Chapter 23
Death and Dread
We ran over and hid behind a ruined wall. The two soldiers picked off a few neo-Russians running around. Hawk and his companion scurried over to the truck and secured, meaning they picked off the five or so soldiers in and around in. K'arr and I provided unnecessary cover for the pair of soldiers as they ran over to meet Hawk and his companion. They all got into the truck, Hawk being the driver.
K'arr and I ran over to a door still standing amidst the ruins. The ruins we were standing in were very large. I was curious as to what stood here before the neo-Russians came, it seemed like an older building.
"What was this place?" I whispered to K'arr.
"This..." he said with a sigh, "Was west hampton..." he trailed off.
I looked around, burnt corpses of humans and entities lay everywhere. I shuddered. K'arr put a hand on my shoulder and calmed me. I crouched down and then sat against the door, K'arr did the same.
"OK, so where are we to setup this encampment of ours?" I asked.
"Over, there," He pointed to a spot about a hundred or so yards away.
"We could be detected..."
"Life's about taking risks, young one."
I grined. I looked at him and took out my berettas, then I nodded. Lets rock and roll. I got into a crouch position and began moving toward our destination. K'arr followed right besides me and then got in front of me. After about twenty yards I got a strange feeling. I could feel an uneasy disturbance in the energies nearby.
"SNIPER!" I turned around and jumped backwards into K'arr. I tried to knock him out of the way of the bullet but it hit him in the leg. I shot two shots at the direction of the sniper and hit him in the shoulders and then in the chest. He slumped to the ground.
I stood up, "K'arr!" I went over to him.
"Its Ok," he said while grinning. He ripped a hole his pants where he had been shot and I saw he was wearing bullet proof shin guards.
"Nice.." I whispered, "Look we better-"
Out of nowhere appeared a small group of about twenty neo- Russian ninjas. I holstered my berettas and stood to face them.
"Go K'arr, NOW!" He ran toward our destination. I sheathed my katana. They did the same.
"Twenty to one I see," I said to them, "I love a hallenge."
One came at me and swung his sword. I parried and pushed him away. Another tried and I did the same. This time two came at me. I attempted to parry one, and while doing so I unsheathed my still bloody dagger and blocked the other. I kicked the ninja I had just blocked with the dagger, in the stomach. I spun around and stabbed the other ninja in the neck with the dagger.
Three came at me. I blocked them all with my katana and pinned their swords to the ground. I elbowed the one on the far end in the head, his head collided with the one next to him sending the others head colliding into the one next to him. They all stumbled backwards.
I was tired of this slow fighting. I threw my dagger at on and stabbed him in the head. I swung violently at one and ripped through his katana, then my katana ripped through his chest.
Three down seventeen to go. I stabbed my sword through one's neck and skewered the two behind him. One went to swing downwards at me. I caught his hand as it came down and I snapped his wrist to the right, breaking it.
I turned his hand even more so his blade was facing him. I pushed it towards him and he stabbed himself in the chest. I jump kicked him in the face and he fell backwards.
Another charged at me. I jumped up in the air and spun backwards kicking his hand holding the katana. The katana flew up into the air and I caught it as I spun back around. using both swords, I cut across his neck decapitating him.
Two came at me. I parried both with either sword. I kicked one in the side facing the other and, using the same leg, I kicked the other in the side. They fell towards the way I kicked them. Using one quick swing of my blade I cut both of their heads off. I threw my sword at a pair of them. It cut one of them but the other blocked it.
I ran over and while jumping to and balancing on my hand while picking up my dagger, I sent two kicks to the ninja nearest me. I stood back up and head-butted him. I stabbed the dagger through his neck pushing him forward. And while doing so I sent a back kick trapping the ninja behind me's sword between my foot and his chest. I put my hands to the ground and did a back handspring. While doing so I sent a kick to the ninja's chin, flipping him backwards and breaking his spinal cord.
I charged my chi to the fullest extent and concentrated on it flowing to my sword. I yelled out a kiai and stabbed my sword through one of the ninjas. The blast was sword hard my katana and part of my lower arm including my hand went through him. It skewered four other ninjas. I through my dagger at the farthest one, whom I couldn't reach with my katana blast.
Two left. They began to run off. I used my telekinesis and the dagger flew into my empty hand. I threw it at one of them and hit him in the back. I ran faster than sound at the other. I ran around and stood right in front of him. I could sense his fear. I pretended to stab in the stomach, while doing so I charged my chi and concentrated it in my head. I headbutted him and broke his skull, crushing his brain.
