Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets)

by Ruben Stelliswolfe

  “Ren, we're never going to get out of this! You have to do something!” The third cruiser turned into the path of their van. Skye's speed saw it coming and swerved around it with ease. The cruisers were large and intimidating, but lacked the manoeuvrability of the lighter van.

  “I know, I'm trying,” Ren said, desperately searching for a solution.

  The van's engine roared loudly as it picked up speed. He dodged the other passenger cars on the road and fled as fast as he could. He glanced in his mirror and saw the three cruisers pick up speed behind him.

  Nine

  “Nikolai!” Tahlia shouted as she appeared in the villa's suite. Her eyes darted left to right but saw that he wasn't present. In the corner of the room she saw the three familiar faces of the Tianzu.

  “He's with Archibald,” Daye said, comfortably lying on his favourite couch in the room. “He said to meet him here, but then he left in a hurry. He muttered something about the other staff asking him—”

  “Stop talking!” Tahlia interrupted. “Skye's coming!”

  Daye sat up, showing intrigue, but was already well aware of White Shadow's movements. “Coming here?” he asked, acting as though he knew nothing of it.

  “Yes,” she confirmed, almost out of breath. As Nikolai's lieutenant, she was under strict orders to monitor the surroundings of the villa in the event of a White Shadow intervention.

  “Interesting,” Kai spoke. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “We need to stop them. Sabina! Aurelius!” she called.

  “They're with Nikolai. And Night is in some forest. It's just you,” he said with a pleased grin.

  Tahlia's jaw dropped. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Nikolai would order her execution if she let Skye discover the villa. He had gone to the ends of the earth to keep its acquisition top secret. But she also knew that Nikolai would kill her himself if she harmed Skye in any way.

  “They're coming this direction,” she said. “Please help me!”

  The other three just stared at her, not interested in assisting Black Dawn.

  Tahlia winced at the thought of going into combat without authorisation, but decided that the best course of action was to keep Skye away from the villa. Somewhat reluctantly, she crouched into position and vanished.

  Kai immediately jumped up from his position. “White Shadow's coming this way. We should eliminate them while we can. Daye, why didn't you tell us they were moving toward us?”

  “I was unaware,” Daye lied. The last thing he wanted to do was contribute to the needless deaths of others.

  “Wait,” Hana said, “we shouldn't seek out White Shadow. We should instead meet with Raien. We need him to authorise for us to eliminate our enemies simultaneously.”

  Kai grunted in agreement. “We need to remind him of the threat they pose to the people of the Union. Once he orders for us to attack them with full force, we can seek them out.”

  “And Black Dawn was foolish to leave us alone. We should bring Raien here. He'd be interested to see Nikolai's residence.”

  Daye looked at the others before nodding and obeying the motion. “Very well.” He lay back down and closed his eyes, forcing his mind into a deep trance.

  He was happy to comply with simple orders, so long as he believed that they wouldn't lead to anyone's deaths. Maintaining his position in the Tianzu was indeed a challenge at the best of times. It was far from easy to feign loyalty to a clan he stood against, while also searching for a way to peacefully end their rule.

  Ten

  The van flew east as quickly as Skye could manage without colliding into any commuter vehicles. Innocent bystanders walking the streets watched on as three huge police cruisers pursued the small van. The dozens of spectators turned into hundreds as the chase continued through the bustling business district.

  Juliet screamed as the van was rammed from behind once again. The cruisers greatly outweighed their car, and the constant ramming risked knocking them dangerously off course.

  “Ren, please get us out of this!” Skye urged.

  “I'm trying,” she said again, struggling to find a way to assist.

  Juliet gasped aloud. “Skye!” Her eyes widened with fear as she stared out the window, looking for something.

  “What? What is it?”

  “Tahlia's here.” She kept searching for their foe. Pinpointing the woman's exact whereabouts was difficult.

  The news came as a shock to Skye. “Tahlia? Where?”

