AN: Action chapter, Ben and Gwen have been asked by the plumbers to help in the rescue of a planet.
The cabin shakes around them from the stress of re-entry, bumping around in their seats as the pilot maneuvers to avoid the blasts coming at them. Surrounded by severe faces they glance at each other as the vibrations go through them. Both steeling themselves in their own way for what is to come.
Ben twiddles his thumbs as he leans back against the seat, flitting from one random thought to the next. Across from him Gwen breathes in the rhythm of her meditation.
The grim silence broken by an alarm. The shuttle jerking up suddenly. A blast follows, the entire shuttle wrenching around . Thrown around in their harnesses as it dips down.
The shuttle begins to spin. A harsh guttural language sounds over the speakers. Heavy booms can be heard through the hull. The shockwaves throwing the shuttle around in the air.
A different klaxon sounds as the harnesses tighten around them. Pulling them flush against the back rest. All at once the seats fall away out the shuttle. The wind rushes by as they fall through the blue-green sky. A flash of light and a loud roar pushes them further away.
The suddenness of falling paralyzes him for a moment. Enough that he could look up at the shuttle the moment the blast hits. Exploding violently sending his chair spinning. The controls not enough to bring it back in a controlled descent.
Smashing his hand down on the emergency release. Falling free. Shrapnel whizzing by him, whistling as it tears through the air. A green flash and Big chill soars through the air. Turning himself intangible just before the wreckage of the shuttle falls through him.
Intangible he shakes himself, scanning the air as he searches. Looking for the soldiers. Looking for soldiers were simple grey blips but Gwen was smart enough to form a shield around herself. The pink glow easily distinguishable.
Flying as fast as he is capable off he goes to her. Still intangible as the shrapnel and lasers continue to fly through the air.
Her chair is falling fast, its boosters hardly slowing down the descent but he is nearly there. Narrowing his eyes, stretching himself out to reach. A laser blast explodes between them. Thrown back he flips end over end, rolling through the air as he regains control. Trying to escape the smoke around him.
Finally he manages to break free from the darkness in the sky. Looking about frantically. Zipping through the sky, searching in every direction he can see. Growling he folds his wings around him, falling to the dirt below.
Narrowing his eyes as he sees over a dozen landing sites. Most have smoke rising but only three of them show flashes of blaster fire. Opening his wings again he races towards the largest battle site. Elevating as he comes near a green flash has him change to Cannonbolt.
Curling up he starts spinning, falling forwards with the remainder of his momentum. He lands with a resounding crash in a cloud of dirt and ash. Surprising the enemy he rolls through their formations. Wreaking havoc as the soldiers hunker down, firing at those that he misses.
The skirmish is over quickly after his arrival. Rolling back towards the soldiers he changes. Searching among them for that one familiar face. Growling audibly he barks his question. "Where is Gwen?" The translator in his suit using the proper language for the soldiers.
None of them can answer him, most didn't even know another human came along. Didn't know that she wouldn't leave him. Shaking his head at their babbling about target alpha another green flash changes him into Fasttrack. Speeding off to the other battle sites.
He goes through skirmish after skirmish. Everything a blur to him as he leaves broken malformed bodies behind. The soldiers all move on to the target, trying to remind him of why they came here. But he cannot stop until he's gone through all of them.
Panting heavily he bends over, resting his hands on his knees. The last skirmish site, filled with more soldiers and cyborgs but no sign of her. Taking a moment he holds up his arm, fiddling with the watch to bring up her vital signs. For a moment he fears the worst, taken back to a different alien planet so many years ago.
Everything comes up green. Shakily he exhales, filled with relief that she's alive. Turning the dial every which way in seemingly random directions he curses. "Come on, come on. Where is she?" But no matter how he turns it the watch doesn't point in a direction.
He flinches as a sudden blaster shot sounds from beside him. Twisting himself around with his hand over the dial of the watch. Seeing the soldier and the smoking body of the cyborg at his feet. The soldier's commander stomps closer, berating him harshly. But all Ben can see is the brown ichor leaking from the body. How it lies too still in odd angles. The skin in tears as metal was fused to its body, taking away its free will with each piece that was added.
Eyes wide and breath harsh he turns around, leaning over for a different reason as he fights to keep his stomach where it is. Closing his eyes he tries to get a rythm to his breath. Suddenly all too aware of the stench that hangs in the air.
A harsh voice next to him snaps his eyes open. "-an! We need to move out. The other teams are already clearing the way for us. Time is running out."
