And the plot thickens! Wow, I think this chapter is longer than the last
one.
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Several soldiers wheeled a stretcher down the infirmary hallway. Each one of the patient's 12 limbs was shackled down to it, even the injured ones. His eyes remained shut, presumably unconscious.
Doors swung to the side as the soldiers passed through them, doors labeled 'SOLITARY CONFINEMENT', where the prisoner would spend the rest of his long incarceration. They reached cell number 589, and one of them slid a card through the slot. The massive door unlocked with a buzz and a clang, then slid open with a heavy grinding noise. They wheeled the stretcher in, and hastily unshackled the prisoner. They lifted him up and off the stretcher with little care, and plopped him onto the small cot against the wall. Afterwards they left, egger to leave the ward of the damned.
A small smile slithered across Kain's lips.
Almost, he thought, almost. He could FEEL the Ty`Blancha's life draining from his body. He had been so close. He could taste vengeance.
But he supposed it was too much to ask for, at least this soon. This war, although the Irkins had yet to realize it was a war, would be long and not without bloodshed. If it required him to sacrifice his own life, he would. For his people.
He opened his eyes and examined his arms. They were heavily bandaged from his elbows to his wrists. The lay slack, crossed on top of his chest. He winced in pain as he raised they up. As the fingers curled into claws, they trembled with rage, the sterile white light of the room shining off their armored surface.
"Soooo close. So very, very, VERY close. I could SEE the life flowing from his eyes. A few more seconds and it would have been all over…" but Kain knew he would not get an opportunity like that again. They would be watching him much more closely now after that little stunt. And Red had not been his original target, Purple had. But you had to take what you could get, he supposed… He curled his fingers into fists.
He sighed and carefully placed his injured arms to his sides. He reached up with an undamaged hand to his brow's laceration, which, after the blasters electrical shock, had begun to bleed again. It was re-bandaged and sterilized while his arms were treated. But this clean-up job seemed much more sloppy than the first. Probably the medic's way of punishing him for attacking their leader. Kain sighed contemptuously.
These freking Irkins and their corrupt leaders, he thought, they will not last long. After the rebel forces regroup, there will be more attacks, and more, and they will never stop until the Irkins were stripped of their right to rule. And those two, freking, bastard leaders would be publicly executed.
Kain smiled at the thought.
And now? What now? He was still imprisoned, and the guards would stop any attempt at suicide. So what now? They could still blackmail the rebels into submission. Without the ability to take his own life he was virtually powerless to help them. But Kain knew the answer.
He would wait. That was all he could do. Wait for an opportunity to escape or kill again, and after that he didn't know. Playing it by ear would be wise; you had to be flexible in these types of situations. He had tried to kill at least one of their leaders before he took his own life, that would have been ideal, but now all he could do was WAIT…
And Reaptarians could be very patient.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That night, after watching Elize win (and show off) at the war games, Purple had returned home, picking up an injured Red from the infirmary on the way. He now slept in their bed, not expecting his latest premonition.
The dream started out seemingly normal. Purple stood at the window of their suit, gazing down upon the Capital city at sunset. For a moment, he just basked in its warm glow, in awe of its beauty. After a moment of this, he felt an arm slip across his waist and breath on his neck. He turned around to find Red, completely healed, standing behind him. They eventually made their may to the bed, where Purple knew there was only one possible outcome. Red straddled him, and began to scale down; taking is time as he went. Purple lay back and enjoyed it.
He turned his head towards the window and the beautiful sunset. But the serine vision did not last long. After a moment a dark front began to move in, covering the large sun and its light. As they approached, Purple noticed that they were not just overcast but BLACK. Dark, demonic clouds, issuing lightening down upon the city, reeking destruction. Purple started to say something – but never got the chance. As he turned towards Red, he was met with the barrel of a high-powered blaster.
As Purple scaled his eyes up, he was struck with a dark terror. The hands, arms – belonged to Red. But the head, perched upon the shoulders of his beloved like some cruel, dark-humored joke was the head – OF ZIM!
His red-pink eyes were filled with black joy at the position he had caught Purple in. His mouth wore a sadistic grin, his jaw clenched in victory. His right shoulder – the one not holding the gun – was rolled back, as he lined up the shot with his left, gun-wielding arm. Purple said nothing, to horror struck to move, the end of the gun less than four inches from his face. Zim pulled back the hammer.
Slowly, as if punctuating his speech, Zim swung his right arm to meet the handle of the blaster. His grin seemed to widen and darken simultaneously as he spoke. "The end of your days rapidly approaches…" His fingers clenched around it with a grim sense of finality as he paused and cocked one smug eyebrow. "Ty`Blancha."
He pulled the trigger.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple awoke screaming. He shot up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat and racked with fear. He hugged himself and squinted, trying to shake the awful vision from his head.
"Huh… wha…" said a voice to his left. Purple turned his head sharply in that direction. Seeing the dark figure next to him in bed, he screamed again. He lunged frantically for the light and turned it on.
As the lights came up, Purple saw it was Red. At first he didn't believe it, the nightmare fresh in his mind.
"Purple?" asked Red carefully. He reached towards Purple, who retreated from his touch. Red looked back at him with a sort of worried, hurt expression. Purple, seeing the emotions on his partners face began to believe his eyes, but he still made no move. IT COULD BE TRICK! Part of him cried out. The rational portion of his mind had yet to regain control.
"Purple… what's wrong?" asked Red, now concerned. Purple, who had braced himself against the headboard, began to relax. He turned his head slightly towards him. "Red?"
Red smiled a confused smile. "Yeah, its me." Purple, now fully believing it was him, did not know whether to laugh or cry with relief. He let out a relieved half-yell-half-laugh and slumped down from the headboard. "Oh thank God." He put his forehead in his hands and leaned forward on his elbows. "…Thank God…"
Now Red was really worried. He moved over to Purple and put an arm around him. This time Purple did not relent.
"Purple what's going on?" Purple leaned into him. "Nothing. Just… a nightmare I guess. But man, it was SO REAL. I mean, I thought you were-"
He looked at Red. He wore no shirt, and a bandage over his neck. His eyes looked very worried. No, Purple thought, this was not the Red in my dream. The other one was a fraud, this one is real.
Purple smiled sadly. "Never mind. It's not important."
Red cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You seemed pretty damn scared when you woke up. Hell, you're still sweating. What in the cosmos could have scared you so much?"
Purple closed his eyes, and under his breath he said, "The past."
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's go back to sleep, I'm tired."
He started to turn to his pillow, but was stopped. Red kissed him gently on the lips. "I worry about you when you have these premonitions." Said Red, their bodies still very close. Purple smirked. "And I worry about you whenever you're on your own."
Red opened his mouth in protest, and Purple had to laugh. Red nudged him. "Very funny. Now go to sleep."
As Purple layback down, he thought about what Red had said. HAD it been a premonition? He hoped not. He thought about if Zim really had returned to take vengeance.
He shuddered. He did not fall back to sleep for a long time.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Well there it is," said Zim. "My home planet. A beauty, isn't she? Damn it's been so long."
Gaz and Dib just stared.
"Yeah, the readings indicate its summer. Beautiful time of year on Irk. Don't you agree Spluge?"
"Yee-up."
"Well I think it's about time we land,"
Dib took off his glasses, polished them on his shirt, and put them back on. He paused for a moment before talking. "It's not at all like I pictured it, but it's still incredible. All my life I've been searching for intelligent life outside Earth… And here's an entire planet of alien life. My God… my dream's come true."
Gaz whistled. "Wow. Didn't know if I'd live to see aliens land – and NEVER thought I'D be the alien!"
"Gaz," said Dib. "Do you realize we're the first humans EVER to see extraterrestrial life… and believe it?"
She nodded. "Kind of humbling, isn't it?"
"I'm sorry to break all this up," interrupted Spluge, "But if we don't land soon that boarder patrol's gonna get mighty suspicious. What'd ya say we take 'er down?"
Zim pushed off the wall he was leaning against. "He's right. Gaz, you're co- piloting, Dib, just… hold onto something. You too Spluge."
Spluge hesitated. "Haven't you landed this thing before?"
Zim began to say something, then stopped. He looked at Spluge after a moment's consideration. "No."
Spluge covered his face with one hand. "Dear God…"
"Hey!" started Dib, "How come she gets to co-pilot!"
Oh look, thought Zim, He's been reduced to whiny little brother form.
"Have YOU spent that last three weeks playing 'Deathcon 4: Flight Simulation' on Game Slave II? Didn't think so." She said as she pushed Dib out of the way of the co-pilot seat. Dib continued to protest. "But –but Zim-"
"She's right Dib. I told her to play it because I would need someone to help me land. Plus she's got some video game experience that could prove useful. Sorry, but you'll get your chance later."
Dib sighed.
"Now buckle up you two," said Zim, "This is going to be a bumpy ride – to say the least."
They all fastened their four-point safety belts. Zim grabbed the joy stick- like control and got a good grip. This landing was going to be hard, he knew that. Because the ship was really a cross between an Irkin Voot Cruiser and U.S. space shuttle, there were two sets of controls. His was a joystick, like his cruiser. Gaz's controls resembled the yolk of a 747. Halfway through the decent, they would have to switch control of the ship. He would handle re-entering the atmosphere and straitening the ship, while Gaz would handle the actual landing. Zim had never landed a ship by gliding in. Voot Cruiser's landed vertically and only very massive Irkin ships landed otherwise. He hoped her three weeks of flight simulation were enough. But she was a prodigy, wasn't she?
"Do you know where we're going to land?" asked Gaz. Zim turned towards a small monitor and began to type.
"Yes. There's a small, inconspicuous landing strip and hanger near the capitol. I assume my old account there is still active, so we'll be able to pay for housing. And guys – as we're landing, try to get a good view of the city, its that last you'll be seeing of it for a while. You two will have to hide out in the ship until we have something figured out."
Dib started to protest but then understood. Gaz gripped the controls and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"Good. It will only be a few moments until will rotate over the capitol. The strip is right on the outskirts, so you should be able to see it all right. OK – here it comes."
They waited only a few seconds, though it seemed like hours. Finally, Zim's monitor displayed the right coordinates and he made his move.
"Hold on!"
He pushed the control stick forward. The engines came to life, and gradually increased in power. The planet started to become larger, and approach more rapidly. After a few moments, all that was visible was the pink-orange surface of Irk, its gigantic mass filling the field of view. The edges of the windshield began to glow red.
Soon the red spread down the glass, obscuring more from view. But visibility was still good. He could at least see where he was going.
They rapidly approached the planet, passing through high-altitude clouds. The main cloud cover began to approach – the layer of condensation, which constantly covered the surface of Irk. The layer under which the large city was concealed. Zim knew that once they passed through it; once the city became visible, he would have to hit the 'TRANSFER' switch and Gaz would take over. It was coming so fast…
They hit the cloud layer. For a few seconds, there was NO visibility. The thick layer of nitrogen and sulfur clouds (not water vapor, God forbid, the Irkins would never survive) had completely engulfed the ship. But soon they broke free of the barrier, and city lay out before them in all its glory.
The landscape (which was the EXACT same color as the sky) was blemished by a huge, silver city. Individual buildings could be seen, higher and more graceful than any Earth architect could have imagined. Zim heard Gaz gasp as it became visible, and for a moment he envied her untarnished view of the Universe. For he had seen too much to be awe-struck by a city he knew all to well.
It was time to switch. He turned his head, despite the strong G-forces, and yelled to her over the roar of the engines. "ARE YOU READY?" he yelled. She nodded her head with some effort. "YEAH!"
