While the ABI aircraft transports up to the bridge, I take the time to close my eyes mentally prepare for the fight to come. Contemplating about what is a stake and how my future with this team is all determined on the outcome of this first real-world operation. I seek strength from the Petyr’s life lessons and comfort from the tender memories of my mother's embrace.

My train of thought is broken as Captain Elnora opens the bulkhead to the cockpit, joining the rest of the squad in the cabin. Still dressed head to toe in a midnight black uniform; she takes down the remaining set of energy-resistant armor personally custom for her small stature from the supply cache nearby. She gears up and arms herself with her personal handgun from the weapons rack along with a few spare ammunition clips.

She takes her cybernetic and projects a 3-D holographic layout of Justinia Memorial Bridge, the largest bridge to link the city’s industrial zone with the wharf district. She zooms into a section of the bridge where a large truck has crossed over all four southbound lanes, blocking traffic flow entirely.

“Intelligence has confirmed Lila Porter and Gerard Moreau are hunkered down near the southern deck of the bridge, accompanied by five other heavily armed individuals. They successfully managed to hijack an autonomous eighteen wheeler and are using it to obstruct traffic,” she says. Red blips appear on various locations near the blockade, representing the insurgents’ current location.

“So far there’ve been only two reported casualties, two CPD officers who were attacked when confronting the rogues…”

“What is our plan of action?” asks Dawud.

“We’ll be dropped off at the north end of the bridge and then advance towards the blockade, using cars as cover. Our highest priority is to arrest the rogues and dispatch anyone who poses a threat.”

“You make it seem like they’ll go willingly…” Jorge chuckles sarcastically.

“I understand the high possibility of resistance which is why Director Yorke greenlit us to use lethal force if necessary. But we want them alive, they may have information on Lupo’s whereabouts,” replies the Captain. The aircraft begins its descent over the bridge. I secure my helmet over my head in anticipation.

“We approached the LZ, Captain,” announces the pilot over the intercom. The loading bay doors open, showing us to a portion of bridge sectioned off by police cars and barricades.

“Copy that, get somewhere safe and standby for my next command,” orders the Captain. “Let’s move out, Phalanx!”

She leaps off the loading bay door and touches ground on the bridge. Jorge is the second to jump followed by Dawud, Pyrrha and then myself. The aircraft lifts off, blowing dust and debris into the air by its powerful rear turbines. One of the lieutenants who is patrolling the perimeter passes right by the Captain and approaches Dawud with a look of relief.

Are you the reinforcements the ABI sent?” he asks.

“Precisely,” the Captain replies. The lieutenant comedically double takes to her, not noticing her earlier.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I thought…” he stops himself when he notices her glare. The lieutenant cowers back, permitting is to pass through.

“Alright, follow my lead,” the Captain commands. She presses forward and the four of us trail behind, taking cover behind the abandoned cars. As we grow closer to the blockade, I spot Lila standing idly atop the truck’s trailer still wearing the same EvGeni uniform from weeks ago. Pacing back and forth beside her is the Reflux, dressed in a stained loose fitted tank top and baggy sweatpants. Just below at street level are four heavily armed men that share nothing in common with each other. They are all different backgrounds and are each wearing different labor uniforms. The only thing I find consistent is their choice of energy rifles, which happen to be similar to the ones used by the firemen during the EvGeni shooting.

Elnora signals the four of us to take cover as she bravely presents herself to the rogues. I hunker behind a police cruiser which gave a clear sight of all the targets but a sudden horrendous odor catches me off guard. It’s a gut-wrenching stench that smells like rotten meat that has been baking inside a flaming dumpster. I desperately search for the source and spot the liquified remains of two officers lying in a greenish red pool beside the cruiser. Their flesh had completely melted off their faces, exposing nothing but bone and teeth. I quickly turn away, disturbed by the ghastly sight.

“Mr. Moreau, Ms. Porter. I wish to resolve this conflict peacefully. If you and your cohorts come with us. We will see that no harm comes to you,” says the Captain.

Lila’s head tilts to the side. She cackles. “You come fully armed with four other troops and you want to resolve the conflict peacefully?”

“We don’t buy it, not one bit!” wheezes Gerard.

