by David Roman
Vincent decided to keep still, trying not to break the silence. He remained motionless for several minutes until the sound of fire and explosions rumbled throughout the foundation as the twins began their assault. Ignoring the action below, Vincent picked up his pace to the second grid, crossing his fingers in hopes of not catching any stray fire.
Reaching the other grid, he looked down. The space below was an immense circular shaft reaching far down into the bowels of the ship with two platforms—one below him, the other on the opposite end of the shaft. A narrow catwalk spanned the shaft, connecting the two platforms.
This was his destination.
He closed his eyes. This is it. I can do this.
Ahead, the ventilation pipeline was blocked by thick bars, leaving him no other alternatives but to go down. Noticing no signs of movement, he kicked away the grating and jumped down onto the platform. Much to his astonishment, he safely landed, even though the drop was more than twenty feet. Raising his weapon to shoulder level, he spun around, studying his surroundings. After assuring it was safe, he dashed towards the catwalk but stopped halfway.
A blue energy shield was raised before the bridge preventing access to the other platform. He then noticed a computer beside the catwalk, attached to the floor by a thin rod. Its screen displayed bizarre script in an alien language. Whatever this apparatus was, it definitely generated the shield.
Not giving it a second thought, Vincent pointed the gun at the device and pulled the trigger, obliterating the thing to bits. The shield vanished, and he proceeded down the bridge.
In the middle of the second platform was an ornate throne atop a round base. A Xenian man was strapped to it by purple energy binds around his forearms, biceps, legs, and ankles. He was a muscular man with tousled black hair, dressed in outlandish armor that was elaborately covered in Xenian script. His head was sunk on his chest—he didn’t even see Vincent approach.
But it was something else that caught Vincent’s eye. Attached to the side of the chair were two swords made of the same metal as the ones that the twins carried. They were the same length, but one had a blade that was somewhat thicker. Their cross-guards were slightly different as well: one was vaguely round with finger ridges, and the other was T-shaped.
Vincent realized he was spacing out again, so he started to sweep the rest of his surroundings. In the back of the room behind the chair were two gates: a small one for access and one big enough for an entire brigade. Gaia’s supposed to show up any minute through the larger gate, he remembered. Between the gates was a control panel with many monitors. Aside from that, there were no cameras, robots, or any guards in sight.
It all felt rather sinister.
“Duell?” Vincent asked, approaching the lethargic prisoner.
The Xenian slowly raised his head. His oval face showed signs of exhaustion: his brown eyes full of anger and pain; his lips, sealed in a line, trembling with fury. He was older than the twins, with several wrinkles on his face and newly emerging crow’s feet. His thick eyebrows were fixed in a deep frown. Seeing Vincent, his face took a questioning expression.
“I’m with your students,” Vincent began explaining.
The Xenian’s eyes broadened.
“We’re here to get you.”
“They have me… poisoned…” Duell grinded the words through his teeth. “Cowards…”
Vincent looked around. “How do I get you out of this?”
“Shoo—” Duell opened his mouth but then his gaze went behind Vincent.
Sensing a presence behind, Vincent spun around, impulsively raising his weapon.
A Xenian man in a black leather trench-coat stood behind him. He wore tall boots and black gloves—the only colors on his outfit being the chrome shoulder guards atop his coat. His head was completely bald, his face stern, solid, with a goatee. He was solemnly—yet questionably—staring at Vincent with eyes that commanded respect.
Vincent was horror-stricken as well, for in his right hand, the Xenian invader carried another illuminating sword. The man waved his hand, and an unseen force snatched the rifle from Vincent’s grip, slamming it against the wall. Unarmed, Vincent stepped back.
“Run… you fool,” Duell mumbled out as the aggressor began to advance.
Vincent knew if he made an attempt to escape, he’d surely be dead. He took another step back, looking around out.
“Such impudence,” the Xenian said and raised his sword arm.
