Naomi charged towards the figure floating in the sky, tears cascading down her face, her inner rage boiling over the edges. Her mind was going a million miles an hour. This thing in the sky was an alien wasn't it? How had it survived the flagship being blown to hell? Anger ripped through her body, interrupting her thoughts. It didn't matter what it was and how it survived. It was going to die. Naomi hadn't even realized she had been screaming. Her throat felt like it was bleeding. She didn't care. She was getting closer now, coming from below and behind the figure. She could start to make out bits of exposed, slimy gray skin beneath ornate golden armor. Floating just off the top of its back were two gigantic golden rings, the smaller one in the middle having a faint golden glow. Naomi fired through the air straight at the being, eyes locked on the back of its neck. This was it. Naomi could imagine the feeling of her blades slicing through flesh, could almost see the aliens head separate from its body. The monster was much larger than she had thought, Naomi imagined she probably didn't even come up to its shins. She didn't care. There was one thought on her mind. Revenge. Memories of her sister flashed before her eyes, only fueling the already overflowing rage. One particular memory crossed her vision and she closed her eyes.
She was with Mia at their mothers family home in Japan. Mia and Naomi were in the backyard, taking turns being scooped up by their mother and father being run through the falling leaves of a cherry blossom with their arms outstretched. It was one of her most treasured memories. Now her sister was gone, and their mother didn't even know. Agony, grief, and rage flooded every vain in her body. Her eyes slowly opened. She was almost upon the monster now. Her twin blades raised, ready to sink into flesh and bone.
Time seemed to slow, and Naomi felt her mind slip away. She could feel the psionic energy flow freely from her brain, down her spine, and spread throughout her body. The invisible energy shot from her fingertips, spreading out and around her axes. The weapons became extensions of her own arms and hands. She could feel power surging out from every pore in her body, enveloping her armor and helmet. It felt more like a second skin now. There was a tingle in her back as energy poured from her spine and into her plasma core. She felt the wings now. They were a part of her. The feeling of flying had never been more natural. She was an unstoppable machine of rage and fury now with one objective. Kill. She hit the overcharge on her plasma core and catapulted forward, the gap between her and the monster rapidly closing. It was just floating there. Good. This would be easy.
Blades primed and ready to rip flesh, she sailed towards it with all the speed she could muster. Just as she was about to strike, she could have swore she saw its head slightly turn towards her. With a roar she brought the axes down as hard as she could. She felt steel connect to flesh, biting into its shoulder and getting stuck in... nothing... The confusion was overwhelming. There had been a gigantic floating alien in front of her. Hadn't there been? Naomi stared for a second. Glancing at her axes, she saw purple blood dripping off. Her blow had connected... She snapped her attention back to full, it still had to be here somewhere. Theres no way it could just disappear like that. She heard a quiet whimper over her radio. The voice was in pain, it sounded like... her blood turned to ice as she slowly turned around.
She hadn't even realized her friends were following her. The alien had Sarah in its grip by the back of her head. A blade of what looked like pure white energy stuck through her back and out her stomach. Her helmet had fallen off. Her turquoise eyes were wide with fear and staring at Naomi. Strands of her blue and purple hair fell in her face. Her lips quivered, and she slowly reached out with one hand. The blade winked off, leaving a hole where it had entered Sarahs body. Her hand fell. Her eyes closed, head slumped. Naomi, paralyzed in fear and shock, stared up at the aliens gray, eyeless face. It's mouth had curled Into a grin. The wound she had inflicted on its shoulder was already closed and healed. It had no eyes but it seemed to be staring directly back at her. It looked down at the limp body in its hand. It brought Sarah to its blank and featureless face and stared for a moment. Then, the alien opened its hand, and Sarah fell. With both of its hands, it traced a circle in the air, and with a flash of pink light, it blinked out of existence. Naomi couldn't move, couldn't act. She floated there for a second, staring at the air where the alien had been, trying to comprehend what had just happened. A glimpse of Tasha shooting downwards brought her attention back from her thoughts. Sarah was falling. They had to get to her before she hit the ground.
