Chapter 29: Time to Fall in Love

Ryan and the others came crashing through the Gateway like a bat out of hell. For a few terrifying seconds, they were suspended in midair with a barely functioning hoverbike. But as the group plummeted to the earth, the ground suddenly changed form into a soft, clay-like mud that cushioned their fall.

Aside from the ringing in Ryan’s ears and the searing pain in his arm, it felt like landing on a pillow. Hands made out of mud rose from the earth to slow their descent as they began to slide. Normally, Ryan might’ve been alarmed by such an occurrence, but given his recent Elemental company as of late, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. If anything, he was glad that his allies had the acumen to call in Earth-Type Miners, especially with them being a rarity in the Fire Ministry.

When the vehicle finally came to a halt, dozens of medics rushed over to check on their condition. Tork, Grafael, Rachel, Thisimius, and even Kavic all came stumbling behind the medics.

“Grafy!” shouted Éclair. “Grafy! You’re all right!”

Éclair jumped from the hoverbike to embrace the giant, lovable lizard. She wrapped her arms around the big guy’s neck so hard that he actually started choking. Medics rushed Ryan all at once, barring him from the merriment.

In the back of his mind, he knew that they were only doing their jobs, but that didn’t change how annoyed he felt. As Ryan and the others were forcibly placed in floating metal gurneys, he noticed for the first time the glow out in the distance. The explosion of the nuclear missile was still in progress.

“Hey,” said Ryan, groaning slightly as he noticed many gathered onlookers staring at the orange glow behind him. “What’s going on?”

Rachel answered with a pained expression. “Minister Kaves and Minister Sorric are attempting to contain the nuclear explosion.”

“Contain it?” repeated Ryan, barely able to believe the words coming out of his mouth. “Is that possible?”

“For two Vessel-leveled Elemental masters,” said Leon in his gurney, the eternal know-it-all, even while in critical condition. “We’d better hope that it’s possible ... for all our sakes.”

As Ryan turned back and shielded his eyes against the sun-like light, he thought he could pinpoint where Saria and the Water Minister were. The silhouette of a single building stood alone against the massive ball of light where all other buildings lay decimated. Despite being dwarfed by the explosion, the tall skyscraper still stood.

Amazingly, Ryan could’ve sworn that he could pick out the exact figures of each Grand Minister. Two tiny dots with hands upraised as if in worship somehow held the light back. To think that two people could hold back such power. No, more than hold it back. They commanded it. Bent it to their will.

Even more amazing, Ryan thought he could see something that was there and yet wasn’t there at the same time. Hovering above the lone tower just behind both Ministers stood two massive figures so large that they almost eclipsed the nuclear explosion itself. They appeared translucent, like a mirage or an afterimage, but for a moment, they seemed more real to Ryan then the Ministers themselves.

Two animals engulfed in flame and water. One was a male Lion with a mane of orange fire, the other was a blue Bear with a coat of water. The colossal beasts floated in the air sitting on their haunches like well-trained dogs, staring down at the inferno as if daring it to cross them. With a start, Ryan realized that he had seen the Lion made of flame before. It was the same creature that had commanded him to join Squad 99.

Ryan turned back to Éclair, who stared in awe, the medics around her even taking a moment from their check-up to gaze up at the majestic display of destruction. “Éclair, do you see...”

“Yes,” she said solemnly. “Normally, the Ministers are forbidden from using their powers under any circumstances except in cases like this to avert a massive disaster. And even knowing that, it has been ages since the Ministers cooperated like this. Take heed, Ryan. We are witnessing history.”

“Yeah, I figured that, but do you see those two giant-”

Ryan cut off as he turned back and realized that the giant monsters had vanished. Only the Ministers stood against the radioactive onslaught. Ryan figured that he must’ve imagined it in his fatigue and thought nothing of it.

Silvia opened her eyes slowly. She found herself lying in a metal gurney with a psionic field glowing over her body. Her hands were bound, restricting her movement. They knew she was the enemy and yet they still took the time to treat her.

