The Fall of the Society

Chapter 53: Surprise Return

     "How could you do that?" Rose gasped. "He was no longer a threat!"

     "I left you on the boat for a reason," Sid told her. "This was not the mission I recruited you to help with."

     "I will not help you with any mission that includes this level of brutality!" Rose screamed at him, fully finding her voice.

     Sid rounded on her but was not upset by her tone. "If you leave one of these people breathing, they will always be a threat." He paused for a moment as she took in his word. "Generally fighting fire with fire is a sure-fire way to get burned, unless of course you are more adept at creating the blaze that will engulf your enemies more quickly and more ruthlessly than they ever thought possible."

     Rose looked unsure of how to respond to Sid's calm and confident tone. "I will not help you murder people!"

     "You are in the wrong place then," Sid said flatly. "There are more coming, so you have a choice. They will all perish one way or another. Either you can set this place ablaze and extract Maldion, or you can go wait at the boat while I bring his body myself while slaying anyone that gets in the way. If you set fire to the place some of them may escape, they will not be so lucky if they cross my path."

     The dilemma that Sid had just thrown at Rose hit her like a punch. If she agreed to catch fire to the facility, she could prevent some deaths on the simple fact that Sid appeared unstoppable. He had once told her that he posed no threat to her, but she seriously doubted she could beat him if they fought. Finally deciding that causing a fire would be the less deadly path, if she started a slow burn rather than an immense blaze. She nodded her agreement, her hands blazing orange. The back wall of the room burst into flames, screams from behind a door located there could be heard. She had started her fire just in time. All she could hope was that they would turn and flee rather than work to get past the flames.

     Sid slung Maldion across his shoulders and ran from the room. He did not look back as Rose followed him out, catching the doors on fire as she ran through them. The fire followed them down the corridor as she ran, working to keep up with Sid, who even with the weight of a person was easily outpacing her. She did not fully want to engage her powers because she was afraid that she would cause too much damage that would spread far more quickly than she wanted.

      Soon the two of them burst into the day light, shadows cast upon them by the trees. Their sudden appearance startled some vultures that had settled into feasting and they took flight back into the sky. Now outside, and a good way behind Sid, Rose changed her aura from one of offense to one that would allow her to travel more quickly as her feet left the ground and she soared just inches above the dirt. Allowing her powers to carry her, invigorated her, filling her with energy and she soon caught up to the now jogging Sid.

      "There was something in the water, I hope your boat is okay," Rose told him as they continued to move through the trees.

      He slowed to a walk and looked at her incredulously. "What do you mean there was something in the water?"

     "Something rubbed against the side of the boat, making it rock back and forth," she told him, feeling slightly embarrassed. "But then I heard the explosion and came ashore to see if I could help." She suddenly felt foolish, she should have remained with the boat to ensure its safety. "I am sorry, I should not have left it unprotected," she said quickly.

     Sid smiled, "Don't be ridiculous. The boat is unimportant and we can always obtain another one. You on the other hand are incredibly crucial to the mission."

     His words did not make her feel any better. "You keep saying I am important to the mission but you have yet to tell me what role you need me to play."

     The two stepped from the trees onto the sandy beach, and Rose was relieved to see the boat still rocking gently on the waves. Sid gently laid Maldion onto the sand as something in the water caught Rose's eye. "I do not remember a rock protruding from the water between the boat and the shore," she stated nervously.

     "There were no rocks, I swam ashore and did not encounter anything of the sort," he replied as he straightened Maldion's cloths.

      As Rose watched the object sunk below the surface and disappeared. "It's gone," Rose said quietly. Sid looked up just as something large started swimming toward them, leaving a massive wake in its path. Rose's aura blazed red, scorching the sand beneath her as a large creature burst from the water. She had never seen anything like it and she took a step back. Much to her surprise, Sid was walking forward with his hand out. The only thought to cross her mind was that she knew he was strong but there was no way he was thinking to take this thing on single handedly. "What are you doing?" she screamed at him. Sid did not react to her shouting, but he turned quickly and waved his hands at her as she powered up to launch an attack.

     "Stop!" he shouted while waving. "He is not a threat," Sid told her quickly. Standing between the monster and Rose, Sid motioned for her to move forward slowly. "This is Koton, he is a friend of mine."

      Rose stared, shock and fear plastered her pretty face. "How in the world did you come across a creature such as this? Where did you find it?"

      Sid smiled at her amazement. "I found him buried far below the earth, trapped in a Society laboratory. They tried to use him against me, but in the end, he helped me get out of the facility." Rose's surprise did not change, and she flinched as Koton came in close to her. "He is not dangerous as long as you do not pose a threat to him."

     "He doesn't have to worry about me, as long as he doesn't try to eat me that is," Rose finished sarcastically. "Have you had him with us the whole time?"

     Sid shook his head, "No, he must have tracked us. That is very impressive by the way." He turned and faced the large creature. "Can I ask you a favor?" Koton lowered his massive head and looked Sid in the eyes, showing his understanding of what Sid was saying. "Will you take my friend here," he began motioning toward Maldion's body. "Safely out to my boat? I would prefer him not to go in the water just yet."

     Koton placed his head on the ground beside Maldion and motioned with his front legs for Sid to place his body just behind his head. Sid complied. Smoothly Koton slid into the water, barely creating a wake in his path. Sid motioned for Rose to head out to the boat and she hesitantly flew into the air, the blank eyes facing backward and upward watching her. The gaze made her feel uneasy, but she could not explain why.

     Rose landed softly on the roof of the boat as Koton gently slid Maldion onto the deck. The boat rocked as Koton's weight shifted off and back into the water. Sid moved over and placed his hand on the side of the creature's massive head. "Thank you," he said softly. "You cannot follow us where we are going, it will not be safe for you and I cannot risk them finding you. They will exploit the research they lost when you escaped, a process that would likely kill you."

     Koton's blank eyes continued to stare into Sid's before he slowly slid below the waves and disappeared into the dark depths of the water. Rose watched for a moment before joining Sid on the deck. "What is the plan?"

     "It has not changed. We need to head north," he stated. "Along the way we will give Maldion a proper sendoff, the sendoff he deserves. Will you do me a favor and see if there are any blankets or sheets that we could use to wrap him?"

     Rose nodded and headed below deck. She knew where there were sheets because she had used them to sleep on the trip to where they were. Quickly retrieving the item, she returned above and handed it to Sid. He went to work right away, tightly wrapping the sheet around his fallen friend. His expression was somber as he headed for the helm. Rose did not follow, or return below deck, but instead sat down beside the man's body and watched him. She had not really known him, and she never would. Death seemed to be a side effect of being involved in any way with the Society and it was up to them to end the cycle. It was then that she decided to focus her resolve. She had decided not long ago to follow the plan through no matter what, and Sid's recent actions shook her. The lengths he was willing to go to seemed extreme at first, but she was beginning to understand that the only way to get rid of the Society was to eradicate them from the core.