Ice Phoenix

The long, sinewy evacuation ship hovered high in orbit, shifting restlessly as it waited for clearance from the rotating traffic tower that guided ships in and out of the In-Between. Inside the serpentine ship, the students grew restless; they had been suspended in the same spot for half an hour.

“What’s the hold-up?” Kalindra grumbled, as she looked around at the teachers and other students. “We’ve been floundering in orbit for ages!”

Lorn glanced at her, but remained quiet and calmly observed the teachers walking along the aisles; they looked tense and nervous. They were inspecting the students for marks on their bodies with medical scanners. One teacher came up to Master Drummik and stooped down to say something.

“All clean,” Lorn overheard him say to Master Drummik.

All clean for what? Lorn wondered. Why were the teachers going around scanning the students? Another teacher walked up to Master Drummik and bent down to whisper in his ear. Lorn could not catch any of the words, but he knew someone who could have. Nipponians were known to have excellent hearing. He leaned forwards and nudged Mikin, who had also been observing quietly.

“Did you catch that?”

Mikin gave him a guilty look and nodded. “He said, ‘Minda Yerra’s defences have been activated. We can return. It should be safe.’”

Now Lorn was really confused. What was happening? Were they really about to return to Minda Yerra? He caught Master Drummik staring at him. Squirming, Lorn looked behind him and caught sight of Imeldor Raimus standing a little way behind Terrana’s pod. He seemed agitated.

Something stirred next to Lorn, and he glared at the sight of Kazu sprawled out on Terrana’s lap. The kitten had been a right pain throughout the flight, meowing and scratching to be let out of his cage, and in the end Terrana had relented. Kazu sat up, the sleepy look gone from his face. Instead, he looked alert, his ears twitching, and for some reason Terrana was paying more attention to him than to what was happening around them.

Kazu feels bad, Terrana. Air feels bad.

Which is it?

Terrana, something bad is coming here. Kazu doesn’t like it.

Do you wanna go to the back where Niku is?

Their carriage was the second last one in the serpent ship, right before animal storage where Niku was being kept. In case of attack or serious accidents, the carriages were designed to separate so their individual autopilots would activate and navigate their passengers to safety. In fact, every carriage was fitted with its own landing and flight systems.

You’re not listening! Something bad is coming!

Terrana pursed her lips and sat up straight. The longer they remained in orbit, the more of a sitting duck they became for the wrails. She wasn’t sure whether the wrails could reach them at this height, but neither did she want to find out. She still believed that the Valpuri had already headed into the Voron Cloud, bent on freeing the Dream Walker.

She could hear her heart beating in her head. In her mind, she pictured a ship rocketing straight for a dark bubble. Inside that bubble, something large and powerful writhed with insurmountable anger, drawing the ship closer to it. Like a needle plunging into human skin, she saw the ship piercing the bubble, releasing the slow, dripping flow of thick red blood. And then a voice called her name.

“Terrana. Terrana!”

Someone shook her and Terrana found herself staring into Lorn’s green eyes.

“Are you okay? You’re sweating.” He reached out to wipe her forehead and was surprised to find it as cold as ice.

“We are not moving,” she said, trying to hide her fear and stop Lorn from worrying further.

“You are thick, aren’t you?” said Misa, glaring at her. “You’d think after being stuck up here for the past half hour, you could say something other than the most obvious!”

Terrana scowled. Misa scowled back.

Someone moved up ahead and all of them turned to see who it was. Headmistress Marl was striding down the aisle directly towards them, her face cast in a shadow of inexorable sobriety, which set off alarm bells in their heads. All the teachers were now standing and seemed hyper alert. The students could not fail to recognise that something very serious was happening. They found out what it was when the captain’s voice rang throughout the ship.

“We apologise for the delay, but due to complications with space traffic and evacuation procedures, we’ve been requested to return to ground. We are now heading back to Minda Yerra.”

A loud, unified cry vibrated down the ship as students began to panic. “But the wrails are below!” cried a student. “I heard they were multiplying.”

