Chapter 7: The Few, The Brave
"Your Highness, the sensors just picked up an energy signature not much different than our guest from two weeks ago," a Lorwardian stated before he rose and started walking to Calamous and Wardom.
The moment the green tinted alien handed Calamous a small device that showed a blinking sphere on its screen, Calamous stated with disappointment, "So, this is where he came from."
"Seems so, your Highness," Wardom replied while he peeked at the device in the Great Blue One's massive hand.
"Something else...I sent a few scout fighters into the area where that signal is, we lost contact with them after they reported seeing several, of the pitiful planet's, military units head underground. Which means..." the Lorwardian began to say, but he went silent at the sight if Calamous crushing the device in his hand.
After the Great Blue One the let the remains of the device fall to the floor, he said, "That there maybe more than just two of them."
"It seems that way and whatever is underground maybe their base," Wardom replied without really seeming interested in venturing into knowing if they were more like their guest.
Calamous busted out with laughter before he said, "So, this is it. The final battle, those creatures are so pitiful in thinking that a few feet of dirt will protect them from me. Wardom, ready the assault troops, let's end this now. And forget the tour, I'm heading down to the planet's surface to lead the troops myself."
"As you wish, your Highness," Wardom replied before he nodded to the other Lorwardians, who went to work at the consoles before them.
After visiting Amber's room, Shego walked back into the security room and she sighed at what the others were going to ask. But right as she made her way to where she left everyone, she only saw Hope sitting behind the desk and she was looking as if she was bored. Shego could tell the woman looked disappointed when she saw Shego was alone.
Before Hope could say a word, Shego asked, "Where did everyone go?"
"They went to the tunnel to get ready."
Hearing the answer, Shego nodded and looked around the room, hoping the woman would not ask her any questions.
"Where's Amber," Hope, however, asked and Shego sighed at knowing that would be the first thing someone would ask.
Before she answered the question, Shego walked to the desk and sat on it while she finally said, "She's gone."
"Gone? Gone where?"
"She...left because of the clovers. Right now she's above ground somewhere," Shego answered while she looked down at a folded piece of paper in her hand.
"Shouldn't we go and look for her?"
Shego sighed at the fearful voice of Hope, but she said, "No, Hope. She's a grown woman, who can make her own decisions. She knew what she was getting into the moment she decided to leave. Now with her gone, I have to let you go with us because there is no one here who I trust enough to watch out for you. "
With that said, Shego rose from the desk and started to leave before she finally motioned Hope to follow her. Along their walk, Shego could not decide to feel anger or sorry for Amber over her decision. Shego understood her reasons, but to walk away like she did, was not like her. She had never seen the woman back down from something uncomfortable. She still remembered a young lady who seemed so excited about being chosen to be the Supreme One's guardian. A title Shego caused to happen the day her first bodyguard died in a supposed freak plane accident. Now the woman gave up the honor and went to commit suicide it seemed because Shego knew no one could survive out in the harsh environment alone. She doubt the woman would ever be seen again, but she hoped she did. So she could at least thank her for all she had done for Hope. The woman had stepped in during Hope's most troubling time and acted like a big sister. Guiding the girl and teaching her from right and wrong, along with the martial art lessons. Shego sighed at the thoughts rattling around in her mind. She was so in tune with those thoughts that she did not realize Hope and she had came into the tunnel, which seemed more active than before.
She finally came out of her mediation when she heard Jes ask, "So...where's Amber? Don't tell me she's still tweaked over me setting the clovers free?"
Something snapped in Shego because of his words and she snatched him by the collar and slammed him aganist a hummer the clovers were loading bags on top of. They stopped what they were doing when the hummer shook and they looked down at Shego having Jes pinned to the vehicle. Before any of them dared to question what happened, Shego's hands flared up and she narrowed her eyes at Jes.
"Don't you even dare say another word about her! Do you get me!? I have known her a hella lot longer than I knew you," Shego screamed at him before she drew a fist back and aimed it at his face.
At seeing he was about to be hit, Jes closed his eyes and stammered out, "O...ok."
