M.I.A. Ch 12

M.I.A. Ch 12

    Before Sam even had a chance to stop him, Mike pounced, roaring. He easily tackled his opponent and pinned it to the ground by its shoulders. He raised his fist for a punch, but stopped himself as he recognized the cowering being.
    “Scott?”
    Scott moved his hands out of the way and when he got a real grasp of who attacked him, his eyes widened. “Mike?” he gasped in horror.
    Mike smiled. “Scott!”
    The Hordika pulled him by the shirt and bear hugged him. Over Mike’s Shoulder, Scott could see Sam. She smiled awkwardly and waved.
    “Sam?” he gasped, but not because he was surprised but because he couldn’t breathe.
    He grabbed Mike by the side and tried to pull himself away. Mike let go and he dropped to the ground. Scott then took another look at Mike.
    “Mike?!” he said with dread. “What the hell happened to you?!”
    The Hordika stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I-I really don’t want to get into that right now.”
    Sam poked her head out and slowly came out of hiding. Behind Scott was the rest of the team, Saber and Xipher, all of which had their weapons drawn at Mike.
    “You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys.” She smiled. “We’ve uncovered some information that’s very important.”
    Still shaken, Scott slowly got back on his feet. “Like what?”
    Sam looked over to Takara. The flight attendant slowly came out, along with the three Matoran. While the dwarf-sized robots were a sight, it was Takara that shocked everyone.
    “There’s more of us in this world, on some island in the north, and they’re struggling.” She looked at her leader and found him to be in almost a trance-like state from staring at Takara. “Scott?”
    He snapped out of his stupor of thought and looked at her.
    “Your orders?”
    His eyes darted around before he spoke softly. “We get out of here.” He then looked at the small robots. “And just what are you supposed to be?”
    Mike and Sam faced their companions. They were huddled behind Takara, like a new child in their first day of school. However, Sam noticed very quickly that they weren’t shy. They were afraid. She followed their line of sight and realized it was Xipher they were hiding from.
    “They’re Matoran.” said Xipher. He didn’t seem to be too comfortable either.
    Sam spoke. “Guys, these are our comrades and-“
    Tiranu cut her off. “Xipher and Saber. We know.” he said in a shaky voice. Xipher’s ears shot straight up, as well as Saber’s. They looked back at the hall they had come from.
    “We should go.” He was about to walk past Scott, but stopped for a moment to speak face to face. “This time, let me stay in front.”
    Scott didn’t object. They followed him down and around several halls. Xipher heard a small patrol approaching and quickly sent everyone into the nearest room. When the patrol passed, they came out and hurried to the next corner. Sam kept watch from the rear until everyone made it around.
    “Hey, where’s Amanda?” asked Sam.
    Daniel stopped and looked at her with a long face. “She’s dead. Rahkshi killed her as they destroyed our camp.”
    Mike stopped with a confused look. “Wait, then how did you get here?”
    “The raft,” replied Josh.
    Mike had a stumped look on his face. “So they bring the campsite to rubble but leave the raft intact?”
    The question made Xipher stop. “Mata Nui.” he gasped.  
    “What?” asked Scott.
    Xipher face palmed and scolded himself. “This was a trick. He wanted me to bring you here.”
    A voice then called out from all directions. “You took your time figuring that out.”
    Everyone jumped and looked around for the source of the voice.
    “Ruunaja!” spat Xipher. His spikes began to rattle. “Show yourself!”
    They heard two loud and heavy clanks from behind and turned around.
    “Right here, ‘Toa’.” Ruunaja stood tall and proud with arms folded.
    Xipher growled and drew out his blades. “Saber, get them out of here. I’ll handle this.”
    “No, we need to stay together.”
    “Just go.” he said more sharply.
    “I’m sure we can take him,” said Scott.
    “No.” blurted Sam. “Our bullets can’t dent his armor.”
    “She’s right you know,” grinned Ruunaja. “Just ask Xipher.”
    “Just go,” Xipher ordered quietly.
