These Black Eyes Chapter 113: Angel Spear Four part 4, a teen titans fanfic

113. Angel Spear Four part 4

T-Minus: Three Hours, fifty-nine minutes.

Location: Plain of Flight - Canyon Side

Tamaranians around us shriek.

Lobo's entire body tenses.

Koriand'r covers her little head and squints her eyes shut.

I pant, wincing.

I glance up.

Katma Tui is the only one of us not crouching from the ion cannon blast.

She stands up tall with her right hand stretched violently upwards.

And she is panting.

A green shield fades around us, revealing a huge crater formed around the blast zone. The rock and smoke is literally smoking on either side of our huddled mass.

"That's just the first volley...," Katma Tui exhales. "They've spotted us and zeroed in their cannons on this location."

"Heh...Sniper with a lightning bolt," Lobo grins.

I squint through my helmet's visor.

A pulse of light blinks beyond the dome of the hazy atmosphere.

"T'hal Threattum!!" an escapee shouts.

"Here it comes!!" Katma exclaims. She points directly behind us. "To the forest line!! Hurry!!"

"That's a little bit in the.....uh......nuke loogey zone, don't ya think?!?!" Lobo remarks, scratching his head.

"I should have just enough power left in my ring to shield us till we get to the forest!!"

"Then what?!?! You think they're afraid to nuke trees?!?!"

"Just go!!" Katma shouts and starts to glow her ring brighter. "They won't see us in the trees!! They're not about to waste precious ion charges on pot shots!!!"

The bolt of destruction from the sky throttles down at us.

I wince.

"GO!!!!"

"N'mberatta!!"

The Tamaranians start hovering close to the ground in a maddening streak towards the jungles in the distance.

Koriand'r gives us a forlorn glance and joins the mass in its hurried exodus.

Lobo stomps past me.

"Move it or lose it, Squirrel!! Assuming you have some to lose in the first place! HA!"

I frown at him.

SWOOOOOSH!!!

The ground shakes.

I start to sprint.

I look behind me.

Katma soars straight up into the air. She forms a bright ball of green light with her ring, and then shapes it outward like a giant concave spoon.

PHOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

The fiery ion charge impacts her shield.

Fire and bright energy splash about.

The Green Lantern's ring absorbs it all and vomits it back out in something akin to a miniature mushroom cloud.

FLASH!!!!

As a result, Katma falls twenty feet and lands on her rear.

"Oof!!!" She winces, hobbles to her feet by superhuman strength alone, and hovers backwards behind us at a relatively shorter speed.

I take a breath. I look ahead through my shades.

We are almost halfway to the trees. I find it remarkable that none of the Tamaranians are flying up and over into the canopies. Everyone is either running on their feet or hovering low, close to the ground.

"Here comes another!!" Katma pants.

"How about we use some of the slower redheads for a meatshield??"

"Shut the Hell up, Lobo!!" Katma growls. "Don't even joke like that!! These people ARE the data!! We need them alive by the time we get to the Capital!"

"Couldn't we just toss one up into a blast??"

"I swear to god, I am so going to---"

"Six o'clock, sweet cakes."

"What?!?! Son of a—" Katma leaps, hovers, raises her ring, and produces a shield again.

PHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

FLASH!!!!!!!!!!

"NNNGH!!!" Katma barely keeps hovering as she deflects another blast.

I skid to a stop from running and pant. I consider helping her....

"No!! Keep going!!!" Katma shouts.

I bite my lip and continue running.

'Mr. Noir?! I sense fear and panic!! What is going on??'

We're kind of in a hurry to get to the temple with you and the soldiers.

'But you have yet fifteen minutes at least to make it here!!'

And it takes only fifteen seconds for an ion cannon from space to turn us into ashes!!

'GASP!! You can't be serious!!'

"AAAAUGH!!!" Katma raises another shield of green energy.

PHOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

FLASH!!!!!!!

Flaming embers settle all around us as a shockwave breaks through Katma's weakening power ring and forces a dozen of us to collapse to the ground.

I grit my teeth...

This is about as serious as it gets.........

'Oh dear...do please hurry to safety!'

That's our foremost plan, your highness......

I jump back up and blur forward.

I reach the head of the pack with my smoking speed and reach the line of jungle first.

I unsheathe Myrkblade.

CHIIIIIING!!!!

I swing at the line of foliage.

CHUNK!!! SLASH!!!! THWACK!!! CRACK!!!

I bore a hole through.

The first Tamaranian sails through just in time.

"Mekle'm hoka nu!"

I salute back with a weak smile.

The rest of the dozen Tamaranians fly through. Koriand'r included.

I turn and look out at who's left in the Valley of Flight.

My black eyes widen under the visor.

Katma limps on her feet. Her ring sizzles. She lifts her right hand...but the glow is gone. Her eyes widen...no longer green, but rather specks of dark brown. The black and green jumpsuit of the Green Lantern fades away, and in its place is the simple alien garb of dark brown pants and a gray tunic. She bites her lip.

I look up.

She looks up.

Another ion cannon blast is sailing down at her.

PHOOOOOOOOM!!!

She lets out a breath and simply......slumps to her knees.

I blink.

Suddenly...a muscular, pale mercenary is standing over her.

"Lobo?!?!?!" Katma pants.

"Shhhhh," he narrows his red eyes. "You're through with being catcher. I'm putting you in the dugout."

The ion blast sails down.

"Lobo SMASH!!!!" the undead creep rears his fists and literally punches the ion blast back up into the air.

FLASH!!!

I shade my eyes...my lips parting in wonder.

Katma is similarly stunned....until a cold, meaty hand yanks her up by the collar.

"Yaagh!!"

Lobo literally drags her while running towards me and the fresh hole in the line of trees.

"Y-You r-realize th-this d-doesn't ch-change th-the w-way I-I f-feel a-about y-you, r-right?!?!" Katma's voice grumbles, distorted by the bumpy ride.

"Nope....I'm hoping it makes you hate me more," Lobo smirks. "Squirrel! Special delivery!!"

Lobo tosses Katma at me.

My eyes bulge. I sheathe Myrkblade and hold my arms out.

WHUMP!!!

Katma lands awkwardly in my grasp.

She blinks.

I blink.

"This must be some sort of fantasy of yours, eh kid?" she utters.

I simper.

Not really......

"Haul ass!!" Lobo points at me and runs into the forest. "Preferably hers!!"

I look up.

I wince.

A last ion blast sails down at us.

I turn around and sprint into the forest with the powerless Green Lantern in my grasp.

And the blast hits....

PHOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

0
T-Minus: Three Hours, fifty-seven minutes.

Location: Jungle – Outer Rim

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

The ground burns into floating ash.

Trees uproot and fly into oblivion.

A wall of fire and energy discharge trails behind us.

I blur my feet and soar us past the event horizon of the blast.

Branches and leaves and questionable shards of organic matter litter all around like snowfall.

I hop over logs, ditches, and even a Gordanian body or two from a previous battle.

And then everything quiets down...save for the distant thunder of shelling.

I pant and run to a still walk...realizing that I have caught up with Lobo, Koriand'r, and the dozen Tamaranians.

And still...we've all managed to survive.

I let out a sigh of relief.

A beat.

I glance down.

Katma Tui is clutching to me.

Silence...

I clear my throat.

Her eyes open up.

She glances at me...at the others....and then hurriedly jumps down out of my grasp. She brushes herself off, coughs, and swallows before speaking quite authoritatively:

"Well....um.....er....w-we made it through. Yes. Y-Yes we did....and....um.......m-my Green Lantern energy is sucked dry at the moment but....I-I'm sure it'll return in due time and....um....I-I can be of one hundred percent efficient assistance such as before....."

Lobo stifles a chuckle.

A Tamaranian woman or two snickers.

Katma glares.

'Mr. Noir! Captain Tui! D-Did your party make it?!?!'

"Yes, your highness...," Katma rubs her head and sighs. "We're all okay."

'Magnificent! Now you need only track us to the temple!!'

"And where is this 'temple' exactly?" Lobo asks.

We all look at him.

"What?" he shrugs with a helpless smirk. "I'm on the party line too, ya know!"

'I'll guide you to it! There is little time left! You must hurry!'

"Heh...can't be so bad now that we're in the jungle right?" Lobo shrugs.

"Vefera Gord'n thretta y'alla thri!!" one of the escapees points and shouts.

We all look up.

A pair of Gordanian dropships descends through the atmosphere and start to hover above the canopy. Huge doors on the bottom of their hulls slide open.

"Think again....," Katma groans.

I gulp.

"Habbla menablorg fenkaka si corkla di Tam'ran!"

"They're here to finish the job that the ion cannons failed to do...," Katma utters.

"Ever the perfectionists, these snakes," Lobo folds his arms. A beat. He smiles. "I like the Gordanians!"

I kick him in the shins.

"Ow!!! Not you too!!"

'Captain Tui! You are not alone!'

"We know that!!"

'Hurry to the temple!!'

"Knack for the obvious as always."

"Gotta love her for that.

"Shut up and run!!"

"Yes ma'am, Brown Lantern!!"

"......"

Anyways.....we're running. And those of us who are capable of hovering are doing so. I suddenly realize that the anti-air cannons of the dropships and other patrolling Gordanian vessels must make Tamaranian flight a suicidal choice at this point. The jungle literally IS our cover.

I'm in the middle of the hurrying group of escapees at this point. The bulk of the Tamaranians are ahead of me, while a few stragglers are behind me with Lobo and Katma. Without her Green Lantern energy, Katma's still quite an athlete. But her sprinting still can't compare to the low-to-the-ground floating of the Tamaranians or my blurred agility. Thus, she's stuck running back alongside Lobo.....heh.

A pain of worry shudders through me. I quickly look ahead of me. I see the small, floating figure of Koriand'r. Safe in passage.

I sigh with relief....

BLAM!!!!!!

A tree splits in half twenty meters ahead of us from laser fire.