He hit the transfer switch.
Suddenly his control stick went slack, and he knew the transfer was successful.
Gaz felt the Yolk become rigid in her hands, and knew it was show time. She held the controls level, slowing their decent. "WHERE'S THE STRIP!?" She had to scream.
"ON THE NORTH WEST SIDE OF THE CITY! CURVE AROUND, IT SHOULD COME INTO VIEW SOON!"
She tilted the yolk, tilting the ship to the left. After the ship was lined up with the perimeter of the city, she gently tilted the yolk right, swooping expertly around the metropolis. Zim was becoming more confident that the flight simulator had done the trick.
A bead of sweat rolled down Gaz's face, then back from the G-forces. A lock of hair had curled around her neck, and was being pushed into her windpipe forcefully from the gravity. Luckily, she could still breath.
C'mon, c'mon, she thought, where is this fucking thing? At least in the simulator you knew where you were going. The spiked bracelets on her wrists were starting to tug at her skin painfully.
Suddenly, she spotted it.
"SEE IT YET!?" shouted Zim as the strip came into view over the horizon. She grit her teeth. "YES!" She began to swoop in an approaching arch. Soon, she was coming head on towards the strip. It was after a moment of this, that she noticed that there were SEVERAL strips.
"SHIT, ZIM, WHICH ONE!?!"
At first Zim didn't seem to understand the question, and for one terrifying moment Gaz visualized crashing into another ship. She started to shout again, but he answered. "THE ONE JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE MIDDLE! IT SHOULD BE EMPTY, ITS MINE!"
Gaz gulped. All the video games in the world couldn't have prepared her for this.
She re-angled the ship and tried her best to steady yolk. It was after she had accomplished that, after she began to be optimistic –
That disaster struck.
A tremor rocked through the ship, nearly sending them into a tailspin. Gaz kept her hands on the controls, but they were not responding properly. Everything seemed to lean left, FAR too left. What he HELL had happened?
Zim was glaring frantically at the monitor. Dib and Spluge were gripping the armrest for dear life.
"ZIM! WHAT THE-"
"IT'S THE FIRST ENGINE! IT BLEW OUT! I HAVE TO CUT THE OTHER'S POWER!"
Gaz did NOT like the sound of that. "WHAT!?!?!"
"IF I DON'T WE'LL SPIN OUT!" Zim looked out the windshield, then back as Gaz. "YOUR GONNA HAVE TO GLIDE US IN!"
Gaz stared intently out the windshield, digging her nails into the yolk. She felt a smaller tremor as the right engine went dead, and she was on her own.
Oh –Lord-I've-never-been-much-of-a-prayer-but-if-I-live-I'll-build-twenty- five churches-in-your-honor, she thought frantically. She gulped as she began the decent.
It was shaky. The strip seemed to wobble in front of her, but miraculously, the ship re-angled properly. They approached the strip, and just when things seemed to be looking up, disaster struck once again. She pushed the landing gear switch – but it didn't deploy.
She hit it again. And again, and again and again –
"ZIM! WHAT THE-" then she realized. "THE POWER ZIM! THE POWER! THE LANDING GEAR-!"
He hastily went back to the power switch and turned back on –
-Unfortunately this turned back on the second engine… again.
"AAHHHH!" they all screamed in unison. The recently deployed landing gear hit the runway, and the ship shuddered under the impact. Gaz struggled to maintain control, and kept it. The ship rolled to a stop a few seconds later and they all went silent as the last engine died.
All were sweating. Zim ripped off his seatbelt and pulled his navy-blue hoodie tighter around him. Gaz gripped the back of her arms and hugged herself. Dib and Spluge remained still. After a moment, after the initial trauma, the all to familiar Gaz-rage surfaced.
She snapped her head around and gripped the armrests in anger. "What the FUCK was that Zim!"
Zim's eyes went from wide with surprise, no narrow with anger. "ME?! Hey, those engines were just FINE last time I checked them!"
"Oh Yeah? And when was that, you-"
"GUYS!" shouted Dib. Both Zim and Gaz turned towards him glaring dangerously. "Where's GIR?"
They looked at each other. Then bolted from their chairs.
The two in back sprang from their seats and followed the others down to the engine room at a full sprint. Zim arrived first, followed by Gaz, and swung open the engine room door. Inside, they saw what they hoped wouldn't be there.
Sparks flew everywhere. A burning smell hung in the air ominously, and there, standing in front of the mess – was GIR.
He held a bouquet of wires. He extended them towards Zim. "I picked these for YOU!"
"NOOOOOO!" screamed Zim as he fell to his knees. He covered his face and began to weep. "WHY!?! WHY FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHY!!!!!!!!!"
Gaz grabbed her hair with her fists and yanked. "Jesus Christ! What the HELL GIR? Now how are we ever going to get back home?!"
Zim rose up from his knees wearing an expression of black Rage. "Come here GIR." He said dangerously calm, beckoning him closer with one curling finger. GIR dropped the wires and took a step back. "I'm afraid to…"
"Oh-ho-ho… You'd BETTER be afraid," he said, pushing up the sleeves of his hoodie. He began to walk towards GIR. "With what I'm gonna do to you…"
GIR backed up, and then started screaming. He bolted around the engine room. He finally got around to the Door and shoved past the three others as Zim followed closely. "HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU DEFECTIVE BUCKET OF BOLTS! I'LL MAKE A TOASTER OUT OF YOU! HEY – GET OVER HERE!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed GIR. The other three just stood indifferently and watched.
Spluge: "Is this common?"
Gaz: "Oh…yeah."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
During the War Games, before Purple had had his unsettling vision, Elize had preformed to perfection. She remembered after the hanger doors had opened, how her squad marched dumfoundedly towards the transport vehicles, still stunned by the revelation that their Squad leader was niece to one of the almighty Tallests. Once in the transport vehicle, she took her seat at the head of the row and took the assault rifle off her shoulder. When she looked up, all eyes were on her.
Each of the several TV's (transport vehicles) her squad had occupied had the seating arrangement of two rows facing each other. She sat at the front of the compartment in a seat facing the two rows. Both lines of soldiers had their heads turned, looking at her. She lifted her visor and cocked an eyebrow under it. "What?"
"Is it true?" asked one of the soldiers in the left row. She smiled. "Is what true?"
"You know, that Purple Tallest is your uncle. Which means your mother is Pez, the richest Irkin in the Empire."
Elize removed her helmet and set it between her feet. "Yes he's my uncle. And yes, Pez is my mother."
The soldier faltered for a moment before regaining his train of thought. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
"Go ahead."
"How could you not tell us?" he said. The others nodded in agreement. She sighed. "I don't have to explain myself to any of you, but I will anyway. I wanted to make a name for myself in the military on my own. If I had had the title: 'Purple's niece' all through training and my instatement of leading this squad, there might have been animosity towards me. The entire spiel about 'Friends in high places' and such. Well I've avoided it up until now, but I haven't exactly hidden it. You could simply look my name up in the public records and it would say so. Despite that, no one knew – not even commander Cog, at least not until after I was promoted." Commander Cog had been a Lieutenant and the squad leader, and when he was promoted to commander he instated Elize to replace him. "But I believe that I've held my own and carried this squad through some though battles, do you agree?"
The soldier straitened. "Yes, Sir!"
"Very good. And I believe that I've gained the respect I now have from this unit rightfully, and on my own, do you agree?"
All of them straitened. "Yes, Sir!"
Elize folded her hands over the barrel of her rifle, which was standing on its butt, and leaned forward. "Good. Then I expect no further discussion, no animosity, and no special treatment now that you've all found out my little secret. Agreed?"
They put their hands to their heads in salute. "SIR, Yes SIR!"
"Good. Now I say we all share a moment of silence in remembrance of the Food Courtia victims."
Elize bowed her head over her rifle, and the others followed suit. After about fifteen seconds the pilot made an announcement. "WE'VE ARRIVED AT THE ARENA. DOCKING IN TWO NANO-CYCLES." The TV's had taken her squad from the Gargantuan to the planet Irk, where the battle arena was.
Elize lifted her helmet, placed it on her head and passed her hand over her face, putting down the visor. Feels a little loose, she thought. Her last helmet had been cracked and thus ruined during the Food Courtia battle, when the Gargantuan was being struck with enemy fire. A piece of replacement haul, weighing approximately 2,000 Irkin pounds, fell from its restraints and landed on it. Luckily, Elize hadn't been wearing it. She had been down on the planet with her other relatives, negotiating their dead Uncle's will. The helmet she was wearing now was supposed to be a temporary replacement, so was not custom fit. She hoped it would be OK.
"Let's move!" she said as they filed out the hatch. They ran out of the vehicle and onto a sort of service elevator that fit the entire squad. As the others from different vehicles piled on, they stood in formation facing forward. Once they were all on, the side less elevator began to move up through a metal tube to the battlefield. Elize, at the front, watched the passing metal walls and prayed mentally in a sort of mantra to the Irkin Goddess of war. 'Strength, courage, honor. Strength, courage, honor. Strength, courage…'
As Elize looked up for the approaching doorway, she could hear the other squad members reciting the mantra as well, in a hushed, personal whisper. Commander Cog had taught them it, before he left the squad. Some of the soldiers recited it in USL (Universal Standard Language. – English, to Earthlings.) And some recited it in Irkin, their native language. Elize closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Strength, courage, honor.'
The large doors descended in front of her, the Irkin symbols above it flashing. 'Battle commence in – 10, 9, 8, 7…'
Elize pulled back her brow in determination. Rolling her shoulders back, she let the rifle fall from around her shoulder to her hand. She crossed it across her chest, cocked it, and waited. The sound of fifty assault rifles cocking followed hers shortly. She closed her eyes.
"…4, 3, 2, 1, COMMENCE."
There was a loud buzzing as the doors opened. Elize opened her eyes and slipped into battle mode.
"MOVE!" she yelled, standing where she was as the squad rushed past her. She hung back purposely. Running at the head of the squad would be suicide – once the squad leader dies, the game ends. Of course, they didn't really die. The projectiles in their assault rifles were filled with paint, and once a bullet hit a soldier's armor, an electrical current was sent through the suit, freezing it. If you were it more than two times, this would happen, paralyzing you. You were considered 'Dead' to the game.
Elize began to move as the middle of her squad was passing her. She drew her assault rifle, and kept to the safety at the heart of her men. She knew that this formation was not the ideal cover – for her silver armor clashed with the black of he squad's. She would be spotted.
The arena consisted of metal formations – gray hills, crags and structures. The channels between these formations were narrow, perfect setups for ambushes. The ceiling was a high, domed structure fixed with lighting and cameras. Stands lined the battlefield, filled with spectators from other squads. Elize was able to hear the crowd's roar even before she stepped into the arena. The battlefield itself was about the size of two football fields next to each other, in human terms. Elize knew the opposing squad was at the other end, searching for her as her men were searching for their squad's leader.
"Fan out," she said. The communication device imbedded in her collar picked this up, and sent it to small speakers in each of the squad member's helmets. They did accordingly. "Numbers 1 through 30 search for the target- " -the other squad leader- " –and kill any opposition you meet with. The rest of you fan out wide around me at a twenty-meter radius. Try not to let anyone by you, but if one does, focus on not letting others through. I can handle a few on my own. Got it?"
A muffled, in unison, "-Sir!" came through her helmet. They began to recede from her, disappearing around structures and hills. She kept low to the ground as she advanced.
Only a moment later, two members of the opposing team approached form behind. Her team had, presumably, forgotten to guard her flank. "THEY'RE BEHIND ME!" she nearly screamed into the communicator, more frustrated at her team's ignorance than her present situation. She quickly rolled behind a structure as shots rang out.
