Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation
I swear every time I take my eye off the ball you sneak in another couple of awesome chapters and these are simply of the highest standard. As are those gone by. I merely hope it never comes to an end Grandmaster @wolfman
@GreyLord @Bandit666
Thanknyou for your support and kind words gentlemen. There is much left to tell of this tale and it is about to get a little bumpy. It is a little light on tie ups at the moment, but that will change
Thanknyou for your support and kind words gentlemen. There is much left to tell of this tale and it is about to get a little bumpy. It is a little light on tie ups at the moment, but that will change
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky
Phobos sits nervously at the main table in the Royal conference room, awaiting attendance by the other pillars.
To his left sits Chancellor Grey and Mogul Oberon, to his right, High Priestess Angela and Guild master Corven.
For a few moments, they sit lost in their own thoughts when Galton, General Cassius, Neophytos, Nikita and King Halpron enter. They rise to their feet and bow deeply. Everyone approaches their seats, however, no one sits until the King is seated.
The air is filled with a light tension. From the newcomers wondering why this emergency meeting has been called and from those who were in the room preparing for the worst.
King Halpron breaks the silence in the room, “Would someone mind telling me, why we are here please?” His tone, more curious than annoyed.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you all for attending.” Phobos begins, “Before we start this meeting proper, I invoke privilege and request that all recording devices are turned off and that the details of this meeting remain classified.”
The King raises his eyebrows for a moment and then nods his assent, “Sounds serious.” He says inscrutably.
Once the recorders have been turned off and removed, Phobos continues, his briefing in earnest, “As you know, the Ecomantic ministry conducts good work across the realms, acting as Custodians for wherever they find themselves. Nurturing the lands and dealing with any threats they may encounter.”
He sips a glass of water and nods to Chancellor Grey, “Recently an new Clan has been created within the Ministry, with a singular remit.” He pauses, taking a breath, “They are tasked with reconnecting Atlantis with the lost realms.”
Thw announcement is met with murmurs of concern until General Cassius, clears his throat, “That is an impossible task. Many sealed themselves of when they were invaded by the Annunakin and cannot be unsealed until the Annunakin are gone.” He says with an impatient frown.
“Whilst you are correct that they cannot be unsealed until the Annunakin are gone, this is not an impossible task.” Grey says, calmly.
Amid looks of confusion and concern, Grey continues, “Two weeks ago, Atlantean time, an assault was conducted on the realm of Bhurak, where the Annunakin portal was sealed and all creatures exterminated allowing for the realm to re open its links to Atlantis.”
A quiet burble of gasps and hushed whispers, race around the table, before the King asks, incredulously “Bhurak, is free?”
“Yes your majesty.” Grey confirms, “This was the first realm that has been freed from Annunakin incursion.”
With a concerned and guarded look, Cassius asks, “The first?”
The Custodian Chancellor nods solemnly, “Yes. The first. In the last two weeks, the Liberator Clan under the leadership of Chief Cyclops, has freed a total of thirty three realms from Annunakin aggression and our diplomats are preparing them to reintegrate into Atlantean society.”
A stunned silence descends across the room, before Neophytos asks, “How is this possible?”
“Liberator Chief Cyclops has scouted potential realms personally and has killed four Annunakin mothers to date. This act slays the mother’s progeny and in effect frees the realms that are being subjugated.” Chancellor Grey explains, trying to keep a tremor from his voice.
“Dear gods. Why is this only coming to light now?” Cassius asks, shocked.
Grey defers to Phobos, who elaborates, “We have called this meeting because, Chief Cyclops has located Ancient Babylon and the operation to free it is about to commence.”
Nikita sits back in her seat, watching events unfold and sees no sign of deception from Phobos, which makes her frown with even more concern. “I have a feeling about this and I hope I am wrong. My gut says, Kim is involved and if that is the case, I will not be happy, but that is nothing compared to how Sasha will react.”
The large display screens blink into life. Showing a top down view of a large plain, the plateau of Babylon seems deceptively small at its heart. “This is the central plain of Babylon. At the heart you can see where a mountain has been levelled and its sides shaped to provide a defensible position for the inhabitants.” The camera zooms in to the gun emplacements ringing the upper tiers of the settlement. The camera then sweeps across to the plain and focuses on the Annunakin surrounding Babylon, “The creatures here fear the guns of the city and know to keep back from them. However, once the assault begins, indications are that they will attack en masse.”
“What support are we offering for defence? Why were we not informed?” Cassius asks, pointedly.
“Given supply issues within the realm time is short. Coupled with the time that it would take to mobilise troops en masse with the logistics of getting them in position, where normally, military support would be the first option, here it is not on the table. Support is being offered by Kinetics, Glamour and the Phlogiston Order. Time is short due to resource issues within the city.” Grey explains, “I am seeing that the assault is beginning.”
The screen shifts to the nose camera, of an aircraft, cutting through the air at speed. “This is a view from the Raptor of Liberator Arvin. His flight of Raptors is orbiting at altitude and speed before they strike.”
King Halpron frowns, “Raptor? I am not familiar with that designation.”
Corven speaks nervously, “The Raptors are a moderately armed, arrester based aircraft, small enough that they can be stored in a dimensional pocket.” He pauses to take a sip of water, “They have been developed in conjunction with the Custodians, as a rapid response light strike craft.”
“I have been asking for something along there lines since Haven, why am I hearing about this now?” Cassius asks, in a quiet and menacing tone.
“It has been developed and tested over the past few weeks and we are looking to start military deliveries, within the new two weeks. The meeting I scheduled for next Wednesday with you, was to discuss.” Corven explains, unperturbed, “We are looking to deliver ten thousand a month.”
For once Cassius is on the back foot, “How many?”
“There are smaller than fighters by some degree and much less complex. Production is very quick by comparison.” Corven confirms.
Chancellor Grey intersects, “I will be in touch about flight training for your people. Most will only need a day or two to get the hang of controlling the craft, I will leave tactics to you General.”
Cassius nods, then frowns looking at the screen, as Arvin angles into a dive with the rest of the flight, “They are going in very hot.” He observes.
“They will do. For a moment, I will keep quiet and you can watch the assault unfold.” Grey says, settling back in his seat.
The aircraft screams towards the ground at an altitude of no less than ten thousand feet, the suddenly it is flying at the Mother, all guns blazing. After ten seconds, the scene shifts again and the craft is one again far from the Mother and still firing.
“What is going on?” King Halpron, demands.
“Custodians can merge with their environment and re-emerge instantly elsewhere. These craft are small enough that they can be transported with them. The aircraft approach and fire, then shift further away and keep diving.” Phobos explains.
“I count forty craft at least. Are all of them capable of this?” The King asks, shaking his head.
“Only Custodian piloted craft.” Grey confirms, with a hint of pride.
“Even so, that is huge. You have forty aircraft that can do this.” Nikita asks, waiting to see his reaction.
Chancellor Grey shifts uncomfortably in his seat, “Actually every Ecomancy practitioner in the Ministry has one.” He admits uncomfortably.
King Halpron raises his eyebrows and chuckles “But that would mean upwards of ten thousand.”
Grey nods, solemnly, “And our first loyalty, is to the King of Atlantis.”
“What’s happening on screen?” Neophytos asks, confused at the dense, churning mass of aerial Annunakin being pummelled with weapons fire.
“I am not sure. Let’s switch to operational audio.” Grey suggests.
“Never seen Kin flock like this, Chief. It is like they know we need an opening.” Arvin calls out over comms.
“Agreed. Plan B. Pull back to twenty thousand feet and reload, we go again in thirty seconds.” Kim orders, calmly, “Coil guns aren’t cutting it. I am programming a firing solution for carpet bombing the area above the Mothers head for gyrojet cannons. We go again in four stags of ten. Stag one dive rapidly, shift to one thousand feet, empty magazines and retreat to height and reload. On a five count, next stag attacks and so on. If we aren’t through in two passes, we go to plan C.”
The Liberators nod without comment and return to altitude to reload and prepare for the next sortie.
“Stag one, dive on a three count. One. Two. Three. Dive.” Kim orders, going into a steep dive, knowing that in five seconds, Arvin’s stag will follow her.
“Shift on two and fire on emergence.” Kim orders, nervously, “One. Two.”
Her craft and those of her flight blink out of existence, to materialise a thousand feet above the mother and fire, emptying all of their cannons, before blinking away.
Less than a second later, the swarm of flyers erupts in flame and closes ranks slowly, before the next volley hits.
Halfway through the second pass, Arvin calls out, “We have punched through. Chief, you are good to go.”
“Keep up the barrage. I need a two minute window, to do the do and get out of dodge. My arrester will protect me from danger close fire.” Kim says, with a sigh, “I am going in.”
Kim stows her Raptor in a dimensional pocket and shifts to the surface of the Mother head. She taps the patch of her Sheath to open a portal and draws her sword and wedge axe, thinking, “It will take a minute for the portal to form, in the mean time, I need to take down anything that the barrage doesn’t.”
All around her is light, heat and noise as gyrojet cannon rounds erupt around her. With a heave she swings and shifts to the nearest Annunakin before shifting away after a sickening crunch and slash of flesh.
A being of constant motion, she shifts around the portal, taking the head of any creature that gets too close, before it begins to grow dark and the staccato boom around her slows.
With her sword and wedge axe as her instruments, she plays a symphony of slaughter on the closing ranks of the beasts, in constant motion. Without conscious thought she flows from one strike to the next, taking what she can and leaving only death in her wake.
For Kim there isn’t a one on one battle. Only an exercise in perfected form with live targets, until she feels the ripple of the small portals formation
Barely breaking her stride, she stows her sword in a pocket and draws a modified arrester pylon. With the grace of an Olympian, she hefts it like a spear and it flies straight and true at the portal.
Half in and half out it rests in the brain matter of the Mother, until she shift and pushes it deep inside. Resuming her dance of death, she spins away, with her axe glinting with the blood of her foes.
Kim bobs, shifts and weaves in and out of close combat. Then shoves another pylon home for good measure.
On her left, in her blind spot an Annunakin leaps, striking air as she shifts away with a smile.
She emerges from the fade at ten thousand feet, in her Raptor, “Phase one complete. Inceptor, Arcana, Devil, you are about to have company.”
Almost as soon, as she stops speaking the air is split with a deafening roar, from the Mother.
Tara secured her helmet and sees the feed from Kim, showing all the Annunakin below. She launches herself into the air and streaks forward, keeping low over the shrinking no man’s land as shells land around her.
“One day you will learn that not all ideas have to become statements.” She chuckles to herself, “Ah shit.”
She climbs to around thirty feet and clears her mind, before reaching out. A hundred metres around her in all directions, Annunakin start dropping dead, the quintessence pulled from their bodies.
“They are pests. They only seek to consume and if they survive, the Babylonians wont.” She thinks to herself.
She swoops, banks and dives over the horde at the heart of a circle of death that follows her as she goes and she finds herself dodging the flying Annunakin that drop dead from above.
Tara begins a circuit around the plateau at around sixty miles per hour, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.
Anya watches the carnage below her and shakes her head, stunned, “I never knew she was so powerful.”
She approaches the cloud of flying Annunakin and raises her arms, with a series of flourishes and is soon at the heart of the shoal.
The Shoal is comprised of a hundred, solid state arrester drones. From the side they look like fifty centimetre long teardrops. From above, chevrons. Their leading and trailing edges razor sharp. They fly silently and weave gently through the air.
There is a subtle shimmer and the outlines of the drones in the shoal, become diffuse, as they sprout spider silk blades from all surfaces.
With a thought, Anya sends them forth. By the time the first makes contact with a birdkin, it is moving at almost four hundred miles per hour. It passes through the creature, like a knife through butter. Barely slowing before plowing into the next.
The flock of birdkin react instantly, as they try to evade the silver threat in their midst. However they largest knot of the flock is already trapped by the drones corralling them. Even those that the drones do not strike directly as not safe, being cut to ribbons by countless spider silk blades.
Anya surges forward and raises her arms to incinerate the creature in mid air with her pyroclastic projectors.
The other knots of birdkin, scatter heading towards the plateau, but not getting close to each other. Anya commands the shoal to pursue and they show no mercy.
Ali follows in their wake, sweeping up any that her drones miss, with absolute precision.
“Damn Anya, trust the American to bring the big guns.” Ali psis, with a love heart.
“Hehehe. This ain’t all either.” Anya psis with a grin.
“What are those things anyway?” Ali psis, with a raised eyebrow.
“They’re the Tears of Atlantis. They are arrester drones that are pretty much a solid mass of Orichalcum moulded around an arrester. A simple A.I. controls them, guided by the instincts of a piranha.” Anya psis, “They hunt as a shoal for the most part, unless I give the order to go independent and then they will scatter and take out any targets in their paths.”
“That is so sick.” Ali psis with a stream of hearts, “You are really talented. Speaking of which, I am about to use the ring you made for me.”
Anya smiles and psis, “Cool. About time you did something.” she sends an image of herself sticking her tongue out.
“Look to the north and you will see what I am cooking.” Ali psis, before focusing.
Where the mountains meet the plains are a series of bottlenecks, slowing the Annunakin’s path from their spawning grounds to Babylon.
