with enthusiasm.
Chapter Four:
Alive to Fight Another Day

In the morning Aerion was awoken by a terrible sore and burning feeling in his thigh. He was sharing a room with Kyadus while Torsaine and Dofrias were in the other room. Aerion tried to swing his legs out of bed and stand up, but the pain was too much for him to handle at the moment. He looked at the clock in the corner of the room and saw that it read 7:13. That s not too early he thought to himself.
Kyadus wake up, he said in a normal tone of voice. When that failed to stir Kyadus he spoke in a louder voice. Kyadus wake up and give me a pain killer. Kyadus rolled around and murmured a little, but did not wake up. Aerion was pissed at this point and shouted, Wake up dickhead! as he threw his shoe at Kyadus face.
The yelling startled Kyadus awake, but the shoe to the face is what really got his attention. I m up now asshole, he said as he wiped his face. What do you want? It feels like my leg is on fire, he said sharply. I m in too much pain to walk and I need you to get my painkillers on the counter by the sink. Alright you big baby, Kyadus said in a condescending tone. I wouldn t want the baby to fall down and hurt himself. Shut up asshole, he shouted. You try getting shot in the leg and then tell me how it feels, especially after walking a marathon. That was hardly a marathon, Kyadus said as he grabbed the bottle and threw it at Aerion. Don t take too many of those. We don t want you becoming dependent on them and shit. Thanks for the lecture dad, Aerion said as he put two pills in his mouth and swallowed them without water.
I m just saying, Kyadus replied, those things can be addictive and dangerous. The last thing we need is for you to be doped out at some critical moment when we need you the most. I heard you before, he said with frustration. You are going to make an infuriating father one day. Yeah, sure, whatever, Kyadus said as he got back into bed, now just shut up and let me get a few more hours of sleep. Unlike you I wasn t in a coma for a few hours yesterday and I m still tired. Alright, Aerion said with a sigh, but you ve got until 10 o clock, and not a minute more young man. Kyadus rolled over and fell back asleep in just a few minutes, but Aerion was not tired anymore and he couldn t go back to sleep. His mind was also racing with thoughts ranging from happiness of their first major victory, to uncertainty of their future attacks, all the way to his unnatural hatred of Dofrias. He still couldn t pinpoint why he didn t like the man, but something about the way he looked, or how he talked, or who he was on an unknown fundamental level enraged Aerion. He began to have vivid daydreams about the various ways he desired to slaughter Dofrias. Some were as simple as poisoning him or shooting him in the head, but some were more perverse involving elaborate games of cat and mouse where Aerion was free to harass and torture until Dofrias was broken. It was a very clear and disturbing portrait of a mind running wild, but somehow it comforted Aerion. He passed the time happily, focusing on the feast of blood in his mind s eye. Getting Dofrias out of the way would be a good start.
At a quarter after nine a knocking came at the door and it startled Kyadus out of his sleep. Why doesn t anyone like to sleep around here? he whined as he got up to answer the door.
Good morning sunshine, Torsaine said as he pushed his way into the room. How are you feeling this morning, Aerion? Like I ve been shot, he said sarcastically, how did you think I would be feeling? Like a million bucks? Maybe after it went through a shredder. That s to be expected, Torsaine replied as he shut the door behind him, but you don t have to be snarky about it. I m just trying to help. At least you re more helpful than Kyadus. Aerion said. That lazy bum would still be asleep if it was up to him. You re damn right I would be, Kyadus replied as he got back into bed.
Not so fast, Torsaine said quickly, hurry up and get dressed. We are checking out at 9:30 and hitting the road. After breakfast, right? Aerion asked.
Of course we will have breakfast first, Torsaine said, but only after this bum gets dressed. Calm down, Kyadus said as he rubbed his eyes. I ll be ready in a little bit, just let me grab a shower while I can. Alright, Torsaine said, but be quick. Would you expect anything less of me? Kyadus asked with an odd smile as he headed to the bathroom.
Yeah I really would, Torsaine said softly to Aerion.