I looked up, "HAWK!"
Chapter 24 Bridge of Destiny
A soldier shot at one of the truck's tires as HAwk turned it. It was about to roll over. I picked up my dagger and threw it incredibly fast. Before his brain could even send signals for him to blink, my dagger ripped into the side of his head, he fell to the ground.
I ran over, faster than sound. The truck was beginning to roll on top of me. I stood firmly and held my hands up, ready to catch it. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
I imagined the truck being only a small ball, extremely light. I opened my eyes and continued my breathing. The truck was about to crash on me. It was three feet from my hands.
Out of nowhere a shot rang out and hit me just behind my left knee cap. I was forced to kneel on it. My mind went haywire, I began to doubt my own strength. And for once, I was afraid. The truck was seconds from my head.
"NO!" I yelled, I regained my confidence and gathered chi in my hands. This time I could see my chi, it was silvery wisps of smoke all gathering together in my hands. Out of desperation I yelled a kiai and stood up. My hands met the truck and pushed it over.
Unfortunately I overcorrected it and the trucked rolled over the other way. Luckily, it rolled back onto its wheels. I slumped to the ground as pain shot through me leg. I grabbed the back of my leg and then looked at my hand. It was covered in blood. I wipped the blood on my pants and stood up. I tried walking the best I could and made it over to the truck. I went to the passenger-side door and put my hand on the handle. I pulled it back and took a step backwards. I gasped at the contents.
A neo-Russian holding a beretta, pointed his weapon at my head.
"Hello," he said. I did the most unthinkable thing imaginable, I surrendered.
I put my hands up and sighed. I looked past him at the river, it wasn't Hawk. I looked past the driver, a pair of jeeps were speeding toward us. Using my remaing chi, I sliced my hand through the air and through the barrel of his gun. the barrel clanked on the floor of the truck and fell to the ground.
I grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him toward me, and head-butted him in the face. I ducked under the door and moved as fast as I could toward the front of truck. I made it in front of them. But the driver wasn't totally distracted. He turned on the ignition and went to put the truck into gear.
I remembered my berettas and pulled one out. I shot him in the arm. He went to put the truck in gear with the other so I shot him in the chest, puncturing his lung. He tried gasping for air but in vain.
A shot from one of the jeeps rang out and went through his head and into his companions. One of the jeeps pulled up beside me. It wasn't Hawk but he was a friend. No one else were in the jeeps save the drivers. I hopped into the passenger seat.
"Take me to Zak!" I yelled.
He shoke his head, "No, we have strick orders to get you back, K'arr needs you immediately!"
I sighed and nodded. He spun around and drove toward the sewer system we came from. The jeep barely fit but we managed. He drove toward the other side in a few minutes. I glanced backwards. There were neo-Russians in the jeep, our friend was killed.
I got up and turned facing them. I spun the M-60 on this jeep, around and pulled the trigger. I managed to pick most of them off. They returned fire, I dodged their bullets, however. I fired twenty or so bullets at their engine. It exploded, frying them all. I sat back down and looked over at my friend.
"Oh, God!" I shouted. He had been shot in the neck but he wasn't dead. I carefully put him in the passenger seat and took the driver's seat. I put the pedal to the metal and made it to the medical tent in less then three minutes. I made sure my friend had immediate medical attention with the best doctors we had here. I was holding his hand while he was lying in a cot. I wouldn't let him die.
I mananged to charge a small hidden portion of chi and transfer it to him. Hopefully that would speed his recovery.
I remember why I came back. I got up and was limping over to the jeep when I was stopped. I looked over.
"Tetusko.." I snarled at her.
"No, Dragon wait, let me explain-"
"Explain this!" I yelled as I unsheathed my katana. I wheeled it around and sent it flying right toward her neck.
"Dragon wait!" yelled K'arr. I tried to stop but the force of my katana was too great.
Tetsuko, however, was quicker than I thought. She unsheathed her katana and blocked mine before I could even blink.
I sheathed my katana. I looked up at her.
"I'm-" I started to say but was cut off.
"Its not your fault," she said, "Let me explain," I nodded.
"You know the Evalangions?" I nodded again, "Well they were cloned by the nameless one," I nodded.
"Ok..and?"
