Stripped Bare

My World Revealed

A/N: Omega Prion - Chancellor of Nulandia

Dante found himself sputtering, as a bitter smell invaded his nostrils. Alma was holding a small vial of smelling salts under his nose which contained the vilest substance, nearly causing Dante to lose his breakfast, if it wasn't for the quick thinking of Deke, who handed him a small shot glass of something far more lethal: whisky.

Holding his nose, he plunged the fire liquid down his throat, causing tears to form in the corner of his eyes. But it did the trick, as the young man was brought back to his senses, much to the relief of everyone in the room.

Damien helped Dante sit up slowly as he had been laid on the couch during his fainting spell. He shook his head, as Bron appeared with a glass of warm water in hand to chase the foul- tasting liquid.

"What were those words that you were saying?" Gerry asked out of curiosity.

"They weren't words. They sounded more like names to me," Damien replied.

Dante nodded, taking deep breaths before he spoke, "Una – my mother; Arkaya – Ilya, my father; Lord Omega Prion, the elder statesman, who guided all of them here – families with their children, all highly skilled workers and soldiers, each and every single one of them. I felt them breathing – collectively as a single unit. They were beckoning to me!!!" He cried out, shaking like a leaf.

It was clear that Dante had felt totally frazzled by the climactic experience, as he sat with his head in his hands. He felt totally at a loss, due to the gravitational pull the vessel was emitting towards him...to the pull of his people calling out to him.

"They call to me," he whispered, "I must go to them."

"Oh no, you don't...not without me. How do you know whether they're friendly? They could be hostile," Damien warned.

"But they're my people" Dante gently pleaded.

"That is true, Dante. But you don't really know them, do you?" Darius spoke. It was not a question but a statement of the truth. Dante really did not know his own people, much less his parents.

Darius was right. Even if he were to make contact, he had to proceed with great caution. There was so much at stake here, since his parents were now with their own kind.

He had no way of knowing whether they were warmly received, or sitting in a jail cell somewhere until they concluded what to do with them. How he wished he could communicate with them, but something or someone was blocking him...someone strong and powerful...using their own voice to call out to him...Omega Prion himself.

The pull was so strong it now made Dante sick to his stomach, as he suddenly groaned and lay down upon his side, gripping his sides as if in great pain. He lay there, perspiring profusely, shaking his head from side to side, refusing the intrusion into his mind.

"NO!!!NO!!! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!!! YOU CANNOT CONTROL ME!!!" He yelled out loud, his eyes opening, revealing the deep obsidian which alerted everyone in the room.

He suddenly bolted upright, finding his feet as he careened towards the open terrace doors, shouting, "YOU WILL NOT CONTROL ME!!!"

The sheer force of his invocation, brought everyone to their knees, holding their hands against their ears, as the might of his words threatened to blast their eardrums.

The tumultuous waves of energy surged beyond the hills surrounding the compound, towards the sea, towards the abandoned quarry where the silos stood, and soon the structures shook as the ships lurched forwards on their foundations, deep within the solid rock below. Everyone beneath, held on as the ships shifted in their earthly graves, reverberating to the sound of Dante's voice as it carried its' way towards them.

"STOP THIS ASSAULT, PRION!!! YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE SUPREME BEING!!!" The female elder, Mother Gaia warned, as they continued to shake and rattle against the force and will of Dante.

The elder statesman fell to his knees, as he could not control the intrusion of Dante into his mind now. He found himself crawling on all fours towards his bed, in an attempt to lay down upon it, as he suffered from a massive headache.

"What is happening, Ilya? I'm frightened!!!" Mara held onto her husband, as objects in their room began to fly as if controlled by an unseen force.

"It is Dante, my love. Our son has found us" Ilya concluded, resting his head against his beloved, holding her close in a comforting embrace. The gigantic mothership hemmed and yawed as the rock gave way, uncoupling the ship from its' moorings below ground.

The earth opened, revealing the valerian steel hull, as if it was being yanked out of the rock by a huge magnetic field which continued to tug at the vessel from above. Soon, the vessel was afloat, at least thirty thousand feet in the sky, and flying...flying towards the compound at an accelerated rate.

If they did not slow down, they would crash land. The mother ship, which was a total of eight football fields in diameter was hurtling towards the compound, as Darius issued a red alert throughout the area, to brace for impact should she go down, right in the backyard of the mansion!

"Dante...Dante talk to me" Damien gently called out to him, and Dante nodded, although still quite concentrated on bringing the ship to him.

"YOU WANTED TO MEET ME, PRION? WELL HERE I AM!!!" Dante bellowed, as the ground beneath them all shook. Zack sent the main frame into overdrive, ready to put up the largest force field against the gigantic ship that threatened to obliterate the entire base of operations, if Dante could not control it.

But then, Dante held out his arms and hands, seamlessly guiding the ship until it bounced onto the wide expanse of lawn, which caused everyone to hitch their breath as the vessel skidded to a halt just shy of the terrace doors.

The vessel's bay doors opened slowly, and a disheveled statesman and his entourage came literally stumbling out of the mighty craft, gasping for air. Zack immediately sent up the force field around the entire compound, pumping pure oxygen into the atmosphere, so that the beings could catch their breaths.

"Mama, Papa" Dante called out when he saw them with eyes no longer the horrific darkness that once laced them. He ran straight into their arms, enveloping them with both hugs and kisses, and of course, tears of joy.

"Elder Prion, this is Dante..." Arkaya made the introduction, as the male caught his breath, gasping at the sight of the one who would be his leader. Omega Prion approached slowly, and as if on cue, went down on one knee in reverence. Soon the others filed out of the mother ship, following suit...