A few Tamaranians gasp and nearly run into each other, frightened by the blast.

I grit my teeth and glance up in mid-run.

The first dropship has more or less spotted us and is unleashing a heated punishment from its laser banks.

BLAM!!! BLAM!!! BLAM!!!!!!!!!

Craters form in the jungle floor. A tree or two fall down. A Tamaranian escapee falls down with a gasp. Another Tamaranian helps him up to his feet and they're fleeing forward again, ducking under tree branches and avoiding falling debris from the sporadic laser bombardment.

"This is too dangerous!!" Katma exhales while sprinting. "Minnae!! Can you hone in on all sixteen of us individually???"

'It may take some concentration, but yes, Captain!'

"Guide us all to the Temple! We're going to split up!"

"Famous last words....it never fails....," Lobo smirks.

Katma glares at him before barking to everyone who can hear above the blasts: "Blagorg'n weddulock nui seratta'm thrui!!"

To my awe, every Tamaranian instantly understands and the whole group splits within a blink. Amber bodies dart every which way through the forest. Everyone fans out...imbued with a homing beacon of sorts in my head. And I can feel it too...the gentle pull of Minnae Metharsia like a soft hand through the ragged and crumbling jungle.

But there is one Tamaranian who is anything but calm and collected, and she seems terribly overwhelmed and confused by the exploding jungle around her. She pants and darts in random, awkward directions...trying to find a solid path through the forest. A glowing aura surrounds her, and she collapses with horror and shrieks as a laser blast sails down at her petite figure.
0

T-Minus: Three Hours, fifty-three minutes.

Location: Jungle – Forested Path

SWOOOOOSH!!!!

I dive in, snatch her, roll, and leap back up to my feet and sail through the forked branch of a short tree as----

BLAM!!!!!!

A hole explodes in the earth from the heated blast. Tree limbs, leaves, and strips of bark litter down all over. I grit my teeth and beat my way through the entire mess. Koriand'r clings to me from under my left arm where I'm holding her.

A rumbling sound lights my ears. I look up, panting. Bright lights glisten against my helmet visor. Koriand'r also looks up and bites her lip.

The gunship hovers directly over us. It's an angular, flying amphibian of dark Gordanian metal. Its thrusters vomit forth light-distorting vapors as it lowers so close to the canopy that the treetops start to smoke. The bottom doors in the hull open wider and bright white puffs of light can be seen from inside. The puffs turn out to be the exhaust from dozens of jetpacks as Gordanian after Gordanian descends down into the jungle, armed with laser staffs.

And a handful of them are coming straight for Koriand'r and I.

I grit my teeth.

I quicken my blurring feet.

"HISSSSS!!!!"

"HRESSSHA!!!!"

Three flying reptiles rocket down and pursue me close to the ground. Laser rifles mercilessly assault me from behind.

ZAP!!! ZAAAAAAP!!! ZAAP!!!!!

I leap, duck, side-step, and dive a couple of times in mid-sprint to avoid the blue blasts which explode in the jungle all around me.

"N'mala v-vorblorg thri!!" Koriand'r stutters.

I gasp and look straight ahead.

A branch is in my way.

I tilt us both back and slide in a limbo-move that barely avoids the wooden appendage brushing past my face.

A pursuing Gordanian isn't so lucky. He slams head-on into the branch and collapses. His two companions hover around the obstruction and take aim again.

ZAP!!! ZAAAAAAP!!!

I unsheathe Myrkblade---CHHHHING!!---and spin the weapon behind me like a fan.

CL-CL-CL-CLANG!!!!

I deflect all the blasts. I see a tree up ahead. I jump, twirl in mid-air with Koriand'r in my grasp, and slash hard across the solid trunk of the tree. SLASH!!!!! I land and sprint ahead as the tree loses its solidity and teeters over. CRUNNNNCH!!!!

"HRESSSSHAA---" THWACK!!! A Gordanian slams hard into trunk, sending splinters flying. The last of the three pursuers soars after me, growling with reptilian drool. He fires.

ZAAAP!!!

The laser blast strikes close to my feet.

I gasp.

I fall forward hard. Before collapsing, I toss Koriand'r high into the air.

Like any good Tamaranian youth, she hovers herself upright in mid air. She twirls about—panting—and floats above my downed figure.

The Gordanian charges directly at her, swinging his sparking staff.

Koriand'r shrieks.

"!!!!!" I vault up with a pulse of murk and collide with the incoming Gordanian's body.

WHAP!!!!

Together, we sail up nearly thirty feet to the top of the jungle canopy. As we touch the leaves, we grapple with whatever limbs we have free and start mercilessly pummeling each other on the long.....way....down....and....

WHUMP!!!!

We land hard on the leaves-covered earth.

I roll one way.

The Gordanian rolls the other.

We both get up at the same time.

Panting...

We charge each other.

Koriand'r covers her green eyes.

WHAM!!!

I elbow the reptile across the chin with a snarl.

He recoils and then springs at me with a knee to my stomach.

WHUMP!!!

I bend over, wheezing.

Hissing, the Gordanian grabs me by the shoulders and tosses me into a nearby tree.

SLAM!!!

I shake my head...dizzy.

The reptile picks up his spear, cracks his neck, and aims at me.

The weapon glows.

I frown and run at him.

He fires.

ZAAP!!!!

SWOOOOSH!! I teleport through the blast...through him...and materialize on the other side.

I reach blindly backwards with two hands, grip his neck, and fling him over me with a silent yell.

WOOOOOSH-WHAM!!! He slams into another tree, causing the bark to crack.

I run over to the middle of the clearing, end in a slide, scoop up Myrkblade, twirl it, and dash back over at the Gordanian just as he gets up and raises his spear.

CLANK!!!

Sparks fly from our impacting weapons.

I press down against him.

He presses up against me.

Struggling....struggling....

He lifts his leg and kicks me back.

WHUMP!!

I stumble backwards.

He hisses and swings hard with his spear.

I duck it.

He lunges at my gut.

I twirl to the side, dodge, and swing hard at his back.

SLASH!!!!

His jetpack shatters and sparks.

He snarls and kicks me in the shin.

I hobble off, wincing.

He twirls his spear, aims, and fires---

ZAAP!!!!

My black eyes twitch as the blinding light consumes my vision---

SWOOOSH—WHUMP!!!

Koriand'r little body safely pushes me out of the way. We both lay on the ground, gasping for air.

The Gordanian jumps down and swings his laser staff at us both.

Koriand'r clutches to me.

I raise Myrkblade with one arm, gritting my teeth.

CLANK!!

I deflect one swing.

CLUNK!!

I deflect another.

As the Gordanian attempts a third jab, I swiftly swing Myrkblade down and at his legs.

THWUMP!!!

He falls to the ground.

I force Koriand'r off me, dash to my feet, and charge the Gordanian.

He gets up---

SLASH!!! CL-CLANK!!!

I hit him hard across the helmet with my sword.

He dizzily grips his head.

WHUMP!!!!

I punch him hard in the gut with my metal fist.

He spits out some blood and wheezes with a foul breath.

I take a breath...and....

THWACK!!!!!

I uppercut him harshly with the blunt side of Myrkblade.

He literally flies up eight feet before falling and landing hard on his rear.

"Jagorgan Gord'n threatta!!"

I spin around.

I grit my teeth.

Two more Gordanians hover down from above the canopy and approach a trembling Koriand'r.

I twirl Myrkblade and blur straight at the scene.

They aim staffs at her cranium.

ZAAAP!!! ZAP!!!!

SWOOOOSH!!!!

I streak through, grabbing Koriand'r with a hooked left arm. I run up the nearest tree, blur up its side, and toss Koriand'r safely into a net of low-hanging vines. I then vault off the tree trunk and backflip with my arms spread out.

"HRESSSHAAAA!!"

ZAAAP!! ZAP!!! ZAAAP!!

Try as they might, the Gordanians fail to hit my figure as I twirl about, sail down like a reverse diver, and land in a squat between the two. I immediately spring up with a spiraling uppercut of my sword that severs one staff in half. CRACK!!

I land on the disarmed Gordanian's back and vault off him, forcing him to plant into the ground.

WHUMP!!

"HRSSSH!!"

I flip, land behind the second Gordanian, and stab in reverse with my sword.

CHUNK!!!!

Myrkblade embeds itself into the reptile's jetpack.

He flails about dramatically as I snarl and spin—flinging the fiend straight into the other as he just starts getting up.

WHUMP!!!

The two collapse on the far side of clearing...out cold.

I let out a sigh.

Then there's a loud rumbling.

"Y'norga Gord'n hemma suut!!" Koriand'r points.

I look up and behind me.

One of the gunships is flying low....sweeping by with laser cannons charging.

I take a breath and dash back up the tree. I snatch the waiting Koriand'r back up and leap off the trunk just as a laser blast sails down from the vessel.
0

T-Minus: Three Hours, forty-eight minutes.

Location: Jungle – Middle Canopy

BLAM!!!!!

The Jungle explodes beneath and behind me.

I sail through the air from my leap.

I sweat under my helmet.

In slow motion, my black eyes peer out from underneath my visor and I can see the turbulent world of Tamaran.

A huge green sea of jungle canopies stretch out for miles before a crystal blue ocean and beyond that a strip of brown yawns with numerous puffs of bright yellow and red light exploding, signaling to me from afar the location of the Capital and its surrounding Battlefront. And stretching majestically above it all is a dome of chaos; green-laden sunset of the Tamaranian world, with specks of darting dreadnoughts and battleships in some galactic ragnorak between the atmosphere and the stars.

And time resumes and the two of us are plummeting back towards the green sea and a trail of exploding laser blasts eat their way up my heels.

BLAM!! BLAM!!! BLAM!!!

I hold my breath.

I position my legs.

I land just right and vault off a tree branch and land and vault off of another and proceed on springing from section of canopy to section of canopy in a hopscotch from Hell.

