Chapter 7

Check the collections tab to find all dispersion Divide chapters.

Picture: random pic of Morrigan (she was kind of inspired by Katirijaga who I will definitely add later in the game!)

-7- The Show

 Hayes, racing to keep pace, emerged from the thick jungle canopy. His boots sunk into the dense earth as he approached on the ravine. He stopped to catch his breath and take stock of the situation; the sun hung high in the sky prompting Hayes to wipe the thick beads of sweat from his brow.

 Hayes worried that his form might have waned slightly since accepting the lead role of the Spectre forces. Spectre short for Specialised Protection Enforcement and Covert Tactical Response Alliance was hastily formed by world governments after the first contact disaster with the Kryllix. Confronted with this new threat to Earth, and just how much our allies the Sekarri outclassed us, a decision was made to create a higher tier of operators formed of the best special forces units in the world.

 Hayes shook his head in dismay, how the hell did I get this job? He considered. He was revered by people around the world for what he considered his biggest failure, the deaths of his colleagues and people in his care. Yet to them, it was Earth’s first contact with our Sekarri allies. The same allies he was about to fight, in a ‘testimonial’ match against their best warriors. Hayes thought the pairing was a joke, even the average Sekarri was faster, stronger and had quicker reflexes than humans due to their century of genetic augmentation. It’s like putting a human in a boxing ring with a gorilla, how did our leaders agree to this? he cursed.

 Pausing to recentre himself, he pushed this all out of his mind, and got to it.

 Before him lay a vast ravine, its sheer rock faces plunging into the abyss below. The muted roar of a distant waterfall echoed off the walls, its source hidden from view. Hayes approached the edge cautiously, peering down into the inky darkness that swallowed the ravine's depths. It was here that he would begin the next phase of his mission.

With careful precision, he secured his abseiling gear to the base of a sturdy tree, double-checking every knot and carabiner.  As he rappelled down the steep face, the air grew cooler and damp, the light from above slowly transformed into broken slithers that cut through gaps of the rugged terrain as he made his way to the base of the mountain.

As he closed in on the last stretch, he noticed a figure down below. He flattened against the wall, shimmying behind a bolder. Grabbing his footing he leant over to get a glimpse.

 There she was, his competitor to capture this objective; a tall, lean but toned and muscular Sekarri woman. She was known to him as Katirjaga Morlenn, his counterpart, the team leader of her Alaran Rapid Kill force DARK squad.

Her long crimson hair made her easy to spot as she waded through the shallow water into the base of the cave. Looking upward she flicked back her long, thick, plaited ponytail as she scanned the environment, slowly. She smirked, her high cheekbones accentuating her sun-kissed skin.

Hayes remained frozen in position, he knew she couldn’t do anything just yet, they both had to touch the release mechanism for the drone to begin their face off. Instead, he was testing her heightened genetic perception, could she spot him this far away? After what felt like an eternity, she about faced and made her way into the cave.

His boots finally touched down, splashing into the shallow water, that grew deeper with each step he took. He waded his way into the deep recess in the mountain. From a distance he peered into the darkness, a faint but visible aura emanated from the centre.

 As he got closer, the light retreated, leaving only the faint glows and ambient aura of what looked like a glass ball floating on the water’s surface. Moving deeper, he noticed a new light source, the shining glare from Katirjaga’s cat like eyes.

She was standing right in front of him, facing him.

“I’m going to beat you to within an inch of your life,” she said.

Despite her words, her voice carried a velvety, mellifluous quality to it. She spoke with an accent that was impossible to place.

Hayes paused, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness best they can, knowing full well she could see everything as easy as if she was out in the open.

 She was at least a couple inches taller than him, probably more, standing around six foot three or one point nine meters.

“Slow your heartbeat, it’s distracting,” she replied.

Hayes knew she was goading him, but staying quiet might further embolden her that he was some kind of cowering rodent prey, “Sorry about that, you will just have to deal with it.”

She exposed the whites of her fangs, “Hmmm,” she purred, “You men are so feminised, it’s cute,” emphasizing the vowels as she spoke.

“Into girls, are we?” Hayes replied.

She looked at him, her eyes tightening for a brief second, “No,” she drawled, stretching the word out in a manner that conveyed she was speaking to a child.

The tension between them was palpable, or at least it was for Hayes anyway as he locked gazes with her.

Hayes tried to capitalise on every second, he knew the minute he pressed on the sphere she would lunge for him. And based on all the facts he knew; he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I’m going to beat you and then I’m going to strangle you,” she purred almost affectionately, “After I’ve captured the drone, I will come back for you, and I will violate you whilst you sleep.”

 The rhythm of how she spoke changed, fluttered, as if she couldn’t control her excitement.

“You know, abusing unconscious participants will disqualify your side,” Hayes pointed out, more to trip up her logic than self-preservation.

Katirjaga made a kiss blowing gesture, “It will be just our little secret.”

Holding her right hand up, her claws retracted, “Then, I am going to carve my initials into your soft flesh, something for you to remember me by forever and ever.”

Even special forces had nightmares, her imposing figure, the imminent threat of a physically superior being and the idea of what she was going to do to him, nearly made his legs buckle, nearly.

 Hayes gave no reply, he emptied his mind and went into automatic. Moving towards the sphere slowly, she reciprocated. Like a cougar stalking its prey, she mimicked his every step.

 Hayes moved his right hand to his hip pouch, “Don’t you fucking dare,” she said this softly, with a hint of a playful hiss to her voice.

They continued towards the sphere, knowing that once it changed colours to yellow the foreplay would be over.

Hayes calculated his next moves carefully, the only advantage he might have, is that the waist high water, should, slow her down, should.

 They placed their hands on the sphere.

It resonated and pulsed gently, as static could be felt on his hands.

The pulsing had a rhythm, as if counting down.

A drone appeared over their heads, there was a small red flag attached to its core. It hovered for a moment, before shooting off out of the cave.

Hayes studied the systematic pulse durations; he knew there were seconds left.

Katirjaga eyed his right hand, her claws slowly extending before turning back to look at him.

The pulses climaxed, three, two, one. Two, One. One.

The sphere turned yellow.

Katirjaga immediately lunged for Hayes, hands stretched out towards his right hand and hip pocket. She was going to keep whatever it was in there, then have her way with him.

