Judah, Thaqib and Halima hurried into the rear chambers of the Order of Zion complex, down a stone corridor, then through a maze of twists and turns.

“The armory is this way,” Judah said making a sharp turn.

“What do we need it for?” asked Thaqib.

“We’re going to be on our own from now on. The Order is finished, there’s no way they can recover from this. We must get the supplies we’ll need on the surface.” They rounded a corner and found themselves in the armory where Rast stood, unpacking various crates. “Here, come quickly,” he said. He handed Thaqib a bundle of cloth and a pair of boots. Thaqib noticed they were the same beige and purple colors that the rest of the Order initiates wore. “Put these on.”

“You want me to wear these?” Thaqib asked, taken aback.

“Yes, you’ll need them. Those overalls aren’t going to help you on the journey we’re about to embark upon,” Rast said, looking to the ragged dark gray overalls Thaqib still wore from the barge. “These will protect you from the dark magic we are about to face.”

He looked to Halima, “Glad to meet you Halima, I’m sorry its under such chaotic circumstances,” Rast said, extending a hand to her.

She shook it. “Thaqib’s told me a lot about you,” she said, smiling.

“Looks like you’re well prepared,” Rast replied, assessing the golden armor she wore.

“Yes,” Halima replied.

Judah moved to a rack of heavy armor and began putting it on. He grabbed a large weapon from the rack, a wide edged staff bearing a cross on one end.

“What’s that?” Thaqib asked.

“A crucible…” Halima said, turning to Judah.

Judah nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s an ancient Zionese weapon.”

“One that requires great skill to wield,” Rast added as he donned some light armor. Instead of a weapon he still held his old cane. “You still have your staff Thaqib?”

Thaqib pulled the rod from the strap on his back and flicked the switch that extended it. “Yeah, still got it,” he replied.

Halima waited patiently. “You need anything Halima?” Rast asked.

“No, I have everything I need,” she replied.

“Alright, we all set?” Judah asked, looking bulky in his new armor of black padded Kevlar over which he’d placed his beige cloak. He peered out into the hallway. “Let’s get going before they discover what we’re up to. They won’t like that we’re leaving with Halima.”

Rast nodded. “It would be a shame if we are forced to fight our own brothers.”

“I fear we may not have much of a choice,” Judah replied. They heard the thundering of footsteps coming down the corridor.

“Thaqib, take Halima ahead, there’s a way out further down, we’ll stay here in case there’s any fighting to be done,” Rast said.

Thaqib saw that this was no time for hesitation, “OK.”

Halima nodded also, heading out into the corridor alongside Thaqib.

The footsteps became louder and a group of four Order members appeared around the corner yelling for them to stop. Judah and Rast stopped to face them, blocking their way down the path.

“Stop where you are!” Rast said. But the Brothers were so worked up they didn’t listen. Thaqib more than anything wanted to stop and watch Rast and Judah engage them, to see their real fighting skills, but he knew the mission at hand was more important and they had to get out of there.

They heard fighting erupt behind them, they ran faster.

“Will Rast and Judah be OK?” Halima asked.

“Rast may not look it, but he’s got crazy skills. I’ve seen him take on a whole gang of street thugs singlehandedly when I was a kid. Don’t worry about him. It’s us who should be worried right now,” Thaqib replied.

“What are we going to do? I ruined your lives by coming here, you can’t go home and you can’t stay here either,” Halima said.

“Don’t worry about that! Let’s just get out of here.”

They made their way around the corner of the corridor and spotted the exit. A rusted steel door embedded in crumbling gray cinder-blocks. They moved to the door, Thaqib unhinged the bolt. He turned back to see Rast and Judah coming quickly down the corridor behind them.

“We’re clear for now,” Rast said. “Come on! Let’s go.”

They went through the doorway and Judah stopped to put a bolt through it. He stopped suddenly sensing someone watching him. He turned and saw Shifun standing alone in the corridor, watching him strangely. Something about the way he stood there disturbed Judah and he closed the door quickly and locked it from the inside.

