The golden-armored Krakoshan stepped over the girl's body, casually flicking red droplets off his blade as he swung it to the side. A pool had formed on the ground at his feet, dark crimson that ran off the ramp in rivulets. Slowly, he began to advance toward our ragtag party, every step filled with a dangerous grace.

I stood still, transfixed by the approaching Krakoshan. The image of the fallen girl flashed through my head, her face contorting in pain as the blade passed through her chest. This wasn't happening, I thought. The Krakoshan continued to approach steadily, his face expressionless as if he were resigned to the task.

Suddenly, a blur flashed through the hangar, striking the golden-armored Krakoshan and carrying him all the way to wall, crashing hard enough to dent the metal. By the time I registered what had happened, the scarred boy had the Krakoshan hoisted into the air with one hand, anger marring his twisted features.

"You killed him!" the scarred boy shouted, trembling with fury. "You-"

The Krakoshan snapped his knee up, striking the boy in the chin. He stumbled backwards, shaking his head as he dropped the soldier. Before the scarred boy could recover, the Krakoshan raised back his armored fist and rammed it into the side of his head, spinning the boy to the ground with a single blow. When he tried to get back up, the soldier kicked him in the head, this time knocking him down for good, leaving him groaning on the floor.

Amala broke me out of my stupor.

"Lian!" she screamed. "Damn you!"

At this, the Krakoshan glanced back up, his eyes narrowing. Then, he was charging toward us, rapidly closing the distance between us as his long legs flashed across the ground. At the same time, the earth beneath my feet began to quake, as if the floor of the hanger had come to life. I looked back just in time to see one of Amala's friends leaping onto a rolling wave of dirt, riding it like a surfboard. He roared angrily, thrusting a fist in the air as he ripped pockets of dirt out of the ground around the golden-armored Krakoshan.

"You'll pay for Lian!" he shouted.

"Garth, no!" Amala cried, stepping forward, but the stocky boy was already too caught up to pay attention.

The crackle of plasmafire cut through the air, searing rounds ripping into the ground around us and burning holes everywhere. I let out a strangled cry as one of the shots whistled overhead, sizzling with heat as it went past.

"Get down!" Amala barked.

Before I knew it, she was shoving me in the direction of a nearby vehicle, diving behind it to escape the plasmafire. My heart thumped in my chest, a dull roar rising in my ears as I tried to swallow down the panic that rose inside. The girl on the ramp flashed through my head again. Someone was dead, someone was dead, someone was dead...

"We need a barrier!"

Amala's voice cut through the haze of my thoughts. I could barely understand her, as if hearing her words underwater.

"Someone has to get to Garth!" she shouted. "Keep that Krakoshan at bay so he can raise cover for us!"

"I can do it," Bekah called out.

I glanced sharply to my left, surprised to see that she was crouched beside me. In my confusion, I'd lost track of everything that had been going around me.

"I can help," I chimed in.

"No, you can't," Bekah said firmly. "You're in no shape to fight and you've lost your gun. Stay with the others and make for the ship when you get the chance."

Bekah reached out, putting a hand on the ground. Suddenly, the air grew thinner, the low pressure threatening to pop my ears. When she drew her hand up, a vortex swirled to life underneath her palm. With it came the dust, loose sods of packed dirt that made up the hangar floor. I stared in amazement, watching the miniature twister form in front of me. By now, the pressure was so low, I found myself struggling to draw a breath, the wind whipping at my clothes as Bekah gave the twister more life.

Finally, she thrust her hands into the air, sending the vortex roaring upwards. The dust rose with it, an artificial storm that swept over the hangar and all around us. The Krakoshans that had been pinning us down with their plasma rifles gave a shout at this, temporarily halting their fire as Bekah shielded us within the cloud.

"Go!" Amala shouted.

Bekah took off, scrambling into the haze in the direction of the golden-armored Krakoshan. He must still have been fighting Amala's friend; the sounds of rumbling earth and the clang of metal rang clearly through the din. I scrambled to my feet and started to run after her but the movement made my head swirl. I staggered, swaying as I lost my balance, and Amala appeared by my side to steady me. She yanked me back, tugging me in the direction of the ship. At least, I thought it was. Everything was so thickly shrouded, I could barely see the vehicle we'd taken shelter behind.

"Your friend's cover won't last long," Amala snapped. "Move!"

Time suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl, and in the space between one heartbeat and the next, something streaked past my shoulder. Whatever it was, it only managed to clip me on my left, but it was enough to send me spinning. I cried out as my head struck something hard, the pain feeling almost as if my head had been burst like a ripe melon. What the hell was that?

Before I had time to register anything more, Nicholas emerged from the dust, shrouded in a halo of red lightning.

"Look out!" he shouted, diving forward to shove Amala aside.

