Mikol woke up to a sharp, stinging pain in his left cheek. He opened his eyes just enough to see a hand pull away from his face. But that was all he had the energie for. His lids fell back over his eyes. So he used his abilities to find out what was going on. He felt Chan beside him, on his left. Tech was on his right. They where both standing but only Chan seemed conscious. He could feel the bindings that held all three of them against the wall individually. He could tell that they where in the conference room just off the control center. There were two other people in the room. One was Admiral Narvoc. The other felt familiar. So vary familiar. What was he doing? His arm was outstretched with the palm foreword. His hand came up and connected with Mikol's cheek. It hurt. His eyes opened by reflex. It took him a while to believe what he saw. It was him. Wait. There was something different about him. He was. . .older. Like the face in his vision on the shuttle. The admiral had told him that his friends would betray him and he would be caught alone. Then his face from the future had appeared, or so he thought. It turns out that it wasn't him. Just this older man. He wondered why this man was so important. Well there is only one way to find out.
"Who are you?" At Mikol's words the admiral looked up from his desk.
"Ah. I see you are awake. Mikoleth I'd like you to meet someone vary important. This is Mr. Takmar. I have placed him in charge of capturing you, your friends and any others like you that surface in the future."
"Well now that I know that I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you." Looks like Chan had woken up.
"And don't think I'll be stopping her." Tech to.
"That's all nice and well but I'm afraid neither of you are in any position to do anything at the moment."
"What? Because of the rope that have me tied to this wall?"
"Yes."
"Yah, about that. . ." She removed her hands from behind her back. ". . . I think you need better rope." The admiral was to shocked to do anything but Takmar leapt right into action. He withdrew a metal pole from one of his belt pouches. At the press of a button it extended to a good five and a half feet in length. But before she fought him she knew what she needed to do. She ran and cut Mikol's and Tech's ropes. By this time the admiral had gathered his wits about him. He pressed down on the panel in the floor that would summon his personal guards.
"Um. . .calm down. If you could please calm down before my guards show up I'll tell them to be gentle with you. "Tech! Door."
"Right." He ran over to the door and held out his Numenite. He made it expand until it covered the entire door. He would have to stand there to keep it up but as long as he was there no one was coming through. That left the admiral and Mr. Takmar against Mikol and Chan. Takmar moved first. The pole was swinging up over his head towards Chan's. Admiral Narvoc grabbed a ceremonial rapier from the wall.
"This hasn't been used in over a thousand years but if you force me to I'll use it now"
"Why wait for me to force you? You've kept coming after us when we've done nothing to you." He formed his own rapier out of Numenite. Just in time to pari a thrust from the admiral.
"Do you want the truth? Do you tink you can handle the truth?" A thrust from Mikol was parried and followed by a lunge.
"If I can't take the truth then strike me down now."
"Maybe I can do both." He repeatedly struck at Mikol chest and was deflected each time. "We have tracked you down because your freedom is outweighed by the safety of everyone around you. It's been proven that people with your abilities have all gone insane. We are trying to protect the public from you." At this Mikol struck out in several hard strikes. The admiral tried to defend himself but ultimately his rapier was snapped in half. "Can't you see? Can't you see how dangerous you've become. You're thinking about killing for no reasons other then personal vengeance. If you can't see it in yourself then look at your friends. Look how violent they are. That is what you've become. Your power has corrupted you." Mikol couldn't take anymore of this. He was wrong. He was the problem. He had to be eliminated "Noooooooo!" With one fatal thrust the rapier exited the admiral's back. "You're wrong. I am normal. You're the aggressor. There's nothing wrong with me."
"If you're done I could use a little help over here." Chan. He had to help her. Mr. Takmar was extremely strong. And he knew how to use height to his advantage. The two poles hit each other in the center. He let go with his top hand and swung his pole up and over Chan's. Striking her in the head. Or where her head used to be. Being off balance Chan struck at the back of his knee with her leg. He stared to fall but grabbed her pole and flung her over him as he did. She landed hard. She tired to get back up but her body just wouldn't let her. She was out of it for now. Takmar looked at Mikol.
