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  Turning the corner he started to leave the university grounds and walked across to the park where he often sat to gather his thoughts after a long day in the laboratory. It was also the memorial spot for his late wife, Elaine. He could sit and talk to her there in his own way.

  ‘Well, Elaine, we did it. We finally did it,’ he whispered.

  He knew he was safe to indulge himself here. There was no one to judge his ageing eccentricities. Sitting himself down on the memorial bench, he barely felt the frost of the night sky. Nor did he notice that he had been followed as he left the building all the way here.

  Oblivious to his followers, he carried on with his little discussion. ‘You know, Elaine, you would be proud of Ash. I’m sure you know this from where you are, but I just had to say it out loud. He’s grown up to be everything we hoped for and much more.’ Smiling to himself, David rested his back against the bench, looking upwards. He wondered what mysteries would be found on this new world. Absentmindedly he rubbed his leg that ached from an injury he incurred years back while on retreat with his wife and Ash. He remembered that long summer in the mountains to the north. A silly accident, really. It was his own damn fault, not paying attention to his footing on the mountain trail. One minute he was leading the way; the next he was falling down the mountainside, ass over tit. One hour and a broken femur later, he was in the medical centre feeling rather foolish. Elaine was being her usual calm, sympathetic self, whilst a young Ash got into mischief.

  Bringing himself back to the present, he said goodnight to his love and stood up from the bench, setting off on the last leg of his journey home.

  He was his own man like his father before him, but even he would not defy the elders or question their motives. It was an honour for him and his family to be the head of the brotherhood. Not a man of many words, his father on his deathbed had confessed the pride and joy he felt for his very own son being chosen to lead the brotherhood in the fight against the one who would return. Granger would make sure that he fulfilled that trust.

  Never held in the same place twice, the meetings with the elders always happened away from the city, somewhere remote but always in comfortable surroundings. Of course the elders were men of means and the cost of new accommodations was of no matter to them.

  Since taking up the leadership role, he’d only been summoned once before and that was for his ascension to his new role. This time his summons was of the utmost importance, enough so that he was surrounded by security guards who were new to even him. All ex forces and some senior military officers who were apart of the group but nonetheless fell into their calling without hesitation.

  The vehicle he rode in pulled up to an entrance with a temporary shielding that, as he knew all too well, would stop any organic matter from passing through. It shielded anyone on the inside from the outside world. Once the vehicle had been cleared, it started its way along the private road up to the large estate at the end. Acres of land surrounded this majestic place. Some of old earth's architecture had not been lost and it was found to be popular to the more solvent of Avalon’s residents in the early years. Not so much now.

  He stepped out the vehicle and was immediately greeted by the security team who led him into the building. Removing his coat, he walked behind the security team past what looked like the main hall of the house and to a door leading downwards to the bowels of the building. The stairs were well lit, but cold, damp air met him on the way down. The men turned immediately left and down the corridor to the end where he presumed the meeting was to be held. The guard opened the door but did not enter with Granger; this was his journey.

  ‘Welcome, Peter,’ the voice came from the top end of the table in the room.

  Sitting down Peter Granger eyed the group and tried to gauge the mood around the table. The head of the group was seated at the end of the table, and Granger was struck again by how youthful the elder appeared. He knew the man to be well into his eighties but he had the look of someone closer to his own age. This timelessness had always fascinated him.

  Group around the table discussed recent events and viewed the data their sleepers had retrieved from the ARC building. On the on-screen display he could see the head scientist and his team and the new planet that had appeared.

  The leader of the group finally turned to Granger after what had seemed like an eternity.

  ‘Ever since the expedition eight hundred years ago where your own ancestor, Peter, discovered the ancient temple on that planet, we have watched and waited for the one to return. And so it has. The scientists who have awoken the sleeping beast are unaware of what they’ve done, but our task remains, to prepare for what’s to come.’

  Granger listened intently.

  ‘Your job is to convince a man called David Palmer to not venture to that world and even reverse what he’s done. He’s a capable man, one we’ve watched for a long time so we’re convinced he can be persuaded.’

  ‘If I can’t?’

  ‘Then extreme measures need to be taken. That expedition they are planning must never happen and all research data must destroyed, although I fear that might not be enough to stop what’s coming. Do what you have to do.’

  Granger left the room an hour later. Only a handful of people had ever managed to shake his confidence and they were all in that room. Men that could make you disappear quite easily and not leave a trace that you had ever existed. He would not be one of those unlucky ones. He needed to meet with his group and set in motion the plans the others had laid. There would be no excuses for failure. He knew all too well what the consequences would be if that happened.

  Leaving the building, he nodded to the security that had met him on his arrival and headed to the hover vehicle and the landing pad. He never travelled the same way twice and was relieved to see the added security measures they had in place.

