October 25, 2111
James Stone
Suspended by thick, metal wire, the forlorn was dark and gloomy, with a single flickering light in the corner. Thick fluid pooled up in the valleys of the glass flooring. We were in a box of glass too thick to break in the center of the cavern of prison cells for all to see. In view through the glass were countless omelics starved of water and food, each with a dull gaze as they looked upon us. We were on display. The air was full of a foul smell - an unsettling mix of waste and rotten flesh. Recently, a guard had tossed a rusted knife to the floor.
"Welcome to the forlorn," Steion yelled from the hatch in the ceiling. "Here, all but one of you will die. The last remaining person will be treated to all the water and food he or she desires. I'll leave you all to it." He laughed before closing and locking the prison door.
After Steion and his warriors left, Uslar began to sob from the corner. "I-I ca-can't believe Landis is gone."
"We can't afford to shed tears on that matter yet." Heartache pulled at my voice. I pushed aside the image of her falling lifeless to the mud. "Landis would want us to survive with our heads up high, and that's the best way we can honor her. I'll also personally see to it Steion makes an appointment with death."
"Right on, I want that bastard dead," Shadow-Walker chimed in, stretching uncomfortably against the rough glass walls.
"What do they want us to do in here anyway?" Malcolm said, tossing up his hands.
"They want us to fight to the death until one person remains. As hunger and thirst set in, we may start to go mad… that's the point, anyway," Uslar said.
"They'll be disappointed," Valiic added. "None of us would fall that low."
"We won't give them the chance to find out. I set a plan in motion to get us up and out," I said with a grin.
"What plan?" Valiic asked, almost comfortable with our given situation. He leaned his back against the wall, with his legs crossed in an almost meditative state.
"Erryn is going to pilot the Striking Star inside the hangar with Brad and Narrisa aboard. I gave Brad a route to use to get us out of here."
"Are you sure this Brad dude can handle it?" Shadow-Walker asked, itching at his back.
"Give him time, Shadow-Walker," Malcolm explained. "Brad is the type of man who gets jobs done no questions asked, and without remorse."
"Sounds like a badass!" Uslar's eyes lit up.
Vaalima threw in some concerns. "I just can't help thinking: What if Steion managed to destroy the ship? Steion said he sent men find the children which could lead them to the ship."
"Don't toss around negativity, Vaalima. Put Brad and Erryn in the same pot, and you've got one hell of a deadly combination," I assured her.
"I hope you're right. And by the way, James, call me Vaal."
"Very well, Vaal."
"I really can't handle this smell anymore." Shadow-Walker had his nose covered as he flipped from position to position. "If you mixed year-old cheese and dirty socks together, it would only smell half as bad as this."
"Probably part of the torture," Valiic suggested.
"Nothing like a headache-inducing smell to send you over the edge," Uslar agreed.
Whispering to Malcolm, who was next to me, I asked, "Are you going to be fine and dandy when we finally play war with the bonies again? I'm going to need your skill set for later."
"I'm doing better," he responded. "All this adrenaline has helped push my fears away."
"That might be the first fine news I've heard today. I'm going to need you to help me fight Steion."
"What? Wouldn't you rather have Brad?"
"Brad may be the best fighter I've ever seen - damn, did that kid serve me up my own ass today - but Brad will be needed in the hangar, defending the Striking Star. No doubt, once we begin our attack on Steion, the bonies will do everything they can to stop us. You, on the other hand, have an eye made for the fine details. With luck, you may be able to find a weakness to Steion."
"I'll…I'll do my best," he responded with a half-assed promise.
Boom!
A ground-shaking explosion sent chunks of the boulders crashing down from the top of the cavern. The forlorn shook and bounced as some boulders crashed against the glass ceiling, cracking it in the process. The smoke cleared. From a newly made hole at the top of the cavern, Brad tossed down a stasis rope and frag grenade.
"Get down!" Malcolm shouted. Everyone ducked and held their heads.
A thunderous explosion sent glass everywhere, but we were all fine. And now we had a hole and rope meant for our escape. We took the chance, and I went up first.
