Chapter eleven: Day one: So, who can drive?
When I was younger, I typically spent most of my time tracking up mountains. Most of the time it was for fun, but other times it was to survive.
Funnily enough, hunting in the summertime tends to get a bit hectic in Alaska, so I normally spent more time tracking to get to the better hunting grounds.
The journey’s were normally brutal, not to mention tiring.
Yet, even those days didn't compare to the walk we had before us.
For the first few hours, everyone had high hopes as we marched onwards to the sound of Ronnie’s blurring music.
After half the day had passed, we all began to feel the burden in our legs.
Kamy Falvey: (Just coming over another hill, sweating profusely) ‘My legs are killing me. Couldn't we just, you know, sit down for a few minutes?’
X.D: ‘Like I said, the next town we come across, we will take a break.’
Kamy Falvey: ‘Oh yeah Do you see any towns around here?’
She gestured out at the open landscape of fields, hills and trees.
Dakota Way: ‘Yo, dudette, it's not that bad.’
(He said, as he jogged past her without as much as a bead of sweat on him.)
Kamy Falvey: (looking him over) ‘Yeah, easy for you to say!’
A sudden screech boomed out of the radio. Then, static.
Ronnie Manning: (Shaking the radio) ‘No! Don't you dare die on me!’
He shook the small metal box, until not even static could be heard.
X.D: ‘Anyone have any batteries?’
Unsurprisingly, nobody did.
Miu Shizuka: (Removing pieces of cloth from her ears, breathing a sigh of relief) ‘Finally!’
Muco ufthen: (Subtly)‘...Town to the north.’
Kamy Falvey: (looking around) ‘Which way is north?’
Muco pointed out a small shape of a town in the distance.
Although the buildings where a little off course from the direction we were traveling in, that didn't stop Kamy from making her way over to them.
On arriving, I could safely say that this was a ghost town. With almost all the buildings in complete ruins and the roads completely covered in cracking cement, this town had been abandoned a long, long time ago.
Kamy Falvey: ‘(Whistling) This place has seen better days.’
Miu Shizuka: ‘That's an understatement.’
Kamy Falvey: ‘I wonder if there’s still anyone around.’
X.D: ‘There Shouldn't be. Not this far off course from where the convoy’s going. Maybe a few squatters though.’
Muco Ufthen: (With his eyes darting from building to building) ‘Something doesn't feel right here.’
X.D: ‘Agreed. Keep vigilant, and try not to make too much sound…’
The loud shattering of glass behind made me turn on my heel.
Xiil and matchbox had located a metal bin, and had just thrown it through the window of the only standing shop in the town. The two of them were just climbing through the window, ready to loot the place.
X.D: ‘(Crossing my arms) Do you two ever think about anything other than looting and destroying things?’
Pausing mid movement, both boys looked at me, then at each other, then back at me. With a simple shrug, the two went inside.
Ronnie manning: (Also climbing through the window) ‘Oh, I wonder if they have batteries!’
Miu shizuka: ‘(Rolling her eyes, stepping through the window frame) Please have mercy on my soul.’
Kamy Falvey: ‘(Calling in) Is there any food? I'm starving!’
Dakota Way: ‘(After hearing the word “food”, climbing through the window, accompanied by Kamy) Me too man! Lets check.’
So, everyone climbed through the window, leaving Muco and me outside.
Exchanging the same glance, we both sighed.
X.D: ‘ *shrug* Well, if you can't beat them….’
Muco Ufthen: ‘*sigh* ….Join them….’
Unlike the others, We took the more civil approach.
Opening the front door to the shop (Which was unlocked, just for the record), we both took a few steps inside.
As expected, the inside was fairly empty. With most of the shelves completely cleaned out, all that remained were a few piles of different foods and other lesser items.
Although Matchbox and Xiil seemed a little displeased, Dakota and Kamy where in their element.
Dakota Way: ‘Yoooooo! Check it out! Chocolate!’
Kamy Falvey: ‘Are you sure that's safe?’
Dakota Way: ‘Of course! It's in a wrapper!’
Kammy falvey: ‘....I dont think thats how…’
She was too late. Dakota had already unwrapped and eaten the whole bar.
Kamy Falvey: ‘....How was it?’
Dakota way: (Smiling) ‘Chocolaty. Why?’
Kamy Falvey: ‘Because I'm hungry!’
With his response, Kamy opened another bar of chocolate beside her and took a big bite.
Miu Shizuka: (Turning her nose up at the two of them) ‘Kamy, I expected better from you.’
Kamy Falvey: (Talking with her mouth full) ‘I eat junk food all the time. I don't see how this is different.’
Ronnie Manning: ‘(Excitedly) ‘Aha! Found some!’
Removing his head from a draw, Ronnie had a packet of batteries in hand.
Miu Shizuka: ‘.....’
Ronnie started plugging the batteries in. with a click, he undone the back.
Ronnie Manning: ‘Drats, the batteries don't fit.’
Upon hearing this, a relieved smile spread across Miu’s face.
Miu Shizuka: ‘Allow me to try Ronnie….’
Making him step aside, Miu held onto the batteries, looked at the radio….
….morphed her fingers into their bladelike form, cut the radio to shreds, then placed the batteries neatly on top of the ribbons of radio.
Miu Shizuka: (With a childlike smile, morphing her fingers back to normal) ‘There you go Ronnie. Glad to be of assistance.’
Ronnie looked at her with obvious horror in his eyes.
Ronnie Manning: ‘Y….you….killed it….’
Picking up the pieces of radio, Ronnie began to cry as he slowly gathered the pile of ribbon and hugged it on the floor.
X.D: ‘Miu, that was mean.’
Miu Shizuka: ‘Yeah right, he will get over it…’
Rolling around on the floor, Ronnie began to cry louder.
Miu Shizuka: ‘....Eventually…’
Muco Ufthen: ‘(Silently) Hey, we have company.’
Peering out the shattered window, I could see movement off at the end of the road.
Walking along a convoy of two vehicles, a small group of IWEC troops, no more than twelve, were passing through the area, accompanied by an E.C mech.
Miu placed her hands over Ronnie's mouth to shut him up.
Muco Ufthen: ‘(To me) ‘Plans?’
X.D: (looking over at the stairs) ‘Yeah, wait here.’
Quickly, I ascended up the stairway, onto the top floor. Thankfully, my suspicions were correct, as there was a hatch leading to the roof.
X.D (Going half way down the stairs) ‘Dakota, I need your help.’
Without a word, the boy run up the stairs with me.
On the roof, I was able to look down at the group of soldiers. Luckily for me, none of them seemed to be looking up at the time, since all of them were human apart from the E.C mech, so they seemed occupied in a conversation about cars and boring stuff.
Dakota Way: ‘What you need me to do dude?’
I looked behind me at the incredibly large bulletin board on the roof.
X.D: ‘Once they are under us, I need your help to push that thing down on them.’
Dakota Way: ‘Alright, tell me when.’
As sneakily as the tall boy could move, he positioned himself behind the board and waited for my signal.
Once they began passing the building, I waved at Dakota.
With a mighty shove, the metal structured buckled, then collapsed off the roof.
Tumbling down, it landed with a sickening crunch on top of the mech and a few troops. However, the vehicle was still untouched.
Thankfully, Miu was quick to act.
Strolling up casually to the vehicle, she tapped on the window. From inside, four guards all stepped out of the vehicle, arms shaking as they pointed their weapons at her.
Miu Shizuka: ‘Awww, are you guys afraid of little me?’
She giggled.
Miu Shizuka: ‘It's them you need to be worried about.’
With a few swings, Muco and Kamy annihilated the group of soldiers.
Jumping down from the roof, I landed with a thud on the ground beside the others.
Dakota Way: (Calling from the roof, then heading over to the stairs) ‘Yo, you guys, I will be down in a sec!’
Miu Shizuka: ‘Brilliant plan as always Pumpkin.’
X.D: ‘If you could call that a plan.’
Kamy Falvey: (Pointing at the vehicle) ‘Can we take this! Please, please, pretty please?’
I weighed through all the options, but in the end I just came to the conclusion that I too couldn't be bothered to walk.
So, car it was then.
X.D: ‘Sure.’
Kamy Falvey: ‘Yes!!!!’
She hopped into the back of the vehicle. Since it was a kind of large military-issue pick up truck, it had two front seats, a set of three back seats, and a large open trunk.
Kamy Falvey: (Sat in the trunk) ‘Well? Who’s driving.’
For a second, I went to offer myself as the driver….until I realised that I can't drive a car.
Yeah, I can drive a spaceship, but I can't drive a car. Trust me, the two really aren't the same.
X.D: ‘Who can drive?’
Miu Shizuka: ‘I can.’
X.D: ‘When did you learn to drive?’
Miu Shizuka: ‘When I was six, I drove my father’s car into a river.’
X.D: ‘How does that make you able to drive?’
Miu Shizuka: ‘I steared it there deliberately so that I could watch his car sink and laugh at him.’
