by A. R. Crebs
The soldiers jumped out not much later than the skids landed in the plains. Spoofy and the others marched through the tall grass up to the damaged door of the worn cottage. Pressing against the side of the building, she held up her fingers, counting. One, two, three. Monkey put all of his weight into a kick against the door, sending the piece shattering to the floor. They all darted in, taking tactical positions with their weapons aimed. Checking out the destroyed front room, their flashlights beamed against broken furniture. Despite the home being tattered and rundown, it seemed a bit cozy. Carefully stepping over chunks of crumbled stone and splintered wood, they moved toward the back of the house. Spoofy halted near one of the bedrooms. She spun quickly around the corner, her flashlight illuminating the room.
“HA!” Spoofy blurted a laugh. Aiming her light from corner to corner, she caught sight of exactly who she was looking for. “Did I just see Troy’s ass?!” she cackled.
Aria appeared only momentarily frightened before her face fell into its usual cantankerous form. She finished buttoning her pants and pulled up the straps of her bra while Troy shimmied into his trousers, nearly tripping over his boots. The team shared some enthused laughs, pleased to find the rest of their team safe and in one piece and humored at finding them in the middle of an intimate moment.
“Ever hear of knocking?” Troy yelled, dropping sideways onto the bed as he laced up a boot.
“Well…I kinda knocked,” Monkey replied.
“Sounds like you burst through the door. We thought you were the enemy,” Aria spoke up, tugging her torn shirt over her head.
“Speaking of enemy, what in the hell happened to you?” Spoofy asked. “We thought you were severely injured…possibly dead.”
“That’s a long story.” Aria threw Troy his shirt, the article smacking him in the face.
“You knew the enemy was out there, and you two were in here doin’ the naked dance?” Zombie drawled.
Aria and Troy fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Well…ya know…if you’re gonna die, better go out with a smile!” Troy laughed, giving a half-assed salute. Aria casually shoved him to the side.
“Yeah, well…while you two were having your fun, you forgot about someone.” Kaino joined the conversation. He was dragging Aren with him.
Aria and Troy’s faces both held looks of horror.
“Aren?!” Aria cried out, running toward the young pilot. She squeezed between Spoofy and the doorframe and gripped the pilot's face. “You’re alive? How? The whole front of the Hawk was smashed in! How did you survive?”
Aren looked a bit disgruntled. “You survived, didn’t you? Not even a scratch on you. Reinforced cage, ma’am. Don’t you know a thing about those copters?”
Aria hugged him, suddenly feeling a bit motherly. “I’m so sorry! The androids…they said you were dead! Troy and I…we….” Aria felt horrible. They didn’t even check the wreckage.
Troy stepped up. “I’m sorry, Aren. I heard it, too. The enemy had confirmed your death."
Aren wobbled slightly against Kaino. "The graphene cage and electrostatic would have blocked any data reads on my life signs. But I understand, I suppose." He gave a weak smile. "It's a miracle I survived, but what happened to you guys? You should be messed up, but you look fine."
Troy shook his head, frowning. "They drug us from the wreckage and shot us. Left us in the desert to die. When I awoke, Aria was passed out. I grabbed her and took her here to safety. I was in panic mode.”
“Shot you?” Spoofy asked.
Aria nodded. “Like I said, long story. I’ll explain on the way out of here. We’ve got to leave now! Sapphire and the others no doubt detected you. They could already be outside waiting for us.” Turning to Aren again, she directed his eyes to hers. He didn’t look too good. “Aren, stay with me for just a few more minutes, okay? I’ll get you patched up in no time. Let’s get to the Hawk!”
Aria stayed in the middle of the formation. Having no weapon, she let Spoofy take the lead. Rushing to the front of the building, it was a relief to find no monsters were in sight, but Nerd was waving frantically from his pilot’s seat. That meant bad news was coming. The entire team rushed out the small home. They quickly filed into the Hawk, Aria signaling Nerd to take off.
“We’ve got a whole army of blips on the radar! They’re nearin' fast! We’ve got to get out of here!” Nerd shouted.
