Blaze (The High-Born Epic) (30 page)

             
The lieutenant’s eyes glared at Harold and it seemed that he was about to speak, but thought better of it.

             
“I know why,” Harold said.  “It’s because y’all like exercising power over those who can do nothing about it.  You simply like watching us suffer.”

             
“It’s no more than the first High-Born endured,” he replied.

             
“Maybe,” Harold said.  “But I doubt it... The children y’all have taken had nothing to do with any of that, and no one in any of those communities I’ve seen had anything to do with what happened well over a hundred years ago.  Y’all could’ve ended this decades ago, but y’all have chosen not to.”

             
The lieutenant just continued staring out of the windshield at the ever-changing canopy of trees below them.

             
Harold nodded several times and turned his head.  Then, he looked out of the front windshield, and did not reply.  It wasn’t long until he could see a building in the distance that looked to be five or six stories tall.  Harold thought he could see the outlines of a couple of cloaked gunships rise from around it.

             
“Gunship on southwesterly approach,” a male voice suddenly said from speakers around them.  “Identify yourself and your intentions.”

             
The lieutenant looked at Harold and shrugged his shoulders in a questioning gesture.

             
“Tell him that you’re carrying injured from the attack on the base we just left,” Harold said as he sat up straight in his seat and let the lieutenant see him.

             
“Gunship on southwesterly approach,” the voice said again, but with more urgency.  “Identify yourself and your intentions, or you will be fired upon.”

             
The lieutenant took a deep breath, and pressed a symbol on the panel, “This is Lieutenant Thorn Spann.  I’m carrying injured survivors of the attack on Teos.”

             
“We copy,” the voice said.  “Escorts are inbound to your position.  Medical teams will be on standby.  How many wounded do you have?  What is their status?”

             
Lieutenant Spann looked at Harold, and he just motioned for him say something.

             
“I have ten survivors,” he replied.  “Mostly, it looks like first and second degree burns, and some broken bones.”

             
“Roger,” the voice answered.  “Proceed to the landing pad east of the building.  A medical team will be waiting.”

             
“I copy that,” the lieutenant said and looked to the right.

             
Harold followed his line of sight and could see the faintest hint of a High-Born cloak zipping through the air towards them.  Harold looked down at the grid, and he could see two other gunship-shaped green icons moving on the screen.  They both took up a position slightly behind the center dot just to the right and left.  Then, they seemed to just stay there as the red dot continued to get closer.

             
As they got closer to the building, Harold noticed that Lieutenant Spann had a slight grin on his face.  Harold started to say something to him, but then decided to just let his upcoming actions speak for him.  Harold began calling to his fire, letting it fill his muscles and senses.  Despite his resolve, he knew that this was a battle that was going to test him.  He truly didn’t know what he was going to do when he rescued the children, but he nearly felt sorry for anything that stood in his way.

             
Harold had been watching the lieutenant fly the gunship, and he understood how to make it speed up and slow down, as well as steer it.  Harold saw the lieutenant begin slowing the gunship for landing, and then he turned it for a proper touchdown.  Harold could see about a dozen or fifteen High-Born in white uniforms pushing rolling beds out onto the pad.  Harold looked at the grid and noticed that the other gunships were now moving away from them.

             
Harold leaped up and punched Lieutenant Spann, knocking him senseless and out of the pilot’s seat.  Then, he sat down in the seat and pushed the control stick forward while slamming down the throttle.  He heard the driver behind him shout as the building grew in the windshield.  Harold then disappeared in a flash of fire, aiming for the third floor, at about the center of the building.

             
He rattled the room when he appeared out of thin air, his dull, black armor making his glowing orange eyes all the more frightening.  He could see several High-Born turn in surprise at his appearance.  The knight only had time to notice that they were not dressed in battle gear before everything around him shook, and he heard a powerful explosion from somewhere behind him.  There were five High-Born in front of him and all but one fell from the shaking of the exploding gunship.  Before they could recover, The Blazing Knight was on them.  His sword moved with merciless efficiency through them, and four were dead before they even had a chance to call out for help.

             
The knight caught the fifth High-Born by the throat and quickly choked him to his knees.  Even from his knees, the High-Born was still about eye-level to the knight.  The High-Born momentarily struggled, and just as he seemed to be losing consciousness the knight released him. 

             
The knight’s eyes flashed, and he asked, “Where are the children?”

             
The terrified High-Born said, “In the holding area.”

             
“Where is that?” the knight asked.

             
“The third level basement,” the High-Born answered.

             
More explosions sounded and the building shook again, causing the knight to stumble, but he quickly caught himself as the High-Born fell to his all fours.  The knight kicked the High-Born in the face, and he fell unconscious to the floor.  He turned his head to the left.  The new explosion had come from the opposite side of the building from where he had crashed the gunship. 

             
“Security teams to battle stations,” a voice crackled over a speaker.  “We are under attack.  I repeat, we are under attack.  This is not a drill.  Potentially, multiple hostiles.”

             
He could hear people running down the hall, shouting various orders, and the knight stood there, just listening.  He focused on his surroundings, feeling the air and heat around him for several moments. 

