[TheFightingSpirit]

Incursion Sixteen: Sun Divers.

Robert stood at the very centre of the living room. Above his head he held his newly claimed spear. He didn’t know much about the art of making weapons, but he felt stronger holding it.

He twirled it once, then twice, narrowly missing the lamp on the side table by the couch.

Alison caught the shaft of spear as it swooshed through the air. “You probably shouldn’t be playing with that in doors.”

“Oh lighten up, I’m just having a bit of fun.”

He collapsed the spear down to almost half its length with a flick of his wrist and place it back in one of the metallic hard cases with the rest of the weapons; Alison’s swords, Ken’s blaster, and Brad’s hammer.

The apartment door clicked open and in walked Catherine, a rare beaming smile brightening up her face. Maria followed her in. “Speaking of fun, I’m giving you the day off.”

“Really?” Robert didn’t know what to think.

Over in the kitchen, Ken chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because evil takes days off. Everyone knows that.”

“Well, whatever happens next, after the last mission I think we deserve it. Don’t you?” said Catherine.

At this Brad perked up. He sat, largely ignored, amongst an ever-growing pile of course work.

“That means we could go to the beach,” he said excitedly.

Everyone turned to face him.

“Eh?”

“Why not? It’s pretty scorching out.” He shrugged. “What? You’ve never really asked me what I do for fun. Don’t look at me like that!”

Robert nodded slowly and smiled. He leaped across the room and dragged Brad to his feet. “Sounds like a plan,” he declared.

Maria shuddered to herself. She’d not gone to the beach since were a pre-teen. Too much personal training. Too many lofty goals. “I might sit this one out if you don’t mind. I’ve got some coordinating to do now since what remains of the old squad is scattered without a base.”

Robert dove over the back of the couch and grabbed her around the shoulders. “Oh no you don’t. You’re coming too. Red’s orders.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Fine, but you won’t get me in a swimming costume.”

o0o

It may have started raining in land, with black skies over Fort Lowsdale not long after the rangers left, but at the coast the sun shone brightly.

Robert stepped from the changing room Catherine had hired for them, and tied off the string on his shorts. He stretched out his weary muscles and bathed in the sun with a huge smile on his face. “This is simply the best, isn’t it?”

Brad stepped out behind him with shorts, t-shirt and a hat on. “Yeah, just great, but I can feel myself burning already.”

“You’re not helping your image much,” said Ken. “Besides, this was your idea. I thought you dug the beach?”

“Oh, shut it. My skin is too fair for this kind of weather...”

Ken chuckled. “Sure.”

They waited together for girls. Ken and Robert stood soaking in the sun, while Brad slunk off to take shade under a nearby tree overhanging the changing rooms.

After a short while, the door creaked open again revealing Allison.

Almost immediately, Ken took Robert’s shoulders and spun him one hundred and eighty degrees to face away from his big sister. He threw his arm around his shoulder. “Say, how ‘bout we go for a swim? Yeah?”

“Huh?” Robert glanced back and caught a glimpse of Allison in a tight black bikini and white sarong. Her fit, lightly muscled body glistening ever so slightly with what must have been a layer of protective sun cream.

“Come on,” Ken said, steering him toward the water once more. “That’s all the free looks you’re getting, mate.”

Brad looked between the guys and Allison. He shrugged, not really seeing the problem, and followed after Robert and Ken.

Allison chuckled and called out into the changing, “You coming, Maria?”

“I suppose…” An embarrassed Maria joined Allison outside with her shoulders hung forward and her hand’s crossed over her chest. “A hardened soldier like me, out here, in this.”

Though she’d managed to insist on wearing a simple black one piece, it wasn’t hard to see all the years she’d spent training etched into the lines and curves of her body. Next to Maria, Allison looked positively unfit.

“You’re talking a load of nonsense you know.” Allison took her newest friend’s hand. “You can be both girly and a soldier. Anyone ever tell you that?”

Maria shot her a hard look.

“Alright.” Allison threw up her hands. “I get it, but the least you could do is enjoy yourself. You deserve a vacation as much as any of us.” Especially after General Bryant’s betrayal, she thought to herself.

o0o

Later that day, Robert came back from the bar with drinks in hand for Allison and himself. The guys were off trying to get Maria to open up a little, before the day was up and she snapped back into military-mode.

That left the two of them alone.

He slid a beer across the table at Allison and sat down opposite her. “Thanks to your brother, I haven’t had a chance to say this. You look great.”

Allison cringed at such blatant appreciation of her appearance and raised her drink. “Cheers, I guess?”

“Yeah, cheers.” They clinked bottles.

“I’ve got to admit,” she said. “I’ve been freaking out about this trip all day.”

“This spur of the moment trip?”

“Okay, okay.” She took a sip. “I’m no more okay with showing skin than Maria is and … well, I’m scared of what’s happening back in FL, and Steele City.”

Robert’s face took a stern turn. He pointed the neck of his bottle at her. “Hey! You’re supposed to be forgetting about that. Maria is… finally.”

Sure enough, outside and across the sand, Maria and the others had succumb to joining a game of volleyball with a couple of other beach dwellers. Her smile positively beamed, lighting up her usually stern features and making her seem for a moment like a normal young woman.

“We shouldn’t be here, Rob. Not with a fight on two fronts. No-one’s been pretty silent, but what about Bryant? He’ll be wanting revenge for our raid. Surely.”

“Stop it.”

“I’m being serious-”

“Stop! I’m sure you are being serious, Al. Thing is we’re here to have fun. When else will we get to enjoy the beach like this? Who knows how much longer this fight will go on? Maybe we’ll never get rid of the infection.”

He turned to focus on the volley ball match lest she see the full force of his emotion. “Maybe we’ll be fighting for the rest of our lives and this is the last time we’ll get to kick back, you know? So perhaps it’s time for you to give me this one and just bloody enjoy yourself. Okay?”

