Interlude Fifty-Four: Agni (Patreon)

The city was burning, and for once it wasn’t her fault.

Agni forced her will upon the flames gutting the building in front of here. The blaze stuttered to a stop.

Another one down, a thousand to go.

Andrew had been doing the right thing, bringing that battleship down. Seeing that behemoth blotting out the skies had shocked her to the core.

And then the bombardments had begun.

Had the ship kept firing for a few minutes longer, the good citizens of Tanisport would have tried to escape the city. A panicked mob overrunning everything in its path - just what the defenders needed.

Watching the mountain fall from the skies, even as it brought down dozens of skyscrapers under its weight, had been liberating.

The cheers from the troops around had nearly deafened her.

Even so, the downed leviathan hadn’t left the city unscathed. The buildings beneath it had turned to rubble, burying thousands of people alive. The heatwave from the impact had started fires that were spreading across the surrounding blocks.

Fires which she was trying to put out, now.

Her senses ran across the flame within the building, and pulled energy from it. Pulling heat from flames, sending it into the void of nonexistence.

As usual, it came with a cost.

She winced as pain shot through her arms. It was a secret she’d kept for years – her power really, really disliked it when forced to operate in reverse. She could put out fires, sure, but a part of the energy she took from them would have to be absorbed by her.

Less than one per cent, but even one per cent of the fire from a burning building was … a lot.

Putting out the fires at Brahampton had been a neat trick, but the pain as she teleported has almost knocked her unconscious. Here, she didn’t have that option. She had to stem one blaze after another, and avoid looking so much as strained while doing it.

She turned to the Phoenix Company trooper next to her. “That building’s safe for now. Think you can get the EMTs in there?”

“I’ll ask,” replied Cassandra Crane.

Agni liked Cassandra. The girl had been one of the twenty-eight who’d ambushed Gravitic, fought at London, and had survived the South American jungles without batting an eyelid.

“Fire brigade’s going in first,” Cassandra said, “to pull out any survivors. The EMTs aren’t going into hot buildings.”

“As long as someone gets them out. There’s thirty-six people in there, including seven kids.”

“I’ll tell them.”

Agni turned to the next building, focusing on the flames.

As the fires calmed in this one, Daisy Cullen’s black-armored form jogged up to them. “Agni. Cassandra. We’ve got about two hundred infantry coming through here to set up a position.”

“British or American?”

“Neither - they’re supposed to be from various Asian countries. Mixed bag, whatever they could send, et cetera.”

“Why do they want a position here?” asked Cassandra. “They should set up at the crossroads.”

“Cass.” Daisy snapped. “Just because you’re dating Corporal Vance doesn’t make you a military expert.”

The younger woman flinched.

“What they’re doing is none of our business,” continued Daisy. “We got a courtesy heads-up. We do our job, let them do theirs, and that’s it. Go tell the others.”

“Yes ma’am.” The younger woman darted off.

Daisy shook her head in exasperation. “That one’s going to be a problem.”

“Why is that?”

“There’s a time for questions. The middle of a battle isn’t it. She needs to understand that.”

“Be careful you don’t kill her initiative in the process.”

“You think I’m too hard on them?”

“I think you’re doing the best you can. She spotted something that looked off and told you. She might be wrong, but that’s stuff that needs to be encouraged.”

“I’ll talk to her after the battle.” Daisy cocked her HEPAR. “Assuming we survive, of course.”

“We’re only outnumbered twenty to one. Piece of cake.”

Daisy snorted. “Only you, Agni.”

“Hey, I’ve been outnumbered before. And worse than this.”

“That is true.” Daisy’s gaze wandered. “I hate to speculate, but those troops are idiots.”

“Which ones?”

“The contingent they’ve sent us. They’re getting off their trucks here instead of driving up to where the ship is…” Daisy trailed off.

Agni turned to look. Sure, the troops were getting down and quick-marching forward, weapons ready.

The uniforms, though… they jogged her memory somewhat. A familiar pattern, similar to one she’d fought long ago….

“Those are North Pak troops.”

Daisy looked startled for a second.

The next second, something slammed into Agni’s stomach.

It felt like being punched very, very hard.

She didn’t realize she was flying through the air until she hit the ground.

Smoke erupted, and screams.

“... under attack!” a voice cried over the radio. “Repeat, we are under attack by unknown troops…”

Not unknown.

She could feel impacts on her suit. Impacts which were… bullets.

If it hadn’t been for the Nanofibre Weave’s ability to shrug off gunfire, she’d be dead by now.

Anger raced through her. How dare they.

“Burn.”

Flames swept forward, covering the attacking soldiers. Screams rang out.

Twelve years hadn’t changed the smell of charred flesh.

She opened her fire-eyes. Tiny sparks of flame lit up above her, showing her the battlefield.

She had just enough time to see the tank before it fired at her.