Crimson Judgment

by Robert Lyons

  The communications channel exploded with higher-ups arguing whether or not to engage Zoe Arsenault as a threat. She appeared to be working in favor of the Chroma as she made her way over to the choppers to take out the medical officer. Some of the ground-force military personnel raised their rifles and lined the approaching young woman in their sights.

  “John…” Zoe sounded apologetic. “I disobeyed a direct order, and for that I accept the consequences.” The whirling of the helicopter was getting progressively louder as she walked closer. “I don’t want your forgiveness. I’m beyond that. All I ask is for you to understand.”

  Zoe’s trek to the chopper was stopped short, about thirty paces away from where she originally stood. Her posture was erect as she peered at the helicopters through the downpour. “My only justification for what I am about to do is that I made a promise. No else is going to die if it’s within my ability to stop it!”

  “Zoe.” John’s voice was soft, almost like a father. “Do as you see fit.”

  The female warrior took a moment to exhale. She felt a brief peace in her mind and heart. Her captain understood what she was about to do and her reasons. There was no emotional hesitation from her now.

  “Thank you…”

  Father.

  Zoe took a deep breath, whipping around on her heel and facing the Chroma. “Time’s up, bitch!” Her forest-green eyes darted from the ground to where the Chroma was standing.

  She wasn’t crying anymore. The façade was up.

  I hope thirty meters is enough space. Jim shouldn’t be in range of this weapon. Zoe braced for a moment. Lume’s proximity to the downed fighter presented another challenge, but Zoe’s farce allowed her to obtain sufficient room to work with.

  “The life of your teammate isn’t worth more than that medic?!” Lume dug her nails into Jim’s flesh. Lines of blood began to trickle down the back of his neck to the front. Jim thrashed in agony as he bit back a scream.

  “I’ll gladly show you the value of life … and what it means to lose it.” Zoe knelt down on one knee, taking a deep breath.

  With no one else to guard, Focol joined up at Lume’s side, his hands jittery from the building anticipation.

  “Hold on. We don’t have to rush.” Lume narrowed her eyes at the anxious purple eye next to her. He seemed more than ready to blast into the battle without thinking twice. The female HAWK fighter’s conduct was bizarre. In response, Lume exercised caution.

  “Drew, this is for you,” Zoe whispered to herself, her heart aching at the thought that she would have to do this alone from now on.

  “Drew? Drew Holt?” Lume announced loudly. “The man who was interrogating Kayto in that small room? Kayto and the rest of us left those humans alive so that they made a meal for his creation.”

  Creation? The goop creature was developed?! Steeljaws came to the realization.

  Zoe’s powerful back flexed, pulling wide in response to what was said about her deceased husband. Lume’s eyes lit up. She found another weakness in the human in front of her.

  “It’s too bad he was meant to be a meal for Kayto’s creation. His flesh looked rather delicious—”

  “HAHAHAHA!”

  The sudden laughter that broke out of Zoe jolted Lume to clamp up.

  The compiling pain and anger that Zoe was suffering from was surging to a central location within her body. Zoe reached behind her waist, grasping at what seemed to be thin air. “You fucking idiots! You should’ve killed me!!”

  She brought her arm back in front of her, the hand still appearing to be holding nothing. Using her other hand, she unwound it with a single, fluid motion. A loose fabric began to materialize out of seemingly nowhere.

  Even though it appeared to have come out of thin air, the weapon Zoe had been hiding on her back was camouflaged in a material that refracted all light, except sudden bursts of bright illumination. A perfect example of the material momentarily losing its refracting ability was exposure to a close lightning strike.

  Revealed for the world to witness, the weapon in her hand was a lot like a Japanese wakizashi, the shorter sword that accompanied the iconic katana. The scabbard was a simple bamboo texture with no special markings. The armament didn’t even have a hand guard.

  “…What am I saying? By slaughtering Drew, you did kill me.” Zoe’s voice softened, becoming unsettlingly serene. “Yet here I stand, with nothing to lose. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve made me immortal.”

