Good news everyone! LoT has officially been around for more than two months now! To celebrate, I am opening a new poll! A question will be added every time I update LoT or any of my other stories (For which I have many planned), And I expect much more than two people to vote in this one! You have all disapointed me with that one. Shame on you! D:

Chapter 9: Escape and aftermath

An explosion rumbled through the underground base, destroying important equipment and weakening the structure of the building. Several steam and water vents burst as the flames heated them. The explosives had been arranged so that they would cause numerous secondary explosions throughout the facility, causing untold havoc. Walls too close to the centre of the blasts were leveled, and cave-ins were heard all throughout the base. These guys had on hell of a good demolitions expert. Scary stuff.

Kengou threw the detonator away, laughing maniacally. I braced myself against a wall as another explosion rippled through the building, blasting the wall opposite me into pieces. A large shard almost managed to impale itself into my right eye. Almost. Kengou had disappeared behind a thick wall of steam. The laughter didn't stop.

"Do you hear them? The pearly bells of destruction? They call your name, friend. Do not keep them waiting." The words sent chills down my spine. I considered snapping him like the twig he was, but something stopped me. Maybe it was my subconscious saying that using telekinesis on something you can't see is dangerous. Maybe it was something else. His voice took a much less serious note to it. "In about twenty minutes, delayed explosives are going to knock out the generator of this complex. When they go off, they will detonate the nuclear core for the generator, leveling this base. You had better leave before then."

The steam cleared, revealing the swordsman. He had drawn his second sword, holding each in a backhand grip. He had his arms raised above his head, straight up, while he seemed to be searching the ceiling for something. He still had the manic grin on his face. "But nothing is ever that easy."

The warning barely registered before the attack was launched. I ducked to the side as the twin Japanese swords slammed into the wall where I had just been standing. The blades sliced two identical gashes into the tough metal. I had no doubt that it could do the same to me. A most unfamiliar sensation washed over me.

The knowledge that this person had even the slimmest chance of killing me, that I may not be able to walk away from this battle, did not scare me. I was almost excited, giddy with anticipation of an actual fight. An adrenaline rush doesn't even come close to describing the feeling. A large grin spread over my face.

The next attack was a scissor, both blades crossing. I dodged backward, avoiding the smaller sword but receiving a small cut from the longer one. I resisted the urge to scream. The thing hurt like hell! The tip of the blade came away bloody, causing another round of laughter to leave the crazed swordsman's mouth.

The laughter soon got on my nerves. "Just shut up!" Unfortunately, my outburst was accompanied by a burst of psionic energy. The offending mouth slammed shut, as if muzzled. The man's eyes widened, but then the grin intensified. He tossed the shorter wakizashi into the air; and in one fluid motion, drew and threw a throwing knife, before catching his airborne sword.

Dodging the flying knife forced me to drop my concentration, and the restraints around Kengou's mouth were released. His laughter returned. "Now now, you don't have to restrict my free speech. That's just wrong." Another blow, parallel to the floor. "Fighting is about respect." Another blow, perpendicular to the floor. "You could at least have the decency to ask me to stop!" Another two slashes, diagonal. None of the four attacks hit me, but I still felt a wound on my front. I looked to see an asterisk shape carved into my chest.

The man was smirking, his eyes seeming to have lost their manic look. "You will find that I am many different people. Each with different techniques and abilities. I am a much harder foe to defeat than any you have ever faced before. Remember that." I flexed my arms. "So smug, but for how long?"

I dodged another slice to the head, jumping out of the way a millisecond before the sword hit. I could feel my power rising, threatening to release itself. Shrugging, I let loose a barrage of ice spikes. Thrust into the defensive, Kengou had a momentary lapse in concentration, resulting in a cut along his shoulder. He sliced the other shards to pieces.

I could feel my body heating up, and I could see arcs of electricity traveling along my body. My abilities were manifesting themselves unwarranted. They were taking control. I had to end this before they managed that.

I picked up the errant swordsman with my psionic power, throwing him down the hall. I heard a clang as he hit the far wall. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, several shiny objects in the steam. Too late, I realized that they were throwing knives. Three of them managed to hit me, twice on the left flank and once on the right front leg. My eyes watered at the impact, it felt as if I was being burned alive.

I growled, sending an overly-large fireball down the hall. "Enough of this!" I spun, running down the hallway. Several more explosions rippled through the building, causing more and more steam pipes to burst. Visibility was low, very low, so I resorted to psychic vision enhancements to see. Therefore, I was not surprised to run into Ethan.

