Unearthed

by Marc Mulero

  Eugene shook his head, “Not dead yet.”

  The fighters radioed in for water supply and extinguishers to put out the fires blazing on the roof.

  Lito looked over the ledge. “The light armored guards are charging fast. It's almost time to blow the entire beach.”

  Blague, Briggs, and a few Sin fighters pulled the large back door until it finally slammed shut. Blague looked at his watch and pulled out his radio. “Ten seconds, Lito,” Blague said.

  “Copy,” a strong Latino accent replied back to him.

  Blague and Briggs looked through the peepholes of the massive doors. “Get back, everyone!” Blague yelled.

  “Into positions!” Drino shouted at his Sin ranks.

  Blague eyed the light armored guards charging at full speed, spread throughout the shore, trying to out run any potential detonation.

  Briggs looked at Blague, “They almost seem suicidal.”

  “I suppose they believe in their cause with the same intensity that we believe in ours,” Blague responded, not removing his eye from the peephole.

  All was quiet for a moment, except for the sound of footsteps sprinting through sand and gravel. Briggs' eyes widened as he heard the boom of an explosion. He saw sand and rock propel into the sky far off into the background. The explosions cascaded closer and closer to the mansion, until the entire building shook. Blague took his eye away from the peephole and braced the door shut, using all his strength. Briggs ducked as soon as the visibility outdoors was nothing but sand and smoke. He braced the adjoining door. Both doors jolted open a few times, as if a tornado were trying to break in. The explosion was far enough away not to harm the two men.

  “Briggs,” Blague said putting a hand on his shoulder, “I want you and Lesh to guard the civilians. They're going to need you. The Hiezers aren't done yet.”

  Briggs nodded with a painful look, considering he wanted to be on the front lines with Blague.

  “Drino!” Blague yelled, “Sins! Move out now!” Blague pulled open the door and ran out first, using the smoke as cover.

  The first group of light armored guards is done. We have thirty seconds at best before the next set start arriving.

  Blague attempted to visualize the surrounding environment, since there was no visibility from the effects of the explosion. Blague envisioned the large ocean and rock pathway on the right and the large mountain-like rocks on the far left.

  Blague looked at Drino, who was now right behind him, “Shield fighters out first, followed by assault rifle support. Give them hell,” Blague commanded.

  Drino pounded his chest and began yelling his orders.

  Blague ran toward the rock pathway on the right. Once he reached it, he boosted himself up the few layers of rock and jumped over to the other side. As soon as he hit the ground, he quickly sprinted toward the Hiezer ship. He heard a mass of soldiers running in the other direction on the opposite side of the rocks.

  I have to stop this attack from the source and I don't have much time.

  His veins were bulging out of his head, as he nearly doubled his usual speed. Flashes of terrifying images from his past rotated into his vision, altering his judgement and increasing his rage. He pulled the pin of a grenade and threw it far over the rocks, attempting to cause chaos amongst the Hiezer ranks. He pulled the pin of another, and another, all the way down his path toward the ocean. Before jumping in, he noticed a black jet slowing down toward the roof of the mansion. He dove into the water, swimming furiously toward the ship, trying to avoid the pathway of the outgoing soldiers.

  If they catch sight of me, I'll have no chance of taking out their commander. Their masks probably have built in goggles, so I'll have to take the long route.

  When Blague finally reached the ship, he pulled himself up from the side of the ship that was tilting into the ocean. Blague's combat wear was drenched, leaving a trail behind his every step. He unsheathed his black carbon steel blade, realizing that there were no guards on the back side of the ship; all focus was on the progress of the invasion. Blague searched the back of the ship for an entrance. He stealthily climbed up to another level where he was able to carefully open one of the metal doors. He snuck into a dark black room; the only faint light was emanating from his Cryos mark. He heard orders being dictated nearby. Blague slowly crept down to the first floor of the ship, which was artfully crafted with high quality metals. The vessel appeared to be brand new, and so the floor didn’t creek as Blague waded through different areas of the ship, helping to keep him incognito. Blague counted eight guards surrounding the commanding officer, who was plastered to his binoculars, shifting quickly through different parts of the battlefield, yelling orders into his radio. A few snipers on the floor above were getting into position. One of the soldiers had black camo paint framing both of his eyes and was armed with a machine gun. Blague snuck up behind him, covered his mouth, and jerked his body behind a pillar. The soldier’s swinging machine gun made a clamor, but the outside gunfire and swaying of the ocean masked the noise. Blague stuck his knife through the guard's temple, staring at him in the eyes as he did it. He looked up, to make sure no one heard. He looked down and noticed he was still dripping and leaving water marks everywhere he turned.

