YEAR 2030 - LONDON COMPOUND
Numen continued to squeeze tightly on the boy's neck leaving absolutely no room for error. He sensed that DuPont's beliefs about Jake had been misguided, the boy was no more special than any of the others whom he had executed over the years. The progeny of the mysterious Project Eden were in short supply, Numen and his men had been hunting them down for years, the threat they posed to the Empire being greater than anything the rebels could throw at them. In fact, bar two others, Numen was certain that all remnants of the scientific catastrophe of the top secret military experiment had been destroyed or detained.
The general knew that Jake was nothing to do with DuPont's hybrid creation scheme. Jake was an anomaly, a pure birth between one of his own and one of them. He was the forbidden child, a human, terrestrial hybrid, created through a misguided cross-species relationship. Numen resented the purity of his own people being polluted by the weak gene pool of the hapless humans and had taken great pleasure in erasing any trace of them from the face of his adopted home.
Numen was glad when he had killed Jack back in Berlin for having defiled one of his people's most esteemed scientists, Marie had been promised to him after all. Instead, whilst supporting DuPont's research she had secretly struck up a relationship with the counter-terrorism agent and bore the secret lovechild. Jake had been the scientific leap that had never been repeated since, a naturally born extra-terrestrial human hybrid. Numen hated everything the boy represented and was enjoying taking his last breath.
His enjoyment was interrupted by the movement of the brown-eyed human girl who had now exited the vestibule and appeared to be reaching for the Sig Sauer left outside. Numen allowed her to pick it up and quickly took her under his control, the protective shield that had served her earlier had now disappeared with Jake's last breath. He had gotten accustomed to helping these pitiful creatures putting themselves down, and urged her to lift the gun to her throat, tilting her head back ever so slightly. The girl tried to resist but was powerless to stop him. She began to whimper like they always did at this point, pathetic and weak creatures undeserving of the same air as a superior being like him.
He considered saying something clever, to mark her demise, but he could hear movements from the other side of the complex and the sound of the helicopters above firing into action. He had no time to fully enjoy the moment, it would have to be a dull and perfunctory execution. Numen had been so consumed with the boy, the girl and all the other things going on around him that he had once again taken his eye off of the ball where the meddlesome American Staffordshire Terrier was concerned. Max's warm breath was closer than the general had cared for it to be.
Having stalked his prey with consummate instinct, Max was now barely three feet away from his enemy, growling his intent with ever increasing vigour. Numen had Phoenix under his spell and Jake lay lifeless within his grasp and Max was in no mood to allow him an escape.
'We really should stop meeting like this mutt' sneered Numen having been bested by the beast far more times than he cared to mention.
Max's face contorted into a state of sheer unadulterated rage and he barked a warning shot or two before dragging his front feet like a bull ready to charge.
'You're too late. I've killed your master and soon I'm going to kill her and then you' Numen said pointing to Phoenix who was in position for an unwanted suicide.
Max leapt into action, Numen's throat his intended target, but as he jumped his roaring bark gave way to a loud bang and a whimper. Max fell heavily from the air and rolled onto his side, the recently discharged gun in Phoenix's hand releasing a tiny puff of smoke into the air. Her face was a picture of sheer horror and she could see the dog rolling around uncontrollably on the ground, wounded by the weapon that was entirely beyond her control.
Numen smiled, the glint in his piercing blue eyes revelling in the moment before quickly becoming tired of the mind-numbing wailing of the injured animal. He forced Phoenix to fire the gun at Max a second and third time to end his tedious groans of pain. He turned to watch the bullets tear into his foe, consumed with bloodlust.
His sinister grin quickly crumbled like the Berlin Wall as the bullets hovered over the fallen animal and then stopped still, before falling to the ground. The body of the boy now jolted to life within his clutches and a bright glow surged through Jake’s eyes in a blinding flash of light. Numen had no time to react, he and the boy were now catapulted into the air like a rocket taking off in Cape Canaveral. They smashed into the glass ceiling above, shards of glass exploding down all around them as they now dropped just as quickly on to the floor below. Jake had wrestled his aggressor's grip from around his neck and was ready for the next round of their battle to commence. Numen had recovered quickly using his powers to fire shards of glass at Jake as he charged at him. They crashed into the force shield that now swarmed around the boy and fell meekly to the ground as tiny granules of sand.
