30
"No! No way!"
"Um..." KJ checked the chart at the PFA central. "Yeah, Guild Proper's been snooping around near the old Remington Hotel. What's the problem? They already know we're here, what's the difference- Hey!"
Rhiem suddenly dashed through the sewer complex, past several startled PFA officers, who shouted their injustice at him; KJ in pursuit.
"Rhiem, what's the deal?" KJ called out. "Why-"
"Where's the fastest way back?"
"Well, there's a ammo supply going to be sent out on the old military monorail in a minute, why do you need to- Hey!"
Rhiem took off again in the opposite direction, his boots slapping loudly against the wet floor, towards a ladder. He gripped the bar hard with one hand, and launched himself up the chute. He wasted no time with the manhole, simply ramming the lid upwards into the open air.
Rhiem pulled himself onto the concrete street, and took off sprinting towards the station.
"Rhiem, wait up!" KJ came up just as the manhole lid came clattering down only a half-foot away from the boy's head. "Jesus!"
Rhiem bolted through the old monorail station, once a military transport depot, now a derelict shelter for vermin and mold. Just as he came in to the loading bay, the only monorail car in the station started moving. The car was in poor shape, being haphazardly patched in places by the PFA with various salvage from the area, making it look like the Frankenstein of trains.
Rhiem sprinted as fast as he could to the retreating cars- the doors were already a blur if he didn't follow the cars with his eyes- and leaped up, grabbing a handle with one hand. he misjudged his footing, and slipped for a second-
'Hey!" KJ came up right behind him and shoved Rhiem back onto car, sliding open the door and slipping in.
Rhiem rolled in just as the edge of a very closely placed warning sign struck him off the train.
"Je-sus, you are a crazy man." KJ laughed. "What the hell were you thinking? There's another track coming around in ten minutes."
Rhiem sighed, and leaned back against the wall, letting the rattling massage his tense back.
"I got people back there. Friends." He laughed to himself. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
KJ, sitting in the other corner of the dark car, shook his head, and then shrugged.
Whatever, I'm open, he meant.
Rhiem told KJ all about his companions in the hotel. His escape from the Rangesse Firebase. His travels to the village of Ootya. His confrontations with bat-shit snipers, armored wyvoids, howling dragon machines, and even a robot with a welding mask. KJs eyebrows traveled higher and higher as he spoke of comatose girls with silver hair, pop celebrities with their assistants, and stupid idiots killing their crazy wyvoid-driving captains with only a gun and semtex. He finally came to where he met the most interesting logistics truck-driver in Rubina when KJ stopped him.
"Wait, you met Tiana?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what's she like?"
"She used to be weird, but not anymore. Not after she lost Noa."
"Noa?" KJ leaned forwards.
"Yeah, he was my friend. We only met for a day, but-" Rhiem hung his head down. His uncut hair shadeded his eyes until they were nothing but black holes. "I failed him."
The two kids sat there, as an awkward silence slowly crept in the cabin.
"So," Rhiem gestured at KJ's powder packs. "How do those work? Is it hard to use?"
"These? Nah. Just mix'em and boom!"
"Should you we keeping those so close together all them time?"
"Well, I try and keep them away from wind and candles and stuff." KJ smiled a bit to himself. "An old Sinoan coot taught me that move. Called it, 'The Dragon's Breath', or some shit like that. Lungkoufung, he called it..." KJ laughed to himself. "I never got that old fart's name. And he never bothered me for mine. He lived in my apartment block before Archeria attacked. Taught me that so many years ago at the Sinoan new year. My mom freaked. Then... he disappeared right before the Archies came."
"...Hey, when do we get there?"
"I..." KJ frowned. "Dunno. We'll have to go up to the monorail tract pilot. He won't like us hitching a ride... but he won't kick us off."
He got up, and opened the connecting door to the next cab. A fresh batch of wind and light punched out at them, as the connecting rubber had long since been cannibalized by the PFA for various purposes. Now, a mere four feet of open air was between their car and the next.
Rhiem could hear the constant clack-clack of the railway on cheap tracks sharp in his ears, and the rush of open air on his face.
