Mark of Odin: The Awakening

Chapter 16: The Gungnir Awakens

The skies above Seville
22:30 GMT+1

Luis slowly forced his eyes open. His eyelids were as heavy as lead. He had been jolted awake by a forceful explosion that had violently rocked the spacecraft. Where was he? Slowly glancing around, he took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of passenger compartment with odd-looking seats running along the walls. Two armoured figures were sitting opposite him. They were whispering to one another and each grasped a long weapon. Luis sensed someone standing next to him. Raising his eyes, he realised it was the figure that had punched him in the stomach. He desperately wanted to stand up, but before he could move the figure gripped his arm.

"Vas garer, vas garer," it said in soothing tones.

"I don't understand. Who are you? Where are you taking me?"

Now he had a better view. The figure was covered from head to toe in crimson armour ribbed with dark lines that changed to gold where they ran across the helmet. The helmet was decorated with a symbol where he assumed the figure's forehead must be; the symbol looked strangely familiar but he didn't know why.

"Let me go! I've got to get back to my friends!" Luis burst out, struggling to stand up again.

"Laar menar Zoran!" the figure ordered, grasping his arm tighter.

One of the figures opposite him stood up and walked over to the wall in front of him. It operated something that Luis couldn't quite see. A small compartment in the wall slid open and he watched as the figure took out a type of small box. It approached the one holding him down, tapped it on the shoulder and said something incomprehensible. The first figure loosened its grip and accepted the object that was being offered to it by its companion. It opened the box and took out a small tube with a pointed end. Luis stared at it; the tube was made from a blueish metal and was covered in a series of unrecognisable symbols. The figure stared at Luis.

"Vas garer Zoran. Caes lot ferar," it said in a much gentler tone.

"I still don't understand. Let me go," Luis begged, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him.

Quick as a flash, the figure jabbed the tube into Luis's right temple. It pressed down hard on the far end, injecting something into his body. Luis flailed around like a trapped animal. The two figures pinned him down; he couldn't move, let alone stand up.

"What have you done to me?!" he yelled angrily

"Vas garer Zoran, vas garer Zoran," the figure repeated again and again.

"Let me go!" Luis kept shouting as a stabbing pain pulsed through his head.

"Vas garer Chosen One, calm down, Chosen One," the figure said in a perfectly comprehensible voice that was now clearly female.

Luis froze in disbelief. Stunned, he stared at the being that had just addressed him in his own language. The pressure on his arms lessened.

"What the...?" he stammered.

"Do not be afraid. We will not hurt you, Chosen One," his captor repeated.

"How can I understand you now?"

"Because of the injection. We put nanobots in your system. They work as neuronal translators in your brain. They let you understand and speak our language. As we understand yours," she explained.

"Who are you?" Luis managed to ask.

"It would be better if you saw us," she replied.

Then the figure raised her hand to the right side of her helmet. It suddenly opened and slid backwards, compressing into itself. Luis couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him was the face of a girl. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She shook out her long mane of wavy, golden hair and stared at him with eyes as blue as sapphires. Her strong, firm gaze was utterly irresistible. It was impossible to say how old she was. She looked young but had an air of maturity, of experience earned over passing decades. Luis was speechless. Then the other two figures copied the first and slid back their helmets. Unsurprisingly, they were also two girls, identical twins. They were also extremely attractive, although perhaps not quite as beautiful as the first. Their eyes were blue and they had matching silver hair. Not grey, but brilliant and shining. He had never seen hair like it.