[TheFightingSpirit]

Little late, but then again... you know... Christmas. What you gonna do?

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Incursion Four: Tomorrow.

Allison, Robert and Ken had just gotten back from their debriefing with General Bryant, a man who in no uncertain terms sought to use them. They sat in silence in their too small quarters.

After who knew how long, Ken spoke. “Do you guys think Bryant was looking a bit… ill?”

“You know,” said Robert, pushing himself up off the camping bed and into a sitting position. “He was a bit at that.”

“Well, he hasn’t slept since being engulfed by the Black Water.” Allison shrugged. “We should probably cut him some slack.”

“And how many living things do we know—beside us—who can survive that unscathed?” Robert countered. “The elk certainly didn’t.”

“So we keep an eye on him?” Ken frowned, and swung his legs down from the top bunk. “And what if he … mutates?”

Robert hung his head. “Then we’ll have to put him down, won’t we.”

o0o

Bryant glanced up from his desk to see Catherine standing to attention and waiting patiently for permission to speak. He put down his pen. “What is it Lt. Moses?”

“I wish to officially announce my sponsorship of the Cross Ranger’s entry to the Agency.”

“For what reasons?” The General leaned back in his chair, an action that said this should be good.

“I believe they’ve already demonstrated their usefulness to us, sir, and we both have the same goal in mind.”

“Be that as it may, are you really willing to stake your rank against this? If they fail, you’ll be out of a job. Those are the rules.”

Lt. Moses gritted her teeth. “I’m willing.”

General Bryant shook his head, and returned to his paper work.

Catherine wondered whether she was doing the right thing. Turning those three into soldiers would be the hardest mission she’d had in her career. She didn’t know them that well, but she felt they could be trusted. Call it intuition.

After a while, he addressed her again.

“They are totally untrained. Kenneth Powel, the blue ranger, was found trying break into one of our secret hangers. His sister, Allison, is an infamous activist. She led the group who chained themselves to the other side of the quarantine wall in an attempt to get noticed… And Robert Lam? A fool if ever there was one.” He chuckled derisively. “They are trouble, Miss Moses.”

“Then I’ll train them to the best of my ability. Their heart is in the right place.”

“Heart,“ he scoffed. “Very well, be this on your head. They have one more chance to prove themselves. I’ll consider the matter further.”

Catherine saluted and left the General’s office, making a beeline once more for the ranger’s quarters. She had a lot to tell them.

She knocked on the door, and heard a scuffling inside. A face appeared at the window to check who was calling for them. Clearly they had yet to put their trust in the Agency. Though naturally she hoped that would change in time.

The door opened to reveal Robert. “Lieutenant?”

“May I come in?”

He stepped aside; appeased that it was her and not the General or some random sergeant.

“I’ve just spoken with General Bryant,” she said. “He agreed to my sponsoring you, and will consider you members of the Agency just so long as you can prove yourself.”

Allison threw up her hands in defeat. “Haven’t we done that already?”

“You’ve won me and Cartwright over—and dare I say it her squads—the ones you fought with in the hanger… but the General is a difficult man to please… clearly”

Allison sighed. “Okay… okay. If that’s what it takes.”

Lieutenant Moses smiled. They were finally getting somewhere.

She thought back to her father’s quest to find the clan descendants. I’m doing this for you, dad. Because I never believed in you, and because the world desperately needs something to believe in these dark times.

“What do you know about our powers?” Ken asked, taking everyone by surprise. “I’m okay using them for whatever needs to be done, but I’d like to understand them at little better before then.”

“If this power is that old why do we look so futuristic in our armour?” added Robert.

“Oh, well, I can’t really answer that...” she said, “but, everything my family knows about the magi makes no mention of power suits of any kind. My guess is you formed them from your own imaginations using the Power.”

The Lieutenant chewed her lip, and tried to remember the stories of her childhood. “It’s been a long time since I recalled any of this, so I might be a little rusty but…

o0o

In ancient times, just after us humans put our nomadic hunter-gatherer ways behind us and became farmers, a great evil, much like the Black Water we face today, cast its shadow across the land.

