Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D. (42 page)

Steven’s knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

Enlil saw his moment, and quickly changed into his cobra form. With confidence, he reared back. Lunging forward, he grasped Steven in his mouth and bit down, snapping Steven’s ribs. The snake’s head shot upwards, tipped so that he could swallow him.

As gravity pulled Steven’s broken body inside, he knew he had won.

Liquefying, Steven let his free-flowing form slide down, deep inside Enlil’s gullet. Steven then changed form into a lion.

Enlil, stood unmoving in shocked silence, unsure of what had just happened. Steven clawed, tearing away at Enlil’s internal organs, shredding his soft tissue and muscles. Even amid Enlil’s shrill shrieks, Steven could hear Enlil’s loudly beating heart.

From outside, Enlil’s eyes were wide. He was panicked, unsure of what to do. Enlil stared down at his own belly, watching it rise, move, and ripple, as Steven tore him apart.

As Steven had promised, he had succeeded in making Enlil understand the horror, fear, and panic that his victims had felt.

Steven gave a long, loud lion’s roar. The sound reverberated inside Enlil as if a cathedral organ piped it out.

Steven was a flurry of movement, his claws and teeth, ripping and tearing away everything his claws touched, until he reached Enlil’s heart.

He then changed back into his human form. Covered in blood and shredded entrails, Steven grasped Enlil’s large heart and tore it out. Arteries spurted, slathering Steven in Enlil’s vile blood even as it continued to beat in his hands.

Before Steven had changed out of his lion’s form, he’d made a long slice down Enlil’s belly, and it was through that slit that Steven now found his way out.

Enlil lay collapsed on the ground, dead—all but for his eyes that were still glued to the heart beating within Steven’s hands. “I’d warned you, Enlil! Now, I send you to eternal Hell.” Steven then crushed Enlil’s heart, letting the blood sanctify the ground in sacrificial penance.

A tiny human-like smile pursed Enlil’s lips as he took his last breath, and the fire in his eyes died. In death, Enlil changed form, again becoming the tall, white-haired Anunnaki form that was natural to him.

Steven fell to his knees. “I’m sorry, son. I’m sorry, I couldn’t save you.” His tears fell as he pictured Phillip’s face, remembering the last hug he’d had inside the cave.

He turned to the Cherubim. “Are you able to take Enlil’s body and throw it into the lake of fire, the place outside the walls of the Great Pyramid where they dispose of the human bodies?”

“If that is your command, Lord Steven?”

Steven nodded. “It is!”

One of the Cherubim then stepped forwards and picked up Enlil’s dead body. His wings unfolded and he lifted off, heading in the direction of the Citadel. It was as fitting an end for Enlil as any Steven could imagine.

Steven?
a soft feminine voice called out from inside Steven’s mind.

Ash! You’re awake!
Tears filled his eyes.
Enlil is dead, Ash. We did it.

Can you come to me?

Yes.
After a brief moment at the stream to clean himself, Steven ran to see Ashlyn. Upon entering the room within the wall, Christie ran and jumped into his arms. Behind her, he saw Ash sitting up on the regen table. She was unclothed and as beautiful as ever.

In a tight embrace, their mouths locked in a deep hard kiss. Steven and Ashlyn were drawn away by a giggle from Christie. It brought a smile to both their faces.

“It’s over, Ash, Enlil’s gone, and so is his—” It was in that instant that Steven truly realized that Defender had arrived and that they had a ride home. His eyes spoke what his heart could not.

Ashlyn’s head dropped and tears began to fall.

“What’s wrong, Mom,” asked Christie.

After giving a gentle, but tearful smile to Christie, she turned to Steven. “My love, I’ve always known that this day might come. You don’t need to explain.”

“Ash, I’ve told you, denying you is the same as denying my own existence.”

“Some things are bigger than us. You have a family,” she whispered. “Go, greet Defender. Christie and I have some things to talk about.”

Instead, with a broken spirit, Steven went to speak privately with The Keeper, at the tree, deep inside the Garden.

“What is wrong, Lord Steven? Why are you not with Lady Ashlyn?”

Steven told The Keeper everything. He talked of loyalty, of love, of sacrifice. He explained how Ashlyn was taking the burden off his shoulders—off his heart and how he could not live without her.

