Assault - pt. 1

“We’ve been found!”

It's the only thing that Ezri needs to say to get the Liberation up and moving. The calm atmosphere of the camp is gone and replaced with a sense of urgency, as they immediately don their armor and equip themselves with weapons. Uncovered veils reveal A-grade turrets and launchers, hefty tanks of ammunition mounted onto each.

Ezri continues to drag me with a grip that’s almost painful, leading me back to the Spearhead that’s currently being surrounded. The rumbling in the ground strengthens in pattern with the growing alertness of the soldiers, like an orchestra with fear as the conductor.

Why I feel this way? I don’t know. The IPU is the only thing that could’ve located us – that should make me glad, we’d finally be free. But everything my body is signaling, from the way my hands tremble to my ever-increasing heartbeat, tells me I should feel anything but glad. And what the heck was the deal with that working bot?

“Get inside,” Ezri demands when we stop at the entrance. “Do not come out, no matter what. If they end up seeing you anyway, play dead as a last resort. Got it?”

“Why would I do that just because of the IPU?”

Ezri’s eyes narrow, a fire igniting beneath the haze. She roughly shoves me inside as she says, “For once, don’t be stubborn and listen to me, idiot. So help me, if you get yourself killed—” she takes a deep breath, quenching the anger inside her. “Just stay with Ace, okay?”

With that, she runs off to join the others, shouting out commands and putting on her cloak that’s just been handed to her. I turn around to head into my usual room, only to be startled by Ace, who has just appeared behind me. He gestures with his hand, “follow.” We maneuver our way through the more fractured and cluttered parts of the ship, until we reach a ladder that goes to the upper deck.

“I’m going to need you to move a bit faster, Calla,” Ace says from the bottom of the ladder, waiting for me to get to the top.

“Alright, alright,” I say with feigned nonchalance. The shaking from my hands have spread to my arms and legs, making climbing the ladder a rather slow process. This is pathetic.

The upper deck is much smaller than the lower floor. Windows on every wall and a telescope in the center, its main purpose seems to be observation. The noisy yelling from outside is dulled in here, yet still impossible to ignore. Ace shuts and locks the hatch, even pushes a heavy crate over it for better security. The sight of Shiloh and Jasper standing by a corner brings me some relief, but not for long. Seeing they’re both carrying guns, my nerves spike again.

“Soo – you have any idea what’s going on?” Shiloh asks me. “Because we definitely don’t.” All I can do is shake my head.

“You’ll soon find out in a matter of time,” Ace says, his eyes glued to the northside of the Boundary. “I suggest you prepare yourselves for what you’re about to witness.”

“Calla…” Jasper draws near, his hand stretching out to gently touch my arm. “Are you okay? You’re shaking all over.”

My shame is indescribable. I was hoping they wouldn’t notice, but that was silly – how could they not? I’m supposed to be the stable, composed one. That’s the way I’ve always been, and I wear it as a badge of honor. Now, it’s all muddled. Nothing’s even happened yet, and I’m already a mess.

“There’s nothing wrong with being scared,” Jasper says. “How do you think the two of us feel?”

“Yeah, lighten up, would ya?” Shiloh wraps an arm around both our shoulders. “We can all be terrified together.”

“Easy for you guys to say… You’re different.”

“Well, now you gotta be ‘different’ too,” Shiloh gives us a light squeeze. Clearing her throat, she says, “My mom taught me a way to calm down as a kid. We close our eyes, take deep breaths, and count to ten, yeah?”

I doubt it’d do much in this predicament, but I’ll bite. Still huddled, the three of us close our eyes, then take a deep, steady inhale. Instructed by Shiloh, we release the breath after a couple of seconds pass, then count, “One.”

I feel the Spearhead shaking under my feet, similar to an earthquake. We lose our balance and fall over each other, snapping us out of our attempted trance of calm. Shiloh, rubbing her head, says, “That’s okay! Let’s keep going.”

“Two,” she says after another breath.

A roaring sound of metal clanking like claps of thunder fills our ears, despite the shelter. Something vrooms, mimicking a chainsaw against wood. It blocks out everything from out the ship, the cries of the Liberation overtaken. Thuds pound on the terrain, as if belonging to a gigantic creature. Each step gets louder, and is followed by an eerie rattling.

“Three.”

At this point, I peek open my eyes. The sky is stained with a red glow, emitted by a force that’s hidden behind a cloud of smoke – but there’s movement in it, of various figures. None of them human or animalistic. Some are large and lanky, with thick portions on their ends. Some are bulky with extensions sprouting out like branches.

“Four.”