She pressed her back up against the metal hill and held her rifle towards the ceiling. She peeked out around the edge of the structure and then quickly pulled back. Two of them – they looked inexperienced by the way they held their rifles, in a sort of clumsy awkward way. Elize relaxed a little, they would be easy to take care of.
She casually stepped out from her hiding spot and approached them. They both fired, but none of the shots made contact. They were surprised, and their aim was inaccurate. Elize leveled her rifle with one hand, and set off two shots – bam, bam, you're dead. Each shot hit a soldier in the head – instant death. Blue paint splattered over their visors and they fell to the ground, convulsing from the electric current. They crowd roared. Elize turned around and advanced down the battlefield.
For the longest time she was met with minimal opposition. A few Ops here, a few there, all fell in defeat. Sometimes killing them off was harder than usual, but the end result was the same. She had managed to kill at least 15 opposing squad members without any of them landing a shot. She was rapidly approaching the other end of the arena, which ment her and her squad were closing in on the target.
Elize kept close to the ground. Fire was picking up, as shots sailed over the trenches. The sounds of battle surrounded her – gunfire, screams, and the sounds of bullets hitting metal. She was exhilarated; THIS is what she lived for. Adrenaline pumped through her veins at level boarding euphoria. She couldn't help but smile under her visor.
She entered a clearing and was met with three soldiers. She soon realized that TWO of them were soldiers, in their white armor, while the other was dressed in deep red –
The squad leader!
He must have hidden in this small clearing between the trenches for a while now, she thought, his body guards have dwindled down to two. It was common for a squad leader to keep several of his men around him for protection during the war games. Elize, however, did not practice this. She believed it was a form of cowardice – and besides, a Lieutenant of her skill would only be bogged down with the interference of others – they would get in her way, and the last thing she needed to do was kill off her own men.
Elize ducked behind a structure as they started firing. These soldiers, unlike the first ones she encountered, looked like seasoned veterans and seemed experienced with their weapons. She would not be able to bank on their inaccurate fire.
And worse, her helmet was becoming a hazard. It had caused minimal problems earlier in the game, but now was interfering with her maneuvers. She held it on with one hand as she peeked around the corner – and was immediately fired at. She managed to pull back before she was hit. As she released her hand from her helmet, it fell over her eyes. If it fell during a reflex like that again, she would not be so lucky. This would not do.
She risked taking it off, knowing that if those soldiers decided to rush her while she was doing so, she would not have enough time to grab her gun. She lifted it off her head, raising her antennae up from her skull as she did so. She was felt her self being exposed to a sensory level of battle few experienced. Her antennae picked up new vibrations and sensations they couldn't have under the helmet. She looked into at the visor and saw her own deep blue eyes stare back at her. Lowering the helmet to her side, she darted around the corner.
Once out into the open, she sprinted and veered right. The enemy's fire followed close behind her as she ran, splashes of orange paint coming dangerously close to her armor. She lifted the helmet back and up, then hurled it. It hit one of the soldiers in the head, knocking him off his feet. The other continued shooting, and Elize rolled under his fire, shooting her own gun. He pushed the squad leader out of the way and took the hit – on the leg. He was still alive, but could sustain only one more hit before his suit would 'kill' him. The squad leader did nothing, and watched as his men fought her.
Elize straitened, and struck the soldier on the side of the head, killing him. Blue paint dripped down the side of his helmet and onto the arena floor like blood.
The one she had hit with the helmet had gotten up and began firing. Elize rolled up against a wall as the shots rang out, narrowly missing her every time. Finally, the wall went on a right angle, and she ran out of space to move. She pressed up against it as a final shot was issued, hitting so close she felt the air rush by her face. So close in fact, that the splash of orange paint hit her eye. She yelled briefly, more from surprise than pain. She clasped a hand over her eye and, for a fleeting moment, left herself open to fire. Fortunately, the soldier did not act quickly enough to take advantage of this. It took Elize only fractions of a second to decipher her next move.
Though he helmet was off, he squad was still able to hear her through the communication device in her collar. Every one of them heard her cry out, and around the battlefield, several of them got hit while distracted. Most of them ignored orders and rushed to her position.
She knew her rifle was empty. That's why she hadn't countered the last fire. She knew what she was going to do, but it would be harder with one eye. She threw off that fact like I minor annoyance, though, and followed through.
She tossed the large, empty assault rifle at him. While he ducked under it, Elize flipped end-over-end towards him. By the time he had straitened, Elize was looking him in the eye. He raised his arm to fire, but ever got the chance. With a high kick, she ripped the rifle from his grip and sent it into the air. She caught it, aimed, and hit the opponent three times in the chest. He fell to the ground, convulsing.
The crowd roared in approval.
Now the squad leader acted. He leveled his gun at her and fired, missing, but disturbingly accurate for someone at that distance. She rolled into a firing stance, and shot the target in his gun hand. He dropped the gun, and then flexed his fingers, trying to keep them from stiffening from such a blow. He was now unable to shoot.
All she needed to do was shoot him two more times, and game would be over and her squad would win. She pulled the trigger – but nothing happened. She pulled it again, and still nothing happened. She sighed with frustration and threw it to the ground. Empty, of course.
She stood and stared at the faceless visor, hunched over, bad eye open but only partially functional, and caught her breath. She felt the fan of orange paint around her eye drying on her skin. She clenched, then unclenched her fists. It was his move.
Neither of them was armed. As fire sailed overhead, both squads were oblivious to the fact that the two 'targets' were about to engage in a hand- to-hand battle that would decide the winner. Elize's squad, although still coming from her brief cry, had yet to infiltrate the opposing squad and was still a considerable distance from her. And worse, none of them were sure of her position. A lot were going the wrong way altogether. The few that abided by their orders didn't know that once they found the other squad leader, they would find Elize as well.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Not far from Elize's position, Private Teke (Tek-Kay) was fighting off the opposition. Being the only other female member of the squad, she was used to be compared to Lieutenant Elize. But somehow, she managed not to hold a grudge against her. She, in fact, admired Elize and the shocking revelation that she was related to a Tallest only confirmed her earlier suspicions. She thought that somewhere, whether distant or closely, in her family tree she was connected to the Tallests. What had really surprised Teke was that she was only ONE degree away - and that Tallest Purple knew about it!
Teke maneuvered her rifle expertly and shot an opposing squad member in the chest. She advanced up the field, searching for the opposing squad leader – but stopped. She looked up at the crowd. It seemed as if the mass of spectators was focusing on… one point, about thirty yards from her. Usually the crowd focused on whatever action was closest to them – but not now. It seemed as if EVERY eye in the joint was focusing on that one spot. Cheers, hisses and general rowdiness were aimed at that part of the battlefield. Teke supposed that could only mean one thing – something big was happening. She cautiously proceeded towards it.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The 'target' approached her. They both knew what it would come down to – they would fight until one of them went unconscious. Their suits, equipped with monitoring equipment, would sense this and end the game. The opposing squad leader rotated his wrist as he approached her. When he got to a point about ten feet away, he stopped and spoke.
"Lieutenant Elize I presume?"
Elize was surprised he knew who she was. She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? And who might you be?"
He lifted his visor. "Lieutenant Vox. I knew we were against your squad but I never thought I'd meet you in person. Very impressive, by the way. You took down two of my best men solo, a deed worth commending."
He was considerably larger than her, even though she was taller. He looked older, more experienced in battle. The odds seemed stacked against her, or at least she knew HE thought that by the arrogant tone to his voice, but Elize herself was well trained in hand-to-hand combat. She smiled; knowing that this guy would change his tone if he knew Purple Tallest himself had trained her.
Purple, having no children of his own, had always been a sort of father figure to Elize. He insisted that she be trained by the best, and only the best, in each field of combat. After several dire attempts to find an instructor that met his standards, he had broken down and given up. "Screw it," he had said while messaging his temples. "I'LL teach her." And he had done a spectacular job. Elize even surpassed him in some respects; her being a female enabled her to be more flexible and light naturally. In fact, Elize was somewhat of a gymnast. A skill that would aid greatly when fighting one-on-one.
She whipped her mouth with the back of her hand. "THOSE were your best men?"
He laughed, but it seemed forced. "And YOUR'S are much better?"
"Oh, yeah." She said, grinning. "I mean, don't get me wrong, those guys were good, but I would probably never be able to take two of my own men at a time."
He narrowed his eyes, the false camaraderie gone. "And one at a time?"
"Well of course."
They just stood there for a second, silent among a bath of war. After a moment, Elize spoke, breaking the silence, and extended to her full height from being hunched over. Vox, by the look of him, didn't know that she was taller from the way his gaze faltered for a second. He was not the cool, collected soldier he once was. Elize blinked her orange and green eyes. "What do you say we skip the formalities," she stated from several inches above his head. "And do this."
He nodded briefly. "Fair enough."
Vox planted his foot in back of him, while Elize dropped into a fighter's stance. Crouching, she rolled back her shoulders, extended one hand in front of her and brought the other back behind her head. Vox initiated the start of the fight by charging. He swung, but she ducked under it and reversed. She twisted it behind his back, but he kicked her and broke free. She went for an uppercut, but he dodged. While still on the follow-through for the uppercut, she swung with the other hand and made contact. It was a weak blow though, and he recovered quickly. She went for a kick, but he grabbed her foot and spun her to the ground. Once there, she swiped under him with her leg and he went down.
She reeled her legs up, and then flung them forward, righting herself without touching the ground. She right hooked, hitting his helmet and making an impact while he was still on the ground. He staggered, but did not fall all the way. While he was still trying to get up, she hit him with a brutal scissor kick to the jaw. He flew backwards, blood issuing from his mouth. He continued rolling though, and finally jumped up to his feet. He came at her.
Elize crouched back on her right leg, preparing for a move called the butterfly. She crouched low, bringing the arms high behind her. As he approached, she came up, bringing the heels of her hands together to strike him hard in his already injured jaw. On the follow-through, she spun angelically on her left toe, and then brought her clasped hands down on the back of his neck. Somehow, he remained standing.
Still doubled over, he struck her in the midsection with his shoulder while charging. He was surprisingly strong, and she flew several yards before landing, then sliding to a stop. She opened her eyes and rolled just in time to narrowly miss his knee falling towards her chest. She rolled up onto one knee. He was on her in a minute, and swung. She blocked as she stood, and threw a blow of her own, which was blocked. They went on like this for some time – swing, block, kick, counter, swing, reverse – until something snapped.
"There is a threshold," Purple had said, while going through motions almost reverently. Bringing his hands back, then down, then up to meet and come together in an Irkin martial arts position. "That you come to during battle, where your mind stops. The insecurities stop, the worry stops… where your body sort of goes on autopilot. Where you become faster, stronger, and quicker in the head. Because everything else is blocked out." He brought one hand back behind his head while the other panned the room – one finger curled in, palm out. "Your entire world becomes the fight. You see every move, every block, every possibility, and are able to combine them to suit your needs. You see everything, know everything, and are able to do anything that becomes necessary in the fight. You BECOME the fight." She remembered vividly how his hands came together loosely in front of his face, his first fingers steepled, and how he peered at her over his hands with such determination and something else that made her uncomfortable. "Not many fighters can reach this threshold, but I believe you can," he extended a hand towards her. "It's in your blood. The potential pumps through your veins as we speak." He then smirked, and dropped quickly into a fighter's stance. "Now fight me."
