FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter XIV

Torch and Burn: Part Two

Jason:

We were running for our lives just before Ryan got shot.

At this point, I was sick of computers completely. I didn't wanna touch another one for as long as I lived, but I still had to find the right one that had the specified plans in the folders. I had lost track of how many computers I had been through to check for the file that had our plans. Maybe ten tofifteen. There was just no way it was any higher than that since there were about forty in one large room.

Ryan had to be getting sick of this just as much as I was, and I was now sick of computers in general! One of us had to use the flash-drive on a computer, wait a minute to determine if the computer had the plans or not, then, if not, we had to toss the drive to the other and repeat the process. Trial and error was all it was but it was also some nerve racking trial and error.

Ryan groaned out in frustration as he finished his twentieth computer, banging his fists against the wooden desks. He rubbed his eyes then looked at me, tossing the drive my way.

"We're getting nowhere with this," he grunted out, clearing his throat. "Anyone could walk through those doors and catch us."

He was right, but I tried to stay positive. "Don't lose hope just yet." I said, forcing my drive into the computer then waited. "Eventually we're going to strike gold."

"Ha-ha," he laughed. "'Gold'." He joked.

I hadn't even realized I had made a joke, even if it was a poor joke. I was just about to smile when I heard a DING! that came from the computer. Looking down, I saw the screen light up with a blue folder already up with a file highlighted. I gasped then quickly reached for the mouse as Ryan sprinted over to investigate. He sure looked excited by the bright smile on his face, and I could completely understand since we were tired, sleepy, and a bit irritable from this whole mission.

Once the file opened up, my eyes grew to the size of plates. An images of blue, lined paper popped up with the titles White Knight m-VI--which turned out to be a large tank in navy blue paint, fitted with a long barrel, quick swiveling top head, and thicker armor; the _Saint John pro-mark XII--_a lightweight assault rifle with a large capacity and a high velocity of bullets, along with a long range and better stability; then finally the _Major Trinity--_a new type of hard armor worn under the clothes capable of withstanding dozens of high velocity rounds before breaking.

All these inventions looked flawlessly perfect, and dangerous. Knowing the Shadows had their hands on these new pieces of tech made my stomach drop. If they had those extra two days then they would, for sure, win this war if they reengineered the plans the way they wanted them. Better armor could provide troops with better resistance from other bullets, the higher velocity bullets and guns we could produce would allow longer range for our shots and make them quicker from point A to point B, and the extra firepower in our tanks could put a major hole in their infantry, as well as in their aircraft if we made the rockets quick to fire.

While I had been gawking over the impressive plans, Ryan had already been typing in the configuration code that would filter the file to our flash-drive and delete the reengineered copy. He was done just as I snapped back to reality, blushing crimson as he looked at me.

"Have a good look?" he asked with a teasing tilt of his head.

I stuck my tongue out. "Shut up."

He merely chuckled then pulled the drive out as the copy file was deleted and our file was on the drive. He handed it to me like it was a nuclear bomb ready to go off, and I just put it snugly in one of my back leather pouches, then buckled it in place.

Just as we started heading for the door, the sound of yelling came from the other side, which sent chills up our spines. Again? Our luck seemed to just be a thin line the width of dental floss, and it was up to a single person to snap it. The yelling increased in volume and intensity, the shouting coming from a girl by the sound of it, and crept up on the door with each passing second.

I bet all the money I owned (which wasn't much) that Ryan and I gulped at the same time. My blood had turned to ice as both stood there like idiotic statues about to be smashed into a million tiny pieces.

We finally jumped back into our senses shortly, after the yelling intensified as it neared the door. My mind told us to hide, which was our only option at this point, or we could just stand there and wait for whomever to open the door and see us then take us prisoner along with Jun and Viktor. Nope, I really didn't like that second option at all, so we were going to have to find somewhere to hide, and find it quick.

Ryan was already looking for a place to hide. The place he chose was not one that I would use, but I hoped he could refrain from moving a lot. He chose the nearby trash can. Who would look in there? It looked big enough for a Great Dane and I could see him piling trash on top of his head to cover himself up. He was sure going to stink after getting out of that thing, but he had a hiding spot at least.

I was still standing there.

I looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, and the shouting coming just from behind the door was not helping me concentrate. There was a second disposal bin, but I read the label and found out it was used to needles and broken glass. Ryan better have read the label on the front of the bin he was inside before he decided to hide, otherwise he was going to get real sick real soon. I could hide under the tables where the computers were, but I was going to have to move around from the open areas to keep myself from being seen. I had already decided that that was going to be a no in my book.

Wait. There were two sets of desks at both corners of the room! Immediately, after hearing the sliding of the keycard from the outside, I jolted for the desk as fast as I could. There was a small opening for the chair just big enough for me to fit into. Perfect! I crouched into the spot then pulled the chair back into place just as I heard the doors of the room slide open. Whoever was yelling must've been the one who stormed into the room angrily.

Once second there was just angry stomping, the next was the sound of a computer being pushed to the ground. I cupped my mouth and cringed as I heard the screen shatter while the entire monitor broke off from everything else. They keyboard that must've been connected slid all the way from the wreckage to the back of the room, just where I could see the keys fly from the board.

"What do you mean the plans won't be ready by tomorrow?" a stern and aggravated feminine voice exclaimed. "I gave you explicit orders that I wanted those plans in by tomorrow. No excuses!" she hissed.

The shuffling of shoes filled the room just after the woman as I guessed spoke. I had that weird feeling I knew exactly who this woman was yelling at.

"Supreme General Yukon Yhatashi Otamia Zincrok," the agitated lab coat man from before said, sounding more nervous than irritated. "The plans are in deep detail and configuring the plans to meet your standards takes crucial time of delicate planning, and it cannot be rushed easily. We have to think about to risks and flaws we might make with our calculations in order to insure the maximum amount of safety for your troops."

She snarled at him. "What you must focus on is the firepower put into our weapons and how it can put a dent into our enemy's defenses! The safety of my troops can come later after we have conquered or enemy's once and for all!"

The second scientist, the calmer one, stepped in to save his friend. "General Yukon, we understand your need for world dominance, and how your army is nearing it, but if we leave imperfections in the new devices then they could pose significant risks to the entire army."

"How so then?"

"Well...think about the tanks for instance. If we leave a flaw in the engine radiation, or in the firing of the cannon, then the tank itself could explode and eliminate dozens of troops around it, leaving the army vulnerable and weak. The guns are a factor as well--if not developed correctly with the perfect amount of velocity and capacity then they could lock up and leave the troops themselves defenseless and open for attacks. If we don't get the right type of metals infused to the primary metal for the body armor, then one shot could easily pass through the protective vest and kill your troops instantly. Those risks could either make or break your army, Yukon, and I only advise that the safety of your troops, and the victory of the world, depends on your choice to use the new technology without it being properly developed and tested."

Yukon was left speechless after he gave his valid reasons. I think she was internally debating whether to trust this guy's warning or to go on with her first idea. This guy knew what he was talking about all right, and if I wanted to conquer the world (which I didn't) then I would want to listen to him.

She finally grunted, tearing through the silence that filled through the room. I hoped Ryan was holding his breath and wasn't moving a muscle; otherwise we were going to get caught. I had my mouth cupped just as I heard the soft padding of feet walk down the aisle.

"When would I have my plans then?" she asked, shockingly being calm and more restrained with her tone.

"Two days. Max," the once nervous scientist meekly replied.

She let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Would I be guaranteed that they will be one-hundred percent completed without any errors whatsoever?" she asked once more, sounding flat and unfeeling.

"I give you my word, mistress," the calm scientist spoke.

There was dead silence for a few moments aside from the padding of feet. "You have two days, both of you. If I do not have my plans in the next forty-eight hours then you will be finding yourselves six feet under the snow...very soon." Her tone had changed from calm to sharp in only a few seconds. She reminded me of a viper in a way--calm as can be before it strikes without warning.

"We understand, general," they spoke in unison.

"Good," he hissed. "Follow me."

"What for?" the nervous man said.

What happened next caused my stomach to fall again. There was a CRACK! That swept through the air which soon echoed through the room for an entire minute. Light sobbing followed what sounded like a slap.

"You dare question me, insolent human?" Yukon spat at the man.

