Sept 23, 2229

Inside the police interrogation room, Lel pulled against the handcuffs securing him to a metal table. He couldn't help himself from yanking on them after being locked up in the small room for so long.

"Settle down," said an officer coming into the room. "You're going to lock-up, then we're shipping you over to Riverside." The officer uncuffed Lel.

"Come on man. The G.E are going to kill me in prison. I was the one with the gun to my head, and you arrested me."

"You already talked to the Detective and Lawyer. Wining to me ain't going to do you any good... Now move."

****

Snorri explored around the base eating a turkey leg. He had no idea who these people were, but he wouldn't pass up the constant supply of food they offered him. One big last meal he figured.

A Chrysomallus approached Snorri. "You need any help?"

"No. Snorri does not require help." Taking another bite of turkey, he walked off.

****

The Chrysomallus walked over to someone else and muttered, "Stupid Rephaim. This mass killing crap is going to ruin everything we worked for. He's just a common thug. He has no intention of working with us."

"Just keep your voice down. Malphas always has his plans twisted around so much no one knows what's up. He's always come through for us."

"Yeah, I hope it doesn't result in Anlon turning his attention on us instead. He's human after all. I'm not even sure why he's sent some of his Marines after the G.E."

"Anlon has done plenty in favor of non-humans."

"Not enough..."

****

Onboard the America, Alexander came into Gill's room. "This is getting ridiculous. The G.E will probably remain hiding, knowing we are after them."

"They might not risk losing their dropship, but I'm sure they will not hesitate to use the Arkvee." Gill plugged a jury-rigged power supply into the small PC he found.

"Since hacking that drone got us nowhere, I hope that PC has something we can use."

"Doubt it, but it's worth a try. I had the account shut down. So, anything else set to upload to it won't work."

"A very tiny victory. A bottle half full kind of guy."

"In my line of work, it's the little steps that eventually get you to the end of the case."

"Since someone was accessing that account when you gained access to it, they must know what you look like now. That could work against us. Kind of cancels out the win."

"Only if they see me coming."

"On another note. You really think letting the Senator go home was our best option?"

"Yeah. He's high profile. We only would have been able to hold him so long. This way if he's contacted or goes straight back to the G.E, we can track him."

"He's got to know he's got a tracking device in him."

"I may have dropped a hint that tinfoil would block it," said Gill giving a little smile.

"Think he's that gullible?"

"Most people have no idea how any tech works. Plus he's the racing brain type. He'll most likely do what he's going to do as soon as he can. Full tilt without thinking too deeply about it."

A message came in from Yori Sato. "I have managed to get a location out of Sute Achikita. Attached is the report with coordinates. Should I let her go or have her arrested? Awaiting orders. 📎Sute_Achikita"

Gill thought out a reply. "Keep her detained for now. We can not risk her alerting the G.E. I will let you know when to hand her over to the police." The Aivot sent the message.

****

Senator Bai got out of his Alacrity. Two police officers stationed outside his house greeted him. Not lifting his head up to look at them, Senator Bai walked to the door of his house. It opened as he approached and closed once he made it inside.

He announced being home but no one came. Heading over to his in-home bar he picked up a decanter of Whiskey, poured himself a glass, and gulped it down. He poured another. A little later, he poured a third...

****

Malphas approached the dropship, and the back of it opened.

Out came Diesel. "We almost have the Arkvee ready. Did you show up with new orders?"

"Yes. It will no longer do for you to attack a target of your choosing at the time of your choosing."

"Ok," said Diesel putting his hand on the back of his neck. "Then what?"

"I have been made aware a Rephaim has gotten hold of an exo-armor. You will wait for him to attack. I'm sure it will be somewhere reasonably close to the city of Philadelphia. Once he attacks, you will take the Arkvee and destroy him. Then immediately go back into hiding and await farther instructions."

"What if he doesn't attack any time soon?"

"Oh come on now. A Rephaim not attacking. What? Do you think it has some kind of plan? Or patience?"

Diesel scowled. He had a problem with aliens on Earth, but he knew they must be smart as a species to make the technology they did. Despite half of what the Rephaim had being reversed engineered from other races tech.

Malphas walked away. "Oh, what was your name? I wanted to show you someone." Malphas motioned to his driver to show Diesel a video of Gill.

Done watching the video on the tablet the driver handed him, Diesel looked up. Malphas and his driver got in the car and drove off. "Didn't hear the driver walking back to the car," thought Diesel.

A G.E member yelled out the back of the dropship. "We have incoming! Get in here."

"Incoming what?" Diesel ran inside, adrenaline rushing through him.

"A military ship. Probably those exo-armors who kidnapped the Senator."

"Shit. How did they find us? Get us off the ground now."

Diesel ran past Jonah and shoved him over. "You were a fucking waste of time."

Helping Jonah sit up, Wendy glared at Diesel's back as he headed for the dropship's helm.

"Get us off the ground," said Diesel.

The pilot closed the back of the ship and lifted off. The copilot had weapons engaged and locked onto the America. He blasted a few shots off, catching Martial Call by surprise and damaging the America's haul. A blue energy shield formed around the America.

"We're never going to outrun that thing," said the pilot.

"Stay in the valleys," said Diesel.

The dropship sped off as its own shield formed. Sweating profusely, the pilot had done as he was told. The America stayed high above them, following. Doing evasive maneuvers, the dropship could make sharper turns than the larger America but could not remain out of view for more than a second. "Why aren't they firing?"

