The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 17: Execution

Everyone stared in shock as they began to realize how much Rob meant to Kent as a brother. Ray didn't have a hard time realizing, since Rob had always been like an older brother to him, encouraging and guiding his every step. Ray had gotten over the man's death, and tried to recall how emotional Kent must feel.

But as the crying began to subside, the tent opened, sending an overwhelmingly bright beam of light to hit Ray's eyes. Quick sat down beside Kent, whose eyes were still red. The assistant director didn't look up, and just slid the voice recording device and the datapad across to the director. Quick instantly knew he needed to give Kent some private time.

"Ok, thanks for the information," Quick said. "Commander, follow me. Chris's execution will start soon." He flinched his head towards Kent, looking at the teens. "And I assume you children would like to come along too?" The four nodded and followed the older men outside. They reached the execution tent in an instant and saw Chris being held on either arm and dragged inside. The man tried wiggling to no avail and growled at the sight of the teenagers.

"You'll pay for this betrayal, Conquerors. Conquest will eventually get the Khalanium Blades and unify the universe one way or another!" Chris yelled before entering the place of his demise. Ray followed, eager to see the man who planned and successfully ruined his and his friends' lives suffer. But he was also worried of how far Conquest will go in avenging the death of one of their assistant directors. The tent was a little larger than the others, and a silver chair with wires and components protruding out of it stood in the center.

The chair with its mechanical add-ons brought Ray back to the horrid memory of becoming one of Conquest's tools. But at least this time he wasn't the one going to be the victim. Chairs were placed around the object in a large square, and officials started taking their seats, either scribbling down notes or discussing with others. Chris was securely fastened into the seat, his arms and legs cuffed. Beside the execution chair, a man was tinkering with a digital pad, presumably the operator of the execution. Once the Specials were seated, Quick rose and stood a few steps in front of Chris, clearing his throat before starting.

"Welcome and thank you for spending the time to watch a very important man...die," he began, which was followed by a few snickers and giggles. Ray was confused. He didn't know what was so funny about death or execution. "Chris Kohr, one of the assistant directors of the unknown force we now know as Conquest, is here to be executed with electricity. We have learned a great amount from this guy, so that means another Briefing in a few hours."

Quick sat down, and the man on the pad took over. "Hello, I am Professor Josh. It's an honor to be doing this, so here we go. Three...Two...One...." The man tapped the pad and the silver chair flashed with dashing currents of blue electricity. Chris tried to contain the pain, his red face showing signs of tremendous effort.

"Electricity on thirty percent," Josh said, a small smirk appearing. "Forty." Chris started shouting. "Fifty." He struggled, but movement was restrained. "Sixty." The chair rocked violently as Chris continued to suffer. "Seventy." He screamed in anguish. "Eighty." Smoke started to rise into the air. "Ninety." His body began to fail. "One hundred percent!" Chris's body dropped forward, affirming the body's failure.

People stood up and began leaving, their little "show" ending. Ray now wished he never agreed to come. The image of the man in pure agony was planted in his mind, and it burned. Carson looked Ray with an aghast expression. "That...was a little too much for me. You?" the nineteen-year-old boy asked. Ray simply nodded, knowing it was a terrible experience.

After a short lunch under the shade of a tree, Rook called the four and led them to their own tents. As usual, five mattresses were laid on the flat grass. "I know it's only two in the afternoon, but you children need your rest, especially after all the events that have occured. You deserve it," Rook explained. "We have a long day of training and preparation ahead of us tomorrow."

Ray didn't argue, since he liked the occasional privilege to have a good night's rest. He was exhausted and couldn't think of a better thing to do. But Sarah had a confused look on her face. "Preparation for what? Aren't we stuck here until the base is repaired?" she asked.

Rook just grinned. "Well, kids, I guess you'll be going home earlier than expected."

Though no one knew what the commander was implying, they all smiled upon hearing the hope of returning home. Carson was the first to jump face first into the soft, comfortable furniture that reminded him instantly of his bed on earth. The rest followed, relishing the feeling, afraid to have it taken away from them in a few minutes. Not even bothering to take off their shoes, the teens immediately fell asleep, except for Ray. He lay on his back, facing the vacant bed beside him. He wondered where Sam could be, what horrible things Conquest could be doing to him. He brushed all the negative thoughts aside, like he did time and time again, and slept.

* * *

Ray woke up, and so did the others after a few more seconds of people shouting and feet running. He peeked outside, only to see flashlights dominating the dark area, temporarily blinding his vision. He stumbled back, falling into Carson's arms. "Hey, we're gonna need these," Sarah called out, waving two flashlights. She and Ray used one each, leading the two through the many tents to the center of activity.

Brisk walking, the Specials made their way to an open clearing simply by listening to the commotion. Soon came the whirling sounds of motors and engines slowing down. Ray looked up to see a jet in the night sky slowly hover down. His curiosity growing gradually, he broke into a jog. "Come on, hurry!" he yelled over the louder sounds of his surroundings.

While briefly turning around to make sure Carson and Jane were following, he lost his balance and tripped over a rock. Luckily, to block his fall was A.D. Kent. He apologized and saw that Rook stood beside the man. "Hello, Ray. What you might see next will surprise you and your friends undoubtedly. Follow us," Kent ordered, calling the attention of the three other teenagers. The small crowd of agents and men with guns ready surrounding the jet's landing space let the approaching group through.

The jet was on the ground, and Ray could only see two pairs of legs walking down the platform at the back. Guns were ready in case the new arrivers were hostile, and the four teens found themselves standing beside Rook and Kent in a line. When the two mysterious faces were visible, Ray gasped.

A woman and a teen stood face to face with the six. "I am Sophia Sharp, a resigned agent of Conquest, and I believe you all know Sam far too well."