“I do. Two good people who were only doing their job died today for no reason. I seek no further quarrel and only wish to take you both back to ABI for questioning. If you come now, I can try and arrange leniency if you provide the whereabouts of Lupo’s location and the other two Glimmers.”

“Then what happens after, huh?! You put me back into that underground cell for my own protection?” asks Lila, making air quotes with her fingers.

“I can’t say what will happen after, I can only guarantee what I’m saying right now,” replies the Captain.

Lila’s loses her composure and starts to snarl loudly through her nostrils like a wild animal. She grips her hair and starts yanking fistfuls out without even flinching. Gerard even takes a few steps back for caution.

“You have no idea what is like to live in a hole for fourteen years!” she projects. “I miss the sun’s warmth! I miss the sounds and the smells! I miss being a normal girl! I never asked for any of this!”

“I understand your pain, Lila. I went through a similar hardship. Though your experiences may be different than mine, we have both endured so much. The only difference is I made myself better out of the experience…”

“You’re a dirty liar!” Lila hisses. The five men below prime their weapons and aim them directly to the Captain.

“Come with me, Lila. Call your men off. I won’t ask again,” she pleads calmly. I feel her control of the situation drop exponentially. Dawud discreetly primes his weapon followed by Jorge and Pyrrha. I prime my gun as well and brace myself for the worse. Lila begins to mutter something to herself.

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go…”

She then proceeds to punch herself on the side of her head mercilessly. Captain Elnora takes a half step back and hovers her palm over her handgun. Gerard rushes to her aid and holds her hand away from her head.

“No one is going to take you, Lila,”he wheezes. “Let’s just kill these assholes!”

My heart drops. Lila contemplates for a moment before outbursting with a frustrated grunt.

“Open fire!” she exclaims.

The men unleash a barrage of energy bolts but Captain Elnora does not falter. Using her cybernetic, she drops to one knee and deploys a portable shield barrier at her feet. The barrier absorbs all of the energy bolts that would have killed her instantly. She returns fire with wicked accuracy, killing one of the closest gunmen with a bullet to his head, his brain matter decorating the white wall of the truck behind him before he falls to the ground lifeless.

I take a few cheap shots at Lila but the bolts stop a mere few inches from her face. She turns her sights to me and grins menacingly before throwing them back. I dive for cover just in the nick of time but as I do, the police cruiser slowly rises into the air and over my head. Quickly realizing what’s happening, I counter Lila’s telekinetic grip and bring the cruiser back down with ease. She screams wildly and attempts to lift another vehicle into the air, but the limitations of her inhibitor chip only allow her to do so little. She flinches suddenly and loses her mental grip of the car.

“Don’t shoot the rogues! Take out the gunmen first!” commands Captain Elnora. Lila snaps out of her daze then belts a harsh cry that makes my heart skip a beat. The ground rumbles beneath my feet, and the air vibrates gently, tingling my skin. Everything moves in slow motion. Dust and gravel slowly rise from the air and orbit Lila. The Captain grunts and fires two rounds, aiming for Lila’s legs but the bullets stop midair, and disintegrate into dust. The air pops suddenly, and a pulse of Kinetic energy projects from Lila, knocking Gerard down on his hands and knees. Luckily the others duck beside cover, but I feel the force hit every part of my body, and it hurts. I collapse to the ground, weak from the pain. Metal crunches from above. I blink and one of the bridges tension wires whips onto the ground where I was standing. I leap back, ignoring the immense pain.

Gerard staggers to his feet and assumes a wide-legged stance. His fatty cheeks and neck area swell like a croaking frog. He opens his mouth and projectile vomits a green ball of bile at rapid speeds. The bile bomb explodes on the surface of the car Dawud and Jorge are hunkered behind. The passenger side door sizzles. The paint peels away and the metal frame melts like burning plastic.

“Pyr, I need a covering fire!” Dawud exclaims. Knowing the risks, Pyrrha rises from cover and channels a ray of fire towards the gunmen. They duck just as the flames nearly burn the tops of their heads. Dawud takes the window of opportunity to advance his position and push one of the vehicles on top of one of the gunmen, pinning him to another car. Gerard shoots another bile bomb, this time in my direction. I drop to the floor and hear the bomb splash against the cement barrier. Some of the bile splashes on my armor, dissolving little holes into the protective coating. Using the environment, I telekinetically flip the police car on its side to offer more cover from Gerard’s gastric horrors. Lila cries again, louder. The air trembles once more, sending another shockwave of disruptive energy. Her face twists from the deep pain. Her nose and ears bleed, but she persists. The air ripples violently, pulsing with raw Kinetic energy.

