Gabriel Cassel fastened a metal bracelet to his forearm with a snap. At the sight, he thought how ridiculous the elaborate alien device on the sleeve of his tattered Air Force uniform looked.
He and two of his most trusted followers were holed up in the basement of one of the abandoned buildings in the ruined and long-depopulated city, hastily completing the final details of their long-prepared plan.
The rest of his companions, who had volunteered for this dangerous mission, were already waiting at their posts.
"Even though I got their electromagnetic shield working, you must keep in mind that the battery is almost dead," Eric, who had made his living as a computer programmer and hacker before the war, explained to Gabriel. It was he, the true genius with an IQ well over 150, who had been able to decipher the Ardanian technology.
"How long will it last?" asked the rebel leader.
"Five minutes tops."
"Five minutes should be enough for me to get near Rag'ell and kill him."
Their plan was for the advance party to lure the enemy into the narrow streets of the ruined city, right into their trap, where the rebels would attack. Gabriel assumed that the arrogant outworlders would not consider them a threat and would willingly walk into this obvious ambush.
And the fact that the rebels were finally able to use alien technology would be another unpleasant surprise for the conquerors.
All shields and weapons were genetically locked to respond only to Ardanian DNA, so no human could activate them. However, after many failures, Eric the genius eventually managed to bypass the lock.
Unfortunately, they couldn't replace the energy used in these technologies. Once the batteries in the weapons or shields ran out, they became unusable for humans.
"We'll take them by surprise," Gabriel planned, his pulse quickening at the thought that he would soon be facing Rag'ell. They had been planning this for weeks and it was finally happening. Today was the day he would take the alien bastard down.
"We only have this one chance," Eric spoke again. "If it doesn't work, they'll find out that we hacked into their system. And next time they'll be ready. "
"It will work," the dark-haired rebel leader said confidently, clutching the Ardanian gun in his hand.
The alien firearms were very advanced compared to those used on Earth, their shots could penetrate an armoured transporter or a tank. They could even shoot down an aircraft.
These weapons used by the Ardanian forces were much smaller than the human assault rifles. They were made of an unknown metal, with automatic sights and very intuitive controls, and could be fired like normal weapons or attached to the forearm, making shooting and aiming even faster.
"That magic shield of theirs," Eric tapped the flashing bracelet on Gabriel's forearm, "will surely be worn by Rag'ell as well. It's designed to absorb a missile or an explosion of enormous energy. It will not be penetrated by any of our or Ardanian weapons. I've done the maths, and it could probably absorb a blast from our most powerful thermonuclear bomb."
"Holy shit," retorted Garret, leaning against the dirty, blackened wall, half-listening to the two men's conversation.
"But in hand-to-hand combat," Eric continued, ignoring the mercenary, "you should be able to get past it. A blow with as little energy as a punch won't be even registered by the shield, so it'll get through."
"Well, it's nice to know I can punch him."
"If he's wearing their battle suit and helmet, you'll break your arm before he feels any of your strikes," objected the hacker.
"A knife?" Garret rushed to suggest, clearly bored and eager for some action.
"No," Eric shook his head, his sand-yellow hair looking like it hadn't been washed in weeks, or rather months. "Our blades won't penetrate that Ardanian battle suit."
Hacker, who had lost much of his former overweight during the time with the rebels, pulled a small metal object from his pocket. It reminded Gabriel of the switchblade his father had given him for his tenth birthday.
But this was no pocket knife. Eric pressed a small notch on the side and a blade about fifteen centimetres long came out. The edge of the knife looked like it was made entirely of glass, with only a strange pale purple light flickering around the rim.
Garret whistled in appreciation and leaned closer. "An Ardanian laser blade."
"Yes, I finally bypassed the genetic lock and managed to make it work," Eric said, handing the knife to Gabriel.
He deactivated it and put it in his pocket. "Qar'a."
"What?"
"That's what they call the weapon," he explained.
"Don't show off," Garret grinned at Gabriel before turning his attention to Eric. "So this shiny knife of theirs will get through the suit?"
"I've done some calculations and it might. If you hit right here," Eric touched a spot on the right side of Gabriel's neck. "That's where the fastening of the suit is, and it's the weakest point."
"Okay, got it. So while you distract them, I'll turn on the shield, get past Rag'ell's security, stab him in the neck and pray your calculations are correct."
"And you've got five minutes to do all that, remember," Garret grinned amusedly and patted the younger man on the shoulder. "Then the shield will discharge and they'll shoot you down like a stray dog."
"You never fail, Garret, you always know how to cheer me up," Gabriel grinned amused.
A breathless woman burst into their hiding place.
"The first group has struck," she reported, glancing at their dark-haired leader. " Everything is going according to our plan, the Ardanians are following and will be here shortly."
Alexa had joined the rebels after losing her entire family. A woman in her mid-twenties with auburn hair and mesmerising eyes that had seen far too much blood and death in recent months.
"Thank you, Alexa," Gabriel nodded to her, "we're almost ready."
The young woman smiled at him and walked away.
Garret turned after her, his eyes lingering on her disappearing figure with interest. "She's really cute."
