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Chapter -4- War and Peace

December 11, Sunrise South Pacific ...

Conner pushed up on a dense metal hatch. The door was surprisingly heavy. He checked to make sure the hatch wheel was turned counter-clockwise. He pushed hard.

James came up behind and helped. Together, they lifted the heavy metal door up on hinges. It dropped back with a thump in the dirt.

Conner shoved aside the overgrowth of a bush, and helped James up. They looked at the hatch door and laughed in spite of the silliness - a rock was fused with the bunker door, designed to keep it shut and well hidden.

The two made their way through the forest in silence. Daybreak was beautiful. Sun filtered in through trees, creating narrow pillars of light in the morning fog.

James stayed near Conner as the two made their way through the foliage. "This reminds me of a video game I used to play before getting into all this mess."

"Video games will never look as good as the real thing."

"Then you haven't played many. Video games have a way of making even the darkest or dirtiest place look beautiful. Everything is more colorful. Video games are the only place where you will marvel at a dingy crackhouse and proclaim the graphics are beautiful."

"Then you haven't seen much, Uncle Jaye. No offense. Art can only imitate life to a point. Even then, it's just inspired artists trying to imitate reality to the best of their ability."

"Touché," James replied. "I feel kind of naked without a weapon in my hand."

"The Nehushtan was never a weapon to begin with."

"Yeah. Okay, so I feel kind of naked without some sort of tool in my hand."

"Fair enough." Conner shrugged with indifference. "We'll find something in the vault for you."

"What about the weapons these guys are using against us?"

Conner shook his head. "I can mess with the Bluetooth stacks or other types of device drivers they use to pair their accessories, but I would need to take more time than we probably have to sit down and code these things to your biometrics."

"It's okay, I'm not the gun slinging type." James thought back to the first time he felt compelled to dive out of a window and stop a gunman in an alley. It seemed like years ago, or another lifetime or something.

"What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking back to the first time I went up against a guy with a gun. No big deal. I didn't need a weapon then, and I don't need one now."

Conner grinned. He guided his cane back to the holster on his back and dusted his palms together. "That's the ticket, Uncle Jaye. We're both too good for that."

"Alright. So, where do you think Pendleton and his minion are holed up?"

"God only knows," said Conner. "They are probably still confused by what happened yesterday - the ocean thing you did."

"Yeah, well, that makes both of us." James looked around the area. They came from the trees and moved along a foothill , which led to the mountain vault. "Thank God we don't have to climb that thing to get in from above."

"We may have to," said Conner with a weak, semi-apologetic smile. "I, uh ... neglected to tell you that there is a way in that only a master thief would be capable of accessing. But I haven't done that trial yet."

"Trial?"

Conner nodded. "It's for bragging rights. My mother and your father are the only ones to access the vault that way in a long, long time. I'm told Eli Parker Junior nearly died doing it, but since he lived, he counts as having made it. It's too dangerous for you."

"What happened to that optimism, Conner?"

"I'm not trying to get you killed, you're my uncle and you've really been here for me."

James chuckled. "No worries. I'm not trying to survive 'Mission Impossible.' See? Spy movie."

Conner grinned. "Yeah. I got that reference. I doubt even Ethan Hunt would be able to survive the way in up there."

The two swiveled their heads and continued towards the north-facing entrance. There were no guards. The morning was silent and the scent of dew and a recent light rain hung in the air.

"Did they pack up and leave?" James asked. "You think they were scared about the ocean thing? Maybe they bugged out."

"God I hope so," Conner said with a chuckle. "They should. They have no idea what they're dealing with."

"This doesn't feel right."

"What?"

James shrugged. "It's the writer in me. I'm kind of afraid to say it's too quiet."

"Karla would say, 'That's so cliché.' And she'd be right."

"For a girl you're upset about, you sure do talk about her a lot."

Conner cringed. "Shit. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out."

"Just don't do it around Tamae."

Conner nodded in emphatic agreement. "Good idea. Okay, the main entrance is up ahead. Looks like I invested good money into that thing. Steven does good work."

"You paid Steven to make a door lock?"

"Yeah. I commissioned him. In this day and age, everyone needs money."

James looked around at the abandoned area. "True. So where are they?"

"They have some inflatable boats. Maybe they had something bigger that held more people, but docked it on the other side of the island?" Conner shrugged. "Just because we saw the one shipwreck out on the sandbar doesn't mean it was their only boat."

"True," James said softly.

They approached the large door with the engraving of the orichalcum cane. "I got the idea from a game I played growing up. It was called Sly Cooper and was this really fantastic game series about master thieves who..."

James placed a hand on Conner's shoulder. "You've told me three times already. Look, I don't like the feel of this. We should hang back and scout the rest of the island first. They wouldn't just leave. They've invested too much time and money and crap into all this nonsense. Those guys are greedy and driven."

"Are you a psychologist now?"

"No, I'm a story writer. I know character development," said James. "I'm telling you those guys are not going to give up because of a big wave splitting in two. They're going to dismiss it as one of the island's defenses and they're going to wait for us to open this thing. Then they're going to ambush the shit out of us."

Conner looked around. He frowned. There was no one in sight. An abandoned howitzer sat on the beach. The boxes of ammo had been removed.

There was a tent on the upper beach. Beyond it, there were several trailers. They had no doors on the end, making it easy to see inside of them. Some had equipment; some had several cots fastened to the walls.

Conner crossed the beach and peered into the tent. There was a bed, a footlocker, a tall vanity mirror, and equipment on a folding table.

He stepped back out and looked around the beach. "There's no one here."

Silence.

Conner sighed. "We can't just stand around here and wonder. What if those two yuppies did find the secondary entrance at the summit? What if they're inside right now? I don't know what to do."

"We scout the island."

