“Monica, we must hurry,” Lance beckoned, as he parted the back doors of the nearest utility so that Blake and Kulullu could jump inside.
Reluctant, Monica glanced back at them. “Since time is of the essence, you may both come with us. But you are to stay close to me at all times, understood?”
Both Katherine and Anzu nodded in agreement before they leapt in the back of the parked utility. Without hesitation, the vehicle accelerated up the tunnel and out from beneath the desert’s sand. Inside, Katherine observed the others adjust their uniforms and forage amongst a number of crates for their allotted weapons. As they went about equipping themselves, she too sought to prepare as best she could. She tugged at the synthetic material of her cloak and felt around the collar where she’d noticed a bulging of fabric.
“There is a cowl sewn into the collar,” said Monica, as she pulled at one from within her own uniform. “It’s a flimsy cover, but it does help to conceal our identities from the odd surveillance camera we might come cross.”
Why worry about us, it’s the guardians that are a bigger problem, She thought.
People had grown accustomed to seeing armed operatives roam the jurisdiction since the city’s recent crises, and they would likely take little heed of their presence, she had reasoned. But guardian spirits were a different story altogether; a story that would prove more difficult to conceal from so many watchful eyes, and would be even tougher to explain.
“What is it that’s so special about these uniforms?” She asked, deciding to ignore the other concerns, and deciding to assume the organisation knew what it was doing.
“Not a lot, really. Only you’ll find that they’re rather resilient in face of the elements,” Blake replied, as he fastened his own from beneath what appeared to be some kind of combat vest.
“You mean they’re fire-proof?”
“Fire-proof, water proof, wind resistant, and can absorb electricity…,” he responded, before he abruptly diverted his gaze toward the roof.
Katherine also noticed that now Monica too had her eyes fixed on the vehicle’s ceiling.
“Did you feel that?” Blake questioned, his cloak draped over one shoulder.
“How could I not?” Monica responded.
“Felt what?”
“A dark source of energy…,” said Monica. “For a brief moment we sensed the presence of a Corrupted in flight.”
“It’s the winged Corrupted, I’m certain of it,” Blake replied. “This is the same energy that both Kulullu and I fought off a few weeks ago. Do we need to inform Walter and give off pursuit?”
Monica glanced down at her wrist communicator. “We can’t afford to. We must first neutralize the current threat.”
“You claimed earlier that the Corrupted were responsible for all these earthquakes. Then why hasn’t anyone seen them and exposed of their existence to the world?” Katherine questioned, believing it the right time to learn about how both guardian’s and Corrupted had remained hidden from public scrutiny for so long. “And this sensing of energy you keep talking about, is that something that everyone can do?”
“In essence, both the guardians and Corrupted exist within a spiritual form and thus can conceal their existence from humankind. At times we experience the sudden brushing of a cold wind against our skin, the sensation of a shifting in temperature, and the swelling of the earth’s crust from beneath our feet…These changes to the natural environment can often be attributed to the presence of another,” Monica responded, as she continued to equip herself with strange gadgets and military field attire. “As for the sensing of their energy; those whose senses have ascended, and who transcend the different dimensions, can detect of their presence. However, there are other spirits adept at hiding within the world making this sensing of energy no easy task.”
“This sensing of another’s energy, how is it done?”
Monica looked at her. “Once you improve the control of your own energy, I will teach you how to feel out the energy of others around you.”
“If the Corrupted can choose to reveal themselves to humankind at their leisure, why is it that they’ve decided to remain hidden?” She asked, finding it frustrating that for every answer it seemed there were always two new questions that followed. “If Namtar is so powerful, and has so many minions to follow his rule, why would he even care if humankind knew of his existence?”
