Chapter 96 - A Caught Up Past

Everyone began to discuss what to do. Robert tried to leave the portal to discuss it with the UCDM Division. But the portal entrance was locked, meaning they get to make the choice. "If we leave this open, we will have to tell him about this part", explained Lucas to everyone. They nodded their heads. Robert voiced out his concern. 

"Then won't they send someone in and close this down? Now that they have the information for the portal from us, they will send in a mercenary team inside, and clear it", he said. Lucas rubbed his chin hard. He was thinking along the same lines. 

Ultimately, the choice lied with them. Lucas then choose the option to leave it open and make the director see his point of view, He was determined to make sure that this portal stayed open. 

"I have decided to leave it open, and make the Director see my point of view", he said. Everyone agreed with his decision, as they thought it was the sensible thing. "Rather than lying and evading, only to be caught in the future, it would be best if we come clean", thought everyone. 

He then chose the second option and left the portal open, and they exited the portal. When they came out, it was night and they were tired from the adventure they had gone through. Robert then booked a room, and they began to rest for the night. Lucas was planning on what to say the next day to the UCDM Division when they meet them.

(Near the outskirts of Heart Kingdom)

It was dark all around and a few men were wearing a black hood sprinting through the forest. They were going towards the place where Ben had defended against the invading forces, and they had to be discreet about it. 

After reaching the place, the seven men that had come began to investigate. They began to scrounge for any remains of the bodies from last night, but they were unable to find any remains. Just when they thought all hope was lost, one of the men called out to the others.

He was holding a feather that was made out of Tungsten. He was turning it around, and something inside him was stirred. His voice began to crack. "Could it be, that Cassandra is still alive?", he asked as he turned to look at another man behind him.

The man behind him had the same expression as him. The both of them were wondering if this feather indeed belonged to the person they had known. The two who were looking at the feather were the leaders of the group that was investigating. 

The both of them turned around and looked at the other five men who had followed them. "Did anyone see any feathers like this?", he asked in a commanding tone. Everyone nodded their heads to their sides, indicating that they hadn't seen any. The both of them nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

"If anyone learns or sees any feathers like this, report to us immediately. And by immediately, I mean right the second. I don't care if it's in the middle of the night. Understood!", he commanded.

"YESSIR!", came a chorus of voices from them. The man who was holding the feather looked at the sky and smiled. "Finally, it seems like there is hope for The Guardians to rise back", he muttered as his thoughts began to run wild. 

The man was none other than Alex. And the other man who was next to him was Denver. Both of them were still following Protocol X that was given to them. And the rest of them were under hiding. "Cassandra...", he said and Denver had the same look on his face.

"So does this mean that the leader is alive?", he asked. Alec turned to look at him. "He is the leader. He shouldn't be dead, not yet. I am sure of it. He must still be alive if Cassandra is alive", he said with a resolute voice.

The team left the place and headed back to where they had come from, with hopes that they would get to meet Cassandra and Michael. 

(In an Unknown Location)

A man has stood outside a room, and he drew a deep breath as he knocked on the door. A deep voice welcomed him. "Come in", said the voice. He opened the door and entered. "The Omega has reported", he said as he kept his head low.

The man who was sipping some brandy placed it back onto his table and looked at the man intently. The man was afraid to look up at him, and he hesitated. "Go on", came the deep voice from him again, startling him to his core. 

"The report says that they had followed the protocol, and the defense is strong. They weren't able to penetrate the outer level of the kingdom, and they lost the whole squad to their defenses", he reported. A purplish Aura burst out from him, and the man who was reporting shuddered. 

The man withdrew his Aura when he realized it, and the other person was slowly regaining his composure again. "Master, does this mean that there were some miscalculations?", he asked as he looked up at the man.

The man had a furious expression on his face, and he took a deep breath as he took a sip from his brandy. The expression went back to normal, and he looked at the man who was reporting. 

"Release Zelda 1.0, Kevin", he commanded. Kevin looked at his master, confused. "But, he is a failure", he reported back. The man smiled and said, "That's the point. We're going to see the progress of the improvements we made to the failure. And with the results, I think we will be able to make the perfect Zelda", he said.

"Right away, Master", he said as he left the room. The man once again took a sip and went towards a window that was overlooking the city he was in. 

"My first experiment successful experiment, Benjamin Heart. I will get you back and analyze you. I Fenrir, The Mad Scientist will find you. And when I do", a devilish smile crept up his face. Hia Aura was released, and the glass in front of him began to crack. 

"Better keep myself composed until then", he reminded himself once more. 

The assistant Kevin went to the lift and typed in a passcode. The lift began to descend, and it entered a basement that was inaccessible to normal people. He then looked around as he entered the basement, and he went towards a room.

He entered and removed the coat he was wearing. "Release Zelda 1.0. I need to speak with him", he said as he picked up a microphone from his drawer. A sound was heard, and a series of locks being unlocked was heard.

A thud was heard, and a man was seen coming towards Kevin. The man was normal-looking, and he was waiting for his orders to be given. "I am the King of the Beasts. What needs to be done?", he said in a deep voice.

"Zelda, we need you to go to a specific place and wreak some havoc. Take along the beasts that you find on your way", said Kevin as he pointed out the location of The Heart Kingdom. Zelda's eyes were fixated on the location, and he nodded his head. 

"I will honor the deal between me and the wolf, Fenrir", he said as he turned around and vanished. Kevin chuckled and muttered, "Like you made one with Master. It is all nothing but a setup."

He went back to his desk and called someone. "When you meet Zelda, or receive information that Zelda has arrived, initiate 'Ares'", he gave a simple command and hung up the line.

(On the other end of that line)

The man who had picked up the call was shivering from fright. "They have released project Zelda?", he thought as he hung up the line. He quickly called up everyone who was under him, specifically the Zookeepers.

"I have received a call from the headquarters. It seems they have launched Project Zelda. And we have been ordered to follow the 'Ares' Protocol", he said. Everyone had their eyes wide, as they thought there was still time to before they initiated the said protocol.

Everyone left the room and began to prepare for the protocol. They all knew that a storm was brewing, and it was no ordinary one either. One of the Zookeepers had a smile on his face, and he was humming a tune. 

"It is time to see which among my Zoo perform well", he smiled as he left the place, heading towards his so-called 'Zoo', which was a prison for all the experiments that were being conducted. 

(At the Guardian's Tower)

Ben and Merlin had gone through several checks, and everything had turned up normal. Leon and Bradley let out a sigh of relief. Ben was talking with Jason, and he was teaching him how to redirect his anger into pushing him to become stronger.

"Now, I need you to remember that this is just a temporary fix. I will talk with Leon about letting you go and learning about your past. Maybe you might find something useful there, and you will be able to control your anger further", said Ben as he prepared to leave the tower back to his residence.

Jason nodded his head fervently, and he took an oath within him. "The next time I meet him, I will be strong enough to defend myself. And I will set out to seek my origins." Ben and Merlin left the tower, and they headed back to the palace.

After reaching the palace, Ben bid Merlin goodbye and the both of them parted ways. For now, they had planned to keep this thing a secret, and they didn't want their enemy, The Omega to take notice of their presence.

"Seems like we can never outrun our past.. In the end, mine has caught up", sighed Ben as he entered his room,  and went to bed due to exhaustion.