Conner sighed. "Should we split up and search the island? Should I go in and let you search the island?"

"You don't know what to do?"

"There's nobody around. We can just pop in, get some equipment and food supplies - we should have enough for the two of us to eat at least one meal in there. Then we should secure the island, and gather up the Pendleton's food supplies. We can pop in and close the door behind us. They're nowhere near, so how would they ambush? Maybe we're just being paranoid."

"I hope you're right. And food sounds really good. What do you think we've got in there?"

"God only knows. It won't be much, though. Rice, ramen, dried fruit in an airtight bag? Hell if I know."

James grimaced. "Alright. We can get some supplies and then scout the island. No sense starving ourselves."

Conner withdrew his cane from the holster on his back. "Alright then. Let's get to the main event."

They both looked around again. Silence.

They saw nothing - no sign of life in any direction. The beach was completely abandoned.

The sun glistened off the water's surface to the east, and the sandbar was fully visible, a mile out.

The shipwreck from the day before was easily seen, but the inflatable raft was gone.

Conner sighed. "Here goes nothing. You got my back right?"

"Yeah."

Conner pushed the cane into the door and turned it hard. The vault door opened. Unlike a TV show or cinema, there was no glowing light inside.

James looked around again. "I feel kind of gipped. I expected a choir of angels."

"Yeah," Conner chuckled.

A group of mercenaries appeared in a horseshoe around them. They wore armored 'active camouflage' suits. Everyone held weapons pointed at Conner and James.

Behind the armed group was Joseph Pendleton Sr. "Wotcha, mates!" he shouted in a sing-song sort of way.

Conner grimaced. "You were right, Uncle Jaye. You were fucking right."

James shook his head. "I said we should scout the rest of the island first. We wouldn't have seen them. How the hell did they not cast a shadow?"

Joe Pendleton Sr. stepped from his line of twenty-two mercenaries and raised his arms outward. He thumbed a remote control and light posts became visible on the east and west sides of the beach. "As you can see, we used tricks of the light to make sure no one had a shadow."

Conner grimaced.

Joe approached them with a smile. "My son was worried the two of you would notice." He pointed down.

Conner and James looked down. Neither of them had shadows.

Conner sighed through his nose. "Fucking clever. But if you kill us you won't be able to..."

Joe held his hands up. "I have no intent on killing you, boy. I'm just here for my half. And two of my people refused to go up against you after claiming you boys caused that biblical display yesterday afternoon."

Conner grimaced. "It was..."

Joseph interrupted again. "Yes, I know, it's a technological defense trick from a rich family with a flair for the dramatic. I'm not impressed. But the two of you have cost me two men."

"We didn't cost you anything," Conner snapped.

"Yes, you did. The two who saw your silly trick refused to go against you. So I shot them."

James swallowed. "Christ."

Joe folded his arms. "I told you, I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to take my half. That's it. That's all I want. The door is open. I could have killed you the second you opened it. You wouldn't have seen it coming."

Conner sighed through his nose. "It stays here. Fine, you found the island. Fine, you got in. But it doesn't leave this island."

"It's my half. I choose to do what I wish. The Parker family has half; the Pendleton family has half. Evenly split twenty-five percent between my son and myself, and the two of you. Everyone is happy."

Conner relaxed his body language. He crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "What do you plan to do with your half?"

Joseph smiled. "I'll buy half the stock of every company across the globe if I want. I honestly haven't decided, but I like the idea of having power and control. Wealth does not buy power or control, but ownership of everything under the sun - well, what daft sod would ever turn down a man who owns the global one percent?"

"You'd honestly make yourself a target? And what happens after you're assassinated and your wealth is seized by the state and split up among the actual one percent'ers? You would ruin the economy, Joe."

"Conner. I've tried to kill you so many times I'm starting to lose count. It's a bit frustrating, innit? Somehow you keep surviving. And your friends, thanks to you, also keep surviving."

"So you're going to try again?"

"No, mate. I'm done trying to kill you. I just want what's mine."

"So you're not going to shoot me huh?" Conner smirked.

"I'm not that stupid," Joe said with a sigh. "You're prepared for that."

"You sure you don't want a demonstration?" Conner looked around at the eager greedy gaze of the twenty-two mercenaries in a horseshoe shape around the front entrance. "Your guys look like they want my cut."

Joe glanced back at his men. "They _do_seem to have that look in their eyes, don't they?"

Conner leaned his weight on his cane. "Y'know, I've been practicing my aim."

Joe tilted his head. "Listen, mates, I'll be going inside the vault, now." He approached Conner and placed a finger beneath the boy's jaw. "Chin up, mate. There, lad. You put on a good show, and you impressed me. But good things come to those who wait, and I've waited my bit."

Joseph stepped inside the vault.

Conner called after him, "Where's your son? Is he still too gimpy to waddle out here on his own?"

"Oi!" Joseph called back, "He's got you in his sights. I wouldn't mock'em like that. You can't deflect what you can't see, and even if you can, you can't protect the bloke next to you."

Conner grimaced. "Yeah? I've learned a few new tricks since we last spoke. If you go in there, you're not coming out alive. And you can't carry what you find, provided you survive the trials. We've melted the gold and silver together into a huge chunk. It's under water."

"Oi, sha'tup!" Pendleton's voice faded.

"Are we seriously letting him walk in there?" James asked softly.

"He won't make it," Conner said with a smirk. "If he does, he'll be coming out with whatever he can carry in his hands. It's not enough to make the trip worth it. And his helpers, here, aren't going to be of any assistance unless I disable everything - which I won't. They're not getting equipment in there to extract everything."

"But if they leave..."

Conner smirked. "They're not. And his people ... well, I'll lock them up until I hear from Tamamo. We'll make sure they don't remember a damn thing."

