They stared in awe, stared in bewilderment, stared in disbelief at what sight had graced their very eyes, their comrade that they believed had passed onto the next life, rose again. She herself looked around the room lethargically, past their blue glinted visors and into their streaked eyes that were full of shock. No words were spoken as she shifted her vision around the room unto the still bodies. She was baffled by their expressions along with confusion from her dazed state. She then looked down to her right hand and proceeded to remove the glove that was suffocating her body. The sounds of the buckles and fasteners were what filled the air along with the shifts of fabrics amongst her suit. Then, finally, Marcus was able to utter words from his hesitant mouth.
“Shaela?” She paid him no attention. “Shaela, are you okay?” Only the shifts of her suit responded to his question. Once her hand was free she lifted it up in front of her face, rotating it back and forth while wiggling her fingers. The veins within her hand were giving off a light blue gleam, she did not falter at the sight of this glow as she then moved to take off her other glove.
“Hey, Shaela. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Denise said to her as she kneeled down, gently grabbing her arm.
“Wait!” Marcus jutted out. “Don’t you remember what that man was saying before this? He mentioned something about the radiation and how he could use it to help.” He said to her while holding out a finger. “If that’s the case, then her suit is preventing his aid. She only regained consciousness after I took her helmet off.” Denise exchanged looks with the few others there and then proceeded to help her remove more of her suit as she began to talk with rebuke.
“I gotta say, this does not sit well with me. But I don’t think we have much choice.”
“Wait, you guys are just going to go with it!? What the hell are you guys even talking about!?” Terrence questioned as he tried to stop Denise from aiding the removal of gear. Denise brusquely shook free from his grip and looked at him with disdain.
“Look! It isn’t something we can explain briefly okay. We just have to have faith and get the hell out of here before someone else gets killed.” She had a tremor in her voice. Shaela continued sluggishly to remove the fragments that were smothering her as Marcus stepped closer and kneeled down as he began to unfasten her left glove.
“I’m sorry Terrance, but if we tried to explain now, it would just complicate things more than they already are. Go help Rafii. We’ll get her moving asap.” Terrence glowered at him, then reluctantly went over to Estelle and picked up her legs while Rafii lifted her arms.
They waited for them inside of the medevac, they had buckled Estelle down to the floor in the middle. Her short black hair wilted in the breeze that blew in from the opened hatch in the back. The warm interior lights illuminated her soft creamy face. Her closed eyes seemed at peace. The seats on both sides faced the middle as Charles sat on the left closest to her. He was looking down and into her face with his head resting on clasped hands as his elbows were propped up on his knees. His face behind the visor was tumultuously carved into a griefful scowl as strands of his curly brown hair dripped with sweat, a bead of moisture trickled down his strong nose and fell off the tip. Rafii was turned in the driver's seat so that he could look back into the cabin and out the open back where the ramp extended to the ground. Terrence sat shotgun with a hand sprawled on his head while the opposite knee bounced up and down vigorously with contempt and impatience. Finally the three others came down the flight of stairs and into the parking garage; they were straddling Shaela between the two of them with her gloves, helmet and jacket removed. They refixed the vital monitor to her bare arm which was displaying a steady heart rate. Charles did not hear their approach for he was lost in thought and grief. Rafii saw them out of the side of his eye and tilted his head up to get a better look at them. Shaela’s head was angled downwards as her blond ponytail had a few strands of loose hair that dangled in front of her face which was devoid of emotion and energy. Her face was also laced with glowing blue streaks that continued in the exposed skin that the red soaked white tank top didn’t cover.
“Marcus, what are we going to do about the medevac?” Denise asked. “She’ll be sealed off from the radiation inside of it. We can put the blast shields down, but I don’t exactly like the sound of that.”
