Project - Prometheus Ch. 27

"If there are pirates holding position against you, sir..." the sergeant didn't even finish the thought as a sniper's bullet snapped through his ear. It destroyed the comms bud he was wearing, and he screamed in pain. Other guards turned to see what was going on, and the moment they saw blood washing the sergeant's hand, they all sought cover.

"Get those civilians to a defensible position, now!" Sergeant Cullen called out, taking position and firing back against the sniper's position. More gunfire followed as the nearest guards herded everyone inside, trying to get them out of harm's way.

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Shazza, Taal'ani and the Artucian let themselves be herded in, knowing that they stood no chance without weapons or armor. They took position with the other travelers and visitors, doing what they could to keep them down. Shazza took stock of the situation and noted that there were far fewer people there than there should have been.

"Where is everyone else?" she shouted. Her call caused people to look around and some of them called out for their loved ones.

"Maisie? MAISIE?!?" a distraught woman called. Shazza's head whipped around and saw the couple she encountered earlier. Their little girl was missing, and they were searching for her among the remaining civilians.

"She's outside! There!" Taal'ani stated, pointing out on the restaurant's patio.

Sure enough, there was the little girl, along with some other vacationers, huddled behind a metal table. Shots continued to ring out, peppering the table, as the pirates tried to take down the security officers there. Several lucky shots dropped both men, and the pirates advanced. They had caught the security team by surprise, killing several and driving the rest of them into the restaurant.

They kept firing, keeping the remaining guards inside pinned. They moved up, coming to where the small group of civilians were huddled. The pirates grabbed them, dragging them away from the restaurant, as they kept firing. The little girl, Maisie, saw her mother and screamed, her arms reaching for her.

"MOMMY!"

"NO!" her mother cried out, trying to reach for her daughter, but was dragged away by one of the guards.

"Stop firing! Keep your guns ready!" one of the men called out. In response, the pirates stopped shooting, but still had their weapons trained on their targets. "Hello?"

"Who am I addressing?" Sergeant Cullen called out.

"Dorian Johnson, Captain of the pirate ship Cerberus. Who am I talking to?"

"Sergeant Nathaniel Cullen, of the Veldhern Security Force," the man replied.

"What happened to your superiors?" the pirate captain asked, already sure of the answer.

"Dead, thanks to you!" the sergeant spat.

"Don't thank me yet, boyo! I haven't even gotten started on killing today! You see, that bomb is one way to kill people, which is handy when it comes to dealing with law keepers. The problem I have with it is that it lacks a more... personal touch," Dorian laughed.

"Is that what you're going to do? Kill those people you have to make a point?" Nathan responded.

"Oh, dearie me, no! The way I see it, is that we're in a bit of a pickle, aren't we? You have tourists in there, don't you? Doing what you can to keep them safe? That's not going to happen, because you will send them out, one at a time," Dorian told him.

"If I don't?"

"Then, sadly, we start killing hostages. Starting with this wonderful little girl here!" Dorian stated, grabbing Maisie by the hair and placing his gun to her temple. The girl screamed and cried, and seeing this made everyone hesitate, even the captain's own men.

"Don't test me. I've killed children before. The drill is always the same, you refuse, and I put a bullet in this girl's head. She dies and you then have no choice but to surrender, because you don't want more blood spilled. Problem is, the damage is done, an innocent little girl dies, and her parents will blame you for her death," Dorian told him, laying out the way it could happen.

"No! Please!" the distraught mother called out, begging for mercy.

"The only way the little girl lives is if you all come out, peacefully. Throw your weapons out where we can see them and walk out with your hands on your heads," Dorian called out. "You have one minute to decide!"

"Fuck!" the sergeant cursed.

"Please, do what they ask!" the father of the little girl begged.

"We do that, we're dead!" Cullen growled, hating the situation even more by the minute.

"You really want that little girl's blood on your hands?!" Taal'ani fumed at him.

"You want everyone else's blood on yours?" the sergeant shot back.

"Don't shoot! I'm coming out!" one of the guards shouted, tossing his weapons out in front of him.

"Aidon, get back to your position!" Cullen ordered him.

"With all due respect sergeant, I will not let that little girl die!" Aidon scoffed at him.