In the corridor Shifun opened a comm device. Abbas’ dark silhouette appeared. “The girl has left the temple,” he said with a hiss.

“Go after them,” Abbas replied before dissipating into the air. Shifun left down another corridor. From the shadows, another figure stood watching, it was Pomo. He shook at the revelation that his master was working for Babylon. He steeled himself. He had to warn them, he followed quickly after Shifun.

Thaqib, Halima, Judah and Rast found themselves in what Thaqib assumed was a sewer tunnel. Halima called on Sol to light their path. He whirred into the air, chirping in acknowledgment and in moments, illuminated them in light. Thaqib was shocked by the sight that met them. This was no sewer tunnel. The crumbling remains of statues lay before them.

“What is this place?” Thaqib asked in amazement.

“This is the old city,” Rast replied. “Babylon is built on top of it. This is all that’s left of it now. Come, let’s continue along, I sense there is more danger coming, and there will be plenty of time to learn more when we are in the clear.”

They made their way into the dark and the sights became more and more astounding. The city seemed to stretch deep underground. They came to an opening, an incredibly large chamber lay beyond with water running through it. Thaqib saw the remains of old buildings and structures devoid of color in the dim light of the cavern.

“Why are all these places underground? Did the Zionese live down here?” Thaqib asked.

“No, this was all above ground before Babylon City was built. They didn’t bother demolishing it, they just started building on top of it.”

“But what happened to the people that lived here?” Halima asked.

“The people up top were originally from here. Thaqib, Judah and I, the rest of the Brothers. But but many of them were rounded up and taken offshore to the work camps.”

Suddenly Thaqib noticed something that terrified him in the distance. It was the shape of a person, and yet it was massive. So tall that a person could stand in the palm of its hand and fear being crushed. A massive machine of some kind. It’s head hung to one side encrusted with rock.

“What its that thing?” Thaqib yelled out in shock, his voice echoing off the chamber.

“A golem. A weapon of war developed by the Zionese,” Judah replied.

Suddenly there was an earth-shattering boom that shook the cavern causing hunks of rock to fall loose around them.

“Watch out!” Thaqib yelled.

“What was that?” Judah asked.

“Come, this way,” Rast said. They found a stairwell that lead back up. They found themselves in a decidedly more modern part of the city now, piping and sewers flowed with water. They continued up, light from the outside illuminated the tunnel and soon they emerged into the open air.

As they reached the surface they found themselves surrounded by abandoned buildings in various stages of ruin. Thaqib realized they were in the outskirts. They heard another explosion. Judah quickly climbed upon a mound of rubble, the others followed. In the distance they could see the market district where they had first entered into the underground hideout of the Order. Thaqib saw smoke wafting into the sky. Above it he saw black shapes hovering. “B.C.P.D!” he yelled. The shapes were helicopters and suddenly they launched rockets into the district. A huge fireball erupted.

“They’re bombing the temple!” Judah yelled. “We have to go back!”

“The people in the market!” Halima said.

“No! My students! We have to help them get out!” Judah said as another explosion rocked the market, this one causing the building upon it to fall into a cloud of dust. Thaqib looked on in shock. Unable to find words for the horror he was witnessing. “I must help them…” Judah said watching, eyes welling with tears from the sight.

Another rocket blasted the ground, fire and smoke erupted. They heard the sound of laser fire. The four of them stood in silence watching the destruction helplessly. Flames licked out like serpents, purging black smoke darker even than the clouds that already blanketed the sky.

Thaqib watched the sight in shock. All those students he’d seen training. Gozan and Shahid. Were they OK? His fist tightened, flexing in rage. “They’ll pay for this,” he uttered.

Rast put a hand on his shoulder. “Watch yourself Thaqib. They want us to turn bitter like them. We must rise above it. Sacrifice that anger you feel, no matter how justified it may be. It will only poison you.”

Thaqib released the tension in his fist, doing his best to do what Rast suggested. “What are we gonna do now?” he asked. “We can’t go back home Rast, and the Order is gone.”