As she came down on top of him, Hayes let himself fall backwards into the water.

His left hand rising to the surface to reveal a flare that he had already popped. He held the flare upwards in the direction of her face.

Screaming in pain, Katirjaga tried to pivot but she was in mid-air with no leverage. Falling into the water, she convulsed, stunned, burned, and blinded by the light. 

Hayes knew this wouldn’t stop her, but it would buy him time.

“Aaaargh,” she screamed with a mixture of agony and rage, “Where are you!”

Hayes immediately turned and made a bee line for the exit, wading as fast as he could, he grabbed boulders and branches for leverage to propel him faster.

Splash, splash, splash, How the? Hayes couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Katirjaga was a mere few meters from him.

Hayes froze instantly, knowing the slightest sound would give away his presence.

The light shone behind her, he could see patches over her face, “My vision is returning, soon I will have you, I’m going to make an example of you, slowly.”

The thought of what she would do, now further enraged, caused Hayes to nearly shit himself and sent his heart beating into overdrive.

“Ah, there you are,” Katirjaga instantly pounced up and out of the water, like an artic fox catching a mouse. Hayes knew this would happen, unlike with the sphere where he had to hold it, this time his hands were free, and his gun was ready. Gritting his teeth he fired bang, bang, bang, stun rounds impacted her body as she flew mid-air, sending bone shaking jolts through her nervous system. She carried her momentum and crashed down on top of him.

Sprawled on his back over a rock bed with head just above the water, Katirjaga lay on top of him, her body limp but her eyes open. He knew she would be paralyzed for mere seconds, maybe thirty seconds at most.

She was heavy. Hayes grabbed her with both his hands to move her off him. As he did, their eyes locked, he found himself momentarily stunned by her beauty, her golden-brown skin contrasted starkly with his pasty complexion. Her deep red hair hung on his face and chest; they were face to face.  He noticed that the side of her face and neck had intricate patterns that he thought were tattoos, but on closer inspection realised were leopard like natural markings.

Her big, almond eyes looked into and through him as they lay in the water, on top of each other, Hayes found himself caught between intense fear, terror, and captivation. Her eyes fluttered slightly, pupils dilating slightly, what was she thinking?

Hayes quickly banished those thoughts. How many seconds had passed now? With effort he pushed her off him, her limp body rolling over onto the hard rocks. Hayes took hold of her body, moving her higher up so her head was above water, all the time, her eyes followed him.

She watched as he raced to the exit.

After some navigation between the rock faces, he found the drone hovering only ten meters in the distance, ensuring he was always within its sights. It moved with a stochastic motion making it harder for him to shoot with his gun.  He knew it was to test their climbing, speed, and resourcefulness, but he didn’t have time for this; Katirjaga was going to be coming for him, and he doubted she was a happy kitty.

 Instead, he just walked away from the drone with forced nonchalance, he led it round the corner into a waterfall.  Momentary distracted by the obstacle, the drone swivelled its cameras to calculate a workaround, that’s when Hayes popped a quick shot at close range, knocking it out the air.

He grabbed the flag, ignored the celebratory message, and began scaling the ravine ensuring no ropes were left behind so that his angry date couldn’t catch up with him.           

“On my way, ETA not long.” Hayes responded to an automated check in call on his tac.

“What’s going on there, Major?” There was static on the line, and Hayes could hear commotion in the distance. Intermittent gunfire and the sound of screams sent a shiver down his spine.

“Shit’s…gone…south,” the audio crackled, Hayes recognised Ferguson’s voice, he was one of the fireteam leads. Instead of speeding up, Hayes slowed down, knowing there was no point in rushing into things blindly. He took his time to mentally triangulate the positions of the gunfire, which seemed to be coming from three distinct locations. Considering there were three squads on this objective, that gave him hope.

Climbing over a thick mound of soil, vines, and roots, Hayes finally made visual contact with Alpha team. Five men were sprinting toward his position, signalling for him to join them as they passed him and moved back behind the mound he had just climbed.

Hayes noted that his fellow ex-SAS soldier Parker was still with Ferguson, though he looked a different man.

“Sitrep,” Hayes asked an operator, who, upon closer inspection, he realised was Ferguson behind all that face paint.

“They're shooting at us from all directions,” he panted, clasping his hands against his legs as he struggled for breath.

“At first, we thought they had committed huge numbers here, but soon their tactics became apparent,” Ferguson said.

As if on cue, bright red bolts laced into the trees above them from two different positions. Everyone ducked, holding their breath for a few seconds until the shots stopped.

“They're herding us like sheep,” Ferguson cursed. “Their squads keep running in unpredictable zigzag patterns, laying down suppressive fire. When one of their scouts spots us, they go for it.”

Major Qiang Li of the Chinese Liberation Army shuffled over, “There is a method to their madness,” he said, the exhaustion in his voice evident, “Their patterns are chaotic, but always designed so that their scouts alert the everyone else to our positions. They’ve been picking us off one by one.”

Eyes wide, Hayes did a double take. “Li, what about your team?”

He shook his head solemnly, “This is it, Ferguson and I merged to bulk up what we had left.”

“No more fire squads?” Hayes asked incredulously.

Ferguson showed them a tac, “GPS and radio position has been disabled as per the rules, but the AI has B squad roughly located in this area.”

“And C squad?” Hayes inquired.

“We tried…” Ferguson trailed off visibly shaken.

What aren’t they telling me? Hayes considered.

 Hayes glanced at the remaining operators, all of whom were looking worse for wear. They had been falling back, just going through the motions, but that was a losing strategy.

“I’m taking command,” Hayes announced, receiving got no objections – it was after all part of their prior agreement.

“They’re herding us, but that’s not the only reason.”, Hayes moved into the middle of the team for their attention. “Remember it’s the flag they want. If we have any chance of getting it, then we need to salvage what’s left of Bravo squad.”

Occasional red streaks of gun fire pierced the foliage and passed over their heads, Hayes had them focused on drinking, snacking, and making plans to cut the edge off things.

Taking a deep breath, Hayes studied the weary faces of his team. They had taken a necessary five-minute break, a brief respite to fuel and regroup, but it was time to get them into action.

