dead people surrounding Britton then grabbed both sides of Britton's mouth, reaching their fingers inside. They pulled hard and ripped Britton's head wide open, a gush of blood and fluids falling all around. The other dead people ripped her body limb from limb, leaving behind a pool of mass and mess.
***********************************************************************************
Britton was enduring this torment, but at a cost. With each iteration, her hold on Jay's actual body weakened. In the true real world, where Jay's body lay undisturbed, Pat had finally awoken to see the damage in the room. The computer had restarted, and the Fleece was beginning to power back up.
Pat walked over to the computer, assessing the situation. He had to go to the artifact room to make sure the central power supply of the orb was intact and not disabled in some way. From there, he could launch a retaliatory response. As he turned around, he saw Jay's body lying there and saw the body twitch.
Pat knew Jay was fighting Britton in his own mind. Pat knew this was a consequence of having Britton possess Jay's body. If Jay's spirit or essence ever returned, Britton might be powerless to fight him off. Pat knew Britton's time was limited and chose to leave her. Rapha was cunning and had tricks up his sleeve that even Pat never knew about. Pat left the control room and entered the adjacent elevator. As he turned back to see Jay's body twitch once more, all Pat said was, "Good-bye, Britton."
***********************************************************************************
Back in Jay's head, the battle continued. Now, no more demon and monster creations were involved. This time, the fight was between Jay and Britton.
Britton kicked Jay to the side of his left leg, causing it to buckle. She jumped up and punched downward on his face, pounding him into the floor below. Now that Jay lay there semi-conscious, she grabbed him by his private parts and threw him through the air over her head behind her as he came crashing down in another part of the room.
As Britton turned toward where she had just thrown Jay, she heard laughter. Jay stood up and started walking back toward her.
"I love a girl full of energy," Jay said, while smiling.
This comment enraged Britton more, and she charged at Jay quickly.
Before she could reach him, though, Jay stopped her in her tracks with a thought. Britton was frozen in place.
"All physical stuff aside, it doesn't compare to a powerful mind," Jay said.
"LET ME GO!" Britton yelled.
"The fact that you can't break free on your own shows how weak your mind has become with this fight. I've worn you down. You have no power over me any longer."
A look of fear came across Britton's face as she realized Jay was right. In a dream like this, she should have total control, but had lost the connection to the body she was in. Jay's body.
Jay walked up to her and grabbed both sides of her head. Britton's arms fell to her sides, as he legs went limp also. She was now becoming disembodied.
"Get out of my head!" Jay said, commanding Britton.
With that statement, Britton's body began to dissolve. She began changing form to her more robotic body, which she once had, many eons ago. That body had been destroyed by Rapha, and now her spirit was about to join it.
Finally, the final essence of Britton slipped through the fingers of Jay, and she vanished into oblivion.
***********************************************************************************
Jay awoke in a light-filled room with debris around him. He sat up to see the chamber where the SIC once resided. He felt his chest, stomach, arms, and legs. He realized he was alive again.
He jumped up to his feet and made his way around the debris to the computer console. It showed a tactical display of the area surrounding the Fleece. The city of Jezreel could be seen, with objects approaching. A large mass of Cals was converging on the area. Directly outside the Fleece, however, was a small blip. Jay had the computer zoom in on this object and saw the reading for an Argo J18.
"Linda!" Jay said.
Linda, Dana, Allie, and Chad had made it to the downed Fleece. But with the power returning to the ship, it was only a matter of time before the Fleece was airborne again. Jay asked the computer to locate any access points near the position of the Argo shown on screen. One access was directly in front of their location.
***********************************************************************************
"Ok, so how do we get in, before that huge arm closes in on us?" Dana asked.
Linda stood there facing the Fleece, praying a way would be shown.
Suddenly, the sounds of interlocked joints began, and soon a doorway opened in front of them, tilted to the side due to the Fleece's orientation to the ground.
Dana looked on in astonishment.
Linda looked back at her and smiled, "Ye of little faith."
Dana smirked, "I have faith. I do, really."
The four of them walked into the Fleece to join in the final battle.
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