Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Rescue and Revenge

It was a visual spectacle for someone who would look from a drone view. Many jeeps, tanks, trucks, and missile launchers were spread across the visible ground as they traveled toward the facility. Above them, many planes flew in a triangular formation.

At the foremost, the General drove her jeep, leading them all. In the air, General Kesslar led his forces in his military jet. The soldiers were filled with passion, and they all were ready to lay down their lives. When the General led the forces, it invigorated a spark in them, encouraging them to fight harder. Because when she took over, they knew that things were serious.

Not far behind, Edith Garson sat in a truck, staring ahead of them, gripping her machine gun tightly. Riley and William were in the same truck, holding each other’s hands.

While there was passion, there was also tension. Bancroft stood in an open truck, looking out at the landscape beyond them. She looked through binoculars as the wind flew through her hair, making it messy and ruffled. They had been driving for five hours, and the facility was supposed to be somewhere here.

She finally spotted it. A building not much different in appearance from the Gradondam base, it was white, with a tall metal wall surrounding it. It had barbed wires, and there was one gate, where two men stood. No watch towers.

She spoke through her radio. “Stop right here. It’s not far away if you stand and look.”

The General stopped, and the rest followed. She stood up and looked through her own binoculars. It was there all right.

“Everyone, park your jeeps and trucks near that clump of trees to the right. Launchers, stay where you are. You know the plan. Get into position.”

All the soldiers got down with their weapons. Edith spoke into her radio.

“Battalion 143, with me.”

All her soldiers followed her. They slowly walked through the forest. The other Battalions followed suit as they surrounded the target, covered by the dense canopy. Cartwright led them from one side, while Bancroft did from the other.

“Air force on standby, along with launchers. First, the groundsmen will attack. Is the base surrounded? Ok. Now, go ahead.”

All the soldiers lay flat on the ground and began to army crawl towards the base without making a noise. Both Riley and William took out their knives and placed them between their teeth. It was during the evening. The ground was muddy, but luckily there were no snakes or creatures. They slowly approached the area. Finally, they were not far from the wall. Edith spoke through the radio again. “Riley, William, your move.”

Both of them slowly crawled ahead. Nearing the wall, they stealthily walked along, nearing the gate. Then, in one swift move, both of them advanced and slit each guard’s throat, placing a hand on their mouths to avoid noises. After carrying out the silent killing, they kneeled down to avoid any suspicious eyes. Bancroft and another soldier from the other side followed suit.

“Coast is clear. Carry on.”

Riley took out a card and a remote from one guard’s pocket. She aimed the remote towards a camera inside the compound, which would see who entered the gate. The red light in the camera blinked before shutting down. “We’ve done it.”

“Okay. Open the gate. Remember everyone, stealth. Launchers, you may advance. Air force, still standby.”

She used the card to open the gate. Slowly, all the soldiers entered the compound quietly and swiftly.

The General spoke in a calm but firm and deadly voice. “Air forces, advance. It’s time, folks. The battle begins!” It was all the soldiers needed to hear. A loud cry resounded as both Edith and Bancroft cried out, “CHARGE!”

All the soldiers raised their weapons and ran towards the compound. Its residents were caught unaware and scrambled towards the exit, only to be shot down immediately as the soldiers crashed into the building. The launchers and tanks crashed through the gate, destroying the guns that were being fired by the enemy.

The General ran straight into the fray, gunning down all the enemy soldiers. Many of them recognized her, and it was enough to strike fear in their hearts.

Edith ran into the building. An enemy soldier tried to catch her in a chokehold from behind, but she simply threw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground. Shooting him, she rammed another one into a glass door, instantly killing him. She ran towards the building which she knew to be the prison, shooting the guards as she ran up.

She reached the fourth floor, where Ross had told her that Edna’s cell was. But before she could go ahead, someone from behind slammed her head into the wall, causing the gun to fall out of her hand. It was one of the guards. He grabbed her throat and pinned her to the ground, choking her. She attempted to resist him, but he was much bigger than she was. She tried to wrench his hands off her to no avail, and she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker, her attempts to breathe more desperate. Suddenly, he let go of her.