Numen was losing control of the situation, he swung for the boy but his body was jolted backwards by a searing hot impact into his shoulder. The girl, released of his grip had shot him in his left shoulder and slowed his assault on Jake. She squeezed the trigger a number of times, but the clip had been emptied much to her dismay, but this was least of Numen's worries. His reprieve lasted only a few seconds.
'Nobody messes with my boy' bellowed Jake in a fury as the energy surged through his body and made him appear godly and commanding.
Jake shot at the speed of light towards him, slamming the Chimera General into the wall near the entrance and embedding him within the concrete, such was the force of the impact. He then unleashed a flurry of blows upon Numen, his hands moving faster than was humanly possible and each one embedding the powerless ebony henchman further into the wall.
Jake's assault subsided momentarily, checking over his shoulder for signs of life from Max. It was clear that he had been shot in the back leg, Phoenix now coming to his aid as his enraged master turned back to Numen. The general coughed blue blood from his mouth, the burns from the earlier battle having taken years off of him and he writhed weakly in the concrete hole he had been squished into.
'That was for what you did to Max' Jake growled, consumed with fury as he grabbed the lapels of Numen's dusty leather coat. 'This is for Tank.'
Numen's head jolted back deeper into the concrete encasing under the immense head butt that Jake unleashed upon him. The blue blood streaming from his nose now. Numen was in terrible shape, but he forced himself to snigger defiantly in Jake's face.
The young teenager was not riled, a wry smile emerged and cut Numen's artificial laughter in its tracks. The energy pulsed through the boy's body giving him a superhuman glow and then his smile gave way to a far more serious and menacing look of intent. His fist smashed Numen straight through the wall and onto the other side and as Jake stepped through the newly created void he could see Lexi and the others charging towards them calling out his name.
The distraction gave Numen a few seconds to get to his feet and make a move up the stairs to the activity of the choppers on the roof. Jake cursed loudly and gave chase behind, whilst Lexi sprinted behind him.
As Jake smashed through the door and into the daylight, he could see his enemy being pulled into the first of two choppers, the blades creating a mini-whirlwind that slowed his run. They lifted up into the air and despite his efforts to catch up to them, Jake watched as they swept up into the air. He tried to take hold of the driver and to crash the helicopter down into the rioting streets of battle below, but his grip was weak and he could not cut through the blockage. As he tried desperately to prevent Numen's escape he could hear Lexi screaming his name behind him. An agent in the back of Numen's helicopter now came into view as the helicopter turned sideways revealing the agent in charge of the chopper's gun.
A flurry of firepower was unleashed on Jake's position. He crashed heavily to the ground, tackled by Lexi as he watched the gunfire over her shoulder raining down right on them, but bouncing off of an invisible shield and the shots straying wide of them. Jake knew that the protective bubble had nothing to do with him, and as he looked into Lexi's eyes he saw that the usually bright emerald green now emitted a glow that he had only ever seen in his own reflection when exerting his own abilities. He felt weak, unable to move under her immense grip as the helicopter with Numen pulled off to the west, with the second one going in the other direction.
The glow from Lexi's eyes diminished as the chopper fled the scene and she now gazed back at him with her customary emerald gaze, her face flushed by the revelation of her secret. Jake now felt his body re-energise and quickly pushed her off and got his feet. He could not allow Numen to escape, not after he had him right where he wanted him.
'Jake wait, please stop' she pleaded as he ran to the edge of the roof, his eyes locked on Numen's escape route.
He ignored her calls from behind him and scanned the area as the helicopter drifted further away into the distance. Jake could not allow his sworn enemy to escape. He began to channel the energy through his body again, it was as if he had just completed a full system reset. He could see two hovering, abandoned drones off in the distance, loitering conveniently on either side of the helicopter. Jake closed his eyes and imagined himself as a giant playing with two tiny flying toys and then when he could feel the drones within his telekinetic clutches and took a deep breath and raised his arms out into a wide cross. He then exhaled and clapped his hands loudly together, opening his eyes finally to see the two drones hurtling like missiles upon the helicopter's vulnerable position.
