Star Rebellion

by Alicia Howell

  “You’re just jealous ‘cause we won’t let you do this to our room,” Dark finally said after a rather perverted comment I made about him and Maegan in the girly room.

  “As if,” I scoffed. “When I suggested making it look like an underground nightclub you said no. Why would I want pink?”

  “You’re just afraid to show your inner girl.”

  Before I could make a rebuttal, Darkstar put one of his arms around my shoulder and pulled me into a headlock while giving me a noogie.

  “Butt munch!” I screamed while trying to push him away.

  Darkstar laughed but soon let me go. As I put my blond and blue hair back in order, we approached one of the windows that faced where Cerberus was parked.

  “Who wants to send them to Hell?” Icestar said pessimistically while glaring at the scene below us.

  Cerberus was in the middle of what looked like a small pond of acid water. Demons were swarming around the car and in the water that surrounded it, making the thick mud even worse. Looks like acid rain wasn’t bad for them, damn shame that is.

  “I will.” I slid two five-shot pistols from my leg holsters and ran back the way we had come. Or well, more so I slid the guns out and then promptly face planted as my leg gave out underneath me.

  “Waterstar!” I heard the guys behind me shout as they rushed to my side. Vladimir helped me off the ground and leaned my back against a windowless wall.

  I cringed in pain as my leg was jarred and started swearing when Firestar cut through the denim above my knee.

  I glanced at my knee, but had to look away quickly. The blunt of it was at the top of my knee, but it faded out to cover the entire joint. It was several different shades of green and yellow, and darkening fast. A thin, red line went down the center of the bruise and bits of pus were oozing along the line. Oh, not to mention it was swollen. Like, severely swollen.

  “How were you walking on that?” Forest asked while still staring at my knee.

  I shrugged. I was probably lucky that I didn’t have any bones poking out.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Firestar said as he stood up. “Dark will carry Water back to the entrance like I had on the way up the stairs. Forest and I will distract the demons while Ice and Vladimir get the cover on, then Dark will make a rush for the car and get Water in. After that, we make a mad drive for our HQ.”

  “How exactly are we distracting them?” Forest asked, raising an eyebrow in the process.

  “Be creative. Throw grenades, shout 'hey ugly,' hell you could even start-” and that was when hell came crashing down. Literally.

  A demon fell from the ceiling and Foreststar was barely able to roll out of the way. It spun around to face each of us separately, baring its teeth in a canine fashion.

  “Dark! GET WATER OUT OF HERE!” Fire shouted as more demons rounded the corner, the claws adding to the cacophony that had erupted out of nowhere.

  Darkstar picked me up in a way so that I couldn’t see behind him. All I could hear were gunshots and shouts as the rest of the team followed us back down to the staircase. I could hear Fire shouting out orders left and right of different techniques that we had practiced in our years of prepping for the mission. I hoped Forest, Ice, and Vlad understood all the technical terms fighters used.

  My nails dug into Dark’s arm as he ran down the stairs, occasionally bumping my leg into the railing. “Sorry,” he muttered as we reached the bottom. He finally stopped and did a three sixty, making sure that there weren’t any demons in the long hallways that branched off of the stairway, then looking back up at the team. Fire and Vlad were taking turns at shooting the demons while Forest and Ice were doing something that produced a glowing aura on one of the landings.

  “Move it!” Icestar finally shouted after a few more intense seconds. Fire and Vlad ran like madmen down the stairs, jumping the last few steps before shoving Dark and I into a hallway.

  “Cover your heads!”

  I had barely gotten my arms over my head before I heard the first explosion. Darkstar fell forward and I slid across the floor as he dropped me. I clenched my teeth and tears prickled in the corner of my eyes from the pain in my leg. Bits of debris hammered on my skin and it stung in places where I am sure cuts had been made. Something thudded off my back, but I still didn’t look up. One after another, more explosions went off until at last it had filtered down to a burst here or there, like the last few pops from popcorn.

