“Think Lani!”

I stumble in the dark.

I reach back for Atjani and get bumped into the railing. I touch the wrong face as others rush up the stairwell with me. I hear the shouting and gunfire as people wrestle and attack on the floor below. The hum of a Caparan swarm was around, only becoming visible from the returning fire of Lam Lathi soldiers. A battle was pouring into the streets. I had dashed onto the roof top and had a view of the streets below.

“This can't be happening to us.”

I hear Caparans screaming as tempests possess them. They eject their own knee-blades and slit their throats. Others stab themselves and fall from the sky, some cutting their jet-pack wires, before tumbling out of control. Another crash, shakes me. Knee-blades cut through flesh. I hear mid-air collisions in the chaos. Orange sparks flash and disappear with bullets. I crouch, but realize I had to keep moving. My eyes quicken to the street again. Below the piercing noises and diving killers were Lam Lathi soldiers. They hide behind homes and under walkways, shooting rapidly up into the sky. It didn't matter. The lights below had gone out and Lam Lathi was fighting in the dark. Torches hiss as Caparans put out all the lights from above.

“Atjani! I can't see!”

“I'm right here! Where are you, Lani?”

I breathe in as Atjani bumps into me on the roof. We trip on each others legs, before running across it. He grabs my sweaty hand. Tempests chills graze my neck in fury. I hear a blood-curdling whistle. The first Caparans to come near me miss and slice those in front of me. Some jump out of the way, hitting the sides of buildings or injuring themselves from the fall. I keep my balance over another walkway. Almost all the window lamps had been put out in the area. Another flurry of attacks come.

I watch a Caparan lose control, as one of my tempests arches his back, and makes him crash into a wall. Another slams into a window, shattering it, unable to fit through. I try not to look down and keep running. Atjani was pushing me in fear. I didn't want to be out in front. I didn't even know where I was running to. I slow down, as I climb higher among the roofs.

The next flying killers soar. They loop around and are possessed by my tempests. My heartbeat raises as I run across the rooftops. I jump down onto a lower area and roll forward. More Caparans whistle passed me, but my tempests delay them. They struggle to keep up with the numbers. I could tell by the rapid change in temperature all around me. There were too many flying killers. I dart across a narrow bridge leading to another roof. The stone hits my boots

Another flying killer rumbles by and flies in a vertical loop. He comes back around. I hear his knee-blade whistling closer and closer. Suddenly I feel Atjani let go of my hand. I panic. I watch as Atjani jumps off the bridge. Caparan cuts us apart and misses.

“No!”

I trip and lose my balance. I fall to my knees. I could barely see and prayed a few more gunshots would let me take a peek. Atjani had to be down there. I try to make out his voice among the shouting and violence underneath. Without warning, someone bumps into me and knocks we over the walkway. Adrenaline floods me, as I sense the fall. The ground gets closer. I spin and look up at the walkway. I close my eyes, expecting a painful, but short fall. My body collides with another. I open my eyes just in time to see my assailant catch me and lift me into the air. It was Maur!

I'm carried through the sky. I struggle as Maur grips me tight. His arms loosen threateningly, to drop me if I make it too difficult. Maur's armor cuts through the air with thickened metal, as he lifts me high above the ground. My fright begins to silence me.

I listen as Maur shouts to another named Toah, I shake as he fires his gun a few times at those below. Flashes. Another light enters my view as Toah engages us from the side. He looks over at his master shining light on his face. My eyes dart under Maur's lifted visor. I cover my mouth. His eyes were almost completely black!

“Don't look so frightened, dancer. There are things to be more fearful of, than a freak.”

Maur’s voice echoes with hostility as he carries me faster into the night. His jet-pack steams with heat, as he takes a look around him. His equipment looked damaged. Maur motions something to Toah, who looks at me with distrust.

“From now on, you will do as I say. I am well aware your tempest friends are watching us. They won't keep up.” Maur grips his jet-pack controls with skill. He hurdles downward and faster as we pass one of his many camps. The speed was unbearable.

“We move on, dear messenger!,” shouts Maur, flying over.

I think about Atjani, hoping he made it. My lungs numb from the air. I try to say something. Suddenly, I make a reach for my knife. The grip fills my palm with confidence. I lift it up to stab Maur, but he spins wildly. I become disoriented from his unpredictable movements. I bite my tongue as my head jerks and feel a sharp pain. I try to recover, but Toah swoops in and smacks my knife away with his knee-blade. I feel warmth on the side of my hand from being nicked.

“Appreciated, Toah,” states Maur. Toah couldn't hear him.

When we are far enough away, Maur slows us down. I gasp with dizziness. Maur turn himself around, letting me see all I had left behind. For a moment, I feel as if time stood still. Maur was pondering and we were hovering in the air. He was thinking and he could tell I was afraid. He reassures me by touching my hand. He tries to speak silently with his fingers, but his movements on my hand are like a little child learning to speak my language. Finally, Maur stops his observations. He seemed to be paying me no attention, until he speaks.

“Wave goodbye to Lam Lathi, dancer. Their eyes will never see you again.”