Only the hush of the air conditioning and mild beeping of the pilot’s equipment made any sound inside the cabin of the BADGE shuttle. Arx was next to Adrianne, with Torrik behind them. Each sat in a captain’s style chair while Torrik required a bench with his goat-like lower body needing more room.
“So... any thoughts on the mission?” Torrik ventured.
Arx said, “I have activated the ATLAS members nearest our landing site. We will go in and see if we can find Krystal and Alex first. As long as you can inhibit the brainwashing element on us, we can force this Wynn and Pepo to listen.”
“Are you sure they will listen?” Torrik asked. “Brainwashing isn’t their only power. This Antaeus... or Wynn... is apparently strong enough to cause earthquakes. And a witch has more magic in her arsenal than just mind control.”
“I just need a chance to speak with my brother.” Adrianne said her first words since they left the station.
Arx coldly asked, “Do you think you can convince him to stop being a tyrant?”
“I know Wynn, at least I did once. There has to be something in him that is kind and will understand.”
“Let’s hope you can get through to him,” Arx said.
Torrik said, “So, the plan is to go in, see if we can free Krystal and her husband while you two attempt to change our enemy’s mind.”
“That’s about it,” Arx replied.
“Okay, well, I’ll prepare the counter charm to be placed on you two.”
Adrianne asked, “Are you sure it’ll work?”
“No.”
“No?” Arx blurted out.
“Magic, including your morphon style magic, is complicated. I’ll be using a more broad spell to counter her magic, but I could get wrong. However, don’t worry. This will probably work.”
“It better work, or we’re in trouble.” Arx said.
“Now, give me a few moments. I’ll have to concentrate and I won’t be able to hear you if you talk to me.” He put his hands in front of him and a blob of energy formed between them as he focused his eyes directly into the magic.
There was that silence again.
After a few moments, Adrianne whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?” Arx asked.
“For convincing Nova to give my brother a second chance. I was so scared that no one in BADGE would listen to me. Wynn might be an egomaniac some days, but he’s still my brother. He taught me to ride a bike, punched the bullies that pulled my hair, and even scared away a few creeps that wouldn’t take no for an answer. There is a good man under all that brash arrogance.”
“You know full well why I said what I said. I believe in second chances because I was given one, and I have put my heart into being a better man, even when people refuse to see it.”
Adrianne looked down at her tangled up fingers as she said, “Look, Arx, what I said back there. I...”
“Ready.” Torrik looked up and held up both hands, each filled with this energy. “Hold still, this might feel funny.” Without warning, he put his hands on their heads and they had a wash of warm energy rush over their bodies.
“Oh, that’s making me feel dizzy,” Adrianne said as she leaned to the side with his hand still on her head.
Torrik said, “It can do that. It won’t last. Just breathe normally and imagine a peaceful place, and your mind will relax.”
With a quick release, Torrik let go and sat back down. “Wow, that was harder than I remember. Then again, I’m better with nature magic than normal magics. How do you feel?”
Arx said, “I don’t know. I felt the warmth on my skin, but not inside me. Is that normal?”
“No. You should have felt something in your head. Dizziness?”
“Nope.”
Adrianne said, “I’m still a little dizzy, but it’s passing.”
The robot at the helm announced, “Landing in three minutes.”
Torrik said, “No time to ponder this. Let’s hope it works.”
The shuttle jostled for a second and then the engines cooled down.
Torrik jumped up and went for the door. “I’ll scout ahead of you. This is my specialty.” He leapt through the door with the grace of a deer. Arx could see him almost vanish into the brush, his nature magic camouflaging him in the tall, brown grasses.
“We shouldn’t let him get too far ahead.” Arx got up and went for the door.
Adrianne stopped him before leaving. “I want to say this now, in case something goes horribly wrong.” She pulled him closer to her. “I didn’t run from you because of you. I was ashamed that you revealed your pain to me while I kept such a dark secret from you. Arx, you are a goofy, sexy, brave, honest hero and I think I love you.” With that, she gave him a passionate kiss.
With a goofy smile, he looked at her. “Really?”
“I’d prove it with a lot more kissing, but we don’t have time. My brother is out there and I have to save his life.” She went through the door ahead of him.
