Echo and Alysdir kept going, soon reaching a massive engagement between the partisans and Breed.  It was madness.  Alysdir readied his Barret, and opened fire.  One legionnaire fell from his fire, but there were far too many and not enough time.  Echo ran, firing madly at the legionnaires.  Alysdir quickly caught up, and they ducked behind some cover.

“Take the time to aim!” Alysdir shouted over the din.

Echo was about to say something, but didn’t, as a Hellhoundhad gotten too close for comfort.  She raised the stormbringer and fired.  Alysdir readied his Barret as the beast staggered back.  Taking the opportunity, Alysdir fired.  The Hellhound’s head was blown apart.

“Let’s move!” Alysdir shouted.  He got to his feet, with the MP-5.

Echo followed.  She paused for a moment, seeing a figure in one of the windows of the building.  It was a woman, who just looked like she was watching the fight.  She turned and left the window, appearing to grow bored of the fight.  Strange… Echo thought.  Why wasn’t she doing anything?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gaump blasted a praetorian apart, before spinning around to drive his gladius into another loyalist.

“We’re almost there!” one of his retinue shouted.  They ran up the steps to the palace, the large hidden gun emplacements had been hacked by his forces, so there was no worry.  The group reached the doors, and planted a series of charges.  The group backed away, before detonating them.  The doors blew open, and the retinue advanced.


The palace was empty, save for a few members of the Praetorian Guard.  The retinue quickly advanced, coming to the throne room.

“Blow the doors,” Gaump ordered.  “The Emperor must face justice.”

One of the legionnaires planted a brick of C-4 on the door, and motioned to everyone to back away.  A second later, the doors were blown open.  As the dust and debris settled, the found The Emperor was not there.

“What?!” Gaump shouted.

Instead, two massive TACs were there.  They powered up.

“Get clear!” Gaump shouted.

The treaded robots rumbled forwards, before firing their metal storm guns.  Two of the cohort fell.

“You will pay for your treason, Vradeus!” The Emperor’s voice cracked via a speaker on the robots.

“Get back to the front!  The turrets there can take ‘em!”  Gaump and his team broke into a run for the doors that would lead them downstairs, and back out front.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Alysdir and Echo turned a corner.  Quickly, the Drow raised his MP-5.

“HEY!  Don’t point that thing at me!” Harriet ordered, raising her hands.

He answered her with a, “Humph.”

“Where’s the last control center?” Echo asked.

Harriet turned around.  Ryan was catching up with them.  Two other partisans followed.  “Where’s Kip?”

Ryan shrugged.  “He’s not answering,” he said.

“God-damnit!  If The Breed get a hold of him, we’ve all had it!”

“Where is he?” Echo asked.

“We don’t know.”  Harriet looked up, hearing something.  “Move!” she shouted.  “GRYPOHNS!”

Echo looked around, confused, as the partisans ran for cover.  Ryan grabbed her arm and dragged her away.  In the dim dawn, two fighters streaked across the sky.  Two huge canisters fell from one of them, and the ground erupted in a blaze.  Echo looked at the inferno, stunned.

“I’ll go find him,” Ryan said.

“Ryan,” Harriet started.

“The resistance needs a leader.  I’ll see you guys soon.”  With that, he turned towards one of the buildings.

No, Kip… Echo thought.  She ran after Ryan.

“Cassie, wait!” Harriet shouted, but she was already gone.

*****
Ryan kicked the doors to a launch building.  He kicked it again, and they gave way.  

“Wait!” Echo shouted.  “Wait for me!”

He looked back.  “What are you doing?” he cried.

“Kip’s my friend too.  I wanna help look for him.”  The earth shook as another set of firebombs fell

“Get back!”  Ryan grabbed her arm and pulled her into the door.  Rubble fell where she’d been standing.  “Just cover me, okay?”  Ryan knew there was no way to take her back now, so he’d have to make the most of it.  They started into the building.

A legionnaire attacked them.  Ryan and Echo opened fire with their weapons.  He fell after several short bursts of fire.

Ryan put a small radio box on his vest to his mouth.  “Kip, if you can hear me respond!”

“Kip!” Echo shouted.

