Chapter 19

Palpable tension. Emotion and fear so thick throughout a room that it feels like

something you can squeeze.

Palpable tension filled the base the next morning. From ever soldier’s step to

every scientist’s face, everything felt a bit rushed and serious from the day before.

For Gabe, well, he was just in awe of the whole spectacle. He dreamt of being in

a war movie, standing amidst the soldiers as they prepared for battle. But now that it was

real, fear drowned out whatever excitement he had. Yet Ellie seemed the least changed.

She held her serious expression – that’s what Gabe called it - the one she used whenever

she had to fight or deal with an enemy. And this was something she seemed good at

holding.

Walking next to them, Agent Redd and Grandpa held a serious discussion.

“We’re routing all available power to you, Dr. Lavei.”

“That’s not nearly enough. We’ll need double that to operate this.” Grandpa was

pointing to a schematic of what looked like a giant TV screen to Gabe. He nudged Ellie,

but only received a shrug in reply.

“So much technology, so little innovation,” muttered Grandpa.

Every scientist in the vicinity raised an eyebrow and an objection. “What about

this facility?” “I’m sure you could make the internet.” “Or even touch our computing

power.” “Don’t suppose you’ve been in space.”

 “I have been traveling between worlds and seen different planets, using something

smaller than your cell phone. Why, the power source in this would be plenty to power

your entire internet.”

“That’s impossible. The laws of physics don’t allow for a battery like that.”

“Who said anything about battery? It has a fusion reactor.”

This brought all motion in the room to a grinding halt. “Excuse me?” asked a

scientist. “Are you telling me that there’s a nuclear reactor in this room with us.”

“The answer would be yes,” said Agent Redd abruptly. “I knew it all the time,

and it is quite safe. The radiation it emits in a day is equivalent to a few minutes in the

sun.”

“And blocked by a thin layer of clothing,” added Grandpa. “Oh the wonders of

helium-3 fusion. All the kick with less of the world wrecking radiation – you should try

using it sometime. Or perhaps you would if you faced the same consequences.”

“Well, maybe if we had a little more helium-3 on Earth. And what do you mean?

Radiation’s dangerous.”

Grandpa blinked and closed his lips, as if trapping a word from escaping from his

tongue. Agent Redd turned to Grandpa and asked, “Is helium-3 common on your

world?”

“I wouldn’t say common, but there is a substantial amount.”

“Then perhaps when this conflict is over, we can enter a more beneficial

relationship.”

…
 Even with the tension in the room, Agent Redd seemed as friendly as could be.

And though pleasant, this unnerved everyone in the room, from Gabe to even the

scientists.

A soldier took their pictures and handed security badges to Gabe and Ellie.

“You’ll need these to get around here.”

Ellie looked at her badge and asked Gabe. “What does this say?”

“Uh, Ellie Lavei. That’s your name, right?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, although I speak English alright, my reading is really quite

poor.”

Gabe’s face was covered in surprise.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m just surprised that I can do something better than you. I mean, you’re

like Superman, and I’m just some dumb kid.”

“You are a little better than you think. And I am certain that this is not the only

place where you exceed me.” Then Ellie flashed Gabe a little smile and walked away.

They were led into a conference room where they spent the day recreating Kalia.

By the next morning, they had a map of the bridge, the square, and Sansebei.

“Did you see any defenses?” asked a General.

“No, but there were dozens of troops and a number of cannons. That’s probably

your biggest threat.”

“I must disagree,” said Ellie. “The greatest threat lies under their jungles.

Soldiers can hide there for weeks without detection. Gabe here was able to evade their

troops in the trees.”

 The Generals nodded and took note, yet Agent Redd seemed oddly unconcerned.

“Do you have any other intel? Any tanks? Planes?”

“No, aside from their soldiers and guns, I don’t think they’ve got a whole lot.”

“Excellent. We’ll hit them from the air and blitz them on the ground. This

shouldn’t be hard.”

The Generals seemed to be in agreement, but Grandpa raised his hand. “Excuse

me, but there may be another threat. My son informed me that they stole one of our

reactors.”