  “Did you just say Tahlia's there?” Ren asked, uncertain if she heard correctly. Back in the warehouse, Sierra appeared by her side as soon as the tainted name was mentioned.

  “There!” Juliet shrieked, pointing straight ahead.

  Skye looked in front of them. There was no mistaking the woman in black. She stood patiently in the middle of the road a short distance ahead. Another car swerved hard to avoid hitting her. She saw the van coming and raised her arm up, a ball of dark energy forming in her palm.

  “She's going to attack!”

  “No, she won't,” Skye dismissed. “She won't risk killing me.” There was uncertainty in his voice. He was almost struck by her ball of energy the morning before, but he assumed that she was aiming for Romeo.

  Tahlia threw the ball straight at the van. Skye froze as he watched it hurtle toward them. He didn't think she would attack them so recklessly, and in public. He gripped the wheel tight and pulled it hard to the left. Only someone with reflexes like his own would be able to recognise the threat and avoid it so quickly. The van turned sharply, almost tipping over at the speed it was travelling. Skye saw a large tree in front of them on the side of the road and pulled even harder on the wheel to avoid it. The van swung wildly, its rear end flying outwards and slamming into the trunk of the tree.

  The ball flew past the van and collided into the front corner of the cruiser behind them. The dark matter ripped through the grill, melting the front with ease. It sawed through the front right wheel, exploding the tyre instantly. The tank began to lean right as it drove forward. A second later, it landed heavily on its right side, spraying glass and metal across the road. The two other cruisers behind them braked hard to avoid ploughing into it.

  “Are you okay?” Skye asked as he groaned from the pain of the collision. His last-minute evasive manoeuvre prevented him from driving into the tree head-on, saving both of their lives. Juliet nodded her head.

  Skye opened his door and clambered outside. He lost his balance and stumbled to the ground. Looking straight ahead, he saw Tahlia standing awkwardly and slack-jawed, not knowing what to do. He turned around and saw that she was gaping at the police cruiser lying on its side. Its damaged front was a clear indication she had unintentionally destroyed it with her signature attack.

  Skye regained control of his pained body and started running forward at Tahlia. Usually he'd retreat to avoid any public attention, but he was already a wanted man, and seeing the Black Dawn member in front of him meant he had completed his morning mission of locating them. He retrieved his sword with his mind and extended it outwards, racing toward the woman in black.

  Tahlia snapped her head right just as Skye threw himself at her. He held his blade outwards and lunged at her torso. She saw the move and stepped to the side, grabbing his wrist and bending it backwards. She lifted her leg up and kicked him hard in his abdomen, stopping the attack. Tahlia attempted to grab the sword out of his hand, but Skye held it firmly and pressed the small button concealed on the handle, retracting the blade back inwards.

  Skye felt the force of the bullets fly into his back before he heard the gunshots. His body twitched in agony, and he collapsed onto the road again. Tahlia screamed and fell too. Without wasting another second exposed in the open, Skye jumped up and raced back over to the van. Tahlia quickly hobbled and took cover behind a parked car a short distance away.

  Juliet hid herself in the passenger side of the vehicle with her hands over her ears. Skye struggled for breath. The bullets
had lodged themselves deep within the armoured chest guard which he had wisely chosen to wear, but the impact had stunned him momentarily. He peered around the side of the destroyed van and saw four heavily armed soldiers walking toward them.

  “Juliet,” he spoke weakly. “Get out of there. They're going to kill us both.” She was terrified, but obeyed her elder. As quickly as she could, she climbed across the driver's seat and out of the vehicle.

  Skye was stuck in a terrible position. He had always tried his absolute best to protect innocent people from getting killed; it was the main reason why he joined White Shadow years ago. He knew the soldiers were only protecting their country and union and its civilians, but they posed a gigantic threat and were ready to kill Skye and Juliet. He could easily escape them on his own, but Juliet couldn't. He thought about picking her up and running.