BLAM!!! BLAM!!!

Tree parts and jungle splinters fly up behind me and trail my streaking form.

Koriand'r trembles in my grasp.

The thrusters of the pursuing gunship rumbled louder and closer and louder and closer.

Bubbles of sweat formed on my skin.

'Mr. Noir!! Why're you trailing behind the others?!?!'

Do you EVER ask questions when I'm not about to get fried?!?!

BLAM!!!

BLAM!!!!!

I gasp and leap just as a tree explodes beneath me.

I'm hard pressed to find a tree branch.

I actually sail down through the canopy.

I stab Myrkblade at the last second and half-slice through a branch.

My body swings around the branch by my sword, and I pull my weapon out on the upswing.

SWOOOSH!!

In such a manner, I sling-shot my body up and out of the canopy and back into the jumping pace of branch-to-branch navigation.

'Mr. Noir! Head due northeast of where you are now!!'

Will that take us to the temple?!?!

'Yes! And more!!'

More???

'Just hurry! Please!! The rest of us have assembled! That is except...'

I have Starfire here.

'Magnificent! Wow...for being so paranoid about the future, you certainly are saving her out of a lot of scrapes---'

Could you get out of my mind for JUST ONE SECOND?!?!?!

BLAM!!!!!!

An explosion of splinters and fire behind me.

I grunt and leap forward.

"Jukuna havutt Tam'ran clee!!" Koriand'r gasps.

I look ahead.

A clearing appears in the jungle canopy below. A dark brown structure of stone stretches up out of the earth where the trees disappear.

The temple....

But before I can dive down there for safety...a thick figure suddenly rises directly in my way. A thick albino figure....

"Hey Squirrel! Out of the trees and heads up, kid!!" Lobo stands atop a tall tree on the clearing's edge and whips out his megapistol. He cocks it and takes aim at my head.

I gasp....until I realize that he's aiming at what's behind my head.

POW!!!! He fires.

I teleport into a dive and streak past and beyond him as his flaming bullet sails straight into the cockpit of the Gordanian dropship and explodes.

SHATTER!!!!!!!
0

T-Minus: Three Hours, forty-six minutes.

Location: Jungle – Temple Clearing

The dropship falls like a burning comet and explodes chaotically in the jungle two hundred meters away.

THWUMP!!!

I land in the middle of the clearing.

I look up, panting.

A huge stone door in the temple's side yawns open. The old Tamaranian officer from earlier in the crashed ship is there. Beside him stands a phalanx of the soldiers and—behind them—the freed citizens from the prison cell. A line of Tamaranians charge starbolts and launch them over my head.

I hear hissing from behind.

I turned and see charging Gordanians falling from the air with starbolt burns on their chests and armor.

"Quickly!!"

I look back at the temple.

There Minnae Metharsia stands...immaculate in her flowing skirt and princess silk. She waves a laced hand. "Over here!!"

I nod. I set down Koriand'r and push her towards the door. She hurriedly hovers into Minnae's protective arms. The amber-eyed monarch escorts the young Tamaranian safely into the temple.

"Took you long enough to get here!!"

I look to my right.

Katma backs up, a confiscated Gordanian laser staff in her grasp. Still in her regular garb, she stands beside me and zaps at the coming onslaught of jetpack reptiles.

"Still too scared to shed blood with that sword of yours?!?! I thought I told you that you're wasting time with your benevolence!!!"

I frown.

Will you please......let it......go?!?!?!

"Hurry on into the temple before-----," Katma's voice lingers. "Awwww shoot."

I raise an eyebrow under my visor. I turn and look up.

Another dropship approaches. Slowly. Dangling on metal cords beneath it is a huge, metal 'box' of sorts. The box shakes unnaturally in mid-air as the dropship approaches the clearing.

"Whatever they're delivering....it can't be pretty...," Katma gulps.

Lobo drops down. "Hey?! Isn't anybody gonna kiss me??"

"Got another one of those mega-pistol rounds of yours, Lobo??"

"Sorry, Sweet Cakes. All down to the bare minimum lead," Lobo shrugs. He turns and looks up. "Whoah....didn't know UPS delivered to the Outer Rim!"

I blink.

"Believe me...it's not something we want," Katma mumbles. She turns around and shouts at the line of soldiers including the last of the dozen escapees making it to the temple door. "Haclana b'tal mran!! Gallablorg hisrinnu di Gord'nok!!"

"W'mal batok!!"

"De X'Hal!!!"

FLASH!!! FLASH!!! FLASH!!!!!!!

Volley after volley of starbolts fly up at the hovercraft. Katma Tui joins the fray with her laser rifle and Lobo whips out an uzzi and starts unloading machine gun fire just for the Hell of it.

FLASH!!! FLASH!!!!!!!

ZAAAAP!!!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!

I watch, helpless.

The dropship absorbs most of the fire. One of its thrusters starts to smoke and the hull cracks in one or two places...but besides that, the armor survives the onslaught and it manages to swing in and release the huge metal crate before zooming off over the jungle.

Katma winces. "Not good...."

The Tamaranians at the temple door murmur worriedly.

BANG!!! The metal box rocks and shakes from the inside. BANG!! CLANG!!! "HrrrreSSSSHAAAAaaaaa!!" Something huge and menacing snarls from the inside in a distorted form of Gordanian tongue.

"F'vork betta carnablorg!!" the Tamaranian officer calls out from the Temple.

Lobo sweatdrops. "M-Maybe now would be a good time to....ya know....skedaddle into the Gift Shop."

"No good," Katma shakes her head. "What they have in there can be nothing else but a Gordanian Rook."

"A whatsit??"

"A very strong, brutish member of the Gordanian gene pool!! Even if we fled into the Temple, it'd smash the doors down in one charge!!"

BANG!!!! The box shakes and dents outward from inside. The snarling increases. BANG!! BANG!!

I get into a fighting pose. Breathing slowly through my nostrils. Myrkblade held high.

Minnae and Koriand'r watch together from the Temple....fearful....

The box shakes some more...starts to crack...then....

CRASH!!!!!

The lid blows off.

A giant, green beast of plated scales, beady emerald eyes, and three-foot long claws jumps out. It drools from its ivory fangs and stands up a full fifteen feet. "HRESSSSSSSSSSSHAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Whoah!!" Lobo laughs. "Ha ha ha!! Since when was Kermit the Frog on steroids?!?!"

The Gordanian Rook promptly bounds across the clearing on all fours and slams its razor-sharp hand into Lobo's chest with one single swoop.

WHAM!!

"Frag it!!!" Lobo sails across the clearing and crashes into a tree, forcing it to topple over.

Katma gasps and ducks as the Rook snaps its jaws barely over her torso. THWAP!!!

I let out a silent scream and charge with Myrkblade.

CLANK!!! My blade bounces off its scales.

I sweatdrop.

"HRESSSH!!!" The rook snarls and spins, batting me harshly across the grounds with a thick green tail.

WHAM!!!

I ragdoll across the grass, groaning.

Minnae gasps. "Mr. No—er...Angel Spear Four!!"

The Rook spins around. Its fangs drool and its feet stomp loudly across the soil as it charges the door to the Temple.

The officer shouts. The Tamaranians let out warcries and launch a steady stream of starbolts.

FLASH!!! FLASH!!! FLASH!!!!!

The Rook covers its head with two thick forearms. It absorbs the starbolts and only gets angrier. The green eyes turn a blood red and the beast lets out a huge shriek before charging the phalanx of soldiers.

"HRESSSSSSHAAAA!!!"

The Tamaranians ready themselves.

YANK!!!

"?!?!?!?!?!" the beast snarls and looks over its shoulder.

Lobo has him by the tail with two meaty hands.

"When I'm done with you, you fraggin' salamander, you're gonna be nothing but space guacamole—"

WHAM!!!!!

The Rook back-kicks the mercenary back against another tree.

Lobo wheezes: "Okay....m-maybe I can settle for apple sauce...."

THWACK!!!!

"OOOF!!!"

The Rook slams its foot down Lobo's lower body and snarls down at him...drooling.

"HRESSSHAAAAAA!!!!"

"Now...that's....playing...dirty.....," Lobo raises two fists together and slams them down onto the Rook's big toe.

THWAP!!!!

"HRESSSSH!!!!"

The Rook stumbles back.

SWOOOOSH!!!

I blur up its backside, jump off, flip, come down, and swing Myrkblade across its neck.

SLASH!!!!

CLANK!!!!

Myrkblade bounces off again.

I grit my teeth as I slide down from my ineffective strike and let myself open for---

WHAM!!!

The Rook's heel side-kicks and knocks me across the clearing.

The beast bounds over and raises one of its sharp hands.

I gasp and roll out of the way--

CRASH!!!

The earth beside me sinks from its plowing fist.

I jump up and raise Myrkblade just in time to deflect its second swing by the claws.

CL-CLANG!!!!

I backflip as the Rook stomps over, bearing down on me.

In the background, I spot Katma Tui standing up and trying desperately to bring back the power in her ring.

"Nnnnnnghhh.....," she strains. The ring barely sparks. Then it shorts out. She sighs. "Figures...." She twirls the laser spear, runs up, scales the backside of the Gordanian Rook, and stabs down into the base of its neck.

ZAAAAAAAP!!!!!!

"HISSSSSSSS!!!!!"

The Gordanian Rook thrashes about, trying to shake the brave Green Lantern. Its neck twists left and right. It reaches a sharp hand up to grab her, but Katma is too nimble to be caught. Finally, the Rook does something no one else would....it charges its head straight into a tree.

WHAAAAM!!!

"Augh!!" Katma falls off from the jerk. She tumbles to the ground.

"HRESSSHA!!!!" The beast brings its foot down over her.

Katma flinches.

SWOOOOSH!!! I blur over and raise my blade.

CLANG!!!!

Through murk power alone, I manage to deflect the massive limb. I grit my teeth. My whole body straining.