James sighed. "You think we're really in Joe Junior's sights?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Conner cleared his throat and shouted, "Come on out, JJ!" Conner received no reply. "Joe Junior! Get out here! Or are you afraid of me?"

Silence.

Conner shook his head. "What a pussy." He stepped into the front door. James followed.

"Should we pull the door shut?"

"No. Let the vault do its job against these slobs." Conner guided James through the lobby. "Follow me. Let's get some food and some clean water. We'll do whatever we have to do, and then..." Conner leaned closer to his uncle and lowered his voice, "...we go to war against these people. They're an invading force; we'll repel them."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to take lives unless it's for self defense. And I mean if there is absolutely no possible alternative, Conner."

"I understand. There should be a satellite phone we can use." Conner paused and frowned. "Right, never mind. We've already established that we don't have any numbers memorized or written down. Dammit."

James frowned. "Yeah. So we're going to war, huh?"

"Yeah. Let's go get our provisions while our uninvited guests are still feeling charitable. Who knows when their mood will change? Lots of family members get greedy when they see what's here. Even Parker family members have tried going off the deep end in the past."

James stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. About a hundred years ago, one of our ancestors acted like Joe Squared. He tried to kill a family member, and wound up dead. All because of greed."

James nodded quietly. "Now what?"

"Like I said, we eat. We prepare ourselves. We suit up. Then we kick ass. That is, you know, if those morons didn't die getting themselves through the trials. God, that'd be rich, huh?"

"Yeah." James followed Conner to the common areas deep within the vault.

X

X

Celestial Realm...

"I dun' follow, cher." Jules Guillot placed his hands upon Sinopa's face. His thumbs trailed over her face. "I dun' want you dyin', mon ange. I would love to see you again, make no mistake, but not at such a steep price."

Sinopa shook her head. "Were I to die, I would not come here. We are not evenly yolked, you see..."

"You said, 'see you soon,' cherie - and I wish for it to happen. How, though?"

Sinopa offered him a weak smile. "I bargained for your life. You're being given back to me."

"What?" Jules tilted his head. "I dun' follow."

They stood together in the soft ethereal glow of luminescence. Sinopa kept her hands upon his chest, and his nose brushed hers. She loved the feel of his arms around her body.

"Jonathan felt you're the man I needed in my life. You give me love I've always secretly craved. You give me your undivided attention and you're a very passionate man. So he helped me to convince the powers that be..." She trailed off and licked her lips with a smile. "You'll come back to Earth. I'll see you again."

"I don't understand how that's possible, cher. Just like I didn't know how to save the world. I couldn't help when I was alive, and I can't help you now. I have no idea what I would've done to make things different."

Sinopa shook her head. "It no longer matters. You'll be reincarnated, now. It's a very, very rare thing - you see, oracles prophesied you would help the world in a very positive way."

"But I've already died. How do I simply come back?"

"You'll have to be born. I'll have to wait two decades for you to grow into manhood. And then I will find you. Somehow, I will find a way and I will be reunited with you."

Jules rested his chin on the top of her head. "You really managed to have a hand in alla' that?"

"Hai, my love - I would move heaven and earth for you."

"When will this happen to me?"

She hid her face into his neckline. "When I turn around and walk away, it will be the last thing you remember. So take a moment and remember my face. Then close your eyes. You will open your little blue eyes for the first time, born anew. I promise I will find you, Jules."

"I love you, Sinopa."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, Jules. Are you ready?"

Jules nodded. "Laissez les bon temps rouler."

She grinned at him. "Be safe, my heart. I will see you again." She stepped back from him. "Close your eyes."

Jules stared at her face for a moment. He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. His eyes fluttered shut, and just like that ... he disappeared.

Sinopa swallowed down the fluttering sensation in her heart. It was time to say her farewell to Jonathan, leave heaven, and find her way home. She pursed her lips and headed back the way she came. "Bon chance, Jules."

Sinopa made her way back in the direction she'd come until Jonathan Parker faded into view. "Konichiwa."

"Sinopa," he said. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Name it, Jonathan. I am in your debt - you're giving your soul to the service of Heaven, servitude to God forever, so that I would have a few more decades with at Jules' side. I am forever grateful."

"Hurry back to the Celestial Realm. Find a mirror and go to my family's island."

"Jonathan, what is wrong?"

"My son and my grandson are in trouble."

"How so?"

"Joseph Pendleton Junior seeks to destroy the island, his father, and everyone else on the island. He will kill everyone by destroying everything. His plans are to excavate the remains."

Sinopa's eyes widened. "How would he destroy it?"

"He works for Reinhardt St. Leonard, who is now the President of the United States of America. Reinhardt has possession of the nuclear weapon destroyed by the doppelgänger of Nichole Parker and Laura Báthory. He allowed Joseph Pendleton Junior to take possession of the damaged weapon."

Sinopa's eyes widened. "Joseph Junior wishes to nuke the island? I saw the awful devastation caused to San Francisco. It was heartbreaking."

"The weapon has been altered to create a large explosion with a lower nuclear radiation yield. Joseph is simply biding his time. Hurry home, find your way to the island, and stop Joseph. Neither my son, nor my grandson wish to take lives. You do not have that luxury - Joseph must be stopped by any means necessary."

Sinopa nodded. "Understood. What should I do with the device?"

"It is being set up beneath the island. There are storage lockers designed for nearly anything needing to be stored. If the bomb's payload is put away, it will be safe."

Sinopa nodded in understanding. "Your son does not know his mother's role in your death. I do not hold it against him."

"James is a good boy," Jonathan said softly. "I wish I could meet him."

"You will ... one day. James will come here and you will..."

"No," Jonathan said in a stern voice. "That will not be possible. My service to Heaven begins when you leave. But I've never been the kind of man to throw myself at family - you know this."

