Chopper Down

One last step back as we explore the Origins of Anthony

Nicole watched out of the side of the helicopter as they approached the ship. She lifted up her Rocket Launcher and prepared to fire. "This is Alpha Squad. Are all squads ready."
As the squads were saying a large Red laser shot out of the ship and hit Dog Squads Helicopter.
"Dog Squad going down! Dog squad going down!" The pilot shouted.

"Attack!" Anthony barley heard over the radio. The alarm and the sounds of the crash were making almost everything impossible to hear. What he did hear though, was the pilot, "Brace for impact!"

Anthony began to open his eyes. He looked around, wreckage and small fires were everywhere. He looked at his squad mates. Dead. He didn't need tocheck to see if they were alive. They were bloody, twisted in different positions. Some of them were burned. It was a horrible sight.
"s#%$&..." Anthony said.

Anthony climbed out of the wreck and looked around. He was in the middle of the woods. He didn't know which way to go. Anthony stopped and listened, an explosion. Anthony ran in the direction of the explosion and came to a cliffedge. He could see the wreck sitting in the Long Island sound. He also saw The helicopters. He lit a flare, hoping someone would come to save him. But Operation School was being beaten. The Choppers were either being destroyed or were retreating. To avoid giving away his position, Anthony snuffed out the flame of the flare.

Anthony sat on the Cliffedge. The Arc couldn't see him, butthat wasn't what he was thinking about. He had to get on that ship somehow. "We could swim?" Anthony said aloud.
"Well that wouldn't work would it?" Phi, Anthinys A.I, said.
"Why not?" 
"We had to get down there first, doyou see anyway down there?"
"Yes." 
"And where would that be?"
Anthony pointed to several cliff edges, each one lower than the last. "I can fall from one to the other and get down to the beach." Anthony said.
"Those look like long falls, I sugest a different course of action."
"No, that is how I'm gettting down."
"Understood."

Anthony began to walk over. He could see wreck from where he was. Fires were burning all over it, pieces of metal were floating down river, it was a mess. As he was walking he heard a dropship fly overhead. "They must be looking for survivors of the crash." Anthony said.
"Good thing you got out of there." Phi replied.
"Yeah good thing."

Anthony began to jump from cliff to cliff. Each fall sent a powerful shock through his legs but he had to keep going, he had to keep pressing forward. Not stopping Anthony took another lead. Bam, he hit the ground hard. He began to pant in pain.
"Maybe you should rest?" Phi said.
"No I can do this."
Anthony jumped again. He hit the ground and collapsed.
"Anthony I am ordering you to cease movement."
"You aren't in control..." Anthony said, standing up.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Anthony jumped again, he fell, hit the ground and slid. He laid there, panting. "Its to distract yourself from your squads death, isn't it." Phi declared.
"So what if it is?"
"It is okay to feel sad for your loss, but hurting yourself won't make this any better. If revenge is what you seek, you aren't going to get it by dying."
"Okay, I'll stop. But only for a little bit. I have to get to the bottom."
"That is fine. Rest for now Anthony."
Anthony sat down and closed his eyes. When he opened them again it was two hours later.
"s#%$&!" Anthony shouted. He continued to jump from cliff to cliff. The pain was intense but he made it to the bottom.

Anthony looked out into the Long Island Sound.
"You know you don't have to do this. We could just radio for help." Phi said.
"No, I need to get to the ship. I can kill the Patriarch. I know I can."
"Its your funeral."
Anthony jumped into the water. It was Ice cold but he couldn't think about that right now. He had to get to the ship. He had been trained to act in conditions like this. He was tired, he had been through alot of Physical Pushes. Hopefully this was the last one, he would get to the other side and everything would be over. He would kill the Patriarch and then go back to living a Normal Life.

"Warning! Your body temperature is dropping! You may be experiencing hypothermia." Phi said.
"I can't stop. I'm almost there Phi."
"I could radio for back-up..." 
"No, I can do this."
"Negative, with all due respect, by the time you reach the ship you will be unfit for duty."
"No Phi. I told you what I'm going to do. You can accept it or reject it. But you can't do both."
Phi was quiet for a moment, "I accept it."
"Good."
Anthony kept swimming till he reached the ship. He found an opening in te hull. As he was climbing in, he saw helicopters and Phoenixes arriving.
"I need to move fast." He said.
"I will agree with you on that one." Phi said.
Anthony quickly pulled himself into the ship.

