Chapter 72: 71. Ghost Riders In The Sky

Withers: "Hammer reporting in. Motor pool, Security checkpoints, Armoury and barracks are all secured. We've now entered and secured what appears to be an atrium and have linked up with Strike Force." He announced over the com channel as we made our way through the breeding chambers (there were a lot of them), and every female we passed were clearly pregnant. This was going to be hard for most of them to come to terms with when they're freed, being used to breeding stock for numbers... Especially those suffering with Mc Griffin syndrome like me, only they might not be so accepting of their situation.

A problem for later...

Me: "Nice work Captain. What of the enemy resistance?"

Withers: "Military forces seem to be falling back into the main base. Not sure if we're just forcing them back onto you, so be warned."

Me: "Noted, thank you Captain." We were met with no hostility on our way back up into the 'Valley'. Being linked in with SkyTech's battle net, I could understand why. From where our Vanguard forces were in the Atrium and in order of appearance while heading down, you'd come across: the office and admin levels, then the science labs, R+D, then below that, you'd come to more official levels. VIP, top tier staff, (which is where the boardroom was where Skylen was last located), along with the servers and SkyTech's mainframe, the same levels as the top of the valley above the captivity cells. After that, and spreading out beyond the sides of the valley and it's egg shaped cells, were all the training halls. Then finally, under the valley were the breeding and nurturing halls, by which point, you're looking at some 3 miles underground, which were just making our way out of.

Apparently all military and security personnel had been called to fortify the labs, creating a choke point for anyone coming down, ie. Hammer and Strike. The worst is the other orders that had just been issued on the net... Fury's presence in the base was well known still. We were in trouble...

Me: "Fury, Fury - Alex..." There was a long pause before I tried again, "...Fury, do you read?"

Sarah: "We read you Alex, all ok?" She replied panting.

Me: "Ok for now, we're almost free of the lower levels. But listen, be on your guard. I've gotten word that SkyTech are mobilising multiple squads of armoured Dragons, some being led by remaining Executioners. Have your wits about you, things are going to get sticky for us real soon."

Sarah: "Affirmative, we just encountered such a squad. Had to put them all down. The Executioner did not make it easy to try and save the converted."

Me: "You took down an Executioner? Well done!"

Sarah: "Not unscathed, Jinx took a hit."  I stopped our jog, Wrex running past me, screeched to a halt.

Me: "Is she alright?"

Wrex: "What is it? What's happened?"

Me: "Jinx is hit." I repeated back to him, forgetting that his radio will be down like the rest of his suit.

Wrex: "Bad?"

Sarah: "Left arm severed. If it wasn't for Ember showing up things would have been a lot worse. We managed to stop Jinx bleeding out though. She's in a lot of pain of course, but she'll live."

Me: "She's lost an arm but she's alive..." I repeated to Wrex again. "...I'll come to you, we've got to get her out of here."

Sarah: "No! We've come too far! Get upstairs, save your kids, stop Skylen, or this will all be for nothing! 42 has locked himself and Jinx in a staff dormitory, should remain undetected. They'll be safe enough there until we can go back for them."

Me: "You're not staying with them, are you? What are you doing?"

Sarah: "I'll be fine. I need to find Ember. She saved our lives, but that Wyvern was still giving her trouble, I've got to find her."

Me: "Sarah-"

Sarah: "Don't wanna hear it. Go!"

Me: "Just, be safe. Please!"

Sarah: "You too. Now go, save them!" She cut the line off so I turned to talk to Wrex.

Me: "42 and Jinx are in hiding. Sarah is insisting to go find Ember, alone, and for us to go save our children."

Wrex: "It's your call, what do you want to do?"

Me: "I really don't want to leave her, but I don't think it's even really a question. Sarah's right, we need to save our own, at least get them safe." Wrex nodded and we finished our run to the end of the hall and up the staircase which led to the lowest point in the valley.