High in the skies above the image of a cloud forms, with a lone figure at its heart.
“This needs to look good as I have a reputation to uphold, but doesn’t need to look real.” Ali thinks, sculpting the holographic form of the cloud to be a thin mass, spread wide.
Any human who sees it will know it is not real, however would still be impressed with the images portrayed in the cloud from the ceiling of the Cysteine Chapel.
Taking a leap of faith, Ali cuts her arrester and stands on the inner wall of the structure floating impossibly in mid air and smiles to herself.
She creates a voluptuous arm chair and takes a seat. Once settled she takes a slow breath and hail starts to fall from the cloud.
The shower is slow at first, until it is not. Under the cloud, everything between it and the ground is assailed by holographic shards of ice, comprised of tangible light.
Whilst not as instant as Tara’s work or as visceral as Anya’s, the cloud utterly shreds those below it with no less effectiveness.
“Cyclops. Counter measures are in place and support options are active.” Ali says over comms.
Stunned silence, grips the conference room at the display of destruction and bloodshed against the Annunakin.
General Cassius rounds on the four original occupants of the room, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.” He waves his finger angrily, “I know they used call signs but we all know their voices. They are fucking children. What is wrong with you?”
King Halpron clears his throat and waits for calm, before addressing Phobos and Angela, “I was clear. When you approached me about, training the girls in magic, I was clear about them being able to learn at their own pace. They would not be taught how to use their abilities offensively and would not be used as weapons.” His voice is low and even as he tries to control his emotions.
“Let’s be honest, they came to us with a fully formed skill set and some training in combat techniques, dimensional magic and Unseen magic.” Phobos says, calmly, “I agree we need to discuss this, but I wonder if there might be a better time for this.”
“You are right, there will be time enough for that conversation after the resolution of this matter.” The King says, calmly. Under the table he gently squeezes Nikita’s hand, smiling subtly when she squeezes back.
Cruising at ten thousand feet, Kim watches the Mother from her Raptor. She shakes her head slowly and closes her eyes for a moment, before reaching out with her senses.
After a few moments observation, she opens comms, “This Mother’s larger size is generating more body heat and the ice strategy is going to take a lot longer than planned.”
Everyone waits for her next words, none wanting to abandon the operation or the Babylonians.
“Liberators. Pull back to Babylon, support ongoing operations.” Kim orders, a seed of a plan forming in her mind, “Devil. Can you put a vortex of light around the plateau to a height of at least five hundred feet above the summit?”
Ali’s eyes go wide at the thought, “That is a huge construct. I have never attempted anything that large before.” She considers, the proposal carefully, “Easiest way to do it is a lattice network, not a solid structure. Think fence wire, two layers counter rotating with spikes on outside. Nothing will get through whole.”
Unseen by everyone else, Kim punches the air, whilst calmly saying, “That is what I am looking for. Arcana, you good?”
“I am all good. Tears are working beyond my projections and suit is holding up well.” Anya confirms, over comms.
“Good to hear. Devil will maintain last line of defence. I need you to keep the airspace suppressed over Babylon.” Kim says, calmly visualising the plan in her mind and sharing it with her sisters via psi.
“Devil, how much ground level clearance will there be between the vortex and cliff walls?” Kim asks, thoughtfully.
“It will vary. Between twenty and fifty metres depending on location. How come?” Ali asks, putting the pattern for the vortex together.
“I need a place to work with a bit of protection as I will be fairly defenceless.” Kim says, “Before you say it lads, no. Stay on task and defend Babylon.”
“Don’t keep me hanging. I know you have something for me to take care of.” Tara Says over comms, knowing that important people are listening.
“I left a small portal open on top of the Mother’s head. I need it uninterrupted for a ten minute window, while I set up. Are you up for it?” Kim says, knowing the risks of what she is asking her sister to undertake.
“Roger that Cyclops. Send me the location and consider it done.” Tara says, curious to get a proper look at the Mother.
“Details inbound.” Kim confirms, “Arvin select five of your best. Station them on the plateau. If the Inceptor shows any signs of being in trouble, they pull her out and we reset.”
Nikita says back in her seat letting the scene wash over her and closes her mind for a moment, “Kim has come a long way. There was a time she would look to do everything herself, but she is able to bring people in and trust them. Tara has a quiet confidence she never had before as well.” She breathes slowly as she ruminates, “Anya is more relaxed and seems to believe in herself, but Ali is the one to watch. She was always outgoing and gregarious, now she is more reserved and considered.”
She opens her eyes to resume her observation of the operation, “This is a huge operation. There are so many moving parts. If Kim is running the show, she is far more capable than even I thought possible, not to mention that the Mother is much bigger than the one I took down.” She thinks, quietly.
She leans forward and rests her forearms on the table, “So how many of these operations have been conducted?”
Chancellor Grey clears his throat, “This will be the fifth Mother that the Liberators have faced and to clarify, to date they have liberated thirty three realms with their actions.”
“Dear gods, I still cannot believe this has happened and we’ve not been informed.” King Halpron says, stunned.
“Events have moved quickly and there have been a lot of other things on the agenda.” Chancellor Grey says, nervously.
“Once this operation is done, we will have a conversation about the Devil that has been haunting the underground and having the Custodians look out for him.” General Cassius, announces calmly.
“Save it.” Oberon says, quietly, “The Devil is on our side. She has targeted traffickers and hostile agents of foreign powers on both small and large scale, resulting in the freedom of thousands and countless arrests of criminals and hostile agents and deserves a medal.”
“You sound very sure of yourself. Is the Devil one of yours?” The General asks, pointedly.
“Of course, she is.” Oberon says, calmly, “And no, you can’t have access to her. She is an off the books operative who only deals in vetoed, high value operations.”
“I knew it you old curmudgeon...” The General begins laughing, before he is cut off but the King. “Steady on gentlemen, there is time for that discussion off line. Looks like the operation is shifting to its next phase.”
Phobos sits nervously at the main table in the Royal conference room, awaiting attendance by the other pillars.
To his left sits Chancellor Grey and Mogul Oberon, to his right, High Priestess Angela and Guild master Corven.
For a few moments, they sit lost in their own thoughts when Galton, General Cassius, Neophytos, Nikita and King Halpron enter. They rise to their feet and bow deeply. Everyone approaches their seats, however, no one sits until the King is seated.
The air is filled with a light tension. From the newcomers wondering why this emergency meeting has been called and from those who were in the room preparing for the worst.
King Halpron breaks the silence in the room, “Would someone mind telling me, why we are here please?” His tone, more curious than annoyed.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you all for attending.” Phobos begins, “Before we start this meeting proper, I invoke privilege and request that all recording devices are turned off and that the details of this meeting remain classified.”
The King raises his eyebrows for a moment and then nods his assent, “Sounds serious.” He says inscrutably.
Once the recorders have been turned off and removed, Phobos continues, his briefing in earnest, “As you know, the Ecomantic ministry conducts good work across the realms, acting as Custodians for wherever they find themselves. Nurturing the lands and dealing with any threats they may encounter.”
He sips a glass of water and nods to Chancellor Grey, “Recently an new Clan has been created within the Ministry, with a singular remit.” He pauses, taking a breath, “They are tasked with reconnecting Atlantis with the lost realms.”
Thw announcement is met with murmurs of concern until General Cassius, clears his throat, “That is an impossible task. Many sealed themselves of when they were invaded by the Annunakin and cannot be unsealed until the Annunakin are gone.” He says with an impatient frown.
“Whilst you are correct that they cannot be unsealed until the Annunakin are gone, this is not an impossible task.” Grey says, calmly.
Amid looks of confusion and concern, Grey continues, “Two weeks ago, Atlantean time, an assault was conducted on the realm of Bhurak, where the Annunakin portal was sealed and all creatures exterminated allowing for the realm to re open its links to Atlantis.”
A quiet burble of gasps and hushed whispers, race around the table, before the King asks, incredulously “Bhurak, is free?”
“Yes your majesty.” Grey confirms, “This was the first realm that has been freed from Annunakin incursion.”
With a concerned and guarded look, Cassius asks, “The first?”
The Custodian Chancellor nods solemnly, “Yes. The first. In the last two weeks, the Liberator Clan under the leadership of Chief Cyclops, has freed a total of thirty three realms from Annunakin aggression and our diplomats are preparing them to reintegrate into Atlantean society.”
A stunned silence descends across the room, before Neophytos asks, “How is this possible?”
“Liberator Chief Cyclops has scouted potential realms personally and has killed four Annunakin mothers to date. This act slays the mother’s progeny and in effect frees the realms that are being subjugated.” Chancellor Grey explains, trying to keep a tremor from his voice.
“Dear gods. Why is this only coming to light now?” Cassius asks, shocked.
Grey defers to Phobos, who elaborates, “We have called this meeting because, Chief Cyclops has located Ancient Babylon and the operation to free it is about to commence.”
Nikita sits back in her seat, watching events unfold and sees no sign of deception from Phobos, which makes her frown with even more concern. “I have a feeling about this and I hope I am wrong. My gut says, Kim is involved and if that is the case, I will not be happy, but that is nothing compared to how Sasha will react.”
The large display screens blink into life. Showing a top down view of a large plain, the plateau of Babylon seems deceptively small at its heart. “This is the central plain of Babylon. At the heart you can see where a mountain has been levelled and its sides shaped to provide a defensible position for the inhabitants.” The camera zooms in to the gun emplacements ringing the upper tiers of the settlement. The camera then sweeps across to the plain and focuses on the Annunakin surrounding Babylon, “The creatures here fear the guns of the city and know to keep back from them. However, once the assault begins, indications are that they will attack en masse.”
“What support are we offering for defence? Why were we not informed?” Cassius asks, pointedly.
“Given supply issues within the realm time is short. Coupled with the time that it would take to mobilise troops en masse with the logistics of getting them in position, where normally, military support would be the first option, here it is not on the table. Support is being offered by Kinetics, Glamour and the Phlogiston Order. Time is short due to resource issues within the city.” Grey explains, “I am seeing that the assault is beginning.”
The screen shifts to the nose camera, of an aircraft, cutting through the air at speed. “This is a view from the Raptor of Liberator Arvin. His flight of Raptors is orbiting at altitude and speed before they strike.”
King Halpron frowns, “Raptor? I am not familiar with that designation.”
Corven speaks nervously, “The Raptors are a moderately armed, arrester based aircraft, small enough that they can be stored in a dimensional pocket.” He pauses to take a sip of water, “They have been developed in conjunction with the Custodians, as a rapid response light strike craft.”
“I have been asking for something along there lines since Haven, why am I hearing about this now?” Cassius asks, in a quiet and menacing tone.
“It has been developed and tested over the past few weeks and we are looking to start military deliveries, within the new two weeks. The meeting I scheduled for next Wednesday with you, was to discuss.” Corven explains, unperturbed, “We are looking to deliver ten thousand a month.”
For once Cassius is on the back foot, “How many?”
“There are smaller than fighters by some degree and much less complex. Production is very quick by comparison.” Corven confirms.
Chancellor Grey intersects, “I will be in touch about flight training for your people. Most will only need a day or two to get the hang of controlling the craft, I will leave tactics to you General.”
Cassius nods, then frowns looking at the screen, as Arvin angles into a dive with the rest of the flight, “They are going in very hot.” He observes.
“They will do. For a moment, I will keep quiet and you can watch the assault unfold.” Grey says, settling back in his seat.
The aircraft screams towards the ground at an altitude of no less than ten thousand feet, the suddenly it is flying at the Mother, all guns blazing. After ten seconds, the scene shifts again and the craft is one again far from the Mother and still firing.
“What is going on?” King Halpron, demands.
“Custodians can merge with their environment and re-emerge instantly elsewhere. These craft are small enough that they can be transported with them. The aircraft approach and fire, then shift further away and keep diving.” Phobos explains.
“I count forty craft at least. Are all of them capable of this?” The King asks, shaking his head.
“Only Custodian piloted craft.” Grey confirms, with a hint of pride.
“Even so, that is huge. You have forty aircraft that can do this.” Nikita asks, waiting to see his reaction.
Chancellor Grey shifts uncomfortably in his seat, “Actually every Ecomancy practitioner in the Ministry has one.” He admits uncomfortably.
King Halpron raises his eyebrows and chuckles “But that would mean upwards of ten thousand.”
Grey nods, solemnly, “And our first loyalty, is to the King of Atlantis.”
“What’s happening on screen?” Neophytos asks, confused at the dense, churning mass of aerial Annunakin being pummelled with weapons fire.
“I am not sure. Let’s switch to operational audio.” Grey suggests.
“Never seen Kin flock like this, Chief. It is like they know we need an opening.” Arvin calls out over comms.
“Agreed. Plan B. Pull back to twenty thousand feet and reload, we go again in thirty seconds.” Kim orders, calmly, “Coil guns aren’t cutting it. I am programming a firing solution for carpet bombing the area above the Mothers head for gyrojet cannons. We go again in four stags of ten. Stag one dive rapidly, shift to one thousand feet, empty magazines and retreat to height and reload. On a five count, next stag attacks and so on. If we aren’t through in two passes, we go to plan C.”
The Liberators nod without comment and return to altitude to reload and prepare for the next sortie.
