by A. R. Crebs
“His warning was serious.” Aria sniffled, turning to see the destruction behind her. A quick sigh of relief escaped her lips.
Dovian had merely managed to injure the humans but had destroyed the entire mechanical fleet, barely leaving any remains.
Aria felt Troy place a hand on her shoulder. She shivered beneath his touch and gave a whisper, “Just a warning….”
Another quake occurred; the tumultuous sound of creaking metal and groaning blended with thunderous rumbles. Aria and Troy spun around once again, looking to the giant water spigots that touched the sky. Each massive cylindrical spout began twisting and vibrating, ready to rupture. One far off in the distance burst, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water gushing back toward the earth, mixed with the sulfuric fire from the lower depths of the planet.
“Everybody move!” Aria screamed. She snatched up her helmet and placed it back on.
Waving and shouting, she and Troy called for the army’s retreat. In minutes, the whole lands would be flooding with water and molten lava.
“Aren!” she mentally called.
“On my way, ma’am,” the pilot responded. The thumping of the Hawk’s propellers was already nearing Aria’s ears.
Another explosion of noise sounded followed by a second. Two more spigots were destroyed, the water rushing toward the militants like massive tidal waves. Aria and Troy kept pushing their men back, telling them to evacuate. One after another, black ropes dropped from the sky from the reinforcements that were waiting on-call in case of an emergency such as this. A few of the carriers lowered to the ground, taking in multitudes of soldiers from both Feyette and Kovacevic’s armies. Aria and Troy each snagged their rope from Aren’s copter. The water was already hitting their feet as they were lifted into the air. Only a couple seconds later and the land below was full, swirling with muddy waves of blue and red and black. Trillions of units of military technology and weaponry were destroyed.
Amongst the crashing waves, a large chunk of debris caught Aria’s rope. Pushed by the fierce current, the enormous piece tugged at the cord, jolting her to the side. The Hawk revved as the weight pulled the aircraft.
“Aria!” Troy shouted as he reached out for her.
“Shit!” the woman cursed aloud, her hands slipping.
Troy clipped himself to his rope, lowered, and snatched the woman’s waist, pulling her toward him.
“Hold onto me!” he shouted.
Aria grabbed Troy’s cord, buckled herself securely, and wrapped her legs around his waist for extra measure. With one swipe, Troy drew out his military knife and cut through Aria’s cable, finally freeing the Hawk. Aren overcompensated, and the copter violently shifted in the opposite direction, pulling Aria and Troy quickly behind. The swift tug jolted the couple, and Troy’s buckle snapped. Detached, the man dropped, his hands gripping Aria’s legs.
“Holy shit!” Aria groaned, locking her ankles around him.
“Damn cheap Bio-Tech merchandise!” Troy groaned, maintaining his death-grip on the woman’s legs.
Beneath them, the Amazonian desert became an ocean; wild rapids and churning riptides swirled with deadly debris of broken metal and sizzling molten rock. Aria gripped her belt’s nodules, starting up the fast-gear. With a buzzing whine, Aria and Troy sped up into the Hawk. The two clumsily fell inside, tripping over one another as they tried to untangle themselves from the ropes. Once free, Troy leaned out the side, looking at the chaos below. The sky was full of multiple silhouettes of fighter jets and hawks alike. It appeared that most of the men were able to get out before things got too messy, but as Troy squinted at the water below, a hard line set on his face. There were bodies floating and banging against the sharp debris.
“Well, there goes our water supply,” he grumbled.
“Hopefully it’s not completely destroyed,” Aria matched his tone.
“Everyone alright?” Aren’s voice called out.
“Peachy,” Aria puffed, giving a wave to the pilot as she dropped into one of the chairs.
“You know…I never really got that expression,” Troy said, plopping into the seat beside her.
Aria watched him a moment. His posture was lax, drooping in the chair. The armor looked heavy, and the way his helmeted head sagged, Troy looked exhausted. He took a deep breath, his hand resting against his chest.
“You feeling okay?” she asked.
