Presenting to you now, the biggest battle in the series to date: Theas vs. Nok
CHAPTER 25: LIGHTNING
"What's your plan?" Gibbs inquired of Pirises. "You have no idea how to fight Nok, so what's your big strategy for how to take him down?"
"I will happily remind you that I am not the only one whose job it is to work out a strategy," Pirises stated.
"A military offensive is one of the most successful strategies I've ever used," Admiral McGee stated. "But it takes faith in your men to pull off–something you seem to desperately lack."
"It's not about faith in men," Pirises countered. "We need to be ready to react in case Theas fails."
Theas's sword swung through the air, trailing blood from a gash in Nok's arm. At the same time, Nok swung a sword of his own that spattered blood from Theas's chest. The two backed away from each other, and Theas held his swords defensively in front of him while Nok aimed the tip of his own blade at Theas. Nok stood casually, one hand in his pocket while he grinned at Theas. Nok's sword had a long, thin blade with black, diamond-shaped spots running up the blade. The cross guard was deep black and seemed to absorb the light around it.
A blast of thunder shook the mountain while lightning split the sky open, casting the whole battlefield in a bright glow. Even in this momentary illumination, Theas was unable to find the members of his team. Nok tightened his grip on his blade, and the black diamond closest to his sword hilt glowed purple. Theas's eyes widened, and a furious surge of electricity coursed through his blades. Nok shot forward with jaw-dropping speed, and he slammed his sword into Theas's blades, which were crossed in defense. The ground ruptured behind Theas, who managed to hold his ground as he forced Nok off of him.
Theas aimed his sword at Nok and fired a volley of electric blasts, but Nok knocked them away with his own sword. The two shot at each other, exchanging powerful slashes that blasted dust and rubble off the mountain face. Theas was able to hold off Nok with one sword, and he swung the other at the Hunter's gut. Nok quickly jumped back, and he swung his sword down, blasting the ground apart in a line of destruction that slammed into Theas. Theas jumped away from the carnage, sporting a fresh injury to his forehead, and he sailed through the air before landing on the ground as Nok charged him.
The two combatants exchanged slashes, and Nok kicked Theas away. Theas tumbled across the ground before rolling to his feet, and Nok shot past him, slashing Theas across the side. Theas didn't react, and he spun around and swung his sword, firing an arc of electricity at Nok. Nok blocked the attack with his sword, causing electricity to flow into the air past him, and Theas leaped high into the air before bringing both swords down on top of Nok with all his strength. Nok held his sword above him in defense, and when Theas's blades slammed into him, a powerful shockwave of electricity expelled outwards from the impact.
A thunderclap shook the mountain again, and for barely an instant, the storm was quieted. Theas landed back on the ground, and he ducked a slash from Nok. Theas swung a sword and hit Nok with a blast of electricity, but Nok shrugged this off as he aimed the tip of his sword at Theas and caused the ground under him to explode. Theas was thrown through the air, and he tumbled across the mountain face and hurtled off a deep drop. He slammed into the stone fifty feet below, grunting in pain as his swords clattered away.
Nok stood at the very edge of the cliff overlooking Theas, and he aimed the tip of his sword down and fired a powerful blast of black energy. Theas raised his swords, forming a dome of electricity around him, but when Nok's attack slammed into it, the dome ruptured and faded. Theas climbed haphazardly to his feet, and he looked up to see that Nok was gone. Theas's eyes widened as he shot to the side, only barely avoiding Nok's strike as his sword grazed Theas's arm.
The two fighters exchanged several more slashes, and their power caused a piece of the mountain to crumble down nearby. Nok swung his sword, Theas parried it, and Nok pushed Theas's sword over his head with his own blade before kicking Theas back. Theas slammed into a stone wall, and Nok swung his sword through the air. The stone above Theas was blasted out, sending massive pieces of rubble cascading down on top of him.
A portal opened behind Nok, who turned around as Theas stumbled out. Blood soaked his clothes from several fresh injuries, and his stance was shaky as he held his swords ready.
"I'm surprised, Theas," Nok commented. "It took some real Keeper cajones to come after us directly."
"You're a threat to innocent lives everywhere," Theas reminded him. "We'll end you."
Nok chuckled, and he said, "Oh, I don't know about that."
A series of gunshots went off, and while Nok was able to block a couple of shots, several hit him in the torso and knocked him back. Blood spilled out from these injuries, and he looked around with wide, angry eyes.
"Back off, asswipe!"