    Saber eyes pleaded for him to reconsider, but he heeded no attention to them. The Humans and Matoran ran down the hall and took a left at the next corner. Saber reluctantly followed. When they were gone Xipher faced the Makuta, who had a taunting smirk.
    “I really should thank you. Without you they wouldn’t be here in one piece.”
    “Tell that to Amanda.” he snarled.
    Ruunaja placed a finger on his cheek. “Tis a shame. A perfectly good scientific opportunity gone to waste.” He then shrugged. “Oh well. At least I have several more where she came from. You should’ve been here yesterday. Sam and I had loads of fun watching Mike turn into a monstrosity. So far I’ve taught him a few tricks, but if things don’t work out I can always mount him on a wall.”
    Xipher began to breathe angrily. “You sadistic monster! Don’t you see you’re ruining lives?!”
    “It’s nothing compared to your streak.” he spat.
    “You lie!”
    The Makuta had a puzzled look.
    “Maybe we should revisit that day. I think it started out like this.” He stretched forth his hand and a bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertip.

    Saber and Mike grunted as they slowly pulled the massive door open. The Marines rushed out and immediately stopped at the sight of several Rahkshi. They didn’t hesitate to fire their guns. Three Rahkshi fell dead, with four more on the ground wounded; yet over a dozen more remained standing. The various breeds fired their staffs. Saber sprinted and pulled Scott away in time to avoid being burned by a Rahkshi of heat vision.
    “Please tell me you have a plan to get out of this.” She ducked from a beam fired by a Turahk and fired back with heat vision.
    The creature screeched as its left arm melted. When they made it to the alley, Josh stood guard at the front and Saber and Daniel fought off the Rahkshi from the rear.
    “Okay, listen up!” Scott yelled over the sound of gunfire and explosions. “We’re going to split into two teams. Team one will follow me and clear a way for the civilians.” He looked at the Matoran. “And by that I mean you guys. Team two will escort them to the raft.” He then went up to Saber. “Think you can go back in and get Xipher?”
    She looked at the door nervously. “I think so.”
    “Good.” He tapped Daniel on the shoulder. “I want you and Sam to watch over these guys alright?”
    “Yes sir!” He turned around and fired another round, taking a Rahkshi of plant life down.
    Only three more stood between Saber and the doors. Scott then handed Sam a pistol and a magazine clip.
    “Make every shot count.”
    “Will do.” she nodded.
    “First team, let’s go!”
    They ran down the alley, while Daniel provided cover fire for Saber as she burst out of hiding and sprinted back inside.
    “Well?” asked Tiranu.
    “Give me a second here,” snapped Daniel.
    There was only one Rahkshi left, or so he thought. A second one came around the corner and caught him by surprise. Sam held the pistol firmly in her hands and fired one shot. The bullet struck the Rahkshi in head and it dropped to the ground.
    “Thanks.” He fired one last shot and took down the remaining Rahkshi. “Now let’s go.”



    Xipher barely jumped out of the way in time and landed on all fours. Ruunaja shot another bolt. Xipher launched himself out of the way and onto the wall, where his claws dug in. He re-positioned himself and fired a focused beam of heat. He struck the Makuta on the shoulder, but it had no effect, not even a scratch.
    Ruunaja shrugged it off and opened his mouth to let out a powerful sonic screech. The combination of the high pitch and its intensity was too much for Xipher’s ears. He yelped and covered them, but with no foothold, he fell off the wall and landed on his side. When Ruunaja stopped, Xipher was curled up, whimpering in pain. As he laid there Ruunaja took a quick and subtle look into Xipher’s mind. He could sense the anger building and it was just what he had hoped. But to ensure that he got the result he wanted, he used his powers and fed more anger into him.
    “Just look at you,” he chuckled, “lying on the ground while your friends get killed. Just like last time. You really are a horrible Toa.”
    Xipher slowly got on his hands and knees, frequently rubbing his ears to stop the ringing. “Shut up,” he spat.
    “Oh calm down, I’m just having a little fun.” From behind his back he pulled out a large, orange sphere. “In fact here’s something fun we can play right now. Catch!”