After much bloodshed, mystics from nine of the most powerful tribes came together to forge a new hope for their people. They confined themselves to their tents for thirty-one days and nights, and when they emerged they brought with them the nine grand runes.

The mystics furnished their tribes with one rune each—fire, water, earth, air, lightning, sonic, metal and darkness—and from the power held within the symbols, wielded great strength against the evil that plagued them.

Soon they defeated that ancient evil, but found in peace the tribes returned to their old ways. The head of the fire clan wanted the nine runes for himself. The others protested, and the dark clan seemed content with sowing discord and war amongst their fellows.

o0o

“… It’s safe to say destroyed themselves in the war that followed, since their civilisation is long gone. Yet, their children inherited the power of the runes, and their children after that, and…” She regarded the three of them, and tried to imagine the family tree linking them back to ancient times and the six clans their powers represented. “And you guys are the end of that line. So Dad said.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” said Robert.

Allison frowned. “If we are descendants of these ancient tribal mages, then why do Ken and I have different powers. We’re biological siblings.”

“Well that I can’t answer… we’re talking more than a few centuries between them and you after all. Plenty of time for the bloodlines to mix.” Lt. Moses chuckled. “What I can say is that you, Robert, are the last descendent of the fire and metal clans. Allison, you’re of the air and light clans, and Ken is from the water and lightning clans.”

“That’s six.” Robert crossed his legs. Talk of magic and ancient history didn’t interest him one bit. He wanted to know what this meant practically. “What about the other three clans, did they just die out?”

“You’d have had more luck asking my Dad that, only…”

“Is he-“

Knowing just what Robert was about to ask, Allison knocked him over the head and interrupted him with a glare. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

“Oh now don’t. It happened years ago, and I’m long passed mourning.”

She knew that was a lie, but would rather people didn’t worry about her. The Catherine Moses who’d joined the army was long gone; the Lt. Moses they saw before them was stronger, faster, and better equipped for this life. Nevertheless, her father had meant a great deal to her. Despite her refusal to care, and above all else, he’d taught her what he knew about the magi clans.

With the arrival of the Cross Rangers the tide might well be turning, and through them she hoped she might avenge her father’s death at the hands of the Black Water.

The warning klaxon blared throughout the base.

General Bryant’s voice sounded over the crackling comms system. “A group of grunts have formed from the sewers downtown. Our cams report they are being led by a human. Your first consideration is towards ensuring the infection doesn’t spread into the city’s water supply.”

Lt Moses snapped to attention, dropping all pretence. “Cross Rangers. Move out!”

o0o

General Bryant watched the rangers and Lt Moses leave via armoured helicarrier. He still didn’t know what to think about them. He certainly couldn’t quantify their abilities, and that pissed him off.

However…

He dropped his gaze to the inky black symbol slowly etching itself across the back of his hand. A few hours ago it had been nothing more than a spot on his wrist, but now he could clearly make out a moon and a star encircled by a thick black line that grew darker with every passing moment. And since then his other hand had been shining a white wisp-like air symbol.

He quickly pulled on his gloves, hacked a wheezing cough and returned to his office.

No one needed to know about this.

o0o

The Cross Rangers leaped from the helicarrier, morphed mid fall and parachuted to the ground. They landed in front of the slowly advancing horde of grunts and discarded their chutes.

“Stop right there,” said Red Cross.

The horde shambled closer still.

White Cross shook her head. “Did you really expect that to work?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. “But it was worth a try.”

Before they could launch their unique attacks, the rumoured leader stepped forward and the grunts came to a halt.

To their surprise he bore a strange resemblance to General Bryant, but he wasn’t human, not anymore at least.

Tied like a blindfold across his eyes, across his chest and shoulders, and right leg were an extensive series of bandages. His entire left leg had been replaced by a mass of black water and his left arm was enlarged to the point his knuckles dragged along the ground.

Though he appeared to have no eyes beneath his bandages, he perceived them well enough.

“Magi…”

“Yeah? And who are you?” asked Blue Cross.

Red Cross had seen a number of humans infected by the Black Water since the situation blew out of control—the soldiers killed by the elk and later reanimated to name a few—but something felt off about this guy. Why did he look like the general?

“I am No-one.” He raised his oversized arm over his head. “And soon you will be no-one too.”