The Phoenix Fallacy_Book II_Norm

by Jon Sourbeer,

  She was absolutely correct in her assessment of the guards. Not only were there very few, but they hardly expected to be attacked, especially by a group of haggard, injured Adepts - which is why Wouris’ sudden appearance startled them most of all.

  The two Inferni guarding the entrance to the cell block were discussing the merits of flamethrowers versus missiles for dealing with Adepts, when Wouris burst through the block doors. The two had barely sat up by the time Wouris had dispatched both of them with a savage point blank burst from her EMG to one and a claw through the visor of the other. She was still surveying her handiwork when the others came running in behind her.

  “Still with me?” Wouris asked.

  Panting, the others nodded. She immediately sprinted off, the team on her heels.

  Sector 4 was in what could best be described as a state of disrepair. Absolute disregard would be more appropriate. It was an old section of the city, and even the great superscrapers had begun to crumble around the edges. A thick layer of dirt and soot covered the walls, making them a dark brown-black. The streets were devoid of light, and only the moonlight and lamps from the level above gave any illumination. The stores and apartments that dotted the route were nearly devoid of life, and only a few timid faces peered out at the group as they dashed by, realizing that whatever was at hand was none of their concern.

  Janus’ head throbbed as he ran, but he pushed through the pain. He was somewhat glad for it - it helped keep his mind off of his legs and arms as he ran to keep up with Wouris, clutching Celes in his arms. Several times he stumbled in the dark, but he kept doggedly going. Wouris turned on her flamethrowers, and they burned like little beacon fires in the darkness. He focused his mind on Wouris as he ran, like she was a finish line just a little further ahead. The others running beside him faded from his vision, and all he could do was repeat a little mantra in his mind – just a little further now…

  After what seemed an eternity, the lift came into view and Wouris slowed the group down. Far too many S.T.s waited here for a surprise attack, so Wouris let the group fall in behind her and stepped forward confidently.

  The S.T.s surrounding the lift watched the little group, but were hesitant to stop an Infernus. Wouris signaled the team to move onto the lift, and she spoke up before the S.T.s could intercept them.

  “Just taking these troublemakers down to the slums,” Wouris said confidently.

  “Not likely,” said a gruff voice. Five Inferni appeared from inside the lift station, and more from behind, surrounding the group. Commandant Martel emerged from the station.

  “I was wrong–you're just as much trouble as your mother," Middleton appeared behind them, flanked by another two Inferni. “And you–” she addressed Wouris, “are clearly not one of my Helltroopers. I’ve seen that kick before – but I wouldn’t expect my Inferni to know it. I am guessing an Adept officer, perhaps? Probably one who infiltrated our forces while young Janus here was causing such ruckus at Lightemann’s,” the sarcasm dripped from her voice.

  The S.T.s guarding the lift had been watching, flabbergasted, but now raised their weapons at the pronouncement.

  “These ghosts are the ones who killed Overlord Alastor?” an S.T. asked in surprise. “Well, we’ll take care of them, don’t you worry, Overlord Middleton.”

  Middleton smirked, “That won’t be necessary, Troopers. Everything is well-in-hand right now.”

  “It has never been as well-in-hand as you believe, Middleton,” a strong voice came from the shadows around the edge of the lift.

  “Who said that?” Middleton turned around to face the voice, “Who dares question the authority of an Overlord?” Two of the Inferni surrounding her shifted towards the voice, putting themselves between the voice and their Overlord.

  “I would not do that if I were you, unless you want Middleton dead,” the voice said. A silver plated pistol emerged from the shadows.

  The Inferni stopped moving. Some of the S.T.s watched the shadows nervously.

  “Lower your weapons.”

  The S.T.s looked hesitantly at Middleton. She cocked her head at the figure, “No. I don’t think so.”

  The figure laughed, “Middleton, we both know that there are too many Troopers for me to watch. So either lower your weapons, NOW, or I will kill you right here. For me, the options are shoot you now and try to escape, or die later when one of your S.T.s takes a shot. I have no fear of death, so the only way you are going to live is if your troopers lower their weapons before I hit three. One…Two…”

  “Lower your weapons,” Middleton snapped nervously. The Troopers complied, and the Inferni kept their arms at their sides.