"Jonathan ... you adored your children. You would really give up a chance to see them when they die? All so I could have a few decades with another man?"

"I can visit my children now and again. But mostly, I will be busy. And I'm doing it to make you happy. You're alive. You should make the most of your life. Jules treated you well. You gave me two beautiful twins. The least I can do is give you something back."

Sinopa bit her lower lip. She gently hugged her first husband and rested her face against his chest. There was no heartbeat or warmth, but he held her and she appreciated it.

"You are a good man, Jonathan."

"I'll always love you, Sinopa. Now ... go. Take care of my son and our grandson."

"I will. You have my word."

"Hurry," he whispered. Jonathan lifted her head in his hands and kissed her lips. "Remember me this way."

"I will, I promise."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her away. "Now hurry." He gave her a firm push. "Their lives depend on your ability to be swift."

Sinopa took off with the swiftness foxes were known for.

X

X

South Pacific...

"I don't trust that man's son," said Conner. "Gut feeling, Uncle Jaye. The guy stabbed you, and just look at who his father is. He learned from the worst. The guy wouldn't even show up on the beach. I just ... I don't have a very good feeling about the guy."

James drummed his fingers on a desktop in a study. The room was packed with trinkets and small knickknacks, books on wall-mounted shelves, and paintings on the back wall.

James pushed an empty bowl away, to the other end of the desk. "How do you think I feel about the guy? I can't stand him."

"I can imagine," said Conner. "We should find his father and see what he's up to in my vault."

James grinned. "Your vault, huh?"

Conner grinned. "Okay, sorry. You're right. The Parker family vault."

"I'm just teasing you, Conner." James stood up from the desk and stretched. "Let's go find Joe and kick him in the balls for nearly dropping a second building on you."

Conner grinned and nodded. "I look forward to finding him stuck in a trap. Those vault trials are for professionals only, and even then, family members have died doing them."

They left the common area together and headed back towards the central hub. Conner pointed to a sign labeled 'family vault' in calligraphy. The hallway was the widest, and had a heavy duty track in the ceiling, designed for moving large loads of heavy gold.

Conner took point. Up ahead, they made it to where the vault trials were set up. A track went out into a large open area, bypassing the trials.

The metal track, which resembled an un-finished rollercoaster, was covered in metallic spikes, to keep people from using the track as a cheat to get to the other side.

Conner folded his arms and stopped at the 'starting line,' a checkered paint job on the floor, where the room opened up into a enormous gap of deep space.

"One wrong step means a fatal fall." Conner gazed down into the gap with a smirk. "If you don't jump from pillar to pillar perfectly, or if you don't catch one of the hand rings, you'll plummet to your death. If you don't die from the fall, you'll lay there until you do. There is a ladder going down there, but it's difficult to bring someone back up if they have a broken neck, you know?"

James shook his head.

"What?"

"You gave me almost the exact same line all those months ago, when you first brought me here."

"Oh. I did?"

James nodded. "Sounds like you memorized that little speech, Conner." Jaye squinted and pointed to a platform out in the center of the enormous pit. "That's a bloodstain out there."

"Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

James sat down against the wall, next to the checkered flag painted on the floor. "I won't lie - I look forward to being able to do this one day. Don't make me come down the ladder, into the pit, and carry you out, man."

"I've got the record on this course. I had to beat my mom's time to get it." Conner smirked with confidence. He took a few steps back, and then dove off the checker-painted precipice.

Conner performed a somersault. He landed his left foot on a small platform and used his momentum to dive back off.

Conner grasped a ring hanging from a chain and, instead of swinging from it, he climbed it. Within minutes, he couldn't see James anymore.

Making his way up the chain, Conner reached the ceiling and dove to the left. A small platform faded into view. It rushed up to meet his fall. He grunted hard and stayed low. Several seconds passed.

A low whooshing sound came from the left. A large beam passed over him, mechanically designed to swish back and forth. He counted several seconds, memorizing the pattern of the counter balance - it was a mechanical part from a large astronomical clock elsewhere in the mountain.

Conner waited until it passed a second time, back the other direction. He moved to another platform, which was a long, simple, thirty-foot section.

He ran.

With a grunt, Conner put his hand on the ground, dove between two passing objects, which swung through the air. The toned teenager landed in a roll and sprung back to his feet. He was graceful and quick, moving through the trial with skill and gusto.

He sprinted to the end of the platform and grasped a chain hook. The weight caused a mechanism to jerk the chain upwards.

Conner felt his body thrown into the air. Over the rushing wind, he heard the electric hum of a filter. It grew closer. He relaxed his body and took a deep breath.

A tank of water faded into view in the dim illumination of the cavern. He struck the water and began swimming hard to the end of the tank.

After the fourth arm stroke, he broke the surface and paused. Spikes came up from the center of the tank. They broke the surface. He put his hand up onto them, careful not to pierce his skin on the cone-shaped spikes.

Conner hoisted himself up onto the spikes, placing his feet on either side of a metal cone, so as not to put his weight onto the sharp conical spire, he bent his knees and dove off.

Using the spikes to project himself forward saved at least six to seven seconds, a trick no one else in the family ever tried.

He landed further up in the large pool of water, filtered in by the lagoon on the south end of the island.

Conner began swimming again. He reached a platform at the end and pulled himself up onto a concrete siding. He used his momentum, to the best of his ability, to roll away from the water and get to his feet, rapidly.

A hand reached out from the left and grasped his shirt. "Oi! I get it, kid, you're good at this shit. Just stop."

Conner came face to face with Joseph Senior. They sized up one another with their gaze. "Couldn't make it huh?"

"I can't see where to go next, mate."

"I'm not your mate."

"We let each other live. We're related. Own it, mate. There are not many blokes that can do what we do. So own it."

Conner rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"You Americans are certainly fond of that word, especially in California, yeah?"

