by Eric S Kim
“Oh, but the victory won’t last. The Nevinoth will stop at nothing into bringing you out of your safe zone and into the wastelands that await you.”
“But why does Vilroz have his eyes on me?”
Sidsum leaned his head forward. “Because he knows about you. He knows what you used to be.”
Lionel was already intrigued by the intrusion, but now it gained a potential overflow thanks to this new revelation.
He asked, “How?”
Sidsum’s claws scraping against the wooden surface was much more tolerable this time around. “Vilroz has known about you for a long time. I think the two of you met each other before.”
“I don’t recall.”
“Well, he at least met the leader of your pack. It all started from there.”
“How much did he tell you?”
“I can’t forget the more interesting details, really. I didn’t think I’d see a Nevinoth Rider again, but here you are.”
Lionel quickly corrected him. “I’m not a rider anymore.”
“That won’t stop Vilroz from doing the inevitable.”
“I’m going to have to gather all the other Blackjacks back in the station. They won’t be safe out there if Vilroz intends to find a hostage to lure me in.”
“Good idea. And while you’re at it, you better find me something to eat. I haven’t had anything since morning. Perhaps a dead rat or two would fill my appetite.”
Lionel didn’t listen to him anymore. Something about the station made him a little uneasy. “Sidsum, be quiet.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s too quiet.”
Lionel tried to hear at least an echo from the hallway, but there was nothing but absolute silence that engulfed the second floor of the station.
Sidsum whispered, “What’s happening?”
Lionel activated his earpiece to contact his dispatcher. “Charlie, are you there?”
He waited for a response, but only received mild static.
He tried again. “Charlie, can you hear me?”
The dispatcher still didn’t respond. Lionel kept his eyes on the open entryway of the lounge. There was something about the hushed atmosphere that made him distrust its serenity. He stood up from the sofa and ordered Sidsum to stay in the lounge. He kept his footsteps at a low volume as he wielded his pistol and left the lounge.
6:42 PM
The silent walk in the hallway felt unusually tense. Lionel couldn’t just push away this uneasy feeling about the station. The rest of his squad remained outside to pursue exiled dragons. Lionel, Sidsum, and Charlie would be the only ones in the building at the moment. Lionel called out Charlie’s name, but there was no reply. The lights were still on, but the silence still didn’t help with the situation. The pistol in Lionel’s hand grew warm in his grip. He took a peek inside another room on the second floor. No one was present in the gym. Everything stayed the same from within. The dumbbells, treadmills, and everything else hadn’t moved. Lionel stepped away and checked another section of the second floor. He still called out Charlie’s name and still didn’t get a response.
This time, he checked the game room. He looked from left to right. The only thing that provided an incongruous image was something that sat at the poker table. A blanketed figure sat in one of the chairs and faced Lionel at the entrance. The Blackjack raised his pistol and aimed at the blanketed figure. It was clearly never there before. Someone, or something, had set it up. Lionel slowly stepped closer. He took slower breaths through his nostrils. He didn’t point his pistol away from whatever was beneath that white blanket.
Lionel didn’t say a word. He was prepared for a surprise attack of any kind. He began to pull the blanket off of the shrouded figure with one hand. He placed his finger on the trigger. Halfway through the reveal, a few drops of blood had stained the white blanket. He didn’t want to see Charlie, or anybody he cared about, as the body that had been placed on this chair. He held his breath. The blanket dropped fully to the floor.
Charlie the dispatcher had a handkerchief covering his mouth. He leaned his head to the side with his eyes closed. His hands had been bound to the armrests. So far, there were no open wounds on his skin or bloodstains on his clothes. Only a miniscule trail of blood from his mouth was the only indication of his health.
Lionel lowered his weapon. “Charlie, can you hear me?”
Charlie slowly opened his eyes and suddenly jolted upwards. He tried to speak through the gag in his mouth, but his words remained muffled. Lionel was about to untie him, but then a large brown spot from below made him look down. He only had a split second to notice a squirrel standing between Charlie’s feet.
“Hello, Mr. Tyler.”