"Smart man! I'd do as he's doing Sergeant. Or you'll be among the first to die!" Dorian taunted him.

Grinding his teeth and growling at his hand being forced, Cullen followed suit, throwing his weapon out, before standing with his hands raised. The other guards followed along, as did the civilians, who wanted to see the little girl safe. They marched out at gunpoint, fearful of being shot, hoping the pirates would keep their word. The pirates held their fire, knowing that more hostages put them in a better bargaining position.

"Very good! I'm happy to see that no one else has to die today! But that doesn't mean that we can't have ourselves some fun!" Dorian cackled.

They pushed everyone over to where the tables had stood and forced everyone to their knees. Several of the pirates grabbed one of the guards and stripped him of his body armor. The guard tried to resist but was beaten when he tried. Soon, the man was standing in just plain clothes, while some pirates hooted and jeered. He was then pushed into a small ring where other pirates surrounded him.

Several other men were similarly stripped of their armor and held at gunpoint. The guard who was pushed into the small ring of pirates faced off against a lithe and small man, who moved like he was a deadly weapon. He sneered at the older man and tossed a pair of knives at his feet. The pirate was taunting the man, jeering and egging him on, but the guard was stonefaced and stared at the pirate hatefully.

The guard looked uneasy but understood what they expected of him. The pirates wanted to see some sport and beating on the guards, with the opportunity to kill them, was their idea of fun. He was given two knives, which he had to use to fight. The pirate facing him also had a pair of these knives, twirling them in his hands like he knew how to use them.

Without a word, the guard lunged forward. The pirate saw it coming and sidestepped the clumsy attack. The guard's head snapped up, and he dodged out of the way just before he got his throat cut. He thought he was facing a clumsy pirate who knew nothing of fighting, and that mistake nearly cost him his life. With a better measure of his opponent now, he advanced cautiously.

His slow pace cost him as the pirate weaved in and landed several piercing blows before he danced away. The older guard grimaced before he groaned and fell to his knees, blood spreading across his shirt. The man gasped, straining to breathe, before falling to his face, dead.

The pirates surrounding the two combatants hollered and crowed at their compatriot's prowess, and he sauntered about like he couldn't be beaten. The pirates in the ring then selected another guard, a young man this time, and pushed him forward. He stared back at his friends, before he turned to face the knife wielding pirate.

"You wanna live, pretty boy? Fight me!" the pirate taunted him. The boy stood there, staring at the body of his friend, before his eyes darted to the knives that lay by his hands. He scurried over and scooped up the weapons, before taking a martial arts stance.

"Come at me, kid! Give me a good fight, eh?" the man taunted the guard.

The young man attacked the pirate, but with far more finesse and skill than the former guard had. The pirate's taunting turned to surprise, but then moved to concentration. It was clear that this kid, whoever he was, knew what he was doing and gave the pirate pause. It would be a tough fight for sure, but he was confident that he could win.

The guard fought valiantly, putting the knives he was given to good use, but he would lose. It was clear to anyone who could see it, but the pirate was the superior fighter. His movements were swift and precise, each movement calculated before he made it. He blocked and parried each of the guard's attacks and followed them with cunning ripostes. It took nearly ten minutes before the pirate had disarmed the man and had a knife to his throat ready to end his life.

"Hold up," Dorian told his minion.

"Sir?"

"Lung him. He fought pretty damned good, so he deserves a chance at eluding death. At least for a bit," Dorian cackled. The pirate smiled and moved the blade from the guard's throat, driving it into his right lung instead. Several of the tourists screamed at this, fearing for the guard's life as the pirates laughed and tossed him aside like garbage.

"It's clear that these boys can fight, but let's not tire ourselves out with them! How about a different sort of entertainment?" Dorian called out as he walked over to where the tourists were kneeling.

The hoots and jeers of his men left little doubt of what he was taking about, especially when he grabbed two women by the hair. The first was an older black haired human woman, who had a classical beauty about her, if her face wasn't frozen in fear. The other was Jennifer, Maisie's mother.

"Mommy!" the little girl called out as Dorian took her mother from her.

"Stop, let her go!" Chuck demanded as he got to his feet to fight against the pirates. The nearest pirate sucker punched him, dropping him like a sack of beans. Another one kicked him as he lay on the ground, writhing in pain.

