Chapter 9: All Roads Lead To Rome

“Oh my God David!” Diane screamed, her body wracking with gut-wrenching sobs. They were back on the Dark Star, all in one piece.

“We need to get back there!” Jason yelled at Seven. But all he could do was bow his head in what appeared to be genuine sadness.

“You know we can’t Jason. He is dead. We all saw him get shot to pieces.” Seven replied somberly. Bracus couldn’t be too sure, but it seemed to him that Seven was really upset.

“Tell me Seven, is your misery even real? Or are you just upset that you have lost another resource?” Bracus tested. Seven walked up to Remus, put a soft hand upon his shoulder and smiled.

“Considering our differences child and despite our efforts across time, humanity is now finally united. No more races but our own. We no longer see color or differences of religion.” He walked over to each one of them, meeting their gaze before continuing.

“For millennia we have tried to forge one people, so we could ascend as a species, but for too long our strong individualistic natures and self-interests had prevented us from becoming whole. Despite what is happening now and the hardships that lays ahead, the Hadnese and Ilo had done for us in two years that took us thousands of years to create.”

“And what could that be?” Remus asked.

“Human utopia. With all the destruction all around us, even now we are free. Our minds are now focused on two objectives. Defeating Ilo and his Hadnese and restructuring the human race. One people, one creed.” Seven finished.

“And I suppose you are to be the one to lead us to this bright tomorrow?” Hanson asked him sarcastically.

“No my friend, this requires a human touch. I haven’t been human for a very long time.” He replied, his eyes refusing to meet his.

“Then who?” Diane asked, wiping at her tears.

“The only humans that can. Your forebears. The first humans.” He replied, waiting for the meaning to sink in. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Hellion.” Pericles said with a scowl.

“You know him by that name. We know them both as Adam and Eve, the first humans. We don’t know exactly what happened to Eve, but we know that Adam is buried somewhere on Earth, encased in a tomb made from the core of a dying star. Only someone with power equal to his own can free him from this tomb.” Seven finished.

“So I am guessing we need Eve for that?” Death asked.

“Weren’t you listening you one legged bunny, I just said we can’t find Eve. We are going to have to combine all our power to crack that tomb. Even then success is doubtful.” Seven told Death. He just gave Seven a baleful glare in response.

“I agree. Helli…Adam’s power was so great it could consume entire planets. It eventually drove him to madness. When he turned on us he already obliterated three solar systems before we could trap him.” Pericles informed them.

“Wait a minute, you are the only one here that have actually seen him.” Diane stated. Pericles gave her a smile.

“Not just seen him Little One, I fought him. My legion was the one sent to destroy him.” Pericles concluded. He remained silent. Obviously, he was not going to volunteer any more information.

“This argument is academic anyway without knowing the location of the tomb.” Bracus said, rubbing his temples.

“Agreed, which is why boy wonder here needs to read this.” Seven said, pointing at Remus. We walked over to his desk and pulled what looked like a very old book from the drawer. He walked over to Remus and handed it to him.

“Try to read it.” Seven ordered him. Remus gingerly opened the book and saw letters that on some level looked familiar, but he could not grasp their meaning. He tried handing back the book. It terrified him.

“I cannot read this language.” He said, but Seven refused to take back the book.

“This is your tongue boy. You are a son of Mars. The Martian language is not that different from Roman Latin. You can speak the words. Try again.” Seven encouraged softly.

Jason and Bracus looked at each other, puzzled. For all his Machiavellian schemes, this side to him surprised them both. Remus took the book in his hands. There was a sigil on the front of the book, a hexagon with three towers at its centre. It also had a little banner at the bottom with what seemed like lettering to him. He rubbed his thumb across the letters, and then he smiled.

“Family, stronger than iron.” Remus softly intoned.

“Yes! That’s it boy!” Seven yelled elatedly. Remus opened the first page and it all became gibberish again. He walked over to a chair with a table, sat down and tried again. He reached deep inside his mind, and the harder he tried, the more walls inside his mind started to give way.