  His frantic thoughts were interrupted by shouts from the soldiers. He couldn't see them, but he did notice another black ball of energy fly past. He looked left and saw Tahlia standing on the road again, engaging in combat with them.

  “Tahlia, don't!” he screamed. Her lower leg was bleeding profusely, having just been shot by the military. She retreated behind the parked car again. Several screams came from the soldiers as they dove out of the way.

  “Skye!” Tahlia shouted from her hiding spot. “Nikolai warned you about trying to find us!”

  He became enraged once again. In less than a minute, she had appeared and launched a devastating attack on innocent people. Finding and stopping Black Dawn had never become more urgent. He was about to run across to Tahlia to attack, but Juliet's voice stopped him.

  “She's gone,” she whispered.

  This was Skye's only chance to escape to safety. He grabbed Juliet and placed her over his shoulder. He ran as fast as his pained body could. He raced to the path and weaved between petrified civilians who had been lying on the ground since the attack began. He looked back and saw that the soldiers were on the ground too, not yet giving chase.

  Skye turned left down the next street and ran even faster from the frightening scene.

  Eleven

  “I do hope we're not wasting our time here,” Tango complained as the lift ascended upwards. “We should be helping Skye.”

  Echo grunted with agreement. “It's embarrassing wearing this gear in public during the day.” He looked about himself and studied the heavy armour he sported. It was extremely conspicuous, but they tried to ignore the surprised looks from reception and the concierge in the lobby of West Tower.

  The lift continued its quick ascent.

  “Are you nervous?” Tango asked, all too aware that only two of them may be engaging in combat. Once confident in their abilities, the battle the night before had come as a horrible shock to him.

  The lift door opened on the fortieth floor. They crossed the hall and climbed into the next lift.

  “A little,” Echo admitted. He was the quietest among the group and didn't share his emotions much, but he thought of Tango as a brother and spoke to him as such.

  The lift finally stopped at the eightieth floor. The duo exited silently and walked straight to room 8001. Tango pressed his ear against the door but heard nothing.

  “Ready?” he asked, looking up at his tall friend. Echo nodded.

  Tango kicked the double doors inward and pounced inside. Echo followed. Neither of them were as fast or strong as Skye and Sierra, but they were far stronger and more capable than the average person. They fanned out across the living room of the penthouse, surveying for any hostiles. The room appeared to be clear, but looked recently lived in.

  Before they could race into the next room, a man appeared from one of the doorways. The sudden movement instantly caught their attention. Tango and Echo snapped their heads and stared at the stranger—a tall Shizuno man, who was holding a folder full of loose documents. Tango looked him up and down and immediately recognised the blue shirt. It was the Tianzu warrior they'd seen yesterday morning in Shangwu.

  The man looked up from the folder and glared into the eyes of the intruders.

  Without a second thought, both Echo and Tango launched forward, swinging their arms and legs wildly in an attempt to subdue their opponent. The man fluidly avoided all of their attacks and stepped aside.

  Tango countered the movement by throwing his fist at the stranger's face, but the man caught it and held Tango's hand.

  Echo dove forward and tried to tackle him to the floor, but he missed completely as the man gingerly leapt to the left. Echo landed hard on the floor.

  Tango tried to throw his other fist, but the warrior raised his leg and stopped the punch, pushing it back.

  “That's enough,” the man spoke. He released Tango's hand and threw him back. Tango stumbled briefly, and then stared at him, shocked. His mind raced as to how they could possibly attack the calm man; his reflexes were far too quick. They both possessed heightened speed and strength, but lacked any other extraordinarily abilities.

  The man walked away from his assailants and placed the folder on a table. He opened it and began sifting through the contents.

  “Who are you?” Tango asked abruptly, uncertain how to respond to the strange man. His instincts told him to attack, but it appeared to be futile.

  “It doesn't concern you,” he said without looking up.

  Echo climbed to his feet, and then attempted another attack from behind. The man turned and delivered a sharp knee to Echo's face, almost lifting him off the ground.

  “I said that's enough,” the man repeated as Echo fell to the ground.

