Chapter twenty: Many will fall but few remain..

(Shane's pov)

Nina and Shane work in unison as the hulking mass of teeth and claws slashes and swipes failing miserably at both as they shoot it repeatedly with caster rounds.. Shanes rifle had no effect on it and served only to piss it off.. That is until Shane gave it a face full of sunshot.. A beam of sol energy searing away It's carapace beginning to bubble and melt.. Shane's attention was briefly divided as he heard Ghardehs roar as Ivan caught her side with his wrist blades. Enough to be pounded to the side and sliding into crates. But Nina holds him back with chain lightning.. Uzkielle gloom kicks Ivan and he slides to the edge of the tower and fires a cheeky blast at the leviathan with his caster. Ghardeh charges her fist and slams it down causing an orb to ride the floor. It hits ivan causing him to fly up and fall with a shout. Uzkielle flashes Ivan a flick of his finger in the badass way only he can.. The three yautja turn their attention to the leviathan.. Uzkielle and Osh'ikeille Charge their casters and fire together.. The combined force causing him to roar out.. Suddenly Nina Shane and Ghardeh combine their abilities.. Shane fires another stream of sunshot at him.. Nina throws chain lightning and Ghardeh fires her bow at its head.. The combined explosion ripped it apart its huge torso flopped beside the three.. Ivan emerges as Nina and Ghardeh burnout Shane turns and blasts him back but the action caused him to also feel faint. Osh'ikeille and Uz fire their casters at Ivan who stumbles as the explosions hit him, he dives into Shanes armour and as they fall Shane kicks off him and charges his shoulder slamming each other into the ground at almost 100ft.. They bounce off each other as soldiers look to see Ivan and Shane.. He feels faint and gets up as Ivan does.

Nina Ghardeh and the brothers watch as Danny fires rockets at the remaining soldiers.. Only Shane and Ivan remain..

"No more firearms Shane.. Just a straight up one oh one.."

Shane circles him..

"No more firearms.. I don't need them to kill you.."

His caster folds up and he unleashes his wrist blades..

The family rush down with Nina on Osh's back as they slide down digging their wrist blades into the tower.. Uz had dropped his bomb in anticipation and at full power.. They see Shane fighting Ivan.. But Shanes yautja side finally surfaced.. And it was terrifying..

(Ghardehs pov)

There was something very visceral watching this new Shane fight.. It was pure rage.. I haven't seen many yautja go into 'rage mode' other than myself one time at the brokers bunker those years ago. But this wasn't a yautja.. He was human.. Shane's wrist blades don't penetrate the armour. And Ivan brings out a whip from the arsenal. We are ground level as their fight extends to a roof as Shane is thrown up by the whip. As Shane scrambles up he is hit by the whip again. But Shane catches it and wraps it around his hand.. Ivan tries to yank it back but Shanes yanks for him forwards he flies towards Shane and he buries the wrist blades into Ivans chest.. He shouts out in pain but Shanes blades become stuck.. He raises his own blades, but without warning.. Uzkielle rips his arm back and throws him off of Shane. He lands on the other side of the roof.

"Fuck off you piss ant!" He aims a laser at Uzkielle and fires. Shane moves into the shot.. There was a massive explosion.. Shane emerges in pure fire.. "Don't fire on my brother.. Krit.." He unleashes a fireball and throws it at Ivan.. He is flung back.. Shane must have collected the full force and thrown it back because. Ivan falls from the roof. Ivan jumps back up as Shane walks to the edge and uppercuts Shane sending him staggering backwards.. But he recovers.. Shane smashes into him causing them to fly upward into the building behind them. His thrusters propelling them onto the next roof. Uz jumps down and follows us as we try and get a better angle. Shane shouts out and is sent flying off the edge with two wrist blades lodged in his chest and i feel a knot in my stomach.. Ivan had shot his wrist blades into Shane. And it made my blood boil.. He tries to get up but Ivan grabs him and throws him onto the adjacent roof.. "Nina.. Throw your combi stick.."

"I can't.. Not from this range.." Uzkielle nods " I can.." He unleashes his comb stick aims then throws it with such force it flies like a missile.. And impales Ivan.. He spreads out his arms with a gasp.. "You.. Should've aimed.. For.. The.. Head.. You… Dumb… Mother… Fucker…" He taps on his armour and grabs hold of Shane in an iron grip.. "If.. I go… You go.. Eye.. For.. An.. Eye."