Looking down she spotted Tasha going full speed in a nose dive towards a speck falling to the ground. Imitating Tasha, Naomi sheathed her axes, pointed downwards, flattened her body, and speared through the air. Tasha had reached Sarah by now, but they were still falling too fast. Plasma cores were meant to carry a single Diver. Never two. And With Sarah being unconscious or... Naomi shook the thought away. They would save her. She had just lost her sister. Her own flesh and blood. She wasn't going to let one of her closest friends die now. She barreled towards the pair with every bit of power she could. They were close to the ground now, even if she got there... The thought only made her go faster. She almost slammed into the pair, instantly firing her thrusters upwards once she got a good grip on Sarah. Naomi stole a glance at the earth. They wouldn't slow down in time. She looked at Tasha knowing she was thinking the same thing. They had no choice. They would die with their best friend. Naomi almost welcomed the feeling of helplessness. There wasn't anything she could do anymore. No amount of fighting or anger could save them. She would be with her sister and father soon. She closed her eyes as a feeling of what she thought to be relief washed over her, and waited for her fate. The feeling of weightlessness from falling suddenly started to disappear. She was slowing down. She snapped her eyes back open and studied her surroundings. She was still holding on to Sara and Tasha. They seemed to be suspended between two buildings that had survived the fighting. A glint caught her eye and she realized they were in a net. Looking down she saw an Air Raider aiming a device that looked like a grenade launcher in their direction. He lowered it and raised a hand. He pressed a button on the device, and the net that had caught them slacked, lowering the trio to the ground. Naomi was still trying to catch up to what was all happening. "Get away from her" a shrewd female voice came from behind the Air Raider. That was confusing. Before another thought could cross her mind, a small sphere came hovering from behind the man. "Get away from her and we can save her." The orb said again impatiently. Shocked and confused, Naomi turned to the Air Raider. He gave a slight nod and approached Sarah.
Naomi didn't want to waste any time, she grabbed Tasha and pulled her away. Her eyes were wet with tears. "I couldn't do anything" she stammered "Th- that big thing just-" Naomi pulled her into a tight hug, cutting her off. "It's okay" she reassured Tasha. "She's being helped okay?" She pulled away and looked at her friend. She had taken her helmet off, letting her curly, shoulder length jet black hair flow in the slight breeze. Her dark skin was filthy because of the fighting. Dried blood, dirt, and ash covered her armor, and skin where it was exposed. Her brown eyes were welling with tears again. "I promise you. She will be okay." Naomi reassured again, more for herself.
She turned and approached the Air Raider who had saved them. He had removed his helmet now and was crouched next to Sarah. The man had tan skin, shoulder length salt and pepper hair, black eyes, and a thin graying mustache and a neat, pointy goatee. He looked so familiar. She remembered seeing the same man she thought... Her eyes slightly widened. "You're on Storm One aren't you?" She blurted out. The man didn't reply. She did remember he was a quiet one. She looked at Sarah "How is she doi-" The rude orb from early cut her off "look lady if you don't get off our backs we-" Naomi saw the man turn towards it, an irritated look on his face. "Oh come on boss I was just having a little fun." The sphere said. The man squinted at the thing and it let out what sounded like a sigh. "Fine. I can do that." Naomi was thoroughly confused now. The Air Raider turned back to Sarah and pulled out a device about the size of his hand. It was circular, and was pulsating with a brilliant shade of green. It had what looked to be a small needle on the bottom. He placed it just above the hole in her stomach. The needle penetrated skin, and the green light intensified immediately. Naomi had to put her hand up to shield her eyes. The green light disappeared in an instant, and she looked down. The device was no longer green, just an empty glass container. "Nano machines" the orb commented. "As long as she stays here awhile, she'll be fine. We can't move her." It said. The man stood and looked at the orb. "Yeah yeah I was just doin that" it said to no one. It floated above the man's head. "This is Mateo Jimenez, Air Raider for Storm One. He's not much of a talker" Mateo dipped and shook his head at that. "And I..." The metal ball flung itself down and through Mateos legs, spiraling around him in quick rotations and lobbed itself like a basketball past his face and over his head. It slowly rose from behind Mateo, now connected to what looked like a docking port. "Am Ada!" She exclaimed with apparent excitement, her faint blue glow seeming to resonate brighter. "Ada or Artificial Dialogue Array for long!" She continued, "we were separated from our team when the ship came down." Naomi felt a stab of pain with the reminder of what happened to her sister. "We were looking for a way out of this wreckage when we came across you guys." Ada continued when Naomi didn't respond. "One of you was screaming bloody murder and then all three of you flew away fast. Like really fast." Naomi closed her eyes, feeling the tears starting to flow. She had led her team directly into danger because of her rage. Before Naomi could choke out a reply, Tasha said sternly, "it's a long story. One that we will not tell right now." She looked down at Sarah. "Are you sure she will be okay?" Ada rose and fell in quick succession. "As I said, as long as she stays here for a while, the nano machines should be able to rebuild most of the destroyed tissue." That warranted a sigh of relief from both women. Attentions were drawn to Mateos comms backpack as the small satellite dish on the back rose and started rotating. "Incoming transmission" Ada said. Mateo flipped a switch and put the receiver on speaker. "This is Spritefall. Do I have some news for you!"