  I uncovered my head and looked around. A thick layer of dust still clouded the passage and I had to pull my shirt over my nose and mouth to even breathe. From what I could see, though, it looked like a warzone. Rain was pelting in from the hole in the wall and the first half of the staircase was completely missing. The dead bodies of demons were strewn here and there among the rubble. There was a stray arm near me, and I guessed that was what had hit me during the explosions.

  I limped over to Icestar, who was trying to shake the dust from his hair. The spikes were drooping in places, but he was smiling like a maniac.

  “How the hell did you do that?” I asked while giving him a high five.

  “Forest used his mimic power thingie and helped build some of the detonators. Did you see that silvery glow?” he waited for my confirmation nod before continuing. “Yea, that was my power. Forest’s was a bit more of a muddy green, but if he practices, he could make it a solid aura.”

  After a quick round of patting backs and excitement about the excellent use of explosives, we were brought back to reality about the water that was leaking in, along with some growling that was coming from the floor above us. No demons had discovered the hole in the wall yet, but it wouldn’t be long before they did.

  “Tarps on,” Firestar commanded as he went back into the leader position. He put Forest up front with him and left Ice and Vladimir in the back with Dark carrying me in the middle. This was the first time that I was able to get a good look at the condition we were in. I had my banged up knee and was basically useless. Darkstar couldn't do much while carrying me. Vladimir wasn't proficient in human weaponry, not that I was aware of at least. Also, Forest and Ice looked out of breath; they didn't have as much conditioning and stamina training as field agents, though the Rebellion required everyone to be in shape. I also was able to get a good look at Foreststar, and noticed how his sleeves were ripped and dark bloches appeared here and there mixed with the dust. He had gotten injured while fighting the demons earlier. Hopefully there wasn't anything that would infect the cuts around here. We had gotten down two more halls before we heard the crashing behind us. The demons had found a way back onto the ground floor, probably with the assistance of gravity. Everyone started to jog and I winced as my leg got bounced, but didn’t say anything. Now was not the time for complaining about little bruises.

  We got back to the door without any incidents happening, though we had all paused in fright when we heard the clawing at the floor above us. Vladimir had then explained that two demons had probably gotten into a fight, that he doubted they could smell us through the floor. He didn’t say that they weren’t capable of tunneling through the ceiling though, and I think we all noticed it.

  Fire kneeled on the ground and slowly eased the door open while Forest kept a gun trained at the crack. His arms were held steady, and I could see that the cuts weren't deep, and besides dust, it didn't look like anything was infecting them. Once the door was wide enough to let someone out, Forest slipped into the rain and did a quick surveillance of the wall.

  “All clear,” he murmured into the headset. It had been agreed that we would all use them to be as silent as possible. Alerting a demon to our position through noise was a rookie mistake, and right now mistakes could not be made.

  Firestar slipped out the door and went left as Forest went right. Once they were on opposite sides of the car, Fire did a quick wave with his hand, water showering off of the tarp. They both pulled a grenade out and threw it. The explosions made the demons look up from their gnawing on
Cerberus and a few ran over to investigate. Ice and Vlad went out the door next as more demons were lured away by Fire and Forest shooting at their companions. Or well, species, because a few got into fights with the others. It was almost as if we didn’t need to kill any, that they would just kill each other off.

  Dark and I closed the door after we exited the building. He stayed in front of me as I used the wall for support and surveyed the two groups. Forest and Fire were both nimble, and whenever a demon was about to get too close, they’d shoot at one that was near and the two would get into a fight over who would get to kill the shooter first. I started to wonder if the demons even had brains, when I realized that they probably didn’t. Well, not advanced intelligence anyways, though they could speak human languages. This was all just a bit bizarre

  I let my gaze travel back to where Ice and Vlad were. The front half of the car was covered, but the wind kept sliding underneath the rest of the tarp, making it difficult for them to tie down the back. At one point, Ice lost his grip on the plastic and it wretched itself out of Vlad’s grip also. Ice ran back to the front of the car to retrieve it.

  Bad move.

