The Beginning Of The End

Chapter 4

It's been 2 months now since we started training. In between training and meals, I sneak out, evading the guards and visit Megan. But today it has not been the same. Mum has been really stressed out. I have never seen her on such a state before. She is really touchy and frustrating! All of a sudden, the HQ goes alarm sounds and we are all plunged into redness. Mother looks really annoyed now. She turns on her heal and starts to walk off.

"Wait!"

"WHAT!" Mother yells.

"Please, you haven't told us anything for over a month now. What's going on?"

"Fine. The Syphons have breached our security and are upstairs. Our location is compromised. Follow me. You have to leave."

"And you?"

"Will stay here and hold the Syphons off."

"Mum! You once told us that everyone's life is precious."

We all turn around to see who said that. It was Peter and it seemed to be just enough to snap mother out of her state.

"Quickly follow me. We have to get the supplies and get out."

Mother went over to the computer console and did something to it. The computer shut down. Completely.

Now we are walking through tunnels only illuminated with blood red light. I can hear a noise. A drilling noise. And it is getting closer every minute. Suddenly, a loud explosion sounds and the tunnels shake. My littler siblings screamed while Robin, Aria, Mara and I just stood there looking for the source of the sound.

"ARTEMIS."

I turn around so suddenly that I fear I might crack my neck in the process. My mother is trying to herd everyone down the tunnels as some shadows on the wall appear.

"RUN!" I yell.

We all take off down the tunnel as fast as we can go. Tom in Robins arms and Kat in Mums.

All of a sudden, we reach a drop. A big drop. Big enough for a person to fall into and die. Mother puts Kat down and moves over to the wall. She pulls out a necklace and presses it against the wall. To her left, a panel camouflaged to the wall opens swiftly. Mother stretches out her hand and grasps something. Something invisible. Invisible? Seriously?

"Mother, what are you holding?" I hear Mara ask.

"Invisible Rope," mum says.

"It can't be. The 'invisible' rope must be a camouflage filter built into the rope."

"Good job Artemis. Perfect. Except that I was not intending to let the Syphons hear it."

"Opps."

"Robin, grab the rope and swing over to the other wall and press your" hand against it."

"Ok."

"Artemis. Come here."

I walk over to mother as Robin swings over to the far wall. Mother pulled out her necklace and took it off.

"This is like a key card except it will open anything in this universe. It must not fall into the hands of the enemy. It also has a navigation system and tracking device built in. You must guard this. If the case is that the enemy is about to take it, destroy it. But only in a extremely bad circumstance."

"But....."

" No buts Artemis. This is now yours. Take care and remember........"

BOOM!

The roof.........

I can hear Kat screaming and Tom crying as the roof starts to shatter. Mum yells at us all to go into the hidden wall that Robin has just opened.We run and swing to the wall the rope. Peter's fingers dig into my shoulders while we are airborne. With mum bringing up the rear. All of a sudden, the Syphons walk into sight. Mum turns around as one of the bigger Syphons advance.

"Step aside or be exterminated."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Mum shifts her weight and kicks the wall behind her. The door shuts. With mum on the other side.

"NO!" I yell. This can't be. Mum can't die. The door has a window. One that is only one sided. We can see out, but they can't see in. I stand there watching. Robin watches too.

" Where did they go?" The bigger Syphon asked.

"No idea what you are talking about." Mum said calmly. She walks near the hole, away from the door. A smaller Syphon advances with a gun in hand. He aims at her chest.

"Let's make a deal."

"You tell me where the children are. You die swiftly. You keep the location hidden, you die slowly."

"What kind of a deal is that?"

"My deal."

"I am not ever going to agree to that."

"Go die in a hole!"

"Well, since those are lousy options, I think I will die in a hole."

She jumped off the edge of the hole. Strangely, I know that she isn't dead. Then she reappears on the other side of the room with a rope in her hand and starts taking out the Syphons one by one until only 2 are standing. The one with the gun and the big one. Mum aims a punch at the big one. Her fist bounces off. She is too busy to notice the one with the gun creeping up behind her. He fires.

"NO!" Mum recoils on pain. The shot went to her shoulder. She looks up at the one with the gun.

"I am Bruce! You have disobeyed my command, humiliated my team and discarded my compromise. Your life ends now."

I can't open the door! There is no switch on this side. Mum closes her eyes as the gun goes off again. The only difference is that now a body lies before the Syphons. Smoking. Mums waist long brown hair covers the wound but that doesn't hide the fact that she is dead. Robin starts to drag me away from the door. I struggle for a minute and then lay off. I now have to take care of all 10 of us. We set of down the tunnel.