L`Univers:

Divided

    Alexander, Raven, John, and Viktor made their way back to the ship and lay Zack down on the bed as Alexander and Raven started operating him closing the wounds from which he was bleeding.                                                                            

“Where are the others?” asked John.                                                                               

“I think Soldana`s got them,” replied Viktor.                                                             

“What the hell are we going to do now?” John asked again.                                         

“I have no idea, but one thing is for sure this…” Viktor looked toward Zack. “This is not our fault,” he turned back to John.                                                                     

“You think Soldana would understand?” John looked at Viktor. “In her eyes, we are humans, whether it`s us or Caty,” explained John as the heart rate machine started beeping and the line went flat.                                                             

“What`s going on?” asked Viktor.                                                                                  

“I need you guys to get out of here!” Alexander pointed at the door as Raven just pushed both of them outside and closed the door leaving them confused as they looked at each other with the fear in their faces.

    “Simon get out of here,” Benedict whispered to him whilst Soldana was watching at them with anger.                                                                                           

“I`m not leaving without you nor Clara,” he whispered back.                                     

“Take Clara and leave,” Azra slid him a teleportation bracelet.                                                      

“We will see each other again,” Benedict looked at him and put his arms up surrendering at that moment Simon started running and pushed Clara with him out of the window as he put on the bracelet and teleported midair whilst falling with Clara.                                                                                                                       

“Arrest them,” ordered Soldana pointing at Benedict and Azra who had their hands up in the air as the guards walked to them and placed them some sort of glowing energy cuffs and took them away.

    Simon and Clara appeared somewhere in a large marble square decorated with fountains and whatnot as soon as they materialized the bald Derbians just looked at them being all confused and asking themselves where did they come from? Simon grabbed Clara`s hand and started running away from the Derbians away from civilization.

    Benedict and Azra were taken somewhere underground in some ancient tunnels which looked like the catacombs accompanied by five guards as Azra suddenly fell on the ground and coughed.                                                                   

“Get up!!!” yelled a guard in Derbian language as Azra tried to get up and grabbed something from his belt without him noticing as they kept moving and got locked in a cell underground.                                                                              

“What the hell was that all about?” Benedict asked her as Azra turned and threw him a radio, he just looked at it and smiled. “You are a genius” he tinkered with the radio for a while.

    John and Viktor were sitting on the bridge confused and clueless, not knowing what to do.                                                                                                                         

“This is captain Lenov to Star Fury,” John and Viktor looked at each other all of a sudden and stood up running toward Dave`s desk.                                                   

“I repeat this is Captain Benedict Lenov to Star Fury do you read me?” the radio went static.                                                                                                                           “Yes captain loud and clear,” said Viktor.                                                                     

“Why isn`t he responding?” asked John as Dave and Sarah showed up from nowhere and pressed a button. “Yes captain loud and clear,” he said.                                                                                                                     

“Dave…” Benedict was glad to hear anybody. “Are you all right? Are the others with you?” he asked.                                                                                                                

“I`m fine captain; Sarah, John, and Viktor are here with me,” Dave looked at both of them.                                                                                                                            

“Simon and Clara are not here,” said Sarah looking around the bridge.                 

“I know,” said Benedict as he sat down on the ground and leaned his back on the bars of the cell door. “Azra helped him escape together with Clara,” he told them.                                                                                                                                     

“Are you okay?” Sarah asked him.                                                                              

“Me and Azra we are fine, except for being locked up somewhere underground,” said Benedict looking around the cell.                                                                                           

“Can`t we triangulate the signal or something?” asked Viktor.                            

“It`s futile this place is like a fortress, it be suicide to attempt anything here,” explained Benedict. “Anyhow how is Zack?” he asked as everybody remained silent. “Guys?” he asked again.                                                                                                 

“Zack well…” John stopped. “The machine flatlined as Raven pushed us out of the room, they haven`t come out ever since,” explained John.                                

“I should have done it, captain, I should have shot her when I had the chance none of this would have happened,” said Dave angrily.                                          

“Now is not the time,” said Benedict. “This is but a minor setback for us, the time will come when we will do great things and do more voyages across the universe, just not now,” Benedict finished.                                                             “Captain I`ve been thinking about what Zenya told us,” said Sarah.                     

“Oh yeah about how she left us with more question`s than answers!” Azra was angry.                                                                                                                                 

“Azra please…” Benedict tried to calm her down.                                                  

“What if this Professor H has to do something with Caty?” asked Sarah.         

“What do you mean?” asked Benedict.                                                                          

“It can kill yet it can revive, what if he did something to Caty to live this long?” asked Sarah.                                                                                                                    

“Could be, but right now we have other things to worry about,” said Benedict as everybody on the bridge could hear the guards yelling in the background as Benedict threw the radio and stood up.                                                                               

“That was a mighty fine speech, I hope you have a plan,” Azra looked at him.                                                                                                                                         

“I may have, we need to talk to Soldana,” said Benedict.                                           

“What are you crazy?” Azra asked him as she was taken by the guards.                 

