around which the barricade had been erected.
“Search your packs for any explosives,” Yen ordered in a hushed tone. “Pile everything you have in the backseat.” Turning toward his demolitions expert, he continued. “Rig everything we have to a single detonator. Give me the trigger when you’re finished.”
His team worked quickly and efficiently, loading the backseat with a surprisingly large amount of explosives. Demolitions were never Yen’s specialty and he struggled to fathom the amount of damage that quantity of explosives could do. In the end, Yen realized that he just didn’t care. His men would make a hole through that wall, even if he had to level half the city to do it. With that in mind, he motioned for his men to hurry and load the rest of the bombs.
With the explosives loaded, Yen closed his eyes and focused on the vehicle. Without a driver, Yen used his power to ignite the spark plugs and start the engine, which roared loudly to life. Reaching out his hand, Yen assumed the position of a driver. Pressing down on the ground with his right food, the engine revved as the car sped around the corner, the tires screeching loudly as it first turned and then accelerated down the street toward the roadblock. Gunfire erupted from behind the wall as the Terrans opened fire on the advancing vehicle. Between the bullets shredding the body of the car and the jostling of driving over the debris in the road, the vehicle shook violently as it surged forward.
Yen watched detached as the vehicle sped toward its target. The amount of fire left little doubt that any real driver would have been long dead behind the wheel. Having no driver, however, Yen looked out of the front windshield like a specter, driving the vehicle unwaveringly toward the wall. The mobile bomb slammed into the wall head on, crushing the front of the engine block and sending rods tearing through the dashboard and into the front seats. The impact fused the front of the vehicle to the wall, interlocking twisted pieces of metal. Releasing control of the car, whose tired still spun from the jammed accelerator, Yen pressed the button on the detonator and lunged for cover.
The shockwave rocked the ground, throwing asphalt up to meet Yen as he fell to the ground. Flames leapt a hundred feet into the air, scorching the buildings as far as half a block down the street. The buildings closest to the wall cracked and shattered from the explosion and the heat, sending further debris cascading onto the road.
The roadblock itself melted from the assault. Shredded metal, glowing a vibrant red from the heat, were launched into the horrified Terrans who had been hiding behind the wall. Shards of metal bit into flesh and ripped through body armor only moments before a sheet of flames rolled over the injured soldiers. Bleeding and burning alive, the Terrans cried out in pain and terror as they lay writhing on the street.
Yen clung to the ground, amazed at his excessive use of explosives. Expecting to just destroy the wall, he never expected so much collateral damage. When the buckling of the asphalt finally subsided, he climbed to his feet and yelled for his men to follow.
Leading the charge, Yen hurried around the corner and rushed toward the decimated blockade. Nearing the roadblock, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Drawing his pistol, he dropped into a defensive crouch and turned. From within the rubble of a recently collapsed building, a Terran staggered out into the street. Torn and bloodied, the Terran walked unsteadily toward the Alliance soldiers. Above his right elbow, the Terran’s arm had been torn away, leaving only a ragged stump from which blood poured onto the street. Long gashes lined the man’s face and his attempts to speak were thwarted as he coughed up a fine mist of blood.
Yen saw the pleading look in his eyes, but felt no sympathy in his heart. Reaching out, a small rock lifted off the ground a few feet away. Feeling his power reaching out and caressing the rock, Yen tilted his head to the side as he examined the Terran. Having lost significant amounts of blood, the Terran didn’t even recognize the danger until it was too late. With a flick of his wrist, Yen sent the rock hurtling toward the injured Terran. Spinning like a drill, the rock tore through the man’s chest, shattering ribs and grinding the organs beneath to a pulp. Ripping free of the man’s back, the rock flew into the collapsed building, trailing behind it a gushing river of blood. A look of surprise spread across the Terran’s face moments before he crumpled into the street.