Troy straightened up. “Yeah. Peachy.” He gave her a thumbs-up.
Aria leaned forward pointing at him. “How’s your hip?”
“Fine,” he sassily replied.
“Troy,” she said in a motherly tone. She had a way with words where all she had to do was mention his name and the sound gave him a full lecture.
“Fiiiine-nuh.” He folded his arms.
“Your heart?” she asked.
Troy exhaled in exasperation. “Woman,” he growled.
“Hey, I just want to make sure you’re fit for action. If your heart can’t handle the stress or anxiety, I don’t want you out there,” she explained.
Troy suddenly stood, wiggling his fingers and waving his hands in the air. He did a strange twist with his hips and a small cha-cha dance. “Fine! I’m fine! Dexterity, flexibility, stamina…I feel fantastic despite nearly being killed by raging waters and molten lava!” He dropped into his seat again. “Groovy, ‘kay?”
Aria sulked in her chair, folding her arms this time. She didn’t believe him, but he was as bull-headed as she was. “Fine. But if you die on me on the battlefield, I’m going to give you so much hell.”
Troy gave a snort. “Like it’d matter; I’d be dead.”
Aria gave him an even glare through her helmet that he couldn’t see. “Dead or not, it’d matter, Troy.”
He frowned. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you know if I ever have a problem, but it’s no big deal. Really.”
He fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. He had to admit; things were a tad-bit weird between Aria and him since the events at Roma. She had been particularly moody, but also overly protective of him. He also had caught himself more than once touching and holding her when it would otherwise be unnecessary. But instead of shrugging him off as she usually did, she would reciprocate. Perhaps he was only now noticing their bond. They had grown up together, been partners since they were in their teens. But something else was up, and things were only getting more intense since their near-fatal departure from Ives. He shook his head. Obviously things would be different. Aria had a connection with Dovian. She was close to him and just like that; he betrayed them and left. As much as Aria wouldn’t admit it, Troy knew she had quickly taken a liking to the eccentric Sorcēarian. And as much as Troy didn’t necessarily approve of their short-lived relationship, Dovian was able to comfort Aria when he could not. That was probably what stung the most about the whole ordeal.
‘Stress. Stress and crazy female hormones,’ he reminded himself.
A beeping came from the vid com in the middle of the aircraft. Aria swiveled in her chair, pressing for the com to activate. With a flash, the screen appeared and revealed a split screen with both Feyette and Kovacevic’s faces.
“Good, yer alive,” Kovacevic sounded first.
“How are your men?” Aria asked.
“Haven’t been able to get an exact head count yet, but I estimated that I lost about fifty men,” the general from Saray grumbled.
Feyette’s dark eyes shifted between Aria and Troy. “I estimate a total of seventy.”
Kovacevic snorted. Feyette gave a glare, most likely directed at the other general.
“Sorry,” Kovacevic started, “it’s just…less than twenty-four hours ago, you were attacking my city.”
“Well, now we are a bit more even,” Feyette said in a flat tone.
Aria palmed her forehead. She forgot she was wearing a helmet and her armored hand made a loud clap when she smacked herself. “Can we just get past this? We have real enemies to deal with; we can’t be competing with each other.”
/> “Yes, ma’am,” Kovacevic and Feyette sounded at the same time.
“So…what in the hell do we do now?” Aria asked.
Kovacevic and Feyette fumbled for a solution, looking every which way as if the answer would come from thin air.
“Great,” she deadpanned. “Let’s just meet up in Fountains. Kovacevic, your men can stay in our facilities. We’ve lost so many, I’m sure there will be room enough. Feyette, I expect your men to get along well with our guests. We’re all humans here, fighting for the same rights.”
“The right to live!” Troy cheered, throwing his fist in the air.
Aria looked over her shoulder and glared at the man.
“I’ll put in a call to Clarke. We’ll be sure everything is prepared for all soldiers and that a hot meal will be ready. We’ve all been fighting nonstop for weeks. Let’s focus on boosting morale for the time being. Let the boys have some fun while we formulate a plan of action. Feyette, you will be giving us a full debriefing of everything. I want to know all about Walten and Sapphire’s negotiations, all about Camery’s work and his new devices he’s created.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Feyette nodded.
