by Ramy Vance
Abby struggled to breathe. “I don’t know,” she managed.
The grip around her neck and wrists slightly relaxed.
Something hit Persephone hard from the side, sending her flying. It was Gertrude. Martin must have taken control of the drone and brought it around while Abby was distracted by Persephone. “We can override her,” Martin shouted. “She’s got a microchip.”
The attack had brought Persephone out of whatever trance had kept her from killing Abby. She was back on her feet, running toward Abby, tentacles forming a hooked blade. “I don’t want to control her,” Abby said as she prepared to take off.
“Not control. Override. Hack the chip and override it. Just keep her busy.”
Abby took off and Persephone ran after her, leaping into the air, trying to grab Abby’s ankles as she turned and fired. Persephone’s tentacled hand morphed into a shield, absorbing the bulk of the blast.
The only thing Abby had used her nanobots for so far was constructing a plasma cannon in her hand. She still wasn’t certain how the whole process worked or what her body was capable of. Today was a good day to figure some of that out.
Abby imagined a blade much like Persephone had created, and her fingers melded together and stretched out to form a razor-sharp blade. She transformed her other hand into a slimmer cannon. “Nice,” she muttered. Then she rushed Persephone.
The drow was caught off-guard by Abby’s sudden attack. She slashed at Persephone, pushing her back, and as the drow prepared to attack, fired her hand cannon. The blast hit Persephone in the chest and sent her flying.
Abby’s heart dropped when she heard Persephone scream in pain. But the blast hadn’t killed her, only angered her.
As the drow picked herself up, Gertrude released a small tracker, the kind that Abby had used to keep track of Terra. The tracker flew to Persephone and landed on her neck. The drow didn’t seem to notice the fly-sized tracker. “All right, I’m getting in,” Martin said.
Persephone stretched her tentacles out, and they rolled over Abby’s body before she could react. It was like getting hit by a wall. The tentacles slithered over her, knocking her to the ground, trying to wrap around her neck.
Abby blasted at them, cleaving them with her blade, hacking off hunks of what could have only been flesh.
Persephone suddenly screamed and grabbed her neck, her tentacles pulling away.
Martin shouted in Abby’s ear, “You need to distract her. I’m almost there, but she’s gonna—”
Abby stopped listening and discharged electricity. The tentacles withdrew. Then she flew at Persephone at full speed, faster than she knew she was able to move. She slammed into the drow, knocking her to the ground. Her fist came down hard on her face.
Persephone grabbed Abby’s throat with her tentacles. Abby could feel her airway closing. She released another shock of electricity, causing the tentacles to relent for a second, but then they constricted again. She gave off another shock, giving herself time to breathe before punching Persephone again.
The two continued like this, Persephone slowly crushing the life out of Abby, only for her to release her life energy in the form of electricity. Abby couldn’t have known that her body operated the same way that magic users did with manna. Every electric attack was draining her of life.
Persephone tried to stand, but Abby held her down and held her hand up to Persephone’s face, her palm glowing with energy. Persephone slightly relaxed and stared up at Abby. “Do it,” she said, her voice defeated.
Abby leaned forward and kissed Persephone. She felt Persephone’s lips soften, and the tentacles around her neck loosened. Everything was electric, everything tingled as Persephone reached up and lightly touched Abby’s face.
Then the microchip overloaded, sending thousands of volts of electricity through Persephone’s body and flowing straight into Abby’s as well. The two jerked as they were electrocuted, still locked together.
Abby flew off Persephone. The world was going dark. She struggled to get to her feet but couldn’t see straight. She leaned over and hit the ground, smoke rising from her body.
Anabelle had seen her death before. Many times, in fact. Part of her training had involved meditating on her eventual death. Another aspect of her training had been drilling into her head that she was never going to lose. These two ideals were vital for a Traveler.
As Anabelle watched Grok, she realized it was the first time she’d ever thought another person could kill her. The thought was humbling and terrifying. It was difficult to put a finger on what scared Anabelle so much. She was almost as interested as terrified.