Even after his answer, Shego still wanted to knock his lights out and she showed so by her drawn fist shaking, but she held it in place and looked at the man with narrowed eyes. When she finally calmed down and seemed satisfied with his answer, she released him and her hands unlit while she stormed to the back of the hummer. The moment she went around the back of the vehicle, she saw Cage was standing there and seemed to be directing the clovers by having his temple pressed with two fingers. She stood and watched him talking to himself it seemed, but she knew better. She had seen someone she cared about doing the same thing, even though her former self was able to do the same thing once, she never understood how it was possible.
After she got tired of looking at Cage's backside, she asked, "Are we ready to go?"
Hearing her question, Cage spun around and looked surprised at her being there before he finally said, "Far as I know, we are, your Highness."
"Well then, let's get this show on the road," Shego commanded before she left the man and she headed back to where she left Hope and Jes.
The moment she was out of sight, Cage whispered something to himself and twirled a finger in the air before he headed to the driver side of the hummer Shego slammed Jes into.
Right as Jes started to climb in the 'shotgun' seat, he was snatched by the shoulder and slung away from the vehicle. Before he could protest against what happened to him, he shut his mouth at the sight of Shego glaring at him while she slid in the seat she violently took from him. He only shook his head and opened the door behind Shego, which the moment it was open, Hope hopped into the vehicle, taking the seat on that side. He only sighed and shut the door for Hope before he had to walk around the hummer to finally get a seat beside Hope. The moment he finally had a seat, Cage fired up the hummer and the ones behind it did the same.
While the convoy started down the tunnel to what seemed to be a dead end, all the soldiers in the tunnel saluted Shego as she past. When the convoy finally made it to the seemly dead end, a section of the wall collapsed before them, revealing a inclined tunnel only large enough for the vehicles to enter. Shego smiled at the sight of blue sky at the end of the tunnel, but she frowned a thought of what they were going to see on their trip to where ever Doa wanted them to be. It was not long until the first hummer came out of the hole in the ground and the ones behind followed suit while Cage steered onto the very road Jes took the ladies down.
Shego could only look out the passenger side window while she listened to Jes and Hope talking behind her. She did not feel like adding anything to they conversation, which was about the woman she had on her mind. As she listened to them, she smiled sadly at Jes watching which words he used when he would say something about Amber and she wanted to laugh at Jes, but she could not. The thought of the woman already being dead was on her mind. The only hope Shego had was they did not see the woman's remains laying on side of the road during their trip to somewhere--if there was anything left of her.
Shego knew why she was so depressed over the woman leaving and possibly being dead. Over the years, they became friends, even though Shego was the world's leader and Amber's boss. It was odd how well they connected in the first few months they were around one another. Shego saw a lot of her self in the woman and it amazed her how they understood each other. The very thing she was to her former employer, Amber was to her, which was her bodyguard, enforcer, and was prone to excessive violence, which Shego admitted was far exceeding what she was capable of.
She wanted to laugh at the woman crushing on her until it dawned on Shego. The woman may have never realized how close of friends they were and might have mistaken friendship for the wrong kind of love. She hoped she could find out and maybe explain that fact to Amber, but she doubt that day would ever happen.
Before long, Shego came back to reality at the sight of chunks of metal littering the side of the road and she looked out any window of the vehicle that she could. Everywhere she looked, she saw the same debris and she sighed sadly while she went back to looking out the passenger window. It seemed to her that they were driving through what was once a major battle of some sort and she hoped Amber was not in the middle of it.
It seemed Hope was looking at the same thing because she said, "This looks bad."
Her words summed up what everyone else was thinking and the vehicle became quiet, except for the humming of its engine while the vehicle continued down the road.
After they had driven several miles down the road, Jes said without any emotion, "Doa told me that all would be lost within 48 hours of the invasion if nothing was done to prevent it. He always said he had a choice in the matter, to help or not. We're right now just at around 30 hours into the invasion and I don't know if Doa chose to help. Far as I know he could have left here and never taken on the fleet in orbit."
"Surely not. He made sure you knew enough that in case he failed, at least you could take his place," Hope stated in an attempt to comfort the now sulking Jes.
After a moment of silence, Jes replied sadly, "I was never to replace him...I was just to get Shego and you to safety before the clovers and me headed south. The clovers and I could never take on the so call Great Blue One without Doa."