             
Then, he air-burned, aiming for several stories below…

             
…Concrete and steel fell around him as he thundered into existence.  He looked around, and about ten yards to his right was a squad of High-Born who began turning on him.  Suddenly, everything around him shook, and both he and the enemy squad facing him stumbled.  They opened up with their rail guns and spikes ricocheted all around.  He found his footing before they did and he air-burned towards them. 

             
He appeared in the center of them, and two of them half-disintegrated, apparently caught in the wake of his air-burn.  He swung his flaming sword to the right and left, and two more fell, armor and flesh shredded.  He spun, stabbing one and kicking the other in the chest.  As the one he stabbed fell, the other one flew backwards and crashed into a wall.  Before he could slide to the ground, The Blazing Knight appeared in front of him, sword already slamming through his chest armor.

             
The knight yanked his blade out of the lifeless High-Born, and he fell to his knees, and then crumpled to the ground.  He heard something coming from his enemies’ helmets and focused on it.

             
“All units,” a voice said.  “We have a confirmed location on the hostile.  Western end of the building, Level Five.”

             
The knight looked at the door down the hall, and it read: Basement Level 1.  He squatted and listened intently.  He could hear rail gun reports coming from their helmets as well as muffled reports from above him.

             
“The spikes are just bouncing off of it!” echoed through the headpiece.

             
“Arrrghhh!”

             
“Pull back, pull ba—,”

             
He felt the building slightly rumble, and a loud pop came from the helmets of the dead squad at his feet.

             
“Gunships, provide air support,” a voice said.  “Take the shot if it presents itself.”

             
He heard more gunfire and screams.

             
“All units, interlink shows that a squad is down on Basement Level 1, eastern end of the building.  Multiple attackers confirmed.  I repeat, multiple attackers confirmed.  All basement level squads, eyes sharp.  I’ve pulled the feed from the downed squad.  The second hostile appears to be a mech of some sort.  Orange eyes.  Dark metallic coverings.  Its weapon appears to be... an energy lance of some kind.  Proceed with extreme caution and utilize superior position.  Its speed is incredible.”

             
The knight smiled beneath his helmet as he walked toward the metallic door.  It didn’t slide open when he walked up to it, and he noticed that the grid next to it had turned red.

             
“Basement Level Security teams,” the voice from the helmets said.  “Second hostile is in section ten, basement level one.”

             
The knight felt the building shake again, and dust roused from the walls and the ceiling around him.  The pops of rail guns and the screams of dying High-Born sounded from above him.  He looked around and after a few moments he found what looked like a camera.  He raised his hand and a jet of flame melted it.

             
“All units, the mech also appears to be equipped with a plasma thrower.  Extreme temperature capabilities,” the voice from the helmets said.  “I have lost visual.”

             
The knight focused on the air several feet below him and air-burned towards it.  He appeared in mid-air, and he felt himself falling, and he saw that he was about fifteen feet above a concrete floor.  He quickly air-burned again and landed on the ground with a light clang.  He hurriedly looked all around him. 

             
He was in the center of a very a large room.  There was all manner of machinery scattered throughout it.  Gunships, tanks, and even some sort of hydrogen-powered vehicles littered the hangar.  Most of the equipment had missing parts and panels with exposed wires visible.  His ears picked up something ill defined, but he knew it was the prelude to a High-Born attack.  He air-burned to his left and watched as rail spikes splintered and churned up chunks of concrete where he had just been standing.

             
He focused on the air just above his armor and poured heat into it and flames covered him.  He had enough time to realize that the shots were coming from two booths at opposite ends of the room.  The knight thundered towards one of them. 

             
Glass shattered and steel bent around the High-Born guards as the fiery creature appeared in the midst of them.  It moved with deadly precision, and raw strength as its sword slashed armor and bone.  Back and forth, the knight swung his blade amid the group of falling and shouting High-Born soldiers, and in but a few moments, none were alive.  Before the last one had crumpled to the ground, he thundered from sight. 

             
The air rippled and wavered as he blasted into the other guard booth.  The High-Born giants fell one after the other before the smaller, but infinitely more furious thing assailing them.  Their weaponry was of little use to them in the close-quarters combat.  Their enhanced muscles failed them when they tried to kick it away, and their skin sizzled in the immense heat that the knight brought with him.  As the fray ended, the knight looked around and saw that eight more High-Born had fallen. 

             
He knelt down, and focused on their helmets.

             
He could not hear anything for several moments, but he could feel ever so slight rumblings from above him.  Had it not been for his enhanced hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to detect the muffled sounds of gunfire above him, but it was faintly noticeable.

             
“All units,” a voice different from the one before called.  “Primary Command and Control is inoperative.  This is Colonel Foxx.  I am assuming command.  All remaining units, rally to Basement Level Three.  Reinforcements will be here within the hour.”

             
The Blazing Knight stood up and looked out of the glass at the wall.

             
Basement Level 2: Retrofit and Repair. 

             
He walked out into the hallway, and looked at the wall to his right.  It looked like a massive door and he assumed that there was an elevator that went to the outside through which they brought in more equipment.  He heard something to his left.