"I should have guessed it would come down to us." He gave an experimental swing at Mikol who simply stepped out of the poles range.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm your father." Mikol started to shake. "Defend yourself boy." He swung out again but as Mikol stepped back he lunged foreword. Mikol was caught with a grazing hit to the chest. The wind was knocked out of him. He crouched on the cold floor.
"That can't be true. You hunted me down"
"I had to. I saw what your mother had become. I couldn't let you loss on society. They'd take you down. Rip you apart. I'm trying to save you from that."
"Just like you saved mother?" He jumped up and swept his rapier up from his lower left side toward his upper right side. Unprepared for the assault it was all he could do to move his pole in a clumsy block. It was cleanly cut in two. He didn't even feel the cut that drew a line of blood across his cheek.
"You're stronger then I thought." He drew a long dagger from a sheath hanging from his belt.
"That's because you never bothered to get to know me. If you did you would know I hate unfair fights." His rapier shrunk down into a dagger identical to his fathers.
"I would have but that damnable mother of yours robbed me of that chance."
"Don't talk about my mom that way." He jabbed at his dad's chest. He feinted to the side and stabbed at Mikol's arm. Second blood. The pain caused Mikol to falter. A heavy arm was brought down on his back. Slamming into the floor.
"Your mother was a weak fool. Just like someone else I'm looking for. I can see from your fighting style that you've met him. I believe that he goes by the name Rokna now. The old fool."
"He is a better man then you could ever be."
"He is an insane, power-hungry and deranged old man." He held his dagger above his head and prepared to bring it down in the final blow." I wish that I never had to do this."
"Then don't." Yelled Chan as she slammed her pole down on his head. As a dying reflex Takmar's knife came down under his shoulder as his body twisted to the side and his arm went full swing. Taking it strait into Chan's gut.
"I suppose this is the fate of a soldier." She gasped as death gripped her.
"You died protecting those weaker then yourself." She smiled and then slowly fell to the floor. His best friend was dead. And the other? What had happened to Tech? He couldn't let him die to. He looked over at the door. Tech was still standing guard at the door.
"Hey Mikol. I think they're planning something on the other side. I haven't heard anything of a few. . ." He was interrupted by a big explosion. The Numenite shield went from black to red. It stared to quiver. "Damn I don't think I can hold it much longer."
"Just try Tech. Try."
"It's gonna go." A second blast came from the other side knocking Tech off his feet. His shield covered his body but Mikol could tell that he was still alive. Unconscious but alive. Well his vision was right. His friends had betrayed him. They had gotten themselves killed and left him alone. Completely alone. As the smoke cleared he could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Lots of them. What was he going to do? There was no way he could fight off a ship full of soldiers. Suddenly an idea came to him.
Damn these kids. What where they trying to prove by locking themselves in the room? Well he'd show them. "Fire in the hole." The second charge ripped throughout the hallway. "Remember, the admiral said to take them alive. His order only stands if her does. You get me?"
"We get you sir."
"Let's go." He lead the charge down the hallway. Upon entering the room he could smell the death. One long figure stood amongst the bodies. It was the admiral. He was alive. "It's good to see you alive sir."
"It took you long enough. I could have easily been killed. Now get that boy out from under there and to the sickbay. Then you will leave me alone until I call for you."
"Yes sir." What had him all mad? Oh well, he's the admiral. And no matter what he said he had to be obeyed. He helped his men carry out thee body and they left and the admiral alone.
It had worked. His disguise had worked. They had thought that he was the admiral. All he had done was make their minds think that it was seeing the admiral instead of him. He should be able to keep this up until Tech was feeling better and then they could both escape. Then an idea occurred to him. Why stop the charade? He could have absolute power over millions of people. The idea appealed to him. But what about Tech? He wouldn't want to stay. But he had promised that he wouldn't let him be hurt. So he couldn't simply have him killed. How would he explain keeping him alive? Now that he thought of it. . . he was an admiral. He didn't need to explain anything. He would just send him to a planet that was being colonized and the outer rim. Yes that would do nicely. Now that's out of the way he had some power to get used to. He was going to like this. He was going to like this a lot.