Chapter 8
The faint disk of the sun nestled behind gray clouds, backlighting the mountains with an influx of light. Colorless sand dunes rose off the ground like ashen sheets, and an ever-present fog hung in the air like ghosts, unearthly and dreary.
The towering steel buildings interrupting the never-ending gray atmosphere with red and blue lights was the only sign of civilization for miles. Judging by the amount of choppers being flown in and the guards patrolling the courtyards, this place was much more heavily guarded, despite the lack of threats. Evils never came close to the base, and the elite rebels didn't have access to another dimension. Until Ivan came along.
After circling the base for fifteen minutes, Nox spoke up. "There's no way in. Guards are patrolling ever single entrance, even the roofs. Even if we knock one out, security cameras will catch us."
Beecher ran a hand down his face. Some part of him regretted not taking Etrius, as he could've gotten them in no problem. The elite team had been working in this very base for months, but after word of their betrayal spread, things have changed.
Ivan sniggered.
Beecher turned to face him. "If you know so much about this base, why don't you find us a way in?"
"Beecher," Nox grated between clenched teeth.
"As a matter of fact, I do know of a way in."
Beecher raised a brow.
"I can disguise us as guards and we can get in, no problem," His eyes lit up a burning gold.
Nox rubbed her eyes and glared at her teammates like she was looking through new ones. Their complexions, clothes, and hair color had changed. Nox stroked her ponytail, surprised to find it a caramel, creamy red. A smirk tugged at the corner of Ivan's mouth. "Red. It suits you."
Nox punched him in the stomach. "Why haven't you told us this before?"
Ivan shrugged. "No one asked."
Beecher (It took Nox a moment to realize it was him) grabbed Ivan by the collar of his shirt. "You son of a—!"
"Enough," Nox recognized Lloyd by his British accent and quick words. "We get in, we get out with the cure. No fucking around. We're wasting enough time as it is."
Nox reached out to Etrius through mindspeak, surprised to find she could reach him from another dimension. Nox to Etrius. Find out where the cure is from The General.
It took a moment for Etrius to respond.
He's not saying.
Tell him I'll drag him into another mental round again.
He says it's in the left science wing. …They'll never get in? We'll see about that. It took Nox a moment to realize he was speaking to The General.
"Left science wing," Nox announced. "Boomer, find a way to get to the basement and prime the explosives. The rest of us will sneak our way in. There are too many guards to force our way inside the base. Lloyd and I will get in through the roofs, sticking to the shadows. Beecher, take Ivan and get in through the underground tunnels."
"And who put you in charge?" Ivan quipped.
Nox gave him a warning glare. "You're in no position to open your ass unless I tell you to. Don't forget you're the prisoner. Everyone, get to your positions."
The team split, Nox and Lloyd making their way to the southern corner of the facility, where security wasn't as strong. They climbed to the roof of a nearby building by the fire escape, treading lightly to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Luckily enough, only one guard was patrolling this roof. He paced back and forth, coming close to them, but they stuck to the shadow of another building to avoid being seen. Once he came close enough to him, Lloyd grabbed him from behind. He unsheathed his sword and slid it across his neck, severing his jugular. He kept his hand over his mouth to silence him before his body went limp. Nox nearly gagged at the sight.
Lloyd continued walking like nothing happened. He lifted a hatch that was embedded into the roof's floor, searched for guards, and then dropped down. Nox followed.
They made their way inside, sticking to the shadows and navigating their way to the left science wing relying on memory.
Nox froze, stifling a gasp when a red dot of light landed on her chest. Lloyd gave her a side-eye glance, and then at the shooter.
Beecher lowered his sniper when he saw it was just Nox and Lloyd. He whirled over the catwalk railing, followed by Ivan. Beecher spoke in a hushed tone. "Boomer's in the basement, priming the explosives. He should be here in—"
"Hey guys!" Boomer hooked an arm around Beecher's shoulder.
The team volatilely shushed him.
Boomer frowned and shrugged.
Straying away from guards, the team covered what little ground was left until they reached the left science wing. The double doors were open.
Nox narrowed her eyes, motioning for the team to stay back while she went in to investigate. It seemed strange to have a room with the cure, and it was wide open for the taking. There were guards everywhere outside, so either they were getting overconfident, or this was a trap.
Nox formed a translucent shield around her and made her way inside.
Four red dots found their way over her heart. She ducked as bullets whizzed above her. Nox raised her arms, bringing two guards down.
Beecher aimed and brought one down, his body flipping over the catwalk railing.
Ivan extracted a knife from his boot and launched it into the last one's skull.
With the guards unconscious, Ivan kicked the door shut, and the team examined the room. Nothing was in here except for a few test tubes and a large monitor. The screen showed a black orb resting on top of a gray pyramid, surrounded by darkness. Statistics and diagnostics surrounded the orb.
Nox frowned. "How long have they known about this? Etrius never mentioned seeing this in the second castle."
"It could be a new castle," Lloyd glared at the orb like he was watching prey. "I remember researchers mentioning there was a possibility of more castles. Looks like they've found it."
Beside them, Ivan leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "I can't believe it took you that long to figure it out."
"Then tell us, O' wise one," Nox spat at him. "What's that orb? And what's in the third castle?"
"I was never told what was in the orb," Nox read his brainwaves, but he was telling the truth on that one. "As for the Third Castle, you don't want to know."
"Whatever," Nox turned away. "It's not important." She shut her eyes, mentally reaching out to Etrius. We need information from The General. Just don't let him get under your skin.
A moment of silence. Then, Here, I'll put him on the phone.
Etrius! Godamnit! This isn't funny! The General's voice sparked in the back of her mind.
Hello there, General. Nox felt a smile rise on her face.
She could almost feel him ground his teeth.
