The Three Dark Angels

Discipline! Beasley chided angrily at herself, focusing her thoughts and efforts on the barrier, attempting to block out the distractions. (Though failing miserably.) Discipline! Discipline! Discipline!

"ALL UNITS, PREPARE FOR CODE WHITE! I REPEAT, ALL UNITS, PREPARE FOR CODE WHITE! STAND BY FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM YOUR IMMEDIATE COMMANDERS!"

Finally! The order to abandon NorthRend was being put into motion! That brought about a sense of relief that Beasley couldn't describe. At last, they were going to break away before they could get completely surrounded. Though, Beasley did wonder how many have gathered outside, and whether or not it was too-

Beasley shook her head again. It didn't matter how many were out there. Staying here would only allow more to surround them. Now that the order was coming down, it was now or never. If they couldn't break out, they were all dead anyways. Beasley acknowledged that much at the very least.

But, now at least, Beasley had something to actually look forward to, rather than feeling virtually helpless at the situation as a whole. They were finally going to do something.

As she eagerly awaited her next set of instructions, which will hopefully come soon, the situation around Beasley did not change. In fact, as they waited, more of the slow flying machines flew past her, their destination still the same. The rays of the sun were slowly creeping over the horizon as the day actually began. (Though to Beasley, as well as everyone else in NorthRend, this day had started at three in the morning when code black had been announced.)

Discipline! Discipline! Discipline! Beasley continued to repeat that word in her mind. Things like this take time. They were only going to get one shot, so it was best to make sure that it was done in the best way possible with a solid set of plans. It was the job of herself and the rest to ensure that the execution of the orders were carried out properly, for the sake of everyone around them. They only had each other, after all. No one was coming to save them, that much she understood.

No set plan had been put in place for code white since no one knew when or under what conditions the drawback would take place. So, as she waited, Beasley herself wondered what kind of plan they would draw up. Probably something simple, and something that could be done quickly.



"And that's the plan. Got it?" Veteran Hailey finished, the commanding Dragoon in NorthRend. Though Aegis saw past her appearance and accepted her rank, he imagined that most probably saw her as more of a man than a woman with her shaved head and muscular body, along with a face that looked tougher than most men.

Her ability, however, was unquestionable, and had been properly demonstrated the day the Graduates had arrived, though that felt like ages ago. Almost entirely a different lifetime. It was, of course, good old Hothead Angelus who couldn't help himself and started laughing when he first saw her, thinking that she was a man at first until he saw the normal curves on her chest that indicated that she was a woman, and that's when Angelus started cracking up. Without a word, she caught him off guard, threw him to the ground, and kicked him several times. Next, to humiliate him further, she laid on top of him, slapped the cheeks on his face to force his lips open, and gave Angelus his first official kiss, with her fondling him to top it off.

The shock of it all had been too much even for Angelus, who did nothing but apologize and promised it would not happen again after she broke away from him. Oddly, all Veteran Hailey did was accept the apology, welcomed Angelus to NorthRend, and did not do anything else to him. And he did not laugh at her appearance again.

And right now, Aegis, along with Angelus to his right, and Azreal further down, were currently gathered with Veteran Hailey, Veteran Phobos, and Veteran Brandall, the three Veterans of NorthRend, and they had just finished discussing the basics of their plan for code white. There wasn't time for much more.

"It may sound disappointing, but it's simple, and it'll work. We'll set up a screen for you three, you lead off, and that will be the signal for everyone else. I hope that you're as powerful as I heard you three are. And don't pussyfoot it either, we need you to do this for real, with all you've got, understand? You're done hiding." Veteran Hailey added.

"Yes Veteran." Aegis, Angelus, and Azreal responded in unison.

Aegis agreed with the overall plan. As Veteran Hailey said, it was simple, but it should work.

"Let's start putting the plan into motion."



If there was ever such a thing as waiting to death, this just might be it, Beasley figured to herself as she continued to wait, the anxious whispers around her doing little to hide the impatience that was building in the more senior Dragoons around her.

What would the plan be? What would they have to do? Could they even break out of the enemy's siege, which continued to grow as more and more Tech flying machines buzzed around with equipment and enemy troops, mocking the Magi as they landed all around them and proceeded on without any disturbance?