Grok didn’t seem like anything Anabelle had fought before. There was a look in her eye that crawled into Anabelle’s brain and burrowed deep within.
People fought for many reasons. Grok looked to only have one: murder. Anabelle wondered if the orc was even under the Dark One’s mind control. It was hard to tell. Maybe Grok was murderous by nature, and those impulses were just being used by the Dark One. Either way, Grok looked as if she were growing bored now that the two weren’t fighting.
Anabelle was taking the time to size up her opponent. The concussive blasts Grok used seemed to be short-range. Otherwise, she would have likely attacked Anabelle by now. That meant Anabelle was going to have to get in closer.
Another factor to take into account was Grok’s movements. She moved with an animalistic, almost apelike quality. Her attacks were unconventional, which made them all the more deadly.
Grok spat and wiped a dribble of saliva off her mouth. “You look scared,” she said.
Anabelle didn’t answer. She knew this part of the fight. It was the same with everyone, psyching out your opponent. And you only did that if you were afraid as well, which meant Grok could be beaten.
Manna went down to Anabelle’s feet. She sprinted forward, using her internal magic to gain speed. She was in front of Grok before the orc could move. She dropped to her knees, extended her palm, and leapt into the air, driving her palm into Grok’s chin on her way up.
Grok grabbed Anabelle’s hand as she flew backward, yanking the elf through the air with her. She twisted until she had managed to swing around Anabelle and put her in a chokehold. They hit the ground as Grok tried to pop Anabelle’s head off.
Anabelle drew in a measured breath and spread her manna over the entirety of her body, flames bursting from her skin. Grok screamed and leapt off of Anabelle, who was already on her feet, focusing her fire into her hand and lobbing a fireball at the orc.
Grok leaned into the attack, punching the ball and breaking it apart with the force of her attack.
The two went after each other again, legs and arms flinging through the air. If one were to have seen it from afar, you would assume that the orc and elf were partaking in a choreographed dance. The movements perfectly complimented the other, yet the only thing keeping this dance going was the desire they held in common.
Anabelle had never thought much about it before, but then she had never wanted to kill anyone before. All of the deaths that had taken place in her life were incidental. If she were being honest with herself, she used to love the fact that she could help Middang3ard’s efforts without spilling blood. But fighting was in her bones, and there was nothing to be done. Yet she never relished the lives that she took.
This fight was something else entirely. Anabelle wanted Grok in the ground, and she wanted to be the one to do it.
Grok was backing up, heading back toward the Dark Gate and the orcs and humans who were still fighting. Anabelle had no idea what Grok was planning, but she finally remembered that her mission was to destroy the Gate. She’d lost herself to the fight, lost her way on the Path.
As Grok got closer to the Dark Gate, its portal opened again. Grok stopped and stared at it. Apparently, this wasn’t part of Grok’s plan.
Sarah stepped out of the portal, Kravis at her side. She grabbed Grok and flipped the orc over her shoulders, sending her flying through the portal, w
hich was set to a far location. Once Grok passed through, Sarah quickly disabled the Dark Gate.
Anabelle came up to Sarah, filled with a mix of emotions. She was relieved that the threat was gone, jealous that Sarah had solved the problem with such style, and slightly angry she didn’t get a chance to put an end to Grok. But the last feeling, Anabelle knew, was mere vanity. “Thanks,” she said.
Sarah reached out to shake Anabelle’s hand. “Good to finally meet you. And trust me, I didn’t want to get involved in that for too long. I’ve seen Grok a lot over the years. When I saw you fighting her, I knew I had to do something. No one should ever be in that situation.”
“Why not? She’s—”
“I’ll tell you later. For now, we should clean this mess up.”
Sarah was right. Anabelle’s squad was still skirmishing with the orcs Grok had brought along for the ride. The orcs were losing the battle. Anabelle might as well help clear out the rest of the pests.