Once everyone was dressed they met down in the lobby and began to walk the streets looking for a quiet place to eat. After what happened yesterday they couldn t afford to eat someplace where they might get recognized, so they ducked into a little mom and pop diner which was nearly deserted. The gang still enjoyed themselves, but this time they kept their presence relatively low-key compared to the night before. Aerion was still having his sick thoughts about murdering his friends while he put on the fa ade of friendship and gave a remarkable performance. Close to the end of the meal he almost slipped up with an odd comment, but he managed to recover and keep the illusion intact.
After they finished breakfast they stole another car and started heading south down I-95. After they crossed the border into Maryland they ditched the car in a grocery store parking lot and swiped a slick looking Mercedes. They arrived in the Baltimore area shortly before one o clock and had a quick bite to eat before they did some shopping. They went to the same exotic weapons store as before, but somehow it all seemed so different. It was as if the meaning of the store had changed, but Kyadus knew that it was really the group that had change while the store remained the same. Dofrias was not filled in on what they were doing before they arrived, so when they passed the guy at the counter and headed down stairs into the basement he got suspicious and asked, What is going on here? Don t worry, Torsaine said, it s not as bad as it may seem. Just stay relaxed guy, Kyadus added. This place is awesome. They passed through the steel reinforced door, much like a door to a bomb shelter, and into an armory fit for a madman.
Oh my God, this is unbelievable, Dofrias said as he scanned the room. This is an elaborate and dangerous collection. This is a top notch exotic weapons shop, the man who owned it said. I can get you just about anything your warped little heart s desire. Like what kind of stuff are you guys looking for? Dofrias asked.
Something that can nearly incinerate twenty people at once, Kyadus said with wide eyed excitement.
Then I recommend some cypino flamethrowers, Dofrias said casually.
Oh, what are those? Kyadus asked.
A cypino flamethrower does not shoot out fire exactly. It shoots out Blank and Blank, which when combined together form a jet of highly volatile liquid. Whatever the joint liquid touches will be engulfed in a raging inferno so white hot that it will burn until there is nothing left. Holy shit! That sounds so awesome. Kyadus said.
They also have the highly effective white phosphorus flamethrower, but nothing can compare to a cypino flamethrower. I want the cypino, Kyadus said sounding like a little kid. Those white phosphorus ones probably suck anyway. What else do you want? Dofrias asked.
We need something that can obliterate armored military vehicles, or any vehicles for that matter. Then you will need a polytonic deatomizer for that, Dofrias replied.
What does one of those do? Kyadus asked with awe.
Well, it is a little hard to explain, but it should suit your needs well, Dofrias answered, trying to hide his lack of knowledge in that area.
That sounds so cool, Kyadus said, but I think we need more. How about something that can take down a helicopter or a jet? Then you will need and EMP missile. Hell yeah, Kyadus said with almost uncontainable joy. What does it do? When the desired aircraft flies with a certain range you shoot the missile and it will lock on to the radio frequency it is sending out. It will follow the aircraft until its sticks to it at which point it sends out an Electromagnetic Pulse which shorts out all of the electrics and flight controls. Then the aircraft will be useless and just plummet from the sky. Damn straight, Kyadus said. I want a bunch of those. Do we have the money for this? Torsaine asked.
Don t worry about it, Kyadus said. He looked at the guy who owned this place and said, I ll take twelve of all the things he was just talking about and twelve of each of the things I ordered the last time I was here. Very good sir, the man said as he gathered up the items.
That is so much power, Aerion said drooling a little. How much is that going to cost us? Torsaine asked.
The total is eleven hundred dollars, the guy said.
Damn, Torsaine said, that was pretty cheap. Yeah, Kyadus agreed. Outfits like this can t make their prices too high or they will lose out to the competition, and besides, they steal most of this stuff anyway. You think this will be enough? Aerion asked sarcastically.
I give it a week if we are lucky, Kyadus said with a chuckle.
Now that fun shopping time is over let s go kick some ass, Torsaine said full of enthusiasm.
Have a good time guys, the owner said, make sure to come back when you need more stuff. Of course we will, Kyadus replied and ran up the stairs after the others.
Once they left the store they boosted another pickup truck and set out for their next destination. They arrived an hour later and parked a few blocks away to come up with a new plan. Once they worked out a solid plan Dofrias remember the backpack of his stuff Torsaine took and said, We shouldn t the things Torsaine grabbed from my house. You re right, Kyadus said. I almost forgot about that. Torsaine located the back and dumped it out on the seat. What does all of this stuff do? Torsaine asked as he looked through the stuff.