  “Jet 05 landed successfully, snipers. Cover fire for arrival,” the commanding guard shouted.

  Blague realized there was no more time. He took out a flashbang, sheathed his blade, and drew his deep blue Desert Eagle. He took the open shot he had at the commander and let the flashbang fly. The last thing Blague saw before he took cover behind the pillar was the bullet piercing the back of the guard's neck and the binoculars flying into the air. The flashbang went off, as Blague sprinted up the stairs and began firing at the snipers in position. He hit the sniper positioned closest to him, once in the shoulder and once in the side, causing him to bleed out on the floor. The other guards on the floor below were yelling about the intruder who was onboard their vessel. The two remaining snipers repositioned, aiming at Blague's location. He took cover behind a corner pillar as high caliber bullets crashed into it. Blague took out his last grenade and threw it around the corner to the walkway where the snipers were located. Blague jumped off the second floor ledge as soon as he heard the snipers scrambling to dodge the incoming explosion. As the guards were regaining their sight, they also felt the agony of bullets piercing through their bodies. Blague landed on his feet in plain sight on the first floor, just a few feet away from the commander he shot dead. Blague's brow was tense, as he quickly aimed and fired at the multiple recovering guards. He quickly shifted, pulling the trigger before any one of them could lift their weapon to return fire.

  I can't let the Sins down. We have to end this fight.

  As the last guard on the first floor fell, a sniper bullet grazed Blague's calf.

  “Shit,” he grunted as he stumbled out of the way to reload his gun.

  A familiar voice came through the Hiezer commander’s radio. “I’m descending to the roof of our fortress. Be prepared to cover. My pass-through will be swift,” a voice said.

  Mulderan is here?

  Blague jumped up and shot three times in the sniper's direction. He missed his shots, but succeeded in making the sniper reposition. Blague stood up, steadied his aim, and fired again. The bullet broke the sniper's scope and penetrated his skull. Blague, wasting no time, limped over to the binoculars on the floor. He saw Drino and the Sin ranks holding the back door against the Hiezer militants. He shifted his vision to the roof. He felt his heartrate increase, as he watched Hiezer guards marching down an opened platform of a jet, surrounding Mulderan with large bullet proof glass shields and assault rifles. The guards murdered all of the Sin fighters who remained on the roof.

  He came personally to reclaim his territory. The outcome of this battle will now be pivotal for the survival of this group.

  Chapter 11

  Cherris looked up to the fourth floor from her wagon. Terror ran through her body as she saw Hiezer guards
storming the building. There were two groups of guards; one was aggressively headed toward the main floor, and the other marched slowly with long, clear shields headed toward a room on the fourth floor.

  “Briggs, Lito,” Cherris pleaded, “protect the civilians, they're inside the mansion!”

  “I'm coming!” Briggs responded in a panic.

  “Sending soldiers to assist you, Cherris,” Lito said as background explosions muffled his voice.

  It was too late. Cherris beckoned the parents around her to hide in the wagon with the kids while the other civilians were either hiding or working in the medical rooms. She mustered up the courage to stand tall against the guards that were approaching. Most of the Sin fighters were called in to help defend the back door. Cherris held her head high. Her hands were shaking under the cloth she was holding. She moved her silver and blonde hair out of her face. She counted seven guards and another sprinting toward the hidden Ayelan, with a device in hand. The Hiezer guards stopped in front of her.

  If they get the chemical that Briggs hid, it's all over for us.

  Cherris slowly picked up the radio, figuring this would get her killed. “They know where the Ayelan is, stop them, now!” Cherris yelled with terror in her voice.

