by Huth, Jacob
“I’m not sure how they found us. They were out here looking for the missing guards that we took out,” he replied.
“I feel like this is my fault,” I said.
“No. You saved us. You saved hundreds of lives here. Without you, I would be dead and my people would be sent to a firing squad,” he said.
“I still feel bad about this,” I said looking at the fire as it raged.
“Not as badly as Hades is going to feel when we kill him,” he said angrily.
“We?” I asked.
“I have no place to go now. My people are safe with some citizens that I had been training to lead in case something had ever happened to me. They will head north where the forests are thicker and denser,” he replied.
“You want to help us then?” I asked.
“I have nothing else. I had no stake in this fight until he sent his scum to attack my people. Now, I have to see his downfall and help make sure that nobody else dies at the hands of that monster,” he replied.
“You can stay in Sanctum with us,” I said.
“No. You will need a skilled agent inside the city. I can feed you information and acquire you supply lines. I have contacts inside the city still from the recon agents I had implanted,” he said.
“Well, you can stay in one of our old houses. They are empty now and they are relatively well furnished and clean. If you stop by Sanctum with me, I can get you a radio so we can communicate,” I said.
“Thank you, my friend. We will take down Kraken. I know it,” he said. We set off towards Sanctum leaving the scorched Bosque City behind us. We walked silently for a while before Pan finally said, “How did you do all of that back there?”
“All of what?” I asked.
“Move with such quickness and ferocity,” he replied.
“We found plans for devices called spike amplifiers,” I said holding up my hands, “and they somehow stimulate the user’s cells and allow them to enhance their gene spike and focus it. I was able to fly by focusing my power and pushing off the ground. That’s how I saw the smoke and came to your aid.”
“Well, I’m grateful. Who is we?” he asked.
“My three best friends and I are all there is. They are Frost, Flare and Jet. Jet and I are…” I paused.
“I see. You needn’t say anymore,” he said.
I felt like Pan understood me. He and I were similar. We both wanted nothing more than to protect the innocent. We kept moving until we finally made it to Sanctum. Jet was sitting outside on a rock and looking up at the sky. I wondered if she was still waiting for me to fly back. She noticed us in her peripherals and jumped up. We approached her and she said, “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to run off by yourself anymore!”
I started to defend myself before Pan jumped in and said, “He came to my aid. I am Pan. Kraken agents attacked my city and if it wasn’t for Zero, I would be dead as well as all of the members of my city.”
“What happened out there?” she asked. I recounted the events starting with the smoke that I spotted over the trees.
“I am truly sorry for pulling him away,” Pan said after I had finished.
“No I’m glad he saw the smoke. We wouldn’t have met then. Zero told us about you after you saved him and I wanted to thank you in person,” said Jet.
“Well, you can and I don’t believe we have had proper introductions. I am Pan,” he said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jet,” she replied.
“Ah Jet. I’ve only heard good things about you from our friend here,” said Pan.
“Oh really?” she said looking at me. My face felt hot and I’m sure it turned a dark red.
“He has talked extensively about you,” he said. He knew exactly what he was doing. I didn’t even need to tell him about our situation and he already knew. He knew how I would react. Jet started blushing, too.
I finally chimed in, “Let’s get your gear before you go into the city.” We went into Sanctum to gather equipment for Pan.
“What do you know about that?” Pan said to himself, looking around the cavern.
“What’s the plan for you Pan?” Jet asked.
“I will gathering information and supply lines for the rebellion. I also am going to try to recruit people to join us,” he replied.
“I am going to give him an earpiece so we can communicate. I figured we could at least give him some armor and weapons,” I said.
“I’ll gather some things up for him,” said Jet. She walked around the room gathering various items and putting them in a bag. Pan was looking at the large computer that was in one corner of the room.
“I don’t think it works,” I said.
“It would be very helpful if we could get it running again,” said Pan.
“I have been planning to take a look at it when I get a chance,” Jet said still walking around the room.
“If we could get that running, we could store all the information we gather in it. Our allies, our enemies, and anything else we find useful,” Pan said.
“We will make that our next task,” said Jet. She finished gathering the items we were giving to Pan and brought them to him. She handed him the bag and then the earpiece separately. “Try this on to make sure that it works,” she said.
Pan slid the radio into his ear. “I hear chatter,” he said.
“Good. I have reconfigured it so that we can listen in on Kraken as well as talk between ourselves without them hearing us,” said Jet.
“Ah good,” he said, “Have you been listening to their transmissions yet?”
“A little bit. Why?” I asked.
“A voice just mentioned something called Operation Armageddon and I didn’t know if you had heard that already,” he said.
I scrambled to pick up an earpiece and put it in my ear. Once the radio was inserted, I heard voices talking back and forth. The transmission was slightly garbled but I was able to make out a voice saying, “Operation Armageddon in phase one development.”
“What do you think that is?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” I said.
“Whatever it is, it sounds bad,” said Jet.