Falien marched towards Nok, aiming his assault rifle. Nok grimaced, and as he prepared to counterattack, Falien ejected his magazine and inserted a new one. He ducked down as Nok swung his sword through the air, blasting out a chunk of the ground behind him. Falien pulled the operating rod and opened fire, letting off a series of shots that brimmed with electricity. The shots hit the ground around Nok, building a powerful current that steadily grew in power. Nok tried to shield himself with his sword, but the circuit formed by the bullets around him erupted in a powerful blast that sent Nok hurtling through the air.
Nok climbed to a knee, growling in anger, and meanwhile Brindier sailed off the edge of the cliff above them. She aimed her fist down and fired several blasts of fire which forced Falien and Theas to dive out of the way. Brindier plummeted down, landing next to Nok and helping him to his feet.
"You're slow," Nok growled.
"I'm sorry," Brindier said, trying to conceal her nerves.
"Where are the others?" Nok demanded.
"Fighting," Brindier answered.
Theas's eyes widened, but Falien wasted no time in waging a new assault. Falien opened fire on the two Hunters, but Brindier let off an intense wave of fire that formed a wall in front of them to intercept the gunshots. Nok erupted out of the fire like a stampeding rhino and closed in on the two Keepers with his sword raised. Falien moved out of the way while Theas crossed his swords in front of him. Blades slammed into each other, blasting up dust and rubble twenty feet around them.
Meanwhile, Falien returned to his feet to find Brindier immediately at his flank as she hit him with a blast of fire. Falien was knocked down, but he fired several shots at Brindier that knocked her back. Falien came to a kneel, and he loaded a cartridge in the bottom of his rifle before firing a rocket at Brindier. Brindier, who didn't have time to put up a defense against the attack, was hit directly and obscured in smoke and fire. Within seconds, the smoke was blasted aside as fire raged around Brindier's entire body. She screamed in rage, and she fired an enormous wave of flames at Falien.
Falien's eyes widened, and he held his arm out as a black band on his wrist glowed electric blue. An energy shield formed on his arm, and Brindier's attack slammed into it and caused the shield to rupture. Falien was lost in an explosion of fire that rose up high, lighting up the mountain.
About two hundred feet away, Eliacro rose shakily to her feet. She wiped blood from the side of her head before looking around.
"Oh, I'm really glad you finally woke up."
Eliacro looked around groggily and saw Saphyon standing between her and Alkor, who patted the ground in preparation to charge. Saphyon aimed his assault rifle while sporting various injuries across his body. Blood was caked in his beard, but he remained resolute as he awaited Alkor's attack. Alkor charged, and when Saphyon opened fire, the blasts ricocheted off of the beast's body and ransacked the surrounding area. Saphyon gritted his teeth, and he dove out of the way as Alkor stampeded past. Eliacro yelped while ducking down, but Alkor didn't bother with her while redirecting himself towards Saphyon.
Eliacro took the time to get back to her feet, and she looked around to see that her assault rifle was nowhere to be found. She reached around behind her and pulled from her back a contraption that consisted of a thin, bladed disk with a grip attached.
Saphyon barrel-rolled across the ground, and when he returned to his feet, the barrel of his rifle glowed orange. He fired a concentrated beam of orange light at Alkor, and the beam passed across the ground and over the Hunter. Everywhere the beam touched erupted in a powerful explosion, ripping the ground apart and catching Alkor in a blast of fire. Alkor let out an agonized shriek as he collapsed to the ground, and Saphyon closed in on him. He pressed a button on the side of his rifle, and he fired off a burst of laser blasts.
The blasts hit Alkor, causing his fur to be stained with blood, but he rose to his feet and let off a tremendous roar. All across the battlefield, small, sharp rocks shot straight at Saphyon, and his eyes widened as he stood helplessly. Eliacro appeared in front of him, swinging a thin cord with the bladed disk at the end. The blade knocked the shrapnel out of the air, leaving both Eliacro and Saphyon unharmed, and Eliacro stood against Alkor as the Hunter prepared to charge her.
"Interesting."
Eliacro and Saphyon looked around and saw Iryn standing a short distance away, observing them.
"You wield a weapon that is not powered by Aolen," Iryn observed, eyeing Eliacro.
"Yeah," Eliacro agreed. She wrapped the cord around her arm so that the blade dangled off her shoulder. "It really helps when bitches like you come along."
Iryn reached into her robe and grabbed a small, purple box. Eliacro raised an eyebrow as she watched, and Iryn squeezed the box tightly, causing it to break open. Energy erupted out of the box, flowing outward into the air around Iryn, who held out her other arm. The energy redirected, flowing into her palm before coating her whole body.