“It would be better than wasting our reserves just to radiate her. We don’t know when we might need the backup energy.” Marcus replied. “Rafii! Put the top down! We’re gonna have to risk driving vulnerable.” Rafii responded with a thumbs up and turned to the console, then with a push of a button, the top opened up from the middle and slid down to the sides exposing the vehicle and the roll cage. Terrence shook his head in disapproval as he then gripped the handles in front of him which woke up the screen between them and the turret on top. They sat Shaela down on the right side just past Charles and strapped her into a harness. Afterwards, they put their packs underneath the seats along with everyone else's, each one locked into place as blue circular lights on the front of them displayed full radiation cells. Marcus then walked towards the back and pushed a button along the interior which raised the ramp closing off the hatch. Denise kneeled in front of Shaela as she waved her hand in front of her eyes. There was little response from her as she was slowly tracing the movements.
“I’m only going to ask this once.” Terrence said recalcitrantly. “What the hell happened back there?” Marcus let loose a deep sigh before he began to talk.
“A couple of wyverns got the best of us. But before that, we ran into a scouting crew of Tsartans. Shaela was on the bad end of that firefight. While we were waiting for you guys, we made a new friend. I’m guessing he is too busy patching things up on the inside to show himself at the moment.” He said as he put his boots into a locking mechanism in the floor and then buckled into a harness that pulled down from the roll cage above.
“You expect me to believe that bullshit!? For christ sake look at her!” Terrance yelled as he turned back and motioned his opened hand towards Shaela. “You want me to go along with this and take her or whatever is making her glow and withstand the radiation, back to our people!? Our friends!? Our families!? She looks just like those freaks from the Larriknights!” No one responded to him. He looked around at them, exasperated and desperate for a reasonable response to his outcry.
“You are just going to have to trust me, Terrence. Denise can back me up on this, Charles you’ll have to ask later. But in the meantime, have a little faith. We need to get a move on. Rafii, get us out of here.” Marcus demanded, the medevac had then begun to move. Denise took to a seat that was behind the drivers and strapped in as both her and Marcus gripped their rifles. Terrence shook his head once more as he turned to grab the handles in front of him.
As they exited the building, everyone remained in silence. Finally, Charles took it upon himself to strap in as well. Shaela slumped over and went unconscious, her monitor did not go off which put Denise and Marcus at ease. As the medevac weaved through the broken down cars, all of their bodies shifted from the momentum. Concentrating on their surroundings, they couldn’t afford to break a sweat.
“Rafii, what’s the ETA on our exit from the city?” Marcus asked.
“It is hard to say, but best guess would be forty to fifty minutes. That’s if we don’t run into trouble.”
“Maybe slow us down a bit, I don’t want us getting caught in hot water without our hard exterior.”
“Roger that.” He then eased the vehicle down to a slower pace as all of them but Charles was on edge. The city was uncomfortably quiet, especially after the explosion and the encounter with the wyverns. The only sounds that they could hear was the whir of the engine and the crackle of dirt underneath the tires. Marcus scanned the area behind them with anxiety, his imagination was spiraling out of control that he tried to soothe with deep breaths. Terrance was focused on their front side, concentrating deeply on the screen in front of him as the turret moved from side to side with his inputs via the handles.
As they continued to creep down the street, a sudden gust had picked up. The sound of the gale muffled the noise of their vehicle as well as any incoming sounds. With this coverage of wind Rafii picked up speed, taking full advantage of the situation. Marcus continued to survey their rear, the sudden sight of two translucent pale blue beasts with stakes in their midsections coming around the corner made his heart sink as he then readied his rifle and took aim. The hulking beasts were a little smaller than a sedan and had roughly the same structure as the wyverns, but took on a more canine appearance. Shortly after the beasts came out into view, a car was revealed behind them which they were pulling. The top was torn off giving the riders full view of their surrounds and made it easier for them to use offensive options. In the cab were three men who wore black hazmat gear with bright pink gas masks. The masks had four googles lined up horizontally across the front to increase their field of view. One was at the front steering the vehicle and commanding the quadrupeds as the others were in the back seats, one with a rifle while the other manned a ballista.