“Stag one, dive on a three count. One. Two. Three. Dive.” Kim orders, going into a steep dive, knowing that in five seconds, Arvin’s stag will follow her.
“Shift on two and fire on emergence.” Kim orders, nervously, “One. Two.”
Her craft and those of her flight blink out of existence, to materialise a thousand feet above the mother and fire, emptying all of their cannons, before blinking away.
Less than a second later, the swarm of flyers erupts in flame and closes ranks slowly, before the next volley hits.
Halfway through the second pass, Arvin calls out, “We have punched through. Chief, you are good to go.”
“Keep up the barrage. I need a two minute window, to do the do and get out of dodge. My arrester will protect me from danger close fire.” Kim says, with a sigh, “I am going in.”
Kim stows her Raptor in a dimensional pocket and shifts to the surface of the Mother head. She taps the patch of her Sheath to open a portal and draws her sword and wedge axe, thinking, “It will take a minute for the portal to form, in the mean time, I need to take down anything that the barrage doesn’t.”
All around her is light, heat and noise as gyrojet cannon rounds erupt around her. With a heave she swings and shifts to the nearest Annunakin before shifting away after a sickening crunch and slash of flesh.
A being of constant motion, she shifts around the portal, taking the head of any creature that gets too close, before it begins to grow dark and the staccato boom around her slows.
With her sword and wedge axe as her instruments, she plays a symphony of slaughter on the closing ranks of the beasts, in constant motion. Without conscious thought she flows from one strike to the next, taking what she can and leaving only death in her wake.
For Kim there isn’t a one on one battle. Only an exercise in perfected form with live targets, until she feels the ripple of the small portals formation
Barely breaking her stride, she stows her sword in a pocket and draws a modified arrester pylon. With the grace of an Olympian, she hefts it like a spear and it flies straight and true at the portal.
Half in and half out it rests in the brain matter of the Mother, until she shift and pushes it deep inside. Resuming her dance of death, she spins away, with her axe glinting with the blood of her foes.
Kim bobs, shifts and weaves in and out of close combat. Then shoves another pylon home for good measure.
On her left, in her blind spot an Annunakin leaps, striking air as she shifts away with a smile.
She emerges from the fade at ten thousand feet, in her Raptor, “Phase one complete. Inceptor, Arcana, Devil, you are about to have company.”
Almost as soon, as she stops speaking the air is split with a deafening roar, from the Mother.
Tara secured her helmet and sees the feed from Kim, showing all the Annunakin below. She launches herself into the air and streaks forward, keeping low over the shrinking no man’s land as shells land around her.
“One day you will learn that not all ideas have to become statements.” She chuckles to herself, “Ah shit.”
She climbs to around thirty feet and clears her mind, before reaching out. A hundred metres around her in all directions, Annunakin start dropping dead, the quintessence pulled from their bodies.
“They are pests. They only seek to consume and if they survive, the Babylonians wont.” She thinks to herself.
She swoops, banks and dives over the horde at the heart of a circle of death that follows her as she goes and she finds herself dodging the flying Annunakin that drop dead from above.
Tara begins a circuit around the plateau at around sixty miles per hour, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.
Anya watches the carnage below her and shakes her head, stunned, “I never knew she was so powerful.”
She approaches the cloud of flying Annunakin and raises her arms, with a series of flourishes and is soon at the heart of the shoal.
The Shoal is comprised of a hundred, solid state arrester drones. From the side they look like fifty centimetre long teardrops. From above, chevrons. Their leading and trailing edges razor sharp. They fly silently and weave gently through the air.
There is a subtle shimmer and the outlines of the drones in the shoal, become diffuse, as they sprout spider silk blades from all surfaces.
With a thought, Anya sends them forth. By the time the first makes contact with a birdkin, it is moving at almost four hundred miles per hour. It passes through the creature, like a knife through butter. Barely slowing before plowing into the next.
The flock of birdkin react instantly, as they try to evade the silver threat in their midst. However they largest knot of the flock is already trapped by the drones corralling them. Even those that the drones do not strike directly as not safe, being cut to ribbons by countless spider silk blades.
Anya surges forward and raises her arms to incinerate the creature in mid air with her pyroclastic projectors.
The other knots of birdkin, scatter heading towards the plateau, but not getting close to each other. Anya commands the shoal to pursue and they show no mercy.
Ali follows in their wake, sweeping up any that her drones miss, with absolute precision.
“Damn Anya, trust the American to bring the big guns.” Ali psis, with a love heart.
“Hehehe. This ain’t all either.” Anya psis with a grin.
“What are those things anyway?” Ali psis, with a raised eyebrow.
“They’re the Tears of Atlantis. They are arrester drones that are pretty much a solid mass of Orichalcum moulded around an arrester. A simple A.I. controls them, guided by the instincts of a piranha.” Anya psis, “They hunt as a shoal for the most part, unless I give the order to go independent and then they will scatter and take out any targets in their paths.”
“That is so sick.” Ali psis with a stream of hearts, “You are really talented. Speaking of which, I am about to use the ring you made for me.”
Anya smiles and psis, “Cool. About time you did something.” she sends an image of herself sticking her tongue out.
“Look to the north and you will see what I am cooking.” Ali psis, before focusing.
Where the mountains meet the plains are a series of bottlenecks, slowing the Annunakin’s path from their spawning grounds to Babylon.
High in the skies above the image of a cloud forms, with a lone figure at its heart.
“This needs to look good as I have a reputation to uphold, but doesn’t need to look real.” Ali thinks, sculpting the holographic form of the cloud to be a thin mass, spread wide.
Any human who sees it will know it is not real, however would still be impressed with the images portrayed in the cloud from the ceiling of the Cysteine Chapel.
Taking a leap of faith, Ali cuts her arrester and stands on the inner wall of the structure floating impossibly in mid air and smiles to herself.
She creates a voluptuous arm chair and takes a seat. Once settled she takes a slow breath and hail starts to fall from the cloud.
The shower is slow at first, until it is not. Under the cloud, everything between it and the ground is assailed by holographic shards of ice, comprised of tangible light.
Whilst not as instant as Tara’s work or as visceral as Anya’s, the cloud utterly shreds those below it with no less effectiveness.
“Cyclops. Counter measures are in place and support options are active.” Ali says over comms.
Stunned silence, grips the conference room at the display of destruction and bloodshed against the Annunakin.
General Cassius rounds on the four original occupants of the room, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.” He waves his finger angrily, “I know they used call signs but we all know their voices. They are fucking children. What is wrong with you?”
King Halpron clears his throat and waits for calm, before addressing Phobos and Angela, “I was clear. When you approached me about, training the girls in magic, I was clear about them being able to learn at their own pace. They would not be taught how to use their abilities offensively and would not be used as weapons.” His voice is low and even as he tries to control his emotions.
“Let’s be honest, they came to us with a fully formed skill set and some training in combat techniques, dimensional magic and Unseen magic.” Phobos says, calmly, “I agree we need to discuss this, but I wonder if there might be a better time for this.”
“You are right, there will be time enough for that conversation after the resolution of this matter.” The King says, calmly. Under the table he gently squeezes Nikita’s hand, smiling subtly when she squeezes back.
Cruising at ten thousand feet, Kim watches the Mother from her Raptor. She shakes her head slowly and closes her eyes for a moment, before reaching out with her senses.
After a few moments observation, she opens comms, “This Mother’s larger size is generating more body heat and the ice strategy is going to take a lot longer than planned.”
Everyone waits for her next words, none wanting to abandon the operation or the Babylonians.
“Liberators. Pull back to Babylon, support ongoing operations.” Kim orders, a seed of a plan forming in her mind, “Devil. Can you put a vortex of light around the plateau to a height of at least five hundred feet above the summit?”
Ali’s eyes go wide at the thought, “That is a huge construct. I have never attempted anything that large before.” She considers, the proposal carefully, “Easiest way to do it is a lattice network, not a solid structure. Think fence wire, two layers counter rotating with spikes on outside. Nothing will get through whole.”
Unseen by everyone else, Kim punches the air, whilst calmly saying, “That is what I am looking for. Arcana, you good?”
“I am all good. Tears are working beyond my projections and suit is holding up well.” Anya confirms, over comms.
“Good to hear. Devil will maintain last line of defence. I need you to keep the airspace suppressed over Babylon.” Kim says, calmly visualising the plan in her mind and sharing it with her sisters via psi.
“Devil, how much ground level clearance will there be between the vortex and cliff walls?” Kim asks, thoughtfully.
“It will vary. Between twenty and fifty metres depending on location. How come?” Ali asks, putting the pattern for the vortex together.
“I need a place to work with a bit of protection as I will be fairly defenceless.” Kim says, “Before you say it lads, no. Stay on task and defend Babylon.”
“Don’t keep me hanging. I know you have something for me to take care of.” Tara Says over comms, knowing that important people are listening.
“I left a small portal open on top of the Mother’s head. I need it uninterrupted for a ten minute window, while I set up. Are you up for it?” Kim says, knowing the risks of what she is asking her sister to undertake.
“Roger that Cyclops. Send me the location and consider it done.” Tara says, curious to get a proper look at the Mother.
“Details inbound.” Kim confirms, “Arvin select five of your best. Station them on the plateau. If the Inceptor shows any signs of being in trouble, they pull her out and we reset.”
Nikita says back in her seat letting the scene wash over her and closes her mind for a moment, “Kim has come a long way. There was a time she would look to do everything herself, but she is able to bring people in and trust them. Tara has a quiet confidence she never had before as well.” She breathes slowly as she ruminates, “Anya is more relaxed and seems to believe in herself, but Ali is the one to watch. She was always outgoing and gregarious, now she is more reserved and considered.”
She opens her eyes to resume her observation of the operation, “This is a huge operation. There are so many moving parts. If Kim is running the show, she is far more capable than even I thought possible, not to mention that the Mother is much bigger than the one I took down.” She thinks, quietly.
She leans forward and rests her forearms on the table, “So how many of these operations have been conducted?”
Chancellor Grey clears his throat, “This will be the fifth Mother that the Liberators have faced and to clarify, to date they have liberated thirty three realms with their actions.”
“Dear gods, I still cannot believe this has happened and we’ve not been informed.” King Halpron says, stunned.
“Events have moved quickly and there have been a lot of other things on the agenda.” Chancellor Grey says, nervously.
“Once this operation is done, we will have a conversation about the Devil that has been haunting the underground and having the Custodians look out for him.” General Cassius, announces calmly.
“Save it.” Oberon says, quietly, “The Devil is on our side. She has targeted traffickers and hostile agents of foreign powers on both small and large scale, resulting in the freedom of thousands and countless arrests of criminals and hostile agents and deserves a medal.”
“You sound very sure of yourself. Is the Devil one of yours?” The General asks, pointedly.
“Of course, she is.” Oberon says, calmly, “And no, you can’t have access to her. She is an off the books operative who only deals in vetoed, high value operations.”
“I knew it you old curmudgeon...” The General begins laughing, before he is cut off but the King. “Steady on gentlemen, there is time for that discussion off line. Looks like the operation is shifting to its next phase.”
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
That is quite the Turn of Events - have Kim and the other Youngsters gone rogue? Either way? A gripping Chapter which moves the narrative forward.
Time will tell on the actions of the girls. It seems that this is a big challenge even for them, with luck they will be able to rise to the challenge.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
I have no doubt, they will!
@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky
A thousand Annunakin raise their gaze at the shimmering wall around the last source of life in this realm and approach cautiously.
The residents of the plateau, look on with baited breath as the creatures that have besieged them for so long approach ever closer.
Everyone holds their breath.
Kim stands at the base of the plateau, with an impossibly thin barrier of solid light, between her and the mass beyond.
The creatures draw closer until the first ventures to close and is shredded by the spinning spikes.
And so it begins.
High above the plain, the baying and screeching birdkin, dive as one covering on the open top of the light barrier.
Anya and her shoal rises to meet them. At the head of the shoal her, pyroclastic projectors blaze into life filling the air before her with broiling hot, choking air and dust.
The flock plunges heedless into the air column and find their feathers and skin scorched in an instant, sending them plunging down onto the waiting guns of the Liberator’s Raptors below.
Once the flock learns to avoid the air column, they hang back. Anya cuts the projectors and pushes forward, ordering her drones to engage.
Silver chevrons streak in all directions, eviscerating all in their path. Compared to the mass of birdkin closing in, the drones numbers are small, but they move with decisive precision and a speed that their prey cannot match.
Anya hangs in the air, at the heart of the maelstrom, like a baleful, silver eye of the storm. With a crackle, she activates her laser defence weapons and begins weaving her arms in a defensive pattern into front of her as she spins slowly in the air.
The birdkin that close in on her, have no reference for what happens to them as the fall to the ground bisected. Torso and hips flying asunder.
Anya nods to herself, “So far everything is working brilliantly.” She looks up at the sky and feels her heart hammering in her chest, “Dear God there are so many of them.”
Hearing the hissing of her own breathing in the confines of her suit’s helmet, she holds her breath and exhales slowly, “Steady on, girl. You got this.” She affirms, to herself.
With a single command the shoal collapses in on itself for a moment, before spreading out in all directions. The drones move as one, arranged in a large circle.
