Incursion Twenty Nine: United Front Part Two
The Cross Rangers arrived not a moment later than the final redeployed platoon.
Blue Cross followed the Black Spike from base to tip. It must have been upwards of eight storeys tall now. "That thing is… crazy."
"Crazy bad, right?" said Red Cross. "Because that monstrosity can't be good."
CrossTrinity appeared from beyond the part cobbled together, part professional barricade. Members of the public, having heard what was happening, had joined StratCom in building the barriers and walls. Despite her people's trepidation, CrossTrinity had allowed it, just so long as no one got hurt.
"Alright. Reports are coming in that the Black Water is on the move. It's draining away from the business district via the Downtown Line and ending up…" She too looked up at the Spike. "Well, I'm not going to sugar coat it, but this isn't good."
"I think we've established that more than enough already," snapped White Cross. "What is it for? Why is here in particular? Has it done anything else besides sit there?"
Cadet Ferris rushed over to join them from her post amongst the ops personnel. "The Spike is pinging as an incursion signal. So yes it's active Black Water, but so far nothing else, no."
"Of course!" said Yellow Cross. "This is the exact centre of the city. The Spike is a power play."
CrossTrinity nodded, muttering her own thought to herself, "... An attempt to take the city by default…"
Yellow Cross didn't need check her subway map. "They can reach any where from here. Any subway line, any sewer, anywhere."
"Well sure," said Green Cross, "but why put it all your eggs in one tower… so to speak?"
Black Water could have infected the entirety of the city's plumbing infrastructure. It could have jumped into the fresh water supply, turning every single person in the city unfortunate enough to take a drink into just another Black Water zombie. Surely force majeure of overwhelming numbers outweighed such an strangely public, and rather phallic display of power.
o0o
The Black Spike, as they'd all come to know it, sat visibly inert for the next few hours. It had long since peaked at a height that dominated the city landscape. Taller than any building for miles around, the Spike could even be seen from Castle Dale and the suburbs.
News had spread online, onto the blogosphere. Some social commentators waxed lyrical on what it's appearance meant for society. Some used it to further their liberal agenda, while others used it for proof of what a lack of centralised power did to a country.
A particularly strong activist movement calling itself the StratCom Relief had culminated from the social media comments of those present at the barricades, and throughout the city. As people took to the internet, individuals across the country, the world even, joined in direct opposition of the Black Spike.
Open letters that read more like manifestos were sent to the military demanding to know what was being done about the Black Water.
For too long, it said, have the people stood by in blissful ignorance trying to block out all knowledge of the disaster we face.
Well today we say no more.
Our children will be educated about the infection. Our charities, our non-profits and our businesses will actively fund projects searching for a way to eradicate the Black Water. Wherever we see a Cross Ranger in jeopardy, we will lend a hand. Wherever a StratCom soldier struggles alone to protect us the people, we will struggle with him. Wherever a fellow human being is in need, we will need with him.
We shall strive for a united front.
This is no infection, it's an invasion, and we will take up arms and fight.
And despite the military brass's refusal to allow civilians to put themselves at risk, a number of co-signers on the letter come manifesto were members of the armed forces, from the enlisted all the way to the top.
One name stood out amongst the rest. Blogger, Sonja Hart. Arguably the SCR's ring leader.
o0o
As night began to fall, the Spike shifted from an amorphous phallus into a structure that imitated stone, with doors, ramparts, balconies and bolt holes. And at it's apex sat a cradle of sorts.
The Cross Rangers had dropped their transformations and retired to the temporary ops tent the other side of the now seven foot barricade. Sentries stood watch for any activity within the restricted zone around the Spike, whether from the tower itself, the sewers, the fountains, or from above.
An exasperated Robert poured over all possible reasons Black Water could have for constructing such a statement. "Clearly, Oblivion figured, since we have a headquarters she should get one too."
"She used to be one of ours," Allison blurted. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark bags hung beneath them. "Lieutenant Celeste Hennings… The lieutenant who lead Bryant's Remnant that one time."
"Lt. Hennings?" Catherine waved Cadet Ferris over and asked her to make a note for future research. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. The first time we met her as 'Lady Oblivion' she chucked a set a dog tags on the ground. Celeste Hennings was the name, without a doubt."
"She has to remember something of her humanity then, doesn't she," added Catherine. "Consciously discarding the last signs of her former life…"
She stood a crossed over the corkboard they'd been using to organise their thoughts and coordinate troop movements, patrols, watches and the like. "Robert, you're right. I think she's still acting on military training. We know No-one could careless, but she must have twisted his leg into building the Spike as a base of operations."
Brad raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she wants to rule over us? That doesn't sound much like a Black Water thing to do..."
"But that's just the thing," Catherine continued. "When the Black Water infected her, they took her stubbornness, her ideals and her obsession with her. She's thinking of herself as my rival, vying for the attention of General Bryant, and the best way to do that, she figures, is to run a tight shift."