“You've gotta be shitting me.” Marcus said out loud, Denise turned her head to see what the cause for reaction was.
“Drakes!” She yelled, causing Rafii to snap his own head around and peer over his shoulder.
“Not just drakes!” Marcus shouted. “The goddamn people of Father managed to tame the sons of bitches! Rafii, step on it!”
“You don't have to tell me twice.” He responded as he floored the gas pedal, their harnesses tugged at them with the sudden jolt of acceleration. The men behind them caught sight of their vehicle in the distance and turned to pursue them. A surge of electricity poured out from the nails within the drakes, causing them to charge forwards into a sprint as they winced from the volts. The monster's shrieks could be heard coursing through the air with perilous ferocity, striking their ears and tightening their blood vessels. Marcus and Denise watched the troupe take to action as two other chariots revealed themselves from beyond the hidden street, following the cart that was taking the lead. Flashes of yellow flickered from the first cart which was followed by a flurry of bullets, they cracked through the air as the sounds of combustions tailed the whips.
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“Shit!” Marcus exclaimed and tucked in lower as a few rounds plinked their hull. He then raised his weapon to retaliate in defense, squeezing off a few rounds. Most of his shots missed but the few that hit dissipated into the steel, turning the surface a bright red which cooled quickly from the moving air. Denise leaned to her right and rested her arms on the side railing aiming her rifle, steading it the best she could as their vehicle was swerving from right to left and firing off a few rounds of her own. Rafii was zigzagging through the motionless cars while trying to avoid the incoming fire. After all of her shots were in vain, she took in a deep breath and then pulled the trigger, a pulse of energy flew past the first cart and struck a drake just behind it. The energy bolt pelted the beast in its front leg causing it to tumble. The connected chain yanked on the downed beast, the momentum violently turned the chariot sideways causing it to roll over several times, sending its passengers flying through the air as well as pulling down the other drake which then dissolved into the ground. The third car swerved in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding the crash as one of the passengers looked back at the wreckage.
Marcus continued to let off rounds unto their pursuers, but shortly afterwards his rifle seized up as the light on its side turned red, indicating that it needed time to cool off and recharge. Tossing it to the floor, he took out the pistol holstered to his hip and aimed it towards their adversaries. Before he could fire, his left shoulder was struck by a slug of lead, causing him to drop his weapon. He moaned in pain as he buckled down only being hung up by the harness.
“Marcus!” Denise yelled in reaction to witnessing this. “Do something will you!” She shouted over to Charles who was still in a state of numbness, the action happening around him seemed to do little to wake him from his shock and depression. He looked up slowly to Shaela who was just across from him, her head was down and she was bouncing lightly from the turns and bumps their car was enduring. Then he looked over to Denise and glared at her for a few moments. He bent over and picked up Marcus’ pistol with his left hand which still had all of its fingers and aimed it behind them with unenthusiastic lethargy as he then proceeded to fire.
Rafii heard Denise begin to unbuckle herself from her seat and shouted out to her.
“Don’t do that yet! I’m bout to make sharp turn!” She heeded his words and braced by gripping the straps of the harness. After a few more zigzags along the road, he then slowed the vehicle down drastically as he angled the car and turned to the left at the intersection. Still with great speed, the car was able to hug the road while the tires squealed. One of the chariots zipped past down the road they were on while the other shot its ballista at the wall of a building on the corner. The bolt stuck into the foundation as a tether pulled tight onto the street light, causing the vehicle to make a sharp turn keeping them on their tail. Once behind them again, the cord was cut loose and the person manning the turret rearmed the big crossbow with a fresh bolt and line. The momentum from their anchored turn brought their car closer behind them with haste as the monsters snarled, hoping to sink their grotesque mouths upon them. Charles remained as vigilant as he could with his diresome state of mind and continued to deal out pulses of energy onto their hunters. The pistol was lacking in power as the drakes shook off any impacts from the gun, but the men in the vehicle knelt down to take cover from the beams.