You lied about the cure being in the science wing, she hoped her nonchalant tone could give him a taste of what was to come. You made us work for nothing. Don't tell me I have to go back there and rip out the answer myself.
You and your team are too naïve to see it, The General spat. Look at the monitor. If it's not on, there's a magical thing called the power button.
Talk to me like that again, and I'll switch off your power button.
There's a black orb, newly discovered in the third castle. Inside it is the very element that can destroy the cure. The real cure is somewhere in the base. We're monitoring the orb for now; nobody has gone inside the castle. Something lurks within the walls. Something evil.
Cut the shit. Then to Etrius. We're done with him. Watch him in case he tries anything.
Affirmative.
Nox cut the connection. "We're going to that third castle, but we need better artillery. We're returning to the base. Ivan—"
Nox stopped listening. Ivan was no longer by her side.
She swore, flipping around and scanning the room, but Ivan was gone. She faintly heard footsteps echoing down the hall. "After him!" She ordered, already moving after him.
Etrius' voice clicked together into her thoughts. Nox! Take the team and get out of there. Something bad is about to happen.
Can't exactly do that right now. Ivan rounded a corner, and Nox slid to a stop before following him. She wasn't about to tell Etrius that Ivan had escaped, and then listen to him lecture her about not looking after prisoners.
But something strange was lingering the back of her mind. There were no more guards patrolling the hallways like there were before. Silence hung in the air except for the two footsteps of Nox and Ivan.
Something black, foreboding, and alive seeped in from the hallway's darkest corners. Black mist. Whispers rose in the air, chanting in a foreign language.
Nox caught up to Ivan at a dead end. She snagged the back of his armor and slammed him against the wall. She kept him there with a hand around his throat. "Nice attempt," She hissed. "But you're not escaping us."
Ivan didn't seem irritated by the fact she had him trapped. Again. Instead, he pointed at the rising shadows. "I tried to warn you. I felt an evil presence rising in the air. But that red-eyed rebel was too stubborn to listen."
Nox's mouth twitched.
"It's over for us now."
Nox grabbed the fabric on his shoulder and hauled him down the hallway. "We're getting out of here."
"We're going back for the rebels?!" Ivan screeched. "You're insane! We'll never make it out alive."
"If you'd stop complaining and hurry up, we just might survive."
Luckily, they met with Beecher halfway down the hallway. Then Lloyd. They lost Boomer somewhere in the mist.
"We're not leaving without him." Nox's sapphire eyes materialized to a deep red, and then black.
~X~
Etrius paced the room, every once in a while setting his gaze back on The General's form behind the glass. He seemed to watch Etrius, despite the fact he couldn't see him through the glass wall.
"Any response from your team yet?" The General asked. Etrius didn't answer him; he knew that The General was just trying to get under his skin.
"You're not getting out, whether you like it or not," Etrius growled. "Consider these four walls the last thing you'll see once we're through with you."
"Execution," The general spoke, but there was no fear in his voice. "That's not like the Etrius I knew before."
"And I thought I knew the truth about you. But all these years… You're only sinking us further."
"I'm doing what's right," The General's remark almost made Etrius laugh.
The General continued. "Look at the city. You've seen what these people are doing to each other—slaughtering the innocent for a few caskets of water. They don't deserve to have the planet restored; they've already had too many chances."
"Everyone's in a state of panic," Etrius snarled. "And you're keeping them in the dark. We could've fixed this a long time ago if you hadn't kept this secret from us."
"If you're going to go on their side, then fine," The General said, blankly and deadpan. "That's exactly what rebels would do. I never expected much from you, not from the first day you began training in the Canadian Forces."
Etrius searched around for the mute button, but he had never used the interrogation room.
"I could never trust you with missions."
"Shut up," Etrius said between clenched teeth. "Shut up. Shut up!" He clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling the urge to charge in there and break him. But he couldn't open the door and let him escape.
"You were nothing but an inconvenience."
Etrius lost it. He would open the door and give him a taste of his own medicine, but he wouldn't let him escape. He threw the door open and marched to The General.
The General jerked at the sudden act and backed away several steps, but there was no sign of fear on his face. Etrius grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and drew a fist back. "Just because Nox is gone doesn't mean I can apply my own interrogation."
"You just made a costly mistake."
Etrius' blood froze, his heart skipping over several beats. He slowly glanced down to see a piece of metal from The General's handcuffs sticking out. Into his torso.
Even for such a small wound, the pain seemed to spread through his veins and into his bones like a virus. The General harshly retracted the metal. "How to break out of handcuffs. Or at least, how to take down your captor. Wish you would've learned it while in basic training?"
Etrius ground his teeth as his feet gave away from under him. He collapsed to his knees, thick blood oozing out from the wound. He could've concentrated on his powers, but his anger towards The General clouded any judgment.
The General marched into the opposite room, quickly finding keys and unlocking his hand-cuffs. He then seized the Obsidian Shard and tossed it into the interrogation room. He left without another word.
The team found Boomer lurking near the back exit. They ran out of the building, hiding in the shadows while the guards and troops ran in to take care of the situation.
Nox struggled to catch her breath. "What the fuck was that about?"
"I've never seen such a thing." Ivan said with narrowed eyes. Nox read through his brainwave pattern, but nothing was broken. He was telling the truth.
Etrius' voice vibrated weakly in the back of Nox's mind. Grab the team. Get out of there. Something bad is going to happen.
Yeah, I think we got that.
Return to base. We've got bigger problems to worry about.
Such as?
A gritty moan.
Nox pinched the bridge of her nose, clicking the pieces into place. She knew this was going to happen, and it's why she came up with a Plan B as quickly as possible.
Hang on, She said, irritated. We'll be there ASAP.