The Rook raises its foot and tries to squash me again.

Just then, Lobo swings in from a nearby tree-branch and lands on the creature's back. He whips out his metal chains and wrap it around the Rook's neck. "Giddyup to Hell, Mr. Ed!!" He then proceeds to tighten the 'reins' viciously...cutting off the monster's air supply.

"Hrkkkk!!!!" The Rook wheezes. "Kkkkshhhhhesshaa!!" It stomps around madly, nearly stepping over Katma and me.

Katma dives to the left.

STOMP!!!

I dive to the right.

I roll into a standing position.

I twirl Myrkblade into a pose and charge...charge...charge....charge....charge murk.

My black eyes narrow under my visor and focus on the wrestling duo.

Come on...

The Rook bucks and trembles before me.

Come on......

Lobo tightens the chains even more and forces the Rook to rear back. "Yeeeee-haaa!"

Come on.........

Smoke energy courses through my blade. In warbling tendrils of obsidian. The murk dances down out of my visor. I take a huge breath.

"N-Now may be a good time, Squirrel---," Lobo grunts. "Um....what the Hell are you doing anyways???"

"Jump off, Mr. Lobo!!!" Minnae shrieks.

"You said it, Princess!! Yaugh!!!"

The pale mercenary hops off.

I let out a silent scream and fling my sword forward in a heavy slash. All of my power is unleashed in a whiplash of swirling darkness.

SLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!

The earth parts like a knife to butter in a trail running towards the Rook's legs---

And the creature hobbles out of the way at the last second.

CRAAAAACK!!!!

The trees of the jungle collapse at the edge of the clearing from the power of my blade.

Shit!!!!

I all but collapse, panting.

The Rook regains its breath, snarls, and charges at me.

I moan.

WHUMP!!!

It headbutts me hard. I fly back and land in the underbrush of the jungle.

Minnae gasps. "A-Are you okay?!?!"

"What does it look like?!?!" Katma growls and charges the beast with her spear.

"HRESSHA!!!!!" It bats her away with a scaley fist.

"YAAAUGH!!!" Lobo pounces from the side.

SWOOOOSH-GRIP!!!

The Rook literally grabs him in mid-air.

"Oh Jebus...."

WHAM!!! WHAM!!! WHAM!!!

The Rook slams him repeatedly in the ground before tossing him against the side of the stone temple.

SLAM!!!

"Ugh....."

Again, Minnae gasps...cupping her chin with laced gloves. "Nooo!! My friends!! Please get up!!"

All of us can only manage to groan in pain.

Minnae pouts. "You....you....," but her pout turns into a snarl as she glares at the huge, drooling Rook. "....you are hurting my friends. I do not like it when my friends....are hurt......."

The princess starts heaving. Her amber eyes start to flicker with a magic fire. "Because.....I....l-like.....my.....friendsssss...." Her hissing voice turns into something akin to a panther growl and fangs emerged from her overbite. The other Tamaranians—Koriand'r included—step back and gasp as a series of bright lightning bolts shimmer around the Metharsian's pretty, feminine body and then--

FLASH!!!!!!!

Lidikins stands among us.

"ROWWWWRAAWWWWR!!!!!!!!" The huge, gray cat roars.

The Rook looks over. Its green/red eyes bulge. It frowns and snarls. "HRESSSSHAAAA!!!"

"ROWWRRRAAAAAA!!!" Lidikins bears its teeth. It charges across the clearing with raised paws of ferocious claws.

Stomp...Stomp....Stomp!...Stomp!...Stomp!....Stomp!...STOMP!!!....STOMP!!!!

SLASH!!!!!!

Lidikins' claws slash straight through the Rook's skin in a single instant. Purple blood spurts out in a fountain across the clearing, half drenching a flinching Katma.

"HSSSHAAAAA!!!!!!" the Rook shrieks in pain.

WHAM!!!

Lidikins' socks it one across the cheek before gripping the reptile's shoulders and body-slamming the beast into the ground. Lidikins then straddles the monster and starts pummeling its skull at point blanc.

WHACK!!! WHACK!!! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!

"AH HA HA HA HA!!!!" Lobo cackles as he limps back into the thunderous clearing. "Princess PMS Turbo Time!!!!"

I watch, sweating. Wincing.

"ROWWWRRAAWWWWR!!!!"

WHACK!!! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!!

Lidikins pauses in her pummeling just to hoist the Rook's face up and prepare to bite down---

WHUMP!!!!

The reptile lifts its legs.

The huge feline shrieks as it's flown across the clearing....and towards me.

I gasp and dive out of the way.

SMASH!!!!

A few trees snap and crackle under the weight of the big cat.

I tremble on the ground.

The Rook gets up. "HRESSHAA!!" Trailing purple blood, it stomps across the clearing....and over me.

I gasp and roll my body just in time to avoid the stampeding feet of the beast.

STOMP!! STOMP!! STOMP!!

Lidikins gets up, picks up a tree, and swings the entire fifteen feet of wooden length at the incoming fiend.

THWACK!!!!

"HRESS!!!!" the Rook stumbles back, clutching its skull.

"ROWRRAAAA!!!" Lidikins cat-eyes flicker and its tosses what's left of the entire tree at the beast.

CRASH!!!!

Splinters and hunks of logs scatter and careen everywhere. Lobo, Katma, and I run for cover.

The Rook teeters on its feet.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Lidikins bounds over and pounces.

SWOOOSH!!!

WHUMP!!!!

The two beasts entangle, their paws and hands gripping and wrestling claw-to-claw.

Furry and scaley muscles ripple.

The Rook pushes against Lidikins with a hiss, sliding the two of them against the framework of the temple's door.

WHAM!!!!

The Tamaranians and Koriand'r jump back to safety.

"ROWWRRAAAAR!!!" Lidikins shrieks and knees the Rook between its legs.

THWUMP!!!!

The reptile's beady eyes bulge. It moans.

"ROWRRAAA!!!" Lidikins hoists its entire body up, stomps three feet forward, and pile drives the Rook into the center of the clearing—forming a crater.

SMASH!!!!!

Lidikins then goes to town on the sprawled Rook's body. She slashes and bites and rips and shreds the scaley skin of the fiend apart. Purple blood and scraps of muscle fly through the air in wet, soggy trails.

"HISSSAASHAAAA!!!!!!!!!" the Rook's cry is high-pitched this time, torturous.

Lidikins lets out a final panther growl before rearing its fangs...and snapping them down taut over the Rook's neck.

"!!!!!!!" the Rook's body jerks. Blood squirts out its nose and eye sockets.

"RRRRRRRR!!!!" Lidikins growls and....twists its jaws.

SNAA-AAAP!!!

The Rook's body goes limp. Dead air escapes its bag of lungs and then nothing...

A beat.

Lidikins slowly releases her fangs. It gets up on wobbly legs, pants, and rears its body up in a victory shriek.

"ROWWWWWWWWRAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Bolts of light dance outward from her body as she shrieks and twitches.

Flash!! Flash!! Flash-Flash-FLASH!!!!!!!

Suddenly, Minnae Metharsia stands in the huge feline's place. Clean and immaculate. Her amber eyes settling with their fiery glow. She pants...until her cat-eyes roll back. And she falls limply to the ground.

I rush over and embrace her.

I hold her up, breathing hard, feeling her pulse.

She's perfectly fine....only passed out.

"Nnngh....," she moans.

I bite my lip. I glance up over the carcass of the Rook, over the smashed tree parts, over the clearing. I see scores of Gordanian dropships headed our way.

"NOW can we go??" Lobo grunts.

"Er......," Katma blinks. She looks at her ring. She concentrates. FLASH!!! With a green aura, her Green Lantern outfit reappears. She smirks and looks up. "Sure can!!"

The three of us rush in through the Temple Door as the Tamaranians can now safely seal the entrance.
0

0
T-Minus: Three Hours, thirty-two minutes.

Location: Temple – South Corridor

WHURRRRRRRR-CLUNG!!!!!

I stand in the darkness of the temple, panting. Minnae drapes daintily across my arms. Anxious Tamaranians stand on either side of me. Glowing hands and a power ring of green illuminate the dim interior.

"Beratta thinu clak'n thrui....," the elderly officer utters. His green eyes narrow and he points down the black corridor. "Kielette sinzun wratta kun, favoraat si Gord'nz. Drundarg matta klin ti deradda wet'l veraat thri fiblorg daaka si Tam'ran. Xiel'm, Mackan'r, Diedr'm...forsata!"

"Uln, Dredsu!"

"Uln, Dredsu."

"Uln."

Three Tamaranian soldiers bow halfway to the officer and rush to escort the group of citizens and escapees at point, middle and rear positions. The rest of the soldiers spread out evenly on the outer rim of the crowd, enclosing Koriand'r and the rest of the innocent escapees. The dozen with the data that we rushed with to the temple entrance fill in the gaps where soldiers are thin. We are officially a ragtag team of military refugees.

I take a deep breath as we slowly start moving down the Temple corridor.

Katma walks—not hovers—along my side. She inspects her ring and speaks without glancing at me. "Whew...for a second there, I thought all the energy was gone. It's a good thing I visited my Lantern just before the Being brought us Angel Spears here. It may be weak now...but just some meditation is all it needs to get back to full power again." She looks at me finally. She breathes in. "You pulled a lot of stunts to ensure the safety of the rest of us on multiple occasions, Noir," she said.

I glance ahead.

Koriand'r is beyond hearing distance.

I glance back at Katma.

"But I gotta emphasize," she sighs, "...you're holding back. I'm proud of what you've done so far. But when it comes to it—this is war—and how can we depend on you unless you—"

WHUMP!!!

Katma stumbles in mid-step. She blinks and realizes that she's holding the tossed body of little Minnae.

I frown at her and walk forward along the group in a huff.

"..........," Katma blinks. "Guardians of Oa....protect us all...." She repositions Minnae's unconscious body more comfortably and walks on.