Jes' words said caused Cage to state, "Boy, don't tell me you got us out of jail just to get us k...what in the hell," before he slammed on the brakes, but he was too late and the vehicle ran over something.
Whatever they ran over, caused the hummer to go up on two wheel and slam back on all four. The moment the airborne tires touched the pavement, Cage lost control of the vehicle and it skidded head long right into a tree on the side of the road. Right as the hummer slammed into the tree, the sudden stop threw everyone toward the front of the vehicle, causing Shego to be slung sideways and slamming her ribs into the dash while Cage's head bashed into the steering wheel, which caused the horn blare out. After a few moments, everyone moved in the wrecked vehicle while they held what hurt and Shego flinched at her side hurting, hoping there was no broken ribs.
Cage's chuckled and asked while he held his head, "Did anyone get the licenses plates of that thing we ran over," and he peered at the rear view mirror, seeing a few of the clovers in the vehicles behind them had gotten out to check on them.
His eyes widen the moment the clovers running to the vehicle were attacked by strange lizard looking creatures. He let out a growl and reached behind the seat, grabbing Jes' pistol and yanked it free while he opened the driver side door. The moment he had the door open, he slipped out and shut the door as quickly as he could.
"Ya'll stay in there and don't get out," Cage's muffled voice was heard saying while Jes and the ladies watched him walking to the back of the hummer.
Curiosity got the better of the three occupants in the hummer and they all looked out the back window of the vehicle. They wished they had not been so interested because they saw the still alive clovers struggling to keep the Chimeras at bay the best they could while the less forunate ones were being comsumed. The sight sicken them and they diverted their eyes to where they last saw Cage.
He had made it just out of sight of the back passenger door, when he heard a hissing sound coming from the top of the wrecked hummer. He froze in his tracks at the sound and turned slowly toward it. He only sighed at the sight of the Chimera's face only inches from his and was showing him its teeth.
"Just bring it, you fu...," Cage managed to say through clenched teeth before the creature lunged at him and slammed him to the pavement with its weight.
When Jes and the ladies saw Cage be attacked by the creature, Shego screamed out, "Get down and don't make a sound," before she slid down as far as she could go in her seat and she tried her best not to cause her hands to flare up.
Jes and Hope did not think twice about the order because they hunkered down between the seats while they listened to Cage struggling with the creature on the other side of the door from Jes.
While he held on to the creature's head with his hands and tried to keep its snapping teeth from him, Cage swore he heard a high pitched whistle. Apparently he was not hearing things because the creature eased its teeth shut and looked in the direction the whistle came from while it made a sound as if it was questioning, "Hmm?"
After Cage watched the creature turn its head with confusion and blink it slitted eyes, he heard a feminine voice say, "Bad dog...did you forget that I wasn't finished with you yet," before a Kukri knife embedded itself in the head of the creature, killing it and it collapsed on top of Cage, pinning him to the pavement.
While Cage struggled to get out from under the creature, a figure walked up to him and he could only smile at the smutted face of the curly brown haired woman standing over him.
"I thought you hate us, Amber? Why did you save me," Cage questioned as he gave up trying to get the creature off him.
"I wasn't trying to save you. This thing ran off with my knife stuck in it," Amber replied before she nudged the creature with a booted foot and revealed a knife handle hanging in the side of the creature.
The moment she pulled the bladed instrument out of the creature, another Chimera appeared on the top of the hummer and looked over Cage and her. Before either could move or say a word, the creature leapt off the vehicle and sailed over them. Cage looked at the outstretched creature with wonder because it did not seem like it was attacking them. However, attacking them or not, the moment it started to pass over Amber, she thrusted her knife into its chest and the creature ripped itself open, spilling its insides all over Cage, who gagged and coughed with disgust at what fell on him. As the disemboweled creature fell onto the road behind Amber, a coughing , on most vomiting, Cage managed to raise his head out of the mess that covered him and he saw Amber was smiling at him.
"You did that on purpose," Cage snapped while he went in a fit to get what was on him, off.
Amber only giggled at his outburst and asked, "Comfy?"
"Not the least bit."
