by Sara Fields
“Deploy the survey drone,” Tavik demanded and Ryder nodded. At once, the scanner reappeared on the projected screen, as well as a flying survey view of Atlanta. The city was decimated, except for the massive football arena they’d built long ago. The roof was wide open, showcasing the stark green of the manufactured grass below. Nix had been right. The stadium was left untouched, leaving a bare area easily observed and defended from the sky.
I knew what we had to do.
“We have to go,” I said. “It may be Kira’s only chance to survive and escape him. If there is even a chance of that, we have to go. If all he wants to do is talk, we can just hear him out and reject his offer.”
“You’re not going without us,” Tavik said firmly and I shook my head.
“You can’t. He’ll kill her if he sees you.” I responded.
“He won’t see us,” Zane and Valdus said together. I gritted my teeth and shook my head.
“How do you propose we do that and still rescue Kira?” I pressed.
“Let’s gather around and form a plan,” Alaina replied. She raised her chin, stared at me and then my sister. I blinked, narrowing my eyes in confusion. She’d spoken to me and her lips hadn’t moved. Danika looked from me to her and then nodded.
“I have the capability to talk to the men of the Second Battalion, not with my voice but with my mind. I had thought the ability had stopped there, but when I spent time with you, my sisters yesterday, I began to feel it expand. I’ve been feeling out the connection for several hours and now, I know it’s real,” Alaina began.
Next to me, Danika’s skin began to change color, camouflaging into the background and then she was gone. She reappeared moments later, several feet from where she started, but in her hand, she had a knife and she threw it straight at me.
With lightning fast reflexes, I reached out into the air and caught it by its handle.
The entire room fell silent.
“Kaela, you’re strong and fast. Danika, you can disappear into thin air on a whim, and I can communicate with the two of you. The three of us could coordinate in secret, and Nix will be none the wiser,” Alaina continued.
I grinned, beginning to catch onto her plan.
“The three of us will destroy him together,” I replied.
“And we’ll provide backup,” Zane growled dangerously.
Chapter Fourteen
Kaela
Within an hour, Alaina, Danika, and I were waiting on the grassy fields for Nix. Our men had followed, but they remained underground. We knew that Nix’s body heat scanners wouldn’t pick them up, due to the fact that Vakarran skin was too thick. I’d told them not to come, but Tavik had demanded it. I’d fought him, but he’d threatened to bare my ass and spank me in front of everyone until I relented. Caleb, Zane, and Valdus had all echoed his sentiment, so reluctantly, I had backed down. Tavik placed a hand on the back on my neck, his warm touch a warning and I ducked my head.
“Don’t worry. Both Danika and I have spent some serious time over our men’s knees too,” Alaina had reassured me with a wink. Still blushing heavily, I’d tried to change the subject, and focus on the mission at hand.
Now, standing on the fake grass, I felt electrified, strong, and ready for battle.
The ISS Starrider was just overhead. Large, foreboding, and forever circling, it remained there, a constant reminder of what was waiting should we fail. I knew our chances of success were low and that statistically speaking, beating the Vakarrans in battle would be a miracle, no matter how well prepared we were and how hard we fought. The Vakarran army was a race of conquerors, warmongers that took what they wanted, when they wanted. Here on Earth, the Resistance was a motley crew of humans, Vakarrans, and other various disgruntled aliens, but we had something to fight for that gave me hope. We were fighting for our freedom. For Earth’s freedom.
A quiet whirring sound came from the Starrider as thousands of small ships deployed from their hatches. The Resistance responded in turn and sent out their own from their underground stores all over the city. Eerily, both armies took their formations on either side of the sky. The Resistance took on a triangular shape while the Vakarrans lined up in even, steady lines.
The difference in number was staggering. Nix had so many more men.
