Midnight Eclipse

by Kalverya Johansson

  Gothalia silently observed the interaction, Kronos stored the images away and recorded the audio. “I see you’ve found your next victim.” Gothalia uttered. The blond-haired woman thanked her and parted leaving the café with a silver brief case. An hour later, after a coffee the Xzandian vacated the premises.

  Gothalia climbed to her feet and Kronos recommended the appropriate root only to stop and warn of her a sudden unexpected presence. Gothalia noticed heat at the corner of her eye and leaped back to avoid the first assault but not the second, as her pain screamed at her shoulder. The force threw her to the ground and on her side.

  An Xzandian soldier she hadn’t noticed stood armed with an alien rifle she’d seen Numitora wield. The barrel glowed a faded red searing with smoke. “There’s my proof,” she muttered, cradling her hot shoulder. Surprised it had affected her so badly.

  Gothalia battled the Xzandian, annoyed it was distracting her from the other Xzandian that was getting further and further away. The Xzandian she fought was, gripped from behind and not by her. Thick hands wrapped around the Xzandian’s throat and Gothalia noticed her aider had his back to the Xzandian. With a shift of his foot, he threw the Xzandian from Gothalia and away from them.

  She ran past the Excelian and launched herself at the Xzandian with her flames. An explosion ran out then peered over her shoulder, once the enemy was still, and eyed the red and black uniformed Excelian Centurion.

  “And who are you?” Gothalia probed, trying to decipher the stranger who concealed half his features with a head guard that connected every Centurion to their individual AI. Soon, her complete attention rested on the stranger.

  Before Gothalia could utter a single word, the man rushed towards her and the Xzandian’s fist struck Gothalia’s jaw with its foot in a single motion and climbed to its feet. Gothalia stumble away, surprised by the attack.

  Gothalia recovered and disarmed the Xzandian before kicking them away. “Wait,” he said, before Gothalia could use her flames to deliver the final blow.

  “Why are you stopping me?” Gothalia asked, tension evident in her voice as her eyes narrowed on the stranger. Eagerly, he returned her glare.

  Gothalia turned her hostile gaze from the man and to the Xzandian prior to his hand lighting up with electricity shoving it into the chest of the Xzandian. The alien trembled than stopped. “Aw, you wanted to finish him—cute.” Gothalia mocked and his gaze narrowed on her.

  “That is not it.” he informed, Gothalia’s attention on him once more.

  “You sound just like L’Eiron.” Then her eyes fell on the rank on his uniform Colonel than the crest below it of the Dragon Core unit. Then in that moment, she feared she’d be reprimanded. He moved over to the Xzandian body and turned it over. On its back was a fragment just like the one Arthur had shown her.

  “Isn’t that...” Gothalia began.

  “It is none of your concern, Lieutenant. You’re dismissed.” He’d taken the relic from the Xzandian and clipped it to his waist, latching onto his utility belt. Gothalia, remained where she was, shocked by the amount of power he possessed. Even, if the headpiece had concealed his upper face from a far.

  As close as he was, she saw golden eyes staring back at her. Taken back by the command, Gothalia watched as he turned away from her and left. Is he that man from before? Surely not, she thought staring after him a little longer before turning her back on her thoughts and him.

  Then, she returned to the Fire Reserve later that evening to inform the Commander of the Dragon Core unit of her partial success. Argos hadn’t been too thrilled, about the Xzandian contacting a Human woman. He’d informed Gothalia that the trackers would watch her carefully and that the Hunters will be perusing the Xzandian that had escaped.

  Regardless of his reassurances, something hadn’t sat too well with Gothalia and she wasn’t sure what. She was convinced there was more to their interaction and she knew Argos agreed but refused to allow such thoughts to reach his lips.

  So, after curfew. Gothalia snuck into the Cetatea then into Arthur’s office, searching for answers. He’d had left her a clue in her room almost as if he knew she’d been asking questions or rather searching for answers to those questions.

  She’d searched his documentation on the fragments, and it had been everything he had told her of including on theories on their apparent appearances, enough so it had made her grateful she’d allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

  In his notes he had implied that Xzandians contacted Humans who’d be willing to give them information on the fragments in exchange for alien weapons.

