The Orion Project (Rewrite) (indefinite hiatus)

Chapter 44

"What?!" Lucas yelled.

"I said to stand down." Devon replied as he slung his rifle on to his back.

"You would defy Johnathan's command?" Larissa asked.

"No, I wouldn't. Not usually anyway. But, I honestly doubt we could beat you if we fought." He sighed.

"Why do you think so?"

"Call it a hunch, or feeling. An instinct. It's telling me that I can't win. None of us can. So it's pointless to fight you." He replied.

"I see, what gives you this....instinct?" She inquired.

"If you knew Doctor Seraph and attacked him over something, I'm betting you knew about The Orion Project. So you knew he'd make us."

"Hmm, perhaps. But the Project required children and nothing more. And my instincts are telling me that there is more to the story than you are revealing to me." She said.

"Yes, I'm sure they are." Devon said.

Lucas walked up to him and shoved him aside. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm saving our lives you dimwit!" Devon shot back. "I know we can't beat her or even match her in strength! It's better to avoid unnecessary casualties if we can!"

"He is correct." Larissa chimed in. "You wouldn't have won." She said so in an almost innocent manner.

"Quiet Witch!" Lucas screamed and he turned back to Devon. "You're going to turn tail and run?! Over a stupid feeling?!"

"And my stupid feeling saved your sorry ass, Lucas! You can't be telling me that you haven't noticed how calm she's been?! If she's like this now, I highly doubt we'd be leaving without losing one or two of us in the process!" He got right into Lucas' face.

"So stand down." He growled.

Lucas growled as well before he threw his rifle to the ground. Rose watched their little spat and begrudgingly followed suit. Alyssa and Eune sighed in relief and lowered their weapons as well.

"I am surprised by your actions, young leader. And I am happy we did not have to fight." Larissa said with a smile.

"Just because I made a judgment call does not mean that we will be all buddy buddy now. I do not trust you, no matter how much Alyssa and Eune talk you up. If you make me regret this, I'll personally come back and tear this place to rubble and bury you along with it." Devon threatened.

"Of course, I do not presume anything. I am simply stating my happiness at our lack violence to one another. I will visit Johnathan at some point soon, but I hope you will not take my earlier remarks as a statement of violence towards him. I do really want to speak with him." She said.

"Ha! Like we're gonna believe that!" Lucas scoffed.

"I don't believe that either, but it's not like we could stop you from doing so. It'd probably take both teams just to hold you back if you did." Devon said.

"Both teams? Is the other team the one who attacked my college?" She inquired.

"That's confidential information." Rose muttered.

"My apologies, I didn't want to assume." Larissa said.

"Your colleague was a male Warlock, correct?" Devon asked.

"Yes."

"Then rejoice." Devon said sarcastically. "He got away just fine."

"Don't reveal information to the enemy!" Rose yelled at her brother.

"I just did. Like it or not, what's done is done." Devon replied.

"Doctor Seraph isn't going to like this. You know that, right." Rose said.

"I know. I'll handle it, so don't worry so much sis." Devon patted her shoulder.

"You two are siblings?" Larisa asked.

"Yeah, not like it matters to you." Rose snarled.

"Hmm....I cannot believe he would do this, even after my warning." Larisa sighed.

"Well?" Lucas asked annoyed. "Are we leavin' yet? I can't just stand here all day."

"Oh! You could stay for tea!" Larisa suggested happily.

"No, we can't." Devon shot her down. "We need to return and report back to Doctor Seraph."

"Oh....alright. I do not get many visitors, a shame you can't stay." Larisa said sadly.

"Maybe...we can straighten things out with Doctor Seraph and come visit." Alyssa said hopefully.

"Ha! Like hell he'd let you!" Lucas laughed.

"It's called being optimistic, Lucas." Alyssa grumbled.

"Let's get outta here. I'll call in our pickup." Devon said.

They started to file out of the room, leaving Larisa to her thoughts. She waved her hand and her staff shot into her grasp. She rubbed her thumb over a few symbols etched into its long handle before she stopped at one. It was very similar to the symbol Orion Industries used as its logo.

"Oh Johnathan, what have you done?" She mumbled.

The eye shaped symbol was surrounded by three wave like lines and it seemed to be bathing in light. She glanced up and saw the Orion symbol on Eune's shoulder before he left. It was a similar eye shape but instead of waves, dagger like designs stabbed into the eye, two on each side and one straight down its center.

Memories raced through her mind as she remembered the moment she met him, a young scholar and scientist who was full of joy and wonder and had an insatiable craving for knowledge. His sheer determination made her consider teaching him what she knew about magic and the history of Cronos.

It was the moment when he presented his 'project' to her in its earliest stages that she began to grow worried for the young man. He had outlandish ideas that he alone could eradicate the Chimeras for good and she, at one point, thought that they were cute in all of their naivety.

It wasn't until she found him hunched over his desk fast asleep and dozens of books relating to history, magic, science, and the taboo, did she realize he was going through with his 'project' that she began to warn him and tried to pull him back into the light.

It wasn't until he had made a horrendous monstrosity that she stepped in and annihilated it. He never forgave her, nor did he stop at just one. So much time had passed, and she never heard of his fate when he left for Zenith.

"Three hundred years....where did the time go?" She quietly asked herself.