Elize, whether she knew it or not, had reached this threshold. Her mind stopped, and zoomed in on the battle. All of a sudden everything seemed to be in slow motion. The blows, the blocks, drops of perspiration falling from each of their faces. Everything slowed and became clearer. She saw nothing except her next sequence of moves. Her body moved mechanically with these sequences, all doubt leaving her.
Shortly after this clarity, she reeled back her fist and struck through the barrage of blows. It hit him in the side of the head so hard, that for a moment he just stood there, dumbstruck. Elize hit again. And again…
She spun around and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, which sent him flying. He had hardly righted himself when she came at him. She flipped up to a handstand, and grabbed him around his neck with her legs. Using just the right amount of leverage, she swung him under her and hit him with the heel of her hand. She pulled her left hand back, preparing to drive the heel of her hand into his face, driving bone into his brain and killing him. She bore down her hand to strike –
WAIT!
She stopped her hand less than an inch away from where him nose was supposed to be.
WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! She thought frantically, coming to her senses. I'm gonna KILL this guy! By God, man, get a hold of yourself!
Shakily, she lowered her hand. She held it against her chest and just sat there, straddling him, scared of herself.
He began to make a move to throw her off. Elize growled and simply punched him; he went out cold.
A button on his collar began to flash red. After a few seconds, it remained red. A loud buzzing sounded through the arena, declaring the game over. The crowd cheered and chanted: "2-0-3! 2-0-3! 2-0-" her squad's number. She looked up, and saw peering over the edge of a trench Private Teke, the first of her squad to arrive. Her jaw was down in amazement, her eyes wide. "Remind me never to piss you off!" she yelled over the roar of the crowd. Elize laughed.
Elize got up off of Lieutenant Vox. Teke slid down the side of the trench and walked up to her. "That was soooo awesome! I mean, I only saw the last half but GODS you were good! Where in the hell did you learn stuff like that?"
Elize gave her a look.
"Oh."
Teke stepped back and looked at Elize for a moment. She stroked her chin. "What?" asked Elize. Teke put her hands on her hips. "You know, in that silver armor, with that orange paint around your eye, you kinda look like the Goddess of war."
Elize looked down at herself. "Do not."
"I think you do. Hey, are you OK?"
Elize didn't know what she was talking about. The medical team arrived to help Vox. "Huh?"
"You have blood down the side of your face. I was so excited earlier I must not have noticed."
Elize lifted a hand to her face and scaled down. Her glove came back with blood, but she didn't feel a laceration. "I'm fine. It must be Vox's blood. I beat him up pretty badly, sorry to say."
Teke shook her head. "I hope I never get on your bad side, I'll end up like that."
Elize looked over her shoulder at Vox. He had a neck brace on and was being lifted up on a stretcher by several paramedics. She shuddered. "I can't believe I did that."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Well come on, the rest of the squad is probably waiting for us at the awards ceremony already. And Lieutenant?" Elize looked at her. "Yes Teke?"
"You think you could teach me that move with the handstand? It looked so cool."
Elize laughed and swung an arm around Teke's neck. "Maybe later, come on."
"Hey, where's your helmet?"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They arrived where the other squad had entered, by the stage. The stage was really just a platform on which they gave out awards. Once Elize and Teke were in sight, there presence was announced. "Hey! It's the Lieutenant!"
Her squad, followed by the press, rushed at her and Teke. Elize held her empty assault rifle in one hand, and covered her face with the other. "Oh great, the paparazzi are here." She rested her rifle up on her shoulder like a gunslinger and put her other hand on her hip. "Look alive, Teke, this is our moment to shine."
The press muscled by her men and started snapping off pictures of her and Teke… well… mostly of her. They parted like the Red Sea as Elize walked through them. Teke got lost somewhere in the mass of media and was nowhere in sight.
"Lieutenant! Tell us how-"
"Was it hard to-"
"Could you say-"
She held up a hand. "One at a time!"
Pictures kept snapping as they asked questions. "Lieutenant! How do you feel now that you've won your second war game competition in a row?"
"How do you think I feel? I feel great."
"You've won both war games you've ever been in."
"Is that a question?"
"How does it feel to be the youngest squad leader ever to accomplish this?"
"Great."
"Is it true you're niece to the almighty Tallest Purple?"
Wow, word travels fast. "Yes, it's true." The press went nuts with that one.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"I'm in the military; whatever they assign me to do."
"I see blood, are you OK?"
"Don't worry, it's not mine."
"SIR!"
Elize looked over. It was one of her men; Private Drok. "What is it private?" she kept her hand on her hip but lowered her gun. "Several men were injured during battle. There are five men in the infirmary right now." Elize sighed. "Are there any serious injuries?"
"I'm not sure but I don't think so. The paramedics told us that each would fully recover."
Elize smiled and clapped Drok on the shoulder. "Good. Well done private, I couldn't have done it without you guys. Where are the rest of the men?"
Private Drok's face swelled with pride. "Thank you Sir! The men are on the platform, waiting for you."
"Well let's not keep them waiting."
"And Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Were you… uh… shot in the eye? The paint - Where's your helmet?"
Elize sighed. "I'll explain later."
They somehow got through the press to the awards area, where the media was kept back by military police. Elize stood at the front of her squad before the stage, where her men clapped her on the shoulder for single-handedly taking down the squad leader. "Man, she KILLED the guy!"
"Must be PMS!"
They all laughed – even Elize as she punched the guy in the shoulder. "Hey, let's keep it clean, shall we? And I wouldn't have to if you all weren't playing with yourselves during the fight!"
A loud "OH!" ran through them and they all laughed. After a victory, all tensions were gone.
"PRESENTING," started the announcer. The squad quieted down. "THE GAME OFFICAL WITH THE RESULTS!"
Squad number 203 cheered and clapped as the official mounted the stage. He walked to the podium and motioned with his hands for it to be quiet. "I would first like to say-"
"Get on with it!" someone in the squad shouted, and everyone laughed.
The Official pointed at him. "I could write you up for that!" More laughter. The official smiled and gripped the podium. "I would first like to say that this was a great battle. Great skill, pride, and honor are reflected in these fine soldiers who fought today." The crowd and both squads applauded. "Next, I would like to say that these squads were even for a long time. It was going to be hard to decide the winner - at least until a certain hand-to-hand battle near the end."
Cheers rang out. Elize's squad nudged her and hit her playfully. "For a show of great skill, and a second back-to-back victory in the annual war games, I present this award to Lieutenant first class Elize!"
A huge ovation rose from the crowd as Elize walked up to the stage. Her squad whistled and shook their fists in the air, chanting her name. There were even some good-natured catcalls and howls. "Ow-OW!"
She smiled and scratched the back of her neck as she approached the podium. There was more laughter as Elize, who was taller than the official, had to bend down so he could put the medal around her neck. Even then, he had to stand on his toes. Another bout of laughter ran through the crowd as she adjusted the podiums microphone to her height. She gripped the podium and looked over her shoulder at the official. "How ya doing down there?" she winked at him, and everybody laughed. She chuckled as she turned towards the huge audience.
"Wow. This is really great. I would like to thank my squad, without who's infernal time-wasting I wouldn't have had the chance to show off like I did."
Lots of laughter.
"But seriously, without them this victory would not have been possible. They have shown great determination and skill as long as I have known them. They are very dedicated, and did not let me down." She clapped and there was a standing ovation as she said that. Her squad beamed and smiled. Down in the first row, Teke stood. Her helmet was off, and she smiled up in admiration at Elize, her yellow eyes full of respect. Elize felt very humbled. She took the microphone out of its holder and stepped out from around the podium. "Get up here, Teke." She said, extending a hand. Teke didn't know what to do.
"ME?"
"Yes you, now get up here."
Teke grabbed Elize's hand, who pulled her up on stage. She swung an arm around Teke's neck and spoke into the microphone. "I would like to give a special honor to Private Teke, who was the only member of my squad who was able to find me," Everyone laughed. Teke blushed and put a hand to her face.
"Whose skills seemed to figure out what was stumping everybody else." She squeezed Teke's neck for a second. Teke was smiling and bright red.
"Must be a girl thing, eh?"
"I guess."
There was laughter at Teke's nervous response. Elize raised an eyebrow. "I'm not embarrassing you, am I?" Teke widened her eyes and shook her head quickly with sarcasm.
"NO…"
More laughing. Elize laughed as she replaced the microphone in its holder. She and Teke hugged, and there were some vulgar whistles and noises. Afterward Teke leaned over to the microphone. "Oh, grow up!"
The entire arena laughed and applauded as her and Elize stepped down from the stage. The official applauded and stood behind the podium, readjusting the microphone, causing more laughs.
"Our next order of business: Preparations for the next two squads. The next squads competing will be as follows…"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
After the awards, Teke talked with the other squad members. It was mostly ribbing her for being so uptight on stage.
"You were really red. I could tell from where I was."
"Yeah, when the Lieutenant brought me up there I thought I was going to die!"
"How DID you find her anyway?"
"It was really a fluke! I looked up at the crowd and-" she stopped. "Hey, where is the Lieutenant anyway?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. I think she went up to the viewing box to see her uncle. Shit, some family tree she's got, eh?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. I guess I'll go see her and tell her about our next assignment."
"How do you know about it?"
"I don't. What happened was her superior, Commander Ian, told me he needed to talk to her about it. I guess he thinks I'm her second in command, since she brought me up on stage."
Lieutenant second class Tao, Elize's second in command, butt in. "Yeah, well make sure she straitens him out about that."
They all chuckled. "Well I'm going to find her. See you later."
Elize started down the hall, towards the private viewing boxes. She headed for the presidential suite, where Purple Tallest was most likely to have been watching. She heard noise coming from a suite with an ajar door, and approached it. Sure enough, Lieutenant Elize was in there.
"Lieutenant I-"
"I'm sorry about this," said a voice from inside the room. Teke saw that Elize was in the room, alone. The room was dark except a viewer screen, which displayed a video of the Purple Tallest. Elize sat on the back of a chair, her feet on the seat. She leaned on her elbows, one hand fingering her medal as she watched the video.
"But I had to leave early. Red is in the infirmary – long story – and I'd better go take him home. I did get to see most of the battle though-"
A voice off camera yelled for Purple. He growled. "Excuse me,"
He leaned off camera and yelled something unintelligible, rapid and angry, in Irkin. He looked back at the camera and sighed. "Sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes." He cleared his throat. "I did see all of the battle, but I'm afraid I can't attend the awards ceremony. I have just enough time to tape this before I have to leave. You were spectacular, my dear. It's times like this when my belief that you're destined for greatness is strengthened." Elize smiled sadly as she watched. "I'm very sorry I'm not there to congratulate you in person, but duty calls, I'm sure you understand. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the banquet next cycle, so I'll commend you there." He smiled warmly, and the tone of his voice changed. "I'm very proud of you Elize. And so is your mother, though she may not show it. We both think you're an incredible fighter, and I know you to be wise beyond your years in battle-tactics. I… I love you like a daughter. I know you'll make me proud for many years so come. Great job today, those moves were executed perfectly. I have no doubt in my mind you'll surpass me one day."
Teke was severely touched. Not only was 'family' a rare occurrence in Irkin life, but a family that cared for each other the way Purple Tallest was expressing was remarkable. And the term 'love' was not thrown around loosely. Teke began to feel an ach in her heart she had never experienced before.
"You'll make a great general some day, and hell-" he raised an eyebrow. "You my even have my job some time in the future. Well, that's all I have time for. I'll see you later." He reached for the camera to turn it off, but hesitated. He smiled into the camera. "I'm very proud of you, sweet- heart." And then the screen when blank. Teke left, feeling as if she had intruded.