0
T-Minus: Three Hours, twenty-nine minutes.

Location: Temple – South Hallways

The group of Tamaranians moves around a corner. The point man shines a glowing hand about...chasing away all hiding shadows with an emerald aura. He signals for the rest of the group to follow, and it does so...pensively. Nervous family members hold hands and children murmur fearfully in the arms of a few maternal escapees. Koriand'r is silent. She's seen a lot. She glances back at the rest of the group to follow.

I walk adjacent to a few soldiers. I peer through my helmet visor with my black eyes. I know that I can see a heck of a lot better with the headpiece off, but I refuse to take it off. Not with Koriand'r nearby.

At this point, I don't hesitate to look at her. One advantage of having to wear shades all the time is the ambiguity of where I'm directly 'looking' in relation to other people. I can spy on things more...observe traits that normally I wouldn't notice in other people had they been able to see where my eyes were pointed. Because of this, I've picked up greatly on many of the physical characteristics of the Teen Titans I fight and live with. And it also comes in handy when scouring a scene for enemies or out tricking a foe during combat.

Right now, I'm using this cheat of mine to look at Koriand'r. And already I see so much of Starfire in her. The way she floats about in a fashion in which she looks like she's 'standing upright' save for the slightest bend in her knees. How she cups her hands all the time, whether it be behind her back when relaxed or up in front when apprehensive or pensive. The way she absent-mindedly pushes a lock of red hair away over her ear or lets out tiny sighs when too shy even to express her own exasperation at a nervous situation.

I take a deep breath.

I know that this innocent thing will one day grow to become the ass-kicking, starbolt-throwing Amazonian of Terran notoriety. I know that someday she will win the hearts of all of her Earth friends (even though not all will admit it) and that she will bring joy and retribution to everyone and everything around her. I know that she has always been and shall always be a thing of beauty. Something far too virtuous to exist. And I know that it will only be a matter of time before....before Robin becomes the luckiest man on the face of the planet.

I exhale. My black eyes blink with melancholy.

At least....all that is supposed to happen.

What am I doing here?

Since when did I become an Angel Wing??

This is not my war. This is not my concern...

I look again at Koriand'r. I see the dim glow of green around the extremities of her limbs.

But this is my friend. What is she doing here? What is the connection??

I look up in the air as if I can somehow catch sight of the shimmering being that has transported us to this war-torn time and place.

What did you want from me?? Why send me here?? I'm a liability with knowing Starfire in the future? Aren't I???

Absolute silence.

I shut my eyes in exasperation.

Aren't I?!?!?

'Are you what?'

I blink my eyes open. I glance back at the girl in Katma's arms.

Minnae???

'Yes, Mr. Noir?'

Aren't you unconscious?

Am I?

Er......well, yeah. You passed out.

'You mean, my body is asleep.'

............

'The mind exists on many different boundaries, Mr. Noir. Even if I am asleep, I am not necessarily inactive.'

Okay......um......hello.

'Hehehe, greetings, Mr. Noir.'

Silence.

'Why AM I unconscious???'

You mean you don't know?

'I'm afraid I am greatly confused. What became of that huge, brutish Gordanian that was being mean to the Angel Spears?'

Lidikins made a cameo appearance.

'Oh, she did?!?! Heeee! How magnificent!! I've been looking for her all day!!'

...............

'Was she okay after meeting the Gordanian Rook?'

Yeah......it was a regular tea party.

'I do wish I was there.'

Oh, you were. In our hearts......or something.

'I see.........'

...............

'W-We......we are surrounded, you do realize......'

Are we?

'Y-Yes. Gordanians. Well over a hundred. They're circling the entrances of the temple at the cardinal points.'

I glance at the walls. At the thickness of the stone. I envision lasers and ion blasts blowing through them.

'Would it not be prudent to inform the rest of the company??'

Something tells me that we're all gonna find out real soon......

THUD!!!!

Everyone froze in their places. Echoes shuddered through the empty corridors of the temple.

Silence.....

Then.....

THUD!!!!!!

The citizens gasp and murmur.

The soldiers look up everywhere and charge green energy in their wrists.

THUD!!!!!!

Katma looks up, holding Minnae firmly.

Lobo's red eyes blinks.

THUD!!!!!!

He looks my way. "Nobody answer the door...."

"Humani slaat'm Gord'n threatta cacla thrul....," the Tamaranian officer mutters.

"They must have surrounded us," Katma remarks. "It's only a matter of time before they burst their way in and start flooding these hallways to nab the Tamaranians with the data in their bloodstream."

"But there're hover barges somewhere in this wyrdass pagoda, right?!" Lobo shrugs. "I mean, I don't mind laying it thick on a couple billion of those things, but I'd at least have to regenerate my body five times and I just got this skin last week!"

"Granat, Dredsu!!" the Tamaranian point man shouts.

The officer turns and gestures, "Vremana thriel!! Jurkan'm liekosan bar gorglay!!"

"Uln, Dredsu! Vremanaz! Vremanaz!!"

The Tamaranian group picks up the pace. Everyone starts running, hovering, and sprinting down the hallways northward. The pace is hurried, desperate. Like a race.

And a race it is indeed....

"We're hurrying to the center of the temple!!" Katma exclaims as she jogs with Minnae in grasp.

"What for?!?!" Lobo utters. "I'm a couple hundred years behind on Communion!!"

"It's in the Center that the remote controls for the hover barges are!! If we can get there and input the right codes, we can have the barges fly to the loading deck on the roof directly overhead and take off for the Frontline!!"

THUD!!! THUD!!!!

Sounds of the angry invaders outside echo throughout.

I look about while blurring down the dark corridor.

"Everything's down to the wire....," Lobo smirks at me from across our dual sprint. "...what'd I tell you, Squirrel?? Never cross paths with a woman."

I smile crookedly.

"Rrrrghh," Katma grumbles. "The last thing I need from you two punks is jocularity!! I'm the one here with my arms full and—YEEP!"

Lobo is suddenly carrying Katma who is carrying Minnae.

"The Undead Express!! Hauling ass twenty-four seven!! Care to kiss the conductor???"

Katma glares. "I now officially have twenty-two ways that I want to kill you before this mission is over."

"Duly noted. Now we have an Alamo to protect!!"

THUD!!! THUD!!! TH-THUD!!! SMASH!!!!!

Light pours in from behind us.

Tamaranians gasp.

I peer back.

A flood of Gordanians stand and hover where a door in the distance has been burst down. They hiss and aim laser rifles from afar.

ZAAAP!!!! ZAP!! ZAAAAAAP!!!

Blue lasers streak towards and past us.

I grit my teeth, duck a blast, and deflect another with my metal hand. CLANG!!!

The Gordanians shriek a war cry and all come throttling after us on their jetpacks in unison.

"Gordn' Threatta!!"

"Vremanaz!! H'vorna thriel!!"

While hovering, the rear guards turn launch volleys of starbolts back. The green energy pulses streak past us and sail bloodily into incoming Gordanians. Purple blood flies and the reptiles get angrier. They launch a full wave of laser blasts.

I skid to a stop. I let Lobo run past me with Katma and Minnae. I grit my teeth and slash as much across the width of the hall as I can.

CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANG!!!

I deflect all energy bolts at once. They impact the ceiling and cause a curtain of rocks to fall and momentarily block the path.

The Gordanians hiss angrily as they must stop to plow through the rubble with their spears.

I take a breath, spin around, and follow the group dash around a corner inside the corridors.

T-Minus: Three Hours, twenty-three minutes.

Location: Temple – Central Corridors

The entire group meanders around the corridor at high speed. The central room of the Temple can be seen down a final stretch of corridors.

"Numeraat keylo haddakun!!"

THUD!!!!!

Tamaranians shriek as a nearby wall bursts down.

Gordanians lumber through...hissing and raising their spears.

"Straighten your body, sweet cakes!" Lobo grunts.

"What are you blathering about---YAAUGH!!"

Lobo swings his arm and slides Katma on her back—with Minnae in her arms—across the smooth stone floor and into the Central Room. His hands free, he pulls out two uzzis and riddles the Gordanians with lead.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!!!!

Purple spurts fly. The Gordanians groan and slump to the ground.

I blur past—momentarily slipping on the bloody floor—and eventually I'm joining the breathless Tamaranians in the central room.

T-Minus: Three Hours, twenty-one minutes.

Location: Temple – Central Room

"Lower the fraggin' door!!" Lobo grumbles as he stomps in. He walks in reverse, aiming his uzzis down the hallway.

The Gordanians who were blocked momentarily by the collapse of rubble regain their pursuit and soar down at us en masse.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!!

"ROAST IN HELL, YOU BUTT STUFFERS!!!" Lobo shouts. On either side of him, Tamaranians are cranking stone devices with their glowing hands...slowly causing the vertical slab of a door to the South Hallways to lower.

CREAAAAAAAAAAK!!!!!

Lobo keeps aiming and firing down what's left of the space between the floor and the door....mowing down the offensive line of Gordanians.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!

An incoming wall of flying, purple blood barely reaches the chamber RIGHT as the door closes shut.

CLAMP!!!!

THUD! THUD! THUD! The Gordanians pound madly inward from the other side.

Katma pants. She turns towards the East Hallway. Her semi-green eyes widen and she points. "There!! Gord'n!!"

The Tamaranian soldiers rush over to lower the slab to the East Hallway as a fresh wall of raving Gordanians surge down.

"Wooo doggy!!!" Lobo reloads. Empty clips fall to the floor. He restocks ammo on his uzzis and slumps sideways to the floor, firing down the thin sliver of space left between the door and ground.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!

Again, the offensive line becomes a splattering of pink blood and hot lead. Starbolts join Lobo's onslaught intermittently, creating a hallway of veritable flame. The Gordanian rush is succinctly slowed enough to prevent an entrance as the Eastern Door to the dark, round chamber is closed.

CLAMP!!!!

