When All Else Fails

Angel stared at Kim infuriated at the state that Olli was in. “I should have known that you had sent her, it was so strange that she suddenly wanted to form an alliance,” Kim said. “It does not matter….even if she had not found you I would have hunted you down to the ends of the earth…..hand over Jyrki and we will leave peacefully…” Angel said trying to not lose the last ounce of her control as Alexi, Ville, and Maria stood behind her, each fighting off guards using their hands or their guns.

“I would rather burn,” Kim said as Angel launched at her implementing her judo skills to fight Kim while yelling at Maria “I and Alexi can handle shit here go find Jyrki and get Ollie out of here, get your men out!”

Maria did not want to leave her here, but she knew they had to get the victims to a safe spot and get out “You still owe me! so don’t you dare die” she yelled at Angel as she hurried out Ollie in tow.
Maria, Ville, and a weak but alert Ollie ran through the falling debris, trees were crumbling as the fire raged through them, it seems Angel had set off the landmines to explode and people were either shooting or fighting with each other.

“Zeke where the hell are you! We had a change in plans Angel is here herself! Covert is off! I hope you found Jyrki” Maria yelled. “I didn’t but Noe did we are meeting them near a cave in the west until we can run past this shooting,” Zeke said as he used a boulder next to him as a shield he had fallen into a net trap, he had been shot through the knee fighting off as many as he could to make way for Noe his men and Jyrki to escape, Noe had refused but Zeke had reminded him of the importance of the mission, he was severely injured, his knee ruined and his arms crushed, but he did not want to scare her, he needed to survive and hoped his men would quell the number of enemies, if there were reinforcements by Angel, then it would prove easier to take the prisoners out and run. He hoped he would make it.

“You can’t just ask me to do that!” Noe had pleaded “Remember the mission is the priority so I can ask you, now get your ass back home to Adda and get the prisoner to safety, the boss won't’ forgive us if we are both late!” Zeke said as Noe’s eyes filled with tears and he hugged his brother in arms for possibly the last time, knowing that as strong as Zeke and his men were the sudden but overwhelming amount of hidden forces of the queen of the east would overtake them, so he ran with his soul crushed and ran knowing he had abandoned his brother for the mission, he hoped it was all worth it.

Maria and Ville kept moving west, as best as they could through the smoke and fire, the forest was ablaze and the lakes with acid were part of it, it seemed they had gasoline as well, Maria cried internally for the loss of this last of nature’s beauties but she only did for a second while a small group of guerrilla soldiers charged them and Ville stood to protect her as they began to tackle enemies back to back while Ollie mustering his strength took weapons in arms and joined them. “Stay back! You have no strength!” Maria cried “If he stays anywhere, we will lose him to a stray bullet or fire” Ville replied. “I will not die here!” Olli said as the managed to make a run the west towards the cove where Noe and the others were barricaded with a Jyrki who was struggling to escape, not understanding who they were.

It was Noe who was losing his cool trying to keep his line from falling and Jyrki from leaving
“We are here because your sister sent us!” Noe said trying to direct troops while keeping Jyrki from running to his death, “You could be lying! You could be taking me somewhere worse!” he added as two men held him down “If we wanted to kill you or hurt you we could have knocked you out and not let you have a say….but you are alive and you will see her sooner than later” Noe replied as they heard someone approaching and he sighed in relief as he saw Maria and the new recruit followed by the other victim “Boss over here!” Noe said as Maria ran to him, almost hugging him and looked around for the others “Where is Zeke?” she said as she noticed the other prisoner was here. “He has not yet arrived,” Noe said worriedly.

Maria trembled she could not afford to lose him, “Zeke! Zeke! Do you copy! We are at the point of rendezvous, both eagles have landed, we have to get out!” Maria said on. The back of her mind was Angel and Alexi, she wasn’t’ sure what was happening over there, but for now, she needed her people back.

“I am kind of sorry boss going to be ditching you,” Zeke said coughing through the intercom Maria’s eyes watered as she tried to keep her cool. “I don’t care about that! You stop being foolish and meet us here or we are going to you!” she said shaking visibly. Ville was at the moment urging Ollie to calm his brother whom was shocked but pleased to see him….but when he heard the report and her voice tremble he ran to her and held her hand even against her silent protest, Noe kneeled down its as if the forest had quieted down for a minute to allow them space “If you do that and get caught Imma have to lecture you, boss, come on you gotta get those weapons, you gotta take anima an animus down you gotta take the Opal City down you promised” Zeke said his vision fading as the silence around him told him all around him was death.

“I will not go home without a part of us,” Maria said hating these feelings hating the fact that she was about to lose a friend hating that Ville and Nie were seeing her this vulnerable after all her talk about no feelings, “And here I thought you had no feelings,” Zeke said smiling as a tear fell from his hazel eyes and he faded into dark, glad that at least the world would have a chance... Angel and Maria who would have thought he pondered smiling as he joined the rivers of energy that made up this rotten green earth