"Stop hurting my daddy!" Maisie wailed.

"Shut up, you tiny cunt!", one man shouted at her, before backhanding the little girl across the face. She squealed in pain and fell to the ground next to her father, crying from the blow.

"That little girl? Bring her here," Dorian stated, smiling evilly. The pirate who hit her, grabbed Maisie by the hair and dragged to where Dorian was waiting with her mother. Jennifer cried out in defiance and denial, begging for her daughter to be spared.

"She should have kept her little mouth shut then," Dorian sneered, eager to have his prize.

Seeing all of this was too much for Shazza. She had come here to rest and relax, getting away from the horrors she had witnessed. She didn't come here to watch this happen. Shazza had seen enough horrors happen to little girls and had to endure them herself, when she was a girl. There would be no more, not if she had anything to say about it.

"Let her go!" Shazza cried out as she stood up, anger suffusing her entire being.

"Get back on your knees, bitch!" the pirate said to her, bringing his weapon up to smash into her face. The butt of the rifle descended, but Shazza caught it with ease, holding it in place, much to the man's shock.

"I said, LET. HER. GO!!" Shazza screamed as she lunged forward and punched the man with all her might.

The pirate then flew backward through the air, like a leaf in a hurricane. He rushed through the air with such force, that when he hit the wall by the restaurant with a thundering crack, his head exploded like a watermelon. Everyone stared at the pirate in horror, who was now little more than meat. Then they turned to look at Shazza, and a collective shout of surprise echoed through the group.

What Shazza didn't see was the fact that her eyes were no longer their shimmering green color, but a blazing white. Arcs of white lighting rippled across the woman, transforming her into a lethal weapon. The thing that shocked almost everyone present was that her form shimmered and sputtered.

She couldn't see that her disguise matrix was failing, and a few seconds later, it dissipated altogether. Shazza stood there as she was supposed to be seen, her black skin and white hair gleaming, the sun making her horns glint in its light.

"FUCK! It's a fucking Xuul'khan! Shoot the bitch!" Dorian screamed, spurring his men to act.

Every pirate leveled their weapons and opened fire, intent on ending Shazza's life. They tried as in less than a millisecond, Shazza's hands came up in a defensive gesture. Around her, a shimmering barrier of silvery white light came into being, protecting her from the deadly rounds. Each bullet was stopped cold, going not even a millimeter past the barrier.

The pirates kept shooting, hoping that with enough bullets, the shield would eventually drop. They had no such luck as their clips were spent and they scrambled to reload. Shazza dropped her shield and though the pirates didn't know it, they were all dead men. She charged the man nearest to her, the man who has so callously ended the lives of good men with his knives. He fought back against her, but as skilled as he was, he couldn't hope to win against a master assassin like Shazza.

She just flowed around him, like his attacks were more of a nuisance than a genuine threat. Shazza and taken one of his arms and with her enhanced strength, she snapped his arm in half. She then snatched the knife out of his hand and drove it in his throat. As the man choked on his own blood, Shazza pulled the knife from his other hand and flung it at the closest man, catching him right in the eye.

Before either man started falling, Shazza was moving again, faster than thought, putting her fist through another pirate's head. She then grabbed his sidearm and took aim at the other pirates who had reloaded, hoping to kill her. She fired her shots before any of them had taken aim, their fates already sealed.

It was during this distraction that the remaining guards saw their chance and fought back. Because of their focus on taking down Shazza, the pirates were overpowered easily; the guards taking back control of the situation. Some pirates offered no resistance, not wanting to die, nor stand against such a powerful woman. Shazza turned her head to see what was happening to the women that Dorian had taken.

"That's enough bitch! Stop right now or I'll snap this little girl's neck!" the man threatened, holding Maisie up, with his large hand wrapped around the little girl's neck.

"No, you won't," Shazza told him, her voice dripping with Aetheric power.

"I said..." the pirate captain started before he felt something odd tug at his arms.

They were being pried apart, and he couldn't stop them. He stared at Shazza, whose arms were wreathed in that same silver white energy, as were his arms, right down to his fingers. He couldn't move a damn thing, and his disbelief was echoed by the look on his face. He then saw Shazza twist her arms viscously and his arms snapped, as though an invisible giant had broken them like twigs. The pirate captain screamed in pain, as his once sturdy arms were now mangled like shredded meat.