After helping Uslar, the last to climb the rope, through the hole in the cavern, Brad said, "Hurry your assez, bitchez! Erryn n' Narrisa are holdin' out in da hangar. We blew up Steion'z ship, but dytircz are everywhere. Da sonz ah bitchez blew ah few holez on da north side of da hangar tah get inside. Steion must've found ah way tah contact backup cuz da shitz are arrivin' in massez. Erryn n' Narrisa bought me 'nough time tah get here tah save y'allz assez. So get movin'!"
"Wait, Brad," I stopped him. "Are the children hurt?"
"Shit, what do I look like? Ain't no bitch-azz dytirc shootin' ah child under my protection."
Those words washed away the fears that had built on my mind. "Brad, can you do me one last solid? I need you to hold that hangar as long as time will allow. Can you do that?"
"Shit, just call me a shield, cuz ain't nothin' gettin' past my azz." He took off.
"Valiic, Malcolm, I need you to follow my steps. Everyone else, head to the hangar and defend that ship. The armory is in the room on the right, so load up."
We took the first right into the armory. All our weapons had been thrown into a crate in the armory beside us. The vicious volume of fighting coming from the hangar gave us more than enough motivation to gear up fast. Once we were fitted for battle, we cleared the first hallway in a flash. Brad's leftover carnage lay dead on the floor. Down the next hall, it split into two other halls; one right, one left.
Shadow-Walker, Uslar, and Vaal split off into the right hallway and entered the wide opening of the hangar. It was a firefight. Plasma fired everywhere. Some even managed to find their way through the hangar opening. Malcolm and Valiic followed me to the left.
Our first obstacle was a door, which was child's play for us. As soon as I broke through it, we were welcomed by dozens of bonies lined up. These honor guards used room entrances and deployable stasis shields as cover. All we had was each other. At the end of the hall, Steion had his own personal quarters.
"That must be where the torturer-supreme is bunkered up," I yelled, hiding behind the kicked-in door.
"How do we get through all this?" Malcolm fired down at the loads of dytircs, using Valiic as cover.
"An idea is scratching at my head. Valiic, can I take your shield for a ride?"
"I'd say so. I must warn you though: It's heavy." He handed it to me, and I almost dropped it.
"Holy hell! You weren't pulling my tail." I reached up and grabbed the handle, positioning the shield so I could hold it.
"Now you understand a maelkii's pain." Valiic laughed at my expense.
"No wonder you maelkii are so slow. You have to drag this car around," I joked.
"What's the plan?" Malcolm asked.
"I'm going to generate some chaos. Meanwhile, you two take cover in the closest room to us."
Not wasting any time, I charged as fast as I could manage through the door, carrying the added weight of the shield. I could barely see where I was going; I just held up the shield and charged. Plasma shots rained over the front of my shield, and I soon passed the first group of dytircs. Immediately, I changed direction and tried to plow into them. The full body shield I held proved reliable.
"James, we've secured the first room," Malcolm called from behind.
Upon hearing Malcolm, I backtracked and entered the secured room. The door entrance was large enough for Valiic and Malcolm to give me covering fire as I backed inside. I returned the shield to Valiic and took cover behind him, then started firing. Our weapons' firepower bounced off the honor guard's armor.
"Honor guards are such a sharp prick in the ass," I complained.
Malcolm took one down with a neck shot. "We only have twenty more of them to get through."
"Make that eighteen." Valiic blew away two more with a well-placed plasma blast.
"Nitrex grenade! Back up!" I shouted, dodging back into the room.
Valiic and Malcolm backed off. The nitrex grenade burst and lit up the floor with its all-consuming black flames. The self-contained flames were designed never to spread, but they'd burn almost anything they touched. The flames used up their supply of nitrex and were soon extinguished. We re-established our positions.
"If we can clear that next room," Malcolm pointed to the second room on the left, "then we'll be able to cover the whole hallway."
"Question is, how do we get there? It may be a good vantage point, but remember, all the dytircs will be able to see us there, too," Valiic pointed out.
"Maybe a simple charge is the best course to take," I suggested.
"What? How?" Malcolm continued to fire at the enemy.
