#112

“They're burning the city,” Jacob says.

“That's obvious enough,” Susie replies. “That shock might indicate an explosion. They could be bombing the city. Maybe from the air.”

“Good point. We don't seem to know what sort of aircraft they have. Though being from this Earth, I figured you'd know. Didn't your dad work for the Empire?”

“They kept a lot of secrets from him, I guess. He knew about the escape pods. The Empire does still use helicopters, and they have hovercraft, made out of the same stuff as the pods. Plus, You told me that Zorro City, the main base of the Fennec Gang, was bombed from the air.”

“We should still anticipate a ground force,” Mina says then. “The mutants, the medic cyborgs, and even the Crimson Guards are expendable; they can always make more, let computers do the training in seconds.”

Mark smirks with an audible chuckle. “That means they only have melee units! Except the cyborgs. Those have their 'conversion darts'. Just aim for the head on all of 'em and we should be good.”

Jacob plans to take down as many of the Crimson Guards as he can, but obviously he's not alone. The group has a silent vow to stay together unless forcibly separated. They've been through a lot together, and now they're locked together by exhaustion, by experience, and by need.

Before any command is given, You starts rushing forward. “Hey!” Susie shouts, but it's no use. They have no choice but to follow him. They just hope he still has enough sense, even sans soul, to avoid getting blown up.

As they move, they hear the screams and cries of those living in New Cenabum, who are either being crushed, burned, or assimilated. However, as they keep their eyes open, they can't hear the sounds of these cries. They can't know that Mary is sending them to a distant hill, where they'll be safe. This is really between her side and the Emperor. There's no need for neutral damage.

Mina is at the head when she sees You—or Yorick—slow down, and then stop. She mouths the word “why” to herself, before stopping. The others nearly run into her, and they are all instantly struck with the urge to run back. A canal parts the road ahead here, but there is a drawbridge crossing it. That bridge is in the process of being crossed by at least a dozen Crimson Guards.

Everyone arms their weapons as Susie counts: yes, there are twenty-four. All of them only wield their non-laser pikes, but they still have all the speed and dexterity that they've seen before. But You stands between the two groups as if he were a portcullis. He raises his palms against the battery of Crimsons, and...

...fire erupts from one hand. A pale but blazing stream of fuel can be seen emitting from it, raining molten death down on the Guards. They keep coming despite the intense heat, but their robes are burning, their armor is smoldering, and at last their metal helmets are melting away, turning the bones within to ash.

...electricity flashes from the other. They realize now what that power-pulse was at the Red Tower—a lightning bolt of such intense force and heat that it shattered the Tower's top. The arcs of power screech through the air, illuminating the rotten skeletons hidden underneath the Guards' suits. The circuitry keeping them animated falls apart, causing them to crumple.

Twenty-four Crimsons. Annihilated in under five seconds.

The wedge driving its way across the city is broken. The assault may already be over from a tactical perspective.

You begins to walk across the drawbridge, leaving everyone else behind in shocked silence. The bridge, however, is made of wood, and so as soon as You crosses over, it burns away and collapses, sending a payload of burning fuel into the canal. Mark rushes forward and looks around. He sees a pair of bridges that cross the stream; one to the right, and one to the left. However, the bridges are so spaced that they lead to different road systems within the city. He knows that taking both bridges, two on each, will result in having to split up.

“Susie!” he shouts. “Come with me to the right! Mina, Jacob—you go to the left!”

There's no time to debate, as You has to be found. This isn't out of concern for his safety anymore; he seems to be in one piece after charging through the fires of a burning bridge. Maybe his armor is providing some sort of shield against his own flame—Mark doesn't know, and he suspects the mystical enhancement of the armor. No, this isn't a chase of concern—the group wants You to watch over them. Power like that should stay at their sides.

However, as they run, they are detected from above by the Imperial hovercraft—which are ready to compute and conjure up the last part of Fox's Beta-4 ritual. The souls of Esau and Usius have other counterparts that need to be integrated.