"Dragon, my Ghost brigade and I were caught a long time ago by the nameless one. He cloned us all. It wasn't me who tried to kill you, it was my clone," I nodded.
"I see, so why did the clones fight against the neo- Russians?"
She smiled, "It was all a part of a big plan to trick you and capture you," I nodded.
"You know...," I said with a grin, "I made out with you in a hot spring..."
She slapped me very hard. I rubbed my cheek, "That was my clone you idiot," she said.
K'arr laughed and so did I. I stopped quickly becuase I remember my leg. We walked over to the medical tent and patched my leg up. I still had cuts, scrapes, bruises and gashes everywhere. We sat down on the ground and began to talk.
"You wanted to see me K'arr?"
"Yes, Dragon, firstly I wanted you to know the truth about Tetsuko..."
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"To protect you, Dragon..."
"From who?"
"From yourself," I looked at him questioningly.
"You sound just like-"
"Andrew," said Tetsuko, "Yes, and the reason is-"
"The reason is," said K'arr, "is...well...he's my son..."
"What?"
"And I thank you for taking care of him, he can really be a pest sometimes..."
"But...But he tried to kill me..." I stopped short, "That was a clone too, wasn't it?"
He simply nodded. I sighed. Tetsuko got up, bowed, and went off. It seemed she had other business to take care of. I nodded to her, so did K'arr.
"So where is the real Andrew?" I asked questioningly.
"He-" He said quietly but didn't finish, he just looked down.
"The nameless one has him, doesn't he?" He looked up at me and then down at the ground again.
I stood up, "I'll-"
He shook his head, "I can't let you..."
I sat back down, I shook my head and sighed.
"No," I said. I thought things through, "It's not that you can't let me, it's just that,"
He looked up at me, "I can't do it."
He stood up, "No! You can and you will do it. Remember, Dragon, you are the chosen one."
"No, I'm not."
"What?"
"I'm just another guy, look at me. I'm half dead."
"You have to be, Dragon, you have to be."
"Why?"
"Because, I've read the prophecy, I know what must happen..."
"What?" I asked.
"The prophecy says the chosen one must sacrifice himself for the new leader of the Entities."
"Are there any Entities left?"
"Yes...a few."
We ran over and hid behind a ruined wall. The two soldiers picked off a few neo-Russians running around. Hawk and his companion scurried over to the truck and secured, meaning they picked off the five or so soldiers in and around in. K'arr and I provided unnecessary cover for the pair of soldiers as they ran over to meet Hawk and his companion. They all got into the truck, Hawk being the driver.
K'arr and I ran over to a door still standing amidst the ruins. The ruins we were standing in were very large. I was curious as to what stood here before the neo-Russians came, it seemed like an older building.
"What was this place?" I whispered to K'arr.
"This..." he said with a sigh, "Was west hampton..." he trailed off.
I looked around, burnt corpses of humans and entities lay everywhere. I shuddered. K'arr put a hand on my shoulder and calmed me. I crouched down and then sat against the door, K'arr did the same.
"OK, so where are we to setup this encampment of ours?" I asked.
"Over, there," He pointed to a spot about a hundred or so yards away.
"We could be detected..."
"Life's about taking risks, young one."
I grined. I looked at him and took out my berettas, then I nodded. Lets rock and roll. I got into a crouch position and began moving toward our destination. K'arr followed right besides me and then got in front of me. After about twenty yards I got a strange feeling. I could feel an uneasy disturbance in the energies nearby.
"SNIPER!" I turned around and jumped backwards into K'arr. I tried to knock him out of the way of the bullet but it hit him in the leg. I shot two shots at the direction of the sniper and hit him in the shoulders and then in the chest. He slumped to the ground.
I stood up, "K'arr!" I went over to him.
"Its Ok," he said while grinning. He ripped a hole his pants where he had been shot and I saw he was wearing bullet proof shin guards.
"Nice.." I whispered, "Look we better-"
Out of nowhere appeared a small group of about twenty neo- Russian ninjas. I holstered my berettas and stood to face them.
"Go K'arr, NOW!" He ran toward our destination. I sheathed my katana. They did the same.
"Twenty to one I see," I said to them, "I love a hallenge."
One came at me and swung his sword. I parried and pushed him away. Another tried and I did the same. This time two came at me. I attempted to parry one, and while doing so I unsheathed my still bloody dagger and blocked the other. I kicked the ninja I had just blocked with the dagger, in the stomach. I spun around and stabbed the other ninja in the neck with the dagger.
