THE GENERAL'S MATE

Clio kept running and running over the rubble of a crumbling wall in a New York subway station. Her hiding place with the rebels—the Centurions, had been discovered by General Colten's army. The Hyperion army is now after her and the Centurions who have been hiding for a month in the New York underground station. They managed to sniff their trail while plotting revenge for the cruelty of General Colten who had enslaved them all.

Clio doesn't want to be captured by Hyperion army. All the women captured by the Hyperion army would only become slaves in Ailanthius Altissima. The stories she heard from the Centurions weren't just rumors. People who were once captured by the Hyperion army will never return, unless they die. Their bodies will be thrown into the White River to serve as food for General Colten's predatory fish.

A red laser beam had just hit the underground tunnel wall and smashed the wall into pieces. Clio covered her lips with her palm to suppress the screams that almost escaped her mouth. The walls around her began to crumble and scatter dust that stifled her lungs. She covered her lips and mouth with the slayer tied around her neck. She just ran and ran to avoid the Hyperion army that was moving very fast behind her.

Clio's heart seemed to be about to explode because of the panic and fear that currently surrounded her. The sound of footsteps behind her started to get louder and louder. Hyperion army began to search around the rubble of the wall where she was hiding.

"Eagle three, follow this tunnel line. I'm sure they haven't gone too far. Stay alert."

"Tsk, these idiots think they can overthrow General Colten's power. Look how they have lived all this time. They're like a bunch of rats living in a filthy, rotten place."

Behind the black suit that is very strong and the protective helmet equipped with infrared technology, Clio can imagine the scornful expressions of the Hyperion army who are making fun of her people. They had become arrogant and haughty just because their bodies were protected by highly sophisticated suit and helmets. Without them all they are just piece of shit and cowardly weak humans.

Clio tightened her grip on the butt of the black long-barreled pistol her father had given her for her seventeenth birthday. Three years ago she could still see her father and gripped his hand tightly. But now she was completely alone and lonely. Every day she only survives with the Centurions which are getting smaller and smaller. But two weeks ago they had the good news from a messenger that a larger group of Centurions and more sophisticated weapons were building up a force in a bunker in Queens.

But bad luck to the Centurions because today the Hyperion army found their hiding place in one of New York's underground stations. Yet all this time they had been moving very carefully. They made the long journey from the Brentwood valley in north Carolina in hopes of finding more Centurions to build up power and overthrow the tyrannical leadership of General Colten. And once again they failed. The Centurions were attacked again and Clio wasn't sure how many Centurions are left.

Clio held her breath. A company of Hyperion army had just moved past her hideout. The sound of the soles of their shoes echoed along the subway lines that meandered into long, dark alleys. Infrared glasses made their movement in the dark alleys easier.

Just now Clio heard the howling laughter of the Hyperion army and the whimpering of a woman. Clio's breath hitched. She sharpened her hearing and took out worn infrared glasses from her pocket. She didn't expect her hunch to be right. But damn, what she saw right now really made her angry.

Vella, one of the women of the Centurions has just been caught. Vella's condition is very worrying. Her body was covered in wounds and very dirty with dust from the rubble of the underground tunnel walls. Her temples were dripping with blood flowing down to her chin. Clio guessed that Vella might have just been crushed by the rubble of the tunnel wall when Hyperion army fired laser guns recklessly.

"Just kill me! Don't take me to the White Wall."

"You are a beautiful young woman. General Colten wanted all young women to be the mothers of his children. We can't kill you, lady."

"Let her go! You have to kill me first if you want to take her to your rotten generals."

Then the sound of a series of gunshots filled Clio's eardrums. She recognized the man's voice as Jesse's. He's one of the toughest men in the Centurions who always protects women. But this time Jesse was alone. He did the stupid thing by trying to fight a group of Hyperion army with sophisticated weapons.

"Kill that damn man! Eagle two, take that woman to the White Wall."

Then another gunshot came. Jesse's hefty body glowed in a dazzling red light, then his body exploded in front of Clio's eyes after twenty people from the Hyperion army shot him with lethal laser guns.

Clio's cheeks were wet. Tears of anger and sadness rolled down her cheeks. She had just seen Vella being dragged away towards the underground station exit by two Hyperion soldiers, while the other eight soldiers formed a formation around Vella to provide cover in case another attack from one of the stupid Centurions came.

Clio violently wiped the stupid tears from her cheeks. She couldn't waste time crying. She had to do something to stop them from bringing Vella to the White Wall.

She slowly walked following the Hyperion army towards the tunnel exit. She walked very slowly between the ruins of the pillars and the stone walls to spy on the Hyperion army. She would shoot at them to give Vella a chance to escape. Even though her gun's bullets wouldn't kill the Hyperion soldiers, she could at least bring some commotion for a while.