“Good. We’ll meet back at HQ. Call me when you’re ready, and we’ll meet at the President’s office,” Aria advised.
Troy waved his hand back and forth like a child in school.
“What?!” she snapped.
Troy slowly lowered his hand. “Um…President’s office was destroyed by Euclid, remember?”
Aria groaned. “Just call me when you’re set up, and we’ll meet in the cafeteria or something! We’ll play it by ear!”
“Yes, ma’am,” both Kovacevic and Feyette agreed.
With a beep, the screen dissipated. Aria spun in her chair. Her posture gave away everything. She was glaring at Troy, and he was smiling back.
“You’re a goddamn child,” she growled.
"Colossus"
Chapter 12
The zipping of traffic lights was hypnotic. The trails of yellow blended with the shimmering flashes of neon lights throughout the expanse of the city. Aria’s eyes were set on the landscape though focused on nothing. The scene was a blurry haze of colors, a smudged canvas. Despite the chaos of her life and the events that had occurred over the past month, humanity carried on as if nothing had happened. The fast-food joint on the corner was still selling cheap greasy burgers. Tiny mobile shops scattered to their various locations, knocking on windows and making their sales. A bike would sporadically speed by–either a civilian enjoying the crisp, chill air of the mild winter or a pizza delivery man on a mission with a stack of boxes. Even the parks were occupied with chatting couples and during the day were full of laughing children. No one had any idea what was going on. If they did, they surely didn’t care.
Bio-Tech will handle it. Bio-Tech always handled everything, even in the roughest of times. Too much trust was placed in the hands of the corporations. So much that the corporations themselves had become the enemy, the ones who invited the evil into the world. Aria wasn’t entirely surprised. She knew something would happen someday, just not necessarily to the extent that it had.
Sighing, the woman lifted her mug of coffee to her lips, sipping the brew. She couldn't help but think of the chipper Ivory. Aria didn’t think she would ever have a cup of coffee without thinking about the other woman and her addiction to the caffeine. It made her gloomy. Why should she care? She hadn’t known Ivory and Dovian for long. If anything did happen to the two, why should it bother her so much? Sure, they had spent nearly every minute of every day together in the short time they had known each other, but had she really grown so attached to them? Aria never got attached to people. Well, except for her Team Phoenix, but that was a given. They were partners; they were in it for life. Even though Aria and Troy rarely did missions together with their initial team anymore, they still met up occasionally for cheap Chinese food and beer. But this felt a bit different. Ivory seemed like a lifelong friend, like a sister. And Dovian…well, Aria felt close to Dovian, too.
She eyed the two pink boxes on her countertop that once held the chocolate truffles from Saray. One of the boxes was shared between the four, the other a “get well” gift from Dovian while she was in the hospital. Was he only toying with her, or was he trying to tell her something? Did he have a plan, or was he actually falling in line with Sapphire’s orders? Would Dovian take part in humanity’s annihilation? Did he even care about Aria and Troy?
“Not going to make a damn difference in the end…” she grumbled into her mug.
Taking another slow sip, she didn’t flinch when she heard the familiar beep at her front door followed by the sound of the door sliding open and closing quietly. Aria only risked a glance at the silhouette that entered her dark apartment. She stayed at her table beneath the dim glow of the kitchen light, moving her attention back to the outside world. Rotating the second mug across from her, she handed it over to her guest.
“Was expecting me?” Troy asked, accepting the mug.
“I just wanted to be prepared. I know you like to be alone after missions, but I had a feeling you’d show up,” she simply stated.
She eyed the man. He was dressed in civilian clothing for a change. Instead of his typical black military trench, he was wearing his dark leather jacket. With it, he wore a basic t-shirt and jeans. After weeks of nonstop fighting, Troy’s beard had grown out a bit, but she noticed he finally took the time to groom himself. Despite the clean look, he appeared exhausted.
