Final Quest (20 page)

- 61 -

CAPURNI’S SURPRISE

Michael’s revelations about his ongoing communications with military experts in our country gives us hope.

“We need to escape from this room,” Jamie says.

Michael is already digging into his backpack.

I guess he’s looking for one of his nano-drones.

My hunch is confirmed when he launches a small fly-like object.

Squirt, who has been quiet for a long time, bounces to Michael’s shoulders to get a closer look at what he’s doing.

As Michael maneuvers the tiny drone to the door, Squirt bounces after it.

“Since we were first brought to this room,” Radwin says as he hovers near me, “I have been exploring every inch of the room. I can’t find a way for us to escape.”

“Our only hope is the door,” Jamie says.

“Not a chance,” Capurni replies. “I have inspected the door thoroughly. The lock is on the outside of it. There is no way we can open it.”

“Unless,” Michael grins, “my nano-drone can escape through a crack around the door.”

I step over to Michael to look at his spy-pad.

He’s already maneuvered the nano-drone to the door. Jamie and Capurni move towards the door while Jasmin and I watch what’s unfolding on Michael’s spy-pad. Radwin is hovering near me.

I shudder as I take a quick look out our window. The White House is much more distinct now.

“There’s a tiny space along the bottom of the door,” Michael says. “I can get the nano-drone through it.”

Jasmin says, “What if they have hidden cameras and microphones in our room? The Zelareans might be watching and listening to everything that we do.”

Michael touches something on the screen of his spy-pad.

“If there were any cameras or microphones, they’re not working anymore,” Michael grins. “Besides, they’re likely too involved with their invasion to be worried about us.”

I look at the screen on Michael’s spy-pad.

In an instant, the nano-drone slips under the door into a hallway.

There are two Stapols standing outside our door. From the bored looks on their faces I guess that they don’t suspect anything unusual is happening in our room.

The fly continues along a long hallway. Although there are doors located along the hallway, none of them have windows.

“How will we find the control room if none of the doors have windows?” Jasmin asks.

“We’ll have to send the fly into every room under the doors,” Michael says.

“That won’t be necessary,” Capurni says. “I have some information that will help us.”

“Information? What kind of information?” I say.

“Some of the Forgotten People taught me more about the Space Explorers. One of the scientists who they had recently rescued on Elpis was familiar with the layout of the Space Explorers. I know the exact location of their control room. I also know that there is an abort command in the control room. The abort command can instantly destroy all the VOPs.”

“Why didn’t your tell us this before?” I say.

“I had to be sure that the Zelareans were not listening to us,” Capurni says.

“Why would they have a command to destroy the VOPs?” Jasmin asks.

“When the VOPs were constructed,” Capurni says, “the Zelareans didn’t know which planet they were going to invade. If they attacked a planet that had superior technology, they needed a way to destroy all their VOPs to prevent an enemy from taking control of them.”

“Can you direct me to the control room?” Michael asks.

“Absolutely,” Capurni replies. “I memorized the blueprints of the Space Explorers.”

Memorized? I can’t imagine that this was an easy task.             

“Continue along the hallway until the end and then turn left,” Capurni says.

Michael slides his finger across the spy-pad. “It’s at the end of the hallway. It’s turning left.”

“The third door on your right,” Capurni says, “should have a Zelarean symbol on it.”

“Zelarean symbol? What’s that?” Jasmin asks.

Squirt jumps into Jasmin’s arms. Jasmin smiles at Squirt. Michael was right. Squirt is the perfect way to keep Jasmin calm.             

“A triangle with a backwards Z in it,” Jamie says. “The same as the tattoo on the bottom of Drew’s foot.”

“There,” Michael says, excitement rising in his voice. “There’s the door with the symbol.”

“Behind this door is the main control room to orchestrate the attack on your planet,” Capurni says. “Destroy this room and you might stop the attack.”

Silence greets Capurni’s words.

Finally, Jasmin says, “What about us?”

Capurni looks at each us. There is obvious concern in his face.

“If you destroy the control room, you will also destroy this Space Explorer. There will be no escape for anyone. To save your planet, you must be willing to sacrifice your lives.”

Michael slides his finger over the screen as he maneuvers the fly under the door of the control room.

The room immediately reminds me of a mission control center for a space launch.

There are a handful of Zelareans sitting at glass tables as they manipulate 3-D images that hover in front of them like holograms.

“You seeing this?” Michael says.

“Who are you talking to?” I ask.

“My father,” Michael replies.

“Yes,” his father answers.

