Part Four
"Mommy, mommy get up, please get up!" The young avian girl wiped her silver eyes with the back of her hand as she shook the prone body in front of her. She was cold scared and her ankle was hurt and bleeding. She looked around the rubble of what used to be her home looking for her brother and father. Her beak began to quiver as she looked back down at her mother whose bright blue eyes where staring up at her, but they looked clouded and empty, and it scared her more. She felt the warm tears pour down her dirty cheeks and she heard herself wail as more explosions rocked the ground. Suddenly a hand wrapped itself around her beak clamping it shut while an arm slinked around her waist and began to pull her back into the remainder of her home. When she began to struggle she heard the familiar squeak of her brother's voice in her ear, "Angel please, it's me Lysander." Angel quickly turned her head as soon as the hand left her beak and she flung her face into her brothers chest crying. Her brother cooed and stroked her hair trying to calm her, "Shh, please Angel be quiet." An explosion sounded and yells and screams were heard, then they heard the sound of laser fire. The two children quivered as they saw several hunter drones pass by with a short, fat, orange saurian that stopped in front of the remains of their home. Lysander pulled them both behind the remains of what was the kitchen wall and watched as the saurian picked up the mother then unceremoniously dropped her between the jagged ruins. Angel nearly screamed but it was muffled by her brother's hand, but the saurian paused and looked over at them and began to advance.
"Come hear you little avian brats," the saurians low roar and hot breath caused Angel's stomach to turn as her brother pushed her behind him as the saurian toward over them. His cruel smile grew as he reached down for the children, "don't worry you'll enjoy laboring in the mines!"
"Step away from the children Seige, you saurian bastard!" The saurian's expression changed dramatically as he turned from the children to face an Avian male. His blonde hair was tangled and matted with blood, and his blue eyes were narrowed as he aimed a puck launcher at the saurian's head. Angel felt Lysander's grip on her arm tighten as they watched the saurian and duck face off. "Seige, if you value you your health you will step away from the children," the duck cocked his weapon, "now!" The saurian lifted his hands and slowly made his way away from the children while the duck moved towards them. As soon as the saurian was on the opposite side, standing on the street he bolted and disappeared with in seconds. The duck turned towards the two and his grim expression shifted into a soft smile as he holstered his weapon beneath a long teal jacket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long strip of gauze and reached for Angel's ankle. Lysander once again made his presence known by shoving himself in front of his sister staring quizzically ate the duck in front of them. "It's okay sport, I only want to help her," said the duck in a soothing voice. Lysander looked had him skeptically but stepped aside and aloud him to approach his sister.
Angel stared at him, as he rapped her ankle tightly, studying his features. His face was passive as he worked on her wound, and he couldn't be older then 19 although his eyes seemed older. He looked up from his work and noticed her silver eyes studying him and he smiled. "What's your name?" Angel looked at him and smiled sheepishly before answering.
"Angela McDrake, but everyone calls me Angel!"
"That's a pretty name Angel, what about him does he have a name," the man motioned towards her brother who was watching them intensely.
"That's my brother Lysander!"
"How old are you guys?"
"Well I'm 9 and a half and Lysander is almost eleven," said Angel then she looked at him and asked, "What's your name?"
"My name's Nosedive, Nosedive Flashblade," she watched as he glanced over his shoulder after a shot was heard and watched his eyes land on their mother's body. He turned back to her, his features sad and drawn, "Where's your father?" Angel shrugged her shoulders but heard Lysander's voice echo through the rubble.
"He's dead, just like momma," his expression was angry and he was suspiciously eyeing Nosedive. Nosedive frowned and then tied off the gauze around Angel's ankle.
"There yah go all done, you're lucky to have your brother watching out for you," said Nosedive casting a glance from the corner of his eye at Lysander who puffed up slightly with pride. Nosedive smiled and packed up his things and then stood helping Angel to her feet.
"Do you have a brother Nosedive?" Nosedive stopped searching the area and looked down at the little girl ruffling her dark brown hair with a sad smile and forlorn eyes.
"I did squirt, now come on we need to get you two outta here," he said walking towards the street where the noises and explosions had died away. He turned back and looked at the two and smiled motioning for them to follow, "don't worry guys, you're safe as long as Nosedive is here."
