CHAPTER 16: INCARCERATE

"This just got a lot more complicated," Fornell said, his alarm growing.

"Yeah, I'll say," I agreed.

"The four of us combined would barely be enough for Chala," Gibbs observed. "Against all four of them…"

"Should we run?" Sarah asked.

"Probably, that sounds smart," I replied.

Chala was the first to fire a shot. She fired beams of purple energy from both guns, and we ducked down as the beams ripped through trees and caused small fires. I fired an arrow, but Chala ducked down to evade it. Gibbs fired a shot as well, and Chala barrel-rolled out of the way. Fornell and Sarah fired their rifles and Kauyu's people, but they all scattered while beginning their own offenses. Kauyu fired his rifle, letting off a volley of electrified blasts. Fornell tried to move out of the way, but two of the blasts hit him in the arm and knocked him off his feet.

Electricity coursed through his arm while blood started spilling out, and Sarah stood between him and Kauyu to fire back. Kauyu ducked down, and meanwhile Leo and Ausulee both closed in. Sarah fired on Ausulee, but she expertly blocked the automatic gunfire with her twin swords. Leo was the first to get to her, and he swung his fist. Sarah ducked down, diving aside as Ausulee came in swinging her swords.

Fornell fired a Tri-Shot Blitz at Leo, hitting him with all three shots and knocking him across the riverbed. He tumbled across the ground, small pieces fragmenting from his suit framework. He got to his fours, blood seeping down his face, and he scowled at Fornell as the man rose to his feet. He nodded in appreciation to Sarah as they stood against the three hunters.

They both ducked down as Kauyu fired on them, and they both fired back at him and caused him to back towards the trees for cover. Ausulee closed in, swinging her heated sword down on top of Sarah. Sarah sidestepped the strike, and when the sword blade slammed into the ground, a plume of lava shot high into the air. Sarah gasped as she stumbled over, and the lava rained down around her. She was very fortunate to not get hit, and she scrambled back while trying to aim her rifle.

Ausulee was unfazed as she stalked after her, but she ducked down as Fornell tried to hit her with the butt of his gun. She swung one of her swords across Fornell's side, causing him to yell in pain while collapsing to the ground. Steam billowed off of the injury as he groaned and writhed, and Ausulee aimed the tip of her superheated blade at his chin. Sarah opened fire, and while Ausulee blocked several of the blasts with her other sword, she was forced back by the automatic gunfire.

Sarah advanced on her, but Leo closed in and thrust his fist, forcing her back. She tried to line up a shot, but he continued to pursue her while swinging his gauntleted fists. She was forced to dive down as he punched down, slamming his fist into the ground and blasting up rubble.

Gibbs and I ducked down to avoid shots from Chala, who was having a wonderful time hunting us for sport. It was all we could do to duck in and around her beams of energy and not get hit. Gibbs was able to line up a shot, but this was evaded. In the time it took for Chala to avoid the shot, I was able to fire an arrow at her. She backed away, but the arrow hit the ground at her feet and exploded. The ground was blasted apart, and she was knocked back through the air while trailing smoke and blood from her injuries.

Chala collapsed to the ground, and Gibbs and I advanced on her, our weapons raised. Chala fired a beam of energy at us from the ground, and while Gibbs tried to duck down, the blast grazed his shoulder. I fired another arrow, and while Chala rolled out of the way, she was buffeted by the pulse of energy. I ran over and helped Gibbs back up, and he nodded to assure me that he was okay. We both prepared to continue the fight when the sound of several large engines approaching us made us look around.

Chala froze as well, and so did Kauyu's group. Sarah and Fornell looked over at us, but all we had to give them was confusion. And then, three enormous military trucks rolled into view from the woods. Apparently there were pathways through the trees that we couldn't see, because the massive vehicles had no trouble making it to us when there was no civilization in sight. All eight of us stopped fighting, and we watched as the trucks surrounded us. About sixty people poured out of the trucks, wielding FAMAS assault rifles and crowding around us to leave us with no escape.

Gibbs and I were isolated from Sarah and Fornell, and the Hunters were separated off from Chala.

"What the hell is going on here?"

A man stepped forward to glare at us. He had dark skin with blond hair under his military hat. He had a pristine green camouflage uniform, and his rifle hung on a sling at his side. He looked between Gibbs and I, silently demanding an explanation.

"I take it you're the army?" Gibbs asked.

The man shook his head, his eyes narrowed in suspicious venom. "We are the Vanuatu Mobile Force."

"So, what? Police?" I asked.

The man surveyed me for a moment, and he said, "We are volunteers. We take it upon ourselves to respond to potential threats to this island."

"Ah," Gibbs said, nodding in understanding. "You're a militia."

