Opening Scene

Great Hall of X Marks the Scot, Some time in the future

Commander Splash and I watched helplessly as the missiles flew towards the Saltire. The missiles struck the great airship and we shielded our eyes as the explosion enveloped the aircraft, destroying it and everyone aboard.

We stared in horror at what had happened. Bradley, Arlen, my team and all the people they were evacuating from the Great Hall had all been lost in that horrible moment.

Mike was the first to recover. “We’ve got to get to cover!” he said, but those were his last words as the bullets from the federal agents tore into him.

“Fall back to the hangar!” I yelled to the people helping me defend the Great Hall from the government agents.

We all moved back through the woods, covering one another as we retreated into the underground complex.

As we fell back, I ducked behind the wall where Lieutenants Livingston and Standard were waiting.

“We’ve got to hold them here as long as possible,” I said to them.

Greg considered the situation for a moment before responding. “Go let Jamie know he doesn’t have much time,” he said. “We’ll command the holding action from here.”

I shook hands with each of them and raced down the hall to David’s laboratory.

“They’re at the hangar; Livingston and Standard are fighting to hold them there,” I said to Jamie. “Mike is dead and the Saltire was destroyed with all aboard.”

He paused for a moment before responding as the shock of the loss hit him. “How long do we have?” he asked me.

“Only minutes at most, you have to go now.”

“Can we do it?” he asked David, who was busy working at a control panel.

“Soon!” David answered in a harried voice. “Ryan, is the panel connected?”

The young man looked up from where he was working desperately. “It’s connected,” he reported.

David turned back to Jamie. “We can go at any time. Get into the chamber, Jamie.”

Jamie started for the chamber, but was interrupted as Greg ran into the room. “They’re here,” he managed to say before he was cut down by automatic weapon fire from behind. He fell to the floor just inside the door and the federal agents poured into the room.

“Go!” I yelled to Jamie, but several rounds caught him in the chest and he collapsed at my feet.

I fired my own weapon at the agents who had shot Jamie and they fell over dead.

I bent over Jamie to examine him. His blood covered the floor beneath him.

“You have to do it, Dave,” he said, grabbing my arm desperately.

He was right. I didn’t say anything, but we both knew he would be dead in moments.

I nodded and he released me. “Let’s do this, David!” I yelled as I made my way towards the chamber.

David reached for the master control lever, but was stopped by more gunfire from the door. The bullets caught him in the back and threw him against the console.

Ryan, surprised by the gunfire, froze in place. The agents turned their weapons towards him.

I dove and knocked him to the floor just before they fired.

“Get in the chamber!” I ordered. “I’ll activate the console.”

I fired toward the agents as Ryan moved to the chamber. They dove for cover.

I heard David gasp out from the console. “Go! I’ll throw the lever for you.”

I looked from David to the chamber. This was our last chance. I dove for the chamber as David struggled to raise his hand to the activation lever.

Once inside I turned to look back. The agents rose from their cover, firing their weapons. I saw David get hit again and placed my own body in front of Ryan to protect him.

With his dying breath, David pulled down on the lever, activating the chamber.

As the chamber filled with energy and my surroundings began to fade from view, I felt the bullets from the agents’ weapons tear into my body.