Defiance.



They stand against a blackened skyline, somewhat mystified by what is taking place before them, the human female is smaller in size and stature by comparison to them, but she has done the unthinkable. She has broken free of her constraints and attacked them with one of their own weapons, with a fury and unbridled anger of the like which they have rarely seen, even in the pits of Hell. She has struck down two of them quickly, and they can sense that there is no fear in her. They have something that she wants and the Wrath Riders fierce though they are, know, that she will slice her way through each and every one of them until she gets it. A small red dot of light appears on the chest of the Rider holding the stone necklace, and for the first time in ten days and nights Samantha Bliss realizes that she is not alone. The red Dot slowly travels up the chest and comes to rest at the third eye on the forehead of the rider, it cocks its head curiously just before the weapon discharges and removes its head, she smiles.. Someone has figured out the secret. Claim the head, and the body of the beast will fall, she slowly bends down and with a weary hand and rips the stone necklace from the fallen body of the Rider. The remaining four, slowly move towards her.

Pulse.



Wednesday January 1st 2070.
It is 1:00 am as the new members of team Alpha begin to board the transport that will drop them off three miles into the Malti, where Samantha Bliss is believed to be. Lifeguard has stated to Klinger, that he has off and on in the last ten days picked up three heat signatures that fade in and out, he does not believe that it is the Wraths, but they need to reach the survivors quickly because it is an almost certainty that they do not have enough rations left to survive much longer if the Wraths haven’t indeed killed them yet.
“Why haven’t we been sending transports over the area where the signatures were sighted?”
“We have Klinger, but we never found anything, by the time they reach where we think they are they’re gone.”
It is then that Ethan John Klinger realizes with absolute certainty that his three friends are still very much alive.
“You can’t find them because Sam is still tracking those Wraths, probably still fighting too. She must have lost her communication link during the attack, that’s why we haven’t heard from her. Gets this turd moving pilot! Lets go!!.”
It is almost 3:30 am when they deploy into the floor of the Malti Desert, Klinger and Priss have made certain that each member of the team is carrying an edged weapon, as it seems to be the only defense against the Wraths. He assembles the team and waits for the connection with Lifeguard, the Moon will provide them with enough light to navigate their way to the first point where the signatures were picked up. They march northeast for twenty five minutes when a startled Lifeguard informs them that he has located two of the heat signatures and they are a half of a mile out over the hill in front of them and headed right towards them. Klinger squats the team and waits anxiously, and when he sees the first figure rise up over the hillside he knows that it didn’t take long at all for Milo Tripper to find them.

Eyes Of The Desert.



He sits in their circle relating to them the events that he has witnessed in the past few days. He and Thed are given food and fresh water. He tells Klinger about Samantha and each member new and old alike listen to Milo Tripper with growing concern.
“They took her again last night, she got away, and cut down two of them with their own weapons, I figured out how to take out a couple to help her some, you can’t shoot them in the chest Kling, its gotta be a head shot, for whatever reason, dead center of where their forehead should be. Anyhow I was one hundred and fifty yards out when they charged her, she was out but still very much alive when they took her. She had the stone necklace but they got it back, we tracked them to those hills over there, there s some underground caves with pools of water, that’s where we were headed when we spotted your transport.”
He assembles the team, and tells them the objective, after asking Milo Tripper if he and Thed are well enough to join them. They agree and the new Team Alpha begin the march to the hills where their leader waits for help. He tells lifeguard where to do the active scan for Samantha’s heat signature.
“We’re probably fifteen minutes away from the first Hill stay on them Lifeguard she’s in there somewhere, tell Threshold that Milo Tripper and Thed Found us and told us where the Wraths have Samantha Bliss as prisoner.”
He watches through the night vision glasses patiently scanning the hills for anything that’s moving, the rest of the team is scattered out along the hillside doing the same thing when Sil appears at Klinger’s side.
“Mr. Klinger… Sir?”
“Sil?”
“I know what they are if you want to hear it. They work for a male red named Forge, he was a general in Ambala’s army, he brought them here, to find the stones for him, he wants to over throw Ambala’s rule and take control over the red army.”
“And you know this how exactly Sil?”
“Because Forge was visiting Krotas at Morde’s Keep two days before you came for the stone and helped me get out. The Wraths are just like the reds only a bit tougher, they will have guards posted. But I have an Idea, if you would allow me?”
He looks at her and then Priss, who is now listening to Sil’s every word.
“Proceed please.”
“You have tracking devices with you yes?”
“He silently nods listening more closely than ever.
“Give me one, I will go locate the Wraths and Samantha, and when I have them I will simply turn off the tracking device, if the man in your ear is following my heat signature he will know my exact location when I turn it off. Then he tells you where I am. But .. I have only one small request. ”
“And That would be?”
“When we find Forge, I kill him myself.”

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