But then—in a fraction of a second—some instinct took over Vincent. With super speed, he grabbed one of the swords from the side of the chair and blocked the attacker’s deadly blow.
An explosive sound rumbled throughout the room from the force of the blades smashing against one another, and an array of sparks rained upon the two as they stood with their swords locked.
“What is this trickery?” the Xenian exclaimed, looking at Duell.
Using the moment of confusion, Vincent put both of his hands on the hilt and pushed his assailant away. Stumbling back, the Xenian swung from the left, and once again—to his own surprise—Vincent blocked the hit. The latter immediately swung from the other side. As Vincent prevented the other attempt, the Xenian spun around and struck from the left again.
The Xenian’s heavy blows forced Vincent into defense, barely maintaining his balance. He began walking backwards, parrying the hits from the enemy who was gaining on him by twisting and whirling around. The blows came from every possible direction, and somehow he managed to thwart them all.
As Vincent nearly fell over for the fifth time, the Xenian pounced, thrusting his sword forward.
Leaning to the side, Vincent scarcely escaped the blade and quickly struck back.
The Xenian dodged the blow with a spinning crouch and swung at Vincent’s feet.
Vincent jumped up as high as he could. Surprisingly, he leapt over the Xenian and landed behind the latter—their backs to each other.
Not turning around, the aggressor struck to his right.
Vincent blocked the hit and swung at the Xenian from the other side.
The Xenian smashed the sword aside and jumped away, turning in the air to face his enemy.
Vincent whirled as well, nervously gripping the blade.
The Xenian stood there, one arm raised with the sword pointing down, and the other stretched, his hand formed into a fist beneath the tip of the blade. Before Vincent could make a move, the Xenian dashed forward and smashed his fist into his chest, sending the human to the floor gasping for air.
Vincent clutched his chest and dropped the sword.
“Incredible,” the Xenian said in a calm voice. “A creature I have never seen before with powers like that of our own.” He stopped over Vincent, looking down, studying the strange man he bested. “But not powerful enough!” With those words, he raised his blade, but then paused, sensing sudden movement from the side.
Damocles charged across the room and rammed the leather-clad Xenian with his shoulder.
The Xenian staggered back and swung at the big man.
Damocles blocked the blow with ease and, holding his sword with both hands, hacked back.
The Xenian managed to thwart the hit, which caused another thunderous explosion. But the power of the big man’s strike forced him to slide back a few feet.
Taking that as an advantage, Damocles charged forward.
The Xenian eluded the charge, jumped up, and performed an airborne roundhouse kick, striking Damocles in the back of the head. The big man almost fell as his attacker continued the assault.
Preserving his consciousness, Damocles blocked the incoming hits, but the Xenian spun and smashed him with the back of the fist while concurrently stomping on his ankle. The array of strikes forced the big man to fall on his knees at the mercy of his relentless enemy.
“Na’aaaar!” thundered a voice full of fury.
Hearing his name, the general lowered his blade and turned to face his new attacker.
A young Xenian man
with blonde hair stood on the other platform. From head to toe, he was covered in blood, with a sword in hand and an inexpressible look of hate on his face. He ran forward, and, completely disregarding the bridge, jumped over the gap.
Shoving the destabilized big guy aside, Na’ar rushed to meet his aggressor.
While airborne, Exander thrust his sword forward in a stabbing motion.
Na’ar easily blocked the hit as the young man landed, and the two stood face to face, pushing at each other’s blades.
“Nice move,” Na’ar forced through his teeth as he gained the upper hand, forcing the young man back. “Oryon’s specialty.”
“Damn you, you bastard!” His face boiling with anger, the persistent Exander leapt at the dark general like a furious animal.
Vincent got to his feet after finally catching his breath. The power of the punch continued to cause him agonizing pain.
“Destroy the panel and get the swords!” Damocles roared as he regained his composure, heading to his brother’s aide.