    He threw it straight at Xipher. In mid-flight, the sphere split in two, and three Shadow leaches popped out, with mouths snapping for their meal.
    Xipher leaped out of the way and managed to slice one in mid-air. The other two bounced on the ground and jumped back. Using his heat vision, he fried the two within seconds of each other. Right as he turned around to face Ruunaja, the Makuta teleported and reappeared right next to him in mid-punch. He couldn’t avoid it, but his reflexes were fast enough that his face only took part of the blow. He staggered back a few steps and felt something from behind grab his shoulders. Ruunaja raised him in the air and threw him against the wall.
    “Isn’t this fun?”
    Xipher stood up and gave him a dark look as he huffed.
    “We should play games like these more often.”
    “How about you rot in Karzahni!” Xipher drew his blades and charged.
    Ruunaja smiled and teleported away right as he made a swipe.
    Xipher looked around. “Show yourself coward!”
    His chuckle echoed through the halls. “Over here.”
    Xipher spun around and saw Ruunaja, at the end of the hall, with a smug look. Xipher growled and charged again. He leaped into the air and brought his blades in where Ruunaja was right before he teleported again. The Toa roared in frustration.
    “You’re not as much fun as Sam and Mike. In case you couldn’t tell, they really enjoyed their time here.”
    Xipher looked down the other hallway and his spikes rattled. Ruunaja was several yards away, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Xipher flared his teeth and charged at him again. Ruunaja stood still, as if he knew the Toa was bluffing. But in a split second, he teleported right next to Xipher and snatched him by the back of the neck before slamming him into the floor. As Xipher tried to get up, the Makuta placed a foot on his back and firmly pressed him against the ground. He looked over his shoulder and screeched intensely.
    The building anger in his eyes made Ruunaja smile more devious. ”Perfect.” He then crossed his arms. “You know, this all brings back so many memories. Mostly of other people I’ve killed, but the day you killed your brothers was most memorable.”
    “Shut up!” snarled Xipher.
    He ignored the outburst. “I think we should take a trip down memory lane. In fact, we should put on a show for your Human friends. Over the next few weeks, I’ll tear Sam apart and rebuild her to look as close to your sister as possible.”
    Xipher froze, with a mixed expression of anger and shock. Ruunaja leaned in a little closer and spoke softer, as if it was a secret for just the two of them.
    “And when I’m done I’m going to make you watch as I reenact that that painful day. One agonizing second at a time.”
    “No,” Xipher gasped.
    Ruunaja nodded with glee.
    Xipher's fingers dug into the stone and his eyes turned red. “NO!” he roared, his voice deeper.
    Ruunaja took his foot off and paced a few steps back. “Yes,” he whispered to himself.
    Xipher got back on his feet and clawed the wall to help him up. Right away Ruunaja noticed something wasn’t going right. Xipher was certainly fuming with rage, but he was holding it back, with one hand on his head trying to relieve the pain. The result was disappointing for him, but he knew just how to fix that. His right hand crackled with shadow and he grabbed Xipher’s back. Anger and rage enveloped Xipher in a dark cloud.
    He stepped back and as the cloud dissipated, Xipher’s body began to change. He became larger and his claws and spikes grew longer, while his faced changed to look more like a Vortixx, with the addition of foot long saber teeth sticking out and a row of short spikes on his forehead. Ruunaja was taken back with awe.
    “Magnificent.”


    Scott pulled the pin and threw a grenade before ducking back down. The grenade bounced and rolled between a Rahkshi’s feet. It and two others looked down curiously before it exploded.
    “Hurry,” he ordered.
    One by one the Marines began to climb the rope. As one Marine scaled the wall, a beam of blue energy struck him. He didn’t even get to scream as he disintegrated into billions of particles. Mike and Scott saw it happen and were left speechless. Mike then looked over the crate and found the Rahkshi responsible. He growled and jumped out of his hiding spot and ran. His comrades watched in bafflement.
    “What are you doing?!” cried Josh.
