by T. C. Edge
This is it...
Our jeep follows in behind. And behind us, the soldiers start to march, those from the plateau stepping in unison. Then, pouring forth from the mountain, the rest come in their platoons, thousands of men and women holding weapons they've never fired in anger.
Through the tunnel we go, the vehicles rumbling along slowly, but fast enough for the rest to have to march quickly to keep pace. I sit and stare ahead, marvelling at the sight ahead and behind us. Of the force so quickly assembled and weaved together from such bare threads.
And as we go, I close my eyes and my mind flashes again with the carnage of battle. Of fire and destruction and death, now so close, and growing clearer. And amid the carnage, I see Ellie, cornered, unprotected, with others closing in. Then, from nowhere, a form appears to save her. Large, strong, powerful.
My eyes open in a flash, and I turn quickly to see Ellie sitting quietly behind me. Her eyes narrow at my expression.
“Cy, is something wrong?” she asks.
“Link...” I whisper. “We need Link...”
I turn to Drake, driving slowly behind the wheel.
“We have to go back,” I say loudly.
He shakes his head.
“We can't, Cyra. It's too late.”
“No! We have to. We need Link.”
“Link is in the cells, the Master has forbidden his release,” says Drake. “There's nothing we can do about that now.”
I look again at Ellie, and it all makes so much sense. He's the only one who can protect her now. I told him before I'd make sure he could...but here we are, and I've left him behind. I have to go back...
“Dad, I'm going back, whether you like it or not.”
I open the door, and feel a hand quickly grasp my arm.
“NO!” shouts Drake.
“I have to get Link!” I cry, pulling away.
I wriggle from his grip, and slip from the vehicle, clattering to the floor. The car stops, holding up the line. Drake stares at me and shouts: “get back in the car, Cyra!”
“I'm sorry,” I say. “I have to get him. I'll catch you up...I'm sorry.”
With that, I turn, and don't look back. Ahead of me, thousands of soldiers march, inexorably moving down the mountain path. I run along the flanks of the many platoons, moving back towards the tunnel, back towards Petram. Then, behind me, a little voice sounds. I turn and see Ellie following, shouting for me to stop.
I slow my pace as soldiers around me stare in confusion. But they don't stop. They just look at they pass, long lines of troops passing like a conveyor belt towards war.
“What the hell are you doing, Cyra!” shouts Ellie.
“Link needs to protect you,” I say. “He's the only one who can.”
“I don't need protecting! I never did.”
I don't listen. I turn and keep running, but know that she's following. She keeps calling behind me but I keep on rushing onward, reaching the tunnel, running up along the side of the endless column of soldiers.
Soon, we're bursting out onto the other side, and the city of Petram once more lies ahead. I see the end of the line of soldiers. As we emerge from the tunnel, they disappear, the final stragglers beginning the long march to battle.
We pass through the gate, run along the now bare plateau, and through the entrance to the mountain. Inside, it's silent, empty, the cavernous space so lonely now. Our footsteps echo as we run, hearts beating, breath panting hard. We reach the passage at the far end, the gateway to the cells far below. By the time we reach the deep darkness, twenty minutes must have passed since we left the convoy.
Using Ellie's torch for guidance, we finally reach the cells, and squeeze through the tight space into the cave. Inside, it's pitch black, no one on guard. Voices rise up from the cells cut into the rock walls ahead, faces appearing through the bars.
“Who's there!”
“Let us out!”
“We can fight!”
The voices belong to the men who came to take me, to pass me onto the Eden army in exchange for their own lives. Blinking in the light, their eyes take a moment to focus on me.
“Cyra...is that you?”
I look to the man, the lead kidnapper, but don't answer. I rush past him with Ellie towards the back, to the cell holding the man we're here to free.
When our light casts a glow into his prison, he jumps up from the floor and rushes towards the bars.
“Ellie! Cyra! What are you doing here?”
“We're breaking you out!” I say. “I told you I would, Link. Stand back.”
He takes a step back, and I pull my pistol from its holster on my hip and aim at the lock. The loud crack of a bullet splinters the silence in the cave, bouncing around the walls. It takes another couple to burst the lock, and the door to the cell swings open.
Link immediately scoops Ellie up into his arms before kissing her forcefully. He then turns to me and hugs me tight.
“Thank you, Cyra,” he says. “Now there's no time to waste.”
Releasing me, we all turn to run out of the cave. More calls from the other inmates ring out. I stop as we reach the exit, Link and Ellie ready to rush through.
“What are you doing?” Ellie asks.
“We need all the help we can get,” I say.
“You're not going to...”
I walk quickly back to the other cells. The face of the lead kidnapper greets me. His expression is so different from before. There's no malice. Only regret. I see contrition in his eyes.
“I'm sorry for before...” he starts.
I cut him off.
“It doesn't matter now,” I say. “I'm doing this for the people, not for you. We need as many guns down there as possible. Step back.”
I shoot the lock from his cell door and he steps out.
“The army left over half an hour ago. There are stock of weapons in the main chamber. Get there as soon as you can.”
I hand him my pistol to use to break the others out.
