by J E Kerry
“One down, three more to go,” he says to himself.
Two others of Team 4 suffer the same fate by Brian’s subtle hand and are down. He deactivates his camouflage in front of the teams.
“Catch me if you can!” Brian shouts, teasing.
Taking a huge jump up the stairs, he decoys them to the next floor where his cloaked team is already in position. One step ahead, Brian cloaks again and disappears between the bookshelves, leaving the soldiers behind as Rahul uploads the virus.
“Now, Ra!” Brian commands his friend via TPC.
Rahul releases the virus immediately.
“Virus coming straight up,” he fires.
As the soldiers try to activate their own camouflage, they are left wondering what is going on.
“Attack!” Wang screams.
His cloaked team attack the visible soldiers from all corners, fighting through the bookshelves, and destroy what’s left of this floor. An intense battle against a well-trained enemy unfolds.
Wang and Aaron take the lead, oppressing the opponents with a combination of Chinese Wing Chun techniques from Wang and world Mixed Martial Arts attacks from Aaron. Philipe, Jodie and Brian act as support, picking up whenever either of the two leads fail.
The enemy seems stronger than expected, and the two long minutes of the virus are almost over when a familiar sound reaches the teams, putting their battle on hold.
Wang uncloaks first, everyone else following.
“The drones,” he realizes, “they’re back”.
Several drones fly through the bombed-out shell of the building, searching for any kind of life-form while the soldiers regroup.
“It’s them or us,” he continues into the circle of teams and sees their only chance of overcoming this obstacle by having Rahul help them again, “Ra, are u still there?”.
“Yeah,” he replies while crunching relaxed on his M&Ms next to the fireplace and going through some other candy, organizing them in a line.
“Stay put and try to find their frequency. You’re our only chance of winning this. If you fail, I won’t share my KitKat with you,” Wang instructs his fellow teammate with a more serious tone in his voice, pulling him back into reality with an inside joke.
“On it, my Master!” Rahul confirms with a counter-joke, leaving the candy and getting straight to his new task.
“Let’s kick some drone-ass!” Wang encourages his team and they cloak again.
One of the drones scans the second floor via infrared, detecting no sign of life as it is suddenly being attacked by two soldiers from behind and smashed. It hits the ground and turns off.
Another two drones scan along the bookshelves, unaware of the cloaked Wang and Aaron hanging from the ceiling like spiders, waiting to strike.
“Remember, use your Qi to destroy its brain with the iron fist, just as you did before,” Wang reminds Aaron via TPC.
Aaron signs his OK as the drones get closer. Like eagles hunting their snakes, Wang and Aaron almost simultaneously detach from the ceiling and jump the enemy, ramming with their glove-protected fists right through the metal surface of the drones, destroying their artificial brains.
Meanwhile, at the end of the floor, Philipe, Jodie and Brian have come up with another strategy by using their hover-boots for some air-surfing through the library. They are on their way to meet each other from three different corners.
“Ready?” Jodie asks.
“Set,” Brian says.
“Kazooom!” Philipe adds excited.
“Really dude?” Brian rolls his eyes, felt by Jodie who joins right in.
The triplet air-surf toward one another. Just right before collision, they make a quick turn in opposite directions, and the three drones, unable to register the action and react in time, slam forcefully into each other; resulting in a debilitating explosion which echoes through the entire library.
The teams come together cheering at the entrance door.
Just as they believe they’d won, an earthquake hits the library; Rahul still being in the Fireplace Room.
It dawns on Wang, “Ra!”.
The ceiling in the Freplace Room cracks open, shelves begin to shake and the remaining books on them fall from their resting place. Years of undisturbed dust billows up into the air.
“Oh my Lady-Buddha,” Rahul says to himself in a cool, yet stunned but also worried tone that leaves no doubt, he has somehow made piece to be left alone and lose his last shot of becoming a Unit 12 member, and therefore a real Spacetime Warrior.
Wang is just about to head up, when Aaron holds him back.
“Let me,” he says.
Wang nods, trusting, and lets Aaron proceed.