The doors nearly closed in on Kaino and Aren as the Hawk pulled into the air. A moment later, the craft jolted into jet mode.
“Hold on tight! Looks like those storms are back! May be in for some turbulence!” Nerd warned.
Kaino laid Aren on the floor. The boy was pale-white; his hair was wet and stuck to the sides of his face. Aria took her gaze to the window, staring at the billowing thunderheads that warped around the jet. Her brow furrowed, and she looked to Troy. He was watching, too.
“Cover?” he asked.
Aria nodded. “Dovian’s watching.” She gave a laugh of disbelief. “He’s providing cover!”
Troy rubbed the back of his head. “I wish he would let us in on his plan.”
“How in the hell did you run into a sorcerer anyway?” Spoofy asked.
“Sorcēarian,” Aria corrected. Spoofy shrugged sarcastically, and Aria met her gesture. “Yeah, basically the same thing. I’ll explain everything in a moment. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.” Her tense gaze dropped to Aren. He was shivering as his body went into shock. His vitals log was reading critical; he had lost too much blood. “I’ve got to help him first.”
Aria slid to her knees, grabbing Aren’s hand. “Look up at me, Aren.” She pointed to her eyes. “Breathe nice and slow.”
“What are you going to do?” Kaino asked.
He sifted through his bag, looking for an IV and some nanomites. Aren had an infection and possibly tetanus. Kaino could administer the nanomites to fight the infection that would filter the blood and fight the bacteria, but the machines wouldn’t replenish the blood he had lost. The plasmabots were all gone; the case had been smashed during battle a few days before.
“I’m going to try to heal him.” Aria pulled off her leather gloves.
“What? With your bare hands?” Kaino incredulously asked.
“That’s right,” Aria said, biting her lower lip. She eased the bandages away and grimaced at the sight. Aren was burnt, but a lot of the infection was still trapped in his shoulder. “Jesus, Franklin did a bang-up job.” Her sarcasm wasn’t soothing to Aren.
Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. “I…I’m gonna die, aren’t I?” Thoughts of Fiona crowded his mind, and Aria could see them all.
“No. I’m going to fix you,” she whispered.
A gasping laugh sounded from the young man. “You’re not Dovian.”
Aria swallowed hard, placing her hands against the wound. She closed her eyes and began to mumble quietly.
“This is ridiculous! Troy! Has she lost her mind?” Kaino asked, prepping the IV. “Aria….God, woman. Move over and let me do my best, alright?”
Aria opened her eyes, green light shimmering from her pupils. Kaino’s jaw dropped as goosebumps covered his skin. The large man slid backward, giving the woman room to work.
“I’ve already lost Gavin! I’m not losing Aren, too!” she yelled.
“Just let her work,” Troy snapped.
Kaino sat back on his heels, watching Aria work her magic. Blue light flooded from her hands, and her whispering rose in volume, revealing a foreign language.
“What kind of voodoo is this?” Zombie muttered, staring intently at the black-haired woman.
“What happened to Gavin?” Spoofy whispered, nudging Troy.
Troy hung his head. “Damn it. You don’t know?” he grumbled.
The other men all shook their heads. Aria made a choking noise, but she continued with her odd chants, light flooding over Aren’s body.
“Gavin’s dead, you guys,” Troy spat out the words.
There was no g
entle way of telling the others. Gavin had been their pilot for many years. He helped get them through the False Syndicate War. He was their savior many times over. The only reason Nerd learned to pilot was in cases where Phoenix got separated from their leaders. Gavin was Aria and Troy’s personal pilot for their sub-missions. If Gavin wasn’t with Aria and Troy, then he was with Phoenix.
“What? What do you mean? Gavin’s…dead?” Monkey’s face fell, his mouth hanging open.
Spoofy watched the other woman patch up Aren. She was Aria’s best friend, the only person that Aria opened up to. Spoofy knew about Aria’s relationship with Gavin. Really, the whole team had an inkling that something was going on, but the other female knew all the details.
“Shit,” Spoofy ground her teeth together.
“I’m guessin’ that happened when we were in the dark.” Zombie momentarily removed his cowboy hat and bowed his head.
Kaino shook his head. “I liked that guy.”
