Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny's Call ❯ Entry the Twenty-Sixth ( Chapter 26 )

Entry the Twenty Sixth

*A/N: so it is finally here, Entry the twenty sixth. After this, I'm going to revisit Corben's point of view A LOT more. Enjoy reading.*

 

I wake up to the feeling of paralyzing pain, on the side of my neck. Nearly at my throat, actually. Is returning from that realm always like this? Or was it a one-time occurrence? Or, perhaps, it's completely unrelated, I think, as I finally notice the presence of someone hovering over me, and realize just what is causing this pain. Just as I begin to realize who it is, I awake.

 

I sit up quickly, sweating. I wish that hadn't been real. I wish it was just a dream, and not me reliving the past. I look around and it still feels strange, being here. And yet, for almost all the others here, it has only been two days since I visited the realm at the end. For me though, it has been a year.

 

I walk outside, to get some air, leaving Sprite in the tent. I expect to find David sitting somewhere, watching the night. Instead, I find a small flowing fire, and seated at it, not David, but Franky. My hand goes automatically to the marks on my neck, inflicted by her teeth, and suddenly, but I can overcome the reflex and put it down, she looks up, and sees me as I grasp the wound. Oh no.

 

*

 

2 weeks previous…

 

Sami sits in a chair and watches Tarius work. Courtney, who has been hanging around her almost constantly, sits backwards in a chair, straddling the back, and rests her chin on her folded arms as she watches, too.

Sami was forced to admit it was amazing to see Tarius work. He had a holographic display that actually showed her what he was doing as the design changed and morphed, piece by piece getting smaller and smaller. Already it was the size of an arm band. Tarius had promised something that size of a necklace charm. Well, several charms actually.

 

Supposedly, once done, she would be able to holographically play multiple instruments at once, and project the proper sound too… drastically increasing her ability to control the earth. There was a downside, however. She had to practice all of them…

 

*

 

Chris trudged forward through the muddy ground, the platoon spread out around him. Sami walked a little behind him. She'd volunteered for this when the opportunity arose… she had no idea why. She just needed to get away from the camp, the people, Tony… oh God, she was using his first name… that couldn't be good sign.

 

Chris smashed apart a tree in his way, and ignored the fact it fell on top of him. It couldn't hurt him, why stop? “Come on, Sam. No stopping, Hey, Bradlan, it's just over the ridge right?”

 

Bradlan nodded his head, his blond hair hidden by his helmet. Sami nodded too, and followed.

 

Sami, watching the ground so she wouldn't get stuck in the mud, didn't see the limb, and it whacked her on the head. She was 3 steps behind when Bradlan got beheaded. The claws tore off half his face too, and Sami reacted to the site by grabbing her necklace. Whatever she intended to do, it wasn't necessary. Chris's punch connected with the raptor's head and blew it apart. “Sami, Down! Everybody, circle over here. Damn you Bastards!”

 

“You Heard Gluttony! Circle Circle! The Commander is down, so I'm in charge, alright boys and girls, let's kill these bastards. Where the hell did those ROCs go? Jess, can you raise them on the comm.?”

 

“Nothing, damn it. Those Mezards must be around here somewhere.”

 

*

 

The feeling of falling from a great height, and knowing you were going to die, or rather, you should be about to die, is an exhilarating one. The fact one knows they are not going to die is even better. But Knowing the other guy is so far past dead ALREADY and you haven't even landed? That is absolutely spectacularly beyond exhilarating to the point of “you MUST Experience this…” that's what flew from my lips as I fell, and sliced straight into the god damned Giant creature before me. Screwed over? That doesn't even begin to cover what that things was. Words don't seem to be helping me describe this. I smashed into its skull at nearly 100mph. I came away without a scratch. Now that's amazing.

 

*

 

“You think that tune rocked your world? You haven't heard anything yet.” Sami grinned madly as her fingers flew across the keyboard and the violin strummed the A, while a flute blew softly and a baritone's tune flashed through the air. The land rose up in accordance to the music, laying waste to any and all that opposed it. Its fury was unbridled. Raptors were swallowed by fissures, Mezards (men lizards) were speared and crushed and smashed.

 

Some people posses what is called “battle madness” or the “berserker's rage.” Such is that of those who wield the earth itself as a weapon. Their fury is terrible and beautiful to behold, forever and always. Mother Earth is not so tame as you might have been led to believe. The sheer power of the earth is often seen as subtle… but that is merely the building of the pressure, before the explosive rage and destruction ensues and consumes all those in its path.