____________________________________________________________
Several soldiers wheeled a stretcher down the infirmary hallway. Each one of the patient's 12 limbs was shackled down to it, even the injured ones. His eyes remained shut, presumably unconscious.
Doors swung to the side as the soldiers passed through them, doors labeled 'SOLITARY CONFINEMENT', where the prisoner would spend the rest of his long incarceration. They reached cell number 589, and one of them slid a card through the slot. The massive door unlocked with a buzz and a clang, then slid open with a heavy grinding noise. They wheeled the stretcher in, and hastily unshackled the prisoner. They lifted him up and off the stretcher with little care, and plopped him onto the small cot against the wall. Afterwards they left, egger to leave the ward of the damned.
A small smile slithered across Kain's lips.
Almost, he thought, almost. He could FEEL the Ty`Blancha's life draining from his body. He had been so close. He could taste vengeance.
But he supposed it was too much to ask for, at least this soon. This war, although the Irkins had yet to realize it was a war, would be long and not without bloodshed. If it required him to sacrifice his own life, he would. For his people.
He opened his eyes and examined his arms. They were heavily bandaged from his elbows to his wrists. The lay slack, crossed on top of his chest. He winced in pain as he raised they up. As the fingers curled into claws, they trembled with rage, the sterile white light of the room shining off their armored surface.
"Soooo close. So very, very, VERY close. I could SEE the life flowing from his eyes. A few more seconds and it would have been all over…" but Kain knew he would not get an opportunity like that again. They would be watching him much more closely now after that little stunt. And Red had not been his original target, Purple had. But you had to take what you could get, he supposed… He curled his fingers into fists.
He sighed and carefully placed his injured arms to his sides. He reached up with an undamaged hand to his brow's laceration, which, after the blasters electrical shock, had begun to bleed again. It was re-bandaged and sterilized while his arms were treated. But this clean-up job seemed much more sloppy than the first. Probably the medic's way of punishing him for attacking their leader. Kain sighed contemptuously.
These freking Irkins and their corrupt leaders, he thought, they will not last long. After the rebel forces regroup, there will be more attacks, and more, and they will never stop until the Irkins were stripped of their right to rule. And those two, freking, bastard leaders would be publicly executed.
Kain smiled at the thought.
And now? What now? He was still imprisoned, and the guards would stop any attempt at suicide. So what now? They could still blackmail the rebels into submission. Without the ability to take his own life he was virtually powerless to help them. But Kain knew the answer.
He would wait. That was all he could do. Wait for an opportunity to escape or kill again, and after that he didn't know. Playing it by ear would be wise; you had to be flexible in these types of situations. He had tried to kill at least one of their leaders before he took his own life, that would have been ideal, but now all he could do was WAIT…
And Reaptarians could be very patient.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That night, after watching Elize win (and show off) at the war games, Purple had returned home, picking up an injured Red from the infirmary on the way. He now slept in their bed, not expecting his latest premonition.
The dream started out seemingly normal. Purple stood at the window of their suit, gazing down upon the Capital city at sunset. For a moment, he just basked in its warm glow, in awe of its beauty. After a moment of this, he felt an arm slip across his waist and breath on his neck. He turned around to find Red, completely healed, standing behind him. They eventually made their may to the bed, where Purple knew there was only one possible outcome. Red straddled him, and began to scale down; taking is time as he went. Purple lay back and enjoyed it.
He turned his head towards the window and the beautiful sunset. But the serine vision did not last long. After a moment a dark front began to move in, covering the large sun and its light. As they approached, Purple noticed that they were not just overcast but BLACK. Dark, demonic clouds, issuing lightening down upon the city, reeking destruction. Purple started to say something – but never got the chance. As he turned towards Red, he was met with the barrel of a high-powered blaster.
As Purple scaled his eyes up, he was struck with a dark terror. The hands, arms – belonged to Red. But the head, perched upon the shoulders of his beloved like some cruel, dark-humored joke was the head – OF ZIM!
His red-pink eyes were filled with black joy at the position he had caught Purple in. His mouth wore a sadistic grin, his jaw clenched in victory. His right shoulder – the one not holding the gun – was rolled back, as he lined up the shot with his left, gun-wielding arm. Purple said nothing, to horror struck to move, the end of the gun less than four inches from his face. Zim pulled back the hammer.
Slowly, as if punctuating his speech, Zim swung his right arm to meet the handle of the blaster. His grin seemed to widen and darken simultaneously as he spoke. "The end of your days rapidly approaches…" His fingers clenched around it with a grim sense of finality as he paused and cocked one smug eyebrow. "Ty`Blancha."
He pulled the trigger.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple awoke screaming. He shot up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat and racked with fear. He hugged himself and squinted, trying to shake the awful vision from his head.
"Huh… wha…" said a voice to his left. Purple turned his head sharply in that direction. Seeing the dark figure next to him in bed, he screamed again. He lunged frantically for the light and turned it on.
As the lights came up, Purple saw it was Red. At first he didn't believe it, the nightmare fresh in his mind.
"Purple?" asked Red carefully. He reached towards Purple, who retreated from his touch. Red looked back at him with a sort of worried, hurt expression. Purple, seeing the emotions on his partners face began to believe his eyes, but he still made no move. IT COULD BE TRICK! Part of him cried out. The rational portion of his mind had yet to regain control.
"Purple… what's wrong?" asked Red, now concerned. Purple, who had braced himself against the headboard, began to relax. He turned his head slightly towards him. "Red?"
Red smiled a confused smile. "Yeah, its me." Purple, now fully believing it was him, did not know whether to laugh or cry with relief. He let out a relieved half-yell-half-laugh and slumped down from the headboard. "Oh thank God." He put his forehead in his hands and leaned forward on his elbows. "…Thank God…"
Now Red was really worried. He moved over to Purple and put an arm around him. This time Purple did not relent.
"Purple what's going on?" Purple leaned into him. "Nothing. Just… a nightmare I guess. But man, it was SO REAL. I mean, I thought you were-"
He looked at Red. He wore no shirt, and a bandage over his neck. His eyes looked very worried. No, Purple thought, this was not the Red in my dream. The other one was a fraud, this one is real.
Purple smiled sadly. "Never mind. It's not important."
Red cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You seemed pretty damn scared when you woke up. Hell, you're still sweating. What in the cosmos could have scared you so much?"
Purple closed his eyes, and under his breath he said, "The past."
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's go back to sleep, I'm tired."
He started to turn to his pillow, but was stopped. Red kissed him gently on the lips. "I worry about you when you have these premonitions." Said Red, their bodies still very close. Purple smirked. "And I worry about you whenever you're on your own."
Red opened his mouth in protest, and Purple had to laugh. Red nudged him. "Very funny. Now go to sleep."
As Purple layback down, he thought about what Red had said. HAD it been a premonition? He hoped not. He thought about if Zim really had returned to take vengeance.
He shuddered. He did not fall back to sleep for a long time.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Well there it is," said Zim. "My home planet. A beauty, isn't she? Damn it's been so long."
Gaz and Dib just stared.
"Yeah, the readings indicate its summer. Beautiful time of year on Irk. Don't you agree Spluge?"
"Yee-up."
"Well I think it's about time we land,"
Dib took off his glasses, polished them on his shirt, and put them back on. He paused for a moment before talking. "It's not at all like I pictured it, but it's still incredible. All my life I've been searching for intelligent life outside Earth… And here's an entire planet of alien life. My God… my dream's come true."
Gaz whistled. "Wow. Didn't know if I'd live to see aliens land – and NEVER thought I'D be the alien!"
"Gaz," said Dib. "Do you realize we're the first humans EVER to see extraterrestrial life… and believe it?"
She nodded. "Kind of humbling, isn't it?"
"I'm sorry to break all this up," interrupted Spluge, "But if we don't land soon that boarder patrol's gonna get mighty suspicious. What'd ya say we take 'er down?"
Zim pushed off the wall he was leaning against. "He's right. Gaz, you're co- piloting, Dib, just… hold onto something. You too Spluge."
Spluge hesitated. "Haven't you landed this thing before?"
Zim began to say something, then stopped. He looked at Spluge after a moment's consideration. "No."
Spluge covered his face with one hand. "Dear God…"
"Hey!" started Dib, "How come she gets to co-pilot!"
Oh look, thought Zim, He's been reduced to whiny little brother form.
"Have YOU spent that last three weeks playing 'Deathcon 4: Flight Simulation' on Game Slave II? Didn't think so." She said as she pushed Dib out of the way of the co-pilot seat. Dib continued to protest. "But –but Zim-"
"She's right Dib. I told her to play it because I would need someone to help me land. Plus she's got some video game experience that could prove useful. Sorry, but you'll get your chance later."
Dib sighed.
"Now buckle up you two," said Zim, "This is going to be a bumpy ride – to say the least."
They all fastened their four-point safety belts. Zim grabbed the joy stick- like control and got a good grip. This landing was going to be hard, he knew that. Because the ship was really a cross between an Irkin Voot Cruiser and U.S. space shuttle, there were two sets of controls. His was a joystick, like his cruiser. Gaz's controls resembled the yolk of a 747. Halfway through the decent, they would have to switch control of the ship. He would handle re-entering the atmosphere and straitening the ship, while Gaz would handle the actual landing. Zim had never landed a ship by gliding in. Voot Cruiser's landed vertically and only very massive Irkin ships landed otherwise. He hoped her three weeks of flight simulation were enough. But she was a prodigy, wasn't she?
"Do you know where we're going to land?" asked Gaz. Zim turned towards a small monitor and began to type.
"Yes. There's a small, inconspicuous landing strip and hanger near the capitol. I assume my old account there is still active, so we'll be able to pay for housing. And guys – as we're landing, try to get a good view of the city, its that last you'll be seeing of it for a while. You two will have to hide out in the ship until we have something figured out."
Dib started to protest but then understood. Gaz gripped the controls and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"Good. It will only be a few moments until will rotate over the capitol. The strip is right on the outskirts, so you should be able to see it all right. OK – here it comes."
They waited only a few seconds, though it seemed like hours. Finally, Zim's monitor displayed the right coordinates and he made his move.
"Hold on!"
He pushed the control stick forward. The engines came to life, and gradually increased in power. The planet started to become larger, and approach more rapidly. After a few moments, all that was visible was the pink-orange surface of Irk, its gigantic mass filling the field of view. The edges of the windshield began to glow red.
Soon the red spread down the glass, obscuring more from view. But visibility was still good. He could at least see where he was going.
They rapidly approached the planet, passing through high-altitude clouds. The main cloud cover began to approach – the layer of condensation, which constantly covered the surface of Irk. The layer under which the large city was concealed. Zim knew that once they passed through it; once the city became visible, he would have to hit the 'TRANSFER' switch and Gaz would take over. It was coming so fast…
They hit the cloud layer. For a few seconds, there was NO visibility. The thick layer of nitrogen and sulfur clouds (not water vapor, God forbid, the Irkins would never survive) had completely engulfed the ship. But soon they broke free of the barrier, and city lay out before them in all its glory.
The landscape (which was the EXACT same color as the sky) was blemished by a huge, silver city. Individual buildings could be seen, higher and more graceful than any Earth architect could have imagined. Zim heard Gaz gasp as it became visible, and for a moment he envied her untarnished view of the Universe. For he had seen too much to be awe-struck by a city he knew all to well.
It was time to switch. He turned his head, despite the strong G-forces, and yelled to her over the roar of the engines. "ARE YOU READY?" he yelled. She nodded her head with some effort. "YEAH!"
He hit the transfer switch.