Attuned now to the sounds of survivors, Yen could hear other movement throughout the area. Focusing, the air whipping wildly around him, dozens of rocks began to lift from the ground. Swirling around him, the rocks moved with him as he paced forward. The largest, a stone slab nearly three feet long, hovered in front of him like a shield, protecting Yen from any enemy fire.
Slowly, wounded Terrans began crawling out from beneath sheets of metal and slabs of concrete. One by one, Yen sent his deadly projectiles launching toward them, cutting through flesh and finishing off those unfortunate enough to have survived the car bomb. Passing through the decimated wall, Yen strode forward like a conquering general, oblivious to the sea of death that surrounded him.
Before him, Yen could see the crisp, green trees that wavered in the gentle rain. A soft scent of nature filled his nostrils, replacing the smell of death that had permeated the rest of the city. The park beyond seemed unscathed, as though it remained blissfully unaware of the destruction that waited like a predator on its outskirts. Through the shifting trees, Yen could make out the rain infused surface of a pond and, towering above the trees, the tall, square monument that filled the center of the park. Beyond the monument, Yen knew, was the laboratory of Doctor Solomon.
“Please…” a soft voice called out from Yen’s side. “Please… help me…”
Yen turned slowly until he could see the Terran soldier. His leg obviously broken and blood caking his shoulder and face, the Terran sat awkwardly on his knees. Reaching out with empty hands, the Terran pleaded for sympathy and compassion. Yen smiled, but it was not a warm smile. The Terran had come to a man searching for sympathy and compassion, two of the things Yen found lacking in his heart. With an absent gesture, the large stone shield spun toward the Terran. Striking him in the chin, the stone obliterated the Terran’s head, decapitating the man. Blood poured like a geyser from the man’s torn neck before the body collapsed to the street.
Closing his eyes, Yen reveled in the power. The psychic energy filled him with a sadistic bliss and Yen felt both alive and invincible. Revenge was at his fingertips, regardless of the High Council’s orders to bring Doctor Solomon back alive. He couldn’t wait to close his fingers around the Terran scientist’s neck.
Motioning toward the Lithid scout, Yen gave the man his orders. “Hold this ground, no matter what. I won’t need long to do what I need to do.”
Gesturing to a team of four, Yen set out with his small group and entered the park. Though he could still hear the distant gunfire, it seemed surreally detached from his walk through greenery. Even the rain, which had lessened to a minor drizzle, seemed somehow comforting as he walked through the lush grass.
Ducking low, Yen passed below the hanging branches of the trees and entered the open mall of the park, dominated by the rectangular lake. Though obviously shallow, the lake was an impressive manmade structure. Stretching far to his right and ending at the foot of the square tower, the surface of the water was broken only by the fine misting of rain. Motioning to his men, they spread out and began moving around the lake, toward the far side.
As Yen stepped onto the slabs of stone that formed the edge of the pond, his soldiers were lifted from their feet by an unseen explosion and tossed violently into the far trees. Yen could hear the crashing branches and the cries of pain as his men disappeared from view. Turning back toward the stretching lake and the monument beyond, Yen drew his pistol.
Pain lanced up his arm as the pistol was wrenched from his grasp and tossed harmlessly aside. Looking left and right, Yen felt panic build in his chest. He was being assaulted by someone he couldn’t see. As he turned, he felt a force clench around his waist and lift him from his feet. With incredible power, he was hurtled backward toward the trees beyond. Though surprised, Yen was able to create a psychic shield around him seconds before his spine struck the tree. His body shattered through the thick trunk of the tree and he collapsed onto the soft ground. Though his shield absorbed much of the impact, he still groaned loudly as pain lanced up his back.
From beyond the ruined tree, Yen watched in amazement as a Terran stepped out from the far side of the pond. Walking across the water, Yen noted that the man hovered inches above the lake, never touching the surface. Waves of psychic energy emanated from the Terran and rolled around his form.
The dark haired Terran drifted downward until he stepped lightly onto the ground on the far side of the lake. Smiling maliciously, he looked to the prone form of Yen.
“Come out, Yen Xiao. I have waited for this day for a long, long time!”