You took this stuff from me without asking, Dofrias said. What make you think that it was ok to do that? You were unconscious and we were in trouble, Torsaine said, but the deed is already done. There is no point in getting mad now, so you should tell us what these things do. Dofrias picked up something that looked like a small Rubik s cube and said, This little guy can send out a wave that bombards the atoms of certain objects causing them to separate forcefully. He puts it down and picks up an egg shaped devise and says, This one can reverse the polarity to anything. That deals with quantum mechanics and shit. He puts that one down and points at a larger object on the table and says, This little beauty right here can generate a gravity field strong enough to collapse whatever it is near. He points at the last object on the table and says, This guy is a complex radiation devise that can alter genetic patterns of any living thing, most of the alterations are negative; such as sudden retardation, bones growing through the lungs, or violent multiple organ failure. The objects on this table are not to be taken lightly gentlemen. Can we use this stuff in our plan? Kyadus asked with delight.
Yeah, I guess so, Dofrias replied. Whatever you end up using I want replaced as soon as possible. That s no problem, cousin, Torsaine said as he hugged him. You are the best. I am so glad Aerion was shot so we could find you. Thanks a lot, Aerion said with sarcasm. He still hated Dofrias with a passion, but he was beginning to see a bigger picture forming. The uprising was the perfect plan to gain everything he wanted. He knew he wouldn t be able to overthrow the Mozahki Empire by himself, so he would just have to use his friends to gain control of it, and then kill them off so he alone would be in charge. He had always wanted the power ever since Torsaine had come to him seeking his aid, but he had tried to push those thoughts out of his head. Now that he decided he was going to kill Dofrias when presented the chance he couldn t help but think about killing Kyadus and Torsaine when the time was right. It was his destiny to rule the world and he would do whatever it took to make that destiny come true.
The plan was finally complete and it was time to execute the next step. They gathered their gear and got out of the truck. They walked together a few block until they arrived at the entrance to the state assembly Kyadus had found out about the day before. It was a shame that the Mozahki Empire was expecting this and had the secret police and various elite military squadrons from around the world set to ambush them. As they were climbing the steps the heard a weird rumble and saw an unusual shadow along the ground. They looked up and saw a military helicopter circling over them with a sniper leaning out the door. It s an ambush! Aerion screamed as he pulled out a plasma grenade and activated it as he threw it at the doors. The glass shattered in a colorful display of fire and Kyadus and Torsaine charged threw the openings with their cypino flamethrowers in hand. Once inside they triggered them and laid waste to about twenty men in the lobby while Aerion and Dofrias swung around the back to outflank them. A handful of guards were waiting around the back entrance in case backup was needed and Aerion took them out with a plasma grenade.
Aerion and Dofrias snuck in the back and cleared the building as they went, killing any opposition as it arose with their tachyonic rifles. They made it to a video surveillance room packed with elite military men. Aerion threw his rifle down and pulled out a ryshan rocket, launching it into the room, killing all the men inside as well as destroying the equipment inside.
That was awesome, Dofrias said with excitement.
Aerion saw that this might be his best chance to kill Dofrias and cover it up. He picked up a pistol that was lying on the floor near the door and shot Dofrias twice in the chest and once in the head. Dofrias dropped to the ground with a confused look on his face, but he didn t make a sound and died quietly in the hallway. Aerion screamed as he threw the pistol down, picked his tachyonic rifle back up and unloaded a hail of gunfire into the smoking remains of the dead men, and screamed once more.
After Kyadus and Torsaine had cleared the first room they began to search the rest of the building for any hostile threats, but the place appeared to have been deserted. Damn it, Kyadus said as he hung his head.
What is it? Torsaine asked.
The Mozahki Empire was expecting us here, so they evacuated the place and set up guards to kill us. Yeah, but they are all dead, so what is the problem? There is nobody here that has the power to help us. All the lawmakers and people of importance are elsewhere and we can t get any answers. We can t be sure of that, Torsaine said, trying to remain positive. Maybe they are still here in another part of the building. You might be right, but what if we just run into more guys? Torsaine was about to speak when he heard and felt an explosion towards the back half of the building. Without a word they both ran down the few serpentine corridors and heard a few gun shots, followed by a loud scream of pain, followed by a bunch of shots from a different gun, and then another scream of emotional anguish.