“Know me well, eh?” he scoffed, tapping his fingers against the porcelain.
Troy turned and sifted through Aria’s cupboard, pulling out a small packet of caramel powder. There was one thing Aria would never learn about Troy, and that was how he liked his coffee. Nearly every day he drank it differently. Sometimes he wanted it black, other times with hot cocoa, occasionally with caramel, and now and then with only sugar or milk. Once he had put whipped cream into the brew, and more than a few times she had seen him use the soft serve machine in the cafeteria to mix things up. Aria figured it was his daily use of creativity. While she enjoyed the occasional painting, Troy enjoyed creating strange concoctions with his morning drink.
After pouring the powder into his mug, he snagged a cookie from one of her jars and dropped into a metal chair across from her. “You always have the best stuff…” he hummed as he dunked the treat and shoved it into his mouth.
“Gotta fatten you up somehow,” she muttered, watching him.
They sat for a while in silence. Aria cocked her head to the side, bringing her attention to the cars that flew by in the night. It was like the times Gavin would visit her. Of course, she and Troy had hung out alone countless times before in her apartment, but the visits were usually loud, rambunctious, and often involved alcohol rather than coffee. Now he seemed quiet and slightly disheartened compared to his usual obnoxious self. Despite the change in Troy’s behavior, Aria felt at ease in his presence. In fact, she was pleased to share a quiet moment with the man. Life had been a rollercoaster, and she was ready to get off.
“You often do this?” he asked.
Aria darted her stare to the man. She shrugged. “Hmm, I guess so.”
“It’s so quiet…and dark.” He looked over his shoulder. “You like this lonely atmosphere?”
She inspected her surroundings, giving a little nod. “Yeah. It’s peaceful. No noise, no chaos, no violence. Just quiet and everyday life.”
Troy twisted his gaze back out the window. An advertisement for beer popped up on the glass before him. He frowned and canceled it out.
“I hate those things,” she complained. “Supposed to stay in the corners of the windows but have been popping up everywhere lately. I’ve also been receiving these weird static streaks sometimes that distort the view.” Just as she said it, the window flickered.
“Disturbance, huh?” Troy touched the glass. Deep in thought, he wrinkled his brow.
“I thought it was jus
t our building, you know, because of the attack, but then I noticed it happens all over the city, too.” She pointed a finger in the direction of one of the neighboring conglomerates. From the top to bottom the whole building flickered.
“Weird.” Troy watched with interest. The entire city seemed to give an occasional shiver.
“The lights sometimes flicker, too. I can only assume it has to do with Sapphire and her meddling with the dimensional planes. I wonder if there have been a lot of static frequencies disrupting any other mechanical feeds.”
“Would make sense.” Troy gulped his coffee.
Aria stared into her cup, mesmerized by the swirls. Troy drank again, eyeing her curiously.
“You alright?” he asked.
Aria gave a hum, looking to him.
“You’ve seemed spacey lately.” He waved a hand around his head.
“Oh…haven’t noticed. Perhaps.”
“You also look a bit pale. You feeling alright?” he pried.
She twisted her expression. “Yeah. Maybe just a little tired. Been having trouble sleeping.” As if being reminded, she gave a loud yawn.
“Maybe you should go to bed instead of drinking coffee all night long.”
“I can’t sleep. I toss and turn all night. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get comfortable. One minute I’m cold, the next I’m hot. If I do fall asleep, I have strange dreams.”
Troy leaned forward. “Also noticed you’re not eating much.”
“Not been hungry. I mean, I get hungry, but everything makes me nauseous. I think I’m just stressed the hell out, ya know?” She shook her head. “Haven’t felt like this since the False Syndicate.”
“Same here. Worse even. Eh, I can’t sleep either. It’s just…I handle it better than you do.” He swirled his mug. “Stress I mean.”
“Handle it better?” she snapped. “What do you mean you handle it better?”
Troy gave a loud laugh. “You’re a stress ball! A little black furry ball of stress that growls and bites!” he exclaimed. “You’re a frail little thing and stress doesn’t help.”