One small aircraft emerged from the Vakarran ranks and slowly descended toward us. A number of ships in a convoy followed and I began to feel uneasy, but the one that had come out first was the only one to land on the ground. It wasn’t a large aircraft, oval in shape with triangular wings, only big enough to seat a couple of individuals. I knew that Nix couldn’t have brought much of a force with him. It landed on the ground, alone and I started to feel a bit more confident.
We’d be in and out, according to plan.
A door on the side slid open and the wing tilted down to the ground, providing a ramp for the passengers to walk down. Nix’s tall, overweight form emerged from the vessel. Unable to stop myself, I sneered as he ventured toward us alone. My eyes searched desperately for Kira but found no trace of her. A cold shiver passed over my skin and immediately, a sense of foreboding fell over me.
My sisters and I walked out to the center of the field. Nix did too.
“Where’s Kira,” I began.
Coldly, Nix pointed up at the Starrider.
“Neat little program, isn’t it? Take just a little bit of human DNA and input it into the sequencer and in less than an hour, not only do you have a complete genetic profile, but you can also build an exact replica of how their voice would sound. Just yesterday, I imprisoned the First Battalion and their breeder, Kira Stryke. In the process, I tore out a chunk of her hair and stole the information I needed,” Nix finally answered.
“You promised you’d set her free,” Danika yelled beside me.
“I’m not very good at keeping promises,” he answered with a chuckle, before he raised both of his hands in the air. They flicked forward and the small convoy that had followed him quickly landed all around him.
In a matter of seconds, the ground was crawling with Vakarran soldiers. These men looked much tougher than the regiment he’d had accompany him in the woods. This time, he’d come prepared. But, we did too.
Twelve angry Vakarran mates burst out from the locker room directly behind us. They were fast, and I could hear the almost silent sound of their footsteps on the manufactured grass, but I didn’t turn to face them. A preprogrammed drone flew over Nix’s men and they didn’t pay it any mind. It looked like a typical military camera grade device, only we’d outfitted this one with a fine mist containing the one chemical that the Vakarran species had a weakness for. Diphenhydramine-HCl. It had been Alaina’s suggestion.
When the men ran into formation behind Nix, the drone flew lazily overhead and I watched as it quickly sprayed the contents over the enemy. The piece of equipment worked quickly and efficiently and before Nix and his men could flinch and realize what was happening, they were already breathing in the concentrated mist. The drone flew away then and left the arena and Nix was none the wiser.
I grinned.
Our men stood a fair distance behind us, steering clear from the mist as much as they could. Alaina and Danika had told me that the mist was heavy and wouldn’t be easily picked up by any stray wind, meaning that wherever it was sprayed was where it would take effect.
One man swayed behind Nix and fell. And then another. He swirled his head to the side, watching with wide eyes as a handful of his men’s eyes grew heavy and their bodies sluggish. While he was distracted, Alaina and I moved closer together, while Danika moved behind us. I didn’t have to look, but I already knew she had disappeared. Invisible and untraceable, she was a force to be reckoned with.
Nix whirled back toward us.
“Where the fuck did the other one go?” he roared, looking around. He’d find nothing though, not even with his Vakarran senses.
Alaina and I just smiled, and Nix’s face roiled with anger. What was left of his upper lip
rose in a sneer, his nose crinkling in fury, his arms flew up to either side and he screamed.
“Attack!”
All at once, all hell broke loose. Above us, the ships waiting in formation flew straight at each other, engaging all manner of weaponry that roared to life. Our planned triangular formation tore into their ranks at first, remaining tight as the enemy began to fly outward, slowly surrounding our forces. Nix’s ships spread out and our own were able to pick a number of them off. The sounds of vessels plummeting through the air and toward the Earth began to fill the air.
Loud and terrifying but I ignored them all.
Laser weapons hummed, and projectile weapons clashed against the metal of the flying aircrafts. I watched as an anti-matter net surrounded one of Nix’s ships, forcing it down toward the ground. I couldn’t see it as it plummeted into the Earth, but the sound of the crash and the resulting fireball left me with no doubt that it had been destroyed.