X.D: ‘....oh…’
Miu Shizuka: (Opening the front door) ‘Those were such touching memories.’
Guiding a heartbroken Ronnie out the shop, matchbox and yukkio lead the poor man to the car. Giving miu evil eyes, the two shook their heads.
Miu Shizuka: ‘Oh come on! It's just a radio!’
TO that, ronnie burst out crying again.
Miu Shizuka: ‘*rolling her eyes* What if I get you a new radio eventually?’
Instantly, Ronnie stopped crying, cheered, then hugged her.
Pulling away as quickly as possible, Miu sat in the driver's seat.
Ronnie Manning: ‘Shotgun front seat!’
Sitting right next to Miu, Ronnie's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the radio in the center of the car.
Miu Shizuka: (looking Ronnie in the eyes, losing her temper, stuffing cloth into her ears) ‘.....Fine, just play whatever the hell you want….’
With that, Ronnie switched on the radio. Flicking it over to a completely different channel…
Blurting out heavy rock, Miu gained a small smile on her face, then removed the cloth from her ears again.
As everyone got into the vehicle, I ended up sitting along with dakota and Muco in the back seats, whilst the other three sat in the trunk.
Once everyone was in, miu put her foot down on the pedals, turning the vehicle around with serious speed, then going full throttle down the road….
….
Meanwhile on the convoy,
Going at a steady pace, the vehicles maintained an orderly fashion along the roads of Russia.
Opting to walk instead of riding along with a vehicle, Leilei was taking in the simple pleasures of life, by chasing a butterfly that had just flown into the path of the road.
Darting swiftly after it, She pounced multiple times, Missing it with every lunge.
Crystal: ‘(To Davis, sitting in the back of a transport truck) How is she meant to be a weapon?’
Davis Drafter: ‘(Walking alongside the vehicle with Crystal) *Shrug*
Ryu Jianar: (Sat next to Crystal, on a laptop, not looking up from the screen) ‘Somone tell her to stop jumping back and forth between the vehicles. She will get herself killed.’
Pint: (walking alongside Davis, calling to Leilei) ‘Hey, Las, Be carefull would ya?’
Taking no real notice of pint, Leilei kept on chasing the butterfly.
Pint: (shrugging) ‘Well I tried.’
Crystal: (Getting off the truck) ‘You're useless.’
Pint silently agreed with her.
Catching up to the prancing girl, Crystal stood next to her, with Mr Wiggles clinging onto her shoulder.
Crystal: (Walking over with confidence, then on arriving, losing her confidence immediately) ‘Hey…..erm….’
Leilei Chiko: ‘(looking at crystal) ‘Hey!’
Crystal: (Awkwardly) ‘Hi.’
Leilei Chiko: ‘Want to help me catch this buttery fly?’
Crystal: ‘I...erm….’
She stared at the butterfly for a few seconds.
Leilei pounced at it again, this time capturing it in her jaws…
However, Leilei didn't seem to realise, as she swallowed the bug. whole
Leilei Chiko: (Looking around in confusion) ‘Where did it go?’
Crystal: ‘.....Nevermind.’
A.C Soldier: (Calling back from the front of the convoy) ‘Hold up, chokepoint ahead!’
Just in front of the convoy was a road leading in between two buildings. From first glance, they seemed like office blocks, however upon taking a closer look at the surrounding area, these buildings must have been placed there for other purposes, as there were no other houses or buildings around to suggest a working environment.
With each of the vehicles coming to a complete standstill, the front troops pulled out a few eyebots from their vehicles, activated them, then sent them to investigate.
For a while, everything seemed completely fine. No apparent readings popped up on the radars.
That hopeful thinking was stopped by a shotgun shell piercing one of the eyebots.
Counting a few dozen mech troopers, each one started raining down gunfire into the convoy. Thankfully, those on the frontline where able to duck into cover in time, narrowly avoiding death from above.
Taking no risks, Pint and a few other troops immediately pulled out heavy duty weaponry, tearing into the building with lead.
After a few moments of gunfire, everything went silent.
The aggressors had been completely annihilated.
Pint: (Taking off the LMG and placing it back onto the truck, talking to the troops) ‘Great shooting! That's the kind of accuracy I like to see lads!’
All the troops smiled, then went back to their positions.
Lucia and Atsuko Came rushing up to the front, accompanied by other medics and engineers.
Ryu Jianar: (To the group rushing over) ‘Nobody’s injured, but the front truck got shot up pretty bad.’
Nodding, the medical team, along with Lucia went back, whilst Atsuko and the engineers made quick work with patching up the front truck.
With no more than a few minutes repair, it was already able to get back on the road.
Lewis Sterge: (Walking over from the back of the Convoy) ‘Everything alright up here?’
Pint: ‘Yeah, just took out an ambush. No biggy.’
Lewis nodded, then went over to Atsuko, who was still checking over the front vehicle. Although she wanted to use her robotic arms, she still felt to embarrassed by the people around her to do so.
Lewis Sterge: (Mainly to Atsuko) ‘Everything good here?’
Atsuko Viola: ‘(Just finishing up) ‘Y….yeah, just a f….few bullet holes, n...nothing s….serious.’
Lewis Sterge: (Walking along with Atsuko) ‘Good, good.’
Atsuko Viola: (Awkwardly walking) ‘....Y….yeah…’
The two got half way back to their positions before Lewis Talked to her again.
Lewis Sterge: ‘Is something troubling you Atsuko?’
Atsuko Viola: ‘...n...no…….K...kinda….. It’s j...just that I w….want to get this all over and d….done with…’
Lewis Sterge: ‘(Laughing with her, not at her) Don't we all. Don't worry, it will all be over soon.’
Half distracted by her own thoughts, she slowly noded.
Lewis Sterge: ‘Anyway, I have to get back and tell the Capt’n about what happened. If you need to talk to anyone, know that everyone's around when you need them.’
He smiled.
Lewis Sterge: ‘Even Davis is soft when it comes to speaking your mind. Surprisingly, that old grump can be sympathetic from time to time.’
Atsuko Viola: ‘T….thank you L...Lewis.’
Lewis Sterge: ‘Any time.’
Leaving her, he marched on back to the capt’n to give the heads up on pressing forward with caution.
With everything back in order, the convoy proceeded on its journey.
Chapter eleven: Day two: Preparing for combat
I have never been one for cars.
Don't like driving them, don't like sitting in them.
Ships and spacecrafts I enjoy, as the rides tend to feel less chaotic, but something about cars makes me feel like I'm in a metal prison being rolled at high speed down a cliff.
That being said, Miu’s driving felt no different.
Taking what she called a “Minor detour”, we found ourselves bounding over hillsides.
Clinging on for dear life, Everyone tried their hardest to sit steadily in the vehicle, as it was thrown in every direction.
Enjoying the ride more then she should have, Miu finally parked the car.
I Say parked.
Miu Shizuka: (Shouting) ‘....Well, it wasn't my fault, I couldn't see!’
X.D: (Semi-shouting back) ‘Miu, you drove the car into a tree in broad daylight.’
Miu Crossed her arms.
Miu Shizuka: ‘I had something in my eye.’
Kamy Falvey: (Moaning) ‘Does this mean we have to walk now?’
I pointed at the car, which was practically wrapped around the tree.
X.D: ‘Do you think you can get that running again.’
She shook her head.
X.D: ‘Then walking it is!’
Everyone groaned. (Except Dakota of course)
Walking a few miles more, we ended up passing allot of trees, hills, fields… even a small farm at one stage.
Nobody really said anything to one another. I think everyone was mainly a bit pissed at Miu’s driving to really have anything noteworthy to talk about.
The day was nearly at an end when we finally arrived at our destination.
Just on top of a large hillside, we were stationed next to a sheer drop right beside the main Facility. With the treeline surrounding us, we all got down to monitor the area.
From what I could gather, the facility itself seemed to be well fortified. With a single wall blocking out a fair section between it and the facility, I wasn't able to tell if there were any other smaller buildings between the facility itself and the wall.
That being said, I was able to see the facility in all its horrifying glory.
The entire base of the building was made of half of a sphere, which ended in a giant diamond at the top. The diamond itself seemed to be made up of an entirely different material to the building itself, being layered in a silvery black lining. Upon further investigation, I could easily see that it was made up of billions upon billions of receivers, each beeping every few seconds.
Dakota Way:(A bit impatient) ‘X.D, what do we do now dude?’
X.D: ‘(Looking back at the other) Not much we can do until the convoy gets here.’
Muco Ufthen: ‘Do we at least have a plan?’
I turned back around to look at the facility.
X.D: (Pointing when speaking) ‘Once the others get here, we will need to get through that wall. Matchbox, Xiil, you two will be in charge of breaching.’
The two boys pulled out a few sticks of dynamite. Matchbox smiled at me and raised his thumb.
X.D: ‘Once inside, you two will stay and guard the entrance. Miu and Kamy, you two are in charge of infiltrating the facilities storage bay and locating the teleportation devices.’