  “Good,” said the voice.

  Middleton looked at the weapon curiously, “Do I know you? Your voice sounds familiar. And that weapon, reminds me of something…”

  Janus took a closer look at the silver pistol, suddenly realizing that he had seen two nearly identical copies before. Both had shot him. One was the weapon the Praetor carried, and the other, was the pistol Delacroix held. The Praetor’s had a crescent moon engraved upon it, while Delacroix’s had had a fiery bird on it. This pistol had an open eye and shield carved into the side, but it was unmistakably of the same origins.

  It can’t be… the voice was familiar, but his head hurt too much to be sure.

  “It has been far too long, Middleton, and I am ashamed that I have done nothing but hide for so many years. But I have bided my time, hoping for a chance to redeem myself. At last, that day may have finally come. Let them go.”

  “No.” Middleton smirked.

  “Still confident to the last, eh, Middleton? You always were so sure of yourself, except when it came to her. She always had something you could never have.” The pistol fired, hitting Middleton in the knee, and she collapsed to the ground in a wail of pain. The S.T.s raised their weapons.

  “HOLD!” Middleton screamed.

  She grimaced, lying on her side, “I will let them go. But only if you stay.”

  Now the figure laughed, “We shall see. I plan on going too, and she will, as well.”

  Clara stepped out of the shadows, looking nervous, as if not believing what was happening. Janus’ eyes went wide.

  “However, as we leave, I will let you know who I am. That way you can always hunt me down later. You excel at that.”

  Middleton grimaced, “Whoever you are, you will pay for this…”

  The figure motioned in the shadows. “Get along, Clara. Janus get on that lift.” The team complied, and the Inferni let them pass, watching the group dash towards the lift.

  “I already told you, you have been making me pay for my debts for the past twenty years. Ever since that night you hunted Natalie and I. I failed in my duties to protect that boy then, but I will not fail again, at least not without avenging his mother first.” Janus stopped dead at the entrance to the station, turning to look back at the shadows.

  Middleton’s eyes went wide with shock. “It – it can’t be.” She stammered. “You’re dead. DEAD! I searched for you. You died on the streets of Cerberus, despondent and alone. I searched for you.”

  “You forget – without regular treatments, I have aged greatly. That and the fact that the slums age a man like nothing you could ever know.”

  The figure stepped out of the shadows. “The old man my men reported. The one that Clara gave the locket to,” Middleton whispered.

  “Norm!” Janus exclaimed.

  Norm glanced at Janus. “No time for pleasantries, lad, get on that lift. Now Middleton–”

  A streak of light slammed into the superscrapers towering high above them.

  The concussive force was massive, knocking even the Inferni to their knees. The towers shook and leaned precariously. Janus scrambled upright, hauling Celes away. The closest building pitched over, slamming into another and crashing down through the elevated roads and walkways as it fell, destroyed everything beneath it. More streaks raced in, flashing throughout Cerberus.

>   “We’re under attack!” one of the S.T.s screamed.

  “We are being hit by atomics!” an Infernus shouted over the din.

  “NO! NOT YET!” Middleton yelled angrily.

  Chapter 29: …And Back

  Despite the chaos, the Adepts had wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. Janus, still carrying Celes, grabbed Clara’s arm, pulling her from the ground, “Let’s go!”

  “Absolutely right, lad,” Norm had somehow stayed up on his feet, and ran forward, grabbing Clara’s other arm. Janus yelled to the team, “Go! Go! Go!” The group took off into the station. Missiles streaked into buildings all around them, launching fiery projectiles from the broken buildings. A few S.T.s made to stop them, but Wouris barreled them aside.

  “The prisoners are escaping!” One of the Inferni exclaimed, taking aim at the Adepts.

  “No, you fool!” Middleton shouted. “Forget them, GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

  The Troopers looked hesitant for a moment, but then decided that discretion was the better part of valor and rushed to Middleton’s side. Two Inferni picked her up and boosted away. The other Inferni followed, abandoning the S.T.s, who cowered and scattered amid the chaos.

