November 13, 2111

  Dro’Zer

  Just outside the main entrance to the floating city, Dro’Zer stood watch on the towering front gate. His eyes scanned the long, wide bridge for any hint of activity. Loads of scrapped machines, boulders of broken bridge, and defensive barriers obscured much of the bridge, making it tough to know if ARW troops were hiding, waiting for a moment to strike. No activity came, and it seemed as if the ARW enemies had regrouped some place on the other end of the bridge. Near him, a korkyran warrior manned one of their finest weapons - a tectonic pulse driver capable of firing pulse rods that cause quakes around them. With a tough but clear skin to see through, the biotic, living weapon worked only with a korkyran touch.

  The night sky shined with many bright stars and reflected in the wakeless water surrounding the bridge’s sides. A mild-warm breeze was the only sound for miles as the city grew quiet. It was as if it knew of the inevitable battle in its future. At this time, Dro’Zer pressed his bumpy palms against the gate’s thick railing. His white pelt and mane flowed with each breeze as he began to daydream. Moments earlier, Airra had stepped away for a call. Dro’Zer wondered what it was about.

  Dro’Zer, lost in his head, was snapped back to reality when Airra smacked him on the shoulder. She was back from her call. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

  “I’ve got news,” Airra stated.

  “Good?” Dro’Zer asked.

  “The opposite, actually. I’ve just been told another key was pulled from its mantel - the one we came here for.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Oh, dear… I forgot you don’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  “These Devisors, as people like to call them, left many monuments around the galaxy. Some hold weapons, some hold one of the Quondam Keys… but one monument acts as a center.”

  “I’m not sure where you are going with this.”

  “Let’s make this as easy to understand as possible. This central room… it’s odd, really… but interestingly, sectors of the room light up when each of the keys is removed and even projects the face of the current holder of the keys. We call this place Atlas.”

  “How does it know?”

  “Like I said, it’s odd. Technology that advanced can’t be explained with rational words, except for magic.”

  “Magic? I don’t believe in such things.” Dro’Zer rolled his eyes.

  “Then you’d best start, because this galaxy is filled with unexplainable mysteries, and our alliance has only scratched the surface of what is to come. And dearie, how do you explain yourself?”

  “Come again?”

  “Your ruddy abilities… my abilities. What explanation does science have for them?”

  “Just because we don’t have an answer to it, doesn’t make it magic.”

  “Right… then keep on living life in a box and see if I care.”

  Annoyed, Dro’Zer tried to end the conversation. “Is that all?”

  “Not in the slightest.” Airra flashed him her almost signature grin, followed by a short chuckle. “Remember the device I spoke of? It shows us the face of who has the key we are looking for. And it is none other than James Stone!”

  Dro’Zer shot her a bewildered look. He knew this person, though he couldn’t place where he had heard that name. “Who?”

  “What… we-- You should know this! James is the ruddy person I sent Ghost to kill! Remember, James killed Steion!” Airra was stomping her foot in frustration.

  “Oh, him. Why is he so important?”

  “He-- Damn, just stop. You’re missing the point! He has the key, which was located somewhere on this floating landscape, meaning he is here… somewhere. Now we must find him and take it!”

  “So what’s our next--” Airra placed her finger against Dro’Zer’s lips, stopping him from finishing his sentence.

  A massive, devious grin sprouted from her bark face, and her eyes glowed with anticipation. “You know what? This could be fun!” She removed her finger from Dro’Zer’s lip.

  “What’s our next move?” Dro’Zer finished.

  “You stay with your warriors and keep the ARW from entering the city. I will deal with James very personally!”

  Before he could respond, Airra whipped out her cyberwatch and made a call. It didn’t even ring before it was picked up on other end. “Ghost! Come in!” Airra shouted at her cyberwatch. “Ghost! I know you’re there!” There was no response. Airra switched the call to mute and turned to Dro’Zer. “God, he pisses me off!” She unmuted the call and continued. “Ghost, have you located your assignment yet? Report!”