Ben looks at the officer next to him, clad in the same armor as the soldiers save for the patterns on its chest and helmet. The armor no longer as pristine as when he saw it on the ship. It takes seconds for him to form words. "What? Where are?" Still too shaken by the horror around him.
The officer snorts, it's nostrils flaring behind the glass of its helmet. "Everyone is going to target Alpha. We follow the plan and end this."
"Plan." His thoughts move too sluggish. Shaking his head manages to clear some of the cobwebs as it slowly comes back to him. The meeting on the ship where the officers and them went over the map.
"Target Alpha." The stronghold where the planetary drill was doing its work.
The target every soldier was to make its way to. Standing straight Ben nods, his thoughts ringing clear that she would make her way there even as the words flow from his mouth. "Let's hurry."
Blaster fire sounds around her as she moves. Her escape chair lying forgotten behind her as she dodges the blaster fire. Dipping and twirling between blasts. Throwing her own at the enemies farthest away. Making her way closer to the cyborgs while she evades the deadly projectiles.
Finally coming up on the closest enemy she sidesteps its blast. Bringing up her leg for a high kick, pink shield forming on her shin an instant before the hit lands. The cyborg blown clear off its feet right into the one next to it. Both sparking as they lay on the dirt
Two down but no reprieve. She rolls out of the way of three more shots that melt the dirt. Forming a long shield as she does. Focusing their fire on the shield, they don't notice as she moves around the side of it.
Waiting for her shield to crack, focused as it breaks. Leaping out she flings her manablasts. Running past as an arc of energy follows the blasts. Two bodies land on the ground, sparking as components on them explode. Narrowing her eyes at the two cyborgs left she approaches them with caution.
Following their moves with her eyes, one comes to engage her while the other fires at her. Deflecting the shots away from her she moves to the side. Keeping the advancing cyborg between her and the one shooting.
The cyborg comes at her in great distance eating strides, for the first time she truly sees what they look like. Hints of what the population of this world looked like before the cyberplague came show through.
The skin green in color, now torn by the metal implanted to make the body stronger. The arms and legs show patches of it left, metalic components replacing the feet and hands. The mouth free and open but the eyes covered by a visor with a dozen pinpricks of yellow light. One arm holding the blaster, on the other a blade flips out.
Jumping up with the help of a mana platform she lands with both heels on its chest. Driving it down into the ground. Pushing herself off before it swipes at her with the blade. Flipping in the air she releases a blast into its chest. Landing on the ground she quickly jumps to the side. Two shots fly through where she was, an acrid stench left in the air with their passing.
Springing from platform to platform she gains height, evading the shots sent at her. One hand filling with mana, she lobs it right before the cyborg. The bolt explodes in a bright white light. Obscuring its vision it can only feel the impact of her heel on the back of its head.
Landing in a crouch one last bolt puts it out of commission. Panting heavily, she scans the surrounding area. Making sure there are no surprises left. Finding nothing she places her hands on her knees, bending over as she takes in huge mouthfuls of air. Taking a moment to center herself and get over the shock of the crash.
She stumbles when she stands up straight again. Pushing through she brings up the holographic display on her gauntlet. The light sputters a few times, giving a hazy stilted image of the surrounding terrain. Pressing buttons and fiddling with the dial she tries to no avail as the light gutters out.
"That's just great." Irritation laced her tone as she begins looking about again. Calculating eyes pass over the destroyed emergency chair. Her head turns to the distant explosions. Smoke plumes rising in all directions. She focusses on the thick gray stack rising to the side of her.
"Knowing Ben he'll be the cause of that." She sighs deeply before she starts to walk. Avoiding the fallen bodies of the cyborgs and the fluids leaking from them. "Why does he always have to be at the thick of these things?"
Climbing the hill she gets a good look at the surrounding landscape, an open expanse of blue grass and small hills. All of it marked by the ongoing battles, smoking holes and broken bodies everywhere in her vision. Her eyes stuck on the back of a fallen plumber soldier. The broken patches of his suit revealing the wounds underneath. Blood leaking onto the grass.
She wrenches her gaze away. Trudging on she scans her surroundings, wary of enemies hiding to attack her. Her eyes avoiding the broken bodies she comes across. Not daring to look too close, afraid of what she will see. Afraid she'll find Ben in a state just like them.
Finally she manages to come to the edge of the battle. In the distance she can see the ship that bored itself into the planet's surface. The factory that brought the cyber plague with it. The blue plains rent and torn like the skin of its populace. Jagged red rocks protruding at its edges.