That was not to say Anabelle’s mind was not still focused on Grok. She’d forgotten to check back in with the squad leaders to see if the mission had been successful. The only thing that concerned her was Grok and the next time she would have a chance to fight the orc.
Once the last of the orcs had been cleared out, Anabelle sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. She wondered how this was going to finish and what she was going to be like at its end. Was it possible to become like Grok? What if she was already on her way? War changed people, and no one ever knows they’re changing until it’s done.
Sarah came and sat beside Anabelle. “We got an extraction coming in a few minutes,” she said.
Anabelle nodded, still staring ahead. “You and HQ on better terms now?” she asked.
“Much better. You could almost call it friendly. Also, you should stay away from Grok. She’s bad news. You ever see her again, run.”
“Why the hell would I run from a fight?” Anabelle asked. She was annoyed that Sarah would assume she couldn’t handle herself.
“Because Grok isn’t like us or any of the Dark One’s cronies. She’s a murderer. Defines herself by it. Even if we have to do shitty things sometimes, all of us are fighting for something bigger than us. We haven’t forgotten that. I remind myself every day. Grok, though…she fights to kill. Says it affirms her existence.”
Anabelle felt like Sarah was talking out her ass, telling her stories about the big bad orc who couldn’t be defeated. “Sounds like you know her personally,” Anabelle finally responded.
Sarah pulled down the collar of her shirt and turned her head. A scar starting from the back of her right ear snaked down her neck and continued far past Sarah’s collar. “The first time I met Grok, she knocked me out and then started to carve my spine out. The only reason I survived was that Kravis got the drop on her. She’s bad fucking news.”
Anabelle regretted her earlier judgmental thoughts and was glad she’d kept them to herself. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she admitted.
The two sat in silence, watching the still, bloodstained waters, the reflection of Abraham Lincoln watching them sternly as they waited to be taken back home.
Chapter Nine
Anabelle didn’t hear about everyone else’s exploits until she arrived back at HQ. Both Abby and Roy were in the medbay. They were in critical condition. Anabelle asked for specific information but was told it would be best if she found out later.
Visiting wasn’t an option at the moment. A debriefing had to happen first, and there was a lot to debrief on. Sarah, Anabelle, and Kravis were going to meet with Myrddin and see if they could figure out what exactly had happened. What had started off as a simple, albeit irritating, mission had ended up with two of Anabelle’s team fluctuating between life and death.
Anabelle was sitting in her room now, trying to compose herself enough to give Myrddin all the information he needed. She was having a hard time, though. She hadn’t seen Roy or Abby, and her imagination was providing the worst-case scenarios.
She knew she shouldn’t be too worried. The med lab at HQ was the finest in the world. People regularly came through on the threshold of death and were brought back with hardly any effort by the surgeons and healers in the bay. But sometimes people didn’t make it. It was rare, but it happened, and Anabelle couldn’t stop worrying that Abby and Roy were going to be those two exceptions.
Losing Roy was something Anabelle couldn’t even wrap her head around. The two had been working together for as long as Anabelle could remember. Not as closely as they were now, but Roy had always been around, chiding and teasing Anabelle whenever he got a chance.
And thinking about Abby dying took Anabelle’s breath away. Abby was just a kid, one who had taken tremendous risks since joining up with HQ. She had so much potential. Given enough time, Abby could be a force to be reckoned with. That was if she lived. Maybe if Anabelle had paid closer attention to her, this wouldn’t have happened. Or it could have been that Anabelle pushed Abby to get out in the field before the girl was ready.
Either way, she felt like Abby’s condition was her fault. She should have been watching out for Abby, not let her make rash decisions. She couldn’t help that she saw a lot of herself in the girl. She could have helped keep her from making the stupid mistakes she would have as a kid.
Anabelle realized beating herself up wasn’t going to help anyone. Sitting in her room and obsessing about whether Roy and Abby were going to live or die wasn’t saving either of them. All Anabelle could do was finish her job and see them afterward.