From their area, Lorn, Terrana, Kalindra, Misa, and Mikin glanced at each other. Fear clearly etched their faces. The stark memory of Mikin’s words returned to them. “If Pa Gumpina cannot clear out the wrails in the next three days, UWIB will vaporise Pa Gumpina!”

Misa looked as though she wanted to blurt out something, but Kalindra sent her a warning glance, shaking her head.

“Not a word,” she hissed. “We don’t want to create further panic.” Misa bit down on her lower lip and nodded. There was a sharp lift in their stomachs as the ship started to descend. It was fast, and the students could discern the first rays of light filtering through the small windows.

“Students, quieten down!” ordered Headmistress Marl. Her voice cut through the ship and quickly quelled the dissent among her students. Her image was also projected throughout every carriage.

“As you have understood, we are not proceeding to Al-Kalindrome 77 today. We are returning to Minda Yerra, where you’ll be safest. The defence shields around Minda Yerra have been activated, and nothing can pass through alive, including students, without explicit clearance from the school. As soon as we land, you will form efficient lines and assemble immediately at the great hall, where you’ll be briefed on emergency precautions. To all prefects, you have the important jobs of ensuring that every student is in line as quickly as possible, and accounted for.”

Misa ventured a question, raising her hand. “How long should we expect to remain at Minda Yerra before we evacuate?”

Headmistress Marl gave her a hard look. “Two days. During that time we will organise another —”

Something slammed into the ship, sending Headmistress Marl and the other teachers tumbling down the aisle. There was another violent crash, and the students screamed as they heard the sound of the carriage being pulled apart.

“Activate your suits now!” Master Drummik shouted. Almost immediately, a helmet came up over every student’s head, and their suits lit up in certain areas as their life support sensors switched on.

Terrana clung to Kazu as they tumbled violently, and amid the terrified screaming, she heard the screeching sound of metal being pried open. Up ahead, grey light and rain flooded in, and for a moment she could have sworn she saw electricity race along the sides of the carriage. The sudden change in air pressure created a vacuum inside the carriage, and the students screamed as they saw two teachers being sucked out of the ship.

The rip began mending itself before any other passengers were caught in the vacuum. The students slumped into their pods in relief as metal stretched and melded, welding back together. Headmistress Marl had one hand on the wall, and the other on the ceiling, generating heat to repair the hole. The vessel stabilised as the pressure inside equalised; however, their carriage had separated from the rest of the ship. They were hurtling at blood curdling speed towards the city.

The violent thud came again, and everyone looked up in horror as long steel claws tore through the walls. That was when everyone realised they were being attacked by wrails.

"Stay back!” yelled Headmistress Marl. She was slithering towards the claws, intent on destroying the wrails’ footholds. With a loud roar, she pounced on the steel claws, bringing her fists down in an earth-shattering punch.

Outside, the wrail screeched in pain and pulled away. Headmistress Marl leapt onto the next one, proving once again that her power punches were stronger than the wrails’ deathly grips.

“Degra!” shouted Master Drummik. “They’ve destroyed the air thrusts. We are going to crash!”

“Keep the students in a shield! We are getting out of here!”

“What about the other carriages?” screamed Terrana, holding Kazu tightly.

“They’ve already separated, probably heading back to Minda Yerra,” said Lorn, trying to keep his voice calm. “It’s just us now.”

Kalindra bolted into action then. She quickly deactivated her shield, and did the same for the others. “There’s no time to waste! Gather around Master Drummik. I’m going to get the others!”

Being a prefect, it was her duty to guide the other students, and she did just that. Terrana had to admit, she admired the girl’s strength and calmness in such a situation.

"Everyone!” Kalindra shouted. ”Get behind Master Drummik! We are evacuating the carriage. You need to stay inside his shield at all times!”

As the students hurriedly freed themselves from their pods, they were lifted into the air and plonked down unceremoniously behind Master Drummik, courtesy of Imeldor Raimus. Terrana found herself clinging to his back, with Kazu squashed between them.