  Jim began to resist against Lume’s crushing weight with greater urgency as soon as the weapon was revealed.

  “Zoe! It’s dangerous! You’re gonna die!” Jim yelled.

  Lume wanted to drop in a cynical comment to show her confidence, but she couldn’t suppress the ever-growing panic bubbling up inside of her body. However, she couldn’t manifest her fright; it was against the Chroma’s art of war.

  Zoe raised the sheathed sword above her head, grabbing a hold of the wooden body of the scabbard. A small tug brought the sword out an inch from the wooden case. As the blade disengaged from its protective sleeve, a bolt of lightning struck within a mile of the battleground.

  Thunder roared loud enough to make almost every creature present baulk while Arsenault held her ground, unmoved.

  As the short sword was entirely drawn out, a slick schlink! resonated after the thunder passed. The rain suddenly stopped, leaving only the sound of the helicopter’s blades whirling in the distance.

  All heads, excluding Zoe’s, peered up at the dark skies. Was the blade somehow causing the sudden change in the weather?

  The blade’s polished black surface flickered in the helicopter’s searchlight. The weapon, no longer concealed in its case, was as stunning as it was lethal.

  Lume was struck speechless. It was as if the blade had somehow cut off her tongue from a distance. There was a dark energy circumnavigating the steel as the immense power flowing out from the weapon brought Lume to quiver. An inanimate object was able instill this much fear in her as the hairs on her neck stood on end as she drew sharp breaths.

  What is that thing?!

  Focol, despite the new development, appeared to be more than ready to rush forward. He had fully dedicated himself to engaging his target. Lume began to wonder if she was the only one sensing the dangerous aura.

  “Come—show Zoe Arsenault what you’re capable of!” Zoe’s gaze was as sharp as the sword above her head.

  Arsenault. Lume’s eyes widened in alarm. This woman?! The one who singlehandedly slayed over twenty of our purple-eyed Haarä is standing before us?!

  Taking the challenge to heart, Focol sped to Zoe to close the gap. In the blink of an eye, she ran the thumb of the hand holding the scabbard down the edge of the blade, drawing blood from her flesh.

  As soon as the blood flowed onto the sword, it awakened.

  The black blade lit up with a crimson light as it thirstily absorbed the drawn blood. Obsidian-colored cracks developed and broke up the newly red-tinted steel. Darkness flowed from the sword into Zoe’s hands, the blood vessels in her skin turning to that same obscure black as the blade’s former color. It traveled throughout her body, reaching all the way up to her face. Her eyes turned solid black, with the exception of the forest-green irises that now glowed neon green. She let out a deep exhale as her whole body quivered. It wasn’t a physical articulation of pain, but of pleasure from sensing an incontestable amount of power.

  Unlike the other Heavy Ordnance that required a power cell, this particular weapon could only be activated by one source.

  It was a living sacrifice—a blood sacrifice.

  “Focol! Don’t!” Lume cried out, but it was far too late.

  Focol pulled his hand back, putting his fingers together like the head of a spear. Even with this sudden turn of events, and the crippling fear that was overtaking him ever since he saw that sword, he was still driven to puncture the girl’s heart. He poised to land the fatal strike.

  This is for humiliating me! Focol’
s senses were in overdrive as he descended toward the target.

  Zoe raised her head, her blacked-out eyes locking onto Focol’s purple eye.

  Focol briefly spotted a second, dark entity draping itself over the girl holding the short sword. Both forms shared the same twisted smile on their faces.

  She disappeared without an indication of moving.

  SCHLINK!

  Zoe reappeared three feet in front of Lume.

  Focol was severed four ways, up and down and side to side. His black blood sizzled and evaporated from the blade as the quartered pieces of his corpse split and flew in random directions. The heart was the point where the four pieces of his body intersected.

  Zoe’s irises glowed with delight. She was within leaping distance of her next target. “This is why the golden-eyed fucks named me the Hellcat!”

  PHASE 09

  Crimson Judgment

  March 17th, 2037. Local Time; 18:45

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  A couple blocks away from Moody Concert Hall

  1.