Vincent reached for the gun, pointed it at the panel on the side of the throne, and opened fire. The panel exploded, causing the energy bands that held Duell to disappear. He then promptly picked up the dropped sword and headed for the ill Xenian as a faraway explosion rocked the entire room.
The ship quaked.
Preserving his balance, Vincent was able to catch Duell falling off the chair. Holding the poisoned Xenian over his shoulder, he reached up and grabbed the other blade.
Exander greatly underestimated the superior skill of Na’ar. The odds turned to the general’s favor. Step by step, blocking the powerful constant hits that resonated throughout the room, Exander was forced back.
Waving his sword with tremendous dexterity, striking high and low while whirling about, Na’ar forced the youth onto the bridge.
“You’re good, young man,” he mocked, smiling at Exander’s urge to cause him harm. He then kicked him straight in the chest, jumped up, and came down thrusting his sword in the same move Exander had performed earlier.
Stumbling back from the kick, Exander managed to smash aside the sword but couldn’t stop the terrible blow from Na’ar’s open palm.
“But not quite good enough,” Na’ar added as the young Xenian collapsed to his knees in the middle of the overpass. The general raised the blade over his head to perform a fatal blow, but then in an instant froze, his eyes widening in question. With his free hand, he clutched the medallion Exander proudly wore around the neck. “What the…? Why do—” He couldn’t finish his question as Exander’s mad twin rushed at him from behind.
Na’ar jumped over the fallen youth, twisted like a serpent, and landed on the other platform.
Damocles stopped to assist his sibling, pointing his sword at the general. Exander got up, wiped the blood from the side of his mouth, and along with his brother slowly began to approach their formidable foe, tightly gripping his sword.
Damocles raised the blade to his side, holding it with both hands in a form that revealed his abnormal physique, and approached Na’ar from the right.
Exander had his left arm stretched out, his index and middle fingers pointed upwards, while holding the sword high above his head with his other arm. Nodding to his brother, he advanced from the left.
Na’ar stood in his original pose: sword arm high, the tip of the blade hoisted on the clenched fist of the other. He stood there as if he were in a trance, not looking at either of the brothers but instead straight ahead as the two closed in.
Finding a precise moment, the twins sprang into action.
Continuing to look forth, Na’ar blocked the hits as if he knew their correct timing. Nevertheless, blocking two attackers at once forced him to the back of the room where more guards were desperately trying to pry open the damaged door.
After a minute of defending against the tenuous attacks, Na’ar went into offensive. He blocked the big man’s hit while sending a spinning kick into Exander’s face, nearly knocking the young man out. He then slammed his elbow into Damocles’ gut and struck him with an uppercut.
An explosion rocked the ship all of a sudden.
As the two brothers lost their balance for a fraction of a second, Na’ar somersaulted back to the footstep of the bridge, ready for more action.
Vincent barely managed to drag the weak Xenian while carrying two swords and his rifle. A second explosion, even louder than the first, roared through the ship. Vincent fell to his knees, still holding onto the weapons and Duell.
The gate behind the chair opened, and Gaia pulled in on a hover bike amidst a cloud of smoke. Levitating at a height of three feet, the bike was similar to a motorcycle with an elongated seat and foot platforms attached to its front. Two more unmanned bikes automatically pulled up behind her, as well as a wave of blasts from the pursuing guards.
“Waiting for me?” she said under heavy breath. Turning around in her seat, she began exchanging fire with the pursuers. “They must hurry!” she cried out.
Vincent continued carrying the Xenian’s limp body.
The twins began advancing towards their adversary, who was by now outwardly toying with them. Then, a loud screeching noise came from behind them as the blade of another sword penetrated through the closed door.
Exander and Damocles exchanged alarmed looks. Na’ar was blocking the bridge, and the door was about to open, from which an array of soldiers along with another sword-wielding warrior were eager to enter; they were in a trap.
