Unearthed

by Marc Mulero

  "This here is a traitor," the guard said, pressing the pistol to the boy’s head.

  The jet hanger was visible in the distance, beyond a dirt road. Hiezer guards were lined up in front of a few transport vehicles, guarding the area. Lesh stalked closer on all fours, moving seamlessly to try and get within throwing distance to save the fighter.

  "Swap the boy for me!" Morn demanded again.

  "You mean nothing. This boy is part of an uprising and my orders are now to kill on sight! And since he seems to be alone, I have no more use for him.”

  The guard looked at the fighter while his trigger finger tensed. Morn raised his revolver to point at the sergeant. In an instant, twelve guns were aimed at him, the sound of gun metal echoed.

  "I just got an idea," the guard said "How about a public display of authority, to show you that this isn't a playground anymore?"

  Morn's face was boiling with rage, his hand holding the revolver was shaking. The guard turned to face Morn as he pulled the trigger of the gun, blowing the blood and brains of the young Sin fighter all over the ground.

  "Fire," Lesh commanded.

  From all angles, Sin fighters opened fire, causing the Hiezer guards to lose their focus and aim. Morn dove while firing rounds of his revolver, screaming in disbelief at the cruelty he just witnessed. He crawled, avoiding ricocheting bullets in his path. Lesh silently hopped the gate, chasing after the guards who tried to get away. Lesh put one foot on a nearby rock and pushed off of it to get a clear shot of the sergeant and his two soldiers attempting to flee. She tossed two knives with intense force. She summersaulted forward back onto her feet and sprinted toward the sergeant. One soldier limped away with the knife sticking out of his oblique muscle. The other was writhing on the floor from the knife sticking out of his back. The sergeant spun around and opened fire, causing Lesh to dive to the side. She flipped herself back onto her feet and swung her arm with brutal force. The knife whipped as it soared through the air to pierce the sergeant’s calf, immediately tripping him on impact. Lesh sprinted to the limping guard and kicked him to the floor, puncturing the back of his neck. She wrapped her arm around his gun and fired toward the sergeant. She saw a splash of blood and heard a grunt. As she crept closer, she watched the guard pathetically crawling, using his back to try and gain a few inches, staining the cement floor as he moved. Lesh looked fierce in the shadows. Her sharp face, flowing hair, and the points of her knife ring created a deadly silhouette.

  "The Angel of Death has finally come," the guard said to himself.

  Lesh leaned down on one knee, unsheathing a knife from the lower part of her ring. "I'm no angel," Lesh said, as she dug the knife into his throat.

  She stared into the guard's eyes as the blood spewed down the man’s body. She stood up, looking back to see her fighters advancing toward the jet. Two fighters were guarding the builder, who was safe. She realized the mission was a success and headed toward her group.

  "Where's our pilot?" Lesh asked.

  The fighter pointed to a cuffed Hiezer guard. Lesh nodded and continued to the gate. She walked past the young Sin fighter who lost his life. She gave a long stare as she walked by, and then turned to face Morn, staring at him coldly in the eyes. Morn was ashamed, now that he had cooled down from his rage.

  Lesh slapped him in the face, "You almost jeopardized the mission. That boy's death is on your hands. How can I trust you if this is how you’re going to act?" she asked.

  "I didn't think they would actually murder the boy in cold blood," Morn defended himself.

  "Don't pull that shit again," she responded, pointing a knife at his head.

  Morn bit down on his toothpick and gave a curt nod.

  "Let's wrap this up," Lesh said as she turned back to her team.

  Chapter 17

  Sabin walked down to the main floor alongside Lito, both of them staring at Lito's device. Lito still had his dingy goggles on from the work he performed outdoors. He extended a dirt encrusted finger, pointing to the locations that were ridden with landmines.

  "As you can see, the perimeter is secured. The families can rest easy because no one is getting in here on my watch," Lito said.

  Sabin nodded while looking at the device. "Yes, I'm sure the mommies are happy that if one of their kids strolls outside, they may explode," Sabin said jokingly.