  “Do you know who we are?” Tango yelled, trying to intimidate his foe.

  “Yes,” the man admitted, his attention turning back to the folder.

  Tango looked at the stunned Echo, neither of them knowing what to say or do.

  “If you know who we are,” Tango attempted to threaten, “then you know what we're capable of.”

  “You are capable of death,” the man in blue uttered. “And your group is also very much susceptible to it.”

  Tango clenched his fists at the remark, which was clearly referring to the death of Foxtrot. He leapt forward and tried to attack him one last time, but again to no avail. The man moved, sending Tango crashing into the table, knocking the folder onto the ground.

  “You act innocent and righteous, but you all have blood on your hands,” the man said again in a calm demeanour.

  “You have blood on your hands!” Echo roared, an unusual break of character. He tried to clamber to his feet, only to be knocked down once again.

  “Please stop,” the man in blue coolly requested.

  Daye appeared, floating into the room like a ghost. He sat down on one of the chairs, surprised by the scene before him.

  Tango recognised Daye and jumped forward, grabbing an idle pen from the table and driving down into the skull of the Kaipuran man. Tango's eyes widened when he realised he had only punctured the chair beneath.

  “Save your strength,” Daye suggested. “Only my mind is present; not my body.” His attention turned to the man in blue. “Raien, Nikolai's villa is unoccupied. Hana thought that you might wish to take a look.”

  Raien cocked his head to one side. “How did you manage that? Where's Nikolai?”

  “Tending to other matters, but I'm uncertain how long it will be vacant for.”

  “Not long, I'd assume. I think it would be safest if I didn't attend,” Raien said, sounding neither pleased nor displeased. “It doesn't matter—I won't be staying in Athenia much longer anyway.”

  Tango climbed to his feet. He glared at Daye, baffled. He wanted nothing more than to bludgeon both of the men for what the Tianzu had done to Foxtrot, but, much like the previous evening, his pride had been shattered once again.

  “I should also report that Hana was attacked last night,” Daye added. “She has recovered though.”

  Raien paused upon hearing the news. “Who was her attacker?” he asked.

  Daye pointed to
Tango and Echo without looking at them, reluctant to implicate the duo. He kept his gaze focussed on his comrade. “Come to the villa, quickly.”

  Raien faced Tango. “Are you trying to start a war?” He didn't waste another second. He strode across to the balcony door, opened it smoothly, then threw himself over the edge.

  Tango and Echo were left gaping in horror. They were truly outclassed in their abilities. Skye had warned them repeatedly that they were reckless, and it was now more apparent than ever how ineffective they were. They'd never before laid eyes on the man in blue, until only yesterday morning. The Tianzu seemed to be larger than they had previously assumed.

  “I'm sorry,” Daye said to the bewildered pair, his illusion remaining. “It wasn't my wish to provoke Raien, but I didn't have a choice. I had to inform him of what had happened.”

  Tango choked on his words. “You ... you're sorry?” he stammered, unable to comprehend hearing one of the Tianzu apologise.

  Daye nodded. “I am. I knew that Raien would become enraged hearing about the attack on Hana, but I can't neglect telling him the truth. Believe me when I say it's in everyone's best interest that I maintain my position of power inside the Tianzu.”

  Tango and Echo both exchanged confused glances, neither of them saying anything.

  “You're not unlike Skye,” Daye continued. “I can almost understand your cause, but you're careless and foolhardy. Just now you tried to attack me for no reason.”

  Tango spat. “I attacked you because you're one of them.”

  Daye closed his eyes, a pained expression filling his face. “One of who?”

  “The Tianzu.”

  Daye shook his head, saddened. His theories on White Shadow had, once again, been confirmed. “I don't think you know who the Tianzu are. You're both passionate for a cause, but I wonder if perhaps you know which cause you're actually fighting for?”

  Tango stood tall and stared down at the man. “I know exactly what I'm fighting for—my friend, Foxtrot. You took him from us.”