The Journey Home Chapter 23: Counter-Attack, a spyro the dragon fanfic

Chapter 23: Counter-Attack

November 16, 3:28 PM

"This is echo-whisky twelve broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. Please, someone, anyone, respond."

Static responded back to Jericho.

Jeri ho sighed, and leaned back in his seat. He reached over and pushed the button on the receiver, adjusting the frequency again. He had broadcast on just about every frequency Donnelly had provided for any emergencies. Hell, he'd even already sent a message on the open network. So far, he had gotten no responses.

They were getting close to the shore, and he could see it in the distance. If there was a fleet anchored offshore, they should have started hearing him by now. While the radios in these aircraft weren't the most powerful in the world, it looked like this thing was equipped with a long range communication antenna. It made sense as an upgrade to the Osprey. Communication seemed like such a hard to come by commodity in this world.

"Jericho, I'm beginning to wonder if we would have been better off going north." Hunter said, leaning over his console. Jericho didn't respond as he tuned the frequency to the standard military channel again.

"This is echo-whisky twelve broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. Please, someone, anyone… respond." Jericho waited again, and pushed down on the mic control, letting him speak again. "I'm carrying critical information about an imminent threat to…" Jericho glanced down, looking at his notes for the code word for US North. He saw it there, on his paper from Donnelly.

"North Castle." Jericho finished off his transmission with the code word, and closed the line. He sat back again, and turned over to Hunter, who only watched silently.

"I'm beginning to wonder that too… We still wouldn't have been within radio range… The blackout towers would have killed our signal out for several more miles… They should be out there. I know they can hear us…"

Jericho picked up his mic control again and spoke into his headset.

"This is echo-whisky twelve to any friendly forces in range, broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. I have information of an imminent and credible threat to North Castle. I am low on fuel, and won't be able to broadcast for much longer. Immediate response is… required, or North Castle will be attacked."

Static responded back to him. Frustrated, Jericho clicked the line off and kicked the console.

"We should consider our options on ditching." Hunter said, looking over to his pilot. Jericho rubbed his forehead before looking down at his fuel gauge. Hunter could see it too on his side, and knew how dire things were. They were almost running on fumes now, and wouldn't be airborne for much longer. Jericho had put the craft into a climb, hoping the extra altitude would give them more time before they'd have to glide back down. He did that, but remembered how his engines made for huge wind drags, and almost made them plummet straight down last time…

Either way, it wasn't going to be a fun descent. Hunter had already gotten two parachutes ready in case they would have to bail, but Jericho hoped it wouldn't come to that.

It probably would though… As much as Jericho hated to admit it, even if someone responded right now the chances of them still being airborne long enough would be slim. Even if the carriers were right off shore, would he even reach them in time? Would he even be able to land, or would they just smack the ocean waves and get lost out there? Would a rescue craft from the fleet even get to them? Would they ever be found or be able to relay the position of Vivex's army?

The more and more Jericho thought about it, the more he was beginning to panic.

As they ascended more, they pulled out of a layer of clouds, passing into a clearing between the low lying snow clouds and a much higher layer above them. The space in-between served as a peaceful open middle ground, with the sun occasionally punching through the higher layer, and giving them a beautiful winter's day.

Jericho continued to monitor the instruments, and would every so often send out another call into the emptiness. Hunter monitored his own dashboard but gave a nervous glance to the fuel indicator every few moments. He hated to admit how much the low fuel was making him feel anxious, but it was impossible not to at this point. It was then that he caught something out of the corner of his eye. There was something… below them, moving in the thick snow clouds that sat underneath their craft. He leaned over his console to get a better look at it, and this caught Jericho's attention.

"See something…?" Jericho asked, squinting himself at the strange black object. Jericho looked down at his scope, but found absolutely nothing on the radar. Whatever this thing was, it… well it shouldn't be there.

At once, the clouds parted and the form of a black aircraft came out of it. The sleek, almost flat frame of the aircraft was in stark contrast to what their dropship looked like. The aircraft almost looked like a flying wing, with all its form and detail coming from them too. Its nose almost melded into the sloped wing design, and there was barely any tail attached to the fuselage itself, with two rudders jutting out near the end where its tail almost looked bent inwards. Two holes sat back there where two plumes of blue fire came out, pushing it forwards. A single insignia rested on the wing, a simple pattern with a star in its center, surrounded by two rectangles on either side. It was the insignia of the US Navy.

Jericho's radio suddenly came to life, and he almost scrambled to keep it upright on his head.

"So this is the dropship that's been endlessly calling. This is Fleet Admiral Joseph Kimmel, and son, you'd better have a GOOD reason why you've been violating military doctrine on radio silence and communications. You've risked giving our position away and I ought to have you shot down right now. Please, tell me what is so urgent about your message to sway my mind."

Jericho gave one quick look to Hunter, who was almost standing in his seat. The cheetah gave Jericho a quick little shake of his head, dispelling the thick tension that was in the cockpit. Jericho gave a low sigh as he sat back in his chair. Even with the threat of getting shot down, and the accusations being levied against them, it was something of absolute joy that Jericho had finally made contact.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

"It's almost like watching a barbeque."

"Man I haven't seen one of those in ages."

"Just wait until winter's over, then it'll be perfect weather for outdoors."

"What do you think Russell?"

"Sorry, what?" Russell looked up from his console, looking over to his comrade, First Lieutenant Tucker. Tucker was manning one of the long range receivers in the Combat Information Center. They, along with a very varied crew, were the battlefield eyes and ears of the USS Daniel Hawthorne. This massive super carrier was one of the few upgraded vessels in the US Navy's Third Fleet. They were the pride of the navy, and a rarity to see these days. In an age where most of the ships being floated were still from before The End, which meant they were relics. Other battle groups in the Navy got the newer ships, and the Third Fleet got stuck with a lot of the slim pickings. Thankfully, they had a ship like the Hawthorne to make up for it.

Unfortunately, they had more than enough relics slowing them down…

"Russell's too busy thinking about barbeque to answer your question Tucker. Maybe he skipped lunch." Another officer from across the deck shot Russell a smirk, which made him shake his head. He looked over to Tucker.