For some reason, Silvia found that gesture extremely kind. She saw her father sitting on the ground to her left wrapped in psionic suppression ropes with his hands tied behind his back as he stared at something over in the distance. His condition hadn’t been as severe, and so there was no need to place him in a medical tube.

Not that being in one will save me, thought Silvia bitterly. I know my body better than they do. I can tell that I’m fading fast.

Silvia followed her father’s gaze and saw something truly spectacular. She saw light. A light brighter than any she could remember, brighter than the sun even. Light had condensed itself into a gigantic orb that swirled and spiraled like a massive whirlpool.

And out in the distance on a tall building overseeing the light, two lone figures stood with their hands raised over their heads as if they held the light at bay. As Silvia absorbed the faces of all the onlookers, Elemental and Tarrus citizen alike who stared up at the light, she felt the awe, the terror, the worry, and the hope etched into every line of their faces.

I see. That must be the two Ministers over there. They’re containing the explosion of Plan Omega. I never thought Gregory would actually do it, but at least the Elementals got wind of his insanity in time.

A strange sort of serenity overtook Silvia. The fires, the explosions, the earth rumbling, the wind roaring, the massive plume cloud, the mass destruction of countless streets and buildings was so terrible to behold. It should’ve reminded Silvia of the destruction of her home.

And yet, she felt no sadness in her heart, at least not anymore. The giant orb of light reminded Silvia of Ryan ... because his element was fire. Now when Silvia looked at any pyro, it reminded her of the warmth of passion and love, not death and misery.

It’s ironic. Such a sight of destruction being held at bay should terrify me, and yet, all I can do is think about how beautiful it is. How beautiful life is. You were the one who taught me that, Ryan Uruks ... a debt I intend to repay with my final act.

No one paid her any attention at the moment. Silvia took it as an opportunity to speak with her father one last time. “Daddy, can you hear me?

Galzar nodded without taking his eyes from the explosion. “I can, my daughter.”

Silvia smiled sadly. “You’re a liar, you know that?”

“Really? And why is that?

“You said you didn’t care about me.”

“I did.”

“You told me that I was nothing more than an expendable tool for the masters.”

“I did.”

“And yet, you tried to save me after I had made my intentions clear to betray the Order.”

Galzar sighed and looked down at his feet. “Well, I guess you are right about that.”

Silvia felt happy now, happier than she had ever felt before. If there was a God, then he had just given her the kindest act of mercy that anyone could ever give an undeserving soul.

“I want you to know that my intentions have not changed,” said Silvia. “I will tell them everything I can in the short time that I have left. If you wish to silence me, now is the only chance you’ll get.”

Galzar shook his head slowly. “No, that will not be necessary. The oaths you took will keep you from divulging anything crucial. Besides, even if you stopped this war, our main goal in this phase was to stir disorder and mistrust amongst the Ministries ... and in that, I would say our mission has succeeded.

“This mission was never meant to be the end of the Ministries, it was meant to be the beginning of the end. Which means that the ultimate plan will go on without us. In that way, my daughter, you and I are truly insignificant. In that sense, we really are nothing.”

Silvia felt sad to hear her father speak so bitterly, and after such a touching moment together. “I take it you still intend to serve the Fallen Ones and the Order.”

Now Galzar met Silvia’s gaze with tears in his eyes. It was the first time she had seen him cry in ten years. “I admit that I still hate the humans for what they did to me, and while I have no intention of betraying my oaths, I have recently discovered something about myself ... something that I tried to hide away.

“We Goblins are a curious lot. We try to hide our true feelings just as we hide our true forms. But in the end, it would seem that I was a terrible spy after all. I wasn’t able to complete the training of the Order of Shadows. I wasn’t able to eradicate all of my feelings.