“Let’s move out,” there were nods and grunts of affirmation in the team. The leaves crumpled under Hayes boots as he took point and made for Bravo teams last known position.

Hayes raised his hand in a ‘take note’ gesture, “Keep low, don’t run, and no more chatter, it’s hand signals from here on out.” 

As they cut deeper into the jungle, a sound faintly different to the background rustling and chirps began to grow in volume, guiding the team towards it.

“Quiet,” Hayes mouthed silently as the sounds resolved into something he never expected to hear: laughter.

 Hayes extended his hand with palm and fingers flat, before lowering it in a ‘keep down’ gesture. They crawled through the dense brush until they made visual contact, witnessing something that they would never forget.

The terrain gave way to flattened mud and trees, standing there were the Sekarri who had strung up members of Bravo Squad and were tormenting the rest.

 The Sekarri toyed with them, using their advanced physical abilities to dodge the humans’ attacks effortlessly, all the while taunting and mocking them for their weakness.

 Bravo team was bunched up, surrounded by a circle of Sekarri who were trapping them in and occasionally abusing the two people who hung from the tree.

 The humans were terrorised to the point of trauma, but also worn down, unable to fight, unable to flee, the Sekarri humiliated them. 

 Hayes face reddened, a rush of boiling anger at this blatant abuse in a so called ‘training exercise’. The expressions of his team mirrored his own, their faces a mask of cold fury but also growing apprehension.

This cruel and inhuman treatment was just that, inhuman, it reminded him of how bullies and criminals treated the vulnerable. Especially during his time at school, he felt so helpless back then.

Each laugh and humiliating jest at the humans was a slap in the face for this so-called alliance. The arrogant and cruel violence the Sekarri inflicted, escalated as one of their group a tall, pale skinned male with blue streaks in his hair and mane began to draw blood.

He danced around them, feigning a strike, then diving back in the moment they thought they were safe. He was aiming to break bones with one strike, showing off to his team as if to win a bet.

It was unbelievably cruel, they continued to abuse the humans violating their dignity.

This was it, Hayes needed to act, but the Sekarri were superior in strength, speed, and reactions; this realisation made tendrils of fear creep into his team, chilling the rage within them to panic.

  Li held his hands up in a ‘what do we do gesture?’ his face said it all, ‘think smart, let’s back out of here’. Ferguson made similar hand signals; suggesting ‘the mission’ might come first, his team seemed to agree.

Hayes took all of a nanosecond to come to a conclusion: the mission, as it was, was meant to be a mere testimonial. This however was a war crime, and he wasn’t going to stand by.

 The only thing going for them was the element of surprise, he would have to make it count. Hayes suddenly jerked at a rush of memory filling his thoughts. The familiar scene of his fateful decision back in Afghanistan crashing down on him, that got his team killed. Clenching his eyes, Hayes willed the image to leave his mind, opening his eyes again he evaluated the situation anew.

No, this isn’t the same, but even if it was, without our principles and values for the sanctity of human life we are nothing, so the decision is clear. Back when Hayes had changed schools at the age of 10, he witnessed his only friend, Tim, a young bubbly boy with down syndrome getting abused by bullies much in the same way. They trapped him on a climbing frame as they threw things and spat at him, the helplessness Hayes felt came rushing back.

This game released deep reserves of strength within him he didn’t know he had, “It’s time to move,” he said to himself.

 Declining Li and Ferguson’s suggestion, Hayes gestured for his men to slowly spread out. With fingers and subtle hand movements, he pointed his team to their respective targets. No overlaps, no do overs; you are married to your target, don’t move on until it’s down or out of sight.

 He didn’t need to tell his team the rules were no longer valid, they wouldn’t go easy with the stun shots.

They were six for eight, meaning even if all their hits landed, they would have two angry kitties to deal with. They had a plan for that.

Hayes began counting down on his fingers, his team in position, waiting for the signal. The fear from moments ago was now replaced with a cold look of murder in their eyes, everyone gets scared, even special forces; but it’s the response and recovery time that matters.

They had pushed the laughing, screams of pain, and jeers out of their minds, and instead got acquainted with their targets, focusing on every aspect of their movement, and patiently waiting for the go signal.

Then there it was; Hayes’s fist of fingers transformed into a solid fist.

All team members opened fire, sending a torrent of super-sonic bullets into the arrogant Sekarri. The streaking balls of blue connected with their targets, connecting with their faces and torsos, not one miss.

 Reeling from the shots, the Sekarri stumbled momentarily stunned, before spinning round and roaring in fits of rage.

The bullets continued to rain down on them. Normally it took a couple of shots to take down a human, but quite a few to put the DARK Sekarri commandos on their backs.

They recovered quickly and within seconds pinpointed the direction of fire, before charging towards Hayes team.

But Li, Ferguson, Hayes, and the rest continued to pour fire into them. They began to fall back slowly, crawling backwards as they fired. A move that the Sekarri pounced on.

 Finally, a Sekarri dropped to the deck, writhing in pain, he screamed in frustration paralyzed by the stun bullets. Then another, hit the deck, but it took so many bullets, that seemed to only slow them down, they were getting closer.

In fits of rage, the Sekarri on the ground crawled towards them, before getting back on their feet The rest marched or ran, they were an unstoppable train of pain.

That was until Hayes gave the signal, all team members aimed at the respective grenades that they had planted and took fire. Initially the stun grenades were considered useless due to the speed at which the Sekarri could react to something thrown in their direction, but they hadn’t considered them being used as mines.

 Blue waves of energy gushed out the grenades, over stimulating every nerve ending within their range. The unfortunate Sekarri spasmed, collapsing to the ground in hysterical fits of pain.

 Hayes’s squad had taken their time to meticulously adjust the stun to spread threshold for the optimal impact.

 “Go!” Hayes shouted aloud, “Quickly.” His team rushed over to Bravo squad, cutting down those tied up. They gave what medical assistance they could as Hayes watched over the squirming Sekarri, putting stun rounds into the ones that looked the liveliest.

Bravo team showed incredible resolve. Though badly shaken at what was no doubt a PTSD trauma inflicting event that could scar people for life, Bravo team recouped and recovered quickly.