"Haven't had one of those in a while myself… Would be nice after our tour is done." Russell looked over to the monitor near the center of the room. Since the CIC was in the heart of the Hawthorne, they didn't get windows to look outside. They did get video feeds though, and it was enough to see what was happening outside. For at least a day, the Third Fleet had been held up with their rendezvous with the Fifth fleet coming up from US South. They were going to escort a convoy to the Europeans, a sort of… good will gesture.

The column of smoke in the distance was the culprit. It was a much older vessel, an old heavy cruiser that had been modified and had its superstructure removed so a flight deck could be fitted. These… duct tape solutions were the result of the Navy panicking during the Great War and the subsequent war with Europe to field more carriers then they had. They… might have been a good idea at the time to bolster the ranks of a thinning Navy, but… well… they were old. More than old, they were unreliable. They broke down on almost every single deployment. This time, the engine caught fire on one of them, and the entire fleet had to slow down while they made repairs to the ship. If this kept up, they'd have to turn back around. Admiral Kimmel thought that perhaps they could just remain here and allow the Fifth fleet to meet up with them instead before heading out to sea. Maybe they could even send a few Frigates home to escort this Carrier back. Kimmel wasn't a man to turn back on something like this. However… the longer they sat here, the bigger of a target they became. Especially with… a column of smoke rising into the sky like this.

It wasn't often they sent an entire fleet out like this beyond safe waters. It was always a risk, but they took so many precautions to make sure they didn't bump into any… well… "anthros." The secrecy of the safety zones was paramount. If they remained here, they were vulnerable to exposure.

All this was on Russell's mind as he sat at the radio station, listening in for radio calls from the Fifth Fleet. It was… well… a moot point since they maintained almost exclusive radio silence and communicated almost primarily through short range broadcasts via "carrier pigeon" flights instead of long range broadcasts. His job was far more important when they were within safe waters.

A blinking light on Russell's incoming transmission indicator made him frown. He turned his radio to the frequency, and listened in as was his job.

"This is echo-whisky twelve broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. Please, someone, anyone, respond."

Russell sighed. This was the… fifteenth time in a row he had received that message. Every time it was on a new frequency, and slightly varied. It was enough to convince Russell that it WAS a sentient being broadcasting the message, but it lacked any authentication code, and the jumbled way it was being broadcasted made Russell doubt that it was anyone with any military background sending it. Also, strict blackout codes dictated that they should not and will not respond to any unauthorized messages in open seas. It was far too risky.

Russell looked up, seeing an officer from the bridge walk down into the CIC. He was gripping a coffee mug and was walking right over to Russell's station.

"Have you been getting those random broadcasts too?" He asked, leaning over his console.

"Yes sir, about every few minutes or so."

"Other ships in the fleet are picking them up too. Captain's orders are to maintain radio blackout. Don't respond unless you get a valid authent code."

"Yes sir." Russell put on his headset, and watched the officer leave his station. As he did, another figure entered the CIC. It was none other than Fleet Admiral Kimmel flanked by Captain Burrow. The two walked in quick stride over to Russell's station, almost ignoring the "Admiral on deck" call by another one of the officers. Kimmel gave a quick salute to dismiss it but kept walking until he came over to where Tucker and himself were seated at the radio station.

"Play me the messages you've been getting on the receiver Second Lieutenant." Kimmel looked over to Russell who quickly tapped at his console to recall the saved recording. He flipped the command, playing it on the speakers.

"This is echo-whisky twelve broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. Please, someone, anyone, respond."

"No authentication code. How often have these been coming in?"

"About… once every two to five minutes sir. They're broadcast on different frequencies each time, and the message is varied. It isn't a recording."

Kimmel looked at Russell's console for a moment, rubbing his chin.

"Admiral, we don't have any logs of a long range reconnaissance mission in the area. I don't believe this flight is sanctioned."

"Sir, if I may." Russell began, but stopped to allow the Admiral to give him permission to speak freely.

"Go ahead second lieutenant."

"The signal's been getting stronger with each transmission, I think whatever craft is broadcasting it is heading right for us, from the mainland."

"But we've been maintaining strict radio silence, and only those privy to our mission know of our plotted course. How would anyone, even someone from North Castle, know where we are?" Burrow turned to Kimmel who once again rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Clearly this isn't just some mainland anthro who managed to nick himself a radio and an aircraft." Kimmel said, turning to Burrow.

"Could it be someone from North Castle sir? What if it is an urgent message?"

"Then I would expect to hear an authentication code. Still, how would they even know if we were here or not?"

"This is echo-whisky twelve broadcasting an emergency transmission across all military channels. Please, someone, anyone… respond." Again the radio went off, this time with yet another live broadcast. Russell was about to kill the live broadcast when another part of the message played onto the speakers.

"I'm carrying critical information about an imminent threat to… North Castle."

"He knows about US North…" Burrow muttered while listening.

"He does. This isn't a mainland anthro. Captain, do you have one of your recon pilots in the air?"

"Yes sir, we have five doing their routine sweep of the surrounding waters."

"Divert the closest one to where this signal is originating from. I want to see him."

"Yes sir, I'll send him that way immediately. First Lieutenant, I am giving you permission to break radio silence. Raise Devil 1-1 and have him divert to this anomaly."

"Yes sir. Devil 1-1 this is Center. I give you permission to break radio silence, authentication code charlie, mike, mike, bravo, over." Tucker began the arduous task of diverting the pilot, and Russell began combing through his notes in an attempt to actually pinpoint where this signal was coming from. He had enough blips and from the rate of the signal strength's gradual increase, and his knowledge of the range of your usual batch of military radios he was able to give a rough estimate to the distance of where this anomaly was. But… he had no idea of direction. His assertion that it was coming from the mainland was an estimated guess since… well there'd be no other place a rogue flight could originate from. A rogue carrier off the coast would have likely been spotted or picked up by radar or recon flights. He handed over his notes to Tucker who relayed the information to their recon flight teams. As he did, another transmission came in over the speakers.