Anthony ran through the halls of the ship. It was so quiet, almost like their was no one left on the ship. He didn't know where to look for the Patriarch. However back at the school he had heard little snippets about a council chamber. He decided go try and find his way there.

Andrew and Slosheey jumped onto the ship. This was it, this was the end. It was finally going to be all over. They climbed in through a hole in the hull. 

Inside was a mess. The doors were all broken, the emergency lights were only on in a few places. Their were loose wires everywhere, and everything seemed burned. 
"Wow" Andrew said, "Can't beleive this thing once flew through space."
"Its a mess isn't it?" Slosheey said.
"Ya, I can't beleive it." Andrew said, as the two began to walk the halls.
"Delta where is he?" Slosheey said. 
"Scanning...
Council Chamber, it's like he never left."
"Lets go." Andrew said.

Anthony ran through the hallways following the ornate drawings on the walls, praying they would lead him to the Council Chamber. He turned a corner and was behind two people. One Human one Alien. They turned and looked at him and Anthonys heart skipped a beat.

"Freeze!" Andrew shouted, spinning around.
He and Slosheey saw a young boy wearing armor.
"Who are you?" Andrew asked.
"My names Anthony. My helicopter crashed nearby yesterday. I decided to work my way over and do a suicide run and kill the Patriach."
"Same idea we had. And it's a good thing we found you." Andrew said.
"Why?"
"We are blowing the ship up. Your going to travel with us."
"Okay." Anthony said, taking his pistol out of it's holster.

The group arrived in the council chamber. The Patriach was guarded by two soldiers, both of which were quickly dispatched by Andrew. The Patriach sat on the floor, weak and seemingly unable to protect himself.
"Slosheey, four months ago, you stood in here with me." The Patriarch began. "You swore to fight for te betterment of the Arc, no matter what your orders are. Now look at you. You stand here in this crashed ship. The dead are everywhere, the chamber is destroyed, your father is dead. And nonetheless, by that boys hands!" The Patriach turned around and pointed at Andrew. "He killed your father, murder him in front of your own eyes! And what did you do when the time came to choose The Arc or Humans? You choose Humans! And now here you are with that boy, intent on killing me. You used to have promise! Now, Now you have nothing!"
"My father would beleive in me!"
"He would do no such thing! He would kill you in seconds for what you had done!"
"Aaaaghhhh!" Slosheey shouted he lifted the Patriarch by the neck and threw him to the floor.
"Though I would love to kill you, right here right now, it is not my job. You have hurt Andrew not me. You don't deserve the title of Patriarch. You will forever be known by the word the exemplifies you the most, Hatred! So now, in your final hours Hatred, let it be known that you died by the hands of the boy you betrayed and you died a disgraced ship master and leader of the Arc.
Despite knowing Andrew had his own sword, Slosheey passed him his, "Kill Him." He said.
Andrew activated the sword, he looked down into Hatreds eyes. They were dark and hollow. Andrew brougt down the sword into Hatreds body, and felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Hatred looked at Andrew and collapsed, Andrew looked down. Hatred had taken Andrews sword and shoved it through Andrews body. Andrew collapsed and everything went black. The last thing he heard was Slosheey screaming.

Anthony saw Andrew and the Patriach fall. He ran and grabbed Andrew and dragged him back towards the door. Slosheey came up and deactivated the sword, taking it out of Andrews chest.
"We have to get him immediate help!" Slosheey said.
"Understood!" Anthony replied and the two ran Andrew out of the ship.

Inside the Council Chamber the Patriarch lay dying. It was over. He had lost. Then he heard something. "Sir, Sir!"
One of his men came up to him, and checked him out.
"He's still alive, we have to get him off this ship!"
The Patriach smiled. Maybe it wasn't over. Maybe this was just the beggining.