Operation: HomeFront - Tacet
        Author: Centurion Aphrodite Persephone Selene

        The small group of Jihaddi was again creeping silently through the
barren halls of the Spongin' fortress. Selene moved with the rest of the
group, as they alternated between a quick jog and a slow crawl, mimicking
the Lyran-altered sponge minions that they followed.
        *Anything yet, Zaph?* she murmured deep inside her mind. With the
Lyrans about, anything close to telepathic conversations was a dangerous
gamble, after all, who really knew what they could do.
        *Negative,* the dragon responded softly, *no sign of Rhyn either.*
        Holding in a yawn, Selene sighed to herself and struggled to keep
alert. Something that was becoming more and more difficult as time went on.
It had been almost ten hours since they had first entered the spoungin'
fortress, and looking around, Selene could see those hours in the faces and
attitudes of her fellow soldiers.
        Reaching into her pouch with her good arm, she rooted around; a
small smile forming on her lips as her hand closed around the long
cylindrical tubes she had been looking for.
        The Centurion quickly moved up to the front of the group and began
handing out the tubes; the soldiers didn't need any instructions. They just
gave her a grateful look before ripping open the top and slamming the
flavored Sugar[tm] down their throats. The effects of the Pixie Stix[tm]
could be seen immediately; the long, tired faces vanished to be replaced a
least temporarily by the happy euphoria more commonly called a Sugar
High[tm].
        Selene nodded, knowing from personal experience that mixed with the
adrenaline of battle, the sugar would be enough to keep her troops at least
partially alert.
        *Selene, up ahead...* Zaphyre murmured quietly. *Sounds like
trouble...* The human listened carefully, and sure enough Zaph was right.
        Minutes later, the rest of the group heard it as well, the unique
sound of blaster rifles mixing with the screams of the wounded and the
ever-present LuvSong... it could mean only one thing: battle. By that time,
Selene had reached Will's side and the two called a brief halt to formulate
a plan of attack.
        "What do you think?" Will's voice was hoarse; it had been a long
day for everybody.
        "According to Zaphyre, there are two large groups of Spongies in
there. She thinks Rhyn is fighting on the other side of the chamber, but
can't be positive - it's definitely a Wyrm Minion. We'll just have to
assume it's him." Selene rubbed her arm reflexively. "What do you think of
using a classic wedge formation? We might be able to get a few clean shots
off that way at least - and not give them too many shots in return."
        "And we should all be familiar with the concept," he finished her
thought. "Listen, are you sure you're alright? You took a pretty bad hit
back there." He glanced pointedly at the bandage on her left arm which was
showing signs of bleeding again.
        "I'll be fine, and have suffered worse," she reminded him, "But if
it'll make you feel better, I'll take the rear and keep an eye on the
bigger picture. Maybe that way we'll be able to avoid any unpleasant
surprises."
        "Sounds good," Will nodded, inwardly relieved that she was wiling
to compromise. Signaling the troops to form up, the group aligned
themselves in a sort of wedge, careful to space the healthy bodies out
among the injured. Any weakness in a formation such as this could tear the
whole thing to shreds.
        Selene positioned herself near the back, giving her the mobility
she desired. *Ready, Zaph?* she asked needlessly, having spent a good
portion of the last two days listening to the dragon describe exactly what
she was going when she got her talons on this particular Wyrm Minion.
        *Need you ask?* the dragon murmured quietly, a cool chill tinging
the edges of the thought.
        Selene shrugged, moving along with the rest of the group. As the
rest of the group surged forward into the antechamber, she stepped off to
one side and quickly sized up the current situation.
        As Zaphyre had said, there were two large groups of sponge minions
fighting directly in front of her. One of those groups seemed to be trying
to protect a single figure behind them, although they weren't doing a very
good job of it. The figure, however, didn't seem to care. He just kept
moving, somehow dodging the bullets that were constantly being sent in his
direction. As the Centurion watched though, it seemed like his movements
were starting to form a pattern...
        *Selene! Over there!*
        The dragon mentally pointed to what looked like a shadowy door
hiding behind one of the ornate columns that framed the room.
        *An escape route?*
        *At the very least,* Zaphyre replied. *Let's cut him off... shall
we?* The dragon's 'voice' had become icier, and even as she agreed, Selene
increased her hold on their shared body.
        Remaining in human form, the Jihaddi warrior crept quietly around
the outside of the room. Keeping to the shadows, she moved like a cat
slinking from one pillar to the next, until she reached the pillar with the
door.
        Glancing around, she noticed Warrior Jambavan mimicking her trail
on the other side of the room.
        Smiling, she murmured, *He must've had a similar idea.* She watched
as he slid smoothly from one pillar to the next, never remaining out in the
open any longer than necessary. Selene was amazed.