Terrance heard the commotion audibly grow as the distance between them shrunk, the snarls and tramping of their spectral feet caused panic in his mind as he finally decided to turn the turret around towards their rear. A second ballista shot from the ones behind them landed and latched onto the turrets backside. A pulley tugged the slack out and prevented the mounted gun from rotating any farther as gears grinded sparks out from inside the contraption. Hearing these awful sounds as the screen before him flashed “ERROR”, he turned around and looked up at the turret, then down at the beast driven cart tight on their rear.
“Goddamn zealots!” He exclaimed as he pulled the pistol from his side and fired at the ballista bolt a few times to no avail, the steel was too thick.
Denise unbuckled from the seat and reached to a white box with a red cross on the side of the interior, unlatching it as she then pulled a syringe from the container. Using one hand, she made her way back towards Marcus leading her way by grabbing onto the roll cage while holding onto the syringe with the other. The rocking of the vehicle made her short journey difficult but she did not let up. As she was making her way back, the enemies closed even more distance and pulled up on their left side. She then lunged forwards and latched onto Marcus grabbing him with her free arm. Then taking the syringe and feeding it into the slot on the nape of his spine, she administered the stimulant. A surge of energy poured into him and the irradiating pain from his shoulder disappeared as he took in a deep breath that widened his eyes. Looking up he saw the beasts to his right, pulling the chariot along with the three people that wished them dead. Everything felt like it was moving at a snail's pace. Charles was aiming the pistol towards their pursuers, the monster closest to them jumped forwards with its mouth gaped. It flew through the air and chomped down on his upper torso. As it landed on the ground and fell back, it pulled his soul out of his body with its phantasmal teeth as his body then fell limp in the seat.
The sight of losing a second member of his team burned into his eyes. The stimulant engraved this moment deep into his brain like he was watching a slideshow being clicked through slowly frame by frame. He wanted to react, but his body couldn’t keep up with his thoughts. All he could do was watch in helpless agony as Charles’ life essence was plucked away. The beast’s blood lust caused it to tumble as it wasn’t able to get its footing down properly from its reckless lunge. Its body phased through the vehicle's wheels as the steak within its core impacted the wheels rupturing the tires and its heart, killing the beast as the intertwined souls scattered. The stake pierced the rim of the tire and caused a chain reaction, thus flipping the chariot as the front pinned into the ground. The second stake yanked harshly at the other drake bringing upon the same fate as the previous one. The fierce stopping power traveled along the bolt that was anchored within the turret of their medevac which pulled it sideways and backwards violently. The two vehicles rolled and danced together atop the tarmac with destructive grace, the men in black and pink scattered into shreds, mixing in with the sprinkles of debris. It felt like ages had gone by as his body was rocking back and forth within the harness and boot clamps of the car. Breathing heavily, panting, he finally felt his body at ease but in an upside down position. Prying open his eyes the world before him was flipped around as the pavement was just inches above his head. The weight he previously felt upon his back was no longer present.
Marcus looked above his head to the console that rested within the roll cage, he pushed one of the buttons present there to release his feet from the floor of the truck. His body then flipped horizontally from the balance of the harness, he rotated forwards as he was now facing the roof of the vehicle which was just the cage and the pavement. Skewed as the turret was propping them up he then tried to move his hands to undo his straps as he discovered that he couldn’t lift his left arm whatsoever.
“Roll call.” He uttered, he was not greeted with any responses. “Roll call!” He shouted out again, hoping that someone from his crew was still alive.
“Ugh, here, captain.” He heard Rafii respond.
