the bridge. They fell into the foaming white river down below, with a scream. Abreon also seeing the opportunity bounded into it, falling hitting the water hard. Abreon sank down, deep, his helmet filling partially with water. Abreon held his breath in fear as he began to rise, reaching the surface now already several hundred meters downstream from the bridge.
Abreon spitting water from his mouth into his helmet, coughing as the swift current pulled him down the river.
FOUR
Abreon tried to swim to the banks. He was over a kilometer away now.
TWO
It was no use.
ONE
The explosions destroyed the bridge, the blast ripping through not only the bridge but also everything around it. It tore through twisted what was left into hot metal shreds and concrete chunks, throwing them as if they were blown sand on a beach. The immediate zone vaporized, soldiers disappearing in an instant, swept away like so much dust on the wind. Trucks, soldiers and cannons around both sides of what used to be the bridge torn apart, thrown and scattered as so much burning wreckage, some into the river, some into the hills and some into the fields. What wreckage that was thrown into the river concealed by the immediate spray produced by the blast concealing some of the larger chunks of debris for a moment. Abreon attempting to swim away as the massive tidal wave created by the small nuclear blast pushed much of the debris toward him. The wave caring steel, concrete, hunks of machine and parts of men nearing him, twisting, churning and roaring toward him. Abreon turned again as it hit him bending the steel of his suit. Abreon knocked unconscious for a moment then quickly awakening, climbing upon it leaping from it to another hunk, a piece of metal, turning in the water, the current undercutting his legs. Abreon fell back into the water, but this time mercifully being pushed by the hunk of concrete to the banks of the river, the concrete rolling onto him crushing him in his suit against a river rock. The concrete snagging him pulling him back into the river and under. Abreon panicked held his breath again, was able to free himself but was hit by another chunk of concrete. He grabbed it with his gloved hands, climbed on top of it, leaped toward another piece, missing it and fell again. Abreon was pulled under the river again, found another chunk of debris that was now accumulating near the river banks, grabbed the piece of bridge re-enforcement bar and pulled himself back up. He grabbed another piece of steel, as it dragged itself along the bottom, breaking free from the ruin and he too with it. Abreon held onto it as it slowed to a stop. Abreon gripping it in the water, pulled his helmet off and tossed it. He closed his eyes in pain...
The broken bones eventually healed, the laser blasts eventually healed, the burns dutifully created their scars, but the memories remained. They would not yield, being reborn in sweat and in midnight dreams. He was free in a way, not totally, but it would do. Abreon stood along the edge of the plateau overlooking the river and where the Unar Bridge used to be now only some of the mooring left as a witness. He held Nece In his arms. No one would could cross it. No one would dare find them. The Xelon Dru weak from too many wars, too many losses and ruined morally would not consume any more corporations. Abreon and Nece were now in a world where the corporation did not exit. Abreon was now in a world where life mattered and the machine did not. Perhaps he did it all wrong, maybe he had no choice. Maybe he did the best he could as a pawn of the corporations and of the war machines. Maybe, he could live with that reasoning. Abreon turned to Nece as the sun was setting over the hills and plains, “I believe it was another wonderful day.”
“I believe it was too.”
Abreon kissing her softly as a gentle wind took them, “I love you.”
Nece grabbing his collar kissing him back, “I love you too.”
The war at the river Zitar Nuo Page 23