As they almost reached the tunnel exit, Clio fired her bullets at the two Hyperion soldiers in the front row. After that she moved to the right quickly and opened fire to attack the Hyperion soldiers who started shooting at her hiding place. The shot triggered another fire from the Hyperion army. Clio is showered with crumbling stone walls flying around her hiding place while dodging the Hyperion army's laser gun fire.

"Vella, run!" shouted Clio carelessly.

They got rowdy. The two people guarding Vella let their guard down. Clio saw Vella managed to escape and hide among the rubble.

Clio then ran in the opposite direction of Vella and purposely provoked Hyperion army to chase her.

They chased after her in droves. They had stopped firing laser guns at her because she was a very precious young woman to General Colten. But Clio didn't want to be caught. She tried to escape from the pursuit of the Hyperion army and entered the winding tunnel to hide. The tunnel had a confusing path. She'd been through the tunnel twice and she knew some good places to hide. The Hyperion army wouldn't know this line other than they would get lost trying to chase her.

"She's here. Don't let her get away."

A shout from one of Hyperion army roused Clio's spirit to run. She increased her running speed and let her blistered feet sting even more in her worn thin leather shoes. No matter what happened she couldn't stop. She just had to run, run, and run until she completely escaped the Hyperion army's pursuit.

"Kyaa..."

Suddenly someone grabbed her body and covered her lips with a hard palm. Her body was easily dragged into a narrow space that could only accommodate two people. Hidden behind the stone walls of the underground tunnel. Clio's body was pinned against the wall, her mouth was gagged with his palms, and her hands were locked behind her body. Clio is completely unable to move and make a sound. Only the nostrils are allowed to move to breathe in as much dust mixed with air as possible.

"Ssshhh..."

Just listening to the soft hiss from the man's lips, the fine hairs on Clio's nape bristled. She shuddered at the sound of a subtle voice clad in a domineering aura of cruelty.

Who had saved her from the Hyperion army?

"They can catch you if you're mouthy."

Clio wasn't stupid enough to raise her voice and tell the Hyperion army she was very close to them. She'd better let this man hold her for a while. Fighting one man was easier than fighting several heavily armed Hyperion army.

The sound of the Hyperion army soles clattering loudly around her. Clio closed her eyes tightly, waiting for what would happen seemed like centuries. Her hand was starting to hurt from being pressed against the wall so hard by this stranger. She couldn't wait to see the man's face and identify if he was friend or foe.

Silence began to surround them. The sound of the Hyperion army's footsteps was getting farther and farther away in Clio's ears. She squirmed quietly, trying to free herself from the grip of the stranger who was still pinning her against the wall.

"Mmpppffhh..."

The man only looked down briefly, but did not remove his large palm from her mouth. Clio was starting to feel uncomfortable and in pain of being pinned against the stone wall in that position. Furiously she bit the man's palm. The curse slid out and rained down on her.

"Shit! Is this how you say thank you?"

The man just released his palm from her mouth, his body squeezing Clio harder. Her neck throbbed at the touch of the mysterious man's icy palm.

Clio couldn't see the man's face clearly in this blinding darkness. Her infrared glasses had fallen somewhere when her body was pulled to hide behind a wall. All she could rely on to identify the man was her ears.

"Who are you? Are you a member of the Centurion?"

No answer. There was only the sound of rough breathing which made Clio's alertness increase.

"Are you one of the Hyperion army? You're General Colten's spy?"

"I'm neither of them."

Even though the darkness blinded her eyes, Clio could feel the man grinning in front of her.

"So who are you really?"

"I am your savior. I am a traveler."

"Can you get your body out? I don't need your protection anymore." Clio snorted violently.

She tried to push the man's hard chest with her both hands. A soft and strong cloth wrapped around the man's sturdy chest pampered Clio's palms. She was sure this mysterious man wasn't one of the Centurions because Centurions couldn't possibly wear clothes with such fine fabrics and strong fibers. The Centurions only wore the worn out clothes they usually found in the places they visited. But this man wasn't a Hyperion army either. Their clothes are stronger because they are equipped with suit and various weapons to protect themselves.

So who exactly is this man? What group is he from?

"Are you done touching my chest?" He called coldly.

Clio gasped in surprise. Her cheeks flushed red. She reflexively moved her palm away from the man's chest, as if he could see the deep red glow on her cheeks.

"Promise you won't run away from me and make a fuss that will attract the Hyperion army to come here."

"I won't. You can take my word for it."

The man took two steps back. Just enough to make Clio able to move her tingling legs and arms.

"Who are you?"

"I already told you."

"I'm Clio Yilmaz. What's your name?"

"Colman."