The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 19: Ambush

Rook pulled out his communication disk and spoke into it. "Kent, what's happening over there?" Only muffled sounds came out, and soon nothing. He turned to his worried group. "Comms are disrupted. We'll just have to see for ourselves. But one thing for sure, we will be needed to fight." Slight groans were heard, but Ray himself was excited. They started for their temporary base, and Ray had a feeling the base would be very temporary indeed.

The group made it, only to see moderate destruction before their eyes. But the fact that guns were still firing, and people were still shouting and running, the damage could definitely get worse. Some tents and trees were on fire, recruits from both forces exchanged injuries, and to sum it all up, the "battlefield" was a complete mess.

Suddenly, Kent and a female guard holding an energy shield ran up to them, their faces dirty and bruised. "Please help us," Kent begged. "Conquest has launched a heavy attack and would not withdraw its forces if we do not surrender Director Quick. My guess is that they need him to activate Project Alpha, and we must not let them do so!" Rook nodded firmly.

The soldier-like man held out his gun and motioned his team to follow him. They all ran in a straight line, dodging bullets and flying debris. The Specials copied their coaches and did their best to take out the opposing forces without bloodshed. It was easy to differentiate PROTECT agents and Conquest's many types of skilled warriors. The good guys wore the same grey uniform, while the bad guys had multi-colored shirts and pants.

First, Sam would injure either the legs or the arms, and Carson would quickly disarm the recruits. Ray would then burn the guns and blasters until the objects proved unfunctional. Working as a duo, Sarah would focus a beam at each of the weapons, and Jane would blow a number of people, slamming them to a wall. More enemies appeared out from the woods and into the campsite, but PROTECT tenaciously stood its ground.

One down, then another. Both sides were almost equally suffering loses repeatedly, each having a special advantage. Conquest was more in number and better in skill, but PROTECT had the Specials. Rook and Pia also had their fair share of the intense battle, and once their surroundings were clear enough, the coaches called their trainees behind a tent. "I say we track this invasion to its source in the forest," Pia suggested. "That way we can stop them from even coming." Everyone agreed, and they headed out.

If walking in the woods wasn't hard enough, then running and hoping someone doesn't shoot them from behind a bush or tree was way harder. Ray kept his hands in front of him, ready to blast anyone who dares fight him. Of course, he might be injured first and not see his attacker in the mess of the environment. He stopped his thoughts, since he didn't want to possibly "jinx" it. They continued forward, knocking out several newcomers.

Ray was just about to ask how far they were going to go for a possible source when his arm bumped into something really hard. He was glad he had turned his body around, otherwise his skull could have been cracked or damaged. He winced and saw before him a huge jet, neatly camouflaging in its surroundings. The jet was longer and taller, allowing more space. On his right came out two Conquest men jogging down the landing platform with guns in their hands. He hand-signaled his friends and together they infiltrated the whole vehicle, trying their hardest not to alert other jets possibly nearby.

After successfully infiltrating five jet carriers, Ray could estimate that about fifteen people in every vehicle were knocked out. So in simpler terms, their effective team had prevented about seventy-five Conquest members from creating more destruction and fatalities. Even thought Ray knew Conquest needed Quick for Project Alpha, he didn't understand how the top-secret project could've been built in such a short period of time, especially since it was a powerful weapon. Rook called them, and they ran back to the campsite.

The area had stopped burning, and that was when Ray realized they had been out for quite a while. But aside from the ruins, the place was completely deserted. But two men in the center caught the team's attention. The scene brought chills up their spine. It was Baron, aiming a gun towards Kent's back, who was down on both knees, raising his hands in defeat.

In simpler terms, everyone was frozen in place. But Baron noticed them and gave them a warning glare. "If you move, Specials," the spy threatened, "I will shoot him. You hear me?" The group didn't react, but they were troubled within. Ray scanned the terrain in front of him, not daring to make even a minor movement. Some of Conquest's started advancing slowly, acting as emergency backup for Baron, then stopped at a distance. Now both small groups stood opposite, with a life-threatening situation in front of them.

Baron stiffed his grip of the weapon, and so did the distance of his finger from the trigger. "Where is the Director?" the man asked calmly. Kent didn't respond. "I asked, where is Quick!" Ray knew the tension couldn't hold long before it explodes, and the gun loses a bullet. He gave Pia a long stare until she nodded. They we going to fight out of the situation. Without hesitation, the young woman sprinted forward and threw Baron to the ground. The backup recruits instantly opened fire upon the Specials while the two battled it out.

Ray saw Kent backing away from the scene, and he ran to protect him. "Please stay behind me, Sir," Ray ordered. "It's dangerous to go elsewhere." He effectively made sure the assistant director was safe, every opponent making him weaker. But as the attackers grew stronger and smarter, Ray lost energy, up to the point where one could jab an electric band into his hip. Shock crippled him, and he gave in to it completely, leaving Kent to fend for himself. Kent looked down on the fallen teenager and raised his hands up once again, not daring to run.

The rest of the team were doing well, until Baron shot a bullet into Pia's knee. She struggled to tolerate the pain, as the bruised man advanced towards Rook and the Specials. He quickly snatched small orbs lying on the battlefield from fallen Conquest recruits and threw it on the ground before them. An explosion erupted, creating a border of thick black gas between Baron and the team. The chemicals never moved or flew to the sky, but instead striked the teens' eyes, blinding them temporarily.

Baron motioned his comrades to keep distance before facing Kent with enraged eyes. Full of anger and frustration, Baron aimed the gun at Kent once again and asked where Director Quick was. This time, the scared man answered. "He...he is in an escape jet with all the other agents." Pia regained her bearings, shaking her head in disbelief at the traitorous act, as Baron smirked and stiffed his handling of the gun. Kent's eyes widened. He had selfishly sacrificed Quick for nothing. He closed his eyes, and a loud gunshot blared throughout his ears.