KABOOM! The echoing thunderclap echoed above the heart of the city where the battles between rebels and the dream walkers against the army of the Empire raged. Numen's helicopter had felt the full force of the impact, exploding into a burning hot ball of flames, and crashing headlong into the epicentre of the battle zone. Jake gazed out into the city, the final burning remnants of his enemy crumbling to the ground to join the burning wreckage of the now decimated foot soldiers of the old regime. All around him he could see the people wide awake and crushing the last of the resistance. London had been emancipated from the tyranny of the Empire and Jake had laid his father's ghost to rest. Vengeance had given way to freedom. The celebrations would have to wait until he could confirm that Numen was gone for good, though.
All around the compound, the swarming mass of newly blooded freedom fighters had overcome the wardens of the realm. Piles of robotic henchmen lay in ruins, drones exploded from the sky like fireworks hailing the victory of the rebellion and euphoric screams drowned the sobs of those lost in the battle. Whilst the end of the Empire’s rule here looked well underway, there were many battles like this one yet to be fought and won. However, hope had been reborn and the Empire’s grip on world domination had been weakened.
In the wake of the battle, rebels and citizens, overwhelmed with joy began to embrace and cheer for the freedom that they had fought for today. The screens continued to churn out an anthem of revolution and soon images from across the globe began to flash on the screen, where evidence of emancipation in other compounds could be seen spurring a chorus of anti-Empire anthems from the gathered masses. The rebellion was spreading like wildfire.
REBEL BASE - WILTSHIRE
It had been a couple of days since the incursion at the London compound. Everyone seemed to have more of a spring in their step as they began to imagine the world devoid of the unrelenting grasp of the Empire. There had been many reunions of families all across the globe and sharing their private moments together, many more would be desperately trying to find loved ones for some time as the compounds fell into rebel hands and a new age of freedom began to take shape. It was going to be a long and arduous process for people to make sense of the two lost decades that had passed, to rebuild their lives and restore family units to what they once were. Despite the trauma, the alternative was not worth considering, emancipation was far better than a life entirely constructed by propaganda and lies. No one was kidding themselves that decades of oppression from the regime would disappear overnight, there was much to be done and many more battles to come. For many, though, the paradigm shift was enormous and the newfound freedom and hope that it brought was worthy of celebration.
Not everyone had come out of the battle zones with the same level of euphoria. Many had begun to reflect on those they had lost during the battle and the over the years that the Empire had freely dominated the world. This group of people had taken to paying their respects to loved ones lost in the prime of the Empire's reign.
The old mouthpiece of the tyrannous regime had been replaced by one that revealed the truth of the emergence of the lost decades or the 'twenty-year sleep' as the media were now referring to it. Daily broadcasts announced new compounds that had been liberated in the aftermath of the uprising in London. They showed how families had found each other and been reunited, refugees from devastated compounds were taken in by rebel clans and the talk of how to rebuild the world was already underway. In the meantime, the dream walkers abandoned old roles serving their captors and began to focus efforts on helping to reunite families, provide food and shelter for those who had become destitute, and also to lay tributes to brave souls who had lost their lives during the battles. The possibilities of how the new world that was still in its infancy would adapt to these circumstances were endless, but hope for a better and sustainable future was growing each day.
Jake was in the category of folk who had been more introspective in the days following the battle. Uncle Frank had been very ill following his gunshot wound and had been being tended to by Isaac's wife, Serena. He was slowly and surely getting stronger, having had the bullet removed, but he had lost a lot of blood and had required a great deal of medical attention and blood to save him. Serena, who had been a doctor in her previous life, had set up a small clinic within the grounds to help the wounded. Given their enemy's immense firepower, injuries were generally those incurred in narrow escapes, with the majority of the dead having been erased from the face of the world. Without the bodies, it made the whole process of identifying lost souls more difficult and those families who had hoped to be reunited faced anxious times finding brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters and such like.