Kimmel straightened himself as he heard this, as everyone listening felt a little pressured to find out who this was.

"Sir?" Burrow turned to Kimmel, who stared down at Russell's console.

"An attack against US North…? Who could even muster it…?"

"First Lieutenant, what is the status of those recon pilots?" Burrow turned over to Tucker, who was busy jotting down information being fed to him by the pilots.

"Sir, one of our Frigates has a radar contact coming in from the coast to the west. One of our pilots was in range and getting ready to respond to this. I've sent him in that direction. He should be in position to intercept momentarily."

"I want a live feed from the recon pilot on this display here." Admiral Kimmel pointed to the main monitor in the center of the room. Everyone in the room went into a fury trying to get that done, connecting to the recon pilot's systems and rerouting the information to the monitor.

"Sir, he has a visual. He's about to break his cover to give us a live feed." Tucker turned to Admiral Kimmel, who simply nodded in approval.

"Proceed, Devil 1-1."

The monitor in the back came to life, giving a few moments of static before displaying a wide image of thick, gray clouds. The clouds parted as Devil 1-1 broke from the thick blanket of clouds he was flying through, and an open sky came into view. The camera rotated backwards, showing off a VTOL flying level behind Devil 1-1. It was an older VTOL, a UH-115. It was an emergency upgrade to the old design of the Osprey, fitting jet turbine engines to an upgraded hull that was still based largely on the Osprey's design. It was a post war design, but… an old retired design. Why would anyone be flying it on a long range reconnaissance mission…?

"Second Lieutenant, can you give me the comm?" Admiral Kimmel turned to Russell who quickly pulled his headset off and handed it to the Admiral.

"Yes, of course sir."

Kimmel took it and placed it on his head before looking over to the monitor and speaking.

"So this is the dropship that's been endlessly calling. This is Fleet Admiral Joseph Kimmel and son, you'd better have a GOOD reason why you've been violating military doctrine on radio silence and communications. You've risked giving our position away and I ought to have you shot down right now. Please, tell me what is so urgent about your message to sway my mind."

There was a brief period of silence.

"Admiral Kimmel… this is echo-whisky twelve and I have credible information about an attack on North Castle. We're low on fuel and my time is short Admiral."

"You say you have an emergency message, but you have no authentication code. You're flying an outdated UH-115, and as far as I'm aware there is no long range reconnaissance flight scheduled for today. How do I know you are who you say you are?"

"My flight was approved on short… notice. It was approved by Colonel Donnelly. I was sent to investigate the possible… location of a Sentinel stronghold. We made contact and spotted a massive army pushing north to North Castle."

Kimmel grimaced at the monitor, not liking the reluctance in the information being given by the pilot. Kimmel smelled something funny about this, but something else was afoot as well. If this was an imposter, how would he know so much about them?

"Be that as it may, how do you even know of our location? Our position is to be regarded as secret. Even an intelligence officer unrelated to the Navy would know of our current position."

"The Sentinel Commander, Vivex, has an extensive chart of your fleet movements. He knows exactly where you are and has been planning this massive assault for when you and your carriers left your port. He knows you're heading to Europe, and won't be around to respond to his attack. He's after New York, after something called Aurora-Borealis."

"How in the hell would Sentinel be able to track our fleet movements? I don't believe it for a moment!"

"It's how I figured out where you are, sir. He has extensive charts and information about your fleet. He's been… using these crystals to absorb information around the border. He has seen enough to know where you're going. He doesn't know where you are now exactly. I had to roughly estimate… You and your fleet might be the closest thing to respond to this threat. I was too far out to get past the blackout towers around US North. Please sir, you have to believe me. My fuel is low and soon we'll have to ditch in the waters out here. I have a treasure trove of maps and information about the Sentinels and their movements!"

"Captain?"

"Yes Admiral."

"Send an aerial refuel drone to echo-whisky twelve's location."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Do we have a connection to the satellite buoy network?"

"Yes Admiral, we have connection to buoy Echo 1 for at least forty more minutes before it will pass out of range."

"Get me a line to US North, I want to talk to this Colonel Donnelly…"

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

Spyro had hoped that going up into the layer of clouds would be able to put some distance between Vivex and the goliath. He had hoped that separating the two might weaken him, maybe deny the Dark Master the ability to feed him his strength…

Well, he had yet to figure that out yet, since he had completely lost sight of him up here. The clouds were getting thicker and thicker around them, as if a snow storm was being summoned by the goliath's mere presence. Snowflakes flew all around the dragon, and he shivered a bit as he could feel ice starting to form on his scales. It was frigid cold, but he had to ignore it. He used his fire element to funnel heat through his body, melting the ice and keeping the frigid elements at bay.

In the thick soup, he could barely see his own paw in front of his face. He saw a few… shadows… a few figures moving out there, but he had no idea what they might be. He moved from location to location, keeping his ears open and scanning for Vivex.

Out of his corner he caught movement, but when he turned all he saw was thick clouds. To his right, and left he sensed something but again there was only the thick swirling gray to greet him.

Where was he?!

Spyro turned, looking behind him, then in front again. He took in a deep breath and flapped his wings to ascend. He spun around again, checking all his angles, only to be met with an onyx face looking back at him with green eyes.

"Spyro?!" Cynder cried, almost as surprised as he was.

"By the ancestors…..!" Spyro grabbed his chest but quickly silenced himself as he realized Vivex was still around them. His eyes darted around before they went to Cynder who floated before him.

"Spyro… I thought you were Vivex!" Cynder said in a low voice.

"I thought you were him too! Listen… he's up here, somewhere. We have to keep quiet, I don't know where he is. I'm trying to get him away from the crystal, it's still powering him up. I'll never be able to defeat him if he just keeps doing that…"

"Who knows how much range that crystal has Spyro, we might not even be able to separate the two…"

"Then our only option is to find and destroy the crystal."

