Fragment of Destiny

Samuel stood at attention, helmet in the crook of his arm, as Marshal Fin shouted orders to his men. The fool actually wanted to go on the offensive by sending squads down into the tunnels.

“We have those malravians on the run now. They couldn’t make the entire city collapse on its self and now with their inner tunnels flooded they are helpless to escape. Sr. Novice Elstins, take your men and destroy what remains. I have already sent Sr. Novice Niven and his men on ahead of you to secure a suitable staging sight. Outfit your squad appropriately and move out,” Fin said.

“Sir yes sir,” Elstins said with a crisp salute. For a moment Samuel though Elstins might actually believe Fin. Believe that the malravians were cowering in their tunnels licking their wounds.

“As for you Hali, we don’t need you. Dolan may have trusted you, but I don’t. You will stay here at the medical facility and not lift a finger until such a time as the high inquisitor returns to give you new orders. Dismissed.”

Samuel saluted, but it took an effort to keep his face from showing the rage that seethed under the surface. If only there was someone who outranked Fin left alive. Anyone who had was either KIA or MIA now. Though most like Dolan had been summoned to meet with the overseer. Of those that had Dolan had been the only survivor. Had, the word felt foul in his mind. After the assault on the command center, Dolan was MIA, though Samuel doubted he had escaped. If he had, he would have been back by now. If only he were still alive. Samuel wished it was true, that Dolan would turn up and take command. How many good men would die because of Fin’s stupidity? It was just as well that Fin did not trust him, at least this way he could stay with Tess and make sure she recovered.

Samuel realized he was still just standing at the mouth of the hanger. The other enforcers were gone, all but those tending to repair and restock of skimmer or dusk blade.

Placing his helmet back on Samuel opened a comlink to Elroy. “Has there been any sign of Dolan since the fall of the command center?”

“No, and I hate to say it but based on the current list remaining officers I think Fin is it.”

“I thought as much. You heard his plan, didn’t you?” He put as much disdain in the word plan as he could, “It’s suicide. Anyone who goes down into those tunnels is as good as dead. There has to be a better option.”

“I know. I have an idea but I am not sure how much it will help,” Elroy said.

“Let’s hear it.”

“I think we should go back to Dolan’s original plan. Only take it a step further. I have compared the geological data. Despite how much water has already saturated the lower reaches of Central, if the aquifer cap was breached in the correct spot, there would be enough pressure to resume the flooding, and enough water to turn the city into a lake. They would have no choice but to surface or drown.”

“If we can get them in the open and keep our distance then perhaps, we stand a chance.”

“Exactly. The only problem is, well there are lots of problems. Like getting the water to rise fast enough for it to be a real threat. And of course, making the breach at all.”

“That and getting our fellow enforcers to cooperate especially Fin. Fin basically told me I was relieved from duty just now.”

“I heard. Though the good news is that gives you the perfect opportunity to start putting all the pieces in place for this when his plan fails.”

“I hope he doesn’t fail. I hope they kill every last one of the malravians down there.”

“Yes well-”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of screams and gunfire coming from the medical ward. Instinctively Samuel checked his rifle as he rushed towards the facility weapon at the ready.

“Elroy, can you see what’s going on in there?”

“I don’t see anything. No, wait. Samuel those things they’re back. The mist wraiths.”

“They must be going after Tess since she is injured,” Samuel said as the door of the medical facility burst open, and he was nearly trampled by the stampede.

“I am not seeing her in there anywhere Samuel, she is gone,” Elroy said.

More and more people poured from the doors some carrying wounded others just running in terror, and for all the shooting there was no effect. Then Samuel saw them for himself. The swirling purple and black mist that descended on people at random Extinguishing life like a toxic cloud. Hands shaking Samuel took aim but stopped short of firing. Molten terror bubbled and hissed as it vaporized his barrier’s outer most layer. Somewhere in the back of his mind, somewhere shielded from the turmoil, he knew it would do no good to shoot. He needed to escape, not fight. A dusk blade, it would be the only way out.

A moment later Samuel was closing on the nearest Dusk blade at a run. The pilot stood frozen in terror, eyes fixed on something behind Samuel. He turned just in time to see the mist take human form as it descended on them. A grunt escaped Samuels lips as he hit the ground. The mist enveloped the pilot, only arm’s length from him. A moment later the mist burst apart and dispersed into nothingness leaving the terrified man hunched with hands curled over his head.

“How did you do that?” Samuel demanded. The man just stood there unmoving, eyes clenched shut but alive.

“Snap out of it. Now tell me, how did you do that?” Samuel commanded, clutching the man’s exposed wrist.

“My crystal, I…I… I can manipulate the flow of air that’s… that’s why they made me a pilot,” He said.

“Great, now get in we need to get out of here,” Samuel said, to which the pilot hastily complied. “Elroy, have you been able to locate Tess?”

“She was taken by Renkofski and his militia. They are at Lab Corps in sector seven.”

“Take me to the bioengineering lab,” Samuel said and strapped himself into the gunner’s harness. Without a word, the pilot spun up the rotors and got them airborne.

“Elroy, I have found a weakness to these wraith things. Wind workers can disperse them. I don’t know if it kills them or not but at least it will allow us to stall until I can find Tess.”

“I’m on it,” Elroy said.

A moment later a priority one alert pinged over Samuel’s heads up display. It was a global notice across all channels. Anyone still connected to a network civilian or military would get the message. At least the malravians had not attacked at the same time. If they had, things would be much worse down there.