In the meantime, Tamaranians—under authority of the old officer—are quickly shutting the Northern and Western Doors as more Gordanians rush down the hallway. The Northern one has no trouble closing. But the Western one stalls. Nervous citizens inside the chamber murmur in fright. One of the Tamaranians trying to crank the apparatus panics and looks at the rest of us.

"Numeraat cling'm fartbogger!!"

ZAAAP-THUNK!!!

A laser plows hard into chest, spurting green blood out onto his partner. "YAAUGH!! MEN X'HAL!!!"

Gasps.

I blur over and take his place as two escapees cradle his twitching body.

I push and pull on the crank. Straining. I pulse murk through my limbs. I rotate the crank...again....again...again...again---

The shadows of the Gordanian loom over the crack between the door and the floor.

A woman shrieks.

Lobo rushes over, whips out a grenade, yanks the pin out with his teeth, and tosses it under and through the crack right before slamming his fist down on the broadside of the crank I'm operating.

CLAMP!!!

Gordanian shrieks on the other side....then--

BOOOM!!!!

Purple blood seaps—hot and steaming—in from under the doorframe on the other side.

I stumble back, panting.

Lobo grumbles something and cracks his necks. He turns around. Eyeing the walls.

I turn around slowly, similarly eyeing all the stone walls bordering the room.

THUD!! THUD!!!!! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!!!!

All around us, Gordanians are pounding in through the walls. Hissing. Firing their lasers at the stone structure. The stone slabs—as resolute as they may be—start to shake and quake from the pressure on the outside.

The innocent citizens start to crowd together. Murmurs of adults and the sobs of children fill the claustrophobic interior. A great sense of panic and hopelessness fills the chamber. We are totally and utterly surrounded by hundreds of bloodlusting, crazed Gordanians.

I sweat. My body twitches and I gasp as I realize that my metal arm is choosing now as a time to malfunction. I grip my titanium wrist as dark shivers run up and down my spine. My teeth chatter endlessly. I clench my black eyes shut and try to meditate. But everything is pounding in on my ears. The shaking chamber. The monsters on the outside. The chaos eating its way in.

And underneath all of that, a dreadful silence...

"Hey!!" Lobo whistles. "Yo Yo Yo!!!"

Everyone looks his way.

"Snap out of it, creeps!!!" Lobo points at three consoles hanging out of the ceiling outside of a ring of collapsible rooftop. "Ain't there a way to call in those hover craft thingies of yours?!?! Now would be a friggin' good time!!"

Katma takes a breath. She lays Minnae down and turns to face the other Tamaranians. "Juranna thrak'm sur thiel voveraat!"

The officer nods and signals to three of his signals.

The Tamaranians hover up to the consoles. One man to a computer station each. With glowing hands, they access security protocols and start the arduous process of summoning the hover barges by remote.

THUD!!! THUD!!! THUD! THUD!!!!!!!!

"How long does it take for those buggers to be turned on and dragged over here, exactly??" Lobo asks.

"Not quickly enough," Katma says. She flexes her right hand and the power ring pulses a brighter green. "We'll have to hold them off as long as we can."

"Yeah...those doors ain't gonna last forever, sweet cakes."

I look across the floor, shivering uncontrollably. I stroke my metal arm. I try to will the coldness to go away. But my nerves won't obey me and I can't risk 'rebooting' my prosthetic. Not at a time like this.

I see the wounded Tamaranian in the arms of the others. A pool of lukewarm, green blood puddles beneath him. His eyes are glowing desperately with emerald tears streaking down. His hand twitches in the grasp of a comrade and his lips quiver....then quiver no more. The green fades from his eyes and he's as still as ice. Those tending to him bite their lips and look up at the officer...shaking their head.

I take a shuddering breath.

I face the nearest doors to me. The Northern and Eastern Doors.

THUD!!! THUD!!!! THUD!!!!!! THUD!!

CHIIIIIING!!!!! I unsheathe Myrkblade and hold it at ready. I take deep breaths. I flex my limbs and move my neck around.

The pounding continues.

Tamaranian boys and girls are weeping.

The adults trying to comfort them are sobbing.

Wails of fear and sorrow and dread fill the tiny chamber surrounded by pounding doors.

Minnae stirs awake. She rubs her eyes with dainty hands and blinks her amber optics. "S-So it is true....we are surrounded...."

"I say let them come!!" Lobo cracks his knuckles and whips out a shotgun. He fits shells into it. One at a time. Almost meditatively. "Nothing like a good holocaust to make you feel glad to be alive.....or dead. Depends on how you look at it...or what side of the bed I get up on in the morning! HA!!"

"Memberutta key'n throsta kun thiel...," the officer says firmly.

"Uln, Dredsu."

"De X'hal..."

"De X'hal!!!!" a squad of soldiers exclaim. They charge starbolts in both hands and face every surrounding door evenly in a protective circle with the citizen escapees in the center and the three console workers up on top.

CH-CHTUNG!! Lobo pumps his shotgun and winks in my direction. "Yeah! What they said!"

I exhale.

Koriand'r trembles. Minnae reaches over and touches the little Tamaranian's shoulder. Koriand'r eagerly hobbles down to her knees and sinks in the Princess' comforting embrace. They sit—like wilted flowers—on the floor with the other innocents.

"Do not despair!" Katma speaks aloud. She holds up her right hand and stares at it. As her eyes thin, they become more and more vibrant in their green hue. The power ring starts to pulse as she meditates and gradually recovers her missing Green Lantern energy. "I have been in worse scrapes than this before! And I swear to you! We shall prevail! Emberatta thrakkan bytul'm hortablorg in kaan!! Menederod de X'Hal! There is no greater power than justice!! There is no greater force than serenity!!"

THUD!!! THUD!!!! THUD!!!

The doors bulge. The hisses on the other side grow louder. The room gets hotter and my skin gets colder as I sweat and sweat and shiver....

I gulp. I glance at my right bracelet. The one given me—as to every Angel Spear—by the Being. I stare at the red button on it. The one needed to save for dire straits. It's so tempting. So promising. Bright and red. My finger traces it. But I pause. I shudder. I look across the way.

Katma's staring at me. Somberly, she shakes her head.

I take a breath. I nod shakily. I follow the Captain's order.

I save the 'essence of the Angel Spear' for another time....

"Hoorjana-blorg n'meran de Kraato...," Katma drifts by the soldiers and the citizens as she speaks. She rests a hand on a shivering child's shoulder and eases him slightly. "Do not lose hope. This is a glorious time for us all. Minaakan sule banark'm havassi kun. You must remain calm. You must remain in control of yourself and your emotions. For all of us...every single one of us is a piece of destiny. A history that shall preserve justice. Absolute...absolute justice. Caclasaad de X'Hal. Center yourself...you are in control of the elements. Wield them and defeat evil in all forms. No matter how dark. No matter how obsidian."

THUD!!! THUD!!! THUD!!!

I take a breath. I close my eyes.

I hold my arms out.

I grip Myrkblade closely.

I imagine the sawgrass field outside of the Tower.

The blades dancing in the breeze.

The shimmering waters of the Bay.

The crystal blue sky.

Chaos and Serenity.

Construction and Destruction.

Coursing through me.

The perfect vessel.

Black Eyes......

Katma holds up her ring from the center of the room. The item glows a bright green as she meditates.

"In brightest day, in blackest night...."

I run my hand across the blunt side of the blade.

I focus murk deeper and deeper into the black wood.

My fingers are like an ice sculpture.....with a paradoxical, black fire burning inside.

"....no evil shall escape my sight..."

I see Beast Boy and Cyborg wrestling each other on the beachside over a football game gone wrong.

Laughing and tossing sand on each other.

Raven meditates above a rock ledge, floating in a lotus position.

Robin and Starfire take a stroll in the surf. Their feet dip into the water. It's warm. It's warm......

"...let those who worship evil's might..."

Lobo aims his shotgun at the wall. One red eye squinting.

The old officer charges a starbolt form the center.

The soldiers hold out glowing hands.

Combined with the increasing ferocity of Katma's ring, the room full of shivering souls and pounding doors is covered in emerald fury.

All the darkness is gone.

"...beware my power...."

I take a shuddering breath.

Renee and Daniel wave from behind the counter.

Sandy looks up from a book she's reading and smiles.

Kara cups a hand against my cheek from across a star-lit farmland.

Three figures in a field. Meditating. Drawing swords. Being watched by the Master.

My eyes open.

Murk shimmers down from under my visor.

"Green Lanter's light!"

Katma Tui's eyes open. They're glowing green.

THUD!!!

"East Side!!!" Lobo shouts.

Every soldier turns and aims their starbolts.

"De X'hal!!"

"DE X'HAL!!!"

THUD!!! THUD!!!!!!!!!

Koriand'r shudders.

Minnae strokes her hair.

I swivel about with Myrkblade raised high.

THUD!! THUD!!! TH-THUD!!!!!

I inhale sharply.....

A beat.

THUD!!!!! CRACK!!!!!

The East Door is the first to go.

CL-CLANK!!!

"HRESSHA!!!!!!!"

"HISSSSSS!!!!"

"HRESHHSSHAAA!!!!"

A wall of blue light soars in at us.

ZAAAAAAP!!! ZAP!!! ZAAAAAAAP!!!

Fire and convulsions and shrieks and---

"YAAAAAAUGH!!!!" Katma furiously thrusts her hand forward.

FLASH!!!!!

A wall of nearly opaque-green energy forms between us and the doorway. The dozens of blue lasers disappear into the wall.

FLASSSSH!!!!

The green dissipates.

The Gordanians are reloading.

Lobo shouts while aiming. "SMILE FOR THE CAMERA, YOU MOTHER F---" BL-BLAM!!!!

SPLORTCH!!! Two Gordanian heads in a row explode in purple mess.

A solid phalanx wall of Tamaranians launch their starbolts all at once.

FLASSSSSH!!!