  "Come on, mijo. They're all remote detonated!" Lito said while he showed the trigger device in his hand. "Seriously though," Lito put an arm around Sabin, "When I was setting up outside, there have been times when I spotted Hiezer guards snooping in the distance. What if they set up sniper patrol that kills on site? It seems like the war is escalating in that direction."

  "I know," Sabin said, "Half of me wants to quarantine the kids to the mansion for that reason, but that would be living in terror again. We have to have faith that Volaina or the scouting commanders would have intel on that before it happens."

  Lito made a face and nodded while pulling his arm off of Sabin. Sabin looked down to pet Mars.

  "We have concerns that are piling up," Sabin said looking up as Lito removed his goggles. "Communications have been spotty. Every time there's been an issue, it takes way too long to fix. Someone has to step up," Sabin said.

  "That's probably what Blague had in mind when he spoke about inducting a new commander," Lito said. "I miss Briggs. He was my hermano."

  "We all do," Sabin replied.

  "Speaking of which, I'm going to go hang out with Kentin after we speak with Cherris. Mind if I take Mars with me?" Lito asked.

  "Not at all," Sabin said while he patted Mars' side.

  The two men perused the main floor. The environment was positive; kids were playing, adults were conversing while working, cooking, or cleaning. The issue with Jason Brink was contained to the fighters and the expansion threat of the Hiezers was not yet an issue within the walls of the mansion. Blague's grand scheme was beginning to come together. Sabin and Lito spotted Cherris speaking among a group of women.

  Lito turned to Sabin and gave him a look, "Maybe we should wait?"

  Sabin smiled and walked past the group of women. Cherris made eye contact and nodded. The topic of conversation was streamlined education for the growing number of children within the mansion. A determined woman with long, auburn hair and glasses was speaking articulately about education in general.

  "It doesn't matter what living conditions this group is currently experiencing. Whether a given day consists of a battle to defend our new home or a quiet warm afternoon, we must have a system to educate and make sure that system is effectively running through either of those situations."

  Cherris smiled as the woman spoke, "I admire your enthusiasm, Teles, and you’re right about further prioritizing the growth of our community now that we're settled. Please choose a team of two and come see me so we can start implementing our ideas."

  Teles sat down and quickly began writing in her notepad. Sabin observed the other side of operations, with a greater appreciation for Cherris. He and Lito sat back a few feet away as they waited to speak with her. The group of women noticed the two commanders waiting. They exchanged looks between each other and slightly altered their behavior. Rank and position was starting to carry additional weight now that the Sin population was gaining civility. The meeting eventually concluded and the group dispersed.

  Cherris stood up and turned to the commanders, "I'm assuming you want to speak about the scientists?" Sabin nodded. "Endok came to me earlier this morning with a report about Ayelan splitting," Cherris continued, "They are confident in their ability, but have stumbled upon many new questions about the chemical. Seeing that they used to work closely with Briggs and Eugene, they don't really know who to turn to, so they're requesting a meeting with Blague."

  Blague and I had this discussion months ago. It seems the time may be coming to discuss the chemical in depth. I hope it doesn't cause too much of a stir.

  "Ok, we will set something up as soon as he returns. On a sim
ilar note, it seems the builders are making great progress on the two new fortresses adjacent to this one. Considering they haven't been bombed, Blague's prediction was probably correct. The Hiezer's believe we have already split the Ayelan and placed it within the skeleton of the new buildings," Sabin said.

  "That's a pretty big bluff," Lito responded.

  "It is," Cherris said as she looked at Lito, "but it's necessary. We're a few days away from the reality and only the commanders and a few other trusted sources know the truth. We just have to hope that the intelligence doesn't leak."

  All three of their radios buzzed at once. "Blague's jet is incoming. They're due to land within ten minutes," the radios echoed.

  "Did anyone debrief Lesh and Morn?" Cherris asked.

  "Lesh briefly mentioned that she carried out the mission and promptly slammed the door in my face after that," Sabin said while shrugging, "Every bone in my body said that it wasn't the time to ask any more questions."