Three came at me. I blocked them all with my katana and pinned their swords to the ground. I elbowed the one on the far end in the head, his head collided with the one next to him sending the others head colliding into the one next to him. They all stumbled backwards.
I was tired of this slow fighting. I threw my dagger at on and stabbed him in the head. I swung violently at one and ripped through his katana, then my katana ripped through his chest.
Three down seventeen to go. I stabbed my sword through one's neck and skewered the two behind him. One went to swing downwards at me. I caught his hand as it came down and I snapped his wrist to the right, breaking it.
I turned his hand even more so his blade was facing him. I pushed it towards him and he stabbed himself in the chest. I jump kicked him in the face and he fell backwards.
Another charged at me. I jumped up in the air and spun backwards kicking his hand holding the katana. The katana flew up into the air and I caught it as I spun back around. using both swords, I cut across his neck decapitating him.
Two came at me. I parried both with either sword. I kicked one in the side facing the other and, using the same leg, I kicked the other in the side. They fell towards the way I kicked them. Using one quick swing of my blade I cut both of their heads off. I threw my sword at a pair of them. It cut one of them but the other blocked it.
I ran over and while jumping to and balancing on my hand while picking up my dagger, I sent two kicks to the ninja nearest me. I stood back up and head-butted him. I stabbed the dagger through his neck pushing him forward. And while doing so I sent a back kick trapping the ninja behind me's sword between my foot and his chest. I put my hands to the ground and did a back handspring. While doing so I sent a kick to the ninja's chin, flipping him backwards and breaking his spinal cord.
I charged my chi to the fullest extent and concentrated on it flowing to my sword. I yelled out a kiai and stabbed my sword through one of the ninjas. The blast was sword hard my katana and part of my lower arm including my hand went through him. It skewered four other ninjas. I through my dagger at the farthest one, whom I couldn't reach with my katana blast.
Two left. They began to run off. I used my telekinesis and the dagger flew into my empty hand. I threw it at one of them and hit him in the back. I ran faster than sound at the other. I ran around and stood right in front of him. I could sense his fear. I pretended to stab in the stomach, while doing so I charged my chi and concentrated it in my head. I headbutted him and broke his skull, crushing his brain.
I looked up, "HAWK!"
Chapter 24 Bridge of Destiny
A soldier shot at one of the truck's tires as HAwk turned it. It was about to roll over. I picked up my dagger and threw it incredibly fast. Before his brain could even send signals for him to blink, my dagger ripped into the side of his head, he fell to the ground.
I ran over, faster than sound. The truck was beginning to roll on top of me. I stood firmly and held my hands up, ready to catch it. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
I imagined the truck being only a small ball, extremely light. I opened my eyes and continued my breathing. The truck was about to crash on me. It was three feet from my hands.
Out of nowhere a shot rang out and hit me just behind my left knee cap. I was forced to kneel on it. My mind went haywire, I began to doubt my own strength. And for once, I was afraid. The truck was seconds from my head.
"NO!" I yelled, I regained my confidence and gathered chi in my hands. This time I could see my chi, it was silvery wisps of smoke all gathering together in my hands. Out of desperation I yelled a kiai and stood up. My hands met the truck and pushed it over.
Unfortunately I overcorrected it and the trucked rolled over the other way. Luckily, it rolled back onto its wheels. I slumped to the ground as pain shot through me leg. I grabbed the back of my leg and then looked at my hand. It was covered in blood. I wipped the blood on my pants and stood up. I tried walking the best I could and made it over to the truck. I went to the passenger-side door and put my hand on the handle. I pulled it back and took a step backwards. I gasped at the contents.
A neo-Russian holding a beretta, pointed his weapon at my head.
"Hello," he said. I did the most unthinkable thing imaginable, I surrendered.
I put my hands up and sighed. I looked past him at the river, it wasn't Hawk. I looked past the driver, a pair of jeeps were speeding toward us. Using my remaing chi, I sliced my hand through the air and through the barrel of his gun. the barrel clanked on the floor of the truck and fell to the ground.
I grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him toward me, and head-butted him in the face. I ducked under the door and moved as fast as I could toward the front of truck. I made it in front of them. But the driver wasn't totally distracted. He turned on the ignition and went to put the truck into gear.
