Chapter 7 The Dome

“Wow! Amazing!”

Asia heard as a group of tourists gushed at the beauty of the natural stalactites that formed inside the dim lighted caves. There were four boats that traveled along the river inside the cave and each boat was composed of at least ten people.

Asia blended in with the tourists whose sole purpose was to enjoy the natural views. If only they knew that the cave was an entrance to the Ashkelon, they might have been more amazed.

When Asia counted the 20th protruding stone, she quietly left the boat and ducked at the natural crystal that almost touches the river. No one from the passengers noticed her as she hid behind the icicle shaped formation that hung from the ceiling.

One of the boatmen saluted at her and she nodded at him. When the boats were out of sight, Asia took a long breath and prepared herself.

“Mona Lisa 500,” she said, citing the password for the entrance to open.

Obviously, Mona Lisa 500 was not the only passphrase into Ashkelon. There were countless passwords but the new Ekrons were given hints to guess it. Those who couldn’t guess would fail, the punishment of which she never tried to imagine. The password should be two things that had a connection with the ever existent color green in Ashkelon.

Aside from that, the system won't accept any password that can be easily perceived by ordinary humans like photosynthesis, blue or yellow. Fortunately, the system accepted Mona Lisa 500. Mona Lisa, for the green dress the woman on the painting was wearing. It represented that she belonged to the gentry class. And 500 was a measure which was between the range of the wavelength of light that evoked the color green.

Ordinary students normally won't understand the relationship of Mona Lisa and 500 to the color green but Asia was different. She was smarter than most even as a kid and passing in the prestigious Delta University with Zane was no mere fluke. Only, being a smart Ekron wouldn't help as much without being accompanied by physical strength.

The security system recognized Asia's voice as an Ekron and parsed the words stated. A crevice opened at the wall in front of her. She entered, only to be greeted by rows of metal railings. In front of her is a lift waiting to be boarded. Asia got on the lift and it creaked under her weight. She curled up at the corner. Normally, it could carry at most six people so there really was no reason for her to be worried. But the consistent screeching of the pulley and metals grinding against each other left so little in Asia's almost nonexistent intrepidity.

The wind blew over Asia's hair as the lift proceeded to its fast descent. To distract herself, Asia thought of the reason why of all places the Ashkelon should have a base under the ground. Why hide its existence? But before she could even give free rein to that single thought in her head, she already knew the answer.

They were different and being different was enough reason to segregate themselves from the common masses. If ordinary humans learned of their existence, they would either be alienated or revered. It was enough to be hidden to resist... Asia's mind faltered.

Resist against what? Why the need to hide amidst the information technology the world is currently in?

The lift abruptly stopped and with it the query in Asia's mind. She stood up and was surprised when someone pulled her out of the lift.

“And so, another Ekron came,” a man said as he ushered her to approach the other Ekrons.

Asia clearly remembered him as the Ekron who saved them during their training at the jungle. He had a bright and pleasant smile. His black eyes were calm and seemed like ready to sympathize and cry for anyone. His jaw was dotted by a thin beard and he looked almost the same age as her.

“How was the break? Said your goodbyes?” the man asked who was trying hard to spark a conversation.

“Fine,” she answered.

Asia noticed Anita beside Suha. Her height and small frame was even more conspicuous beside Suha’s hulking frame. Behind them was Gill, looking paler than usual and Peter who was smiling at nothing.

Asia tried to avoid laying eyes on Angus who was at the center of the group. She knew without looking that his scowling face was scrutinizing her from head to toe. If she looked, she would start to imagine the hardship she was going to experience again. He was a bit tolerable back in the jungle but who knows when he was going to make her life unmanageable than ever.

More Ekrons arrived and when the clock struck Eleven pm, Arlo went in front of them and clapped to get everyone’s attention.

“My name is Arlo and I will be your instructor,” he paused. “At least for half of your time here.”

‘Where is the previous teacher?’ Asia thought, looking for any sign of the previous Ekron who helped them during the initial jungle training.

“Since there are very few of you left. This will be easy. I am assigned to your group to ensure that no one dies anymore, so don't disappoint me. Out of all the Ekron groups, yours had the most unsatisfying number.”

Asia looked around and counted only eleven from the thirty Ekrons who came back from the jungle.