The shimmering Diphenhydramine-HCl mist had entirely dissipated, and my men burst forward, clashing with the Vakarran soldiers Nix had brought with him. More men emerged from the staircases around the arena, ground troops we had stationed not far away, but deep underground. Once the drone had been deployed, they’d received a signal and begun to move, prepared to fight beside us.
Nix glared at us.
I knew he wouldn’t let us go. If I had read him correctly, he wanted to destroy the Resistance and stamp out the rebellion for good, but more important he’d want to punish those who defied him. My sisters and I were human, meant to obey him without question, spread our legs and deliver his spawn like submissive obedient little slaves.
Only we’d refused. We’d hidden for years from him. Refused to submit to him and his rule even when we’d been captured. We’d remained strong, defiant, and utterly untamable. And very angry.
His eyes went wild, copper irises emerging for only a moment before they went inky black. He roared as he rushed toward us.
“Danika. Place the gravity plate on the center line, midfield. Kaela, force him toward it from behind,” Alaina directed us telepathically.
Then, I focused on the grass for a split second, noting the one spot where the blades looked slightly depressed. That’s where I needed to push him.
I rushed at him, faster than any human should be able to run and he stopped in his tracks. He’d underestimated me before, and I’d hardly used any of my strength, but this time, I wasn’t holding back. I swung around him, using the crook of my arm to catch him by the throat.
He gagged and fell backwards and out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Alaina stood there, boldly holding his gaze.
“I’m the only one you’ve never gotten your hands on, isn’t that right,” Alaina began, her words proving to be a hearty distraction for the evil man.
“I’ll fuck that smile off your face before the night is out. Then, I’ll slit your throat and put your head on a pike, broadcasting it to the entirety of space. No one will ever defy the Vakarrans when I’m done with the four of you,” he threatened.
A loud crash echoed in the stadium and I realized it was a massive piece of shrapnel. Looking above, my heart fell.
Our ships, outnumbered and outgunned, were beginning to suffer. Nix’s men had surrounded our triangular formation and were taking our vessels out, one by one. I cried out with dismay at my discovery, but then I felt the very air begin to vibrate. Above, something rumbled loudly, and I searched desperately for a hint as to what it was through the haze of dust and flames. And then I saw it. A slight shimmer in the clouds. I narrowed my eyes and then, the shield dropped, revealing a large spaceship, maybe a quarter the size of the ISS Starrider.
I searched the vessel with my superior eyesight and found the name of the ship inscribed into the metal.
The Vengeance.
At once, their guns began emerging, glowing and humming in preparation. Hatches opened, and more ships flew out, reinforcing our ranks with another hundred vessels. I didn’t know who piloted such a ship, but I was grateful for their help. Attacking from behind, the Vengeance itself deployed what looked to be some terrifying sets of guns, decimating the thin, spread-out ranks of Nix’s army.
Nix growled, and I swung around, curling a hard roundhouse kick straight into the back of his right knee. Crying out in pain, he bent his leg and staggered backwards, moving toward the gravity pad. Step by step, I drove him back with my fists, closer and closer until he was mere inches from it. I caught his nose with my knuckles, hard and he screeched in pain.
Above us, the ISS Starrider began to hum, an emergency alarm screaming from above.
“Warning. Emergency self-destruct plan initiated. Please enter deactivation code in t-minus thirty seconds,” it sounded, and the entire ship began flashing red.
“What the fuck?” Nix said, panicked. “I didn’t order that.”
An invisible force knocked him hard in the back of the head, and I knew Danika had joined me. Alaina, a force to be reckoned with herself, rushed at him head on.
“You’re fucking human. How are you so strong,” Nix growled, swinging out his arms, flailing to hit any one of us. He was unsteady, staggering back and forth.