Suddenly his control stick went slack, and he knew the transfer was successful.
Gaz felt the Yolk become rigid in her hands, and knew it was show time. She held the controls level, slowing their decent. "WHERE'S THE STRIP!?" She had to scream.
"ON THE NORTH WEST SIDE OF THE CITY! CURVE AROUND, IT SHOULD COME INTO VIEW SOON!"
She tilted the yolk, tilting the ship to the left. After the ship was lined up with the perimeter of the city, she gently tilted the yolk right, swooping expertly around the metropolis. Zim was becoming more confident that the flight simulator had done the trick.
A bead of sweat rolled down Gaz's face, then back from the G-forces. A lock of hair had curled around her neck, and was being pushed into her windpipe forcefully from the gravity. Luckily, she could still breath.
C'mon, c'mon, she thought, where is this fucking thing? At least in the simulator you knew where you were going. The spiked bracelets on her wrists were starting to tug at her skin painfully.
Suddenly, she spotted it.
"SEE IT YET!?" shouted Zim as the strip came into view over the horizon. She grit her teeth. "YES!" She began to swoop in an approaching arch. Soon, she was coming head on towards the strip. It was after a moment of this, that she noticed that there were SEVERAL strips.
"SHIT, ZIM, WHICH ONE!?!"
At first Zim didn't seem to understand the question, and for one terrifying moment Gaz visualized crashing into another ship. She started to shout again, but he answered. "THE ONE JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE MIDDLE! IT SHOULD BE EMPTY, ITS MINE!"
Gaz gulped. All the video games in the world couldn't have prepared her for this.
She re-angled the ship and tried her best to steady yolk. It was after she had accomplished that, after she began to be optimistic –
That disaster struck.
A tremor rocked through the ship, nearly sending them into a tailspin. Gaz kept her hands on the controls, but they were not responding properly. Everything seemed to lean left, FAR too left. What he HELL had happened?
Zim was glaring frantically at the monitor. Dib and Spluge were gripping the armrest for dear life.
"ZIM! WHAT THE-"
"IT'S THE FIRST ENGINE! IT BLEW OUT! I HAVE TO CUT THE OTHER'S POWER!"
Gaz did NOT like the sound of that. "WHAT!?!?!"
"IF I DON'T WE'LL SPIN OUT!" Zim looked out the windshield, then back as Gaz. "YOUR GONNA HAVE TO GLIDE US IN!"
Gaz stared intently out the windshield, digging her nails into the yolk. She felt a smaller tremor as the right engine went dead, and she was on her own.
Oh –Lord-I've-never-been-much-of-a-prayer-but-if-I-live-I'll-build-twenty- five churches-in-your-honor, she thought frantically. She gulped as she began the decent.
It was shaky. The strip seemed to wobble in front of her, but miraculously, the ship re-angled properly. They approached the strip, and just when things seemed to be looking up, disaster struck once again. She pushed the landing gear switch – but it didn't deploy.
She hit it again. And again, and again and again –
"ZIM! WHAT THE-" then she realized. "THE POWER ZIM! THE POWER! THE LANDING GEAR-!"
He hastily went back to the power switch and turned back on –
-Unfortunately this turned back on the second engine… again.
"AAHHHH!" they all screamed in unison. The recently deployed landing gear hit the runway, and the ship shuddered under the impact. Gaz struggled to maintain control, and kept it. The ship rolled to a stop a few seconds later and they all went silent as the last engine died.
All were sweating. Zim ripped off his seatbelt and pulled his navy-blue hoodie tighter around him. Gaz gripped the back of her arms and hugged herself. Dib and Spluge remained still. After a moment, after the initial trauma, the all to familiar Gaz-rage surfaced.
She snapped her head around and gripped the armrests in anger. "What the FUCK was that Zim!"
Zim's eyes went from wide with surprise, no narrow with anger. "ME?! Hey, those engines were just FINE last time I checked them!"
"Oh Yeah? And when was that, you-"
"GUYS!" shouted Dib. Both Zim and Gaz turned towards him glaring dangerously. "Where's GIR?"
They looked at each other. Then bolted from their chairs.
The two in back sprang from their seats and followed the others down to the engine room at a full sprint. Zim arrived first, followed by Gaz, and swung open the engine room door. Inside, they saw what they hoped wouldn't be there.
Sparks flew everywhere. A burning smell hung in the air ominously, and there, standing in front of the mess – was GIR.
He held a bouquet of wires. He extended them towards Zim. "I picked these for YOU!"
"NOOOOOO!" screamed Zim as he fell to his knees. He covered his face and began to weep. "WHY!?! WHY FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHY!!!!!!!!!"
Gaz grabbed her hair with her fists and yanked. "Jesus Christ! What the HELL GIR? Now how are we ever going to get back home?!"
Zim rose up from his knees wearing an expression of black Rage. "Come here GIR." He said dangerously calm, beckoning him closer with one curling finger. GIR dropped the wires and took a step back. "I'm afraid to…"
"Oh-ho-ho… You'd BETTER be afraid," he said, pushing up the sleeves of his hoodie. He began to walk towards GIR. "With what I'm gonna do to you…"
GIR backed up, and then started screaming. He bolted around the engine room. He finally got around to the Door and shoved past the three others as Zim followed closely. "HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU DEFECTIVE BUCKET OF BOLTS! I'LL MAKE A TOASTER OUT OF YOU! HEY – GET OVER HERE!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed GIR. The other three just stood indifferently and watched.
Spluge: "Is this common?"
Gaz: "Oh…yeah."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
During the War Games, before Purple had had his unsettling vision, Elize had preformed to perfection. She remembered after the hanger doors had opened, how her squad marched dumfoundedly towards the transport vehicles, still stunned by the revelation that their Squad leader was niece to one of the almighty Tallests. Once in the transport vehicle, she took her seat at the head of the row and took the assault rifle off her shoulder. When she looked up, all eyes were on her.
Each of the several TV's (transport vehicles) her squad had occupied had the seating arrangement of two rows facing each other. She sat at the front of the compartment in a seat facing the two rows. Both lines of soldiers had their heads turned, looking at her. She lifted her visor and cocked an eyebrow under it. "What?"
"Is it true?" asked one of the soldiers in the left row. She smiled. "Is what true?"
"You know, that Purple Tallest is your uncle. Which means your mother is Pez, the richest Irkin in the Empire."
Elize removed her helmet and set it between her feet. "Yes he's my uncle. And yes, Pez is my mother."
The soldier faltered for a moment before regaining his train of thought. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
"Go ahead."
"How could you not tell us?" he said. The others nodded in agreement. She sighed. "I don't have to explain myself to any of you, but I will anyway. I wanted to make a name for myself in the military on my own. If I had had the title: 'Purple's niece' all through training and my instatement of leading this squad, there might have been animosity towards me. The entire spiel about 'Friends in high places' and such. Well I've avoided it up until now, but I haven't exactly hidden it. You could simply look my name up in the public records and it would say so. Despite that, no one knew – not even commander Cog, at least not until after I was promoted." Commander Cog had been a Lieutenant and the squad leader, and when he was promoted to commander he instated Elize to replace him. "But I believe that I've held my own and carried this squad through some though battles, do you agree?"
The soldier straitened. "Yes, Sir!"
"Very good. And I believe that I've gained the respect I now have from this unit rightfully, and on my own, do you agree?"
All of them straitened. "Yes, Sir!"
Elize folded her hands over the barrel of her rifle, which was standing on its butt, and leaned forward. "Good. Then I expect no further discussion, no animosity, and no special treatment now that you've all found out my little secret. Agreed?"
They put their hands to their heads in salute. "SIR, Yes SIR!"
"Good. Now I say we all share a moment of silence in remembrance of the Food Courtia victims."
Elize bowed her head over her rifle, and the others followed suit. After about fifteen seconds the pilot made an announcement. "WE'VE ARRIVED AT THE ARENA. DOCKING IN TWO NANO-CYCLES." The TV's had taken her squad from the Gargantuan to the planet Irk, where the battle arena was.
Elize lifted her helmet, placed it on her head and passed her hand over her face, putting down the visor. Feels a little loose, she thought. Her last helmet had been cracked and thus ruined during the Food Courtia battle, when the Gargantuan was being struck with enemy fire. A piece of replacement haul, weighing approximately 2,000 Irkin pounds, fell from its restraints and landed on it. Luckily, Elize hadn't been wearing it. She had been down on the planet with her other relatives, negotiating their dead Uncle's will. The helmet she was wearing now was supposed to be a temporary replacement, so was not custom fit. She hoped it would be OK.
"Let's move!" she said as they filed out the hatch. They ran out of the vehicle and onto a sort of service elevator that fit the entire squad. As the others from different vehicles piled on, they stood in formation facing forward. Once they were all on, the side less elevator began to move up through a metal tube to the battlefield. Elize, at the front, watched the passing metal walls and prayed mentally in a sort of mantra to the Irkin Goddess of war. 'Strength, courage, honor. Strength, courage, honor. Strength, courage…'
As Elize looked up for the approaching doorway, she could hear the other squad members reciting the mantra as well, in a hushed, personal whisper. Commander Cog had taught them it, before he left the squad. Some of the soldiers recited it in USL (Universal Standard Language. – English, to Earthlings.) And some recited it in Irkin, their native language. Elize closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Strength, courage, honor.'
The large doors descended in front of her, the Irkin symbols above it flashing. 'Battle commence in – 10, 9, 8, 7…'
Elize pulled back her brow in determination. Rolling her shoulders back, she let the rifle fall from around her shoulder to her hand. She crossed it across her chest, cocked it, and waited. The sound of fifty assault rifles cocking followed hers shortly. She closed her eyes.
"…4, 3, 2, 1, COMMENCE."
There was a loud buzzing as the doors opened. Elize opened her eyes and slipped into battle mode.
"MOVE!" she yelled, standing where she was as the squad rushed past her. She hung back purposely. Running at the head of the squad would be suicide – once the squad leader dies, the game ends. Of course, they didn't really die. The projectiles in their assault rifles were filled with paint, and once a bullet hit a soldier's armor, an electrical current was sent through the suit, freezing it. If you were it more than two times, this would happen, paralyzing you. You were considered 'Dead' to the game.
Elize began to move as the middle of her squad was passing her. She drew her assault rifle, and kept to the safety at the heart of her men. She knew that this formation was not the ideal cover – for her silver armor clashed with the black of he squad's. She would be spotted.
The arena consisted of metal formations – gray hills, crags and structures. The channels between these formations were narrow, perfect setups for ambushes. The ceiling was a high, domed structure fixed with lighting and cameras. Stands lined the battlefield, filled with spectators from other squads. Elize was able to hear the crowd's roar even before she stepped into the arena. The battlefield itself was about the size of two football fields next to each other, in human terms. Elize knew the opposing squad was at the other end, searching for her as her men were searching for their squad's leader.
"Fan out," she said. The communication device imbedded in her collar picked this up, and sent it to small speakers in each of the squad member's helmets. They did accordingly. "Numbers 1 through 30 search for the target- " -the other squad leader- " –and kill any opposition you meet with. The rest of you fan out wide around me at a twenty-meter radius. Try not to let anyone by you, but if one does, focus on not letting others through. I can handle a few on my own. Got it?"
A muffled, in unison, "-Sir!" came through her helmet. They began to recede from her, disappearing around structures and hills. She kept low to the ground as she advanced.
Only a moment later, two members of the opposing team approached form behind. Her team had, presumably, forgotten to guard her flank. "THEY'RE BEHIND ME!" she nearly screamed into the communicator, more frustrated at her team's ignorance than her present situation. She quickly rolled behind a structure as shots rang out.
