G I G I

Wind rustled through the trees near the edge of the cliff. The air fight was raging all around us; we were so high up compared to the armies below that the occasional plane would streak along the edge of the bluffs.

Together, we'd watched as the armies collided. First there was silence. Then everything happened at once. It was frightening how quickly Imperium's army snapped to action when the first shots were fired.

Arlo and I were tasked with shooting down enemy forces—him laying on his stomach with a sniper rifle and me in a shooting stance with my bow. I focused on destroying the Scorpions propped behind the Imperium army with the few explosive arrows Jaxon made in his spare time, while Arlo kept looking for the perfect opening on the Imperium aircraft.

Though this was the perfect viewing spot, it was too early to tell who was gaining the upper hand. Imperium had superior forces and numbers, but as long as they didn't bring out their enhanced soldiers, we had the advantage power-wise.

My heart raced as two dogfighting planes raced across the two armies, close to us. Arlo fired two bullets, one a few seconds after the first. Both missed. He cursed under his breath and geared up for another opening. It was impossible for anyone else with less-perfect marksmanship to make the kill. Even his falcon-like eyesight had trouble finding the perfect shot on the lightening-fast military planes.

When the planes were quickly gone, my gaze locked onto the Scorpion near to the base of the inclined slope. Like its many comrades, it was currently on and plowing holes into our army. It needed to be gone. And as far away as it was, I could do it.

Pulling the bowstring back, I measured my shot. Satisfied, I let it fly, the string snapping.

We both watched it sail down, hoping it would strike true. And it did. Erupting into a mushroom cloud, we could see it easily from how far away we were.

Arlo rolled his eyes. "Of course you got it on the first shot."

I shrugged. "My target wasn't moving." Then a small smile. "It was easy."

"You too? We have enough egomaniacs on this team."

"You know you're included into that group, right?"

"Obviously," he replied, gun cast aside as he eyed the distance.

"Who is it, Delphinium and Benton and the other boys?" I asked, knowing he was watching one of the groups. "Or Riley and Finn?"

"Finn and Riley disappeared a while ago. But I can see the others working their way through the Imperium army."

I frowned. "That's a good thing. So why are you making that face?"

"They're not using their powers. None of them. They're fighting in hand-to-hand combat."

"That is strange, but...not abnormal." I tried to think of any possible explanation.

"You can't hear it?"

"Nothing besides the obvious. Why...what do you hear?"

Those stormy eyes narrowed. "A deep rumbling in the air. But not quite like an earthquake, more like...machinery."

"The fortress does go far underground," I pointed out. "I've heard they have facilities deep into the earth."

"I don't think that's it. I think..." He let the words hang in the air, not finishing the sentence.

Then his attention whipped to the right and he returned to the gun so fast I could barely follow his movements. It took me a moment, but I saw the same two aircraft circling back around, the Imperium jet gaining on our own.

"This has to be it," Arlo decided, his entire body tense with anticipation. His heart hammered.

Though I couldn't contribute—my arrows were too slow compared to a bullet—my gaze followed the two planes, as if watching would help Arlo make the shot. Caught in the moment, we were too preoccupied to notice a third aircraft coming up above us until too late.

The pilot opened fire onto us through the open air, as we were in a clearing on the very edge of the cliffs and therefore, easy targets. Bullets hit the ground in an invisible pathway, spraying up dirt.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, needing to get to a protected area. Arlo scrambled to his feet and we both sprinted for the safety of the woods. The machine gun rang in my ears and I wondered if I'd go deaf. I couldn't even imagine how Arlo's hearing was affected.

Arlo stumbled and I immediately knew he'd been hit. But we kept running together, knowing any misstep could get us filled with bullets.

Finally, finally, we got to the woods and the plane screamed by overhead. Heart in my chest, I turned to Arlo and gasped out the obvious, "You're hurt badly." My breaths come in short bursts.

His eyes were still distant. Was he gauging the distance of the two planes? "I noticed."

With that, he ran back, limping on his bleeding leg as he went. I was left to follow him, hoping he wouldn't try to push himself too far and bleed out before I could heal his wound.

He didn't even allow himself to stop before he threw himself to the ground and grabbed the sniper rifle to adjust it. From where I made my way to him, I could see how close the target was...

Arlo's face was fixed in utter concentration, even as his leg stained the dirt red. It was as if he didn't even realize it.

The jets were so close I could make out the first pilot through the cockpit. It all happened so fast. First, Arlo pulled the trigger once. Then there was a horrible tearing sound as the engine ripped apart. The Imperium plane went down, crashing into the Imperium war tents below with a massive sound of crushed metal.

I got to Arlo just as he rolled over, clearly exhausted. "That was it."

Before I could do anything to help, his slender fingers went to his wound, prying the skin open. I watched as he dug for the bullet and finally pulled it out. Holding it in the sunlight, he said, "Maybe I should keep this as a memento."

"You could make it into a necklace," I said as I knelt at his side. "It would look better."

Despite the pain clouding his eyes, they crinkled at the sides. "I always knew I liked you for a reason other then your murderous intent."

"Thanks." Grinning a bit in spite of myself, I held a hand over his wound, sensing its severity. In moments, nothing but a small scratch was in its place. He got to his feet, flexing his leg to check if it was truly healed.

But when he turned, the smile was wiped from his face. "Shit, shit, shit."

I followed his gaze and my eyes widened when I saw it. We were running for the edge of the cliffs before I knew it, trying to find a way down. They needed us down there. They needed all the manpower they could get.

For there was another Imperium army circling around the other side of the fortress, determined to swallow our army on either side.