Rahul tries his best to save at least one backpack of rations as some sort of booby prize and waddles to the exit as the bookshelves around him begin to fall down and block the door.
“Brilliant,” he says sarcastically.
Just when he thinks it couldn’t get any worse, the ceiling collapses, and a slat knocks him unconscious.
Aaron tries to get into the room, unsuccessfully. A peek through the door-slit shows him Rahul on the ground, as well as the gaping hole in the ceiling.
Only a moment later, Aaron leaps down through the hole close to Rahul and forcefully lifts the bookshelf off his body. He bends over his wounded teammate and checks if he’s still alive.
“I got you, buddy,” he says and takes Rahul on his shoulder.
The library walls are close to tumbling down completely while everyone waits anxiously for Aaron and Rahul to return.
“Come on, Aaron,” Wang says to himself, hoping that the two will make it and stay on the team. “I know you got him.”
A moment later Aaron speeds out with Rahul on his shoulder and the entire building behind them implodes into ashes, with a resulting big boom and rumble. Once the noise fades away, encouraging cheers reach Aaron and give him a bit more pep in his step, heading straight forward.
The applauding soldiers are met with the challenging sound of moving machinery as a group of four-storey tall cyborgs comes careening around the corner, rapidly advancing in their direction.
The cheering dies out instantly, and everyone is on high alert.
“Quoi? (what) Are you kidding me?!!” Philipe pauses with his usual, very unique dance performance and doesn’t want to believe his eyes; being more than disappointed of having to put himself through another exhausting simulation.
“Seems the night has just begun,” Brian adds with a long sigh.
Jodie being Jodie, is already busy searching her Visuals for more information on the surrounding, “There’s a weapons store two klicks from here. We could gear up and give them a proper welcome”.
“Second that,” Wang agrees, now leading the last standing soldiers. “Let’s move!”
The newly formed team sprints away while Wang takes a moment for Aaron and Rahul.
“Bring Ra back to 7-Eleven. The suit needs to revitalize his body. Once he’s safe, you follow us.”
“Roger that,” Aaron complies as Wang pats his shoulder to thank him not only for having saved Rahul’s life but also for giving Wang the chance to proof his skills as a leader. With this gesture, Aaron has shown once again that he sees and respects Wang as his equal.
“And Aaron, thank you,” he says.
“Any time,” Aaron winks back with a smile.
“You guys need a room?” sounds Rahul’s crisp voice from Aaron’s shoulder, still hanging and obviously regaining consciousness.
They depart in different directions as the cyborg squad is dangerously close on their heels and march straight forward, looking for them.
In the meantime, the soldiers have already arrived at the weapons store and busy themselves with 21st century weapons.
“I’ll be dead by 3 am with this toy,” Philipe says as he fiddles with the old technology and Jodie suddenly startles him again from behind.
“Geez Louise, you’re stalking me?” he shouts, and she s
laps him upside the head, “Eyyy! Çava?”. (dude, what the fuck)
“Hurry up!” Jodie commands him, “and don't forget, you aim either for the brain, throat or, the testicles”.
“Avec plaisir.“ (with pleasure), Philipe does another flirt attempt with his eyes.
“Stop dreaming,” Jodie destroys his hopes of ever getting close with her.
Just in time, Aaron arrives at the store front and joins the circle.
“Great, you’ve made it,” Wang welcomes Aaron then addresses the others. “Everyone, grab your weapons and meet us on the roof. We’ll attack from the top.”
The soldiers come together on the rooftop of the bombed building. Wang takes a look down the street.
“They’re here,” he informs the team that activate their helmets and hover-boots immediately.
With a last encouraging “Let’s surf!”, they jump one after another off the roof, cloaking in midair.
The cyborgs march through the street and are caught unawares by a hail of gunfire from above, crippling them significantly. By the time they lock down to the enemy’s location, the soldiers have their number.
“Prends ça!” (take that) Philipe shouts with the spirit of a warrior and adds with his usual charm, “you ugly son of a toaster! Woohooo!”.
The last four cyborgs transform into one single cyborg giant, reminding of a ‘Voltron’ super robot.