“They are coming for you, child,” Raimus said quietly. “Stay close to me.”

Terrana’s fingers dug into his shoulders. “They sent the wrails after me?”

“Not just the wrails. The Valpuri are still here. We need to escape.”

Terrana felt the blood drain from her. They found out who I am. And now all the students are in danger because of me.

Raimus suddenly swerved to the side and Terrana was amazed to see Headmistress Marl running down the carriage with one hand seemingly wedged in the ceiling. Her flame red hair billowed behind her, and there was an awful screeching noise as the ceiling above her tore open. She was ripping it apart with her qi-enhanced claws.

“Children, stay close!” warned Master Drummik. “Activate flight-mode on three.”

Terrana panicked. “Do I have to activate mine when I’m with you?” she asked Raimus.

“No,” the Imeldor replied. “I’ve got you.”

The carriage split open and Master Drummik shouted. Immediately, each student tapped a yellow sensor on their shoulder and they were flung upwards into the sky. An enormous force shield formed around the students and pushed back the surrounding wrails with a loud smack. Large membranous wings sprung from the back of the students’ suits, and every one of them was now in flight-mode. A quick observation of their location showed they were not far from the city. Acting as one, the teachers began guiding the students towards it.

Large creatures they had never seen before collided repeatedly into the shield, and the students screamed as they stared into the gaping jaws of the wrails for the first time. Horribly mutated creatures which were neither reptilian nor mammalian hovered above them, their eyes glinting viciously as they flapped their heavy wings in the rain. Their bodies pulsed strangely and the students were both repulsed and horrified to see short tentacles lined with sharp teeth protruding from their sides.

“Formation!” ordered Master Drummik. “Coordinates zero one five nine x seventeen y! We are heading there now!”

The students’ suits registered the new instructions, and, like a highly trained platoon, they fell into an arrow formation behind Master Drummik. The arrow then blasted towards the city. The wrails followed, intent on destroying the shield, but the teachers were equally bent on preventing them. They surrounded the wrails and like a well-drilled squad led by Headmistress Marl, began attacking.

With her powerful fists, Headmistress Marl pounded her way through the swarm, and despite the fact that the wrails dwarfed her, her qi-enhanced attacks were sufficient to break their bones, and they fell away like flies.

“Degra!” One of the teachers flew up to her. He looked terrified. “Something’s wrong! The wrails seem to be getting stronger.”

Lightning raced across the sky, stretching its fingers down towards the ground, and Headmistress Marl felt her spinal cord turning to ice. She glanced at both her fists, which had taken down five wrails, and noticed the broken skin on them.

“They are starting to adapt to our qi,” she muttered. “Our attacks will soon be useless.” A horrifying realisation struck her and she looked towards the fleeing students. “Dartkala, Drummik’s shield won’t be able to protect them for much longer! We must get to them immediately!”

A dark shadow passed over them and all the teachers looked up, blinking their eyes through the torrential rain. Fear raced into their veins as it contaminated the bloodstream and caused their hearts to palpitate.

“Dartkala have mercy on us,” cried the teacher hovering next to Headmistress Marl. “We are not leaving here alive!”

High above them and heading towards the city, was a raging tide of one thousand wrails. Droppings and viscous slime fell from the sky in large clumps as they passed over.

"To the students now!” screamed Headmistress Marl.

As the students fled, Terrana glanced back at the teachers who had remained behind to protect them. To her relief, she saw them speeding after them, their bodies pulled into perfectly straight lines.

Her relief was short lived. The next time she looked upwards, Terrana saw hundreds of gruesome wrails racing towards them. From where he was wedged in, Kazu hissed and growled, his eyes dilated with fear.

Must get away, Terrana!

“Master Raimus! We need to get away from here! Those wrails are here because of me!”

“Very good of you to shoulder all the responsibility, young one, but the reason is not due to you alone. Those wrails are after everyone. On the other hand,” he pointed at the lightning that was racing through the clouds, ”he’s most certainly after you.”