  Gothalia’s heart sank. “No.” she whispered with sudden shock, the shadows of the carved the surprise in her cheekbones and jaw. As quickly as the shock prevailed, she tucked a map of whereat the fragments would be. The City of Darwin was circled in red than marked with and equally red cross. She vacated Arthur’s office, “I’ll return the map but I’m borrowing it for now.”

  She moved to the Artillery and Combat Section and passed Arthur’s work station and to the transportation platform. Climbing the silver crystal steps with determination, she punched in the coordinates and a timer before stepping onto the platform.

  Her eyes lingered over the balcony opposite her where Arthur’s workstation was. Peering into the darkness, “is that a person?” she questioned before she could step off the platform. She vanished from the room and reappeared in the streets of Moscow.

  “Kronos. Did you get that?” Gothalia asked.

  “I did. There was another person—the vitals signals confirm it.”

  “We have to go back.”

  “Yes, we do but you can’t go anywhere until the light beam picks up from the position you set up, after about say an hour or two.” Gothalia didn’t speak and pulled out the map. She didn’t argue with Kronos nor reply to his sarcasm. Instead, she walked the streets of Moscow.

  Searching for the cafe she’d watched the other night then worked from there, to where she had encountered the Xzandian and that man who was familiar. The more she thought about him, the more she began to recognise the familiarity except she couldn’t determine who he was. Her gloved fingers traced the stone beneath her fingers, searching for something her eye couldn’t make out alone. “What are you looking for?” Kronos asked in her ear.

  “Something… that I know should have been left behind from that night.” Gothalia responded refusing to elaborate any further as her mind ran with all the countless possibilities and her recollection of that night.

  Her eyes fell on the dry blood on the ground. It was red. “Isn’t that the blood from the Xzandian?” Kronos wondered.

  “It is.” Gothalia said, recalling how her unexpected comrade stabbed the alien. Her eyes lingered over the blood. “It’s red.”

  “An unusual, sight.”

  “That it is.” She scanned the café and demanded for Kronos to playback the footage. Their conversation played over and over again in her ears and the voice of the woman aloof but amused. “It’s almost like they’re not really aliens…”

  “Than that would throw every known scientific theory on its head I’m sure.” Kronos replied. There was a sarcasm to his tone that often occurred on such topics. Gothalia didn’t pay it much mind and kneeled once more. Kronos began to take photos of that which remained, including the scars of their battle on the roof.

  Her eyes fell on the café. “Play the video of before she walked into the café.” Kronos did. Her eyes narrowed under her headpiece, the glass plate covering her features showed the image. Than ordered Kronos to pause it. “What do you see?”

  “The Xzandian changing his appearance and a shield on the briefcase it held.” Kronos replied. “Which will lead us back to whoever provided that briefcase. And…”

  “More information on who we’re dealing with.”

  “That seems to simple.” Kronos answered.

  “It doesn’t matter analyse it. Where are you—” he asked her than stopped once she leaped fro
m the roof they were on and to the one across the street. “—going?” Than she was in the same spot the Xzandian had been but on the roof. She scanned the street below. “You could have been a little more discreet about that.” As she ignored Krono’s comment, the streetlights didn’t portray signs of people. Instead, it was vacant and silent.

  She dropped to the ground below. Her black combat uniform outlined her strong body beneath the streetlights. She scanned the alleyway then strode to the spot where she’d been him last. Her mind running with all the possibilities of where he had come from but all she knew was that video recording had told her more than she needed.

  The shield of where the briefcase was from and that half of his ankles were missing. She knew it had nothing to do with the camera angles but rather the way the Earth moulded around his, or rather her feet. They spent the rest of the evening going over the spot and hacking street cameras. Until, it was time to leave.

  When Gothalia arrived back at the Cetatea on the transportation platform. She stared at the balcony above where she had seen a figure shifting in the darkness. “My lady that person may still be here.” Kronos warned.

  “I know.” She strode off the platform and passed the armoured vehicles or average mission vehicles before climbing the stairs that lead up to the balcony. She felt the danger in the air, but she pressed forward, unaware of eyes watching her and quickly vanishing out of the room.