"But it's been buried somewhere inside the goliath. There's no telling where it is down there, or if the Sentinels haven't caved in whatever tunnel or passage they used to put it there…"

"We have to do something, fighting him is like a battle of attrition…"

"Speaking of which!" Cynder flapped her wings and shot herself backwards. Spyro turned and saw a huge black form coming right at them from within the soup.

He took in a sharp gasp and flapped his own wings hard to avoid.

From the void came Vivex's massive form, slicing through them like a hot knife through butter. He passed by both of them, and knocked both of them back with a field of energy that surrounded him. As he passed by, Spyro attempted to fire a shot back at him, though his beam of energy vanished into the clouds beyond. He guessed that it might have connected with Vivex, but it was just impossible to tell!

"Spyro, watch out!" Cynder cried, pointing out into the haze. Spyro snapped his view, seeing a black form coming right at them again. He shot himself to the left to avoid, and found that Vivex had flapped his wings to brake himself. He stopped just next to Spyro and snarled as he swiped his massive claws at him. Spyro managed to avoid, and swooped up and over so he could fire down onto the dragon. Cynder did the same, going under him and firing her own black fire. Vivex erected a shield that absorbed their attacks, and gave them a menacing snicker before he dispelled the shield, and reared his head around for a strike. Purple energy began to gather around his gut and traveled into his throat and muzzle. He opened it, and both Spyro and Cynder could feel the power gathering within. He reared his head to Spyro, and unleashed hell.

Spyro managed to put up his own shield of energy, which was woefully mismatched to the power that Vivex was using. The powerful blast of black energy was unlike what he had used before. It had such raw energy, such raw powerful burning at the air around him. The clouds and thick haze that surrounded Spyro vanished, being vaporized by the intense heat and energy generated from his blast.

Spyro flew up and over the beam, trying to stay out its line of fire. Vivex moved it, correcting it to try and hit the moving hero. Up and down, left and right the beam veered. Spyro tried harder and harder, attempting to stay one step ahead of where Vivex was going to move the beam. Cynder growled and moved under Vivex where she used her fire attack, trying to get Vivex to cease his beam. This only infuriated him, as he then slashed his powerful hind legs at her, nearly clawing her face. She backed away, continuing her barrage of attacks.

Finally, Vivex ceased his beam attack, closing his muzzle and giving Cynder a wicked smile. The power from his attack had burned a sizable pocket into the clouds they were in, revealing almost about three dozen yards of open space. Spyro swooped over, firing his energy beam again. It impacted on the back of his neck, and caused his scales to burn and melt. This caused Vivex to growl who spun around to meet the purple dragon. Spyro overshot and passed by him, rearing around for another attack. Cynder joined in, firing her own beams before disappearing into the thick clouds surrounding their open pocket. Spyro was beginning to do the same, attacking from a new angle this time. Vivex weathered the attacks, erecting a shield when he could, but gave out roars each time one of their attacks hit. Spyro varied between his Inner Light beams, and his other elemental attacks. Rockets of fire and ice were hurled at Vivex, smacking him hard each time. They didn't want to give him a moment to rest, and continued to send a new attack his way each time one of them came out of the clouds.

"ENOUGH!" Vivex roared. His body began to swelter with purple energy. It gathered quickly before he dispersed it out in all directions. The pocket of open air expanded as the energy vaporized the clouds, going out in all directions. Both Spyro and Cynder were caught in it, and both gritted their teeth as the intense energy burned at their scales. They both recovered, and flew into position in front of Vivex.

"Enough playing around… I think I've toyed around with you two long enough… The Master has given me untold abilities, so far beyond what you're capable of little one. It's time I tried out these new… powers…"

Vivex reached out with his claws, drawing purple energy to them. Spyro grit his teeth, ready for whatever Vivex was going to throw at him. Vivex clenched his claws, and suddenly the air around Spyro began to become superheated. His eyes went wide, and he dashed backwards immediately as the space he was just in erupted into a massive ball of purple fire. Spyro didn't even get a moment's rest when he felt another sphere forming where he was now.

To the left he darted, then to the right. Wherever Spyro went, Vivex summoned the orb of fire. Each time in materialized then collapsed in on itself, releasing waves of hot gas that washed over Spyro each time. He couldn't dwell on it, only keeping his mind focused as he moved from spot to spot, trying to outpace the dark dragon's attacks.

Cynder wanted to try and take the heat of Spyro, and swooped in to attack Vivex. He saw her though, and backed up so her attacks missed. He raised his other claw out to Cynder, and then clenched it. Cynder suddenly felt herself falling prey to the same attack he was using on Spyro. Spheres of energy formed where she was, and even where she was going.

In his moment of distraction, Spyro took the opportunity to fire off a bolt of energy at Vivex. The dragon caught this, and erected a shield to block it. The bolt exploded harmlessly on the shield, but it made Vivex crack a smile.

"Not having enough fun are we? Time to up the ante!" Again Vivex raised his claws, right at Spyro and Cynder. This time, instead of a superheated ball of energy, Spyro felt his body suddenly enveloped by a cold grip. He couldn't move his arms or legs, and he noticed that he was glowing. He recognized this immediately, but was too slow to respond. Vivex swung his claws together, baling them into a fist near his chest. At that moment, both dragons felt their bodies fling themselves right at one another. They screamed out as they collided hard, smacking each other hard.

Again, Vivex brought his claws out, flinging them back to where they were. He toyed with them, spinning them around in circles before colliding them again into one another. They were so helpless.

"Fun! Fun! Aren't we having fun?!" Vivex let out a cruel laugh and began hurling them from side to side, randomly changing course and sending them upside down and spinning. Spyro almost felt like he wanted to puke right then and there.

As Vivex flicked his wrist, bring them together again, Spyro decided he had enough of Vivex's games. He clenched his eyes and focused a burst of his Inner Light. With a short and rapid pulse he unleashed it, breaking the hold that Vivex had on him. Spyro sailed forward and fired his beam of energy, targeting Vivex head on. The beam hit and exploded with a powerful force, knocking Vivex back. He released Cynder, who came in for her own attack. She swooped in from above, and hard. Three bolts came from her, all hitting Vivex along his side and back, exploding with great force. The mighty dragon flapped his wings and sailed up before coming down onto them. He flexed his talons, and energy began to cascade all around them. Spyro flew in between the arcs of dark energy, firing shot after shot of light at Vivex. The two dragons passed one another multiple times, each swooping in and out for passes at one another. Vivex would try to strike Spyro each time he came in, but the young dragon used his smaller and faster form to evade him.