“Thank you,” he says. “I...I won't let you down.”
I nod, turn, and join Ellie and Link at the exit.
“What did you do that for?! We don't need their sort helping us.”
“Ellie, we need every sort helping us,” I say. “Whatever they did, they're loyal to this cause. They've proven that already.”
She offers a grunt in argument, but no words. There's no time to argue now. We turn, rush back to the chamber as minutes continues to fly by, and emerge out onto the plateau with our lungs already burning.
And as we do, down below, we hear the sounds of battle ringing up on the wind.
13 - Back Up
“It's started already?!” calls Ellie as we rush out onto the plateau. “That's not possible...”
“They must have got down there sooner than we thought,” I say.
“No way, there's just no way...
“What else can it be?” I ask. “We need to find a quicker way down there. Everyone, spread out and look for a vehicle.”
We run off in different directions down side streets. There must be more vehicles here. Perhaps not military, but regular old cars used by refugees to reach this place. I take left and right turns, looking everywhere, but finding nothing. Then I hear a loud shout from the other end of the plateau, Link's booming voice carried towards me on the whistling mountain air.
“I've found something...”
I run to the source, passing across the main street and onto the other side. Ellie joins me, coming from another angle, and together we hunt Link down. He calls again, clearer this time, and soon we emerge onto the far extremity of the outdoor portion of the city. Link stands beside a series of bicycles, stored up against the rock wall. There are plenty of them, clearly a popular mode of transport here where fuel is at a premium.
“Will these do?” he asks.
“They'll have to,” I say.
We each find a suitable one for our size, quickly make any adjustments to the seats, and climb on.
> “You ever ridden one of these before?” asks Link.
Both Ellie and I nod.
“Back home we used to play on them,” says Ellie.
“Same,” I say. “My brother Carson had one. We had to sell it but I had a few goes before we did.”
“Right,” says Link. “Any tips?”
“Yeah. Don't fall over,” says Ellie, smiling.
“And pedal fast,” I add. “We have no time to lose.”
Ellie and I jump on like pros and begin peddling towards the main street. Link, behind, finds balancing a little tough. He drops to his feet on either side once or twice before managing to find a rhythm that suits him. It's ungainly but does the job. He's going to have to learn fast.
We quicken our pace towards the exit, the sounds of battle continuing below. Loud booms sweep up towards us on the wind, the crackle of gunfire heard periodically between any lulls. Thankfully, Link does learn quickly, and soon we're able to speed our pace without losing him. We enter the tunnel, zip through it, and emerge onto the other side. Everywhere, the tracks of the heavy vehicles and the many thousands of footprints of the army point our way down.
The noises grow louder as we go, racing at a pace many times that of the slow moving convoy. Side by side with Ellie, with Link behind us, we shout over the rushing wind and booms from below.
“I don't understand,” Ellie calls. “How has it started?”
I only have one potential answer, and I don't like it.
“Maybe the Eden army was marching up and they met each other?” I say. “Or...maybe they set an ambush?”
“No, that makes no sense. The scouts would have reported any movement.”
She's right. I hadn't thought of that.
“I have no idea then,” I shout. “We'll find out soon enough...”
The steepness of the track makes the going quick. Too quick, it seems, for Link, who hits a loose rock and goes tumbling to the ground. We skid to a halt as he grunts, shakes his head, brushes himself off, and climbs back on.
“You all right, baby?” asks Ellie.
“Fine,” says Link, already bleeding from several cuts on his arms and chin. “Just scratches.”
The fall tells us to slow our pace just a touch as the path grows more narrow and precarious, twisting around to the right.
On the left, a sheer drop of several hundred metres descends off the edge of the cliff. Any fall now could mean death at this pace.
We cautiously advance in the darkness, staying to the inside of the track up against the mountain side. The path is wide – enough to for the vehicles to pass – but steep and, should one of us fall, our momentum could take us over the edge. Link's tumble, casting him several metres ahead of his bike, showed us that.
Before long, however, the path is once more opening up and straightening, allowing us to stretch our legs once again. Around us, high peaks still stand, their tops covered in snow. But along their flanks the sight of greenery is beginning to emerge. Of small thickets on the sides of the mountains, the silhouettes of trees clear under the glow of the moon.
Ahead, the path swings slightly once more around to the right. We slow our pace again, and as we turn, lights begin to appear. The sprinkling of yellow in the distance, way down the path, seemingly stationary and unmoving.
“What the hell...” says Ellie.
We get closer, until the shapes of bodies emerge in the darkness. Hundreds of them, thousands, all bunched up together in their units. It's our army, stopped in their tracks. But why?
I pedal faster, and the others do the same. Soon we're reaching the back, the platoons of soldiers at the rear of the army standing together and trying to look ahead through the sea of bodies. There's a commotion, hundreds of voices rising on the air.
When we reach the back, I call ahead.
“Make way!” I shout.
The people turn, see us coming, and hastily squash to one side as we continue past them. Now I can see further ahead, see the thousands of soldiers all standing still, a strange confusion among them.
Beyond, the convoy of vehicles seems to have stopped, the sounds of battle still a way off below. They haven't engaged the army.