Eliacro realized what was happening, and she swung her rope around, spinning at the same time before swinging the blade at Iryn. A wall of purple appeared at Iryn's flank, and the disk bounced off of it as Eliacro reeled it in.
"So, what, you just keep stockpiles of Aolen on you?" Eliacro asked.
"It's helpful in places like here, where Aolen is absent," Iryn stated.
Pasir climbed to his fours, rubbing his head before looking around. He heard something approach, and he looked around just as Gilo collided into him. Pasir was pinned under Gilo, who dug his talons into him and caused Pasir to grunt in pain. Pasir summoned his strength and swung his legs, flipping Gilo off to him as he rolled to his feet. Pasir reached behind him and pulled out twin pistols and aimed them at Gilo.
Gilo sneered at him, crouched low to the ground and ready to attack. Pasir took aim and fired several orange blasts, but Gilo shot straight up into the air. He soared high overhead, and Pasir watched him, trailing him with his pistols while waiting for a clean shot. As Gilo flew, his wings erupted into bright blue fire. Pasir's eyes widened, and Gilo fired off three fiery feathers, one after the other, which shot down at the Keeper.
Pasir rolled to the side, avoiding the shots as they crashed into the ground and blasted up smoke and chunks of rubble.
"Dammit, I thought this guy couldn't do anything like that," Pasir said through gritted teeth.
Pasir fired two shots from one pistol, and one was avoided while the other one hit Gilo. A blast of orange energy erupted outward from the impact, knocking Gilo out of the air as he plummeted down. Gilo managed to regain flight before hitting the ground, and his wings lit up in fire once again. Gilo rose high into the air, and he flapped his wings to fire several more burning feathers at Pasir.
Pasir held his guns together, and they combined to form a shield that defended him against the attack. Smoke and fire blasted out around him, but Pasir withstood the assault before he separated his shield into guns. He tried to line up a shot, but Gilo slammed into him at full speed, knocking Pasir off his feet and sending him rolling across the ground. Gilo flew back up into the air, looking down at Pasir while his wings lit up in fire. Pasir recovered from the assault, and Gilo intensified the fire around his wings before catapulting himself down on top of the Keeper.
Pasir ran, attempting to evade the attack, but Gilo followed him across the mountain face before slamming into him, igniting an enormous explosion of blue fire that ripped across the area, blasting out stone and obscuring the scene in smoke.
JACK FOSSE:
The conversation with Pirises, instead of being enlightening, seemed to bring us further down into hopelessness. I looked at Sarah, who seemed to be as uneasy as I felt. We had no sure way of defeating Nok, and the fact that the Keepers seemed to be preparing for Theas's mission to fail wasn't inspiring. I took a quick look around the room and saw that none of the Anomalies were optimistic about this fight.
A high-pitched beeping rang out, and Sarah pulled out her phone to see that there was a Macrobreach. I had never seen the Anomalies look more relieved to have something to discuss other than Spatial Hunters.
"This meeting is adjourned for now," Pirises said, "but listen, everyone."
We all stopped preparing to leave the room and looked around with varying degrees of nervousness.
"I know this wasn't the most inspiring session you've ever seen, but just know the Keepers are behind you. We're working just as hard to find a resolution to the conflict. Just be patient with us for now."
No one had any response to give, and Pirises stared awkwardly at us for a moment before opening a portal. As he disappeared through it, we grouped together to discuss our next strategy.
"Where is the Macrobreach?" Sloane asked.
Sarah checked the map on her phone. "Grissom," she answered grimly.
I gawked at her. "You're kidding."
"What is Grissom?" Ari asked.
"Well, there are a lot of things in Grissom," I answered. "Primarily an Air Force Base."
"Also a prison," Sarah supplied. "And a surprisingly robust tourism industry."
Ari raised an eyebrow, and Gibbs walked over to us.
"Are we all going?" I asked Gibbs.
Gibbs considered this. "If Theas is keeping Nok's team busy, that should leave us free and clear to get the Macrobreach, right?"
I shrugged. "As long as the Hunters don't send another Kill Team."
Gibbs let out a deep breath. "Who do we have on ART? I lost count."
Sarah and I raised our hands, along with Fornell, Diane, and Ari. That left Luca, Sloane, Kyle, McGee, Rob, and Jackson to stand there looking around awkwardly.