“In the short span of time that I have seen you blossom ... I have come to realize two things. One, I truly did love your mother. And two, despite how things ended between us, I am thankful for the time I spent with her. After all, she gave me you. To me, that is the greatest gift anyone could ever give.”

Tears filled Silvia’s own eyes. In a shaky voice, she managed to say, “Thank you, daddy. I love you. I will love you always.”

Galzar then did something strange. He got up and cut the ropes that bound him with his claw-like fingernails, the same trick Silvia used earlier. Elementals to his right and left noticed and quickly rose to retaliate.

In their confused state, Silvia knew that Galzar could have easily overcome at least one or two, even in his delicate condition. But he didn’t raise a hand to any of them, he didn’t even flinch. He just stood there as they leveled their weapons at him. All that time, his eyes never left Silvia’s.

And then Galzar opened his hands as something seemed to materialize within his palms. Silvia realized that it was her pot, the first and only pot she had ever made with her mother. And inside the pot, Silvia saw the blue rose that she had hoped would bloom. The flower had opened in its full glory with little traces of yellow etched into the petals.

“I used the same trick that Elementals do with their weapons, storing it in my body as psions. It was difficult, but plants have enough living tissue to make it possible. I kept it with me all these years,” explained Galzar. “I never really knew why until just now.”

The Elementals thrust their flaming weapons forward to attack, but their commander held up his hand and shouted, “Wait!”

The Elemental soldiers obeyed their commander, their weapons stopping just before they pierced Galzar. They were well-trained. Galzar placed the pot gently beside Silvia’s medical tube and then quietly returned to his seat. The guards bound him with blue psionic rope again, this time binding him so thoroughly that he wouldn’t be able to move an inch. Even Galzar wouldn’t be able to escape from those bonds, not that he wanted to. He understood. Their journey had come to an end.

Holding back her tears, Silvia turned to the Elemental commander and spoke with as strong a voice as she could muster. “Elemental. May I ask your name?”

The Elemental turned to Silvia in confusion, and said, “That would be Skippy, ma’am. I’m a Second.”

It hurt to talk, it hurt worse to even breathe, but Silvia had endured pain before, so she could endure this for a little longer. Just a little longer.

“Well, Second, I don’t have much time left, so if you want some vital information, I will only agree to give it under one condition. I want you to bring Ryan Uruks and the other members of Squad 99 here. And bring the two Ministers as well if you can.”

Even with the medics poking and prodding him, dousing him with some orange foam that they said would fend off any radioactive poisoning, Ryan still stole glances at the Minister’s continual battle against the explosion, and felt humbled.

I never knew that Saria was so strong! If I can get that powerful one day, I’ll be able to take on that creep in the black cloak for sure.

The light eventually died down, revealing the night sky. The lights had been so bright, brighter than daylight even. A Gateway soon appeared, and a weary-looking Saria walked through shortly afterwards, followed by a very grumpy-looking dark-skinned man with the biggest pair of arms that Ryan had ever seen – besides Grafael’s. But the only thing Ryan cared about was seeing Saria. With a bit of effort, Ryan jumped out of his medical tube, ignoring the protests of those attending him.

Dodging past the medics, Ryan ran to the Minister at full speed, raising his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs. “Minister Kaves, that was awesome! You’re freakin’ amazing!”

Before Ryan could get near her, a dozen or so masked Elementals blocked his path and leveled their flaming swords at him. They appeared so quickly, he wondered if they had teleported.

Ryan stopped in his tracks and raised his hands in an attempt at diplomacy, “Whoa! Hey there, guys. What’s with the hostility?”

“Stand aside, men,” said Saria behind them. “I’ll take care of this.”

The guards begrudgingly obeyed, though he could feel them eying him warily beneath their helmets.

Ryan raised his hand in a high-five gesture and smiled cheerfully. “What’s up, Minister?”