 The armed forces, no matter what nation on Earth you come from, teaches you to rely on the man and women next to you. To put your trust in them and them in you, to become family. This is precisely what they were doing, fortifying themselves with the strength of others around them.

Hayes gulped with prideful emotion to see Ferguson an American combatant consoling Mei Lan a Chinese Major in the army and Li Wei touched heads with Lieutenant Hansen, looking him in the eye as he said, ‘we will get through this, we’ve got you brother.’ Two traditionally competitive nationalities drawn being there for each other.

“How many more times can we stun them before causing neurological damage,” Ferguson asked aloud, hoping for any medic or knowledgeable person to put him right.

 That wasn’t necessary though, Mei Lan leader of Bravo team stepped in towards the group of Sekarri. They hissed and snarled, shouting insults and what they were going to do once they had the chance.

Mei Lan gestured her team over, “We will put them to sleep the old-fashioned way.”

Kicking, stamping, and punching, they began to knock the Sekarri into dreamland. A limping soldier came over to the blue haired Sekarri that abused her, she spat on him, “Take that puta!” She kicked him until he stopped moving.

 Alpha team though uncomfortable, weren’t going to stop Bravo team from a little revenge, not to mention psychological healing.

“What are we going to do now?” Major Li approached Hayes, speaking under his breath out of respect for Bravo team.

“Fuck it, let them take the flag,” Hayes spat. His composure had broken at the thought of what would happen if they hadn’t arrived. “This is a fucking shit show. I’m scrubbing it, I’m not putting them or anyone else through this again. If this is how they treat their allies…”

 “Too late,” they turned around to see a tall, red headed Sekarri female, she was holding the flag in one hand and a gun pointed at them in another. More Sekarri emerged from the trees and foliage, fifteen in total, they didn’t fire, but they had their weapons aimed at the humans.

“Katirjaga?” Hayes asked, surprised to see her again.

Alpha and Bravo team held their rifles pointed back at the Sekarri, the humans instinctively bunched together, tendrils of fear creeping into their minds again. They were outnumbered by a superior, cold, and evil group who sought pleasure in their terror – they knew what would happen to them if they broke, so they couldn’t let that happen.

Katirjaga snapped her teeth at Hayes before blowing him a kiss, “You really hurt me back then. I’m going to put that right, but first it’s time for some justice.”

The Sekarri immediately opened fire, completely encircling the humans they unleashed a torrent of crimson red bullets from all angles.

Hayes instantly hit the deck, fear, and despair at what would happen to them once stunned, what torture would be on the cards.

“What the?” Hayes took a moment to register the scene, the Sekarri were missing his people.

Within a second the firing had stopped; Alpha and Bravo team looked this way and that in momentary confusion.

 A sleek Sekarri wearing heavy black combat amour stepped forward, he pointed towards the Sekarri that had tormented them, laying in the ground, immobile and unmoving.

The Sekarri had shot their own people.

The black Sekarri removed the faceplate from his battle suit, revealing his chiselled features, jet black hair, mane, and piercing eyes.

“No shit! General Rhyzark?” Parker exclaimed, still in shock at this turn of events. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Li whispered to Hayes, “He is supposed to be overseeing this with the political delegation.”

General Rhyzark, the leader of the entire Sekarri military gestured for his Sekarri to lower their weapons. Hands outstretched, he walked towards the humans. He then pointed to the stunned Sekarri from earlier, “We are not them.”

“These….” Rhyzark took a moment, “Things, were not picked by me, they were picked by Director Zephyra.” Noticing some of our blank stares he clarified, “She is the Directory of our Mercatalis.”

“Oh, the hot golden one,” Parker blurted out, “Isn’t she second in line to Fyrra who is basically the leader of Alara?”

Though the comment was meant for Hayes, Rhyzark nodded at him, with an ever so slight smirk on his face.

With a wave of his hand, the rest of Rhyzark’s team moved their way to the downed Sekarri and began stunning them over again. There were snarls, kicks, and scratches – if this was a set up, they were certainly putting on a good act.

“What are you saying?” Hayes gestured his hand to the downed Sekarri who were now being dragged away, “that they don’t represent the Sekarri? Zephyra is your second most powerful leader. How can we trust you?”

 Rhyzark walked past Hayes, ignoring his question he moved straight for Bravo team. Some of them flinched, still traumatised, some of them raised their weapons. But Rhyzark unexpectedly bowed, then got on his knees. In a strange fashion he shuffled forward and prompted for the hands of each Bravo member, one by one he nuzzled his face into their hands. A cultural gesture, though alien, was understandable.

“I swear to you now, as the supreme leader of the Sekarri military forces, what happened here today will be dealt with and they will be brought to justice.”

Parker shrugged his shoulders, “Jesus, it’s not like they killed anyone.”

Hayes and Ferguson gave him the stare, “Sorry,” he raised his hands apologetically.

Rhyzark then turned back to Hayes, “To answer your question. No, we think they are Kryllix agents. Possibly to sabotage our alliance.”
This statement sent electric through the air, the mere thought they could impersonate the Sekarri meant that we had to at least consider the possibility humans were being mimicked too.

 Rhyzark raised his hand in a let me explain gesture, “The Kryllix are more advanced than us, but they also have sympathisers… we just don’t know. Regardless, even if they were normal Sekarri, then they are criminals and will be treated as such.”

“Hold on,” stepping forward, Hayes extended a finger towards Katirjaga, “If what you say is remotely true, then you have another one in your ranks.”

Everyone turned to Katirjaga, who was standing alone, still holding onto the flag and her rifle.

“All that shit talk about violating me,” Hayes pointed to the downed Sekarri who were now bounded, “You’re no better than them.”

With a flick of her wrist, Katirjaga brushed her long, crimson braided ponytail over her shoulder nonchalantly, “Err hello? Have you heard of flirting?”

Rhyzark grinned, “Sorry about that Hayes, it’s true, Katirjaga is over 90 percent Virra. It’s just words, she would never do that, could never do that to you on my watch.”

“Unless you paid me,” she winked at Hayes coyly, then made a scratching gesture with her claws.

Hayes stared at her, his eyes locking with her goofy demeanour before his stiff upper lip composure finally broke, giving way to a grin. Chuckles and laughter ensued in the group, allowing for a break in tension.