"There's blood on one of the platforms back near the starting block."

"Yeah, 'bout that." Joseph frowned in the dim lighting. "One of my most athletic people died almost right away." Pendleton peered over one of the edges, into the abyss. "I'm too old for this shit, and my son don't want to chance it because he's still learning how to properly land high jumps."

"Tell him I said he's welcome for that."

"You cut his fucking hamstring, you sodding bastard."

"Hey, fuck you, I'm no bastard."

"Actually, you are. And, according to Deuteronomy twenty-three, two, your parents doomed the next ten generations of your line, mate. So, cheers to them, 'ey?"

Conner smirked. He moved closer to Pendleton. "That's funny, hearing you quote the bible, you limey jackass. Because Jesus was conceived by an unwed mother. So why not get your judgmental head out of your ass and go back the way you came?"

"I can't. From the sodding pool, I cannot reach back up to..."

Conner reached up and smacked the man in the side of the head.

Pendleton blinked in shock.

Conner smirked and pointed down. "At any time, you can climb to the edge of any of these platforms, wrap your legs around the support poles and slide down."

"Like a fireman, hmm?"

"Why would a fireman go down a pole?"

"It's something they used to ... Christ, you're bloody young to not remember when fire poles were a thing. Just, never mind. So. You win - I'm stuck up here. Now what?"

"You get the hell out of here. I'll bring you a piece of orichalcum for your efforts," said Conner with a smile.

He knew the orichalcum wasn't kept in the main vault. It was in one of the studies in the common area. Conner wasn't about to tell Pendleton, though.

"Will ya, now..."

"I'll bring you some money for your bandits. But you can't get out there, you can't load up the cart, you can't bring it all back. You're not able to send your men or your kids."

"I'll send a small aerial..."

"No, you won't," Conner interrupted. "There's a lot of open space in the cavern. It's there for the pendulums and counter weights of a huge clock on the other side of the property. It's designed to keep the time and date for some old race of humans or something."

"You're a little shit, y'know that mate?"

"I'll give you credit for getting this far with the lights off. I've memorized the course, so I can do it blindfolded."

"You're going to die, you know." Pendleton sat down on the platform and smirked. "Oh, I've already told you I'm not going to kill you."

"What kind of shit is that?"

Joseph shrugged. "My son has another way to get into the vault - a last resort sort of thing."

"Whatever."

"There's that word again." Pendleton smiled up at Conner. "We're working for Aris Falcon."

"Yeah, I already know that."

"Right, mate. Here's something I'm reckoning you didn't know. The new President of America is on our side. Shame you can never prove what I'm telling you. Regardless that fact, it doesn't matter. Know why? Because, mate! We were given the nuke that was captured in San Francisco."

Conner swallowed. "That was ... it was thrown off a rooftop."

"Oi, that it was. The payload was salvaged, though. And now it's under the water, beneath our feet. If we can't get inna this island, we'll pull back, blast a hole in from below, and go from there."

Conner replied with a silent, blank stare. "You are fucking insane."

"Only just." Pendleton smiled. "So go on, and strike me dead. It won't change a damn thing. You'll be a good captain and go down with your vessel, lad - that's one less thorn in Falcon's side, now, innit?"

"Your dialect is thicker than before," Conner said, not really thinking, due to being in shock.

"I try to sound classy in public. Helps me fitting in better with the social elite. We're all two-faced in our own way, ain't we?"

"Some more than others." Conner glared at Pendleton. "Why are you working with Falcon?"

"Because, mate! It's nice to mean something! Oh, and let's not forget how the daft chap, swell as 'e is, lives beneath the ocean. We'll never butt heads. Meanwhile, I get the rest of the world."

"Don't you get it?! There won't be much left for you! God you are dense! You're a stupid asshole, who wants to feel important and have control - yay, great, you'll get your very own cemetery with graves for miles! I bet you can't wait to control the stock market! Oh, wait, nobody will be trading if they're dead! You narrow minded..."

"Oi! Sha'tap! Christ, you have a wild imagination, boy."

"Tch."

Pendleton crossed his arms and stood up. "I'm mates with the new President."

"I thought we were mates. So are you going to backstab the President the way you came at me?"

Pendleton ignored Conner's question. "Reindhart'll run the supernatural types. I get the regular people. Falcon stays under the water and enjoys studying a lost city. Everyone is happy, nobody dies."

Conner grimaced. "You're going to do this whether you live or die, are't you?"

"It was my son's idea. Smart boy; smart plan, innit?"

"And you're just going to make my life harder aren't you?"

Pendleton shrugged. "I'm only taking _our_half. I'm entitled to that much. Then again, when you die, I'll be sure to take your half as well." Pendleton feigned a faux sigh. "Oh, I suppose if James lives, I might spare him something. A few euros, maybe?"

"So, no matter what, you're going to win, huh?"

"That I am." Pendleton replied with an award-winning smile.

Conner looked down with a sigh.

"Chin up. You're not dead yet. No use sulking."

"I'm not sulking."

"No, you're most certainly pouting, Parker."

Conner lifted his eyes. "I just feel guilty. I'll get over it, though."

"Hah. Guilty about what, mate? The whole 'world will burn if too much money is introduced to the economy' bit again? You really need to lighten up."

"No. I feel weird because I've never had a conversation with someone I knew, who died."

Pendleton scoffed. "Then that's your fault! You shouldn't 'take the piss' for killin' the deservin', mate! If the wanker deserved it, then that was karma killin' him, not you. Don't be such a pussy. Man up."

"So you're trying to act like a father type to me now, huh?"

"Oi, you made me richer than my wildest dreams, Conner. We don't have to be enemies."

"Hm."

"So, who'd you kill anyway?"

Conner withdrew his cane and, in one smooth motion, buried the pointed hook in Joseph's throat. Blood gushed out, coating the front of both their shirts.