***

Steven awoke the next morning beneath the glowing tree.

“Keeper?”

“Yes, Lord Steven.”

“Did you put me to sleep again?”

“No, that was from your own exhaustion and pain. Lord Steven, Admiral Brooks awaits you outside the wall.”

Stepping through the wall, Steven found Brooks waiting patiently, sitting atop a boulder. With an embrace, they exchanged their heartfelt greetings.

“I’ve got a surprise for you! Renee is here, Sandee too. They are with Ashlyn.”

Anxiety clashed headlong with sorrow, joy with loss, and hope with ill-fated destiny. Steven felt as though a mule had just kicked him in the gut. “Then you already know that Phillip is dead. I’d wanted to be the one to break it to Renee.”

“Dead? He’s not d—” said Brooks.

“Dad!” Steven turned to see Phillip running toward him, a very alive Lieutenant Tomlinson walking behind him.

“You’re alive!” Steven screamed, his voice cracking in disbelief, tears of joy filling his eyes as he spun Phillip in circles.

“Tomlinson rescued him a few weeks ago,” said Brooks.

“Yup, alive and well. We hid out in the desert with a small group of nomads,” said Tomlinson. “And just so you know, Phillip has already received the regen treatments. He’s fixed, no pun intended.”

“I’d assumed Ashlyn would have told you,” said Brooks.

“I haven’t seen Ashlyn today.” Steven couldn’t take his eyes off Phillip, shocked and overjoyed that his son was alive. After giving Tomlinson a tight hug for having saved his son. “How, how did you get to him?”

“I made a few friends out in the desert. I would have died if not for them. After letting me rest a bit, when they began to break camp, I drew the symbol of the pyramid in the sand and asked them to bring me here. We arrived outside the city when you were in the middle of your fight with Enlil, which by the way was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

“When I saw you fly off with Ashlyn, we almost decided not to enter the city, but—” Tomlinson looked down at Phillip. “There was a lot of noise coming from the city, the place was in chaos. We could hear the people revolting, killing the guards.”

“Where was Enlil during all that?” asked Steven.

“That’s the strange part. He just watched the guards being killed from up atop the head of the cobra. He didn’t try to stop the humans at all. When it was over, he flew off to the east.”

“That’s odd—damned odd,” said Steven.

“I thought so too. Once he was gone, I decided to explore the pyramid. When I looked around, I found the underground maze. That is where I found him. They had hurt him pretty badly.” Tomlinson again looked down at Phillip who was still hugging his father tightly. “He was strapped—to a table. They were actually healing him. He wasn’t in great shape, but he could walk.”

“I wasn’t sure where Enlil was, but I thought it best to get him away from the city in case Enlil returned.

“And just so you know, sir. I did look for a way to let the people out. I felt bad leaving them in the cells, but I couldn’t find anyone that spoke English, and Phillip wasn’t up to walking very far. That place is huge. So, we came back up and I asked the people that brought me here to take us out. I just wanted to get Phillip to safety—find somewhere to hide. They took us out into the desert, to an oasis. We stayed there until I saw Defender flyby overhead.”

“Thank you.” Steven was at a loss for words.

“No need,” said Tomlinson.

“I’m sorry—about Paris,” said Steven, acknowledging Tomlinson’s loss.

He nodded. “She was—amazing.” Tomlinson’s eyes watered.

After another quick hug Steven said, “You remind me a lot of your father, Tomlinson. If not for his foresight, we wouldn’t be here today. He’d be proud of the man you’ve become.”

“And, sir. If I may…” He hugged Steven again. “That was for me. All these years, you’ve been there for me. Without you…” He shook his head. “My father would be happy for what you did for my mother and I. Thank you. You’ve been a second father to me.”

Steven squeezed his arm in acknowledgement. “I have one more thing to give you—a Gift.” Steven’s quizzical look intrigued Tomlinson.

“You too, Brooks, there’s something I want both of you to have.” He turned to Phillip. “Phillip, have you seen your mom yet?”

“Yeah, she’s with Ash. They’ve been talking all night. Mom was crying, Ashlyn too. Dad? I lost Ashlyn’s balalaika. I haven’t told her yet.”

“She won’t care, believe me—she won’t care!”