There is a beeping and Shane rams his wrist blades into his head and rips out ivans ejected wrist blades from his chest which follows two streaks of bright green fluorescent blood. and we run.. Shane jumps down and falls to the floor.. Danny lands low enough for Osh and Uz to jump on but Osh throws Nina into the ramp she scrambles up.. I grab Shane and we run as i jump there is a ripple of energy as Ivans bomb begins to detonate.. As we fly the opposite direction Uzkielles bomb also goes off.. It hits the ship as Danny ascends but it wipes out power causing the ship to spin.. We dig our blades into the hull as does Shane but with him being wounded he can't hold on and slips falling out as the secondary shock wave hits it sends debris flying towards us.. Danny manages to keep us in the air but an alarm sounds..

"That bomb just wiped our shields guys.. Working on getting them online". I immediately jump out and look for Shane..

I can barely see in front of me.. Sand and dust smoke cloud my vision..

I can hear a muffled cry.. A shout..

"Fuck.. Shit… C… Come..on.."

I rush over and my heart sinks…

"No… No no!"

Shane is trapped in between two blocks of concrete with two pieces of heavy rebar. That's impaled him from below as he fell… His helmet collapsed so he can breathe more freely.

I remove one of the blocks.. And he literally shouts out in agony.. "Gaaaahh fuck Ghardeh! My fucking legs!"

The others come running beside me and stop.. "Shane.. Shane.." Nina says hovering her hands over the rebar.. I try and move the last of the rubble but he pleads..

"Ghardeh NOOO! I CAN'T.. i ca… Plea… Please.. Leave it.."

His breathing becomes heavy.. Nina tries to remove the rebar but Shane feels the tug at his back and grits his teeth.. "Fff I'm… I'm in the.. Sh… Shit now…" She begins to sob as she tries again.. She manages to remove the top one and throws it aside.. "Aaaagggghhhh fffuuck! He shouts..

The final one.. I realise where it has penetrated and i curl into him..

"Get up Shane.. Please get up… I need you to… Please.."

He laughs.. "Hehahehehe I fancy..sitting on.. My arse for the… Time.. Being.. What.. Took you all so long…"

The brothers kneel beside him.. And the siblings walk up behind me.. Danny rushes up and shouts..

"Shane…! Get him out of there!" Osh grabs him and holds him tight..

Nina lets out a cry as I try again to free him.. My eyes begin to flow cloudy white tears..

"Rrrrrr…. Ghardeh…. Leave it.. Just stay.. A while.." Shane reaches up for my dreads as i fall gently into him.. "Don't give up.. Please don't give up…"

He flops to one side.. As he begins to fade.. "Shane… Please.."

"Ghardeh… Just… Smile… Let.. Me see that… Smile…"

I slowly look at him to find he is pale but smiling.. "We've had a fantastic.. Life.. Haven't we..?"

I nod.. "It has been… Unforgettable."

He looks at Uz who has dropped his posture.. "Uz.. Keep Danny on the straight and narrow while I'm gone.. Ah.. Keep on.. With.. Those fist bumps..?"

"Sei-i mei'hswei.. By your honour.."

He slowly fists his chest and takes Shanes shoulder putting his head to his..

Shane shifts.. "Osh… keep the peace while I'm gone….make sure.. Uz has no…fff.. No more dinner.. Fights.."

He approaches Shane as Danny runs beside Nina.. "Sei-i mei'hswei…" He touches Shanes head and fists his chest gently.

"Neens.. Keep everyone.. Safe.. While… While I'm… Gone… Keep those two lovely blue yautja safe.. Sorry.. I cou.. Couldn't meet you.. In… Better.. Circumstances…" She nods and gently hugs him sobbing.. She backs off.. "Danny.. You… You have.. A very.. Important role…..I.. I trust this only to you.. Keep the family… Happy.. With your… Bad jokes…" He smiles and hugs him.. "Tell some to the big man upstairs.."

"Ghardeh…."

I approach.. "Yes Shane..?"

"I've loved every second with you.. You gave me… my life… back.." He says forcefully.. He lets out a wheeze as his body.. Slowly gives in..

"Ghardeh…. I think… This is… The end of the… The.. Line… Dar... Da.." He falls silent.. His face.. Blank… His eyes slowly dilate..

Silence takes me.. It takes us all..

I keep shakingly trying to free him..

I manage to break the concrete behind and remove the rebar..

I hold him tight.. A semblance of hope that he might wake..

He does no such thing.

Death has claimed him…

Author note: And after everything.. Many will fall but few remain.

The family has lost Shane but their journey is still not complete. Ghardeh has lost yet another mate to a monster. Only time will tell if she has the will to carry on with Nina and co.. Find out in the next chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger... Forgive me!

Yautja words:

Sei-i- Yes.

Mei'hswei- Brother.