The Mole

The blazing Dragonfly was falling from the sky. A ball of fire and metal which was blown to smithereens. The corpses of the people who resided inside it were one thing with the fire.

Kurban's heart was racing.

The people around him were chattering loudly. Some were crying, others were screaming.

"Kurban…"

"Kurban..."

"Kurban…" was calling the one beside him

His ears were shut.

"Kurban…what…"

He turned his head.

The aircraft avoided another blast, shaking the men inside it.

"What should we do?"

He returned to himself.

"Maximum thrust. Scatter. No matter what at least one of us has to reach the city"

The men around him looked at him with disappointment.

"We should get on the ground. They can't aim at us in the desert" suggested one of them

"We won't be able to avoid their shots"

None of them said a thing.

"I still have hope. Do you?" asked him

The aircraft rolled again.

They nodded.

"Yes. You showed us that. We had none when you arrived in Rocabarra"

Kurban smiled.

"Are you ready to die for that?"

The sky glitched again.

"Why would you do that?" asked the Hummingbirds captain

"I had no choice" answered the corresponding Whisker

"We faced monsters together and you still think thar we want to keep this war going?"

"I…I…"

The Whisker was babbling, unable to explain himself.

"He is right sir" told one of his companions.

"Do you still think that the people in the Tower care about you?" asked the old lady which moved toward him

"I…those were orders…I…just know…"

"How to execute them"

"Can you be kind too?" asked the woman

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Malsumis

"Why, you care?" grinned Tithon

"All of us, we've lost. The city is decimated. How can you still pursue this vain victory?" asked Gluskap

"All my power, I won't ever give it up"

"Why is it so relevant to you?"

"I…"

"He…he was…"

"What are you trying to say?" told her Tithon with haste.

"You are…" she was trying too hard to communicate

Gluskap went beside her.

The bloodbath was all around her and her skin was detaching slowly from her body.

"You're going to make it, my lady" said Gluskap in tears

The transceiver buzzed.

"Sir, wall's whisker here. They're close"

"Keep firing"

"If they get past us, we would have to endanger the city by firing on them?"

"Take all the fucking 'Birds down"

Fanon looked shock.

"Do you have anything to say, commander?"

"No, sir"

"Then start the Dragon. You're next" ordered him

"I don't…I don't…I won't do it"

"What did you say?"

"Let him be" said Malsumis

"Get on the aircraft or die here, your choice" told him his Leader

The evasive maneuvers of Kurban's Dragonflies was enough to avoid losses but not everyone was being able to get through the deadly shots.

It was like a incessant stream of flaming darts.

"Kurban, should we engage?" asked the pilot

Meanwhile another aircraft was decimated by a cannon's shell.

"Our air superiority is crumbling quickly. We can't lose any more people"

"I don't want to kill anyone on the other side" stated him

The people around him sighed.

"Your righteousness is going to annihilate everyone. We need to counterattack"

The transceiver was still buzzing and the soldier which he chose to contact their opponents was desperate.

He nodded at him.

"Alright. Get past the cannons and disable them. There's no need to cause more death"

"What's next?"

Kurban didn't answer. He was too focused on what was happening.

"I won't do it" repeated Fanon

"Are you really trying to get on my nerves? I'm your Supreme Leader. Do as I…"

"No…I won't"

The transceiver buzzed.

"Sir, the enemies have engaged in combat"

Tithon's veins were tense and his eyes enlarged.

"They're debilitating the weapons. What should we do?"

"Fire on them, with everything"

Then he put it in his pocket and went toward the Dragonbird.

"Sir…"

"Out of my way, scumbag" said him while pushing him violently by the side

"You're such a disappointment commander"

The others were looking at him in disbelief.

"You don't need to do it" said Malsumis

"You can't stop him brother. He is beyond that limit"

"Don't….don't…." was trying to tell Gehenna while Tithon was starting the Dragon's engine

Gluskap went by her side

"Don't…go…" whispered her in his ears

The buzzing sound of the rotors went into their ears and her words faded.