Saria grabbed Ryan by the scruff of his neck, yanking him so hard that he nearly passed out. “You disobeyed orders, abandoned your post, led your comrades in an unauthorized campaign against Gregory Industries, and now you have the gall to say to me ‘what’s up Minister’, as if it was nothing!”

“I ... I’m sorry, I guess,” was all Ryan could think to say.

Saria maintained her grip.

“Extremely, very sorry ... with a strawberry on top,” said Ryan, smiling in his best congenial manner.

Saria breathed out softly and started laughing. She then put Ryan in a headlock and gave him a noogie. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I was just making sure you weren’t a Goblin spy or something. No need to make a big deal about it, right?”

“Are you sure you’re related to Rachel,” said Ryan in a strangled voice. “Because I see more resemblance to Grafael.”

“My Lady Minister!” cried out the voice of an Elemental that suddenly came running at the pair. For some reason, the slightly overweight Elemental seemed familiar to Ryan. “My Lady Minister! Urgent news!”

Saria dropped Ryan into the dirt. When Ryan got up and dusted himself off, he stood face-to-face with the Elemental messenger. The man regarded Ryan with a blank expression on his face.

And then, in angry realization, the guy pointed and screamed, “It’s you!”

“Yes,” said Ryan, trying to keep hidden the fact that he had completely forgotten the guy’s name. “Yes, it is me.”

“You’re the blighter who knocked me out cold,” said the man. “Twice actually!”

“Oh, yeah,” exclaimed Ryan, snapping his fingers. “It’s Kippy, right?”

“It’s Skippy!” shouted the man in outrage. “You have the gall to send me for a loop when me back was turned and now you don’t even have the decency to remember me name right!”

“Just for the record, it was Leon who knocked you out.”

“What urgent news do you bring, Second?” said Saria, bringing an end to the tomfoolery.

“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am,” said Skippy, coming to attention. “It’s the two Goblin spies that we captured, me lady. We’ve given them medical treatment, but one of ‘em suffered severe injury ... too severe for medical aid. She took one of them bleeder bullets to the spine, and I don’t need to tell ya that those things are lethal even in a nonlethal spot.

“She doesn’t have much time left. She requested the presence of the two Ministers and the members of Squad 99. She says that she will tell us everything she knows if these conditions are met.”

Ryan didn’t waste another moment as he ran off in the direction where he knew Silvia waited.

“Ryan, get back here!” Saria shouted, but Ryan’s sprint already took him out of earshot. Despite the insubordination, Saria actually felt touched by the display and smiled in spite of herself. “He won’t even slow down for the Minister of Fire. That boy is a strange one alright.”

Saria turned back to Sorric. “Well, will you join me one last time, Minister Sorric?”

“Absolutely not,” said Sorric coldly. “I did tell you that we would finish our business once the crisis had passed. Well, it has passed now, so I want answers. As far as I’m concerned, our temporary alliance is at an end.”

Saria sighed. The stubbornness of men is beyond ridiculous. Saria mentally prepared herself for another long and drawn-out argument, but surprisingly, Skippy intervened.

“Excuse me, Minister Sorric, sir,” said Skippy in a timid voice. “About that business you mentioned. I’ve a feeling that the young Goblin lady’s testimony pertains to that very thing.”

“What?” asked Sorric, glowering at the man.

Amazingly, Skippy didn’t falter under the Water Minister’s gaze. “Well, sir. You see, I’ve heard it tell that it was the Goblins that arranged this whole thing, pulling Gregory’s strings from behind the curtains. At least that’s what the members of Squad 99 say. They’re the ones that captured ‘em, after all. Discovered that missile, too. If it wasn’t for them, we’d all be pushing up daisies.”

Sorric spoke to Saria more congenially. “This Squad 99, they wouldn’t happen to be nicknamed the Grim Team, would they?”

“Indeed they are, Minister,” said Saria, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

The members of the Grim Team in the past had amassed quite a reputation. They were a team headed by Zand himself, and they were known to be fair and balanced throughout the galaxy to alien and human alike.