The first five charging Gordanians literally melt from the heated discharge. Others fall down, screaming and clutching scrags of burnt-off skin. The lucky ones still whole in the second wave come rushing in with their jetpacks, shrieking. "HRESSSSSSSSSH!!!!"

Katma shouts. "YAAAAUGH!!!"

The Tamaranians: "RAAAAUGH!!!"

Lobo grits his teeth and leads the charge with every Tamaranian rushing in to meet the Gordanians and the Green Lantern right behind.

I take a huge breath and dive, slashing into the hell with a blur. SWOOOOSH!!!!

The invaders and the defenders meet in a convergence of laser staffs, starbolts, shotgun pellets, claws, fists, and wood serration.

BLAM!!!! FLASH!!!! CL-CLANK!!! SLASH!!!! ZAAAAP!!! SWIPE!!!

Grunts and impact sounds and laser blasts and starbolt explosions litter the air above the incessant poundings of the other three doors behind us.

Before me, the backsides of two Tamaranians stand firm as the warriors fling starbolts into the heated mass of reptilian flesh before them. One Gordanian charges ahead and bravely bats both Tamaranians aside with a staff. THWACK!! WHUMP!!! He now stands open for my charge.

SLASH!!!! CRACK!!!

I rip his staff in two and kick him hard in the chest. He falls back into three other Gordanians and the entire group plummets into a huge pile. I twirl Myrkblade and move in for a second strike--

WHAM!!

Another Gordanian rushes in from the right of the one hundred and eighty degree chaos. He rams me in the side. I tumble to the ground and try hopping up. Two Gordanians rush at me with laser staffs pointing.

BLAM!!!!

A chunk of flesh explodes outward from behind one.

The second shrieks and looks behind him.

Lobo is punching the faces in of two Gordanians with his right fist and aiming at the reptiles in my direction with his left hand.

BLAM!!!!

Another Gordanian is hit. Purple blood sprays. Two others duck.

I charge the squatting pair.

SLASH!! WHACK!!!

I strike their skulls hard with the broadside of Myrkblade. They fall down, unconscious.

Unconscious.

Screams and flashes to the right.

My blood pumps.

I look over, sweating.

Katma hovers at the top of a pyramid of writhing Tamaranians, batting away incoming Gordanians in a sem-circular formation. The Green Lantern produces a huge, green sledge-hammer in mid air and uses it to smash in the purple-leaking helmets of the fiends.

Just as a clump of hoverjetting reptiles converge on them, I rush in with a jab of Myrkblade.

SWOOOOSH-CHUNK!!!

I drive my sword into the jetpack of one and fling him like a cricket ball into the third wave.

SWOOOSH-THWUMP!!!

The Gordanians tumble over each other. The skewered jetpack comes loose and slides out into the Eastern Hallway...where it sparks and--

KABOOOOM!!!!

-explodes. The resulting concussion blast sends three Gordanians flying—limbs flailing—into the room.

Lobo takes aim with his shotgun and shoots two in mid-air.

BLAM!! BLAM!!!

The aliens land with huge globs of violet.

I pant.

I look up.

"Squirrel!! Shed some blood for fraggin' sake!!" Lobo grunts before pumping his shotgun—CH-CHTUNG!---and spinning around to land lead in a wall of rushing Gordanians.

I grit my teeth.

I'm knocking them out! I'm......

I rush forward.

I vault over Lobo's body.

I flip forward with a wave of smoke energy and land with a downcut.

SLASH!!!!

The force of my unleashed destruction send five collapsing back into the Eastern Hallway. I sidestep and give Lobo room to rush forward, aim down, and mercilessly finish off the shrieking, helpless enemy.

"HRESSSHAAA---"

BL-BLAM!!!!

"Nighty-Night, precious!!"

I wince and rush back over towards Katma's side when----

THUD!!! THUD!!! TH-THUD!!!!

CRACK!!!

Hissing and laser blasts from the left.

"Wanvlav!! Gord'n Threatta Wanvlav!!"

"North Side Door's down!!!" Katma shouts.

Available Tamaranians surrounding the innocent in the center of the room pivot and launch starbolts at the entrance from the Northern Hallway. Waves of green energy melt the first in the wave, then the next line of bloodlusting reptiles charge in. They hiss and fire volley upon volley of blue lasers.

ZAAAAP!! ZAP!!! ZAP!!!

One beam flies through two Tamaranians at once. They fall down with green rivers pouring out. Screaming.

I hold my breath. I teleport across the round room. I materialize in a slide. I glide on the ground under the feet of the front line of Gordanians before leeping up with a spin that contacts the helmets of five reptiles surrounding me. CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!!!

Sparks fly. Disoriented, the reptiles face me and raise lasers.

FLASH!!! FLASH! FLASH!!!

Starbolts strike the five just as they're vulnerable.

I leap up high and backflip out of the ring of burning, Gordanian flesh.

I land in a squat, panting.

The third wave of North-Door Gordanians shove their half-melted-alive comrades aside and charge me and the standing Tamaranians, shrieking.

I grit my teeth.

I charge the attack.

I blur smoke into my limbs and phase my body in and out of smoke form. As a result, I make myself capable of multiple, rapid-second strikes and blocks and deflects and jabs with my wooden blade.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!!!

CL-CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!!!

I single-handedly push back the bulging invasion of Gordanians with my lightning-fast strikes of blurred fury....but it only lasts five seconds and no more. The mass of Gordanians recoil, reload, aim their laser staffs, and--

ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!

I take a breath.

I blur my hand and fan Myrkblade right in front of me so quickly it resembles a pure circle of smoke energy for a split moment there.

FLASH!!!

I deflect all the lasers at once. But the force of such shoves me back three feet on my rear beside the bleeding casualties.

WHAP!!!

I wince.

I look up helplessly through my helmet's visor.

The Gordanians dive down at me, hissing.

"RAAAAUGH!!" Katma dives in with a huge, swinging, green-energy mace.

SWOOOOSH!!!!! THWACK!!!

There's a sickening snap as three pairs of ribs shatter in the first two Gordanians struck by the Green Lantern's blow. They fly back and into the scooping cylinder of green now being distorted by remote with Katma Tui's ring.

"Hit to make it count, Angel Spear Four!!!" Katma snarls. With a warcry, she twists her fingers and the cylinder slams up into the ceiling—rattling the skeletons of the hapless reptiles caught within.

In the middle of the chaos and the screaming and the streaming projectiles, the three Tamaranians at the console struggle to keep focused on summoning the hover barges.

And then---

THUD!!! THUD!!!!!

Minnae shrieks. "The South door!!! THE SOUTH DOOR!!!"

"TAKE IT!!!" Katma shrieks to me, focusing all her energy on pummeling back a barrage of Gordanians with her Green Lantern energy.

I spin around. I squint my eyes.

Through the glow of the flying starbolts and blue lasers, I see the South Door bulging obscenely.

I take a breath. I grip Myrkblade and get into a pose.

SWOOOOSH!!!

I blur straight across the room, teleport through the shivering and shrieking citizens, and emerge on the other side just in time to solidify with a murk-warbling upswing of Myrkblade that meets the huge stone door just as it smashes in from the Gordanian onslaught outside.

CRAAACK!!!

SLASH!!!!

The two halves of the slab scatter harmlessly on either side of the centered mass of innocent prisoners.

I look down the hallway, panting.

My black eyes bulge.

SWOOOOSH!!! A sparking blue laser staff sails at my skull.

I lean back dramatically at the last second.

The weapon slides over my cranium. The Gordanians converge on my figure.

I summon murk. I cartwheel backwards. I stand up right and twirl Myrkblade—deflecting three laser blasts—and swing hard outward to draw the impossible wave back.

The Gordanians jump back momentarily before recovering and lunging at me all at once.

PLOW!!!!

I fall back hard on my back.

WHAP!!!

Three spears stab down at me at once.

I roll to the side.

Laser streaks zero in on me.

I roll backwards, get into a squatting position, and raise Myrkblade vertically just in time to block an incoming jab of a Gordanian spear.

CLANK!!

"HRESSSHA!!!" he drools on me.

I grit my teeth and push back with all my force.

He collapses backwards into two other Gordanians. Their tumbling bodies force three more to collapse. The rest—about a dozen in this wave alone—rush at me across the claustrophobic interior.

I'm already pushed back nearly to the huddled masses of innocent civilians on the South Side.

Not a good thing......

FLASH!!!!

I look up, gasping.

The elderly officer and two flanking soldiers stained in purple march forward, launching starbolt after starbolt at the Southern onrush...finally giving me a break.

FLASH!!! FLASH!!!!!! FLASH!!!

Gordanians start to drop like flies. But then the second and third wave come at once. A solid wall of reptiles and sparking staffs fill our vision.

I vault up to my feet, twirl Myrkblade, and rush in.

But there're too many of them.

ZAAAAP!!!

A blast close to my feet shoves me back.

I tumble over Minnae and Koriand'r.

The two girls go sprawling. "Yeeek!" "WAAH!!"

I hobble to my feet.

Two Gordians rush me.

The first stabs with his laser staff.

I block his swing upwards with Myrkblade, sweating.

I then swing my metal fist into his gut.

WHUMP!!

He coughs and sputters.

I kick him away.

The second swings.

I barely block. CLANK!! I shove against him.

He expertly twirls my blade down to the ground.

I'm open for a blow.

My black eyes twitch and I pulse dark blood on the iside.

Gasping...sweating....

An instant...a glint of alien metal---

FLASH!!!!!

My chest is burning.

I stumble back, a huge red scar eating through my black tank top.

STAB!!!!

I barely duck my head in time.

The Gordanian's spear strikes my helmet hard, forming a noticeable scratch.

I stumble from the impact.

The world is dizzy.

The screaming and the pounding and the bodies falling everywhere.

Everywhere...

My black eyes thin....then pop back open.

I see the Gordanian rushing at me....but somehow I see through him. A fading mirage like the Tower on a beautiful sunset. Serene. Red....