Cynder swooped in too, coming in from different angles each time to strike Vivex when he and Spyro met. This kept him from effectively using his shield to block Spyro's attacks, and made him vulnerable to either one as they came in and out. Frustrated, Vivex stopped and began to bring up his talons to ensnare them again, but Spyro fired a powerful beam that seared his flesh, stopping him.

"Damn you!" Vivex yelled, snarling at the passing purple dragon. Spyro only managed a smile as he swooped in before rearing his head up and firing another shot at him. Hit after hit began striking the dark dragon, making him cry out in pain.

Flying up and out of their attack pattern, Vivex fired beams of darkness at the two dragons, narrowly hitting Cynder on one of her passes. She cried out, but managed to get away. Seeing this, Vivex tried again, firing at her and tracking her aggressively. He was so caught up hitting her, that he didn't notice Spyro coming right at him.

Spyro put himself into a steep dive right for Vivex's exposed chest. He shrouded his body with a powerful veil of energy, and clenched his eyes as he sailed right for the black dragon. Vivex saw him, but was unable to erect a shield in time.

Spyro struck hard, shattering the belly scales on Vivex and causing a shockwave that knocked the mighty dragon back several dozen yards.

Flapping his wings hard, Vivex managed to recover, but was panting softly. Blood and smoke came from his wound, and he clutched it tightly. Blue lightning arced from where he had been hit, and it was clear that Spyro's energy had cascaded through his body, weakening him significantly.

Spyro and Cynder both came to a hover in front of Vivex who clutched his stomach. He panted and glared at them, but that smile never left his face. In fact, it only widened.

"You think you can beat me?! You think you can beat The Master?!" Vivex cried, letting go of his stomach. Blood still came from his wound, but he ignored it. Instead, he gathered his claws together for another attack. Both Spyro and Cynder readied themselves, feeling intense heat gathering around Vivex. He clasped his claws together, and a shockwave emanated from them and slammed hard into the duo. They were shoved back once more, and the clouds around them were vaporized. Thunder cracked from the wave of energy and it took several moments for the two dragons to get oriented.

As Spyro flapped his wings to gain his bearings, he saw that again, the clouds that they had been sitting in had been blown away, leaving a massive clearing. Below, they could see the marching goliath, as well as the vast expanse that went in all directions. The afternoon sun shone through the break in the clouds, and Spyro could feel what warmth if offered on his frigid scales.

In the center of the clearing sat the black dragon, Vivex. Steam rose from his body, and he beat his massive wings. Even after all this, even after Spyro's attack, he had done little to dissipate him…

"I can't keep going on like this… I feel like I can hardly scratch him!"

"He's got to be weakening Spyro! We have to keep hitting him! If we keep him from the crystal, then all this will catch up to him! We can win!" Cynder said, trying her best to keep Spyro optimistic.

"Well here he comes again!" Spyro yelled out, beginning to build up speed and momentum as Vivex came swinging at them again. They dodged, circling around as he passed in-between. The massive dragon spun around and fired off orbs of black energy. The orbs arced towards the dragons, tracking their movements. They moved erratically, but always kept on the same course. It made them hard to track and even dodge as they closed in on the two.

"Look out!" Cynder cried, trying to fire at the orb but found that it absorbed her attack.

"Cynder! Stay close!" Spyro yelled. He flew in-between her and her orb, and attempted to create a shield. The orb slammed into his shield and exploded with great force, blowing Spyro's shield to pieces and throwing them several feet back. Spyro's orb came in this time, but Spyro managed to fire a bolt of his light at the orb, trying to counter its energy. The bolt struck it and exploded, sending a shockwave that washed over them.

The smoke cleared and revealed Vivex preparing another salvo. They didn't let him do this, and immediately returned to the attack, firing element after element, but it did little.

Vivex weathered their attacks, but Spyro could tell that they were gaining some ground. Vivex's wounds hadn't healed, and they looked to be getting worse. He must have been using far more energy to keep the two at bay… Perhaps they could wear him down…

Vivex sent out another wave of energy, catching the two and causing them to spin. They stopped and hovered once more some distance away from Vivex who only smiled at them.

"Man… where in the hell… is Jericho?!" Cynder asked, panting herself. Spyro took in sharp breaths, feeling the fatigue nagging at him as well.

"You fools… you can't hope to outlast me! Whatever you can throw… I can match…" Vivex smiled at them again, and flexed his claws for another round.

Spyro panted, wishing he could think of something to put more pressure on Vivex. Something, anything!

"Hey… what's that?" Cynder asked, seeing something behind Vivex. Spyro looked too, and saw something incoming, and fast!

Vivex sensed this too, and spun around to see a dropship screaming at him at full speed. A chin mounted grenade launcher began firing directly at him, with a resounding THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, each time it fired. Vivex raised his arms and put up a shield quickly as the grenades landed and exploded with great force. The shield held, but it made him show the two dragons his exposed back. They took advantage of this and fired their elemental attacks at him, striking him hard. Vivex screamed out in pain and swung around as the dropship passed to their left.

"Jericho!" Spyro yelled, elated so much to see his friend again. Jericho swung the aircraft around and came in again for another attack. Vivex fired a beam of energy at him, which forced Jericho to break off and swing the craft into an evasive maneuver.

"Don't forget about us!" Spyro yelled, firing another blast. The combined efforts forced Vivex to backpedal, wanting to keep them all to his front as they began to circle him. Jericho broke off though, and headed down. It looked like he was setting up for a longer attack run.

However, something struck Spyro as odd. Yes, Jericho was here finally… but…

"Where's all the help?! I thought he went to get more help! Where are they?!" Cynder asked, pointing it out before Spyro realized it. She was right. Nobody else came with him. It was just… Jericho. That's when the noticed the growing and ever more powerful sound of jet engines. They turned behind them, and saw them. They saw them all.

