Chapter 3
“OPEN FIRE!”
Ryan yelled out his order as he began emptying his artillery. Such a cry of command given by a remotely calmed person changed the entire mood of the battle.
Without any wait, others followed.
Arrows. Beams of cosmic energy. Gunfire. Cannonfire. Firepower rained down as a purple shield formed up from the ground, defending from the aggressive attack.
His right hand was up. He stood menacingly as he stared down the force of good. Hungering for revenge, the Monarch retaliates.
Hovering up to overlook the army, Monarch emits beams of cosmic energy right from his fingertips. Unstable purple beams would incinerate troopers that stood in his path.
Ryan dived for cover as Athena defended herself, with horror imbued to her face as she stared down the man who was presumed dead.
The beams travelled up as it destroyed the artillery that was stationed across the port’s entrance.
“Gauss! No!” Ember shouted to her comrade.
Before Gauss could even dive in to attack, Monarch’s beam would slice the specialist in half. Blood rained over the remaining troopers as Ryan ordered a full retreat.
All that remained on the battlefield was the Guardian facing the Monarch.
Athena’s eyes looked to the haunting visor of the Supreme Leader as she stood her ground, trying to contain her fears.
Monarch loomed over her as he slowly hovered down to her level.
His boots touched the ground as he looked at her.
“You want…a challenge?” Monarch’s every daunting voice broke through.
Athena squinted her eyes, expecting him to finish his sentence.
“You shall have it.”
Gently, he’d toss over a visor. Ajay Shrader’s visor. On its surface, coordinates were scribbled across unanimously.
He turned swiftly as he gently marched away. Claiming victory, in the overall grand view at play.
His presence slowly faded in the smoke as Athena fell to her knees in utter disbelief.
~
The Head Operator room inside the port was filled with its rightful members, though bleak quiet. Overlooking San Francisco that was laid across with fire and smoke, they simply waited in eerie silence.
“I have a report!” Ryan said so urgently.
“Frey contacted me back to Fort Equator. The obelisk was an intergalactic travel point that allows ships to travel from one end of space to the other.”
Slowly, he’d grab the attention of others.
“Ajay reactivated it and it transported the Colossal to our sector. It destroyed the obelisk and the base with it. Frey managed to save Ajay and some others. It appears Ajay is en route back but in critical condition.”
“We have to provide a safe charter for him back to homebase.” Kal breached in.
“Already done. Ardago and the remainder of the ghosts are protecting the vessel for safe transport as we speak.” Ava replied swiftly.
“What of the Dominion?” Destoria asked, though her tone deepened upon saying the name.
“It was a trap. The regents were probably sent to aid the Liberation Front in war efforts and probably build an obelisk to transport ships here. Perhaps they didn’t have the necessary means to activate it and-“
“And have us capture it to allow the smartest among us to do it for them.”
Ava finished Ryan’s sentences as their voices grew deeper by every word. They were outsmarted. Their means of war were the reason they lost it.
“Planetary satellites can’t track their ship. Wherever they are, they’re here…and mounting a counter-attack.” Ryan continued.
On the far end of the room, Athena was facing monitors. On one of them, it showed the remote island of Iceland, Ellidaey. As provided by Monarch, Athena had keyed in the coordinates. She suspects that he wants revenge prior to the previous duel. A duel she barely survived.
On the monitor in front of her, she was rewatching security footage of Monarch’s attacks. It seemed like a nightmare, with Athena constantly finding ways to wake up from. She drowned in realisation of what had happened to the extent that she’s trying to mentally escape the facts of reality.
She scrolled further before. A mistake she could never erase.
She zoomed the footage further to his arrival.
It showed the battlefield, on the side of the Dominion.
Azalea limping back with the regents by her side…and him.
Her eyes widened as she was stunned.
Her hands slowly retreated away from the keyboards.
Her eyes flickered from the figure of Monarch to the regents.
Her breath sharpened as it grew rapid. Her heart rate increased as she slowly intensified.
Her eyes slowly closed as she nearly fainted from such acceleration until…
“Athena?” A voice called to her.
Swiftly she turned, paled and sweated as she looked to Destoria.
“What’s wrong?” Her friend asked.
“Wake me up…please…” Tears formed as she plummeted into an emotional breakdown.
Ryan walked over to see her screen, to what she saw.
Regents escaping.
A transportation beam emerging.
Monarch unmasked.
A face forgotten.
Orion Hubolt.
Comments (0)
See all