  “Affirmative,” Ghost’s response came in, bland and callous.

  “And?”

  A moment passed before his next response came through. “What is the reason behind this call? It is an unusual move for you.”

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  “It isn’t any of your ruddy concern. Now report!”

  Again, there was a brief pause. “I have been in pursuit of James since his departure from his stationed ARW cruiser. Against my planned precautions, I lost James during his encounter with this planet’s strangely aggressive wildlife and relocated him inside a city building.”

  “He is in the city?”

  “That is what I said!” Ghost responded, sharply and swiftly.

  “Send me the location.”

  “Done.”

  “And consider this the end of your assignment. The Wersillian Legion will no longer need you to kill James.”

  The call ended, but Airra wasn’t the one to hang up. She turned to Dro’Zer. “Ruddy rude, that one.” Without wasting another second, she took off into the night.

  An hour later, at the peak of nighttime darkness, Dro’Zer stared back towards the cityscape, taking in the glow emitting from the street’s surface. He could see his allies’ camp in the distance, half-hidden behind a large skyscraper in the city.

  Suddenly, a korkyran warrior dashed from the shadows. He was coming from a patrol. “Sir,” he gasped, a bit breathless. “We have a problem! Two patrols failed to report in!”

  “What units?” The man spoke the names of the men. Dro’Zer, wide-eyed, responded, “You’re telling me four of our finest are in trouble?”

  “Presumably.”

  Bang!

  A startling blast came from their camp. In the distance, Dro’Zer and his nearby warriors gazed at the smoke filling their camp. In moments, the silent night filled with battle sounds as guns shot in the distance. The streets, normally peaceful, became another war zone.

  Whoosh!

  Dro’Zer felt a swift breeze as a bullet flew by his head. Now, the ARW was firing from the bridge again. His men were ready and fired back.

  “Sir?” The warrior ducked his head low.

  “Get all remaining patrols on this gate. Nobody else gets within three hundred meters of the city! I will go help whoever is left at our camp!”

  Dro’Zer judged the distance from the gate to the camp and filled his legs with energy. As it built up, he prepared to leap.

  Crack!

  Dro’Zer heard the flooring below him crumble under the pressure released as Dro’Zer took a supernatural leap towards his camp. The air whipped by his head, and after many seconds, Dro’Zer landed with a massive thud right in the middle of a firefight, absorbing all the energy from the fall.

  Smoke, fire, and explosions crowded the tight streets with sound as only two of Dro’Zer’s men remained alive in the camp. On the second floor of the closest skyscraper, the enemy fired away, careless of the environment around. A few civilian souls watched in terror as they were blocked off by massive rubble from a fallen skyscraper, which had fallen over what had once been the camp. The men he had in there would surely be dead. The building was clearly sabotaged by the ARW soldiers, leaving a wake of collateral damage.

  How could they have snuck past our patrols? Dro’Zer thought, realizing there was nothing he could do.

  Anger filled his body as ammunition from the ARW troops rained on him. Furious, he marched toward the building the soldiers were in.

  Bang!

  A grenade exploded at his feet, followed by another. Their energy only made him stronger!

  Nearly there, he looked back to see the last of his men mowed down due to the fact that the bare streets offered little cover. Enraged, he ran faster. Then faster. Suddenly, his instincts took over. From the side, a terrified child, clueless of her actions, bolted for the other side. Tears were flowing from her face as her mother screamed for her to return. Letting his rage cease for a moment, he hopped between her and the storm of bullets and lasers, then threw his arms around the little girl, protecting her until the firing suddenly ceased.

  Dro’Zer looked over his shoulder to see the ARW troops, stunned at what they almost caused. In war, there are moments when both sides, although opposing, can reach an understanding. This was one of those moments. Dro’Zer took the opportunity to escort the trapped civilians and girl away from the battle zone. The ARW troops waited out those tension-filled seconds before firing again once the civilians were clear; after all, the war had to continue.