  The intersection of Bradshaw and 117th Avenue was a crossroad known for light traffic, no matter the time of the day. Statistically, it was also the intersection where the least amount of car accidents occurred. The westbound and eastbound Bradshaw Street had the green light. Cars and pickup trucks began to accelerate, carrying on and following the road laws.

  The first car that passed through the middle of the intersection was pulverized.

  A foreign object slammed perpendicularly into the passenger side doors at speeds exceeding forty-five miles per hour.

  Due to the speed of the robust object slamming into small-sized car, the vehicle was almost knocked off of its tires and rolled over on its side. The body panels were beyond demolished. The object that was sent sailing through the air was the fifth Chroma that Zayde kicked away after ripping out the heart.

  Everyone behind the wreckage slammed on the brakes. Horns blared, people screamed in horror. Those fleeing the scene called to the authorities moments after the incident occurred.

  Zayde Maddox was standing in the middle of the intersection. His torn-up clothes and arms soaked with Chroma blood a telltale sign that he had been to hell and back. His own blood trickled out of various wounds that he sustained while making his escape from the concert hall that was several city blocks away. The “stone skin” that effectively stopped the Chroma attacks was reaching its limits.

  Those who could make their getaway by turning their cars around and speeding down the opposite direction did so without hesitation. Others, such as those who piled up behind the wrecked car, made their escape by exiting their vehicles, running without looking back.

  In reality, the people at the scene weren’t in any direct danger. The two remaining Chroma and a female, human host for a Chroma parasite were exclusively setting their sights on Zayde. After several cycles of exhausted breaths, Zayde was still unable to control his dry panting.

  “What’s your name?” the big Chroma called out.

  Zayde couldn’t pinpoint the feeling that came over him. He suddenly felt inclined to reply to such an inappropriate question, considering the abnormal situation.

  “Zayde—Maddox,” the young man replied, falling down to one knee.

  “Zayde Maddox.” The big Chroma nodded, smiling. “A name that is worthy to remember.”

  Renga walked toward the downed human fighter while the last Chroma and what was formerly Sydney maintained their distance. Fatigue’s colossal weight shackled all over his body, preventing Zayde from moving. His eyes lazily gazed up at the approaching giant.

  Renga’s pale hand grabbed a handful of Zayde’s shoulder-length hair, yanking his head side to side. Leaning in close, the Chroma’s rotting breath nearly choked Zayde.

  “When you ended my brother’s life—I can’t tell you the relief I felt. Succession can be a painfully long process when there are others ahead of you. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like you to show up for so long to kill that self-entitled fool.”

  The giant Chroma released the handful of hair that he held Zayde up by. As soon as Zayde made contact with the ground, his body folded like a lawn chair.

  He used me to kill his brother?

  Renga cocked his head to the side. “After all that struggling and now you’re going to die tired? You managed to kill seven of us, including my brother! One of the Red Tigers! But I think I finally understand why you were able to last this long! Yes, you are human, but that Rutem energy is not coming from you … you have something inside of you giving you that power.”

  Renga turned to look at the last remaining Chroma.

  “Renga, why are we going so far to capture this human alive? We lost so many of our own!”

  “Bordock, are you a fool? Can you not see that this is no mere human? He has to be captured alive!”

  “What do you expect out of this creature?”

  “I’ve never gotten close enough to know from my experience, but I believe the reason a freak of nature like him exists is because of one simple fact. This human must be a Wielder!”

  “A Wielder?!” Bordock cried out in the Chroma language. “T-That’s not possible! Except for Jason, all of the Wielders disappeared!”

  “He hasn’t fully awakened.” Renga narrowed his eyes, replying in the guttural language. “We can’t allow for that to happen. We have to bring him very close to death before we can transport him. His Rutem energy leakage is increasing more and more. It won’t be long until the HAWK’s sensors will start to pick up readings. His Rutem output has kept growing. There’s only way to stop him from being a beacon.”