  Vladimir tried to grab the back of Ice’s tarp to stop him, but he wasn’t fast enough. The rain must’ve been coming down in a way that Ice couldn’t see the demon that was lurking in the shadow of the car, waiting for Ice to get close enough.

  A scream echoed out of my throat as the demon lunged for Icestar, its mangy fur dripping with acid rain.

  I felt my body rise off the ground as I pulled out the pistols. I slid through the air as I instinctively created an energy board underneath me and fired ruthlessly at the demon as it crouched over its prey. The demon turned around, but I had already gotten close enough. I fired another round straight into its face and the demon fell to the ground, lifeless.

  “Water!” Darkstar shouted close behind me.

  “Help Vlad take care of the tarp! I’ll protect Ice!” I didn’t wait for a reply as I started making an invisible board to act as a stretcher under Icestar. Forest and Fire had started closing ranks around us and protected the car as a ring of demons started to surround Cerberus, smelling the metallic scent of Ice’s blood.

  There was a long gash that stretched from the top of Ice’s shoulder and skimmed off at the elbow, along with another one that had barely cut over his stomach. Both were already looking as if they were in the beginning stages of infection, and in the deeper part of the one on his arm, it almost looked like it was rotting. There must be some type of bacteria on the demons’ claws that helps speed up the decaying of their enemies, similar to the bacteria in a komodo dragon’s mouth on Earth. At first, I was surprised at how well I could see into the cuts and that blood wasn’t obscuring it, but then I realized, he wasn’t bleeding much. The bacteria must also have had an agent that was congealing the area as it infected it. Of course, this was all based on my un-doctored mind.

  I made a small area of energy again, then pushed it down with my hands around the cuts. To my relief, the energy was easy to manipulate by willpower, but I was feeling only a little successful as the rain slid away from the cuts. I don’t think I could stop the bacteria at work, but it was the best I could do at the moment.

  “Water, you can get him into the car now,” Dark muttered from behind me. I let go of my energy board so that I would have more power and lifted my teammate into one of the middle seats. Darkstar then helped me into a seat behind him.

  I sat straight up with Ice in front of me, keeping one hand over each cut. Firestar had taken the driver’s seat with Forest behind him, still shooting at demons that got too close. Darkstar was buckling Ice in from the seat in front of him and Vlad firing at demons while hanging off the back of the jeep.

  “Water, you need to lie down,” Fire said into the headset.

  “No, I can’t. Forest, mimic my power and make a barrier in front of the car, like a streamline effect on bullets.”

  I saw the back of Forest’s head move slightly and then the shimmer of muddy green energy in front of the car. “Drive,” I commanded Fire.

  The car took off immediately, probably already reaching the hundred macrometer range. It was insane just how smooth it was able to drive, even with demons bouncing off of the energy barrier that Forest had made.

  Above us there was the scratching of claws on plastic, until Vladimir leaned up to the top of the vehicle and shot it down. I didn’t even have a chance to see the demon fall off before we were already way past it. I also realized that Vladimir had lost his tarp somewhere amidst the battle, but the rain wasn’t affecting him. I guess being half fallen angel had its perks.

  “How long did it take you to get here?” I asked the guys ahead of me.

  “Not long, maybe ten minutes?” Fire said, swiftly looking back at Forest.

  “Yea, that sounds right,” Forest’s voice was strained a bit by the usage of his energy in such a way for the first time.

  “Then we’re only halfway there. Guys, Ice isn’t doing so well. He has a fever.” Because, you know, fevers are really dangerous. Seriously, a fever on Calsh can pretty much be a death sentence. Think of the Dark Ages in your Earth history, and that’s what it is like here. Not for lack of medicine, but because the environment and microscopic ecosystems of Calsh are brutal. And yes, I did pay attention in class at times, thank you very much,

  I felt Cerberus speed up and it started vibrating. Fire was definitely pushing the car’s limit in the speed department.