"Unfortunately, she only has eyes for our fearless leader," Eric remarked mockingly and a little enviously; with his short, plump figure and dull features, he had never been one to break girls' hearts.
"Too bad for Alexa, she's not Gabriel's type," Garret chuckled.
"And who is his type?" Eric asked cluelessly.
"For example, that young student who joined us three weeks ago. The one with the big puppy eyes, the blond hair and the annoying sunshine smile. He is Gabriel's type".
Eric gave Cassel a surprised look. "Really? You and him...?"
"None of your business and let's get back to our plan," replied Gabriel, who hated it when people prying into his private life. Besides, he didn't want to talk about Matt.
Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to shut Garret up, he had a foul mouth and absolutely no scruples.
"Isn't he the one who left yesterday? Matt... Matthew Gates," Eric remembered, not wanting to drop this interesting topic just yet.
Matthew wasn't the only one who had decided to leave the rebels. Not everyone agreed with this suicidal plan and was willing to risk their lives. That was why their ranks had dwindled after yesterday.
"Yep, that's him. What a coward. But that doesn't matter as long as he's got a nice ass, does it, Gabe?" Garret laughed at his joke.
"Cut the crap," Gabriel snapped, not finding the mercenary's talk funny in the slightest.
He'd managed not to think about Matthew all this time, but now, when he needed it the least, memories of their ugly fight came flashing back, completely throwing him off his concentration.
"Hey, don't get mad," Garret grinned mischievously, "I don't care who you fuck, really. In fact, I'm happy for you. At least one of us had a little fun before Ardanians blow our heads off."
Gabriel sighed, his thoughts drifting back to Matt and their last heated conversation.
He had no regrets about the young man leaving. It had been the right thing to do. Matt wasn't cut out for this, never before had he been in a battle, he'd spent the last two years studying art history. He didn't even know how to hold a gun.
He could draw beautifully, though, and Gabriel smiled at the memory of his own portrait that Matthew had sketched with incredible fidelity and detail one day over breakfast.
Yes, it was right that the boy had left. At least Gabriel wouldn't have to blame himself for his eventual death. But he resented the manner in which their paths parted. After all, they'd spent some pleasant moments together, and it didn't feel right that the last words they'd spoken to each other had been full of anger and hatred.
~~~
"Tell me to stay with you, and I will, Gabe."
"I will not decide for you. It's your life, you have to decide if you want to risk it. I'm not keeping anyone here. If you want to go, go. If you want to stay and fight, stay."
The big brown-green eyes welled with tears, "Will you even feel sorry if I go?"
Gabriel was silent.
He didn't want to lie to him.
He didn't want to say that what they had together meant something more to him. It was just a few nights of passion, a way to forget for a moment that there was a war going on around them, that every day could be their last.
"You never cared about me," Matt accused, realising he wouldn't get an answer. "There's only one thing on your mind. Rag'ell. You're obsessed with him, you don't think about anything else."
"We're at war, Matt, don't you understand that? Do you know how long I've been planning this? Do you know what it would mean to us, to Earth, if I succeeded? If Rag'ell..."
"Enough!" Matthew snapped at him angrily. "I never want to hear that name again!"
"I really don't have time for this," Gabriel tossed his head in frustration. "When you calm down, we can talk."
"No, I'm leaving," the fair-haired youth looked at him reproachfully through tear-filled eyes, "I'm going with Michael and the others who have some common sense and won't get themselves killed because of your obsession."
Gabriel had no idea what to say, but he didn't want things to end like this between them. He didn't want to hurt Matt.
He walked over to the visibly upset boy and tried to calm him down with a hug.
Matthew pushed him away.
"I hope you succeed tomorrow, Gabe," he hissed hatefully, trying to hold back the sobs. "I hope you manage to kill that Ardanian. And if you do, you'll finally get him out of your head!"
~~~
Alexa, who had returned to the room, interrupted his thoughts.
"They're here," she announced, her voice trembling slightly.
Gabriel's heart quickened as adrenaline flooded his body.
"And Rag'ell?"
"He's still with them," she confirmed.
"His Majesty wants to see for himself how his soldiers are going to slaughter us," grinned Garret.
"Let him watch," the rebel leader smiled and quickly re-checked his equipment. The shield, the Ardanian firearm and the Qar'a dagger. That was all he needed.
Garret offered his hand to Gabriel, "It was an honour to fight with you."
"For me too."
The men shook hands, then Gabriel pulled the greying mercenary into a firm embrace. They both knew full well that the chances of them surviving this attack were slim.
But if they succeeded in killing Rag'ell, their sacrifice would be worth it. If they killed the Ardanian leader, Earth would still have a chance.
"Take the bastard down," Garret wished to him.
Gabriel nodded, having no doubt of his success. He would certainly achieve victory.
So, Rag'ell, he thought, you will finally pay for all the cities you have burned, all the lives you have destroyed. You will die today. The humans may fear you, they may call you the Silver-Haired Butcher, but in a few moments you will meet one who is not afraid of you.
You will meet your executioner.