“My brother wrote this…I…I...” He jumped up with a start. He tried to slow down. This is my brother Romulus’ personal journal! This is his first entries as a young man. Hang on…” He read some more and tears started rolling down his face.

“I remember them. My brother, my sister. And my mother! I…need… something!” He yelled looking at everyone in the room. The room started to shake. He was channelling involuntarily. Diane ran up to him and as she got to him, he collapsed to his knees, breathing hard. She gently lifted his face to meet hers and in between the sobs and tears, his eyes flickered like an old television, seeing the nuclear fire in his eyes. The consoles on the bridge started to shatter, and the legionnaires on the bridge trained weapons on Remus, but Seven waved them back.

“Stay your weapons, this needs to happen!” He barked the order at them and they reluctantly obeyed. Remus started to wail uncontrollably, slamming his fists into the ground, and then stopped as did the shaking in the room. He slowly rose with Diane, opened his eyes to meet hers.

“I am the watchman, the rearguard. I am the shield of Mars and the tip of its spear. My blood colors its sand as my bones are its mountain tops. Its winds are the breath in my lungs and its moons are my eyes. The rearguard is now no more. I am Remus, the last living son from the house of Roma and I am now returned, its vanguard and living vengeance.” Remus finished, his eyes ablaze with purple flame. Everyone in the room stood back. Remus smiled and slowly walked up to Diane.

“Come dear one, we have unfinished business you and I.” He said before he wrapped her in his embrace. Pericles started forward, but Jason, Seven and Bracus barred his way, Bracus shaking his head in the negative. Pericles reluctantly backed off. This is it she thought, the moment she was waiting for the last two years. They both lifted several feet off the deck and both their bodies became a bright white light that damn near blinded everyone in the room.

She could smell the air of open country and hear the chirping of birds, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. She also smelled the fragrance of sandalwood and could feel his breath upon her forehead. She opened her eyes and found a smiling Remus staring down at her. He released her from his embrace and she looked around. She was back in the meadow. Their meadow. The tears in her eyes started to well up again.

“Why so sorrowful dear one? Are you not pleased to see me again?” Remus asked her, wiping a tear from her face. She gave a yelp of joy, and bowled him over, as they both fell down onto the soft grass underneath their tree, pinning him down. She kissed him, softly at first but as the dalliance with their lips continued, it became more fervent, like she was trying to invade his entire being. He lifted her face off his.

“I take that as a yes?” He gasped.

“Yes you fool!” She replied, laughing and crying at the same time.

“How is this possible?” He asked her, running his fingers through her hair.

“My father always said do not question the miracle, just accept it.” She quoted. Remus flashed his trademark grin.

“He sounded like a wise man.” He replied.

There was a moment of silence between them. One had questions for the other, but neither was sure how to begin. She finally broke the ice.

“What was the last thing you remember Remus?” He gently moved her off him and sat up, his jovial demeanour now pensive.

“Not much. I remember being with you in this place. I gave up my soul so you could contact the Athenai. And then…it seemed as though I travelled far. I passed through space, through planets and nebulae. It felt like an age, yet it happened so fast.” He paused, his brow furrowed.

“What happened then?” She asked him, clearly fascinated by the idea of his version of the afterlife.

“There was a bright light. It called itself Pax. He said he was my god. That my soul was special and would not receive paradise, nor damnation. Instead I would join with him and I would know eternal bliss.” He replied softly.

“And did you? Know bliss I mean.” She asked him.

“For a time yes, but time is funny inside his…core I would call it. There would be times I would remember you and fall into sorrow. He would then invade my senses and…correct my perception I suppose. Like being drugged. And then I would forget again. But something called me back, and not even he could stop me from leaving.” He finished.

“Your flesh called you home.” She said getting up.

“I suppose we should return. The others are probably beside themselves with worry.” He said, getting up himself.

“Are you ready? He asked her.

“Not really, no.” She replied with mock sadness, pouting. He embraced her once more and kissed her again.

“We have all the time in the universe.” He said.

---

Remus sat in the chair on the bridge of the Dark Star, being caught up by his former companions. He held the journal in his hands, still afraid to open it.

