Veronica stared into the eyes of the guard then at the weapon they were carrying. A sly smile crossed her face. “You talk about my ability and yet you come to fight me with that oversized ax? I think I will make that my weapon and use your spinal cord as the pole since I am going to snap it in half after I take it from your cold dead corpse.” She wasn’t going to give the guard a moment to respond, throwing a haymaker straight at the guard's face.

The guard took the hit straight on stumbling back a few steps. Once they found their footing again the guard looked Veronica in the eye and spit out a bit of blood. “Is that all you got to offer, lady?”

She was furious at the disrespect being shown to her by the guard. Veronica closed the gap between them, hardening her right fist and punching the guard right in the gut. This time the guard doubled over for a moment before being launched off their feet, flying through the air, landing hard on their back, and sliding a few feet only stopping when they hit the frame of a bed.

The guard didn’t move for a few moments. Surprisingly they also kept a hold of the crescent ax which Veronica really wanted for herself now. The guard rolled over spitting up a bit of blood attempting to push themselves up in order to get to their feet.

Veronica advanced toward the guard stopping just a few steps away from him. “I thought you said my ability was a coward’s shield? It is hard to be tough when you're laying on the ground isn’t it?” She spat on the guard’s back wanting so badly to kick him across the room like a ball. Of course that might kill him if she wasn’t careful.

It took a few moments but the guard was finally able to get back to his feet using the crescent ax to help him stand. His breathing was a bit ragged but he still attempted to speak. “It will still be a coward’s shield even when I am dead and buried. You can’t kill someone in spirit that refuses to acknowledge your worth.”

A hearty laugh escaped Veronica’s lips as she leaned forward staring the guard in the eye. “You may believe that to be true but there is nothing that will stop me from ripping you and every other single guard in this place into tiny bite size pieces.” She grabbed him by the throat, spinning him around and ripping his spine out the back of his neck. Blood, guts, and spinal fluid went all over her and everyone else who stood too close. She looked around the room raising the bloody spine into the air. “This is the fate of all walled city guards for their crimes against our people!”

The other ability users in the room cheered while the remaining guards looked for a way out. Of course there wasn’t one. Veronica had the entrance covered with her bloody display just now while Alexandria had the back exit covered. There was no greater feeling at the moment than what was happening right now. The rest of the guard’s spirits were broken after Veronica ripped out that guard’s spine. Most surrendered and were executed right then and there. The others tried to keep fighting but it was no use. Alexandria had won and now the facility was firmly in her hands.

She looked up at the ceiling above them as the remaining guards were killed. The city was a different story. All walled cities had automated defense systems that protected them from an assault even from a massive army. They were vulnerable to sea attack but no one had tried that. There was supposed to be an energy field on top of all walled cities to protect against that. However rumors claim that only the largest have the power to even generate it anymore. A dome is also deployed for those situations but it isn’t impenetrable. Soon Lyric would be here and hopefully she would rain down destruction on that damn city.

Cracking her neck Alexandria walked around the room for a bit checking to see if there was anything of value. They already had a substantial weapons cache now they needed to close off the entrance and check around for more supplies. There should also be a room where they house the stolen abilities from the users they have killed over their long history. She clenched her fists just thinking about that. A dead guard lay not far from her. She kicked it a few times to vent her frustration.

After she had vented a bit the room with the stolen abilities in it reminded her of the man they had on ice in the ship. They needed a lab to test his blood and figure out why he was able to survive in the open without a mask or some kind of injection. Usually the few males she had seen had injection marks all over their body. This man didn't, which meant something else was going on. It was a terrifying thought that the few males still alive would be able to roam the world once again without masks. “We need to locate the lab and lock it down. I have a project I need to attend to in the lab. We also need to find someone who knows this field because my knowledge is limited to books.”

Veronica just stared at Alexandria for a moment. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on but she was going to help no matter what. “I am not sure what you need that for but there is someone who works here that may help you. When I first got here one of the scientists talked with me all the time about my ability. She didn’t seem like the others; it was as if she genuinely wanted to help. The lab would be the first place to look for her.”

A sense of excitement surged through Alexandria as another piece of the puzzle was close to being placed. She turned to face the other ability users in the room. “I want all of you to get rid of these bodies in any way you wish. After that take anything of value back to the storage room where the weapons are stored and to check up on our friend. After that barricade the front entrance and set up shifts around the clock. Once that is done explore the area to your heart's content. Kill any guards you see. If you run into anyone who is not a guard, capture them and bring them to me.”

