A Piece of the Pie (Chapters 56-58)

Chapter 56 – When I get back, you'd better be back up

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I felt the scream leave my mouth dry, and I dropped to my knees. I could feel Uly wrapping herself around me to block flying debris.

I didn't even say hello again, to tell him I really meant what I said. To explain to him what I felt. To tell him that I – I...

I could feel my eyes go watery. Uly hugged me tighter. Everything sounded so far away... as if the world was fading...

"GET DOWN!" Jake's voice brought me back to reality. Another explosion rocked the air and Uly and I were thrown to the dirt.

Jake unleashed a barrage of fire on the shapeshifters coming straight for us, and the one with the cannon loaded up his weapon again. He took aim at Jake, but was thrown to the side with the blast from a coconut grenade tossed by Ott. Before the shifter could get to his feet and take aim again, Ott rushed him and ran him through.

Ott withdrew his blade and drove it into the ground to wipe it clean. He turned his head to us and I saw wet stains streaked down his face, set with an expression somewhere between anger, guilt, and sadness – our world was never supposed to be like this.

And...

Dim... he wasn't supposed to...

Sam was wounded quite badly. He took a battle axe scrape across his intercostals. Mouk tried to stop the bleeding with his shirt, while Sam's eyes started to roll and flicker closed.

"Dude! Come on man!" Mouk held Sam's head, "you're not gonna die..."

"Mouk! Get him in here!" Kaya called out from a doorway down a side alley.

With a great effort Mouk lifted his friend over his back and made his way over as quickly as he could, stumbling a few times from tremors caused by explosions in the street. He could feel Sam's warm blood seeping through onto his own shoulder.

"Get him on a bed," Kaya helped Mouk lower Sam onto a makeshift cot against a concrete wall.

Mouk looked around the room and noticed a large number of people propped against walls and lying in beds, all with varying degrees of injury.

An elderly woman bustled about, attending to the hurt and directing her young helpers – some as young as six or seven.

"Mouk, this is Helera," Kaya hastily introduced Mouk to the elderly woman.

"Hello dear," Helera looked mournfully at the distraught young man.

"Sam, he... he was hit by an axe... they got... he's not going to – I put pressure on it, but –"

Tears flowed from his eyes.

"He's in good hands Mouk, and you can stay with him," Kaya said softly to Mouk as she reached up and gripped his bloodied shoulder.

Looking around the room again, Mouk saw a young boy standing next to another who lay on a bed with a pained expression distorting his face. They looked like brothers. The standing boy held a set of forceps and was attempting to remove a chunk of metal lodged in one of his brother's lower ribs.

A man sitting in the corner caressed a bandaged stump where his hand used to be, and a mother stood crying over her young daughter, who lay unconscious with a good deal of cuts and burns all over her tiny legs and arms. barely breathing.

"You don't have to leave your friend," Helera spoke gently to Mouk as she started to tend to Sam, the wrinkles on her cheeks formed into a caring, ancient smile.

Kaya picked up an energy gun and began making her way back outside. Mouk gripped his injured friend's hand.

"When I get back, you'd better be back up," a teardrop fell from Mouk's face onto Sam's bloody chest, "we need you Sam."

Mouk followed after Kaya, charging up his blaster.

We had just cleared out Jasper Street, and I gathered with Jake and Uly just inside the alleyway. James breathlessly scuttled around the corner and joined us.

"Things are not looking good," he shook his head, "we have med stations all through the city, but we're being overwhelmed. They're just dropping in too fast."

"So we've just got to start taking them out faster," Jake said as he checked how many coconut grenades he had left, "hey, where's Dim at? I was talking to Strad and he said he was back."

I looked to Jake's eyes as a new wave of sadness swept over me.

At that moment I realized Uly and I were the only ones who saw it happen.

But now, Jake could tell from my face what I had been about to say.

"No, not Dim," he braced an arm against the wall with a scared laugh, "not my boy."

He fell to the ground and beat at it with his fists.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

He stayed there for several minutes, his shoulders shuddering. We all stood around, tears streamed freely down my face now. I didn't know what to do, or even think.

When Jake rose he was openly weeping, and he took me in his arms and held me tightly.

"Dim can't die," he cried into my shoulder.

"I..." I just sobbed.

I told him I loved him. He didn't out and say it, but I know he felt the same way. I wasn't sure before because I was scared, but I know he really did. We had known each other for such a short time...

Why did he have to die?

James and Uly hung their heads, their weapons dropped to their sides in despair. More gunfire erupted from down the street. Jake pulled away from me and charged up his blaster, then ran in the direction of the approaching horde without a single word.