Jake had spent the time since London pondering his own future. He hoped Uncle Frank was going to get better, and Max, who was being looked after by Phoenix, would too. The American Staffordshire Terrier had already begun to take uneasy steps, his back leg having been grazed by the bullet that Numen had forced Phoenix to fire at him. Max had quickly forgiven her and had begun to forge a close relationship with her, it was of little surprise given how much she spoiled him. Jake had noticed how Max had developed a few rather pathetic attention seeking behaviours since the injury, all designed for getting special treatment from his new best friend, he seemed happy, though.
As for the situation with, Lexi and Phoenix, Jake had found himself maintaining a distance between them both, still entirely unsure of his feelings. His initial chemistry with Lexi had cooled since the incident at Porton Down which had seemed to have affected her more than he realised, but also the revelation that she too had some form of power similar to his had given him pause. Jake was not entirely sure of who he was and indeed what he was, but he began to think that Project Eden, had something to do with it. Whilst Lexi had kept her distance from him, she had spent a lot of time helping Serena in the clinic and had taken quite a shine to Frank, spending many hours taking care of him.
Having lost both of his closest confidants to the maternal clutches of the two women in his life, Jake had often found himself entirely isolated and alone. There had been a few occasions when he had joined Mike and Sam in a few games of football, cricket, and rugby when they had been playing them with the kids. Jake had learned fairly quickly that whilst he enjoyed the learning of the sports and their associated rules, he was easily outplayed in all of them by the younger brigade who picked up the skills far quicker than him. Mike had assured him that it was all about taking part, but Jake did not much like being on the losing side on every occasion so had taken leave from the sporting jamboree that had become commonplace in the heart of the compound each day.
For the last two days, Jake had been coming to the burial site to take stock of life and his intended next steps. Sadly, the number of graves had grown by some number having lost many men in the explosive battle. Today, however, was a little different. As he arrived into the quiet solitude of the picturesque garden of the dead, he was not alone. Isaac with his big afro, uncombed and swaying in the breeze like a bush on fire, was hunched over the resting place of Tank, whispering a few words and no doubt updating him on all the events that had been happening.
Jake considered leaving, not wanting to disturb this quiet and personal moment, but Isaac had seen him arrive and waved him over.
'We're about done here, Jake, why don't you come and take a seat' Isaac said, patting the ground beside him as he took a swig from the bottle of liquor in his hand.
As Jake came to sit beside the muscular warrior who had successfully led the rebellion against the Empire, he could see tears welled in his eyes and a look of solitude and sadness. Isaac had always maintained an air of wisdom and fearlessness that made his present state somewhat unsettling and Jake really did not know where to start.
'I was just telling Tank about all of these families that are being reunited,' Isaac said, alleviating any worry of any awkward silences. 'This and all of the stuff that is to come is what it was all for,' he continued as he finished the last mouthful of the whisky in his hand, tossing the bottle into the distance.
Jake was now close enough to the gentle giant to be able to smell that he had drunk quite a considerable amount more than the two mouthfuls Jake had observed. His eyes were bloodshot and dopey from the alcohol that had taken hold of his system.
'I pictured this day, over and over in my head, the day we overthrew the goddamn Empire!' Isaac began to weep uncontrollably, the heartfelt pain jolting his chest wildly as if his emotions were trying to spark his broken heart back into life. 'He wasn't supposed to die!'
Jake put his arm around Isaac and held him tight. It felt very awkward given the size of the huge, wailing brute, but Jake had absolutely nothing to say to him that would make the pain any more bearable. He realised his issues with Lexi and Phoenix, paled into insignificance compared to the loss of a son. The fact that both Frank and Max looked like they too were on the mend, made Jake feel even worse for the state that Isaac was now in. He just held him and let Isaac mourn his child, he knew that empty platitudes and artificial philosophical sentiments would only really be to ease his own guilt rather than offer Isaac any crumbs of comfort.
The two of them sat there, embracing the silent solace whilst all around them the chorus of revelry and merriment rang out from all corners of the compound. It was a bittersweet juxtaposition of the many emotions that had been unleashed into the birth of this new uncharted world. The celebrations of freedom and hope had hidden tales of bravery and loss that now blended into a kaleidoscope of change. Nothing and no one would be the same again.
'Jake!' Lexi's voice interrupted the moment of silent solitude. 'Jake, you need to come quickly, Frank is awake' she said, a chirp of joy rattling her words out like a song.