"I don't know…" Allison shook her head. "You're probably right, yeah, but I'm certain there's more to it."
"I think so to," said Catherine, "but until something happens out there we can't say for certain what their next move will be."
Footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs their side of the barricade. Moments later a guard of the duty watch burst into the tent with a grave expression on her face.
"Ma'am, rangers… come quick," she panted. "It's him."
o0o
"Magi!" No-one roared with the air of a seasoned shakespearian actor, flood lit by a 360o spread of spotlights.
He was calling them out, calling them to him. He actually wanted a fight.
The six rangers trod with care up the steps behind the ops tent and onto the barricade wall, and kept low behind the wrought iron battlements. Until they could ascertain what their enemy was up to, if he was alone and more importantly if it was an obvious trap, they couldn't very well waltz on in.
"Magi! Come face me."
Robert attempted to stand, but Allison pulled him back to knees. "Don't you dare," she whispered.
Another of the Watch guard ascended the stairs behind them and crawl over to the two captains. He addressed Catherine with a clear salute.
"Report. What's he done so far?'"
"Ma'am, he came out of the ground floor door. Paced the inside of restricted zone, sized it up and … well." He gestured toward No-one.
"Nothing else came from inside the Spike with him?"
"Not even a ripple."
"Very well, thank you soldier."
The guard saluted and took up his post at one of the unmanned spotlights.
"I know you're hiding from me, magi. Your lights are following me." No-one took a step to the side to prove his point, and despite the watch guard being called out on it, the spotlights did indeed move with him. "They must be operated by someone."
He shifted back to the spot he had been in just a moment before and looked directly up at where the rangers had concealed themselves.
Doesn't miss much, does he. "Well, here it goes…" said Robert.
The Cross Rangers got into position and stood, silhouetted behind the powerful halogen beams. They each summoned their morphers; The core five their wrist mounted gem set ancestral devices, and Catherine the black and gold morpher she'd inherited from a great man, with it's triple coloured wheel dubbed the roulette dial.
"Finally." No-one's oversized arm hung at his side, knuckles grazing the flagstones. His missing leg oozed Black Water that moved of its own accord back into the fountains.
Brad shouted down to him. "Would you like to tell us what's going on with the, uh, you know?"
"What the Lady wants the Lady gets."
"Oh." Brad turned his head, covered his mouth, and whispered, "Who called that it would be one of Lady Oblivious' schemes?"
Allison rolled her eyes.
"Let's morph," Catherine said, striking a pose with one arm stretched high and the other thrust at the ground.
The others crossed their arms at their waists.
"Clan form roulette!" Catherine struck the roulette dial along her forearm.
"Cross form!" They swung their arms, and the opposing arcs of magi power described a circle in their wake.
In a burst of multicoloured light, their armour materialised.
"Fire and Metal; Red Cross."
"Water and Lightning; Blue Cross."
"Air and Light; White Cross."
"Earth and Water; Green Cross."
"Sonic and Fire; Yellow Cross."
"Head of the nine magi tribes. The magi empress… CrossTrinity."
They leaped down from the barricade to land crouched in front of him.
"Magi Tribe… Cross Ranger!" They said in unison, springing to their feet. Half the spotlights now lit them, giving them the visibility necessary to fight at night.
One moment No-one stood there, motionless, a smirk his only exception to the rule. The next he burst into a hail of inert Black Water, leaving the Cross Ranger's baffled and confused. The guard swung their lights around, trying desperately to find him.
Red Cross' shoulders sunk. "I thought he was looking for a fight?" He lolled his head to the side.
"Look out!" came a cry from the barricade.
The spotlights lit a sky diving No-one a moment too late. He bowled CrossTrinity, Green Cross and White Cross over, clipping two of the remaining three with his outstretched mutated arm.
No-one rolled with the fall and jumped to his feet behind their now broken formation.
Yellow Cross, still standing after the attack, summoned her tonfas and swung at him. Sonic booms burst from the tips wherever they made contact. Despite being far slower than the yellow ranger, No-one keep his footing, strafing and twisting out of the way when he could. Still she pressed the attack.
Behind them, the other rangers had regrouped. They too summoned their weapons.
Red Cross' spear sliced through the air, burning as it flew. No-one turned his entire right side into Black Water. Though it burned, the spear passed straight through him. He solidified at took another sonic boom from Yellow Cross.
CrossTrinity, having ended up in her white detailed air form, launched herself skyward on a burst of wind and armed her gauntlet blades. She came down upon him, and again he burst into a liquid state and slid back into the fountains.
"What the actual hell?" Yellow Cross said.
"This is power of my darling Oblivion's tower." No-one's voice projected from inside the Black Spike. "I have become immortal."
"That's… how?" gasped White Cross.
"Trade secret," said No-one. "I called upon you to show you nothings just how futile your war against us is. You have a full seven days to announce your planet's surrender. If you do not reply by midnight on the seventh day, everything you hold dear will cease to exist."