“I’m really starting to tire from all of your questions,” Blake replied with a groan, as he retrieved a pair of orb shaped devices from the nearest supply crate and fastened them to his belt. “If we had all the answers, then we’d act accordingly. But we don’t. It’s sickening to admit, but we probably know little more than you at this point. But consider how the world would react if they knew about these spirits. I can tell you that mass hysteria would result; where each government’s armies would engage an invisible enemy, blasting everything to smithereens in order to ensure the Corrupted’s destruction. I can’t imagine even Namtar would want such an outcome, as there’d be nothing left for him to rule over.”
Having risen to her feet, she wanted to lurch forward and slog him, but his brandishings had made a lot of sense. She could envisage it, a single nuclear warhead fire and miss its target, causing significant damage and death to an innocent neighbouring nation. And thus a great war would begin; a war where the chances were high that the world itself would be reduced to nothing more than a crater of smoke and ash.
“Are you armed with plasma grenades?” Monica asked, as she pocketed a few strange metallic spheres.
“Yes, I’ve a few on me,” Blake answered, pointing to his belt.
“Plasma grenades?”
“I wouldn’t worry about arming yourself with such weapons until fully trained,” Monica advised, as she too attached a number to her belt. “Now Katherine, you’re to stay close to me at all times. Anzu, that includes you too. Am I understood?”
They both nodded, only to experience a violent tremor which nearly caused the vehicle to overturn. Instantly flung from her feet, Katherine landed hard up against a nearby crate.
“Make sure you are seated and have a firm grasp of something with which to brace yourself,” Monica cried, and crawling to Katherine’s aid. “These tremors will only get worse from here on out.”
Monica’s words appeared to usher in an air of the inevitable: for the next tremor proved so potent that the utility was forced onto its side. With the vehicle sliding along the sandy surface of a roadway, and despite clinging tightly to Monica’s arm, Katherine felt as if she was being thrust about like a ragdoll.
Once the vehicle had finally come to a halt, she sat up, rubbing away the blood that trickled down from a cut across her brow.
Seeing Katherine’s injury, Monica dabbed at the wound with her uniform’s sleeve. “Are you going to be alright? Do you need to see a medic?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, shaken from the shock. “It’s just a scratch.”
“Sound off,” Monica boomed, the other operatives in turn confirming they were okay. “Right, let’s move out.”
Slightly dazed, Katherine looked on as Blake crawled toward the back hatch of the utility, pried it open, and wriggled his way out of the vehicle. Once Kulullu had also followed him; the only occupants that remained were Monica, Anzu, and herself.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Monica asked. “I’d wager that Walter won’t be too far away with his medical team.”
“I’ll be fine,” said Katherine, wincing and squirming forward along the vehicles side toward its back. Eventually she emerged from the back of the utility, and found herself gazing about the city outskirts.
So stifling is this blistering heat, she thought, her head spinning and her throat dry.
Off in the distance, she could see the other utilities continue to press forward and into the depths of Anabasis. In the opposite direction, and passing her by, many panicked and hysterical civilians scampered on foot and drove in congested lanes toward the dese
rt.
This must really be bad, she realised, considering something had to have happened of greater significance for these stubborn and steadfast civilians to finally give in and evacuate.
She glanced up at the buildings. Many were of a design well-fortified to withstand the oppressive environment, and yet some barely continued to remain standing, and there were others that had been knocked from their foundation entirely.
“These tremors…Never before have they been this bad, have they?”
“That’s because the Corrupted have had a direct hand in the damage inflicted,” said Monica, her eyes fixed upon a lone figure laid out flat in the dirt.
As they drew closer, Katherine soon saw the subject of Monica’s gaze. Upon seeing the creature, her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets; for she’d never seen anything quite so repulsive before.
“So this is an earthen Corrupted…,” she said with a stutter, her heart feeling as though it were caught in her throat.”
“It was,” Monica replied, as she bent down and examined the body.