A wing of at least two dozen aircraft came diving in from above the clouds. They broke off in all directions, and began passing the dragons at various levels. Vivex himself stopped his attacks, watching in awe himself as the aircraft passed them by and flew straight down towards the goliath. Barrages of missiles and bombs were released from the jets, all targeted at the massive creature below.

The goliath's eyes glowed a soft purple as the missiles came in, and Spyro watched as the missiles began to veer wildly off course, exploding harmlessly on the ground around it or missing critical targets and impacting along the side of the goliath where his mass ate the explosion.

The jets swooped up and around for another attack run, much like Jericho was.

Two jets came in after the initial wave, and flew right at Spyro, Cynder and Vivex. They unleashed a fury with their chain guns, and Spyro almost had to cover his ears as the sounds of the weapons firing were loud and constant. It almost reminded Spyro of the sound of something being ripped. The rounds were explosive, and slammed hard into Vivex's shield. The two jets firing their canons were enough to shatter his shield, and the rounds began to impact Vivex himself. He roared out in pain, and tried to fire back as the two jets passed them and flew lower to join the attack on the goliath.

With a pained growl, Vivex clutched his wounds and flew above Spyro and Cynder, panting.

"So this… this was your plan?! To… to warn those PATHETIC humans?! Well… well it won't be enough! I'm… I'm glad you brought them here! Now… now they get to witness their end! We will remind them why they fear us! We will show them first hand!" Vivex raised his claws up, and Spyro and Cynder watched as small forms began to come off of all the goliaths. They were small at first but then Spyro saw that they were Sentinels, either winged Sentinels or aircrafts that the Sentinels themselves had built. They flew up to meet the humans as they lined up another attack run against the King Goliath. Several of the jets broke off to engage, and a fury of explosions began to occur below them as the two forces met head on.

Those that remained in their bombing run came in low and direct, coming so close to the goliath that there was no way he could block their missiles this time. Just as Jericho had before, they came in extremely close before unleashing their missiles, targeting his legs and other critical points along his back and sides. They pulled up just before slamming into the goliath himself, nearly flying right through the plumes of fire and smoke that rose from their attacks.

Above them, the other jet aircraft and Sentinels danced in individual dog fights, the Sentinels able to outmaneuver the much faster and harder to turn human craft, but the jets were able to bring far more firepower onto the Sentinels as they lined up their canons.

Jericho had maneuvered his dropship so that it was in line with the clouds, and he came bearing down on Vivex. Thunderous fire came from the chin mounted launcher, and grenades came sailing towards Vivex once more. This time, he was prepared and blocked the grenades with his shield. He strafed to the right, and fired off a beam at Jericho. The human put his craft into a tight roll, avoiding the beam and descending quickly. As Vivex pitched his head to align the beam onto Jericho, Spyro and Cynder came in to hit him hard. Turning his head to deal with them, Jericho made another pass, and a trio of grenades landed onto Vivex, exploding on his chest. Spyro and Cynder took advantage of this, firing their elemental attacks at a stunned Vivex, causing him to roar out in pain.

"No! NO! You two CAN'T beat me!" Vivex roared out, attempting to block what attacks he could. Jericho had swung around from his pass, and pelted Vivex once more. Between the three of them, he could spend no time in attacking. He could only defend himself.

"Keep going, we almost got him!" Cynder yelled, seeing this. Together they pressed him harder and harder, and they saw his shields were beginning to fail. Blood was seeping from his wounds, and his body was beginning to buckle under their combined efforts.

"No… no I need more power! I can't be defeated… not with My Master at my back!" Vivex used what powers he could to send out a shockwave to throw the two of them off, hoping to halt their attacks. They were sent flying from the attack, and saw Vivex making a mad dive down towards the King Goliath. From up here, the life crystal couldn't reach and power up Vivex. If he got down towards the goliath, all their efforts would be in vein. They had to stop him.

The two of them entered a steep dive, chasing right after the dark dragon. Jericho saw this too and put his dropship into a dive, trying to catch up. Spyro managed to sink underneath Vivex as Spyro used his light to pulse himself forward at a much faster rate. He sailed under Vivex and fired a powerful blast of light into his chest, knocking him back and breaking his descent. Cynder swooped in not long after, and slammed him with her own attack. The grenades fired from Jericho and Hunter came in after, and again Vivex was forced to defend himself from all three of them. Every time he tried to make a break for the goliath, they would intercept and stop him. They had him boxed in tight.

"No I won't lose! You may have cut me off from the crystal, but I will take what is MINE. You won't win!" Vivex swiftly lifted one of his claws in between his shield blocks and sent a bright purple stream of energy to Cynder. The onyx dragoness was shocked as she felt her body suddenly ensnared.

"What?!" Spyro saw this and tried to intercept or stop the beam, but found that he was being blocked. The beam repulsed Spyro, and he couldn't get to Cynder who herself was surrounded by a field of energy. Spyro turned to Vivex and fired a shot at him, but he found that Vivex's shield was now stronger than before. Spyro also noticed that his wounds were… healing…

Mortified, Spyro turned back to Cynder to see her body draining of color, and her eyes rolling back.

"What?! Cynder?! What're you doing to her?!" Spyro slammed back into the field surrounding her, slamming it over and over until it broke. As he grabbed her and tried to hoist her from the beam, Vivex let go of her anyway. A wicked smile lay on his muzzle.

"Aaaaaaah, that's better. It's ok, you can have her back. I've already taken from her what I need…"

"What… what did you do?!" Spyro clutched onto her, feeling her body was deathly cold. She was completely limp, and devoid of any life.

"Since you saw fit to deny me My Master's power… I took another power. Her energy will suffice for now. Ah… it's so delicious. The powers The Master can give one can do marvelous things, yes?"