“Did I just freakin’ hear you correctly?” Nerd called out over his shoulder.
Troy closed his eyes. “You heard me!”
“Christ!” Nerd cried. “What in the hell happened?”
“Will you shut up?!” Aria screamed. “I can’t concentrate!”
Troy held up his hand, silencing the team.
Everyone pursed their lips tightly, leaning forward in their seats to watch Aria work. Finally, her expression relaxed. Within seconds, Aren’s complexion was full of color. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide, staring at Aria as if she were a ghost.
“What…what did you do to me?” Aren gaped at her.
Aria finally pulled her hands away. Instead of the massive burns and the ragged hole, the skin was now unblemished. Aren’s upper chest appeared to be perfectly fine. He slowly ran his fingers across his chest and shoulder, shivering beneath his own touch. The fever was gone; the chills were no longer causing his body to quake, and he didn’t feel nauseous. In fact, he felt great.
Kaino jumped back, hitting the wall of the craft. “Holy sweet baby Jesus!” he stammered.
Zombie gave a boisterous laugh, slapping his hands together. “Cheese an’ rice! You shittin’ me?”
Monkey leaned further forward, his mouth widening enough for a strand of drool to drop out. “Holy tamale.”
“The crap did you just do and how?” Spoofy asked, her eyebrows rising to unspeakable heights.
Aria stood up, reaching down for Aren. He gratefully accepted her hand, and she effortlessly tugged him to his feet. Slipping on her gloves, she gave a sheepish smile. Franklin squealed with delight and fled to the young pilot, scanning his body and confirming that all was healed.
“I fixed him,” Aria stated.
“You just pulled a messiah!” Kaino sputtered.
Kaino’s family was spiritual in all aspects. Kaino’s beliefs extended over all religions and lifestyles. He respected everyone’s views and thought anything and everything existed as one. Needless to say, he was terribly superstitious and took all things religious seriously. In fact, he was nearly afraid of anything that seemed paranormal. Kaino kept a safe distance away from Aria, watching her as she secured herself into her seat.
She rolled her eyes at the medic. “Sit your ass down, Kaino. I’m not going to bite.”
Spoofy pointed at the other woman. “Okay, missy! Speak up! You’ve got shit-tons of explaining to do!”
Everyone gathered their attention on Aria, looking like children waiting for a campfire story.
Aria held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll start from the very beginning.”
"Search And Rescue"
Chapter 17
Aria cringed at every cutting word that exploded from James Clarke’s vocals. It was the angriest she had seen him in many, many years and rightfully so. She hadn’t told him, Feyette, or Kovacevic of her plans to go to Ives to bring back Dovian and Ivory. Instead, she made the call and took Troy and Aren with her without the older man’s permission. The woman stood rigidly with her nose wrinkled and her teeth clenched together. Clarke’s mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear his words as much as she felt them. He was insufferably irate, frightened, and relieved all at once, the emotions twisting around him like a hurricane. Of course, she knew that this would happen, but it was better to have tried than not tried at all. Dovian and Ivory were worth a shot…even though the stunt had nearly gotten her and her teammates killed.
‘Damn it, Aria! You’re still my little girl!’ Clarke’s thoughts drifted as he calmed himself, his palms pressing against his desk.
Aria chewed on the side of her lip, eyeing the President cautiously. Was this what it was like to be a Sorcēarian? It was a bit overwhelming being able to hear, feel, and read people’s thoughts and emotions. As soon as she was beginning to pity the man, he started back up, shouting again. Aria’s back straightened as she took in the words once more. Grayson stood behind Clarke, as emotionless as ever. Feyette and Kovacevic were at a side table, timidly placing cards down in their poker game, their eyes shifting around the room. Behind Aria was the rest of her squad. Troy was seated in a leather chair, his hand rubbing his forehead. The rest of Team Phoenix was standing at attention with their hands clenched tight and their faces crinkled from the force of the President’s volume. Now and then Bridgette and Franklin would chime in, squealing and twisting to look at the group. Aren and Nerd struggled to maintain their silence.
“I just wish I knew why you would do something so asinine.” Clarke finally eased his vehement tone.
