Kipo awoke to the sound of hushed voices. Groggy, she rose, but she caught a glimpse of rapid movement outside the cell. She dragged herself closer to the bars, and to her surprise, only one of the guards was in front of the door, wide awake. He looked to her, but didn't react, just looked back towards the staircase leading up, tightening his grip on his shock spear.
She looked past him, and saw figures running up and down the stairs; they were remarkably quiet, but their sense of urgency made its way into Kipo and she tensed. She moved back in the cell and touched the guardian's shoulder. "Guardian."
He was immediately awake, hands moving to his empty holster before realizing that he was still bound. He blinked a few times, and his eyes sharpened. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, but something's going on." She glanced behind her, worry spreading. Something had to be happening, to have the Eliksni running around like a bunch of panicking rock hamsters. Kipo moved back to the door. "Excuse me?"
The guard looked at her, eyes twitching back and forth.
"What's going on?"
"Quiet," he muttered, but the threat was overshadowed by anxiety.
"Where's Saliska?"
He narrowed his eyes, uttering a growl from deep in his throat,
Kipo held her hands up, backing away. "Sorry." She turned back to the guardian. "He won't talk. What should we do?"
"Sit tight, for now." He was fully awake now, focused, intense, but also twitchy. He was taking deep, deliberate breaths to keep calm. "We don't know if there's any danger to us, but we need to be ready." He leaned closer. "I know the code to open the door. We just have to get the transmitter off the guard."
"Woah. That's cool." Kipo tried to look impressed, but then decided to let him know what she'd been thinking. "I can also cut the bars with my mute claws." She shrugged. "Might be faster."
"Wait, what?"
"Yup, done it before. Solid steel, sliced to tiny bits."
Pork piped up, "I could also hack the door."
The guardian shook his head, and Kipo could see ideas spinning in his mind, becoming plans. "All right then. Pork, start working on my cuffs. Kipo, be ready to let us out."
"Ok!"
"We'll make a break for the doors. Kipo?"
She turned back, hearing the change in his tone.
The guardian met her eyes. "If things go badly, we might have to kill to escape. You know that, right?"
Ice crept into Kipo's veins. "I don't want to do that." She didn't deny the possibility, however, and she didn't like how that felt.
"I don't want to, either," the guardian replied coolly, but in those words Kipo heard the practiced lack of emotion that meant that he was prepared to end the lives of the Eliksni that would try to stop them, starting with the guard outside their door, and that scared her.
But what scared her more was that he had been right. They might have to kill, if they wanted to get out of here. This world had toughened her, made her just a little harder, even if she didn't want to admit it. Kipo returned to the cell door, subtly activating her night vision, trying to pick out the form of Saliska in the running figures.
It was louder now. The foot traffic had increased, mostly adult Eliksni, males and females, running back and forth between the upper building back to the basement, carrying what looked like supplies, torn-down shelters, pieces of machines. Almost like they were… packing up. Kipo narrowed her eyes. Were they preparing to leave?
And then the figures and the items they carried started to change. Soon the women of the camp had retreated with their children deeper into the basement, leaving the area around the makeshift playing field bare. And then the soldiers started to arrive. They were urgent, focused, carrying pieces of metal, weapons large and small, and seeming junk, and soon the flat stretch was littered with items.
And then Kipo saw her. "Saliska!" she called out, and the shorter Eliksni looked over.
She looked torn for a moment, dodging those who didn't pause, and then she scampered over, using her lower arms as a second pair of legs. She straightened and approached, eyes wide.
"What's going on?" Kipo asked, only just managing to keep the desperation out of her voice.
Saliska jumped slightly as someone dropped something with a loud clang. "I.. . Kipo… I don't…" she shook her head, at herself, it seemed, then met Kipo's eyes. "The Cabal are coming."
Kipo narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Who?"
The guardian spoke, voice taut. "That's bad."