She pressed her back up against the metal hill and held her rifle towards the ceiling. She peeked out around the edge of the structure and then quickly pulled back. Two of them – they looked inexperienced by the way they held their rifles, in a sort of clumsy awkward way. Elize relaxed a little, they would be easy to take care of.
She casually stepped out from her hiding spot and approached them. They both fired, but none of the shots made contact. They were surprised, and their aim was inaccurate. Elize leveled her rifle with one hand, and set off two shots – bam, bam, you're dead. Each shot hit a soldier in the head – instant death. Blue paint splattered over their visors and they fell to the ground, convulsing from the electric current. They crowd roared. Elize turned around and advanced down the battlefield.
For the longest time she was met with minimal opposition. A few Ops here, a few there, all fell in defeat. Sometimes killing them off was harder than usual, but the end result was the same. She had managed to kill at least 15 opposing squad members without any of them landing a shot. She was rapidly approaching the other end of the arena, which ment her and her squad were closing in on the target.
Elize kept close to the ground. Fire was picking up, as shots sailed over the trenches. The sounds of battle surrounded her – gunfire, screams, and the sounds of bullets hitting metal. She was exhilarated; THIS is what she lived for. Adrenaline pumped through her veins at level boarding euphoria. She couldn't help but smile under her visor.
She entered a clearing and was met with three soldiers. She soon realized that TWO of them were soldiers, in their white armor, while the other was dressed in deep red –
The squad leader!
He must have hidden in this small clearing between the trenches for a while now, she thought, his body guards have dwindled down to two. It was common for a squad leader to keep several of his men around him for protection during the war games. Elize, however, did not practice this. She believed it was a form of cowardice – and besides, a Lieutenant of her skill would only be bogged down with the interference of others – they would get in her way, and the last thing she needed to do was kill off her own men.
Elize ducked behind a structure as they started firing. These soldiers, unlike the first ones she encountered, looked like seasoned veterans and seemed experienced with their weapons. She would not be able to bank on their inaccurate fire.
And worse, her helmet was becoming a hazard. It had caused minimal problems earlier in the game, but now was interfering with her maneuvers. She held it on with one hand as she peeked around the corner – and was immediately fired at. She managed to pull back before she was hit. As she released her hand from her helmet, it fell over her eyes. If it fell during a reflex like that again, she would not be so lucky. This would not do.
She risked taking it off, knowing that if those soldiers decided to rush her while she was doing so, she would not have enough time to grab her gun. She lifted it off her head, raising her antennae up from her skull as she did so. She was felt her self being exposed to a sensory level of battle few experienced. Her antennae picked up new vibrations and sensations they couldn't have under the helmet. She looked into at the visor and saw her own deep blue eyes stare back at her. Lowering the helmet to her side, she darted around the corner.
Once out into the open, she sprinted and veered right. The enemy's fire followed close behind her as she ran, splashes of orange paint coming dangerously close to her armor. She lifted the helmet back and up, then hurled it. It hit one of the soldiers in the head, knocking him off his feet. The other continued shooting, and Elize rolled under his fire, shooting her own gun. He pushed the squad leader out of the way and took the hit – on the leg. He was still alive, but could sustain only one more hit before his suit would 'kill' him. The squad leader did nothing, and watched as his men fought her.
Elize straitened, and struck the soldier on the side of the head, killing him. Blue paint dripped down the side of his helmet and onto the arena floor like blood.
The one she had hit with the helmet had gotten up and began firing. Elize rolled up against a wall as the shots rang out, narrowly missing her every time. Finally, the wall went on a right angle, and she ran out of space to move. She pressed up against it as a final shot was issued, hitting so close she felt the air rush by her face. So close in fact, that the splash of orange paint hit her eye. She yelled briefly, more from surprise than pain. She clasped a hand over her eye and, for a fleeting moment, left herself open to fire. Fortunately, the soldier did not act quickly enough to take advantage of this. It took Elize only fractions of a second to decipher her next move.
Though he helmet was off, he squad was still able to hear her through the communication device in her collar. Every one of them heard her cry out, and around the battlefield, several of them got hit while distracted. Most of them ignored orders and rushed to her position.
She knew her rifle was empty. That's why she hadn't countered the last fire. She knew what she was going to do, but it would be harder with one eye. She threw off that fact like I minor annoyance, though, and followed through.
She tossed the large, empty assault rifle at him. While he ducked under it, Elize flipped end-over-end towards him. By the time he had straitened, Elize was looking him in the eye. He raised his arm to fire, but ever got the chance. With a high kick, she ripped the rifle from his grip and sent it into the air. She caught it, aimed, and hit the opponent three times in the chest. He fell to the ground, convulsing.
The crowd roared in approval.
Now the squad leader acted. He leveled his gun at her and fired, missing, but disturbingly accurate for someone at that distance. She rolled into a firing stance, and shot the target in his gun hand. He dropped the gun, and then flexed his fingers, trying to keep them from stiffening from such a blow. He was now unable to shoot.
All she needed to do was shoot him two more times, and game would be over and her squad would win. She pulled the trigger – but nothing happened. She pulled it again, and still nothing happened. She sighed with frustration and threw it to the ground. Empty, of course.
She stood and stared at the faceless visor, hunched over, bad eye open but only partially functional, and caught her breath. She felt the fan of orange paint around her eye drying on her skin. She clenched, then unclenched her fists. It was his move.
Neither of them was armed. As fire sailed overhead, both squads were oblivious to the fact that the two 'targets' were about to engage in a hand- to-hand battle that would decide the winner. Elize's squad, although still coming from her brief cry, had yet to infiltrate the opposing squad and was still a considerable distance from her. And worse, none of them were sure of her position. A lot were going the wrong way altogether. The few that abided by their orders didn't know that once they found the other squad leader, they would find Elize as well.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Not far from Elize's position, Private Teke (Tek-Kay) was fighting off the opposition. Being the only other female member of the squad, she was used to be compared to Lieutenant Elize. But somehow, she managed not to hold a grudge against her. She, in fact, admired Elize and the shocking revelation that she was related to a Tallest only confirmed her earlier suspicions. She thought that somewhere, whether distant or closely, in her family tree she was connected to the Tallests. What had really surprised Teke was that she was only ONE degree away - and that Tallest Purple knew about it!
Teke maneuvered her rifle expertly and shot an opposing squad member in the chest. She advanced up the field, searching for the opposing squad leader – but stopped. She looked up at the crowd. It seemed as if the mass of spectators was focusing on… one point, about thirty yards from her. Usually the crowd focused on whatever action was closest to them – but not now. It seemed as if EVERY eye in the joint was focusing on that one spot. Cheers, hisses and general rowdiness were aimed at that part of the battlefield. Teke supposed that could only mean one thing – something big was happening. She cautiously proceeded towards it.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The 'target' approached her. They both knew what it would come down to – they would fight until one of them went unconscious. Their suits, equipped with monitoring equipment, would sense this and end the game. The opposing squad leader rotated his wrist as he approached her. When he got to a point about ten feet away, he stopped and spoke.
"Lieutenant Elize I presume?"
Elize was surprised he knew who she was. She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? And who might you be?"
He lifted his visor. "Lieutenant Vox. I knew we were against your squad but I never thought I'd meet you in person. Very impressive, by the way. You took down two of my best men solo, a deed worth commending."
He was considerably larger than her, even though she was taller. He looked older, more experienced in battle. The odds seemed stacked against her, or at least she knew HE thought that by the arrogant tone to his voice, but Elize herself was well trained in hand-to-hand combat. She smiled; knowing that this guy would change his tone if he knew Purple Tallest himself had trained her.
Purple, having no children of his own, had always been a sort of father figure to Elize. He insisted that she be trained by the best, and only the best, in each field of combat. After several dire attempts to find an instructor that met his standards, he had broken down and given up. "Screw it," he had said while messaging his temples. "I'LL teach her." And he had done a spectacular job. Elize even surpassed him in some respects; her being a female enabled her to be more flexible and light naturally. In fact, Elize was somewhat of a gymnast. A skill that would aid greatly when fighting one-on-one.
She whipped her mouth with the back of her hand. "THOSE were your best men?"
He laughed, but it seemed forced. "And YOUR'S are much better?"
"Oh, yeah." She said, grinning. "I mean, don't get me wrong, those guys were good, but I would probably never be able to take two of my own men at a time."
He narrowed his eyes, the false camaraderie gone. "And one at a time?"
"Well of course."
They just stood there for a second, silent among a bath of war. After a moment, Elize spoke, breaking the silence, and extended to her full height from being hunched over. Vox, by the look of him, didn't know that she was taller from the way his gaze faltered for a second. He was not the cool, collected soldier he once was. Elize blinked her orange and green eyes. "What do you say we skip the formalities," she stated from several inches above his head. "And do this."
He nodded briefly. "Fair enough."
Vox planted his foot in back of him, while Elize dropped into a fighter's stance. Crouching, she rolled back her shoulders, extended one hand in front of her and brought the other back behind her head. Vox initiated the start of the fight by charging. He swung, but she ducked under it and reversed. She twisted it behind his back, but he kicked her and broke free. She went for an uppercut, but he dodged. While still on the follow-through for the uppercut, she swung with the other hand and made contact. It was a weak blow though, and he recovered quickly. She went for a kick, but he grabbed her foot and spun her to the ground. Once there, she swiped under him with her leg and he went down.
She reeled her legs up, and then flung them forward, righting herself without touching the ground. She right hooked, hitting his helmet and making an impact while he was still on the ground. He staggered, but did not fall all the way. While he was still trying to get up, she hit him with a brutal scissor kick to the jaw. He flew backwards, blood issuing from his mouth. He continued rolling though, and finally jumped up to his feet. He came at her.
Elize crouched back on her right leg, preparing for a move called the butterfly. She crouched low, bringing the arms high behind her. As he approached, she came up, bringing the heels of her hands together to strike him hard in his already injured jaw. On the follow-through, she spun angelically on her left toe, and then brought her clasped hands down on the back of his neck. Somehow, he remained standing.
Still doubled over, he struck her in the midsection with his shoulder while charging. He was surprisingly strong, and she flew several yards before landing, then sliding to a stop. She opened her eyes and rolled just in time to narrowly miss his knee falling towards her chest. She rolled up onto one knee. He was on her in a minute, and swung. She blocked as she stood, and threw a blow of her own, which was blocked. They went on like this for some time – swing, block, kick, counter, swing, reverse – until something snapped.
"There is a threshold," Purple had said, while going through motions almost reverently. Bringing his hands back, then down, then up to meet and come together in an Irkin martial arts position. "That you come to during battle, where your mind stops. The insecurities stop, the worry stops… where your body sort of goes on autopilot. Where you become faster, stronger, and quicker in the head. Because everything else is blocked out." He brought one hand back behind his head while the other panned the room – one finger curled in, palm out. "Your entire world becomes the fight. You see every move, every block, every possibility, and are able to combine them to suit your needs. You see everything, know everything, and are able to do anything that becomes necessary in the fight. You BECOME the fight." She remembered vividly how his hands came together loosely in front of his face, his first fingers steepled, and how he peered at her over his hands with such determination and something else that made her uncomfortable. "Not many fighters can reach this threshold, but I believe you can," he extended a hand towards her. "It's in your blood. The potential pumps through your veins as we speak." He then smirked, and dropped quickly into a fighter's stance. "Now fight me."
