Tulia and Rune ascend in the Shadow's Heart to be
met with a sky full of transports arriving for the evacuation.
TULIA: Get in touch with those transports.
Rune's eyes are distant with terror.
TULIA: Rune Starling, wake up.
Get your head back.
RUNE: What?
TULIA: Raise the transports or
someone in the blockade.
RUNE: What? Why?
TULIA: We're going to help with the evacuation.
I think this is what he wants.
RUNE: Who...?
TULIA: Just do it.
RUNE: Blockade control, this is civilian transport
ID 731743 requesting instructions on how
to assist with the evacuation effort.
PILOT: Civilian transport ID 731743, sending you
coordinates for an available landing zone.
RUNE: Thank you. I think.
TULIA: We have an ID?
RUNE: Thank you. I think.
TULIA: We have an ID?
He's almost too preoccupied to answer.
RUNE: I don't know.
I just said something.
Police have created an open area on the street below,
but people are still desperately trying to push passed
them and are in danger of covering the ground
before the Shadow's Heart can touch down.
Tulia emerges at the loading ramp and amidst the
onrush of people she can only manage to deliver
the simple instruction for everyone to move all
the way to the back that they possibly can.
There are still more coming when
she has to close the door.
TULIA: We're coming back.
She pushes her way to the cockpit
and assumes the co-pilot seat.
The Shadow's Heart slowly rises and
Tulia looks over noticing Rune's nervousness.
TULIA: Hey. They need all the help they can get.
There's no time for them to ask any questions.
He controls his breathing.
The Shadow's Heart draws closer
to what was the nearest cruiser.
OPERATOR: Civilian transport ID 731743 we're ready
to receive you. Deck guides will lead you
the furthest back there is room for you in
the launch bay where you will wait
for further instructions.
TULIA: Negative. Be advised, we're unloading
and heading back down again for more.
There's a pause.
Rune is incredulous.
OPERATOR: Acknowledged, civilian transport
ID 731743. Good luck.
Tulia lowers the loading ramp again and
the people pour out. She looks across
the way and sees other civilian transports
that parked like they were told.
She runs across to them and Rune
watches anxiously from the cockpit.
RUNE: Where are you going?
To a captain.
TULIA: Hey, what are you guys doing?
CAPTAIN: They told us to stay put.
TULIA: Those Republic transports are
too slow. They need us all to keep
ferrying people back and forth.
CAPTAIN: We don't have hyperdrives.
If the cruisers decide to
leave we're left.
TULIA: At least we'll be giving the
people on the surface a chance.
Tulia turns back to the Shadow's Heart.
The cargo captain watches
as she and the ship leaves.
CAPTAIN: Ahhh! Unload'em.
We're heading out again.
The Shadow's Heart breaks through
the clouds returning in full force amidst
the cheers from the people in the streets.
Republic transport pilots crane their
necks in disbelief at the sight as
it passes them by. And the ship
returns to the coordinates that
it was previously given.
A woman who was last left grabs
Tulia's arm at the base of the ramp.
WOMAN: Thank you.
TULIA: All the way to the back.
The Shadow's Heart ascends once more.
The roar of the engines reverberates within the stone walls of the tower. Then it becomes drowned by the column of Lethchor smashing the drones above them while attempting to overwhelm their countermeasures with sheer volume.
In these early levels there are landings with an enclosed circle of rooms suspended on two stone bridges connecting to the stairs of the tower on each side. Any one of these internal structures, lacking braces to reinforce them, should have fallen under the constant collisions and explosions.
But the walls do not so much as burn from a stray laser out of a drone's rifle or shoulder-mounted rockets that some carry with them.
The crew become pinned down by a barricade of drones at such a stair landing. Aaron looks across the way to see Ross crouching in a doorframe near the front of the barricade. Mesmerized, he begins to move toward him.
AARON: Ross?
Erimentha pulls him back.
ERIMENTHA: It's a trick of the eye.
Ross is gone.
Ross vanishes and the drones with him.
Nicodemus steps onto the stone bridge and blazes
the minigun where the drones were standing and
momentarily reveals them again as the
bullets bounce off the cloak shield.
NICODEMUS: Zayd-Neil has breached the tower.
Those drones have his protection.
We need to move.
DESDINE: Negative. I will hold them here.
NICODEMUS: You're compromised.
And you can't take
them all on.
DESDINE: You are compromised. If the Prestmoor
sets the pace they will catch up to us.
He can no longer ascend. If the Prestmoor
is left behind then he will die.
I will stay with him.
NICODEMUS: Not a chance you're ditching me
before seeing this through.
DESDINE: I do not care when we ditch you.
But you are an effective asset
that now lacks mobility.
I propose the two of us
can hold them here.
The remainder should
continue to ascend.
ERIMENTHA: We're too long in discussing this.
AARON: Good luck.
Aaron, Erimentha and Esben continue up.
Nicodemus turns to Desdine.
NICODEMUS: You really think we got a chance?
DESDINE: The probability of being totaled
is high, but I am confident that
I will be reassembled.
I can't speak for you.
A light floods amidst the
doors creaking from below.
NICODEMUS: Samael's getting pushed back.
They're getting in.
DESDINE: And darkness shall soon follow.
NICODEMUS: Who programmed you?
DESDINE: I wish I knew.
The light from outside disappears as the flood surges
up to meet them and Mr. Clemence's minigun
flashes out like so many firecrackers.