  “Take me to my estate!” Middleton shouted.

  “But Miss,” An Infernus protested, “that is in the middle of the city, surely that is where the attack will be cent—“

  “Do it now!” She screamed, and the Inferni hurriedly changed course, heading for the center of the city.

  Janus caught a glimpse of them disappearing as he ran through the doors of the station, his pumping adrenaline making him entirely forget the pain and the exhaustion that was within him.

  “The lifts are locked down because of the attack!” Lyn exclaimed, pointing at the control console. A red warning sign flashed on the screen.

  “Can you override it?” Janus asked.

  “Not anytime soon,” Lyn yelled.

  Wouris stepped over to the console and smashed a huge fist through it. The warning sign turned to green.

  “System Overridden,” Wouris said.

  Norm chuckled, “You certainly have some handy friends, Janus.”

  The lift raced downward, explosions peppering the city, urging them faster.

  Deep in the slums, the huge explosions sounded far away, muted by the stillness. But that did not make it less dangerous. Parts of the massive Cerberus superscrapers fell by them as the lift sped on, crushing roads, buildings and the dark below. Terrified factory workers fled in all directions, and it was clear the city was in a state of panic. The bottom of the lift and the waiting slums could not come quickly enough.

  The station was abandoned in the chaos, the STs and slummers having fled into the darkness around them. As they exited the lift, it retreated upwards. “Safety measure,” Norm said, watching its progress. “Even when overridden, the system is designed only to allow Cerberus troops to move down to engage enemy forces, and stop enemy forces from entering the city. This way,” he pointed North, “Rogers is waiting for us ahead.”

  Norm weaved through the slums, racing as quickly as he could towards the edges of the city, and safety. The moment to rest up above, and the sudden surge of adrenaline had given Janus a second wind and he was surprised at how the slums had become a hive of activity – slummers stood exposed, wondering at the new noise that had entered their world. The massive attack seemed more a puzzlement to them than a threat. But in truth, the slums were well protected by the levels above, and offered nothing in the way of valuable targets, so even those eldest slummers who understood the meaning of the noise paid it little heed. Either a building would come crashing down on them or it wouldn’t. They would have no warning, either way. They simply hoped what little food, water, and money flowed their direction would not be affected.

  Janus smiled at the sight of the curious men and women. For once, the slummers may have gotten the better end of the bargain. No doubt that people up above were dying and panicking, but down below, in the slums, an entirely separate world existed – one that would find a way to survive no matter what happened above. For the first time, Janus realized he may have been done a far greater service growing up in the slums than he ever could have imagined. It was a disconcerting thought.

  Rogers, “Glory”, and Bravos met the team just a little further ahead.

  “You managed to get them out? I am more and more impressed with you, Norm.” Rogers said.

  Norm shook his head, “It wasn’t me, although I did help a bit. This Infernus here is responsible for getting them out of the cells, I presume,” he pointed at Wouris.

  “Hello, Captain. Good to see you again,” Wouris’ voice still carried its menacing air, making her salutation almost humorous.

  Captain Rogers smiled, “Sergeant! We were wondering where you had gotten off to – where is the rest of your team?”

  “Hopefully back at Valhalla by now. I was the only one who had an opportunity to slip in during the chaos of the last mission. But I’ve trained them well. They know to lay low for a while and then head back to rendezvous.”

  Rogers nodded, “Good, good. The rest of my squad is already prepping the longboats for a speedy departure. What’s the status?”

  Wouris tilted her head towards Celes, “She’s badly injured – the others aren’t much better off. We also picked up some stragglers, as you can see.” She glanced at Norm, and Clara, who had remained exceptionally quiet during the entire conversation.

  “They’ll be coming with us, as well.”

  Rogers did a double take, as if noticing Clara for the first time. He stepped over to Clara, grabbing her hand, “And you are?”

  “Clara,” she smiled. Janus stepped in with a stony look, “My mother.”

  Rogers looked surprised and said, “Charmed. I never would have guessed. You look far too young.”

  Clara blushed.

  Janus cleared his throat and said, “I don’t think this is the time.”

