Seconds later a half dozen soldiers roped down from the back of the gunship. They wore dark gray, almost black armor with orange edges on the shoulder and knee pads. In their hands were bulky guns that looked worn, but the glowing lines on the sides along with an overall complex design made the weapons appear technologically advanced. The most distinctive feature of the soldiers were the solid masks they wore. Oval in design and black, each had an orange symbol painted on them. The graphics varied from eyes and teeth to glyphs that Terra could not decipher. She wondered how they could see through them since the mask had no eye holes.
Zaid whispered to his team while they hid. “This may be part of the training, but just to be safe I think we should try to contact the Legion and ask for aid.”
They all nodded in agreement as a second gunship arrived to reinforce the first.
Minerva spoke through the sonic cipher devices in Terra's ears. “If you can escape the range of the jamming device then it may be possible to contact the city.”
“How far?” Zaid asked who had heard Minerva as well.
“Unknown,” Minerva said. “Most temporal jamming devices have an effective range between ten to fifty miles.”
Zaid shook his head. “We will never make it that far.”
Terra faced Zaid. “Then let me draw them off.”
They all looked to Terra.
“Look,” Terra said. “I am the slowest one here.”
Zaid shook his head. “But you have good endurance.”
Terra nodded. “Which is why I can lure them off. I'm not good in a fight, but I can be a good decoy. It will take a long time for me to get tired enough for them to catch me. Plus it will buy you enough time to get out of range of the jamming device.”
Zaid thought for a long moment. He glanced to each tiro before looking back at the gunship. “I authorize it.”
Terra scowled.
Zaid raised an eyebrow. “What? It was your idea.”
“Yeah, but I thought you would think up a better one,” Terra grumbled as she climbed out of the ticket and walked toward the soldiers. She surprised herself by how little she hesitated in this suicidal plan of hers. The pit in her stomach told her she had made a bad decision, but the connection to time felt great. It coursed through her, each heartbeat carrying her into the future.
The soldiers saw her and all spotlights shone upon her.
“Halt!” came a voice over the loudspeaker of one of the gunships.
The soldiers all pointed their weapons at Terra.
“Wow,” one soldier said as he brought out a pair of handcuffs. “It's nice when they just surrender like that.”
“Easy rations,” another said.
“And a week of leave for each capture,” the first soldier added.
Terra took a deep breath. She Sped time around her. The soldiers and gunship now moved in slow motion and she ran past them in a flash before Slowing gravity and jumping over the river. She cleared to the other bank.
“Kali cursed!” yelled a soldier. “Their shieldwatches went active!”
The gunships whirled around while the soldiers shouldered their weapons and fired. Orange glowing bolts of energy streaked towards Terra. The bolts struck the trees near her and blasted them apart. Terra ran.
“Tiger three, target is on the move!” she heard over the soldiers' radios.
Terra returned to normal speed. Her decoy plan must be working as a third gunship now flew nearby. One gunship lowered to pick up the soldiers stranded on the other side. Good, Terra thought. That means none stayed behind to search for the others.
Within seconds, the gunships were flying low near Terra. They moved in a predictable pattern which Terra found easy to evade while under the cover of the forest. Just when she thought she was about to evade them, Terra saw lights ahead. A line of soldiers advanced, surrounding her. She frowned, realizing they had flushed her into a trap.
Terra cursed, searching her surroundings for a way out. Small open glades dotted the area, but the gunships would spot and attack her there. Soldiers prevented her from moving through areas with more cover. Terra regretted not having an aeon edge for the first time all week.
On the verge of panic, Terra stumbled into a pile of bones and the smell of rot hung heavy in the air. It was then she saw the massive feathered mound of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It sniffed at the air and looked up at the searchlights overhead. It tilted his head as though curious at the arrival of the newcomers. Terra stopped and turned with a new idea.