Jake and Isaac turned to see Lexi skipping towards them, clearly unaware of the dark emotions that had recently emanated the graveyard. Her unbridled joy about Frank's improving condition cut through the darkness, like a ray of morning light, her face alight with the news and desperate to share the feeling with them.
By the time he had gotten to his feet she threw her arms open and pulled him close. The impact almost took Jake's breath away and he could now see Serena coming up behind, a smile on her face but more respectful of her surroundings.
'Your Uncle is asking for you,' she said, her red smile and emerging dimples blossoming on her face. 'He has been talking non-stop since he woke,' she continued, her face shifting to a more discerning look of fake annoyance. 'It didn't matter how many times I politely told him to shut up, he just kept blathering on 'where's my boy', 'go get Jake', 'I wanna be a rock star'!' She mocked, pulling Frank-like faces and putting on a deep manly voice as she uttered his words.
The joyous energy the two women had brought to an otherwise depressing void of a few moments ago was a welcome relief to both Isaac and Jake. The elder man trying to wipe away the tears to conceal his anguish from his wife.
'I suggest you go and see him, but not for too long, he needs his rest' Serena said sternly, playing her maternal and medical roles to perfection. 'Now go, be gone!' She said waving the two young adults away.
Jake and Lexi headed back to the house, the news of Frank's recovery enough to make the situation between them somewhat bearable and neither one made any effort to resurrect the unresolved tensions between them. For now, having Frank as a focal point meant that they could be in each other's company and the rest of it could wait for another day.
When the two of them were out of earshot, Serena turned back to her husband, opening her arms to welcome him into her bosom. Without the slightest hesitation, he fell into her warm embrace and kissed her softly on the lips.
'I miss him' he whispered.
'I do too' she replied. 'But that is no excuse for all this drinking. You must make your peace Isaac, your people are going to need you and your wife needs you too.'
He gripped her small dainty figure tightly in his mammoth arms, and kissed her again, whispering a promise that he would do as the good doctor ordered.
'I have news,' she said after a moment.
He stepped away from her, a look of sheer shock and excitement enveloping his inebriated body. He pointed to her tiny belly, the expression on his face asking the unspoken question. Are you pregnant?
She choked back a laugh and became a little embarrassed. 'No, not that, we can work on that,' she said becoming a little flirty at the suggestion, before redeeming her composure again. 'Frank knows where Noah is.'
The revelation was even more pronounced than the possibility of Serena being pregnant. It had an immediately sobering impact on the giant bear of a man.
'He knows where my brother is?' Isaac asked.
Serena smiled, shedding a solitary tear of happiness as she saw the hope light up in her husband's eyes again. 'He wanted to tell you himself, but I wanted to be the one. We haven't had many chances to be happy together, we have barely celebrated that the death of our boy was not in vain. With all the joy I see around me, I just wanted for a moment to revel in it with you.'
He swept in around her like a wave and lifted her up off the ground and kissed her like the first time they had met. In all the fallout of battle, he had lost perspective, forgetting all the things that mattered most and that motivated him to lead the charge. He had the most important thing right here, his wife whom he loved dearly, who had lost just as much as he had, but who had found the strength to help others in need even when she probably would have rather mourned her loss. This realisation fuelled and inspired Isaac, revitalising him and allowing him some perspective. Whilst he could not bring back his son, he could put all his energy into making his wife as happy as she made him and into finding his brother and bringing him home.
When Jake and Lexi burst into the room where Frank was recovering, they could see the wily old man, sat up in bed and looking better than he had done in days. His leg was heavily strapped and bandaged and his hair was suffering from a serious case of bed head, but other than that, he was looking reasonably well in himself.
Serena and her helpers had done a fantastic job of bringing him back from the brink. His leg was elevated, having had his femur fractured under the blast and it was not long before Jake could see that the morphine was working wonders.
'There he is, Jakey boy' Frank cheered as his adopted nephew entered the room. 'I love your stinking dog, go get him so I can give him a kiss.'
His unusual behaviour made Jake give a cursory and questioning glance back to Lexi.
'Morphine. Lots of morphine' she whispered.
