2.14|HELL YOU WROUGHT

 

2.14|Hell you wrought

There was blood in the streets. The uprising had turned into a complete massacre. Oohtlets killed Santri and stormed the Ooht's palaces. The Santri fought back in bitter and bloody resistance.

Riding the winged Ju'huvi's humped back and wings through the streets, Protlyn was beginning to learn the meaning of catastrophe. The Oohtlets swarmed the Citadel, ran through every terrace, smashed centers of worship and were firing captured weapons at energy towers. "How did the Barrier fall?" Protlyn asked Monarch, him and Amity on the back of their clunky bloated mount. "How could the Oohtlets get through our protective shield?" She jumped over a crowd screaming 'TRAITOR' towards her. "Easy if someone deactivated it." Monarch said.

"Look!" Amity pointed up. A large pink beam split, again bending in 2 into the shape of a heart and going down at the opposite end of the city. The explosion knocked the three off their chunky bird and onto the streets. Entire cityblocks were devastated, the rampage stopped for a moment to appreciate the barrage.

The Oohtlets, amazed at first, began to cheer.

Huge plumes of smoke mushroomed into the sky as the Oohtlets set the city alight. Flames were spreading everywhere. Grabbing onto their mount again, Protlyn helped her two companions up and flew as high as the mount could go. The Ju'huvi flew above the smoke on high wings, her beady, red eyes reflecting an eerie glow on the metal-plated wings. The Ju'huvi let out a shrill cry and charged for the sky.

"Those bastards.. They fired on us right when we're at each other's throats." Monarch said. More pink beams began to rain down.

They were flying in and out of huge hearts, flashes erupting all over the city, the Ju'huvi had to get higher, faster to avoid any fire from above or below. "Look," Amity pointed. "There's a gap in the smoke, maybe we can just fly through that and not get caught." Monarch looked. They flew through a massive shot, just narrowly missing it, before curving around into the industrial districts.

"Everything's aflame.." Protlyn said.

Amity held her comm. "We've lost most of our ground forces. What we can spare has been deployed to the most important areas to protect transport from the other Oohtlets." She looked at the tracks up ahead. "With all the rail lines gone, the Oohtlets now control most of the city.. all we have left is the Underground sanctum and the lab.."

"Head there now!" Protlyn pulled the reigns on the Ju'huvi. It flew swiftly over the city until they reached a secret entrance into the lab. They heard sounds below.

Rushing down, the facility had been largely ransacked. An Oohtlet covered in black-brown stripes ran towards them with a spear. Amity shot him with a bolt pistol until sparks flew and he fell. They finally reached the genetic biocontainment center and Protlyn pushed forward. Her eyes dilated. Every tube, each container had been shattered. There were several bodies in the room, they looked like they'd been chewed, torn and ripped apart. The girl that had once been Protas.. that once went by Raelyn, teared up. "These animals.." Monarch said.

"It looks like they took out all the important samples.."

Protlyn got on her knees and lifted up one of her selves, seeing a woman who looked much like she once did. "Sisters.." All of their memories were desecrated, bodies defiled.

"They must've been starved.. some of these bodies were outright torn and

eaten."

Protlyn's eyes were watering. She still had memories of some of these girls.

"This one's name was Nadia. She was a singer, she was a beauty who loved

singing."

"Hey, hey.." Amity said. Amity's words were so soft she didn't even recognize

them. "It'll be okay.."

A faint static broke through the air.

Amity tuned in the broadcast from her Comm. Theo's voice spoke though it.

"People of this city.. this is Theo with Ava Rossiu, your Oohtlet leader.. there is no other way. The world belongs to Oohtlets now and we will be no different. You will be our food and be raised to us and serve the Oohtlets. This will begin now. The Oohtlets will come for the mighty feathered ones, for you, and for anyone who dares to resist. All you who defy us shall die. We will be given what is our right, the fruits of our labor."

Theo's voice was cold, hard, and unfeeling.

Protlyn's eyes were suddenly brimming with hatred.

"The computer's mainframe towers." She said. "We go there, now. We have to find out how he did this, and fix it now. If we can expose it, maybe there's a chance.." Amity and Monarch looked at each other silently. They shared a tense uncomfortable silence together.

"C'mon!" She said, rushing them out. Back on the surface, they flew onto their Ju'huvi and started to fly back out, eventually ascending above the city, which had turned into a warzone and an inferno on every corner and turn.  The Citadel's cannons were firing, trying to keep the Oohtlets at bay. Protlyn heard explosions below as several cannons were taken out by massive rock-slings. She, Monarch and Amity flew towards the corner of the city. Protlyn yanked the bird's reins again and soon it flew out of the city's range towards the outskirts. They sped through the sky, rapidly moving past the clouds and smoke.

A huge, pink light flashed down at them from the sky. "Hold tight, we're gonna get hit!" She pulled the reigns tighter and pushed forward harder. The Ju'huvi was struck by a beam and in the blink of an eye, they were shot out of the sky in a fiery explosion.