“Terrence here.” He heard Terrence sputter out. Marcus was able to snap out the buckle that was hoisting him in the air as he then fell to the ground with a thud and a grunt. Picking himself up with his right arm he lifted his head to look at the aftermath of the crash hesitantly, afraid of what he might discover. Charles’ body was upside down and limp in his seat as his arms and legs dangled towards the ground. Denise was nowhere to be seen, this made his heart sink. But what shook him from his weary thoughts was the sudden sight of Shaela, she was looking right at him with her blue shimmering eyes as her stoic expression made him feel uneasy.
“You will have to forgive my truancy, she was terribly wounded on the inside as she also lost a copious amount of blood. I have never done surgery on small intestines, but I believe my work will suffice for now.” It was uncanny for him to see her speak in such a manner, it was her voice but he could tell that it wasn’t her talking. He said nothing and stared at her with shock. She then proceeded to unfasten the harness around her, once unbuckled she didn’t fall to the ground, but floated and rotated to the floor with ease.
“Shaela?” Was all that Marcus was able to say. She turned to him and helped him up off the ground.
“No, she is still slumbering. I do apologize if my methods are unsettling to witness, but there isn’t much else for me to do at the moment. Now, would you please brief me on the events that lead to this tragic outcome?” The man within Shaela had asked him, as he quickly explained to him their predicament. “I see.” Is all that he responded back with. They then clambered their way to the front of the vehicle and began to aid the others within.
“I sent out a distress signal captain, but we may still be too far in the fog for any signal to break free.” Rafii said as they helped him down from his seat. Once they let loose Terrence from his, he scrambled out of the flipped vehicle with haste and began searching outside frantically.
“Denise!” Was all that he yelled. His eyes met with a body that sported the same suit as theirs which was past a few cars lying atop the sidewalk, it was motionless and mangled. He ran over to the body and fell to his knees, reaching out and fighting against himself as his hands wanted to turn her over but struggled as they trembled. He couldn’t bring himself to touch her as he then slumped over and wept, the others approached slowly and took in the sight before them. Marcus took to standing next to him as he held his wounded shoulder, not being able to come to terms as the stimulant was still pumping through his veins.
“Was it worth it?” Terrence muttered under his breath, still loud enough for the man next to him to hear. Marcus turned his head just enough so that he could see his tormented frame on the ground.
“No.” Was all that he could say. He saw him look up into the sky listlessly.
“I know we all made our choices to be here, but this. I did not want it to come this far.” Terrence said. A moment of silence crept over them as a breeze flitted with their garments.
“We all lived our last moments trying today, or futilely a few months from now if we did nothing.” Rafii and Frederick stared at them quietly, not sure of what to do or say. Terrence rose quickly and tackled Marcus to the ground, he could do little to fight back as his arm was uncooperative. They hit the ground with a thump as Terrence then began punching his helm. The thuds were solid as Marcus was only able to block a few with his functional arm. After the fifth strike landed, his visor splintered with a few cracks. Terrence reeled back an arm to swing once more upon the man he pinned down, but found that he was unable to move it forwards. Looking back to his arm he saw no one holding it back, only a blue aura that veiled his arm. He looked over to the others that were observing and saw that Shaela’s eyes were glowing brighter than before as she was also holding one hand up.
“We needn’t anymore lives to be lost, there has been far too much of that already.” Said Frederick through Shaela’s mouth. “I truly am sorry for your fallen comrades. But I do wish for an audience with this one that you desire to harm.” Not sure of how to respond to this supernatural being, he let up on his anger and swung his leg around to get off of Marcus. They were all shocked at the sight of his mysterious powers. Rafii panicked for a moment, but felt reassured after considering they are still alive within the presence of this spectral man. Rafii decided to break the tension by speaking, turning his head towards Marcus.
“You never did tell us why we all came out here. And why do you speak as if we are running out of time?”
“I too would like to know the answers to these questions.” Said Frederick. Abruptly, their attention turned down the road as tramps of two drakes and the squeal of tires could be heard entering the street. “But I believe we have other pressing matters at the moment.”