At first glance, the bulky body that lay in the road appeared human. But as she looked deeper, the differences became more apparent. Instead of flesh and blood, its body was comprised of coarse and solid rock. Cracks ran up and along its surface, and about its chest rested a crevice where a lone spear of ice protruded out from this behemoth’s stone flesh. But what had her most unsettled, were the glazed over and milky white eyes of this earthen Corrupted. For she felt as if the creature was glaring up at her, with thoughts of malice and the intent of breaking her in two.
“Watch out.” Monica propelled herself into Katherine, as they avoided an oncoming utility careening toward them.
Dressed in navy blue police attire, an officer of Anabasis slowly approached. With each step this officer took, heavy footprints became indented in the road as if he were walking in wet cement.
Katherine gasped. “That’s no ordinary police officer. Did he just hurl a vehicle at us?”
With a bellicose scowl on its rugged face, and its rock-strewn body bulging, the earthen goliath barrelled toward them. As it drew nearer, flailing wildly with its trunk-like arms, Katherine found herself petrified and cowering helplessly behind Monica. It felt as if the creature’s eyes had made left her petrified; those ghostly pale eyes, sans pupils and full of wrath.
If it weren’t for Monica, they’d have been grounded to dust. The operative, not one to be so easily intimidated, had retrieved a plasma grenade from her belt and slung it toward the golem’s feet.
But alas, the blast had only thrown the golem off balance, and the Corrupted soon after recovered and resumed its charge.
As she clung about her waist, Monica sought to push her away. “Katherine, you must move.”
She peered forward; the golem was within reaching distance and had flung a punch. She closed her eyes and screamed, wishing this whole ordeal would simply end. Only, as soon had she thought the creature would land its attack, it seemed as if her wish had been granted, for all had grown silent. She opened her eyes; the golem had stopped dead in its tracks, a large spear of ice piercing upward through its skull.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you….”
“Move it,” Blake responded, forcing her backward, and just in time to watch a pile of debris crash over the fallen Corrupted.
She heard a coarse and menacing howl echo through the air, and she gazed skyward at a nearby rooftop. An imposing Corrupted, far bigger and more grotesque than the rest, glared down from above and leapt forth with such force that the surrounding surface fiercely shook.
“What should we do?”
“You only need to keep out of the way,” Blake replied with a scowl, as he withdrew a pistol and opened fire on the spirit.
Shards of rock gave way from its body, crashed to the pavement. But the damage dealt was not from a pistol, and she scanned about for Monica.
This damage dealt, it was Monica’s doing, she realised; for the operative had manoeuvred behind the creature during the commotion and thrown a plasma grenade toward the back of its head.
But it also didn’t take her long to recognize that this Corrupted had barely flinched in face of her attack. Livid and now glaring back at her, the golem firmly stomped down its giant foot, causing the ground around them to violently shake. With the tremor proving potent enough to knock them off their feet, the Corrupted jumped high up into the air. Before Katherine could let out a scream, and fearing the golem would land and crush them, she caught a timely glimpse of Anzu head-butting the Corrupted and thus deflecting its attack. She looked on as Anzu soared high into the sky and thrashed with his wings, conjuring up a strong cyclone of wind that engulfed the earthen Corrupted. But this too had done little to phase the golem, and once the storm of sand and dust had subsided, the Corrupted effortlessly chucked a piece of fallen debris up against the winged guardian.
“Anzu,” she cried, as her guardian plummeted toward the ground and landed in a heap.
“Kul, you got this?” She heard Blake ask his own guardian.
Kulullu nodded back at him, regained her footing, and blasted the earthen Corrupted with a powerful torrent of water that hammered directly through its petrified skin. The golem, struggling to remain in one piece when faced with the water guardian’s assault, hurtled what was left of its body forward against Kulullu. But Kulullu, unnerved yet unyielding, repelled this Corrupted’s last ditch attempt and skewered its head with a freshly constructed blade of ice.
She tended to Anzu; blood flowed from one of his wings, and one of his limbs had appeared to bend at an unnatural angle.
“I sense a collection of energies northward,” said Blake, his eyes focused on the ruined cityscape ahead.