 After some more negotiations, Bravo team agreed to let the games continue though some of them had to retire early due to their injuries. Promises were made for this never to happen again, and that this one flag would be discounted.

Before packing up Katirjaga approached Hayes with renewed fire in her eyes, whispering to him she said, “I’m still going to strangle you.”

Hayes uncertain how to play this, wasn’t completely clueless about dark humour, and cultural figures of speech, so he decided to go with it, “Not if I strangle you first.”

She gave him a hawkish grin, “Don’t make a girl a promise you can’t keep.”

“Fuck it, he thought,” then took a page from her book, snapped his jaws at her, and then feigned a kiss.

Her eyes expanded to twice the size and lit up as if they were on fire, with a smile she jabbed him on the shoulder playfully before running off.

He was glad she left, because the blow knocked him to the ground, nearly cracking his shoulder blade. Hayes balked at the thought of what her full power could do.

“Two for two,” Major Siriporn ‘Mongoose’ Chaiyasorn clicked her receiver twice in acknowledgement as she sprinted to her objective.

Nearly there, she considered. Jungle training had been her thing for a long time; she wove in and out of the trees like it was her back garden. The past ten years saw her working around the world with both special forces and mercenaries alike, doing what needed done.

 But she also worked for non-profits freeing hostages from militia terrorists and even search and rescue ops; and if she was honest with herself, they were often messier than working with cutthroat mercs.

She slowed to a trot, giving her time to catch her breath replenish her energy reserves. Taking time to ponder this latest mission, as crazy as this was, fighting with humanoid aliens in the jungle of Venezuela, the core objectives didn’t violate her ethics.

Business as usual, she muttered to herself.

Even though she had done all sorts, for all kinds of people; she wasn’t a sociopath, she was just unconventional. If the objectives aligned with her values and paid well, then she was in.

 Unlike the others who were here for prestige, for the chance to make history or to defend the honour of Earth; Mongoose simply accepted the job because the pay was good, and it didn’t violate her ethical T’s & C’s.

‘Now’s the time’, she cleared her mind and honed her senses, her brain tuning in on each sound. One by one she classified the chirps and whistles of birds, the trickling of water down the trees from the earlier rainfall, the whining of mosquitoes and wait…the rustling, of something.

That something wasn’t small, but wasn’t big and clumsy like a gorilla either, this was something else. This was her opponent.

Sekarri might be more advanced, they might be faster, stronger, more responsive, heck they might even be smarter; but Mongoose knew the jungle, she knew THIS jungle, and they did not.

She closed in on a small greenhouse like enclosure just the frame without the walls. Inside was her objective, the glass sphere, but she knew that opposite her in the distance would be another just like it.

A brief glimmer was enough to catch her eye, she looked closer to see a Sekarri come into view, a strikingly handsome Sekarri at that.

He had wavy blonde hair streaked with vibrant hues of orange, reminiscent of a setting sun. She instantly recognised him as Solen Rekeilan, the distinctive markings adorned on his uniform placed him as their equivalent of a Lieutenant.

A mane-like tuft of hair at the nape of his neck seemed to dance with each subtle movement, further accentuating his feline/vulpine grace.

 He was tall and thin, wearing clothing that seemed less militaristic and more reminiscent of a fashion statement. His attire consisted of a form-fitting, sleeveless vest that accentuated his well-defined muscles, while still allowing for unrestricted movement. Intricate, swirling patterns adorned the fabric, perhaps symbolic of his rank or achievements. Around his waist, he wore a flowing sash, its vibrant colours and shimmering material catching the eye and adding an air of elegance to his appearance. The ensemble was completed with a pair of lightweight, tailored pants that hugged his legs comfortably, accentuating his lean form without hindering his movements.

 “Ah, there you are,” he purred gently.

Solen patted the side of his sash; it morphed and melted, revealing a handgun with a glowing handle.

“So, my dear, are we ready to do this?” he appraised her calmly.

  Their eyes locked, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. Mongoose couldn't deny the magnetic pull of attraction she felt toward Solen, even as they stood on opposite sides of this high-stakes game.    He offered her a confident, almost cocky grin, as if silently challenging her to give it her best shot.

“Once we’re done, why don’t you come find me? Ok?” His smile seemed infectious.

Mongoose steeled herself from his piercing green eyes and silver tongue; it was time to focus on business.

Smiling at him, she pulled vines down from the roof of the enclosure, to obstruct his view.  Last thing she wanted was to do was a cowboy style duel with a sly Sekarri like Solen.

Holding her hands to the ball, she waited for Solen to follow suit.

The static and lights pulsed in a frequency like before, counting down to the point of the drone’s release and the start of their shootout.

This time, as soon as the sphere turned yellow, rather than ducking or fleeing, Mongoose dashed sideways, gun extended outwards.

As soon as she cleared the foliage her eyes searched for Solen. There, bang, she fired a shot, before she could be sure that the movement was him.

Bang, bang, she fired again twice.

Solen dove out from the sphere enclosure and sent a few rounds her way. Ducking for cover, she flinched as a round zip past her periphery.

The two continued to move sideways, taking pot shots at each other as openings appeared through the trees and over brush.

Solen kept pace with ease, all the time smiling, as he coolly zeroed in on her position.

Mongoose knew she was on borrowed time, but also knew that sooner or… there, there it is. Without missing a beat, Mongoose popped a shot above Solens head.

His eyes expanded in fear as he looked up, a hornet’s nest fell to his feet and rustled menacingly.

A second of anxiety passed before Solens expression returned, “Hah, it’s a dud. We also have these on Alara, shame this one is old and evicted.”

Cursing in frustration, Mongoose went to take another pop at his cute mouth, before doing a double take at her gun. “Shit!”, she exclaimed, and ran off.

Solen, eyes lit up with fire and the prospect of a hunt, immediately gave chase. The fact she was likely out of bullets, meant he could get this over with quickly.

Sprinting towards the sound of frantic rustling and footsteps, Solen prepared to pounce on her any minute now.

That was before he began to encounter resistance and friction. Each step he made got harder and harder, he felt as if he was being pulled to the ground. Within seconds his momentum had come to a halt.

Frustrated and confused, he was sinking into the ground. More rustling caught his attention, he looked up to see Mongoose laughing at him.