“Captain!” exclaims Pyrrha. The Captain thinks fast, she reaches onto her utility belt and lobs something round at Lila. The small objects stops inches from her face before detonating with a blinding white light. Lila shrieks, and the Captain follows up with two rounds to Lila’s shoulder and bicep. With the air calm, the firefight reignites.

Jorge pries off the doors to a four-door sedan and hurls them both like unorthodox frisbees. The first door narrowly misses a gunman’s head before piercing the wall of the trailer. The second makes contact with another gunman's rifles, slicing the muzzle and rendering it useless. But this doesn’t stop him. He reaches for his dead companion’s rifle and rejoins the firefight.

“Phalanx!” exclaims the pilot via earpiece. “There’s a another eighteen wheeler headed inbound on your location! It just breached the police barrier! It’s not stopping!”

I turn my head around. A large red and white truck barrels through traffic with a sort of makeshift snow plow in the front. Cars flip into the air, crashing onto the street with devastating force. The truck suddenly jerks to one side of the road, slamming into the center divider. The cabin flips over along with the heavy trailer it’s towing. I have only a few seconds to react. I’m not strong enough to stop the hulking mass of steel so I quickly hop over the pedestrian guardrail. The crash is loud and violent. I feel the street shake as all of the trailer’s contents spill onto the road. As the dust settles, the cabin door of the truck flings open. A man crawls out, bloodied and disoriented. He falls off the side of the truck and lands onto the pavement square on his face. I observe him silently. I feel strange. His red and white pinstripe jumpsuit sparks a memory.

Laughter. Joy. Capi-Cola. Mom rarely bought it, making it a special treat. She bought me a bottle before the explosion. Before… I got lost...

“Seek the wolves. Seek the wolves. Seek the wolves,” he chants over and over again, louder and louder. I break out of my daze. It’s clear now he’s another one of Lupo’s unfortunate victims of brainwashing. Even as the firefight continues in the background, he’s oblivious to his surroundings and focuses his attention exclusively to me. He repeats the phrase enough times to start frothing from the mouth. Knowing there’s nothing I can to help him, I rejoin the fight.

“Is everyone okay? That truck came close!” Jorge comments.

“I’m fine!” Pyrrha replies, from behind cover.

“I’m through with this shit!” Dawud growls. As one of the gunman peeks from cover. Dawud snatches him by the head with his telekinesis. The unsuspecting gunman flips towards us, dropping his rifle midair. Jorge follows up with a devastating roundhouse kick to his chest that I felt in my gut just witnessing.

Pyrrha then conjures three wisps of fire that orbit around her briefly before seeking her target. The gunman shrieks in pain as his body is engulfed in flames. He collapses to the floor, rolling desperately to smother the fires. Captain Elnora does the noble thing and puts him out of his misery with a single shot to his head. An older looking gunman peeks from cover and aims his rifle to an exposed Jorge. I yank the rifle from his hand, then follow up with a telekinetic push. His head crashes against the truck trailer, knocking him unconscious.

“Damn you!” Gerard curses. He swells his neck and the four of us brace for another projectile. He vomits a torrent of bile which sprays like a hydrant. The five of us leap away from the stream dissolves our cover completely. Gerard dry heaves midstream, then starts to cough violently. He tries once more to produce another stream but produces nothing more than a few drops of acid.

“Give it up!” the Captain exclaims. “Come with us!”

“Never!” coughs Gerard. He reaches into his pocket and produces something small in his clutches. The Captain reacts fast, firing a round into his fat wrist. He drops the object but Lila catches it and with his thumb, presses the button on its surface. We all collectively gasp… but nothing happens. Captain Elnora fires a round into his hand, and he drops the device.