He screamed, and the veins in his body became more prominent as he convulsed before falling dead. Edith turned around to see what had caused this.

Aries stood there staring, her face contorted into features of fury. Edith found the sight a little terrifying but also heroic, as the girl stood there, her face fixed into a snarl. She ran towards Edith, who moved out of the way as she leaped into the air with a cry and descended on a man who had been trying to attack her from behind. She could only stare in awe as Aries knocked the man down, grabbing his own gun and killing him. Another soldier raised his taser and ran towards her, but she simply twitched her hand and he was knocked down. Using the same gun, she shot him dead. Then she ran off, out to join the battlefield.

Recovering from the surprise, Edith looked back and saw her sister standing there. A wave of relief washed over her as she hugged her, tears of happiness flowing from her eyes. Edna felt many emotions at once, she had never been happier to see her sister than she was then. Edith felt her face, making sure she had no severe injuries. She spoke through the tears.

“God, you’re safe. You’re alright, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m good.”

“That girl, you have any idea?”

Edna nodded. “Yes. She’s on our side. These people, they run a child trafficking business in this place.”

Edith frowned but decided against pushing the matter then after hearing gunshots outside. “Tell us about it later. Now, we have to go. Come on.”

Aries ran out of the room. All the guards ran away, knowing her powers and the danger she was when not under control. She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. The power in the entire compound went out, disabling all the electric weapons and security systems. Opening the metal doors, she walked outside.

Seeing the men that had controlled her, that had oppressed her run towards her in an attempt to do the very same, along with the sight of that godforsaken taser, infuriated her. She began to realize that what they had done to her was not normal, it was a violation. Her eyes turned from hazel brown to vivid blue as she allowed the fury to consume her completely and surrendered to it. Her lips curled up into a snarl as she let her powers run loose, blasting all the men backward as lightning struck them. Nearly every person in the near vicinity turned and looked at the spectacle, as the burned bodies lay nearby. The Barbonian soldiers and scientists instantly panicked and ran for cover as she came for them.

She didn’t need to use her electric powers to defeat all of them. One of the men attempted to shoot her, but she smoothly slid below, avoiding the bullet. Kicking him on the knees and knocking him down, she rammed her heel on his neck.

Bancroft stood nearby, looking at all of this. It was unlike anything she had witnessed, hence she did not really know what to do. All the Barbonian soldiers ran away, allowing her soldiers to shoot them dead. Not many of them had been left to begin with. Something caught her eye, and she looked towards the top of the building. A clean white flag had been raised. They had surrendered. She raised her mouthpiece.

“White flag has been raised, the enemy has surrendered. I repeat, the white flag has been raised, the enemy has surrendered. Stand down. I repeat, stand down.”

Edna stood behind, watching as she realized the true potential of Aries’ powers. Regardless, she ran towards the girl, who was standing and staring at a dead scientist, her shoulders shaking with fury. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gently turned her around.

Aries saw her. She began to breathe gently, and the color of her eyes returned to hazel. She calmed down, panting. She looked around at all the soldiers, who stared at her. Her eyes finally rested on Edna, who gazed at her with a loving and understanding gaze that made her feel safe. Edna spoke to her.

“These people, Aries, they won’t hurt you. They’re friends. They’re good people. They have freed you. You understand, don’t you? You’re free now. No one can hurt you.”

She gulped, tears appearing in her eyes. “Really?” she asked softly.

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Edna nodded, smiling. “Really. Trust me.” She offered her hand.

Aries looked at the older woman for a second before taking her hand. 

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“She’s a Barbonian girl, with electric powers. Doesn’t that seem dangerous at all to you?”

“She’s a kid, General! A teenage kid!”

In General Cartwright’s office, Edna, Edith, Ross, Bancroft, General Howard Kesslar, and Cartwright herself were discussing what was to become of Aries. Kesslar was of the opinion that she was dangerous, and Edna was furiously arguing with him. Edith and Ross were on her sister’s side, while Bancroft interjected now and then, not really providing support to either side. Cartwright sat down, simply thinking. Finally, she said, “Quiet.” It was not said loudly, but the room fell silent.