“Hahaha, not so smart and cocky now, eh?” she pointed at him and gave another belly laugh enjoying the moment.

Solen snarling and cursing, struggled to get free, but the more he squirmed, the deeper he went.

Ears drooping in defeat, “Fine, you win, just get me out of here.”

“Hold on princess,” Mongoose said, “I’m going to go get this drone and grab the flag, then I’ll come back for you.”

His mouth made an o shape as his eyes expanded in fear, “What!? You’re going to leave me here, I’m sinking.”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby, just hold your arms out and don’t move,” Mongoose turned to leave, “I won’t be long.”

His eyes pleaded with her, “Please, I don’t think I’ve got much longer.”

Waving his concern away, “It’s not that deep you ninny, … at least I don’t think it is.”

She looked again at his fearful expression; he was still squirming.

“Damn it!” she groaned, “Ok hold on,” Mongoose unfurled a rope from her side and threw it over, slowly yanking him out.

“Ah,” hold on a minute, “Loose the gun.”

Solen’s expression faltered for a moment, before nodding and throwing it over. “Good doggy,” she replied.

As she pulled him in close, his expression returned to that confident and cocky grin. “I won’t forget this,” he said.

She went to turn and go for the drone, before he revealed another gun that just kind of appeared out of nowhere, or at least that’s how it looked when his clothes reshaped allowing it to rise to the surface.

“Now who is the dummy,” he replied, gun pointed at her head.

“You are one dirty doggo,” Mongoose huffed, she mentally slapped herself for getting played so easily.

Solen cocked his head to one side quizzically, “I thought we were more like your cats?”

“You look more like a weasel to me,” she spat, “No doubt your sweet talk was lies too.”

“Not as far as you know,” he winked at her, “Now, I’m about to put you down for a bit, then go get this flag. Tell me what direction it went, and I promise I will come back for you,” he said.

“Go fuck yourself,” as she said this, Solen noticed a rapid but involuntary movement of her eyes, “Ah, thank you.” He knew she had given the game away, “Time for bed,” he smiled at her affectionately before pulling the trigger.

 Waking up some time later, Mongoose winced in pain, she grasped at her side where Solen had shot her. Lifting her vest up she could see an angry red mark where the bullet had impacted. Patting at it gently, she was relieved to see there was no bleeding or penetration, just a jolt of whatever that stun round delivered.

Placing both hands on the ground to brace herself, she got to her knees, then her feet. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stood up and took stock of her position. She was still in the same place.

 Small but pronounced indentations in the ground tipped Mongoose off to where Solen had headed. Shaking her head in anger at her failure she decided to follow the prints anyway. Minutes passed by with no breakthrough, until she heard the percussive bang of an explosion, it could only mean one of two things, and she was about to find out.

Solen slowly opened his eyes.

Confused he squinted. “Where am I?” he mumbled in the Sekarri tongue. A wave of lethargy swept over his body, something wasn’t right, everything was upside down. Struggling, he scrapped and clawed at the ropes binding him.

 A shot of a gun startled him, before he could react, the rope that was suspending him severed in two, causing him to fall and hit the deck face first.

Snarling, he got to his knees to address this new threat. He turned to see that girl again, but this time, she was holding a flag in her hand and laughing.

“You almost got me there,” Mongoose shot him in his right arm before he could grab his pistol. Stunned and grasping at the numb arm, Mongoose kicked him over to pat him down and relieve him of his clothing before being satisfied he was unarmed.

“You ran into one of my custom snares,” she explained, “This one has a tripwire connected to a stun grenade.”

She pocketed any useful items from him, and took all his weapons, “Oh, better be careful on the way back to your squad, this place is littered with traps, and I can’t nanny you every time you run into trouble.”

Solen red faced, fumed with rage. He screamed in frustration at his unresponsive numbed legs. Flailing he wriggled about like a child having a hissy fit.

Mongoose set off to the final objective, just before leaving she stopped and turned around, mocking his voice she said, “oh, after this is all done, why don’t you come find me, ok?” Laughing she turned and left to re-join her team.

    *

“Good work,” Hayes slapped Mongoose on the back as she trotted over to their squad, “We saw the body cam footage, this will be instructional down the line.”

Smiling confidently, she leant over to tie her boots. She looked up at Alpha team, “You weren’t so bad yourself. Shoving a flare in the face, I’ve got to remember that one.”

They chuckled as they reformed into three units, Alpha lead by Hayes, Bravo was taken over by Li, replacing Mei Lan who decided to leave with Rhyzark to get patched up and finally, Mongoose was given the honours of leading the remnants of the other squads, forming a new Delta team.

The three squads fanned out and set towards their final objective.

The team comms buzzed. “What’s the sitrep? Have we lost yet?” Parker’s goofy tone was impossible to miss.

Shaking his head, Li responded, “Believe it or not, we are 5 for 5. This final objective will determine the winner.”

“I want everyone to take a moment,” Hayes responded on wide comms, “Consider just how well we have done, especially given…,” he took a moment to find the right word, “The challenges we have encountered.”

Hayes voice took on a regal tone, “Win or lose, we have done Earth proud. I want everyone to remember that. We were written off from the get-go.”

“Even my wife bet against us,” Parker chipped in.

“That’s because you’ve gotten fat and lazy,” Mongoose added, eliciting chuckles on team chat.

“We have taken it to the wire,” Hayes continued, “Against a genetically altered force hundreds of years ahead of us. We’ve proven that they can be beaten, so let’s make that happen.”

There were some hear hears and fuck yeahs. It wasn’t the most inspiring speech, but if you need inspiration to be in the special forces, then you’re in the wrong job.

“2 clicks to the objective,” Li informed the teams.

“This one is called storm the hill,” Ferguson added, “Our teams will be faced with drone sentinels blocking our way to the top. The Sekarri will be too. Whoever makes it their first and grabs the flag wins.”

“Let’s double time it,” Hayes ordered, “No crystal balls this time. The contest starts one hour after the last flag capture, which was 55 minutes ago.”

Leaves crumpled, bushes and vines parted as the three squads sprinted to their objectives.

“1 click to go,” Ferguson confirmed on team chat.

The sound of gunfire and explosions grew in volume.

“They beat us to it,” Parker spat.