"They figure we can't escape. Their mistake." Diesel pointed at large fluffy white clouds. "They can't see us on scanners and can't ascend as fast as this dropship. We make it too those clouds, and we're free."

The dropship's bottom glowed indigo. Level with the ground, it rocketed toward space. The America dropped its shield and blasted at them. Most blasts missed, though one hit. The dropship's shield remained intact.

The dropship vanishing into the mist of the cloud and the pilot took a deep breath, eyes wide.

"Almost home free," said Diesel as he noticed sounds of a commotion behind him in the dropships bay area. Hurrying back, he saw some G.E members dragging Wendy away from the black Dunamis crystal.

One of the crew yelled. "She did something."

Diesel turned to go back to the helm when blasts pummeled the dropship. Its shield cracked and faded away. A blast tore into the dropship causing an explosion. They fell from the sky trailing smoke, the America in pursuit.

As the pilot tried to keep the dropship level, Diesel clambered back to the helm. A sizeable dilapidated building with graffiti all over it and only its basic framework left standing stood in front of them. The pilot kept them from crashing into the ground, but they smashed right through the building. It collapsed in a plume of dust behind them.

Making it to the helm, Diesel grabbed onto the back of the pilot's chair to steady himself. "Nittany military base is around here. Go in there!"

"It'll fall down around our heads. Its got a massive hole blasted right through it."

"I know idiot. It's the only thing around big enough to fit the dropship. We'll split up and try to slip away on foot."

In the distance a tremendous tower with a massive base rose from the valley floor, reaching higher than the surrounding treeless mountains. All around it hundreds of damaged, ground to space, Anti-Spacecraft Cannons rusted away in the dust.

The dropship careened into the cavernous hole blasted through the military base. The America pursued them inside. The pilot angled the dropship at an opening off to the side. Crashing through the dropship scraped the sides, knocking off chunks of metal from the building's structure. It plowed into the floor, metal screeching as it bent.

The America could not follow and landed, crushing through partial floors of the building till it came to a rest on a sturdier level.

Diesel picked himself up off the backs of the pilot and copilot, both smashed up against their consoles. The nose of the dropship angled into the floor of the base. Diesel pulled himself up the inclined deck back to the bay area of the dropship. Seeing Wendy and Jonah climb out a hole in the dropship, Diesel scrambled after them. Stopping, he turned around and staggered over to the Onslaught Arkvee.

Climbing up on it, it powered up. It stood, and Diesel fell off hitting the floor hard. "Ugh, shit... Get out of there."

"I'm the one trained to operate it. Open the doors," said a G.E inside.

Diesel knew his rank would not get him into the Onslaught and he headed to the panel to open the back doors. "Grab the Dunamis. Buy us some time to escape."

The Onslaught reached out and tore the black crystal out of the machine with one hand.

The back doors opened, and Diesel climbed out. Realizing they were in a vast Arkvee bay, he saw Wendy and Jonah exiting the far end of it. He ran in their direction while pulling out a gun.

Martial Call came in and came face to face with the active Arkvee. They took cover as it let loose a barrage of blasts, tearing apart the already mangled base.

A single long beam blasted from Gunnar's hip-mounted OPR, burning a hole through the Onslaught's right arm. The Onslaught held the Dunamis out in front of it, and the blasts from the rest of Martial Call absorbed into the crystal as a black haze came from it.

Diesel made it out of the Arkvee bay and bent over with his hands on his knees catching his breath; glad he didn't get shot in the back as he ran. He snuck around, gun at the ready, following Wendy's and Jonah's footprints on the dusty floor.

Searching down a maze of corridors, Diesel could hear Wendy and Jonah not far ahead of him. Turning a corner led out into a large room. The outer-wall had long been destroyed exposing the room to the elements. He saw Wendy and Jonah, then opened fire. They scrambled for cover behind large junks of metal covered in a think layer of dust.

Diesel crept closer; circling around. A small spherical drone flew into the room, and Diesel shot at it. It zipped away. Thinking of running, he chose to go after Wendy and Jonah.

Having circled around, he came into view of Wendy and Jonah, his gun aimed at them. He walked closer.

Her throat dry, Wendy took quick, deep breaths unable to force herself to say what she wanted to. Too tired or frozen with fear to charge at him in a last ditch effort to live, she wasn't sure which.

"I like you girl. You got some fight in you. I can respect that but your fighting for the wrong side." Diesel got closer aiming the gun at Wendy and ignoring Jonah.

Wendy trembled. Trying to look at Diesel but unable to bring herself to, she looked off to the side, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Come on. Not going to try chewing off my arm or something at least."

"Put the gun down," said Gill having snuck up on Diesel.

Diesel stood unmoving aiming at Wendy. He figured Gill wouldn't shoot and risk a muscle spasm firing off his weapon.

Jonah got up and ran, clambered over some debris to outside. The Onslaught came down and squashed him under its metal heel. Wendy screamed, and Gill dove for cover as the Onslaught reached in to grab Diesel with its damaged arm. Diesel seized Wendy, and the Onslaught scooped them up. Parts of the building fell from the Arkvee brushing against it. It turned around and jumped in large bounds assisted by propulsion engines. The large black Dunamis cloaked the energy signature of the Onslaught's many red Dunamis without additional technological assistance required.