The illuminating blade continued tearing through the metal with ease, finally creating an opening. Following a slight explosion, the door was blown to bits and another Xenian man appeared through the smoke. He was younger than Na’ar and taller, with thick curly blue hair. He wore a breastplate on his bare torso that had detailed carvings in the shape of dragons, coils that encircled his upper arms, and gauntlets on his wrists. Loose kimono-type black pants were tucked into his high greaves, girdled with a belt that held a blaster, dozens of star-shaped daggers, and the scabbard of his katana sword.
He scowled at the two brothers and raised his hand, halting the force of troops behind him. “Wait,” he commanded, while pointing his sword at Damocles. “We’ll deal with them.”
Damocles rushed across to his brother’s side while smashing aside the blade of the newcomer.
Na’ar jumped forward, barely missing the big man, and landed next to his subordinate.
The twins were next to each other once again, as were the general and his pupil. Now the odds were even.
Back to back, the brothers began to withdraw, heading for the bridge. That’s when the second explosion rocked the ship.
Throwing each other a confident glance, Na’ar and his student jumped into action.
The twins, lost in the moment, were no match for the accuracy of their attackers. They were so determined on blocking the blades of the enemy that they neglected to see every punch and kick thrown at them.
Noticing they were being pushed into the corner, Damocles decided to use his brute strength. Locking his blade with those of the attackers, he pushed them both back, giving his brother enough room to make it to the bridge.
“We must go! Gaia’s here!” Vincent cried out from the other side.
Instead of running away, Exander took the opportunity to assail Na’ar once again.
“We must go, Ex!” Damocles yelled, blocking the hits while trying to pull his brother after him.
As they were halfway down the bridge, Damocles once again swung the sword over his unrelenting brother, forcing the opponents to back up. Taking the opportunity, he pulled a smoke pellet out of his belt, slammed it on the floor, and grabbed his brother by the back of the belt. As a smoke cloud engulfed the room, the big Xenian jumped backwards to the other side with one arm holding his furious brother and with the other slashing down at the bridge.
Na’ar and his apprentice rushed back to the door as the footbridge fell down into the pit.
Damocles ran up to V
incent, took the swords, and threw the ill Xenian master over his shoulder. He then jumped on one of the hover bikes, laid Duell in front of him, and placed the swords into the compartments on the side of the bike.
Vincent picked up his rifle, jumped on the bike behind Gaia, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Sorry, I can’t ride one of those things,” he said, blasting at the troops approaching from the corridor. “And I’m definitely not riding with Exander.”
“Come on!” Gaia cried out to the blonde.
Lastly, Exander jumped on the third bike, and they left the smoke-filled room just in time as an entire cavalry appeared on Gaia’s path.
“Get them!” Na’ar’s voice rumbled.
The soldiers stormed onto the platform, but the gap held them from pursuing the intruders. Their commander swallowed hard and looked up at his general.
Na’ar turned to his comrade. “Bring them to me, Marz!”
Marz obediently sheathed his sword and jumped through the smoke.
CHAPTER VII
The Escape
They sped down the tunnel in tandem, dodging the bombardment and evading the countless obstacles in their way. With one arm holding onto Gaia, Vincent blasted away the soldiers that seemed to creep up from every corner; Damocles rode behind them, shielding his ill master, his sword arm outstretched; and Exander followed last, nearly standing on his bike as he exchanged fire with the adversaries in pursuit.
The tunnel—located somewhere on the starboard side of the ship—was much broader than the one they used to sneak in, its walls with balconies and windows from where the brunt of the soldiers shot at the party. Some brave ones even ran out in the open, frivolously attempting to stop the escapees, only to meet the swift justice of the big man’s blade.
A bridge crossed their tunnel ahead with several droids atop. The robots instantly opened fire at the first bike.
Gaia and Vincent leaned forward behind the small windshield as blasts zapped around them.
“Ahhh!” Gaia screamed out as one of the blasts grazed her shoulder.