I remembered my berettas and pulled one out. I shot him in the arm. He went to put the truck in gear with the other so I shot him in the chest, puncturing his lung. He tried gasping for air but in vain.
A shot from one of the jeeps rang out and went through his head and into his companions. One of the jeeps pulled up beside me. It wasn't Hawk but he was a friend. No one else were in the jeeps save the drivers. I hopped into the passenger seat.
"Take me to Zak!" I yelled.
He shoke his head, "No, we have strick orders to get you back, K'arr needs you immediately!"
I sighed and nodded. He spun around and drove toward the sewer system we came from. The jeep barely fit but we managed. He drove toward the other side in a few minutes. I glanced backwards. There were neo-Russians in the jeep, our friend was killed.
I got up and turned facing them. I spun the M-60 on this jeep, around and pulled the trigger. I managed to pick most of them off. They returned fire, I dodged their bullets, however. I fired twenty or so bullets at their engine. It exploded, frying them all. I sat back down and looked over at my friend.
"Oh, God!" I shouted. He had been shot in the neck but he wasn't dead. I carefully put him in the passenger seat and took the driver's seat. I put the pedal to the metal and made it to the medical tent in less then three minutes. I made sure my friend had immediate medical attention with the best doctors we had here. I was holding his hand while he was lying in a cot. I wouldn't let him die.
I mananged to charge a small hidden portion of chi and transfer it to him. Hopefully that would speed his recovery.
I remember why I came back. I got up and was limping over to the jeep when I was stopped. I looked over.
"Tetusko.." I snarled at her.
"No, Dragon wait, let me explain-"
"Explain this!" I yelled as I unsheathed my katana. I wheeled it around and sent it flying right toward her neck.
"Dragon wait!" yelled K'arr. I tried to stop but the force of my katana was too great.
Tetsuko, however, was quicker than I thought. She unsheathed her katana and blocked mine before I could even blink.
I sheathed my katana. I looked up at her.
"I'm-" I started to say but was cut off.
"Its not your fault," she said, "Let me explain," I nodded.
"You know the Evalangions?" I nodded again, "Well they were cloned by the nameless one," I nodded.
"Ok..and?"
"Dragon, my Ghost brigade and I were caught a long time ago by the nameless one. He cloned us all. It wasn't me who tried to kill you, it was my clone," I nodded.
"I see, so why did the clones fight against the neo- Russians?"
She smiled, "It was all a part of a big plan to trick you and capture you," I nodded.
"You know...," I said with a grin, "I made out with you in a hot spring..."
She slapped me very hard. I rubbed my cheek, "That was my clone you idiot," she said.
K'arr laughed and so did I. I stopped quickly becuase I remember my leg. We walked over to the medical tent and patched my leg up. I still had cuts, scrapes, bruises and gashes everywhere. We sat down on the ground and began to talk.
"You wanted to see me K'arr?"
"Yes, Dragon, firstly I wanted you to know the truth about Tetsuko..."
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"To protect you, Dragon..."
"From who?"
"From yourself," I looked at him questioningly.
"You sound just like-"
"Andrew," said Tetsuko, "Yes, and the reason is-"
"The reason is," said K'arr, "is...well...he's my son..."
"What?"
"And I thank you for taking care of him, he can really be a pest sometimes..."
"But...But he tried to kill me..." I stopped short, "That was a clone too, wasn't it?"
He simply nodded. I sighed. Tetsuko got up, bowed, and went off. It seemed she had other business to take care of. I nodded to her, so did K'arr.
"So where is the real Andrew?" I asked questioningly.
"He-" He said quietly but didn't finish, he just looked down.
"The nameless one has him, doesn't he?" He looked up at me and then down at the ground again.
I stood up, "I'll-"
He shook his head, "I can't let you..."
I sat back down, I shook my head and sighed.
"No," I said. I thought things through, "It's not that you can't let me, it's just that,"
He looked up at me, "I can't do it."
He stood up, "No! You can and you will do it. Remember, Dragon, you are the chosen one."
"No, I'm not."
"What?"
"I'm just another guy, look at me. I'm half dead."
"You have to be, Dragon, you have to be."
"Why?"
"Because, I've read the prophecy, I know what must happen..."
"What?" I asked.
"The prophecy says the chosen one must sacrifice himself for the new leader of the Entities."
"Are there any Entities left?"
"Yes...a few."