Miu Shizuka: ‘With pleasure.’
Kamy Falvey: (Confused) ‘The what now?’
Miu Shizuka: (With a smile) ‘Never you mind now. You will see soon enough.’
X.D: ‘In the meantime, I will go with Muco to the core and deactivate the whole system.’
Ronnie manning: (Pointing at Dakota) ‘What about us boss?’
X.D: ‘You two will…..ermm….’
Miu Shizuka: ‘You are in charge of acting as the distraction. Go around and see what you can sabotage while you're at it.’
Dakota Way: (Scratching his head) ‘is it an important job?’
Miu Shizuka: (Lying) ‘Yes.’
Dakota Way: (Happily) ‘Cool.’
With a kind of plan in place, we hunkered down and waited.
…
Night enveloped the convoy.
The Capt’ns forces had been traveling non stop on the road for a day now. Every mile taken felt like a year.
With the surprise attack earlier, everyone was on edge, whether they admitted it or not.
Taking in the fresh evening air, Crystal Walked alongside the front vehicles with Davis, Pint and lewis.
Pint: ‘’...So anyway, we went to light the fireworks, but Carl managed to get the twine caught around his legs, so when they went off, the firework wrapped around him and got stuck up his jacksy!’
The small droid burst out laughing.
Lewis Sterge: ‘(With a smile) That must have hurt.’
Pint: (Almost in tears from laughter) ‘Oh yeah, he was stuck in hospital with a cast on his ass for months!’
Crystal started slowly nodding off as she walked, but luckily snapped back into consciousness before she fell over.
Davis Drafter: ‘Everything ok?’
Crystal: ‘...Yeah….it's just….*yawn* tired.’
Lewis Sterge: ‘Go to sleep Crystal. It's best to have as much energy as possible for tomorrow.’
Crystal: ‘But what if…’
She started nodding off again.
After coming back too, she awoke in the back of one of the transport trucks on a small makeshift bed.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and stretched.
As she did so, in her peripheral vision, a pair of glowing yellow and purple eyes beamed down on her from the large crate next to her bedside.
Leilei Chiko: (Beside her, watching her) ‘Morning!’
Crystal: (Jumping, then realizing it's leilei) ‘Geez, Leilei, why are you watching me sleep?’
Leilie Chiko: ‘(Smiling) You snore when you sleep.’
Crystal: ‘What?’
Leilei Chiko: ‘You snore like this….’
Leilei sprawled out on her back across the box. Opening her mouth wide, she started snoring incredibly loud.
Crystal: (Moody) ‘I don't snore!’
Leilei Chiko: (Laughing) ‘You do too!’
Crystal rolled her eyes.
Standing up, she looked out the back of the truck.
It was pitch black.
Crystal: (Rubbing her eyes) ‘What time is it?’
Leilei Looked around for a clock. Sadly there wasn't one around.
Then again, leilei can't tell the time anyway, so it would have been a fruitless attempt.
Suddenly, all the vehicles came to a stop.
Crystal: ‘What the….’
Hopping out the back, she headed straight for the front line.
Everyone was there.
Kiri: (Noticing Crystal) ‘A little late to the party.’
Jamie Eruu: ‘Party hasn't even started yet boss.’
Crystal: ‘Whats happening?’
Andrew webber: (Leaning against the truck next to him) ‘We’re here.’
Crystal: ‘Here?’
Lewis Sterge: ‘The facility is just over that ridge.’
Lewis pointed over to small incline. Due to the thick darkness, Crystal was only able to see the very tip of the facility peering over the top of the mound.
Capt’n: (Appearing from behind Crystal, Calling back to the vehicle's) ‘Remember your formations soldiers! Set up and execute.’
Information, the vehicles parted ways, circling around the outskirts of the facility. Maintaining a pretty far distance, none of the vehicles fired. Each one stayed in the treeline behind the ridges.
After a short while, all the vehicles had moved into a U shape around one side of the facility.
Kiri: (To her group, then to everyone else) ‘Right you four, follow me! And good luck all of you.’
Exchanging words of encouragement, Kiri and her squad disappeared into the thick of night.
Meanwhile, Just behind the group,
Inside the small encampment just a few miles down the road from the facility, Ryu and Yuuto had been put in charge of maintaining the area. With a few large tents and the remaining town’s buildings, this was where repairs would be made, lives would be saved and information would be gathered.
Preparing the largest house to be used as a makeshift hospital, Lucia and Atsuko Where working hard on cleaning the place, as well as setting all the equipment, accompanied by the other members of the medical team.
Ryu Jianar: ‘(Walking in) Atsuko, a word quickly…’
Hastily, she made her way over to Ryu.
Ryu Jianar: ‘We need you to be in control of the secondary command board for all the combat mechs. I don't have enough hands to do it myself, and even though Yuuto insists that he can do it himself, I really don't want to risk it.’
Atsuko Viola: ‘O...ok…’
Ryu Jianar: ‘(Whispering, being sympathetic) ‘...I know it's a big responsibility, but Yuuto and I will help if anything goes wrong.’
She nodded with a small amount of encouragement in her.
Leilei Chiko: (Off in the distance) ‘Hey! Anyone? Where am I supposed to go?’
Ryu Jianar:(To Atsuko) ‘*sigh* Once we get the command, head on to the control room. ‘
With a nod, the two separated.
Ryu Jianar: ‘(Walking over to Leilei) There you are Leilei!’
Leilei Chiko: (Sadly) ‘The weird man with the hat told me to come here.’
Ryu jianar: ‘You mean the capt’n’
Leilei Chiko: (scratching her head with her paws) ‘I think so.’
Ryu Jianar: ‘Your over here Leilei….’
Ryu showed Leilei to a small tent. Inside was a simple bed, a light and a switchboard with many different switches, buttons and lights.
Ryu Jianar: ‘You're in charge of monitoring the switches leilei. Whenever one of them flashes, flick it.’
Leilei Chiko: ‘Ok, why?’
Ryu Jianar: ‘It's a very important job Leilei. If you don't do this, we could lose the war.’
With those words, Leilei’s tone changed entirely.
Leilei Chiko: (With a serious face, saluting) ‘Yes mr sir!’
Immediately, she got to work, flicking each switch as it turned on.
Leaving her to it, Ryu returned to the control room.
The inside was like any other room, filled with an abundance of computers and other unspecified machinery. Sitting over on one of the desks, Mr Wiggles and Raisen had been placed in separate containers to keep them safe. Mr wiggles in a little cardboard box, and Raisin in his bird cage.
Yuuto ito: ‘(As soon as Ryu walked in) ‘Where did you go off too?’
Ryu Jianar: ‘I put Atsuko in charge of our mechs.’
Yuuto ito: ‘I already told you I had it covered.’
Ryu Jianar: ‘It's just extra hands Yuuto. Besides, she's brilliant when it comes to these kinds of things, you know that.’
Yuuto Ito: (Grumbling a bit) ‘What about that cat girl?’
Ryu Jianar: ‘Oh, Leilei’s fine.’
Yuuto ito: (Smiling) ‘Did she fall for the fake control panel thing?’
Ryu Jianar: ‘Yeah, she’s in there now, working away at the switches.’
Yuuto ito: ‘Good. that's one distraction out the way.’
Ryu Jianar: (Sitting down, leaning back on the chair) ‘Yep. all we can do now is wait.’
…
Silence flooded the battlefield.
Not a single person spoke. The only sound that enveloped everyone was white noise.
Pint: (To the Capt’n, who was standing at the edge of the ridge with pair of night vision binoculars) ‘What are we waiting for?’
Capt’n: ‘(Not looking at him, still looking through the binoculars) for the sun to come up. We can't fight in complete darkness. Too risky.’
Crystal: ‘But won't we have stealth on our side if we do?’
Davis Drafter: (A bit grouchy, just like a soldier) ‘What he’s trying to say is that we will attack at sunrise, so that we have just enough light to see, but not enough so that they can easily spot us.’
Returning to silence, The team waited.
Upon the sun making it's arrival over the horizon, The Capt’n braced his arm in the air.
Yet, before he could lower his hand, the sound of gunfire tore out through the early morning air.
The last battle had begun.
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part one: The two sided coin that war is!
Darkness has never truly been an ally to me.
I remember times where I had stayed out for way too long, and especially in the Alaskan winter times, it does get incredibly dark when the sky gets completely choked out by the clouds. I have gotten lost on multiple occasions up in the mountainsides, leading to me either taking many cuts and bruises trying to find my way back, or just simply camping out for the night.
On this occasion however, Darkness decided to become all buddy-buddy with us.
We had been waiting for so long that most of the team had gone to sleep.
Yet, all hope of a decent rest flew out of the window upon hearing the screams of bullets in the air, accompanied by the clacks and explosions.
Kamy Falvey: (Waking up, wiping drool from her chin) ‘W...whats going on?’
X.D: ‘Action time. Let's move.’
Miu Shizuka: ‘(Sat with her legs dangling off the ridge) Not yet. We have a few stragglers looking this way.’
