THE WAR OF FATE
Part
Two: The Dark Citadel
Chapter
Four: Raising the Citadel
Rampage and his mech division were an hour
away from Beijing when the explosion occurred. A violent shockwave almost
knocked his drop ship out of the sky. The pilot regained control a moment
later. Teller looked out the window at the city, or what used to be the
city. A large cloud of dust rose to the sky in the distance.
"General, you should take a look at this," he said. Rampage
looked out the window from his seat. His jaw dropped as he shakily reached
for his cell phone. He slowly dialed a number and pressed the phone to his
ear. The recording of an operator speaking in Chinese started almost
immediately.
"The phone lines are down. I
think the whole city has been vaporized, judging from the shockwave and the size
of that explosion," Rampage said to Teller as he hung up the phone once the
recording began. "Damn it, Takawa! You should have listened to
me!"
Teller bit his lower lip. "What
next, sir?"
Rampage let loose a loud sigh.
"When we get to Beijing, we whoop some ass."
--------------------------
"Holy shit! Did you see
that?!" GWB yelled from the Green Jester. The other agents stood
silent as the shockwave hit them, then continued along behind them. Fudge
dropped to the floor in pain. "What's wrong?" Deathwing asked as
he went to Fudge's side. Fudge began to breath heavily, and slowly calmed
down. "Now that I am more in tune with the spirit realm, I became
linked to those pour souls who died right before our eyes."
G64 called the other agents over to the
window. "Guys, the Garula is heading back to Beijing!"
Ness went over to the pilot and issued a command. "Follow that
warship!" The Green Jester responded by moving slowly behind the
gigantic Garula, keeping a safe distance between the Garai Tai and the agents.
------------------------------
Black16 shuddered as he felt the beam of
raw destructive power meet the Earth, snuffing out thousands from existence.
And this was just a taste of what this creature could do...
The other Milchmah felt it too, even so far
from Earth. "It is as we feared. Abbadon the Destroyer has been
unleashed before our forces could be mustered," said Black16, dread in his
voice. The few Milchmah that remained listened eagerly to him.
"The Khawlal plot to stall us was successful, but not all is lost.
You all know what we must do to insure that the beast is sealed away again.
Now we await the command of our Master to descend into a world where destruction
incarnate will soon reign."
Suddenly a booming voice called out to the
warriors. "My children, now is the hour of battle. Make haste
and join the humans in war, lest they be swatted like flies. Though ye be
few in number, know that reinforcements will be on the way. It pains me to
have to watch from afar, but know that I will be there in spirit."
The voice drifted off, and Black16
marshaled the troops. The decisive battle was at hand.
-------------------------
"Land here," Samrong said as the
Garula hovered above a large canyon created thanks to Bagan's destructive power.
The city was a barren wasteland, a rocky desert, and a shell of its former self.
Empty winds blew across the landscape. The only signs of life were Bagan,
the agents, and Samrong's troops.
The landing platform below the Garula dropped down. It was a large,
circular area supported by steel rods that extended from the base of the ship.
Samrong, Fury, Fong, and the Six Eyes waited patiently in the center of the
platform, surrounded by Gray Ninjas, as it lowered to the ground.
"This is the place. This is where the Dark Citadel is hidden from
sight," Samrong said as he walked off the platform. Dust unsettled at
his feet with each step he took. "Definitely not my choice for a
location," Rex joked. Galex slapped him in the back of his head, and
for perhaps the first time in his life, the giant appeared to be amused.
Rex growled as he looked up and Galex. "Sack of blubber," he
mumbled under his breath.
Kirby Fong looked around at the desolation that lay before him.
"Amazing. If I could harness the power of Bagan, imagine what I could
create! Isn't that right, my little pet?" He looked to his
side, and a hunched-over Kaijunoid wearing a lab coat and shackles on his arms
and legs growled at him. "Oh, don't be so upset. Your
transformation is nearly complete. Soon you are going to be instrumental
in the destruction of the Agency. Just you wait."
Samrong stopped in a large clearing. He pointed to the ground, and
everyone looked down. A metal spire, or part of one, was sticking up out
of the earth and sand. "It is time to raise the Dark Citadel and take
full command of Bagan's power!"