Me: "Wow... A lot happened while we were downstairs." The bridge we were on earlier, wasn't the only part of the valley damaged now. Some of the egg cells were blown apart or dislodged entirely from their perches. The trick ceiling, the one that was imitating a summer sky when we first came in here, was damaged in sections - some of the panels were missing, some panels flickered an image and others were displaying images out of alignment. Fires were present as well, scattered around the valley, smoke was blocking out the trick ceiling as you could see the extractors working their hardest to draw out the smoke.

Me: "We need to get this done, now."

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Wrex: "We need to get back up there." He pointed to the top of the valley.

Me: "Same as earlier." I magicked a purple fog-like, yet solid platform in front of Wrex once more for him to stand on, like in the lift shaft earlier. Once he was on and with me using my jets, we rose at a quick yet gentle pace up the half mile high valley towards the top.

I saw the map in my head... The board room Skylen was in was 3 floors up at the top of the valley, overlooking it. At the top of the slightly curved valley on both sides was a walkway, like the one we ventured onto earlier, before we were blown off the linking bridge. If we had carried on the walkway, rather than going onto the bridge, we'd eventually come to a door. Then inside, we'd just had to hop up 2 floors to get to our destination. So that's where I was aiming to drop us, by that door... Until I was walloped in midair by nothing, all I saw was a faint red fog in my peripheral vision at the moment of impact.

We were so close to reaching the top as well... Maybe, 4 levels of cells to go? Anyway, I was walloped into one of the cells, smashed through the front of it with ease, like it was an actual egg shell, with an almighty mighty crash. I crash landed inside the familiar looking cell, sliding to a halt on my front along with the debris from my impact close to the personnel door at the back of the cell. With a growling grunt, I started pulling myself back up, wondering what Executioner had spotted and attacked us. Wrex was nowhere to be seen, I might have dropped him when I was hit, hopefully he'll be alright... but what glided in through my impact crater in the cell front wall and window, is what had my full attention and got me into a slightly worried state, something I had never seen before.

A skeleton Dragon, though not quite... The skin had sunk enough to show bones, but it wasn't quite skin anymore, it was like armour plating. The head was spooky, no lips to hide the triangular teeth lined jaw. And the eyes... The sockets were hollowed out but glowed like fireballs. The completely unnatural look reminded me of something...

Me: "Well, hello, Truckasaurus." Then flicked my arm blades out and ignited them in plasma as the creature touched the floor of the cell.

Reikon: "All that power and you still use primitive weapons!" My stunned self, realising upon hearing that voice, emanating from the mouth of this thing, that this was actually Reikon, I didn't stand a chance. No sooner had she finished her sentence, I was blown back with tremendous force. An invisible concussive wave blew me straight through the personnel door that was behind me, smashing me into the adjacent wall. Reikon flew at me, just as I recomposed myself and got a footing on the floor, and smashed me into the wall again, pinning me to it.

Reikon: "GIVE ME THAT SHARD!" She snarled.

Me: "Come and *Nggh* take it!" I plasma shot her in the gut, it had minimal effect in terms of damage, but it was enough to get her off me for a split second. I punched her skull before jumping away to my left, hovering backwards on my leg jets, while taking quick short shots at her with both arms. Each impacted and had minimal effect other than some black scarring across the metallic skin. She walked it off, with another flick of the wrist, pelted me with another invisible mass again.

This one sent me flying backwards through a set of double doors at the end of the hall. I crashed onto the floor beyond, into another very familiar room. A dining hall, the tall square room surrounded with a high level guard walkway and tables with the serving chutes surrounded me.

Me: "Why are you so powerful compared to when I last shot you? 3 shots and you were dead!" I exclaimed as I got back to my feet again.

Reikon: "I was merely mortal before, now I'm pure energy! The closer I get to the Shard, the stronger I get!" It clicked to me...

Me: "You weren't forcing me away when you told me not to come, you knew I would, sending me messages like that! Like a beacon! you wanted me to get closer!" She used her powers, telekinetically ripping a table from the floor from its mounts and it hovered there beside her as she entered the room.