Ellie and Link look as bewildered as I am.
“Who's doing the fighting?” shouts Ellie.
I shake my head as we cycle past the soldiers. They seem to all be asking the same question. We reach the front and there, leading a force of the more experienced soldiers, I find Jackson. I drop off my bike in one move and rush up to him.
“Jack! What's going on?”
He sees my bike, with Ellie and Link coming in behind me.
“Cyra, what are you doing?”
“Doesn't matter. What's happening here?”
“I don't know,” he says. “Someone's engaged the Eden army below.”
“Who?”
He shakes his head. I run onwards, right past him, reaching the back of the convoy and the jeep I was originally travelling in. Athena sits inside it, alone now.
“Cyra!” she shouts. “You're back!”
“Where's my dad?” I ask.
“He's gone ahead to speak to the Generals. He told me to stay here.”
Once more, I continue to rush forward, past jeeps and APCs and tanks, their engines rumbling but wheels not turning. Soon, I'm at the front, where a small group appears to have assembled at the edge of the cliff overlooking the valleys below.
Their silhouettes stand against the black night, and down below, flashes light up, followed by the booming of artillery shells and bombs and the crackle of gunfire.
I come skidding to a stop, panting as I reach the huddle. Eyes turn from the valley and stare at me. Those of Generals Sharpe and Richter, Stein, Colonel Jensen, and my father. All five look startled as I burst into the group.
“What's happening!” I shout.
They turn to me, bewildered, and take a moment to recognise me in the darkness.
“Cyra!” says Drake. “You came back...”
“Yes...and I've got Link. What's happening?”
I peer down into the valley to try to discover the answer for myself. It's clear enough with the light of the moon to make out the shape of the Eden encampment, set back against a mountain, using natural rock barriers and artificially erected walls as protection. Guns along the perimeter fire, giving further clarity to the surroundings as their tips burst with yellow light. But they're not firing up at us.
On the other side, coming up from the mountain pass below, another force masses. I see artillery weapons, way off in the distance, firing back. I see several tanks rumbling forward, followed by soldiers, firing as they go. Others find cover, hiding behind rocks and advancing on the encampment, swarming forward into battle.
I turn back to Drake, eyes wide, mouth open.
“What's going on?! Who are they?!”
“It's another rebel force, Cyra,” says General Richter eagerly. “An army has been amassed in the west...and they've come.”
“Another army?” I ask, hoping for clarification.
It's not given. The emergency meeting I interrupted is quickly resumed.
“We must join the fight now,” says General Sharpe. “I will engage with my armoured vehicles. The artillery will provide support from here, burst openings through the camp walls.”
“The infantry will follow,” says General Richter. “Keep to our strategy...General Drayton, now that your full contingent is back, plus one extra it seems,” he says, looking at Link, “you can engage with the front line.”
Drake nods.
“Colonel Jensen,” he continues, looking at Markus. “Go and spread the word through the infantry. Let their commanders know we are moving into battle immediately.”
Markus nods and turns, before rushing off back past the convoy.
“We will coordinate things from up here,” says General Sharpe. “Now let's go. There's not a moment to lose.”
With that, the group splinters. The Generals and Stein quick
ly move off towards the control centre inside the mobile artillery unit. Drake rushes back to the jeep at the rear of the convoy, shouting at us to follow.
When we reach it, I see Athena fidgeting and twitching outside the car, staring forward. Her eyes light up when she sees us.
“What's happening? Are we going down there?”
“Yes,” says Drake, jumping behind the wheel.
Athena's face breaches with a smile. She climbs into the back with Ellie and Link. I get in beside my father.
I hear Ellie making the introductions behind me, and I turn.
“Athena, meet Link. Link, meet Athena.”
The two shake hands and exchange the same look of determination. They're very much kindred spirits.
I feel my body swell as the convoy begins moving again, minus the artillery units that stay behind up against the mountainside. Down below, the battle rages, and as we continue down I hear booms now issuing from behind as well as artillery shells are launched at the Eden camp. We've officially entered the battle.
We don't crawl along this time. We rush fast, the soldiers behind jogging to keep up. Still, we quickly lose them, and I see Jackson, leading the front line, fade into the darkness. I take a deep breath and turn again as the ground begins to flatten out. Soon, we're emerging onto the valley floor, passing thickets of trees, and turning left. Just around the corner of a large formation of rocks, the Eden base sits. And through the valley, I see for the first time up close the force of soldiers coming up the mountain to attack it.
Our jeep stops behind the tanks. Drake jumps out, and we follow, still behind the cover of the colossal rocks. The world grows ever louder with the voice of war, shouting at us from all angles. Ahead, other rebel tanks rumble forward. Suddenly, ours do the same, grinding forward and taking up position around the corner of the rock wall to our left. Immediately, they begin firing, dozens of shells now being shot at the Eden army from all angles.
Ahead, the APC's empty of their occupants. Each can hold several dozen soldiers, the best of the best pouring out and joining as an elite force, led at the front by Markus. They quickly assemble and being moving forward, using the tanks for cover.