Allison fell into a stunned silence. She’d only seen him feel this strongly about two things now. The first being his instance on doing things his way. When Robert got serious, as little as that happened, it paid to listen.

Eventually she nodded. “Okay. You win.”

Something wasn’t right between them from then on however, as they joined their friends spectating on a second match that had broken out.

Robert knew he’d said too much, in much too wrong words, but he meant it. He couldn’t see the future, no one could, so why the ruin the day? Why not take every chance you could to have fun?

o0o

While the rangers relaxed in the sun, on the sand, in the water (or in Brad’s case under an umbrella), Catherine drove a short way up the coast on her way to meet with one of her contacts.

She’d wondered for a long time whether this counted as lying to her team mates, but she couldn’t give them false hope. If the lead she was here chasing ended up a dead end, she could drive back and join them on the beach. No questions asked.

Catherine pulled off the road into a small car park among the dunes of a nature reserve, killed the engine and waited.

After about half an hour, a group of men and women in simple brown robes appeared over the crest of the dunes.

This group was who she was there to meet. They’d contacted her two weeks ago, saying nothing more than how they wanted to meet the new magi. Curious to say the least, Catherine took a chance and agreed a time and place. She wasn't expecting much. At the most, a bunch of guys with an obsession with ancient history rivaling her dad’s, perhaps even old friends of his. Nevertheless is paid to keep the rangers away from them until she knew they could be trusted.

She hadn't expect to meet a bunch of monk look-a-likes.

A tall man stepped forward looking to shake her hand. “Good to see you, Lieutenant Moses. I understand how much trust you are putting in us by being here.”

“Damn right. You’re just lucky our enemies have been quiet for a few weeks now...”

“I’m not asking you to believe us, all we’re asking is for the chance to talk to you,” said another more portly monk.

“We owe you an explanation,” the tall one said. “My name is Brother Gray, and I’m the head of this chapter of the Order of the Trinity.”

“Order of the Trinity? Father, son… holy ghost?”

One of the female members of the group grinned. “Wrong trinity.”

Brother Gray nodded and continued: “The Order of the Trinity was created in ancient times as the magi retinue of the tribal emperor. Together, the order, the emperor and his royal followers, they were known as the Trinity Clan and drew their power directly from the three most powerful clans under His rule. That is the trinity we serve.

“Over the intervening millennia, we of the Order have lost our connection to the magi runes, but our duty remains unforgotten. We are the guardians of the emperor and the keeper of the knowledge.”

A growl sprung up from atop one of the dunes, causing them all to pause.

Forming from a mass Black Water was a large, bulky humanoid warrior. As his features consolidated themselves, armour formed around him and finally a hide of spikes reminiscent of a porcupine.

“At last. We’ve found you,” it grunted.

The Order stepped between the mutant and Lieutenant Moses.

“You may have found us, but we can just as easily slip back into the shadows,” said Brother Gray.

“Not if I murder you first.” It sneered and bared its teeth. It’s spikes and spines bristled with anticipation. “Master will be pleased to have the heads of the last ever Trinity chapter.”

The mutant tore one of the largest spikes from its own back with sickening crunch and brandished it like weapon. He dove towards the Order.

Brother Gray dodged each swipe of the spike with the practiced ease of a life-long martial artist. He slammed his palm into the mutant’s exposed neck.

A burst of light shone in the seconds after the blow. Catherine felt a strong power radiating from the Order. It couldn’t have been the same power the magi wielded. Brother Gray said they’d lost that ability long ago. So what is it? If they aren’t magi, then ... how do they have this power?

Not once did the Order strike in rage. Theirs was an art of defense. They only fought, it seemed, to protect her. She moved back toward her car and the Order moved with her, only serving to prove her point.

Brother Gray broke off his attack and joined Catherine. “Lieutenant Moses, you must leave. Now.”

“What? No. I have to help you fight.”

“I've underestimated the gravity of the situation. I'm sorry. If the mutants are now being controlled by a central intelligence then they are further along than we previously thought.”

With a wave of his hands a magical circle appeared on the ground behind her. He pushed her gently into it and waved his hand again. “You must return home with your magi. I fear our enemies may attack when you are at your weakest. Once we are free to do so, we’ll join you. There is much to discuss, far more than we can discuss here, at this time.”

The bright white light within the circle snapped up in a column around her. There was a strange sensation of falling, before she collapsed into the driver’s seat of her car.

Now she saw them from a distance, the Order were wielding a magic of some kind. As she shifted into gear and pulled away from the car park, she wondered if she would ever find out what that power was...

Or for that matter, whether she could trust Brother Gray’s words.

o0o

Catherine pulled to a halt perhaps quicker than she should have, and tore off on foot down the beach towards the rangers. It proved tough going as her shoes sunk into the loose, fine sand with every step.

“We've got to go,” she said as soon as she got within shouting distance.

Maria was acutely aware of eyes turning toward her and the others, watching them, wondering why this loud, suited woman was disturbing the peace.

“What’s wrong?” whispered Allison. “We’re causing a bit of scene.”

“I wish I could explain in a way that made sense, but…” She bit her lip. “Look, grab your stuff and meet me in the car. Fort Lowsdale could be in danger.”

“Could be in danger?” asked Brad. His question fell ignored as Catherine had already left, running back up the beach toward the car park. Robert, Allison and Ken were on their way back to the changing rooms. “Guys?”

“Come on, Green,” said Maria, hanging back with him. “First lesson of the military: If your commanding officer says jump, what do you reply?”

“I suppose... How high?”

“You got it.” She chuckled. “If we have to go we have to go.”

“D’you think the Black Water found us out here?”

“Could be. Could be."