KJ turned back to Rhiem, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tell Kaejun I love her if I don't make this."
He took a small leap, and latched onto the next doorway with both hands and feet. Carefully, he slid open the door, and slipped in. He turned back, and waved Rhiem on.
Rhiem took a small breath, and jumped. He could see the open city of Dasiokas for a split second- destroyed buildings and monorail tracks criss-crossing the districts, most of them long broken.
And two small aqueducts, ran along either side of the track, gurgled water along with the train.
Rhiem landed on the wood floor, this time the car was populated with crates of ammo and explosives, no doubt for the PFA's war efforts.
KJ was already up at the next car, leaping over to the next doorway and pulling it open.
Rhiem soon followed, jogging to catch up.
KJ was almost at the driver's door, until Rhiem stopped him.
"KJ, what's with the water coming in at the side?"
"Huh?" KJ shrugged. "I dunno. It just started coming in yesterday. We think maybe Proper's trying to float bombs down the line or something."
Rhiem closed his eyes. Water... the water tower! What would they need water for?
He opened his eyes again.
The Lugus Amphibious Drone. Guild Proper had...
"KJ! The Lugus! That's why Guild Proper pumped water into the duct!"
Kj's eyes went from confused, to the wide eyed face that comes when a dreaded realization hits.
"Oh shit." He turned, and threw open the driver's door.
The Driver, a fat balding man with frizzled hair and horned glasses, turned in shock.
"KJ! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Old man! Look out for the duct! Guild Proper might send their lugus outta there!"
"Guild-Lugus-" The man did not have time to finish his thought, as the loud splintering sound of wood and metal being broken apart rent the air.
KJ slid open the door.
A half-dozen lugus drones stared back at them, with their curious dog-like crocodile faces. Behind each, the open hole of the wall where they broke through. A couple were tearing opening the ammo crates, while one of them yelped.
KJ closed the door.
"Let'em come," He growled, digging his hands into his power pouches. "I'll roast'em."
"Hey, KJ!" The Driver yelled. "Don't do that Sinoan shit around the ammo crates! You'll set them off!"
KJ stared at the Driver, dumbfounded at suddenly becoming useless. The door to the driver's cab shuddered with a tremendous hit.
"What?" He said, as Rhiem slid open the nearly broken door, and drew his Vicious Tigress. As soon as the lugus poked it's head through the door, Rhiem jabbed the machete deep into the head, and tore down, sending a small shower of metal bits and wires into the air.
Rhiem pulled the door wider, and drew his gun at the dog-like machines.
He almost pulled the trigger- but then pulled it back.
"Hey! Kid!" The Driver yelled, as the loud KLAM! from his gun sounded another lugus' death, "What do you think you're doing? Shoot!"
He couldn't- the explosion could set off the crates!
"Shit!" Rhiem hissed. He brought the machete attachment right on a charging lugus, just as another lugus tore onto his foot. "God- Goddamnit!" He swung his shield arm down; the edge of the metal plate smashed a dent straight into the forehead of the crocodile dog.
"Rhiem," KJ yelled, a lugus snapping at his face, " Toss me that axe!"
Rhiem spun the tomahawk into KJ's hand, who promptly carved off his attacker's metal face.
"KJ!, Let's move to the top!" Rhiem stepped out of a hole that, turning to grab the rooftop and pulling himself up.
"Oh," the Driver muttered, firing off another shot. "Thanks, kids. Leave an old man by himself."
The wind rushed up against Rhiem on the roof of the monorail. Or, he thought, they were rushing up against the wind. Wind hardly ever blew in our world anymore.
KJ grunted, tossing one leg up on roof, and flopping himself onto the edge.
"You are a crazy man." He muttered.
"You can fight here, stop whining."
Rhiem looked out at the aqueduct. The water was flowing quickly with them, the monorail train barely rumbling past the water that frothed and spat along both sides of the rail.
Up ahead, he saw several more dark shapes weaving at incredible speeds up to the train.