Lightening struck the shield, which, in turn, released a powerful shockwave that sent the students crashing into one another. Master Drummik was also thrown back, but Lorn and Mikin caught him and they somehow managed to avoid colliding with the others.

“Drummik, you’ve got this?” shouted Raimus.

Master Drummik grunted. “I can manage up to fifteen hundred million volts! Anything more, we’re in trouble.”

Raimus nodded and looked down towards the city. “We’re almost at the coordinates.”

“What are at those coordinates?” asked Terrana.

“There’s an underground bomb shelter designed to hold over five thousand people,” replied Raimus. “Its hold is designed from special materials impervious to most weaponry and qi attacks.”

“Even lightning?”

“Even lightning.”

They were flying over the city now, and the students followed Master Drummik’s lead as he raced them to safety. They sped through the high rise buildings, dodging the multilevel roads and city’s public rail system. Lightning stretched its evil fingers towards them, striking down hard, and once or twice it caught Master Drummik’s shield.

“There!” Master Drummik shouted, pointing at a solid, shimmering gate that rippled gently across the face of a large, silver building. “It’s through there!”

As they neared the ground, the masters were struck by something peculiar. People walked about fearlessly in the open, unafraid of encountering wrails. They lingered around the shimmering gate of the bomb shelter, and as the students approached, a few of them glanced up. Master Drummik’s heart almost stopped when he saw the hungry look in their eyes. He held his hand out, indicating that the students should stay behind him. He kept silent for a few seconds, observing the people below.

“Raimus,” he said. He didn’t have to finish his sentence.

“I agree. They’re infected.”

Terrana pulled herself up in surprise. “What do you mean, infected?”

“Students!” shouted Master Drummik. “We’re about to approach the coordinates. The bomb shelter is through that door, but as some of you may have noticed, there are people wandering around outside. They are infected with a virus and will attack us as soon as we land. Do not, I repeat, do not let them get near you!”

“How do we get in if they are blocking our path?” Kalindra shouted.

“I will clear the way for you,” answered Master Drummik. “There are sentries posted on the other side of the door who will guide you in.”

As Lorn hovered in the air listening to every word that Master Drummik uttered, someone tapped his shoulder. It was Misa, looking very pale.

“Lorn, how did he know that? We’ve only just arrived,” she asked.

Mikin answered. He gestured towards a tiny device attached to the side of Master Drummik’s head. It was no larger than a coin. “See that? It’s a high level thought transmitter that taps into people’s thoughts within a certain range. Master Drummik has probably tapped into the thoughts of the sentries posted inside the shelter, and if necessary he’ll use the coms on his suit to speak to them.”

“What? Why would he need the coms if he can just relay his thoughts across, and how do you know all this?” said Lorn, looking baffled.

“Cos only Imeldors can use the device and the sentries inside are probably ordinary people, so any messages to them would have to be transmitted via the coms! I know this because I saw Imeldor Kuldor with a similar device, except I think his was much more advanced,” answered Mikin.

“Who are you?” Lorn asked, seeing his friend in a different light for the first time.

Mikin squirmed under his gaze and he was spared from answering by Misa.

“Why is Terrana piggybacking on that Imeldor? Is something wrong with her suit?” she asked as she observed Terrana clinging to Raimus.

“Who knows?” Lorn said quickly, hoping to ward off Misa’s suspicion. “Focus on getting into the shelter instead.”

Master Drummik barked out an order and the students fell into formation behind him. They waited for his next command.

"Now!” he shouted.

The shielded swarm of students swooped down and hit the ground running. They cried and trembled in terror as the desperate people tried to reach them.

“Keep moving!” shouted Master Drummik as he pushed them forwards. His shield prevented the ravenous people from reaching them and, for the time being, also kept the wrails at bay, even though they swooped down and hammered into the shield mercilessly. Master Drummik fell to his knees as their strength proved to be too much for him. “Raimus, they are breaking through!”