The rounded the corner and could see the thick smoke billowing into the hallway, and in that haze they could see a man standing over another man s body. As they got closer and the smoke thinned out they could see that it was Aerion and that he slumped to his knees as he started to weep. They looked down and it was as if their worst nightmare was fulfilled. They body tell the body on the ground was Dofrias , even though part of his head had been blown off. It was very clear that he was dead; his lifeless body had a pool of blood growing around his head, looking like an expanding halo.
After a brief moment of shock Torsaine ran to the body and shouted, No, Dofrias! Why did you have to die? The sadness began to grow in him, but he ignored it as best as he could. How did it happen? he asked before the tears started to fall from his face too.
Well, Aerion said as he rubbed his eyes and blew his nose, we swung around the back entrance and were taking out the guys as we saw them. Then we came to this room and I used a ryshan rocket to kill them, but I guess I didn t see that one of them was still alive. I was celebrating when I heard the gunshots that brought poor Dofrias down. Before Dofrias even fell I took my rifle and blew that asshole to hell. I m so sorry Torsaine. Kyadus was just stunned by all of this and he didn t know what to say, so he just put his hand across Torsaine s back for support.
What are we going to do with the body? Torsaine asked as he began to feel a deep remorse for dragging Dofrias into this mess.
We will have to deal with that a little later, Aerion said. Right now the uprising is more important. He is right, you know, Kyadus said as he rubbed Torsaine s back. After we are through here we will do something nice in memory of Dofrias. Alright, Torsaine said as he tried to push aside his pain for the good of the mission. Let s finish this quickly. They stayed together and went around the building from room to room looking for people. Most of the rooms were deserted and it looked like the place had been evacuated. They were just about to give up hope when they came upon a meeting room, much like a courtroom, and found the hundreds of people who worked there hiding out like a bunch of wimps.
Kyadus walked inside brandishing his rifle and screamed, This is an uprising! Cooperate and you may keep your lives! Just like the day before the people screamed and began to scramble around, so Kyadus fired a warning shot into the air. Don t scream or I will kill you all of you! The screaming stopped and everyone became very still and focused. Alright, that s much better. Now I need you to listen up and listen good. We need to speak to the leader or leaders of this state assembly, so if you tell me who they are then we won t have to shoot you in the head. Torsaine and Aerion were watching different sections of the room to make sure none of the people there would do anything to hurt their plans. After a period of silence Torsaine said, If you won t give us the information willingly then we will take it by any means necessary. After a continued period of silence he fired a round into the ceiling, pointed his gun at a random person, and said, You right there, who is in charge here? The leaders are called the Board of Directors, the employee stated, they are located on the fourth floor in various offices in the president s wing. Good, Kyadus said. Things go much smoother when you just tell us what we want to know. Yeah, Torsaine said as he lowered his rifle.
You guys stay here and guard these people, Kyadus said, I ll go up there and find those guys. Just maintain order down here and if anything goes beyond your control let me know as soon as you can. Kyadus left the meeting room and went upstairs to the fourth floor. He ran around the entire wing checking every office and found them all deserted. He fumed as he finished touring the fourth floor and decided to check the other two floors as he came down. Both floors were deserted as well. His rage built with every step and by the time he made it to the meeting room it boiled over and he shot the lying asshole in the head.
Whoa! Torsaine said with shock.
What the hell was that for? Aerion asked with confusion.
That fucker lied to us, Kyadus said as aimed his weapon at a different guy. Show me who the leaders are or you will die just like the other guy. The man swallowed in fear and said, All of the really important people were evacuated to the subterranean holding chamber. I can show you the entrance if you want me to. Well no shit guy, Kyadus said with a scoff, of course I will need you to take me down there, and if this is a trap I can assure you my associates will kill everyone in this room right now in the most horrible fashion. I m sure you would, the man said as he stood up. Follow me and I will show you everything. Great, Kyadus said as put the muzzle of his rifle into the guys back, lead the way little man. The guy took them from the meeting room down the hall until they came to a janitor s closet. In the back of the closet was a grate over the floor with a ladder underneath it. He pulled the grate off and they descended the ladder into a pathway of carved earth. They followed the winding tunnel around for a few miles until they came to a solid metal door set into the stone. The man knocked a series of distinct knocks that were surely Morse code and after a moment the door swung inward.