  The guards aimed their rifles at her. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up, dropping her radio and accepting her fate.

  Don't give up Blague. Give the Sins a better life.

  She felt wind blow against her face, followed by a bang; it wasn't a gun shot. Cherris opened her eyes, confused by what just happened. She saw the back of a man, rising from his fall. He had a grey scarf wrapped tightly around his face and grey hair spilling out of a cloth that he wore over his head. The rest of his body was draped in ripped cloth wrapped around his torso and most of his arms, leaving just his forearms exposed. He wore ripped grey pants and old combat boots. After Cherris’ glimpse of the man, gunfire erupted. The mysterious man that fell from the sky slammed down a huge riot shield, deflecting all of the bullets aimed at Cherris. He pulled out an ancient rifle and turned to her. She was stunned to see that the man's eyes were smoky grey with no pupils. His forearms had shimmering Cryos blue veins.

  “Get to safety,” the man said through a voice changer, raising his eyebrows.

  Both fearful and confused, Cherris gave a quick nod, accepting her second chance however short lived it may be. She watched sparks fly in all directions off of the giant hunk of metal. The man rested his rifle over the top of the shield. He peeked through the vision hole in the middle and began firing back. Screams came from the wagons located on the main floor, as parents feared for the fate of their children. Sin fighters rushed in, refusing to open fire against the guards who were standing near the civilian wagons. Instead, they sprinted in an attempt to get a better position.

  Briggs and two of his men opened the large metal basement door and immediately opened fire on the guards. Briggs strafed, hip-firing two sub machine guns at the group of Hiezers. The guards became frantic, trying to dodge the incoming bullets from various directions. They violently fell within seconds of the fighters unloading their guns onto them. Once the threat was over, Cherris peeked out of her wagon, only to see the strange man standing ten feet in front of her. He stood up from the cover of his shield and then shoved a lever down on the large hunk of metal; it quickly consolidated into a smaller piece of metal, about the size of his arm. The man looked older and was of average build, but contained enormous strength. Effortlessly, he began walking toward a corner of the mansion, carrying the chunk of metal that was no lighter than it was in its expanded form.

  Briggs ran over to Cherris, giving her an odd look and motioning to the strange man. “Who the hell is that?” Briggs said to Cherris.

  “I don't know, but he undoubtedly saved my life and the lives of the people in my wagon,” Cherris replied.

  Briggs shifted his eyes to the man walking away, and then looked back at Cherris with a raised eyebrow.

  She shook her head, rethinking and remembering the hectic scene that just unfolded, “There was one more!” she said with renewed panic, “He was going after the Ayelan! Find him, Briggs!”

  Lesh and Volaina remained on the fourth floor, tracking the marching guards to see where they were headed.

  Volaina tapped Lesh on the shoulder, “They're going to Jeck's holding room.”

  Lesh turned back, “Blague didn't release him yet?”

  “No,” Volaina replied in her thick accent, “Blague had him detained since the Mulderan broadcast.” Lesh looked at her with slight confusion. “I'll explain later,” Volaina said.

  The guards turned and entered Jeck's room.

  “Cover me,” Lesh said.

  She began sprinting before Volaina could answer. Volaina drew her silenced assault rifle and aimed it at the guard standing watch outside of Jeck's room. The guard turned his gun to Lesh as she rounded the corner. Volaina fired, hitting the guard's leg. Lesh pulled a knife from her ring and threw it, hitting the guard in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his gun. Volaina finished with a shot to the head. The guard's face slammed into the wall from the impact. Volaina followed Lesh as she continued sprinting, ignoring the pain in her leg. Lesh reached for her knife that was lodged in the guard and dove into Jeck's room, slamming down the light switch before anyone could turn around. The brief image that she mentally noted before killing the lights was that of a tall Hiezer untying Jeck's blindfold and a force of shielded guards protecting them. Volaina, realizing Lesh's plan, shot out the hallway light to make sure the room was pitch black.

  “Hold your fire!” someone shouted within the room.