Militia guns tracked them as they approached the labs. They had made a defensive perimeter boasting nearly as many skimmers as remained in the enforcer armored division. Luckily, they did not see the need to open fire.

“Stay here I will be back soon,” Samuel said to the pilot as he jumped the last few feet to the ground.

Immediately Samuel was confronted with the end of a gun.

“That’s far enough enforcer. You can wait out here,” Said A man with a shaggy beard and a ragged scar down his neck, He indicating for Samuel to sit on the ground. Instead, Samuel took off his helmet so everyone could see his abnormal eyes and hair.

“I am Under Marshal Samuel Spector. Tell Larry and Demetrius that I have arrived,” Samuel said with as much authority as he could muster.

The man looked confused for a moment but complied. Samuel could hear the buzz of the mobile com unit as the scruffy man relayed the information. A moment later he lowered his gun and waved Samuel into the building.

“What have you guys been doing here?” Samuel asked.

The man chuckled, “You ask me like I know,” He said as he primed the interior elevator but did not accompany Samuel inside.

Down on the sub level, Samuel could hear the sound of yelling coming from a room down the hall. At a dead sprint, he burst through a lab door to find the massive form of Larry struggling to hold a writhing form to the floor. Across the room, Demetrius sat slumped against the wall his face a rictus of agony. Out in front of him, a glowing aqua crystal floated in midair tethered to Demetrius by a leather cord. The figure on the floor held one outstretched hand towards the crystal as it flared a brilliant white and began to lose its color.

“Stop her!” Larry yelled, violently grabbing Samuel and forcing him in front of Tess. Immediately he could feel a violent tug on his own crystal as Tess made eye contact. Her beautiful green eyes were ringed in dark purple and her iris’s had morphed to form a rhombus. Samuel could feel an intense hunger and a violent lust for death stronger than anything he had ever felt from a malravian radiating from Tess. Tess’s small fist latched onto his wrist with enough force to bring him to his knees.

“Stop!” Samuel cried as he hit the floor. He felt a flood of power rush down his left arm and into Tess. Like the sun burning away the fog Tess’s hunger gradually subsided. Samuel found himself struggling for breath as he clutched his left shoulder, feeling slick blood where the skin had ruptured around part of his crystal. Tess no longer thrashed about under Larry’s restraint, but instead, she was sobbing. With Tess’s blood lust gone, the other emotions all came out in a rush. Fear, confusion, and anger flashed from Tess like a thunderhead constantly striking at his barrier.

“What the hell did you do to her?” Samuel demanded in a strained voice. Stunned faces looked back at him, lips unmoving. “What did you do to her!”

“What was necessary to save her life,” Larry said with words cold and hard. He alone had regained his composure.

A mixture of sobbing and laughter came from the other side of the room where Demetrius caressed his faded aqua crystal. “I did it. She was going to die Samuel. I had no choice, I had to.”

“You’re not answering my question. WHAT DID YOU DO TO TESS!” Samuel Demanded and he lunged for Demetrius.

“She is the perfect combination of human and malravian, Demetrius succeeded where I failed,” Larry said.

“No, you’re wrong,” Demetrius said eyes full of tears, his words coming out in what sounded like a half-mad rant that oscillated between joy and terror. “She is not just the perfect human-malravian hybrid. I was not sure, but I had my theory, that if this was successful, she would become like those enhanced malravians, those reapers. With the ability to absorb crystal energy. You have both seen it, I know you have!” The accusation in his voice implied that everyone else present was responsible for loosing the reapers on Central personally.

“I have,” Larry said. “I saw one using both fire and wind ability, along with strength and speed. It was the one that nearly killed her, and would have if I hadn’t arrived in time.”

“Yes. Imperium born humans do not possess much inherent ability and such a hybrid would likely be inferior to a reaper, but if they were created from a Halsinion... Tell me, Samuel." Demetrius paused panting for breath, “What color are her eyes?”

Larry began to laugh, a rumble that shook the room. Samuel, however, did not laugh. He alone could feel just how much torment Tess was in right now.

He rested his hand on her forehead, “Be at peace, we need you to be strong for us Tess. All of our hope rests on you now.”

Tess reached up and wiped her eyes before clutching at his arm, “Help me up.” She stood on shaky legs and rested the majority of her insubstantial weight on him.

“She will be in no condition to fight right now,” Larry said his head nearly brushing the ceiling as he stood. “Before we do anything, she must eat. She will need regular food but she will also need to absorb more crystal energy.”

Tess nodded, “Yes food… please…”

“Do we still control the area of the rim surrounding the catacombs?” Demetrius asked.

“Yes, that would be a perfect place to find an abundance of crystals for her,” Larry said.

Samuel was disgusted that Demetrius would even suggest such a thing. “Let the dead rest!” He snapped without thinking.

“No, they are right,” Tess said softly. “I can feel it. I do need more, and if I don’t get some soon, I don’t know if I can manage to keep, it, under control. I don’t like the idea of taking from the dead, but better than from the living. I am sorry Samuel.”

Samuel growled with frustration that nearly shattered his barrier. “Fine, then we better get going. I have a dusk blade outside. Larry does your militia have any food, she can eat?”

“Yes, and I am sure it won’t be a problem,” Larry said with that disgusting smile.

Tess clutched to Samuel all the way to the surface. She was so afraid to let go, he had become her anchor. A safe place of sanity, like a little pool of light in pitch darkness.