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101 Days Until Storms And the Uncertain End (part 3)
Heia held the camera close as she ran through the war zone. She had initially thought that daylight had come early, when the floodlights went on. She had cursed the world when they lit up all darkness, erasing all possible ways for her to continue hiding in secret. Getting through the tunnels had been easy enough, but she would have to get back down without notice. That was far more difficult with the flood lights. Adjusting her camera, Heia thought of what she would need to do.
The city was still asleep, and she had seen a few guards on her way, but there would be more when she had to head down. The rattling of guns and orders had Heia pausing for just long enough.
“What are you doing up here?” She heard someone yell as her eyes slowly adjusted. A person was looking at her. Directly at her. They knew she did not belong here. She, however, was too focused on the fight ahead of her.
There were soldiers lined up, firing at a line of Aralax that were coming to attack them. Hundreds of them. This had probably been one of the worst attacks Heia had seen on a city. It was lucky that they had not gotten under ground. Heia wondered if that had to do with the fact that this was Alan Penn’s city and he would never let his defenses slack off. Heia pondered the idea for just long enough, before she realized that she was going to be accosted.
Avoiding the grip of those who were reaching for her. Heia took off running knowing that she would have to disappear. Moving through the trucks, Heia wove her way in and about, thinking over her EverDanger training on how to disappear. Heia rolled under a car, and then moved to continue to hide. When she heard the soldiers run past her, she retreated back, walking slowly and searching for clothes to change into. Finding a discarded military jacket and hat, Heia threw them on and continued on closer, holding her holoblade close.
She then began narrating to no one but the camera. Even if her audio was bad quality, she’d be able to dub it over later. For the time, however, she needed to list out all the details of what she said. She listed the date, the time, the amount of soldiers, all the facts she knew. She made her way closer to the front line, seeing how Aralax continued to get through the firing line. The soldiers were shooting but they were not doing much damage. The Aralax were not able to be injured by traditional bullets. The barrage of gun fire was slowing them down and knocking them down but it was not killing them.
They were not using the skills that Evester had taught them. They were not killing. They were not using mages to destroy the Aralax’s defenses. Magic with bullets could work. Magic could work on its own. Bullets could not. The battle would take forever to complete at this rate. Based on her previous experiences, Heia knew that the army had something else in mind. Why did they think this was the correct path?
Finding a location to hideout, Heia set up the camera and began to wait as they fought the battle. It was only when a small section was broken off from the main group of Aralax, that a few soldiers approached and used the holoblade techniques that Evester had shown. All the while they were defended by the onslaught of constant barrage. It saved lives but wasted ammunition. No other city could be so frivolous with its resources. It was a long and tedious process, but done in a way in order to make the physical face to face combat, limited.
Heia thought of the other five entrances to the city and how they had to be engaged in similar battles. This was how Alan Penn saved lives for his city. While Heia was happy that this city had such a great defense, she could not help of all the other cities in the world. What of those who would not have this protection or care? She wondered if anyone would even notice. She wondered if anyone thought that if Alan Penn used resources this way for his people that there would be no other resource for others.
Heia had always know that the UnderCities and LowerLand cities were not equal. She knew that by living in an UnderCity, she was privileged with stable weather and housing. She also knew that some UnderCities were like the CloudCities, booming, beautiful, places to marvel over. Alan Penn’s city was much like that. He had made it that way and Heia did not feel jealous.
She was disgusted. The world was trying to survive and all he cared about were those few lucky enough to be in his city. He did not think of all the other cities and people. He did not want his own people panicking or thinking of those other people and places. Heia, swore to herself, not to let him continue on this path of frivolity.
The last of the Aralax bodies fell as dawn peaked above the horizon. Heia had staid up for as long as they had fought, and she had captured it all. She knew that they had a momentous task of editing ahead of themselves. She did not care. Taking her camera, she debated on watching them to see where they took the bodies or to return. What was the worst that could happen if she followed? Capture?
Taking the risk, she hid herself in the back of a vehicle, that began the transport of the bodies, filming the process, of how they pulled it towards a dump. Camera out, Heia recorded as best that she could. She watched as the Aralax were tossed aside and not properly burned or discarded. They were then picked up by planes, planes that Heia had not doubts would drop the bodies in the oceans. They did not care that the Aralax were poisonous. They wanted the bodies away, nothing else. She listened to the conversations of the soldiers who confirmed her suspicions.
Swallowing back her anger, Heia knew that this world would not be their world for much longer. The repercussions were not hers to face. She would, however, ensure that these people did not make the same choices on their new home. Their new home would need to be preserved and protected. They would need to work in combination with it to survive. They’d have to adapt there and avoid their current habits.
When Heia got back to the city, she had a hundred thoughts to go over with the others. She knew that Trace and Robee would not care, however Kim and Evester would. Uly and Zeydar would. She had to make sure that all people were equal. She had to make sure that all people pulled their weight. She had to make sure that something like this never happened again.
Heia snuck out of the back of the car, and started her way back to the city when she was grabbed. Blade out, she sliced at the arm that grabbed her, resulting in a jolted shirk from the officer who had touched her. With him he had three other soldiers who held their guns up at her.
“Your unit soldier?” The officer snapped, holding their arm.
Heia bit back the response, lowering her eyes and knowing she could not hide her camera. She would have to run. She was close enough to the tunnels. She’d be able to disappear in there. For a second she paused and then she looked up at the man, seeing how he recognized her instantly. Lessons on replay in her mind, Heia activated her holoblade and dropped down circling about, sending up a wave of dust into the air.
Low to the ground, Heia sprinted to a vehicle and then she began running, fast, quick, hiding the camera in her jacket, until she got to the vehicle with her bag. She tossed off the jacket and hat, throwing her camera bag on her back and jolting off towards the entrance of the city. She heard yells and screams, people reaching to grab at her. They were not trying to kill her, which was a good sign. They either had not gotten the order to make her disappear, or the order had never been issued.
Regardless of which it was, Heia used every skill in her arsenal to evade, and step past the soldiers, leaping away from them and sliding into the tunnels that led down to the UnderCity. Her senses and mind adjusted immediately, even as her eyes did not. Side stepping, Heia got into the utility tunnels. From there she was home free. Running with all she had, she made her way through the tunnels eluding the soldiers and hiding for long enough to let them pass. She took less traveled paths and erased her tracks to the best of her ability, before she finally got out to the main streets through the caverns. One look around, Heia saw that the day was underway, and that she would not so easily disappear as she had before.
Breathing out and with tight sharp gasps, Heia held her chest as she slithered through the streets back towards her siblings.
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Marlena Marie 
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