"You bastard! You sick bastard!" Spyro fired a beam in anger, aiming right for Vivex's face. He blocked it, without even moving. The beam bounced harmlessly off a shield that he conjured effortlessly. Vivex's smirk intensified. Even Jericho, who swooped in above firing more shells was unable to even distract Vivex at this point. His shield repelled the attacks, and Spyro watched in horror as all his wounds began to slowly heal. All that work… all that effort…

"Such a temper on you dragon… Don't worry she's not dead, I only took what I needed to replace what you expended… I left enough for her pathetic heart to beat… I wouldn't dare kill her like that! No, I need to kill her with my claws, that's the only proper way."

"I'll kill you first! I won't let you do that!" Spyro clutched onto her body while firing shot after shot, not caring where it was aimed or how powerful it was. He just fired and fired at Vivex, watching each shot get eaten by his shield.

"Are you done yet?"

Spyro glared, breathing in hard. Tears strolled down from his face as Vivex hovered before him. Spyro didn't dare even honor him with an answer at this point.

"Like I said Spyro, you lose." The dark dragon rose his claw, and out came a powerful blast of energy. Spyro erected a shield, but it was no use. The blast cut right through his weakened shield, and slammed into the purple dragon. It exploded, and sent both him and Cynder flying through the air.

Down and down Spyro tumbled, unable to correct or reorient himself. As he fell he watched Cynder's limp body tumble helplessly through the air beside him. Vivex sat above, laughing evilly as his form got smaller and smaller in Spyro's vision.

Jericho broke off his attack, and swooped down towards Spyro, but there was nothing he could do. Both he and Hunter could only watch as both of their allies plummeted towards the ground at terminal velocity. Spyro soon blacked out.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

Spyro gripped his head, and slowly came to sometime later.

He was on solid ground, and very much alive. Above him, he saw puffs of smoke and fire. The human's aircraft sailed high above, either being tailed or tailing a Sentinel. Explosions rocked the air as the two forces continued to engage, unclear who was winning. Spyro felt the ground shifting under him, and felt it vibrate and shudder as bombs or missiles from the humans impacted. He must be on the goliath.

Nearby, he saw somebody. Leaning up, he saw Cynder's limp form laid out on a rock. She was laying on her back, with her paws resting peacefully on her chest. She was looking right up, at the sky with her eyes closed. She looked so… peaceful… Next to her sat another dragon. It wasn't hard to see that it was Asimov. He stood over her, looking down at her with a certain amount of sadness. His eyes were drooped low, and a tear was forming on his cheek.

Summoning his strength, Spyro managed to get to his feet and trotted over to him.

Asimov didn't move to see him, he was already aware he was there.

"You two certainly have done a lot, haven't you?"

"It depends. A whole lot of nothing it sure feels like…" Spyro said, trying to ascertain Asimov's current allegiance.

Asimov reached up to his head, and gripped it softly. He clenched it for a while before taking in a sharp gasp and turning to Spyro. He could still see the slit pupils and glowing eyes. He was not free from the Dark Master's influence. Yet… here they were. Both Spyro and Cynder were unharmed seemingly from that fall. Had he saved them?

"I can still feel him… in my… my head…" Asimov said, straining to form words. His arm moved to clutch a wound on his chest, that was still fresh.

"I know what that's like…" Spyro said, walking in a pace around him.

"But you… you wield the Inner Light, just like the Dark Master does. You… can fight him off. I… I can't…" Asimov clenched his eyes again.

"You can Asimov, you can break his spell!"

"It's… it's not so easy Spyro… I'm not under any spell. I'm not… under anyone's control. I never was. When, when he's in your head… things just seem so right! It all makes sense, and you… you want it… I do want it…"

Spyro continued pacing around him, still trying to determine whether or not Asimov was still a threat.

"Yet you're here Asimov. I can hear it, you're conflicted."

"I am… Serving him just feels so right… but you… her… I couldn't let the two of you die… I couldn't let the two of you lose… I just… I need your help Spyro…"

"My help?"

"Yes. You… you wield the Inner Light. Your light… it isn't corrupted, it isn't tainted. I can still feel his voice in my head, telling me what to do, what is right… Please, I need another voice in my head. I need to counter out the noise. I need… I need your help." Asimov turned to Spyro, his eyes filled with a solemn message. In that moment, Spyro relaxed his body. Asimov wasn't a foe… a threat to regard with caution. No… he needed help. He needed help, to see.

"Alright Asimov. I'll… try my best." Spyro walked over to Asimov, and extended his claw. Asimov stood in place, and lowered his head so Spyro's paw would rest on top of it. Taking in a deep breath, Spyro let his paw come down to rest on Asimov, and he closed his eyes.

He needed to focus, to draw in power from around him. It was, after all, how he gained his strength. The Inner Light that flowed through him flowed through everything around it. He tried to channel as much of it as he could through his body, and focused it to his talons. Clenching his eyes, he felt the energy slowly come in from around him and in him. It flowed onto Asimov, and he heard the dragon let out a soft gasp as it passed through his body.

Opening his eyes, he saw a soft blue light forming around Asimov, giving him a glow. It began to fade, and everything fell silent again.

Spyro withdrew his claw, and took a step back from Asimov.

"How… do you feel?" Spyro asked, tilting his head.

Asimov remained silent for a moment, not even opening his eyes. Finally, he raised his head and looked at Spyro. His pupils were still slits, but gone was the look of evil or contempt. There was a far more genuine look about him now.

"He's… he's gone. I can… I can think clearly now. I feel… free! I feel… I feel free!" Asimov began to laugh, but cringed a bit as his chest wound came to life. Looking down, Spyro noticed that the wound that appeared fresh earlier now looked… healthier. The skin had sealed itself, and it looked like the healing process had begun.

Had he… had he just done to Asimov, what the Dark Master had been doing to Vivex?

It was enough to make Spyro stop and look down at his own claws.

"You did it Spyro, I feel… I feel like I can think all over again."

"So he's gone… completely gone?"

"I don't know if he's completely gone… I can still feel echoes but… let me tell you, it's… it's a lot quieter up here now." Asimov smiled at Spyro, and relaxed his own body and posture, almost sitting down right in front of him.