"Tal? Is that you?" Rolling my eyes, I did what I should have done in the first place and blasted the steam out of the way. "Yes. Now, did you find an exit?" He nodded. "Silver and the others are waiting for us. We found a way to the surface. Why?" An explosion sounded in the background. "Imagine that, only a thousand times larger." Ethan's eyes widened. "Ya, uh, lets leave now…"

*Outside*

"Run! Now!" Ethan yelled over the increasingly large explosions, moments away from a total nuclear meltdown. Trust humans to use the deadliest form of power when free electricity is right around the corner. Turning back, I sealed the hole behind us. No one else would follow us. The four horsemen were doomed.

My internal clock was ticking down to fast, less than two minutes left before the reactor exploded. Kengou's words flashed back into my mind. 'In about twenty minutes…' My eyes widened. We weren't going to make it. "Faster!" We were off the mountain, heading onto the desert plains around the base. Time seemed to slow. I spun around, unconsciously creating a shield around the group, as the delayed explosives activate.

The entire world seemed to shake as the reactor went critical, a huge cloud of light blasted out of every hole and crack in the mountain. There was a thunderous boom, a scorching heat, and the entire mountain blasted outwards. Rocks fell over us, bouncing off the shield I had created. Fires lit up the world, burning around the massive crater the explosion had created. In the sky, a giant green mushroom cloud of fire.

We had made it after all.

*Monolog time!*

We had won. A small victory, but a victory non the less. The base, in smoky ruins, had been completely purged of any computational data it had contained. Quattuor equitatus had been wiped out.

The victory was bitter-sweet. While one Infinus base had been destroyed, many others littered the world. Too many for me or any of my friends to destroy. We had to either split up or ignore them. Either way, Infinus soldiers would be actively seeking us out. Or lives would not be peaceful again for a long time.

In the end, we sent Silver to Hoenn, and Phoenix to Sinnoh. I would remain in Johto, while Ethan went to Kanto. Null chose to go with Phoenix, while Rose went with Ethan. Hazle remained with me.

Ethan released all but one of his Pokémon. He kept Ronin, who was too lazy to fly long distances. Silver had long ago done the same, only keeping his Typhlosion. After his last battle against Ethan, he had smashed the ball, allowing Mina to follow him willingly, or leave.

Every now and then, Ethan would report sighting soldiers in blue armour, but he never managed to track down any bases. Silver and I had the same problem. Only Phoenix managed to find anything, but the base was abandoned long before he reached it.

The world, nearing crisis mode, was shocked about the nuclear explosion, and blamed it on an extremist cult. None of us felt the need to correct them. Several research crews were dispatched to the crater to find out what had happened, but no one managed to find the whole truth. The fact that the metal in the base had been vaporized simply raised more questions.

As the fallout began to contaminate large portions of the world, many people were killed. Several more were contaminated. The Pokémon population dropped drastically, and many of the survivors were sick. Some mutated, others passed away from the effects of the radiation.

After many false leads, I decided to return to EVE to report a mission failure. I had been gone for nearly six months, and many believed that my team had been killed. With Null and Ritch gone, nobody was willing to send more to finish the mission.

I was passed out of the Academy, having learned everything they could teach me and more in the field, and I was given to the militia as a 'gift'. In the end, they retired me after only a few weeks.

I lived quietly, peacefully for five years, living off the land. Few bothered me. Until, a catastrophe struck the nation.

All out war. The very thought seemed to lighten my step, which was more than enough to worry me. Either I was becoming as sadistic as those who had used me, or simply the idea of anyone challenging me was so ridiculous it was bordering on humorous. I suppose I'm getting off track here, ranting about myself.

Despite the relative peace surrounding us, EVE was a major target to many Pokémon nations. The bugs, who I had largely defeated many years prior, had re-established their army. The electric nation had resorted to a form of propaganda. This caused a boom in the militia of surrounding nations, bringing the chance of full scale war to the highest it had been in years. Eventually, as all things do, the mere crisis boiled over, reforming into a disaster.

But, unknown by the other nations, EVE had a secret weapon. Me. I would have preferred to be left out of the war, or at the very least had my presence revealed before everything went to hell, but you can't get everything you want.

In the end, EVE resorted to guerilla style tactics. They ambushed and destroyed small assault groups, overwhelming them. Anything to large for the standard militia to handle was passed along to me. I would wipe the attackers out, leaving no one to reveal my presence to the enemy. These tactics would only work for so long. Eventually, real battles would take place. And EVE would crumble under the weight of so many.