Reikon: "But I wasn't planning on you bringing your team... Divide and conquer..." She threw the table at me, with a throw of my arm in return, I managed to use my own powers to divert its path behind me off to my left. Reikon then ripped another table off the floor, then another, "...On Draconia you were surrounded by Vanguard, your little 'friends'..." She spat as she threw another table, I diverted it right, then the other, I diverted it left, "...Now you're here and with your little team split up...." She ripped up 3 more simultaneously and a 4th moments later, "...It's just you and me now!" She screamed, throwing all the tables at me in quick succession. The first 2 I managed to divert around to either side of me, the 3rd I jumped up onto and ran over as it passed under me. The 4th I whipped out my plasma arm blades once more and swiped at the table as it flew towards me, cleaving it in two with ease.

I didn't realise that while I was distracted with those 4, she had lobed another 2 at me. The 1st clipped me, the second caught me square on. It smashed me through the guard rail on the upper level walkway and into the wall.

Me: "Grr... Enough with the smashing me into walls already." I grumbled to myself as I picked myself back up yet again.

__________*_Wrex_*__________

Minutes previous...

Alex: "Same as earlier." Like earlier, she materialised a platform out of the purple fog of Shard energy for me to stand on. As soon as I was on it we began rising up at a decent speed, Alex using her jets of course and flew up alongside me. Alex was determined. I knew what she was thinking... She wanted to go save her friend, Sarah, to whom I knew she owed her life to. But we both know that Sarah was resilient and determined as well, and who would be thoroughly disappointed if we didn't save our children first. Defensive and resourceful Sarah, versus defenceless unhatched children, our own flesh and blood that we hadn't met yet. It was a no-brainer, right?... I was so conflicted, but I knew we had to do the right thing.

We were near the top when Alex seemed to be batted from the air by absolutely nothing. As soon as she was flung sideways, my platform vanished and I fell. I opened my wings, enough to slow me and I just about managed to sort of land on one of the white egg shaped cells lower down from where Alex crashed, but my injured leg gave out, causing me to slide off. The cells were staggered as they descended the valley, so I ended up sliding off down the next cell below as well, before finally managing to dig my claws of one hand into a 3rd cell's white metallic skin and came to a halt. With a grunt and growl, I swung my other hand up, dug my claws in again. I was about to heave myself up when I heard this weird chirping/screeching sound, followed by an explosion down the Valley, farther away and up the top.

I craned my neck around to see Wyvern had appeared further down the valley, only this time he didn't look so confident. His armour was battered, burnt and damaged as he flew out from the origin of the explosion. Following him out of the explosion as well, was... Well I don't know what it was, but it didn't look like a natural Draconian... It looked Male, I think, blazing blue flames formed oversized claws, horns, wings and tail blades. It actually had blue flames licking all over the almost chrome black scaly skin in random places, flowing, ebbing over the surface like water. It chased Wyvern who again had his wing plasma launchers deployed. Plasma showered forwards and impacted this wraith-like character but had minimal effect on him before he pummeled Wyvern in a cell on the opposite side of the valley.

I scurried and clawed my way up onto the egg cell to get a better look at what was happening. I had just pulled myself up when the sound of plasma jets screeched close, somewhat making me jump. But it was just Ember appearing level next to me, hovering in midair using her jets, in front of the cell.

Wrex: "Oh. Ember... Phew... Any idea what the hell that was?!" I said pointing off where Wyvern got tackled by the beast. The skull carved helmet turned off in the direction to where I pointed before turning back to me.

Crystal: "Ember has... Shall we say, a 'condition'. I am just Crystal..." Her face plates opened, revealing a completely empty helmet, then they snapped back shut again, "...this armour is essentially my body when Ember leaves it in my care. She asked me to assist team Fury in any way possible on this occasion though, before her transformation. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Wrex: " 'Transformation'?... That's-?!... That's Ember?!.." I shockingly asked wide eyed, pointing back off towards the scene that occurred a few seconds prior, "...How...?!... You know what, I don't wanna know. No, I'm fine, I need to go help Alex. Tell you what actually, find Sarah, she's alone and was looking for Ember. Go find her and keep her safe."

Crystal: "Certainly." And with that, the black and gold armour jetted up and off down the valley.

Wrex: " *Sigh*... And I was thinking things couldn't get any weirder." I stated, looking back up the few in levels to where Alex crashed.

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