“Now,” Alaina roared as she pulled out the laser gun from her belt. I fell back several feet behind him, raising my own weapons and aiming straight toward Nix. Even though I couldn’t see her, I knew Danika had done the same. Alaina fired a warning shot, an inch directly in front of Nix’s feet and he jumped back several steps, until he landed straight on top of the gravity pad. He couldn’t move. I grinned.
“Twenty-five seconds until self-destruction,” the alarm sounded.
This time, I didn’t pause. I didn’t give Nix time to activate the failsafe in his shoes to defy the technology of the gravity pod. I slammed the trigger back, at the same time as my sisters. Three brilliant violet lasers soared straight for the center of his skull, coming together at a single converging point. I watched his eyes open wide with terror once he realized what was happening, but by then, it was far too late.
Alaina aimed directly between his eyes, while Danika and I stood equidistant around him, creating a perfect circle. Our lasers united, and a bright purple ball began to form. Nix started to scream, the sound both terrifying and satisfying at the same time. He tried to run, bending his legs and attempting to jump off and escape the pod, but it held him firmly to the ground. His feet weren’t going to move even an inch from where we had captured him. We had him now. He was as good as dead.
“Twenty seconds until self-destruction.”
The bright light got larger and his black eyes grew panicked. I watched as his head began to bulge, increasing in size just like the laser ball. The light of the lasers continued to grow, the converging point turning into the gathering place of an ever-unsteady mixture of power, heat, and intensity. Nix tried to claw at his head, but it was no use. I knew that by now, his brain was boiling inside his skull.
Above us, ships waged war and the Starrider’s emergency countdown continued. All around us, our men battled weakened soldiers from Nix’s army. In the middle of our circle, the ball of light grew larger and soon encompassed the entirety of Nix’s skull. It increased to the size of a small car, before it burst. Outward and upward, the light exploded, destroying Nix into vaporized blood and ash instantly.
When the light finally faded away, there was nothing left, just floating ash, bits of bone, and the blood that had spattered onto our faces and clothes.
We’d killed him.
We’d killed the leader of the Vakarran army. The Resistance was a success.
Above us, our troops were gaining significant ground in depleting Nix’s ships. Now that he was dead, their formations suffered and moved around like they were lost. The arrival of the Vengeance seemed to have secured our victory within the sky.
“Fifteen seconds until self-destruction.”
The ISS Starrider was starting to rise high up into the sky, every single light on its hull fla
shing a bright red in warning. My heart fell. It was too late.
Kira.
There was no time. There was nothing we could to do find where Nix had imprisoned her. Nothing we could do to infiltrate the ship and take her by force. Fifteen seconds wasn’t enough time.
I felt my sisters take my hands and together we looked toward the sky, tears of loss already streaming down our cheeks.
“Ten seconds until self-destruction. Proceed to escape pods immediately.”
I choked with a sob and the three of us huddled together, hugging one another as our grief cut us into pieces. I could focus on nothing but the Starrider, and the sounds of war grew quiet around us. I didn’t hear it anymore.
Silence reigned in my head as shrapnel, fire, and destruction fell around us.
The only thing that mattered was saying goodbye to the woman that had started it all.
“Five seconds until self-destruction.”
“I love you, Kira. Without you, we would have never been free,” I cried, tears pouring freely down my cheeks.
“We’ll remember you always,” Alaina cried.
“It’ll never be the same without her,” Danika sobbed.
A massive boom echoed and at once, the Starrider was consumed by a massive explosion of fire, light, and smoke. A shock wave pushed us down to the ground and my ears began to ring painfully. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. A burning cloud burst upward, blocking out much of the light from the sun, slowly dissipating outward and encompassing all that remained of the sky.
As the seconds following the destruction passed, the remains of the ISS Starrider vaporized into nothingness, leaving not a trace of its existence behind.
I pressed my hands to my ears as the ringing began to stop, only to be replaced by roars of victory surrounding me. Tavik, Zane, Valdus, and Caleb lifted me off the ground, hugging me close between them, but I didn’t have anything to say.