The aircraft detached from the landing spot of the Tower and went straight toward the enemy.

Alone.

"He's going to kill himself" said Malsumis

Gluskap went beside him.

"We both know that it isn't the first time, don't we?"

One of the cannons was dismantled by the Dragonflies of Kurban.

One after another, the weapons were crumbling down, leaving spaces open for the citizens of Rocabarra.

The ones still intact were firing on them and the city.

"Sir, we're almost done her. What should we do?" asked one of his comrades

"I need one to follow me, the others left will disable the remaining ones. We need to do it for us and the citizens"

They all agreed, the ones who were still alive.

Then he saw him.

Tithon's aircraft was swiftly approaching his.

"Is he a friend?" asked the young man beside him. The only one left in the cabin.

"I don't know"

He took the transceiver and pushed the button on it.

The Supreme Leader was looking at his opponent with bloody eyes and shaking hands while cannon shots were flying by his side.

The transceiver beside him buzzed. Someone was trying to contact him, again.

He wasn't sure.

Then a voice went through the transceiver's sound box.

"We don't want…bloodshed…we want to stop all of it…we know the truth"

Tithon didn't believe his ears.

"We don't intend to engage you…We only need to speak with your leader"

He was shocked.

His hands were easing the grasp on the handle. The veins in his neck were losing their tension.

"Is that really you?" asked then

The buildings of Haguel were being annihilated without mercy.

The men and the woman and the attic were shocked and shut.

"What should we do?" asked one of the Hummingbirds

"I…I…don't know" answered the Whisker's captain

"This is the result of your blind faith in someone who never cared about you" accused the old woman

"I…I…"

"What should we do with you?" asked one of his subordinates

"Have you ever cared about us?"

The 'Birds high ranking official was looking at him with disappointment.

"I…yes, I do"

"You're not our captain" stated another Whisker.

"Call your Supreme Leader and tell him to stop" said the woman

"He would never do what I ask. I'm just…a simple captain"

"I want you to try"

"But…"

"Alright, give me that" said her while taking the transceiver from him

She opened the line.

"Supreme Leader, stop this madness. Now"

No one answered.

"He won't consider you"

"Then I'll keep trying"

She pushed the button again.

Still nothing.

"Is there another way to contact him?" asked one of the 'Birds

The captain shook his head.

A Dragonfly flied beside them.

She wasn't giving up.

A whole block was obliterated beside them. The smoke was in their nostrils.

"He is not answering"

"I…told you"

Another aircraft flied over them.

Then the cannon's bellow screamed in their ears

"I am…"

In front of Kurban there was a burning district, destroyed by the shot which was meant for him.

It was unbelievable.

"I know you, don't I?" asked the voice which was coming out of the transceiver

"Apparently your voice isn't new to me too"

"That's a pity. You're not even able to recognize the voice of a friend"

"I've lost all my friends"

"That's for sure, traitor"

"Tithon?"

"That's right. And you were supposed to be dead, Perteklinis"

That annoyed him. He didn't use his surname for so long. He found it unnecessary.

The people around him were impressed and confused.

"I was never meant to die. Even though finding out that I'm just a clone wasn't the best discovery"

"Why have you come back?"

Kurban thought about it.

Meanmwhile both aircrafts were marching one toward the other.

The sky glitched.

Again.

"For the truth"

"What truth? I already know about Gehenna plan and the lab"

"There's more actually"

"What?"

"She is not the villain you're looking for"

"You too. She still has a grasp on your feeble character"

The line suddenly closed.

"What happened?"

"Who was he?" was asked him

"He was…my friend"

Tithon increased the engines power and armed the guns and missiles on the Dragonbirds.

They were getting closer.

As soon as he was in range he started firing. A disturbing grin appeared on his face while his eyes were glassy.

"Avoid his shots, don't fire" said Kurban

"Are you crazy, he is willing to kill all of us and we should just wait to die" said the pilot

"I don't think that…"

He got down quickly.

A few bullets went through the window and pierced through him and the last men on the Dragon.