“So you think Romulus left a clue as to where the tomb is hidden?” He directed the question at Seven.

“Yes, but none of us read Martian, so please translate it. There has to be a clue in there somewhere. He meant for humans to find it and release Adam again, so unless the Romans had a secret oral history, that’s the only mile marker we have.” Seven replied, pointing at the book.

“I need time to go through it. Knowing my brother, he was probably very cryptic. Not only that, but this journal seems to have been passed on from generation to generation, each of his descendants using the language of Mars to keep it secret.” Remus concluded.

“Well we have an hour, so everyone gear up. The most logical place to start looking would be Rome itself. Hope you’re a fast reader boy.” Seven ordered.

They were thirty minutes out from Rome in their dropship, Remus still with his nose buried in the journal. He paged back and forth, reading some of it out loud.

“Any luck yet?” Diane inquired.

“Something strange though. The last person to have been known in possession of this journal was a Roman consul by the name of Gaius Julius Caesar. Then the trail goes cold.” Remus replied, confused.

“How did he end up with it?” Death asked.

“After the defeat of the Gallic leader, Vercingetorix at the battle of Alesia, he claims that the Gauls had it all along. That was the reason of his entire campaign in Gallia. Probably to retrieve Adam and use him to cement his claim to dictator for life.” Remus concluded.

“Damned be his reasons. We need to find it before the Hadnese does.” Death said whilst adjusting the ammo feed to his chain gun.

Diane took the book from Remus and just started paging through it. She got to the end of the book. Nothing. Just words she could not read. She almost closed the book, but the light reflected onto something on the dust jacket. Upon closer inspection, it was a sentence in Latin, embossed right in the bottom corner, like braille.

“Guys, I think I found something.” She said but still sounded a bit unsure.

“What’s that?” Seven asked from the front of the cockpit. She still wasn’t too sure so remained silent.

“Come on girl, spit it out. Anything is useful now at this point.” He said to her.

“I found an embossed inscription on the back of the dust jacket. It reads as regular Latin, but it sounds like gibberish.

“What does it say?” Hanson asked.

“Beneath the sands we lie, our blood spilt for you. We who are about to die salute you.” She finished. Everyone was silent, trying to digest this information.

“The first part makes zero sense, but the second part I do recognize. They are the words spoken to the editor, or the current emperor, of gladiatorial games by those who would die in the coliseum.” Bracus said. Seven sighed with a smile.

“I know where to go now lads, hang on!” He said as he banked the craft sharply on a direct course for the Coliseum.

---

As they flew over Rome, chaos and anarchy greeted them as riots and open rebellion against the Hadnese are underway. Tiny clusters of Hadnese soldiers are fighting back against armed civilians and the local police forces.

“We should get down there and help. Civilians and police are no match for Hadnese soldiers.” Jason said, cocking his rifle.

“Stay the course lads. A lot of people are going to die, yes, but it’s nothing compared to the genocide that awaits us all if we fail here.” Seven replied.

“He is right guys.” Bracus supported Seven unexpectedly.

“Say what?” Hanson asked.

“As long as mankind fight them, we can move unhindered to our objectives. It seems heartless yes, but we need them to fight right now.” Bracus said. Death bowed his head, seemingly agreeing with this.

“Look! Over there!” Diane called out, pointing to one of the most known wonders of the world.

Seven turned the craft in an approach vector and landed right in the centre. They all piled out of the craft, weapons at the ready.

“Ok so now what?” Hanson asked. Seven mulled it over.

“Please be a dear and read the first part for me Diane.” Seven requested. She opened the book.

“Beneath the sands we lie, our blood spilt for you.” She read the passage aloud. Seven walked over towards the podium, took a few exaggerated steps and stopped.

“Does this seem like the center of this place to you?” He called out to Bracus.

He looked around and did some calculations in his head and gave Seven a thumbs up.

“The tomb lies right beneath this spot. What is under this?” Seven asked.