No one replied, they just focused on closing the gap as quick as they could.

Mongoose raised her hand; she was at the tip of their formation and had made visual contact. The team slowed to a cautious trot, guns raised and heads darting left and right.

“Hahaha dumb fucks,” Parker chuckled on team chat, “They are fast, but not attack drone fast.”

Parker could be annoying, but he was making good points, some of us smiled at his monologue.

“Those kitties have sucked at strategy from day one,” Parker continued, “Time to show them what a real fighting force looks like.”

“Oorah,” a couple of ex-marines echoed the sentiment over comms.

This didn’t mean it would be easy for us either, Hayes considered. He ordered his team to make a wide path behind and around the Sekarri to attack the hill from the opposite end.

Mongoose and Li followed suit. Their teams once confident they were in the best position, made their move.

“Go, go, go,” Mongoose demanded, the squads began pushing towards the base of the hill in staggered formations. As expected, the first resistance came from Rosco bots, small dog like contraptions with a gun strapped to their back. They popped out from behind trees and boulders, ready to cause problems.

Given there wasn’t much to hide behind, and the humans had already observed the Sekarri get an ass kicking; they were prepared. Without missing a beat, bullets and mini rockets streaked out from the Spectra wedge formation, making short work of them.

“Push on,” Hayes instructed, as they reformed into dispersed groupings.

Halfway up the hill, things changed again, a swarm of angry flying drones descended on their positions. A hail of stun bullets lashed down upon the human forces.

By keeping their formations dispersed, they forced the drone to perform the travelling salesman problem – a series of calculations to figure out what was the shortest distance to optimise their engagement.

  Hayes knew this, and so did his people, they had vest plates, helmets, and anything else they could find held up in the air shielding their face as they returned fire. A bullet in the arm or leg would stun them, but they would still be in the fight.

 Collectively the Spectra teams systematically focused on one drone at a time, forcing them into a bottleneck of gunfire. The tide began to turn as the numbers of drones began to dwindle.

 The three teams advanced up the hill, dealing with whatever met them in short fashion. That was until they saw it, the flag.

“Go!” Hayes shouted, Mongoose and Ferguson the two fastest humans made for a dead sprint towards the final target. The Sekarri were nowhere in sight.

  The humans had beaten the Sekarri fair and square and now was the time to collect the prize.

 Just before Ferguson and Mongoose came within grabbing distance of the flag, it flew up in the air, out of reach. It hovered above them, suspended by an EAU drone.

“All weapons are deactivated for the remainder of this event,” a voice boomed from the drone speaker.

“This contest will now be determined by physical contact. Please note any attempts to beat the opponents beyond incapacitation will result in immediate disqualification as well as immobilisation,” the robotic voice boomed impassively.

“Good luck,” the drone flew off into the distance and hovered out of sight.

“Jesus! Do we have to punch each other out?” Parker said, panic washing over him.

Mongoose began shedding her gear, “Or stomp them out, whatever works.” Once her load was lightened, she practiced her fighting stance.

 The teams stood around in shock and disappointment.

Clapping his hands to draw their attention, Hayes snapped them out of it, “We’ve got a matter of seconds before they start marching over that hill. We need ideas, now!”

The teams just looked at each other, then around the hill, struggling to find inspiration. Innovation under duress wasn’t as easy as the movies made it look.

“Traps?” Li suggested.

“Not enough time,” Mongoose replied.

“Grenades?” a bravo member asked.

“Deactivated,” Hayes shook his head.

“What’s he doing?” Ferguson asked, pointing to Parker who was looking at the ground. He paced around in a circle before darting off.

Hayes went to shout him back but thought the better of it.

“Too late, here they come” Li cursed in Mandarin. The team followed his gaze to the horizon. As feared, Sekarri DARK combatants began appearing, one after the other.

The humans instinctively began to huddle closer together. They looked on in trepidation as familiar faces began to appear. Katirjaga’s eyes searched before locking onto Hayes, her smile widened. She had ditched a lot of her gear, including ripping off her shirt sleeves, which now showed her lean and toned muscles flexing as she walked.  

Solen soon appeared, strutting with confidence his eyes homed in on Mongoose. His trademark cocky sass ever present. They were out for revenge, this time they weren’t going to be tricked, and they were confident of the outcome.

This was going to be a massacre, how the hell did the EAU approve of this? Hayes lamented.

An Alpha team member stuttered nervously, “What’s the plan?”

The Sekarri and Humans slowly moved towards each other, Hayes considered how they were playing into the Sekarri hands. He pondered evolution, our possible links, and what, if any animals on Alara would pose a threat to them?

 Shuffling forward, nervously, his team were uncertain, and it showed. The Sekarri, picking up on this all but restrained themselves from taking the bait, past experiences had taught them a hard lesson.

 Still, they moved confidently, certain of the pleasures of the hunt that had eluded them so far.

Hayes sympathised with the terror and hopelessness that wilder beasts must have felt…then something came to him.

“I’ve got an idea, but you aren’t going to like it,” he said on command chat.

“Any idea is better than no idea,” Li replied.

Rather than dispersing like before, like the Sekarri would enjoy, the humans bunched together, as tight as they could get.

 As military leaders, Ferguson and Li shuddered at how unnatural this felt, lumping all their eggs into three tight baskets felt wrong. But they had to admit, Hayes idea, counterintuitive though it was, had merit.

The Sekarri began to stalk them, walking circles around the human packs, like lions in the plains of Africa. Just waiting for the weakest or slowest of the pack to fall behind.

 “I take it testicles and kidney punches aren’t off the menu,” Mongoose said her gaze constantly fixed on Solen as they sized each other up for a second time.

“Indeed,” Hayes replied, “Have at it.”

They three SPECTRE squads moved away from each other in three different directions, forcing the Sekarri to break off too. This only further emboldened their primitive hunting behaviours. Fortunately, the humans were more in number, for this they would need to be.

  An alpha team member, tripped over a rock landing on the ground face first. As quick as a cat, a large male amber skinned Sekarri pounced on him, lusting for the first score.

 His eyes widened in fear, as he looked up at several hands grabbing for his face. Kicking and screaming, the Sekarri was pulled into the middle of Bravo team. Fists and feet rained down on the hapless Sekarri until he stopped moving.

