Defenders of Earth (Book 2 of the Keepers Trilogy)

Chapter 25

For the first time, I feel safe. It's soothing, floating there, having your whole body suspended in water while still breathing cool air. I don't focus on anything. I don't want to leave. I give them a thumbs up, letting them know it's okay to begin. I close my eyes and nearly doze off. So calming. So warm. I feel like there's nothing, nothing but me and my air supply. And the prickly feeling where the electrodes are attached, like little bolts of electricity. 

Wait. That wasn't there before. I hadn't even noticed the electrodes. And it's making my head hurt.

The premonition hits me so hard, I actually fling my head back as if I was punched. 

It's strange. I feel like I know this place, but only in my imagination. 

It's a field. Surrounded by old trees, and beyond that there's white sand-no, there's parts that are black-or is that just from my poor vision? It goes on and on, for eternity? I don't know. It's like I'm dreaming, but I'm not. There's someone here. Is that James? It can't be. I can't even tell if it's male or female. All I can make out is some dark hair and familiar robes. 

I feel safe, but there's a lingering fear. Am I crying? What happened? Why can't premonitions ever be clear? I don't even think any of it's real. Or, rather, premonition me doesn't think it's real. Maybe. I think. It's too far in the future and I can't see clearly. 

I'm saying-will say, grammar isn't my strong suit-something to the figure. It's like my ears are clogged, and I can hear noises but not distinct ones. And he-she-walks towards me with their arms open. I go hug them, so it must be someone I know. I catch a whiff of a flower, a scent that makes my heart ache, even though I can't tell what it is. It must be lavender. There's no other smell that would provoke such a strong emotion. 

My eyes fly open, but I see nothing. I don't remember where I'm at, and by the time I do, I'm thrown into such an intense flashback that I can feel what's going on.

I stand in a filthy, rusted hall that vibrates. Two men in jumpsuits flank a third man- Azudus. He stumbles whilst walking down the corridor. He pleads in a strange, rough language, which the other two ignore. I follow behind them, my footsteps making no noise against the metal. The memory can affect me, but I cannot affect it.

He's brought into a huge room, filled with levels of machinery. Each machine is attached to a circular device, standing about 10 feet tall. Inside the hole is several bolts from which strands of purple electricity stretch to the other side.

The Machine.

Azudus is thrown to the floor in front of it. A large, muscular man approaches him and crouches down. Azudus whispers to him, grabs the man's arms to pull himself up. I hear my father's name and I grimace. I think they're discussing me. But what could Azudus have possibly done that warranted being treated like a criminal? What could have him begging for forgiveness that involves me?

The man's shouting at him now, gesturing angrily at the Machine. Azudus absorbs the yelling without acknowledgment. Whatever happened, he's beating himself up over it.

The man points at the guards -or soldiers, or security, or whatever they were- and speaks one word. They nod and leave. The man continues to berate Azudus. Now that I've listened for a bit I can understand some of the words, but not enough to make sense. "Azera...you...wrong..."

The floor trembles under my feet. I hear a half-groan that sounds familiar, but I can't place it.

Then the two escorts come back with the same monster that killed my father. Or one of the same species, and a slightly sedated one at that. It totters on its feet, but roars at Azudus as soon as it lays eyes on him.

Azudus screams and grabs the front of the man's shirt. He shoves Azudus to the floor. The man holds up three fingers as he yells at him. I hear Azera again, then Father's name. Then the man snarls at the guards, who unlock the beast's chains. It creates that hideous screeching noise and stumbles to Azudus. He scrambles back, knocking the man to the side. I know what he's going for-the Machine. But it takes too long to kick in. He couldn't just step through; it would only take him to the other side of the metal ring if it didn't fry him.

The thing lumbers by me, and I can smell its stench, feel the great heat radiating off of it. The man and his workers leave; there's no need to linger. I can't believe how careless they are, locking a monster inside with the portal. As if it were nothing more than garbage instead of a bridge between dimensions and planets.

Azudus is fast, though. While the monster searches for him, he manages to climb to the second level and begins punching something into an unseen control panel. The lightening inside the Machine gets excited, brightening and multiplying.

The monster finally figures out where his prey has gone and climbs after it. Azudus climbs over the railing, attempting to take the same path down. But the creature paws at him, its claws catching in his jumpsuit before dislodging his grip. Azudus falls hard. I hear several bones crack as he lands on his feet and crumples.

He's not giving up, though. Azudus army crawls to the machine, pulls himself up into it. The monster jumps down after him, but it's too slow. The machine has accepted Azudus's presence. I shield my eyes from the violet lights before, suddenly, the scenery changes.

It's the lab I'm in. But it's not quite the same. The floor isn't the same color and the computers are now big, blocky machines.

Azudus is wheeled in on a stretcher, accompanied by the same scientist who put me in the tank. He speaks Azeran to her. I don't think he knows he's on Earth.

"I thought Alexander had sent him. I did not even catch his name, he just told me he was a friend of Alex. I'm so, so sorry, I did not know I was being manipulated, I have to find him, if that beast hatches we're done for. The king tried to kill me with the mom, if he knows I am here, he will send another after me."

Azudus continues rambling. I think he's in shock because he won't shut up about finding the egg before it hatches and before the monster reaches adulthood and how he thought he was helping.

"Prep the tank," the scientist says. "He's gonna be in for a long time."

Her co-worker nods before running off. The scientist holds up a rubber tube. "I have to put this in your throat," she says, vaguely gesturing with the tube.

Azudus speaks English now. "No, no, no, don't do that, please don't do that!" He screams before the tube is shoved down his throat. He gags on it. The scientist releases the straps on the stretcher and helps him up. He's crying out. It's almost pitiful, but I can't pity him. He gave someone the egg of the creature who killed my father, and I think I know who he gave it to.