~~*~~*~~*~~
Angel flew forward off her pillow her breath coming in short gasps. She looked around the room at all the other bunks and quietly stood from her bed and walked across the long room and slipped out the door. She quickly made her way down the long corridors glancing over her shoulder until she reached the door marked "Commander Flashblade" and entered. She glanced around the dark room and made her way to the desk and flipped on the small lamp. She glanced over the papers scattered on the desk and fingered there curled edges thoughtfully. The dream had shaken her, and she figured the upcoming rescue mission was what brought up the ancient memory. The sound of the handle clicking brought her from her thoughts and she looked up and saw her brother watching her intently his hand still lingering on the handle. Angel smiled, embarrassed, and tapped her fingers on the corner of the desk.
"I couldn't sleep," she looked at him and he smiled at her walking over to the desk and taking a seat in the chair.
"Me neither," he replied his eyes resting on the layouts of Tanarius's fortress that had arrived a few days earlier from an inside source. He lifted his eyes to his sister as she traced the lines on the layouts with her fingers her eyes worried.
"What if he is already dead Lysander?" He looked up at her sharply as she slowly made eye contact with him.
"Angel don't, you know he is, our source told us he is and…"
"That was three days ago," she interrupted her voice soft but firm as tears formed in her silver eyes. Lysander didn't know how to reply or reassure her, because he wasn't so sure himself. Nosedive Flashblade was more than their commander, he was like a father figure almost, and he saved their lives and took them under his wing. Lysander stood from the chair the scenes from his dream pouring through his mind.
~~*~~*~~*~~
"Good, that's right, now which bone is this," asked nosedive as he pointed to his thigh. A twelve-year-old Lysander looked at the thigh perplexed for a moment but then he smiled and proudly stated 'themur'. Nosedive smiled ruffled the boy's hair and was about to ask him another question when a few soldiers walked into the room with several papers.
"Commander, we need your OK on these," stated the first soldier as he handed Nosedive the papers. Nosedive glanced at them then turned to Lysander a small sheepish smile on his face.
"Okay Lysander, you go study those books I got you and I will come to yah later and see how much you've learned, I just gotta get this done okay?" Lysander smiled and shook his head grabbing the books and walking out of the room as he listened to Nosedive read out the reports and give his opinions.
Nosedive walked into the small bunker room he had cleaned out for the two children and found Angel already asleep with her foot hanging off the small cot she slept on. He smiled and placed the girl's foot back onto the cot and covered it with the blanket. He then looked at Lysander who had also fallen asleep, only he was sitting on his caught the light on him with one of the medical books lazily flopped in his lap. Nosedive frowned as he walked over to the boy's side and placed the book on the small table and covered up Lysander and turned off the light turning to leave.
"Nosedive?" Nosedive paused at the sound of the boy's voice and turned to look at the boy a sad smile on his face.
"Hey buddy sorry, it took longer than I thought it would," said Nosedive as he sat on the chair next to Lysander's cot. Lysander smiled and pointed to the book he had been reading.
"S'okay I read the entire book about skin abrasions and markings," he said proudly talking softly trying not to wake his sister. Nosedive smiled and leaned his elbows onto his knees and rested his beak on his hands.
"Well let me just test that knowledge hmmm," Nosedive pointed to the brown patch on his beak and then the zigzag one on Lysander's, "what are these and why do they occur." Nosedive had learned this when he was younger being curious about his own patch as a child. Lysander smiled and situated himself on the bed.
"That's an easy one, okay they're called nativity marks and they occur while the duck is still in the egg and total pigmentation has not reached the beak when the hatchling, usually a premature hatchling, emerges," the boy smiled and crossed his arms in front of him. Nosedive sat up straight in his chair then stood ruffling the boy's hair smiling and chuckling.
"You're gonna be a fine doctor soon, and its about time we get one, don't have many left that aren't dead or imprisoned," said Nosedive as he headed for the door. "Goodnight Lysander, I'm proud of you."
~~*~~*~~*~~
Lysander ran a hand through his light brown hair trying to force the memories out of his mind. He looked at his sister who was silently crying her back facing towards him. He walked over to her and set his hand on her shoulder squeezing it trying to comfort her.
"We're gonna get him back Angel, he saved our lives once, and now we're gonna save his, we're gonna get him back." Angel's shoulders stopped quivering and she lifted her head and stared at the wall in front of her where there hung a picture of when Lysander had received his doctorate at the tender age of 16 a year and a half ago, Nosedive had been as proud as any father would be of their own son. That had been one of the happiest days of Lysander's life.
"I hope you're right Lysander," she turned her gaze from the picture and looked at him her silver eyes piercing his blue, "I hope by the stars that you're right."
