Chapter 8:      Battle of the Enigmas

The first chimeras were dropping. Most of them were black, but the ones descending on the town all had some kind of air ability. Some had wings of strange colours. Others simply floated down, and one of them dropped without considering impact…he was not hurt when he landed on top of a fleeing echidna and shot its laser into his neck, soaking in the sight of the small pool of blood before standing up and firing at the fleeing yellow shapes. Some chimeras were gliding down at the unfortunate echidna people. The brave retaliated by throwing rocks that were steaming in their hands…their abilities with flame were present, but weak. "They are nothing to us. You may pursue them at your own risk." Lirash spoke into the small receiver in his native language.

"Copy that. The orb is top priority."

Lirash smiled. "New energy readings popping up here and there. They match the Terras Ball. PH-1 and his allies are here. Terminate on sight."

The pilot sitting near Lirash twitched.

"What is it?" Lirash growled.

"Drop the bombs, General?"

"No! We drop them, we lose access to the cave!"

"Wait…sir, new energy readings coming from the cave itself! It's electromagnetic!"

Lirash's face contorted into a scowl. "It's the Pesnah fox! Keep him alive! I want to make him suffer!" He held a yellow button on his transmitter. "And that goes for you five! You find the blue fox, you keep him alive and in good condition!"

"Yes sir."

******

Minimaniac desperately threw himself at the ground to get under another flurry of bullets. Would this assault never end? The drone pursuing him promptly flew over his head, not having realized he wasn't in the path of the bullets anymore. It was visible, probably because someone had knocked out its cloaking device with a rock. Then he realized it hadn't been after him…a few chimeras were dropping to the ground over there…what the heck was going on?

******

"Sir, PH-1's energy signiature no longer shows up on the scanners!"

"WHAT!?" Lirash stormed over to where the pilot was.

"PH-1's energy signiature is suddenly untraceable!"

"He's teleported!" He again pressed a different button on his transmitter. "Sweep the ship! The traitor may be aboard!"

Phantom grinned, satisfied that the programming center of those drones had been all in one place, right where he had anticipated. They were visible now, as well as programmed to track chimera energy signals. Some of them were on manual control, but that was no-Oh no. Gliders. He looked out the window below him. Now some of the most skilled chimeras were coming out on their glider devices. They were strange devices, like a kind of surfboard only they stood on them horizontally instead of long-ways, and they had hovering devices and a heavy arsenal of missiles…similar to what one of those moles had, actually…Phantom cringed as he heard that ever-so familiar alarm, like when HT-4 was discovered to be constantly escaping his cell. He tensed every muscle he knew how to and was gone in a flash.

*****

KawaiiKitsune could still quite easily see Sama darting through the air furiously, in bright red flames and divebombing anything hostile. She looked up into the shadow of the chimera ship. That was just like what they had been dragged into before…but now the attack was from the outside. Strange shapes were dropping from the hull…steel shapes, and going all in the same direction, but heading downward. This was a chaotic scene indeed…it was amazing that no-one she knew had been killed already. She pulled out her bow again and placed the back of a wooden arrow on the string, pulling it back and aiming for the strange steel shapes. Twang! If she was out in the open instead of shooting through a window she would have been shot down instantly…the glider suddenly exploded, almost looking spontaneous if not for the burning arrow which sailed downwards, almost hitting another. Then there was a loud screech from the South…

******

Phantom watched in horror as his most horrible nightmare came to be. The loud roaring screech of hungry rage. He dropped down onto a rooftop as he watched the chimera gliders falter, all of the others stop what they were doing and look up fearfully. He had found them. Suddenly a black shape tore through the shadows just underneath the chimera ship, sending three gliders spinning now without occupants. He had taken them. There was another loud screech.

******

"RETREAT! RETREAT! HT-4! HT-4 HAS FOUND US!!!" Lirash screamed at the transmitter. "RETREAT!" The pilot knew to surge forward through the air. "GET BACK TO THE SHIP OR BE LEFT BEHIND!!!"

*****

As if responding to some kind of call, the chimeras were retreating any way they could back up to the ship as the black beast tore through their ranks…KawaiiKitsune finally realized what was happening and drew back, suddenly feeling absolutely sick. It was eating them. Swallowing them whole. Suddenly she realized there was someone on her roof…normal sized, to her relief. Suddenly Minimaniac swung in through the window. "What the hell's going on!?" He cried, glancing back out the window as the creature screeched again.