Sarah and Kravis were waiting in Myrddin’s office by the time Anabelle arrived. They both looked at Anabelle and nodded politely. Myrddin, on the other hand, rose from his seat and embraced Anabelle as if she were his daughter.
Anabelle initially pulled back from the hug, not out of disgust but out of surprise. She’d rarely seen Myrddin show anything remotely close to mortal emotions other than anger and irritation. But Anabelle realized she needed this from him more than anyone else. The wall of resentment Anabelle had built up for years crumbled instantly. “I am so glad you made it out okay,” Myrddin said before releasing Anabelle, who then sat beside Sarah.
Myrddin sat as well, leaning forward as he folded his hands. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Anabelle shrugged, “I can’t speak about what happened to Roy and Abby, but I have an inkling. At my Gate, there was someone who had been sent specifically to deal with me. The whole invasion thing was just a ploy to get me out there. They’d sent an assassin after me. Wouldn’t be surprised if they did the same for them.”
“They meant to split you up. A simple divide-and-conquer strategy, one we should have seen. The Dark One is apparently interested in doing more than just attacking Earth. He seems to have grasped how big a threat your team presents to his plans for Earth.”
Myrddin turned his attention to Kravis and Sarah. “And you two. What did you find on the gnomish world? And how did you get back here?”
Sarah looked at Kravis, who motioned that he’d prefer for Sarah to speak. Unsurprising since the gnome rarely spoke to anyone. “Likewise, we got duped,” Sarah said. “The resistance is gone as far as I know. The Dark One had a mole in our midst. He led them to the resistance camp, and the orcs burned it to the ground. We managed to get the gnome to take us back to the defense rings to make sure we secured the information you sent us for. Figured it would have gotten destroyed in the raid if it hadn’t been picked up already.”
As Sarah spoke, Anabelle admired the human. She had grit and a spirit the elf couldn’t help but appreciate. She knew how to get the job done. Efficient, and she seemed a little ruthless. Sarah would be a great addition to the team if she could convince Myrddin.
Sarah continued to explain what had happened. “Once we got to the rings, we made sure we downloaded anything that could help with the Dark Gates, and we found out about the invasion. We used the Gates to get back to Earth and help out where we could.”
Myrddin nodded as
he thought over what Sarah had just said. “You were able to jump between multiple places through the Dark Gates without any problem?”
“As long as we went back through the Gate, we ended up back at the gnomish world. Then we just chose another Gate to go through after destroying the one we came through.”
Myrddin’s brow darkened as he thought through what he was hearing. “I need you to take everything you found to Creon in the R&D department. Until we can figure out what to do with your intel, you’re on leave. Unless there’s anything else you want to—”
Sarah raised her hand, cutting Myrddin off. “No, I could use a break, even if it’s only for a few hours. You can comm us if anything comes up.”
Sarah and Kravis rose, nodded to acknowledge Anabelle, and departed, leaving Myrddin and Anabelle alone.
“You should go see them,” Myrddin said. “Roy and Abby.”
“Is there anything else we have to—”
“Checking in on your squad is more important than an hour’s worth of debriefings. Dismissed.”
Anabelle didn’t say anything. She just got up and left, heading straight toward the medbay. Myrddin’s words were appreciated. It didn’t make sense to always act like you didn’t care about those who were close to you. Myrddin had managed to show Anabelle that with only a hug. Up until that point, Anabelle would have thought she was just an irritating employee as far as he was concerned.
Wouldn’t go so far as a fatherly figure, Anabelle thought as she came to the floor that the medbay was on.
Unlike the first time Anabelle had come to visit Roy, the medbay was filled with patients. Nearly all of the beds were full. Nurses and healers walked back and forth as they waited on whoever seemed to need it. It wasn’t hard to find Abby and Roy. They were kept separate from the other soldiers, in the officer’s section.