“Now, Edna, I need you to bring the girl in, if she’s well enough to speak by now. I hope she’s been fed and nourished to a certain extent?”

Edna nodded. “I’ll bring her in.” Not much time later, Aries entered the room, Edna not much behind her. The General greeted her.

“Hello, kid. Are you alright?”

She nodded.

“Well, can you answer a few questions for us? If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to. We don’t want to harass you or threaten you. We just need to know a little more. Would you be up to it?”

Another nod.

“Okay. First of all, your name, as far as you know, is Aries. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“You are from Barbonia. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“These people, what did they do to you?”

She gulped. Edna placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“They tortured. They made us run on ground that was covered with broken pieces of glass. They injected all sorts of things into us. When we did not do good, they would beat us and shock us. If anyone misbehaved badly, they would be shot. The big General, he would sometimes come and supervise. When I tried to escape, they beat and shocked me, worse than before. And we were also branded.”

“Branded?”

Aries pointed towards the nape of her neck. A tattoo of a star was branded there. Cartwright leaned forward. “Can I look at it a little closer?” The girl nodded. She stood and walked over to her, inspecting the tattoo. She breathed sharply. “What is it?” asked Bancroft.

“This isn’t the regular tattoo. It’s a branding tattoo. It’s done with a fire hot rod, and it is permanent. It’s extremely painful as well, which is why it is rarely in practice anymore except for on horses. I have one too, which was done when I was captured 28 years ago by German forces, during World War 2.” She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a number on her arm. “I nearly fainted from the pain when it was done. It’s inhumane. How old were you when you were branded?”

She looked down at the desk, answering. “I was nine years old.”

Cartwright rarely showed emotion in front of other persons. But currently, there was no mistaking the mix of empathy and anger on her face. She sat down in front of the child. “This General you speak of, you ever heard his name?”

“No. He was only the General.”

“Do you have any knowledge of your origins apart from the camp? Your parents?”

“No. I have been in the camp as long as I can remember.”

“Edna said you had a brother.”

“He was not a blood brother. He cared for me and accepted me as his sister. He protected me like a brother.”

Cartwright sat down again. She looked at Aries, seeing every scar and bruise on the girl’s face. She took the girl’s small yet rough hand into hers and spoke to her in a soft but determined and confident voice.

“You’ve gone through a lot in your life, Aries. More than anyone your age should go through. But I assure you, that whatever you do now, will not be against your own will and choice. We don’t plan to hand you back to those people. I would suggest that you stay here for now because given what Ross here has told us, this thing is much bigger than it seems. We thought it was a war between two countries, but it seems that this is going to impact the entire world, not just us. Besides, if our government finds out about you, they will wish to use you as a weapon for their own dirty jobs. If you want to fight, we will let you, at the right time. However, right now, it is best that you stay safe. So, do you want to stay here?”

Aries looked into her eyes, and she decided that the General was another person she could trust. She nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay. You will stay with Edna, who will take care of you. Once we are done with everything, we will find a way to get you into normal civilization. Now, you can go with her.”

She nodded again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Edna extended her hand to the girl again, and she took it. Together, they left the room. Howard opened his mouth to speak, but Cartwright simply cut him off.

“I know what you are going to say, Howard. If she stays here, she stays under our watch, which works for both sides. We can keep her safe, and if she’s a threat we can control her as well. Given this is a large-scale event, we may need her at some point in time. You kick her out, there are two possibilities. She goes rogue, or is captured by Buckhoff, or is captured by these fellows. All three are detrimental, both to her and us. If she goes rogue, she destroys everything. If Buckhoff and the Barbonians get her, they use her against us. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I knew I had thrown out a thirteen-year-old kid who had been tortured all her life. Trust me on this, okay?”

Howard sighed but nodded. “You’re the boss. But just be careful, okay?”

“I will be. You know me. Anyways, moving on,” she turned to Ross. “I need you to explain all this, Jarden. Lights are on you.”

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