"N-no! N-never, supreme general!" the man stuttered as he sobbed like a little child.

"You better," he tone returned to its flat and unfeeling self. "Now, follow me." She spoke quickly with a hiss before the door slid open again with the two scientists following behind her.

Even a minute after they had left, I was still hiding under the desk in fear that they would return suddenly. My body was visibly shaking after the whole dispute while my mind was trying to register how cruel and heartless someone like that could be. Ryan had told me how Rodrigo had almost taken Piper as some sort of slave girl but this girl made Rodrigo look like a kitten. She had me literally shaking in my boots even though I had no clue what she looked like. I tried picturing the meanest, harshest, most despicable person my mind could come up with but nothing seemed to even come close to what she probably was.

Ryan had already begun to free himself of his hiding place while I was still sitting down in the space under the desk. I pushed the chair out of the way and met up with him shortly after. He looked as pale as paper but wasn't shaking as bad as I knew I was, maybe because he was hiding in a trash can and it would look pretty weird for a trash can to be shaking in fear.

"We need to get out of here," he gulped, rubbing his throat. "Now."

"Y-yeah," I replied, nodding to him.

I checked my back pouch for the drive, still finding it there. It sure let a load off my back knowing it was still there and hadn't fallen out.

Ryan reached inside his own pouch and pulled out an earpiece that resembled a blue-tooth. He stuck the communicator in his ear then turned it on.

"Jun, Viktor, do you read? This is Ryan and Jason," he spoke into the mic.

"This is Jun," Jun replied over the mic. "Go ahead, Ryan."

_ _ "We have the plans and have destroyed the modified ones," he replied. "We're heading back topside to meet up with you and Viktor in four minutes."

"Copy that, Ryan. Viktor and I are currently awaiting your arrival. We will see you topside in four minutes."

"Copy that, Jun. Ryan out." He said then took the earpiece out and placed it back in his pouch.

"Let's go," I said, walking for the door, Ryan following behind me just as it opened. I peeked just outside to see if anyone was nearby. There was no one so I gave Ryan the all clear.

We left the room quickly and started carefully running for the exit as fast we could. Just as we neared the exit, two scientists walked down the hallway and spotted us. I cursed in my head, and, just as they were about to shout, I stopped and knelt down then aimed my fist at them. Shortly after I aimed, I fired two darts out of my bracer and watched as they impaled themselves in the scientist's necks. They gasped before clutching their necks, falling onto the floor.

Ryan stood right behind me and looked down. "How did you?"

"Ian fitted my bracer with half a dozen poison darts," I explained. "They won't kill but they'll knock out anyone for a good hour and wipe out their memory of the encounter entirely." I stood up and turned my head at him. "I thought he mentioned it to you?"

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Well...I may have zoned out a little."

I sighed. "I'll tell you how to do it later, right now we need to get moving."

He nodded and didn't question me, allowing us to move on ahead. We ignored the guards that I had knocked out (might as well let them have a good sleep) and jogged on towards the exit stairs. Once we had made it to the staircase and started our way up, right when we made it to the second floor the alarm blared over the entire base. Red lights flashed on and off while a computer voice kept saying "Alert! Alert! Intruders in the base! Alert! Alert! Intruders in the base!"

I cursed silently. Nothing could ever be easy for us, could it? Maybe they found out we had stolen back the plans and had trashed theirs. Maybe they saw Jun and Viktor and sounded the alarm. Maybe they saw us. So many possibilities but it didn't matter at all. What mattered was that we needed to get out of here yesterday!

We made it back to the top floor again after a long trudge up the stairs, huffing and gasping for air already. Exhaustion was starting to kick in. My legs felt wobbly, my head was starting to pound after getting a massive headache, and I seriously felt like puking up all the food I had eaten in the past two weeks. Ryan must've felt it too; he was clutching his side in pain and was grunting with each step he took.

We needed to get this mission over with, soon.

Ryan pushed the door inward, with me following closely behind him as he tumbled forward into the cold snow. He was lucky he did, otherwise he would've taken a bullet straight to the head. Three soldiers spotted us and aimed their guns our way. I quickly summoned my dual pistols and aimed them at the soldiers just as they were about to fire. I fired half a dozen rounds just as a few bullets whirred past Ryan and my bodies, my shots hitting two of them dead center in the chest while the third took one in the knee. I helped Ryan to his feet just as I saw the handicapped man reached for the gun he dropped, Ryan taking the pistol from my hand to aim and shoot one bullet right at the man's face, instantly killing him.