As Erimentha and her companions too are about to be
overwhelmed, Samael's column engulfs them, which
she produces a spherical shield against. And they all
ride to the top of the tower and are deposited on the
edge of the circle platform as Samael stands
at the center with his back to them.
SAMAEL: Do not be afraid.
This will all soon be over.
AARON: You're Samael?
ERIMENTHA: He is the corruptor.
SAMAEL: You have done well
to come this far.
AARON: That doesn't seem to have
had much to do with us.
SAMAEL: No.
ERIMENTHA: You failed. Zayd-Neil
betrayed the betrayer.
SAMAEL: I promise you too will
become accustomed to
treachery. All is as well
as I could have hoped.
ERIMENTHA: You cannot hope to defeat
a Chosen of the Order.
SAMAEL: I never intended to.
A chrome painted drone steps out from the shadows
with Safe prominently inserted in its chest.
AARON: Then why help her get here?
SAMAEL: I wanted all of you, so there
could be no lies. I wanted
witnesses to my death.
ERIMENTHA: I don't understand.
SAMAEL: I know.
AARON: Why?
SAMAEL: I cannot and would not stop
what is to come. We all stand
in the shadow, on the eve of
the truth coming to light.
And for that to happen
Zayd-Neil will kill me today.
ERIMENTHA: You claim your innocence?
SAMAEL: No. That is not the point of this.
AARON: If you're willing then come with us.
ERIMENTHA: Aaron!?!
SAMAEL: Mr. Miles, Aaron. You have been touched.
And so now your fate is tangled with the
Order's. May Erimentha see fit to spare
your life as you would mine.
ERIMENTHA: I will destroy you and
Zayd-Neil both!
SAMAEL: Indeed you may.
She launches an attack of golden light
and he raises a barrier of black blood.
SAMAEL: But I will not hazard that on your soul.
Samael turns his head to the windows.
SAMAEL: He's here.
The bow of the Atlas crashes through the windows
and the wind howls with the change in air pressure
as Zayd-Neil descends from the ship.
ZAYD-NEIL: Given up, have you, Samael?
SAMAEL: It appears so.
He eyes the three interlopers.
ZAYD-NEIL: I think it's time your carefully
laid plans come to an end.
SAMAEL: If you can manage it.
Zayd-Neil ignores the taunt and launches
a stream at the three standing a pace from
Samael who he shields behind
his own black blood barrier.
ZAYD-NEIL: How interesting.
SAMAEL: Your business is with me.
ZAYD-NEIL: And I don't intend to leave
anything unfinished.
Your pawns die with you.
Samael encases Zayd-Neil and himself in the
chamber's Lethchor, revealing the walls,
and the strike team is left to look on.
Aaron leans down to Erimentha.
AARON: What do we do?
Is there another side to this?
ERIMENTHA: We've come too far.
Esben, give me your sword.
Within the maelstrom, constantly casting black blood
shrouds both combatants in darkness, but both
always know where to strike while continuing
to block and evade.
Viewing from outside, lightning
flashes from within the tower.
The Shadow's Heart hovers near a crowd of Noclysis being held back from boarding Republic transports. They make a hole on the street for the Shadow's Heart to land and Tulia emerges
as an officer is desperately explaining there is no more room on the current transports.
She sees Sweets' brother
and they lock eyes.
TULIA: It's okay, we can take them.
Rune appears at the bottom of the ramp.
Tulia notes the infuriated look on his face
as she begins guiding the Noclysis inside.
RUNE: We can't keep doing this.
TULIA: There's not enough ships for
just taking one trip.
RUNE: We did our bit and then some.
Look up there. Do you think
anyone's coming back from that?
TULIA: We have to assume our friends are.
RUNE: They're all dead! Ross, Sweets,
all of them. Everyone we shipped
out with is dead. We don't owe
these people. We're square.
It's time to get while
there's still getting.
TULIA: I'm not about that anymore. Somewhere...
along the way. Because we lost people
to all this. They gotta come back so
I have a chance of knowing
what it all was.
RUNE: We already know. War's starting.
Don't try to make sense of it.
TULIA: This looks so much bigger.
RUNE: It usually does.
TULIA: There's still more people
to get out from under it.
RUNE: Make this the last run.
TULIA: I can't do that.
RUNE: Then I can't go with you.
TULIA: Rune Starling?
He steps away from the Shadow's Heart loading ramp
and joins the throng boarding another batch of transports.
Tulia watches until the doors close him inside
and she turns toward the Shadow's Heart.
In the tower, Samael and Zayd-Neil continue to clash. Esben and Aaron fire to no effect from outside the raging storm. Samael's chrome drone marches up beside Erimentha. Her hands glow, but then a rusty claw clasps the drone. The chrome drone has the upper claw in strength and begins to push Desdine back, but the older model manages to reach under to rip Safe from his housing.
The chrome drone deactivates.
Desdine steps into the storm and begins
to be shaken apart despite the countermeasures.
Erimentha bolts into their midst with her
teleporting lightning and runs Samael
through from behind.
Samael seizes her arm and encases Erimentha
in body-forming darkness surviving a strike
from Zayd-Neil, which sends her sailing
out of the maelstrom even as the wind
begins to die and black blood disperses.
She rolls across the floor and slides on her stomach
where the Lethchor releases her in a puff of smoke.
Her breath stops at the sight of white light
emanating from Samael's wound.
PREVIOUS NEXT
No comments:
Post a Comment