The questions around Beasley began to echo in her mind. The most important one, and the one she should not be asking herself, which echoed over and over again, was the question of 'is it too late'? Is it? Beasley could not see how many had gathered around them, but what if it was too late? What if they did not have the power to break out of NorthRend?

The answer to that was simple. NorthRend will become their graves.

Beasley...Beasley is not ready to accept that yet. Beasley always had two dreams, not just one, and her life would not be complete until she achieved her dreams, as impossible as it might seem now.

Her first dream she had already made come true, and had followed her family's footsteps and became a Dragoon herself, wearing the iconic Dragoon robe that all Magi acknowledged.

And the second, the second had only just begun. A family, a real family to call her own.

Marcus, now the man Beasley proudly called her husband, he himself was a miracle for her. While true that he and his family did not carry the same type of proud lineage that Beasley and her family did, Marcus himself was a decent man. No, he was more than decent. He was a miracle.

Men hated women who could stand toe to toe with them, a woman who could directly challenge their manhood. Most men, they liked it far more when the woman was more on the submissive side, leaving the 'man' jobs to the man.

Not Beasley. Not a fucking chance in the Abyss. She demanded to be seen and accepted as an equal, one who had just as much power in her life and her relationships as her partner, perhaps even more than most, and men hated that.

Except Marcus. He didn't hate it. In fact, as he said to Beasley repeatedly, he enjoyed her will to fight, to challenge him. It was a challenge, a game between the two of them, and one that constantly made the two of them better.

Marcus had taken the first step, admitting that he could no longer live without her, and pledged his love, along with his proposition of marriage, just before Beasley left for Candidate School, and promised that he would wait for her return, and then they would be married. (This thought had helped Beasley repeatedly during the harsh days at Candidate School countless times.)

It had been a dream for Beasley, and, perhaps one of the truly rare moments when Beasley fully embraced her femininity, and allowed herself to be a full and true woman. Marcus had waited on her hand and foot during their ten day honeymoon, refusing to allow her to do any work at all. He pampered her, loved her, and ultimately gave her a true sense of a vacation. (Towards the end, however, things settled back to normal, and as usual, Marcus and Beasley butted heads about who did what, since Beasley was not the type to be pampered. She had merely allowed Marcus to baby sit her.)

But now the situation was starting to strike much closer to home than earlier. Her dreams of a family, that had only just begun, and the people that were outside the barrier, they didn't care about her dreams, hopes, plans of the future. They didn't care about her, Marcus, or even their unborn children.

Instead of bringing a sense of despair, however, that brought her a sense of strength. If she allowed it, life itself would swat her aside, disregarding her completely. And, by Osirus, Beasley was not going to go quietly into the night. She refused to be swatted aside without putting up a real fight, even if it was against all odds.

That was because it was the only thing she could do. She was not the type to stand around and do nothing.

"LISTEN UP, BUT DON'T STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Beasley heard her commander, Junior Tristfal, shout suddenly, and Beasley tensed up and was all ears. Hopefully, this was going to be the plan to break out of NorthRend.

"WHEN I GIVE THE ORDER FOLLOWING THE SIGNAL, ABANDON THE OBELISK AND GATHER AT THE SOUTH END OF NORTHREND. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS, FOLLOW THE CROWD. ONCE THERE, WE WILL WAIT FOR A SECOND SIGNAL WHILE I OR ANOTHER INFORMS YOU OF THE NEXT STEP, GOT IT?"

"YES JUNIOR!" Beasley, and the other Dragoons of the obelisk she was working on, responded in unison. Finally! They were going to bust out of here!



"Just remember, the harder you hit them, the harder it will be for them to gather themselves and counterattack. Show them no mercy." Veteran Hailey told Azreal, Angelus and Aegis. Well, no worries there, Azreal figured to himself. This was the real deal, and Azreal fully understood that this was not a game, and there would be no second chances.

