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CHAPTER 3

Blood trickling from his muzzle, Colin scrambled up from his seat as the grating sound of machinery outside became louder; the reverberation causing the entire cabin to shake. The compartment itself, lined with wide windows on both sides, offered a panoramic view of the wall of darkness sweeping toward him. A swarm of forest green sky ships blocked the dawning sun, engulfing the outskirts of the district like a plague of giant locusts. Colin watched as the dozen or so vessels whistled through the smog and opened their doors, a parade of winged figures pouring out of each and taking to the air.

Colin had heard stories of the Shahirizan forces before, of course, and he had even studied the anatomy of dead prisoners captured from previous raiding parties. But to see them descending upon the city, the only world he knew, frightened him gravely. Scanning the urban jungle before him, he saw that one of the Block Charlie apartment buildings was very close to the Sky rail's current position. If he could hop through the cabins, he had a chance to leap onto the barren roof. Putting on his air filter, he started to turn down the wide rows of seats toward the back exit. However, he only had time to take a single step before the ceiling in front of him collapsed as a tall black figure jumped down after the fallen tiles.

The Shahir soldier rose up to his full height, his massive tail resting on the chairs behind him, and the top of his hairless scalp almost brushing against the jagged edges of the hole he'd created. His sleek back scales glistened in the flickering light of the damaged fluorescent bulbs, unblemished except for the small, chalk-white spines protruding symmetrically on either side of his limbs and down his back. Colin saw that he had no weapons in his clawed hands, nor did he require an air filter to block the slits on his snout. In fact, he was naked, save for what looked to be a solid vest which covered his chest and lower torso, and a chain about his throat that draped beneath the garment.

His head was smooth with eyes of deep molten steel, and his pointed teeth were sharp daggers as he opened his maw to screech loudly. Colin backpedaled quickly and tripped, landing on his rump atop the ragged carpeting. The soldier bared his fangs as he approached the downed Husky, raising its hand in preparation to strike. Gritting his teeth, Colin steadied himself for the blow.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the cabin as the window burst in, followed by a muffled "boom" as the Shahir was thrown against the wall. Colin looked up to see a ball of grey fur wrestling against the massive dragon, with a plasma blade knocked three feet to the left of the struggle.

"Paul?" Colin said incredulously, his voice cracked and hoarse from shock.

"Colin! Get out of here! Run!" Paul grunted as the Shahir thrashed beneath him.

Colin stumbled forward, but instead of going for the door, he grabbed the weapon and tossed it to Paul. The wolf felt the hilt of the blade bump into his side and grasped it before it could fall again. Taking advantage of Paul's lack of focus, the dragon heaved him off its chest, regaining its balance. Colin watched as the lumbering creature reached for his friend's throat, and screamed in warning from his crouched position.

"Paul!"

Without hesitation, the wolf spun around, plunging the tip of the sword through the chain and into the Shahir's throat. Colin heard a raspy hiss escape the beast's mouth while the plasma-charged edge singed its way fluidly into the dragon's neck; its masters body crumpled to the ground. Paul withdrew the blade, clean of any blood since the weapon cauterized the wounds on contact. Just as he did so, Colin watched as two more Shahir jumped through the crater in the cabin's roof.

"What are you still doing there?" Paul yelled fiercely, "Get away from here, now!"

The twin beasts, were near carbon-copies of their fallen brother; they marched toward the front of the room like a macabre set of toy soldiers, the only difference being in the size of their legs. Colin attempted to vault the seats to hide from them, but as the Shahir began to advance toward Paul, the taller of the two monsters stopped him short; unknowingly flinging its barbed tail into his path. Barely dodging the attack, Colin crouched hidden between the rows, the backdoor of the cabin barely 15 feet away. Suddenly, a howl echoed across the scene as a huge shape burst in through a second window. Colin stared as a massive wolf in full gear and darkened visor began slashing away at the dragons, squeezing himself further into the shadows.

Caught off guard, the smaller creature reeled back in surprise, the wolf's attack barely missing the Shahir's forearm and striking the dark vest. A thundering clang rang through the cabin as the blade made contact with the reptile's armor, but the garment did not give. Colin should have been sprinting for the exit, but instead he froze, shocked. As one of the chief developers on staff in the complex, Colin had helped design the Pl-246 plasma blade himself; he knew the exact specifications and capabilities of nearly every piece of armor and weaponry which outfitted the district's battalion. The sword that the Arceus soldier was holding was crafted to form a high-yield atomic plasma arc, and by carefully managing the flow of energy along the edge of the blade, not even the most sturdy carbon-fiber test materials could withstand such force. But the vest did not break. It didn't even have a scratch.

The Shahir grinned, and lashed out with its claws in a powerful uppercut. Like the finest blades they rent clean through the armor clad soldier, shredding the enhanced diamond silk protection vest like moist paper. The force of the impact lifted the wolf high in the air, the visor falling off as the reptile's arm fully extended through its victim. Pulling out his arm, the figure fell to the floor.

Blood flowed dark, almost black, from the wolf's maw, his grey fur matted with sweat. "You... bastard..." he panted hoarsely from one knee, causing the beast to smile wickedly. "I'll see you in hell. Now!" he shouted, rolling to his left as Paul swung his blade toward the reptile's face, striking his cheek. But again the sword stopped, the jarring halt of the weapon creating a force which knocked it painfully from the grey wolf's hand.

"How the hell?"

Turning around slowly the creature laughed, making a grating sound both metallic and horridly organic fill the cabin as he advanced toward the weaponless wolf. Paul grabbed the barely conscious soldier, unrecognizable due to the matted blood, and dragged him quickly toward the broken window. Looking back once more at the frightened husky in the middle of the cab, Paul jumped out the window taking with him the limp body of his fellow soldier.

Distracted, the creatures moved to get closer to the window, leaving the aisle open once more. Colin leaped to his feet and sprinted toward the back door, breathing heavily against the toxic air that filled the compartment. Just as he grasped the cool copper handle, he could hear the cry of the dark reptile behind him. Not looking back, the panting husky threw the door open and hurled himself off the short platform that spanned half the ten foot gap from the rail to a nearby apartment roof.

A splitting pain coursed through Colin's left-arm, and he felt himself being pulled short of his goal. He dangled in the gap between the two ledges, looking up into the blazing eyes of his captor; a dark silhouette against the rust colored expanse of sky above him. His arm was pierced by the claws of the beast, and as he hung suspended above a fatal drop, the Shahir began to squeeze. The husky heard both bone and tendon snap, and knew his time was over. In a moment of grim certainty, Colin used his shoulder to swing himself up and grasp the dragon's neck, fully intending on taking him to the grave as well. As his paw sought purchase on the leathery skin, however, he instead broke the chain around its neck, and slipped down again, the ornament tangling about his wrist.

Suddenly the reptile cried out in pain, its eyes going wide with fear, and it tossed the husky down, down into the smoky abyss below.