“It also seems to be where most of these Corrupted originated from,” Monica responded. “Make your way northward, but be careful.”
As Blake and Kulullu darted off into the distance, Monica looked down at her. “I need to keep moving, and I cannot afford to stay here and hold your hand.”
Katherine, crouched beside Anzu and tending to his injuries, looked up at Monica and knew that she’d proven so far to be nothing but a burden.
“We are not going anywhere,” Anzu grunted, the gryphon stumbling to his feet and gazing back at her with a look of raw determination. “This is how we shall become stronger.”
With that, he took off into the air, beckoning for both Katherine and Monica to follow.
As they progressed along the damaged pavement, Katherine soon detected the sound of whimpering coming from beneath a slab of broken concrete.
Beneath the concrete, she found a little girl crying out in pain with her leg trapped. “Monica, I don’t mean to be a burden. But I need your help.”
She heaved and pressed against the fallen debris as the girl screamed out in pain.
“Stand back,” said Monica, motioning forward and using her energy to raise the concrete through the air. “Hurry now and collect her, I won’t be able to hold it for much longer.”
She dashed beneath the levered rock and scooped up the child in her arms. But she then heard an all too familiar roar, a roar that cut through the air like a knife. For another earthen Corrupted had appeared; it stepped forward, recklessly swinging a bent lamp post.
“Katherine, get out of there!” she heard Monica scream, as the lamp post hurtled toward her and the child.
I won’t run away, she sought to convince herself, and I’m not afraid.
With her mind focused on the Corrupted, she envisaged a series of flames running up and along the surface of its coarse body, and fought to raise the golem into the air. But before the lamp post reached her, Anzu once more came to her rescue and impeded the Corrupted’s advance. She watched on in horror, her concentration broken, as a puff of feathers drifted down to the ground. Anzu’s limp body, struck by the post, wobbled before the Corrupted. With firm resolve, the gryphon stood between the corrupted and his new master, yielding the golem no vantage
point from which to strike. Then, and just when the Corrupted had bustled forward, it abruptly expired, exploding with pieces of its debris flying in all directions. Lance had emerged at Monica’s side, with some form of missile launcher resting on his shoulder.
“I must apologize to you my master,” the winged guardian quivered, from his collapsed position in the dirt. “I am still too weak to make much of a difference…”
“Don’t talk such nonsense. If not for you, we’d both have been killed…,” she replied, looking down at the young girl she cradled and realising she’d lost consciousness.”
“Is she still breathing?” Monica asked.
“She is,” Katherine responded, although still fearing for the young girl’s life.
“She needs medical attention,” said Monica. “Lance, would you take this girl to Walter?”
Lance nodded and stepped forward to take her. With the girl in his arms, Lance left them with a salute and took off back toward the city’s outskirts.
“Anzu, can you move?”
Having raised himself up from the concrete, the gryphon staggered forward on tired and worn legs.
“Let’s keeping moving,” Anzu replied, as he toiled at Katherine’s side.
The three recommenced their march into the shaken city’s outskirts. Monica took the lead, and Katherine helped Anzu as they both followed close behind. The deeper they went into the city, the more cars and buildings they saw that had been laid to waste. Along the sidewalks there were a few dead, crushed beneath the fallen rubble. Those who had not yet fled hastily passed them by at regular intervals. Katherine could hear many cry out for help, searching for local authorities to help the injured. But as she glanced around, there were few available to offer these civilians assistance. Thankfully, she soon witnessed many of the Projects’ operatives now hurrying onto the scene and helping of those in need. And those operatives weren’t alone. Remnants of the local Anabasis police force, those few police that had not been corrupted by Asag were now present to lend their support.
“We can’t afford to dawdle, and we can’t be of any further help,” Monica said, as she caught Katherine pausing to watch the operatives and police rescue the civilians. “The other operatives will assist them as they secure the perimeter, but we are the ones who have to deal with the source of this destruction.”
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