“Shit.”  Ryan headed deeper into the building.  Another two PDFs tried to stop them, but Echo and Ryan easily dealt with them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Another control tower in Haragath exploded.  Anubis looked at the two surviving members of his cohort.  There was the War-Wasp, who he knew only as Fate, and the Seteshan Angus.

“Echo-Two here,” he said.  “All objectives met.  We’re at the dustoff site.”

The radio cracked, “Be there in a few.  Hold position.”

“Confirmed.”

“Well,” Fate said.  “That’s that.”

“Yeah.”

“The Seteshan looked at the two of them.  “Are you sure it was the best course of action, Centurion?”

Anubis shook his head.  “I do not know, Angus.  But we are on a path now, and we must pray that path is just.”

“So,” Fate asked.  “Are the rumors that The Emperor knew about genetic degradation true or not?”

“You’re asking questions Centurion Fangblood doesn’t know the answers to,” Angus said.  

The dropship arrived and landed.  As the turbines spun, keeping the craft a few inches off the ground, Anubis was reminded why they were called dustoff sites.  Anubis looked back at his team.  “Let’s go home,” he said, pulling his helmet off.

*****
Gaump and his retinue had escaped.  The operation he counted as a victory, as The Emperor’s cowardice had justified the reasons.  He looked over the papers on his desk in his field office.

So, he thought.  The Legions are split now.  This will surely ignite a a civil war now…

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter.”

Talia came in.  She looked up at him, and laughed.  “You still hide your face!”

“Even more so now.”  He put the papers down, and looked at her through his dark visor.  “I owe you thanks for finding the traitors in our midst.  With them gone, this will hopefully promote change.”

“There’s still the genetic degradation to worry about.”

“We have sorcerer tribunals on our side too, Talia.  They are looking into it.”

She nodded.  “Do you require my services further?”

“No.  You may return to your Aerie.”

“Thank you.”  She laughed nervously.  “I don’t want to go back, as it is in upheaval because of your actions.”

“Then take your time in getting there.”  He sighed.  “Lady Talia, I owe you a debt now.  And when you wish to call it in, I will be waiting.”

“Thank you, Arbiter.  I will keep the offer in mind.”  She smiled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ryan’s XM8 blazed at a PDF.  He fell and his radio sounded his death.  He and Echo headed up another set of stairs, soon reaching another control room.  A few dead PDFs lay around, while Kip was at one of the computers.

“What are you doing?” Ryan asked.

Kip looked back.  “I’m trying to hack the last one!” he replied.  “If we can turn at least one against them, we won’t have to fire the nukes.”

“Plan’s changed!  They’re bombing us!”

“But we could take out Haragath, with no fear of loss of life!”

“We have to get out of here!”  Ryan pushed Kip aside and fired his XM8 into the control computer.

“No!” Kip shouted.

“Please, Kip!” Echo asked.  “There will be another chance for this!”

“You sure?”

“You can do more good if you’re still with them, remember?”

He slowly nodded.  “Alright… alright…  Let’s get out of here then.”  He grabbed his things.

“Guys, we have to get out before…” Ryan was cut off.  An explosion dangerously close to the building rocked it.  The glass windows were blown out.  Echo screamed as a large piece of glass scythed towards her, followed by an inferno.

“Before what?” a woman asked.

Everything around her seemed to slow to a crawl, before it literally stopped entirely.  Echo discovered she could still move.  She opened her eyes.  

A woman, clad in gold armor was kneeling over her.  She had short brown hair and bright jade green eyes.  She was smiling.  “You’re very lucky I found you!”  She offered her a hand.

Echo opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Echo,” the woman said.  “You have a gift.”  She took one of Echo’s hands and pulled her to her feet.  “One that this world needs.”

“Huh?” Echo asked.  “Who are you?”

“It’s not important.  However, you must know that your power is something very important.”

“What?  This?”  Echo clenched her fists and two ethereal katars appeared.

“Yes, however, that is but a fraction of your true power.”

“I-I know I can do more, just…”  She shook her head.

“So much more.”  The woman looked at the frozen in time Ryan and Kip.  “Tell me.  Would you give your life for your family?”

“Of course!  What are you getting at?”