He took careful aim at the shapes, and slammed several magnum-crags into the shapes. The shapes squirmed in the water, and then exploded. For an instant, four water spouts thundered in the air, leaving broken pieces of machine behind.
"Did we get them?" KJ looked out at the waters. "I don't see anything.
The clack-clack of the rail went past his words, carrying them away.
Rhiem looked out, and saw the upcoming rail came around a bend, which looped around the very water tower that he had been on the day before. The steel monolith towered over them, casting an intimidating shadow onto the train.
And on it, a small green light. As the train reached the half-way point around the water tower, it turned red.
"Wha?"
BOOM!
The water tower thundered.
KAM!
It bent. Outwards.
"KJ! Get Ready!"
KRAAKAM! The steel exploded outwards, looking freakishly like a swollen pimple that burst. Out the steel lump, came something large. And angry. And green. It spun through the air and landed on all its four feet on the train. Its metal feet sank into the creaking metal floor and its huge yellow mane waved in the air.
It was completely made of some spongy material- Rhiem knew it was extremely tough, through either the bias experience or through gut feeling...
It had the same crocodile face, but the proud mane of a lion wrapped all around it's crown. The powerful tail waved with the wind, and water rolled off its jaw like drool.
The Royal Lugus. Pride of the waters.
31
"GRAAAH!"
The Royal Lugus hopped a single step, and then rocketed itself on an explosion of water. It's maw was open wide, and legs were tucked behind it's huge, flowing mane. Hidden behind the mane shone the glint of water compression jets, erupting ton after ton of water across the train roof.
It seemed to hover for a second, and then shifted so fast forwards the air blurred.
'Shit!" Rhiem hit the the deck; the huge machine barely missed his form, the jets soaking him in dirty water.
He rolled over and aimed down his sights. The huge mech landed, and twisted around inside his iron sight.
"Bastard." he muttered.
The gun cracked it's retort, and three magnum slugs buried themselves into the Royal Lugus' proud mane. It paused for a second, and then seemed to shrink into itself.
GRAAA-AAAAH!
Water shot out of it's every pore in body. And with it, the three slugs. They exploded just around the lugus in a ring, in three spheres of water. It fixed Rhiem with it's mechanical stare. Slowly, all of it's hidden jets rose from inside it's mane, all locked onto Rhiem and KJ.
Rhiem felt as if he was staring down a firing squad.
"Shit."
Riu peeked around the corner, hair aflutter in the dead wind. Before her, the huge dome of the amphitheatre. Between her and the huge dome was the flat stretch of a couple government parking lots, and a dead hedge.
"You said Rhiem was scouting here?"
Tiana nodded slightly, before glancing nervously over her shoulder.
Riu pat Tiana once, and then dashed across the parking lot. She made it to a rusted jeep, and crouched behind it. She gave a nod to Tiana, and then cut across another stretch, Tiana right behind. The two crossed the empty parking lot, over the hedge, and hopped a fence.
Far above, the female Guild Shadow should have seen almost nothing. The flash of silver hair, maybe a few shifting shadows, but nothing.
Yet what she saw was two furious, neon-red figures pulsate and shiver in the darkness. They quivered in the night, and then slipped into the ampitheatre.
"Got you." She whispered. She packed away her gun, and slipped out of her room, and down a flight of stairs.
She licked her lips in anticipation; her fingers tingled with helpless excitement. She could barely hold the stair rail.
She sighed. She really need to get laid.
Riu looked about the ampitheatre, for any sign of Rhiem. The area was completely circular, with row after row of seats surrounding the stage. Light shone in pillars down the open space, with one huge pool of light in the center, and in the center, a hole blown up in the stage. leading down to the sewer.
"Do you see-?" Riu stopped. Stopped by the scared look on Tiana's face.
Riu turned back.
A single figure stood in on the stage. She was partially covered by her ghillie suit, but the woman wore it like a robe. A ghillie-covered M21 suppressed hung from her gentle hands, and a curved smile hung from her cool face.
"...Hello, dears." She looked up. "I... I'm Desiräe. It's very good to meet you." She smiled a true, genuine smile, and the sunlight reflected prettily off her face.