“The hypogeum. It’s like a labyrinth of passage ways that allowed gladiators, animals and actors to seemingly appear anywhere in the arena, there would also be trap doors and such.” Bracus ended.

“Over here! I think I found the entrance!” Jason called out to them.

Seven commanded one of his soldiers to lay down a transfer pad where he stood. The crew was puzzled.

“Come on guys use your brains for once. You think we can lift and carry something that heavy out from a labyrinth no less?” He asked them.

“I have something better.” Death said as he pulled out his Martian teleporting gun, the same one he used to clear out the complex on Mars.

He fired it at one of the many statues and it just seems to vanish. He waited a few seconds and fired the gun again next to Seven and the statue reappeared. Bracus growled as the pennies dropped for him.

“That’s how you killed the staff on Mars! You teleported them directly into space!” He roared as he advanced on him. Pericles stood in his path.

“Sort out your differences later! We have more pressing concerns.” Pericles noted as he readied his rifle.

“He is right gentlemen, we have company.” Remus remarked as a Hadnese drop ship hovered above them.

“Move!” Seven barked at them as they ran for the entrance as Hadnese soldiers materialized upon the sands. While they tried to make good on their escape, Seven pressed the com.

“Take off without us! We will see you on the ship!” He ordered the dropship, and it took off. The Hadnese ship seemed to ignore it as it continued to deposit troops.

“Have you taken leave of your senses? How are we to escape now?” Remus called out to Seven. He wiggled the pack at him.

“The other one is still on the ship, once we grab what we need, we just jump back to the ship!” He yelled as he shoved it back into the pack.

“You guys are not going to believe this.” Hanson called out while firing on the Hadnese.

“D’Nak is leading them.” Bracus guessed. Hanson’s silence confirmed it.

“Come on! Into the tunnels!” Seven yelled the order as he returned covering fire.

---

There was a brief moment of silence as they descended deeper into the dark. Bracus covered the rear.

“Are we close?” Remus whispered.

“Almost, now be silent. I need to concentrate.” He snapped at Remus.

They seemed lost as Seven began to turn in what seemed like random navigation. They turned a corner and before them stood D’Nak. He looked just as surprised as they were. Almost immediately Pericles, Jason, Remus and Seven turned on D’Nak, unleashing their full might upon him, knocking D’Nak to the ground. Within a space of a heartbeat, Pericles was upon him and brought his fist down on him with all his might. The impact echoed far into the tunnels and D’Nak did not rise again.

“God that was close!” Hanson breathed.

“What do we do with him now?” Death asked.

“Bind and gag the bastard. We take him with us.” Seven replied. Bracus pulled Seven one side.

“As much as I relish the idea of having him as our prisoner, he is simply too dangerous to transport back to the Dark Star. Better he dies here and now.” Bracus advised him.

“We actually need him, believe it or not. We do not have enough power to free Adam, but his added to our strength, we stand a chance.” Seven replied.

“And what makes you think he will just go along with it?” Bracus asked.

“Contact!” Hanson called out as he fired upon the Hadnese who turned the corner.

Four of them fell before they returned fire. Hanson yelled out in pain as one of them got a shot off, emerald energy piercing his leg. Remus extended his hand and made a fist. The soldier’s helm crushed inward and grey matter littered the tiny passage wall. Diane ran up to Hanson and inspected his leg.

“It tore right though the ligaments. He won’t be able to walk.” She said to Seven.

“Leave me some ammo, I will buy you some time.” Hanson said between laboured breaths. They all protested at the idea, but Hanson cut them off.

“Come on guys, I am just going to slow you down. The only thing I can do now is cover you. You all know that.” The group was now silent.

“Give the man what he wants.” Bracus ordered.

“But…!” Diane started then stopped. Jason walked over to Decker and handed him a couple of clips.

“You sure about this? We could carry you.” Jason offered, but Hanson shook his head.

“No not really, but we are out of options here. We need Adam.” Hanson said smiling.

“Now go. Go!” He roared at them.