    Mike didn’t listen and roared. The Guurahk was caught off guard as he grabbed it by the arm, twisted around and threw it over him. As it recovered, he got on top, and using both hands pulled its arms off, which still held firmly on the staff. As the Rahkshi tried to figure out what to do with no arms he threw the staff at an approaching Rahkshi. It went through the chest and pinned the armor against the wall.
    The Rahkshi screeched and the Kraata slithered out. Mike grabbed the eel-like creature and took a bite out of it. It screeched and wriggled violently before going limp. Mike threw it to the ground and wiped the blood off his face. He turned around and noticed his comrades’ shocked expressions.
    “Dang! You’ve been Hulked,” said Josh.
    “Save the jokes for latter,” he spat. “We’ve got more coming.”


    Xipher’s roar echoed through the hallways, grabbing Saber’s attention. She quickly ran down the halls, and when she turned at a corner she stopped and gasped.
    Ruunaja spun around with a proud look. “You’re just in time.”
    “What have you done?” she asked with horror in her voice.
    Xipher spun around and flared his teeth.
    “Well, that’s my signal to leave. Now play nice you two.” In a flash the Makuta was gone.
    Xipher got on all fours and crouched down.
    Saber shook her head in disbelief. “Xipher, please.” she begged, “You promised this wouldn’t happen.”
    He roared and pounced.


    Daniel, Sam, and the prisoners were huddled behind a crate. A hundred yards separated them from the rest of the team. While many of the Rahkshi had been killed or were damaged beyond functionality, the Rahkshi that remained were too far away and used the distance to their advantage.
    Daniel cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. “Scott! The grenade launcher, use it!”
Scott popped up and aimed the gun upwards. He pulled the trigger and a low thunk was made. Seconds later the ground in front of a Rahkshi exploded.  
    “Let’s go.” ordered Sam.
    As Scott launched more grenades, the Matoran and Humans made a run for it.
    Other Rahkshi fired streams of energy at them; some strikes were too close for comfort. Halfway across the opening, a Panrahk marched to where they had been hidding. His head, spikes, and staff glowed and it thrust the staff into the ground. A beam of energy shot up and arched over to the running Humans.
    “Get out of the way!” screamed Mike.
    The Matoran scattered in different directions, but Takara and Daniel didn’t have time. A beam struck the ground just a few feet behind them, sending shrapnel everywhere. They screamed as the explosion and shock wave sent them flying.
    Sam heard them and stopped. She looked back and found both lying on their stomachs. “Scott!”
    He looked over and saw the Rahkshi. He aimed the gun and fired a round of bullets. The Rahkshi stumbled back before falling behind the set of crates. All that could be seen of it were its legs twitching for a moment, before becoming still. Sam ran over to Takara. Blood covered the back of her legs and her lower back.
    She shook her by the shoulder. “Get up!”
    The flight attendant didn’t move. Concerned, she turned her over and placed her fingers on her neck. There was no pulse.
    “Oscar!” She cried as she began to perform C.P.R.
    From behind she heard Daniel moaning. She looked over her shoulder and saw him on his hands, trying to push himself up. He yelled and immediately rolled to his side and curled into a ball. She looked farther down and realized why. The right leg of his pants was shredded at the knee, with a stain of blood rapidly growing in all directions. Oscar made it over and skidded to his knees.
    “Help Daniel. I’ll try to bring her back,” she ordered.
    Oscar pulled out his medical kit and injected a small needle, filled with morphine, into Daniel’s thigh. He cringed his teeth for a moment, before easing up a bit.
    “How bad is it?” he asked.
    Oscar cut the fabric off and removed it. The look on his face didn’t go well for him. He took out a different needle and injected it near the wound. Then he pulled out his knife. Daniel took several deep breaths and tried to mentally prepare himself. It didn’t work. He jerked his head away and screamed to the top of his lungs.
    Sam was becoming frustrated as attempt after attempt at resuscitation failed. She looked over to see if Oscar was doing any better and saw him pull out a blood-covered, golf ball-sized rock. He then began to bandage up the wound.
