Tubiàn

It wasn't well-lit out here, but the area was always busy with people enjoying the sea walk and eating at the restaurants that were dotted along the piers.

Right now, people were running en masse back towards the shore, screaming as they ran.

Alton grabbed a father running past with his family. "What is it?" he barked at him.

"Komodo dragon!" yelled the man, taking in their uniforms and light armour.

"Dragon!" Alton called to his team. "Niko, Wolf, grab whatever you can find for shields."

The men had come out lightly armed with only their swords and bows.

Niko and Wolf peeled off into one of the nearby restaurants. They rejoined the group holding a motley collection of pot lids, woks and trays, handing them out among the men.

"Thanks man," said Magnus sarcastically. "This should do a good job protecting my pretty face," he waved a long-handled wok at Wolf.

"You're lucky I didn't give you the tray," said Wolf, indicating the flimsy looking tray with flowers etched into the surface that the giant blond Niko was wielding. "And your face isn't that pretty."

Magnus was traditionally handsome, with dirty blond hair, green eyes and a finely chiselled face that spoke of his Scandinavian heritage. He and Cormac were ribbed mercilessly by the other men for their pretty boy looks.

"Alright, protect your faces and anywhere you don't have armour," their Commander ordered. "Don't bother with your arrows, they can't pierce their skin. Use your swords. Stay together, in formation. Let's go!"

They could see the dragon now. They'd practised this in drills many times, but this would be their first time fighting one for real.

They weren't real dragons, they were tubiàn, mutated animals created as weapons during WW3, now run rampant across the uninhabitable Mainland.

"What's it doing this far south?" asked Wolf. "How do you think it got past the Great Wall?"

"Puzzle for another day," said Commander Meyer shortly. "Right now, let's focus on killing it."

A young girl screamed as the dragon, standing on its hind legs, snatched her up and stuffed her into its mouth, crunching noisily.

The victim's mother stood on the dock, crying hysterically.

Alton started to run. His unit kept pace with him step for step; they were incredibly tightly trained.

"Pick her up Baer," the commander shouted, indicating the victim's mother, who was too overwrought to flee. "Take her to the restaurant and tell them to lock the doors."

"On it!" Baer grabbed the crying woman, threw her over his shoulder, and ran.

The creature, still munching on the girl, saw the group of armed men and turned to defend itself.

It carefully put down the rest of its meal for later, protecting the girl's body which it wrapped with its long tail.

The front row of four men formed a semi-circle around the creature, which had its back to the ocean. It stood at least fourteen feet tall and seemed as comfortable on two legs as it was on all four.

Niko darted in and attacked it with his sword, slicing at its feet, holding his makeshift tray aloft. He rolled back out after failing to make a scratch through its hide.

Alton tried from the dragon's right, thrusting his sword into the creature's side with all of his strength. It was like stabbing a brick wall and he felt the aftershock fly painfully back up his arm.

"Hiiiiissssss," it made a long, low sound, flicking its forked tongue in and out.

"The swords are not piercing its skin. Go for the belly or the eyes!" shouted Commander Meyer.

"The eyes are a little high, Sir," said Niko grimly, looking up in the dim night sky at its reptilian eyes.

Dragon spit dripped down his serving tray and he threw it aside in disgust, snatching a wok lid from Cormac, who stood in position behind him.

"Keep back man," he said to the shorter man, who now lacked any form of protection from the poisonous acid.

Han ran forward and dropped into a commando roll to avoid the dragon's snatching claws. He managed to get a thin slice into the soft part of its lower belly as he rolled past.

The creature immediately dropped down on all fours, where it still stood taller than the men, its belly was now protected from them.

"Good job Han, it's bleeding," grunted the Commander.

The creature hissed again and started to spit huge gobs of poison at them, hurling them off its long, forked tongue with great precision.

Niko dodged a large wad of dragon spit, turning to flatten and roll Cormac clear at the same time.

"Thanks man," Cormac panted.

Niko gripped Cormac's forearm and yanked him to his feet with a nod, striding back to his position on the frontline.

"Has to be the eyes," shouted the Commander. "Niko, Wolf, slingshot me!"

Niko and Wolf rolled forward and crouched, half-kneeling, scant metres from the beast. Their Commander ran towards them and the pair propelled him into the air towards its head.

Commander Meyer sped towards the head of the giant creature, smashing his sword deep into its eye socket.

The blade sank through its eye and into its brain, quivering there for a moment before the creature rolled over and dropped from the pier into the dark water.

"Time for a new sword, Sir," said Wolf wryly.

------------------

The Emperor's 4th-gen girls rode their horses onto the ferry, followed closely by the honour guard and a group of consorts and eunuchs who were chaperoning them.

The palace was located on a man-made island in the harbour of the capital, a bunker-like architectural gem.

The site was easily defensible; the ferry was the only way in or out and the waters were not safe to swim, filled with aquatic tubiàn which could not be kept out by any Great Wall.

The girls were veiled, their hair tightly covered. Public infringement was punishable by whipping, so they were extremely careful dressing when they left the palace.

The handsome young guards kept their eyes on the horizon or the ground, never looking for too long at the Emperor's women.

The eunuchs were on the watch for behaviour they could report back to the Emperor, ending a military career before it even began.

Loveday tried to catch her brother's eye, but he studiously ignored her as though they were unrelated. She shook her head in annoyance.

The girls joined Consort Cheales and Chief Consort Tang at the front of the boat. The ever-serious Feifei stood guard, making sure they weren't overheard.

"Girls," the Chief Consort spoke quietly, "this is your last outing before you leave. Pay close attention to everything along the route; you never know when a small detail might save your life. We've given our utmost to your training. Look after each other; don't trust anyone except a Guerilla Girl."

They all bore fresh tattoos on their upper inner thighs that marked them as part of the rebel group. A tiny monkey's head with cursive 'G's' in each eye.

"It's up to you now, no one else has the benefit of your years of hard training. The Emperor will tear the palace apart looking for clues, so we may not be in a position to communicate with you."

Delphi gripped the Chief Consort's hand in their secret handshake. They knew the danger this put their teachers and leaders in, leaving them behind to face the music.

"Head for the silo complex at Horsham once you hit the Mainland. Don't stop before you get there. The Emperor will pull out all stops to bring you back or kill you.

Don't trust any men unless they've taken the oath. Do anything you need to to survive. You've studied the art of honey trapping; use it! But keep your head and your heart. You're still virgins. Don't underestimate how seductive sex can be. It will play with your emotions.

Once you've established a HQ on the Mainland, launch the Rebellion."

The ferry passed a small shady beach and inlet. Consort Cheales nodded towards a dense copse of willows overhanging the water.

"The boat's behind that thicket. We've stocked it with enough food and water for the first leg. There are bows, arrows, swords, shields, flints and lamps in the hold. Delphi, when you leave tomorrow night you'll carry the map on you. Loveday, we'll give you the medicine to carry in your handbag."

The girls nodded seriously. Delphi was their leader and captain, Feifei was her 2IC.

The ferry arrived at the dock and the girls lead their horses off the boat and mounted up. The guards waited for them, looking more concerned to prevent them from running away than to protect them, thought Delphi scornfully.

She kicked her dapple-grey pony into a gallop, taking the lead, with her team falling in behind her, forcing the young guards to scramble.

"Slow down please, Miss Chastain," called Commander Meyer, bringing his horse thundering up alongside hers.