A moment later, something blew past me with inhuman speed, tackling the boy in Amala's place. He let out a grunt, which was quickly cut off as the new speedster carried him away into the cloud.

"Nicholas!" Amala screamed, scrambling to her feet.

The cover Bekah had whipped up for us had begun fading, the dust settling out of the air bit by bit. As my visibility returned, so did the blur, an almost invisible mass followed by a streak of red lightning that moved faster than my eyes could track. I barely had time to take a step back before I was thrown into the air, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I gasped in pain, rolling onto my side.

The ground started to rumble again, the hangar shaking with the ferocity of the movement. I pushed myself to my knees, noticing the earth rising upwards, much like a wave crashing in reverse. Within moments, the earthen wall had grown tall enough to finally shield us from the soldiers outside, blocking us off inside the hangar. I caught sight of the stocky boy, Garth, at the base of the wall, his brow furrowed in concentration as he leaned his entire weight against the dirt. His shoulders shook visibly as the wall took the heat from the plasmafire.

Just a few meters away, Bekah danced back and forth, her arms windmilling as she buffeted the armored Krakoshan with whips of air. To my surprise, Calvin was with her, dodging the Krakoshan's blade as he wove between them, swooping in once in a while to take a shot at the Krakoshan's legs. I felt an overwhelming urge to get out there and help, but even sitting up too fast made my head spin. Bekah was right; I wasn't ready for a fight like this.

The ship was only a few meters away. If I made a run for it now, I could easily make it to safety. My body ached with all the bruises of the past few days, but now I was a few steps away from making it out. The open ramp beckoned to me, but then I caught sight of the body and the blood, and I knew what I had to do.

"I need a weapon!" I called, stumbling as I turned to Amala.

"Get on the-"

"I can help," I insisted, more firmly this time.

"Listen to him," someone said from behind me.

I turned in surprise, relief flooding through me when I saw Tanvir. He was supported by the tall girl with the platinum blonde hair, and he gave me a weak smile. Then, I saw the fresh blood soaking through his shirt. His wound must have broken open again. I gritted my teeth, unslinging my backpack and shoving it into Amala's arms.

"Can you help him?" I asked. "There are medical supplies in here, but they're labeled in Krakoshan."

She hesitated, then took the backpack from me. Pressing her plasma pistol into my hand, she held it there for a moment, glaring.

"Don't drop it," she said, releasing her grip. "Selene, go with him."

The blonde girl shook her head, gently lowering Tanvir to the ground at Amala's feet.

"No way," she said. "I don't have enough water to do anything!"

"Guys! The wall is going to come down soon!" Garth roared. "Do something! Fast!"

As I watched, the earthen wall shuddered again, this time shaking loose some of the dirt on our side. Another shudder, and this time the dirt shifted, crumbling away slowly.

"Wait," Tanvir coughed. "Selene, you need water, right?"

The blonde girl nodded.

"The Krakoshans are going to break through any second," Tanvir said. "Half of blood is water, right?"

"Terran blood," Amala corrected. "But these aren't-"

"Too late!" Garth shouted.

The dirt wall exploded inwards, spraying us with a blast of damp earth as a massive figure burst into the hangar. This new Krakoshan was almost twice as large, if not three times larger than any single Krakoshan trooper I'd seen before, and from the way it moved, it was clear that its size was not just for show. It carried a massive sword strapped to its back which it unslung the moment it stepped past the wall. Behind it, a squad of regular Krakoshans streamed past the monster, led by a slim officer. He turned and barked an order, prompting the squad to immediately pepper the area with plasmafire.

"Look out!" Garth shouted.

At the sound of his voice, the large Krakoshan whirled around, swinging its oversized sword in an overhand blow. Garth dodged backwards, yelping as the sword swung past.

"Get down!" Tanvir warned as he stood up with his hand pressed to his side.

I didn't argue. I took hold of Amala and pulled her down with me as the shadows around us started writhing to life. Tanvir thrust out his free hand, spinning the shadows into long jagged spears whipping outwards from his palm, spearing every Krakoshan entering the hangar alongside the officer. The large Krakoshan, however, simply raised its arm, deflecting Tanvir's aethereal spear without much effort. Tendrils of shadow stabbed at the opening in the wall, spearing the soldiers that attempted to squeeze through the gap in the defense, but each time one struck the large Krakoshan, it slid off its hide.

"Hrgh," Tanvir groaned, sinking to his knees.

"Selene!" Amala snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'll take this," the blonde girl said, dashing forward. As she ran, the blood pooling from the Krakoshans swirled into the air, draining the blue fluids until only pure water hung suspended. A quick gesture from her, and the water flooded the ground around the large Krakoshan's feet, instantly freezing into ice. The hulking brute of a Krakoshan stopped in place, wavering unsteadily as it seemed to lose its balance.