The talking squirrel sprung forward and ran up Lionel’s body. Lionel, surprised by the unexpected appearance of a rodent in the game room, tried to push it away from him. But the squirrel reached his arm and bit him on the hand, causing him to let go of the pistol in pain and drop it on the floor.
Then, it started to grow even bigger in size. The squirrel underwent a transformation of its own. In just a few seconds, it progressed into a much larger mammal. It grabbed Lionel’s arm with its claws as its feet touched the floor and its fur grew brown. Lionel now had a grizzly bear grabbing hold of his arm. It roared at him and struck him on the shoulder with its paw.
Lionel collapsed on the floor in greater pain than before. The grizzly bear picked him up and raised him high. Lionel struggled in its grasp. With brute strength it threw him to the other side of the room. Lionel landed on the foosball table. It broke into several smaller pieces as soon as he touched it. He lay in the midst of broken wood and plastic. His hat had flung off his head and disappeared into a corner.
The grizzly bear growled. Lionel tried to get up. Charlie tried to break free from his bound hands, but he failed throughout the process. The grizzly bear sauntered toward the captain, who could feel a couple of small bruises on his body. He got up on his knees, but the bear had enough time to hit him again with its paw. He lay flat on his back. The bear pressed its paw against Lionel’s chest to keep him from escaping this room without restraint.
The bear’s deep baritone voice overwhelmed Lionel’s ears. “So that’s all it takes to bring you down. Just two strikes.”
Lionel found his attempt to push away the bear’s arm useless. “Vilroz. You’re the one that’s leading the pack.”
The bear growled. “I don’t mind being reminded of my duties, so thank you.”
“What the hell do you want from us?”
“Sidsum has told you enough.”
“Your dreams are about to be shattered. A man like me never negotiates with intruders like you.”
Vilroz pressed his paw deeper against Lionel’s chest, almost giving the captain’s lungs a hard time. “Oh, but you can do the same to the enemy of this world.”
“Gorvex is not a threat. He’s the least of your concerns.”
“Don’t you dare deny his purpose!”
The grizzly bear grabbed Lionel again and hoisted him up high. He threw him at the flat screen TV used primarily for video games. Lionel broke the TV in half when his entire body crashed into it. He landed on the floor with more fragmented pieces surrounding him. Vilroz ran toward him and struck him with his own head. The bear pushed him against the wall. Lionel groaned at a higher volume. The pain from within was more evident. He squirmed in the corner as Vilroz stood on his two legs.
“You are nothing but a coward. You will never be forgiven for what you’ve done to your friends.”
Lionel was in desperation as he tried to stand up. “I had no choice.”
“That’s the only excuse you can come up with?”
Lionel fell back down on the floor in agony. “Don’t make this harder for me.”
Vilroz raised his paw, ready to strike once again. All of a sudden, a familiar flapping noise had returned. Sidsum flew straight into the game room and cried out, “Stop! Don’t do it!”
&n
bsp; The vulture landed on the ground near Lionel and Vilroz. “Don’t kill him! He’s more important than you think!”
Vilroz didn’t listen. He brought his paw down and hit Lionel’s back. Charlie the dispatcher could only watch with widened eyes while still strapped to the chair at the poker table.
Sidsum flew around Vilroz’s head. “It doesn’t have to be this way! You can try to knock some sense into him!”
“Are you blind?”
“I don’t mean it literally!”
Vilroz roared at the vulture. “Stop annoying me! You’re not helping the both of us.”
“Leave Lionel alone! You don’t have to take him away! He can just tell you where the Varivorian Artillery is located.”
Lionel wished the vulture would just shut up. “I am not telling you anything!”
Vilroz growled. “Good. Maybe then, it’ll be an easier for job for me once we take you out of this building.”
An unfamiliar voice from the hallway had called out Vilroz’s name. A beaver had just entered the room in a frenetic pace. He held a shocked expression on his face.
“We have to get out of here! The Silver Skins are almost here!”
Vilroz asked, “How many?”
The beaver tried to pull Vilroz’s leg seemingly to bring him away from this room. “There must be twenty of them! Maybe more! Sorivo is leading them! We have to go now!”