They sweep past one of the largest flocks, allowing it to pass unmolested through the heart of the circle.
And that, is their doom.
Dressed in her sheath but without her helmet, Tara stands atop the Mothers head, at the heart of a hundred metre vortex of quintessence, pulled from the Annunakin that approach. The chittering creatures wither and die within two steps of entering the life storm.
Tara breathes slowly and focuses her senses, feeling the energies of the world swirl around her. “I never believed the world could look like this.”
She allows the life energy she is pulling from her assailants to pass through her. “This energy is pure. It has a tang of something alien, but their essence is the essence of this world, corrupted to give them life at the cost of this world.”
As the energy gathers around her, the area, begins to glow softly, becoming a beacon of life, that drives the Annunakin into a frenzy. The more it grows, the greater the desperation of the creatures to feed, only to become fed upon themselves.
As the eye of the storm, Tara feels everything that the dead creatures feel and even begins to feel the life siphoning off from the Mother below her feet. She extends her senses and gasps at the beauty of coalescing life energies around her.
“Oh Kim, this is beautiful.” She psis, breathlessly.
“She cannot hear you.” A powerful voice booms from behind her.
Tara gulps, feeling the presence of someone behind her, who wasn’t there a split second ago. A figure not affected by the maelstrom around them.
She turns slowly, to face the interloper and manages to maintain her composure, seeing the most beautiful man she has ever laid eyes on.
He stands bare chested in leather trousers, skin glistening in the light, his perfect muscles rippling beneath his skin. However it is his face that captivates her. Perfectly symmetrical, strong jaw, high cheek bones, clear expressive eyes and full lips, with lustrous blond flowing hair. The billowing white wings, sprouting from his back are the icing on the cake.
“Now that I have your attention, how about you stop what you are doing?” he commands.
Tara reaches out, unable to contact or feel her sisters and then braces herself, “Sorry fella. No can do. I gave my word to protect this portal and am bound to do so.”
The man smiles, revealing a perfect set of teeth, “I respect your loyalty and the honour you give to your word.” He sighs, “However, if you refuse, I will be forced to act.”
“And I will be forced to stop you.” Tara says, centring herself.
“Do you know who I am?” He asks, playfully.
Tara shrugs and shakes her head, “No idea.”
He strides forward confidently, “I am the Archangel Michael. There are forces at work here you cannot possibly understand. The Annunakin Mothers as you call them serve a purpose in the divine plan and you need to stop killing them.”
Tara smiles gently, “You are no Archangel.” She says, quietly. Then tries to squeeze his spinal cord, finding herself unable to get a solid purchase upon it.
“Your magic will not work upon me. I wield the powers of creation. You are nothing before me. In this moment, it is my will that you live. Do not give me reason to change my mind.” He says, darkly.
Tara raises an eyebrow “Seriously? You are no more an Archangel than I am.” She allows herself to relax as she continues, “At best you are a post Raphealite interpretation of angelic appearance. You are what an angel would look like to someone, who has never read the bible. Nah, you are physically perfect, that is a sign of vanity. That is a sin. You are at best a demon.”
His lips curl with anger, “You pathetic wastrel. I will end you.” He darts forward smashing his fist into her cheek.
The shockwave from the blow radiates from the impact point with enough force to partially liquefy the skull of the Mother under her feet, however, Tara does not flinch.
He stares at his hand and shakes his head in disbelief, “How?”
“For someone who claims to wield the powers of creation, you punch like a pussy.” Tara says, slamming her fist into his ribs. “I have read the bible. Angels are otherworldly and terrifying in their visage. You’re nothing. You’re nobody.”
He coughs up blood and curses in a long forgotten language, “åKľi ķřœ”
“You said my powers won’t work on you. To be honest, I am good with that, as they work on me just fine.” Tara says, lacing her fingers behind his head, then slamming his face into her knee and then twisting, to throw him away from her.
She stalks slowly towards him, throwing an aerokinetic barrier around the portal, “Angels are supposedly the instruments of God. All knowing and all powerful. But you said, I should stop killing Annunakin Mothers. In truth, this is the first I have faced, the others were killed by my sister. If you were a real angel, you would know that.”
Before he can respond, she surges forward with a telekinetic dash and grabs his wing. With a twist she snaps it, drawing a howl from her opponent, she pauses cracking the other wing in two.
“I figure, you are a distraction, generated from the mind of the Mother to buy her time and save her life.” Tara says, calmly, hefting the broken angel and slamming him to the ground, with her telekinetically enhanced muscles.
He gasps and rolls, losing the wings and growing massive scythe like mantis blades in their place, “However many of my kind you kill, we will always return.” He snarls, sweeping in hard and raking at her head and face.
The claws connect, however with the sheer volume of life energy passing through her, she is healed as quickly as she is hurt.
She unleashes a knife hand strike to his throat, folding his Adam’s apple back, crushing his windpipe, then stands over his body as he gurgles his last breath, “However many times you and your kind return, we will be waiting.”
She feels the life, leave his body and breathes a sigh of relief, before feeling the presence of others behind her.
Tara grins to herself and turns to face her new foes.
Ali feels the fear of the Babylonians, hiding within the holographic vortex, spun from the recesses of her mind.
She grits her teeth and snarls at the strain, “This is the largest hologram, I have ever attempted. I don’t know how long I can do this for.”
Blood begins to trickle from her eyes, nose and ears and she doubles down, “This barrier cannot fail. Too many lives depend on it. Hopefully a little blood sacrifice will buy us all some time.”
“Fuck it.” Kim cries as the portal collapses. “This is not happening. Not today.”
She casts out her senses and nods to herself, Tara is keeping the portal clear, but there is interference from whatever she is facing.” Kim thinks for a moment and nods to herself.
“Initial portal has failed due to interference.” Kim signals over comms, “Attempting second portal directly into the Mothers skull. Will be at least ten minutes additional.”
She grits her teeth and begins creating the most important portal of her life.
Ali feels more than just blood leak from her eyes as she begins to cry. “I can’t do this for another ten minutes.” She psis to any who can hear.
Tara is blocked by the creatures she fights and Kim is too focused on the portal, however Anya is listening.
“Could you go down to a single layer. No moving parts apart from the spinning of the whole structure.” Anya says calmly.
Ali pauses for a moment, “That could work. It would be less stress on me but not as robust at repelling attacker.” She replies.
Anya feels her heart thumping in her chest, “OK. Go for it. The shoal is doing well and I might be able to sweep it lower in a bit.”
The ring of drones orbits the plateau. The spider silk strands traversing the inside of the hoop, shredding any birdkin they come across.
“Are you alright? You sound strange.” Ali psis, concerned.
“The more my drones and I kill, the more they keep coming.” Anya says, worried.
“Have that, you prick.” Tara exclaims, taking another creatures head clean off with a roundhouse kick.
She stands ready and loose, as they circle, threatening to close in. As soon as they move she uses an aerokinetic blast to slam a wall of air into them flinging them in all directions.
With purpose she looks one in the eye and clicks her fingers, igniting a circle of plasma like flame around her. “My magic doesn’t work on them but I can burn the world around them and they are just collateral.”
She channels the quintessence that she siphons and uses it to fuel her passion. With a heave of her mind, she sweeps up rubble and gravel from the valley and calls it to her to first converge on her location and then blast outwards.
For a moment, she senses, Ali’s distress and psis her a wave of quintessence to heal and strengthen her, “Sorry babe, that is all I have for the moment.” She psis, with a hug.
Ali’s eyes flash with power and she beams a smile, “You are a legend.” She replies, channelling the quintessence boost into her efforts.
Kim senses Tara’s mind and screams over psi, “Change of plan, leave the portal. Help the others protect Babylon.”
“Coming in hot. ETA three minutes.” Tara says with a grin, darting towards the plateau.
Seeing the lines tangle between her drones, Anya frowns. “They are working well, but getting clogged, time to switch back.”
With a simple command the lines are severed and the drones, reform into a shoal and continue their hunt, eviscerating all in their path.
Even with the Sheaths temperature regulation, Anya cannot help sweating. Creatures dive at her from all directions and she twirls and spins, to avoid them and then strike at their backs.
In the pitched battle, she never stops moving. Like a leaf on the wind, ever turning. There is no random flailing, only precision strikes.
Though countless foes fall she cannot help but wonder, if it will be enough.
Then she looks to the horizon and sees a blinding light approaching, “Shit. What now?”
Tara whoops with joy, feeling the power coursing her veins. She screams through the air, draining the life from all Annunakin within a hundred metres.
Supercharged, she reaches down and snatches up used bullets, that missed their mark and ended up in the dust and blasts them in all directions.
She zeroes in on her sisters and sends them each a stream of quintessence. “Little pick me up, for my ladies. How are we doing?”
“Hot damn, you are a sight for sore eyes.” Anya psis, relieved, “I was beginning to panic a bit.”
Ali closes her eyes and extends the spikes pointing out from the vortex wall to a little under fifty feet long. The effect is instantaneous, turning the horde to a red mist before they get within sniffing distance of the plateau. “Good to have you at our sides again babe.”
“Thanks babe.” Tara says sweeping around the plateau and a slow circuit, taking the lives of those she passes over. “How you holding up Kim?” She psis.
“Getting there babe. Has been tough going, but the pick me up helps.” Kim psis, “What is your plan with the rest of the energy you are gathering?”
“Was thinking that any unused energy could be released back into the environment, but not sure how best to do it.” Tara confesses.
“When this is done, I’ll merge with the realm and you can pump it into me until I can’t take any more and I should be able to spread it far and wide.” Kim psis, wiping sweat from her brow.
“If I’d said that, I would never hear the end of it.” Anya psis, with a chuckle
Kim thinks about what she just said and hangs her head, “Damn it. Sorry guys.”
“Bugger that, silly bollocks, get finished so I can lower this damn hologram.” Ali psis with a laugh.
“Nearly there.” Kim says, slicing her palm for an extra boost, as she feels the portal begin to coalesce.
Anya calls the shoal around her, as a barrier against the frenzied assaults of the birdkin, dive-bombing towards the open top of the vortex.
Arvin orders the Raptors to line the inside of the vortex, so that they can fire across it, creating a web of bullets, supporting the anti air fire of the Babylonians.
Despite the boost from her sister, Ali screams through gritted teeth at the effort of maintaining the vortex.
Tara swoops low and banks high, doing all she can to thin the horde, but even with the boost from the mass of quintessence she has gathered, she knows she cannot last much longer.
Kim bathes in the glow of the newly opened portal, exhaling slowly, “That is half the battle.”
She turns to the plain and begins focuses on the dust of the plain beyond the vortex. “Move the mass, the grains will flow.” She repeats, over and over in her mind.
The dust of the plain, washes towards her like gentle waves, between the legs of the creatures on the plain and into the vortex, before flowing into the portal.
Kim screams with the strain of the magic flowing through her body to move tons of dust like a river, into the Mothers brain. Tendons in her arms, chest and back are stretched to their limits.
The stream of dust, soon becomes a river, carrying the Annunakin into the barrier and their doom, before it flows into the portal.
Across Babylon, everyone holds their breath as the horde stampede, flocks and rolls on and over the plain with the plateau in its sights.
Anya’s lip quivers at the massive dark cloud approaching. With a flourish she pulls out a leaf blower and grips it firmly. She gulps nervously, afraid of the untested power of the weapon in her hands. Fearfully, she pulls the trigger and unleashes the power of nature.
Ali gasps, seeing the weapon in action. As the air is pushed from the end of the blower, it is transformed into pure plasma. “Damn girl. You got game.” She psis.
Anya keeps the blower in an iron grasp, “Told you that you should see what the leaf blower does. Any air expelled is transformed into heavily energised plasma at a few thousand degrees.”
On the Mothers head, the small portal Kim made, springs into life. A geyser of brain matter, gore and blood erupts from within her skull, forced out by the tons of dust dumped into her brain.
Kim sinks to her knees exhausted and weak from blood loss, seeing the few Annunakin survivors of the blast collapse. In her heart she knows that the Mother is dead and the realm is freed.
Ali smiles weakly, “We’ve done it.” She psis, before she collapses with blood streaming from her eyes, nose and ears.
Tara’s eye roll back, gathering ever more life energy from the living and recently dead Annunakin. Her body hums with power, that she can no longer contain.
Seeing the flying Annunakin dropping from the sky Anya releases the trigger of her weapon and weeps with a combination of grief and relief.
A silent flash fills the world around her with light, but no heat. A vibrant glow settles on the land, fading in a blink of an eye.
Anya’s heart lurches, seeing a lone figure freefalling beneath the rapidly rising mushroom cloud. She calls her shoal to become a shield around her and dives at full speed to intercept it.
Tara falls, spent. Her arrester overloaded. Too weak to fly with telekinesis. All she can do is fall. “Today was a good day. I spent time with my sisters, helped to save a world and beat on some fools.” She thinks, unable to stop her descent. The last thing she feels is metal arms around her.
“Kim! I need you babe.” Anya says, cradling her sisters unconscious body in her arms.
Kim hears the call, but cannot respond. Standing over Ali, she senses the terrible toll that the day has wrought upon her.