  It was when she noticed a shifting shadow in the corner of her vision leaving the room. She followed after. Cladded in black the person ran down the halls and around corners.

  The Cetatea was quiet and only the evening guards on their shifts walked the silent fortress. Gothalia concealed herself in the shadows and out of sight, relentlessly pursuing the target she noticed climbed the opposite wall. Across form the courtyard, behind a pillar she observed the intruder climb into the window where the guard was and before her eyes, he fell to the intruders’ blade.

  “That’s an assassin,” she whispered. “Krono’s give me a layout of the room. Including all vitals within twenty meters.” Kronos did as she requested. Surprise, ensued Gothalia when heat signatures of the guards slowly dropping off here and there. Quickly, she chased after the man and avoided the guards. If she could not avoid them, struck them down but carefully placing them on the ground before working to pursue to the enemy.

  She pursued the target and recognised he was heading in one direction. “My lady, he’s on his way to Dragon Core. You need to stop him. Argos hasn’t signed out yet.”

  Gothalia cursed at the news. “Of all the times to stay back late Argos why tonight!” Gothalia turned down a hall that lead into the open courtyard. Climbing to the second balcony she cut across the twisting turns below and to another courtyard that led to the Dragon Core’s building.

  Then she saw the assassin on the far side of the building. Scaling the old architecture with ease.

  10

  T

  HE WOMAN SHRED THE MACHINE, WITH EASE.

  She removed the limbs then threw separate pieces of the robot’s body onto the nearby but abandoned buildings.

  She wrenched from within the large metal armour. A silver human figure by the neck, he struggled to be free of her grip but soon became limp when he’d heard the sound of snapping bone. He knew, she crushed his throat without much effort.

  Not before long, dark her eyes settled on Noel-Len.

  The woman vanished from in front of the deceased alien body and into a cloud of black smoke. “Where did she go?” Caprice calmly questioned but when Noel-Len and Michael looked over. They acknowledged she was far from calm.

  Moments later, Noel-Len’s window echoed the knock of Anaphora’s knuckles against the glass. Noel-Len and Michael regarded the super-woman beside the car with merited trepidation and Noel-Len rolled down the window. The woman patiently paused watching the window to descend into the door before declaring, “There’s no further reason to continue down this road.”

  “Why?” Michael asked. Noel-Len glared at his friend.

  The woman’s dark eyes drifted to Michael. silently, he felt his spine shudder under her gaze. “There are more of those,” she said pointing to the mechanical monster on the side of the road. “If you value your lives. Then, I suggest you take my advice. If not, well ... it was nice knowing you.” Noel-Len swallowed, his face slid into a hard expression, as her words sunk in.

  “We need to go that way,” Noel-Len managed, a few seconds later.

  The woman remained silent for a moment, “Do you now?”

  “Yes,” Michael added. The woman raised a brow at his vulgar tone, Noel-Len felt the agitation rise within the woman and Noel-Len knew if she wanted to murder Michael for his disrespect, she will. After all, he was close. Noel-Len recognised the antagonism in her eyes, and he knew Michael held her gaze almost asking for a broken neck.

  The woman, amused by Michael’s attempt at intimidation turned away from the car, “By all means. Do as you please.” With those words, she disappeared leaving a cloud of smoke behind. Noel-Len shot Michael a warning glare.

  “Try not to piss her off.” Noel-Len managed as he shifted the car into gear before heading down the road, whilst avoiding potholes and other obstructions in the road. “Or you’ll end up like that robot.” Noel-Len felt Michael lean away from between the front seats. Noel-Len glanced at the rear-view mirror, recognising anger lining Michael’s face while Mike tried to comfort him.

  By the time, Noel-Len and Michael returned to the Barracks their car was ruined. Their journey to the base didn’t leave them without having to dodge the robots and armoured aliens alike. All of which, Caprice remained unconscious to until now as she asked, “Where are we?”

  She noticed the sundry armed vehicles shipping heavily equipped soldiers and deadly weaponry. The skies overhead, shouted at the citizens below, a memento of the battle in their skies waging war over Darwin.