Kyadus heard voices from within and they didn t seem alarmed yet, so he took pleasure in storming from behind the guy showing a few rockets and a grenade or two. The bright faces of the middle aged guys were instantly darkened by a pure terror that would stop the heart of an older guy, except for the oldest looking man there. His face remained unchanged and he appeared to be contemplating something behind his cold eyes.
Well good morning gentlemen, Kyadus said with a wide grin. Surprised to see me down here in your secret fag cave? I figured you would make it here sooner or later, the man replied.
So I take it you have heard of me, Kyadus said.
I have not heard of you particularly, he said boldly, just your young and foolish group of rogue menaces. Who are you to be so bold and defy me and my men? Kyadus asked with the fresh anger of an arrogant young man with something to prove.
I am the president of this board, Mr. Voldire. I can be so bold for I know that you will never succeed in your quest. Mr. Voldire replied calmly.
That really got under Kyadus skin, so he pulled out his tachyonic rifle and shot Voldire in the head which shocked the other men into silence. Anyone else want to smart off to me? He held the rifle in the alert position waiting for a response.
The leaders just sat there motionless, not sure whether they should speak and possibly invite their own death.
So does that mean you are willing to cooperate with me? he asked.
The men were still too shocked to speak, but this time some of them managed to nod their heads up and down.
That s what I like to hear, Kyadus said as he lowered his rifle, or at least see in this case. Which of you lucky people would like the honor of helping me? When he didn t receive a response he pointed his rifle at the first board members hear and asked, Will you help me? The board member was frozen for a second and then moved his head back and forth giving the signal for no.
Kyadus lifted the rifle and aimed in shooting the man in the throat. The man made a thin wheeze as the air escaped his lungs and a jet of blood surged from his ruined windpipe. He collapsed to the floor and shook for a few moments as his blood and his life slipped out of him.
Kyadus kept his rifle up and moved on to the next person. Will you help me? he asked again.
This man also made the motion for no and was promptly shot in the throat as well. He wheezed and collapsed to the floor in a similar fashion to the other man just seconds earlier.
Kyadus was getting tired of this game and threw the rifle to the floor. He reached in his bag and pulled out a plasma grenade and held his thumb over the activation button. I will only ask this one more time, and if I don t get the answer I want I will kill all of you. Then I will go upstairs and kill all of the others as well. Is anyone here willing to help me? A long silence followed and Kyadus looked at each of the remaining men s faces carefully. He studied them intently to try and find some weakness and fear to exploit, but these men seemed like empty shells. Their stoic faces giving up virtually no information. He figured this whole lot was worthless and it would just be better to kill them all and start again.
I see you have made your choice, Kyadus said as he prepared to through the grenade. Prepare to die. Wait, a mousy voice said.
Kyadus lowered his hand and said, Who said that? Speak up. I said wait, the mousy man said as he moved forward and his voice grew stronger with purpose. I will help you. Good, you are a smart man, Kyadus said as he put the plasma grenade away and picked the tachyonic rifle back up. This is an important job, so listen carefully. I am going to need you to make me an all access code so I can have access to the most top-secret government files. Now I mean I want everything, like presidential access and shit. Once I get that you will be allowed to leave alive while I hack into the Mozahki Empire mainframe and reconfigure the governments control system to where I am in total control. Do you understand what I want? Yes, the man said a little begrudgingly. What is your name? Kyadus asked as he moved his rifle into the ready position and switched the safety back on.
My name is Fred Washington, the man said as he moved to the door, Follow me, sir. He led Kyadus out of the subterranean chamber and back into the building. Once inside they went up to the third floor to the computer control room of the building. Washington closed the door behind them and got a blank disk from the supply cabinet. He sat down at one of the computers and inserted the disk into the drive. The computer attempted to read the disk and after a moment a new window popped up. He opened up the menu and began selecting the programs he would need. He added the encryption software along with the series of vital government systems, access codes, clearance passes, a few configuration devices, and some support software. He set everything up to be written to the disk and said, This is everything you should need. Great, Kyadus said with enthusiasm, now give it to me.