"Garth, seal the hole!" Amala commanded. "We can't have them coming in!"

The stocky boy nodded, ripping open another hole in the wall in front of him. The moment he leaped through, the wall sealed itself behind him as screams filled the air outside the hangar.

As Selene ran off to deal with the large Krakoshan, I turned back to Amala.

"Get him on board," I said, gesturing to Tanvir. "I'm going to help my friends."

A sudden explosion seized my attention, this time coming from Bekah's direction. I spun around as she cried out, throwing her arms up to block her vision. The moment she was distracted, the armored Krakoshan spun around, drawing a pistol as he dropped to one knee. Before I had time to understand what was happening, he fired off two shots, striking Calvin in the arm.

The kid screamed, dropping the wrench he was holding as he clutched his wounded arm.

"Calvin!" Tanvir shouted from the ground.

The Krakoshan snarled and holstered his pistol as he stood up, advancing on Bekah next.

"Bekah!" I shouted.

I raised my borrowed pistol, setting my sights onto the armored Krakoshan. Aiming my pistol at his head, I breathed out quickly, letting my finger rest on the trigger. Then, I fired off a shot, rocking back on my heels as the pistol's recoil threatened to tear the weapon straight from my hands.

My bolt struck the Krakoshan in the shoulder, marring the gold surface with a streak of burnt black. He stumbled in place, turning his head to see what had hit him. It hadn't hurt him, but it definitely caught his attention. I lowered my weapon in disbelief, surprised I had managed to score a hit. I was dimly aware of Bekah leaping off the ground, soaring away and out of reach of his blade. At least she was clear.

I took aim again, but before I could fire, something slammed into me from behind, kicking me to the ground. My face struck the dirt hard, rebounding off of the damp earth even as I struggled to realize that I'd been hit.

"Uhh," I groaned, lifting my head slowly as I spat the dirt from my mouth.

A flash of red lightning streaked by my side, materializing into the form of Nicholas, the kid who had helped free me earlier.

"You okay?" he gasped.

I spat out some more dirt and coughed.

"Ugh, yeah," I muttered.

"Great-"

Nicholas's words were cut off as a scaly fist crashed into the side of his head, sending him tumbling across the ground. I screamed in surprise, pushing myself up, but something kicked me in the stomach before I could help him, flipping me onto my back.

It was the blur from before: a thin, lean Krakoshan wielding a pair of sheathed metal claws on its forearms. I gasped, scrambling to shoot it with my pistol, but the Krakoshan was faster, one hand blurring forward to seize my weapon in a scaly grip. Its other arm lifted into the air, blades snapping forward a hundred and eighty degrees to lock into place as it prepared to run me through.

"Wait!" I shouted frantically, struggling in its grip as I realized what it was about to do.

My thoughts quickly flashed to Peter.

Fort 34. If I die here, no one's going to there to rescue him.

"No!"

The Krakoshan slashed downward, blades aimed for my throat, but at the last second, a dark hand seized its arm, stopping the blades only centimeters from my head.

"My turn," someone growled.

I twisted my head and shut my eyes as the Krakoshan howled in pain. There was a distinct sound of something snapping, then a thud. The Krakoshan's cries quickly turned to a gurgle as it quieted down, almost as if it was gasping for air.

Slowly, I turned my head back, risking a glimpse through narrow eyes.

The scarred boy from before was now standing over me, wiping his hands clean of blue fluids. The boy was shirtless, revealing badly burned skin all across his chest and arms. However, despite the scars, it was obvious that he was heavily muscled, with skin that was many shades darker than Amala's. Flecks of blue Krakoshan blood dotted his skin, mixed with dirt, a sheen of sweat and dark red blood streaked across his right shoulder. When I looked up at his face, I couldn't help but gasp at the sight, realizing the burns even covered his face, revealing a charred hole where his right eye used to be.

At his feet, the thin Krakoshan lay in a pool of its own bodily fluids, blue liquid quickly soaking into the ground. To my horror, its arm was missing, completely torn off and covered in gore. The scarred boy had somehow torn off its entire arm and used the claws against it, stabbing it through the chest on its right side. The blades emerging from its chest dripped with blood and the Krakoshan continued to cough up even more, gasping for every breath.

"Zeus," I whispered, scrambling back.

"You're welcome," the boy growled, bending down to unstrap the other pair of claws from the dying Krakoshan.

"How did-" I gasped. "Weren't you-"

I glanced back to the golden-armored Krakoshan, who was still locked in combat with Bekah. With every swing, he forced Bekah to take another step back, driving her to retreat with every slash. For a moment, his eyes seemed to dart my way, locking onto me for just a second. Then, he was ripping something off his belt, hurling it in Bekah's direction as she pounced towards him. The object exploded with a bang, sending Bekah flying backwards. Even as I looked on, the golden-armored Krakosan turned and ran, sprinting towards the other end of the hangar.

