Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A Brothers Love Ari POV “Sir!” The pilot said urgently. “What is it?!” I barked back, not wanting to take my eyes off the fight below. I was in a helicopter, circling the flock as they thought the robots. “To the north, sir. The renegades.” He replied nervously. I turned to look out the cockpit window, and saw them a group of about 40 or so Flying Erasers, all headed towards the ensuing fight beneath us. I snarled when I saw them. I picked up the remote radio in my pocket, and shouted into it. “New orders. Proceed North by North-west and intercept the Eraser Fugitives. Engage in combat. Now.” I watched below as the robots all withdrew from the flock, and headed towards the Erasers. I morphed myself, and jumped out of the helicopter and joined them eager to get my own back on some of my old comrades. I joined the Flyboys and realised that they had all withdrawn from the flock. “Groups H through T, return to the flock and engage combat!” I didn’t watch them go back, knowing they’d follow my orders. I kept my eyes on the Erasers, some of them I recognised from my old team, some I didn’t. It had always been hard to tell hem apart when they were morphed. They saw me too, and I saw them all push themselves forwards, eager to get a piece of me. Then one of them at the front of their pack shouted orders at them, and they calmed down. Their leader. I didn’t recognise him, but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on me. Seconds later, we clashed in the air, the robots barrelling through their predecessors, using their superior weight to barge them out of the way. I clashed into the leader, and instantly, our claws were thrashing. I used everything I had at my disposal. Slashing my claws, throwing my fists, biting him, but he remained strong, and battled on, doing the same to me. I would take out others in the battle around me, as they thought the robots, whenever there was a break in my fight. At one point, I grabbed one from behind, and slashed my claw across his throat. I watched his body fall to the sea below, quickly dispelling the memory of the last time I slashed someone’s throat like that. The next thing I knew, two Erasers grabbed me from behind, holding my arms, and then another two grabbed my legs, holding me in place in the air. The leader flew in front of me, and grinned as I struggled to get free. “You don’t know who I am do you?” he asked me, letting the battle around him continue. Rather than responding to him, I decided to spit in his face. He slowly wiped it away and said “I didn’t expect you too.” All of a sudden he lashed out at me, pummelling my face, cutting my arm deeply with his claws. After about 30 seconds of this, he stopped, panting heavily. I didn’t utter a cry of pain, or call for help. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “You always used to complain that your father paid more attention to Max than you, that he loved her more than you, how you envied her for having so much of your fathers’ attention.” He said, confusing me as to where he was going. “But you never saw how lucky you were. You got to spend time with him, you got to talk to him, have the chance to earn his love! I never even got that!” With that he slashed his claws across my face, leaving deep scratches across my cheeks. “What do you mean you never got that?” I gasped. “Who are you?” “Oh, don’t you remember me, Baby Brother?” he laughed. I stared at him, my mouth agape. He leaned in close to me and said, “Yeah, you heard me. Ever since you were born, my life has been hell. When you were born, he saw it as a

second chance; I was seen as a failed experiment. I was thrown away like a piece of trash, sent off to find a life for myself. They just never found what they were looking for in me. And now, I’m going to do what you never could. I’m going to eliminate Max, and the flock. But first, I’m going to eliminate you...” When he said that, he moved back, and had the Erasers turn me around. “What are you doing? What are you going to do to me?” I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder blades, like a knife was slowly being pushed into my back. I turned my head to see the leader, my brother, slowly pushing one of his claws into my back, the look on his face suggesting he was savouring every moment off it. The pain quickly escalated. This would be fatal. I had to act. I mustered all the strength I had, and threw out my arms and legs, throwing The Erasers off me. For a split second I was free, and I quickly flapped my wings, making the claw, cut along my back. I screamed out in pain, and shot forward, and flew as fast as I could. I didn’t look back, but quickly the sound of the battle got quieter, and I headed back towards he helicopters. My vision was dulling however, and I couldn’t make out which one was mine. The pain in my back was intense, not helped by the flapping of my wings. It was getting harder to flap them too, they were stiffening up. I felt myself slipping. I could make out the black shape of a helicopter, and I headed for it. But as I was 50 feet away, my wings seized up, and I began to fall. I fell about a hundred feet, willing my wings to flap, but I just couldn’t muster the energy. I closed my eyes, accepting the inevitable. Suddenly, I crashed into something, and I felt y wing clip someone n the air, before I crashed into someone else. “Emily!” I heard someone shout, at the same time as someone else shouted “Gazzy!” I snapped open my eyes, and saw the blades of a helicopter spinning about 50 feet below me, as well as an unconscious figure falling in front of me. Without thinking, I mustered the little energy I had left, and grabbed the falling person from in front of me, and stiffened my wings as wide as they would go. I felt the air catch beneath them, and I arched upwards, and glided towards a helicopter 50 feet ahead. I glided through the open door, and landed in a heap, before finally falling unconcious.