---

It has been almost ten minutes since they all left. He dragged one of the bodies over to use as cover, leaning his rifle over the body, waiting for them. At times he could hear voices coming closer, and then getting further away. Finger on the trigger, waiting for the next bastard to enter his sights. Hanson didn’t have to wait long. Three Hadnese turned the corner. He slowly exhaled, and squeezed the trigger three times. And three lives were ended. He waited some more.

The next two did not anticipate an assailant lying on the floor and immediately opened fire assuming they were firing at the centre of mass. They too lost their lives. Hanson knew that the third party that would come up against him will take him down, so he pulled a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin and started cooking the weapon. He waited until he could hear their voices above the clatter of their boots upon the stone floor and flung the grenade. A shower of dirt, dust, armour and rent flesh littered the floor and another five soldiers died. Hanson went for another grenade when a tiny little silver ball fell in front of him. He closed his eyes and knew the end had come for him.

---

They stood in what looked like a tiny domed room. In the centre of it stood the tomb. Nothing else, just a black slab of slick-looking rock. If Diane didn’t know any better, she thought it might actually be obsidian.

“Home stretch boys!” Seven grunted as he and all the men lifted the one side so they could slip the transfer pad under it.

“Any word from Hanson?” Jason asked Bracus. He just shook his head.

“Is our pad deployed on the ship?” Seven asked the pilot over the com.

“Yes sir. Brace for chop!” The pilot yelled back over the com.

They all got onto the pad with the tomb and within seconds dematerialized.

“Brace for chop? That’s an understatement my boy!” Seven told the pilot as he sharply banked to avoid fire from the ground.

“Any sign of Hanson?” Diane asked worriedly.

“Make another pass of the Coliseum!” Bracus ordered the pilot.

The pilot looked to Seven for orders. Seven hesitated at first but then nodded. The pilot turned the craft around and made another pass in a circular pattern above the arena.

“Look! There he is!” Diane pointed to the centre of the arena.

“I can’t see a damn thing.” Bracus said, walking over to the pilot.

“Hey!” The pilot exclaimed as Bracus took the gun cam off his head and put it on himself. He sat next to the pilot and started flipping switches on the console until Hanson was visible on the screen. Everyone gasped as Hanson was on his knees, surrounded by Hadnese troopers and someone else he could not make out, holding a firearm to Hanson’s head. He zoomed in onto this captor, cleared the image and almost jumped out of his seat. It was David.

“Holy crap he is alive?” Jason breathed.

“That is not David. It is him, the Eternal called Ilo.” Pericles growled. Bracus grabbed the pilot by the shoulder.

“Doesn’t this heap have any weapons?” Bracus asked him franticly.

“None that could damage him I’m afraid.” Seven told him.

“I know you all can see me. So know that what I am about to do, I take no pleasure in. Return my prophet to me and I will release your companion.” Ilo spoke to them over the radio in the ship. Bracus looked at the trussed up D’Nak they tossed into a corner of the ship. His eyes were smiling.

“Don’t you dare do it Bracus!” He heard Hanson scream at him. Ilo pressed the gun to his shoulder and fired. Hanson went down clutching at his arm, groaning in agony. Everyone on the ship cried out to Hanson, pleading with the man to see reason, but he would not have it.

“If you trade me, Earth is done for!” Hanson said between grit teeth and laboured breath.

“He is right. We do this, and we deliver Earth right into their hands.” Death said.

“You have one minute to comply.” Ilo notified them.

“What is the range on that gadget you got!” Bracus asked Death.

“A few meters at best.” Death replied.

“Can you dive this thing on top of them and bug out?” Bracus asked the pilot.

“Without all of you and that tomb, maybe. This bird has a huge ass sir.” The pilot replied.

“Damn you Ilo!” Bracus roared.

“Hanson is a soldier Bracus, he knew what he was getting into. We have to let him go!” Seven firmly told Bracus.

Bracus looked at the rest of his companions. For forgiveness, advice…anything. None would meet his eye. He walked over to the com set and moved the mike to his lips.

“It was my honor serving with you Decker.” Was all he said.

Hanson started laughing. Ilo sighed and shot Hanson in the head.

The laughter stopped.