The shining ship sticks out of the ground like a cancerous sore. Black smoke rising from the holes in its hull. Blue streaks of grass run across the black soil as war rages. Blaster fire rings clear even from so far away. The lasers flying every which way. Soldiers fighting valiantly against the cyborgs that mindlessly throw themselves against them. Screams and explosions sound as she stands on the edge. A sight seared into her memory.
Closing her eyes she breathes harshly. Trying as hard as she is capable of to quell her fear. The noise of it all piercing her ears. Pushing it all out to bring her emotions in check so she can have the clarity to make it through this day.
Slowly she manages to get her breathing under control. Focusing on the well of power within her, losing herself in its streams as she brings it closer to the surface. A pink glow surrounds her fingertips, lighting up the scars on her arms underneath her suit as her skin turns purple. Opening her eyes again they blaze with the power she holds.
She focusses on one specific area of the battle where she can see a troupe of soldiers clumped together, steadily shooting their way towards the primary objective. Jogging forwards she closes in on their left, running towards one half of the pincher maneuver.
Quick jabs in the air have manabolts fly at the cyborgs on that side. Not strong enough to put them down but enough to bring a distraction. The soldiers capitalize on that single moment, mowing down those that stand before them. Guarding the backs of their comrades.
She rolls away from a lucky shot that came at her. The cyborg that fired it laying on the ground with a smoking hole through its torso.
Staying on the ground she places both her hands flat on the dirt, pink light shining from between her fingers. She grunts as she pulls back on her hands, making the ground heave with her motion. Low walls erupt around the soldiers. The remaining cyborgs shot down from the new cover as they stumble in the moving dirt.
Knowing that each second matters she marches to the commanding officer, speaking as she comes closer. "Follow me to objective Alpha, we wade through and join with the other teams."
The commanding officer bristles as her words come through the translator, hunching over as he barks at her. "Think it's that easy little human? These borgs are too strong to go recklessly, we make our way though at my pace." Pointing his arm out at a squad of soldiers still shooting at their enemy. "First we help out the soldiers there!"
Standing across from each other they glare, neither willing to back down. A tremendous roar sounds. One of the soldiers calls out "Got a big one here!"
The officer turns away from Gwen barking orders at the other soldiers to get them in formation to engage the enhanced cyborg. A large hulking creature, easily three times as large as a human. Dark green skin shows through in only a few places as most of it is covered in shining metal.
One arm raises a large cannon while the other carries a shield. Aiming the cannon at the nearby squad of soldiers it fires. A deep red ray blasts away from it, pushing its feet back in the dirt as it sweeps the ray through the formation. Leaving only screams and red glowing ground in its wake.
The soldiers grunt and curse as they form up against the wall. Shooting at the cyborg in regular intervals to keep its shield raised. As they throw whatever they have at it Gwen looks about. No enemies to the side of them. Only the behemoth before them. Drawing back she makes her way around the walls she raised.
Running from cover to cover as the soldiers continue to fire she sees as it steps forward, weathering the barrage. Heaving its shield in the air the cyborg plunges it down into the ground.
Gwen halts behind a mound of dirt, charging a bolt in her hands. Releasing the shield as it takes hold of the cannon with both hands. A section in it opens up, just enough for the barrel to poke through.
The soldiers lob grenades and fire their fusion launchers to no avail as the cannon charges.
Gwen makes her move as the grenades explode, throwing dirt into the air. It's vision obscured she dashes towards the large cyborg. Charging the orb in her hands to glow brighter. The behemoth doesn't notice her until the glare of her magic stings its eye. The large orb in her hands bright enough to blind it.
Sliding to a stop she pushes it out with both her hands. The orb flying sluggishly at the cyborg giving it just enough time to turn and face it before impact. An immense boom sounds as it is blown off its feet, shaking the ground as it lands.
The soldiers watch with bated breath. The behemoth smoking on the ground. Gwen glares, her hands charging up again as she waits. The cyborg twitchs, planting its hands on the ground to rise up. Two blasts hit it in quick succession. Throwing it back down, this time it stays lying down and slowly she lets the glow around her hands dissipate. She turns, walking back towards the soldiers.
Stopping right before the commander she speaks, her tone icy and even. "Follow me to objective Alpha." Staring into the black of his eyes, that even tone never wavering. "We go through the enemy and join the other teams."
His eyes flick from hers to the still smoking body of the behemoth, to the cannon that took eight lives in seconds. Looking back down at her he nods, barking out his orders to the soldiers.
Gwen turns on her heel, walking forwards to the cancerous sore sticking out of the land. The soldiers form up around her. Keeping her at the point of their formation as they enter the war before them.