The soldiers shined their lights on Terra rather than the large creature behind her. One soldier shot at her. The bolt streaked towards Terra. She Sped her sight to track the bolt and then Sped her reflexes, dodging the bolt before it hit. As the bolt flew past she Slowed gravity and jumped above into a tree.
The bolt impacted the large beast in the tail. Terra could see the wound on its tail as the huge beast stood and roared. The pursuing soldiers hesitated. The monstrous creature searched for the thing that had burned it. It spotted the soldiers.
One of the soldiers lowered his rifle. “Don't worry everyone! I read that this one is just a scavenger.”
The tyrannosaurus roared and charged at the soldiers who scrambled out of the way. Terra slipped through the rather large opening the beast had made for her. The gunships moved in to support the soldiers who now had an angry, several ton animal chasing them. In the chaos, Terra slipped off into the darkness.
∞
By morning she felt exhausted. She rested next to a small creek to get water when she heard footsteps and voices.
“Sector eight clear,” a voice over a radio said.
Terra clenched her jaw before peeking from behind a nearby rock. The same dark clad soldiers moved through the area. She counted fifteen soldiers sweeping the creek in a long line. How had they found her so fast?
One of the nearby soldiers stopped a few paces away before checking his radio. “Tiger twenty reporting. Quarry not spotted in this area.”
“Tiger twenty, continue searching the sector. Intel suggests at least seven targets remaining. Tiger five is still in pursuit of five targets in adjacent sector. Keep alert for the other straggler,” a voice over the radio said.
Terra let out a quiet sigh. Her team was still safe. The guards continued their conversation while Terra stalked slowly by. She paused when a soldier leaned on the other side of the rock she hid behind.
“They said this would be easy,” a soldier said as he squatted to fill his canteen. “Just a bunch of recruits. Easy catches.”
Another soldier, one with a good deal more patches on his uniform, turned to the soldier who had just spoken. “It's the Aeon Legion. Even their throwaways are tough. Don't underestimate them, especially now that their shieldwatches are active. I always hate phase two, even when we get gunships.”
Terra moved past the soldiers. Her quiet motions got her to the forest when she encountered another group of soldiers moving towards her. They marched forward with guns raised and left no nook unchecked. She hid behind a tree before they spotted her.
Terra suppressed her panic. The soldiers stood spaced apart in a line, each within the view of another. She hid and waited. When one neared she Sped her movements and darted out of her hiding place. Everything slowed down as she Sped time around her as fast as she could manage. The soldier walked in slow motion and she spotted grenades at his belt. Terra grabbed the ring of a grenade and pulled it as she streaked by in a blur.
“What was that?” asked one soldier as Terra hid behind another tree.
They all stopped and searched before a scream drew their attention.
“Grenade! Grenade!” a soldier said, struggling to get the now glowing orange grenade off of his belt. He managed to fling it away seconds before it exploded into a bright glowing burst of energy.
Terra slipped away again. When she was far enough away she checked her shieldwatch power and frowned. Five percent of the battery remained.
∞
&n
bsp; Evening neared when Terra was about to give up hope. She must have walked miles, but her shieldwatch was still within jamming range. The roar of a gunship engine sounded overhead and Terra instinctively took cover. When the gunship passed, Terra made her way to an overlook to get her bearings. She gazed out onto the area, cast in a glowing orange hue from the setting sun. Her eyes went wide.
The enemy camp sprawled out before her. Row upon row of tents stood clustered around a river with a large tower at its center. Lights bathed the camp in an orange hue while watchtowers with searchlights stood at the edge. Terra's gaze narrowed on a Saturnian, saucer shaped timeship near the center of the camp. A large scorch mark marred its hull.
“Minerva,” Terra said. “Would it be possible to fly that timeship out of here?”
“Yes,” came Minerva’s voice from Terra's shieldwatch. “It would be if it wasn't disabled, which our enemy would have thought to do.”
Terra bit her lower lip. Minerva was probably right. “Could I send a message to Saturn City from it?”
