-=- #### #### #### #### ######## ##### ### #### ### #### #### ## ## ##### ## ## # ## # ###### # ## ## ## ## #### ## ##### ## ## ## ## ## ### ## ## #### ## ## ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### #### #### ## ## ## ####### ## ## ## ## #### ## ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ####### ## ## ## ## ### ## ## ##### ## ## ## ###### ## ## ########## ## ## #### ### ##### #### #### #### ##### #### #### ########## #### ### ############ ############ #### #### #### ############# ############# ############ ############ ##### ##### ############ ####### ## #### ### ### #### ## #### #### #### ##### ############ ############ #### #### #### ############# ## ######### ############ ############ #### #### #### ############# ############# -=- Next Dawn Comics Present www.soljo.org/ndc/ -=- A Soljo Publishing Production www.soljo.org -=- CRUSADE -=- SEASON ONE -=- PART SEVEN: The Worst of Times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A black cloak is covering the body of Milton. Inquisitor is stood over the body. His red and black suit is lit by the flames of the battlefield. Inquisitor walks towards the robots on the battlefield. Flanking him is a handful of over robots. These robots are smaller than those that have been fighting. Steve, Sabre, Saviour, Yoshimi and the troops have regrouped. They have taken a secure position, sheltering behind a collapsed 747. One of the troops is keeping watch and can see Inquisitor's advance. Steve is in shock. "I never thought he would die," says Steve. "I had to do it," replies Yoshimi. "I know." Saviour is going from troop to troop healing their injuries. He gets to Yoshimi. She has wounds on her arms. "Do you want me to look at that," he asks. "It's nothing." "You'll perform better at one hundred per cent than ninety-nine." Yoshimi shrugs. Saviour takes a hold of her arm. "How have you been?" "Very busy." "Me too," smiles Saviour. The arm Saviour is holding glows under his hands. He takes his hands away and the wounds are gone. Inquisitor points to areas around the plane. The robots take their positions. The plane is covered from three sides. Inquisitor steps forward. "We have you outflanked. I am not giving you a warning. I am not bargaining with you. I am telling you, that you are all going to die." Inquisitor steps back and signals to the robots. They begin to fire on the plane. The plane rocks under the hail of fire. The alliance forces huddle together and arm their weapons. "Ready?" asks Sabre. A barrage of nods respond to the question. The group scramble to the nose and tail ends of the plane. The robots advance on the tail of the plane. They open fire hitting the tail and blazing holes in it. Sabre ducks round the corner and fires a number of shots before ducking back round behind the cover of the tail. He looks at his colleagues. Sabre, Steve and numerous troops. "How does it look?" enquires Steve. "Not good," says Sabre. The robots advance on the nose of the plane. They open fire on the plane. The shots pierce the plane windows, spraying glass and frames everywhere. Yoshimi steps out and fires a number of shots, hitting a couple of robots. She ducks back behind the plane. "This doesn't look good," she tells Saviour and the troops with them. Steve and Sabre have taken low positions and are firing shots under the plane. They aren't having any success. Steve gets to his feet. Stood beside him is Ghost. She looks at the plane. "Use the plane," she says. Steve looks at their shelter. He doesn't understand. "Make it fly." "I've got a plan," declares Steve. A troop takes Steve's place as Steve runs to the gathering of troops at the other end of the plane. "Yoshimi, Saviour." They turn to Steve. The troops continue to take shots. "I'm going to use the plane." "How?" asks Saviour. Inquistitor leads the central group of robots towards the plane. They are firing upon the plane, each shot piercing the fusilage. The plane lifts off of the ground and holds high in the air. Then the plane hurtles towards the Inquisitor and the group of robots at a rate of knots. The Inquisitor drops his cloak and raises up his arms. He fires two beams of energy at the plane, pinpointing it's fuel tanks. The plane explodes in mid air, spraying pieces of shrapnel across the battlefield. It rains down on both sides of warriors. Steve shields his forces from the murderous rain, deflecting it back to where it came. Large shards of plane splinter the chest of one of the robots. Another has it's head sliced away by a sheet of glass. The smoke clears. The group of troops led by Steve stand staring at the group of robots led by the Inquisitor. There is nothing to shield them from each other. The Inquisitor raises his arm and the robots begin their march. The troops begin to fire their weapons. The air is filled with artillery fire. Steve sweeps his arm across his body knocking down the front row of the advancing robots. Inquisitor sees this and fires two beams of energy at Steve knocking him to the ground. Sleep. Beautiful sleep. Peace is mine now. Sleep. "Wake up Steve," says Ghost. "We need you." Steve stirs. He is lying on the battlefield. All around him is fighting. Ghost stands other him. Steve sits up. "This is what we've been put here for. You need to lead us now." Steve gets to his feet. He sees Inquisitor about to launch an attack on Saviour. Steve levitates Inquisitor into the air and drops him by his feet. Before Inquisitor can stand Steve kicks him in the ribcage. Then another and another. Inquisitor gets to his feet and throws a punch, but Steve has read it and ducked away. Steve throws a punch of his own, knocking Inquisitor to the ground. Fighting continues on the battlefield. Each combatant is too engrossed in their personal war to notice the arrival of another in the war zone. Desirei walks through the middle of the battlefield. He crouches and picks up the dust from the ground and sprinkles it back down to earth. Desirei clicks his fingers and the robots disappear. He clicks them again and the troops disappear. Only Steve, Saviour, Sabre, Yoshimi and Inquisitor are left on the battlefield. They stop fighting and look very confused. "You are fighting the wrong people," says Desirei. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crusade. Written By ChickenSoup. Characters By ChickenSoup & PaRiS. Cover Art By PaRiS. New Dawn Comics (www.soljo.org/ndc/) part of Soljo Publishing (www.soljo.org). All Storylines, Contents & Characters Copyright Next Dawn Comics & Soljo Publishing 2004. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EOF -----------------------------------------------------------------------------