“It might just be the only way to prevent this war,” Benedict looked at Azra.                                                                                                                                    

“And how do you plan on doing that?” she asked him.                                           

“Well let`s just hope that they are taking us to her now,” Benedict pointed at the guards.            

    “Wait what did you mean that Professor H had something to do with Caty?” asked John.                                                                                                                         

“John the time will come when we will have that conversation, now we have to focus on finding Simon and Benedict,” answered Sarah.                                          

“Look if it`s something serious we need to know,” said John.                         

“Well, it`s not,” Sarah looked at him. “All right? If it`s something really important all of us would know, but right now is just an assumption.”                                     

“All right suit yourself,” John nodded. “Keep this in mind, this lack of cooperation and secrets it`s what brought us to this situation,” he walked away.

    After a while the bags were removed from Benedict and Azra`s face and as they hoped Soldana was in front of them standing in what appeared to be a coliseum with a large crowd just cheering when they saw their faces, the faces of the terrorists.                                                                                            

“I bet she is going to make us fight each other to death,” said Azra.                   

“What?” asked Soldana. “You think I am that barbaric?” she looked at them as the whole coliseum laughed.                                                                                                              

“Look Soldana you know we don`t have any connection with the attack,” Benedict started.                                                                                                               

“How should I know you didn`t just bring them here?” Soldana asked.    

“Because we didn`t,” said Azra.                                                                                                           

“No wait,” Benedict looked at Azra and stepped forward but regreted doing that because the guards reacted instantly. “What if I were to bring you the person responsible for this and you do as you will with her?” asked Benedict as Azra just gave him a confused look.                                                  

“You are probably wondering why I brought you here,” said Soldana. “You see I did not become a queen just by pushing certain people that stood in my way aside, but rather than listening to their cries and helping them,” Soldana looked at them with anger. “And so… today they are crying, crying for REVENGE!!!” she yelled as everybody in the Coliseum cheered, after a while, the atmosphere calmed as Soldana asked the crowd something in Derbian language, and after a while and a moment of silence they yelled and cheered again as Soldana walked in front of Benedict and Azra and stopped as two guards ran toward her and pushed her on the ground, the other guards ran toward her to protect their queen but it was too late as she sprang up she had a knife to her throat.                                                                                                     

“Captain go! Run!” Simon removed the mask as Clara did the same.                    

“Simon what are you doing? We got this?” said Azra.                                                            

“Do you really?” he asked them “How the hell are you going to give Caty to her?” he asked.                                                                                                                

“Yeah you think Caty would willingly surrender to you or even worse to Soldana?” asked Clara.                                                                                                        

“Stay back!!!” yelled Simon as the other guards had their spears out and were advancing to their queen.                                                                                             

“And you think war is better if we escape now?” Azra asked them.                     

“Simon you need to trust me, please out of all times please do trust me now,” Benedict moved towards him. “Drop the knife,” he said calmly as Simon hesitated for a while and screamed, but eventually he dropped the knife and released Soldana.

“I trust you,” he looked at Benedict. “But if you get us killed, well then I will haunt you from the afterlife or whatever there is.”                                                                           

“Thank you,” said Benedict as he went and helped Soldana to stand up.            

“Us Derbians have come to decision,” Soldana looked at them. “We shall give you one chance and only one, you give us the one responsible for the attack and we might just call off the war,” said Soldana. “And if not… you see all these Derbians they want to see heads rolling in the name of justice. And it won`t just be your head captain, it will be your whole planet filled with terrorists,” she threatened.                                                                

“Thank you,” said Benedict as he kneeled before her shortly after Azra, Clara, and Simon did the same.                                                                                                

“Now we need to get back to the ship,” said Azra as she gave them a look that meant ‘it`s time to get the hell out of here.’                                                                  

“Of course,” nodded Soldana looking at them suspiciously.                                                                       

“I`m sorry it was just human instinct,” Simon bowed before her.                        

“It`s all right, you can make up to me by helping your captain catching the person responsible who caused you all this pain,” Soldana looked straight into Simon`s eyes and inspired him to keep fighting side by side with his captain.                                                                                                                          

“Are you going to betray your people?” Azra asked.                                         

“What? I am not betraying anybody,” said Benedict as they entered the tunnel that led to the exit of the Coliseum.                                                                                   

“By betraying Caty you betray the people on the ship that is with her and as far as I know they are your kin,” Azra told him.                                                                

“Not anymore,” he looked at her and said swiftly as he pushed the door angrily.