The others nodded getting to work with a spring in their step that most had not felt in a very long time. Hopefully there were other items of value here, even small things like paper, hygiene products, and food. There was a kitchen on the map along with a few other places Alexandria wanted to check. However right now the top priority would be securing the lab and finding this scientist Veronica had spoken so highly about.

She motioned for Veronica to follow her as the two of them moved through the facility going to the only place that wasn’t marked but had enough room to house a lab. It was an exciting feeling coming to the door which did have a biometric lock on it. There could be a chance the scientist was inside and they could knock to get in. The only other option was Veronica breaking the door down. However Alexandria didn’t want to frighten the woman before she even asked for her help. That would make them no better than the people who ran this place.

While Alexandria was thinking about everything Veronica had time to make attach the spine of the dead guard to the pole of the crescent ax. She needed to do a bit more work on it when she had the right tools. However the crescent ax would be the weapon she used to cut people in half that disrespected her. Of course it wasn’t stronger than her ability so she needed to be careful not to snap it with her hands.

Alexandria looked over at Veronica shaking her head. “So should we knock down the door and scare the hell out of everyone in there or do you want to knock to see if your scientist friend is inside and will open up?” She wrinkled her nose a bit hoping all the killing had calmed Veronica’s bloodlust just a bit.

Veronica felt the spine on the crescent ax thinking for a moment. Breaking down the door would be a ton of fun but right now maybe it was time for a different approach. She looked over the biometric lock trying to see if there was anything that told you whose DNA was needed. Of course there were only symbols that people who worked here could understand. She walked up to the door placing her crescent ax on her back securing it with the makeshift holder she made from the guards uniform. Veronica raised her hand to knock when a rumbling from above shook the facility.

Lyric and the others made excellent time after the ship caught a very favorable wind. The island was in site and all cannons were loaded and ready to fire. She needed to make sure only the city was hit and nothing else. Damaging the cliff could cause the facility underneath to be compromised. She also needed to avoid the land as well since Tyra was out there somewhere keeping watch on everything. “Everyone prepare for bombardment. We will continue to rain destruction on them until the sun sets. At that point we will make for the shore.”

The crew members cheered and excitement ran rampant on the deck of the flagship. V took to the sky flying back to the island. Lyric figured she was going to find Tyra and Eve. It would be good to hook back up with them again. Even though they had not been apart long it felt like a lifetime. The bond their crew was forming Lyric could feel in the very depths of her soul. Today was the perfect day to strengthen that bond even deeper.

The ship moved up to a point that would allow them a good trajectory to hit the city dead on. Crew members dropped the anchor and Lyric took in a deep breath. The only sound was the waves crashing against the cliff of the island. Her hand raised, feeling the breeze brush and swirl against it. Lyric’s eyes narrowed and in a loud booming voice she spoke. “Rain destruction on these assholes!”

Cannons began to bellow from the bow of the ship on the deck and below. Cannon balls of all different kinds rained down on the city. Lyric watched to see if that rumored energy field was operational. The cannonballs flew right through where it was supposed to be crashing into buildings and causing destruction just as she intended. A satisfied giggle escaped her lips as the cannon bombardment continued.

V drifted down landing on the tree branch next to Tyra's location. Tyra had been watching everything and was pleased with all that was going on. She looked down at Eve who was jolted awake by the crash of the first cannonballs striking the city. A hearty chuckle escaped Tyra’s lips. “I believe it is time for you to go and take out the gate guard. There is no reason to hide anymore. Lyric has started the bombardment; it is only a matter of time before the city's guards prepare to fight back.”

Eve nodded in agreement as she jumped up dusting herself off and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. A devious smile crossed her face as she pulled out one of her knives. “It is time to show this world that no one messes with our people. Soon it will be the walled cities that cower in fear when they see our flag.” She made her way to the gate no longer in disguise to take out the guard.

Tyra let out another hearty chuckle peering down the scope of her rifle into the city. There were people running everywhere. Lyric was doing a good job of hitting the higher buildings trying to maximize damage and not kill everyone. Since there were no doubt people inside who didn’t want to be there anymore. Now was their chance to be free and Alexandria along with her crew would be the ones to give that freedom.