The Uplift Protocol Blood Feuds: Issue 28

Issue 28: Out of Body Experience

 

            I recall that hideous face. Yellowed akin to parchment. Then the hot winds. The sand beneath my soles. The reek of dried blood. I hadn’t realized it at the time but my grandchildren had been able to connect in an entirely unexpected way.—Abraham Murphy

            We are mirrors. It takes trust but my sister knew what had to happen. With that understanding came acceptance. Only now does she begin to comprehend my avenues of responsibility. Only during the Final Vigil will the picture be complete.—Dexter Murphy

            My brother’s power was alien enough to me that I just sat back and let him do what was needed. Eddie and Arthon noticed first. In retrospect? A brilliant way to inform the right people at the right time.—Sleeping In Starlight: Private Recollections

The Duat

Second Layer

           

Abraham dashed across the roadway. Careful to avoid the brackish waters that ran along both sides. The whites of the eyes unnerved him. Their irises were filmed over. Half-formed faces rose from those waters. Warning all those who crept within this tomb of a city.

You are not welcome here.

            He lived. He pressed one palm to his chest. His heart beat steadily. The bright cord of silver coiled about his head and chest. The rank odor of dried blood hit his nostrils. That demon was still tracking him. He fled deeper into the complex of pyramids, ziggurats, and dried aqueducts. Where was Eleanor? A white cat crossed his path. A few heartbeats later a black one followed. A familiar hum wrapped around his heart.

            He shadowed them.

            The pressure on this throat built. Not painfully.

            The warning was clear.

*****

            I leaped onto the edge of the pyramid. My grandfather couldn’t see Eddie, Arthon, or my grandmother. Dexter motioned to me with one black paw. >>This way. In this realm, only certain symbols remain undetected by the enemy.<<

            Also meant that Meathook wouldn’t see us for what we were either.

            Provided my brother didn’t manifest his domain abilities.

            I had it easier in that department. Since I was the fireworks meant to pull all the attention towards the avenues that the Highest desired.

            My grandmother sat on my back. Her eyes locked behind us as grandpa climbed each stone of the pyramid. I never thought I’d be in a spirit realm as a humongous feline but stranger things have happened. I noticed the stench that hounded Bulleteer. I circled back around and hissed. The entity paused. My grandfather reached out to steady himself against my shoulder. He peered up. “Have you seen….?” A glint came into his eyes as he thought about the pressure I put on his throat. Not physically.

            Mentally.

            Dangerous.

            He dared not say more. I pushed him forward with my other paw.

Turned and spat at the evil. Meathook retreated until only the barest trace remained of his polluted blood. My connection to Dexter was the only reason I could sense anything of the monster here. To think my brother could see beyond the fabric that made Meathook function. I didn’t ask him for details. In this place? I put all my faith onto his shoulders.

Cats were considered holy within this realm.

Equal parts warrior, guardian, and herald.

I wondered what I could shift into when on a higher plane. So to speak.

My brother’s amusement shot through our link.

<<Take a guess!>>

I gave him a mental shove. Just hard enough to get my point across.

He sobered. >>See that white disk above the middle pyramid? Guide grandfather to it. The gate guardians there will prevent Meathook from interfering directly.<< I know he meant it as a good-natured response but this place set my teeth on edge.

>>It would. We are equal yet opposite. Governance of the same coin.<<

*****

 

            White Lily clutched at Eliza’s neck.

She dared not speak here. Nothing living could. Unlike her husband, she could see the silver threads connecting him to his body weaken. Thread by thread. If they stayed much longer? He would drift. Caught up in the maelstrom that Dexter warned her about. Her wedding ring warmed. They were eternally tied. In this life and the next. Arthon’s muthra uniform remained dormant. Normally the sigils lit him up like a Christmas tree in the park. The light gray carapace flowed over his shoulders with a nearly silent click.

Abraham paused as they reached their destination.

Two obsidian statues crossed spears, “The Living may not pass.”

Eliza motioned with one paw. Lily slid off her giant cat of a grandkid.

They wore the standard armor of an Anubis Guardian. A replica of the setup the actual demi Anubis wore within the mosaics of the Museum of Echoes. Did the dreams of men influence this place? This world between worlds? Lily hugged herself as Eddie and Arthon joined her. Her eyes flew wide as Dexter combined with Eliza. The black-furred cat with four eyes circled Abraham. The top set of orbs shimmered gold. The bottom half was burnished silver.