“What sounds bad?” asked Flare as she and Frost entered the main cavern.
“We heard something disturbing on the Kraken radio channel,” I said.
“What was it?” asked Flare.
“Something called Operation Armageddon,” I replied. They stood silently as we all tried to figure out what it meant. Whatever it was, I was sure that it was something that would mean the deaths of a lot of people. We had to figure this out or Marsh City could fall victim to Operation Armageddon.
Chapter 4: Raising an Army
We all sat down in various spots around the room with radios in our ears. We had been listening for two hours and all we heard was the same line. Operation Armageddon in phase one development. We had been waiting for something different to come across the airwaves but it stayed the same. As we listened, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t introduced Pan to Frost and Flare yet. The news that we had discovered a possibly dangerous plot by Kraken. “This is Pan,” I said to them.
“Oh hello. I’m Flare and this is Frost,” she said pointing to herself and then Frost. Frost just nodded when Pan looked to him.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Pan said.
“Likewise. I don’t want to sound rude, but why are you here? I thought you didn’t leave your city,” Frost said.
“You aren’t coming across as rude. I didn’t leave it, but it no longer exists,” he replied.
“What do you mean?” Flare asked.
“Kraken sent one of their top agents with a small squadron to find out what happened to the two men that we got the radios and the fusion cells from. They found my city and burned it to the ground,” replied Pan.
“Oh no,” Flare said, “How did you escape?”
“Luckily, Zero noticed the smoke while he was flying around and he came to our rescue. He saved me,
my people and killed Jekyll,” he replied.
“Flying?” Frost asked in a very confused tone.
“Jet got the amplifiers working. I was able to push myself into the air. They also helped me take out Jekyll,” I replied.
“Who is Jekyll?” Frost asked.
“He is one of Kraken’s top agents,” Flare replied, “He has a gene spike that allows him to morph at will into a grotesque monster, hence the name Jekyll.”
“I don’t understand the reference,” Frost said.
“It’s an old story about a scientist named Dr. Jekyll who takes a chemical and becomes a monster,” I replied.
“You were able to kill him?” Flare asked.
“Barely. Pan lit him on fire which lowered his defenses long enough for me to use the amplifiers to boost my power and his neck snapped,” I replied.
“Well that’s gruesome,” Frost said.
“It was the only way. He would’ve killed all of my people,” Pan said.
“I’m not saying he was wrong for doing it. I think we have all realized that we will have to kill at some point. Hades sure as hell won’t show mercy,” Frost replied. Just as he finished talking, Hades voice came over the frequency.
“Attention all Kraken agents. We have lost Jekyll to the rebel Zero and the leader of the forest people, Pan. If you see Zero, Pan or any of their associates, kill them on sight. We cannot have these fools interrupting Operation Armageddon. They will not hesitate to destroy you so you can not hesitate to kill them. Do not fail me. That is all,” he said over the crackly transmission. The agent we sent back to Kraken obviously informed Hades of what had happened at Bosque City, of how powerful I had become. Hades sounded genuinely worried about his operation. I was sure that he thought that I would never make it past Jekyll if I met him, but I proved him wrong and showed Kraken that I was a force to be reckoned with. I looked around the crowd and noticed that everyone was staring at me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“He is scared,” Flare said.
“Scared of what?” I asked.
“He is scared of you. Jekyll is one of his toughest men. If you took him down, he realized that you can hold your own,” she replied.
“If people could see what I saw, they would rally around you. You have power and you have a legitimate chance to destroy Kraken,” Pan said.
“I hope so. Even with the amplifiers, we won’t be able to do it alone,” I said.
“So the amplifiers work,” Frost said.
“I should say so,” Pan replied.
“Jet’s expertise has given us an advantage,” I said. Jet ran her fingers through her short hair in an attempt to hide her face with her hand. I was sure that she was blushing again.
“I should probably get going. If I’m going to slip into the city between the patrol switch, I should go soon,” Pan said.
“Where are you going to stay?” Flare asked.
“He is going to stay in my house,” Jet said. We hadn’t discussed it yet so it took us by surprise.
“Your house?” Frost asked.
“My house is still stocked with supplies and Kraken is probably keeping an eye on your houses. I am fairly certain that Kraken has no idea that I’m working with you,” replied Jet.
“Works for me,” Pan said.
“You should take some clothes from our stash. They are on the lookout for a “forest man” and you stick out like a sore thumb in those clothes,” I said.
“Greatly appreciated,” said Pan standing up and stretching his back. He walked into the room where we kept the clothes. Frost came over to me and grabbed my wrist. He examined the amplifiers.
“I need to see these in action,” Frost said.
“You can try them out if you want. We are going to have to build more pairs,” I said, “Do you think you could replicate these, Jet?”
“Probably. I have the blueprints so it shouldn’t be too difficult,” she replied.
I slid the amplifiers off and handed them to Frost. He put them on and stared at his hands. “What do I do?” he asked.