"You still have on your power armor, and Valiic… well, he's a maelkii with a big-ass shield. So, if we charge with Valiic on the right, taking most of the fire, and you on the left, we can make it to that room unscathed."
"I think-- You know what? This could work. Although, I'll have to walk backwards to cover us with the shield," Valiic confirmed.
"Whatever. On go." Malcolm started the countdown. Valiic slid over to the right. I put myself in the middle. Malcolm took the left. "Go," he signaled.
Outside the room, we were bombarded. Valiic's shield took the most hits, and his armor took the rest. I used Malcolm's power armor as cover, and we both fired at the only three dytircs on our side of the charge. We managed to kill one before reaching the room. No dytircs held this room, so we posted ourselves against a door. Valiic took the left door, and Malcolm and I took the right.
Plasma shots and bullets flew from side to side. It was a game of duck and shoot. We kept up our efforts and thinned out the group of dytircs. Soon they began to realize we had the upper hand.
"Watch out! More nitrex grenades!" Valiic called out, backing up in the process.
As the flames burned the doors, the remaining honor guards moved up. Our firefight continued with them boxing us in the room.
"Valiic, cover the left door. Malcolm, you take the right. Holler if your shield runs low." I jumped behind one of the armor racks inside the barracks. The nitrex grenades burned themselves out, and the guards poured into the room, quickly crowding our space. A brawl began - three of us versus eight of them.
"James! My shields are low!"
Malcolm dipped behind a different armor rack. Valiic, still taking cover in the corner, suddenly charged into two dytircs. Both tumbled over. Three more then turned their attention to him. Taking advantage of this, I tossed my cover at two more. Dashing over to them, I tackled a third.
"Malcolm, help!" I called, pounding away at the flesh not covered by armor.
Malcolm jumped into the action, stabbing one in the neck with his knife. I finished mine off, leaving only six dytircs. Valiic bashed two more. From behind, an honor guard tackled me. I caught his arm, saving myself from being impaled by his knife, and kicked him off. With my pistol, I shot between the armor, killing him. Malcolm was fighting with one, while Valiic fought off the last two guards. I picked up the knife and threw it at one of the guards Valiic was fighting.
"Aagh!" the guard screamed as it embedded in his shoulder.
Malcolm finished off his dytirc with a few shots, and Valiic had another on the ground. Valiic stomped on the guard, crushing his chest. The last boney dislodged the knife from his shoulder, and blood dripped down his armor.
"I surrender." He put up his hands and knelt down.
"If you want to live to see the wet mud of Delkeedo again, unlock Steion's door," I commanded.
Malcolm put his gun to the dytirc's back, and the guard walked toward the door. Down the hallway we walked, stepping over and around the bodies of the fallen guards. Steion's door was reinforced, and the only way in was with a code. The guard activated a hologram and typed in a code. The symbols were in their language. Steam hissed outward as the door slid open.
"This is for Clover." Malcolm shot the guard multiple times until he was dead. "James, let me see your guns for a second."
"Why?" I asked.
"Just a feeling."
I handed him my weapons, then turned to Valiic. "Valiic, guard the door. Nobody walks in or out until we've handled business." I stepped inside. Malcolm followed, and once inside, the door closed. Malcolm then handed me back my weapons.
Surprisingly, the room was empty other than a single chair in the dark corner. On the chair, Steion sat, studying a picture in his hand, almost in a trance. Malcolm, who was next to me, trembled either in fear or in anticipation. I, on the other hand, felt only hatred. My muscles tensed, and my soul ached for revenge.
"I underestimated you once again, James." Steion stood up and set the picture down on the chair. "That mistake has cost me much. Come Judgment Day, I will pay for it. But you, James, are going to pay for your mistakes first!"
"Not a chance in whatever hell you've risen from, Steion! You'll pay for what you did to Landis with your life!" I aimed my weapon. "Any last words?"
"Funny… I was about to ask you both the same thing!"
He teleported. The next second, he grabbed my weapon, and just like that, it was gone. In the distance, I heard it crash against the floor. He'd teleported my weapon right out of my hands. I heard struggling behind me and turned to see only Malcolm remained.
"He just teleported my weapon!" Malcolm turned to me in shock. "I hate aces!"