“So they have the bomb.”

“No, unlike your focus, our reactor is solely for the creation of electricity, and any

damage will only make it inoperable.”

“Then I’m not worried. It’s just a power plant.”

“Perhaps you should be. A good scientist could reveal a great weapon with a

power source of that magnitude.”

Agent Redd nodded and turned to his Generals. “They still have to hit you. We’ll

control the air. Even if they’ve got big guns, remember, you can’t swat flies with a

bazooka.”

This seemed to satisfy the Agent, but Grandpa still looked concerned.

His concern magnified when he returned to the bridge. The room now looked like

a warzone, with bunkers, machine guns, and armored vehicles. All weapons pointed at

the bridge, ready to destroy anyone who dared to enter.

“Can you activate the bridge?” asked Agent Redd.

 Grandpa nodded, putting his hand on his bridger inside his pocket. “Just give me

the word.”

“How exactly are you activating it?”

“My granddaughter opened it on the other end, we can do it from here.”

Gabe opened his mouth for a moment, wanting to say that he was the one who

opened it, but Ellie put her hand on his arm and shook her head. He stayed silent,

wondering why Ellie didn’t want him to talk. However, Agent Redd noticed this

exchange.

Placing his hands on Gabe’s shoulders, he spoke with a friendly grin. “Why don’t

you two come with me? This area’s for your Grandfather.”

With a shrug, Gabe and Ellie followed Agent Redd as he led them deeper and

deeper into the base. Then he took them onto an elevator that took them even deeper

underground.

With every step, Gabe seemed more and more in awe. “This place is huge. I

can’t believe it’s all under the city. Those internet geeks were right after all.”

The Agent chuckled to himself. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a massive, underground railroad.

Currently, cranes moved cannons and machine guns off a car and soldiers exited from a

passenger car.

“Backups for your Grandfather,” explained the Agent. Gabe marveled at the sight

of the army and secretly wondered if all that would fit in the room next to the bridge.

The Agent led them onto the passenger car, whose door closed with a whoosh.

Then the car began moving at a high speed, sending them rocketing through a tunnel.
 Agent Redd gestured proudly at the train. “This really kicks the BART’s butt,

doesn’t it? Impressive. But classified, so don’t be telling your friends about this.”

Ellie shrugged. “Just like the one back home.” Then she tapped Gabe on the

shoulder and motioned to the back of the train.

Now with a little privacy, she snapped a glass bracelet onto Gabe’s wrist.

“Where’d this come from?”

“We went back to my home for the discussion and I got these for you.” She then

handed him a bridger, though it only had one button. “This is just like the one you used,

except without the Bridge controls. Do not worry, I have one of my own.”

Ellie turned her hand over, showing an identical bridger. “Now, whatever

happens, keep it charged until you know you need to go home, ok?”

Gabe nodded, looking at the item in his hand. For the second time in a few

weeks, he had been given priceless technology for no apparent reason. “How come you

trust me with this? I mean, I don’t know if I’d trust myself with it, now that I know what

it does.”

“I have been around many people. Good people, bad people, treacherous people,

trustworthy people, and I saw with pure honesty that I would give this to you over anyone

else I know.”

For a moment, Gabe felt time slow down and he looked deep into Ellie’s eyes.

And for that moment, she did not look away.

Agent Redd watched this from across the train car and seemed to nod to himself.

…
 The train sped at hundreds of miles per hour for quite some time. Finally it

slowed and stopped by a platform that looked similar to the one at the secret base. Agent

Redd took them to an elevator, but instead of the Navy base, Gabe found themselves in

the desert, seemingly miles from any civilization.

Beside them sat several hangers filled with various aircraft. Agent Redd took

them to the largest hanger on the base.

“I’ll be running command in this.” Agent Redd motioned at a large plane, the

sight of which made Ellie’s jaw drop. It was a brand new AC-5, painted in a dull gold

and green desert camouflage pattern with cannon and weapons pointing out from

everywhere.

“I’ll show you around now. You’ll want to know this stuff before we take off.”