    “Something tells me you won’t keep your leg for long.” said Oscar.
    “Oh please no.” Dnaiel begged.
    “We’ll just have to take a look at it later.” He then looked over at Sam. “How’s she doing?”
    “I can’t bring her back.”
    He pushed her aside. “Help Daniel get back to the others, then come back with Mike.”
    She nodded and rushed over to Daniel. Keeping his injured leg as still as he could, he grabbed Sam by the hand and hoisted himself up. He kept his arm over her shoulder and he hopped back to the group. By the time she and Mike ran back, Oscar was shaking his head.
    “She’s gone.”
    “What about her child?” asked Mike.
    “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sorry.”
    Mike clutched his fist. “I don’t care if she’s dead or not, we’re not going to let them have her child.”
    “Why would they want a dead child?”
    “Long story,” Mike snapped.
    He scooped her up and carried her back. As they ran, a loud and unearthly roar shot out through the area. The Rahkshi paused and looked in the direction of the sound intently. Then they began to march away. The remaining Marines were puzzled.
    “Uh, what can scare away a bunch of Rahkshi?” asked Josh.
    “It can’t be Xipher,” replied Mike. “But whatever it is we should probably be afraid too.” He assisted the Matoran up the rope and when they reached over, made sure Daniel was secured.
    As he was hoisted up, a white blur caught Scott’s attention. He looked over and saw Saber running frantically at them. “Where’s Xipher!?”
    “Behind me!” she replied hysterically.
    The same roar echoed again, this time closer. From the same corner emerged a twelve-foot monster running after her. The Marines were in shock.
    “That can’t be him,” exclaimed Scott.
    “He must’ve been injected with Hordika venom,” gasped Mike.
    “Don’t just stand there!” Saber panted, “Get back to the boa- AHI!”
    Xipher pushed her from behind, causing her to trip over herself and fall. He jumped on top and bit her on the back of the neck. She screeched in pain and tried to shake him off.
    “What in hell’s name is wrong with him?!” asked Scott.
    Xipher stood back up and was about to raise his blades for a strike. Saber rolled over and grabbed them, and with one hard pull she yanked them off his wrist, throwing him over her in the process. While Xipher recovered, Saber tried to get some distance and covered to her neck. Xipher roared in irritation and charged at her again.
    He extended out his claws and took several swipes at her. Each one she barely dodged in time. When that didn’t work he pounced and shoved her against the wall. Scott was about ready to shoot him, when Mike stepped in.
    “No, you might hit her.”
    “What other choice do we have?”
    Mike walked towards the clashing duo and cracked his knuckles. “Just leave it to me.” He took a deep breath and roared.
    Xipher stopped and faced him.
    “That’s right ugly, I’m talking to you!”
    Xipher let go of Saber and took several steps forward before roaring back. It was deeper and much louder than Mike’s but it didn’t scare the Hordika. Sam stepped closer to Scott and spoke softly. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
    “I do too.” He then shouted out to Mike. “Fight like a Marine this time, okay?”
    The Hordika smiled. “That’s how I beat him last time.”
    Scott looked back at Oscar and gestured with his head to follow.
    Xipher was the first to strike. He pounced at Mike with claws fully extended outward. Mike stepped to the left and as Xipher landed, he used his weight to push the Toa. Xipher landed on his side and as he started to roll over he grabbed Mike by the arm and used the momentum to launch him. Mike flailed his arms and legs and landed hard on the ground.

    “Saber, are you okay?” asked Scott.
    “I’m fine,” she answered in a shaky voice.
    Sam and Scott kept watch while Oscar injected a small dose of morphine into her neck. She whined at first, but as he tended to her wounds she began to look a little calmer. She looked back at Mike, who delivered a punch to the gut that sent Xipher stumbling back a bit. But it didn’t deter him for long and he swiped, tearing off a piece of Mike’s shirt off as he tried to dodge it. Scott shook his head and cocked his riffle.
    “I’m sorry but I have to finish this.”
