Fury and Flame | 3

7 | 1

J A X O N

      Over the next few days, people flocked to joined the armed forces. During the daytime, we stayed in the ONNT headquarters and worked on our next war strategies—and watched as the numbers of volunteers grew.

By the third day, the number had grown to six digits and showed no sign of stopping. People were clearly taking the cause to heart, especially now that they were aware of how heavily their lives hung in the balance.

No good news was without bad news, however. And there was a lot of it.

Though it was no longer Imperium-occupied, Russia was still weak and susceptible to attack. Ukraine and Romania were feeling the wrath of Orion as more and more civilians were slaughtered every day. For the moment, Imperium had stopped marching across surrounding countries, but we knew it was only a matter of time before they slayed the unacceptable masses in both countries and moved outward once again.

On the fourth day after the speech before the people of America, the news finally came, this time from the panicked Hungarians: spies had spotted Imperium troops traveling East, towards the border.
That meant the situations in their conquered nations were controlled enough for them to move onward again.

     The United Nations—very pleased with the growing number of army recruits—were confident enough that we could finally deliver a powerful opposition to the incoming invasion. My father's Scorpion-destroyers had been perfected and were ready to go.

      After the horrible defeat in Ukraine, we'd lost badly enough seemingly to never recover. But now it looked as if there was finally hope.

      It was that hope that drove us to Romania—several miles from the border. The Hungarians had been relieved to see us arrive in their nation with our many troops, even more so when we had to travel westward to meet the Imperium army head-on; they hadn't begun the invasion yet. And they never would.

      We were jostled in the military truck as it flew across the plains. Several truck's-worth of the strongest soldiers were driving before and behind us in a line, not to mention the battalion of planes not far behind—carrying the masses of people willing to fight and the new weapons they would wield.

      On my right, Delphinium shifted her weight on the bench. I raised my eyes to watch Gigi, who sat directly across from her. Her face was vacant, body swaying with the movements of the vehicle. Those dark eyes seemed to look directly through the floor, and I knew she wasn't here with the rest of us.

      To our surprise, she had been calm and collected ever since she and the assassin joined us at our makeshift home—nothing like the madness-ridden girl she'd been that day at the airport. As soon as I'd heard of Neve's death, I'd been watching the archer closely. All of us remembered what happened the last time one of her loved ones was killed.

      This time, she was...normal. In mourning, clearly. And much quieter and withdrawn. But not consumed by insanity and vengeance. And she'd healed Arlo, saving him from an early death. In the time she'd been without us, perhaps she had become more stable, as Neve had insisted.

      There couldn't have been more perfect timing for it, because her sharpshooting skills were certainly an asset—we needed anything we could get. 

      We began slowing down, those of us in the back being jostled against each other. As the truck stopped, a deep yelling voice came from outside, ordering us to form the ranks. I was the first one out of the back door, my feet crunching on dry grass.

      There was the Imperium army, marching a thousand feet away. Given the flat terrain, I couldn't get an estimate on their numbers, but it seemed to be less than before. The tops of the Scorpions showed through breaks in their ranks.

      We'd stopped them just in time.

      We were quick to line up before Imperium, shoulder to shoulder, weapons held out. The roaring of engines sounded behind us, and I knew the rest of our army was being flown in. There was more shouting and our ranks grew.

      On the front lines, no one moved. We were stone cold and ready for what we had to do. My heart was already pounding in anticipation. I wanted to pay them back for what they did to us. We all did. And that, I expected, was what was going to make us win.

      The world seemed silent for a few seconds. Then, General Lawridge screamed the order to charge and we obeyed, hundreds of thousands of feet hitting the plains.

      Imperium had been expecting that, it seemed. They didn't cease their march.

      However, they weren't expecting the stealth bombers streaking from behind them. We'd learned from their tactics.

      The bombs rocked through their army before they even knew what was happening. Dirt and smoke flew into their air, blinding the troops that weren't instantly incinerated. The ground beneath our feet rumbled with the might of the dropped explosives.

We reached them as the smoke began to thin. Stunned by the sudden attack, the survivors tried to regroup, but we were too strong. The two armies clashed, theirs giving away to ours.

With a handgun in one hand and a knife in the other, I shot and slashed soldiers to death. Working my way further into their ranks, I left a wake of bodies behind me. I wanted them to fear me. I wanted them to remember this day as the day we finally turned the tides of war into our favor.

As I shot a soldier directly in the heart, simultaneously stabbing another in the stomach, a low humming made the ground vibrate. As the sound grew, I could feel it in my bones. My father's weapons were about to be fired at the Scorpions.

Staying invisible, I turned for a split second, watching the cannons. According to my father, they were meant to seek out the extreme heat of the Scorpions, making them easy targets. The projectiles flew out of the barrels, smoke trailing off their sleek tails and leaving arcs across the two armies. When they struck their targets, I was temporarily deafened. A few Imperium soldiers were thrown to the ground with the blowback. I was quick to duck down and shoot them dead.

The gunshots attracted attention of the soldiers near me, but I revealed in it. Slipping back into view, I took their lives with one fluid swipe. It was almost unfortunate, I thought, staring down at their pasty bodies. They never stood a chance.

When I surveyed the battlefield again, I was pleased to see the pure carnage we had wreaked on the opposing army. The remnants of Scorpions still smoked, debris scattered everywhere. Bodies covered the fields, packed so tightly that the ground could barely be seen. The earth where the bombs were dropped was cratered and blown to dust.

Not a single Imperium soldier was left alive. Just minutes ago, they'd been alive and breathing, and now they were jagged flesh and draining blood. I found myself smiling.

There was something savagely beautiful about complete carnage. It was a visual reminder of the sheer power we held—the power that only humans would wield to kill each other. There was probably something to be said about human nature there, but I hardly cared. After all, I'd given into my selfish nature long ago.

My hair hung over my forehead, darkened with sweat. I ran a hand through it, a strange, triumphant laugh coming out of my parted lips.

     In less than an hour, their army had been decimated. And although it was only a chip in their terrifying lead, we'd won. This day would be the beginning of the war tipping in our favor.