Despite the hard, tough mask he was wearing, however, and despite Azreal trying his best to keep himself under control, Azreal himself was scared. And not just some typical form of being scared. No, this was real fear, one that shook him to his core. Life came and went in the blink of an eye out here, and Azreal already got lucky once, still feeling the pain of being pelted by the rubble and rocks earlier from the explosions.

Just a little closer to the head, and Azreal would be dead. What will save him next time? Or, will next time be the last time?

"Ready?" Veteran Hailey asked the Graduates, with both Veteran Brandall and Veteran Phobos gathered with them.

"Yes Veteran." The three Graduates responded in unison.

However, Veteran Hailey shook her head. "No, I'm asking you as individuals. Are you ready?"

"I am, Veteran." Aegis spoke up first as Azreal turned to Aegis, somehow still wearing the same expressions that he always does. How the fuck does he do it!?

"Yeah, I'm good Veteran." Angelus responded in a low voice, clearly indicating that he was not as his eyes were unable to meet Veteran Hailey's, and one that worried Azreal. Angelus...with the way he's all fucked up right now...just how long would he live?

That unsettled Azreal perhaps more than anything else. Good old stubborn dickhead Hothead Angelus was just...empty. It had already started before today, and it was weird to see, but this, somehow this was on an entirely different level than before. This was way worse.

Veteran Hailey clearly noticed this as well. "Are you sure of that, Graduate Angelus? I realize that I'm asking a lot out of you three, especially considering this is your first time experiencing this war for what it really is, and it's okay if it's overwhelming. But, I need to know if you can do this. Otherwise, the plan just might backfire."

"Yes I can do this! Let's just get it over with already!" Angelus snapped back, forgetting who he was speaking for a moment before he realized it.

"Sorry Veteran." He apologized as he bowed, yet another gesture which Azreal found unsettling. This wasn't like him at all. Even the way he snapped at Veteran Hailey was wrong. It wasn't with his usual arrogance, but, he had snapped back in the same way that someone who was trying to keep themselves from crying would respond. And he even apologized for it.

Veteran Hailey for some reason, accepted this with a silent nod, and turned to Azreal.

"Graduate Azreal?"

Azreal gave a shaky nod. "Yes, I'll be fine Veteran. I'll be better once we get started."

Veteran Hailey then turned to Veteran Brandall. "Send the signal."

Like before, the signal was another fireball that exploded in the sky. (It is the most common form of signals among the Magi for a number of reasons, number one being that it is the easiest form which just about any Magi can do, for the most part.)

"Once the fireballs are launched, it's all on you three, you'll be on your own for the initial strike. Use your Lightning Steps well, and don't let the enemy pinpoint you. Good luck, and may the Dragons guide your steps." Veteran Hailey said as both she and Veteran Phobos dispersed as the barrier began to fade and shrink away.

"Let's get started." Aegis spoke up as he raised his hand to the sky, followed shortly by Azreal and Angelus as a black cloud formed in their hands and began seeping into the sky, cracking with lightning as it did so.

Although Azreal hadn't practiced using Fury of the Skies to the same extent as Aegis and Angelus may have, but he did take the time to make himself familiar with it.

Thank Osirus he did.

As their power seeped into the air, Azreal saw that their three separate clouds become one, causing the bolts of lightning in the cloud to become more intense and more frequent as the black cloud began spreading rapidly into the sky as the barrier of NorthRend vanished.

"DRAGOONS! FIRE!!!!" Azreal heard several voices echo loudly all around them, causing him to tense up. Once the fireballs began landing, they were up.

However, that tension faded as he saw hundreds, literally hundreds of fireballs fly above their heads, which, for a few odd moments, darkened the light of the morning more than the huge lightning cloud was doing. It was...spectacular, and both intimidating to watch as Azreal quickly imagined all of those fireballs raining on him.

Thankfully, they weren't, and harmlessly flew over his head, towards the open fields where the enemy had begun gathering at the south side of NorthRend.

After making good distance, however, it was becoming quickly apparent that the fireballs were going to fall dozens of feet short of the enemy, not one within range of the enemy.

Exactly as expected.

After all, the Techs weren't dumb by any means. No, they were gathering a bit of a distance away from NorthRend and the barrier to prevent being ambushed by attacks such as this.

