Descent into the Abyss

Chapter 48

A small Pop! filled the air, undoubtedly from one of the two gunmen, and yet no impact, no pain, nothing. Marcus sped forward, pushing off his feet even faster, as the butt of the rifle sat firm against the shoulder of his target. Their head tilted to the right, aiming down the small cylindrical optic straight at Marcus.

"What do I do?" He wanted to ask, but the words caught in his throat, knowing it wouldn't make a difference in the split second that followed.

Marcus held the black blade out to his right side, ready to slash at the target growing closer, but... He wouldn't make it.

"I'm sor---" He began to whisper, knowing he had forfeited not only his life, but the life of his alien companion, only to be cut off by a blinding flash of electricity.

The gunman ahead dropped dead, a smoldering, bloody hole through their exposed chest.

"Who..." Marcus and Kou asked, mirroring one another as he spun back towards the soldier behind him.

Blake stood over the still body, pointing with his left hand while his pistol remained gripped in his right at his side. Following with his eyes, Marcus spotted a single figure on the outskirts of the intersection standing atop an elongated brick building. His eyes drifted to the rusted and dilapidated bus below the figure with a advertisement of "Go Outside and PLAY" in white and green lettering. The website for the Chicago city transit followed the ad, a memory of the now distant past.

His eyes rose again to the figure, but the rooftop concealed them and Marcus turned his attention to the active threats once more.

"They have to be either one of the colonists or the guards, otherwise they would've shot me," Marcus reasoned under his breath, slowing his breathing as he allowed Kou to scan his surroundings.

"True, Young Marcus," He acknowledged, before pinpointing another gunner. "Straight ahead, by the light post, there's a Sinte user. She's using a weapon though, so her firepower must be inefficient."

"I wish it wasn't a woman," Marcus remarked, dashing forward with his sword, Blake's footsteps beside him.

"Likewise, kid, but this is war and they're not holding back from firing at fleeing civilians," Blake stated from his rear, stopping suddenly to take aim with his pistol.

Two more Pops! and the woman dropped, collapsing onto the sidewalk as her rifle slid against away. Marcus couldn't slow down, not when every second meant another colonist dying. The air whistled by, Marcus jumping behind a tan sedan as bullets littered the vehicle and sent sparks flying with every impact.

"Kou! I need positions!" Marcus demanded, trying to calm his racing heart to no avail.

"Left side of the street, by the building. Another Sinte," Kou answered in the next two heartbeats.

"For all of these elemental users, they seem to rely on firearms quite a bit," Marcus remarked, raising up to a crouched position, waiting for a chance to rush the gunner.

"It's possible that Michael positioned his strongest Sinte users near him, so that his own power would be enhanced, while sending out his weaker Elementals with weaponry," Kou theorized, Marcus nodding along.

"True," He sighed. "Not much of what's happened doesn't scream of someone planning this with precision. I underestimated him, Detroit, all of this."

"We did, Young Marcus. We both did. I thought there wasn't enough time for humanity to utilize the Rozan power as much as they have. Or to learn and experiment with it, but they did. He did."

Blake emerged from around the trunk of the sedan, bullets impacting against the driver side door and flattened tires. One lucky shot skirted underneath the body, sparks flying as the ricochet hit the pavement and back up into the car.