'So how are you doing Uncle Frank?' Jake asked doing his best to adjust to the odd and somewhat intoxicated behaviour of his uncle. In truth, he was utterly delighted to see Frank so full of beans, having seen him feverish and deathly pale over the past few days.
'I'm grrrrreat!' Frank replied before laughing at his own joke that no one else seemed to have heard. 'Nurse, another one if you will' he said to Lexi, tapping at the tube in his arm, before giggling stupidly again.
'Her name is Lexi, Uncle Frank, she has been helping you to get better' Jake said.
Frank now sat upright and gave him a cold and serious stare. 'I know exactly who she is' he slurred. 'She's one of them, those ... I don't know what they call them' Frank muttered incoherently.
The look of alarm that suddenly swept across Jake's face was mirrored on Lexi's. Her mouth curled into a frown and her eyes sharpened into a look of pent up anxiety. At first, Jake reasoned that the drugs must have left Frank confused, but deep down Jake had sensed something strange with Lexi for some time.
'You know what he's blabbering about?' Jake asked her, his eyes burrowing into her startled expression with an enquiring manner fitting of an interrogation.
Jake had been so focused on the wellbeing of Frank and Max, and the frustration of never confirming the death of Numen and all of the events unfolding that he had forgotten about the incident on the roof. Perhaps Frank knew of Lexi’s abilities? In fact, Jake had spent so long avoiding her because of that night on the mound that he had not broached the unexplained events of that night at the compound.
Lexi was consumed with anxiety, her pale cheeks flushed with the embarrassment of the unexpected outburst. 'I-I-I don't have a clue w-w-what he is talking about' she stammered. 'Honestly, it must be the drugs, he must be mixing me up with someone else' she protested as Jake's eyes swept back to his uncle.
'She's lying, she's one of them kids from your mum's research thing' blurted Frank still not entirely making much sense. 'You know, the one you asked me about at Hullavington?'
It was a like a punch to the chest. The revelation seemingly obvious now had Jake’s mind whirring. 'You mean Project Eden?' he pressed.
'That's it, that's the one!' Frank agreed now pointing at Lexi. 'She's one of them and it's because of that place that we lost your mother and why we had to hide you' said Frank, now becoming overwhelmed with grief.
In this vulnerable state, it was clear that the many secrets that Frank had been keeping locked up were flowing freely and without a filter. Jake tried to piece together his uncle's babbled sentences trying to make sense of them and he was drawn back to Lexi again, searching for clues of her knowledge or culpability. Was she keeping secrets from them all this time?
'He's ... he's mistaken ... I have no idea what he's talking about Jake,' she lied unconvincingly.
The incident on the rooftop kept flashing back into his head and it started to make sense. A spine-tingling shiver shot down his back and made the hairs on his arms and back of his neck stand up on end. He remembered the visit to Porton Down, how she had disappeared from them all, how strange she had acted since. What about Tank? She was there when he died and had never spoken of it, was she just covering her tracks?
The thoughts of all that had occurred both before he met her and since joining the rebellion and Jake now was consumed with questions. Every time something had been amiss there had been a trauma or incident that had stopped him from asking her questions. Things that had never sat right with him but to which he had never given voice to. All of these things coursed through his brain like bolts of lightning and realisation. The situation with Max and how his faithful companion had never taken a liking to her. The issues the two of them had in communicating. Had she been the reason?
Lexi continued to protest, but Jake was having none of it. He grabbed her tight around the throat.
'Tell me everything you know about Project Eden or so help me I will beat it from you' he threatened, his grip tightening around her neck.
The shocked and outraged expression on her face lasted but a brief moment. Frank tried to intervene but was far too heavily sedated to be effective. Soon Lexi’s mock outrage and innocent girl routine gave way to a sinister and empowered expression. Her eyes flashed with energy and an evil grin took shape on her ruby lips.
What's the matter, don't like being the only freak in town? Her voice echoed in his head.
His fingers now began to unpeel around her neck, entirely without his instruction as she overpowered his senses and took control.
‘How could you keep this from us?' Jake said as he was forced back against the bed. ‘They trusted you, I trusted you. And all this time you had the answers’.
Lexi was now stood over him, holding him against the wall with an in