"Bastardo," he cursed. (Bastard.)

"Come on, we need to..." I trailed off as more soldiers began to surround us from all angles. They had their guns loaded and were already aimed at us, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Ryan stood perfectly up and was aiming my pistol at them back, me following his lead in the process. There was no way we could take them on; they had us out-gunned, out-matched, and out-numbered ten to one. They all wore black camouflage pants, black boots, thick black camouflage jacket, gloves, and goggles. They all had an assortment of assault rifles in their hands with their fingers on the triggers while their barrels were aimed right for our heads.

I also noticed that they were all human. No Digimon in sight. Typical.

We waited for them to shoot, but none of them did. They just stood there, taunting us with our soon-to-be death. I bit my lip, sharply turning my head as I saw one take a step forward. With that one step, there was a quick CRACK! That sounded through the air. I watched as the man flailed then fell onto the ground, dead as a door stop. The other soldiers turned their attention to the fallen soldier then turned back to us and all shouted. Just as they were about to shoot, loud cracks echoed through the compound and more men began to fall into the snow completely dead. The stragglers, the ones who broke away during the commotion, were our targets as we fired the last of our bullets at them and sent them straight into the deep snow.

The red light and alarm behind us blared over the gunfire but was soon shot out by an unknown shooter from afar. Ryan and I turned our attention from where the shot came from and were stunned to find Jun and Viktor standing on the tall wall with their sniper rifles pointed at the ground.

They jumped down from the wall and came to greet us while we were still speechless about what happened. Jun pulled down the cloth over his mouth to reveal a smile that showed all of his pearly white teeth.

"That was five minutes, Masters," he sounded playful yet irritated at the same time.

"Sorry, we had a bit of trouble along the way," Ryan apologized, letting out a contented sigh.

"We're about to have more trouble if we don't get out of this base now," Viktor said. "We have about five thousand troops heading our way right now."

I gulped. "Let's start running."

"Agreed," Ryan, Jun, and Viktor said at the same time before turning to run.

We sprinted for the front gate of the base, passing by dozens of tents along the way with shadows of soldiers getting their things on. They were fumbling, trying to get their uniforms on, and were bickering with each other about how cold it was. The four of us had little time before they were fully prepared, so we kicked up our running speed even faster.

The front gate was in sight in only seconds but the doors were still closed shut. Great, we forgot about the doors. There was no turning back however, so now we were pretty much cornered.

At least, that was what I thought right before Viktor pulled out a black box the size of a proposal leather box. He flipped the lid open then pressed his clawed thumb against a small green button. A huge tremor shook the ground violently as Jun stopped all of us in our place just as the front gate erupted in a massive mushroom of fire and smoke. The blast blew all of us back just from the intensity and had knocked Jun and I to our knees as a wave of heat hit our faces and woke up all our muscles from the cold. When the wind had finally stopped blowing in our faces, I was finally able to see the massive destruction that lay ahead of us.

The entire front of the gate had been blown to smithereens. Remnants of fire and smoke filled the area where the gate once stood; rubble the size of pebbles littered the area around the gate while pebbles were still falling from the sky after the devastating event. The sight had caused my own eyes to open wide while my mouth dropped a few feet into the snow.

"Come on! We need to keep moving!" Jun yelled to us, already running forward. He beckoned us to follow him with his hand frantically.

Ryan and I snapped out of being in awe, feeling a little embarrassed for being transfixed on the sight when he had seen worse. Viktor, Ryan, and I bolted for Jun just as we heard the same popping sounds of guns blare from behind us. Bullets whizzed past our heads, too close for my comfort, and then embedded themselves into the snow. I ducked as a small barrage of bullets darted right over me, missing Jun in the process luckily.

We all passed right through the remains of the gate then began our long trudge through the deep snow in the outskirts. I was so not used to the deepness of the snow that I fell forward my first few steps, but I quickly jumped back to my feet to catch up with everyone else.