Raimus lowered Terrana to the ground. “Stay by Drummik’s side, there’s a good girl,” he told her.

Terrana held Kazu even tighter and rushed to Master Drummik. As she neared him, he stood up and reached for her, pulling her close. Terrana knew some of the students had noticed this and were scowling at her, but she did not have time to worry about being unpopular because the ground began to tremble and large cracks appeared beneath their feet.

The students screamed as they stumbled over one another. Great clumps of earth rose into the air inside their protective shield. As everyone watched, Raimus moulded the clumps into solid compact balls that spun in a centrifugal motion around the students.

“I have to let this shield down now, but you will be all right if you walk towards the door,” he shouted. More earth balls rose into the air, creating a wall around the students. Outside, the wrails raged and hammered. “Now, Drummik!”

The shield collapsed and the wrails rushed in, but they were halted by the spinning wall of balls. Under the guidance of Master Drummik, the students walked towards the door. Several wrails managed to slip past the earth balls, but they were quickly taken down by Master Drummik. He simply threw them into the path of the spinning balls. A few students lost their nerve and tried to make a run for it, but Kalindra reacted swiftly. Assisted by Misa, the two girls caught and restrained the fleeing students by applying Kampu grapple techniques. Master Drummik then pulled them back into line.

They finally reached the gate of the bomb shelter and one by one the terrified students stepped through the shimmering veil and were led away to safety by the guards on the other side.

Lorn, Mikin, Misa, Kalindra, Terrana, and Kazu were at the end of the line. As they were about to go through the gate, there was an eardrum shattering crack, and the entire area lit up in a brilliant flash. Lightning struck the ground directly beneath them. Millions of volts of electricity unleashed itself on the group and they were flung violently against the side of the building, where they crumpled to the ground in a semi-conscious heap.

“Lorn!” screamed Terrana. She had been saved by Master Drummik, who had lifted her off the ground at the last moment. Raimus had not been so lucky, and he had been flung away from the group. He wasn’t moving.

“They’re still alive,” Master Drummik grunted. “Their suits protected them, and I was able to create a shield on the ground just in time.”

“Let go!” She struggled, but Master Drummik held onto her firmly. With the slightest motion of his hand, he waved the immobilised students towards the gate.

“You can’t go with them,” he said. “The Valpuri are here, and they are after you.”

The wrails suddenly pulled back. Lightning struck the ground once more, but Master Drummik leapt out of the way, still holding onto Terrana, who was still clinging to Kazu. The kitten yowled, and in desperation, Terrana flung him as far away from her as she could.

Run! Get away from here!

Terrana! Kazu won’t leave.

Get away from here Kazu! It’s too dangerous!

She shrieked in pain as current raced up her suit, causing her to convulse uncontrollably. She fell face-up on the ground and stared into the dark sky. The rain fell hard, and in the numbness of her mind Terrana wondered what had happened to Master Drummik. She could see something dropping out of the sky, but she didn’t know what it was. It landed on the ground and walked towards her.

She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even cry. As she lay there choking in the rain, Meldogan loomed over her. A large hand clamped around her throat and she found herself staring into his red eyes.

“So, you are the supposed child of Dartkala,” he hissed. “The very same one who fought us at Si Ren Da. Where is your pendant? Or are you powerless without it?”

She could not utter a word. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear Kazu crying. She couldn’t let him come near her or he would die too. Everyone around her seemed to be dying. Her eyes darted over to Lorn and Mikin, and she could see they were badly hurt. Lorn had suffered burns to his upper body, and Mikin had a torn ear. She couldn’t tell how Misa and Kalindra were doing.

It was all her fault, she thought. If she hadn’t been born, none of this would have happened. The Valpuri wouldn’t have come for her and the students would have been safe. Her family would still be alive today. Her anguish switched something on in her head, and hundreds of voices invaded her mind.

Terrana, Kazu won’t leave!

Help us, please help us. We want to eat you!

Uurgh, Terrana! Where is she?