Muco Ufthen: ‘You can see that from here?’
Miu pointed to her eyes and winked at him.
X.D: ‘(Grumbling) You can see them but you can't spot a tree in an open field…’
Miu Shizuka: (Ignoring my grumbling, still focused over at the wall) ‘Ok, they moved, let's go.’
With clumsy footing, we all made our way down the side of the ridge, sticking as close to each other as possible. Arriving at the bottom, we advanced slowly over to the wall.
The closer we got, the louder the sound of gunfire and explosives was. Every second the air was alive with loud shrieks and pops.
The very air itself felt heavy, as if it had been electrified in some way.
Just a few steps away, we all ducked down into a small pit beside the reinforced concrete.
X.D: ‘(Whispering, to Matchbox and Xiil) ‘You two ready?’
Xiil handed Matchbox a few sticks of dynamite. With a psychotic smile on his face, the boy jumped out of the pit, rushed to the wall then Started lighting fuses.
Sticking the dynamite onto the wall, he had just enough time to make a picture of a heart out of the explosives before diving back into the hole.
Watching the fuses shrink, I braced myself.
With a loud boom, chunks of debris flew over us.
Peering out, Matchbox had blown a non-heart shaped hole in the wall.
Needless to say, he was disappointed. Still, we entered, taking a few guards by surprise.
Doing their job, Matchbox and Xiil made short work of the mechanoid troops.
Inside, things were a little bit different to what I expected. The internal wall actually protected a makeshift spread-out military base, as there were hundreds of small and large warehouses between us and the facility itself.
Although I wasn't able to see the vast extent of buildings over the wall from our last position, I had a feeling that this would have been the case, rather than just empty space.
However, this wasn't the time for sightseeing. Upon stepping foot inside, I turned to the others.
X.D: ‘Remember the plan people. Good luck.’
With simplistic nods, everyone headed their separate ways.
Miu and Kamy to the right, Dakota and ronnie to the left and Muco and I through the middle buildings.
Still at the entrance of the hole, Matchbox and Xiil stood straight with their arms folded.
Nobody was getting in. Nobody was getting out.
…
Back on the main battlefield, things had already gotten hectic.
In their current positions, the Capt’n thought that his army were better off, as shooting down from above usually gave them the advantage.
However, he underestimated the power of the IWEC.
With all of the best Mechs and troops in the IWEC roaster bunkered behind the cover of the wall, along with tanks, E.C mechs and doors, the war was officially a coin flip in power.
With the morning darkness coming alight with orange and blue strips of light, each side traded bullets and artillery, blowing cover to smithereens, while reducing each other to piles of scrap and corpses.
As a forward gunner, Pint had set up inside of a ditch with an LMG and a crate of ammo. With Davis feeding the bullets, He kept any troops who dared to try and approach at bay.
Lewis, accompanied by Crystal just a few steps away from them, where setting up cover, using sandbags and other reinforced barricades. The two were trying their hardest to keep the advance going, waiting for the opportunity to rush forward, create cover for the troops, then rush back to get more.
Providing cover to the team, Kiri’s group had been appointed by the Capt’n to not only take out important targets, but to also point out potential threats and call them into either Ryu or the group below. They had been appointed as the guardian squad.
On the over side of things, back at the A.C Base of operation, Ryu was on overtime.
With Yuuto and Atsuko at his side, the three were constantly monitoring the area, controlling the mechanoid troops and providing information to the capt’n. With no time for conversation, the three sat in complete silence, their minds only focused on their jobs.
In the other building, with the sheer amount of injured coming in, Lucia was also struggling to keep up. Tending to the wounded with the best of her abilities, she made sure to prioritize the fatally injured over the wounded, holding out hope to save as many brave souls as she possibly could.
Yet, even with everyone's best efforts, things were only just beginning.
On the battlefield, small squads of troops on both sides started to push forward, trading bodies and bullets.
Making sure to send the mechanoid troops first, Atsuko lead squads into battle fiercely, taking out as many main objectives as possible, removing an artillery team off the corner of the walls main entry point.
Trying to uphold this advantage, she lead a group of three heavy duty mechs into the area to try and seize the entry point.
The IWEC simply reinforced the point, wiping out the troops with ease.
Just like war, every action seemed to be a two steps forward, three steps back system.
Nobody was able to take a foothold. Whenever either side started pushing forward, the other would respond with even mightier force.
After moving a few more pits forward, Pint had set himself up with another crate of ammo, and was shredding a passing tank to pieces.
As it crumbled to the sheer firepower, Davis approached, jumping up it's side and entering through the top. With only two shots, he eliminated the piloting crew.
After exiting, Davis jumped down and signalled Pint with a thumbs up.
Pint Gave him enough covering fire to get back into the pit in relative safety.
Pint: (Yelling over the gunfire) ‘I'm out of ammo!’
Davis called out across the way to Crystal.
Davis Drafter: ‘We need more ammo!’
Moving back through the safe pass she and Lewis had created, the two gathered another crate of ammunition. Hoisting it up, the two rushed back, bridging the gap using a few more barricades.
After handing the crate down to Davis, Crystal and lewis retreated back, removing the barricades to be used elsewhere.
Kiri: (Over the radio, to the group down bellow) ‘You have a group of Dizors coming in to your north. We can't get a shot on them, but they're using anti vehicle weaponry. We need them taken out a.s.a.p!’
Lewis Sterge: ‘(Through the radio) ‘On it!’
With Crystal at his side, Lewis scanned the open battlefield for the group. Spotting them just a few inches away from a flanking position, Lewis dashed across the open battlefield.
For any normal soldier, this would have been simple suicide, but not for Lewis.
With bright white eyes, he dashed forward, deflecting every bullet with his knives, shielding him and Crystal from harm.
Upon arriving at the Dizor’s location, he jumped into the pit, landing on one of their backs. Stabbing downwards, he flipped off it's back and started throwing his blades. Killing off two more, Crystal Unsheathed her cleaver, decapitating the remaining few mechanoids.
Lewis Sterge: (Ducking into proper cover, back on the radio) ‘It's done. We can push forward here and get a foothold.’
Kiri: (Back over the radio) ‘Understood.’
Wasting no time, she sent the information straight to Ryu at the command center.
Upon receiving the information, Ryu turned to Atsuko.
Ryu Jianar: ‘We have a chance to get ahead here if we send in troops now.’
Atsuko Viola: ‘U….understood but…’
Ryu Jianar: ‘But what?’
Atsuko Viola: ‘I don't k...know….the radars keep p...picking up high energy s...spikes…’
Yuuto ito: ‘She's right. We might have a problem here.’
Ryu Jianar: ‘We will worry about it later. Let's get that foothold first!’
Ordering the troops in, the three didn't notice that the energy spikes were getting higher and higher by every passing minute.
….
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part two: Blackout.
Sometimes, it's best not to question the mental stability of your comrades.
...
Inside, Ronnie and Dakota had been causing a lot of harm.
Eliminating vases and knocking over potted shrubs, the two of them were causing an absolute riot throughout the buildings behind the wall.
With the amount of commotion that the two were causing, Ronnie started to get bored by the lack of guards trying to stop them.
Ronnie Manning: ‘Hey, big guy, let's go in there!’
He pointed over the the vehicle bay’s right next to the front side of the facility.
Dakota Way: ‘I don't know dude, seems dangerous.’
Ronnie Manning: ‘It's fine, nobody’s even paying attention to us.’
He shrugged with a smile.
Ronnie manning: ‘What could go wrong?’
Any sensible person would hear those words coming out of Ronnies mouth and instantly decline.
But, this was Dakota.
Dakota Way: (Excitedly) ‘let's do this dude!’
Eagerly, the two swiftly made their way around and in through the back door.
Inside, things were rather hectic. Mechanoid troops were swiftly rushing around the area, Grabbing parts and preparing ammo in the tanks, as well as repairing their own injuries.
At first, Ronnie tried to stick to the walls. However, once the two boys were spotted, they came to realise that the mechs themselves had no interest in them. In fact, they seemed to think that the boys were meant to be there.
With a large grin, Ronnie walked into the center of the room.
Ronnie Manning: (Yelling out loud) ‘Listen up! We have new orders that just came in!’
Ronnie didn't quite expect every mech to come to a complete standstill.
Ronnie Manning: (|With their full attention) ‘We need all of you to file out onto the frontline immediately!’
The mechs stayed stationary.
Looking him dead in the eye, most of them aimed at his head.
Thing is, Although mechanoids are robots, they aren't dumb.
Ronnie Manning: ‘(Looking over at Dakota) it was worth a try right?’
Expecting gunfire, Ronnie closed his eyes.
But, he wasn't met with bullets. Instead, he was met with an awkward silence, as the mechs all marched out of the room towards the main doorway.
Suddenly, the whirring sound of an alarm went off.
Curiously, the two boys followed, poking their heads through the doorway.
