Chapter 4: Smoke and Swords

The crashing of the waves was drowned out by the rhythmic pounding of the factory built on the coastline. It was held up out of the water by about 30 feet on stilts of intensely polished black metal, and yet some grime of the sea had managed to grow up the base of some of these supports despite their grandeur. It was connected to the beach by a wide black bridge partially coated in fine sand and decorated with the dead bodies of Xandrian soldiers. Humans wandered about the place, not doing anything in particular except occupying the land.

Their clothes were yellow and green, clearly, they were dressed for blending in with the coastal swamp but as they stood against the black, polished walls of the factory, Atari could see how each of them looked a little on edge.

Grimley had hidden them both behind some coastal shrubs a short distance from the bridge leading to the factory entrance. He hadn't said anything yet, just remained staring with unbridled hatred at one Human in particular.

Atari had followed his gaze to this particular Human. He had dirty blond hair and carried a sword at his belt. He was average height and wore nothing special to separate him from the rest of the Humans except being the recipient of Grimley's piercing stare.

Atari had never seen Humans up close, she'd only ever seen them from pictures in the archives of Ootzie documents, back when electricity was common. They were similar enough to her own species, indeed the scholars of old had theorized that they came from the same origins, changing into Human and Ootzie based on their exposure to water. These Humans however were not her neighbors, these ones were slightly lankier with flatter cheeks, and a few looked like they had skin rashes and discolorations. Humans indeed but something had happened to them at some point. Atari herself was half-Human. She'd been told that she was mixed-species since her earliest days, despite never meeting her Human mother all the other Ootzie had immense respect for Humans, even admiration for their cousin species. Atari felt that admiration now. She saw the shape of their hands and looked at her own, not webbed like an Ootzie but with delicate fingers like theirs. She saw the shape of their faces, longer and with noses like hers, not like the flat, noseless faces of the Ootzie, and the shape of their feet. Long and perfectly designed for running, not swimming.

She looked again and Grimley and saw that burning hate in his eyes. And she knew what he intended to do.

"I know it's my obligation to help you now, but I can't kill them." She whispered. "They are me, I cannot kill myself."

Grimley then fixed his eyes of hate upon her.

"Martian, these guys are terrorists! Racists bent on Genocide! You see those bodies down there?" He pointed to the corpses of the Xandrians on the bridge. "They killed them, and without warning too, or is that still grounds to let them live in your religion?"

Atari's antenna dropped. "Is it worth it?" She questioned herself, "To waste the Black Smoke on this... creature of a man? No." She stood to shuffle away from the scene but Grimley grabbed her and snatched the canister of Black Smoke from her belt. Atari, unable to protest without making noise, could only shuffle and scratch at his arm. But it did no good, her underdeveloped claws couldn't penetrate the thick black fur of his arm.

"If you won't do it, I will!" He hissed as he flipped the switch at the top of the canister and hurled it towards the entrance of the factory.

With a clink upon the polished stone floor, the canister rolled to a halt at the feet of the man with the dirty blond hair. He stepped towards it with suspicion and eventual relief. He had thought it was a grenade but when it made no sound he thought it was nothing more than a practical joke or something that had slipped from beneath the uniform of one of the Xandrians nearby.

"Run! Run!" There was a voice in the shrubs just beyond the bridge. The man looked up and saw a pale woman sprinting towards him. She was waving her arms erratically and screaming at him to flee. He looked behind her as something large and black with horns emerged from the shrubs. Then it registered.

The explosion of choking black fumes came suddenly. With a violent shudder, the factory bridge buckled under the force of the gas release, and the Humans stood paralyzed as they were choked to death. Atari couldn't see if any of them had heard her and run away, not even the man with dirty blond hair who was less than 20 feet in front of her. She knew that if she didn't escape soon she would join those choking in their disintegrating lungs too, and so she flung herself into the ocean.

From beneath the blue waves she saw the great cloud of black spread across the surface. Blocking out the sun and the lives of the Humans still within the factory. She heard the muffled splashes of those desperate to flee as they jumped into the water with her and the faint dying screams of those stranded inside. Her antenna drooped again and even if she cried for them, her tears wouldn't show in the ocean. So she just sank.

Then there was a bright light that engulfed the creeping blackness. It intensified with each second and was accompanied by a singing sound. Atari swam up to it and saw that same sword the man with the dirty blond hair held on his belt a few moments ago. "Had it fallen from him? Was he dead?" She thought as she inspected the gently falling blade.

Its hilt was wrapped in thick rope cords and a white stone was embedded in the midst of it. She could hear it, speaking some sort of language to her in the water. Before it fell out of reach Atari reached out and held it, then she was snatched upwards by large hands wearing gauntlets.

Grimley hated getting wet, his fur took forever to dry but he needed Atari alive for his justification of his action to his father. He had run into the ocean from the shore and plucked her from at least 40 feet below the surface. He was sure he was going to drown and that she herself was drowned so he was surprised when she showed that she was quite alive by the time they broke the surface.

He dragged her to the beach and slumped into the sand, his fur heavy with water. He looked behind him at the climbing pillar of black smoke that covered the factory. It would take at least a day for it to dissipate but when it did the factory would be back under Xandrian control, and Xaviour would be pleased, he thought.

"Dad will be pleased with this." He smiled, standing and headed back towards the road leading from the beach to Xaviours mansion beyond the swamp. "Are you coming?" He called back at Atari.

Atari made no sound. She just stared at the black cloud, and then at the sword.