  Granger jumped into the back of the transport and immediately made a call to his second-in-command. Joel was a man he trusted with his life. They had served together in the colony wars and had shed the same blood knowing they had each other’s backs in a scrap. No other man had gained his respect in such a way; he was the man that would follow Granger no matter what.

  ‘Joel.’ Granger leaned forward, looking into the display unit.

  Joel said nothing and awaited instructions.

  ‘Gather the team for a meeting. It’s finally happened.’

  Joel nodded and the screen shut down.

  Granger rested back into his seat and looked out of his window at the sight below. The estate where the meeting had been held quickly disappeared from view. The mountains to his left had a fresh covering of snow and their peaks disappeared into the clouds.

  His thoughts now moved back to his meeting. After the leader of the twelve elders had given him his mission, the informant relayed more information about the appearance of the rogue planet. What came as a surprise was that the planet had managed to shift its position instead of being pulled in the black hole. They also spoke of the prophecy, something he never thought he would see in his lifetime.

  It was a tale his father had spoken about often. Even now at his age, the thought of what was to come if they failed sent a shudder down Granger’s spine. He’d faced many horrific situations in his lifetime and seen death at every level, some even at his own hands, but what they were facing now was unimaginable. Darkness would spread across the known universe and plunge civilization into turmoil if this evil was allowed to take hold here. Its advance must be stopped and the danger eliminated by any means necessary.

  Looking out over the mountaintops, he could see the bright lights of the city below, the buzz of everyday life moving forward without knowledge or care of what would befall humanity in the coming months. It had been a long time since he had been among them and the thought of what he had to do now deeply disturbed him. Humans were such curious creatures, but then again it was in their nature to be so.

  Time had passed for him, but he’d always had a watchful eye on t
he chosen few and on one man in particular. Now it was time to call on him once again. His solitude had been disturbed by the awakening of something dark and long forgotten; the others had left eons ago but he chose to stay for such a day as today.

  The night was his favourite time. He loved looking up into the heavens and seeing the wonders out there in the deep void of space, ones that humans would never see. He had been tempted in the past to enlighten a few, but his nature and concerns over what such wonders would do to the human mind prevented such an indulgence from taking place.

  He was here as a guardian for one person down there, one who would soon know his worth and true self. He’d have to approach this mortal carefully. The knowledge he would pass on could empower the youth or destroy him. Saddened, his heart went out to the other. There was nothing he could do for him; he was already lost to the darkness and would soon turn his rage on all those around him, beginning the chain of events that was foreseen.

  A burst of light from a Star Chaser caught his attention. Even with humanity’s advancements, their technology would not stop the one who was coming for them and all they loved. It had no mercy, no compassion—only the desire to destroy and bring forth the others of a long-gone age. This time around, he would have to face this evil with only one other as an ally. He now looked past the city onto its very edges where he found the home of Archer, the only human to know of his existence and the only person he could call a friend. The last time he saw Archer, he’d asked him to take on a burden no human should ever have to endure and now he was back to collect.

  Would he still remember him? He’d last observed him ten or so years ago and witnessed the distress of illness; humans were so fragile. To intervene would be to go against the laws he was held accountable to. Still he felt guilty for his voyeurism. Tonight he would change that; it was the least he could do for his old friend. Living among them changed him in ways the others would never understand. But he didn’t care. This was the time to act, and act he would. He closed his eyes and began.

  An observer would have seen a figure on a hillside standing still, and then nothing. He was gone.

  Three

  ‘They have finally done it. Gather everyone and prepare for the next phase. Above all else, they must not succeed in moving forward, for all our sakes!’ the stern man at the head of the table said. The room was small but it served its purpose for the meeting that was now taking place. No one here had thought that they would see this day in their lifetime. Now that it was here, they had to act quickly and with deadly proficiency to stop the catastrophe they all faced.

  The room was filled with a handful of people, all utterly committed to the cause. For eight hundred years, each generation had passed on the necessary knowledge and duties to their descendants. Secrecy had kept them all safe from outsiders and their ability to blend in with normal society allowed them to keep a close eye on the scientific community for such a day as today.

  Five years before, their worst fears had been realized when a prominent astrophysicist had announced his intentions of launching a probe into the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole with the sole purpose of unlocking the universe’s oldest and most fascinating secrets. Not only that, he intended to bring the probe back from the black hole. No task as monumental as this had ever been attempted before and even the scientific community questioned if it was possible.

  ‘How long before they are ready to launch the mission?’ the man asked.

  He scanned each of the members sitting around the table, waiting for the answer to his question and looking for any doubt on their faces. Of course he would not see any as they all knew what would befall them if anyone started to waver in their duties.

