The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Fifty-One

"What the hell," Virgil mumbled. "What the hell?"

"He killed Xylem? Right there? Right in front of you?" Rania breathed.

"Good riddance," Theo grumbled. "Wish I could've been there."

"Theo," Zariah growled, flashing him a warning look. "That's enough."

The five soldiers stood in a circle towards the front of the helicopter, where Theo was sitting in the pilot's seat, steering them back to Second Unit headquarters.

"He declared war on us. We've got three days before all of Eskium reaches our borders. What we saw is just a small group," Aiden trailed off, his voice trembling. He stopped for a moment before quickly recovering. "This war is happening, whether we like it or not. We need to do our best to prepare."

"Why keep you alive?" Zariah thought aloud, her blue eyes dark as she gathered the facts. "It just doesn't make sense. Why kill Xylem, but keep you alive? Orion's not a merciful man. He killed Rhys in cold blood. He doesn't leave survivors. But he left you."

"My guess is that Orion wants to go down in history as the guy who started a shit show and looked phenomenal while doing it. The man's a grade-A nutcase. He wants theatrics and a light show. If he's gonna fight Aiden, he wants the whole world to see it," Virgil theorized. "He's crazier than Xylem."

"And far more dangerous," Zariah added. She turned to Aiden, her expression troubled. "Aiden, describe the weapon again."

"Dual ended. Retractable. It's a curved blade on either end, something in between a sword and an axe. He's got twin pistols too, but I'm confident that he uses the melee weapon for personal kills. The guns are just to end things quickly," Aiden explained. He placed his head in his hands, the image of Xylem's severed body searing across his memory.

"It's okay," Rania spoke quietly, resting her hand hesitantly on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything more."

"Thanks, Ran," Aiden sighed. He leaned back in his seat, but he still felt restless. The seconds were ticking by, but to Aiden, every minute felt like another Eskium soldier walking across their borders, ready to take the lives of all those within Creatan, worthy or unworthy. "We'll fill everybody in once we're back at headquarters. We'll also let the cities know to prepare for battle, and we'll start sending soldiers everywhere around Creatan. I want all children and people like senior citizens and any men or women who aren't able to fight in underground bunkers, away from the battle. Let's limit the number of casualties in this war," he ordered.

"We're on it, chief," Theo assured him from the cockpit. "Right now, though, let's focus on getting home in one piece."

"I'm with the big guy," Virgil agreed, flashing a grave smile. "I mean, if we go out, we go out with a bang right? And we go out together."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Zariah shook her head, pieces of her brown hair falling over her eyes and shrouding them from view. Aiden wanted to brush the strands away and reveal them once more, desperate to read her.

Rania took a seat beside Aiden, fiddling with the hem of her shirt absently. He could hear Zariah and Virgil talking about something from the opposite side of the helicopter, but he couldn't seem to focus on what they were saying. The clouds were now streaked with dark gray, foreboding a coming storm. All Aiden could see was the flash of Orion's weapon before it bore down onto Xylem's neck, and the bright pool of blood seeping from the General's wounds...

"Aiden," Rania said quietly, snapping him from his senses.

"W-what? Oh, Rania, hi," he stammered.