The fact that we are able to communicate with someone back on earth recharges my desire to succeed in stopping the Zelareans, but it’s very difficult to escape the reality that my friends and I might be killed if we are successful.

“What should we do next?” Michael says.

He’s still talking to his father.

“We’re trying to analyze the pictures you are sending to us,” Mr. Worsley says.

“You don’t need to do that,” Capurni interjects. “There is a series of red numbers that are floating somewhere in the command room. All we have to do is enter these numbers into any of the control panels. This will cause the immediate destruction of the VOPs.”

“Then you’re going to have to get into the room,” Michael’s father replies.

This means we will have to get past the menacing Stapols in the hallway.

I shudder.

“What about the Space Explorers?” Michael’s father asks. “They must have weapons as well.”

“Yes,” Capurni says. “The Space Explorers have weapons that could destroy your planet without even needing the VOPs.”

And on top of this, I think, Santtonnice has my emerald.

Our task looks hopeless.

- 62 -

THE ATTACK BEGINS

It’s as though we’re trapped in a Star Wars movie.

The mass of black VOPs are forming into squadrons.

One smaller formation of VOPs has already unleashed a barrage of fire on the city below.

Washington is under attack.

“We’ve got to get to the command room,” Jamie says.

“Here,” Michael says as he hands Jamie a nano-drone from his backpack. “Use it to take out the Stapols outside our door.”

Jamie launces the nano-drone and directs it under the door.

“Laser or chemical spray?” Jamie asks Michael.

“In the Options Menu, select kill,” Michael says.

I move towards Jamie and peer over his shoulder.

The fly is already outside our room. It appears to be hovering directly opposite the two Stapols.

Jamie opens the Options Menu on the spy-pad.

“Lock into one of their faces,” Michael casually says.

Jamie slides his finger moving the nano-drone closer to the haunting face of one of the guards.

His finger touches a blue command that reads KILL.

Instantly the guard collapses. Before the other Stapol reacts, Jamie repeats the procedure.

The second guard falls.

“Cyanide spray,” Michael says. “Almost instant death.”

“There’s Santtonnice!” Jasmin exclaims.

At first I think she means he’s in our room, but then I realize his picture is on the screen of Michael’s spy-pad.

As I move back to Michael, he says to Jamie, “Use the laser to take out the lock on our door.”

Santtonnice is walking around the command room. He’s wearing the emerald necklace.

“Oh no,” Capurni says.

He’s standing at the window. Radwin is hovering beside him.

The sky is filled with explosions.

American fighter jets are attacking the VOPs. Unfortunately, the jets are exploding everywhere. Our weapons are no match for the Zelarean technology.

There’s a small blast at our door.

“The nano-drone has blown the lock,” Jamie says as he steps quickly toward the door.

He pulls the door open, revealing two dead guards on the hallway floor.

“We’ve got to destroy the command room,” I say as I rush into the hallway.

No one moves.

I look at each of my friends.

“You know,” Jamie says, “regardless of what happens next, none of us are going to survive.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “This is the only way to save our world. We’re going to have to sacrifice our lives in order to stop the Zelareans.”

I turn and begin to walk along the hallway. I hear footsteps behind me.

It’s Jasmin with Squirt sitting on her shoulders.

Jasmin grabs my hand. Together, we march towards the command room with the others following us.

- 63 -

NUCLEAR WARHEADS

We pause when we reach the command room door.

This is it. There’s no turning back.

As we walked along the hallway leading to the door, Jamie and Michael were glued to a spy-pad as they explored the command room with the nano-drone that Michael had previously sent into the room.

“How are we going to do this?” I whisper nervously.

“It’s a large room,” Jamie replies. “We haven’t explored every inch of it yet because we have been focusing on trying to find the sequence of red numbers that Capurni said are floating in the air.”

“They are probably a hologram,” Michael adds. “We need to find these numbers and enter them into one of the control panels. If we’re able to do this, the VOPs will all self-destruct.”

“What about the Space Explorers? Even if we’re able to destroy the VOPs, how will we prevent the Space Explorers from unleashing their weapons?”

Michael looks at me with longing eyes as though it’s going to crush him to answer my question.

“The President,” Michael begins with great effort, “has authorized the use of nuclear warheads to be fired at the Space Explorers. Although the resulting explosions will be horrendous, this might be the only way to save our planet.”

This is the end. I waited eleven years to find my father, and now only a few weeks after reuniting with him my life is going to be over without even having the chance to say goodbye to him.