"Alright," Gibbs said, coming to a decision. "We'll do the standard two teams. Jack, Sarah, and I will be contact. Tobias, Diane, and Ari will be lookout."
"Is there anything you'd like R and I to work on in the meantime?" Sloane asked.
"Uh," Gibbs said, staring at her. "Whatever it is you've been working on, you just keep at it."
Sloane smirked, and she nodded before stepping away.
As the six members of ART moved up the stairs and towards the garage, Sarah said, "So I don't need to tell you that picking a fight with the United States Air Force wouldn't exactly help our cause, right?"
"We are not picking a fight with anybody," Gibbs said. "We are going to Grissom, getting the Macrobreach, and coming home. If we can do that before any Hunters pick up the trail, all the better."
That was something we could all agree upon. Gibbs and Ari climbed into my car with me while Fornell and Diane joined Sarah in her car. I followed Sarah out of the garage and driveway while we began the drive to Grissom, which would take just under two hours.
"You guys seem like you know a lot about this Air Force Base," Gibbs said. "You been here before?"
"Yeah, with my dad," I answered. "He was army but he had friends in the air force. He took us out there a couple times. It's an interesting place."
"You said there was a prison there," Ari said. "I have to confess some hesitation in going here."
"Well, you're already in the car," Gibbs said with a smirk.
"Just don't tell people you're a terrorist who's orchestrated dozens of deaths, and you'll be fine," I told him.
Ari nodded, and while he did not seem reassured, he didn't pursue the subject.
"There's also the Grissom Air Museum," I commented.
Gibbs nodded, grinning. "We should have brought dad. He would have liked that."
As we turned onto a highway and began driving north, I had a flash, an image of Sarah's car in front of us erupting into flames. I took a quick, sharp breath, shaking my head to clear the vision. Fortunately, neither Gibbs nor Ari noticed anything.
"Can you tell where in Grissom the Anomaly is?" I asked.
Gibbs pulled out his phone, and he struggled with it for several seconds before managing to bring up the map of the Macrobreach's location. "They are," he said, surveying the screen, "in base housing."
"There are nearly twenty-five hundred people living on the base," Ari provided, looking at his own phone." He looked up at us and said, "That is a lot of people."
"They're not just going to let us waltz on in," Gibbs said. "We need a plan."
"What's security look like?" I asked. "How hard is it to get onbase?"
Gibbs zoomed in on the map, taking several attempts to accomplish the feat, and finally he said, "It doesn't look like there's anything keeping us from accessing the housing quarters. Except for the people."
"The weather's going to be nice," I commented. "That means people will be outside."
"Will they know we don't belong there if they see us?" Ari asked.
"Oh, yeah," Gibbs answered.
"We're talking about a military base," I said. "Security is kind of a big deal to them."
Ari looked between us. "I never got the impression that Americans paid enough attention to notice something like that."
"Well," Gibbs said, grinning, "let me put it to you this way, Ari. Your drone strike on the Norfolk pier didn't fail because we don't pay attention."
Ari eyed him but didn't respond. I felt a small curdling feeling in my gut as I watched to make sure neither of them pulled their weapons, but they both thankfully refrained from acts of aggression.
We arrived at Grissom, and I looked out of my window and saw the expansive airfield, consisting of a runway over two miles in length, populated by various cargo planes that were parked near a massive hangar. I took a turn that led away from the airfield, moving towards the onbase housing.
"Where's the Macrobreach?" I asked.
Gibbs, consulting the signal, said, "Heading towards…the fire station. Right next to the airfield."
"That's not going to be easy to get to unnoticed," I lamented.
"It's surprising that the Anomaly got that far without being detained," Ari surmised.
A call came into my phone, connected to the car, and I glanced at the command console and saw Sarah's name before glancing at her car in front of us. I accepted the call and said, "Yeah."
"What do you want to do?" Sarah asked.
"Uh," I said, rubbing my chin. "I don't know."
"Uh-huh," Sarah said dryly.
"I vote your car goes in while we circle the base," came Fornell's voice. "We're on lookout. Hard to look for anything if we get taken down by security right alongside you."
"Wow, this universe gave you critical thinking skills, I'm amazed," said Diane.
"I'm fine with playing 'wait and see'," Sarah said. "Just try not to get arrested by this security force too, please."
"Yeah," I said, "thanks babe. Love you too."
The phone call disconnected, leaving Gibbs to grin incredulously while Ari stared between us with raised eyebrows.
"So anyway," I said. "Your orders?"
"Find a way in," Gibbs said.
