Silver Reign

Four: Speak of the Devil

//Discrepancy resolved.
//Returning to primary subject.
//Report: Quinn, Jackson
//The Via Claudia.
//Rome.
//Running for his life.
//Begin log.

My feet pounded on the pavement and my breath came in short gasps. The sky was alive with golden streaks of sunlight, beginning their slow change to crimson as the afternoon grew late. The air was getting colder now, the first chills of an early fall evening.

The riots at Axion's doorstep had settled down considerably as the day came to a close, and many locals were now strolling down the Via Claudia, browsing shops or visiting any restaurants that hadn't closed to avoid the protestors.

I turned to Amani and smiled as I ran. The power converter was ours, and we had escaped with Axion intelligence.

Amani returned the smile, beaming widely. This would be our first victory since the fall of the Firmament. It was small, but it meant big things for us. 

That was when the ground shook. A distant explosion rattled the window panes of every building on the street, shaking me in my boots. An alarm sounded in the distance, a shrill klaxon that forced me to fight back a wave of panic.

People stopped in the streets, glancing around nervously as we sprinted past them. Our mad dash didn't help their nerves—even with the protests dying down, the city was still on a knife's edge, and I knew that anything could set off a riot again. The people were rightfully angry, but that didn't make them any less afraid of Axion's capabilities.

My comms earpiece crackled and I heard Darius sigh, his annoyance evident even over the mangled comm signal.

“So, about that diversion you mentioned.”

Terror raced down my spine. Had he betrayed us? 

“Darius,” I queried, caution keeping me on edge, “what did you do?”

“I got their attention!” Darius shouted. He sounded out of breath.

Another explosion shook the ground, this one close enough to rock me on my feet. I heard the ugly screech of tearing metal somewhere close behind me. Worried chatter became shouts of panic, and I could hear the sounds of battle being fed back through the comms. The explosions were coming from wherever Darius was!

“Darius,” Amani gasped, “do I hear gunfire?”

With the screeching sound of metal and the crash of breaking glass, the entire front of a nearby shop was torn away. A massive robotic leg punchwd through the old brick wall like it was made of sandstone.

Warm sunlight flooded through the empty storefront, and the sound of shattering masonry mixed with the panicked screams of nearby pedestrians. Through the new gap in the buildings I could see the Colosseum's curved outline.

The giant leg, belonging to an Erebus, continued past the broken shop and down the street, barely avoiding buildings, cars and the people that scattered in its wake.

Behind it, machine guns spinning, was a Titan. From my perspective it was absolutely gargantuan, blocking the sun for a brief moment as it tore past the wrecked store. As I watched the two mechs run, mouth agape, it became clear that both had a mission. One was chasing the other, and I could guess why.

“Darius!” I hollered. “What the hell did you do?”

“I improvised!” Darius screamed.

I glanced over my shoulder to see that the massive metal door to Axion's underground factory, once impenetrable, had been torn wide open by a massive impact. Axion Industries soldiers streamed out of the gap, clad in familiar black body armour and brandishing assault rifles.