    “No!” Saber pleaded. “We have to knock him out. I know it’s a dangerous thing to do, but the only other option is for him to tire out, which won’t happen anytime soon.”
    “And how do you propose we do that?”
    Sam looked at the medical kit. “Do we have anymore morphine?”
    “Not much,” replied Oscar. “But it’s for relieving pain. Sedation is just a side effect.”
    “We’ll have to give it a try.” said Saber. “The only hard part is getting him still long enough.” She slowly got up, legs shaking, and retrieved Xipher’s blades.
    “I’ll keep him distracted. You find an opening and use it.”
    The four circled around Xipher as he wrestled with Mike. Mike had his back on the ground and delivered a kick to the mouth as Xipher tried to bite him. The move infuriated Xipher. He grabbed his leg and dragged him several yards.
    Saber pounced, but he saw her coming and threw Mike at her. The impact knocked her back and she twisted herself to land on her side. Scott made the first attempt, flinging the needle at him like a knife. It twirled pass Xipher and he spun around and hissed at Scott. The leader took a few steps back and ran for the cover of nearby barrels. As Xipher was about to run after, he heard Saber charging form behind. He turned around, grabbed her by the arm and side and threw her at Scott. She yelped and braced herself right before crashing into the barrels, knocking several over.
    The surprise sent Scott crab-walking back out from his hiding spot before getting back on his feet. Slowly Saber emerged out of the rubble and pushed barrels aside. She then noticed an oil-like substance oozing out one of the barrels. She looked back up at Xipher and saw his pupils turn to cross-hairs and glowed. She frantically tried to get away from the barrels.
    “Xipher, no!” she screamed.
    She only made it a few steps when his heat vision struck the barrels and they exploded. The shock wave sent Saber and Scott flying in different directions. Saber hit the ground while Scott went up against a crate and dropped like a rag doll.
    Oscar threw his needle and it stuck itself into Xipher’s neck. He roared and faced him. The Marine nervously took a step back. Mike then jumped on the Toa's back and held onto his spikes. Xipher hollered and spun around, trying to grab the Hordika. When that didn’t work he rolled over, but Mike held on. Frustrated he ran to the nearest wall and rammed his back against it. Mike yelped on impact and let go.
    He landed on his feet and looked up to see Xipher make another swipe. Instinct took over and Mike grabbed his other arm and bit him. Xipher roared and shook him off. As Mike stood up for another attack, Xipher dug his claws into his abdomen. Mike’s eyes widened as he gasped and then let out a soft whine. Sam and Oscar were in shock as he fell on his knees and then onto his side.
    “Mike!” cried Sam.
    Xipher examined the body and snorted before redirecting his attention to them.
    “Shouldn’t he be calming down?” she asked frantically.
    “It must not be a strong enough dose. You got the last one, so make it count.”
    “I can’t when he can see it coming!”
    Xipher readied himself for another pounce.
    Sam held her needle firmly. “You get Saber back up. I’m going to try something crazy.”
    Oscar ran and Xipher was ready to pursue, but Sam drew out her pistol and fired in the air, which got his attention. He growled and flared his teeth.
    “What’s wrong with you?!” she cried. “Why are you doing this to us? We’re your friends!” Her words didn’t seem to faze him.
    He jumped at her, and she barely ran out of the way in time, but he jumped again in her direction and pinned her to the ground. The force of the blow shocked her and the needle slipped between her fingers. As she tried to catch her breath she looked around and found it in shards. With no other option she drew out her pistol and shot him in the arm. It made its mark and he stepped back, hollering in pain as he rubbed his wound
    She crabbed walked back and from the corner of her eye Saber was standing up. But looking back at Xipher, he appeared to be getting over the pain and stared her down. He growled and swiped. She rolled over, but he gave her no time to get on her feet as he delivered swipe after swipe. Then she stopped, not by choice, but because Xipher had his foot down on her stomach. She fired her gun again, but only heard a click. Xipher’s spikes rattled and he snatched the gun away and broke it to pieces with his teeth and spat it right out.
    “What did Ruunaja do to you?” she gasped. “There’s no way you can be Xipher.”