Sorting his jubilant excitement and his focused determination, he gathered his senses and clicked his comm, “Arx to the African Atlas team, you have your coordinates. Stay there until I signal you. I have landed. Going in to inspect the situation.”
***
Dried grasses crunched underfoot with each slow step. Arx lowered himself as much as he could and watched Adrianne in the distance. A glorious moon set on the horizon while warm rays of first light broke in the distance. Twinkling stars dotted the cool night sky above.
“Torrik?” Arx whispered as low as he could.
The grasses near him wavered, and a figure appeared in them. Torrik tapped his head near his eyes and then pointed forward. He walked slowly ahead. With each step, he would blend further and further into the grasses until he was once again invisible.
Arx lost sight of the moving grasses and was again wondering with their satyr guide was. He found Adrianne nearly laying on the ground.
“Do you see anything?” He whispered.
She shook her head. “My brother is stone colored. In this light, he’ll be almost invisible against the ground.” She returned his low tone.
Both nearly screamed, but held their voices when a hand met each of their backs. Torrik stood behind them and said, “I found Krystal. She is just ahead. Follow me.”
He walked around them and then led them without vanishing into the brush. Shapes of shadowed people sleeping on the ground came into sight. Hundreds lay in an area twice the size of a football field. A monument stood before them, a huge stone throne with torches around it.
“Look at all those people, that throne. Did my brother do all this?” Adrianne asked.
“Can’t say for certain, but it fits what EB said.” Torrik replied. He then pointed, “Look, that guard standing there.”
Arx saw a familiar form in the deep shadows. “Krystal.”
“What do we do?” Adrianne asked.
Arx said, “She is by herself. I think we can sneak up on her. Torrik, do you think you can break the mind control on her?”
“Not sure, but it is possible. If I can’t, we can capture her and take her back to the shuttle. Have her returned to the station.”
“Good plan.” Arx looked back, “Adrianne, stay here and watch our backs.”
Torrik blended into the grasses again and walked around the area to get closer to Krystal. Arx chose a more direct path, hoping to get her attention and let Torrik have a clear shot.
“Krystal?” Arx whispered in a louder tone.
Her head snapped to the side, and she pulled up a weapon. “Who goes there?”
It saddened Arx to see a gun in her hands. This was just not her, “Krystal. It’s Arx, your friend. Come on, we need to get out of here.”
She pulled up a walkie talkie and pressed a button on it, but before she could speak, a vine sprung up out of the ground and yanked her arm down. Her weapon and walkie both flew free from her. More vines trapped her, wrapping around her mouth and binding her to the ground.
Torrik stood over her. “Hey, Krystal. Time to come back to us.” He held up his hands and cast a spell. A cloud of pinkish purple energy hit her head and dissipated. “This isn’t right.” He tried again. “I need to know more about this magic. I can’t get it to break.”
“Then we take her back to the station.” Arx said.
“ARX!” Adrianne came running toward them.
He turned, and then the ground shook. He fell over.
Antaeus walked toward them, stomping as he moved. Each stomp created more tremors. “More BADGE pests.” He made a great big stomp, which created holes in the ground that were meant to absorb all three.
Arx jumped out of the way, recognizing this attack from the visions EB translated. Torrik went down, but then jumped clear out of the hole right away. Adrianne went down and then Arx quickly pulled her free with a yank of his hand.
Arx stood strong before Antaeus. “This will end. BADGE knows of this operation and the power behind it.”
“Wynn! Please stop this and turn yourself in. You can’t win.”
He looked over at her. “I’m so much more than your pathetic brother. And you’re hardly my sister. I would offer you the world, but you run to these people instead. A traitor is no sister of mine.”
“Brother! Please!”
Arx said, “The full force of BADGE will be on you if you don’t listen to your sister.”
Antaeus nodded. “I knew it would eventually come to that. Fortunately, I have my force of powered humans, which will include you three.”
“No likely.” Torrik said.
A green fog rolled in around them. Flecks of green light raced through it like lightning in a summer storm. Mama Pepo approached from behind Antaeus, that fog rolling out of her mouth and hands.
“This won’t work on us!” Arx proclaimed, but then fell to his knees. “It can’t... work...”
Adrianne fell over and gasped and gagged. “I can’t... think... I don’t know... Torrik... please...”
Torrik fell on his side and grasped at his throat. “No...it...it is...too strong.”
