The Assault

^TWO MONTHS LATER^

Wren wiped the blood from her weapon and stood up.

“Is it me, or does it seem like there have been a lot of attacks lately?” she asked as she met up with Talon.

“No, there’s more than usual. Something is going on,” Talon said, placing his eyes on her hair and feeling their connection flare, healing them in one go.

“You like doing that, yes?” Wren grumbled.

“It is faster,” Talon grinned. “Let’s go get cleaned up and head home.”

They headed toward the hotel where they were staying.

School was on break, and they had been sent out to take care of a group of Zentiths that were on a rampage throughout South America.

***

Wren stepped out of the bathroom with a sigh. She was tired.

It had been two months since they had married, and they had not heard from Lily or Eric in six weeks. Carrie and Michael were out as well, leaving only Emerald and Evan at home.

“Miss home?” Talon asked from his spot at the table. He was working on the curriculum for the school.

Wren nodded as she took a spot across from him and started in on her own work.

“Think everyone is doing all right?” she asked.

“We would know if they were not,” Talon replied as he worked.

“What do you think they are doing?”

“Who?”

“These Zentiths. They are attacking more and more. Why?”

Talon shrugged. “Could be they are running low on food, or it could be they are preparing to start a full-scale war with us. I have no idea.”

“Are you not worried?”

Talon looked up at her words. “Of course I am worried, but there is nothing we can do but keep doing what we are.”

Wren fell silent at his words. He was right. They would just have to wait and see what happened.

***

“When are they returning?” Emerald asked as she placed an arrow into the belly of a Level II, another immediately taking its place.

“Any time now,” Evan replied, taking out two with his sword and dropping two more that were in the process of sneaking up behind Emerald with well-placed ice shards.

“They had better hurry or we will not be here to welcome them back,” Emerald spoke between clenched teeth. They had been fighting for most of the night, and there was no end in sight.

For every Zentith they killed, two seemed to take their place. The compound was in ruins, and even Mr. Lee and the director were fighting.

“Did someone ring?” Evan looked up to see Talon drop from a helicopter, followed by Wren.

“About time you showed up. I sent for you hours ago,” the director growled out.

“We got hung up on the way here. I am afraid we brought some more company.” He pointed to the Zentiths that were dropping out of the sky around them.

Seems they figured out their own air travel accommodations.

“What is going on?” Mr. Lee gasped. “I have never seen anything like this.”

“I think it is an extermination,” the director said as he and Mr. Lee met up with the others. “They are removing the only ones who can stop them.”

“Well, shit.”

“Watch your mouth, Evan,” Wren said. “There is no call for that kind of language.”

“I think this is as good a time as any,” Emerald commented. “In case you have not noticed, we are about to be killed.”

“Such a pessimist,” Mr. Lee commented. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the Zentiths that were closing in on them.

“Let’s.”

They split up into three groups. Mr. Lee and the director created the third group.

They systematically started to clear out Zentiths in front of them. Slowly widening the circle as they fought.

Eventually, they could go no larger for fear of one of them breaking into the circle.

“We need more people,” Emerald called out.

“We need a break. At the rate we are going, we are going to drain our power cores and kill ourselves.”

“I think that is their plan,” the director said as he continued to take down one Level I and II Zentith at a time. His power may be weaker than the rest, but his fighting skills were well above anyone else’s.

“Think about it. They do not know how to kill us, so the next best thing is for us to kill ourselves.”

“This sucks.” Evan shot an ice shard through the eye of the Zentith that was about to attack Wren.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Did you contact the others?” Talon asked as he spun, taking the head off another while cutting through the stomach of the next.

“Of course.”

“And?”

The director pointed to his left. “Looks like you could use some help.”

“Carrie! Michael!”

They watched as Carrie and Michael traveled along the heads of lower Level Zentiths, cutting down all that got in their way.

“We have been making our way to you for the past hour. They are everywhere,” Carrie commented as they joined the circle and started to take out the Zentiths.

“Anyone heard from Lily or Eric?” Emerald asked.

Just then, Lily and then Eric dropped down in the middle of the circle.

“Thanks for clearing a spot for us,” Eric commented.

“Good to see you. You doing all right?” Carrie asked, taking in their appearances. They were disheveled and had lost quite a bit of weight since they had seen them last.

“We will be,” Eric commented. “Had some trouble getting back, is all. Do not worry, we took care of the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Wren asked.

“We found a Level IV that seemed to be leading more of these small fries here and took them out,” Lily explained.

“Some had already left before we arrived. You were right.” She told the director, “They plan on exterminating us.”

“What now?” Eric asked.

“We exterminate them first.”

“At this rate, we will all be dead in an hour.”

“We need to find the leaders here at the compound,” Talon commented. “Without them, the rest will scatter.”

“Who is going?” Mr. Lee asked as all eyes turned toward Talon and Wren. They were the most rested.

“We are, I guess.” Wren sent them a grin. “Good luck.”

She hopped onto the head of a Zentith and took off.

“Where is she going?” Michael asked.

“To find the leaders. Be safe,” Talon said. He took off after her.

“Where are you going?” he asked when he caught up to her, slicing away the limbs that grabbed at their ankles to bring them down.

“The perimeter. I would bet your entire orphanage that the leaders are there, watching and controlling the others from the sidelines.”

“Probably.”

“So then what is the problem?” Wren could feel the anger radiating from Talon.

“You took off without me.”

Wren sent him a look. “What are we? Six?”

Talon only grinned at her in amusement. “Come on. We need to take care of them soon, or the rest will be dead.”

“Agreed.”

“Well…”

The group watched Talon and Wren take off.

“Think we will be alive when they finally take them down?” Carrie asked.

“I think they are our best chance of surviving this,” Mr. Lee said quietly as he continued to cut down the Zentiths before him. “We must put our faith in their hands.”

“It will be rough,” Lily said from experience.

“They may not have all that many to deal with,” Eric told her.

“I do not care. One is almost impossible, and we know at least three are left.”

“How many did you take out?” the director asked.

“Two.”

“And it almost killed us both.”

“Then we can only hope there are only three.”

***

“There.” Wren pointed.

“How many?” Talon asked as he continued to keep their legs free.

“Three.”

Talon was silent.

“What?” Wren asked as they continued to travel closer to the Zentiths.

“Are you sure?”

“I am. Why?”

Talon took her arm and veered her away from the Zentiths, breaking free finally and jumping into the trees.

Once they were hidden from view, he spoke. “Listen to me. Level IVs are the highest Level of fighters we have encountered, and these are above them.”

“What? There is another level?”

Talon nodded. “The Leaders. Listen to me. One leader is almost impossible to take down. Taking down three has never been heard of,” he told her.

“I thought they were Level IVs.” No wonder she felt uneasiness coming from Talon.

“These are the Leaders of this species, and they are even more powerful than the Level IVs,” Talon forced her gaze to meet his. “We have only taken one down, and it took the director and Mr. Lee’s partners with it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then we will just have to be the first,” Wren told him with a grin. “Do not tell me you are frightened?”

“For me…no. For you…absolutely,” Talon was serious.

He did not care for his own life, but if he lost Wren…

“Look at me.” Wren forced Talon’s gaze to meet hers, and she felt their connection flare for a moment. “Put your trust in me as I have put my trust in you. We can and we will do this.”

Talon nodded, pulling her up against his body and taking her lips with his own.

Wren felt their connection flare to life, engulfing them in lightning and fire.

“Stay safe,” Talon whispered as he broke the connection.

“Back at you.”