 

Such is Sami, who is wholly and completely of the earth, who IS earth, as she lets forth all that which has built within, to consume and destroy those who would do her harm.

 

In the aftermath of this destruction, calm, peace, quiet, ensues across the battlefield. Sami collapsed to the ground, and Chris came over to her. He was the only one still standing. “Well, Sam, I'd say you just earned your keep. Damn it though, we were too late.” The small holdout had been completely slaughtered, no survivors, blood was everywhere.

 

The ROCs finally showed up, and as they set down, the lead pilot could only stare in awe. “What the hell happened here? It looks like an earthquake.”

 

“Try Ten. Walker's new girl just showed us why he likes her.”

 

“She did this?”

 

“She wasn't joking about the earth control.”

 

On the ride back, Chris sat across from Sami, doing as he always did and trying to select the perfect song for the battle he had just fought. He couldn't find anything better than the song Sami herself had played, as wild and crazy as it was. He kept an eye on her, as she sat there, quiet and remote, not so much calm as simply blank, as though the shock of herself becoming some sort of mad woman on the battlefield was just a little too much for her.

 

*

 

“Tarius! Message from the bossman. We're moving out. Boss got some intel.”

 

“Where are we heading?” Charlie spoke into his comm., as he bent to start welding a new metal plate to a Puma.

 

“New York.”

 

Tarius looked up, the change on his face astonishing.

 

*

 

Gold Courtney stiffened. “We're leaving, the camp. New York, something happened. No, they're saying something is GOING to happen. Come on Phillip.” She didn't wait for response as she started grabbing things.

 

*

 

“Walkers, I have received news. We're preparing to move out. Something is happening in New York. I'm not sure what, but this I know. If we don't stop it, everything we've fought for could mean nothing. So we're going to save New York, and we aren't taking no for an answer, IS THAT CLEAR?”

 

“SIR!” was immediately followed by gossip, speculation, and a myriad of other ideas as the idea that they had a clear destination finally set in. People followed tents, structures, packed away everything they needed to, geared up, grabbed guns, and swords, and other weapons, and Walker stood starring out at the thousands of men and women who followed him. A paltry sum, in retrospect, for the enemy had mustered well into the millions and enslaved tens of millions more. The other tens of millions were dead or scattered. But that hadn't stopped them yet, and Walker would see it continued not to stop them. He was High Guardian, for better or worse, and unlike his predecessor, he had no hesitations about the job.

 

*

 

2 months later…

 

Isaiah stood atop the Wolf tank as he looked at the enemy arrayed before them. This foe numbered well into the millions. It was an army of singular purpose. To crush the only real threat left on what was once US soil, and stop it from obstructing the plans of the Anti-Dragons, the masters of this disaster.

 

“Shields, deploy to the front. Tank groups 2 and 7 deploy flanking them. Armadillos to deploy to the rear. All foot soldiers are to stay behind the Armadillos. I want Puma companies 2-6 on the right flank, company 1 right here in the center, and 7-10 on the left flank. All Bearcats order by company number in the middle. Let's go people, let's go. Where are my Rooks? I want you deployed as backup to the Shields, Enhanced, station with the Wolf Companies. Shifters are to stay with the main foot soldiers. And anybody who still believes in God, start praying for a miracle. Shields, Activate and prepare for bombardment.” Isaiah spoke calmly and smoothly. The atmosphere he carried kept everyone calm as they deployed just as he instructed. His birds were grounded for now, but that would probably change soon, once the bombardment was over. “We should have brought more artillery.”

 

Suddenly, gigantic flares of red appeared across the land, among the enemy, and shot skyward. The Fireballs prepared to rain down upon all those who thought they could stand against the might of the Anti-Dragons. Isaiah quickly realized even the full power of the shields would not be enough. His Men were about to die, and it wouldn't even slow down this onslaught. But in the middle of their arc, the fireballs and giant pieces of stone and other things meant to crush and destroy stopped, crashing into something, something invisible that refused to bend or waver.

 

Amidst the stars the blanketed the night sky, a small red light bloomed into existence. Suddenly, that light split in two. Isaiah knew, deep in his heart, and unlike those few others who had also guessed, dared to hope, that it was indeed that man.

 

Corben Cypher had returned, and dang if it wasn't the beginning of one hell of a Big Damn Heroes moment.

 

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