  I could see the dim glow of the lights from Star Rebellion on the horizon. “Come on, come on,” I muttered over Ice’s body as I applied more energy to the cut on his arm out of worry. Maybe with enough energy I could halt the bacteria that may or may not exist. It was looking nastier by the second though, so I’m going to assume its existence. I could feel my energy ebbing, and from how rigid Forest was in his seat, he couldn’t keep this up much longer either.

  “Fire, we’re running out of time,” I said. There wasn’t a reply, but Cerberus’s engine started whining as the speed increased once again. Hopefully it wouldn’t explode on us. Icestar would never be happy again.

  After a few more seconds, it became apparent that we were going too fast. Everyone besides Firestar started swearing as the wall of the Rebellion started approaching insanely fast. I could barely see Fire frantically spinning the wheel, and I think he was also pressing the brakes as we slid across the mud. I felt myself lifting in the air as the car was spinning out of control, and it wasn’t energy moving me. Images passed between my eyes faster than I could tell, but I knew I wasn’t in Cerberus anymore. I barely had time to throw up an energy cushion around my body as I slammed into the ground, my teeth snapping against each other. I felt my back slam into the wall, and even with the cushion, I was going to be hella bruised in the morning.

  I shakily stood and leaned against the wall while surveying the damage that had been done. Cerberus was sitting on all four wheels perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened, though Vlad was caked in mud standing toward the side, moodily glaring at the vehicle.

  “What happened?” I asked as he came to my rescue. I had barely been able to stand with how messed up my knee was.

  “The car flipped, you went flying, I was smushed into the ground. End of story.”

  “Nice to see that Ice’s design worked out though.”

  Vladimir only grunted in reply.

  Rebels streamed out of the building to come help us and a team of medics took Ice from the vehicle. Another group of medics led the rest of us into the closest room from the door and did a fast inspection. Everyone besides Forest and me was pretty much unharmed except for some scrapes from the explosion and a few minor burns where the rain had leaked through, though a medic did point out that Darkstar might want to get some cuts checked out. They had put a brace on my knee and given me crutches then cleaned out Forest's cuts and bandaged up his arms before letting us follow the rest of my team to go see Icestar.

  They w
ere all standing outside a door with a red Templar’s cross; our parody of the Earth’s medic sign. We could hear commands for certain medicines coming from inside, and apparently none of us would be allowed in for some time; not until Icestar was conscious, if even then.

  Arctic eventually found us sitting in the hall. I was so focused on bouncing the rubber end of my crutch off the opposite wall and trying to catch it that I almost hit the Commander.

  “Come on, guys. I want a full report, and Vatican here says he has something to tell us.” I felt the atmosphere around us cheer up slightly as Arctic spoke. Stupid mood changing powers.

  Chapter 13: Word of the Angels

  FIRESTAR

  Water and I did most of the rundown on mission, with the occasional detail from Forest or Dark. Arctic was expressionless during this, and the Vladimir dude stayed silent through the entire process, and I still had my doubts about him, though Arctic welcomed him to our ranks without a second glance. He must have one hell of a backstory to get the Commander to trust him like that, but he would have a tougher time getting my approval. Everyone else here had been in the Rebellion since we were practically babies. New guys weren't cool with me.

  “My turn,” Arctic said when we had finished. “Firstly, I shouldn’t even allow you into this room; you should have been taken to the captivity cells for blatantly disregarding multiple orders.” Each of us got a personalized glare from the Commander. “However, I cannot deny that it has helped, and harmed, us incredibly. You unleashed the entire wrath of the Underworld onto both known worlds with hardly a second thought, but you also have completed the purpose of the mission. In hindsight, that is a lot less important than the crisis we have at hand right now, but it’s a shame that you weren’t able to bring the Mystic Animals to the surface with you, like we had hoped, but at least we know that they aren’t in Lucifer's or the NOPCW’s grasp. Speaking of which, every member of the NOPCW fled to Earth once the demons started coming out. Every member besides the one that you would say we hold captive, though really that isn’t the proper term for it. She says that she won’t flee from where she is, and is being treated quite well,” the last part was meant for Darkstar, who merely nodded his head. Even if he didn't really show it, we all knew he was capable of feelings.