Chapter 57 – The Fall of a Once Great City

The hulking creatures moved with such ferocity that it trembled the knees of those who stood near. One of the dragons swung its heavy tail, obliterating the eastern wall. Gondowan was flung through the air, landing hard in the trampled dirt. Another shapeshifter, this one taking the form of a sixteen foot cyclops, raised their spear high for the finishing blow.

Makonnen and his pride entered the city grounds at just this time, the king taking the behemoth by the throat before they could make the strike, crashing to the ground.

"My brother, am I glad you've made it," Strad smiled at his old friend, who stepped over the fallen giant towards him.

"I'll always be here for you Almeht," Makonnen replied as he wiped sickly ooze from his face with a massive paw.

Gondowan, somewhat shaken, rose to his feet and bowed his head towards the lion, "thank you Makonnen, you chose an excellent moment to arrive."

"Ah, Gondowan, you're very welcome. Now where should we focus our efforts?"

"The shifters have breached much of the city already... it's not looking so good."

"Well then, let's turn the tides a bit," Makonnen said with a wide lion grin and nodded to his wife, "Majula?"

Understanding what her husband was thinking, Majula let loose with a thunderous roar, and lead the others toward the city centre.

"Shall we, old friend?" Makonnen spoke to Strad.

"It is always an honour," the king of Luno Versa replied, bowing low before climbing atop the mighty lion, "Gondowan, hold down the walls, this city will not fail us!"

"Yes sir! Alright people, you heard the king, WE WILL NOT BE OVERTAKEN!" he shouted to his troops, who gave a rousing battle-cry in response.

The two kings rode off into the fray. Shapeshifters in their dragon forms – and other forms of unspeakable nature – circled ominously overhead.

Kaya sprinted through the city streets, Mouk close behind, his eyes burning red.

"Sam can't die," he muttered to himself through heavy breaths.

Vera struggled up ahead, surrounded by three large creatures with razor-like teeth.

"Vera!" Kaya screamed. Vera turned, so did the mutated shifters.

"Kaya get down!"

Without thinking she obliged as the shout rang out from behind her, where Mouk fired off a shot at the nearest creature.

The shapeshifting warrior was blown backward with the impact and Mouk blasted the second before they even knew what was happening. The third attempted to use Vera as a shield but Mouk had already seared a hole through his chest before he could get his armoured claws on her.

"Thanks," Vera breathed a sigh of relief.

Chris and Hep ducked behind a fallen tree, trying to get a good vantage point on a group of shapeshifters gathering in the park.

"Man, there's no way out, we can't take all of these guys Hep."

"We don't really have a choice."

"I hate to say this, but I think you're right. Well, if this is the end, it was nice having you as a friend."

"Don't think like that man. We've just gotta run out there, kick ass and take names! I came here to eat pizza and fight shapeshifters and I'm already full of pizza!" Hep jumped to his feet and rushed purposefully out from the tree.

"Who decided you would be the one who gets to make cool one-liners?" Chris yelled after his brother as they broke their cover and started firing sporadically.

Hep shouted over his shoulder to his twin as they ran, "I was born three minutes earlier."

"Fair enough, but was it really necessary to use two catchphrases for one situation?"

Ott and Gliud were pressed up in an alley behind Petey's Pizza. The scene out front was one of absolute devastation. The pillars had been obliterated, and rubble lay scattered over the bodies of Versanians fallen in the struggle only minutes earlier.

Ott and Gliud had been part of a tactical team advancing on a shifter squad, hoping to surprise them – but the plan had gone horribly wrong.

The shapeshifters had been ready for them, and turned into some kind of faceless rock monsters. The creatures ripped their comrades limb-from-limb, destroying Versanian warriors mercilessly.

One nearly finished off Gliud, who now leaned against the wall, biting hard on his lip to avoid screaming out in pain. He could still feel where his lower leg used to be.

"Let's go Ott, we can't let their deaths mean nothing," Gliud ignored his pain and nodded to his old friend. He touched absent-mindedly at his cauterized leg.

"You can't go back out there, they'll just catch you and finish the job, you haven't had time to heal up," Ott pleaded with Gliud.

"There will be nothing left if we don't... even if I die we might have a chance... so it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Vera stood in front of them. She had just arrived in the alley, ducking on her way in to avoid flying rubble, "you can't throw your life away."

"Vera... I – I wasn't going to get myself killed," Gliud stammered, "why are you here anyway? It's not safe," Gliud looked straight into her piercing eyes.

"In case you forgot, I am one of the most dangerous people on this planet," Vera said in response.

This was indeed true. Being the king's daughter, Vera shared a special kinship with the original guardians charged with the protection of planet Earth as well as this one.