The fireballs began to rain on the ground, and despite the fact that they were landing in a harmless location, the explosions that followed were enough to disrupt and shake both sides of the battlefield, kicking up masses of earth and dust, the true objective of the fireball assault.

"Let's go." Aegis spoke once again, the huge black cloud in the sky almost appearing ready to exploded with the amount of lightning bolts that were flashing within the cloud. At Aegis' words, himself, Azreal, and Angelus vanished, using Lightning Steps as they headed straight for the cloud and dust cover that had been created for them.

Within seconds, they were in the dust cloud, and Aegis spoke once more.

"NOW!!!"

Aegis, Angelus, and Azreal all threw down their hands, still connected to the black cloud in the sky which was clearly moving towards the south side, but also clearly had not kept up with the speed of the Lightning Steps.

The fireballs that just landed, they were light attacks. The artillery guns that had fired on the beaches earlier, they too, were light attacks. The power unleashed from the black cloud in the sky, everything to this point paled in comparison.

Multiple forked lightning bolts struck the ground in a flash, a total of ten to fifteen direct strikes all at once, and this time, the bolts did reach the enemy. Not only did the bolts reach the enemy, but their force and power reached all of NorthRend.

The earth shook at the force of the strikes all through NorthRend, and for quite a few miles out, and was powerful enough register a 3 or 4 on the Quake scale. Nearly every human, Tech and Magi, had lost their footing due to the shaking ground, and all were feeling the same intense pain from the sound of the strikes.

Azreal's ears were ringing loudly as he raised himself to his feet, having fallen to the ground once he threw down his arm, knowing how powerful the strikes might be, and had even tried to cover his ears in time, though the pain in his ears and head clearly showed how futile that attempt had been.

Azreal shook his head several times before feeling weak pats on his left shoulder, and Azreal turned to see Aegis standing next to him, both of his ears leaking blood. Now that Azreal thought about it, his ears did feel oddly warm, indicating that perhaps his ears were bleeding as well.

Aegis wasn't speaking, but he was furiously pointing in a direction, which didn't make sense since they were still being covered by the dust clouds from the fireball strikes, and it took a few moments before Azreal realized what Aegis was trying to say.

It was the next step. They were to spread out and attempt to harass the enemy at a distance until everyone in NorthRend caught up to them, then they would attempt to quickly engage and take out as much as they could before withdrawing from the area completely.



Zaeco Gregor grabbed his ears as he writhed on the ground in pain. What in the fucking name of the Dragons was that!? Zaeco, having been near the south side of NorthRend to being with, had caught sight of the dust cloud in the distance, the huge black cloud in the sky, and the flashes which burned into his eyes, quickly followed by both the quakes and the sound, forcing him to the ground as he is now.

The lighting strikes that he had seen were still burned into his eyes, several forked and oddly colored lines which would not fade whether his eyes were open or not, along with the ringing which was the only thing Zaeco could hear. As he adjusted to the pain and regained himself, he began to dwell on what had just happened.

That was...that shit was fucking unreal. Zaeco felt that half of the world should have been blown away at that kind of power. Zaeco had never seen nor felt anything like that in his life, and to top it off, Zaeco knew just who had been responsible for that display.

The rats.

Before he could think any further, he felt a furious pat on his back as he rose to his knees, and he turned in irritation to see a Junior standing behind him. Although Zaeco could not hear what the Junior was trying to shout to him, it was obvious what he was trying to say.

One did not need to be a great lip reader to understand the words 'Let's go!'.

Zaeco rose to his feet, despite having a hard time balancing as he did so, taking a few moments to orient himself on his feet before he began to move, basically being forced to quickly re-teach his body how to stand on it's own two feet again. Once he did, the Junior moved on, assisting others who were unable to stand on their feet alone after that display of raw and pure power.

Zaeco saw further ahead that hundreds others were already on their feet, although nearly everyone was clearly wobbling back and forth, not able to stand straight as they began making their exit out of NorthRend and towards the dust clouds of the fireballs which had begun to fade away. However, Zaeco could not tell whether or not the enemy had recovered enough to fight back because he couldn't fucking hear anything!