  Dro’Zer let the anger flood through him again. He leaped straight to the second floor and smacked back two troops like bowling pins. The remaining four fired at him like they were firing for their lives - then he realized why: As if in an ironic twist of fate, the sabotaged skyscraper blocked the soldiers’ only escape. They were sitting ducks, waiting to be slaughtered. In memory of his men, Dro’Zer swung his arms wildly.

  Smack!

  Another man was sent blasting through the walls. “Captain Yundor! We will hold off the monster as long as we can!” A large maelkii troop shouted while blasting his plasma cannon at Dro’Zer. On cue, a qwayk man, the captain, darted to the far corner of the room to report to his command.

  Just as Dro’Zer was about to engage with the maelkii powerhouse, the dor’o soldier helping him pulled out an arc blaster. He unleashed a building-shaking blast of electricity at Dro’Zer - a blast far stronger than an average lightning bolt. The energy was intoxicating, and borderline addicting. Dro’Zer absorbed the energy and unleashed it back at the dor’o soldier. Quickly, the maelkii slammed his shield down between Dro’Zer’s supernatural punch and the poor dor’o that was about to receive the furry fist.

  POP!

  An ear-crushing sound shattered the glass of every nearby building as Dro’Zer’s fist slammed into the forcidion-metal shield. Even with all the power of the punch, the shield didn’t even dent - but it sure did go flying. And it didn’t go alone; the dor’o went with it. Now, only a stunned maelkii stood between Dro’Zer and the ARW captain.

  Stumbling over his words, the maelkii stuttered, “Wh-What a-are y-you?”

  Dro’Zer responded through grinding teeth, “You said it yourself! I’m a monster!” Dro’Zer then charged into the maelkii, carrying him by the gut before tossing him through the far wall.

  High off energy and adrenaline, he heaved with each breath, blood from his enemies staining his once white fur. He stomped over to the ARW captain, shaking the building with each step.

  The captain sat in the corner and looked up to Dro’Zer with eyes too familiar to him. The man had accepted his fate. Dro’Zer heaved, “Any last plea for your life?”

  “No ARW captain will ever plea for their life,” Captain Yundor spoke softly.

  Dro’Zer huffed, “You killed half the men accompanying me!”

  “That is half less for my brave allies to fight against.” Captain Yundor smiled. “Mission successful.”

  Just before Dro’Zer could finish him off, Captain Yundor pulled out a pill from a hidden compartment on his cyberwatch and bit into it. He died immediately as gray fluid bubbled out of his mouth. Dro’Zer recognized it immediately - the ARW’s failsafe to keep them from interrogation. It was a poison called Hythool, designed by an enemy group, the Order of Aegis - a poison that offered an immediate, painless death powerful enough to overpower the nano-immunal bots flowing through the ARW soldiers. He’d heard of this as an optionary escape high-ranking ARW officers could take.

  Dro’Zer walked back to the edge of the window and looked over the crushed camp. He made a call over his cyberwatch to one of his men on patrol.

  “Sir?” the korkyran warrior responded.

  “All ten of the men at the camp are dead, as well as the four from patrols. How are the front lines?”

  “We lost two and are in retreat! The ARW have pushed into the city. I’ll activate my beacon so you can find us.”

  “Be strong, brother. We will rebound from this loss.”

  Dro’Zer cut off the call, then stood for a moment, taking in the disaster left behind from the battle. His hand twitched in frustration and a hint of leftover anger. Despite not wanting to, he made another call. It was picked up after many rings with no response.

  “We need reinforcements.” Dro’Zer nearly coughed out the words. The last thing he wanted was for it to seem like he’d failed. The call ended with no response, which further put Dro’Zer to shame.

  Only a minute later, Airra rang in. Dro’Zer answered and heard her immediately shout, “What in the ruddy hell happened, dearie?!”

  With his head hung low, Dro’Zer explained everything.