"Good," was all Amber replied before she pulled her other knife out of the creature's head that was still on top of Cage and she started walking toward the commotion on the road.
Before she could take two steps, Cage pleaded, "Don't leave. What if one those things show up?"
"Don't worry...they don't attack something that smells like them...which I imagine you do now," Amber replied while she spun the knives in her hands and she slipped them into the sheathes on her back.
"How do you..."
Amber interrupted and said miserably, "Don't even dare ask how I know...now stop distracting me so I can save what I can of your friends," before she drew her pistols and pointed them before her.
The three occupants, in the wrecked hummer, heard several gun shots rang out from behind the hummer after Jes and Hope could not hear Cage struggling anymore, and they were hope that it was him doing the shooting. They figured if it was not him, then it meant he was dead and other clovers had got out of their vehicles and came to their comrades' aid. After a last single gun shot rang out, the inside of the wrecked hummer became eeirly quiet and not even Shego dared to peek out to see if they were safe, but instead she hunkered in her seat and prayed that the creatures did not find them. The silence continued in the vehicle what seemed minutes to the occupants until the driver door opened before the door seemed to have shut on its on. However, once the door was shut, a stench filled the air and caused everyone to start to gag.
Right before Jes felt like he was going to vomit, he said, "Man, Cage what is that smell," but he never got a reply and he simply questioned as he started to get back in his seat, "...Cage?"
To his surprise and being somewhat amazed, a curly brown haired woman turned in the seat and looked him right in the eyes before she said, "That, kid, is what you smell like when you fall into a big, stinking pile of Chimera sh..."
"Amber! You came back," Hope interrupted and squealed with delight at reconizing her voice.
However, her words seemed to have hurt Amber because her stern look changed into complete saddness before she turned back in her seat. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while Shego got back in her seat, looking at the depressed woman the whole time. Her reaction to what Hope said even confused Shego and she wondered why Amber was so sad over just words.
Finally Amber answered what Shego wanted to know by saying, "So...ya'll weren't riding around looking for me?"
"...Umm...sure we were," Jes replied while he tried to sound like what he said was the truth.
Shego was suprised by what he said and she showed it by peeking back at him, but her attention got diverted back to Amber the moment she sighed. Just by the way she was acting, told Shego the woman was about to leave again and there was nothing she could say to change the woman's mind. Although she could just use her authority as the Supreme One and order her to, realizing Amber was her friend, caused her to decide against it.
Amber's answered her speculation when she said, "You got to be more convincing than that, kid...I'm outta here," while she started to open the car door to leave.
However, after she pulled the door handle to open the door, it remained closed and would not budge. Amber only shook her head at Cage standing at the door and was holding it shut. She showed him a look of disgust, but he flashed her a sad smile.
"Would you mind, I'm trying to get out," Amber's voice muffled through the window to Cage.
"Yes, I do mind. If we bother you that much...then you take the boy and her Highness to where ever they need to get and we'll stay here. I just hope that those things don't come back...but at least we still get to help the Supreme One like I promised we would," Cage said happily as if the thought of possiblty being killed was nothing new to him.
Shego became amazed at Amber's reaction to what Cage said. Instead of shoving the door open and leaving, she released the door handle and sat in the seat while she looked to the front of the vehicle. After a moment, she started running a hand through her hair and sighed several times while she shook her head. Shego smiled at her the moment she peeked up at the rear mirror, which showed her several clovers were dragging their dead and dying comrades off the road.
The guilt is eating at you, isn't it, Shego thought while trying her best not to state the fact out loud.
Finally Amber motioned Cage to the back seat while she said, "Get in."
While he was climbing into the vehicle, Cage gagged and said, "What in the world is that smell?"
Jes and Hope answered in unison, "Amber," while they pointed at the woman.
"Damn, girl. What in the hell did you get into out here," Cage stated with a laugh.
His statement caused Amber to let out a growl while she tried to crank the vehicle. However, the engine only whined and spurttered, but Amber kept at it, with no improvement.
While she continued to try and turn over the engine, Cage said, "If you're gonna drive, at least crack the windows or you're riding on the roof. I'm dying back here," which caused everyone, but Amber, to bust out with laughter.
