Chapter 5

80 years ago

The director had been exploring for days, she had yet to find any signs of people yet, the nanites she had installed in her allowed her to be up and walking for long periods at a time. She was returning to her base after deciding to try other approaches to looking for people, when she crested the hill she was climbing she saw the waste land laid out before her where her base had been.

She stumbled down the hill looking over the destruction it looked like an asteroid had hit her base, she reached the first area of debris, all the equipment that had arrived with her was gone. After hours of looking she had found nothing that could be of use, she stumbled upon a puddle next to one of the nanite canisters, she picked it up looking over the damage, nothing was salvageable, she was trapped in this hell hole with nothing but what she carried.

She was so wrapped up in her misery that she didn't notice the substance in the canister spreading over her hand, the pain was sudden causing her to cry out, she looked to see her hand covered in a black liquid spreading from the broken canister, the pain increased and she fell to her knees into the puddle on the floor, her screams echoed through out the wasteland.

Now

Stephanie

Raptor swooped low over the group of soldiers escorting the captured women, the modified hawk had been following the group for some time, gathering information. It had already learned the language and the destination of the soldiers, it was time for action.

Laura had not answered any of my attempts to contact her since I had first informed her of the situation and I made the choice to act, the flock of birds soared over the soldiers head following Raptors lead, rows of crows landed on either side of the soldiers, with Raptor and Faux landing directly in their path, the soldiers all stopped at the strange sight of the birds spread out in front of them.

I had Faux, Raptor and the flock spread there wings, the soldiers raised their weapons, I had my voice come from Raptor.

"Release these women." I said through raptor.

The priest/commander of the group step forward.

"What sort of demon dares opposes the will of our goddess." He said drawing his sword

"I am no demon, but I am a Representative of a goddess, and she wishes these women freed to go back to their homes." I said making it up as I went.

"So you are a messenger of our goddess Kali?" The soldier priest said lowering his weapon.

I tilted my head at my desk, Kali, hindu goddess, I felt the bird I was controlling tilt his head with me.

"The Goddess Kali ... Four armed black skin?" I said through raptor.

The priest scowled back at the bird.

"If you are from our goddess how dare you speak of her so." He said.

"Whoa seriously, four arms?" I said with out thinking.

His scowl darkened.

"You are not from our goddess." He said raising his sword again.

"I said I was from a goddess, not yours, The goddess Sumner orders these womens release." I said.

He shook his head laughing.

"Why would I listen to your goddess when all she can send is dinner." The priest said moving forward.

Raptor flicked his wing sending the dart flying from its tip to embed into the priest neck he fell over dead, raptor flapped his wings bringing him into the air.

"Now release these women or feel the wraith of a true goddess." I shouted from the birds mouth.

"Kill the birds" croaked from the body on the floor.

I watched as he sat up, pulling the dart from his throat, a plum of blood gushed down the front of his neck as he stood.

"Yes, we shall see the power of a true Goddess" the priest growled.

The fight was on, I sent all the birds to attack the soldiers, they where faster than a normal human, and they healed from their wounds, I used the distraction to use Faux to free the women and get them to flee. Birds fell dead all around from the soldiers, but we had them out numbered by a bit, the birds would peck out an eye here, or a talon would take a throat.

I could see dead soldiers, they where not invincible just damn hard to kill, my connection to the birds got cut all at once, I found my body air born, not the bird either but my real body, everything was exploding around me, I had no time to react.