The Second Time Around Ch. 11

I'm sorry that it's been a very long time since the last update of "TSTA." I thank you however for your patience. As you can all probably tell the story is about to end. I never planned on it to be very long especially since it's my first attempt at sci-fi. Anyway, "Unleashed" chapter 12 is posted and "Making it Work" chapter two is in the works. I'm hoping to have it done by tomorrow or Sunday by the latest so keep an eye out for it.

Oh, big thanks for those of you who have just stuck through and hung in there even when the story became too unrealistic. I appreciate your feedback and the encouragement to keep up my writing. Thank you all. And before I forget, Happy New Year!

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"This is your opportunity to turn back," Brigitte said to Gina. She looked pale, anxious, and apprehensive.

Gina snorted and shook her head. "I'm already too deep inside of this to back out. I'm coming. Besides, I'll be the only one still awake. Who will I have to talk to?" Brigitte tightened the straps of her boots and stood up with a smile. "Is that it?"

"Huh?" Brigitte asked confused.

"Where are your weapons? You're going to attack this demonic badass without a gun, a sword, or even a butter knife! Aren't you the least bit worried that you're leaving yourself open?"

Caid laughed, "That's cute."

"I'm being serious. In all of the sci-fi movies, whenever it gets closer to battle, weaponry from God knows where suddenly become available. We need heavy artillery. I've never used a machine gun before, but I'm willing to learn," Gina said with conviction.

Both Caid and Brigitte looked at her stunned then suddenly broke into laughter. "Too many movies," Brigitte told her between bouts of laughter.

"I'm serious," Gina told them stomping her right foot in aggravation.

"And so are we," Caid said.

"Then how will we protect ourselves?!"

"You need not worry yourself for such minor issues. We are all that you will ever need. Trust us."

"Okay." Gina nodded her head as she paced about in the kitchen. "Okay."

Brigitte busied herself with packing their provisions. She double checked their water supply then chastised herself. It wasn't as if they were going into the desert where it would be scarce. Still, she kept the extra bottles just in case. Caid made sandwiches and Gina continued to pace. "We're almost ready to leave," Brigitte told her.

"So...seeing as how we're about to leave, how exactly will we locate this Belala guy?"

"Belial," Caid corrected.

"Belial," Gina repeated. "How do we find him?"

"The cherubim will guide us. Once they have locked onto his life force, we will receive visual images that will take us to him."

Gina nodded her head sitting at the counter. She tapped her foot against the lower bar of the stool to calm herself. She was on edge. If it's anything like what she saw in the movies, they would probably get their butts kicked before somehow miraculously obtaining the upper hand over the enemy. What Gina knew that she needed to prepare herself for was that part about getting her butt kicked before the victory. She was squeamish and a bit of a wuss when it came to physical confrontation, verbal however, she knew how to handle herself. She couldn't well tell a demon off. He'd probably blink an eye and send her flying across the room. Wait? Do demons have eyes? She recalled the visual of Abdigar and shivered from the remembrance of his back. Yeah, they do.

"You should eat something," Brigitte suggested. "You hardly touched your meal this morning and you will need your strength."

"Good idea," she agreed, ransacking the refrigerator for some peach cobbler and two day old pizza Mamma had made for dinner. Her mouth watered at the thought of devouring the thick crust and tasting the rich, homemade tomato sauce. She took out three slices, one for each of them, and occupied herself with fixing them an early lunch. She warmed the slices and they all ate in agreeable silence, consuming two slices of the pizza before considering dessert.

"Mamma's pizza is ten times more delicious than the first time," Brigitte praised. She finished up the slice reaching for her bowl of peach cobbler when she experienced sudden tunnel vision. The land was barren, the air gloomy, the atmosphere extremely depressing. She somehow found Caid and Gina's hands and grasped them, "I hope that you are ready," she informed them before they vanished.

Gina felt as if her insides had been torn out of her body then shoved back down her throat. When they arrived wherever they had been teleported, she emptied the contents of her stomach. At least she wasn't the only one. Brigitte and Caid flanked her sides joining her in painful regurgitation. They heaved even after there was nothing more to release.