“We’re taking you into custody, and your going to tell us where Lupo and the twins are hiding,” proclaims the Captain. Lila, who is gripping her injured body hisses, then looks up to the sky with a hopefully smile. That’s when I hear the sound of cutting air and loud, jetting turbines from afar. I look in the direction Lila is looking and see the chemtrail of an airship coming straight for us.

“Group up!” exclaims the Captain. She deploys an energy shield around her. The four of us reach to her position just as a hail of red energy bolts rain upon us. The unsuspecting driver of the Capi-Cola truck is decimated by a single blast from the gunship, reducing him to a blackened stain on the pavement. Black smoke clouds our vision until the turbines from the gunship hovering over us clears it. The loading bay doors open, and the tractor beam lifts Gerard and Lila from the truck.

“Shit! They’re getting away!” I shout in anger. It’s a repeat of EvGeni all over again. The gunship primes their weapons and provide suppressive fire, keeping us at bay while the two board.

Without much thought I leap out of the protective shield. I feel the heat of the laser fire instantly, it stings like a bad sunburn but I push through for a clear view of the airship. I see my target, the tractor beam generator. I focus, and from my anger, crush the generator like a tin can. The light flickers out. Lila falls onto the loading bay door, leaving Gerard grasping at air as he falls onto the concrete. Captain Elnora aims her cybernetic arms towards a random area of the ship and fires something from her wrist. Shortly after, the loading bay door closes and the airship takes off into the horizon. I collapse to my knees, exhausted but relieved. I glance over to the Captain, then to Gerard.

The Captain walks over to him, flipping him over to his back with her boot. Gerard spouts a few obscenities to her and the team, then spits a vile mixture of blood and bile at the Captain’s feet.

“You’re going to tell me where Lupo is hiding,” the Captain says calmly, and threateningly. Gerard laughs, then violently coughs.

“If we survive…” he replies. He laughs again, coughing up a bit more blood. The Captain looks up to the trailer. She furrows her brows, then approaches the trailer door. Pyrrha’s stands watch with Jorge, Dawud and I following the Captain. She raises the doors to find the trailer is filled with blue drums each connected to a timer counting down from fifty seconds. My soul leaves my body.

“They’re going to blow the bridge!” exclaims Jorge. Gerard roars into a fit of hideous laughter, rolling onto his side and gripping his chest.

Pilot!” exclaim the Captain to her earpiece. “We need immediate extraction now! The bridge is going to explode and there is nothing we can do to stop it!”

“Can’t we disable the bombs?” I ask.

“They’re all hooked up to their own timer, it would take too long.”

Forty seconds left.

My heart pounds in my chest. My mind whirls within my skull. I want to run away but my feet feel like stones. I glance to the trailer and it’s position relative to the bridge. Suddenly, I have an idea.

“Pyrrha, I need you to melt the hitch connecting the trailer to the truck. Jorge, Dawud and I will try and push the trailer over the bridge!”

With not much time to argue everyone follows my commands. Pyrrha casts a ray of concentrated fire to melt the metal hitch. She completes the task in a few seconds.

Jorge leans into the trailer, pushing intensely with all his might. Together, Dawud and I concentrate on the trailer and slowly raise it into the air

“I say we get this thing to the edge and let gravity do the rest!” says Dawud. The Captain stands back as the back tires of the trailer roll over the cement guardrail. I put more strength onto the truck, but it feels like it isn’t moving fast enough. Jorge starts to punch the trailer and shout angrily in Spanish. Pyrrha and the Captain join in and help push.

The trailer begins to tilt, spilling the bombs into the water below. I feel the trailer grow lighter and with one final push the trailer falls off the bridge and into the bay. The five of us race to the ledge just as the bombs detonate under the water’s surface.

“We did it!” Pyrrha squeals, wrapping her arms around me. I take a few exasperated breaths. My legs feel like jelly and I want to collapse to the floor from exhaustion. I look over to Elnora, hoping to get an early read on her possible verdict. She doesn’t say anything, but she half smiles and nods. Then suddenly her face goes flat. Gerard is unmoving and quiet. I sigh heavily then sit down, accepting defeat.

“It’s alright,” says the Captain. She approaches me, presenting something on the display of her cybernetic. Changing coordinates. At first I’m confused, then I realize it’s a tracking beacon.

“They’ll take us right to Lupo…”