Part 7

Link to the full story under "Genarian chronicles" on the right of the page.

Part 7

Everything was destroyed in a 500m radius around those buildings. Walking alongside a heavy armoured tank, Lyko and his team inspected carefully around every corner. The MInfo showed a map with recovered territory. The Union was advancing at a fast pace, despite the fierce battles that were constantly going on. “Where are they even coming from?”, wondered Torandis. She couldn’t comprehend how the genarians could be permanently attacking. “Where is their base? Do they even have one? How are they sending troops non-stop to Earth?”, she thought.

She didn’t have time to think as the tank blew up. All she did was jump and duck behind a car. The massive tank was now one solid flaming pile of metal. Mark, Torandis, Yoh and Captain Lyko ran inside a store. They readied their weapons. The sweat dripped off their faces. Lyko was in terror. He did not see or feel any threat. By now, he was used to sensing his surroundings. The suit made him much more aware and agile. None of the teammates felt anything, and yet they were attacked out of nowhere, and had no clue who had done it. Feeling impotent, Lyko was pushed back when the front of the store exploded, shattering all windows and sending shrapnel flying all the way to hit the team and inflict some light wounds. The whole building trembled. They were cornered. Was this really the way it ended? Everything was dark. The smoke clouded their vision. Mark got up, and walked to the back of the floor, searching for a way out. Lyko’s thoughts ran “This is a huge danger. You’re getting too much heat. I’m sending all nearby troops there.”. Next thing he saw, amidst the smoke and dust, was a big shadow. Human-like, yet with some notorious differences in proportions. It made a sudden noise, tearing all walls apart. The building collapsed.

Beneath the rubble, all he could hear was gunfire. It wasn’t too soon before it stopped, though. He heard Yoh scream. She had burst. Lyko’s efforts to move were worthless. The exoskeleton was broken, and both his arms and legs were stuck under heavy chunks of stone and brick. He heard Mark and Torandis burst. They were fighting the Omni, but he felt like they were no match for him. It was then he heard a comforting voice reaching the dust-filled darkness where he lay. His brain drifted to a place far away, where he was free. Free of the burdens, the war, the pain. “Home...” he thought. The voice got dimmer, and he chased it. Whose voice it was, he couldn’t tell. “I need to hear it...once more.” and the voice kept fleeing, running through the dark. Was it his wife? No, she was dead. His son? Dead too. Father? Mother? All dead. All of them...dead. He heard screams of pain and despair. The fire embraced him, and the warmth of her heart calmed him. “Is it time already?” he asked. “It seems so.” the woman replied, “Do you recognize this voice?”, “No...who is it?” he wondered. With a tender smile upon her lips, she said, in an ever-so-dimmer voice “It’s him. Your boys are safe.”. Lyko could still hear the voice. So gentle, so soft, so welcoming. He couldn’t make out what he was saying, but who cared now? It was time, and in the time there was no time for questions or wonderings. There was only his wife’s fiery embrace, and the voice, so close, so far, so fast, so...explosive.