  Rogers shook his head at the young lieutenant, “Still so much to learn. Bravos, take Adept Celes out of the Lieutenant’s hands. He looks about ready to collapse. Wouris, you have point. The rest of us will follow. Glory and I will take the rearguard and help any stragglers. The longboats will rendezvous with us as soon as we clear the outskirts. We have about 10 clicks North-East to cover and little time to get there. Let’s get going.”

  The Longboats lay hidden, but with engines running, behind a rock outcropping just on the outskirts of the city. Townes stood in the open door of the first longboat, motioning them to hurry. Just adjacent to her, Raleigh had the second already off the ground. Behind them, parts of Cerberus burned, as more missiles blazed in. Janus could tell most were not atomic at all, but that made them no less destructive when delivered en masse. Some were stopped by Cerberus’ defenses, which could be seen firing hundreds of thousands of rounds into the air trying to halt the onslaught.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Townes shouted from the door.

  Bravos handed Celes up to Townes and Wouris, who placed her carefully on an emergency stretcher, and leapt into the pilot’s seat. Rogers, Norm, and Glory ran for the second Longboat as Raleigh lifted off, scrambling aboard. A particularly violent explosion sent chunks of the city hurtling towards Janus and his limping team. Raleigh maneuvered his longboat overhead to protect the injured Adepts as they struggled aboard, audibly wincing as large dents appeared in the roof of the longboat and its armored doors.

  Once Celes was secure, Townes yelled, “Hit it!” and Bravos put the engines to full power. The longboat jumped forward, zooming away from the chaotic city.

  Wouris insisted on flying after they had sufficient distance from the city and she pushed the limits of the longboat’s speed in a desperate race back towards Valhalla. “How is she doing?” she asked Bravos, who had just come from checking on Celes.

  Bravos shook her head, “Not well. We are doing the best we can with what is available in the longboat, but she needs a Nanyte tre
atment from Valhalla. It’s internal bleeding, although I don’t know the severity.”

  Janus and Marcus hovered over Celes. Janus kept Celes on her side, while Marcus held up her head, wiping a thin trickle of blood away from her mouth. They nodded solemnly to each other, glad for the other’s help. Janus returned to looking at Celes, who drifted in and out of consciousness.

  “Hold on, Celes. We’re almost home,” Janus whispered.

  From behind him, Clara watched with worried eyes.

  Janus lost all track of time in the longboat. The swelling waves seemed to have no end, but suddenly, a voice crackled over the comm. “Longboat 879-G, you’re coming in fast, what’s your situation?”

  Wouris glanced at Bravos, “What’s the call?”

  “Hell Flea-1,” Bravos responded.

  Wouris nodded, all the while moving in a blur of speed, but keeping her voice detached, and calm. “Valhalla, this is Hell Flea-1, requesting emergency medical support.”

  “Confirmed, Hell Flea-1. Welcome home, Sergeant. Medical support will be standing by in Chariot of Protection. Platform is clear, so take it in as hot as you like. Hell Flea-2 has been given directive to proceed to the Voyages for standard docking procedures.”

  “Roger,” Wouris replied, as the second longboat slowed and broke off.

  Janus looked to Wouris, as Townes asked, “How fast can you take us in?”

  She grimaced, “Just watch me.”

  As they approached, Wouris yelled back, “Strap in! Janus, Marcus – make sure Celes is secure, and jump into a seat.”

  The landing bay opened up like a maw in front of them, and Wouris took the longboat in at full speed. As she did, she cut the left engines and spun the craft 180 degrees. The Longboat hurtled towards the rear wall of bay, and Wouris punched the engines back to full power. The heat of the engines licked the wall, causing it to shimmer and dance, but the Longboat slowed and stopped. Wouris quickly lowered the craft and cut the engines as Medical personnel wearing red crosses swarmed them. The medics leapt aboard, and Celes disappeared in the flurry of activity. More medics stepped aboard to help the rest. Now that Celes was safely in Valhalla, Janus felt a sudden exhaustion wash over him. He staggered up, and an old hand steadied him. But the next moment it was gently pulled away, and the Medics carefully guided him onto another stretcher. Before another thought crossed his mind, he had fallen asleep.