“When we blow the lock off the door, we have to move quickly,” Michael says. “Emily, Jasmin, Radwin and Squirt, somehow you’ve got to distract Santtonnice. You have to prevent him from using the emerald against us. Jamie and Capurni will look at the displays that are hovering above the control panels. There are thousands of numbers. I’ll use the nano-drone to knock out anyone else in the room with a chemical spray.”

“Why don’t you use it on Santtonnice?” Jasmin asks.

“There are Stapols and other Zelareans in the room. Let’s get them out of the way first and then worry about Santtonnice.”

I don’t disagree with Michael. I know that if we try to eliminate Santtonnice first, he might kill all of us before we are able to sabotage the VOPs.

“Do we know how many numbers there are in the sequence we are looking for?” I ask.

“No,” Capurni replies.

“Once we’ve found the numbers we have to enter them into one of the control panels,” Jamie says. “We’re not sure how we’ll do this, but hopefully there’s some kind of keyboard.”

“After we have destroyed all the VOPs, Washington is going to give us five minutes to try to disable the weapons on the Space Explorers. If we’re unable to do this, rockets containing nuclear warheads will be launched at each of the three Space Explorers.”

Unless I am able to take my emerald back from Santtonnice, we will be blown up with the Space Explorers.

My mind drifts back to a picture in the caves on Elpis that showed a planet being ripped apart by an explosion from the emerald. I wonder if this is what is going to happen if a nuclear weapon hits the emerald.

- 64 -

FINDING THE NUMBERS

Michael uses a nano-drone to blast the lock off the door.

Jamie pulls the door open.

We rush into the room.

A quick glance at the endless controls and a multitude of numbers and symbols hovering above the controls convinces me that this is not going to be easy.

“I knew I should have killed you before,” an ugly voice screams.

It’s Santtonnice.

A step or two away from him is Drew.

I’m terrified to be facing Santtonnice once again.

Equally disturbing is Drew. His eyes pierce through me.

“Kill her,” Santtonnice orders.

Drew’s face looks hideous. His mouth is twisted. His eyes are dark and partially closed. He picks up a long knife from a table.

Jamie leaps towards the control panels.

“Abruella!” Santtonnice shouts as he looks at Jamie.

A bolt of lightning smashes Jamie against a wall.

Michael has disappeared. He must have found a place to hide.

One of the Zelareans collapses at his table. Michael must be using a chemical spray from his nano-drone.

Drew is advancing towards me, the knife menacingly coming closer.

The emerald is dangling from Santtonnice’s neck. Will it still listen to me?

“Abruella!” I shout as I look at the emerald.

A small bolt of lightning leaps from the emerald and smashes into a control panel causing a small explosion.

“Kill her!” Santtonnice shouts.

Drew leaps at me, wildly swinging the knife.

Jasmin flies through the air, driving her foot into the side of Drew’s head.

Drew falls heavily into a table of controls.

Santtonnice glares at me.

I drop to the floor.

Michael is hiding under a table, using his spy-pad.

Jamie is attempting to crawl to another area of the room.

I remember that my job is to distract Santtonnice. The others will never find the sequence of numbers if Santtonnice is able to use the emerald to stop them.

I stand.

Five or six Zelareans and a few Stapols are dead. I hope that Michael soon turns the nano-drone against Santtonnice.

Drew is pulling himself back to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth.

Jasmin is a few steps away from me.

There’s fire in Drew’s eyes.

It’s as though he has transformed into a mad monster.

Drew steps towards me again, holding the long thin knife above his head.

Jasmin spins and kicks Drew in the side.

This time, he’s ready for her attack. He blocks her kick and savagely slashes her arm with his knife.

Jasmin tumbles against a table, blood streaming from her arm.

Drew methodically circles her, the long bright blade of his knife poised ready to kill Jasmin.

Santtonnice laughs like a sick demon.

Jasmin isn’t finished yet.

She leaps into the air, her foot smashing against Drew’s jaw. He falls backwards, but in the process swings his knife ripping into Jasmin’s leg.

Jasmin cries out in pain, but twists away from Drew.

She can barely stand.

Drew stalks her.

Jasmin backs into a wall. She’s trapped.

“Abruella, Drew’s knife,” I shout.

A bolt of lightning hits the knife. It clatters to the floor.

Jasmin dives for the knife.

Drew leaps toward her.

“Got it,” another voice shouts.

It’s Capurni.

I turn in his direction.

He’s looking at a sequence of red numbers hovering in the air.

“I’ll kill you before you ever enter those numbers,” Santtonnice says.

Just as Santtonnice finishes his words, a nano-drone flies in front of him. Santtonnice snatches the tiny drone and crushes it in his huge hand.