He saved himself for a few seconds.

The aircraft was now losing altitude.

He was panicking.

Tithon's Dragon was hovering on site, watching his fall.

He had little time to reach the paddle.

He jumped toward it.

The ground was getting closer.

He put his hands on the handle.

Tight.

The Supreme Leader saw the target in front of him reprise altitude and smirked.

"Will you engage me now, Perteklinis?" asked him

"Is that what you really want?"

"You can't imagine"

The hovering Dragonflies started flying toward each other with increasing speed.

"Do you want to solve it that way? I don't think that you have the balls" jeered Tithon

"You don't know what I went through, I'm not the same person you offloaded in the desert"

"Then show me"

The aircrafts were closer.

Closer.

"Show me" screamed Tithon

Even closer.

Both screamed.

Then Kurban thrusted the handle up and flew over the opposing aircraft.

"Still running away, coward" said Tithon on the transceiver

Kurban didn't know what he was doing.

All the citizens of Rocabarra who followed him were dead. All of them sacrificed for a vain hope and a lost friend.

He pointed the aircraft muzzle toward the sky.

"Where are you going?" asked Tithon confused

As he was going higher, he felt like it wasn't his first time. Like he already did it in the past.

A forgotten past.

The sky glitched.

It was raining. A violent storm of huge proportions.

Thunders and lightnings were booming and shining in the among the clouds.

An engine was screaming, wrapped under all that noise.

The muzzle of a Dragonfly was being soaked by waterdrops as big as stones.

The aircraft was ascending fast.

"What's your status?" asked a feminine voice from the transceiver which was hanging beside the pilot.

"Still in the air. There is still nothing at this height"

"Stay on course"

"What am I looking for my Lady?" asked the pilot

"Your mission, Kurban"

The conservation halted for a while.

Spears of light started filtering through the clouds.

He gave more power to the propellers and went past the grey pall, leaving the furious gale behind.

He expected to find the sun but found various sources which were generating it.

Those were moving.

Then one of them started tracking him.

"What should I do?" asked him scared

"Keep going" said Gehenna

He was now in space.

His eyes couldn't understand what was in front of him.

"Identify yourself" said a martial voice on a new frequency.

"I…am…just a messenger. I'm…here on Lady Gehenna's orders"

Some time passed.

"Disengage and turn off all your engines" said the voice

He did as told and then waited.

Floating in the dark space between him and the strange presence which felt in front of him.

An invisible force started pulling him and his Dragon.

A gate opened and a huge white hangar showed in front of his eyes.

As soon as the gate closed, he was put down on the ground.

He went to the door and found a couple of soldiers waiting for him.

Among them there was a high-ranking officer.

The men paced toward him and offered his hand.

"You should be one of Gehenna's clones. It's an honor to meet you" stated him

"Were you waiting for me?" asked Kurban

The officer nodded.

They brought him to a room and put him on a chair.

The place wasn't small, as it had huge glasses which granted a beautiful sight of Slaaf.

His hands and legs were cuffed by the soldiers which looked strangely familiar.

The officer went in front of him and started observing his features.

He was looking around frantically.

"Are you going to tell me?" started the officer

"What?"

"Why are you here? What purpose did she gave you?"

"I…I…"

"Do you have anything on you right now?"

"What…no…no…"

The officer tilted his head and two soldiers moved towards him and looked through all his pockets and holes.

There wasn't much kindness in the way they were treating him.

He grunted.

An object fell on the ground.

"Stop"

The men let him be and put him back to his position.

All his attire was now untidied, and he felt violated.

"What is it?" said the officer after taking the object up.

It looked like a small chip with two wires.

"Were you planning to plant a virus here, really? Does she really underestimate me to this point?"

Kurban didn't answer.

"So, what is it then?"

"I won't tell you. I sweared"

"Oh, we'll see about that" said him as the soldiers got back to him

Kicks and punches started hitting him.

Every time he asked for an answer and every time he refused.

Time went by and the result kept being the same.

"How long can you hold?" joked the officer.