*****

There was no choice but to fight it. Combat it with any means nessecary. Destroy it before it engulfed all of the survivors…which it would. Phantom glanced up at the gliders as the creature flew over using the wings it had gained right in front of his eyes, just over a year ago. It screeched wildly again as the breeze from its wings sent a colder than cold chill through the air which shallowed Sama's flames. Phantom tensed his muscles and was suddenly where he wanted to be, a glider. Where was HT-4? Suddenly he heard the screech behind him and tipped straight downwards. He had been just in time. Echidna onlookers watched the aerial battle, their stares fixed upon the combatants. Phantom reached down as HT-4 started turning for another pass. Two rounded steel objects dropped from the bottom of his machine and propelled themselves forward…yes, they were homing missiles. HT-4 was coming back, screeching wildly and glaring with bright red eyes. The missiles tried to turn upwards and missed as Phantom realized the glider didn't have time to save him this time. He jumped upwards, the creature soaring under him and the glider's left engine being totaled…it spun down to the ground in a whirlwind of smoke as echidnas desperately tried to escape its path. Phantom teleported again, landing on another abandoned glider which was still hovering after its occupant's demise. That green stripe down its centre seemed familiar…he downed again…but HT-4 had learned this time and suddenly lunged downward…missing Phantom by a hair…then it started swerving side to side as Phantom was nowhere to be seen…he was riding the creature's neck. It reached a clawed hand to him and started reacting to the wind turbulence and stopped trying. At any moment it could have decided that the turbulence was too insignificant a problem to make him want to give up the chance to destroy the one who had once beaten him. Phantom's eyes glowed green as light shone out of them, but the pillar which appeared from the ground was too short to reach up to the creature. Giving up on PH-1 for now, it started diving at the surviving echidnas upon the ground. He was going to throw him off that way, Phantom realized. "LOOK OUT!" Mini screamed to KK. "JUMP! JUMP!" The creature was heading straight for their building. Minimaniac dived straight out the window, rolled on the ground and looked up to KK, who reluctantly leapt from the window as the creature's eyes were close enough to see clearly. The falling, the saving drop-the creature bit into the rooftop with a huge crunch and the stone of the wall was obliterated where he hit. It landed on the rooftop and crunched its meal hungrily…Phantom knew where he got this from, one of the chimeras he had knocked clean off its glider. Unjan, who could eat anything he wanted, even solid rock. But this posed a new problem…and Phantom sensed it immediately as the creature's skin began to harden. He was gaining properties from the stone itself. It reared its head, almost knocking Phantom clean off as he lost his grip on the now solid skin. If it weren't for those wings…but he had no choice but to leave the creature's back and jump to the stone roof. It reared its head and roared again. It wanted a fight more than to swallow him, it seemed. Typical old HT-4. It jumped up and flapped its now glowing wings to take to the skies. Phantom could not follow. Instead he focused on his Terras power. Light emerged within him as the creature unleashed five glowing lights while hovering in the air, which shot toward Phantom's position as he teleported out of their way. He outstretched a hand as Sama darted up to him, still wildly aflame. Pellets of power from the earth fired out of his hand, the flurry going straight for HT-4 as it again dived in his direction from afar. Some collided with it and seemed to cause some pain, but the rest went straight past…and darted back in HT-4's direction. Phantom smiled to himself as the creature tried to swipe them aside with its spiked tail, only causing itself more pain. By the time it was swooping over the rooftop, Phantom wasn't there anymore. It let out a screech of anger. It craved nothing more than to beat the creature which had beaten it in battle, and its escape was unacceptable.

Phantom was catching a breather inside one of the buildings when suddenly, out the window, he could see the creature's eyes glare straight at him. Of course. Liunys saw things thermally and by energy readings…he was one of the gliders HT-4 had swallowed, it seemed. The creature now more like a live gargoyle was diving at the stone wall where Phantom was behind…suddenly more of the green pellets shot out of the windows, containing the power of Terras of the earth. The pellets kept firing…but HT-4 didn't seem to care in the least. He kept zooming for his prize. At the last minute Phantom went to dive out of the way and found himself on a road, surrounded by surprised and fearful echidnas who didn't know what the heck was going on. The shrieking creature was passing over the town again…but this time was different. Energy bombs were falling. One of the echidna girls was the first to realize it and run into a building screaming in terror, almost slipping over in her friend's blood. Phantom stood there, allowing his upward-bent spine breathe with the wind. Just before impact of one of the dropping bombs he was above the creature again, dropping to another glider that was still there hovering in place. One that HT-4 wanted to dispose of. Phantom had to point his nose straight downward again to avoid being grabbed. Then it was a matter of magnetic boots to turn himself upright again as HT-4 began to turn around for yet another pass. But this time was different. The creature was turning around back at him, but then it stopped itself and hung in midair. Phantom have it a puzzled, angry look. Then he saw what it was doing. It dropped an energy bomb down toward the street, then flipped over and caught it as he dropped. Then it got back in position and threw the bomb which was now splitting into hundreds of tiny pieces. No way out. One of them caught the motor, instantly deactivating it…but before Phantom could fall even an inch it had grabbed him…and shoved him down its slimy throat.

*****

Minimaniac looked up from his position next to KK and her injured leg in utter disgust and fear as the huge creature went to land on a building rooftop and claim victory over its most hated rival. It looked up and reared its head…then suddenly clutched its stomach. What, in pain? Maybe Phantom's arm blades hat but its stomach…then suddenly the pieces of the creature were flying everywhere. Sama could see Phantom standing there triumphantly, surrounded by green mist that was slowly fading. He had done it. He had destroyed that which most threatened the town that even the chimeras feared it like a god. A truimpant grin edged across his face as the echidnas in the streets started cheering 'Hedgehog! Hedgehog!' Phantom was annoyed that he had again been mistaken for a being of this planet, but what the hey! They were appreciating his amazing triumph! He raised his arms. Victory. The Incire Globe was safe for now.

*****

Watching from a distance atop the ship which he now ruled, Lirash marveled at the power and courage that Phantom showed. At a few beeps of his communicator he raised it to his ear and listened…then "HT-4 is dead. We can go back now."

"No we can't, sir."

"Why not? Echidnas and a traitor do not concern the Zebark Chimeras!"

"His energy reading is still there, sir. And Piamiarch is missing."

Lirash's eyes widened. "We will never be rid of the creature then."

"It seems so, sir."

"…Stay here and watch. If he finishes off PH-1 and the town, there will be nothing to keep him here that he knows of."

*****

Phantom couldn't believe his luck. One more second to release that power surge and he would have been a goner for sure, and then HT-4 would have been able to teleport. But something was still wrong. He could feel it behind him. Then his eyes widened, just like Lirash's just a few kilometers away.  He could hear the pieces joining. Then he remembered, once, meeting a chimera who blew himself to shreds and was able to reassemble himself…who had been training to be a glider pilot.