“You were so brave. You didn’t question and you did what was asked, without hesitation.” She says, stroking her hair.
“You saved so many lives today.” Kim whispers, gently holding her sister. “Your story is not done yet. Come back to us babe.”
Kim’s good eye fills with tears and she signals, Arvin, “Arv. Signal the Respite centre, tell them to prep for four incoming, with extreme exhaustion. One with possible internal injuries and a brain bleed.”
“On it Chief. Who are the casualties?” he asks, in a gravelly professional tone.
Feeling numb, Kim only says, “My sisters and I.”
“Understood Chief. I will arrange transportation and take care of everything.” Arvin says, his tone serious, “Are you OK boss?”
“Yeah. I am breathing in and out, everything else is just window dressing.” Kim says, exhausted, “Please can you apologise to the clan for breaking up their vacation?”
“Don’t be daft. Everyone answered the call. Even Oscar, is in a Raptor as we speak.” Arvin confesses.
“For goodness sake, what is wrong with him, he should be recovering.” Kim says exasperated.
“This is the loyalty, you inspire in us. You call. We answer. That’s just the way it is.” Arvin says, with a smile in his voice, “Now. Do what you need to do. I will be there once I have taken Anya and Tara to the clinic.”
Kim slumps her shoulders and hugs her sister, then psis, “This has been a long ass day. We will be going to the Respite facilities on Peace to recover.” She pauses, hearing cheers echo around the plateau, “We did it. Thank you for everything.”
“Anytime babe. We always have your back.” Tara psis weakly, drifting back to consciousness.
In the stunned silence of the conference room, Chancellor Grey turns off the display and returns to his seat. With his fingers laced, his voice fills the room, “That concludes Operation Babylon Freedom. Thoughts?”
King Halpron strokes his chin thoughtfully, “I have never seen such a display. I had no idea such things were possible.”
“I have a lot of questions. However, I think that they can wait for now.” Cassius says, thoughtfully.
“My instinct is that, this footage be suppressed for the time being.” Neophytos begins, “The public will become divided seeing this level of power in action. Some will embrace it, others will fear it. It will also give our enemies a reason to fear and plot and a means of sewing dissent.”
“I concur. It’s tempting to show it as a display of Atlantean might. However, it will put a target om the backs of every esoterican in the realm.” Phobos nods.
Galton sits thoughtfully, watching everyone at the table have their back and forth, before she intersects, “Are these operations always like this?”
Grey shakes his head subtly, “No, sometimes they are much more intense. The assistance from the Order, Glamour Ministry and Biokinetics is a first.”
“I must admit. I had no idea that Biokinetics could be that powerful.” Phobos confesses.
Nikita squeezes the King’s leg gently and clears her throat before speaking, “Mention had been made that they are going to a Respite centre. I would like to see them and make sure that they are alright.”
Chancellor Grey nods, “Of course. I can take you personally.”
“Me too.” The King says, in a commanding tone, snapping a glance at Cassius, “Before you say about security, I will be armed and have Nikita with me. Not to mention that I will be with the people that we saw in operation today.”
Cassius chuckles, “I was going to ask to join you, actually.”
King Halpron weighs up the options, before asking, “Would you be able to take us all? I dare say, High Priestess Angela, Mogul Oberon and Chancellor Mika would appreciate the chance to check in.”
With a nod, Grey confirms, “Yes. Your Majesty. I will need time to set up meeting facilities and quarters for everyone to use. Shall we say, an hour?”
“Perfect.” The King says, warmly, before his expression darkens, “Nikita and I will speak to Kim and her sisters individually. If there are any signs of coercion on any of them by someone in this room, you can all rest assured that some very uncomfortable and difficult conversations will be had.”
A thousand Annunakin raise their gaze at the shimmering wall around the last source of life in this realm and approach cautiously.
The residents of the plateau, look on with baited breath as the creatures that have besieged them for so long approach ever closer.
Everyone holds their breath.
Kim stands at the base of the plateau, with an impossibly thin barrier of solid light, between her and the mass beyond.
The creatures draw closer until the first ventures to close and is shredded by the spinning spikes.
And so it begins.
High above the plain, the baying and screeching birdkin, dive as one covering on the open top of the light barrier.
Anya and her shoal rises to meet them. At the head of the shoal her, pyroclastic projectors blaze into life filling the air before her with broiling hot, choking air and dust.
The flock plunges heedless into the air column and find their feathers and skin scorched in an instant, sending them plunging down onto the waiting guns of the Liberator’s Raptors below.
Once the flock learns to avoid the air column, they hang back. Anya cuts the projectors and pushes forward, ordering her drones to engage.
Silver chevrons streak in all directions, eviscerating all in their path. Compared to the mass of birdkin closing in, the drones numbers are small, but they move with decisive precision and a speed that their prey cannot match.
Anya hangs in the air, at the heart of the maelstrom, like a baleful, silver eye of the storm. With a crackle, she activates her laser defence weapons and begins weaving her arms in a defensive pattern into front of her as she spins slowly in the air.
The birdkin that close in on her, have no reference for what happens to them as the fall to the ground bisected. Torso and hips flying asunder.
Anya nods to herself, “So far everything is working brilliantly.” She looks up at the sky and feels her heart hammering in her chest, “Dear God there are so many of them.”
Hearing the hissing of her own breathing in the confines of her suit’s helmet, she holds her breath and exhales slowly, “Steady on, girl. You got this.” She affirms, to herself.
With a single command the shoal collapses in on itself for a moment, before spreading out in all directions. The drones move as one, arranged in a large circle.
They sweep past one of the largest flocks, allowing it to pass unmolested through the heart of the circle.
And that, is their doom.
Dressed in her sheath but without her helmet, Tara stands atop the Mothers head, at the heart of a hundred metre vortex of quintessence, pulled from the Annunakin that approach. The chittering creatures wither and die within two steps of entering the life storm.
Tara breathes slowly and focuses her senses, feeling the energies of the world swirl around her. “I never believed the world could look like this.”
She allows the life energy she is pulling from her assailants to pass through her. “This energy is pure. It has a tang of something alien, but their essence is the essence of this world, corrupted to give them life at the cost of this world.”
As the energy gathers around her, the area, begins to glow softly, becoming a beacon of life, that drives the Annunakin into a frenzy. The more it grows, the greater the desperation of the creatures to feed, only to become fed upon themselves.
As the eye of the storm, Tara feels everything that the dead creatures feel and even begins to feel the life siphoning off from the Mother below her feet. She extends her senses and gasps at the beauty of coalescing life energies around her.
“Oh Kim, this is beautiful.” She psis, breathlessly.
“She cannot hear you.” A powerful voice booms from behind her.
Tara gulps, feeling the presence of someone behind her, who wasn’t there a split second ago. A figure not affected by the maelstrom around them.
She turns slowly, to face the interloper and manages to maintain her composure, seeing the most beautiful man she has ever laid eyes on.
He stands bare chested in leather trousers, skin glistening in the light, his perfect muscles rippling beneath his skin. However it is his face that captivates her. Perfectly symmetrical, strong jaw, high cheek bones, clear expressive eyes and full lips, with lustrous blond flowing hair. The billowing white wings, sprouting from his back are the icing on the cake.
“Now that I have your attention, how about you stop what you are doing?” he commands.
Tara reaches out, unable to contact or feel her sisters and then braces herself, “Sorry fella. No can do. I gave my word to protect this portal and am bound to do so.”
The man smiles, revealing a perfect set of teeth, “I respect your loyalty and the honour you give to your word.” He sighs, “However, if you refuse, I will be forced to act.”
“And I will be forced to stop you.” Tara says, centring herself.
“Do you know who I am?” He asks, playfully.
Tara shrugs and shakes her head, “No idea.”
He strides forward confidently, “I am the Archangel Michael. There are forces at work here you cannot possibly understand. The Annunakin Mothers as you call them serve a purpose in the divine plan and you need to stop killing them.”
Tara smiles gently, “You are no Archangel.” She says, quietly. Then tries to squeeze his spinal cord, finding herself unable to get a solid purchase upon it.
“Your magic will not work upon me. I wield the powers of creation. You are nothing before me. In this moment, it is my will that you live. Do not give me reason to change my mind.” He says, darkly.
Tara raises an eyebrow “Seriously? You are no more an Archangel than I am.” She allows herself to relax as she continues, “At best you are a post Raphealite interpretation of angelic appearance. You are what an angel would look like to someone, who has never read the bible. Nah, you are physically perfect, that is a sign of vanity. That is a sin. You are at best a demon.”
His lips curl with anger, “You pathetic wastrel. I will end you.” He darts forward smashing his fist into her cheek.
The shockwave from the blow radiates from the impact point with enough force to partially liquefy the skull of the Mother under her feet, however, Tara does not flinch.
He stares at his hand and shakes his head in disbelief, “How?”
“For someone who claims to wield the powers of creation, you punch like a pussy.” Tara says, slamming her fist into his ribs. “I have read the bible. Angels are otherworldly and terrifying in their visage. You’re nothing. You’re nobody.”
He coughs up blood and curses in a long forgotten language, “åKľi ķřœ”
“You said my powers won’t work on you. To be honest, I am good with that, as they work on me just fine.” Tara says, lacing her fingers behind his head, then slamming his face into her knee and then twisting, to throw him away from her.
She stalks slowly towards him, throwing an aerokinetic barrier around the portal, “Angels are supposedly the instruments of God. All knowing and all powerful. But you said, I should stop killing Annunakin Mothers. In truth, this is the first I have faced, the others were killed by my sister. If you were a real angel, you would know that.”
Before he can respond, she surges forward with a telekinetic dash and grabs his wing. With a twist she snaps it, drawing a howl from her opponent, she pauses cracking the other wing in two.
“I figure, you are a distraction, generated from the mind of the Mother to buy her time and save her life.” Tara says, calmly, hefting the broken angel and slamming him to the ground, with her telekinetically enhanced muscles.
He gasps and rolls, losing the wings and growing massive scythe like mantis blades in their place, “However many of my kind you kill, we will always return.” He snarls, sweeping in hard and raking at her head and face.
The claws connect, however with the sheer volume of life energy passing through her, she is healed as quickly as she is hurt.
She unleashes a knife hand strike to his throat, folding his Adam’s apple back, crushing his windpipe, then stands over his body as he gurgles his last breath, “However many times you and your kind return, we will be waiting.”
She feels the life, leave his body and breathes a sigh of relief, before feeling the presence of others behind her.
Tara grins to herself and turns to face her new foes.
Ali feels the fear of the Babylonians, hiding within the holographic vortex, spun from the recesses of her mind.
She grits her teeth and snarls at the strain, “This is the largest hologram, I have ever attempted. I don’t know how long I can do this for.”
Blood begins to trickle from her eyes, nose and ears and she doubles down, “This barrier cannot fail. Too many lives depend on it. Hopefully a little blood sacrifice will buy us all some time.”
“Fuck it.” Kim cries as the portal collapses. “This is not happening. Not today.”
She casts out her senses and nods to herself, Tara is keeping the portal clear, but there is interference from whatever she is facing.” Kim thinks for a moment and nods to herself.
“Initial portal has failed due to interference.” Kim signals over comms, “Attempting second portal directly into the Mothers skull. Will be at least ten minutes additional.”
She grits her teeth and begins creating the most important portal of her life.
Ali feels more than just blood leak from her eyes as she begins to cry. “I can’t do this for another ten minutes.” She psis to any who can hear.
Tara is blocked by the creatures she fights and Kim is too focused on the portal, however Anya is listening.
“Could you go down to a single layer. No moving parts apart from the spinning of the whole structure.” Anya says calmly.
Ali pauses for a moment, “That could work. It would be less stress on me but not as robust at repelling attacker.” She replies.
Anya feels her heart thumping in her chest, “OK. Go for it. The shoal is doing well and I might be able to sweep it lower in a bit.”
The ring of drones orbits the plateau. The spider silk strands traversing the inside of the hoop, shredding any birdkin they come across.
“Are you alright? You sound strange.” Ali psis, concerned.
“The more my drones and I kill, the more they keep coming.” Anya says, worried.
“Have that, you prick.” Tara exclaims, taking another creatures head clean off with a roundhouse kick.
She stands ready and loose, as they circle, threatening to close in. As soon as they move she uses an aerokinetic blast to slam a wall of air into them flinging them in all directions.
With purpose she looks one in the eye and clicks her fingers, igniting a circle of plasma like flame around her. “My magic doesn’t work on them but I can burn the world around them and they are just collateral.”
She channels the quintessence that she siphons and uses it to fuel her passion. With a heave of her mind, she sweeps up rubble and gravel from the valley and calls it to her to first converge on her location and then blast outwards.
For a moment, she senses, Ali’s distress and psis her a wave of quintessence to heal and strengthen her, “Sorry babe, that is all I have for the moment.” She psis, with a hug.
Ali’s eyes flash with power and she beams a smile, “You are a legend.” She replies, channelling the quintessence boost into her efforts.
Kim senses Tara’s mind and screams over psi, “Change of plan, leave the portal. Help the others protect Babylon.”
“Coming in hot. ETA three minutes.” Tara says with a grin, darting towards the plateau.