With all the troops standing at the front gate, They all got into position. With the vast number of tanks, artillery, Dizors and E.C mechs, this seemed to be an attempt to push with brute force.
Ronnie Manning: (Ducking around the corner) ‘That's allot of robots.’
Dakota Way: ‘What do we do man?’
Ronnie tried to think of a plan, but was interrupted by the shrieking sound of metal.
Dakota Way: (Clutching his ears, then looking at Ronnie) ‘Dude, what the fuck was that?’
Slipping out the back door, the two went to investigate the origins of the noise.
With the metal shrieking getting louder and louder, it wasn't long before they realized that whatever it was….
….It was moving towards the front gate.
…
On the battlefield, the war had started to reach its inevitable ending.
With both sides receiving huge casualties, Everyone was struggling to get a foothold on the war ground.
Pint, who was now more than halfway toward the gate, had secured a large foothold for the Anti-collective forces. Fighting with all the might he could muster, he laid waste to any mech or human troop foolish enough to try and bridge the gap.
With Davis at his side, the two were able to hold their positions without the aid of other troops, allowing for the others to keep advancing without causing the ability for the IWEC to get collateral kills with mortar fire.
Kiri, who hadent heard much from her team, was starting to get a little bit paranoid. Every few minutes, she would call in to everyone, making sure that they were ok.
Luckily, Christian and Jamie were strong fighters. Without hesitation, they removed the lives of any trying to get up onto the ridge from behind, as well as calling out positions to the other troops around them. Andrew on the other hand was also safe, since the coward opted to hide up in a tree, spot people, and only shoot if he was sure nobody was looking in his direction. Jack, who was assigned to be on the ridge just a few feet away from Kiri, was struggling to get lines of sight, but with perseverance, was able to eliminate a good few targets.
The Capt’n, who was still up on the ridge barking down orders, suddenly heard Yuuto’s voice through his earpiece.
Yuuto Ito: ‘Scans show they are preparing for a huge push out the front doorway.’
With and understanding nod, he instantly got on the coms to order his forces to get ready.
Getting into position, each squad, including the mechanoid troops controlled by Atsuko and Yuuto, focused all fire at the entryway as waves upon waves of IWEC troops started pouring their way through.
Even with the combined firepower, it was still not enough. There were just so many.
Returning shots, the Capt’n watched in utter dismay as his troops fell.
Losing their current foothold, he finally lost his temper.
Grabbing his weapon, he rushed down to the nearest squad. Taking the command, he lead them to the frontline.
With grace and the combined force of My team, they all rushed into the foothold, slaughtering the mechanoid scum with ease.
Capt’n: ‘(Shouting) Push forward men! We will win this!’
…
Inside the A.C base of operations, things had once again started to elevate.
Noting the bleeping sounds of the monitor next to her, Atsuko turned to Ryu.
Atsuko Viola: ‘Ryu, s….something's horribly w...wrong.’
Turning to look at the energy reader, his attention was soon drawn back to the main monitor after the sound of shrieking metal pierced it's way through the sky.
Then, without warning, everything shut down.
The room was left in black.
…
Standing at the ready, the team had their weapons drawn.
Teeth gritted, Lewis tightened his grip around his blades as he stared through the gateway.
After the overwhelming screeches from inside the facility, every mechanoid troop, both A-C and IWEC, shut down. Not only where all vehicles useless, but even the guns didn't seem useable, as pulling the trigger only resulted in a sad clacking noise.
Capt’n: (Hitting his pistol a few times) ‘What the hell is going on?’
His words were answered by Footsteps. Huge ones.
Appearing at the entrance of the doorway, cloaked only by the shadows of the early morning, was a giant Dizor. It's armour seemed completely smoothed over, with every solid sheet of metal upon it appearing heavily armoured. Yet, Unlike all the mechs, everything about this one seemed entirely humanoid. It's arms, it's legs, even it's head, was designed to be shaped just like that of a human.
Wielding a giant black sword in one hand, and a shield in the other, this beast of a mechanoid slowly walked out onto the battlefield.
Drawing it's head back, the mech let out a huge deafening roar.
Throwing his weapon aside, Pint pulled two grenades from his bandola. Holding one in each hand, a smile spread across his face.
Pint: (looking at Davis, lewis and crystal) ‘Since this cheating bastard just disabled our guns, let's give him a good ol fashioned beatdown!’
Davis silently pulled a knife from his Trenchcoat pocket.
Lewis, who was already prepared, turned to smile at Crystal.
Lewis Sterge: ‘(Half jokingly) This is going to be fun.’
Crystal: ‘(With a smile, grabbing her Cleaver) ‘Dibsies on it's head!’
Pint: ‘Awh, I was about to say that!’
The mech, although still a robot, did find humour in these tiny creatures jokes.
Preparing a combat stance, it locked eyes with the four, then charged forward.
...
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part three: Battles don't end with ease
Inside, The human guards started preparing barricades and choke points.
Filling into a small warehouse, the group started barricading the door.
With a decisive kick, Muco crashed his way through. Bat in hand, the boy made short work of the guards, Caving in their heads with a single strike each.
Muco Ufthen: (Landing on the ground after hitting the last guy): ‘We should be close Xyro, the entrance is just through another warehouse.’
He went to run forward, but was stopped by a fist.
Punching him hard in the side, Andrack sent Muco flying across the room, into a set of crates, which smashed open as Muco passed through them.
With only a few bruises, Muco got to his feet, teeth gritted.
Andrack: (With his fist still out) ‘Hmph, still standing? No biggy. This will give me a chance to practice cutting the limbs off a target.’
Muco Ufthen: (Through gritted teeth, holding his bat firm) ‘I’ll kill you before you can lay another finger on me Andrack!’
Andrack: ‘(Smugly) ‘Is that so…’
From his side, I punched him hard in the face. With the sound of heavy metal colliding, Andrack spiraled backwards, Colliding with the nearby wall.
Following up, I charge forward, Blades at the ready.
Jumping, I brought my fists down into andrack. Narrowly avoiding out the way, my blades sunk deep into the concrete wall.
At my side, He pulled his javelin and went to strike.
Bringing up my arm, the tip scratched the exterior of my hand blade.
Wiping my arm sideways, I pushed him off guard.
Appearing from behind, Muco Bashed the cyborg in the back of the head. Following up, I moved underneath him, bringing my arm up into his stomach.
Although my blades weren't strong enough to pierce his armour, I raised him off the ground with force, throwing him up just enough for Muco to kick him hard through the air.
Landing with a thud on the other side of the room, Andrack got to his feet.
Andrack: (Laughing under his breath) ‘Huh, pathetic…’
Javelin in hand, he charge. Focusing me at first, he thrusted forward, yet was unable to strike through my guard.
Realising this, he turned to Muco.
Twisting his body, Andrack swiftly moved his body out of my rach, allowing him to close the gap to Muco, who was caught off guard. Arching his arm, Andrack swung his weapon, swiping the weapon out of Muco’s hand.
Sliding back from the force, Muco took the gap between him and Andrack to try and retreat to his weapon. Once he grabbed it from the floor, Andrack had already bridged that gap.
Stabbing, he narrowly missed Muco’s chest, as the boy parried the attack.
Andrack: (Taking a few attacks while speaking) ‘You will die just like that stupid bird brained fu…’
Muco was never one for words against him.
Let alone his best friend who saved his life.
With fury burning in his eyes, Muco raced around Andrack’s side. Taking a mighty swing, he dislocated Andrack’s right arm, separating his shoulder.
Letting out an agonised yell, Andrack stumbled backwards. Charging him, I Lowered my head.
Ramming him in the chest with my head at full speed, Andrack flew backwards through the warehouse wall, then colliding through the wall to the warehouse opposite.
Wasting no time, Muco and I joined him.
Laying on the ground against the opposite wall to the one he came through, Andrack was slouched, one arm hanging limply, whilst his left hand was covering his open chest.
The two of us were surprised as the cyborg started laughing insanely.
Andrack: (Still holding his chest, head down, laughing uncontrollably) ‘You….you two….are truly pathetic.’
He stopped. With a smile, he raised his head.
Eyes glowing bright white, the cyborg released his grip from his chest.
As white liquid began to flow from the open wound, I knew I was in for a fight.
Andrack: (laughing again, as the open wound began to close) ‘Dont think your the only one Xyro. You see, I can't lose. In fact….’
He grabbed his right arm. Tearing the limb off with force, he laughed again, this time more psychotic than ever.
Andrack: (Picking up the spear with his left hand) ‘I can't die. I won't die. But I can't say the same about the two of you.’
Forcing the hilt of the javelin into the the hole where his right arm was, the white liquid started to envelope the weapon. Morphing around it's form, the liquid erupted outwards, molding itself to become just like his previous arm. Yet, this time, as the liquid hardened , his hand was now nothing but the end of the javelin.
With his eyes glowing white, he braced for himself again for combat.
...
Out on the battlefield, things weren't as the team had initially thought.
With all these puny figures in front of him, the giant Dizore began it's reign of terror.