"He's getting away," I blurted, fighting to get to my feet.

"Get down!"

A large hand struck me in the chest as I was sitting up, slapping me to the ground with a heavy force, driving the breath from my lungs. When I looked up to see what happened, I found the scarred boy looming over me, one hand outstretched to grip the blade of a massive sword that was now directly overhead.

"Whoa!" I gasped, flattening myself to the ground.

The large Krakoshan that had been fighting Selene only moments ago was now directly behind me, his sword less than a meter above my head. Both he and the scarred boy were frozen in place, straining to overcome the other as they struggled for control of the blade. Though neither side was moving, I could see blood starting to run down the boy's arm, dripping onto the ground.

"Don't just stand there," the scarred boy grunted. "Move. Now!"

His words startled me into action, and before I knew it, I was rolling across the ground, quickly throwing myself out of the way of their fight. As soon was I was clear, the boy let go of the blade, spinning around as the large Krakoshan lurched forward, off balance. I caught a glimpse of metal flashing in the boy's hand, then the large Krakoshan slumped over, collapsing into the boy's arms.

"Ugh," he groaned, shoving the massive Krakoshan to the ground.

Where its chest had been, the entire rib cage had been caved in around three central points, killing the Krakoshan instantly. The entry wounds matched up with the claws the boy held in his free hand, now covered in blue blood from their recent use.

Suddenly, he kicked at the nearest crate, smashing in the side with his foot.

"Gone!" the scarred boy spat. He punched the dirt wall, leaving a sizeable impression in the earth. "He's gone!"

"Stay back," Amala said, her voice ringing clear and loud. "Who are you?"

I scrambled in front of her, throwing my arms wide.

"Wait," I said, putting myself between her and the scarred boy. "He's on our side. Let me handle this."

I turned back to the scarred boy, walking toward him slowly. He eyed me suspiciously, but he didn't attack me. Somehow, the rage seemed to be seeping out of him, and he gave me a defeated look. Now that everything had calmed down, I recognized him as the same boy on the operating table from before.

"That Lizard in gold armor is gone," he said, shaking his head in defeat. "I almost had him."

"I remember you," I recalled. "Earlier, inside the compound."

"Stop approaching me like I'm some rabid animal and just introduce yourself," the boy said, straightening. "I'm Cyrus, by the way."

He held out a charred hand, waiting for me to respond.

"And I'm Amala," Amala interrupted, appearing beside me.

She stepped in front of me and grasped Cyrus's hand gingerly. Once they shook hands, she quickly wiped her hand on her dress.

The wall crumbled, the dirt spilling down as the earth was forced back into the ground. When the last of the dirt was reduced to mere piles, Garth reappeared, stepping over what remained of the garrison outside.

"You're alright?" Amala asked.

The stocky boy nodded, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Is this everyone?" Cyrus asked in disbelief as he surveyed our group.

I followed his gaze, noting Bekah cradling a still whimpering Calvin, Tanvir standing with a hand pressed to his wound, and an unconscious Nicholas still sprawled on the ground.

"What do you mean?" Amala asked.

"Is this everyone that made it?" he clarified. "No other kids escaped?"

"We don't know yet," Amala said.

Cyrus ignored her, slowly walking out of the hangar. We followed him mutely, still wary as we watched him stand before the sea of corpses. The others lagged behind, but I was close enough to hear him mutter a few words under his breath.

"I'll find that Lizard," he whispered. Then, in a softer tone, "I'm sorry, Sahib."

He turned to the base, watching the remains of the airfield burn. I followed his gaze, staring silently as the smoke rose, seemingly blending into the clouds above.

I'm free, I realized. No more Krakoshans chasing us. No more running. I glanced back at Amala, then at Cyrus, noting the same look in their eyes; a sort of anger burning inside, mixing with a pain they both seemed to share.

"Fort 34," I said.

Both the scarred boy and Amala turned to face me, shooting me questioning glances.

"Before that scientist died, she mentioned Fort 34," I recalled. "There's no more Krakoshans here to stop us; we've bought ourselves some time and we need to find the others as soon as possible, right?"

Cyrus nodded, stepping forward to stare at the burning airfield.

"Ten Academies were attacked," he said. "That means there are almost forty thousand Kinetics being held captive on this planet. Forty thousand Kinetics out there who still need our help."

He turned back to us, eyes blazing.

"Who's up for the challenge?"

______________________________________________

As a developing writer, I'm very open to criticism, so feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. And as always, if you enjoyed reading, click the ⭐ button to help promote this story!