"Shh," Conner said, guiding Pendleton down to the edge of the platform. "Shh. It was you, Joe. It had to be. It was either you, or millions of others. You're working for monsters."

Joseph couldn't speak. The hook pierced his throat, damaging his windpipe and causing him to bleed out rapidly. His eyes were wide and he choked on blood.

"But you said I should man up, and not be a pussy. You said if the person deserves it, then it was karma that killed them, not me. You said it isn't my fault and you said I shouldn't feel guilty about this."

Joe struggled but it didn't last.

Conner knelt down over him, pinning Pendleton's hands to his chest. "No, you're not going to stop yourself from bleeding out. Oh, and your son is not going to nuke this island."

Joe's struggling faded rapidly.

"Also, the President of the United States is, and always will be a puppet to his constituents. He'll do what _We The People_tell him or we'll impeach him. And Aris? Yeah, he's going to die just like this - slowly fading, and then all at once. Did I mention I'm Aris Falcon's chosen one? He's wanted me at his side for over fifty years. I'm going to walk right in there, smile at him, and stab him in the back. Too bad you'll never see it."

Pendleton stopped struggling. The fear of death faded from his cold gaze. He stared straight through Conner, motionless.

Parker stood up and looked down at the blood on his hands and wrists. He took a deep breath and swallowed. After a moment to get his wits, Conner kicked his cane upwards.

The cane dislodged from Pendleton's throat and flew over the side of the platform.

Conner held his hand out. The cane sailed back through the dim abyss and returned to his palm with a satisfying slap. He wanted to say something snarky, or something badass.

Words formed in Conner's head. Something to the effect of, 'Tell the devil I sent you, 'mate.' Cheers.' However, he couldn't manage to say the words aloud.

Having just taken the man's life in such a cold, callous way, Conner found that he couldn't say anything at all. Instead, he looked down at the body and sighed.

X

X

Meanwhile Celestial Realm ...

Sinopa nibbled away the last bite of the high-calorie bars she'd taken from Karla's yacht. She licked her fingers and balled up the plastic wrap. She tucked the trash away into her pack and approached the banquet hall of the damned.

Sinopa turned her nose up at varying delicious smells of food. She walked past it with confidence and made her way to a staircase up ahead.

She took the stairs two at a time. Her heart raced and she wanted nothing more than to get free. She knew she had to hurry.

A hand reached out and grasped her arm. It pinned Sinopa to the wall. She struggled to move.

A demonic creature moved close, sniffing at Sinopa. "This one is alive," said the being in a husky feminine voice. "Actually living."

Another creature hurried up the stairs and helped to pin Sinopa to the wall. "Mm, and she's warm. I have not felt body heat in far too long."

"Get_off_," Sinopa said in a threatening tone. "I will burn your corpses to a crisp."

"You've not eaten our meal," said the first demon. "We worked so hard to prepare it for you, kitsune." She held up some sort of sugary cake and pushed it against Sinopa's mouth. "Eat it, my dear. Just a taste."

Sinopa pursed her lips together. The sugary confection smeared across her face.

The second demonic woman said, "The living body absorbs nutrients in other places. Bend her over. We'll find other places to feed her."

Sinopa spit away the icing smeared across her lips. She tensed up. Fire erupted from the kitsune's fingertips.

The flame raced up her forearm, singing her kimono. It caught the dry skin of the second demon - the one who made the lewd suggestion.

The second demon jerked back and flailed. The disfigured woman creature stumbled on the steps and went crashing all the way to the bottom. The fire continued to consume the demon's body. The creature became fully engulfed by the time she hit the last step.

Sinopa drew her flaming fist back.

The remaining demon shied away. "Wait, you'll need me to push the boulder back, else you'll never squeeze through it."

"What?!"

The demon held her rotting forearms up, covering her face protectively from the closeness of Sinopa's fire. "The boulder has been pushed closer to the staircase, blocking the entrance of Yomi until you join us."

Sinopa glowered. "Why would you help me push it back?"

"Because the dead do not heal here. The other - the one you burned ... she will lay there, unable to move for eternity. She is a broken creature."

Sinopa narrowed her eyes. "Why are you _really_offering to help me?"

The demon's voice lowered to a whisper. "That is the only motivation I have. Forgive me for trying to force food into your mouth."

"I should kill you for trying to force anything on me at all." Sinopa used her burned sleeve and wiped away the sugar food. The scent was heavenly, and it was difficult to ignore now.

"I was told to force you to stay by _any_means."

Sinopa scoffed. "Come." They ascended the stone stairs together. When they arrived at the top, the boulder was not blocking the path. Sinopa turned about and narrowed her gaze. "You lied to me."

"By_any_ means," the demon repeated. "Even sickness. Germs."

Sinopa reached into her satchel and withdrew a fresh peach. "If you leave me be, I will give this to you."

The creature's eyes widened. "A _fresh_peach!" Her gnarled, rotted fingers wrapped around the peach, drawing it to her mouth. "Heavenly."

Sinopa sighed. "No. Heaven is far different. You will become a kami in time, and know the joy of a peach again. But you must endure the loneliness of Yomi for a time, first."

The demon devoured the peach. "You are a wise creature, kitsune."

"Will you attack me from behind when I leave this stairwell?"

"I will. I must."

Sinopa handed her last peach to the creature. "Reconsider." She left the demoness on the stairs, and walked out into the field.

The bolder was near the stairs, but pushed away just enough to allow the dead to descend into the stairway.

"So!" said a man from behind. "You've managed to return! You are a crafty fox, there is no doubt in my mind. But you cannot return from Yomi."

Sinopa wiped her lips with her singed sleeve and looked around at the ghosts of the samurai, a family of warriors who sought to protect the area.