"I was not prepared for that," Brigitte whispered. Her voice was hoarse and pain was still etched upon her face, but her golden eyes welcomed them when she looked up away from the ground. She reached for the bag with their supplies and dispersed bottles of water. "Drink." They gulped down the water using it to wash out their mouths beforehand. Once they felt remotely replenished they stood to their feet to move.

"Where should we go?" Gina could hardly see anything inside of the darkness. She felt a tingle of fear trickle throughout her body and recited a silent prayer for strength and confidence.

"Follow me," Brigitte told them. The harsh wind blew dry sand in their eyes impeding their vision. Only moments ago she was chastising herself for preparing to be taken to a desert and now here they were in the midst of one.

"I wish we would have known that we would be in a desert. I would have grabbed something to cover our faces with," Gina replied after stumbling due to impaired vision. "Do you know where we are exactly?"

"The Sahara," Caid said. He stopped her advancing steps, stooping before Gina and gesturing with his head to his back. "Get on," he told her when she stared at his posterior in confusion.

"No, I—"

"Although the wind and flying sand makes it difficult to see, my vision is more clear than your own."

"But I'm heavy."

He started to laugh then reconsidered after grains of sand swept into his mouth. "Just get on." Gina felt awkward almost akin to an elephant attempting to mount a horse, although she was not at all overweight, heavenly curves yes, but not fat. Perhaps it was because though Caid was not her biological brother, his soul was still attached to Adriano's body, which made her uncomfortable with the idea.

"Stop behaving so oddly. We are still siblings."

She smiled in acceptance, "You're right. If I get too heavy just toss me to the ground."

"Never." He stood up and trudged on actually regaining lost ground with Brigitte when they had stopped to talk.

"So going back to this Sahara Desert thing, why are we in Africa?"

Brigitte paused in her tracks to survey their surroundings. Sand and wind were the elements that welcomed her seeking eyes. Something wasn't right. She felt Belial's presence though she knew without a doubt that he was nowhere proximate. His stench was burning the hairs of her nostrils. They were near his domain yet Brigitte's eyes remained blind to its location.

"Africa holds many pagan gods and idol worshippers. It has a mass concentration of demonic energy that is larger than the size of North America. These demons, in order to more easily disperse, will attach themselves to touristic paraphernalia: hats for mind control, shirts or trousers for full body possessions, magnets and bracelets that invoke lust. It is a lucrative empire for their kingdom."

"Wow. So what you're trying to tell me is that the underworld functions just like our world?"

"Exactly," Caid confirms.

"Do they have jobs?" she inquired earnestly curious to know more about this existence that she had completely no idea was even present in the first place. Yes, she was a medium, but in her head Gina always imagined that ghosts were wondering spirits bound on earth and that was all that existed. She never fathomed that there were demons much less a kingdom of darkness beneath their feet. She could be pretty naïve sometimes.

"Yes, many are concentrated in major cities. They are entertainers who entice men and women into their evil traps. Any profession that is deemed popular or well appreciated by the human race already has several representatives of the underworld deeply rooted within."

"Why? I don't understand why they're trying to hurt us."

"It is simple," Brigitte said turning back to retrace their steps. "It began with the need for energy. Beings of the underworld thrive upon the energy of humans because it is very powerful. However once they learned that they could control human civilization through their lusts, some entities became poisoned with the idea of power. As you are well aware of because of this lust, perversion has run rampant in the underworld pushing these beings to hunger after control. The royal family is there to maintain control and order, however when they too are consumed by this need order is difficult to uphold. They deem themselves capable of governing both realms and are willing to sacrifice their very existence for a dream that will and shall never come to pass."

"Why not?"

"Because of us," Caid replied. "The great Almighty created us for this very purpose. As long as the underworld abides by the laws He has implemented, we shall not interfere. But in cases such as this with Abdigar, we are forced to intercede for the benefit and survival of humanity."

"Are we lost?" Gina asked when they stopped for the fourth time.

"Yes."

"Oh." She hadn't expected Brigitte to be so straightforward, but then again this was Collaborator Brigitte not the normal Brigitte.

"There seems to be a spiritual barrier hampering my ability to discover his lair." She looked at Caid with worry on her face. "I can feel him, however I cannot reach him."

