Cue pushes Chance out of the way of the downward swinging blade and catches it in one hand. Chance jumps off Cues back over the mantis and runs a few steps before turning around. The mantis brings down the other arm and Cue catches this one as well throwing the insect off the bridge. The mantis sinks one of the blades into the bridge and flips itself back on. It turns its attention to Chance. He opens his hands revealing a metal node with black orbs in the center of each palm. Electricity swells around his arms as the mantis nears. He lets out a painful shriek as the energy becomes more intense. Suddenly a dark energy focuses from the palms of his hands moving like two scorching whips. The force moves violently along them and they discharge electricity randomly.

“Bring it,” he shouts in angry triumph.

The people of Chinchi are said to be resilient, hard-working and connected with a strong culture. They live in an honor system that shows the respect of their individual families. One individual can disgrace his family for generations down the line. They are also said to be stubborn and unchanging, believing in ancient traditions over modern living. In some provinces within the split empire every citizen trains their bodies and minds for combat. Cue and Chance are not spared these good combat genes. They can both fight with great skill and precision. Without them, Naomi and I would have had to fight the mantis ourselves and I don’t think we would have lasted long. With me only able to create shields and her barely able to walk. 

Chance stands in front of the mantis without the slightest hint of fear. The two energy whips flow from orbs in his palms. He waits for the mantis to come close enough to strike when he dodges the mantis swinging its blade arms. One slip up would mean the loss of a limb or worse. Yet he moves so perfectly as if he could anticipate every move ahead of time.

“Master,” I hear Tak in my head. “Is everything okay? Your heart rate has increased.”

“We are under attack at the moment,” I say.

“The security system should not respond to you,” Tak says. “You are the bearer of the Vortex and Naomi has no Seed, the computer would not register her as a threat.”

“No there are others from the ship that attacked. They followed us here. One of them… Chance, has a bunch of Copy Seeds.”

“Copy Seeds?  This term is unknown to me. Human technology does not register as threats.” 

That would mean Cue must have a Seed. He did stop the blade from cutting his brother in two. He also has the superhuman strength to throw the mantis off the bridge. I look over to Cue who is casually leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette. He has no apparent concern for himself or his brother; his over-confidence is now more worrisome to me. Only someone with a strong Seed would be so lax at a time like this and the fact that he is not disfigured like his brother means he must have an actual Black Seed. 

Chance finds an opening and jumps on the back of one of the blades as it gets stuck in the bridge. He jumps again just in time to keep the other blade from slicing his leg off. One of the whips wraps around the mantis’s head and the other around the blade he dodged. He lands on the bridge and forces the mantis to the ground.

“Anytime, brother,” Chance yells.

“Fine. It’s about time,” Cue says. “I all most fell asleep waiting over here.”

Cue flicks the cigarette onto the ground and steps on it to put it out. His skin begins to shift from its normal hue to a reflective metallic color. He takes off his hat and holds it in his right hand revealing that his hair also changes to the same color as his skin. He leaps up at least fifty feet in the air before he comes crashing back down with terrifying speed onto the head of the mantis. The impact destroys the solid metal bridge sending Chance, Naomi and me flying into the air along with twisted and small fragments of splintered metal. I hold onto Naomi and I can feel her tightening grip on me ensuring that we stay together. Strange how fate works. Just a few days ago I was on her back and she protected me from death. Now I must do the same for her. I will protect my protector. I land on a lower level bridge and raise a shield before falling debris rains on top of us. In the mist of the destruction I lose track of the two pirate lords but in their place I see a new terror.

“Theat haje elimnatin ve. Hall c’toi teasulaser’s had elimnatin,” says an automated voice of the base. 

“Threat was not eliminated. All of the trespassers will be eliminated,” I translate out loud. 

I see dozens of the robot praying mantis pore out from large holes in the ceiling. Unexpectedly, I see Cue jump up from a lower floor bridge to ours and then Chance right after him.

“Guys, we’re dead,” Cue says. 

Chance nods in agreement.   

“Not if we work together,” I say. “You guys managed to take down one of them.”

Cue cuts me off. “Actually we didn’t, we didn’t even scratch the darn thing. It’s on its way back up here.”

“Not even a scratch?” Naomi challenges.