“Um...” Minerva said after a long delay. “I think.”
“You think?”
“I do not have access to my full processing power so I possess only a small fraction of my normal knowledge. I do know that most Saturnian timeships have escape pods. One could be ejected into the Edge where it would bypass the jamming. I think. I am not sure though. Consider this an educated guess.”
Terra sighed. “Well I guess it's better than nothing.”
She made her choice. Terra would try to sneak into the camp to contact the Legion. It was the only plan she could think of. Her fatigue made it hard to focus. These soldiers seemed to track her wherever she went. She couldn't rest for long before they would appear and hunt her again. Running wasn't an option any longer as she neared the edge of her endurance.
Terra waited for darkness to settle before making the attempt to approach the camp. With soft and careful footsteps she approached the nearest tower. After a gap appeared in the searchlight sweeps, Terra Slowed gravity and jumped over the fence before stumbling to the other side.
“What was that?” a tower guard said. He jogged a few paces away from Terra and searched the area with a flashlight.
“You are wasting time,” a soldier called who looked down from the guard tower. “No one is going to be stupid enough to break into our camp.”
The guard continued to scan the area with a flashlight while Terra hid behind a nearby tent, tense. After a moment he lowered the flashlight. “This is the Aeon Legion. Bunch of Kali cursed commandos. You can't be too careful.”
“They are just recruits,” called the other guard.
The guard holstered his flashlight. “It would be easier if we didn't have these relics. No wonder the old Kalians lost the war with this antiquated equipment. I just want to get out of here and back to Kavacha.”
Terra exhaled and waited a moment longer before proceeding. She had memorized enough landmarks to navigate through the camp as she passed by a dozen tents and a few wheeled vehicles. Soldiers were everywhere, some without their masks. Most had dark hair and deep tanned skin though she did not get a close look at their facial features.
Terra drew close to the timeship. She waited for two soldiers to walk past. Once they were clear she moved, swift and silent, towards the damaged timeship. Just as she was about to run up the ramp, she stopped and felt her heart jump as a figure in black ran past. She could just make out a small red light on the figure's forearm like the glow of a shieldwatch. Terra paused as the figure jumped high into the dark sky before vanishing into the night.
She listened for a moment longer before moving aboard the Timeship. Terra searched for the controls. The interior was dark. Terra touched her shieldwatch face and drew out a holographic directional light to search the controls.
“Okay, Minerva, where is it?” Terra asked in a quiet voice.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark she noticed a figure in the shadows. Terra paused when she looked towards the back of the timeship. The figure stood and took a step towards her.
“I thought no one would make it this far,” he said in a voice distorted with a mechanical buzz. He stepped into the light cast from Terra's shieldwatch.
He wore the black vest with orange edges like the other soldiers, though his uniform had a lot of patches and medals. He also wore a mask painted with a graphic of a pair of orange stylized wings. Terra couldn't see any weapons, but the man's confidence made her stand on edge. It seemed unnatural compared to the other soldiers she had faced who were either overly cautious or reckless.
Terra assumed a defensive hand to hand stance while once again wishing she had an aeon edge. “Going to call for reinforcements?”
“I don't need them,” the masked man said.
Terra tensed, her muscles pulling tight. Her instincts told her to run from this man even though he was unarmed and without a shieldwatch.
The man gestured behind him. “The jamming device is there. All you have to do is get past me.”
Terra's eyes narrowed. So close. She had a shieldwatch. This man was unarmed. How tough could he be?
The man assumed his own defensive stance. “I see you have chosen to fight. Good. Show me what passes for an Aeon Legion recruit these days.”
Terra took no chances. She Sped her reflexes, maneuvering around the man. Then to her surprise he countered her attack, blocking her blow to his neck before twisting her arm around and throwing her to the floor.
Terra grunted and stood. He was fast even without a shieldwatch.
“Shieldwatch users,” the man scoffed. “So predictable.”