Caid glanced about utterly baffled as to why Brigitte was somewhat unable to pinpoint Belial. Even he was starting to feel the demon's presence. Why were they so blind? The wind whistled in his ear as the sand slapped against their faces and revelation fell upon him. "The sandstorm is the barrier."

What is it with you guys and your affinity with sandstorms?" Gina mumbled.

"In order to mock our authority, the dark kingdom will mimic our actions. I think this is a little revenge for when Corey took out the Juggernauts."

Brigitte rolled her eyes in understanding and Gina smiled having caught a peek at the normal Brigitte. All she had to do was slap a hand against her forehead to officially revert back to old self, she thought. "Is there a way to stop it?"

"Yes," Brigitte responded reaching into her sack for a bottle of water. She poured a large amount into her mouth and spewed it forward as Caid blew a gust of breath to push it outward into the atmosphere. It should have stopped the sand storm, but the dry humidity consumed the liquid effortlessly; in reality, the storm intensified completely blinding their vision, making it impossible for them to see their hands. It began cutting into their skin, stinging their battered and abused flesh. Gina's cry of agony broke Brigitte out of her stupor. They were supposed to be protecting her not allowing her to get harmed.

Reaching once more for her bag, she fumbled about for the bottles of water, uncapping them and levitating the liquid in the air. "As the ocean cannot breach the sand neither can the sand dominate the ocean. In the name of the Almighty, I command you—"

A loud, anguished roar engulfed them as the wind increased its howling. "I command you to break!" The water dissipated around them as a heavy smoke smothered the whipping sand. Brigitte found her way to Caid and Gina, wrapping her arms about them as the earth beneath their feet shook uncontrollably. In case they fell through whatever was keeping them out, she preferred that they landed together.

A bright light sliced through the fog before a huge explosion sent them flying off of their feet. They landed with thuds hardly able to regain their respiration before realizing that their worst fear had come to fruition. They were separated.

**************

"Gina! Caid! Where are you?" Brigitte sat up, the ground beneath her too slick and slimy for her to successfully stand. There was only complete darkness all around her, but one thing was certain she was inside of Belial's lair. Her first thought was for Gina's safety. She held up her hand in deep concentration, focusing all of her energy upon the manifestation of her scepter. When it finally materialized she pushed it forward with one command. "Protect Gina." With that the golden scepter disappeared leaving her once more in utter obscurity.

"Though my eyes fail me, grant me light to see in the mist of darkness." She rubbed her eyes forgetting the gunk on her hand and grasping for her shirt to wipe it off. "That was vile," she shuddered to herself. She reopened her eyes; her vision no longer impaired then set out on the hunt for Belial.

**************

Caid ran into another wall. "I have no idea where to go. Brigitte! Gina!" His voice echoed causing the walls to tremble. No one. It was eerily quiet as he made his way through the ever narrowing passage. He walked until he couldn't go any further, the opening proving to be a dead end. Retracing his steps, Caid reentered the cavernous room deciding to head towards another doorway. Another dead end. He took another then tried a fourth and a fifth passageway only to come up with the same conclusion. He was trapped.

"Where am I?!" he yelled before dodging the on slot of boulders tumbling from the ceiling. He looked upward and nearly fell over in disbelief. There was another entranceway and this one seemed legit. The only question was how was he supposed to get to it? "It's not like I can fly," he muttered to himself. He sat down hopelessly then jumped back up. "The fall must have damaged my intelligence."

If he needed to fly then fly he will, but how? The last time he tapped into his abilities was purely by chance. Therefore, how in the world was he supposed to now? He still didn't know how this all was supposed to work. Brigitte, on the other hand, seemed to have it all down pack. The only time he could get his ass in gear was when there was imminent danger or when Brigitte was close by. He looked around again then sat back down, "Well, I guess I'll be here for an eternity."

He laid on the sandy ground staring up at nothing in particular. Would this be the place he died? No. He survived a car crash for Brigitte, took over someone else's body for her, and vowed that he would do everything in his existence to spend the rest of eternity with her. He wouldn't give up. He stood to his feet with renewed conviction. He didn't know how he would do it, but he was getting out of here.

"How am I supposed to fly?"