"Maisie, get behind me," Shazza ordered the little girl as she fell from Dorian's grip.

Nodding, Maisie did as she was told, knowing there was safety in obeying the black-skinned woman. The guards pressed in to take Dorian into custody, but a simple wave of Shazza's hand had them hesitate. She strode up to the man as he writhed in agony, taking him by the scruff of his neck. Her eyes still blazing with the Aetheric energy, she stared into his, as though she was staring right into the man's soul.

"There is nothing within you worth saving. You are blacker than the deepest abyss ever known," she growled, her echoy voice spooking everyone.

"Wha..." he muttered as he felt her hand on his neck.

Shazza then squeezed, choking the man with one hand, the Aether assisting her. Dorian tried to fight back against her, to stop her from ending his life, but it was pointless. He thrashed and kicked, fearfully casting his gaze left and right, hoping someone would stop the Xuul'khani woman. But everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but grim faces staring back at him.

"Where you are going, there is no return. Languish in eternal suffering, you son of a bitch!" Shazza growled, finally snapping his neck. The security guards stared at what she had done, none of them brave enough to approach the woman.

"Shazza? You OK?" Taal'ani called out. Slowly, the corona of Aether that surrounded the Xuul'khani woman faded out, and she fell to her knees weeping. Taal'ani raced to her friend but was stopped by one of the guards.

"Ma'am stay back! You don't know what she's capable of!" the guard told her, trying to keep her away from Shazza.

"I know her! She's my friend!" Taal'ani argued, pushing her way past.

"Ma'am! Back away from the Xuul'khan!" the guard told her as he leveled his pistol at her.

"If you're going to shoot me, then fucking well shoot me! Yes, she's a Xuul'khan, but she's also a woman who's gone through shit you couldn't even imagine!" Taal'ani retorted, her tirade catching the man off guard. She scurried to her friend and wrapped her in a hug, knowing that Shazza had to be reliving some hard shit right then.

"You OK?" she asked her sniffling friend.

"He was just... empty. I had to... to stop him... before he..." Shazza blubbered.

"Shh, it's OK now," the Fel'caan woman soothed.

Another outburst from the guards caught the women's attention as they turned to see what all the fuss was about. They watched as both Jennifer and Maisie walked up to them, sympathy all over their beautiful faces. Maisie hugged Shazza right away, crying and snuggling into the woman. She then looked up at Jennifer, who had tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you... for saving my little girl's life!" Jennifer cried, as she too embraced Shazza, hugging her like she was a saint.

Overwhelmed by all of this, Shazza cried too, but tears of joy rather than sorrow. She had feared that when people saw her true form, they would shrink away in fear. But Maisie and Jennifer, embracing her as someone who they saw as a savior and a friend, was more than she dared hope for. She hugged the women back, overjoyed that she had found this small measure of acceptance.

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"Repeat, we are pinned down and in need of air support! Damn it, does anyone copy for Christ sakes?!?" Captain Fitch yelled into his commlink.

"Captain Fitch relay those co-ordinates again! We are inbound and ready to render assistance," Inari called out over the commlink.

"Who the hell is this?" he replied.

"Captain Inari Sunara of the merchant vessel Darkstrider. We are inbound and see the smoke from the wrecked destroyer. What is your position over?" Inari told him.

"Three klicks west of the wreck, but get to the villas first! God only knows what those pirates could be doing to the tourists!" Fitch barked.

"We've just received word that the security team has secured the villas. There have been several casualties, but the villas are secure and the pirates who attacked are dead or in custody," Inari replied.

"That's good to hear! Whatever aid you could lend down here would be greatly appreciated!" Fitch called out.

"Standby. ETA: thirty seconds," Inari told him.

Fitch heard the line go out, and he barked orders for his squad to hold fast. They returned fire, but made no stupid moves or advances, as the pirates had the high ground. A sonic boom sounded over the air and a few seconds later, the security team captain saw its source. A sleek and beautiful frigate came charging out of the atmosphere, weapons blazing as it opened fire upon the pirate's positions.