But Ellie just stared at the plane. One phrase repeated throughout her head. “And

the demon of gold will take to flight.”

Chapter 20

“Magic is a funny thing. Really, it’s just a change of the rules you’re used to. But

boy can that flip your mind a good one.” Grandpa spoke these words to no one in

particular as he attached a wire to the bridge. All around him, scientists stood to offer

assistance and the occasional confused look. Although they wanted to help, fear got the

better of most of them.

But Grandpa kept working away, ignoring the occasional shower of sparks, which

erupted for seemingly no reason. “That’s just the magic equivalent of static,” said

Grandpa to a group of cowering scientists. “Doesn’t harm you a bit.”

He then proceeded to put his hand in the middle of sparks. Instantly, he screamed

in pain, which made all the scientists scream. But that scream turned into a big laugh for

Grandpa. The scientists shook their heads and complained, but this only made Grandpa

laugh all the more.

Once he calmed down, he continued his work, attaching wires to the bridge and

testing various spots with computers. “These things still surprise me,” continued

Grandpa.

“No computers back home?”

“No, those we have, but I imported most of those from here. What surprises me is

that these wires hold together. Back home, a thin piece of metal wire wouldn’t last a day,

but here, you use it to carry enough power to kill all of us. First time I saw it, I was sure

it was magic.”
 A scientist tried to respond, but Grandpa moved to another part of the bridge,

ignoring all of them unless absolutely needed.

Later, Gabe and Ellie returned to the base and visited Grandpa by the bridge.

“Any luck with what you’re doing?” asked Gabe.

“Yeah, it hasn’t blown up and killed all of us.” This was followed by a hearty

laugh from Grandpa.

“How can you laugh at a time like this?”

“How can you not laugh? This might be the last chance we get. I’m not about to

miss out.”

A few days later, all preparations were complete and Agent Redd stood before a

battalion of troops. He warned them, saying, “They’ll be ready for us, so be prepared to

hit the ground fighting. Air units, spread out quickly to your assigned coordinates. Use

your speed and training to outflank their artillery. Any questions?”

His only reply was the soldiers standing upright at attention.

“Excellent. Be ready to move out at 2100.”

At 1800 hours, Agent Redd told Gabe, “It’s time.” After walking Grandpa to the

bridge, they made their way to the underground train. Along the way, the Agent spoke to

Gabe.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. This isn’t your fight. You should

go home and be safe.”

 But Gabe stood firm, clutching a bottle of “Gabriel Springs” water. “No, I’m

going with you. I’ve been there, I can help out, and I want to be there.” He stole a quick

glance at Ellie as he spoke.

Agent Redd nodded. “Alright. But it might get pretty rough out there. Be brave,

be a good patriot.” Then he turned away, but cracked a slight smirk like everything was

going according to plan.

The train ride felt different from the other day, since the car was now filled with

soldiers. Gabe tried to put on a strong face, but failed miserably. Ellie noticed this and

tried to reassure him as best as she could.

“Look, the fighting will be on the ground. We will be flying high above in the

sky. So we will be quite safe.”

Gabe nodded, but noticed something. “Are you nervous about this too?

“I am not sure nervous is the right word.”

“What is it then.”

“It could be the demon…. No, nevermid.”

Try as he could, Gabe couldn’t get Ellie to say anything about this, so he changed

the topic. “Do these bridges work the same?”

“Yes. Press the button several times to travel, picture the location in your mind

for the bracelet, and we can travel together if we make skin to skin contact.”

“Why is that anyway?”

“Honestly, I have never asked, or wondered even. Perhaps we merely accept fact

we witness every day. But this I do know. If we are in danger, you are to bridge out

immediately. I want you to be safe.”

 “We’ll be fine, Ellie. And when we go, we’ll do it together.”

“Yes, but just the same, I want you safe.”

“If I wanted that, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Gabe chucked, but stopped

quickly when he realized that Ellie wasn’t sharing in his laughter. “But your

Grandfather…”

“He may have the right to joke, but you need to be serious. This is dangerous,

though we can handle it if we focus.”