Red......

SWOOOSH!!

SLIIIIINK!!!!

The Gordanian jerks to a standstill. He freezes in mid-swing of his weapon.

In slow motion I blink at him.

His beady eyes are wide. He slowly looks down...sputtering. I follow his eyesight down his armored chest...to his purple-oozing gut where Myrkblade has skewered him straight down the middle.

I pant...staring at him.

He slowly looks up at me. His reptilian mouth drools...pleading.

He knows just as well as I do that—with one twist of Myrkblade—his hear will be ripped open fatally.

So I twist it....

SKRRKKKK!!!!

The Gordanian's whole body twitches. His chest jerks up at me...and a river of purple blood literally follows the blade up and squirts out across my torso.

I pull the blade out coldly.

SCHLUMP!!!

The Gordanian falls down. Like cold, raw meat.

Purple blood trails down my visor and face.

I pant...and as I do so...some of the warm liquid enters my mouth.

And I have no choice....

I taste the alien essence...and it's almost.....almost....

I blink. Something reflects off my eyes. Like the cold white calcium of bone.

Almost sweet.........

Time resumes.

I glance down.

Koriand'r is looking up at me. Trembling. As if she knew that this moment was coming as much I did.

And in her eyes, I see the reflection of a Gordanian rushing up from behind me and swinging his staff at the innocent masses.

And in my visor, I see the glint of something vaguely clear like the edges of a shark's eyes and---

SWOOOSH—I jab my blade in reverse—CHUNK!!!!!

Myrkblade pierces through the Gordanian's shoulder blade. Pinning him in place.

He shrieks and convulses around my wooden weapon.

I start panting heavily...but it gradually comes forth as a snarl.

I am an Angel Spear......

Dark clouds of smoke warble around my limbs.

And I have come to spear the shit out of you, murderers!!!!

I let out a silent scream, teleport so that I'm gripping Myrkblade in reverse, and then I slash the blade towards the ceiling with all my might.

RRRRRRRRRRRIP!!!!!!!

The Gordanian's left limb falls off him from shoulder to collar bone. What's left of his torso sprays purple out in a torrent as he screams his head off.

SLIIIINK!!!

His throat explodes from the tip of my blade.

WHUMP!!

I kick his body down.

Gritting my teeth, I blur twenty feet in two seconds and charge a crowd of Gordanians triple-teaming a wounded soldier.

SWOOOOSH—I spin with a blur of smoke---SLASH!!! Myrkblade flies up.

SLIIIIINK!!!!

A purple ravine suddenly appears in the chest of a reptile.

Before he has a chance to scream, I twirl Myrkblade about and stab straight through his gut.

CHUNK!!!

I let out a silent howl and pulse Murk into my blade.

SPLORCH!!!!

His torso loses half of its mass. Chunks of flesh and muscle fly into the eyes and faces of his comrades. They shriek and flail about blindly long enough for me to blur forwards---rip through the body of one of them—impact my feet with the wall—push with my legs—blur back—and chop off the leg of the second thigh-down in my dive back towards the center of the room.

Purple fluid trails me. No sooner does my dive end that I roll up into a leap over Katma's shoulders and into a fray of four Gordanians. My body spins vertically in mid-air like a helicopter with Myrkblade outstretched.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!!!!

I land in the center of the four reptilian attackers in such a fashion.

SL-SL-SL-SLASH!!!!

I wind down into a crouch position, hyperventilating.

The four Gordanians stand still all of the sudden....until in perfect synchronization all of their detached heads roll off their shoulders and their bodies slump bloodily to the floor. THWUMP!! TH-THWUMP! WHUMP!!

Katma blinks.

My black eyes blink white and black again as I take a huge breath and leap up onto the nearby, curved wall of the heated room. Blurring my legs, I run vertically along the perimeter to the North and West sides of the room. From my lightning-quick movement and position, I catch the backs of the Gordanian heads.....literally.

SLASH!! SLASH!!!! SLAAAASH!!!

Purple rivers splash outward from their necks.

Over a dozen reptiles grip their throats and wheeze for breath, spitting up and sputtering forth purple ooze. They slump down one after another as I pass by.

"Keep it up, fraggers!!!" Lobo shouts. "We almost have them---" He suddenly catches sight of me. "....holy shit."

SL-SL-SL-SL-SL-SLASH!!!!!

I down four more Gordanians before leaping down into the midst of them on the South End.

I chop off the arm of one rushing the family members, then jab forward---skewering two at once with the full length of my blade before pulling the weapon out in a fountain of purple and twirling to meet the charge of another suicidal reptile with a murderous laceration across his belly, spilling his guts out.

I hop over the body and twirl Myrkblade into a pose as three more rush at me.

"HRESSSSHA!!!!!"

I grit my teeth. Shivering all over from my metal limb. Purple streaks down my helmet in a torrent and I blink black then white then black again and let out a silent scream. "!!!!!!" I rush at the first one.

He swings with his laser staff.

SLASSSH!!

I chop through it and then chop straight down his head, splitting it in two.

SLIIIINK!!!

I shove his brain-leaking body away and hold Myrkblade up as the second attacker comes.

His staff swings.

I blur my body into smoke form just in time for the staff to fly through me.

I snarl and slash Myrkblade up high.

CHOP!!!!

His head flies off.

I pivot back and raise my foot, literally kicking the loose head into the chest of the third and final attacker.

WHUMP!!!

The Gordanian backs up with the trophy, horrified.

SWOOOSH—SLASH!!!!

I swing Myrkblade halfway into his torso from his ribs' side and then yank the blade out before his insides can fall out.

SCHLUMP!!!!

I spin around.

Three Gordanians look at all the bodies on the floor and realize they're alone.

I march towards them....fuming...nostrils flaring...

They shriek and aim at me all at once.

ZAAP!! ZAP!! ZAAAAAP!!

I flick my wrist and deflect each shot without so much as flinching my advancing body.

The two in the rear hobble back, shivering.

The first one lets out a blood-curdling hiss. He charges me.

I charge him.

He raises his spear.

I twirl Myrkblade and point it straight ahead.

SWOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!

In a quick-as-wind blur I teleport through him and finish with an upswing of Myrkblade.

One beat....two....

The Gordanian's stiff body falls apart behind me.

I stand up, panting.

The last two stumble back to the wall, trembling like mad.

My teeth are clenched. I march towards them. My boots dip into puddles of purple.

The one on the left lets out a whimper and aims his laser spear at his own throat.

ZAP!!!

His front face implodes and he falls to the ground with a sickening THWUMP!!!

The last one trembles and watches my every move.

I march up to within a yard's distance from him. My black eyes twitching.

Shivering....

Throbbing.

White...

"HRESSHAAA!!!" the Gordanian drops his spear and slumps down against the wall, clutching his head in horror. "HRESSSSSSHAAAA!!"

SLUNK!!!!!

I silence the creature with the tip of Myrkblade through its throat.

I take a huge breath....

....

....I exhale.

FLASH!!!

The Gordanian's head explodes from a single pulse of smoke down the wooden sword.

And save for the painful moans of a handful of wounded Tamaranians, all is silent.

The onslaught is over.

Lobo stares at me from behind, absent mindedly wrapping his fingers against the butt of his sniper rifle.

Minnae and Koriand'r hug each other.

The other soldiers and citizens are silent.

I pant...pant....pant...

CL-CLANK!!

Myrkblade falls to the floor.

I slump to my knees.

Surrounded in purple blood.

Like rust.

A taste of horror fills my throat.

My black eyes smoke.

Like fire....

Bolts of lightning.

White hot.

White...

I thrust my neck back and hold my arms to my side.

I let out a silent howl.

FLASH!!!!!!!

A pure sphere of smoke and murk energy pulses out from the center of my figure...surrounds my kneeling body for a second or two...and then implodes straight back into my chest like a collapsing submarine.

"!!!!!!!!" I gasp for air. Pure air. My black eyes are no longer flickering. My metal arm is no longer causing me to shiver. My lungs heave and my shoulders give way. Soon, I'm leaning forward on my hands. Panting. Coughing. Sweating all over....salt water mixed with Gordanian blood.

"...................."

I hear the padding of bootsteps right behind me.

A beat.

A soft but firm, feminine hand on my shoulder.

Panting, I look up wearily through my stained helmet visor.

Katma Tui has on a small...proud smile. "I dunno how, Noir...," she whispers. "...but you single-handedly just saved history." A beat. She bites her lip, then admits: "Now we all know why the Being selected you to be here....."

I let out a breath and stare at a dry spot on the floor. I don't know whether to feel wounded or relieved....

I feel Katma's fingers tighten on my shoulder.

"???" I weakly stand up and look at where she's looking.

About five Tamaranians have perished, and two more are injured. Among the deceased are three soldiers and two escapees...data escapees.

But there is also a sixth fatality. And he lies in the arms of innocent and soldier Tamaranians alike. The body of the noble, elderly officer. A laser burn covering his throat. His firm eyes...still forevermore.

I gulp. I look away. I catch sight of Koriand'r and the other children. I see the tears forming in their eyes. Solid green rivers running down their cheeks. And I hear the Tamaranian howl of sorrow. And it's so haunting inside the acoustics of this claustrophobic Hell-hole. Like a beautiful symphony and a pressure cooker full of dying cats all at once.

The Tamaranians minding the ceiling consoles pause to join in the traditional wail of sorrow and loss. It will only be a matter of time before they're back on the task at hand and getting us an escape. They're more than halfway through with it by now anyways.

Katma walks over and stands between the gun-polishing Lobo and the wilted Minnae. I'm within earshot too as she crosses her arms and utters with a deep breath: "No matter what happens...we're getting the data to the Capital. We must do whatever it takes. The only option here....the only conceivable option....is victory...."

"Heh....you're telling me, Sweet Cakes," was all Lobo says. I think it's all he wants to say.

Minnae is silent.

So am I.