  Lesh quickly dashed in a zigzag pattern very low to the ground. She maneuvered around a shielded Hiezer and stuck a knife into his chin, drawing the attention of the other guards. She then back-flipped to the opposite side of the room, removing herself from the attention of the alerted guards. Lesh took hold of the guard closest to her, pulled his head back, and slit his throat. She hastily dragged the guy out of the room as the guards closely encircled their leader. Using her keen eyes that were already adjusted to the darkness, Lesh tossed the Hiezer corpse to Volaina's feet in the hallway.

  “You're up,” Lesh said in her raspy voice.

  Volaina scrambled to put on the padded vest and jacket, took the guard's shoes and mask and snuck into the room, slowly backing into position. She then hustled over to the light switch in her new concealing armor. As soon as the light flickered, Volaina could see Mulderan with his stave drawn, ready for hand-to-hand combat. Once Mulderan saw that the there was no longer a threat in the room, he twirled the stave back into the holster on his back.

  “They got one of us,” Jeck said pointing to the guard bleeding out on the floor.

  “No more mistakes, Hiezers,” Mulderan said in a firm, cold voice. “Extract the Ayelan and depart immediately. I'm already behind schedule,” he said, arrogantly. “Give the locator to Jeck,” Mulderan said to one of the guards.

  Volaina picked up the bullet proof glass shield that was lying on the floor and returned to position. The small army began marching down to the main floor, protected with shields from all angles.

  Kentin followed the Hiezer guard that reclaimed the Ayelan capsule from inside the secret wall. The guard had thrown off his mask and black uniform in the hopes that he would stay hidden long enough to reunite with Mulderan. He wanted to be the hero that won the battle of the Senation fortress. Kentin made sure to stay clear of the guard’s sight. He was boiling up inside, trying to get the attention of a fighter to help stop the intruder. Everyone around him was either sprinting to reload, shouting into a radio, or being carried to a medical room to be treated. The guard began to pick up speed, noticing Mulderan and his group exiting the room on the fourth floor. That’s when Kentin jumped in front of a Sin fighter and pointed.

  “He's a guard and he has the chemical, stop him,” Kentin said quietly enough so that the guard wouldn’t hear him.

  The Sin figh
ter and Kentin trailed the man, as the fighter contemplated if the kid was right. The guard turned slightly, feeling eyes on him. He immediately realized that the two of them were following him. The guard swung around and opened fire. The two of them dove to the floor with no cover in sight. Bullets buzzed past them. The guard grew frantic, knowing that he was horribly outnumbered within the fortress. The Sin fighter shot back, aiming for the legs to avoid shattering the invaluable vial. One bullet connected. People peeked their heads out of their hiding places, terrified that the battle was pushed onto the main floor. The guard cackled and fell to the floor, catching himself with his good knee. The guard and fighter aimed at each other and fired again. The Sin fighter was hit in the chest, but before the effects took place, a successful retaliation shot hit the guard in the stomach.

  After a few seconds, both were lying on the floor, struggling to take their last breaths. Kentin was terrified, his body was trembling as he watched the two men bleed out. However, he knew how important that vial was to his father, so he picked himself up, screamed for help, and ran toward the dying guard. Kentin stared at the man, who was coughing, causing the blood to seep faster from his stomach. Kentin reached for the vial and began to pry it from the guard’s fingers. The guard’s strength was waning and Kentin was pulling with all of his might. The vial didn't appear to be cracked; the thick liquid shimmered its multicolored composition through the hard glass container. Finally, Kentin took hold of the vial and ran toward Cherris' wagon, hoping to find his dad.

  Drino lifted his head from ducking yet another explosion. Sand and soot covered his face. The men and women around him continued to defend the entrance with ferocity. The Hiezer guards were in disarray, since their commanding orders had gone dark about an hour ago. Drino realized that Blague's rogue operation was successful, which gave the front lines the ability to hold off the massive amount of incoming troops. Drino had a defined jaw and a permanent five o'clock shadow. He was as muscular as Blague, but had a stiffer demeanor. Everything about Drino screamed intensity, which is one of the reasons he was put in charge of formations. Drino's hair was bright blonde and parted strictly to the left side. He preferred being on the front lines, equipped with a heavy machine gun. The deep scars on the sides of his face were evidence of that.