“The choice has been made then.”

Echo shook her head.  She didn’t know who this woman was or what she was getting at, but she didn’t want any part of it.  “No!”

“You don’t have a choice anymore.  You have said you would die for your family.”

“I’m not doing anything until I get some answers!”

“Answers, okay.”  She looked back at her.  “Echo, is your real name.  You are the first of a reborn species that existed before humanity was thought into existence.”

“What?”  She looked at the woman.  “You’re crazy.  I’m human.”

“I’m not done.  Your magic is no ordinary magic.  It is an extension of your will.”

“Wait… so… like an angel?”

“More like a goddess.”

Echo shook her head.  “Now I know you’re lying.”

“I have no reason to lie, Echo.  With time, you can gain more power, and then you can right the world of what has happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“The balance between chaos and order has been broken.  Only you can restore it.”

“I never agreed to this!”

“Neither did I when I started.  You have to understand though, that everyone has a role to play.”

“What happens if I don’t?”

“Existence ends.  It will be as if it never existed in the first place.  Or worse, existence is remade.”

“Remade?”

“In a way that does not benefit any of the world’s current inhabitants.”  

“So, you’re saying if I don’t do this, I could come back to a worse world?”

“Yeah.”

Echo looked up at her.  “So… I have to do this alone?”

“You won’t be alone.  You know of The Four Titans of Virtue, right?”

“Wait, the Four Titans?”

“Yes.  They will teach you everything you need to know.  They are, actually the ones who ordered my creation.”

She looked at her friends.  “Okay.  I’ll do it, only if you save my friends.”  Tears began to well in her eyes.  “Especially him.”  She pointed at Kip.

“Why?”

“They’ve helped me.  Kip especially.  He was there the whole time I was out from the drugs.  He didn’t leave for a second.”

The woman in gold approached her, and whispered in her ear.  “Look closer at the fires, Echo.”

She slowly did so, but didn’t see anything different.  After a second though, she did.  Two great eagles comprised entirely of flames.

“These two phoenixes are in need of worthy heroes.  Your friends fit the bill nicely.”

“Wait, what?”

“They will become Phoenixkin.  I’ve been watching them anyway and their skills will be invaluable in keeping the balance, once it is restored.”

“So, they’ll be okay?”

“They will be fine.”

Echo nodded.  “Thank you, whoever you are.”

“Come, Echo.  It is time to go.”


She slowly approached Kip.  He looked terrified at the coming inferno, shaped like the head of a great eagle, but her heart told her he would be fine.  “Goodbye, Kip.”  She hugged his frozen form.  “I’ll miss you.”  As she pulled away, she gave him a kiss, right on the lips.

“You may yet see him again.  The future is uncertain.”  The woman offered Echo a hand.  “Shall we go?”

“Yes.”  Echo slowly took it.  As she did, the single streak of brown in her hair blended to white, like the rest of her hair.  The two walked away from the fire before fading into nothingness.

*****
“Goodbye, Kip,” he heard.  “I’ll miss you.”  He blinked, seeing the inferno.  In an instant, he was blinded and he clenched his eyes shut.  There was a silence all around him now.

Am I dead? Kip asked himself.  Wait…  I can’t be dead!  I’m still thinking.  And because I think, therefore I am…  Unless…   Oh no…  I’m undead!”  Wait.  If I could…  Kip slowly opened his eyes.  He was still standing.  Ryan was not too far away, looking very confused.

“What the fuck just happened?” he asked.

Kip blinked.  “Echo?” he asked, but there was no reply.  The two looked around.  The fires had completely vanished.  The room was scorched, and hardly anything remained.  The only evidence that Echo had ever been there, was the compressor Kip had given her.  He understood, or thought he did.  “She saved us…”

“Huh?”

“Echo used her power and sacrificed herself.”  He bowed his head.  “Did you know about her magic?”

Ryan shook his head.

“I’d never seen anything like it, and she must’ve used it to save us.”  He picked up the thing.  It was blackened and would never work again.  He looked back at Ryan.  “C’mon.  This building is probably just waiting to cave in.”

“Yeah…”  The two started walking and in the clouded dawn, it began to snow again.