"They're… we've raided their bases for several years now, and they never knew where we came from." Saliksa looked back at the doors, fear obvious. "But now they know. Somehow, they found us. The Captain sent a crew out to delay them, but they'll be here soon."
"They're going to attack? Will you win?"
"No, we can't fight them directly, they're too strong. They would kill us all. We're only pests to them." She tried to leave, but Kipo reached out and took her upper arm.
"Wait, so, they're coming here, what will you do?"
Saliksa was breathing heavily, and she looked back. For the first time Kipo noticed the rifle slung over her shoulder. "Some will try to escape. But I will fight, or die, to give them time. I'm old enough."
"Nobody's ever old enough to die!" Kipo cried out, but Saliska pulled away.
"Let us go." It was the guardian, next to her now, voice low and commanding.
"I cannot! Only the Captain can order–"
"But we can help!" Kipo shouted, not only because of strong emotion but also because the background of panicked voices and shouting was getting louder. "We'll fight!"
Saliksa looked at her, obviously conflicted, but then shook her head and ran towards the stairs. A shout from one of the other warriors, and the guard left his post without a backward glance.
"Saliska!" Kipo shouted, fear coursing through her. Not for herself, not for their situation, but for her new friend that was throwing herself into a battle. And Kipo knew that Saliksa didn't plan to survive.
She sat back, tears threatening to well up in her, but the guardian was there, grabbing her shoulder. "Kipo. We can get out of this." He motioned to the cuffs, which were loose on his wrists. "On my command, cut the door open. I'll summon a gun for each of us, and if we hurry, we can get out of here before the Cabal arrive."
"I don't want to." The first time was faint, but she looked up, saying it again, more firmly. "I don't want to leave them." Then she met his eyes, to make sure he knew she meant it.
The guardian looked at her, stunned by her answer. "What? Kipo, we have to leave! If the Cabal arrive, then we're trapped down here, and we'll die with them."
"You'd just leave?"
The guardian looked confused. "Of course! Kipo, they're Fallen! They stole from the Cabal and are paying the price, they started this fight. We only need to survive."
"But… But…" Kipo tried to reply, but her words were stumbling. "But Kelsik… Saliska–"
"It's over, Kipo! I don't care what magic you worked yesterday, but we owe them NOTHING. Now cut that door, and we can get out of here."
Her tears suddenly burned in her eyes, and Kipo suddenly realized that she was angry. "But they're people! There are children here! You'd just run away and let them die?"
"They're not my people!" He shouted back, and she could see the fear, the panic building in his eyes, but she didn't care.
"Then what are those fancy powers for!?" Kipo bared her fangs, and spat, "Why do you call yourself guardian, if you only care about yourself?!"
He actually stepped back from her ferocity, and Kipo realized that without her realizing, there was jaguar power in her eyes and mouth. How scary had she looked to him? She sucked in deep breaths, fear suddenly in her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
His face was twisted, shame and fear and anger all sharing his expression, but he shook his head. "Kipo, I care about you. Your safety is my top priority. I wish we could help, but we have to get out of here." He took a breath, trying to calm down. "I've faced the Cabal, they're unstoppable."
She let out a tight breath. "If you really cared about me, you'd listen." She met his eyes and spoke forcefully. "I. Want. To. Fight. I want to help–"
An explosion came from above, making them duck as dust rained on their heads. Suddenly there was the not-quite-so distant rolling rumbling of gunfire, and Kipo looked outside their cell. Panic spread among the Eliksni, and Kipo realized that the junk in the center of the floor had become a makeshift wall, lined with warriors and their guns, pointed at the open double doors. A figure rushed out, running on two legs, and Kipo recognized it.
"Saliska!"
The Eliksni stopped at the cell, and with a flick of a device the cell door opened. Kipo and the guardian watched, shocked, as the Eliksni girl pushed aside her cloak to reveal a hand cannon and a sidearm. An Allegro, and the Vestian Dynasty.