The man scowled at him, and he marched up to Gibbs, standing almost nose-to-nose.

"Let me ask you something, sir," he said in a low growl. "Do you know the first thing about our country?"

Gibbs held eye contact, his expression much more grim than before. His silence was enough of an answer.

"I did not think so," the man said. "My name is Etuate Isa. I am the commander of the VMF. Who are you?"

"Gibbs."

"Jack."

I glanced over and saw that Sarah and Fornell were both being questioned, as well as the Hunters and Chala. Isa saw where I was looking, and he glanced around as well. He spotted Chala and froze, his face falling. "Who is that?" he demanded.

"Her name is Chala," I answered.

"Why have you all come to this nation?" Isa asked, looking between us. "Surely there are enough battlegrounds in your own country for your bloodlust?"

"We didn't choose the battlefield," Gibbs said.

"And yet, here you are," Isa replied savagely. "Tearing up one of the few ecosystems in the world left untouched by human interference. Explain to me why."

"There's a lot to explain," I said. "And I really don't know how much we can tell you."

I heard Gibbs exhale, and it became immediately clear why. Isa's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Then perhaps you will be more accommodating towards providing information back at headquarters. All of you are coming with us."

I cursed silently. Isa directed his men, and they pulled out cuffs and approached us. We were searched and cleared of all weapons, and our arms were pulled behind our backs to be cuffed. I watched the same thing happen to Sarah, and I had to fight down the guilt of the knowledge that my actions were what led her to this situation.

"Commander."

We all looked around to see Chala walk slowly over to Isa. She had her hands in the air with fifteen gun barrels aimed at her from all directions. Chala paid no attention to this, and she fixed the VMF Commander with a cold leer. "I would like to freely offer information as to the situation you are witnessing."

"Oh, good," Isa said. "Someone who actually doesn't mind talking. Alright, let's hear it, all of it."

I felt my intestines constrict as a sinking foreboding began to grow inside of me. There was a kind of evil glint in Chala's eye as she said, "These four were attempting to raid your nearby villages and pillage them for resources. They intended to commit mass murder in the name of leaving many of your people for dead."

Gibbs let out a sharp, dry laugh, causing Isa to look at him. He nodded, grinning in amusement, and he said, "Nice one."

"Is what she says true?" Isa asked.

"No!" I answered firmly.

"And how can you prove it?" Isa asked.

"How do you want us to?" Gibbs replied.

I couldn't tell if this was the correct response. Isa nodded, looking around at the situation that had played out around him. He then spotted Kauyu's group, and he asked, "What is their purpose here?"

Kauyu, Ausulee, and Leo were all listening in, peering over the crowd of armed soldiers that surrounded them. Chala glanced over at them, but then she seemed to pointedly avoid their gaze as she said, "They are also here to raid your people. They worked in cooperation with these other four."

"What the hell did you just say?" Kauyu demanded.

Kauyu started marching towards her, but the soldiers erupted into furious commands, bolstering their weapons and threatening to shoot. Kauyu glared furiously at them, but I supposed he knew he couldn't make it through all of them.

Isa held eye contact with Chala, but I couldn't read his expression.

"Listen, man," Gibbs said, "you trust this woman, she'll kill every last one of you."

Isa gave a dry laugh, and meanwhile Chala's expression remained determinedly neutral.

Isa looked at Gibbs and said, "Friends, I'm going to ignore the fact that you came onto our soil, quite uninvited, with absurd weapons I've never dreamed of. I'm also going to ignore the fact that this woman is clearly not from this world."

"Well, you're taking that news a lot better than I did," I commented.

Isa didn't acknowledge me. "I'll do you the grace of ignoring all of these things with the understanding that not a single one of you is the least bit trustworthy. I will be detaining all of you and taking you back to our headquarters. We will find out what is really going on."

Chala let off a low growl, prompting Isa to turn to face her. "Is there something you would like to say?"

Chala didn't respond. Instead, she disintegrated to ash and blew away in a breeze of wind. Isa stared at the spot where she vanished with his jaw hanging half-open. He then looked back at us and asked, "Can you do that?"

I wish, I thought. I glanced over at Sarah and Fornell, and while Fornell looked positively bored by the affair, Sarah was trying very hard to control her nerves.

"Alright, let's go," Isa commanded. He motioned for his people to take us to the trucks. All seven of us were stripped of our weapons. Gibbs and I were deposited into one truck, Sarah and Fornell occupied the second, and Kauyu's people were assigned the third. I gave one last look to Sarah before we were escorted into the covered bed. Gibbs and I sat at the front of the bed, immediately behind the cab, and I watched as the group of soldiers filed in and took the seats between us and the exit to the bed.