“Sir,” said Brooks. “I have something to tell you too. We were forced to abandon Sea Base. Everyone, all of the personnel from Sea Base is aboard Defender. Earth was literally shaking itself apart. We watched from orbit as the Yellowstone caldera blew. And that was just the beginning. There aren’t words to describe what we saw. If we’d stayed, we all would have died,” said Brooks.

“You’re alive, that’s all that matters,” affirmed Steven.

Two hours later after having given the Water of Life to Brooks, Phillip, and Tomlinson, they exited the Garden and hopped on the shuttle, heading back to Defender.

Outside the city, thousands of people, both human and not so human, had gathered around the landed ship. Many were praying to the vessel, others offering bits of food and water to the crew as they exited. To them, the arrival of Defender was the arrival of Enki’s forces. Enki had answered their prayers and rescued them. Out of respect, the people gave Steven, their messiah, a wide birth, bowing as he walked among them.

Steven took a seat on a rock outside Defender’s mammoth open shuttle bay door that the crew was using as the main entrance in and out of the ship.

“Hesitant to go in?” said Brooks.

“I feel like I’m waiting to go to the gallows. It’s a can’t win situation.”

“You’ve been in lots of those. Somehow, you always manage to escape by the short-hairs.”

Steven chuckled.

Suddenly the girls—Ashlyn, Renee, Sandee, and Christie came walking out shoulder to shoulder, giggling like the best of friends. “Steven!” Renee screamed as she spotted him and ran.

As Renee bounded toward him, Steven saw Ashlyn take Christie’s hand and turn away, leaving him to be alone with his family. Steven’s thoughts darted back and forth, from his exhilaration over seeing Renee, to how strange it was to see the two of them so chummy. Something just felt odd about it.

After a slew of hugs, things began to calm. When Renee resisted Steven’s kiss, it seemed a small sign of his yet unspoken fate. Sandee was a joy to hold, and as she affirmed that he wasn’t going to disappear, she bounded off to play with Phillip and Christie. Renee and Steven were now able to talk alone.

“I bet you’ve probably been sitting here on pins and needles, haven’t you? Steven, can we take a shuttle to Eden? We need to talk, and it’ll be easier for me to tell you what I’ve got to say, there.”

In the Garden, they walked hand in hand, finally taking a seat upon a rock by the edge of the stream. Steven’s elation at seeing her ebbed away, as he sensed that what she was going to say was going to be painful.

“I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever know,” she started. The deep pain in her voice spoke of a shattered love.

“Renee, I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you.” Steven’s tears welled, matching Renee’s.

“Please, Steven; I need to say this, while I still have the courage. Back at Sea Base, there was an accident. I dropped a test vial, Liberator 159. It was an early version of the final mutated virus. Probably no more than a drop splashed onto my lips.” Her head lowered, her voice trembling like her hands, her tears flowing. “I have two, maybe three months left to live.”

Steven began shaking, unable to stop.

“I needed—to get Sandee to you. I wanted her to be here with you, before—before I passed. She doesn’t know yet. No one knows but you, Ashlyn, and Brooks.”

Steven enfolded her within his arms as her voice weakened. He wished he could trade his own life for hers. Her words had ripped a hole in his heart that was now a fathomless void of pain. “Maybe The Keeper—”

“No—Ash and I came here late last night and—”

“You came here last night and didn’t wake me?”

“I needed to talk to Ash first. We had a lot to discuss. But, Steven, please, let me finish. We spoke with The Keeper. His scans showed that every cell in my body has been infected, mutated. My DNA structure cannot be repaired. The accident was a silly mistake. Victor and I had been working around the clock to find the virus and I was
so
tired—I dropped the vial.”

“The Keeper is certain that he can’t help?” Steven questioned again.

“He could slow it, but he can’t stop it. I don’t want the treatments though, it will be tough enough on the children as it is, they don’t need to see me slowly withering away.

“Ashlyn has agreed to help you with the children for the next couple of months. I want to spend my last weeks with you, here.” Her eyes lifted to gaze upon the valley. “This place is so beautiful, Steven. This, is where I want to die.” She gripped Steven’s shaking hands.

Steven’s shattered heart ached. His mind rebelled, wanting to reverse the hands of time.