Seeing the lines tangle between her drones, Anya frowns. “They are working well, but getting clogged, time to switch back.”
With a simple command the lines are severed and the drones, reform into a shoal and continue their hunt, eviscerating all in their path.
Even with the Sheaths temperature regulation, Anya cannot help sweating. Creatures dive at her from all directions and she twirls and spins, to avoid them and then strike at their backs.
In the pitched battle, she never stops moving. Like a leaf on the wind, ever turning. There is no random flailing, only precision strikes.
Though countless foes fall she cannot help but wonder, if it will be enough.
Then she looks to the horizon and sees a blinding light approaching, “Shit. What now?”
Tara whoops with joy, feeling the power coursing her veins. She screams through the air, draining the life from all Annunakin within a hundred metres.
Supercharged, she reaches down and snatches up used bullets, that missed their mark and ended up in the dust and blasts them in all directions.
She zeroes in on her sisters and sends them each a stream of quintessence. “Little pick me up, for my ladies. How are we doing?”
“Hot damn, you are a sight for sore eyes.” Anya psis, relieved, “I was beginning to panic a bit.”
Ali closes her eyes and extends the spikes pointing out from the vortex wall to a little under fifty feet long. The effect is instantaneous, turning the horde to a red mist before they get within sniffing distance of the plateau. “Good to have you at our sides again babe.”
“Thanks babe.” Tara says sweeping around the plateau and a slow circuit, taking the lives of those she passes over. “How you holding up Kim?” She psis.
“Getting there babe. Has been tough going, but the pick me up helps.” Kim psis, “What is your plan with the rest of the energy you are gathering?”
“Was thinking that any unused energy could be released back into the environment, but not sure how best to do it.” Tara confesses.
“When this is done, I’ll merge with the realm and you can pump it into me until I can’t take any more and I should be able to spread it far and wide.” Kim psis, wiping sweat from her brow.
“If I’d said that, I would never hear the end of it.” Anya psis, with a chuckle
Kim thinks about what she just said and hangs her head, “Damn it. Sorry guys.”
“Bugger that, silly bollocks, get finished so I can lower this damn hologram.” Ali psis with a laugh.
“Nearly there.” Kim says, slicing her palm for an extra boost, as she feels the portal begin to coalesce.
Anya calls the shoal around her, as a barrier against the frenzied assaults of the birdkin, dive-bombing towards the open top of the vortex.
Arvin orders the Raptors to line the inside of the vortex, so that they can fire across it, creating a web of bullets, supporting the anti air fire of the Babylonians.
Despite the boost from her sister, Ali screams through gritted teeth at the effort of maintaining the vortex.
Tara swoops low and banks high, doing all she can to thin the horde, but even with the boost from the mass of quintessence she has gathered, she knows she cannot last much longer.
Kim bathes in the glow of the newly opened portal, exhaling slowly, “That is half the battle.”
She turns to the plain and begins focuses on the dust of the plain beyond the vortex. “Move the mass, the grains will flow.” She repeats, over and over in her mind.
The dust of the plain, washes towards her like gentle waves, between the legs of the creatures on the plain and into the vortex, before flowing into the portal.
Kim screams with the strain of the magic flowing through her body to move tons of dust like a river, into the Mothers brain. Tendons in her arms, chest and back are stretched to their limits.
The stream of dust, soon becomes a river, carrying the Annunakin into the barrier and their doom, before it flows into the portal.
Across Babylon, everyone holds their breath as the horde stampede, flocks and rolls on and over the plain with the plateau in its sights.
Anya’s lip quivers at the massive dark cloud approaching. With a flourish she pulls out a leaf blower and grips it firmly. She gulps nervously, afraid of the untested power of the weapon in her hands. Fearfully, she pulls the trigger and unleashes the power of nature.
Ali gasps, seeing the weapon in action. As the air is pushed from the end of the blower, it is transformed into pure plasma. “Damn girl. You got game.” She psis.
Anya keeps the blower in an iron grasp, “Told you that you should see what the leaf blower does. Any air expelled is transformed into heavily energised plasma at a few thousand degrees.”
On the Mothers head, the small portal Kim made, springs into life. A geyser of brain matter, gore and blood erupts from within her skull, forced out by the tons of dust dumped into her brain.
Kim sinks to her knees exhausted and weak from blood loss, seeing the few Annunakin survivors of the blast collapse. In her heart she knows that the Mother is dead and the realm is freed.
Ali smiles weakly, “We’ve done it.” She psis, before she collapses with blood streaming from her eyes, nose and ears.
Tara’s eye roll back, gathering ever more life energy from the living and recently dead Annunakin. Her body hums with power, that she can no longer contain.
Seeing the flying Annunakin dropping from the sky Anya releases the trigger of her weapon and weeps with a combination of grief and relief.
A silent flash fills the world around her with light, but no heat. A vibrant glow settles on the land, fading in a blink of an eye.
Anya’s heart lurches, seeing a lone figure freefalling beneath the rapidly rising mushroom cloud. She calls her shoal to become a shield around her and dives at full speed to intercept it.
Tara falls, spent. Her arrester overloaded. Too weak to fly with telekinesis. All she can do is fall. “Today was a good day. I spent time with my sisters, helped to save a world and beat on some fools.” She thinks, unable to stop her descent. The last thing she feels is metal arms around her.
“Kim! I need you babe.” Anya says, cradling her sisters unconscious body in her arms.
Kim hears the call, but cannot respond. Standing over Ali, she senses the terrible toll that the day has wrought upon her.
“You were so brave. You didn’t question and you did what was asked, without hesitation.” She says, stroking her hair.
“You saved so many lives today.” Kim whispers, gently holding her sister. “Your story is not done yet. Come back to us babe.”
Kim’s good eye fills with tears and she signals, Arvin, “Arv. Signal the Respite centre, tell them to prep for four incoming, with extreme exhaustion. One with possible internal injuries and a brain bleed.”
“On it Chief. Who are the casualties?” he asks, in a gravelly professional tone.
Feeling numb, Kim only says, “My sisters and I.”
“Understood Chief. I will arrange transportation and take care of everything.” Arvin says, his tone serious, “Are you OK boss?”
“Yeah. I am breathing in and out, everything else is just window dressing.” Kim says, exhausted, “Please can you apologise to the clan for breaking up their vacation?”
“Don’t be daft. Everyone answered the call. Even Oscar, is in a Raptor as we speak.” Arvin confesses.
“For goodness sake, what is wrong with him, he should be recovering.” Kim says exasperated.
“This is the loyalty, you inspire in us. You call. We answer. That’s just the way it is.” Arvin says, with a smile in his voice, “Now. Do what you need to do. I will be there once I have taken Anya and Tara to the clinic.”
Kim slumps her shoulders and hugs her sister, then psis, “This has been a long ass day. We will be going to the Respite facilities on Peace to recover.” She pauses, hearing cheers echo around the plateau, “We did it. Thank you for everything.”
“Anytime babe. We always have your back.” Tara psis weakly, drifting back to consciousness.
In the stunned silence of the conference room, Chancellor Grey turns off the display and returns to his seat. With his fingers laced, his voice fills the room, “That concludes Operation Babylon Freedom. Thoughts?”
King Halpron strokes his chin thoughtfully, “I have never seen such a display. I had no idea such things were possible.”
“I have a lot of questions. However, I think that they can wait for now.” Cassius says, thoughtfully.
“My instinct is that, this footage be suppressed for the time being.” Neophytos begins, “The public will become divided seeing this level of power in action. Some will embrace it, others will fear it. It will also give our enemies a reason to fear and plot and a means of sewing dissent.”
“I concur. It’s tempting to show it as a display of Atlantean might. However, it will put a target om the backs of every esoterican in the realm.” Phobos nods.
Galton sits thoughtfully, watching everyone at the table have their back and forth, before she intersects, “Are these operations always like this?”
Grey shakes his head subtly, “No, sometimes they are much more intense. The assistance from the Order, Glamour Ministry and Biokinetics is a first.”
“I must admit. I had no idea that Biokinetics could be that powerful.” Phobos confesses.
Nikita squeezes the King’s leg gently and clears her throat before speaking, “Mention had been made that they are going to a Respite centre. I would like to see them and make sure that they are alright.”
Chancellor Grey nods, “Of course. I can take you personally.”
“Me too.” The King says, in a commanding tone, snapping a glance at Cassius, “Before you say about security, I will be armed and have Nikita with me. Not to mention that I will be with the people that we saw in operation today.”
Cassius chuckles, “I was going to ask to join you, actually.”
King Halpron weighs up the options, before asking, “Would you be able to take us all? I dare say, High Priestess Angela, Mogul Oberon and Chancellor Mika would appreciate the chance to check in.”
With a nod, Grey confirms, “Yes. Your Majesty. I will need time to set up meeting facilities and quarters for everyone to use. Shall we say, an hour?”
“Perfect.” The King says, warmly, before his expression darkens, “Nikita and I will speak to Kim and her sisters individually. If there are any signs of coercion on any of them by someone in this room, you can all rest assured that some very uncomfortable and difficult conversations will be had.”
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Consider me officially lost for Words @wolfman - As I began reading the first Paragraphs I thought "Outstanding!" I read further and every line, every paragraph drew me in more. This Battle the Youngsters are Waging is so well scripted. The different perspevtives? Every Piece fall into Place. The Battle is won - but the last Paragraphs set a somber note. The extraordinary Power the Youngsters are wielding might be seen as a Danger ...
I’m sorry but I can’t really find anything to add. @Caesar73 has summed it all up better than could ever hope to doCaesar73 wrote: ↑6 days ago Consider me officially lost for Words @wolfman - As I began reading the first Paragraphs I thought "Outstanding!" I read further and every line, every paragraph drew me in more. This Battle the Youngsters are Waging is so well scripted. The different perspevtives? Every Piece fall into Place. The Battle is won - but the last Paragraphs set a somber note. The extraordinary Power the Youngsters are wielding might be seen as a Danger ...
The previous commentors are correct. What can be added? Is it superfluous to say this was cogent, cohesive, and most complex. Well done, @wolfman.
A List of my stories:An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
@Caesar73 @Bandit666 @GreyLord
Thank you for your kind words gentlemen. This was a tough sequence to write, i wanted to balance all of the characters to give them all a chance to shine and show the scale of their powers and also the cost of them.
I am really pleased with how this turned out and glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for your kind words gentlemen. This was a tough sequence to write, i wanted to balance all of the characters to give them all a chance to shine and show the scale of their powers and also the cost of them.
I am really pleased with how this turned out and glad you enjoyed it
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky
Ali feels a squeezing of her upper left arm and wakes slowly. She reaches for her arm with her right hand, finding it snagged. She languidly looks down to see a cannula in the back of her right hand linked to a drip by her bed.
In the distance she hears a voice, which she struggles to hear at first until her hearing clears, “Easy miss. You will pull out your line.” The nurse says, gently, before tapping her radio, “Doctor? Miss Mitchum is awake.”
The nurse returns to her check of Ali's vital signs, as Ali comes back to her senses.
The door opens quietly and a tall woman steps through with a tablet in hand. “Thank you nurse, I will take over now.”
As the nurse nods and leaves, the doctor turns to Ali and smiles, “You gave us quite a scare.” She says, shining a light in her eyes.
Ali blinks reflexively and looks away. “Sorry about that, Miss Mitchum.” The doctor says, warmly, “Do you know where you are?”
Ali takes a slow breath and focuses, “I am in the Custodian Respite facility in Peace. Kim and Anya were discharged a day ago and only Tara and I are under observation. She is next door and still low on fluids.”
The doctors eyes widen more with every word Ali says. She laughs gently as Ali finishes, “Fair enough. What is the last thing you remember?”
Ali winks at the doctor, “I remember passing out from exhaustion on Babylon. Can I see my family please?”
“Of course. Your phone is on the table next to you, when you are ready.” The doctor, nods looking at her tablet, “Your electrolyte levels have been on the rise since you were admitted and I would say you can have visitors today and be discharged tomorrow.”
“Thanks doc. Any chance of something to eat?” Ali asks, sitting up in bed.
“Of course. There is a tablet on the table, you can use it to order whatever you with from the menus.” The doctor says tapping her own tablet, I will let you rest and contact your family, press the red button if you need anything.”
As the door closes Ali smiles to herself and quietly says, “You can come out now.”
Oberon lowers the illusion that conceals him and strides across the room to sit in the chair next to the bed, “Bloody hell Ali, you gave us all a fright. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Just pushed too hard, for too long. I have a little fuzziness but I am alright.” Ali admits, reaching for a bottle of water.
Oberon passes it to her and looks at her gravelly, “If you ever feel the need to do something so crazy again, please give me a bit more of a heads up. How did you do it?”
Ali lifts her right hand with a flourish, donning her ring, then creates a hologram of a tray in mid air and places her bottle on it. Oberon watches in boyish fascination and moves forward to examine the tray and tap it.
“This ring makes any light I manipulate to form a hologram, solid.” Ali explains, with a grin, “My sister made it for me. I might be able to get her to make you one, but no more than one.”
“No, I think not. The ring was a gift from your sister, I do not wish to compromise your relationship with her. I will speak to High Priestess Angela about acquiring some formally.” Oberon says, with an impish grin.