Not much may be known about the connection between the two planets, but Strad knew, as did the Kings of Old, that honouring the promise – even after the people of Earth long forgot about her trans-dimensional sister – was the right thing to do.

And so, Vera had been educated in the old ways from a very young age, and had for years been training with a powerful inner-discipline. The only one in the city who could come close to matching her skill in martial arts was Strad himself.

While the Versanians may have not been entirely prepared for war, nor were they expecting it – it didn't make them helpless.

"Ott, bring him to a med outlet, there's one just up on Frono Drive at the old movie theater, Helera's daughter Mieja is coordinating it –"

"Whoa, we are not leaving you here alone."

As much as Ott wanted to get his friend out of here, he was not about to leave Vera alone to fight a squad of shifters who just decimated over a dozen healthy and very able soldiers.

"I'm not alone," Vera looked across the street to the roof of the greenhouse, where James sat in wait. To the left and right more Versanians lay hidden, prepared to cover Vera on her signal.

"Now get him out of here!"

"Vera, I..." Gliud muttered as he began to fall out of consciousness.

"I know Gliud."

On Vera's signal," James whispered to the young kid beside him. The kid was maybe fifteen, if that, but had large bags under his eyes, and he just stared off into the distance.

"Right," he said.

"Hey, Ruoto, it's okay to be afraid."

Ruoto continued to stare off to the horizon.

"I'm not afraid," the kid turned to James now, and the deep gash along the side of his neck was visible, "I just wish... our city... Tyu..." Ruoto's lip quivered very slightly.

When Luno Versa was attacked, during the initial onslaught my younger brother Tyu and I had been throwing a football around in the park. Then a dark shadow blocked out the remaining light from the suns over the horizon and a man dropped between us, intercepting the ball and knocking it to the ground.

The man turned to Tyu and drew a long dagger. He slashed Tyu's throat, then turned to face me. His dagger came fast, and I felt burning across my neck.

The murderer just laughed and walked away. I didn't even hear myself scream while Tyu took his last breath there in my arms.

"There it is," James squeezed Ruoto's shoulder, bringing him back from his thoughts.

He pulled a small coconut from a pocket.

Narzag and Puitch held their sides with laughter. Some skinny little bitch had just come off a back street, firing her gun into the air. All their shifter buddies joined in with them.

Puitch called out to her, "hey sweety, I'm not sure what your plan is, but I think it would be best if you wait until we finish up this battle here, then we can go back to that nice big castle and you can cook me up something good in that fancy kitchen."

His lackeys doubled over laughing, and some started licking their lips hungrily.

Vera just stared them down with no emotion. Puitch continued to express his plans, "I see you're very quiet, just how I would like my servants to be –"

Then debris erupted from all sides.

James, Ruoto, and the rest converged on the group of shifters as the ringing of the explosions split the air. A few managed to avoid the half-dozen or so coco-grenades that were tossed, but these were quickly overwhelmed by the ambushing warriors.

One large shifter swung his axe at Vera, who smoothly ducked it and fired three shots, searing a triangle of electric burns around his heart before he dropped to the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, six shifters still stood. This time the Versanians had the numbers advantage, but not quite the size. The largest shifter went immediately for Ruoto and swung his heavy fist into the boy's gut. Ruoto was thrown against a park bench and fell in a crumpled heap.

"Kid! NO!" James looked to Ruoto first, then rushed the remaining shifters with his broadsword held high.

The first fell to his blade, as did the second. A third left the group of Versanians he had been fighting and came to deal with the problem.

James swung his sword once more, but Narzag caught it in his armoured hand and wrenched it from his grasp, spitting, "you little pricks sure are annoying."

Narzag brought James's own blade down in an arc towards him, but met resistance in the form of Ruoto, banged-up but mobile.

"Oh boy, I guess it'll be you first... aaccchh!" Narzag growled and spat in pain.

James kept a trusty dagger tucked behind his calf, and presently had it driven through Narzag's ribs. The evil being stumbled backwards and pulled the short blade out of himself.

"I hate all of you pathetic scum," he ran towards Ruoto, who jumped aside and struck another blow to Narzag's shoulder.

Really pissed off now, Narzag lunged for James, who had nothing left to defend himself with.

"RAAAGHH!" Narzag roared.

But James was faster, stepping to the left and kicking him hard in the side. Narzag spun in fury, intent to rip the two young men to pieces. He took another swipe at James, but not before Ruoto managed to swing his sword in a huge arc.

Narzag's body fell to the ground with a sickening thud and his head landed a few feet away.

"I guess I owe you one," James panted.

"You might be needing that," Ruoto half smiled and pointed at James's knife still held in Narzag's cold grip.

James recovered his blade, then the two turned back to their comrades.