She took them in her lower arms and held them out, meeting their eyes. "Please. Help us."
Just then, a large group of Eliksni rushed into the room, some carried, some wounded, all armed to the teeth. They fired their weapons back up the stairs, then jumped aside as two huge figures barreled through the doorway. The doors were slammed closed, and two Eliksni with massive welders set to work, melting the steel and sealing the sturdy doors shut.
But Kipo's eyes were drawn to the two figures. They were deep in combat, wrestling with sudden blows and furious motion. They separated, and Kipo could finally get a good look. One was Captain Cariks, fearsome in his armor, welding a pair of lightning-shrouded swords, nursing a wound on his stomach.
But the other was something Kipo had never seen. A massively built, thick-limbed figure circled the captain, wearing scorched metal armor and an angular horned helmet. They had, in one basketball-sized fist, the hilt of a huge cleaver-like blade, the edge glowing with extreme heat. Then with a roar, the figure leapt forward, his weapons burning through the air to strike at the Eliksni.
Cariks dodged backwards, then moved back in suddenly, stabbing at the huge alien. The shock sword glanced off the giant's pauldron, but the electricity made him stagger. Cariks pressed the advantage, and his second blade scored a hit in a gap in the other being's leg armor.
The Cabal –Kipo could only assume that was what it was– bellowed in pain and rage, and swung his other empty fist at the Eliksni. Cariks deftly caught the blow with his lower arms and pulled the Cabal towards him, striking twice. The blades sank into the huge figure, causing a cheer to rise from the Eliksni watching the combat.
Why weren't they helping, Kipo wondered, but she also noted that the crew working on sealing the gate hadn't stopped their work, and had begun constructing an elaborate barricade to reinforce the door even more.
But Cariks's victory seemed short-lived– the Cabal, still impaled by both shock blades, let out a deep, resonant cry, and grabbed at the Eliksni despite the volts of electricity surging through his body. Cariks lifted a leg and kicked the Cabal back, leaving his swords embedded in his opponent's body, and with surprising speed, unslung the massive rifle on his back and fired.
Kipo gasped in horror as the bolt of lightning tore through the Cabal's helmet, sending him, shuddering, to the ground. The Eliksni cheered again, but didn't stop their work as the Captain turned from the corpse and shouted orders.
Kipo gulped, putting a hand to her mouth as horror tickled her throat. The death had happened so quickly…
"You're going to see more of that, so you'd better get used to it," the guardian growled, eyes locked on the very closed door. "We're too late."
Her attention returned to Saliska, and Kipo swallowed her nerves, reached out, and firmly took the Dynasty in her hand, keeping her finger off the trigger, like the guardian had taught her. The grip was familiar, even though she'd only had it for two days. She took a breath, then met Saliska's eyes. "I'll fight with you." She looked at the guardian to see his reaction.
"Guess I don't have a choice now," he muttered, taking the gun and checking the chamber.
"Guardian!" Kipo shouted, and he looked at her in surprise.
"You always have a choice," she stated emphatically. She lifted the Dynasty, fear trickling through her, but she pushed it away. "Now, are you going to protect these people with me, or just survive?"
The guardian looked at her, and she could see fear in his eyes. But it wasn't the same as it had been when he'd first pointed his gun at her across the campfire, or when she'd stood between him and the other guardians. There was a new fear there, one she couldn't quite identify at first.
He took a long, slow breath, and nodded. His eyes were downcast, but determined. "Yes. I'll fight."
Pride bloomed in her, but then he looked up, and suddenly Kipo knew, just by the way he looked at her, a look full of that fear, combined with a desperation that she knew all too well. The desperation to keep something– or someone– you love with you forever.
He was scared that she'd get hurt.
Well, he didn't have to. Not if she, or her power, had anything to say about it.
She reached back and pulled the slide on the Dynasty, lifting it and flashing a sharp-toothed, narrow-eyed grin. "Then let's teach these Cabal not to mess with Kipo and guardian!"