"You… you really can do… anything… can't you Spyro…?" A raspy voice caught their attention, and they both looked down to see Cynder give a soft cough.

"Cynder! You're too weak, don't talk…" Spyro said, quickly placing his paws on her side comfortingly.

"That… that bastard… he took… took all my strength… I don't even think I… I can… get up…" Cynder grimaced as she struggled to move her arms and legs, but to no avail. Blood began to seep from her back, and Spyro's eyes widened with alarm. Both Asimov and Spyro quickly rolled Cynder onto her side, and saw that the bandages over the wounds Vivex had given her were dripping with blood. Her wounds had reopened.

The gem they had stolen earlier to keep this from happening was just a black rock now. All its energy was gone, likely taken by Vivex. It slipped free from the bandages and made a soft clink on the rocky ground.

"Shit! Shit…" Spyro thought hard, trying to think of something desperately to stop the bleeding. Her body would be far too weak to even heal it on her own. Suddenly, Spyro remembered what he had just done to Asimov, and he quickly placed his claws alongside her back. He clenched his eyes and focused, focused as hard as he could. Energy began to form around his talons, and it slowly wafted to her wounds. He didn't have too much energy to spare, not nearly enough to fully rejuvenate all the energy Vivex stole. But, if he could just use enough… enough to heal her…

The bleeding stopped, and through the wet bandages they could see the wound beginning to close. As soon as it closed completely, Spyro took in a sharp gasp of air and let go. Asimov braced both he and Cynder as Spyro took in sharp breaths. He had done it…

Cynder gave a few short coughs and managed a smile.

"Th… thank… you…" She managed to say.

"Save your strength Cynder, you don't have a lot left…"

"I know… thank you… Asimov… I…. I knew you weren't like that…"

"Well, you were the one who showed me there was… another way. Without you, I'd probably be a full-fledged Sentinel…" Asimov frowned and looked at the ground solemnly, unable to think what might have become of him. Cynder managed to gather enough of her strength to animate her arm, and bring her paw over to his and grasp it softly.

"I know… I know what it's… it's like to have… the Dark Master in your… head… He can make everything… seem…. Seem so right… No matter how wrong… it is…"

Asimov gave a weak smile at that, but still frowned.

"Where are we going to take her Spyro? She can't stay here."

"I don't know. But you are right, she can't stay…"

The sounds of jet engines caught their attention, and they both turned their attention to the sky.

Jericho's dropship sailed above, doing a circle around where they were. He was rolled over onto his side, and he caught a brief glimpse of the human sitting in the cockpit, scanning the ground for where they had landed. He must have spotted them, because Jericho corrected the dropship and quickly rotated its engines so he could land.

Dust and debris got kicked up as he came in quickly, barely even scanning the surrounding jagged rocks to see if he COULD even land! Somehow, he got the ship parked on the ground, and the cargo ramp dumped down almost as quickly. Hunter and Jericho came racing out the back, their weapons at the ready. As soon as they saw Asimov, they raised their weapons, but lowered them as they saw both his and Spyro's relaxed stance.

"Spyro!" Jericho yelled, sprinting over.

"Is she alright, what happened?" Hunter asked, coming in right behind. Sparx flew in third, and stopped suddenly above Cynder. His eyes drooped as he knew what was going on.

"Vivex, he took her strength and used it to power up. She's too weak to continue fighting now." Spyro said, placing a claw softly on her chest.

"That bastard… We had him pinned there! We could have won!"

"I know…"

"I'm sorry I let you down Spyro… I'm sorry… I let him use my… strength…" Cynder said, a small tear forming in her eyes.

"No, it's not your fault Cynder. We didn't know that could happen. You just need to rest now until your energy comes back to you." Spyro patted her chest.

"Jericho, we can't stay here long. Sentinels will investigate our landing site, and Vivex may come hunting for you all." Hunter said while scanning their surroundings.

"Then we have to kill him." Asimov said, determination filling his voice.

"We have to keep fighting. I will keep fighting, we beat Vivex and the Dark Master." Spyro joined in, and stood side by side with Asimov.

"Alright then… Well shouldn't be too hard now, we've brought in the cavalry! More should be coming in. I got the entire Third Fleet backing us up! Admiral Kimmel managed to get through to US North, and they're mobilizing their entire armed forces. Vivex won't ever get to those walls; they'll make sure of that."

"Vivex might not, but this goliath might. I don't know if your military can even stop this thing…" Asimov said, grumbling somewhat.

"We'll see about that. First we have to deal with Vivex…"

"Jericho… we need to move Cynder out of here. We can't leave her here, she's too vulnerable." Spyro said, turning to her limp form.

"Right… We can… we can move her, yeah. I heard over the radio that the army's about to send in some paratroopers, and airdrop armor at a place three miles east of here. I can take her there, she should be safe. At least, I hope…" Jericho said, walking over so he could pick up her body. Hunter walked over too and helped lift her up. Sparx buzzed over to Spyro, smiling somewhat as if to ask if he could stay.

"No Sparx, you still can't stay… It's not safe… Stay with them for now. Keep Cynder safe…"

Sparx gave him a frown before smiling again and flying over to Cynder.

"Don't worry about Cynder, we'll get her out of here."

"Thanks Jericho… and be careful. Vivex is getting more and more powerful…"

"I feel like I should be telling you that Spyro. Don't get yourself killed. You hear me?"

"I hear you…" Spyro smiled a bit, but the gravity of the situation kept him from being truly upbeat. Jericho and Hunter carried Cynder off into the dropship and set her down on one of the seats. Jericho gave Spyro one last nod before he and Hunter disappeared into the cockpit, and the cargo ramp began to rise again.

The engines flared and the aircraft began to sail upwards and away from the goliath. As it flew away, Spyro gave a soft sigh.

"I never thought I'd be fighting alongside the humans…"

"It's… an interesting change, isn't it?"

"If you say so… well, shall we Spyro?" Asimov asked, turning to him.

"Yes… let's do this." Spyro and Asimov both flapped their wings, getting airborne and sailing upwards as Jericho disappeared into the horizon.

Once more… one more time…

End of Chapter 23