4 Days Earlier

July 16, 2075

1800 JST

Above the Skies of Inpu, Located Near Osaka, Japan

Rachel Cooper's Point of View

“So here’s the good news; we’ve reached our destination!” Ethan happily notifies us in haste on the plane’s P.A. system.

“Spectacular, Ethan!” I say.

“Bad news; the Royals have launched several heat-seeking missiles at us!” Ethan reveals.

“That’s not spectacular at all!” I say.

“I probably should’ve asked but have any of you ever jumped out of a plane before?!” Ethan calmly asks.

“No!” We all yell in unison.

“Fair enough, but have any of you ever been on a plane before?” Ethan asks again.

“NO!” We all yell again.

“There’s always a first time for everything, huh?” Ethan responds with a chuckle. “Oxygen is your best friend, so if you wanna continue your relationship with O2, you better get to jumping out of the plane!”

“A.S.A.P?!” We all ask.

“As soon as possible, friends! See you around, everybody!” Ethan says.

“This is so confusin’!” I say as I struggle.

“I appreciate you, Rachel. You too, Aayushi,” Luke says as he helps me with my parachute.

“I’m the squad’s sniper, so of course, I’ll always be there to support you, buddy!” I say to Luke.

Rachel, how could you kiss your best friend, you idiot?!

“No thanks needed, Luke. I’m your doctor, so it’s only natural that I assist you,” Aayushi explains.

“Guys! I’m acrophobic!” I yell.

“Since when?!” They ask in unison, with a look of worry on their faces.

“Since now! But momma didn’t raise a chicken, so I’m gonna show you two chumps how it’s done! It’s time to hit the silk!”

No guts, no glory, Rachel. Jump!

*

Six Minutes Later

Inpu, Japan

*

Ow! My head. Yep. T-that’s definitely a concussion. This is what you get for bein’ such a klutz, Rachel. Ok, let’s see what’s lurkin’ round here. Hmm. This place is very similar to the undead forest. Quite spectacular, if I must say so myself. Ok! Time to get your bearins’. You’re on ground level, and there’s no uglies or mean people around, but there’s also no Luke or Aayushi! Oh no! I… I can’t be alone! I can’t take it. Ow, calm down, Rachel. Ya need to find Aayushi A.S.A.P. And… wait a second. The ground feels weird. It feels like… a net?!

Gasp! A trap!

“AHHHHH!” I scream.

“Easy,” a woman’s voice says into a p.a. system. “Too easy. You’re not alone. Where’s your friends?”

The trap has me hanging… upside down and it’s making me dizzy.

“Help, I’m sorry!” I yell at the woman.

“Humans don’t just fall out of the sky, girl. Your uniform is a military wetsuit, which means you’re from Athens; however, navies tend to reside in the ocean and not the air. The Royals, Olympians, Prometheans, and Hephaestians are also influenced by the fallen militaries of The Old World, so… which one are you? And don’t lie because it’s not nice.”

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She’s so knowledgeable.

“An Olympian! My name is Rachel Cooper of the mighty Squad Zeus! My heart and soul reside with Olympus, so pleeeeeease don’t kill me!”

“Squad Zeus? No way!” The woman says as the net rapidly descends.

This is gonna hurt!

“Ah!” I yell.

Phew. Too close.

“A few more centimeters and my head would’ve gone splat,” I say. “Thank you for not killing me!”

“Don’t thank me yet, Olympian,” she says as she drops down from above.

She’s gorgeous! She appears to be my age, Black, beautiful long and wavy dreadlocks, cool camouflage green goggles on her forehead, a holstered machete on the right side of her hip, a quiver full of fancy sharp-looking arrows on the left side of her hip, wearin’ spectacular looking black gloves on her hands, a pretty camouflage green tank top and black short-shorts, a camouflage green cloak, small pouches equipped across her belt and torso, and she has numerous amounts of dazzlin’ tattoos on her arms and legs.

“Darn it. You don’t look so tough,” she says in an irritated tone.

“I need medical attention!” I inform.

“And I need a challenge, Rachel Cooper! Provide one for me, and I’ll take you to a doctor!” She replies in an angry tone as she grabs a twig.

“What are you gonna do with that stick?!”

Everything is… becoming blurry…

“Experimenting. Humans tend to do extraordinary things in desperation,” she says in an ominous tone and a fierce smile. “My name is Nala Talibah. Nice to meet you,” Nala says as she gets closer.

“It’s nice to meet you t- hahahahahaha! Why… why are you tickling me?! Please stop!”

“The disease poisons your immune system. I know I’m weird, but your laughter would’ve sounded completely different if you were an Angel,” she says as she ceases the tickling. “Watch your head, Rachel Cooper,” she continues as she unties the net.