This was a much easier thing to ask than I think Gibbs expected. We simply found a street that led into the onbase houses and drove in. I looked around as Sarah's car drove away, and it was out of sight within seconds while I proceeded into the neighborhood. It looked to me like any other suburban subdivision. Families were outside, playing with children or tending to gardens or otherwise living their lives. Looking at it from the surface, I would never guess these people lived on a military base.
A few people watched us as we drove through, but no one tried to stop us. I figured the closer we got to the airfield, the more chance we would have of encountering base security. "What do you think?" I asked Gibbs. "Should we take it on foot? Try and act covertly?"
"You can try," Gibbs said. "Let me know how it works for you."
He was right. There wasn't much on this base that would allow us to get around without being seen. It wouldn't be long before someone realized we weren't supposed to be here, and that would not end well for any of us. We were still about half a mile away from the fire department, which backed up against the airfield. I drove to the end of onbase housing, and I felt my breath grow shallow as two guards standing in the street ahead spotted us. If they stopped us, which was likely to happen if they realized they didn't recognize my car, there was no way they wouldn't detain us.
"Just keep moving slowly," Gibbs said quietly. "Don't draw attention. Don't let them know you're pissing yourself."
My heart was already pounding, and when one of the guards motioned for us to stop the vehicle, I thought it might explode out of my sternum.
"Crap," Gibbs whispered.
"Do we fight?" Ari asked nervously.
"We won't win," I told him.
"Try and call the others, tell them to abort," Gibbs said.
I slowed to a stop in front of the guards as one strolled towards my window. I rolled it down, trying to put on a smile, and the guard smirked.
"You lost, sir?" he asked. He was about three years younger than me but could likely bench my weight.
"How could you tell?" I asked, trying to fake lightheartedness.
"How'd you wind up in here?" the guard asked.
"Well, we're not from around here," I told him. "We didn't even know this was a military base until we saw you."
"Yeah, you can't be in here," he informed me. "I'm going to need to have an escort see you out."
"Sure, man, no problem," I told him.
The guard walked away, and as I rolled up my window, Gibbs nodded. "Nicely done, Jack," he told me.
"Thanks," I said, letting out a deep breath.
"Now we need to find another way to get to the Macrobreach," Ari said.
A military humvee drove up to us, and the guards motioned for us to follow it. We did so, and I looked in the rearview mirror as a second humvee pulled up behind us, following us as we moved back the way we came through the base. After a few minutes, we turned out of the base onto the main road, and the guards inside the humvees watched us as we drove away.
"Well, that could have gone a lot worse," Gibbs decided.
"Let's meet up with the others and figure out what to do," I recommended.
After a few minutes, I pulled onto the side of the road behind Sarah's car. All six of us got out, and I looked over at the airfield in the distance.
"We need to get inside," Sarah said.
"Yeah, and I think that just got a hell of a lot more difficult," Diane agreed.
"So we'll have to sneak in and grab the Macrobreach," Fornell said.
"Yeah, but the longer we take to do it, the more difficult it gets," Gibbs said.
"Then we move now," I stated. "We'll sneak in, like Fornell said. We'll have to move separately from each other, not in a big group that will draw attention. Gibbs, Ari, and I have already been identified by the guards, so we're compromised. It'll probably be up to Sarah, Fornell, or Diane to grab the Macrobreach."
"So we're just going to march on in and surrender, or how is that going to work?" Ari asked.
Before anyone could answer, we all looked around. The sound of a helicopter rotor beat the air nearby, coming from the direction of the airfield.
"What the hell?" Gibbs said. Meanwhile, Ari grew visibly uncomfortable.
A helicopter roared into view from over the trees, quickly followed by a second one. The two aircraft hovered in the air over us, and we looked around as four humvees rushed in. The military vehicles boxed us in, and sixteen military personnel stormed out, aiming rifles at us from all angles.
"What has happened?" Ari asked, alarmed.
"I don't know," Gibbs said, surveying the proceedings with his jaw hanging half-open.
I looked and saw the same guard that had stopped us aiming his assault rifle directly at me, any semblance of friendliness he showed inside the base gone.
The man who seemed to be in charge of this task force marched towards us, his rifle aimed at Gibbs, and he roared, "Everybody down on your knees! Now!"
We are approaching the Mid-Season Finale, and I can't tell you how excited I am to bring it to you. Chapter 27 is going to be a massive chapter, nearing 10,000 words in length. Massively looking forward to bringing the culmination of the first part of Season Two, and I hope you'll enjoy it.