“I knew I couldn’t tell you because you wouldn’t have let us go,” Aria spouted.
“Because I would have known that something like this would have happened! You should be dead, Aria!” he scolded.
The woman scratched her shoulder, staring off to the side. “Well…we brought back Team Phoenix!”
Clarke did not look amused.
“They had no communications with the outside world! If it weren't for the SOS beacon, they wouldn’t have known to come to us. Ives was the only continent close enough for their sensors to pick up.” Aria fidgeted uncomfortably in her place.
Spoofy spoke up. “Right! It’s a good thing we were at the Britainia Congo; no one else would have been able to rescue them in time. Coincidence?”
Clarke ran his hands over his face. “Could have simply gotten all of you killed. If she had just stayed put in her apartment, you all could have made your trip safely home without any issue.”
Aria pouted, glaring at Clarke.
“It was a wasted trip, Aria. We could have been formulating a plan this whole time. Now we are a day behind,” he rebuked.
Aria folded her arms. “You couldn’t make plans while I was gone? You really need me here to plan everything for you? Guess that game of poker is really important.” She eyed Kovacevic and Feyette. The men stopped mid-play, gawking at her nervously.
“Don’t try to push the attention on someone else, young lady.” Clarke pointed accusingly at her. “We’ve made plans. Kovacevic’s men are in the process of securing the site at the Amazonian desert to repair the broken spigots. Solar radiation has risen tenfold since the accident. Feyette’s men have been in communications with the other militaries. They are currently comparing tactical notes. So while you were out on your search and rescue mission, we’ve been diligently at work trying to secure the future of the human race!”
Aria growled in irritation, turning away from the man.
Troy slowly raised his hand. “Hey,” he mumbled.
Clarke glared at the man. He wasn’t too pleased with Troy either. The President had entrusted the man with the safety of Aria, yet Troy always seemed to support her decision to get caught in dangerous situations.
“Any recent attacks in our area?” Troy asked.
Clarke was taken aback by his question. “I, uh, we…no, actually. The entire day was quiet within our region as far as I know.”
Troy waved dismissively. “Guess we provided quite the dist
raction for the enemy, huh?”
Clarke’s face turned red in anger. Aria spun, looking amused.
“Seems Sapphire’s afraid of us! We kept her attention the whole time we were on Ives,” she smugly stated.
Clarke puffed out his held in breath and dropped into his chair. “Where have I lost control? I no longer have a company…just an army of undisciplined renegades.”
“Seriously, though.” Troy rose from his chair. “Sapphire thinks Aria and I are a threat. Once she figures out we are no longer on Ives, let alone still alive, she’s going to flip out. She’s going to stop at nothing to take Aria and I down.”
Aria nodded. “He’s right. Everything she directs at us, we deflect. It’s got to be infuriating to her.”
Clarke finally agreed with the situation, nodding. “So, what do you propose we do?”
“Make for a final stand. Sapphire has an ego. If we challenge her and call all the shots, she’s most likely to take the bait. We will have a war on our terms. We pick the location of the final battle, and that will give us the opportunity to have the upper hand for once,” Aria suggested. “We can announce that we’re still alive and call her out during a live feed across the world. You know she’ll see it. That’s when we will lay out the terms. If we list a time and day, I bet she’ll agree.”
“Aria, what makes you think she’ll play by the rules?” Clarke asked.
Aria smirked. “Because no game is fun when there aren’t any rules. Rules set guidelines. Guidelines are what makes winning great. Besides, Sapphire is a rule breaker. She’ll only have more fun if she gets to break the established rules. Whatever she is, she’s still got that childlike behavior. I’m betting she’d go for it. It’ll be too tempting for her to resist.”
“But what if she attacks us anyway? What’s stopping her from attacking now?” Monkey asked.
“As much as Sapphire won’t admit it, she does like games. She only likes them when they are in her favor, though. She could have killed Troy and I herself, but she wanted Dovian to do it. She wants to create a sensation of utter hopelessness. That’s why I think she’ll most likely play into our hands if we bring the war to us.” Aria enjoyed the surprised protests around her.