    He raised his hand, ready to sink his claws in.
    “You're no hero. You're a monster!”
    At that moment Xipher stopped. Sam was surprised that got through to him, or that’s what she hoped. But it was a false one. Just as quickly as he stopped he shook his head and prepared to strike again. His ears pulled back and he turned his head. His face was met with the blunt end of his blades. He let out a yelp and fell to the ground. Saber panted and threw the blades away from her, as if ashamed. Xipher’s body had a slight glow as he changed back to his recognizable form. With legs shaking, Sam slowly got back on her feet, with Saber’s help.
    “Thank the Great Spirit that’s over,” sighed Saber, but Sam immediately changed direction and ran to Mike. Oscar followed behind.
    “Mike!” She knelt down and turned his head towards her.
    He looked at her with a long face as he whimpered. His hand was covered in blood as he pressed it against the wound and a growing pool accumulated on the ground. Oscar got on the other side and took off his shirt.
    “Can you do anything for him?”
    “Yeah, give me a second.” He pulled out another needle and injected it into Mike’s side. As he began to treat him Mike’s eyes became heavy.
    “Hey, don’t you go,” snapped Sam.
    Mike closed his eyes and softly smirked. He then placed a hand on her shoulder and, with a weak voice, he whispered, “Don't worry. I’m not going anywhere.” Within a minute his hand went limp and slid off.
    “Mike?” She lightly slapped his cheek. “Mike!”
    Oscar stopped and checked for a pulse. “He’s gone.”
    She shook her head. “No, he doesn’t deserve this!”
    Saber came over, Scott in her arms. He was finally beginning to stir. He rubbed his head and looked around. At first he was confused, but when he saw the scene in front of him, reality snapped back in.
    “What happened!?” He squirmed in her arms until she placed him down and ran over.
    When no one answered he got angry. “What happened?!” He then saw the four puncture wounds on his stomach. “He didn’t.”
    “He did.” Saber replied nervously.
    Suddenly everyone looked at Xipher, who moaned as he started to get on his hands and knees.
    “You,” Scott hissed. “Where’s my gun?”
    As he marched, Saber grabbed him. “Please, it’s not his fault.”
    “Not his fault?! Look what he did!”
    “I did what now?” Xipher asked in confusion. He stood up and rubbed his head, but stopped as he felt something on his fingers. He looked at his hand and saw blood running down his arm. His eyes widened and he slowly turned around and saw Mike’s body. “No,” he gasped. “Please tell me I didn’t do this.”
    Saber’s ears went back and she whined as she lowered her head, revealing the bite marks.
    He stepped back and shook his head. “No, this can’t be happening. Not again!”
    “Again?” snapped Scott, “What do you mean again?!” Then is eyes widened in epiphany and he looked up at Saber. “You knew about this didn’t you?!” He shook himself free of Saber’s grasp.
    “I was about to tell you when the Rahkshi attacked. I’m sorry.”
   “Sorry? SORRY?!” You had how long to tell us and you did nothing!? It’s one thing to lose men to this ‘Makuta’, but to be killed by him!?”
    “Don’t blame her.” defended Xipher. “I’m the one who should’ve spoken up. I thought I could control myself through this.” He paused and the slumped his head down. “And I was wrong.”
    Sam spoke up. “Guys, none of this will matter if those things come back and catch us.”
    A screech in the distance supported her theory.
    “She’s right,” said Oscar. “We can sort this out later.”
    Scott had a cold, hard look on his face and he grabbed his gun and made his way to the rope. Saber carried Mike’s body up the wall, while Xipher made sure Sam and the others made it up before scaling the wall himself. The thick fog had returned and the raft was completely hidden. He had another look at the fortress. In the far distance, Rahkshi were on their way, as if they sensed he was no longer a threat. He growled at them before climbing down to the raft. On board, the Marines had mixed looks of sorrow and disappointment as they stared at Mike's body. As they rowed away Xipher sat at a corner, facing away, and curled up. His spikes curled up tightly against his body and he said nothing as they paddled back with no sense of direction.