“Just when we thought that you are the best group after the result of that jungle training. You all killed yourself off in one battle against a very average monster. Very disappointing,” he muttered to no one in particular.

He was referring to that monster who came into their classroom. The one where Angus screamed for everyone to fight.

“Now, follow me.”

Arlo turned his back on them and walked through another door. They obeyed. Past the door was a huge hallway with tracks in the middle. A few moments after, a train arrived and it's doors slid open. She was suspecting those trains were for Ashkelon use only.

“Make yourself fit and I don't want to hear any complaints.”

All the Ekron followed quietly into the train and Asia fitted herself in.

“We are going to a place where only advanced Ekrons are allowed into. And that means there is danger involved. But like I said, I won't allow any of you to be stupid enough and kill yourself. Are we clear?”

“Yes sir!” the Ekrons simultaneously answered.

“If we are clear then better grab a seat. This will be a long travel,” Arlo added.

After two hours of travel on the train, most of which only passed either underground or over train tracks on the ocean, they came across an island whose tranquility posed the greatest threat to Asia. She felt them on the island.

When they alighted close to the shore, a black helicopter was already waiting for them. As before, Arlo ordered them to board it. As they got closer to the center of the island, she felt them more strongly. Out of cowardice, she grabbed at the shirt of the nearest Ekron and her hands trembled.

“What?” asked by an Ekron. He's not irritated. He just simply wanted to know why she grabbed him.

“Nothing,” she faltered. She withdrew her hands and controlled herself.

Asia looked around but no one seemed to feel a thing until her gaze fell upon Angus. He was studying her. His brow creased and he immediately shifted his gaze outside the helicopter.

“What's in there?” Angus bravely asked the trainer.

Arlo furrowed his eyes at him. “You will know soon enough.”

The helicopter hovered over the tallest building with a spire at the top. Around it were smaller edifices whose decayed walls tell decades of abandonment. The roads were not visible, instead patches of grass riddled the ground.

Asia gasped at the scene. Not because of the lush appearance of the previously cemented floor. Not because of the flourishing vegetation that was out of place in a place where buildings were erected. It was because of a large hole at the middle of the island just meters away from them. It was shaped like a bowl. Around it were tall walls encircled around each other and rivaled even the structure they were hovering over.

The helicopter landed at the building and Arlo shouted at the Ekron to alight. The other Ekrons were now deathly quiet. They could finally feel what was on the island. Asia forced herself to climb down despite the shaking of her knees. Inside the wall, were monsters in all sizes. The monsters simultaneously looked at their direction and approached them, slowly.

“This place is a training ground for Ekrons. To graduate, you need to survive in that hole for a day or defeat one of them,” Arlo started. “I showed this to you so that you will know what you are going to face after a year. This will give you an idea of their strength.”

“But first, you need to acquaint yourself with these monsters. Any volunteers?” Arlo asked and scanned their group.

Asia did her best to hide the fear that was currently subduing her entirety. She was restless. She stared at Arlo for a second and stared at her feet then stared at Arlo again. Then Asia felt a push at her back. She never learned who pushed her. The push almost made her collide with Arlo.

“What a very energetic volunteer,” Arlo said, stopping her movements. “Shall we?”

Arlo pointed at the perimeter of the building they were in. Asia complied and stopped at the edge overlooking the monsters, all became even more agitated at her very close proximity to the wall.

“Now touch it,” Arlo ordered.

Asia was aghast. Her worried face was starting to show as she stared at her trainer, wishing with all her heart that she misheard him.

“Touch it,” Arlo repeated. His brows creased again.

Asia silently heaved a sigh and checked her heart and knees, continuously commanding them not to fail her this time. She raised her hands and was surprised when her hands made contact with a barrier.

“This barrier is a force field that keeps the monsters inside. They are charged with electricity so monsters who will come in contact with it will be fried in just under a minute,” Arlo informed them.

The barrier made a soft static sound under Asia's hand. She never knew that Ekrons could also touch direct current without being toasted. Asia withdrew her hands from the barrier and noticed her hands sizzling and released vapor from the heat of the barrier. She felt almost a nonexistent pain. She touched the barrier again with her other hand and stared at it. Now the monsters won't look as scary as before. She was safe outside the barrier.