  “I’ll remember your name, Zayde Maddox. Even though the doctor is dead, I can still earn my purple eye … and it will all be because of you!” Renga switched back to English.

  “You haven’t earned shit!”

  Throwing up his Chroma-blood-soaked hands, Zayde grabbed Renga’s wrist, wrenching himself free. Kicking up his legs, the human rolled over so that he was now standing on his two feet.

  The two beings locked eyes for a moment. Putting in the last of what he had, Zayde channeled his remaining energy into his fist for one final attack.

  With an extended hand, Renga caught a hold of the slow attack, easily nullifying it without so much as flinching. The giant Chroma chuckled lightly.

  “Everyone else would have died from the exertion, but you don’t know when to give up, Zayde.”

  I couldn’t die a quitter. I refuse. Zayde softly laughed to himself. At this point, I hope my body just shuts down on its own … I pushed it far enough.

  An irritating sound cut through the air, progressively getting louder. It was the wailing sound of sirens, alerting any remaining bystanders that help was on the way and warning them to clear a path.

  As his eyes swept around, Zayde realized that no matter which direction he looked, there were bright flashing lights to be seen on top of the police cruisers. Some stayed behind at the previous intersections of each direction, preventing the crossing of more traffic where the Chroma and Zayde were positioned.

  “Heh! You know what this means?” Renga laughed.

  The arrival of the police was going to result in a slaughter. Surrendering was not an option. If Zayde was somehow captured alive, he was sure to be shipped off, more than likely to the HAWK. There was no telling what would happen next.

  There was an overwhelming presence of enemies on all sides.

  “Time is running out. This has brought me to a hasty, but necessary decision. If my assumption is correct about what you are, then taking you to the edge of death shouldn’t be an issue. Just as long as you don’t actually die.”

  “That’s a lot of effort … just to keep me alive.”

  Wrenching down on Zayde’s captured arm, Renga brought his powerful knee up. The hard point of bone traveled at incredible speeds and smashed against Zayde’s ribcage. A wave of pain and nausea overtook him as his sternum and the connecting ribs were crushed in
, the fractures running across the bones like a spider-web.

  Zayde’s limbs began to shake as his jaw loosened, letting out a pain-filled shriek, falling back onto the asphalt with a soft thud.

  “You’re a tough son of a bitch,” the big Chroma strained. Renga was standing over the human fighter while the Chroma’s body was bent at a slightly unnatural angle. “Your body actually held up fairly well, considering what was hitting it.”

  Looking down at his leg, he saw that the knee was twisted. Black blood dripped from all of the exposed tissue that was under the pale skin. However, the knee that was demolished beyond recognition began to fuse back together. Bones snapped back into place, ripped ligaments and tendons reattached themselves. The skin pulled back together like zippers on a jacket. Within a couple of seconds, Renga was already leaning on the leg, putting his full weight on it with no issue.

  The big Chroma kneeled down on top of the downed fighter. “Zayde,” he started off, tracing his long nails down the human’s sternum, simultaneously cutting the ragged shirt open. “Even a Wielder has their limits, especially one that isn’t fully awakened. You get the point—you can be strong for only so long.”

  Renga precipitously pierced through Zayde’s sternum with a jab after poising his hand like a dagger. Without delay, Renga scooped out Zayde’s beating heart.

  Eyes darting in all directions, Zayde’s saliva and blood flowed out down from the corners of his mouth.

  “Rest for now, Zayde Maddox.” The big Chroma’s voice was eerily calm as he applied pressure to the exposed heart. “Luckily, your Wielder body can handle up to this much damage. When you wake back up … that’s when the real nightmare will start.”

  All of Zayde’s good memories blazed through his mind until it came to a grinding halt. Zayde saw Kendra standing in front of him with a twisted smile on her sweet, innocent face. She was crying.

  Zayde’s heart struggled in Renga’s death grip, as his eyes rolled back into his skull. There was nowhere to run, except to retreat to his subconscious. The last of the barrage of noise that had overtaken the song inside of Zayde had shifted, elevating to higher frequencies until it was a pure, screeching tone.