“Thank you, Nala! I thought that I was about to die! This is stressful. I need bubblegum.”

“Bubble… gum?” She asks with a raised eyebrow as she inspects my head.

“WHAT?!”

“You never answered my previous question,” Nala reminds in a stern tone.

“Rachel!” Luke yells out as she rushes into action.

“Wait, Luke!” I yell out to him.

Wh… what? What’s wrong with Luke? He would’ve killed Nala, had she not gotten out of the way in time. Oh no. Don’t tell me they’re about to…

“Finally, some action!” Nala exclaims in excitement as she puts on her goggles and pulls out a small cylinder-like device from one of her pouches.

“Leave her alone!” Luke fires back as he rips his mutated arm-sword out of the tree bark.

“What in the world?” Nala asks in confusion as she presses a button on her doohickey, turning it into a stupendous-looking silver bow. “You move just like a Behemoth,” Nala says in a serious tone as she shoots an arrow at Luke.

“Stop it, guys!” I plead.

“I’m not a Behemoth,” Luke says as he slices through the arrow. “And I’m not human either,” Luke continues as he takes a powerful dash towards Nala.

“So fast!” Nala yells in a calm tone as she drops the bow and pulls out another silver mechanism.

Gasp! Nala is full of surprises. She… she blocked Luke’s blade attack with a shiny-lookin’ metallic silver spear.

“This is exciting!” Nala blurts out in laughter as Luke begins to overpower and pin her to the ground.

Is he… really going to kill her?!

“You…. interest me…zombie boy,” Nala struggles to say as she smiles. “Which is why I’ll hold back,” she continues as her spear begins to hum and illuminate in a light blue color.

No way!

“A Halo?!” Luke and I yell out in unison.

Wow! A brutal kick to the groin by Nala!

“Here lies zombie boy,” Nala says in a serious tone as she points the head of the spear at Luke. “Gone, but not forgotten.”

What in the world?! She… she sent Luke back flying into a tree?! But how? I would’ve seen whatever she did.

“Are you a sorceress, Nala?!” I ask.

“There’s no such thing as magic, Rachel Cooper,” Nala laughs as she takes off her goggles. “The Old World may have collapsed, but everything still runs on technology,” she explains in pride. “Sigh. If Angels didn’t rule the world, then robots would’ve enslaved us all eventually,” she says in a disappointing tone as she sits down on the ground, turning her attention to Luke. “Zombie boy! This victory has continued my flawless reign of being the uncontested, undefeated, undisputed, and undeniable world champion of the world! Now, I can close the curtains in an honorable or dishonorable way, but as the creator, producer, director, writer, costume designer, and starring actress, I shall allow you to pick the role in your grand finale.”

My head hurts…

“Elaborate,” Luke says as he struggles to sit up.

“Scenario raqm wahd. Let’s call this the bad ending,” Nala begins to explain as she quickly scribbles down something into her notepad. “I take Rachel Cooper and your other friend who’s hiding in the bushes prisoner. Safiya, my little drone companion who’s quietly hovering above you, kills you dead,” she explains in a stern tone. “Or should I say… deader. Wait, is that a word?” She asks as she scratches her head.

What in the world is goin’ on?

“Scenario number two,” Nala says. “You cease hostilities, we get Rachel to a doctor, and I give you a grand tour of… The Deadliest Kingdom. Nina, Safiya, and I are the guardians of the Alnitak tribe, so you three have a great hostess at your service.”

“I’m sorry,” Luke apologizes as he reverts to normal. “We’re just looking for Doctor Veronica Shinka.”

“Gasp! Veronica Shinka?! That woman is a conniving, manipulative, sorceress!” Nala says in disbelief.

“She’s my guardian, Nala,” Luke calmly explains.

“Wow, what’s your point?” Nala laughs as she doodles into her notepad.

“Don’t talk bad about her!” Luke yells in anger.

“One. Gossip and facts are two different things. Two. You’re very bossy for someone who just got their ass kicked. Three. You’re extremely handsome, and I don’t see a ring, so keep enticing me, and I might be tempted into giving you a private tour of my pied-à-terre,” Nala chuckles as she puts her goggles back on.

“What exactly does… Nina do?” Luke inquires.

I think I can see the light…

“Close your mouths, my habitués! It’s about to get real gross up in here!” Nala announces as a Behemoth suddenly appears from above and lunges at her. “Presenting…” she says as she dodges the attack and sticks Nina into the Behemoth’s stomach. “the strongest Halo in the world!” She boasts as the Behemoth explodes into a kajillion pieces. “Come one, come all! Nina can make all of the angels fall!” She celebrates with a bow to an imaginary audience.