The kitsune bowed respectfully. "I have not eaten the food of Yomi. I have returned with the knowledge I sought. Your job is to protect the dead from escaping; my job is to ensure the living do not suddenly flood your domain."

"Is that so?"

Sinopa nodded. "Unless you wish for potentially millions of corpses to pass through here all at once ... it would be best that you stand aside so I can save lives."

"That is not our concern," said the samurai. He withdrew his sword. "You may continue on to the land of the living if you do not succumb to your wounds in battle. We warned you there would be no leaving. Now draw your sword, fox spirit."

Sinopa grimaced. She withdrew the Little Fox sword. It ignited with flames. "I have fresh fruit. Please reconsider and it will be yours."

"Or we can feast upon it when you draw your last mortal breath. Then you will drag your broken body back to the stairs of Yomi."

One of the guards lifted his sword and said, "I am Matsudaira Mochaiki, do you know of me?"

"Hai, a daimyo, and Imperial governor. You replaced him," she said, nodding towards another man. "Matsudaira Yoshinaga. I know my history, and I am honored to meet any of you but I do not have time for pleasantries."

"You must turn back," said Mochaiki. He donned a face mask and withdrew a sword.

"You would stand against a kitsune?"

"Hai, Shizuko-sama, we would stand against any kami. Even the great Izanami-no-Mikoto, herself. We warned you. Izanagi made this mistake so that the rest of the world would never have to attempt such foolishness. You carry with you the scent of the dead, Shizuko. You cannot take that back to the land of the living."

"I will bathe," she said sternly. "Cleanliness is next to godliness in all religions."

The first warrior, whose face she did not recognize, was an older and far more charismatic man. He was the first of the group to speak, earlier. His posture suggested he was ready to fight. The man exclaimed, "Turn back, madam kitsune. We are warning you out of respect, however we will not shirk our duties to this land."

"I do not have time to waste! I am in a hurry to save lives! Every moment you waste is another moment closer to..."

The samurai were considerate of her worry for time. They sprinted towards her, swords at the ready.

Sinopa's fiery blade easily deflected the initial attacks. The kogitsune-maru, known also as the Little Fox blade, gifted to the kitsune by Tamamo-no-Mae, glowed brightly with a flaming bluish-orange aura.

Sinopa withdrew a tessen fan from her sash and used it to deflect an incoming sword from behind. She thumbed open the war fan in her left hand.

The kitsune buried her flaming sword into the facial mask of one of the warriors. She withdrew her second war fan and used it to deflect two attackers at once. She closed the tessen fans, and brought the base down, striking another warrior in his neck.

Sinopa returned the fans to her sash and performed a graceful somersault. She landed in a crouch adjacent to the defeated warrior with her sword jutting from his face mask. The flame set his armor and rotting flesh ablaze.

With a grunt, Sinopa jerked the sword free and lifted it in time to deflect another sword.

A booming male voice came from the west. "That is enough!"

All the warriors paused their battle. However, each warrior's posture showed they remained at the ready.

Coming down the side of a shallow hill, a brilliant man approached the group. His armor was pure and white. At his side was a golden horn, and his teeth were of matching coloration.

Sinopa squinted at the glowing purity exuded by the man. At his side, Sinopa could see a demure Asian woman. Sinopa used her left hand to partially cover her eyes, due to the brightness of the man's armor.

The kitsune's eyes widened, recognizing the woman that traveled at the man's side. "Tamamo-sama!"

"Hai, little one. I've come to rescue you. Although it seems you would fight them all without my help. However, these warriors are here to perform a duty. They've given themselves the honorable task of protecting the living from the uprising of the dead. It would be best that we leave them to their work."

Sinopa grimaced. "I do not wish to fight! I am defending myself!"

Tamamo and the glowing armored man approached.

The warriors of Matsudaira squinted their eyes, seen through the eye-slits in their masks. They backed up, flanking the approaching couple. They moved to surround the trio, swords held aloft and ready.

Tamamo sniffed at the air and cringed. "Sinopa-chan, you are offensive to behold. I've never had the displeasure to know the scent of the dead, but it reminds me of my youth - I am reminded of the smell of those slain by my first husband."

"It cannot be helped," Sinopa said.

Tamamo looked over the flaming sword and smiled. "The Little Fox blade continues to serve you well, I see." Tamamo turned to the man at her side and gestured to Sinopa. "Please, purify her. We cannot travel together with such an offensive odor."

The man spoke in a calming voice. "It would be my pleasure." He placed his hands gently upon Sinopa's shoulders and said, "I am Heimdallr, protector of the gods of the Æsir."

Sinopa nodded in silence, charmed by his appearance and voice. "Hai." She bowed her head courteously.

Heimdallr turned from Sinopa and addressed the Samurai group. "I am the watcher of the Norse deities. I have need of this woman. You are a noble group of warriors. I am honored to meet those who would task themselves with such immense responsibility. However, I ask you to lower your weapons just this once."

"Why should we make such an exception?" asked one of the samurai.

"Because," Heimdallr said in a firm tone, "she is required to help the living, and, as you can see, she is still among those with a beating heart. Also, the lot of you are required to stay at your post because there is a great tidal change in the air. If she slays most of you, there will be no one left to protect this domain. The dead may find a way to crossover, furthering the chaos in the land of the living."

Silence.

Heimdallr looked around at the group. "May we leave in peace?"

"No," said one of the samurai. "I respect your intention; we all respect her courage. However, it is our honor to keep anyone who enters Yomi-no-kuni from leaving."

"Who gave you this honor?" asked Heimdallr.

"We bestowed it upon ourselves. No one asked. Before our deaths, we were protectors of the twin of this domain, in the land of the living. Now, in death, we protect this same domain, at the entrance of Yomi, the Japanese underworld."