“It looks like I won’t be collecting that bounty after all,” Cue says disappointedly.

“Is money all you guys think about?” Naomi asks.

“Yes,” they both say simultaneously.

“We can’t go up so how about down,” I say.

“We’ll forget your bounty for now. With you alive we stand a better chance,” Cue says.

“Thanks, I guess…” 

I am cut off by a sharp blade cutting into the floor underneath me followed by a second along the side of the bridge. When the mantis pulls its head over the side, Cue grabs it as Chance and I jump off the bridge, Naomi still on my back. I look up and see Cue throw the massive metal insect upwards towards the wall. The mantis gathers itself in mid-air and gracefully connects to the wall and starts climbing down with the other seemingly endless supply of mecha mantises.

Cue jumps down mumbling a few curse words under his breath. Chance and I hit the bottom floor hard. I land on my hands and legs to soften the fall for Naomi. Cue lands softly without the slightest thump which is surprising for someone who kicked a mantis through a metal bridge. He stands up and looks around. We all do. No escape. No passage ways at all. 

Cue taps his earpiece a few times. “Looks like we have bitten off more than we can chew this time boys,” Cue says. “Listen the Ruin’s locked down and has deployed counter measures. Disconnect from the tower and retreat immediately.” He says something in Chinoku then lets out a grim laugh.  

“Are they going?” Chance asks.

“Yeah,” Cue says.

Naomi gets off my back and takes out a knife from her right boot. I look around and see a large cube shifting on its axis. It is so bright it is almost blinding and the warmth it radiates fills me. I start to walk towards it without even realizing until I’m in front of it. I reach my hands out to grab it.

“Elvion, what are you doing,” Naomi shouts.

I look at her and realize she can’t see the cube. Cue and Chance don’t seem to notice it either. I grab it feeling a force inside telling me to do so. Heat is radiating from it. At first it’s warm but it gradually gets hotter until it is unbearable. I can’t let go of it as it burns my flesh and bores into my skin slowly and painfully. Naomi runs to my side saying something but the pain blocks out all sound except the constant beat of a calm heart. The cube vanishes into my skin and all the pain stops instantly. I hear the fearsome sound of the Great Voice ringing in my head.

“And he that bares the Seed will gain the Spears of Death. They are the fearsome lights that collect the souls of all.” the voice says.

I find it strange the voice now speaks in Nayate. The language translates automatically in my head. So it is impossible to tell what language it is originally speaking in. Regardless, I feel different—more powerful, less afraid. My hands glow and energy flows gently around them in swirling motions. By the time I snap back into the real world I see that the mantises have made it to our level. 

Cue and Chance have already engaged them. Watching their fighting styles, I observe perfect harmony. Cue becomes the immovable object punching and throwing the mantises away, not even dodging the blades but taking each hit full force. The blades cut through his suit but not his skin. With every cut he lets out a different curse word in Nayate and Chinoku for ruining his favorite suit. Chance is the opposite: he is the unstoppable force, moving as the wind. Untouchable, nimble and deadly. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in unmatched agility and reflects. The duo is truly extraordinary but outmatched and outnumbered. They can’t hold up much longer. 

As I look at the mantises I see a targeting system mark each one. The knowledge of what to do floods into me from the Black Seed. I lift my hands and make sure I see all the metal mantises. The mantises sense what is to come. They converge their attention on me. I raise my hands together placing them high above my head. I force the energy out. Streams of light zoom from my hands going in every direction. The energy beams dodge and target individual mantises cutting through each with ease. The beams do not stop until every mantis is destroyed. I fall to one knee winded and completely fatigued. 

Naomi is surprise at my sudden display of power. It leaves her speechless. Cue and Chance are angry I did not do this sooner. I raise one hand in their direction the energy begins to swirl around it. 

“Now that that’s over, do you still wish to try and kill us?” I ask.

“There is no reason for that now, is there?” Cue says as he raises his hand to his head. “You can just lower your hand and I am sure we can work something out.”

“Elvion,” Naomi says, “I don’t think we should trust them. They are pirates, you know.”

“No,” I say as I lower my hand. “These two are businessmen, right?”

“That would be correct,” says Cue.

“So let’s work out a deal,” I say.