Right then Viktor held up the same black box and pressed the green button again, sending the next spark for the next explosion. Another tremor rumbled through the icy ground right before a loud explosion rattled the air, sending the blast racing across the frozen tundra. Either it was my imagination or a wave of heat also pushed my body forward, sending chills of warmth throughout my muscles and veins. I felt revitalized after that wave and pushed further ahead, turning my head backwards to see the destruction.

That was also when I realized never to mess with Jun or Viktor.

The entire base was set ablaze in a heap of fire. Smoke rose from different points inside the base, one of the watch towers was now falling down like a sack of bricks, and there were dozens of holes the size of Smart Cars that lined and broke through the walls. I saw bodies lying face down and on their backs around and inside the base, lifeless and completely devoid of all life. The red light still flickered on and off from the corners and center watchtower of the base while the alarm sounded over the intercom, signaling all the soldiers left alive in the compound to get their butts in gear.

Even the central tower looked on the verge of toppling over since it had its own share of gigantic holes. I felt bad for all the soldiers inside the base who might've been killed by the explosion. They were only being controlled by the Shadows to do their will, unable to stop themselves from doing whatever their commanders needed, no free will to call their own anymore.

I was about to send a silent prayer to them but a bullet raced across my ear, causing me to hiss out of pain. Any lower and I would've needed an earring to fill the hole in my ear. The graze had also snapped me back into reality, me running with Ryan and Jun and Viktor across the frozen landscape, trying to escape the gunfire half a mile behind us. Ryan fell down and covered his head as he hissed as well, mainly cupping his cheek just as I saw a thin trail of fresh blood stream down his face. Looks like I wasn't the only one who got grazed, but I can't say I was glad that he did since he was still my partner and we needed to protect each other. Viktor had summoned a pistol from his thigh and was shooting while he was running with us; Jun was following his lead with a similar pistol and was firing just like he was. Ryan and I copied them and soon all four of us were using our pistols to counter attack the enemy from afar.

"Where are our reinforcements?" I heard Viktor yell to Jun after reloading his pistol to shoot again.

"They should be here any second!" Jun yelled back, shooting his gun twice, taking out one man in the process. Even with the distance we were from the base, he still seemed to get perfect shots.

Just as the man toppled over into the snow, a new barrage of bullets echoed over the frozen land. However, they weren't being fired at us; they were being fired directly above us. That was when I looked forward and saw dozens of lights flash ahead of us, illuminating the darkness like a ray of sunshine. Half a dozen pairs of those lights began to make their ways over us--helicopters were my best guess as to what they were. I was soon right when I heard thunderous bullets fire directly at the base. The land lights were trucks by my guess with mounted guns fitted in the back.

Finally, the commander comes in to save our butts at the last possible second. Better late than never! We were still easily a mile from their position but the trucks had begun their slow drive forward through the deep snow to meet us, so we only needed a few minutes to get to safety.

I thought we were in the clear; at least, that was what I believed.

Right as we ran for the trucks, as fast as we could without tripping, time seemed to slow down until I felt like I was running through maple syrup. Everything had slowed down, and I mean everything. The trucks, which were moving slow due to the snow, were slower than I thought slow could get; they looked like they were going two miles an hour actually. The four of us didn't look any better actually--we all looked like sloths with the movement of our arms and legs going just as slow as the trucks.

What the hell was going on? I asked myself that question just as I felt something tear me away from my body. Literally. I was pulled back far away, just enough to show me my body and Jun and Ryan and Viktor. It felt like someone had torn a piece away from me, like I was drifting away from my body entirely.

That was when my spirit stopped in place. I realized exactly where I was at an instant. I was back at the central tower of the base we had just destroyed. Fire was still rising from the tents and walls of the stones, and I could see bodies of many of the troops scattered across the inner parts of the base. Dozens of soldiers were at the front gates, or on top of the remaining portions of the wall, defending what was left of their home from our forces.

However, that wasn't what I was supposed to be watching. My eyed darted to the top of the tower, revealing two forms that stood at the top. The first was a Digimon that I recognized as a Cyberdramon. Its body was covered in blackish-grey colored armor with thick wires connecting all his armor together. His shoulders and thigh pads showed all the wires and gears used to power his body suit; he had two shiny claws about a foot and a half long. His four torn up wings spread out across his back with holes here and there in the pattern while the top half of his head was covered with a shiny bronze helmet which also turned out to be his two horns as well.