Terra attacked again. This time she tried to strike under his chin while Speeding her movements. When she drew close to attack, he tripped her with a simple leg sweep which she had failed to notice on her approach.
“You need to work on your offense,” he said, circling Terra.
Terra coughed as she pushed herself up to face the attacker.
“Shieldwatch power critically low,” came Minerva’s voice from her shieldwatch.
“Shutting down non-essential functions,” Terra said along with Minerva.
“It's just as well,” the masked man said. “You wouldn't have gotten far if you ran.”
Terra glared at the masked man. She didn't want to admit it, but he was toying with her.
“Well I believe that is enough,” he said as his stance changed from defensive to offensive.
Terra barely had time to blink. The man attacked with incredible speed for someone without a shieldwatch. He struck her in the stomach, throat, and sides before putting her in a hold. He pressed part of his forearm and bicep against Terra's throat, cutting off the blood flow to her head. Terra's struggle lasted seconds before darkness took her.
Chapter XX
Escape
Each tiro has a special test made just for them. This test is designed to exploit their weaknesses both mental and physical. We have to know if they will break here. If they break, they are worthless to us. If they don't, they will have taken their first real step towards joining the Aeon Legion. There is no extreme I will not risk. After all, would our enemies hold back should we find ourselves at their mercy?
-From the personal logs of Praetor Lycus Cerberus
Terra awoke to darkness and struggled to breath. She realized that there was a bag over her head and found her hands and feet tied. Terra forced herself calm so she wouldn't suffocate. Before she could focus, she heard muffled footsteps followed by a hard kick to her side.
Terra gasped and convulsed as someone struck her over and over. She almost passed out, but they stopped and began dragging her. Several moments passed before they halted and undid her bonds. She was then restrained to a chair.
Someone ripped the bag from Terra's head and she gasped. The bright room forced her eyes shut as her limp head flopped forward.
Someone grabbed her hair. He forced open her eyelid, shining a small light in one of her eyes befo
re shifting to the other.
“She's fine. The shock should wear off soon and we can begin,” he said behind the strange smooth mask that obscured all his features save for his eyes. The design was different from the soldiers who had tracked her earlier. He and the other soldier left the room.
Alone, Terra studied her surroundings. The well lit metal room had a steel table, two seats, and a large metal chair in the center that she was tied to. Terra's eyes widened and her heart pounded when she saw the large array of sharp torture tools laid out on the table. Metal restraints held her hands and feet, but they had not taken her sonic cipher translators out of her ears and her shieldwatch lay on a table nearby.
Outside the room, someone screamed. The screaming continued for several minutes only pausing for muffled conversation. Terra could just make out the sobbing and begging. Sounds of torture made Terra's heart pound and she sweated even as she shivered. Seconds drew out as her heart jumped each time someone walked by the door. Then the screaming ended with a gurgling noise followed by silence.
Terra let out a long breath and collected herself. They had discussed this. Shani had given detailed instructions on how to resist interrogations and Nikias had them practice escaping bonds.
Terra tested the restrains. They gave a quiet, metallic clink when she moved. She stopped as voices and footsteps neared the door.
A guard walked in. “This one here, Doctor,” he said.
The guard was followed by another man who wore a blood stained doctor's smock and a smooth mask. A skull emblem was painted on his mask. “I thought the Legion picked tough recruits. This seems a weak batch. That last one died quickly. I didn't even have time to ask a question.”
Another soldier entered the room. Terra recognized him upon seeing the wing emblem on his mask. The guard saluted him.
“Ah, Captain,” the Doctor said. “I was just about to begin.”
“We shouldn't torture this one,” the Captain said in a blunt tone.
“Oh?” the Doctor asked. “Are you becoming altruistic now, Captain? We need access to Saturn City now if our plan is to work or have you forgotten what they did to your family, Captain? Have you forgotten what they did to our world?”
Aeon Legion: Labyrinth Page 25
