The rover's headlights bobbed up and down as it traversed the uneven landscape toward the blue-white mangroves. The screaming of engines and men alike melded into an indistinguishable drone. To some it might've been a horrific representation of the impending clash, but to Shan it was music to her ears.

"Turn off the headlights," she ordered.

"Why?" Rew asked, forgetting once again to whom he was speaking.

"Just do it!" she said, snapping. Without saying another word, he complied, twisting a knob by the steering wheel. The rover was effectively plunged into darkness, their immediate path a mysterious gamble. But, as Shan predicted, the mangroves remained a steady guide on the valley's horizon.

"Good call, DEITY," Bondan said from the back. He had his short-barreled rifle in his hands, apparently making some minor adjustments to the sights. To Shan's surprise, his helmet was off, revealing a middle-aged man with eyes that sagged from exhaustion. His balding scalp and untrimmed beard didn't help to improve his pathetic appearance. "That'll buy us some time. Just long enough for me to regret climbing into this doomed vessel."

The soldier's command of English was better than Shan had expected. His accent was thick, but she didn't hold that against him. She just hoped his skill with the rifle matched his talent for linguistics.

"So what's the plan again?" Rew asked, straining his eyes to see the terrain ahead. "Do we wait for them to attack first? Or do we surprise them with a game of chicken? How does this work?"

"What's this chicken game?" Ratna asked, leaning forward as if genuinely curious.

"We get to the forest," Shan said, disregarding Ratna's question entirely. "The cover of the trees will give us a fighting chance. If anything, it'll allow us some breathing room to form a better plan."

"What makes you so sure that'll work?" Bondan asked.

Shan turned her yellow eyes toward him. "Let's just say I've done this before."

Ratna cocked her metallic helmet. "Against the Lumineers?"

"No. But against a group very much like this one. You'll have to–"

She was cut off as the vehicle lurched to the side and crested a small dune, floating for several long seconds. The landing was far from gentle, nearly causing Ratna to be catapulted from her seat. She braced herself against the roll bar arcing overtop the center of the rover's cabin.

Shan looked at Rew. "–just trust me."

He glanced at her and shrugged. "Just making sure everyone's awake. Everyone's awake, right?"

Shan searched for the gang. They had veered slightly off course, apparently losing sight of their small rover. Two of the lead vehicles – one of which was lifted high off the ground by a total of six massive wheels – sported large, rotating spotlights, their beams scouring the dunes like predators on the hunt.

"We're still in the clear. Keep going, Rew. At this rate we'll make it to the– Shit! Watch out!" Shan yelled.

Rew slammed the wheel to the left, narrowly missing a man-sized bird radiating bright crimson and gold. A moment later, the open expanse of the valley brightened in a flurry of warm colors as the frightened two-legged animals flocked together in a defensive posture away from the rover. Their stench wafted over them in an invisible wave causing Shan to scrunch her nose and breathe through her mouth.

"What the heck are those things?" Rew asked, taking extra precaution not to slam into one of the flightless birds, which had also begun to bellow out in a deep and obnoxious manner.

"The Angel of the Land. A native creature. Beautiful, eh?" Ratna said.

"Who cares what they are. They've given us away," Shan said. Bondan and Ratna both turned as the white searchlights came to rest on their position, after which, the entire motorcade swarmed in their direction. "You two, take out those lights. Then focus your fire on the drivers. Rew, keep us moving."

"Yes, ma'am. What about you?" he asked.

Shan Li looked down at the Golok sword. She squeezed its hilt, causing the blade to hum to life and glow bright red like freshly-forged steel. "I'm going to remind them why they should fear a DEITY."

The two MALMAL soldiers were already facing to the rear, using the back seat as a mount for their weapons. Ratna's rifle had elongated to extend several feet behind the vehicle, its cannon-like barrel emanating a soft greenish hue. She didn't seem affected by the brightness of the Lumineers blaring lights. Shan figured her helmet must have a multi-functional visor allowing her to switch in and out of night vision.

Bondan fired the first shot, but missed. As the first .50 caliber shell thumped into the seat next to him, he shot off a second round. He missed again. Shan began to doubt the man's skill. Suddenly, Ratna pulled the trigger, a beam of green energy slicing the chill air. Her shot blasted through the spotlight on the smaller vehicle.

"Hey! That was mine," Bondan yelled.

"You missed. Thought I'd show you how it's done, old man," Ratna said.

"Calling me 'old man' now, huh? Okay, I see how it is." Bondan nestled the rifle's stock into his shoulder once more. Shan could hear him slow his breathing, the air being pushed out his nostrils in controlled bursts. The third shot rang out and the bullet clearly hit its mark. They were no longer doused in the blinding light.

The enemy wasn't giving up, however. Flares rocketed upward into the sky, reflecting against the coal-colored blanket of swirling clouds. The scarlet tint turned the region into an ominous wasteland, the dunes casting long, dark shadows like open mouths waiting to swallow an unsuspecting victim.

The gang gained ground far more quickly than Shan had expected. For a band of lawless scavengers, they sure knew how to rig a vehicle with unparalleled interception speed. Running down their prey and overpowering them was the only way they could survive. It only made sense for them to have built superior machines in a place where nature had abandoned them.

