The Fall of the Society

Chapter 56: The Beginning of the End

Time passed as they crashed along the waves, the sun doing its rotations in turn. Rose occasionally appeared above deck for chats with him but otherwise stayed below deck. The better part of the two-day trip was already over, and Sid knew they would be to their destination before long. He was not sure what to expect on this mission, he had been unable to find any concrete evidence on what the facility held. One thing he knew, it was the last known location of Scion and the newest built Society structure.

The island came into view and Sid let off the throttle, slowing his speed greatly. Those on the island likely already know they are coming, but he would not make it easier to locate them. As they got closer, he could see movement from a large dock. They were mobilizing several of their own ships in hopes of intercepting them. He would not be of much use offensively in a naval battle, but Rose would be able to implement a strong attack.

"Rose!" he shouted over the sound of the boats motor. "We have arrived!"

From below deck, Rose appeared suddenly, glancing out into the water ahead of the boat. "I see we have company," she shouted up to him. "Want me to head them off?"

"If you don't mind," Sid nodded to her. "We need to try and limit the damage to our boat. It may be needed to get us out of here."

Rose threw him a thumbs up, which felt weird to her as she had never done this before, but she had seen others do it, and she burst into the air. She flew through the air like a blazing missile. Something moved beneath the surface of the water and broke her concentration. Whatever it might be was moving far faster than she was, and it soon disappeared out in front of her. Ripples appeared on the surface of the water, leading to the oncoming enemy ships, before becoming a massive wake crashing through the surface. She was still unable to see what it was when it made a devastating impact with the first ship it encountered. A large explosion sent out shockwaves, causing the other ships to veer off course, a massive cloud of smoke obscured the remains of the destroyed vessel. Rose pulled up and floated in midair as the other ships came back on course and started firing at her. A ship to her left lurched as though something beneath it had latched on, pulling it violently under water. Unsure of what was happening, the ships broke into a wider formation and continued forward. There were two ships remaining on her left, and three on her right at this point and she shot a massive fireball at the central most vessel on her right.

A large blue shield appeared in the air between her and the ship as her attack exploded before impacting its target. The flash washed over the ship and those on the deck paused their firing to shield their faces. A sudden movement to her left drew her attention as something slammed through the middle of one of the remaining ships. Screams carried on the air as the remains sunk beneath the water. The other ships changed course to save their comrades that had been thrust into the water, but their efforts were in vain as none of them came back to the surface.

Confusion was coursing through the small fleet as the final ship on the left was capsized and spilt in two. The three remaining ships began firing everything they had in the direction where the other ships went down, hoping to hit whatever had caused the mayhem. Waterspouts shot into the air as the explosions rocked the surface, automatic gunfire and blast echoed loudly. The blue shield that had appeared before, burst into being in front of the three ships as something large slammed against its surface. A rippling effect rushed across the shield as it faltered before becoming solid once more. Whatever was beneath the surface smashed hard into the barrier again, only this time it was hard enough to penetrate its protection and the blue fizzled outward until the whole thing had failed.

Rose watched on in horror as the gunfire continued, the men firing into the water nearer their vessels. Their screams echoed as each of the ships were eviscerated by an unseen force. Leaving nothing behind except smoke and some minor debris. The surface of the water returned to a smooth rolling glasslike appearance. Lack of gunfire and screams echoed in her ears as she watched the surface of the water all around her, expecting to see something emerge.

"Come back down here!" Sid shouted from just behind her. "We need to get moving, more will show up soon."

Still looking around, Rose lowered onto the deck of the ship. She had to grasp ahold of the railing as Sid gunned the accelerator and the boat shot forward. Cutting through the waves, Rose continued to watch the water where the other ships had gone down, but nothing appeared and soon they were pulling around the side of the island and out of the view of the dock. After a few more moments, Sid pulled the boat into a small inlet and let off the accelerator before lowering the anchor.

"We will go ashore here, hopefully we will encounter less resistance this way," he told her. She looked at him with a bit of confusion on her face. "I am trying to avoid needless death because I know it is what you would prefer," he said quickly. "I could care less, if you want to blaze a path of destruction across the island to the base, be my guest."

She smiled as she rose into the air, "No, we can go quiet, maybe move behind some of the soldiers that will likely be making their way to the docks. Hopefully whatever was out there is gone now."

"I have a feeling Koton will not be far off for the remainder of our time on this island," Sid told her flatly before diving into the water and cutting through the water in route to the shore. Once on the beach the two stood silently for a moment. "Everyone we meet from here on will be an enemy. Do not hesitate to put someone down if they stand between us and our goal."

Rose did not take her eyes off the trees as he spoke to her. "Our goal is to take out Scion, correct?" she asked quietly.

"Among other things," Sid told her casually, but before she could inquire further, he disappeared into the trees ahead of her. He was hard to follow as he made no noise passing through the under growth. The way he moved reminded her greatly of Tripp, and sadness began to creep into her thoughts. She had to push hard against the emotions to keep her mind in the mission. The sound of people shouting could be heard in the distance.

Sid stopped so suddenly that Rose almost ran into him. Curiosity filled her as she wondered why he had stopped, but then something that smelled truly terrible wafted over her nostrils. She covered her face and reached to grab Sid's shoulder, but he moved out of her reach. Following him once more led them into a clearing. The center of the opening had been dug down deep and was now filled with the remains of hundreds of people. Death and decay hung in the air like a blanket, coating everything in sight. Rose had to fight back the urge to vomit and turned away from the horrid sight.

"What happened here?" she gasped between her fingers.

Sid had not broken his gaze as he continued to stare into the pit. "These are the people that built the facility. They were trying not to leave loose ends. It is also possible some of them may have lived on the island, but it is hard to tell."

"How could they do this? It is so horrible," Rose sobbed behind her hands, still covering her face tightly.

"They have become desperate in their attempt to keep their secrets," Sid said angrily. "They will pay for this."

Rustling came from the bushes ahead of Rose and two men stepped into the clearing, heavily armored and holding automatic rifles while dragging a body. They seemed surprised to see anyone standing in the clearing with them and hesitated. Rose removed her hands from her face and burst into flames. She roared her anger as the two men instantly combusted, flames engulfing them completely. The fire spread so quickly they did not even have time to scream before their lungs were turned to ash. She then turned and placed her hands in front of her, pushing all her emotions into her palms she engulfed the bodies in the pit in white hot flames. Her screams filled the air as she stopped trying to press back her feelings. Anger had soared to the surface and she was letting the world know she had had enough.

Her aura faded as quickly as it had burst into being and she turned to face Sid who had not moved. "Everyone we come across is an enemy. There are no longer innocent people on this island and they all must pay!" Rose's voice shook with emotion as her eyes kept their fiery blaze. "We will end the Society's reign of terror."