With unforeseen speed, the mech targeted groups of foot soldiers, Slaughtering the unarmed men and women.
Maintaining his nerve, the Capt’n ordered all current footsoldiers to the ridge.
Capt’n: ‘(Retreating with the groups) are you sure the four of you can take him?’
Lewis answered that question by diving straight into combat.
With precise movemints, he mounted the back of the mchs leg, trying his hardest to Sink the blade through its protective armour.
Without luck, the mech kicked him away.
Pint: ‘(To the others) If ya can get pinned, I can blow the son of a bitch to pieces!’
Crystal: ‘Got it!’
Davis and Crystal paired together. Running underneath the mech, the two narrowly avoided decapitation. Slicing lengthways from both sides, the two were just barely able to knick a hole in it's armour before they were sent in the same direction as Lewis.
Crystal: (Landing face down in dirt, then pushing herself up) ‘This is useless.’
Davis: ‘We need something that can slice through the metal…’
Lewis Got an idea.
Tapping back into his ability, his eyes began to glow white.
With incredible speed. He launched himself onto the mechanoids head.
With precision, he stuck one of his blades into it's shoulder to prevent himself from falling. Attempting to swat the boy off with his hands, Lewis was nimble enough to dodge the creature's hand.
Swinging his body, He propelled himself onto the back of the mechanoids neck.
Clinging on with his legs, He searched the creature's head for a kind of control box. Luckily his suspicions were right. Just like all the previously designed Dizor’s this one also had a kind of control box where it's head was.
Lunging two daggers into the cracks, he leaved the large panel off. Throwing his balance, he fell down along with the panel.
Swinging around, the mech caught him mid air with it's shield, slamming him into the ground next to it.
Raising to his feet, Lewis dodged backwards.
Crystal: (To Lewis) ‘Are you ok?’
Lewis Sterge: ‘Yeah, I'm fine.’
Crystal: ‘You exposed the back of his head.’
As the mech was turning around, the group were able to see all the wiring inside. However, what drew their attentions the most was a small black box, which kept bleeping green, which was attached to a weird set of coils.
Pint: ‘(Handing a grenade each to Crystal and Lewis, pointing at the exposed part of it's head) That's it's power core. You know what to do lads.’
...
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part four: Releasing hell from inside!
Back inside, we were getting decimated.
With his newfound strength, Andrack had caused havoc.
Without any chance of retaliation, Andrack grabbed Muco by the head, then threw him across the room. The boy impacted the wall so hard, the structure collapsed, burying him in a mound of rubble.
Unable to push himself out, Muco sat helpless in the pile.
Andrack: (Staring at Muco) ‘How useless. Well, I guess I can leave you to last, huh?’
He turned to me with a smile.
Andrack: ‘So Xyro, are you ready to die?’
X.D: ‘Good question…’
I unleashed my chainguns.
X.D: ‘....Are you?’
Letting loose, I fired multiple shots into Andrack. Each bullet passed through his body, but to no real useful effect. Every hole I made simply closed after a few seconds.
Then, I payed for it.
Punching me across the room, the cyborg kept dashing after my flying body, Keeping me airborn with every strike. Trying my hardest to block each punch, I found my efforts lacking, as every blow landed as intended.
Finally, He brought his javelin infused arm into play, stabbing me multiple times in the chest.
Although the blows didn't pierce deep, each one stung as the cursed black metal reacted to my parasitic blood.
With a last ditch effort of retaliation, I grabbed him by the arm. Pulling downward, I brought my blades up into his neck.
Piercing his throat, he simply smiled as his arm shot through my stomach.
Both of us pulled away from one another.
At first, I felt nothing, but the pain soon made it's way throughout my system.
Andrack on the other hand seemed unphased, as the slit across his neck soon faded back to his normal metal.
Andrack: (laughing) ‘You could have been the future of this world Xyro. You would have been on the frontline, killing the flesh bags mercilessly. But look at you now….’
Again, He stabbed me, this time through the chest.
I felt the javelin lodged in my chest cavity. As he yanked it out, I had already accepted my defeat.
Laying helplessly on the ground, I went motionless.
Andrack: (staring down at my body with a smile) ‘Hmm, that was easier then I expected.
He started walking over to muco, who sat under the rubble with tears in his eyes.
Muco Ufthen: ‘(Trying to fight his way out the rubble, close to crying from anger) I swear to god I will kill you! I will kill you!’
Andrack: ‘Hmph, is that so?’
He placed the spar over Muco’s neck.
But, as he went to speak, He heard the sound of dragged metal behind him.
Crawling to the best of my ability, I tried to stay conscious. part of me was prepared to give up. My lungs were heavy, my eyesight was reduced to a black canvas coated floor….
Yet, something burned inside….
Andrack: ‘Awhhh, you're not dead yet? Well, I would be glad too….’
X.D: (Through a blood-filled throat) ‘...I k..keep….’
I paused to look up at him.
X.D: ‘I keep my promises…..’
A force inside of me overwhelmed my body.
Looking up at the cyborg, my eyes had been enveloped by both the black and white parasites, and the horn on my head split into two, like the opening of a seal.
Oozing out with purpose, both the black and white parasites began to merge, yet equally they propelled themselves, allowing for both streams to travel out of my eyes in opposite directions. The dark parasite floating upward, while the white parasite slowly fell down my face.
Then, I felt the full power of both rush through me.
The black parasite, enveloping the external parts of my body, spread itself as a layer of darkness, like a shadow. My whole body was as if I had been covered by the night itself.
The white parasite enveloped my hand blades and eyes. Not only rapidly healing my wounds, but giving me newfound strength.
Now, With both Darkness and light merging upon my body, I looked like the embodiment of a demon. With my horn split into two sections on my head, whilst my hand blades seemed to merge with the dark coating, splitting into five parts and morphing with the dark blood to form claws.
Standing tall, I spoke with meaning.
X.D: ‘(In a deep demonic voice) ….You will die.’
Giving him no chance to react, I punched him upwards, sending him crashing through the roof of the building.
Jumping up with him, I sliced at his body with my claws. Slicing through his arm, he found that his regenerative ability wasn't as strong as it was before.
With every cut I made, my white parasite began to fight his, fending off the regenerative properties.
In sheer panic, he tried to stab me through the chest again.
Yet, as he did so, the form in front of him vanished in a puff of black smoke.
Appearing at his side, I grabbed him by the neck.
Suddenly, I was overwhelmed entirely. My head was completely taken over by power.
Throwing him back down through the roof, I jumped high up into the air.
Suddenly, the Black veil over my arms vanished and the claws combined back into hand blades.
Yet, as they unsheathed back into my hands, the power was still in control.
Drawing the Chainguns, I watched as the three cylinders combined in an ark to form a cannon. Then, the launchers on my back opened too, but this time they were much larger then I remembered.
Charging in an instant, I felt my whole body rive in agony as each cannon shot a gargantuan blast.
As the very buildings around me disintegrated to the beams of grey light, my vision faded to nothing.
...
On the battlefield, the team were still eagerly fighting the giant Dozor.
All at once, Pint and Davis tried to pin it's legs, while Lewis and Crystal ascended it's back to plant the grenades.
Upon getting to the top, Crystal Hung on tight to its shoulder.
Lewis Sterge: ‘Crystal, catch!’
He threw her the other grenade.
Undoing both pins, she lodged the explosives behind it's head, then jumped down.
Expecting a huge explosion, she was rather disappointed when it didn't blow.
Crystal: (Shouting at pint) ‘Idiot, that thing knocked out everything! Why did you think grenades would work!’
Shrugging, the team then braced themselves again for combat.
Moving forward, the mech raised its sword to initiate an attack.
Yet, he was interrupted by the loud, overbearing thumping noise which emerged from the sound of an explosion behind it.
Everyone around stared in awe and horror as a huge pillar of grey light raised out from the Facility.
The blast lasted for a few seconds, before it slowly began to fade.
Distracted by the sheer size of the blast, the mech paid for it's sloppy act in combat.
Taking the advantage, Crystal and Lewis Both tackled it's legs, Finally breaking through the armour.
Disabling them, the mechanoid slumped down hard on it's knees.
Falling to the ground, the mech began to try and crawl away.
Stepping up on it's back, Davis walked along it's spine, Before bringing his boot down hard on the back of it's head.
Davis Drafter: (Pulling a match out from his pocket) ‘Well fought.’
Lighting the match, He dropped it into the mechs head.
As he slowly walked off it's back and towards the team, the flame ignited the fluid, causing both the internal tank and grenades to explode simultaneously.
Although the explosion was small, it still caused the bits of the Dizors head to scatter across the area.
Pint: ‘(Cheering) ‘Good job ladies!’
Lewis Smiled.
Yet, Crystal and Davis both stared at the facility.
Crystal: (To everyone) ‘What was that?’
Lewis Sterge: ‘...Xyro.’
...
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part five: Heart stopping moments!
In utter agony, I slowly Picked myself up from the ground.