Ali nods, “Fair enough.” She reaches out with her left hand with a flourish, passing him an incapacitor, “In the mean time, I hope you like this. The stock folds out and the sight is set on a flat plain, it fires in a straight line, with no windage.”
He turns it over in his hands, confused, before Ali explains, “When the button on the side is pushed up, the first person in the path of the barrel is paralysed for ten minutes, if it is pushed down they are in agony for five minutes.” She pauses for a moment, concentrating, “Also from this point on, if it leaves your grasp, it will be transported to one of your dimensional pockets.”
He raises his eyebrows sceptically and lays it on the tray, to vanish as soon as he removes his hand. He feels it deposited in one of his dimensional pockets and produces it with a flourish, “This is remarkable.”
“With a frame and the right skills it can be made in ten minutes and it can be used by anyone, not just an esoteric.” Ali says, with a smile. “I have written up a how to imbue it and sent instructions to you.”
“This is huge and the implications are massive.” He says, letting the point hang.
“I had a feeling you would say that.” She takes her bottle off of the tray and ends the hologram, “How come you are here?”
He settles back in his seat and drops the incapacitor, to fall into a dimensional pocket, “After watching the operation on Babylon, the King wanted to see you all and suggested that all present join him.”
“Oh damn, is he here? Wait. Is Niki here?” Ali asks, excitedly.
“She is with Kim at the moment. Nikita wants to heal her eye and Kim is adamant she doesn’t want that.” Oberon explains.
“It’s more than just an injury to Kim, it’s a part of her journey. A defining moment that she never wants to forget.” Ali says, sadly.
“I might not agree with the sentiment, however, I can understand it.” Oberon says, thoughtfully, “Actually, I need you to have a word with her about something, if you don’t mind.”
Sceptically , Ali nods, “OK, what do you need?”
Oberon breathes out slowly, before beginning, “I need you to ask if the Custodians can keep an eye out for traces of a woman by the name of Magda Kirilenkov.”
“Who is she?” Ali asks, unfamiliar with the name.
“We got a tip from an earth based ally. She appears to be a Pax Felix agent, there is a lot of chatter indicating she oversees a number of special weapons projects.” Oberon explains, “We have verified this, through half a dozen agents in the realms. She travels far and wide and is a player.”
“I thought that the Pax were behind Atlantis in tech. Why is this so important?” Ali asks, curiously.
“In terms of raw technology, yes, you are correct. However, they also have been experimenting in advanced biotechnology, tailored viruses and bio-modification. They also have some magical clout to bring to bear.” Oberon pauses, “I will be issuing a capture or terminate order for her.”
Shocked Ali sits up in bed, “She is that dangerous?”
“If the rumours are true, she has filled mass graves with test subjects and holds the controls to dozens of weapons of mass destruction.” Oberon says gravely.
“Kim, I can help.” Nikita pleads, her words seemingly absorbed by the steam of the hot springs waters.
“I said no and I meant it.” Kim says, softly but firmly.
“You are young, you don’t deserve a lifetime of pain.” Nikita says, gently.
“Can you treat the pain, without repairing my eye?” Kim asks, as a compromise.
Nikita opens her mouth to speak and then shakes her head, “No, I can only stop the pain, by fixing your eye.”
“I thought so.” She taps her eyepatch, “This is a reminder to all who see me, that no one is perfect and anyone can get careless and make a mistake. But more than that, every moment of my life up until that day, lead me to that day.” She turns away, “And on that day, I was successful, but due to my carelessness, I lost my eye. There are consequences for failure, I never want to forget that.”
Nikita hears the conviction in her niece’s voice and nods resigned to accepting the young woman’s decision, “You have been through a lot and I can see what it means to you. I might not agree with your decision, however, I will respect it.”
“Thanks Niki. This is a part of me and who I am. I don’t want you to worry about me. I will be ok.” Kim reassures her aunt.
Nikita looks out of the window and squints at the sun, “Yeah, I know you will. You have done so much already. I still remember the fresh faced girl full of optimism and hope, the last time I saw you, a few months ago.”
Kim smiles remembering the last time she saw Nikita, “Seems so long ago. For me it was about two years, ago.”
Nikita exhales slowly, “Wow. That is rough. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you.”
“Behave, I never had a doubt that if I needed to, I could reach out. The truth is, I could have reached out at any time with my skills, but didn’t. I am sorry, I left it so long.” Kim says, turning red.
“The main thing is, you are ok.” Nikita says, gently, “I guess as it has been two years, I have to ask, will you still be my bridesmaid?”
Kim feels her eye moisten and chokes back tears, “I would love that.”
“It would be my honour to have you.” Nikita says, proudly, then lays her hand on Kim’s shoulder.
“Thank you Niki, that means a lot.” Kim says, in a heartfelt tone.
“It means a lot to me too. I have watched you grow up. You are literally worlds away from the hurt young woman I met at the Nirvana Gala in Switzerland all those years ago. I am so proud to know you.” Nikita says warmly.
“I still remember that night. I remember you hugged me, then jumped out of the window. No one ever told me what happened.” Kim says, with a snort.
Nikita pauses for a moment before saying, “If I tell you, you cannot tell anyone that you know.” When a wide eyed Kim nods, Nikita continues, “I tasted your tears and saw who kidnapped you, with enough details to find them.”
Kim sits up in the water, “What happened then?”
Ashamed, Nikita looks away “I made sure that they never did it to anyone else.”
Kim feels a rush of emotions, throwing her arms around Nikita, “Thank you.”
Nikita hugs her back, seeing the faces of those she killed that night, “In some ways, I was a very different person then. I had a tendency to lash out.”
“I had a lot of nightmares about them coming back and hurting dad and I.” Kim confesses. “I will be honest, I was thinking of hunting them down myself. Now I can move on fully.”
Standing on the observation deck of Babylon’s plateau as she had a few days before, Tara gasps. “How is this possible?”
Chancellor Grey, smiles and pays her on the shoulder, “Just like I said, the Annunakin vanished within an hour with no life energy in their bodies and with you releasing all the energy you took in, you can see for yourself.”
The vista is transformed. No longer a dusty plain strew with bodies. Instead, now it is a vibrant shade of green from the shoots of new life that are daring to grow, where once they dare not.
“That’s a madness.” Tara whispers under her breath.
“I have never seen anything like it. Within two hours, the first shoots sprouted.” Grey says, almost unable to believe it.
Tara stares out over the plain for a few minutes, writing up her notes from the operation and it’s aftermath.
Tara tears her gaze from the plain back to the Chancellor and smiles, “Is this the part where you ask if I would be willing to help on other operations or try something now?”
The Chancellor smiles back and his eyes light up, “I wasn’t sure how to ask.”
“Lead the way.” Tara says with a grin.
A few moments later, they stand shoulder to shoulder in the dead former jungles of Olympus. Tara looks out over the scene, seeing countless bodies of Wolfkin. “Kim’s people did this by hand?”
Grey nods. Tara shakes her head, “That is mad. They must be so good.”
“Under Kim’s tutelage in the arts of shift fighting, they are the best non military fighting force in the realms.” The Chancellor says reverentially.
“Wow. She really did well for herself.” She says, filled with pride, then extends her senses out, “Let’s see if her work can be more awesome.”
“There is still a lot of ambient life energy in the tissues of the dead creatures.” She says, distantly.
“Do you think you can do something?” Grey asks, hopefully.
Tara slowly rises in the air gathering energies to herself. “This will take a little while. Any chance of getting something to eat, when I am done?”
“Name it and it shall be provided.” Grey says with a smile, seeing some carcasses begin to crumble as the last energy is drained from them.
“Any chance of some fried chicken?” Tara asks, slowly rising higher into the air.
“I know a little Korean place. I will get some regular and yangnyeom.” Grey says, thoughtfully.
“Sounds good, I will need a couple of hours.” Tara calls down.
Chancellor Grey gives a thumbs up and watches her streak towards the corpse of the Mother.
Tara feels the radiant power from the massive corpse and begins to slowly draw its energy into herself.
Just over two hours later there is a flash and a silent mushroom cloud, as life rains down on the formerly dead world. The Chancellor watches in awe as the wind begins to assail the husk of the Mother and break it down.
Tara floats down wearily and sighs, sitting on a rock to write up her notes for her next book, Biokinesis: A guide to suppression of Annunakin activity and rejuvenation of worlds.
“All done. Now we wait.” Tara says, wearily.
“Thank you Tara.” Grey says handing over the bag of steaming fried chicken.
Tara takes a fried chicken thigh and attacks it with gusto. “This is really good.” She finishes her first piece and grabs a sauce soaked piece of the yangnyeom chicken and takes a massive bite. “Wow that is so good, despite the sauce it is so crunchy.” She strips the meat from the bone, “That’s the best thing ever.”
“It is good. Potentially the best fried chicken in earth and all the known realms. Not sure if it is the crunch or the sauce, but it is so satisfying.” Grey admits, relaxing his posture.
“When I tell Mika and the college’s students about this. They will be clambering to support your operations.” Tara says, between mouthfuls.
“You think it could be an option?” Grey asks, not daring to hope.
“Yes. I think so. I have written up my notes and the method and theory is sound.” She takes a gulp of ice cold lemonade, “If we can reclaim the life energy back from the Annunakin, whether alive or dead. It is a small window, but we can then release the energy back once the Annunakin are all dead.”
“From what I have seen so far, this could change everything in terms of post Annunakin support operations.” Grey says with a smile, watching the first shoots of life sprout from the dead land.
The cool wind brings the scent of pine from the valleys below. The air is crisp and clean, allowing the sun to blaze over a dazzling vista of mountains and valleys, with Eagles soaring high above.
Anya looks up at her father adoring, as the walk hand in hand. “You are walking well.”
“My leg is fully grown back and the physiotherapy has gone well.” Moses says, with a smile, focusing on the path ahead.
Anya bites her lip, to try and swallow the only thing she wants to say, but is scared to.
Moses puts his arm around his daughter and guides her to a grouping of rocks, “Why don’t we take a seat for a little while?”
Ali nods and takes a seat. She sees the troubled look on her fathers face and swallows her doubts, “Dad, is something wrong?”
“I have seen the footage of you in action, you are something else.” He stops, seeking the right words, “I have never seen anything like it.”
Anya sees the sadness in his eyes and sighs, “I am not going to do this every day, I promise. Kim needed help. I was there for her, like she is there for me. I will always have the backs of my sisters.”
He sighs and relaxes his shoulders, “I respect that. This may not be the life, we wanted for you, but at the same time, we wanted you to have the life you wanted.” He smiles at her, “I am so proud of you.”
“Thank you daddy. You have no idea what that means to me.” Anya says, jumping up and hugging her dad.
“I have always been proud darlin’. You saved a lot of lives today.” Moses says, hugging her back, then his face becomes more serious, “I need to talk to you about something.
“What is it daddy?” Anya says picking up on something in his tone.
He looks into his daughters eyes, “The doctors in Atlantis have certified me as fit for duty and I have a position waiting for me.”
“That’s great.” Anya says feeling her heart break, having to lie to her dad.
“The problem is, that something happened to me in the rubble. Laying there pinned, I knew if I didn’t get out of there, I would never be there for you again and it broke my heart. I am not going back to active duty. I will speak to General Cassius about a desk job, advisor or some such.”
“I am so pleased. I have been scared about you going back into the field.” Anya says, weeping into his shoulder.
“Probably as scared, as I was seeing you fighting those creatures. We are a fine pair huh?” He says, wiping her tears and kissing her forehead.
When the tears fade, she looks up at her dad, “I’m sorry I scared you. I can’t promise I won’t do it again. If I am needed, I will answer the call.”
“Make you a deal. Neither of us will seek out trouble, but if it finds us, we bite it’s head clean off.” Moses suggests.
“Deal.” Anya says as they both chuckle.
Ali feels a squeezing of her upper left arm and wakes slowly. She reaches for her arm with her right hand, finding it snagged. She languidly looks down to see a cannula in the back of her right hand linked to a drip by her bed.
In the distance she hears a voice, which she struggles to hear at first until her hearing clears, “Easy miss. You will pull out your line.” The nurse says, gently, before tapping her radio, “Doctor? Miss Mitchum is awake.”
The nurse returns to her check of Ali's vital signs, as Ali comes back to her senses.
The door opens quietly and a tall woman steps through with a tablet in hand. “Thank you nurse, I will take over now.”
As the nurse nods and leaves, the doctor turns to Ali and smiles, “You gave us quite a scare.” She says, shining a light in her eyes.
Ali blinks reflexively and looks away. “Sorry about that, Miss Mitchum.” The doctor says, warmly, “Do you know where you are?”
Ali takes a slow breath and focuses, “I am in the Custodian Respite facility in Peace. Kim and Anya were discharged a day ago and only Tara and I are under observation. She is next door and still low on fluids.”
The doctors eyes widen more with every word Ali says. She laughs gently as Ali finishes, “Fair enough. What is the last thing you remember?”
Ali winks at the doctor, “I remember passing out from exhaustion on Babylon. Can I see my family please?”