        *Zaph, next time I make any snide comments about the... abilities
of Techies... remind me to Shaddup.*
        *It'll be my pleasure. Now... oh Grimace, help us.* The Wyrm Minion
had just turned slightly, and must've caught Jambavan's movements out of
the corner of his eye. The next thing Selene knew, Rhyn had turned his back
to her and was sending a massive fireball towards the Dobermensch.
        "Charrrc!!!" she howled, not even realizing that she had used the
wrong name, but as she started to charge out of the shadows, Zaphyre
snagged control of their body.
        *The time is not right.*
        Inwardly, Selene sobbed. She couldn't see that side of the room
now; it had almost immediately filled with smoke and so couldn't tell what
had become of her friend. Her only choice was to wait, in the shadows, for
her victim to arrive.
        Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. The Wyrm minion, believing
he had made it out of harm, jogged quickly towards the door in the pillar
and moved towards the door.
        "Not so fast..." the woman/dragon purred, slipping out of her
hiding place among the shadows. "I believe we have some unfinished
business."
        Startled by her sudden appearance, the man took a step backwards.
"Wh-who are you?" Suddenly regaining his composure, he spat to one side in
contempt. "Another Lyran pet come to finish me?"
        The woman cackled before replying, in a hoarse, other- worldly
voice. "Not exactly... "
        As he watched, six-inch, razor-sharp claws seemed to form at her
fingertips.
        "... I am here to finish you though."
        Rhyn snorted in disbelief. Raising his hands, he easily conjured a
large ball of magical fire. Tossing it in her direction, he scoffed "...in
your dreams".
        The woman just stood there, letting the magical energies flow over
and through her body. As the Wyrm minion watched, the fire seemed to almost
caress her lovingly before fading into the darkness. She reached up and
extinguished a spark from her hair before replying.
        "No. In reality." Moving with the speed of a dragon, she whipped
towards the man and carved a neat trench into his left arm with a talon.
Spinning back to her original position, harsh red light filled her eyes as
she raised the talon to her lips, carefully licking off the blood.
        "That was for Merengue."
        A look of sheer terror filled the Wyrm minion's eyes as he glanced
down at his bleeding arm; he had not seen her move. Trembling slightly, he
unsheathed his sword and prepared to face her.
        "Gutsy, but stupid."
        "Listen, there's something you ought to know before you -"
        The dragon moved towards him again, howling this time as the sword
somehow found the wound in her arm. Rage filled her body and her mind even
as the pain died away. The taste of his blood filled her mouth, the fearful
thumping of his heart pounded inside her skull, both driving her beyond the
point of sanity.
        Howling, lusting for his blood, his death, the dragon attacked. She
slashed madly outwards, feeling his sword slice between her talons. As the
pain grew, she jabbed out with her other hand, digging her claws into his
wrist. The man jerked back in reaction to the pain; the dragon, still in
human form, followed.
        She yanked her hand out of his wrist and swung again, swiping
across his face.
        "That was for Charc."
        Fear filled the man's face as he struggled to get his sword free
from her other hand. Zaphyre, using her free hand, forced the man to his
knees. Looking him straight in the eyes, she waited patiently for him to
stop fighting.
        When he finally quieted, looking for another option, she slowly
raised her right hand. Punching downward with all her strength, she plowed
her fist through the bone and muscle in his chest. Moving swiftly, as if
she had had years of practice, she smoothly yanked his still beating heart
from his chest and tossed it to the floor, grinding it beneath one heel.
        "And that one's for me. Your time is up. Die as you lived,
honorless." Her words faded into silence as the body toppled to the floor.
Zaphyre reached behind her and carefully unsheathed her pistol. Bending
down, she placed it against his temple and pulled the trigger.
        *Let's see the Lyrans pull information out of that brain,* the
dragon commented, tossing the pistol to the ground. She glanced down at her
hand and winced. The Wyrm Minion's sword was still embedded in it to the
hilt and was starting to hurt like hell. Sinking to the floor, she grabbed
the pommel with her other hand and took a deep breath before yanking it
out. Howling in pain, she tugged a strip of bandage out of her belt and
wrapped it quickly to stem the bleeding.
        Selene leaned back against the corridor's wall and closed her eyes
for a second, struggling to control the pain. As she sat there, Zaph slowly
released her hold on their body, until she was again just hovering in the
background of their mind.
        After awhile, the Centurion slowly opened her eyes. Cradling her
injured left arm and hand against her stomach, she glanced once from her
blood-stained right hand to the gaping hole in the Wyrm minion's chest and
did the only thing she could; she fainted.

        To Be Continued in "Walking Wounded"...