The Mission

Chapter 7 The War to Change

Yawning Charles looked over at Alatem asleep in a chair on the other side of the lab.

Walking over to her he gently lifted her and carried her to the bed. Sighing he looked at the new scanner in his hand he needed to test it on a group of people to see if it really worked.

Damn it he was tired, he been going for days with hardly any sleep, he wished it was over so he could just get a good rest.

Alatem awoke slowly reaching over she only found empty space next to her. Snapping her eyes open she began to franticly search the room for Charles. Sitting at a small table across the room Charles was busy tweaking and adjusting a scanner that she had seen the day before. Looking up Charles smiled when he saw that she was finally awake.

"Damn it Charles! Have you been there all night? No wonder I am so cold," Alatem said only half heartedly.

"Allie!" he started excitedly, "I think I finally found a way to determine what's what!"

Alatem could only stare at him like he'd lost his mind. "Charles what are you talking about?"

"The scanner I've been working on, I finished it but I need to test it. To do that I have to go back down there, if it works like it should we could end this in a few short days or weeks!" Charles proclaimed.

This peeked Alatem's interest, "It would be a good thing but Charles remember they have had years to build up. The other night all we really did was to destroy maybe a hundred. From the calculations Allie made they have hundreds of thousands. Even with the weapon I don't think you'd be able to get them all not unless you expanded the..."

The look of pain on Charles's face was all she needed to see to know that this wasn't an option.

A few hours later outside a supposedly abandoned warehouse, there was a quick flash. Several of the guards went to investigate, only two people returned. Charles calculated that they only had maybe twenty minutes before the guards would be missed; walking in Charles shot seemingly random shots till there were sparks from where the vid cameras were. Remembering the chain reaction he'd started at the last lab, Charles set charges at strategic spots.

Trok followed Charles deeper into the ware-house; they had contacted him saying they need his expertise in defeating the enemy. They were almost to the center when Charles held up a hand; the voices they were hearing gave them pause.

Charles adjusted the atomizer and rushed forward, all the clones around the Emperor's youngest nephew dissolved.

Screaming he tried flee only to discover that his shoes had also dissolved to the ground where he stood.

"I don't think so!" Charles said as he stunned the man then carried him out of the building. Firing at the first vat Charles watched it ignite, the screaming started a moment later as each of the thousand vats started to burn.

Charles waited till it grew quiet and aimed at the building, 20 minutes later it was only smoldering ash.

Charles thanked Trok, as did Alatem, Trok said he couldn't believe that the emperor's brother had committed the crime of cloning. Alatem told him to keep this to himself as they didn't know who to trust or who might be a clone. Trok started back for the Palace at a hurried pace, stopping he pulled a com from his pocket.

On board the Time Raider Charles put the man in a stasis holder, "Ally, has he returned to the palace yet?"

"Almost, he made a transmission outside the walls." Ally sadly said.

"Replay it please Ally," Charles said.

"Yes Charles, I am so sorry Alatem," Allie replied.

{Tell him I have what he wants to know}Trok's voice was heard saying.