No. They abandoned the world when they chose to rob and murder for their own personal gain. They deserve what's coming to them, Shan thought.

"Keep firing," Shan said, standing in the passenger seat. Rew didn't say a word, but she could feel his questioning eyes glancing her way.

The soldiers continued to unleash a barrage of bullets and energy blasts on the encroaching caravan. Ratna landed a solid shot on the right wheel of a squat boxcar. The vehicle lurched to the side and tumbled end-over-end, sending scrap metal and stringed lights up in a torrent.

Shan looked down at her dispenser and cycled through the Injections. Her finger came to rest on Brann, a fire-based nanomite Injection. After pressing firmly on the screen, a cartridge slid in her palm. A familiar anticipation swam through her. The power Brann provided was unique to say the least. She grinned.

From somewhere she heard a faint voice calling to her. The voice grew in intensity and it took a moment for Shan to remember where she was. Rew yelled again and it snapped her out of the strange lapse. She jerked her hand away from her face and turned to listen to the young soldier.

"Get down! Launcher!" he yelled. His eyes pleaded with her to listen and understand his words, but he must have felt confused as to why she wasn't complying. To be completely honest, she wasn't sure, either.

Shan Li jerked her eyes back to the enemy. In that brief moment, she saw a man perched on top of one of the large trucks, wearing two light bulbs like shining horns. He cradled a hefty object over one shoulder: the launcher, she presumed. It fired.

A shower of blue, fizzling sparks shot out the back of the weapon as the projectile screamed toward the rover. Rew tried to outmaneuver it, but it was too late. The explosive erupted overtop the vehicle in a deafening concussion.

Rattling her senses, Shan flopped down in her seat. Her ears continued to ring with a high-pitched squeal, but her eyes remained open. The explosive hadn't been damaging, and when she saw the arching streams of radiance drooping from the spot it had detonated, Shan knew the device immediately: a firework.

"What in the bloody hell was that? Ahhh... man, my head hurts. I'd almost rather have been blown up," Rew yelled. "Shan, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said. Then her eyes widened with panic. It was gone. She'd dropped the Brann Injection. Trying not to burn herself on the Golok sword, she searched underneath the seat with her free hand.

"Look out! That fancy bomb was a distraction. We've got company!" Bondan screamed, reloading his rifle. Ratna had taken off her helmet. She blinked repeatedly as she held her forehead with one hand. She had been closest to the blast. The young woman looked up just as an enemy rover slammed into their left side.

Rew fought hard to keep the vehicle steady, but with a roaring, two-ton means of destruction crashing up against them, it wouldn't hold out for long. They would soon be surrounded if Shan didn't act quickly.

Nearly upside down, Shan's fingers finally located the Injection lodged between the seat and the door frame. "Finally!" she found herself yelling.

Righting herself and standing, she stuck the needle into the outer flesh of her upper arm. Her body warmed. Her blood felt like boiling water. She raised the Golok sword above her head and channeled the flaming nanomites down her arm and onto the heated blade. It burst aflame like a raging torch, the trailing tendrils stretching higher as the wind tugged it along. She turned her yellow eyes to the enemy rover.

The driver saw her and visibly shrunk in his seat. Pathetic. With her flaming weapon, she sliced the air in the enemy's direction. The trailing fire seemingly solidified, morphing into a kind of crescent moon. It smacked hard into the vehicle, melting and crushing the metal back, revealing the frightened driver.

Bondan saw his opening and took the man out in a short burst. The rover veered off, driverless. Shan turned and regarded several more Lumineers approaching from the opposite direction. She cut the air twice this time, the dual crescent slashes each finding their mark. One truck took the attack straight to the engine and flipped, the other buggy-looking thing with three riders exploded upon impact, body parts flying in all directions.

The heat rush continued. She couldn't help but smile. For a while, she had regretted accepting this mission, but now she realized it was all worth it. This was her. She couldn't imagine a life without the adrenaline and action. She would be a flame without oxygen. Thankfully, there happened to be an abundance of oxygen just waiting to be consumed.

Her eyes fell on the six-wheeled gargantuan truck leading the pack. It practically begged to be destroyed. She tapped her dispenser again, producing another Brann Injection. She applied the second dose to replenish the nanomites in her system and welcomed the rage once more.

"We're almost to the forest. Keep it up, Shan!" Rew yelled from beside her. She didn't pay attention, however. She had her eyes set on destroying every last one of the enemy. For some reason, they continued to charge, this time in a group. Perfect, she thought.

She wound up, bringing the flaming sword behind her body. In a horizontal slash, she swept the weapon from left to right. The air blurred from the heat as the tumultuous blaze rolled across the empty space between her and the motorcade. It struck with deadly precision, severing the tops off of vehicles, taking the passenger's heads and upper bodies along with it. Explosions rang out, signaling the deaths of many more as the remaining few pulled back in retreat.

"You did it, DEITY," Ratna said, her voice sounding breathless. Shan watched the fleeing foes, their fear giving her pleasure.

"Yeah! I knew you would, Shan. That fiery sword trick is awesome! You had me wondering–" he cut off as the rover went airborne. Shan braced herself as best she could but her head hit the rollbar. And after several jolts to the left and right, the vehicle finally came to a rest in the wet sand.