Only the tip of its tail was white as snow.

*****

            The Golden Bulleteer patted himself. No longer in a white kilt.

            His uniform was Egyptian style. Instead of a golden bullet on his chest? A silver ring.

            The statues reared back. Their spears flew. Each buried itself at the entryway.

            A hiss of shock, the sound of feet scrabbling on rock, muttered curses.

            One of the guardians boomed, “YOU ARE NEITHER LIVING NOR DEAD. SERVANT OF FLESH AND MARROW! UNCLEAN TO THE STEPS OF THE DUAT!” Bulleteer moved one inch. Then back in place. Testing his speed. The statues didn’t seem to notice. The combined cat creature paced around him. Its double voice rumbled in his head. One masculine. One feminine.

            >>You must reclaim your body. It is being used as a conduit in the physical realm.<<

            The voices were familiar. To the point that examined the cat in greater detail.

            Stormy twin sets of eyes stared back. Images flowed across a glass surface. Hazy distant recollections but one aspect stood out. He was not alone. The massive nose twitched. Hot breath hit his face. His fingers closed into a fist. Then uncurled. Again and again.

            The motion calmed him.

*****

            Caution!

The domain of Death, All Death, was unstable. His eye ever searching. We leaped to the ledge. The dark green stink of Undeath permeated the area. Meathook. We snarled. The war cray echoed off the stone. Careful. Must not dive deeply. By the Highest. It wanted to lure us out. Ritark emerged from our shadow. His third eye opened slightly. Just enough that the aura of it tickled our whiskers. We approached the guardian statues. “We ask for the rite of Reunion.”

            The obsidian faces examined the avatar of Isis. Its combined form was savage. No living bodies within the Duat. They performed the ritual. Eddies fingers danced. The part of us that was Dexter nodded with approval. He could see that which was hidden. Even from Eliza. Our Eliza half slept. To hide the aspect of Life that burned at her core. This place would react poorly if she had entered as her true self. Should Dexter need to enter her domain? The form would change.

He imagined his form would be fitting when the time came.

Provided they prevented the worst scenario from occurring.

Lorain Lanis must not be consumed.

Golden Bulleteer would be the key to preventing that future.

*****

The Puzzler did a double take and nudged Arthon. White Lily crossed her arms.

It was one thing to have a mission briefing. It was quite another to experience it.

Jonas “Eddie” Olsten did not envy Dexter’s responsibilities in the slightest.

Even now the oppressive weight of mortality hung thick. Each pyramid vibrated. The incessant howling of the jackal patrols reminded the red-haired man that every realm had its dangers. It would be best to respect that. A part of him hoped Meathook would be occupied.

It would have been too much to hope that the denizens of this place would overcome that foul demon. The curled subvocalized snarl told Jonas all he needed. They did not welcome Meathook either. The cold rage made the human shiver. The immortal veils had been violated nearly beyond repair.

Arthon motioned to Eddie. The Atlantian’s stony expression made Eddie twitch.

Get ready!

The Unseen Order was gearing up for Final War.

Where the Arcane would preserve life? Dexter’s counterparts would make sure the corruption would face final judgment. Not within the realm of the physical. But across all plains of Necrotic influence.

*****

            Eleanor Murphy reached out to grab her husband’s hand. The one with their wedding band. A bright red thread weaved about them both. The cat pressed its chin to the crown of her head.

            >>You will stay. Ground him to this point.<<

            She wouldn’t cry. Anchor. Just as promised. Gold and silver circles blazed to life. Pulsating to cover her aura. To hide them from outside influences. She pressed her lips together. The urge to talk nearly undid her. She sat. Took up a lotus pose and closed her eyes.

            Please. Her prayer did not fall on deaf ears.

*****

            Eddies fingers danced.

            Where do you want Arthon positioned?

            Twin Cat padded over to the square entryway. It tapped its front left paw on the right pedestal. Then it head-butted Eddie over to the left. The Muthra mimicked Lily. Ritark swirled between both men. Then added another line to Lilly. Forming a triangle about the outer projection of Bulleteer’s soul shard. They only needed to tap into the Pyramid’s power.

            The massive feline took a bit of Bulleteer’s silver thread into its mouth and then dived into the entryway. Eddie felt the weight of the spirit realm tug at his hidden sense.  Time to go fishing.

*****

         A phone rang.