"Christ, Malcolm--"
"Sorry. Quick, ah, back to back. He can't surprise us both."
We formed up, back to back, and looked around the room. Hardly any lights lit the room, which spawned shadows for Steion to hide his elusive ass in. Suddenly, Steion appeared to my left! Malcolm and I turned to attack, but only black smoke was left. From behind, Steion reached over and touched my pistol. It was teleported out of my hand. Steion did the same to Malcolm. We had no weapons now. Once again, Steion translocated.
"How does it feel to be sitting ducks?" I heard Steion say from a corner.
Incoming plasma shots then flew in our direction, and I dove out of the way. Malcolm's power armor took some hits. The shots then came from another direction, then another and another. Steion was teleporting all around the room, shooting at the same time. Shots flew everywhere. We were fish in a bowl - helpless. Malcolm was hit multiple times, and I couldn't keep up. My reflexes couldn't save me.
Burning hot plasma hit my knee first, sending me to the cold floor! "Ergh!" I clinched my knee in pain.
Another shot hit my back, and I could feel my skin frying away. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air around me. I felt like I was stranded at the bottom of a well.
Malcolm yelled, "My shields are almost down!"
In the next moment, I heard a frustrated growl, then the plasma shots stopped. Steion's rifles had run out of juice and tossed them aside. "My rifles may be out of power, but both of you were kind enough to bring me your weapons!"
From where I lay on the floor, I saw him teleport to the spot where he'd translocated our weapons. As he picked up mine, I braced myself for death – but nothing.
"What? Empty?!" Steion growled.
Malcolm began to laugh. "I figured this might happen, so I unloaded our magazines."
Using my good knee, I pulled myself up. I struggled to move and limped over to Malcolm. "That is the fruit of some lifesaving thinking! What else you got?"
"Working on it. Meanwhile, help me keep Steion busy."
Steion growled in frustration. Without speaking, he teleported next to me. I saw him just in time to block his jab. He tried again. I blocked it but soon was overwhelmed; his four arms against my two arms were too much to handle. Malcolm assisted, throwing a punch at Steion's head, but he teleported behind us. I was quick enough to dodge his kick and threw a kick of my own. Steion then grabbed my leg, and the next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the room.
Fighting through the pounding pain, I raced over to help Malcolm. Steion had Malcolm on the floor and was pounding at his shields. Steion saw me coming as I approached. I darted in to lariat Steion off Malcolm, but Steion teleported, leaving only black smoke in his place. I tripped over Malcolm instead.
"Damnit!" I yelled, falling on my hurt knee.
Steion mocked, "You kids are out of your depth here! I'm a Warlord of Virtue! How could either of you be so naive as to think you could outplay me? This is the grown-up pool, and you have no idea what you're swimming in!"
"I don't give a monkey's left nut what you are!" I yelled. "Death takes all and plays no favorites."
Malcolm helped me up, and we stood next to each other. Our eyes were locked on Steion, who growled and vanished, leaving behind black smoke. Suddenly, he was at Malcolm's side. As both of them fought furiously, I came in for a tackle. Steion simply placed a hand on my back and – poof! My momentum carried me into Malcolm. Steion had changed my direction with a teleportation, causing me to nail Malcolm instead of him. Both Malcolm and I were knocked off our feet, and in an instant Steion was above Malcolm with a knife. He plunged it down toward Malcolm's back, but I flipped myself up and kicked it away.
"Damn you!" Steion cursed as he teleported somewhere else.
By now, the pain in my body had started diminishing. I pulled Malcolm up with me, and both of us stood together again. Steion clutched his hand in pain. My earlier kick must have broken a bone. Frustrated, Steion disappeared again.
"Your side!" Malcolm yelled.
Instantly, I turned and met Steion's blow with a block. Surprised, he stumbled backwards. Taking the opportunity, I kicked his leg. Steion fell down and vanished, only to land on the floor across the room. Because of the pain in his leg, Steion took a moment to pull himself together.
"How did you predict his next move?" I asked Malcolm.
"Think about it. He never teleported out of this room. Why?"
"The turd-bundle thinks he'll win," I answered.