Enemy after enemy falls to them. Steadily making their way forward, helping the teams that they come across. Adding to their own number with every soldier they save. Beating back the army of cyborgs step by step. The soldiers fire with abandon, Gwen channels her magic in ways that she hasn't before.
Showing the true depth of her strength she makes a path for them. Slicing her way through the cyborgs with mana constructs. She doesn't waver, pushing on. Mana dances over her suit, forming blasts and spears she fights.
Smoking and broken bodies lay behind them when they stop. Battle lines drawn they come before an army. The cyborgs stand against them, icy calmness in their lines. Not one out of place. Behemoths sprinkled through the ranks.
Silence reigns before the battle as the two sides face each other. The cyborgs simply waiting for them to come into range. The soldiers struck by an uneasy tension at the sight of their enemies.
Yet she could see that this army had already been tested, a large number of them were damaged. Quite a few missing limbs or other parts. A behemoth stands at the front ready to charge, its arms missing and yet it does not show a hint of the agony it must feel.
A loud blast breaks the silence, rustling can be heard as the soldiers shuffle their feet. An explosion erupts at the ship. More can be heard coming from it. Gwen crinkles her brows as she whispers beneath her breath. "Ben."
Closing her eyes she begins chanting, raising her hands with the palms to the sky. The soldiers are restless but do not move from their place. Slowly the sky begins to darken with roiling clouds. She chants, hidden underneath the helmet her hair glows brighter. Her words come with fervor. The pitch of her voice showing the strain she feels of the magic she is casting.
Lightning pierces down from the clouds. Striking a dozen times throughout the ranks of the cyborgs. Decimating all around the points of impact. Even so the cyborgs stay standing in their place.
Gwen collapses as the spell ends, heaving because of the toll of the spell. She hears from her knees as more explosions erupt in the army before her. The soldiers emboldened by her attack. Expending their long range weaponry to take out as many as they can before they clash with the army.
Their attack causes the cyborgs to begin their forwards march. Undaunted the soldiers raise their cry, hollering as they raise their shields. Firing at the enemy that closes in on them. Gwen is pulled back from the front, finding herself in the middle of the first team she helped as they close their formation around her.
She hears as the cyborgs reach them, feels as they bash into the shield wall. The blasts and screams that follow make her heart clench in her chest. Taking a last fortifying moment she raises herself up, facing the grim soldiers around her she moves. Her team forming up around her, holding her in the middle of their formation as they march.
The two armies break ranks, fighting with everything they have. She lost count of how many enemies she's broken hours ago. Continuing on through the pain and exhaustion
Pink energy flowing along her form, striking out at every cyborg she faces. Bolts and arcs of mana fly. Shields shatter. Facing two behemoths she crouches, willing to give it her all as the soldiers spread out behind her.
A colossal explosion surprises them all, capturing the attention of everyone on the field. A glimpse of fire in the sky before they are thrown through the air by the blast wave that follows. Tossed around like ragdolls through the raging wind.
No chance at resisting she is thrown in the air curling up, making herself as small as possible. She forms a shield around her, sensing the cracks in it when it forms. Concentrating to strengthen it enough to ride the wave.
Rolling and turning in the dirt it finally breaks, landing her face first on the ground. Shaking herself she knows that she has to get up. With every effort she can make she raises herself up on her arms, grunting at what it takes to move.
Dust twirls down from above, darkening the world around her. Soldiers slowly pick themselves up as the cyborgs stay where they lay. The lights on their bodies gone out in the explosion.
She turns around on her knees, witnessing the fire raging where the ship used to be. She pushes herself up on her feet, stumbling towards the billowing fire.
Stubbornly pushing on and on as she sees the bodies lying on the ground. All of them were hit and so many died in the blast wave. Gagging as the stench finally finds its way through the filters on her suit she endures.
"EN" She turns, wobbling on her feet, sure that she heard something. Looking about as she hears it again, closer this time. "GWEN!" Turning again something bowls into her. Two bodies rolling through the dirt.
She comes up on top, her fist raised to bring it down. She freezes. Beneath her in his plumber suit lays Ben. He raises himself up, sitting on the ground. Catching her close, crushing her against his chest.
They sit in the dirt, clutching each other as they babble and tears fall in their helmets.
Authors note: Well finally managed to finish this chapter, it was a doozy. Ended up rewriting the entire thing and splitting it in half.
The second half will be up in the coming days and deals with the aftermath of the large scale battle.
Incidentally, this is the largest chapter I have ever written and the first featuring battle scenes.
I do hope you enjoyed it, constructive criticism is appreciated.