“First blood to the humans,” drones echoed, they broadcast updates as they came in.

The humans felt unease at this being treated like a spectator sport, but the Sekarri were infuriated.

 “Keep it up!” Mongoose exclaimed, “Keep an eye on the spotty ones, they are Virra, the PA announcements will be driving them nuts.”

As if on cue, a brown haired, fair skinned male Sekarri charged them, rage in his eyes. Lashing out, he struck with stunning ferocity, instantly knocking out a human in Delta squad. The score was bittersweet for him, as the rest of the humans laid into him without mercy.

“Two – One to the humans,” the announcements were serving to stoke up fury in the Sekarri squad, as if the head of the EAU wasn’t totally stupid agreeing to this after all.

“Three – two, to the Sekarri,” the three Spectra teams now under pressure, knew their tactics wouldn’t last for ever.

“Switch up!” Hayes exclaimed, and instantly his group charged the nearest Sekarri, he pounced to the left dodging the humans with ease; but not Ferguson who had snuck around the outside. A sharp punch into the side of the Sekarri’s head stunned it momentarily.

 His eyes flared in fury, snapping round to deal a death blow to Ferguson who for him, appeared to move in slow motion. Though, this Sekarri was moving backwards in slow motion too, the rest of the human pack had him in their tender care.

 They trampled over a small, olive skinned male Sekarri that bore colourful tattoos on his body. He lay unconscious on the ground. Alpha team hadn’t engaged him. Ferguson shrugged, ‘Guess Bravo or Delta team got him’. 

Alpha and Bravo team began moving towards each other slowly, they had lost too many people, and needed to merge if they were going to keep their strength in numbers.

 But so did the remaining Sekarri, as they continued to stalk and intimidate.

Just then a Sekarri dropped to the ground cold, as if shot dead. Turning this way and that to identify the new threat, a stone crushed into the face of a female Sekarri. She staggered at an impact which would have given any human a concussion.

“Arrrgh!” she screamed at a man who was standing in the distance. Parker had spent the time gathering stones and making a slingshot. He had waited for the right time to sow confusion and disrupt the Sekarri.

This was the opening Hayes and Li needed, as a single fist, they charged the remaining Sekarri that were near them.

 It is often said by their arrogant politicians that one Sekarri is worth three humans. Well Alpha and Bravo teams were about to test this hypothesis, as that’s how much they outnumbered them by.

 Indeed, many humans were knocked out with a one or two blows, but the Sekarri were being pummelled too. The short range and grouped nature of the humans’ meant speed wasn’t as much of a factor.

 Li and Hayes held a writhing Sekarri down as Ferguson knocked her out. The three of them panting stood up, they were the last remaining of Alpha and Bravo teams, but the Sekarri were gone too.

 Turning to look for Delta team, all they saw was bodies lying unconscious. Amongst them was Mongoose and Solen.

Guttural screams reverberated in the air as two very angry Sekarri sprinting towards the three men at high speeds.

 “That’s Katirjaga,” Hayes sighed, “You two, break off, she will go for me.”

They didn’t have time to complain, so they braced for impact instead.

Katirjaga’s red hair danced in the air as she closed in on Hayes like a lightning bolt. Before he could react, he found himself lying backwards with her hands around his throat.

His eyes bulged, nearly bursting out of his head as tears streamed down his face.

Hayes couldn’t even gasp. His windpipe was tightly clamped down on by Katirjaga, who was leaning on top of him.

She brought her face in close, purring, “Good night my prince,” as she throttled the last ounce of consciousness out of him.

Vision nearly dark, Hayes reached out in desperation. There, his hand had felt purchase. With his remaining strength, he clasped on her ponytail and yanked it as hard as he could.

Katirjaga’s head snapped, as Hayes yanked it backwards, the pressure on his throat instantly receding. Barely able to see, or breathe, Hayes worked on instinct, keeping all his weight down on the ponytail as he put his other hand on her face.

“Aaargh!” she yelled in a fit of rage.

Pushing hard, he smacked the back of her head against the ground. Letting off the pressure on her ponytail, he allowed her head to rise slightly before smacking her head down again.

Sekarri were tough, he knew this wouldn’t put her out, but it would daze her enough to get on top of her.

Straddling her body, he put all the force he could muster from his elbow onto the base of her chin, pushing as hard as he could, saliva flowed from both of their mouths, he brought his face in close just like she did a few moments ago.

“Good night my princess,” kissing her on the head as her body went limp. Hayes, still on top of Katirjaga, began to sway before collapsing on top of her.

 His vision darkening, the last thing he saw was a familiar tattooed Sekarri sprinting across the hill and grabbing the flag.

 Keerii, a small but smart Sekarri and a Nauchem, knew things weren’t going their way and decided to play dead. Fortunately, no one noticed; good job they weren’t paying attention to the score readouts.

 He darted from one end of the field to the other, weaving in and out of the collapsed bodies. Noting no one else standing, he grabbed for the flag. Snatching it from the drone, he made to let out a roaring cheer. That’s when an orange sized rock collided with his head, the force made a cracking noise and caved the side of his face in, this caused him to drop like a bag of spanners. He was out cold.

 Parker the last remaining person holstered his sling, “Err, did we lose?”

 Back at the trade summit, both sides, the Sekarri and the humans were speechless as they watched referees at the barracks discuss and debate technicalities.

The announcement of a narrow Sekarri win did little to change the exchange of uneasy glances within the Sekarri delegation. They had come to Earth to demonstrate their power and superiority, but the battle had challenged their assumptions.

Zephyra’s eyes hardened, “alezakhman,” with a single non-English word, she turned to leave, her entourage cowered from her wrath as they followed closely in her wake.

Leilani, Ming, Simmons, and Grant did the rounds, not all delegates took it badly, they did win after all. Many shook hands discussed the exciting parts of the battle and talked about meeting up again the following year.

Leilani searched for Fyrra, who was standing in the corner of the room. She looked on at the whole display, both on the field and off with a distinct expression of amusement on her face.

 Noticing Leilani’s stare, Fyrra ignored the several delegates vying for her attention and returned a smile back at Leilani, her eyes hinting at a meaning she couldn’t guess, but she hoped it showed a newfound respect for their human partners.