My ear, ow. But I’m still alive. Who’s that standing over Terrana?

Damn it! That hurt. Mikin, you’re okay!

Terrana, don’t turn. Please don’t turn.

Dear Dartkala, we’ll all die here. Look what happened to those Imeldors! Bolt the gate! We’re sealing off this bomb shelter now!

Terrana could feel T2 rising to the surface. No, no, no. You can’t come out! I won’t let you!

As she struggled to keep T2 contained, Meldogan watched her with a curious look in his eyes. Some distance away, Master Drummik stirred and raised himself to his knees, obviously in great pain.

“Get away from her,” he cried hoarsely to Meldogan.

“You’re in no position to tell me anything, weakling,” snapped Meldogan. Current gathered into his right hand. “Your suit and your powers protected you thus far, but no longer. Now, you are going to die.”

Master Drummik was staring at certain death, but as he was flung back away from the current along with Terrana, dozens of long metal rods protruded from the ground and ruptured into millions of particles, forming a stream back to their master.

Master Drummik groaned. “You took your time, Kuldor.”

Master Kuldor stood between his friend and Meldogan. “I had to wade through a few thousand wrails. Degra required some help. You don’t have much time, the Dark Star is about to leave.”

With a start, Master Drummik suddenly found himself holding onto Terrana. He didn’t bother asking how Kuldor had managed to pull the girl from Meldogan’s grasp without him noticing. He got to his feet, carrying a strangely catatonic Terrana in his arms.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked.

“She’s fighting with her other self. She’s struggling not to transform.”

“What will happen if she does?”

“You’ll die. You better leave now.”

The wings on Master Drummik’s back snapped into position, and he pushed off the ground, accelerating into the sky with Terrana.

Meldogan screamed and unleashed several lightning bolts that should have struck the fleeing master and his charge, but instead they were deflected by the rods Kuldor had created.

"How?" he screamed at Kuldor.

“Simple science,” replied Master Kuldor. “Metal rods deflect lightning. Everyone knows that. Combine that with conductive fibres, careful design, and correct positioning, that’s how.”

“But you are not even weaving! You’re just standing there!”

“Oh, I don’t have to weave for something as simple as that. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve really woven anything.”

Meldogan glared at Master Kuldor. “How are you deflecting my lightning?” he screamed.

“Nanomites. Now then, would you like to see some real weaving?”

“Can you actually weave anything without your precious nanomites?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Master Kuldor’s right shoulder suddenly came alive with thousands of tiny ants, connecting and locking with each other to create a type of impenetrable armour. It continued to unfold and expand, and before Meldogan’s astonished gaze, a huge bazooka had formed and was aimed directly at him.

Master Kuldor wrapped his finger around the trigger and pulled. A large cannon ball shot out and hit Meldogan directly in the chest; the Valpuri was sent flying several metres, where he crashed into a concrete pillar.

“Good old-fashioned release mechanism.” Master Kuldor gave his bazooka an affectionate pat. “Good old-fashioned ammunition too. A little adjustment here and, hopefully, you should die with the next shot.”

Meldogan scrambled to sit up, and as Kuldor approached him, he snarled and pointed behind the Imeldor. “Why don’t you try it on them instead?”

Kuldor turned and saw a hoard of infected citizens stumbling towards him, bleeding and crying. There must have been at least three hundred of them.

“Help us!” they cried. “We can’t control ourselves. We’re starving!”

Master Kuldor swore as he turned back to Meldogon. “You would use innocent people?”

Meldogan sniggered. “You underestimated me if you thought I would abide by an honourable code of battle. This is an extermination; there is no such thing as honour!” He rose to his feet and shouted, “Live meat, everyone!”

The rabid horde dashed forwards like starving scavengers on a raid, their eyes glazed. Meldogan shrieked with laughter and rose into the air.

“A single bite or scratch, and you will turn into one of them! But I’m sure you already know that, right?”

Master Kuldor backed away in horror as the desperate people closed in on him.

“Foooood!” they cried.