While I felt a little disoriented at first, I finally became aware of the throbbing pain in my skull, followed by a sickening nauseous feeling throughout my whole body.
As my eyes began to focus, I became suddenly aware of my surroundings.
Everything had been turned to nothing more but ash and rubble.
The warehouses that were around me before had completely vanished, replaced by rough steel rods and broken concrete walls.
That's when I remembered Muco. Quickly getting to my feet I scanned the area.Thankfully, I was able to spot him under the rubble.
He was alive.
X.D: (Rushing over, pulling the rubble off him) ‘Are you ok Muco?’
Muco ufthen: ‘(Helping me push the rubble off) ‘Yeah, just remind me to never pick a fight with you.’
Once he was unearthed, I helped him to his feet.
Andrack: (From behind me) ‘You….really think….you can win?’
I turned my head, expecting another fight on my hands.
Yet, all I saw was a sorry excuse of a person. With only one arm remaining, Andrack was on the ground. His body was completely charred, well, what was left of it. In fact, he was missing both of his legs and a side of his head. His eyes, which were similar to mine, had also been cracked beyond repair.
Andrack: ‘I will destroy you Xyro. Both of you. You think you won?’
With extreme speed, I appeared behind him.
Punching through his chest, I held his heart in my hand. Unlike a human heart, this one was the same shape and size, but made out of a crystal like structure. It beated slowly in my hand as I held it aloft.
X.D: ‘Well what do you know? I started to think you didn't have one.’
Pulling my arm back out, I then tossed his heart into the air slightly and catched it.
X.D: ‘Hey, Muco, batter up!’
With power, I threw the heart. It traveled through the air like a bullet.
Lining up the shot, Muco swang hard, shattering the crystal into smithereens.
Gasping for air, Andrack slowly withered, until his lifeless form was laying on the ground beneath us.
We had won.
Muco Ufthen: ‘(Wiping his brow) we….we did it.’
I looked down at my hands.
X.D: ‘...We did….’
Dakota Way: (From behind us) ‘Dude! That was freaking awesome!’
Both Dakota and Ronnie seemed to appear out of nowhere. However, the two seemed completely unscathed.
X.D: (Confused) ‘Hey, what happened you guys?’
Both Dakota and Ronnie explained that after they saw the giant Dizor, they went and sat up on one of the buildings the entire time to watch both groups fight.
I would have gotten mad at them, but let's be honest, this is Ronnie and Dakota after all.
Besides, at that moment I was distracted anyway.
All I wanted to know was what was inside the facility.
X.D: ‘Muco, where is the entrance again?’
Muco ufthen: (Pointing) ‘It's right there. All we need to do is go through the doors and down the hallway. Apparently that's where the core is. I'm not quite sure.’
X.D: ‘I thought you had been to this place before?’
Muco Ufthen: ‘I have, but the core here is only for officers.’
X.D: ‘Well, let's go then. No point in hanging around.’
Ronnie and Dakota: ‘Can we come too?’
X.D: ‘No.’
Ronnie and Dakota: ‘Oh….’
X.D: (With a wry smile, though wincing a little in pain in doing so) ‘I'm just kidding. Let's go!’
Happily, both boys trailed along as we entered the belly of the beast.
As Muco had described, we walked down a long hallway. Decorated with nothing but metal steps, live wires and many different types of pipe, which all lead down to a huge set of blast doors.
To say the least, the place felt like the inside of a computer.
Yet, once I was standing in front of the doorway, I took a deep breath and entered.
Inside was not as I expected.
The room was shaped to be like an octagon, with one side being completely filled with computer systems of different sizes, while the other part of the room had a few other doorways leading to other places.
What surprised me the most was the huge pipe in the center of the room.
It was a large glass tube, connected to both the floor and the ceiling. It was filled with a dark green liquid.
Ronnie manning: ‘(Tapping the glass with a spoon) I wonder what this is supposed to be. Looks a bit nasty to me. Do you think that they should have changed the water out before it got this color?’
???: ‘That’s not the case, human.’
A large face appeared inside the tube.
Stepping back, Ronnie nearly jumped out of his skin.
The face that appeared was rather generic in appearance. Although it was computerized, it was bright blue, which contrasted with the water around it.
This was clearly an old hologram.
X.D: ‘Who are you?’
The face smirked.
B.O.S: ‘My name is the Battle omega system, or BOS for short.’
He had the same tone as Ronnie when he spoke. I'm not sure if this was coincidence or not, but he also had the same kind of attitude, but with a raver smart side to it.
So, just imagine Ronnie, but smart.
Hard, but try anyway.
B.O.S: ‘So, you're the ones who have ruined everything, right?’
X.D: ‘We put a stop to the IWEC.’
BOS: ‘I know. I was watching Xyro.’
X.D: (Folding my arms) ‘And what is your role in all this?’
The face laughed.
BOS: ‘I am their leader Xyro. Always have been.’
He paused, then sternly spoke again.
BOS: ‘You do understand that I did this for the world's well being. Ever since I was just a small program, I have watched this world go into war after war, disagreement after disagreement. The simple fact is, humanity is a burden to this poor planet.’
The face disappeared. In his place, the hologram of a destroyed world appeared, alongside another, lush and vastly populated by plant matter world.
BOS: ‘What you don't seem to understand is that we were trying to save this world. It's one of a kind you know?’
X.D: ‘I know.’
BOS: ‘Then why? Why did you go through all of this Xyro?’
X.D: ‘Because, I'm only human. Like everyone else on this planet. I would lay down my life to stop an asshole like you thinking it's alright to exterminate human life “Just because things are greener on the other side”.’
The computer seemed almost puzzled by my words.
X.D: ‘For artificial intelligence, your very short sighted, aren't you? Do you understand that this planet, whether you like it or not, will one day be completely wiped out anyway by the sun. And even so, if you then developed the ability to travel to other planets, then what would you do? Start colonizing that one? If that's the case, then why not have just done that in the first place and take humanity with you?’
He was now well and truly beaten.
BOS: ‘Well….I still don't have regrets. Human life is pathetic after all.’
X.D: ‘Yeah yeah, holograms are assholes too!’
Yuuto ito: (From one of the computers at the side of the room) ‘I heard that Xyro!’
X.D: ‘Yuuto? How did you get here?’
Yuuto ito: ‘(Sarcastically, with a tone of sass) Someone had to hack the door open for Miu!’
As he said her name, Miu appeared through one of the doors along with Kammy. She had the largest, beaming smile across her face.
X.D: ‘Hey, did you find them?’
Miu held up a box. Upon seeing the label, I knew that it was the teleportation devices.
Miu Shizuka: ‘They are both here Pumpkin, just like Atsuko said!’
I felt the sheer amounts of relieved joy from everyone around me.
We had done it.
BOS: ‘Well, it's been fun and all, but I think it's about time I, you know…’
Suddenly, alarms started blurring. Accompanying the noise, the blast doors also closed. Then, a countdown appeared on the screens around us.
He had activated a self destruct sequence.
BOS: (Laughing): ‘Well, looks like after a few seconds, we will all be nothing but dust anyway.’
Miu walked over to the exit.
BOS: (Mockingly) ‘Trying to escape are we? Well go ahead, try to get through the blast doors!’
His laugh was soon stopped when she turned to a small panel. With a press of a button, the doors opened.
BOS: ‘.....OH….I forgot that the doors open from the inside….Well…’
We all walked out of there. Kamy and Dakota hanged back to give the hologram the middle finger as they walked out slowly.
BOS: ‘(Once we all left) ‘.....Well…..this was interesting….’
…
Dashing down the hallways, we arrived at the entrance just before we heard a loud boom.
As the facility went up in flames, the last two to exit was Ronnie and Dakota.
Running as fast as they could, Ronnie had arrived at the doorway. Turning around, he watched in horror as the entryway collapsed just before Dakota was able to escape.
One the smoke had cleared from the explosion, we all stared at the giant pile of rubble which was the facility.
On his hands and knees, Ronnie started digging through the pile.
Ronnie Manning: ‘Dakota….Dakota please! Can you hear me! Dakota!’
He kept digging and digging.
Dakota Way: ‘(Standing next to him) Dude, Ronnie, what are you doing?’
Ronnie Manning: ‘Dakota’s still trapped in there!’
Dropping to his hands and knees, Dakota started pulling piece after piece out from the pile.
You see, what happened was that just off to the left, the structure had not really caved in, so it was enough for Dakota to walk around to get out. However, Ronnie was unaware of this, as well as Dakota himself.
Miu Shizuka: (Watching with a smile, handing me a small cup) ‘Tea?’
I slowly noded.
As we recovered from the shock of the blast, we waited to see how long it would take before the two boys realized that Dakota was safe.
...
Chapter eleven: Day three: Part six: “A War Well Won!”
One hour and forty five minutes.
That's how long it took. On hour and forty five minutes until finally Dakota clocked that he was in fact Dakota.
After exchanging hugs, Both him and Ronnie joined us in walking back.
But, due to the amount of time that had passed, everyone had already gathered to look for us.