"No god or goddess gave you this task? You are simple warriors with a self-appointed task?"

"Yes," said the spokesman of clan. "This domain was our home to protect in life. The land of the dead closely matches the world of the living in Japan. So we call this domain our home in death. And we will protect it to the very end."

Heimdallr withdrew a golden horn from his belt. "I do not wish to bring you dishonor. So, please, I ask that you choose to allow Sinopa to leave under my supervision."

"No," said one of the samurai.

Another added in, "No. It will not happen."

"We fight as is our duty," said a third.

Heimdallr frowned. "Very well. As it was written in the poem of Völuspá: the Gjallarhorn held aloft and blown sure upon your ear, the note heard will cause those upon Hel's roads to quake in fear."

The samurai slowly approached Heimdallr, ready to attack - ready to defend their domain with fearless honor.

Heimdallr drew in a deep breath and blew into the horn. The enormous sound, which blasted from the end of the horn caused the dead warriors to drop their weapons and cover their ears.

The powerful note echoed in the skies of the Celestial Realm.

The samurai, overwhelmingly compelled to disband, fled from the area under the influence of the mythological horn.

Seconds later, another horn sounded in the distance. It had a slightly different tonal quality. The skies over the Celestial Realm darkened somewhat.

Heimdallr grimaced. "I was afraid that might happen."

Tamamo rubbed her ears. "What was the second sound? The two of you heard it, yes?"

Heimdallr nodded. "That was the reply I had hoped not to hear. Gabriel, the Archangel, may have heard my horn - he sounded his own."

"What does that mean?" asked Sinopa.

"It means the Day of Judgment may very well be upon us all. Our horns sound on the same day in association with the divine end. The infinite becomes finite. I am saddened by the trumpeting of his reply. I had hopped the blast of my horn would receive no reply on this day."

Tamamo closed her eyes and sighed. "Perhaps we should stay optimistic. The warriors seeking to attack Sinopa have been driven off against their will. We should leave."

Sinopa sheathed her sword. "I must return to the Hallway of Reflection. A nuclear weapon is set to detonate beneath the ocean. It would destroy the vault island guarded by the Parker family. James and Conner are currently there. Jonathan told me I should hurry to save them."

Tamamo blinked. "Jonathan ... you spoke to Jonathan?"

"Hai."

"Then you were successful in your mission? Did you learn of Jules Guillot's fateful intervention in the world's end? How does he save the world?"

"He does not know," Sinopa said, sounding discouraged. "As I understand it, his actions would have been in line with fate in the alternative timeline."

Heimdallr reattached his horn to his belt. "Alternative ... timeline? What does that mean?"

Sinopa fell into step with them, headed back towards the hub domain of the Celestial Realm. "There are oracles who claim that a massive fracture occurred in the timeline. There are now two very different paths. One where the world ends, and one path where the world survives."

"What path has the world taken?" asked Heimdallr.

Sinopa lowered her eyes, which glistened with tears.

Tamamo sighed in frustration. "You sounded your horn. Gabriel sounded his horn somewhere at the other side of the realm. You tell us, Heimdallr - what path has the world taken?"

Heimdallr nodded. "I see now. Then the blast of my horn is proof."

"Of?" Tamamo looked up at him.

"It is a sign that divinity is coming to a close, and the infinite has now become finite. Time, which we thought to last forever, may very well have a foreseeable ending point."

Sinopa looked away. "You brought about the end of the world to save me?"

"No," said Heimdallr. "My horn has more purpose than simply sounding the end of times. However, the fact that Gabriel and Israfil have sounded their blast of truth in tandem to my own Gjallarhorn ... that is an occurrence of great concern."

"I somehow feel responsible," Sinopa said.

Heimdallr placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Perhaps we can stop it. The events of Ragnarök are occurring out of order. Fenris has yet to escape. Things are happening incorrectly."

Sinopa looked up. Her eyes shined with worry. A tear escaped and slipped down her cheek. "However, the events, despite the order in which they were foretold, are still happening."

Tamamo nodded in agreement as the trio walked back towards the Hallway of Reflection. "Sinopa is correct. It does not matter, at this point, what happens in what order - the events are still happening and we are running out of time and manpower with which to stop it."

"Manpower?" he asked.

Tamamo nodded. "So many have died that could have helped us to save the world. Peri Darken, Marcus Howard, Ethan Sandusky, Jules Guillot, Jonathan Parker, Ulfey Sigvard ... so many have died before their time."

"I see." Heimdallr nodded with a frown. "Perhaps, if the world was on its proper track, events would have played out in the proper order in the distant future."

"Agreed," Tamamo replied. "However, these fearful events began happening now, far ahead of schedule. We have to try our best to stop the world from its collision course with finality."

Heimdallr opened his arms and placed his palms on each woman's back, guiding them to either side of him. "Then let's hurry. Sinopa, you attend to your mission and stop the human weapon that has the gods in an uproar. Tamamo and I will head to a different part of Earth to prepare for battle."

Sinopa nodded. "I appreciate that the two of you came to help me. We are running out of time, so thank you - both of you."

Tamamo smiled over at Sinopa. "Please tell Conner I am thinking of him."

Sinopa nodded in silence, lips pursed together. After a moment to think of a way to change the subject away from her grandson, she asked, "You're sure Ulfey has died?"

"I am. I passed through the Hallway of Reflection on my way here. I watched from the rearview mirror of a vehicle driven by Rufus, Rama and Aimee. They were taking Ulfey's body to Greece to be buried. They lamented that they could not find a way to take her to Iceland to be buried in her homeland."

Sinopa lowered her gaze again. "My heart is heavy for them." She thumbed away the liquid emotion from her eyes. "I wish to hurry back to the Hallway of Reflection. I cannot risk Conner or James being added to the list of those we have failed to protect."

X

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