I attempted to keep my hands from shaking, but several of the soldiers spotted them. I looked up at the ceiling, taking deep, slow breaths. Gibbs didn't say anything. He was as stoic and collected as ever. I knew this well about him, and while I tried to emulate his demeanor, some form of reassurance would not have gone unwelcome.

The VMF loaded up and prepared to move out. I focused on the sound of the engine as it rumbled to life. The longer I stayed in here, the more I was reminded of the time I was handcuffed in the back of a police car. I swore to myself and my family that I would never be in that situation, and yet here I was. What would mom say?

The truck lurched, and we began driving. The soldiers began chatting idly, some in English, but most in a language I couldn't identify. I leaned in towards Gibbs and whispered, "Do we have a plan?"

None of the soldiers noticed. Gibbs looked at me, staring silently and pointedly. I gave a deep, shuddering breath.

The air erupted into a roar, causing us all to jump and duck down. The ground shook like an earthquake, and the sound of crunching metal grated our ears.

The soldiers readied their weapons as the truck rolled to a stop. But then the cab exploded and I lost all awareness.

The first thing I perceived was pain. My whole body seemed ready to combust with burning, pounding agony. And then there was a buzzing sound, but this was all I could hear. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't move at first. I tried to flex my fingers, but they felt like they had been encased in lead. My head pounded, and my body felt like I had been hit by a rhino. I managed to open my eyes, and all I saw was fire. There was debris cascaded across the area, along with blood-soaked corpses. I felt blood seep into my eye, and I finally managed the strength to wipe it away.

I rose to a sitting position, taking raspy breaths as I looked around. The truck had been flipped over on top of me, and a spare tire lay on my leg, trapping it under three hundred pounds of rubber and metal. I groaned in pain, suspecting something in my leg might be broken. I couldn't see Gibbs, but then again I couldn't see much of anything in the smoke.

I tried to call for help, but my voice wouldn't work. I started coughing and gagging, and I pulled my shirt up over my mouth and nose to try and filter out some of the smoke. I barely had time to try and devise a solution when the metal of the truck started to creak. I looked around just in time to see the side of the bed burst open, and a large, gauntleted hand reached through to grab me around the throat. I choked and thrashed, but I made no progress as I was wrenched out through the truck.

My body widened the hole in the metal, leaving me with several deep cuts from the jagged edges that spewed blood. Bright sunlight hit my eyes, nearly blinding me as I was thrown across the ground. I groaned in pain, rolling back and forth across the ground. I heard footsteps approaching me, and I looked around just in time to be pulled to my feet. I was slammed against a tree trunk, shattering what little strength I had left, and I looked into the rage-filled face of Kauyu, who had me nose-to-nose.

"Who the hell was that bitch that done sold us out?" he demanded in a low growl. "Who was she?"

I struggled to speak, and this was not abetted by Kauyu hitting me across the face. I spat blood onto the ground at my feet before looking back at him, and I coughed in his face. He ignored this, but he didn't release me. I saw Leo and Ausulee at both of his flanks, both wielding their weapons.

"Boy, do not make me ask again," Kauyu ordered.

"Her name," I wheezed, "is Chala. She's a Spatial Hunter."

"And where do Spatial Hunters go to get some R and R, huh?" Kauyu asked.

"I don't know," I told him. "We've been fighting them, but we have no idea where their headquarters is."

"Well, I guess you're just of no use to me, then, are you?" Kauyu said.

He held his rifle one-handed with the barrel against my jaw, ready to pull the trigger. A gunshot cracked through the air, and Kauyu yelled out in pain while stumbling back. I dropped to the ground, and I looked around to see him holding his shoulder, which had blood pouring out of it. All three of them looked around at Gibbs, who kneeled twenty feet away, aiming his sniper rifle. Blood drenched his whole body, and while his stance was steady, his face was contorted with rage in a way I had never seen.

"Get away from him!" Gibbs growled. "Now!"

Kauyu and his group made to attack Gibbs, but a shot from his rifle perforated Ausulee's chest and knocked her over. Kauyu and Leo prepared to fight back, but a voice shouted out, "Don't!"

Fornell approached, riddled with injuries like the rest of us, aiming his assault rifle. He fired a volley of shots, and while Leo crossed his fists to defend himself, he hesitated to approach. Sarah ran over, crouching down next to me to check my injuries.

A portal opened behind us, and Kauyu's eyes narrowed.

"We need to go," Fornell announced as he stepped backwards towards the portal. Gibbs held Kauyu's group under gun as he approached the portal as well. Isa lay on the ground nearby, and he rose onto his elbows, looking around with wide, fearful eyes.

"Come on, Jack," Sarah said breathlessly. She helped me to my feet and shouldered my weight as we staggered towards the portal. Fornell and Gibbs kept their weapons aimed as we walked through the portal, and they both immediately followed us.