  Lito laughed, "Good move."

  Cherris raised her eyebrows and nodded, agreeing with Lito.

  "Let's get to the roof," Sabin said.

  The jet soared in, reducing speed only a half mile away from its landing. The sleek black jet had silver rotating thrusters that shifted vertically to properly descend for a secure landing. Blague viewed the skeletons of the two future buildings, admiring the progress. The landing platform was lowered as soon as the jet landed on the roof. The jet engines slowed to a stop as the flame from the thrusters diminished. A few moments later, Blague emerged, his stifling Cryos mark brightly lit his arm and reflected on the side of his face. His strong body ached from wounds that he wasn’t sure were real or not. His combat gear was torn up from the sharp terrain on Auront. The commanders were hoping for a victory in the form of Eugene's face, but unfortunately he never showed. Sabin ran up to Blague and hugged him.

  "Don't ever leave me again!" Sabin said jokingly.

  The other commanders laughed as the wind from the jet died down.

  "Wait a second," Sabin continued, "Where's my best friend?"

  Blague's grin turned straight-faced. "Eu has a different path unfortunately. We couldn't recruit him back."

  Sabin's face became serious, "I'm sorry to hear that, Blague."

  "Me too," Blague responded as he descended down the landing platform.

  Oscin held on to the side of the railing with his head hunched over. He wiped his mouth with his free hand. Obviously somewhat dizzy, he walked down the platform in a staggered line. Oscin didn't appear out of it though; he seemed very comfortable in his relatively continuous drunken stupor.

  He stopped in front of Drino, "I guess I'm back under your command, sir."

  Drino nodded. Neither of them made any harsh remarks, considering the solemn environment around them. Niro appeared last. His body was illuminated from the Cryos stained veins on his exposed forearms. The parts of his uncovered wavy grey hair flew in the direction of the wind as he descended down the platform. The sound of his heavy combat boots clanking against the metal floor forced everyone to turn their eyes to him. The numerous cloths wrapped around him from his face to his shoulders, draped unevenly around his torso. He scanned the roof with his smoky eyes as he slowly walked past everyone. Without addressing any of the Sins, he was the first to exit the roof. After

  Blague's eyes stopped following Niro, he turned back around to Sabin, "Bring me to Lesh."

  Volaina studied the elite guard as she joined in with one of the squadrons.

  "Squad T-Nova was decimated three clicks north of the lighthouse," Volaina said, masking her voice as a man.

  "That's outside of their patrol range," the squad leader said.

  All six of the Hiezer guards had their rifles drawn, but facing down. They were a mobile scouting guard; their armor was leather and their masks were lightweight. The sand and gravel in Clestice covered the ground around them. Volaina met up with this squadron about a mile away from the city’s population.

  "We were chasing a potential threat. We didn't get eyes on any of them. The crimes were committed by a group of snipers," Volaina lied, projecting a firm and confident voice.

  "And you got away completely unscathed? How?" the guard asked.

  "I guess I'm the messenger. They left one of us alive so that I can spread the word." Volaina continued.

  She knew that one stutter would mean her cover was blown. She had to keep sharp and confident, masking her accent as well as her gender. The leader of the squadron nodded to another guard, who promptly radioed T-Nova.

  You’re obviously not going to receive an answer since Lesh impaled them all.

  The guard continued flipping through transponders, until finally Volaina's went off.

  When it did, she raised her hands to either side, "Are we done wasting time here?" she asked.

  The main guard was satisfied, "Let's move to Clestice headquarters. We should report this in person."

  Volaina held her side pretending to be injured in hopes that the other guards would leave her alone and not give a second thought if she was out of sequence.

  These guards aren't traveling in formation. They are much less uniform than infantry. I wonder if they're awarded more freedoms for being the elite class.

  "Did you hear about Old New York?" one of the guards said in earshot of Volaina.

  "Yea, I heard it sank forty something years ago," a guard with a dark red visor responded, making himself laugh.