For a second she looked so innocent-
"Let's play something fun."
"Who are you?" Tiana yelled out fearfully, "How-How'd you get here-?"
Desiräe ground her teeth in mock annoyance.
"Tsk."
Tsuu!
Tiana lurched forwards, a look of pure surprise on her face. Blood pooled onto her shirt, right around her left breast.
"Wait for me to finish, bitch." Desiräe lowered her gun.
"Uh-"
She hit the ground with a soft thump.
"Ah-ANAA!" Riu screamed. "TIANAA!" She pulled Tiana over, Tiana was breathing hard, eyes clenched shut and her teeth grinding together in pain. Blood drenched her shirt; it clung to Tiana like a straitjacket.
"Tiana, Tiana, speak, come on!"
She shuddered, and lay still.
"Ana?"
'Hey! I'm not finished with you yet." Desiräe tapped her M21 impatiently on the ground. "We haven't even started."
Riu stood stock still, a hundred yards away.
"Hey! You listening?" Desiräe drew her M21. "You hear-"
Flam!
The end of the suppressor on the M21 clattered to the ground. Desiräe let out a low whistle.
Riu lowered her AG saber.
She was a mess of emotions now. She felt something dark, deep inside of her that she never felt before. Rage. Every time her heart willed out fury, her brain suppressed it, like a tied rope.
But why?
Why not?
Why not get angry?
Why not.
"Hey!" Desiräe raised her M21. "Wake up, girl!"
She fired one shot at Riu's chest.
Riu looked up, slowly. She saw the muzzle flash. Then the glint of the bullet as it passed through light.
The bullet slowed more and more the nearer it got to her.
She simply reached out and grabbed it. Or something did. Five feet away from her, the bullet suddenly stopped, frozen in mid-air. She could see the huge, four inch long slug hovering in mid-air. All around it, the whole world shifted and shimmered.
She lifted her hand back, or that was the closest the sensation felt like. Like a third hand inside her brain. Except the end of this hand was tipped with one, huge, shimmering shield.
Desiräe gaped; her mouth slowly formed into a disbelieving smile.
"Heh," She pulled over her ghillie hood. "Guess I'll have to get serious."
She slipped back into the shade, completely disappearing from view.
Riu stood, stock still at the top of the amphitheatre stairs.
Hidden in the shadows, Desiräe smiled. She flicked a switch.
On the other side of the stadium, a small light flickered.
Instantly, Riu spun and slashed at it with her sword. The huge divide of shimmering cut the light perfectly in half.
Along with the entire 14th row. Chair after chair simply slid off it's mounting, a smooth cut in the steel support.
"Where are you?" Riu growled. "Come out where I can get to you."
Desiräe smiled. No way.
She fired again; a deafening KLAM, ran over the echos of Riu's voice, rang out.
Riu's head snapped back, and Desiräe smiled.
Riu's head lolled around, and faced straight at Desiräe's hiding hole.
The bullet hovered in front of Riu's face, suspended on a shield of shimmers. Riu's teeth were clenched, with a small gap open. Her eyes were wide, and crazy.
Her mouth opened, and the bullet dropped. She spun, AG saber flickering in the light. Three huge canyons carved themselves into the amphitheatre seats.
Desiräe turned around, scared. But with a every notch of scared she was, she was twice as much excited.
"Not even Htu is this good." She muttered to herself. "Excellent." She screwed off the sliced suppressor, and clipped onto it a rocket-propelled grenade.
And reaching behind her, she grabbed two more sniper rifles. On them, grappling hooks.
She fired one grappling hook past Riu, sending the dart crunching five feet to the left of Riu. She glanced at it, and then shrugged. Anything to get her out in the open.
Desiräe's grappling line retracted, sending her flying at Riu. Halfway through, she fired the other sniper line, and let go of the first. She drew the RPG sniper just as she swung at Riu.
"Heh"
The warhead flew in a spiral at Riu, straight at her chest.
Riu looked up, and then was swallowed up by a huge fireball.
And then nothing.