Then one of the guards came into the room.

"Sir, he has arrived" told him

"Alright, we will meet in a few hours" said him while stepping away from him

"Take care of him" as he ordered that, the guards gagged him and kept beating him.

After a while they left him alone and he stood there, with his eyes closed.

Only the lights of outer space were with him.

Then the voice of his abuser resounded again in his ears.

"You know, you are identical to a friend of mine. It's sad that I had to kill him."

He removed the gag from his mouth and threw it away.

"Please, let me go. Lady Gehenna didn't mean to show mistrust, she just…" begged him.

"Don't worry about that. I will"

"But first I need you a little thing from you"

As he said that, a group of scientists entered the room and brought him out, while he was asking for Timur's mercy.

They moved to the labs and put him on an operating table.

Then the officer gave the chip to a scientist which put it in a spot.

The system scanned it and then showed on the screen what was inside it.

"General Timur, this is…." Said one of the people who was wearing a white coat.

"Wonderful" concluded the general

"Your mistress gave yourself up for the best piece of information we've ever asked her"

"What…do you mean?" asked Kurban while struggling to get off the table

"To put it in an easy way for you…"

He was looking for the right words while looking at him.

"We're going to have control over every one"

"It…it isn't true? She wouldn't do that"

"Apparently she gave us the codes which are derived from his first trial"

"Who was her first trial?"

Timur looked at him with affected eyes.

"You know him"

Tithon fired a missile toward Kurban.

He was sure about his chances. It was the right time and the right way.

He saw the weapon get closer and closer to his enemy's tail.

Just a matter of seconds.

Then the aircraft changed direction and avoided it by turning upside down.

His muzzle was facing Tithon's.

Behind him the missile hit something in the air and exploded.

It was Kurban's turn now.

The sky trembled and glitched like it never did before, while a part of it was on fire.

"What's going on?" asked Gluskap

"It's…it's…there"

"What?" intervened Malsumis

"I think that she's just talking about the Supreme Leader"

"Seriously?"

"Let her talk"

"Don't rush her, she isn't in the right condition"

"The…ship…"

"A ship…what ship…?"

She was pointing to the sky, which was still acting in a suspicious way.

"I see thunders, clouds and the darkest night…all together."

"There is something there"

"Mor…Morr…Morrigan"

"What is that?"

Gluskap went beside her and then she moved her mouth toward his ear.

"Kill…me"

"I can't…I can't do it" said him shocked

"We…can…stop…them…"

"Them, who?" asked Malsumis

"Sir, the cloak has suffered irreversible damages" said one of the soldiers to the general who was relaxed, too relaxed

"Sir, what should we do?"

"Nothing. Prepare what my father has worked on in his last years"

"But, sir, we are still not able to understand the program and how the chips are able to control the host"

Timur grinned.

"Why? Do you feel in control right now?"

Kurban thwarted his finger toward the button to release a counterattack.

His hand was trembling.

Then he saw his ex-friend's face. He noticed that it wasn't as he remembered. An aspect which has suffered loss and betrayal. A face which exuded wrath and hatred.

Tithon looked back at him.

Kurban was ready to blow him to smithereens.

He turned the aircraft, and the Supreme Leader did it too.

Tithon was trying to understand what he was doing.

Kurban detached from the paddle and turned off the engines.

The Dragonfly started falling on him.

He wanted to fire at him or fire the engines but something didn't let him do that.

The aircrafts touched and the engines emitted a scratching sound.

The turbines shovels crushed and bonded.

They were both tumbling.

It was a matter of time before they would've impacted the ground.

The metal's heap started turning midair, throwing them on the Dragons shell.

Above them the sky was still malfunctioning.

The ground wasn't far.

Kurban was at peace.

"Was that your great plan, Perteklinis? This is bad" was screaming Tithon

Kurban wasn't answering.

"You are going to kill us, you moron. You've never been worth a dime"

He was looking for something, anything to escape his destiny.

"I can't die. I can't die"

They crashed on the ground and flames unleashed.