In an effort to end the war, I was sent to various nations to negotiate peace. Should negotiations break down, I would 'remove' a member of the chain of command. Over time, this slowed enemy advancements into our territory. Troop movements became sloppy, making even large groups targets for the guerillas.

We never managed to negotiate a surrender, despite the losses the other nations were facing. EVE's population remained largely unchanged. Casualty counts on all other sides were climbing drastically, resulting in many nations relying on conscription to fuel their ranks. This, of course, caused a major disruption to my moral compass. Killing trained soldiers was one thing. Killing civilians was another. I made it clear that I would not harm civilians in any way. The higher ups agreed with this decision.

The war continued, longer and longer. I was starting to feel very tired, as if I was losing the will to fight. My reaction time slowed involuntarily. Eventually, my body stopped fighting. The war had gone on too long.

*Back to real time*

My eyes fluttered open, close to sightless. Everything was blurry, out of focus. Either I had gone a little bit overboard on the drinks last night, or my vision was the next target of my overloaded body. I rolled my eyes, and everything lit up. Blue lines outlined every object around me, and many objects behind closed doors and walls. I smiled as my psychic abilities lit up the darkness, so to speak. The things I can do with my mind often astound even me.

My stomach growled, interrupting my thoughts. Hunger, unfortunately, had a habit of attacking me when I woke up. Shrugging off the feeling, I went in search of food. As usual, Hazle had left me breakfast.

The two of us had been living together since we returned from our mission, sharing a small cave near the EVE command center. She worked as a scout in her spare time, but she was more often working as a cook for the militia. She made a mean Sitrus soup.

Our schedules were vastly different, with her getting up early to make hundreds of breakfasts, while I was allowed to sleep in as late as I wanted. We generally only saw each other late at night, when she was returning from whatever duty she had that day.

As I ate, my eyes roamed across the room, taking in the details I had seen to many times before. My life was getting boring. My eyes, as always, locked onto the small egg in the corner of the room. My egg. The thought brought a smile to my lips, however faint. I was going to be a father soon.

At the risk of sounding clichéd, the egg wasn't exactly 'our fault'. EVE, a short while ago, had given a command to all couples in the nation to procreate, just in case a massive attack should damage our overall population. I have to admit, the plan was sound. But that doesn't mean it was something we would have done on our own.

Finishing the last of my food, I walked over to the egg. As I did every day, I pressed my forehead lightly onto its surface, scanning around mentally for the budding mind I knew it contained. As usual, I found nothing. Either the egg was dead, or my mind wasn't the knife it used to be. I was afraid to admit either.

Shaking my head, I left the now cramped cave, venturing into the sunlight. As usual, the light was temporarily blinding. My vision returned, and I looked around at the tall grass and hills that surrounded my home. The breeze wafted through the green grasses and yellow plants. This place was truly worth preserving. And the war would scar it forever.

Almost immediately after leaving the cave, I felt that something was wrong. I felt something, deep in the wilderness. A powerful presence. And near it, a presence I had not felt for five years.

I ran over the lip of a small hill, using the grass to mask my movements. Up ahead, I could see a green and white shape, standing tall among the waving plants. There was a flash of blue, and the shape staggered, falling backwards. Behind it, a blue Gallade.

Ethan smiled, changing back into his human form. A red shape materialized behind him, winking conspiratorially at me. "Rose, Ethan," I said. "Why are you here?" His eyes darkened. "I think we better take this inside."

*OC time!*

"Tango 31, Tango 58, status?" A grin. "This is Tango 31, I'm ready for drop." A hoot. "This is Tango 58, prepped for drop." A crackle over the comm. "Alright, begin mission in 3." A clank as the gun eats the mag. "2" A metallic grating as the rear door begins to open. "1" The door booms as it stops, down as far as it will go. "0. Begin mission!"

We run to the end of the ramp. We jump, hand flat against our sides. We fall, head first, to the ground far below. After a moment of falling, we cross our arms over our chests. After another moment, we pull the twin parachute cords. The massive sheets flair out behind us, open in an instant. We jolt backwards, stars in our eyes. And we land softly, discarding our 'chutes and rolling away. All in a days work.

I roll lightly to my feet, pulling off my blue helmet and letting my long, raven hair flow free. Jack, behind me, does the same. His short, blond hair frames his face well, matching his deep yellowish eyes. A smile, a nod. We raise our weapons, and move out.