Elize, whether she knew it or not, had reached this threshold. Her mind stopped, and zoomed in on the battle. All of a sudden everything seemed to be in slow motion. The blows, the blocks, drops of perspiration falling from each of their faces. Everything slowed and became clearer. She saw nothing except her next sequence of moves. Her body moved mechanically with these sequences, all doubt leaving her.
Shortly after this clarity, she reeled back her fist and struck through the barrage of blows. It hit him in the side of the head so hard, that for a moment he just stood there, dumbstruck. Elize hit again. And again…
She spun around and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, which sent him flying. He had hardly righted himself when she came at him. She flipped up to a handstand, and grabbed him around his neck with her legs. Using just the right amount of leverage, she swung him under her and hit him with the heel of her hand. She pulled her left hand back, preparing to drive the heel of her hand into his face, driving bone into his brain and killing him. She bore down her hand to strike –
WAIT!
She stopped her hand less than an inch away from where him nose was supposed to be.
WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! She thought frantically, coming to her senses. I'm gonna KILL this guy! By God, man, get a hold of yourself!
Shakily, she lowered her hand. She held it against her chest and just sat there, straddling him, scared of herself.
He began to make a move to throw her off. Elize growled and simply punched him; he went out cold.
A button on his collar began to flash red. After a few seconds, it remained red. A loud buzzing sounded through the arena, declaring the game over. The crowd cheered and chanted: "2-0-3! 2-0-3! 2-0-" her squad's number. She looked up, and saw peering over the edge of a trench Private Teke, the first of her squad to arrive. Her jaw was down in amazement, her eyes wide. "Remind me never to piss you off!" she yelled over the roar of the crowd. Elize laughed.
Elize got up off of Lieutenant Vox. Teke slid down the side of the trench and walked up to her. "That was soooo awesome! I mean, I only saw the last half but GODS you were good! Where in the hell did you learn stuff like that?"
Elize gave her a look.
"Oh."
Teke stepped back and looked at Elize for a moment. She stroked her chin. "What?" asked Elize. Teke put her hands on her hips. "You know, in that silver armor, with that orange paint around your eye, you kinda look like the Goddess of war."
Elize looked down at herself. "Do not."
"I think you do. Hey, are you OK?"
Elize didn't know what she was talking about. The medical team arrived to help Vox. "Huh?"
"You have blood down the side of your face. I was so excited earlier I must not have noticed."
Elize lifted a hand to her face and scaled down. Her glove came back with blood, but she didn't feel a laceration. "I'm fine. It must be Vox's blood. I beat him up pretty badly, sorry to say."
Teke shook her head. "I hope I never get on your bad side, I'll end up like that."
Elize looked over her shoulder at Vox. He had a neck brace on and was being lifted up on a stretcher by several paramedics. She shuddered. "I can't believe I did that."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Well come on, the rest of the squad is probably waiting for us at the awards ceremony already. And Lieutenant?" Elize looked at her. "Yes Teke?"
"You think you could teach me that move with the handstand? It looked so cool."
Elize laughed and swung an arm around Teke's neck. "Maybe later, come on."
"Hey, where's your helmet?"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They arrived where the other squad had entered, by the stage. The stage was really just a platform on which they gave out awards. Once Elize and Teke were in sight, there presence was announced. "Hey! It's the Lieutenant!"
Her squad, followed by the press, rushed at her and Teke. Elize held her empty assault rifle in one hand, and covered her face with the other. "Oh great, the paparazzi are here." She rested her rifle up on her shoulder like a gunslinger and put her other hand on her hip. "Look alive, Teke, this is our moment to shine."
The press muscled by her men and started snapping off pictures of her and Teke… well… mostly of her. They parted like the Red Sea as Elize walked through them. Teke got lost somewhere in the mass of media and was nowhere in sight.
"Lieutenant! Tell us how-"
"Was it hard to-"
"Could you say-"
She held up a hand. "One at a time!"
Pictures kept snapping as they asked questions. "Lieutenant! How do you feel now that you've won your second war game competition in a row?"
"How do you think I feel? I feel great."
"You've won both war games you've ever been in."
"Is that a question?"
"How does it feel to be the youngest squad leader ever to accomplish this?"
"Great."
"Is it true you're niece to the almighty Tallest Purple?"
Wow, word travels fast. "Yes, it's true." The press went nuts with that one.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"I'm in the military; whatever they assign me to do."
"I see blood, are you OK?"
"Don't worry, it's not mine."
"SIR!"
Elize looked over. It was one of her men; Private Drok. "What is it private?" she kept her hand on her hip but lowered her gun. "Several men were injured during battle. There are five men in the infirmary right now." Elize sighed. "Are there any serious injuries?"
"I'm not sure but I don't think so. The paramedics told us that each would fully recover."
Elize smiled and clapped Drok on the shoulder. "Good. Well done private, I couldn't have done it without you guys. Where are the rest of the men?"
Private Drok's face swelled with pride. "Thank you Sir! The men are on the platform, waiting for you."
"Well let's not keep them waiting."
"And Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Were you… uh… shot in the eye? The paint - Where's your helmet?"
Elize sighed. "I'll explain later."
They somehow got through the press to the awards area, where the media was kept back by military police. Elize stood at the front of her squad before the stage, where her men clapped her on the shoulder for single-handedly taking down the squad leader. "Man, she KILLED the guy!"
"Must be PMS!"
They all laughed – even Elize as she punched the guy in the shoulder. "Hey, let's keep it clean, shall we? And I wouldn't have to if you all weren't playing with yourselves during the fight!"
A loud "OH!" ran through them and they all laughed. After a victory, all tensions were gone.
"PRESENTING," started the announcer. The squad quieted down. "THE GAME OFFICAL WITH THE RESULTS!"
Squad number 203 cheered and clapped as the official mounted the stage. He walked to the podium and motioned with his hands for it to be quiet. "I would first like to say-"
"Get on with it!" someone in the squad shouted, and everyone laughed.
The Official pointed at him. "I could write you up for that!" More laughter. The official smiled and gripped the podium. "I would first like to say that this was a great battle. Great skill, pride, and honor are reflected in these fine soldiers who fought today." The crowd and both squads applauded. "Next, I would like to say that these squads were even for a long time. It was going to be hard to decide the winner - at least until a certain hand-to-hand battle near the end."
Cheers rang out. Elize's squad nudged her and hit her playfully. "For a show of great skill, and a second back-to-back victory in the annual war games, I present this award to Lieutenant first class Elize!"
A huge ovation rose from the crowd as Elize walked up to the stage. Her squad whistled and shook their fists in the air, chanting her name. There were even some good-natured catcalls and howls. "Ow-OW!"
She smiled and scratched the back of her neck as she approached the podium. There was more laughter as Elize, who was taller than the official, had to bend down so he could put the medal around her neck. Even then, he had to stand on his toes. Another bout of laughter ran through the crowd as she adjusted the podiums microphone to her height. She gripped the podium and looked over her shoulder at the official. "How ya doing down there?" she winked at him, and everybody laughed. She chuckled as she turned towards the huge audience.
"Wow. This is really great. I would like to thank my squad, without who's infernal time-wasting I wouldn't have had the chance to show off like I did."
Lots of laughter.
"But seriously, without them this victory would not have been possible. They have shown great determination and skill as long as I have known them. They are very dedicated, and did not let me down." She clapped and there was a standing ovation as she said that. Her squad beamed and smiled. Down in the first row, Teke stood. Her helmet was off, and she smiled up in admiration at Elize, her yellow eyes full of respect. Elize felt very humbled. She took the microphone out of its holder and stepped out from around the podium. "Get up here, Teke." She said, extending a hand. Teke didn't know what to do.
"ME?"
"Yes you, now get up here."
Teke grabbed Elize's hand, who pulled her up on stage. She swung an arm around Teke's neck and spoke into the microphone. "I would like to give a special honor to Private Teke, who was the only member of my squad who was able to find me," Everyone laughed. Teke blushed and put a hand to her face.
"Whose skills seemed to figure out what was stumping everybody else." She squeezed Teke's neck for a second. Teke was smiling and bright red.
"Must be a girl thing, eh?"
"I guess."
There was laughter at Teke's nervous response. Elize raised an eyebrow. "I'm not embarrassing you, am I?" Teke widened her eyes and shook her head quickly with sarcasm.
"NO…"
More laughing. Elize laughed as she replaced the microphone in its holder. She and Teke hugged, and there were some vulgar whistles and noises. Afterward Teke leaned over to the microphone. "Oh, grow up!"
The entire arena laughed and applauded as her and Elize stepped down from the stage. The official applauded and stood behind the podium, readjusting the microphone, causing more laughs.
"Our next order of business: Preparations for the next two squads. The next squads competing will be as follows…"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
After the awards, Teke talked with the other squad members. It was mostly ribbing her for being so uptight on stage.
"You were really red. I could tell from where I was."
"Yeah, when the Lieutenant brought me up there I thought I was going to die!"
"How DID you find her anyway?"
"It was really a fluke! I looked up at the crowd and-" she stopped. "Hey, where is the Lieutenant anyway?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. I think she went up to the viewing box to see her uncle. Shit, some family tree she's got, eh?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. I guess I'll go see her and tell her about our next assignment."
"How do you know about it?"
"I don't. What happened was her superior, Commander Ian, told me he needed to talk to her about it. I guess he thinks I'm her second in command, since she brought me up on stage."
Lieutenant second class Tao, Elize's second in command, butt in. "Yeah, well make sure she straitens him out about that."
They all chuckled. "Well I'm going to find her. See you later."
Elize started down the hall, towards the private viewing boxes. She headed for the presidential suite, where Purple Tallest was most likely to have been watching. She heard noise coming from a suite with an ajar door, and approached it. Sure enough, Lieutenant Elize was in there.
"Lieutenant I-"
"I'm sorry about this," said a voice from inside the room. Teke saw that Elize was in the room, alone. The room was dark except a viewer screen, which displayed a video of the Purple Tallest. Elize sat on the back of a chair, her feet on the seat. She leaned on her elbows, one hand fingering her medal as she watched the video.
"But I had to leave early. Red is in the infirmary – long story – and I'd better go take him home. I did get to see most of the battle though-"
A voice off camera yelled for Purple. He growled. "Excuse me,"
He leaned off camera and yelled something unintelligible, rapid and angry, in Irkin. He looked back at the camera and sighed. "Sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes." He cleared his throat. "I did see all of the battle, but I'm afraid I can't attend the awards ceremony. I have just enough time to tape this before I have to leave. You were spectacular, my dear. It's times like this when my belief that you're destined for greatness is strengthened." Elize smiled sadly as she watched. "I'm very sorry I'm not there to congratulate you in person, but duty calls, I'm sure you understand. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the banquet next cycle, so I'll commend you there." He smiled warmly, and the tone of his voice changed. "I'm very proud of you Elize. And so is your mother, though she may not show it. We both think you're an incredible fighter, and I know you to be wise beyond your years in battle-tactics. I… I love you like a daughter. I know you'll make me proud for many years so come. Great job today, those moves were executed perfectly. I have no doubt in my mind you'll surpass me one day."
Teke was severely touched. Not only was 'family' a rare occurrence in Irkin life, but a family that cared for each other the way Purple Tallest was expressing was remarkable. And the term 'love' was not thrown around loosely. Teke began to feel an ach in her heart she had never experienced before.
"You'll make a great general some day, and hell-" he raised an eyebrow. "You my even have my job some time in the future. Well, that's all I have time for. I'll see you later." He reached for the camera to turn it off, but hesitated. He smiled into the camera. "I'm very proud of you, sweet- heart." And then the screen when blank. Teke left, feeling as if she had intruded.