"No. Steion isn't the type to take that chance. When you participated in that duel earlier, he could have faced off against you himself; instead, he had someone else do it. He didn't want to take the chance that he might lose. So, he had someone else do his dirty work. If he could teleport out of the room, he would've already done it! Then I noticed his eyes the first time you and I stood side by side. Before Steion teleports, he looks at the spot he wants to go, and - poof! He teleports there. He can only teleport to a spot he sees!"
"Brilliant! If we take out his vision, he's as powerless as a dog stranded on an island!"
Steion was back on his feet. "So you know my limits. It won't mean a thing!"
I looked straight into his firefly eyes and waited. Black smoke appeared, and I swiped my left leg around. Steion leaped over it. Again, black smoke. Steion then appeared on Malcolm's side. Malcolm blocked a swing. Then Steion was between us. He landed a kick on Malcolm. I threw a punch, but he was gone. Instantly, I threw a punch behind me. Steion blocked it. The next moment, I was teleported across the room, and Steion was nowhere in my sight. I didn't see Steion's next shot coming. From behind me, he land a punch. I stumbled but blocked his next one. Again, black smoke. He seemed to be trying to confuse us by teleporting so frequently.
Bee-lining toward Malcolm, I could see them fighting. Malcolm threw a jab at Steion's stomach, but Steion snatched Malcolm's arm in his boney hands. Steion looked behind him and translocated Malcolm to where his eyes gazed. After that, he proceeded to elbow Malcolm in the back, causing him to stumble to the floor.
I reached them and lunged at Steion, but he was gone. Gathering myself, I blocked Steion's attack from behind. Steion landed two shots, but I powered through and tackled him to the ground. Steion teleported me off him and got up. I quickly recovered and sprinted to help Malcolm. Steion grabbed both of Malcolm's arms with two of his own and used his other two arms to tenderize Malcolm's stomach like meat! I put a stop to that by kicking Steion's feet out from under him. As he fell, I reached for his eyes, but Steion saw it coming and covered them. I then peeled away chunks of flesh from Steion's hands.
Blood seeped out of Steion's hands like teardrops as he howled in pain. Before I could stomp on him, he peeked through his fingers and vanished. Peering around the room, I spotted him lying next to his knife. Collecting himself again, he picked up the knife and got back up.
Coughing, he asked, "Do you think by killing me, you'll win this war?"
"I don't, but I'll certainly feel better!" I snarled.
He chuckled through his fast breathing. "Only a simpleton would try to kill a warlord over simple revenge! If I go down, the war will only continue without me. There are more of us… in places you'd never expect! In the end, your ARW will lose this war!"
Malcolm mocked, "Maybe so. But whoever takes the ARW's place will have one less douche bag to worry about!"
Steion tossed the knife in the other direction and vanished. I swung to my left, but Steion crouched below my swing. He then placed his hand on my leg, and I was teleported across the room. Suddenly, a sharp pain lit my lower back on fire.
"ERGH-AAGH!" I screamed as the knife Steion had just thrown seconds before embedded itself in my back.
Reaching back, I pulled the blade out; it was covered with my blood. I tossed it to the ground in frustration.
Fighting through the pain, I rejoined the fight. Malcolm had Steion distracted. He kept going for Steion's eyes. Steion then teleported to Malcolm's other side, leaving himself open to my attack. I jumped onto him and reached for his eyes. Success! I wrapped my hands over his eyes and fell on top of him, pinning him to the floor. Without the ability to see, he couldn't teleport away. Using my knees, I covered two of his arms. Meanwhile, Steion tried to pull my hands away with his other two arms, but he couldn't break my grip. Once he realized my strength was too much for him, he stopped resisting. Malcolm pulled out a single bullet from his pouch and placed it into his pistol. He then handed me the gun, and I aimed it straight at Steion's temple, keeping one hand over his eyes.
"Last words?" I asked.
When Steion heard the gun cock, he said, "If you kill me, you'll be forever marked. You will not last a month!"
Smiling, I responded, "Then let me give you a mark to match – one right between the eyes!"
As fast as I could, I released my grip from his eyes and pointed the gun at his brain.
Bang!
The bullet went through his skull, and his eyes rolled back as he died.