He jumped and felt utterly ridiculous; nonetheless he tried at least seven more times before admitting defeat. "What am I doing wrong!" he yelled in frustration forgetting that wherever he was was not a stable structure. He pressed against the wall for cover, disgusted with himself and his incapability to be useful. Why did he even come along if all he could do was nothing? What is the sense of carrying dead weight? The more he thought about everything was the angrier he became. And the angrier he became was the more his body levitated. He felt energy within him awakening.

Caid laughed in disbelief, "If all I had to do was get pissed off to get the hell out of here, I would have done that in the first place." His ascent ceased as if he became frozen. He heard something within him clarify, "It is not the anger that motivates you but the determination. You cannot connect with me if you do not take me seriously."

"Who are you?" he asked unsettled.

"You know who I am. You know who we are."

Confidence overwhelmed him and Caid nodded his head. "Ezra." The utterance of his Collaborator's true name recommenced his ascension. "I am Ezra, commander of the first squadron, the strength of the nations. I have work to do." He felt like laughing. This is how Clark Kent must have felt finally learning to fly. He straightened his body propelling himself faster upwards only to be thrown back downwards. He slammed into the hard ground, his senses knocked right out of him. Sitting up to shake his head clear, Caid's glowing blue eyes found his assailants. They flooded through the opening as a mass of gloom, shrill cries escaping their mouths as they charged towards him. He got up and launched himself into their midst.

************

Gina's legs quivered with each step she gingerly took. Her nerves were beyond frazzled. Where she was, she couldn't even approximate, but she wondered if she was unconscious yet experiencing a lucid dream for she was in the midst of the clouds, surrounded completely by blue and white. How was it possible for her to walk on the sky? She looked about yet saw no one in sight. Was this all real? She pinched herself for verification then yelped. Yeah, she wasn't sleeping.

"Hello?" Her voice trembled as it echoed and continued to repeat in the empty air. "Anybody out there? Caid? Brigitte? Where am I?" Only her echoes welcomed her and Gina bit back the fear that was starting to paralyze her. "Hello?"

Nothing.

"Guys, I'm scared." A gust of wind ruffled her hair briefly breaking the silence then left her just as quickly as it came.

"Okay Ginevra, you're a big girl. If you want to be more precise, I'll even call you a woman. You've heard of being on cloud nine, but now you really get to embrace this opportunity. Man up, grow a pair, and let's see if we can find a way down...from wherever we are. First things first though." She looked down at beneath her feet and saw nothing except blue sky and rapidly moving clouds. She stomped her foot once just to see what might happen and stood surprised when she heard a muffled bang. Was she standing on glass?

Bending down, Gina reached her hand out nearly screaming when it went past her feet. No, she wasn't standing on anything but....air particles maybe? "How is this possible?" She stomped her foot once more and heard the same muffled thud which reassured her that she would just start to free fall. That was her worst nightmare. She shuddered from the thought, deciding that walking, even if aimlessly, would keep her from harboring such dreadful imaginations. She was advancing nowhere, or at least that is what she assumed. It was difficult for her to know whether or not she was making actual progress because of the never ending firmament, nevertheless, Gina pressed on all in the hopes of finding a secret door or even a window.

"There you are, Gina, I was looking all over for you."

Gina looked up and almost cried tears of joy, "Brigitte! Where have you been?! Where the hell are we?"

"I don't know. We were separated during the earthquake and when I came to I found myself here."

Gina nodded her head in agreement making her way towards her companion until she noticed that something was off. There was a strong sulfuric scent wafting away from Brigitte's body and Gina had enough commence sense to know that humans shouldn't smell like sulfur unless they were working in sulfur mines.

"Brigitte, why do you smell so strange?" she inquired guarding her face to only show curiosity. This individual was not Brigitte, something within her already contested to that fact, however to keep herself out of harm's way, Gina had decided to feign ignorance until the moment she could escape.

"Sulfur? What are you talking about, Gigi."

"Gigi?"

"Yeah."

Brigitte never called her Gigi. In fact, not one person in her family or her social circle called her Gigi. Gina was already a nickname within itself. This definitely was not Brigitte. "Perhaps it's just a part of my imagination. You know how you can get after being alone for an eternity."