Chapter 29
KAIDA'S POV...
We remained quiet for a very long time as we reached the border fence.
The tension was super high in the air and I could see it just looking at the faces of a few men. But, I tried to remain calm because, for some unknown reason, I felt like if I let my emotions show, then the team members would get demoralized by my emotions.
Since they already looked up to me as some powerful purifier, I believed that I should be able to live up to that image, and keeping my emotions in check was the best thing I could do around them in such a heart-pumping situation.
I watched as Axton suddenly started to give out orders to the team members in a coded sign language that I couldn't understand. And soon, everyone started moving forward in a very quiet manner. It surprised me how a large number of men could march toward danger in squads, and yet their feet made no sound as they touched down on the ground.
Zarek's wolf seemed dangerous as he moved stealthily amongst the crowd, I held onto his mane tightly but not painfully so I wouldn't fall off from his back, but even if I chose to sit hands-free on his back, I wouldn't have still fallen off because I noticed that Zarek had a very super balanced gait, he was moving with precision and his back was large enough to carry me conformably without throwing me off.
"Remain on Zarek's back until it is time to defend yourself, do you understand?" Thane asked me.
I nodded my head not wanting to talk or whisper, as I hadn't spoken for a while, I didn't trust my voice to come out as a whisper, it might end up coming out as hoarse and loud, and I wouldn't want to be the one who would be the responsible for our well-thought-out attack plannings to get busted.
Thane saw my body language and let me be for the moment.
Ahead of us, I watched Axton; he looked so concentrated and ready to fight; his whole body seemed to be alert, and his aura screamed raw, calculated danger; I could sense the predatory instincts of his feline beast gene kicking in and turning him into a dangerous, lethal human-beast.
This dangerous and lethal human was strategically leading without fear, he was bravely leading a prisoner army in an assault on the District 11 border.
We got very close to the gates and Axton raised his hand.
"Halt!" Axton ordered abruptly.
The prisoners halted and awaited another order.
"Thane, send in the explosives," Axton ordered.
"Andre, fire!" Thane ordered.
Immediately, I heard the tiny sound of an improvised explosive device (IED) flying above my head; in the next second, a loud explosive sound was heard from the gate, and the ground shook with it.
Another explosive was fired, the sound and effect of this one was much fiercer than the first one.
The explosions continued and I bet that the gate must have been weakened from the impact it was receiving from us.
But it didn't seem to be enough for Axton because, in the next moment he ordered. "Hugo! Transform!" He shouted.
I suddenly heard a very loud bear roar behind me and immediately snapped my head behind and was surprised to see a very tall and scary-looking bear with sharp claws and sharp-bared teeth.
"Move, Zarek! Let Hugo through!" Thane shouted due to the noise from the explosions.
Hugo's bear was so large and tall that the ground shook as it thudded toward the gate.
I knew bears were huge, but I never knew Hugo would be this big when he transformed.
As Hugo was reaching the gate, he suddenly started running with his bear speed, and in the blink of an eye, he smashed himself against the gate, creating a very visible dent on the gate as he collided with it.
Axton immediately pointed his hand forward and the prisoner army instantly marched forward.
They used various methods to breach the gates, attempting to break through the defensive line.
I was among the ranks, and I was witnessing the prisoners' frenzied siege.
We soon heard the sudden uproar from the far corner on our right, and turning my head, I saw the Garrison commander appear with a squad of elite guards.
"Prepare to defend!" Axton shouted his order.
I immediately came down from Zarek's back and prepared myself. I guess this was the time Thane meant for me to get off Zarek's wolf.
I noticed some of the prisoner army came and formed a circle around me, a form of protection.
Our formation was ready, with Axton, Thane, and Zarek at the front line; Hugo, with some of our men, was still trying to break down the fence while I and the others faced the approaching battle.
The Garrison commander wasted no time in launching a counterattack.
His soldiers came at us with furious speed and anger, they had weapons I didn't even know existed in this world.
We were at the back of the line but some of the garrison soldiers still managed to fight their way through to us.
I didn't wait for them to get to me; I quickly launched at one and disarmed him, tackling him one-on-one. As I fought the soldier, I could see our army fighting the soldiers all around me.
From a distance, through the chaos of battle, caught a glimpse of the commander's face, and strangely, I found his face to be oddly familiar.
Amidst the noise of the battle, I heard the commander's loud voice. "Captain Axton! Order your men to stand down! And I'll order mine! Let's have a one-on-one duel!" His voice went round the battle scene.
He seemed to recognize Axton, calling him out for a one-on-one duel.
"Stop!" Axton commanded.
The prisoner army and the Garrison soldiers immediately halted their attacks against each other.
"Challenge accepted, Reed," Axton's voice was lethal and conveyed dark promises of danger.
And, just like that, Axton and Reed engaged in a fierce battle.
However, the arrival of the garrison's artillery support worsened the situation. The powerful laser cannons fired through the long distance causing significant destruction on our side.
"Kaida!!!" I heard Andre scream my name and the sound of the laser cannons being fired, when I snapped my head to the direction of his voice, I saw a bright beam of light coming toward my direction.