Asia looked back at the monsters within the wall when suddenly a monster made a huge leap towards her. It had the same appearance as the monster in the jungle and was very different from the monster who looked like a woman. It gnashed its teeth at her only a centimeter away from her face. Then its features changed. It seemed like it was smiling at her.

Asia's heart stopped and she fell over. Not because of the current that hit her on the face due to the monster's forced exit from the barrier, but because of the fear of coming face to face with the monster, even if it was on the other side of the barrier. Even more so, because of her familiarity with it.

Arlo came in and pressed a button at the stick he was holding. The stick extended with the same substance as the barrier. For Asia, it looked like the famous lightsaber in Star Wars movies. It passed right through the barrier and struck at the monster. The monster was electrocuted even before it was impaled and fell from the barrier into the ground. It resulted in the other monsters becoming more agitated.

Arlo pressed a button at the stick and the electric edge vanished. “We call this stick, the Cleaver. Such a big name for a small device, don't you think?”

Arlo hid the cleaver. ”Nothing beats a fine example,” Arlo commented. “Thanks for that, Asia.”

But Asia could not move as the appearance of the monster was still fresh in her mind. She could not mistake it. Somewhere inside that monster was the feeling of Rowan when he was still a sane Ekron. Someone else must have felt it too.

Asia's eyes looked up. She ignored the confused look Arlo was giving her and surveyed the Ekrons who could recognize Rowan in the monster. Only, she saw Angus as he forced her up and hit her full in the face.

Being hit in the face in full force by an Ekron as strong as Angus was enough for Asia to finally feel pain again. Her fear of the monster was immediately replaced by another fear, being hit again. Angus forced her to stand up and hit her again in the stomach. Asia groaned in pain. She toppled over, but having Angus holding her shoulders, she instead leaned on him.

She heard Angus whispered, an inch away from her ears, “Are you really stupid enough to show your stupefied face in front of our trainer?!”

“Enough fighting,” Arlo said.

Angus pushed her away and she fell on the floor. That really is stupid, she admitted to herself.

“Isn't that surprising? It's strange how they are as agitated as this,” Arlo said to no one in particular. He offered his hands and Asia used it to stand up. He even ignored how Angus hit her and acted like it was a common occurrence.

“We call this place Myrtaceae Dome or the Dome,” Arlo said and Asia could almost guess it's relationship with Myrtus. It was the name of the family where Myrtus, the genus of a flowering plant, not the fluid injected to them, belonged to.

“Arlo, I'm ready,” a woman interrupted. Her short blonde hair was cropped short and she was wearing a dark green overalls. At her back, Asia could make out the shape of a huge broadsword. Strapped on her legs was the cleaver that Arlo used to strike the monster minutes before.

“Not now, Emma.” Arlo said, “The monsters were agitated.”

“I don't care. I would kill anything that comes out of that cage,” Emma answered in a rustic voice. “This will be a special lesson for the young 'uns.”

“I said, not now. There will be some other time.”

“Come on, Arlo. Being a risk taker is your specialty.”

Arlo did not answer and instead glared at Emma.

“Fine.” Emma said and went to the edge of the building. “Anyhow, I already told them to open the gate.”

Emma jumped from the building and used a rope to lighten her fall. The gate to the Dome opened. She dropped into the ground and waited as the first most eager monster was able to break away from the Dome.

Only, not one monster was able to get away before the gate finally closed. Five, ten, Asia lost count. Emma was overwhelmed.

“Shit!” Asia heard Arlo cursed by her side.

Arlo readied his own own cleaver and prepared to dive from the building. Only, he was too late. It only took the monsters only a minute before Emma's already torn body was completely devoured.

“Get up on the helicopter!!” Arlo yelled at them.

Asia was unable to move but after hearing Arlo's insistent voice, she was able to outran everyone to the helicopter. She reached the helicopter in time to hear the pilot on the radio.

“Asking for backup for the Dome.”

A couple of voices answered.

“We're on our way,” a man's voice.

“I'm only minutes away from the Dome,” a voice of a kid said gaily.

“Is Arlo there?” a woman asked.

“Come on, Finley. Stop begrudging him just because he is the top Ekron,” a man's voice said.

“Shut up, Alex,” the woman called Finley snapped.

“If Arlo is there, what's the need for us?” another voice said in a bored tone.

“Just come,” the pilot said. “Trainees are here too.”

To be continued…..