Vilroz grabbed Lionel’s own leg and dragged him across the floor. “This will be a good time to reach for the exit.”
Sidsum followed the two animals that left the game room. Lionel tried to reach for Vilroz’s paw, but the bear had already reached the top of the stairs and threw him down. Lionel felt the entire world spinning around in circles as he rolled down the stairs. He made it all the way to the bottom. He had to fight through the pain as he forced himself to get up. Unfortunately, Vilroz had already run down the stairs and grabbed his leg again. The bear dragged him all the way to the front lobby.
The beaver shouted, “We have to be swift!”
He pointed at the open entrance. The bear crashed through the double doors, breaking the glass and forcing both of them open with brute force. Lionel had to shield himself with his arms to avoid the shards of glass that dropped to the floor.
Vilroz yelled, “Fight to the death!”
Lionel didn’t have time to see who Vilroz had been talking to. The beaver was the first to quickly evolve into his original dragon form. He had blue scales all around his body. He spread his wings wide and prepared to fly.
Vilroz never let go of Lionel’s leg. “How about a little joyride?!”
It was the bear’s turn to transform. His brown fur had disappeared. His claws grew longer and his massive body reached the roof of the NESF Station. Vilroz was now a dragon with dark brown scales. He reached down and trapped Lionel in his hand. Lionel could feel the swift fingers tightening all around his waist and legs. The two Nevinoth Dragons lifted their feet off of the ground and made their ascent above the parking lot. Sidsum flew out of the building and could do nothing but watch them fly away.
Vilroz said to the other dragon, “Abakarit, stay with me! We can’t let them take this man away from us!”
Abakarit replied, “Understood! Let’s do this!”
The dragons flew further away from the station and rose higher above the city of Anaheim. Lionel, knowing full well the strength of a dragon’s grasp, already accepted his hopelessness in Vilroz’s hand. The wind blew across his face and hair as Vilroz brought him closer into the sky. The ground beneath him grew smaller in scale. Vilroz and Abakarit stayed close together. There would be no hesitation when the Silver Skin Dragons would make their move.
Abakarit shouted, “There they are!”
Lionel turned his head to the direction of where Abakarit had pointed at. He had enough time to spot the Silver Skin Dragons that flew from the west. Sorivo led his own squadron into the fray.
Vilroz showed his defiant pride as he opened his wings wide in the air. “Go ahead and try!”
6:47 PM
With the setting sun situated behind them, the Silver Skin Dragons charged at their enemies at top speed. Vilroz and Abakarit flew in their direction. Lionel held on to Vilroz’s finger and waited for the inevitable collision to commence. Sorivo was the first to initiate the attack. The robotic reptile reached for Vilroz, but the latter flew straight down. His descent was so quick that Sorivo couldn’t reach out to him in time. Vilroz kept Lionel in his hand and never let go.
Abakarit followed Vilroz from behind. Two more Silver Skins flew toward them. Both Nevinoth Dragons separated from each other. They flew in different directions and forced the two Silver Skins to drift apart as well. The Silver Skin that pursued Vilroz roared and opened its mouth wide. A blue ball of light appeared from within. The Silver Skin spit it out of its mouth.
The blue ball of light closed in on Vilroz, who decided to fight back with his own capabilities. Vilroz’s other hand had changed its shape. Much to Lionel’s surprise, Vilroz’s left hand transformed into the shape of a flat rectangular surface. The dragon quickly turned around and swatted the blue light away with his new hand. The blue light was sent higher in the sky before it dissipated into nothingness.
Two more Silver Skins surrounded Vilroz, but he didn’t surrender. He relied fully on his stamina to slide through their sharp metal jaws and outreached arms and legs. He sped past them and used his flattened hand to smack one of the Silver Skins on the head. His hand returned to normal when the Silver Skin had been thrown further down in the air.
