Skye City: The Darkness of Emmilyn

School Fight

After the boys get well and truly thrashed at basketball, we spend a while playing gymnastics, almost killing ourselves on the springboard and vault. Then we return to the staff room to rest with our clothing still damp from the water fight. Finally I get around to providing the update I was so reluctant to provide. Dynah was not the one withholding bad news, I was.
'We returned to the Enclave the morning after Rupert left. Dead soldiers lay everywhere and the place had been abandoned. I dunno what happened to the other telepaths,' I say and Dynah breathes heavily in the next chair, appearing ready to stand, eager to return to the fight.

'Were any of our fri–'
'Not from what I could tell. Most of the bodies were horribly burnt and you know what that means,' I say.
'They put up a fight... But San Teria wouldn't have come unless they were prepared. In the lab, they could subdue our powers so we cannot assume our friends were victorious. Some could've been captured, and without the Enclave, I don't think we can win this fight. Is there anything more you can tell me?' Dynah says.
'We searched the place from top to bottom, two or three times. There were no clues about where they could've gone, but we saw nothing to suggest a telepath had been killed,' I say.
'They've either fled to a new hideout or been returned to the lab, possibly a combination of both. Ordinarily the scientists would kill the unruly, but they'll want to ensure they have us all. Any prisoners will be questioned, tortured. I'll be their number one target now,' Dynah says. 'We need answers. I must find a quiet room and meditate.'
Dynah marches from the staff room and I glance to the others; my gaze settling on Smig whose beard is getting longer by the day. The scars on his lips are concealed now and he appears barely recognisable.
'It seems we can get the better of San Teria when they're unprepared, but when they're ready, when they have the numbers, they punish us. Two bases and the Enclave were overrun, and that's just what we know of. You can't be fooled by victories in a few street battles. Those soldiers were just kids like us. They're completely replaceable and San Teria have a huge numbers advantage. They don't care about losing those battles as long as they reduce our numbers. But the major battles? San Teria will always win those.

'Even Arturo, with all his power, cannot overcome their weaponry, not forever. At some point they'll kill him, if they've not already done so. At some point they'll kill you too, Smig. They can lose ten soldiers for every rebel and still have the numbers to fight the invaders,' I say.
'You're wrong, Emmi, for more reasons than I care to explain. The war will be brutal. It will be tougher than we'd hoped, there's no doubt, but the Rebellion has backup plans if things go wrong. Guerrilla tactics and infiltration for a start. Our key advantage is we can hide and emerge, again and again. The coalition may be a mess, but believe me, they're a bigger problem for San Teria than they are for us. We can exploit the chaos. We can exploit the military's lack of loyalty. Most of those young soldiers who are dying, they were dragged into this against their will. That's the difference. We wanted this fight. We need it. We believe in a cause,' Smig says.
'Well, you m... Wait, do you hear something?' I pause and focus on muffled voices as Smig jumps from his seat and runs from the staff room. I exchange glances with the other three, then we sneak into the corridor as Smig reaches the hall. I peer through the window of a classroom door and see through the broken external window. A group of soldiers are coming through the gate, maybe ten, but they are not accompanied by tanks or mechanoids, nor are they marching in formation. They look weary as they drag their feet; their shoulders slumped.
A clanking is followed by wailing gunfire and two soldiers jerk as red pulp flies from their flopping bodies, courtesy of Smig I assume. The other soldiers scramble for cover, running towards the main entrance of the school building.
'We need to get out!' I say and we sprint back into the staff room. Oscar opens a window and we scramble outside, climbing through the frame two at a time. I look for an escape route, but the school field is surrounded by a spiked metal fence with no gate.
Spinning my head frantically, I run alongside the school building to see if Dynah is visible through any of the windows. As I glance into a classroom, I see a bright light shining through a door window and then I hear hysterical screaming, presumably from one of Dynah's fireballs.

Gunfire wails and mechanoid feet clank, and I could swear I can hear distant laughter. I point towards the far end of the school, farthest from the gate, from the sound of gunfire, and we run in that direction. I glimpse another bright light inside the corridor and hear more screaming from another fireball victim.
A window alongside us shatters and I spot a soldier in a doorway as I drop onto slush, crawling as fast as possible. Screaming is close by, then firelight and warm air comes from the classroom as I pass over broken glass.
I jump to my feet and sprint past windows to the far corner of the building, glancing back as the others catch up, all seemingly unharmed. We sneak towards the next corner, but halfway there a soldier emerges and we just freeze, waiting for the inevitable. As the soldier points his rifle, his body jerks and turns to pulp, then he collapses and gore erupts from his mouth.
I lean back against the wall, trembling, as mechanoid feet and maniacal laughter approach our position. Then I sneak past the dead soldier to the corner and peer out to see Smig patrolling the school grounds, checking windows for enemies. The arms of the mechanoid have transformed into huge guns with its hands folded away, and the pilot seems to be having the time of his life. Dynah climbs from a broken window, glancing back towards the school as she hurries for the gate. I beckon the others with a wave and yell to Smig: 'Time to go!'