They, however, stopped laughter when Amber slammed her hands against the steering wheel, and she screamed out, "So help me, if you don't start! I'm gonna set your ass on fire and roast those cursed creatures over the flames!"
Amazing, as if the vehicle was scared of the threat, the engine turned over and started running when Amber attempted to crank it after her outburst. Before anyone could brace themselves, Amber shoved the vehicle in reverse and hammered down on the throttle, throwing everyone, but her, forward. When she stopped the vehicle on the road, she changed gears and caused the hummer to actually spin its back tires before it shot down the road, causing everyone, but her again, to slam into the back rest of their seats. The vehicle left in such a hurry that the clovers on the road had to race back to their vehicles and they managed to catch up with the hummer while it raced down the road. While they were traveling down the road, Jes explained to Cage why Amber was not smelling pleasant, which the odor still filled the cab of the vehicle even after Amber showed enough mercy to open all the windows.
After Jes' explaination, Cage let out a chuckle and asked, "Amber, is that what you have smeared all over your face?"
Amber growled at the question and snapped in a threat, "The next one to say something about it...will be riding on front of this thing as my hood ornament."
"Actually, Amber, I would like to know that myself," Shego replied cheerfully, which caused everyone, but Amber, to bust out again with laughter and Amber only sighed before she nodded her head.
"This is your last chance, where is he," a voice roared at a soldier, who was held in the air by a blue skinned hand clutched around his throat.
The soldier gasped for air while he was held suspended and could not answer the question. Behind him, a tunnel, once, filled with soldiers running about, was littered the with dead and dying soldiers. The ones still alive were being speared by Lorwardians or attacked by Chimeras, which moved about the destroyed vehicles at their own pace. It was as if they were in no hurry to leave and were making sure they were the only ones left alive in the tunnel.
Finally, the soldier struggled to say, "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh...so unwise," Calamous stated through clenched teeth before he tossed the man to the ground, who bounced and rolled.
The last thing the soldier ever saw was a massive battle axe descending at him, which cleaved him in two. While Calamous brought his blood stained axe to his shoulder, a Lorwardain walked up to him while he looked at a device in his hand.
"This better be important," the blue skin stated as he rubbed a finger along the edge of his axe.
At the hint of being next, the Lowardian stammered out, "T...the signal is...isn't here. It l...left here moments before we attacked."
"So...you lied to me?"
"N...No, y...your Highness. We couldn't tell if it was still here because of the disturbance we had during our descent," the Lowardian stated in a a faltering voice.
After a moment of watching the green skinned man literally shaking, Calamous lowered the head of the axe the tunnel's floor and he asked, "Can any Lorwardian work that thing?"
"Oh, yes. We're trained at a young age how to use all the tools we would use later."
"All I wanted to know," Calamous said calmly before his hands started to glow blue.
Before the Lorwardian could even move, the blue skinned man snapped a hand at him and sapphire energy shot from the hand, striking the Lorwardian in the chest and he collapsed to the ground with a gapping pit in his torso. At the commotion of the killing of one of their own, the other Lorwardians stopped their massacre of the helpless soldiers around them and looked at the blue skinned man with hatred, which caused a stand off between them and Calamous, who let out a mad man's laugh at the Lorwardians wanting to fight him. During the confusion, a soldier leapt to his feet while he was laying among dead soldiers and ran between the Lorwardians and Calamous, heading right to the exit several hummers had used not too long ago. Both the Lorwardians and Calamous stared at the soldier's backside with disbelief because of the battered metal suit he wore.
Finally, Calamous regained his senses and screamed out, "Get him," to the Chimera around him, but they seemed distracted and they started to attack one another.
The blue skin growled with rage and watched the soldier make it to the entrance, which opened for him and started to close behind him. But before it closed, the soldier stopped abruptly and looked back at Calamous, revealing part of his helmet was missing and showed one of his eyes was looking back into the blue skin's. Calamous roared with anger at the sight of the man winking at him before the soldier started running up the tunnel and disappeared behind the closed door. In pure rage, Calamous slung his blue energy at the door, destroying it, but the soldier was no where to be seen.
Next: And the World Trembled