“Don’t worry guys, its size makes the cyborg stronger but not faster.” Wang ensures the team. “Let’s uncloak and distract it.”
“You’re 100% positive?” Brian questions Wang, noticeably intimidated and worried to risk his last life.
“Don’t be such a mollycoddle, Brian.” Jodie teases him and is the first, brave enough to uncloak, followed by everyone else, including Brian, who takes a deep breath.
“There are four soft spots,” Wang explains. “Find them and eliminate the target. And remember, you must fly close to its body. Otherwise you get hit.”
The team surf around the cyborg while it is unsuccessfully trying to catch them. The enemy moves from one side to the other, staggering on two feet. Even its weapons can’t catch the soldiers.
“I think I’ve found a spot,” Jodie shares the possible soft spot on her Visuals. “Got it?”
“Yes, good job,” Wang says. “However, we need to find all four and then strike together.”
“I think there’s another one here,” Brian tunes in.
“And here,” Aaron adds.
Wang receives their images on his Visuals.
“Let’s find the last one,” he suggests, and they continue circling the cyborg in the air as a former Team 2 soldier doesn’t pay enough attention and is accidentally hit by the cyborg’s rifle, slamming forcefully against the building’s wall.
“Soldier down!” Jodie shouts while she keeps looking for the last soft spot.
“Guys, I told you, stay close to its body,” Wang warns them once again.
Philipe has taken another look at the lower body parts of the cyborg and finds the last missing spot in between what seems to be its genitals.
“Coucou. (hello) Jackpot!” Philipe announces his finding with a grin stretching all over his face.
“You’ve heard him,” Wang instructs the team. “Everyone, get in position! Aaron, Jodie, Brian and Philipe, you fire on my command. The others, follow my lead!”
Just around the corner, Rahul has fully regained his consciousness and arrives in close distance to the action. Without his team’s knowledge, he decides to manipulate the cyborg’s frequency on his Visuals.
As soon as the team re-organizes in the air and gets into position, the cyborg suffers from an irritating frequency-wave hitting its system
“Chakka!” Rahul cheers about his own genius.
The enemy tries to balance on its feet but eventually sinks down to one knee.
“Now!” Wang shouts, leading the soldiers around the cyborg’s head, like a swarm of attacking hornets, while Aaron, Philipe, Jodie and Brian set for the soft spots and fire.
“Ready?” Aaron asks.
“Set,” Jodie and Brian chime in stereo.
“This is getting old,” Philipe says bored, impatient to finally end the entire simulation, get out of the chamber, take a shower, and watch his most favorite VR TV show ‘The Odyssey of ST1’ (space team 1).
Shots are fired. The enemy is hit and collapses instantly, destroyed to its core.
The last 12 standing soldiers of the SFB convene around it and touch ground, cheering.
“Great job, guys,” Wang applauds to their teamwork.
“I almost feel kinda sorry for it.” Rahul sounds from behind and jumps right into the cheering circle.
“Finally, I can go watch ST1,” Philipe mumbles with a sigh as the battlefield begins to de-materialize. It seems almost as if the landscape breaks into tiny pieces leaving a gridded background before going blank and the team finds themselves back in the simulation hall where Sniper already awaits them.
“Congratulations. You’ve successfully passed the last test and are now ready for Section 8,” he says with a satisfied and proud look on his face.
Relief and joy are shared through the row of surviving soldiers.
“You’re officially Unit 12,” Sniper continues. “Please take an hour to clean up yourself and change into your uniform before the orientation of Section 8 begins.”
The Cintamani
Ce-loo-me, in her natural beauty and elegance, stands behind the window of the mothership’s Queen Chamber, gazing at the planet of decadence, Earth. The marble of blue and green passes by underneath as they orbit around the vibrant rock.
Her attention is brought from the window to one of the entry ways. The queen’s eyes do not falter, but she senses someone’s presence behind her and communicates telepathically. Like all Lyr-an monarchs, she had early developed the ability to sense her citizens from a close distance. It worked for both friends and enemies. The skill had come in handy to survive assassination attempts and root out spies from her inner chambers. Her subjects always marvel at her ability to sense their coming from far distances.