“And we’ll both be safe.”

Ellie tried to force herself to nod, but it seemed half-hearted. It seemed that deep

inside, she knew this day would come, and it brought the feeling of old fear. She kept

these feelings to herself.

Once they arrived at the desert base, the soldiers exited and filed into ranks.

Others entered tanks and other vehicles, forming lines that stretched for a mile. Weapons

were loaded and everyone looked ready to roll.

Gabe watched with amazement until Agent Redd ushered him to the AC-5 sitting

on an adjacent runway. He looked curiously as they passed a series of steel containers

inside the airplane. To Gabe, they almost looked like giant fire extinguisher. But then the

Agent led the kids to a pair of seats, leaving them with two words, “Buckle up.”

The bomber took off with a roar of its engines. Gabe had flown before, and his

feeling was that the plane felt heavy. Then again, they were entering a battle. The plane

should feel heavy. Ellie, on the other hand, felt nothing but amazement as the sight of the

ground below. This was her first time on an airplane, and she wished it could be under

different circumstances.
 On another runway, engineers set up a pair of radio antennas. Huge wires ran

from these into a giant hanger. And every tank, armored vehicle, and solider was pointed

down the runway towards these antennas. Gabe looked at the sight with wonder, curious

as to its purpose. He would soon see.

The bridge now looked like a prisoner surrounded by an armada. Enough

firepower to level a small city now directed its business end towards the stone wall. Plus,

covered in wires and electronics, the bridge now resembled something from

Frankenstein.

Grandpa stood in a bunker fortified by more than two feet of steel and concrete.

All eyes looked to him for orders as he observed and directed. A soldier ran to him with a

message, “Agent Redd asks if we’re ready to proceed.”

“Just give the word.”

The bomber flew over the desert, keeping watch over the army gathered below.

Sitting in the captain’s chair, behind the pilots, was Agent Redd. Here, all the crew

looked to him for orders. “Connect me to everyone,” said Agent Redd.

Communication switches were flipped and lights glowed. “You’re on,” yelled a

crewman.

Agent Redd cleared his throat and began. “Gentlemen, we are entering a new era

of conflict. Not only must we secure our borders, but we much protect ourselves from an

enemy that can ignore any wall we build. So we must meet them on the only battlefield

that ensures their arrival - that is their own home soil.

 Now, I know many of your may not understand the means of this invasion. You

many not understand where our enemy is located. But let me tell you without uncertainty

that this is a real war we are entering. The battle will be fierce and the enemy prepared.

They will know that you are coming. They are ready to fight.

But we can defeat them. We will defeat them to protect our homeland. Hit fast,

hit hard, outflank them. Use your skills and weapons, they’re better than any our enemy

possesses. The time is now. The word is crusade. We have a go.”

By the bridge, Grandpa nodded and lifted his bridger. A moment later, the bridge

began to glow. “Be ready for anything,” yelled Grandpa. “The bridge stays open for

communications, so things may come back the other way.”

Slowly, the glow of the bridge spread to the stone wall. Then a curtain of energy

began to open on the bridge.

“I hope this works,” muttered Grandpa as he flipped a switch.

Agent Redd listened with a stern expression. He heard bits like, “Connection

successful,” “Boosters operational,” “That’s a lot of power, we’re shutting off everything

non-essential.” But then, his eyes lit up as he saw what he wanted. Then again, everyone

in the desert could see this. From between the two antennas, a curtain of energy opened,

much like the one at the bridge. But while the bridge was only 15 feet wide, this curtain

spread across the entire span, over 500 feet. All around the soldiers watched in awe as

the light lit their faces.

…
 The bridge glowed as bright as ever, but the wall was strangely dark. “Exactly

like we planned it,” said Grandpa. But truthfully, he had never experimented with this,

and it was as much as surprise to him as anyone.

Flying above the desert, Agent Redd nodded with approval. He grabbed the radio

and said, “All units advance.” Tanks roared to life and sped towards the glowing curtain

of energy. And with that, the war had begun.