  "No, asshole. Apparently, the highlords ordered a station to be built where outsiders would least expect it," the guard said, swinging his gun onto his shoulder to reposition it.

  "That would be brilliant, because I don't even believe you when you say it. I'm sure a terrorist would just laugh," the red visor guard responded.

  Old New York? Why? There's nothing left there but water and waste. The Hiezers wouldn't need a secret hiding spot, unless other uprisings are starting to overwhelm them.

  They continued to walk a few miles away from the huts, approaching a building with cathedral type architecture. Long black straps fell from the sides of it, making whipping sounds in the wind as they flapped. The six of them trekked through the gravel toward the headquarters, all with slender leather armor and lightweight helmets, creating haunting silhouettes as the patrolling lighthouse beam flew past them.

  "Hey," Volaina said to the talkative guard, "which threat are the Hiezers hiding from?"

  Three of the guards looked at Volaina for a good five seconds without saying anything. Her heartrate began to rise, goosebumps rose throughout her entire body, but she kept a cool exterior.

  "I've been on duty for weeks, I'm out of the loop," she said.

  "You really haven't heard?" the talkative guard said.

  Volaina shook her head.

  "A movement that originated at the Templos level has grown and organized attacks on the estates of the Dactuars. Mulderan himself even took one of his jets off course to defend a Dactuar estate," the guard said as they entered the headquarters.

  Volaina made sure not to enter first, preparing to make her move if the required scanning item wasn't located on her armor.

  "Mulderan's squad decimated the threat by tactical ambush. I guess he likes to meet his enemies face to face," the guard finished.

  The guard with the red visor nodded in agreement. The commanding elite guard stepped forward and placed his feet shoulder-width apart. As a light shimmered beneath them, a metal door unlocked and slid open.

  Their boots have the scanning device? That's the last place anyone would think to look. I hope I have two boots from the same guard on.

  When it was her turn to step forward, she hesitated for a moment, noticing slightly different marks on both boots. Her heart began pumping rapidly again, her adrenaline rising. The threat of being caught could be seconds from becoming reality. A couple of seconds passed as Volaina's thoughts raced, scrambling internally for options to avoid getting caught. She turned around quickly to get a glimpse of th
e guard with the red visor. An immediate sigh of relief came out when she noticed each of his boots had slightly different designs. Volaina stepped forward onto the scanning platform. She held her breath in anticipation, staring down at her boots with one hand in position to draw her rifle. The illumination of blue and white light shot up from under her, scanning to finally admit her into Clestice headquarters. The lighting of the building was dim before entry, making the cement and metal surroundings barely visible. The light around the accepted guards’ boots shined blue and gold.

  Once the main door opened, everything was different. An immaculately clean main floor was decorated in a very matter of fact, militarized fashion. Different forms of liquid replenishment supplies were placed throughout the quarters, along with a functional automated meal service. Guards pressed a button indicating their desired choice and a plate of food delicately lowered down through a glass tube from an upper level. Guards of different ranks were conversing and spread throughout the floor. There were separate rooms where strategies were discussed. The headquarters was meant strictly for business and operations. Volaina was thankful that a lot of the guards remained in full gear. The commanders and other notorious members of Blague's Sin group were all on a defiler list, which demanded capture dead or alive. The elite guard with the red visor flipped his mask up. A clean shaven man in his mid-thirties put out his hand.

  "I'm Ronnie Stenner, elite guard for four years,” he said to Volaina.

  Volaina stuck out her hand to meet his, "I'm Trevor," she said with a disguised voice.

  I have to remain somewhat meek if I'm to retain my cover.

  "That hammerhead over there is Gus. I swear, we can't trust that man with any bit of important information," Ronnie said. "He's probably the main reason classified intel falls to the lower ranks," Ronnie continued, pointing at Gus who looked over at them, while stuffing his face with food.

  Jackpot.

  His mask was pushed up to his forehead as he waved at Ronnie and Volaina; Ronnie turned his point into a wave and flashed a fake smile toward him.