“Have you prepared everything?” Ce-loo-me asks in Saren and glances back to the entrance of that chamber where her Lyr-an advisor, Droncur, lies in waiting, his face betraying no emotion as he looks directly towards the opposite wall.
The walls of the Mothership are organic in nature, constantly changing shape and color, depending on the mood of those standing close to it. They walls are hexagonal in shape like a honeycomb, housing a colony of bees. Using advanced technology, the walls of the ship are able to ascertain the frame of mind of each individual using different body signals and reactions.
Droncur’s white hair, his calculated steps and slightly tired brow are contrasts to his agile physique which is visible from the tightening of fabric around his arms and the calluses on his palms.
“Yes, my Queen,” he says and steps further into the room while Ce-loo-me sits down in her hover-chair plate that automatically activates the hologram of Earth, shooting out of an integrated ground-projector.
“You seem troubled my Queen,” Droncur notices and steps closer to the Earth-Sphere.
“I’m worried about her. The longer my daughter stays on Ki, the more her DNA will alter. This will be a mighty disaster as my throne will be exposed to my enemies,” Ce-loo-me explains. “We must proceed faster and retrieve the last missing pieces of the Cintamani.”
“Of course, my Queen. If I may, why do you allow her interact with them?” Droncur asks as he zooms in closer on the Earth hologram and the Lyr-an spaceships stationed around the island.
“She’s part of the prophecy,” the queen says with a seriousness that lets Droncur silently acknowledge the fact. Droncur has heard of the prophecy for centuries. The solemn words which bind the people of Lyr-a with the people of Earth. The fate of their planet is hinged on the arrival of the Warrior Princess and her marriage to the Dragon King.
“How
about Agartha?” Ce-loo-me wants to know.
“The Council won’t be of any trouble for us,” Droncur ensures her with his usual calm and cautious way of choosing the right words in front of his queen because he knows all too well how fast her mood can change from a peaceful ocean into a raging hurricane.
The queen has learnt to completely calm down over the years but there is still this broiling volcano inside her that threatens to burst out anytime she doesn’t get her way. Reflectively speaking, she is still a child, longing for the warmth and embrace of her dead parents.
Droncur has known the queen since she was a child and he served under the reign of her beloved parents. With their brutal murder during the Ori-on Wars, Droncur fled with Ce-loo-me to a distant and sparsely occupied galaxy in the Laniakea Supercluster, far away from any war, on a planet, inhabited by a benevolent reptilian like species called the Um-sharr, close to what Earthlings call dragons today, preparing the only heir for the return as the rightful queen of the Lyr-ans.
The Um-sharr had been secret friends of Ce-loo-me’s parents, the dead king and queen of Lyr-a. The reptilian species welcomed Droncur and the royal child even though no one was allowed into their territory. They were very protective of their planet and anyone that thinks to come as close as breaking the surface, is met with a large ball of fire, in all its fierceness.
Looking back, Princess Ce-loo-me was anything else but easy as a child. There has been not one day that she didn’t cry for her parents and as a result destroyed her surrounding with the growing, supernatural power she was gifted with. In her opinion, however, it felt like a burden she wanted to get rid of.
When there were usually five to ten royal teachers to train and prepare an heir for the destiny of leading an entire empire of Lyr-ans, there was now only one man to tame the ego and power of a lioness. A man with a strong will and the patience of a monk. No matter how many times little Ce-loo-me would protest against Droncur’s draconian teaching methods and try to escape the dirty hole he put her in to break her, she would eventually always come back to him and collapse in his fatherly arms, knowing that he loves her like his own daughter just as much, wanting only the best for her. Ce-loo-me was not easy to handle but Droncur knew what was at stake and he never for once regretted his decision. He had sworn to serve the royal family for life. The future of an advanced planet and other colonized subsidiaries laid on his shoulders. He had to make Ce-loo-me into a fighter and a ruler who would be loved, respected and feared by her people.