Our first opponent, a soldier in black armour, charges around a corner. I kick him in the stomach; Jack shoots him in the face. The blinding flash and roar of the gunfire exhilarate us. I nod at my partner, we move on. All in a days work.

I draw my knife, he draws his. We move in concert, trained to be one. We round a corner, weapons ready, and, finding nothing, move on. The mission is all that matters. We do not talk during the mission. We do not hesitate during the mission. That is our way. We are the miles militis of veneration.

I hear a clank. I spin, only to be tackled to the ground by a Luxray. It lands on me, going for my neck. I roll, knocking it off. I jump to my feet, bringing my gun down with one hand, while the other grasps my knife. I press the weapons to the Pokémon's temple and throat, fully prepared to finish it. Something stops me, so I instead bash it into unconsciousness. We move on.

I replace my helmet, locking it into place with a flick of my wrist. Targeting data floods onto my HUD, momentarily disorienting me. A picture of the target flashes on screen. A young male with red hair. Memorizing his features, his deep red eyes, his haughty bearing. With a smile, I tear off the helmet, clipping it to the back of my armour.

With a nod towards Jack, I move on. He follows. We round a corner, safeties off, and find a bizarre scene. A larger squad of blue armoured figures standing before us. Their armour was a darker hue than my own, and a strange symbol adorned their shoulders. And they were getting slaughtered.

Five of the soldiers were slumped over, leaning on makeshift barricades. From where we were, I could see gashes all over them. It wasn't hard to see that they were dead. And the thirteen men still standing were spinning around randomly, searching for someone.

There was a flash of light, a screech of metal on metal, and a roar of gunfire. I dropped down onto my stomach, and saw another two soldiers fall. From the looks of it, their throats had been slashed. The remaining soldiers began firing into every corner of the street, going completely trigger crazy.

I heard another screech, and spun. One of the soldiers had what appeared to be a sword stuck though him, but there was nothing behind him. The sword was only visible because of the blood that coated the blade. One of the soldiers spun, tossing a brick-like object towards the impaled man.

The result was instantaneous. A man clothed in silver and white armour appeared, holding the sword impaled into the soldier. A helmet obscured his face. He kicked the soldier off of his sword, flourishing it elaborately. I could imagine the sneer on his face.

Looking harder, I saw another sword strapped behind the man's waist, along with several throwing knives on his belt. My eyes narrowed, and I rose into a half crouch. Why were the soldiers simply standing and watching? The moment I thought that, he moved.

He moved at impossible speeds, slicing one of the soldiers' necks. He seemed to blur out of existence, he went so fast. The soldiers, remembering themselves, started to fire in his direction. The sword came around, twirling, leaving an after-image as it deflected the bullets. The man was crouched, facing away from the soldiers. Such a feat was incredible.

There was a peal of dark, manic laughter. The man, still deflecting bullets behind his back, reached up. He grasped the bottom of his helmet, and there was a squeal of compressed air escaping. The helmet flew off, followed by a white gas that quickly dispersed into the air.

Before I could get a good look at his face, he sprang back onto the attack. The soldiers, dazed by the cloud of what appeared to be stun gas, made no move to stop the man in silver as he darted around, slicing them to bits. It was over in seconds.

All the soldiers were collapsed, bleeding. The man in silver was standing there, in the middle of the field of corpses, laughing. He ran his bloody sword along his forearm, cleaning it. The blade had a faint red tint. His hair was brown.

Brown tipped with black.

Sorry about extroing and re-introing the same character in the same chapter, but hey, beggers can't be choosers. This new character, who I am asking YOU to name, is designed to mimic Emma from my Halo fanfiction. Obviously, that name is OUT OF THE QUESTION! Just send me a message or review telling me what you want to name her. UPDATE: Since noone has even tried, I have shut that down. She Is now named Alice, after Alice from the Resident evil movies.

I have a new story out, which follows LoT's storyline. Check out Lynx Academy, and GIVE ME FEEDBACK!

In other news, Halo NG is officially CANCELLED! You now what that means! Far more updates for LoT in the future! Fans, rejoice!

I have patented Silver and Ethan's shapeshifting ability! They are now known as 'Modlings'. I will state, however, that the idea of changelings as a whole DID NOT START WITH ME. In general, changelings in and of themselves are only capable of two forms. My Modlings can change into whatever Pokemon form they want.

That's all for today, so WEAPON is OUT!