Dark Waters

Chapter Twenty: Hostage

Chapter Twenty: Hostage 

  

Rainier and the others had only enough time to step outside the complex when all of a sudden, lights flooded the area.

Instinctively the four of them turned back to the door only to find it closed shut.

"Damn! Should have killed off that last guy." Leo cursed as he slammed a fist on the metal surface.

Rainier opened his mouth and was about to ask Daniel for any suggestion when the voice of General Blanque rang in the air.

"We have you surrounded! Surrender right now, terrorist scum!"

"Terrorist scum?" He heard Leo mutter softly beside him. "Now there's a name I haven't heard before..."

"What now, bro?" Daniel asked, as he glanced warily at the good number of armed soldiers that surrounded them.

Rainier narrowed his eyes. The soldiers were all armed and ready to fire and judging from the way Blanque was hovering in front of them, it was clear that the general was already assured that they won't be able to escape the welcoming party easily.

He was only able to catch the sound of a sword being unsheathed and Leo's voice whispered in his ear. "I have an idea. Cover me."

Whoa... What? But before Rainier could ask his twin, Leo was already tossing a smoke bomb in the direction of the soldiers.

Immediately laser fire rained at them, forcing the three of them get down to the ground. Zigging and zagging to make himself a more difficult target, Leo went right up and over a hover tank that happened to be in his way. Rainier saw his twin's red ninjakin flash out of the corner of his eye, and the soldier who'd poked his head up out of the tank fell back, while his head fell forwards.

Then the Dark Flame ninja was crashing into a very surprised soldier and sending the man to the floor. The blade of his ninjakin swept across the soldier's throat, and then he was on his feet, the sword coming up in a short, brutal stab that took the next one right through the kidneys.

Another triple back flip to avoid being shot before landing in a crouch and coming up with a sweep of his right arm that sent shuriken hissing through the air. One soldier aimed to fire, and promptly toppled over as he bled out, twitching, his femoral artery severed. Two more fell with gleaming throwing stars in their throats.

Leopard unsheathed his other sword, and methodically started slicing his way through any soldier stupid enough to get in his way. Rainier and his brothers watched in fascination as the Dark Flame ninja laid a soldier's throat open all the way to the spine, then hit the floor as another trooper discharged his weapon. The laser hit another soldier between the eyes, and then Leo was surging to his feet, his sword flashing, and the soldier dropped his gun to scream and clutch at the stumps where his legs had once been.

Leo stabbed a soldier in the chest, then spun away, a laser beam piercing through the air where his head had been seconds ago. He kept spinning, and his foot whipped around in a back spinning kick to crunch into the jaw of the soldier piloting General Blanque's hovercraft. The man's head twisted at an unnatural angle, and Rainier faintly heard the wet snapping of bone.

Ten more seconds, and it was over. Leo flicked the blood from his blades, sheathed the black handled sword, pressed the blade of the red handled blade just a little harder against the General' throat. "Hello." the Dark Flame ninja's voice was not friendly. "You're lucky, you know." He smiled nastily. "If I had my way, you'd already be dead."

Blanque nervously tried to swallow. "Wha..."

"Uh ah." Leopard pressed the blade a little harder, and the General stopped inching his hand towards the holdout gun on his belt. "Bad idea... I wouldn't try to do anything rash. Rapidfire here happens to be coated with several really painful poisons. But you'll be safe, provided it doesn't get into your bloodstream. Now, you wouldn't want my hand to accidentally slip and cut you, would you?"