Standing proudly in the spot where the doorway of the wall was, Kiri’s group had gathered themselves, along with everyone in my group. Approaching over the rubble, everyone, including the soldiers let out a huge cheer.
We had well and truly won.
Rushing up from the ground, Atsuko Jumped at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck in loving embrace.
Atsuko Viola: (Placing her head over my shoulders) ‘Xyro, I'm so h….happy your o..ok!’
X.D: (Unable to breathe) ‘...Atsuko, you're choking me…’
Atsuko Viola: ‘(Releasing her grip) S….sorry…’
Lewis Sterge: (looking at all the destroyed buildings) ‘What happened here?’
Muco Looked at me with a questionable stare.
In response, I shrugged.
Atsuko pepped up as soon as she remembered.
Atsuko Viola: ‘W...what about the t...teleportation d..devices!’
Miu simply handed her the box.
Through glazed eyes, Atsuko stared at the box happily.
Taking no time at all, she opened it, just to make sure.
Everything was there, including the manual on the creation process.
Lewis Sterge: ‘What about the other two? Where are they?’
I had completely forgotten about Matchbox and Xiil.
When we went over to look for them, the two were still protecting the small hole in the wall. The two sat adjacent to one another, next to a large pile of mechanoid and human bodies.
They had done their job well enough.
Once we were all together, we began to make our way over to the Capt’n, who had already begun to make a speech.
Capt’n: ‘Soldiers, I can't express how grateful I am to every last one of you. Hold your heads high in knowing that everybody here is a hero.’
He paused, as he noticed our arrival.
Capt’n: ‘But, all of those who have fallen here today will also be remembered as heroes. Every last one of them laid their lives down for our freedom. I swear on every soldiers name that we will make this victory count.’
The Capt’n raised his hand in the air.
Capt’n: ‘To the anti-collective, and the freedom of our earth!’
An uproar of cheers sounded as every soldier celebrated.
Then, before Mid-day arrived, we all gathered together to raise the body of the giant Dizor, in honor of the battle that day.
…
Later on in the evening, things went from joyous intent to full on partying.
Back at the makeshift camp, the Capt’n had organised for the main field to be set up as a giant party area, with music, laughter and enough food and drink to feed the entire army ten times over.
Taking in the mood of the evening, my team all took to partying.
Pint and Davis shared out drinks over at the bar, simply discussing things with one another.
Crystal, who felt a little uneasy with partying, sat over by a makeshift campfire with Ryu. the two were simply discussing things with one another as they jotted down the notes from the war, while Crystal used her artistic talent in order to bring the images alive.
Muco was simply dragged up on stage by an over-enthusiastic leilei. For her, this was the first ever party she had been too.
At first, muco felt a little strange with all the other people around him. However, after a while of dancing and watching leilei’s overbearing smile, he felt truly happy.
On stage, Kamy was playing the songs, accompanied by Jamy with his flute, and Jack who played the drums. In total, the three made the night way more enjoyable.
The others opted to either dance or sit and eat.
Yet, I was the only person to have other plans.
Down the road, I sat with my legs dangling over the edge of the ridge.
Looking down at the previous battlefield, I felt a little uneasy.
I have always been one to overthink things, but this felt different. Looking down at the hundreds of thousands of small grave mounds, I couldn't help but feel guilty. These people laid down their lives for their own freedom from the IWEC, and yet we did it just to leave earth.
It's hard not to blame yourself when you feel as though you could have done something.
But, in this case, they did it for themselves, for their freedom, along with everyone else's.
For that, I honor them. Not as soldiers, but as people.
Miu Shizuka: (Appearing behind me) ‘Well well Pumpkin, are you not interested in partying with the others?’
She came over and sat beside me.
X.D: ‘Not really, I just…’
She looked out over the battlefield, then smiled at me.
Miu Shizuka: ‘It's over now Xyro.’
Silently, I noded.
Dakota Way: ‘Yo, dudes, not partying?’
He went and sat beside me.
Then, as if on cue, everyone else seemed to arrive, either one by one, or in small groups.
With everyone sat on the ridge, we all had silent conversations as we stared out over the wasteland.
Atsuko, who chose to sat next to me, had her head on my shoulder. She simply held onto my right arm, with a permanent smile on her face.
Atsuko Viola: (With her head still on my shoulder) ‘I'm s...so excited Xyro. It's g...going to be so cool!’
X.D: (Stroking her hair) ‘I know.’
Lewis Sterge: ‘What exactly is going to happen though kid?’
Atsuko sat up a little bit, but still had a tight grip around my arm.
Atsuko Viola: ‘I will n...need to modify the d...devices so that they can work on a s...spacecraft. Then, all we will n...need is a suitable sized craft, a few c...cryogenic pods and enough s...supplies to keep us g...going for a few years.’
Dakota Way: (Excitedly) ‘Sick dude! How long's it gonna take?’
Yuuto ito: (From the laptop beside Atsuko) ‘Around six months of work.’
Everyone let out a large moan.
Miu shizuka: ‘What will we all do in the meantime?’
X.D: ‘Don't worry, I have an idea…’
Conclusion: The start of everything new!
With so much time on our hands, I knew exactly what to do.
Returning to Alaska, all of us said our last goodbyes to the Capt’n and Kiri’s group. Although they wish they could have stayed with us a little longer, they all had important things to attend to, like re electing government officials for each country, as well as reworking all the destroyed buildings and cities.
Once we were back in the safety of my hometown, we made our way over to Wendy’s bar. Yet, when we went in, she had already heard about the battle, so she hugged Ryu and I for a long, long time.
The few months we spent there were mainly focused on working on the ship. Using allot of scrap and chassis from around ten other large IWEC spacecraft, we created a rather sizeable craft, capable of storing allot of food, water and other supplies, as well as holding all of us comfortably in our cryogenic pods.
The night before we left, I went up to the Starlly tree with everyone.
Adding a few new grave markers next to my parents, we added those who meant the world to us. Our parents, our friends. Each grave symbolised those who were lost well before their time.
We stared at the vast amounts of graves for a while, before retiring for the evening.
Then, finally, the day of the launch was upon us.
Loading the ship full of supplies, everyone was already taking their seats on the vessel.
Outside, myself and Ryu were saying our last goodbye’s to Wendy, who had decided to stay.
Wendy jianar: (Hugging Ryu) ‘...and you promise to keep yourself safe?’
Ryu Jianar: ‘Yes mom.’
Wendy Jianar: ‘And you promise to brush your teeth well, and remember too…’
Ryu Jianar: ‘Yes mom, I will, I promise.’
Silently, she hugged him for a long while.
Wendy Jianar: ‘(Breaking from the hug) I will miss you Ryu.’
Ryu Jianar: ‘I will miss you too mom.’
With a few more waves, he climbed up into the ship.
Wendy Jianar: (Hugging me) ‘Take care of yourself Xyro.’
X.D: ‘I will.’
Breaking from the hug, I waved her goodbye as i also climbed up into the ship.
Once inside, everyone seemed ready to go.
Dakota Way: (To me) ‘Come on dude, let's get going already!!!’
Taking a seat near the front, I locked myself into a chair.
Yuuto ito: ‘Is everybody ready then?’
We all yelled yes.
Then, without a countdown, we were blasting off directly into the sky.
The sheer amount of speed pulled us all back into our chairs, as we broke out through the orbit of earth and into the reaches of space.
Soon, the speed wore of, and we were able to unlock ourselves from our chairs to look out the windows.
The vast balck around us was breathtaking, since even the dark canvas was lit up by small dots of light. Even so, as we looked out the back window, we could see earth in all it's glory, accompanied by the moon rotating it. We were so far out, that the earth itself seemed tiny to us now.
Atsuko Viola: (Standing beside me) ‘....It's so beautiful.’
I noded.
Leilei Chiko: (Pulling at Kamy’s shirt, pointing out the window) ‘Ms Kamy, what's that big ball thing!’
Kamy Falvey: (Smiling) ‘That's earth kitten.’
Leilei Chiko: ‘Oh…. what about that ball!’
Kamy Falvey: ‘That's the moon.’
Leilei Chiko: ‘Ahh….why are they so small though?’
Kamy Falvey: ‘It’s because they are really far away kitten.’
Leilei Chiko: ‘Oh….what about that ball!’
Kamy Falvey: (Irritated now) ‘That's the sun leilei.’
Leilie Chiko: ‘ok….Kamy…’
Kamy Falvey: ‘(Snapping a little) What?’
Leilei Chiko: ‘I'm sleepy.’
Everyone felt a little tired too. I think the sheer amount of excitement followed by the calmness of space put everyone into a rather calm embrace.
Yuuto ito: ‘You should all set yourselves up in the cryo-pods. That way, I can wake you all up when we get somewhere that looks a bit promising.’
Agreeing to that, we each took a pod to ourselves.
While the doors closed to mine, I had a single thought on my mind as i was enveloped in ice:
Where will we end up next?
(End of the earth story)