“You have to focus your thoughts on solely your spike,” I said, “Look at that cabinet and try to put the ice on it.”
He turned to his right and faced a tall silver cabinet. He held his left hand out and closed his eyes. He flinched after a few seconds and opened his eyes. The cabinet stood unchanged. “Did you do anything?” Flare asked.
Frost walked over and opened the locker to reveal a block of ice in the space inside. It was completely filled with no gaps evident. “That’s incredible,” Flare said, “Let me try.”
Frost removed the amplifiers and gave them to Flare. She fastened them on her arms. She turned to the same cabinet that Frost had filled with ice. She held up her index finger and a small orb of fire no bigger than a marble appeared above it. She flicked it at the cabinet and when it made contact, the cabinet exploded. The force of the blast made me raise my arm to cover my eyes. “I like this,” Flare said once the smoke cleared revealing a small pile of ash where the cabinet had been.
Pan entered the room wearing a gray ensemble that looked like common city clothes. He kept his leather boots instead of switching into some of the uncomfortable stock canvas shoes that Marsh citizens wore. “I’d better get a move on,” he said.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Flare asked.
“No. I’ll be fine. I can radio in once I make it to the house. Can you make me a map that will lead me through the city safely?” he asked.
“I already did. I was working on it while we were listening to the radios,” she said handing him a folded piece of paper.
“Thank you,” he said slipping the paper into his shirt pocket, “I’ll be going.”
He exited Sanctum and went on to the city. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small tin cup. I filled it with water from the tap. I drank the water and realized how thirsty I actually was. I hadn’t had anything since before I went back to Bosque City. I drank a few more cups before returning to the main part of the room. Flare was manipulating a small stream of fire in her hand. It resembled a snake slithering and coiling around. I sat down in one of the chairs and leaned back. My body was sore from the encounter with Jekyll. I felt a burning sensation on my neck. I put my hand on the burning area and immediately cringed when I made contact. I walked over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I had three claw marks on my throat from where he had grabbed me. I heard footsteps behind me and saw Jet in the mirror. “Those look bad,” she said.
“It’s fine. They just sort of burn,” I said.
“Let me take a look,” she said coming closer to me. She grabbed a small towel and soaked it in cold water. She gently pressed the towel on the scratches. I winced as the cold pressed against the raw area of my skin.
“Thank you,” I said.
“It’s no big deal,” she said quietly.
“It is. I would have no one else to care if you weren’t here,” I said.
She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Keep this on your neck for five more minutes and then I will give you some of the medicine that I made from Pan’s plant,” she said.
I held the towel on my neck and walked to the bedroom. I sat down on the bed and put the radio back into my ear to listen in on the chatter of the enemy. I heard the voices passing orders around but all I could think about was Jet. I had finally shown some feeling toward her and it made her happy. I had wanted to but couldn’t find the way to say it until that moment where we were so close. Pan’s voice snapped me out of my trance. “Sanctum come in,” he said.
“Pan?” I said back.
“I have reached the house, but it was not easy. Kraken has enacted a strict curfew and a new set of laws after our little encounter with Jekyll,” he said.
“What kind of laws?” I asked.
“One of their posted signs said that now anyone who is a suspected ally of ours will be arrested without question,” he replied.
“That’s not good,” I
said.
“Not at all. Tomorrow I am going to do some poking around near an abandoned Kraken laboratory. Some of my informants told me that there were guards hanging around there which leads me to believe that there is still something going on in there,” he said.
“Keep us posted and be safe. We cannot afford to lose you,” I said.
“Thanks mate,” he said signing off his radio.
“Was that Pan?” Jet asked entering the room.
“Yeah. He is safe at your house and he said that there is a new law in town that lets them arrest anyone who they think is aligned with us,” I replied.
“Well luckily we don’t have any allies right now who can get themselves arrested,” she said. She pulled out a tube that had a green paste. She unscrewed the top and dipped her finger in. She rubbed the salve on my neck and I felt an instant numbing relief. Whatever it was in the plant that made it have a medicinal quality was wonderful.
“That’s nice,” I said.
“Good. We will need you at full strength,” she said, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I replied.
“Do you think it would be useful for me to learn to shoot?” she asked.
“Shoot? Like guns?” I asked back.
“Yeah. You three have gene spikes and I don’t want to sit in this cave while you are out saving the city. I thought maybe I could learn to shoot a rifle and cover you guys from long range,” she said.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt. I just don’t want you to get injured out in the field. I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt or captured out there,” I said.
“I would stay far enough away that I would be safe. I would only be there to provide cover,” she said.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. We have leftover weapons in the armory, don’t we?” I asked.
“I think so. I’ll probably take a look tomorrow and pick one,” she replied, “So you don’t know what you’d do?”
I stammered as I tried to answer. “You know I care,” I finally said.
“Do I know?” she asked, “You certainly act like you don’t want to share anything with me.”
“I have trouble with that stuff. I thought you would know that after knowing me for so long,” I replied.