Incursion

Chapter Nine

I rush down the hallway leading me to the center of the ship, I crouch down and slightly look over to the sound of people talking, keeping myself hidden. I see Michael tied up unconscious surrounded by three Dashers, Irina comes another hallway and walks up to them.

"Bring this one with us, I have some ideas for him," Irina says. Before I can charge at Irian, I hear footsteps run up from behind me. I quickly turn around and shove them into a wall beside me, just before I can grab their neck, I realize its Gina.

"Gina, you're here," I whisper.

"I could never leave you Ben," She confesses. Heat comes to my cheeks, but I quickly calm myself down to focus on saving Michael. I crouch back down with Gina by my side, I scan the room again. The Dasher unties Michael as Irina talks to a Servant, she looks no older than twenty years, had a whole life ahead of her but now trapped inside her own body and mind. The thought makes my heart rate rise and stomach turn in on itself. Michael is free but unconscious, it's now or never.

"Ready? Let's go," I call out. Gina nods, we charge into the room. I rush up to the Dasher in front of Michael and tear bis body into pieces as Gina speeds through the other two dashers in the room. I turn to Gina, both of us catching our breath, I smile at her but before I can turn my head to Michael, Irina knocks me down. I fall to the floor delirious and winded.

"Ben!" Gina calls out and rushes Irina. She tries to throw a punch, but Irina catches her fist with a single hand and throws her down. Gina rolls across the room but catches herself and runs to Irina again. This time Irina takes a step to the side and grabs Gina by her shoulder and stabs her in her side with a knife.

"Gina!" I shout. Adrenaline kicks in and I run to Gina and catch her from hitting the floor as she crashes, I hold her head in one on my arms as the other keeps her close to me, holding pressure onto her wound. Her coconut skin is changing to a light shade as blood trinkles down her side, her ocean eyes are fading into black pits of absolute death.

"Gina! I'm here! Just hang on!" I say frantically, Gina moves my hand away from her stab.

"Ben, save Michael," She whispers.

"I can't leave you like this," I say shaking my head. She gets my attention my moving face with her hand.

"Ben ill be okay. Ill heal, just save Michael. Please," She begs. I lean her against the wall and place her hand over her wound.

"I'll be back," I whisper. I kiss her on her forehead and turn to Irina, she's standing over Michael, staring, waiting for me. My blood starts to feel heavy; I look at my forearm to see my veins glowing a neon green. Irina smiles and chuckles

"Looks like the experiment worked," She calls out.

"My Commander will be very pleased with me. You remember our Commander right Gina?" She exclaims, I charge at the brut she simply moves to the side. I grab a metal bar form the ceiling liquid spills onto the floor from the pipe. I charge her again with it in hand. As I hoped, she draws her attention to the metal bar I toss at her. As she catches the bar before it can hit her, I quickly tackle her down, I grab the knife in her side belt and jam it into her side and puncture it into the ground so she can't escape. She wails in pain, but quickly tries to pull the knife out of her, I quickly get on top of her and hold her wrists down. I slowly lean down to her ear.

"Now we're even," I whisper. She starts to laugh, somehow, she's able to throw me across the room with only using her wrists. I slide and crash in the wall, I try to push myself back up but fail to as my vision blurs in and out. Irina wails as she thrusts herself off the floor, she looks down seeing the knife still in her side. She slowly pulls it out with nothing but a hoarse grunt coming for her, the knife falls from her hands as she walks over to me. Irina takes her boot and kicks her back down to the ground.

"You know, I must say. Out of all the planets vie conquered. You, a human. Are the only ones seen put up such a fight. Even for the inevitable," she says. She lowers herself down to my ear.

"I love it," She sneers in my ear. She rises back up, lifts her boot off my back and walks over to Gina. Irina crouches down to her eye level.

"Looks like it hurts," Irina says as she trails her fingers down Gina stomach, she stops just before her injury.

"Let me help you," She whispers. Irina shoves her finger into Gina wound, Gina wail echoes through my skull and shakes my core. I look to the side of me and look at Michael, he's still lying on the floor, but his eyes have begun to open. I crawl over to him as Irina tortures Gina, I wrap my arms around Michael. Michael deliriously hugs me back. I look around the room and see the liquid from the pipe I had ripped from the ceiling was gas and Irina is right in the middle of it. I reach into Michael's pocket inside his jacket and retrieved his lighter.

"Please forgive me Michael, know ill always be looking out for you. I love you brother," I whisper to him. He tries to hang on to me but he's too weak to stop me, I push myself off from the floor, lighter in hand. Irina grabs Gina by her neck and throughs her across the room, far away from the gas spill. Irina turns to me with a smile on her face.

"Back for more I see," She snickers. I raise the lighter in my hand and ignite it. Her smile quickly fades away.

"Ben, what are you doing?" Gina calls out, I look over to her trying to remember every detail of her face, her eyes, skin, lips.

"You know Irina, I must say. Out of all the alien invasion movies I've ever seen, You a trained assassin. Would be so cocky and blind to the inevitable," I say, Irina hoots her emerald eyes back at me.

"And what is the inevitable here ben? Your head on a platter?" She sneers, I lightly chuckle.

"No actually, it's us, ending this. Together," I say as I let the lighter slip my fingers. Irina jumps for the flame as I close my eyes. If my family is safe, I'll be okay. My sacrifice for them is more important than anything else to me. I will through them so long they stay alive for me.