The others defeated the remaining shifters, and were allowing themselves a short moment to celebrate. Celebrations were short-lived however, as just then a small spaceship rocketed into the park and crashed into several trees.

Upon coming to a complete stop, a number of men in robes stepped out slowly and unwavering, varying degrees of creepiness emanating from each of them.

"Ah, this shit is not good," one of the worn Versanian troops sighed.

Chapter 58 - A New Threat

Sam was coming to. Everything at the edge of his vision was still a little red, but his breathing was nearly rating normal again. He felt down his sides where a large bandage had been wrapped around his torso several times. He tried sitting up, and he felt good. A small elderly woman approached his bed.

"How are you feeling dear?" she asked softly.

"I feel great – wait... where's Mouk?" Sam jumped to his feet and almost fell over again. Helera helped to steady him.

"You need to rest a while longer –"

"Where's Mouk? The last thing I remember was him shouting, and then –"

"Your friend is fine. He is the one who brought you here."

"Then I need to get back out there!" Sam tried to walk again but had to brace himself against a table.

A spiteful voice sounded from just outside the makeshift hospital.

"... hehe, if we take out all their medical centres they'll quit coming back to cause us more problems."

Two shifters appeared in the doorway, one carrying a large rifle and the other a heavy sword. One of them took a step into the thrown-together med unit and approached the boy lying on the table with shrapnel lodged in his rib.

"This is going to be an easy job, all we have to do is finish off anyone who's already basically dead!" the other shapeshifter laughed.

The boy's brother rose from behind the table, swinging a folding chair at the brute, who grabbed it and threw the boy against the wall. The kid fell to the ground and moaned as he tried to get back to his feet.

"Dallf, you take stumpy, and I'll deal with this punk all wrapped in bandages."

It didn't once occur to the shifter that the bandaged up kid was still packing. Sam fingered the trigger on his blaster, which hung from the back of his belt.

The shifter approached him with a menacing grin – and was abruptly blown back through the window. His partner with the sword turned, but not quickly enough so as to avoid two direct blasts from Sam's weapon.

"Until I'm fit enough to go back, I'll stay and help protect this place," Sam decided, returning his gun to his belt as the sizzling sound faded.

"Thank you young man," Helera helped the boy back to his brother and acknowledged Sam with a nod of approval.

"Hey, you fixed me," Sam ran his hand over his extensive bandages, "I could've easily been dead by now."

Sam turned now to the little kid, "So on our watch, none of these guys are going to get in here to hurt these people."

Jake, Uly and I were surrounded by a mass of shifters. This time it looked like it really was the end. The armoured fiends raised their weapons, and then came the gunfire – relentlessly.

But I didn't feel the searing pain, or even the impact. Miraculously, we'd been saved again.

I looked around to see who had come to our aid this time, and my hopes were thoroughly dashed as men approached through the smoke, their garb eerily similar to that of the creep who called himself Noruav.

"Don't look so shocked, you didn't honestly think we needed them, did you? They are good for a few things, I'll admit, but really we need them out of the way just as much as we want you gone," one of the robed men announced.

A deep scar ran down the left side of his head, just behind the temple.

"Watch," with a sick grin the man pulled a small device from his robe and pressed a button.

Three shifter airships that were lowering into the city instantaneously exploded.

It was deafening.

The man waved off his accomplices, saying he could handle the three of us.

"Your friends blew one up earlier, really it didn't make a difference... it would have happened at some point... your king will fall, and as for your idiot earth friend, well... you're going to have to find pieces of him scattered amongst the wreckage."

Jake snapped.

My fist clenched.

Jake ran for the scumbag, pulled out a short sword and prepared to swing. The man dodged Jake's slash and stepped aside as he threw his shoulder into him, sending his bent-double form flying through the air to land nearly fifteen feet away.

"Poor manners these earth people have, he didn't even allow me to introduce myself. My name is Garoq," he bowed exaggeratedly, keeping his eyes on us then flicking them to Jake, who tried to groan back to his feet.

"Now, ladies, I will get to business. I am offering you the chance to stay alive, you need only do what we say," Garoq folded his hands in front of him and smiled a demented smile.

"You can go to hell," was all that came from Feo's mouth as the two women stood their ground.

"Ooohh," Garoq shook his head and laughed, "such a fierce and powerful spirit inside such a lovely package. Imagine if you joined with me – as my queen, our power together would strike such fear in -"

The douche didn't get a chance to reveal his horrible plans for Feo due to having a grapefruit-sized hole suddenly melted directly through the centre of his forehead.

Feo moved so quickly with her blaster there was no time for him to adjust his malicious grin into a much more appropriate look of surprise.