Flame Rider II: Rise of Chaos

Final Exercise: Day Three

Everything had been going so well for the Death Strikers, and then the worst situation that could have turned up showed its face. The reinforcements arrived, and when they did they had brought to the field everything that DS hadn’t prepared for.

There were aircraft of numerous makes, tanks, infantry, and to make things worse, they bulk of the Super Soldier program was with them.

“I think the troops on the ground are about to find out why this exercise was such a push over,” Delpha muttered, “I doubt there will be any need to warn them, or send in the tanks and aircraft for their tests.”

“So we’ll do it anyway,” Anna growled, “If the ER are gonna hit us under the belt like this, then we might as well give them a reason to be scared.”

I was surprised about this new turn of events. Yesterday Anna had completely ignored Elyse and I, and then started to complain about a “strange” stench in the room, before leaving.

I had shrugged it off as Anna just being pissed that I had truly fallen for Elyse, and that Elyse didn’t have anything to do with it. I sighed, letting the frustration of having to deal with Anna’s constant insults, while I hadn’t done anything like this when Blaze had made his reappearance.

“It’s alright,” Elyse muttered into my ear, “Today is the day they finish training then we can go.”

I nodded, knowing that Elyse was right. While she had originally planned to stay and help with the Intel branch of DS, but after a day of listening to Anna openly insult her, she had decided not to have anything to do with the force.

“I am currently tracking several Queitessas in bound from the northern sector of the arena,” Delpha informed us, “they are on a strafing run for the base.”

“They won’t make it, will they?” I breathed.

I instantly regretted it; both Anna and Delpha glaring daggers at me.

“They will make it,” Delpha spat, “They are not ordinary soldiers; each and every single one of them can take on the most advance commando or special ops unit the ER has to offer.”

“There is nothing that can take them out,” Anna continued, glaring at me hotly, “because their op leader is Blaze.”

*-*-*-*

‘So much for an easy op to get us into the war,’ I grated.

We had been pushed out of the ER training facility almost too easily; the Ninja-Samurai Super-Soldiers slamming into the defences that we had set up overnight. It was like they had come out of nowhere.

“All troops regroup at your individual extraction points,” Blaze barked over the com, “Shadow Hunters and Alpha-Omega will draw the enemy into a fight. Get moving now!”

With that command, everyone split off to their extraction points. Blaze’s command was followed, not because he had operational command, nor because he had experience, but because he had given the order with confidence.

And that is what DS troops respect in a leader; not what rank they were, but that they knew what they were doing and had earned to troops respect in the first place. Blaze had saved Earth; everyone respected him for that.

And then he gave a lot of us a better chance at defending Earth from further invasions.

“Mobilising now Opcom,” replied the GI Sub-Opcom, “taking the Hunter wounded with us.”