~~*~~*~~*~~
Dragaunas smiled as he watched several avians put his new dream together piece by piece. He had made the blueprints for this weapon while still on Earth but had never had the chance to create it. Now, with Tanarius's help, he was able to build this weapon of deadly proportions, which he hoped would be the end of Wildwing Flashblade forever. He snarled as he heard a loud clang as one of the cursed ducks dropped a vital part to his creation. "You useless sack of bones and feathers one more slip up and that's the end of you," he growled at the young duck who cringed in fear as she reached for the dropped metal. He turned his back to the workers and slinked into the corridor walking at a heated pace, he only slowed when he reached his destination of the control room. Lord Tanarius was perched near the main computer typing away and reading over several reports many of which Dragaunas had written himself. As Dragaunas walked forward the Overlord must of heard his approach because he turned and smiled.
"Aw, Dragaunas, how is production on your project?"
"It goes well, my lord," answered the red saurian as he bowed slightly. Tanarius smiled and gave Dragaunas some of the papers he had been shifting through his smile turning sinister.
"Look, because of your efforts the attacks have topped and we are well on the way to unblocking the slave trade routes," his eyes turned a strange shade of green and smoke billowed from his nostrils, his smile widened as he continued, "This means that I can finally execute that Mallard Flashblade, I have scheduled it to be held in three days, three days and then I will be rid of that pest forever!" Dragaunas couldn't suppress the laughter that was building in his throat any longer and soon the laughter of both him and Tanarius echoed through the lifeless halls. Down into the dungeons it echoed and a blond avian with piercing blue eyes lifted his head as the horrid laughter consumed all his thoughts.
~~*~~*~~*~~
Wildwing stared out over the group in front of him and he could feel the tension in the room. He rubbed a hand down his beak and stepped forward his eyes focusing on the floor for a slight moment. "We have received more information from our inside source, it regards Nosedive's execution date," Wildwing paused moving his eyes over each person in the room. "They have scheduled it for tomorrow, the time was not determined which means we are moving out tonight. We will be leaving in eight hours, you no your jobs I suggest you prepare yourselves and maybe get some rest as well, I will see you all in the hangar at Aerowing 17 in eight hours." With this said he left the office in hopes of maybe getting a couple hours of sleep before getting to work. As he walked down the halls he finally found himself reflecting on the past couple of weeks. The regulation of this group of rouges, soldiers, and civilians had amazed him, and it made him prouder that his baby brother was responsible for it. He ducked into his room and removed the mask from his face placing it in the small hidden compartment below his bunk. He slowly spread out on his bunk and placed an arm lazily over his eyes blowing all of the air out of his lungs before settling into a nice relaxing rhythm.
~~*~~*~~*~~
Tanya wiped a small dibble of sweat from her forehead as she continued her inspection on the weapons and vehicles. Wildwing wanted her to make sure that nothing went wrong, the last thing they needed was a technology glitch in the heat of battle. She quietly picked through several puck rifles before she sat back and once again wiped her arm across her face. Everything had to be perfect; she couldn't allow any room for technical errors. The technology was sadly outdated and she was amazed at the amount of weapons, armaments, and vehicles the army had managed to scrounge up. Tanya glanced at the clock after running her final weapons test and noted the time; she had three hours left till they departed.
~~*~~*~~*~~
Mallory,
Grin, and Duke finished suiting up and headed towards hangar watching as three
or four special op soldiers ran past and into the awaiting Aerowing. They
noticed Wildwing was already at the planes side cargo door checking over a list
with Lysander. The teen looked ragged and exhausted, Mallory felt nervous about
allowing him to come along but realized he was a necessity. Wildwing looked up
as the remainder of his team arrived and nodded at them as they entered the
Aerowing where they greeted Tanya and Angel, both already buckled in place.
Soon the engines were ignited and Lysander and Wildwing entered the aircraft,
the hatch closing soundly behind them. Wildwing turned to face the occupants
holding on the backs of the pilots' chairs as the Aerowing lifted into the air.
"We are expected to arrive at Tanarius's command tower shortly before Dawn. We will
enter through the east side, you know your assignments, A team will go to the prison
where the civilians are held, B team will had down to the lower dungeons and retrieve
Commander Flashblade, and finally C team will head to the command chamber where
they will confront Tanarius. Keep all casualties to a minimum, and good luck." With
that said
Wildwing collapsed into his seated and buckled the belts around his torso feeling
drained and anxious as he watched the stars twinkling through the windshield of
the speeding Aerowing.
SVX: Oh my God! That was a short chapter and it has been forever and I apologize! I have just recently crawled out of a major depression that halted all writing projects for the past two months. I am better now though and will hopefully have more updates with less time in between. Thanx to all those who are sticking with me and reviewing!