Standing next to the Cyberdramon was someone that sent chills up and down my spine. It was a Shadow Renamon, looking fierce and powerful even without a weapon in her paw-ish hands. Yes, her. She wore black trousers with leg high black combat boots, an a red long sleeve shirt with a silver chest guard that covered her breasts, along with black intricate designs that lined the rim and inner part of the guard. Her fur was easily black and covered her body while I guessed she adorned a white lower jaw and belly. Her tails were tied together with black belts with metal studs along the rims while her arms were wrapped with a metal bracer like Ryan's but with a different design and probably didn't have a hidden blade.

Her eyes were what sent shivers up and down my body. They were dark red, just like fresh blood and almost seemed to just glow like Rodrigo's. They were sharp as nails, tough as the strongest metal, and were squinted to show off just how fierce she looked. If I wasn't being forced to look at her, I would've looked away. Even though she scared the hell out of me, she was still beautifully deadly by her looks, and I bet anything she was stronger than she looked.

In the Cyberdramon's hands, I could see what looked like a dragunov in his grasp. He cocked the gun once, then turned to the Shadow Renamon and frowned. He looked like he meant business with that gun (and with his looks) and wasn't afraid to put it to actual use.

"If I take out the boy, will you allow me to see my wife?" he spoke, his tone dark and flat.

The Shadow Renamon nodded. "Yes, I may be cruel, but I do keep my promises. You will be allowed half an hour to see your wife, which is if you kill the boy only."

The Cyberdramon grunted then held up his gun. "I fucking hate you, Yukon, but if I can see her again then that is all that matters to me."

Yukon lightly laughed, placing her hand just a little over her mouth. "Oh, Aaron, you flatter me all too well." She deviously smiled. "It amazes me how you do not fall under my spell as easily as the others do."

"And that is a secret you will never know, bitch," he cursed before he looked through his scope (for whatever reason I have no clue about since he had no eyes). It was only a second later that he pulled the trigger and fired one bullet.

Right when he fired, I was sent flying back into my body; my mind pulsing like it had just drunk three ice milkshakes without stopping--meaning, brain-freeze. But I wasn't in any other pain than that. My head was pounding like there was no tomorrow but other than that, I felt completely fine.

What had just happened? Did my soul just leave my body? Why was I looking at Yukon and Aaron? My mind was in too much of a wreck to even think about anything else, so I decided to turn to Ryan.

That was when I found out what he had meant by 'take out the boy'.

He was talking about Ryan.

Ryan was face down in the cold snow, unmoving. I gasped and yelled out for Viktor and Jun, who stopped abruptly in their tracks to turn their attention to me. Their eyes caught sight of Ryan and immediately trudged back through the snow as quickly as they could. I was already kneeling at my partner's side, shaking him like he was a ragdoll to get him to wake up.

"Ryan! Ryan! Ryan!" I yelled out his name, trying to coax him to open his eyes and wake up. "Wake up! Wake up!"

He didn't even move, aside from the movements I was causing him. His eyes were shut and his mouth was open, yet he wasn't taking in any air. Jun and Viktor tried their best to push against his chest, in hopes of reviving him, but to no avail.

"Ryan! Wake! Up!" Viktor yelled.

"Come back to us, my friend! You cannot give out now!" Jun hissed as he pushed against Ryan's chest.

No...no...no...he couldn't be dead. He could not be dead! I refused to believe it! He had survived near death already! He could not die! He was my partner! He was a hero! He survived near death! He's cheated death! He. Cannot. Die.

I felt tears rush out from my eyes as I cried out his name over and over again, trying to get him to wake up. One of the helicopters that were attacking the base landed near us, two soldiers jumping out to help us on. I fought against them as they strapped me into my seat. I let the tears rush from my eyes, and I didn't care one bit. They grabbed Ryan's lifeless body and hoisted him onto the copter, securely buckling him in place just as the thing flew off. As we flew away from the base, I was stuck, tears streaming down my face, looking at the corpse of my fallen partner.