Ninja Apocalypse

11: Barricades (edited)

The Ninja had met the oncoming army with no plan except to stop them and they were doing all they could. Abandoned cars mortared with earth and ice were hastily stretched across the streets and the army of bones writhed and scrabbled up the sides of the ugly barricade. Missiles of earth and ice beat them back from the face as the ninja attempted to halt their rattling progress. Extreme Molotov Cocktails made from flaming car's, were propelled into the sky to be dropped from great ice chutes to explode on the troops below.

'We can't just keep going like this!' Kai shouted to Cole.

'We have to. Until Borg can release more Nindroids' to this area we're the last line of defence. We have no choice'

'Where's Jay?' Kai shouted 'we could really use him about now. If we could keep the barricade electrified...'

Zane scanned the street, but could not find Jay, then a flash of blue far behind them, alerted his sensors 'He is in the square!'

'What? Did some get through?' Cole asked, worried.

'No' Zane replied confused 'I would have picked them up'

'Then what the hell is he doing back there?' Cole shouted angrily just as a blinding light flashed from the square, bleaching out the chaos of the siege. Pulses vibrated through the ground and a high-pitched whine assaulted their ears. In the moments of blind confusion Zane calculated all possible scenarios but could not act on any. All he could hope to do was shield his friends as best he could. Eyes blind he let his sensors work for him and instantly formed great shards of permafrost around them as a rolling wind rushed, furiously towards them from the square. He worked to fill the gaps, trying to hold back the force of the storm, but it was not enough. The wind shot like knives through the spaces, taking some of the Ice sheild's along with it. The storm cut them all down and as Cole tumbled back he clawed at the ground and willed the earth to surround him, burying himself alive. Lost in a sensory void he could not do the same for his friends.

As the storm finally rolled away Cole felt the earth calm above him and he rose coughing and gasping for air into a world that took his breath away. He could not recognise the city he knew, the buildings were gone, just the remains of twisted steel, scattered across the ground undulating with ash and dust to form a new landscape. He had been blown beyond the great barricade, the remains of which he could see far down the street. Zane's great ice stalagmites tossed haphazardly along the way. That was where he had been blown back from and where his friends should be? 'Where are they? WHERE ARE THEY!' He span around, panic rising, he couldn't see any of them. Cole sifted the top layers of dirt, vibrating it as he ran, exploring raised mounds and turning over debris, desperately trying to find his friends. He ran towards a mass of great cracked slices of ice protruding through the ash and  as he stumbled and slid over them they cracked beneath his feet. A soft pulsing glow appeared as he furiously rubbed away the dirt and grit and he saw Zane trying to move against the weight of the ice. Cole pulled the great slabs off of his friends' body to release him and Zane wrenched himself up. Cole stumbled back at the sight, the slurry of the storm was not enough to hide his injuries. It was easy to forget that Zane was a whole creation apart, but not anymore and he lurched forward into Coles arms. Half his face had gone, leaving the skeletal workings of the worlds' finest nindroid to glow and pulse, on show to all. Cole looked down at Zane's legs. Below the knee, one was mangled beyond repair 'Oh god Zane' Cole whispered.

Zane looked down and shrugged 'Hrmph! Tis but a flesh wound' and gave Cole a crooked smile out of the half a mouth he had left.

'Oh buddy, what a time to flick your funny switch...'

Zane snapped his head up 'Kai'

'Shit! Zane, can you find him?'

'Yes, he is there' Zane pointed, hobbling forward, he tried to run but stumbled on his broken leg, but kept moving towards a pile of debris and Cole ran ahead of him 'Cole, he is un-conscious. His breathing is laboured, heart is racing, temperature is high... very high'

Cole tried to find the spot 'Here?' He pointed 'here?' he was desperate.

'No, no. It's the area with the green car' Zane pointed, still trying to move quicker.

Cole stood by the pile of wreckage 'How far under is he? Can I move the debris? Is it safe?'

'Yes. Move the car first and you will find a billboard. He is under this, but it is precariously balanced. You must exercise caution at every point so this does not collapse'

'Great, yes, right!' Cole stood ready to start, wanting to drag everything away in one great feat of impossible strength, but was unable. Tentatively taking hold of the twisted car, he felt it release and lifted it.

'Straight up Cole, lift it directly up!' Zane shot in, sensing the movements below.

Cole did exactly as he was instructed 'Keep going buddy, just tell me what to do' He lifted the car but found it was not as easy as it should have been. His arms shook. He lifted it directly up and got rid of it as quickly as possible 'Zane. Please tell me that was the heaviest thing I need to move?'

'It was, you're fine... You are fine? Aren't you? I should have asked'

'Bud, you've got your own problems, don't worry about me!' Cole said as he continued to pull away wood and brick trying not to worry about the strength that seemed to drain from him 'lets get this cleared. All I'm worried about right now is Kai, we've gotta' get to him'

They continued to work; Zane guiding Coles' hands. It was quick but delicate work and when they came upon Kai, the dirt and grime was not enough to disguise his state. Again Cole could not contain his horror at the sight. The burns to Kai's body were extensive, covering his torso, neck and face 'Burns? What the hell Kai, burns?' Cole turned to Zane in disbelief 'How can this be? Kai can't be burnt!'

'Zane was silent, a look of panic on his half a face and a twitch developed in his remaining eye 'I cannot... I don't... I don't know'

From behind them a voice spoke 'You're powersss are disssrupted' and Cole and Zane turned to see the Constrictai Shaman of The High Council. He stood with a small group of warrior Serpentine.

Cole rose up, anger welling in him and the ground beneath the Serpentine shook. The Shaman held up his staff 'save your strength Master of Earth. It will soon be drained'

The tremors stopped but Coles anger remained and he flew at the Shaman 'You lied! You lied to us. You attacked the city'

The Shaman slid easily away from Coles' fatigued attack 'We did no such thing' and Cole fell exhausted to the ground at the warriors' feet.

'Well... what long lost cousins of yours have we be busting a gut trying to stop? Huh?' Cole asked, short of breath.

'You are right about one thing. They are cousins of a sort, but brothers no more. The skeleton army you refer to are Anacondrai only'

'Anacondrai?' Zane asked.

'...Pythor!' Cole slowly realised.