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The vehicles sped back toward a safe zone at the same dizzying speed with which they had arrived. The clouds followed them, with any that came within firing range being immediately and successfully shot down.
However, Menelik informed them, “We’re not safe yet. Neither Daemon nor we have established defenses in this desolate area.”
“Where are we headed?” Terry asked.
“Home,” Menelik confirmed, revealing something Terry had suspected, “to Antioch.”
As they traveled, the sky lit up with QEMP explosions. The Creators’ ships tried to position themselves above their vehicles to lift them into the air, but without success.
In the midst of their euphoria, however, a declaration from one of the crew members brought them back to reality. “Menelik, we have a BIG problem.”
Menelik leaned out of the window and looked around. What he saw left him speechless.
A massive ship was speeding toward them from behind, flying low. It was nearly the size of the Ziggurat and could lift all four of their vehicles at once. Its size barely allowed the humid air of its cover to envelop it. The edges of the cloud swirled and disintegrated from the speed. The eerie black metal of its construction was exposed whenever the cloud failed to keep up.
In Menelik’s mind, the image of a large fish hunting smaller ones flashed, causing his face to twist in horror.
“All units, fire!” he commanded, unable to believe what he was seeing. “Show them what we can do. This is our moment!” he tried to rally his comrades.
The vehicles all opened fire on the massive ship. However, the QEMP shots didn’t seem to cause any damage. They were too weak for it.
Then, from the vehicles’ speakers, Daemon’s voice came through, paradoxically calm and reassuring, informing everyone, “I see it. I’m on my way.”
Soon, the alien ship caught up with them and positioned itself above. An opening appeared at the bottom of the cloud, like a mouth ready to swallow them. Menelik froze. The image of the fish in his mind became more specific, with the ship reminding him of a stingray sucking in its prey. Grains of sand began to rise around them, signaling that its anti-gravity beam had been activated.
The vehicles began to lift slightly when Menelik snapped out of it and gave the order. “Break formation!”
The Insurgent vehicles, which had been moving in a diamond formation, abruptly changed directions as they had been trained to do upon this command. The left vehicle sharply veered left, pinning its passengers against the walls, while the right vehicle did the same to the right. The central one continued straight ahead, while the rear vehicle, carrying Menelik, Terry, and Ria, almost came to a sudden stop.
The side and rear vehicles managed to escape, but the first one did not. The alien ship, knowing where its primary targets were, closed the anti-gravity beam just as the first vehicle was airborne. The Insurgent vehicle plummeted from a great height into the sand, flipping over several times with a harsh crash, rendering it useless.
“One, what’s your status?” Menelik asked anxiously through the communications. “One, do you hear me?”
“Continue, Four,” One responded, pain and the sound of debris evident through the speakers. “Just bruises.”
Menelik exhaled with relief, but the danger remained. The alien ship made a turn and was coming after them again, ignoring the other two vehicles.
“I hope your ‘girlfriend’ doesn’t take long,” Menelik quipped, addressing Terry and Ria, his face showing desperation. “The situation is critical, and we can’t handle this alone.”
“I hope I don’t stay just theirs, Menelik,” Daemon’s voice was heard again. “Our collaboration has just begun, and we have much to learn from each other.”
Menelik, hearing Daemon speak about friendship in the midst of this chaos, glanced at Terry and Ria in confusion, as if he thought Daemon had gone mad.
“After the upgrade,” Terry explained, “she’s not the same. She’s developed more humor. How should I put it, she’s more… Zen.” He then tried to justify her demeanor, “It might be helpful to face this crisis with a bit more calm and wisdom.”
“You both seem a little off,” Menelik concluded, shaking his head at Terry’s words.
“I’m coming from the west at an azimuth of 49 degrees,” Daemon’s voice calmly announced again. “I’d ask you to head toward me at an azimuth of 229 degrees so that your hunter is behind you.”
Terry nodded at Menelik, encouraging him to follow the instruction. The certainty in Terry’s eyes gave Menelik the push he needed to overcome his skepticism. Though a bit hesitant, he gave the order to the crew to make the necessary maneuver.
They followed the designated direction, and the alien ship turned and positioned itself behind them, as Daemon had planned.
Soon Daemon’s voice came again, “I’m ahead of you in 20 seconds, do not open fire.”
With the ship chasing them and getting ready to take position above them again, Menelik worried that those 20 seconds might not be enough. Menelik, leaning out of the vehicle window, looked ahead and spotted a swarm of aircraft in the distance, flying low and resembling mosquitoes from afar.
Ten Pegasus ships in formation, four above, four below, and one on each side, were approaching at great speed. They were flying low so that their engines could take advantage of gravity and achieve maximum speed, risking destruction in the process.
The air around them vibrated from the force of the engines, creating a hum that grew louder and more deafening as they approached. In moments, they flew just above them at supersonic speed. The usual soft hum of their engines had been replaced by an eerie scream, as they operated beyond their limits.
With their formation as perfect as only Daemon could orchestrate, the crescent shape they formed was calculated precisely to intersect with the hunter ship. The plan was for all of them to collide with it simultaneously, without losing an ounce of kinetic energy. Menelik quickly ducked back into the vehicle, shouting in panic, “Collision, collision!” Their hearts pounded as they folded into brace positions, preparing for the impending danger.
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