Abraham Murphy rose groggily from his couch. His home was still. A small white kitten raised its head from the piano. It mewed. The sound drew him forward. The air was crisp with the scent of white lilies. He rubbed his ring finger. He frowned. Missing. What was out of place? The door to the garage rose as he hit the activation key hidden within his watch.

New Ashbury had begun another day.

Over the radio an alert went out, “Western Alliance Protocol activated! All C to A Tier classes report!”

High above the whine of jet engines resounded.

He donned his uniform and dashed out of the hidden side bunker connected to the house. One could never be too careful! The throaty roar of a massive beast reached him. Even as time slowed. Being the fastest man alive had benefits.

Tidalwave  shouted, “Beware its eye!” The monster above was bulbous. Red scales mixed with white. Its glowering green eye narrowed.  An eyestalk grew from the crimson morass. Numerous deadly black orbs circled as the being continued to mutate.

 A yellow beam shot forth.

Slagging the pavement to mulch where Bulleteer had been moments before. He cracked his knuckles. Captain Whitehouse aimed. “Into the Breach!” The air sirens resounded throughout the city. The newest form of shielding rose to cover the buildings. Made of duracrete. The road repair wouldn’t be nice for the civil engineers but that was a small price to pay to get rid of such a menace. Bulleteer raced up the rising shield walls. His fists a blur of motion as he jumped upon the head of the Beholder. Across the coms Whitehouse said, <<The eye isn’t the key. Take out the nerve stalk behind its main beam.>>

*****

         Arthon relayed the battle plan.

Glad to have a trusted form within this pocket dimension. He couldn’t comprehend it beyond that. Made him appreciate Eliza’s predicament tenfold. No wonder she didn’t dwell on physics or mathematics.  The power of Abraham Murphy’s soul would win the day. They just had to break….

He dodged the manifestation by empowering his avatar with specialized jump boots. To Golden Bulleteer it was fitting. They knew the tech of that age. Due to Dexter’s knowledge transfer. No wonder Lorain had to knock them out. Sleep was how….

Eliza’s behavior, especially from the beginning, made sense now.

She hadn’t been in control while she “slept.”

Dexter had been maneuvering pieces from the start. Even as children.

Arthon understood. Dexter had been the Sleeper. Abbadon had merely been mimicking what Dexter had undertaken. The gulf of understanding and sacrifice required snapped him back to the present battle. “Tidalwave” made an arc with his katana. Its blue lines danced about. Bright indigo flames made the Beholder hiss. Twin arc canons rose from his battlesuit.

“Open wide!”

Union Hall

Main Medical Floor

           

Lorain Lanis rose unsteadily to her feet.

The invading energy whittled away at her combined Life and Yellow Defender fields.

The Golden Bulleteer’s vitals were rising. Inhuman howls echoed across the coms systems. “Hurry!”, the Doctor croaked. Doctor Zanzibar’s voice split across the system,<<Nice shot Robin!>> A flurry of barks joined in.

 The crackle of heat made her glance towards the main doorway. Sir Avalon fought side by side with Queen Guinevere to block entry to the hostiles. Her blonde hair was matted against her forehead. She held her staff in a deathgrip. Knuckles were white against the normal tan of her skin. A wave of light flowed within the room. The corgis ran toward her. The Morrigan landed on her head. “Just in time!”

*****

            Arthur swung Excalibur in a wide arc. The wraiths around him howled. Their forms melted into the ether as his blade hit them. Holy symbols flashed a bright blue with each successful hit. His Intez within chanted an old battle charge.

Fredrick Marshall III aimed.

Each of his high-powered ethereal pistols was a pale white fire in his hands. Aether motioned his squad of J’kua forward. Everyone on Earth that could help in the containment joined forces at the barrier around Union Hall. Flashes of Blue Defender energy joined the Life Barrier that Lanis had erected.

            Proctor Gansys shouted, “Arcane Bombardment! FIRE!”

            Black and gold-robed Light Shamans chanted. Purple sigils floated before their outstretched hands.

            Small witch fire portals evaporated around the beleaguered Union Hall.

            The darker the green flame? The more dangerous the foe. The medical level glowed an oppressive sinister jade hue. Visible beyond the shimmering white wall of life. High above orbit, the Arcane Battle Fleet launched endless barrages of Light Imbued Ring Missiles. No damage came to the defenders but each volley chipped away at the green bile circling Lanis’ shielding.

            Black Scrawl emerged from the affected segment of Union Hall.

            It howled, “This flesh is mine.”

Issue 27: Here

Issue 29: Here