Several patches of clouds floated above the earth, which would still give the civilians a decent view of the conflict in the sky. Vilroz and Abakarit reunited as Sorivo reappeared. The General of the Silver Skin Dragons had weapons of his own. A section of his arm had opened up and the barrel of a weapon slid right out. Sorivo aimed it at Abakarit. Yellow lasers were blasted out of the weapon with the pace of a machine gun. Abakarit was able to avoid them by swerving to the right.
Sorivo would have followed him, but another Nevinoth Dragon had snuck up behind him and seized him. Both of them roared at each other as their swirled in the air. Lionel would be unable to see the result of their confrontation as Vilroz led him away from the fight. A few more Nevinoth Dragons had emerged from the clouds and joined their companions in battle. Silver Skins used their mechanical weapons against them. One of the Nevinoth Dragons had been hit in the head by a blast of purple light. Vilroz grabbed one of the Silver Skins and bit down at their necks. Biting into a metal surface would be useless, but Vilroz was still persistent. The Silver Skin roared and pushed Vilroz away from its own body.
Lionel, still trapped in Vilroz’s grasp, could feel the air from all directions. The sound of a dragon’s roar was everywhere, coupled with various explosions that erupted in the air. The high volumes almost made his ears hurt. He just hoped that Vilroz didn’t inadvertently let him go and have him fall to his death. More Nevinoth Dragons had joined the battle and took their time battling against even more Silver Skins. All of them had their own special abilities for the fight. One Silver Skin shot out poisonous darts from its fingertips, while a Nevinoth blew a thin trail of red steam from its mouth and caused its robotic opponent to twitch violently as the steam touched its head. Every dragon had its own unique way of defending itself.
Every civilian living in Orange County would now have a chance to observe the battle in the sky. Two races of dragons fighting each other for their own motives. Explosions and beams of light ran rampant in the heavens. Vilroz flew away from the Silver Skins that chased after him. Lionel was very close to being hit by a yellow laser beam that swept right past him.
He tried to yell at Vilroz. “Take me back to the station!”
Vilroz had actually heard him. “You have no authority here!”
At that moment, a Silver Skin crashed into him. Both dragons punched and kicked each other. Lionel could feel Vilroz’s grip loosening. Fearing a release, he wra
pped his arm around Vilroz’s finger and didn’t let go.
The Silver Skin bit down on Vilroz’s neck. Vilroz roared as he dug his sharp nails into the Silver Skin’s eyes. Both dragons let each other go. Vilroz tightened his fist and had it transformed into a cubic block. He punched the Silver Skin’s head with his cube. The Silver Skin’s quick reaction included the use of his metallic eyeballs. Two blue laser beams shot right out of its eyes and hit Vilroz in the chest.
Roaring, Vilroz finally let go of Lionel. Lionel couldn’t hold on to the dragon’s finger hard enough. He slipped and started to plummet back down to the earth. The ground was definitely far enough for him to meet his demise if he ever hit the surface. The Blackjack fell away from Vilroz and made his sharp descent.
But another Silver Skin refused to have him fall. Sorivo reached out and grabbed Lionel. The cold metallic fingers were a stark contrast to Vilroz’s warm scaly digits. He kept the man close to his chest as he fought against Abakarit, who had two small wounds on his back. Sorivo kicked him away. And when Abakarit was far enough away from him, Sorivo opened his mouth and a missile shot out from it. The missile had reached Abakarit’s legs and exploded upon contact. The Nevinoth roared in pain.
Sorivo led Lionel away from the explosion. “Now is not the time for you to fall victim to friendly fire!”
The General had to fly past several other dragons that fought each other with their own weapons. He launched another missile out of his mouth and had it explode when it reached a Nevinoth Dragon’s head. The dragon’s head didn’t burst open, but it did have burn marks all around as it swung its neck down and fell further down from the sky.
Sorivo still didn’t Lionel go. “You’ll be safe when we’re out of here!”
He had to navigate through the sky filled with dragons willing to risk their lives. He swept past the beasts both organic and metallic. Their confrontations underwent an extension. Everyone had participated in the frontline. Sorivo managed to move away from the entire zone. Lionel could hear the loud noises slowly fading. The sunset revealed a historic showdown between the respected and the reviled.