Hold on, sir! Fred said sternly. The software needs to finish copying. This may take a few minutes, you will have to wait. Fine, Kyadus said with a sigh. He began to walk around the room and noticed a large monitor on the back wall that was receiving security footage. Where is this footage coming from, Washington? All that footage is from this floor. Each floor has an observation post that pertains to that level. So is there any way I can see what happens on the first floor from here? Kyadus asked.
I m afraid not, Washington replied. Each floor is only focused on itself and completely separated from the rest of the floors. Damn it, Kyadus said with a snarl as he smashed the screen in with the butt of his rifle. Once the monitor fell to the floor he aimed the rifle in and blasted the hell out of it.
Washington took this momentary distraction to install an activated location tracker as well as a trip virus. The trip virus was designed to activate once the user reached a certain step and would freeze the users system. It would also trigger the location tracker which would beam the location of the user and their IP address to any computers on the designated network.
This is total horseshit! Kyadus screamed as the magazine ran dry. He pulled out a fresh one and swapped it out with the empty one. He walked back to where Washington was and said, This thing better hurry up. It only has a few more seconds, Washington said as he tried to hide a smile. Once the programs were written to the disk he opened the drive and handed the disk to Kyadus.
Kyadus grabbed it and said, Now this is what I m talking about. Alright, that s it. I hope you enjoy taking over the government today, sir, Washington said with a subtle smirk on his face.
I will, Kyadus said in a soft, low voice. Trust me, I will. Kyadus threw open the door and ran out of the room. He took the stairs down two at a time and burst into the first floor hallway with an excited shout. He kept running until he reached the meeting room and took a moment to regain his composure. Once he was ready he opened the door and strutted inside with a wide, confident smile and said, Mission accomplished boys. Oh that s awesome, Aerion said with an evil grin. Now that they had what they came for they were one step closer to taking full control of the Mozahki Empire. Then once they were in charge he would kill off Kyadus and Torsaine. Ruling the government all by himself was a prize that he now so desperately desired that it was hard for him to focus on anything else, but he sure his it quite well from everyone.
Did you have any trouble getting it? Torsaine asked.
Not really, Kyadus said as he placed the disk in a case and put it in his side pocket.
Are you sure about that ace? he asked again. We heard some gunfire from down below and some more from upstairs. I had to waste a few of the guys down there, but it s not really that big of a deal. I did what I had to do, now let s get out of here. Where are we going to go? Aerion asked.
I have an idea, Kyadus said, just follow me and try to keep up. They left the building and activated their jetpacks. Kyadus took the lead and they all flew to a secure location, Kyadus house. The original Chaos Triad was back to the place where they had formed and it felt a little surreal for them to be returning.
Once they were inside Torsaine asked, Are you sure this place is safe? Of course it s safe, Kyadus replied. They will never think to look for us here. When was the last time wanted fugitives just hid out at home? He does have a point, Aerion said as he took off his bag and dropped it onto the couch in the living room. Fugitives get caught hiding out at some weird places, but not since like 2050 has a fugitive been caught at home. So in essence it is the last place the authorities would look for you. You see Torsaine, Aerion gets it, Kyadus said as he headed upstairs to where his computer was.
Yeah Torsaine, Aerion said smugly as he headed for the stairs, get your head in the game. I ll get right on that, Torsaine said as he sneered.
By the time Aerion made it into the computer room Kyadus had already turned it on and was waiting for it to boot up.
Kyadus looked back as Aerion entered the room and said, This is exciting. I almost can t believe we ve made it this far. Yeah, Aerion said as he sat in the other chair. It s a miracle that any of us are still alive. Except for poor Dofrias, God rest his soul. Aerion got a thrill from mention the name of the man he murdered. It was only a matter of time before he could add Kyadus and Torsaine to that list.
Now that the computer was warmed up and running Kyadus popped open the disk drive and pulled the case out of his pocket. Let s pop this bad boy in and see what we are dealing with, he said with enthusiasm.