  ‘Ninety days to launch and they will be ready,’ responded the youngest member in the group.

  Eyes clear and determined, Granger stood up and turned to look out onto the city lights below.

  Without moving he said, ‘You all know what is asked of you and why it must be done.’ A statement rather than a question.

  All eyes were on their leader now. No one spoke.

  Granger now broke the silence and started to move around the table. Eyeing each and every one of them, he said, ‘Those of you here, some of you will be asked to commit yourselves to a path that will inevitably lead to your own deaths. I don’t say that lightly or without compassion. So I will only ask for volunteers to take on this next task.’

  Nobody uttered a word as Granger continued to circle them.

  ‘The elders are concerned at what is unfolding. The prophecy is playing out as was foretold eons ago. Understand me when I say this. We are here to make sure this prophecy never gets fulfilled, no matter what. If I have to nuke the entire world to stop the launch and bury all of this man’s research—’ pausing, Granger zeroed in on one of the men to his left who was intently listening.

  He was quick to spot him but even quicker to wrap the garrotte around his throat, lift him clean out of his chair and spin him around so the terrified man was back to back with the leader, blood dripping from the wire that was cutting through the skin of his throat. A gurgled squawk was all he could manage as he thrashed against his attacker for his very life. The struggle did not last long as the colour drained from his face and finally gave in. The man fell limp and silent. Granger let the body fall to the ground. He looked around the room, sneering silently at their disbelief. He relished the horrified looks he was getting. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to resort to using this kind of shock tactic.

  ‘This man you see here, he didn’t believe in our cause. He doubted us and the teachings. That’s what awaits anyone who falters from the path.’

  *

  At the corner of the building that the professor was leaving, William waited and signalled to the others to follow covertly. After two hours of standing in the cold, he was grateful to be on the move again. He hated the cold but he knew this was important and would never openly voice his annoyance. The old man slowly paced to the park, a slight limp seeming to bother him. Looking up at the night sky, he was blissfully unaware of his followers.

  The timing had to be right. No witnesses. No evidence that could lead the authorities back to him or the brotherhood. That would mean certain death. The brotherhood had remained secret for many years and to make a mistake that could leave the group vulnerable was unthinkable.

  The woods to his left gave him and the others sufficient cover to observe the old man without detection, and at this time of the night there was no one about. Still they remained vigilant and left nothing to chance. After twenty minutes of watching the professor sit and talk to himself, William smiled to see him finally make his way back home. He knew that any cover they had up to this point was going to be sparse as they approached the old man’s home. He messaged the others to hold back until he entered his home and then he would make his move. As the door shut behind the old man, he watched and waited for a moment, then signalled for the others to secure the perimeter of the house. The grounds of the house were extensive but all areas needed to be covered for possible passing unknowns whilst he carried out his task.

  All he needed now was for one other to show up.

  Violent tremors shook the ground upon which he lay. Naked, battered and bloodied. His eyes were just starting to adjust to the darkness around him. The sandstorm was not helping with his vision. Searing hot pain ran through his entire body and it was not a familiar feeling, not one he had felt in a very long time. He knew this would not last. Still unable to move, he looked upwards and focused beyond the storm that threatened to tear the skin from his body. Up through the swirling sand, he could see the night sky, the stars twinkling down on him.

  He knew then he had been freed from his eternal prison. A smile spread across his face. His focus now shifted to the cause of the chaos that was all around him—the celestial body that had been his tormentor. The immense power of the singularity in all its horrific glory had held him in the darkness for longer than he cared
to remember.

  The gravitational pull was threatening to tear this world apart with him on it as if it recognized he had been released and wanted him back. No, you will not have me again, he thought. Not this time. His strength returned quickly, his body regenerating with each passing moment. His bones, tissue and muscle were becoming solid once again, as was his skin that now defied the harsh environment and fought back.

  Slowly he lifted up off the ground. Arms outstretched, he summoned what strength he had and stilled the winds and sands. Within minutes the storm was no more. Only the calm night sky and solemn desert plains remained. Hovering above the dunes, he looked more closely at his surroundings. A barren world, a desert planet, not the world the remembered. He was alone here. No matter. He would soon change that. He needed time to heal fully and then he would seek the one who had imprisoned him.

  His vengeance would be unimaginable and he would have dominion over this plane of existence. This world was still in the grip of the singularity and he intended to deal with that or face being in its grip once more. This was going to drain him for some time but he couldn’t let it continue, so with one last surge of energy, he slammed his hands together causing a powerful wave of energy to rush forth from his body. The wave quickly spread across the planet causing a shift in its positioning from the black hole. The release of energy had moved his world to the edge of the event horizon, just far enough out of its grip.