Halima suddenly dropped to her knees, the distant explosions flashing against her soft skin, revealing streaks of tears against her cheeks. “I should never have come here. My masters told me—they forbid me from coming here. But I didn’t listen.”

“No,” Rast said, coming to comfort her. “None of this is your fault Halima.”

“But they never would have found the Order if it wasn’t for me and you‘d still have a home.”

“This has been along time coming. Your arrival was merely that which toppled the house of cards. You’ve given us a chance to save Aotea, to destroy Babylon and bring down the Veil. To unify Aotea once again and reestablish Zion,” Rast said as they stood together watching the chaos erupting in the distance. “Now we have to act, we’ve been complacent for too long, putting our hopes in the future. It’s easy to be content in those dreams when they’re far enough away that you don’t need to act in the present. But you’ve forced us into motion Halima. Now the real change can occur.”

“But what can we do now? We have nothing left,” Judah said, his usually upright stature now seeming damaged. “Where do we even begin?”

“We must make our way to the Temple Mount,” Rast replied.

“The Temple Mount?” Judah said, turning to Rast, seeming to be caught off guard. “But I thought it was lost?”

Rast looked at him. “Only to those without eyes to see. It’s out there, to the east.”

“What is it?” Thaqib asked. Judah looked concerned.

Halima spoke, her voice heavy, “It’s where the war ended. The place from which the Veil was erected by the last Czepta.”

Thaqib had a sudden realization, “But that means—are you saying we need to go offshore? Leave the city?” Thaqib asked, in astonishment.

“Yes,” Rast replied.

Thaqib couldn’t believe it. He’d dreamed of what was beyond the island he’d spent his whole life upon, but now—with all that was happening, he didn’t feel the sense of excitement he once may have. Instead he felt a sense of foreboding.

“We’ll need a ship,” Judah said.

“Yes, but it can’t be just any ship. The waters offshore are treacherous. The storms the Babylonians have brought upon us with their tampering have made normal sea travel far too dangerous,” Rast replied.

“Where can we find such a ship?” Halima asked.

“We must venture into the old city. Only a Zionese ship can weather the ocean.”

“You mean there are still vessels down there?” Judah asked.

“We just need to look in the right place,” Rast replied.

Suddenly they heard movement and a figure stepped over a mound of trash. He stopped in the distance, his form shrouded in shadow.

“Who’s that!?” Thaqib asked, alarmed. Judah and Rast rushed forward.

“Who are you?” Judah said. The figure stepped forward out of the shadow.

“Shifun?” Rast said. “Is that you?” It was, but he didn’t answer. “Shifun! Answer me!” Rast said. As Shifun stepped closer Rast stepped back. “What’s happened to you!?” he yelled.

“I’ve let go of resistance Rast,” Shifun said in a voice devoid of emotion. “I’ve seen the futility in our fighting against Babylon. You’ve seen it for yourself haven’t you?” he said, turning toward the blazing fire in the distance.

“Stay back!” Judah yelled, sensing something was off about him.

“I want the girl Rast. Give her to me,” Shifun said, pointing to Halima.

“I’ll do no such thing!” Rast replied, readying his cane.

“Then I will take her from you!” Shifun said lunging forward. Judah quickly stepped in wielding his crucible, blocking a strike from Shifun.

Suddenly out of the sky, a black helicopter fell, blasting them with white light. Rast quickly turned to Thaqib and Halima. “The two of you get back down there. Quickly!”

“Without you!?” Thaqib replied.

“Do it! Take the tunnel north. Follow it down until you come to the main chamber. There you’ll find the boatyard. Wait for us.”

“But Rast,” Thaqib replied, afraid to leave him.

“Go—now!” Rast commanded. Suddenly a laser rippled through the air, exploding on the ground before them, sending Thaqib and Halima flying into the dirt. “Go!” Rast yelled again.

Thaqib did as he was told and jumped back into the hatch that lead below. Halima followed after him. Thaqib took one last look as Shifun and Rast faced off.