  “The Barracks.” Michael answered.

  Silently, Caprice felt the car halt before the red and white security beam. A security guard cladded in the same dirty green-brown khaki uniform that Noel-Len and Michael wore. “I’ll be needing an ID from the young woman. The two of you will need to disclose your identification number.”

  Caprice handed Noel-Len her driver’s licence while Michael and Noel-Len exposed their Service Number. “You’re free to enter. Report to your allocated units. The civilian and your ... canine will need to report to the main office.” Noel-Len nodded, surprised that he allowed Mike to enter the base and guided the car through the Barracks and to the Main office. Pulling up, Noel-Len noticed the other soldiers move from one part of the base to the other while Officers provided the next orders.

  Caprice, Noel-Len and Michael climbed out of the car while Noel-Len called for Mike and ordered the dog to stay outside. Caprice, Michael and Noel-Len headed to the reception desk.

  A large line of civilians gathered in the office, no doubt family members of the other soldiers who were inquiring about what they were required to do. Noel-Len turned to Caprice, “You’ll need to show the lady behind the counter your ID and inform her that your father is a soldier. Call anyone you need to and tell them where you are.”

  “What if they don’t pick up?” Caprice asked, worried filled her eyes.

  “Keep trying,” Michael said and pulled out his phone. “We need to make sure our loved ones are safe.” Caprice nodded, and Michael placed the phone to his ear. Noel-Len heard the hysteric voice on the other line and Michael’s attempt at calming down that same person. Noel-Len knew it was without a doubt his mother with that notion, he knew he’d have to call his father. When Michael walked outside, Noel-Len felt Caprice’s trembling hands over his.

  “You have to go ... don’t you?” she asked, her eyes brimmed with tears. A loud bang ripped the skies overhead as they have been for the past twenty minutes. This one was particularly loud caused everyone to drop to the ground. Several covered their heads from the shock while the soldier
s lining the office watched the trembling walls hesitantly. Noel-Len viewed Caprice’s trembling frame, he saw the fear in her glassy eyes and the trembling that confirmed her fear. She fought to hold back the tears, but he knew that they’d eventually fall.

  “Caprice.” Noel-Len gently said, “Listen, you need to do everything you can to keep yourself safe and alive. Take Mike with you, wherever you go. He’s trained to listen.” At last, the tears fell, Caprice shook her head. Not entirely believing what she was hearing. She’d grown up in another country but had come to call this hot sticky place, home—now it was under siege and she feared for her life but feared more for Noel-Len.

  “Look at me,” he whispered, and Caprice forced her attention on him. “Can you do that?” Closing her eyes, relinquishing to the freshly spilt tears she nodded. “Good.” Noel-Len placed a soft lasting kiss on her forehead and stood. Caprice felt the pressure of his grip she never realised was enthralling hers as it began to slack before disappearing entirely. She watched him walk to the door. With one last lingering look at her, he vanished from sight.

  Caprice felt a warm hand over hers. Peering beside her, a middle-aged woman with straight brown hair pulled into a bun smiled reassuringly at her. The woman, crouched on the ground, as did everyone else while the thundering sounds of explosions rang over their heads, shaking the entire entity of the building.

  Soldiers that guarded the civilians, scanned the walls and ceiling with uncertainty. Even with her smile, the woman’s brown eyes mirrored Caprice’s angst. The stranger tightly squeezed her hand and it was in that moment she knew what the woman before her was trying to say, this gentle squeeze of her hand might be the last thing she’d ever feel again.

  When Noel-Len stepped outside.

  Knelt before his companion attempting to quell his fear, which he struggled with, as explosions of jets exploded above and drop pods landed fell to the soil.

  The pup bought back a memory, Noel-Len was surprised he didn’t forget. Michael held up the pup the day they’d visited his friend who worked at the animal shelter. That same day, Noel-Len had adopted pup however, Michael had bestowed his the rather uncanny name, he’d felt suited the dog. Regardless, of how many gentle pats Noel-Len bestowed, the dog was terrified not that he’d blame him.