“Of course. Your phone is on the table next to you, when you are ready.” The doctor, nods looking at her tablet, “Your electrolyte levels have been on the rise since you were admitted and I would say you can have visitors today and be discharged tomorrow.”
“Thanks doc. Any chance of something to eat?” Ali asks, sitting up in bed.
“Of course. There is a tablet on the table, you can use it to order whatever you with from the menus.” The doctor says tapping her own tablet, I will let you rest and contact your family, press the red button if you need anything.”
As the door closes Ali smiles to herself and quietly says, “You can come out now.”
Oberon lowers the illusion that conceals him and strides across the room to sit in the chair next to the bed, “Bloody hell Ali, you gave us all a fright. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Just pushed too hard, for too long. I have a little fuzziness but I am alright.” Ali admits, reaching for a bottle of water.
Oberon passes it to her and looks at her gravelly, “If you ever feel the need to do something so crazy again, please give me a bit more of a heads up. How did you do it?”
Ali lifts her right hand with a flourish, donning her ring, then creates a hologram of a tray in mid air and places her bottle on it. Oberon watches in boyish fascination and moves forward to examine the tray and tap it.
“This ring makes any light I manipulate to form a hologram, solid.” Ali explains, with a grin, “My sister made it for me. I might be able to get her to make you one, but no more than one.”
“No, I think not. The ring was a gift from your sister, I do not wish to compromise your relationship with her. I will speak to High Priestess Angela about acquiring some formally.” Oberon says, with an impish grin.
Ali nods, “Fair enough.” She reaches out with her left hand with a flourish, passing him an incapacitor, “In the mean time, I hope you like this. The stock folds out and the sight is set on a flat plain, it fires in a straight line, with no windage.”
He turns it over in his hands, confused, before Ali explains, “When the button on the side is pushed up, the first person in the path of the barrel is paralysed for ten minutes, if it is pushed down they are in agony for five minutes.” She pauses for a moment, concentrating, “Also from this point on, if it leaves your grasp, it will be transported to one of your dimensional pockets.”
He raises his eyebrows sceptically and lays it on the tray, to vanish as soon as he removes his hand. He feels it deposited in one of his dimensional pockets and produces it with a flourish, “This is remarkable.”
“With a frame and the right skills it can be made in ten minutes and it can be used by anyone, not just an esoteric.” Ali says, with a smile. “I have written up a how to imbue it and sent instructions to you.”
“This is huge and the implications are massive.” He says, letting the point hang.
“I had a feeling you would say that.” She takes her bottle off of the tray and ends the hologram, “How come you are here?”
He settles back in his seat and drops the incapacitor, to fall into a dimensional pocket, “After watching the operation on Babylon, the King wanted to see you all and suggested that all present join him.”
“Oh damn, is he here? Wait. Is Niki here?” Ali asks, excitedly.
“She is with Kim at the moment. Nikita wants to heal her eye and Kim is adamant she doesn’t want that.” Oberon explains.
“It’s more than just an injury to Kim, it’s a part of her journey. A defining moment that she never wants to forget.” Ali says, sadly.
“I might not agree with the sentiment, however, I can understand it.” Oberon says, thoughtfully, “Actually, I need you to have a word with her about something, if you don’t mind.”
Sceptically , Ali nods, “OK, what do you need?”
Oberon breathes out slowly, before beginning, “I need you to ask if the Custodians can keep an eye out for traces of a woman by the name of Magda Kirilenkov.”
“Who is she?” Ali asks, unfamiliar with the name.
“We got a tip from an earth based ally. She appears to be a Pax Felix agent, there is a lot of chatter indicating she oversees a number of special weapons projects.” Oberon explains, “We have verified this, through half a dozen agents in the realms. She travels far and wide and is a player.”
“I thought that the Pax were behind Atlantis in tech. Why is this so important?” Ali asks, curiously.
“In terms of raw technology, yes, you are correct. However, they also have been experimenting in advanced biotechnology, tailored viruses and bio-modification. They also have some magical clout to bring to bear.” Oberon pauses, “I will be issuing a capture or terminate order for her.”
Shocked Ali sits up in bed, “She is that dangerous?”
“If the rumours are true, she has filled mass graves with test subjects and holds the controls to dozens of weapons of mass destruction.” Oberon says gravely.
“Kim, I can help.” Nikita pleads, her words seemingly absorbed by the steam of the hot springs waters.
“I said no and I meant it.” Kim says, softly but firmly.
“You are young, you don’t deserve a lifetime of pain.” Nikita says, gently.
“Can you treat the pain, without repairing my eye?” Kim asks, as a compromise.
Nikita opens her mouth to speak and then shakes her head, “No, I can only stop the pain, by fixing your eye.”
“I thought so.” She taps her eyepatch, “This is a reminder to all who see me, that no one is perfect and anyone can get careless and make a mistake. But more than that, every moment of my life up until that day, lead me to that day.” She turns away, “And on that day, I was successful, but due to my carelessness, I lost my eye. There are consequences for failure, I never want to forget that.”
Nikita hears the conviction in her niece’s voice and nods resigned to accepting the young woman’s decision, “You have been through a lot and I can see what it means to you. I might not agree with your decision, however, I will respect it.”
“Thanks Niki. This is a part of me and who I am. I don’t want you to worry about me. I will be ok.” Kim reassures her aunt.
Nikita looks out of the window and squints at the sun, “Yeah, I know you will. You have done so much already. I still remember the fresh faced girl full of optimism and hope, the last time I saw you, a few months ago.”
Kim smiles remembering the last time she saw Nikita, “Seems so long ago. For me it was about two years, ago.”
Nikita exhales slowly, “Wow. That is rough. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you.”
“Behave, I never had a doubt that if I needed to, I could reach out. The truth is, I could have reached out at any time with my skills, but didn’t. I am sorry, I left it so long.” Kim says, turning red.
“The main thing is, you are ok.” Nikita says, gently, “I guess as it has been two years, I have to ask, will you still be my bridesmaid?”
Kim feels her eye moisten and chokes back tears, “I would love that.”
“It would be my honour to have you.” Nikita says, proudly, then lays her hand on Kim’s shoulder.
“Thank you Niki, that means a lot.” Kim says, in a heartfelt tone.
“It means a lot to me too. I have watched you grow up. You are literally worlds away from the hurt young woman I met at the Nirvana Gala in Switzerland all those years ago. I am so proud to know you.” Nikita says warmly.
“I still remember that night. I remember you hugged me, then jumped out of the window. No one ever told me what happened.” Kim says, with a snort.
Nikita pauses for a moment before saying, “If I tell you, you cannot tell anyone that you know.” When a wide eyed Kim nods, Nikita continues, “I tasted your tears and saw who kidnapped you, with enough details to find them.”
Kim sits up in the water, “What happened then?”
Ashamed, Nikita looks away “I made sure that they never did it to anyone else.”
Kim feels a rush of emotions, throwing her arms around Nikita, “Thank you.”
Nikita hugs her back, seeing the faces of those she killed that night, “In some ways, I was a very different person then. I had a tendency to lash out.”
“I had a lot of nightmares about them coming back and hurting dad and I.” Kim confesses. “I will be honest, I was thinking of hunting them down myself. Now I can move on fully.”
Standing on the observation deck of Babylon’s plateau as she had a few days before, Tara gasps. “How is this possible?”
Chancellor Grey, smiles and pays her on the shoulder, “Just like I said, the Annunakin vanished within an hour with no life energy in their bodies and with you releasing all the energy you took in, you can see for yourself.”
The vista is transformed. No longer a dusty plain strew with bodies. Instead, now it is a vibrant shade of green from the shoots of new life that are daring to grow, where once they dare not.
“That’s a madness.” Tara whispers under her breath.
“I have never seen anything like it. Within two hours, the first shoots sprouted.” Grey says, almost unable to believe it.
Tara stares out over the plain for a few minutes, writing up her notes from the operation and it’s aftermath.
Tara tears her gaze from the plain back to the Chancellor and smiles, “Is this the part where you ask if I would be willing to help on other operations or try something now?”
The Chancellor smiles back and his eyes light up, “I wasn’t sure how to ask.”
“Lead the way.” Tara says with a grin.
A few moments later, they stand shoulder to shoulder in the dead former jungles of Olympus. Tara looks out over the scene, seeing countless bodies of Wolfkin. “Kim’s people did this by hand?”
Grey nods. Tara shakes her head, “That is mad. They must be so good.”
“Under Kim’s tutelage in the arts of shift fighting, they are the best non military fighting force in the realms.” The Chancellor says reverentially.
“Wow. She really did well for herself.” She says, filled with pride, then extends her senses out, “Let’s see if her work can be more awesome.”
“There is still a lot of ambient life energy in the tissues of the dead creatures.” She says, distantly.
“Do you think you can do something?” Grey asks, hopefully.
Tara slowly rises in the air gathering energies to herself. “This will take a little while. Any chance of getting something to eat, when I am done?”
“Name it and it shall be provided.” Grey says with a smile, seeing some carcasses begin to crumble as the last energy is drained from them.
“Any chance of some fried chicken?” Tara asks, slowly rising higher into the air.
“I know a little Korean place. I will get some regular and yangnyeom.” Grey says, thoughtfully.
“Sounds good, I will need a couple of hours.” Tara calls down.
Chancellor Grey gives a thumbs up and watches her streak towards the corpse of the Mother.
Tara feels the radiant power from the massive corpse and begins to slowly draw its energy into herself.
Just over two hours later there is a flash and a silent mushroom cloud, as life rains down on the formerly dead world. The Chancellor watches in awe as the wind begins to assail the husk of the Mother and break it down.
Tara floats down wearily and sighs, sitting on a rock to write up her notes for her next book, Biokinesis: A guide to suppression of Annunakin activity and rejuvenation of worlds.
“All done. Now we wait.” Tara says, wearily.
“Thank you Tara.” Grey says handing over the bag of steaming fried chicken.
Tara takes a fried chicken thigh and attacks it with gusto. “This is really good.” She finishes her first piece and grabs a sauce soaked piece of the yangnyeom chicken and takes a massive bite. “Wow that is so good, despite the sauce it is so crunchy.” She strips the meat from the bone, “That’s the best thing ever.”
“It is good. Potentially the best fried chicken in earth and all the known realms. Not sure if it is the crunch or the sauce, but it is so satisfying.” Grey admits, relaxing his posture.
“When I tell Mika and the college’s students about this. They will be clambering to support your operations.” Tara says, between mouthfuls.
“You think it could be an option?” Grey asks, not daring to hope.
“Yes. I think so. I have written up my notes and the method and theory is sound.” She takes a gulp of ice cold lemonade, “If we can reclaim the life energy back from the Annunakin, whether alive or dead. It is a small window, but we can then release the energy back once the Annunakin are all dead.”
“From what I have seen so far, this could change everything in terms of post Annunakin support operations.” Grey says with a smile, watching the first shoots of life sprout from the dead land.
The cool wind brings the scent of pine from the valleys below. The air is crisp and clean, allowing the sun to blaze over a dazzling vista of mountains and valleys, with Eagles soaring high above.
Anya looks up at her father adoring, as the walk hand in hand. “You are walking well.”
“My leg is fully grown back and the physiotherapy has gone well.” Moses says, with a smile, focusing on the path ahead.
Anya bites her lip, to try and swallow the only thing she wants to say, but is scared to.
Moses puts his arm around his daughter and guides her to a grouping of rocks, “Why don’t we take a seat for a little while?”
Ali nods and takes a seat. She sees the troubled look on her fathers face and swallows her doubts, “Dad, is something wrong?”
“I have seen the footage of you in action, you are something else.” He stops, seeking the right words, “I have never seen anything like it.”
Anya sees the sadness in his eyes and sighs, “I am not going to do this every day, I promise. Kim needed help. I was there for her, like she is there for me. I will always have the backs of my sisters.”
He sighs and relaxes his shoulders, “I respect that. This may not be the life, we wanted for you, but at the same time, we wanted you to have the life you wanted.” He smiles at her, “I am so proud of you.”
“Thank you daddy. You have no idea what that means to me.” Anya says, jumping up and hugging her dad.
“I have always been proud darlin’. You saved a lot of lives today.” Moses says, hugging her back, then his face becomes more serious, “I need to talk to you about something.
“What is it daddy?” Anya says picking up on something in his tone.
He looks into his daughters eyes, “The doctors in Atlantis have certified me as fit for duty and I have a position waiting for me.”
“That’s great.” Anya says feeling her heart break, having to lie to her dad.
“The problem is, that something happened to me in the rubble. Laying there pinned, I knew if I didn’t get out of there, I would never be there for you again and it broke my heart. I am not going back to active duty. I will speak to General Cassius about a desk job, advisor or some such.”
“I am so pleased. I have been scared about you going back into the field.” Anya says, weeping into his shoulder.
“Probably as scared, as I was seeing you fighting those creatures. We are a fine pair huh?” He says, wiping her tears and kissing her forehead.
When the tears fade, she looks up at her dad, “I’m sorry I scared you. I can’t promise I won’t do it again. If I am needed, I will answer the call.”
“Make you a deal. Neither of us will seek out trouble, but if it finds us, we bite it’s head clean off.” Moses suggests.
“Deal.” Anya says as they both chuckle.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719
To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458