Struggle Part 1: Rise of Heroes
The year is 2020. Chaos and fear hold the world in a tight grip under the reign of the evil Doctor Insano. Millions have died or have become enslaved over the ten years since the madman gained control. Groups rose up against him over those very years, but all had been crushed or forced to go into hiding. Magic was failing, and Insano loved it.
He chuckled as he looked over a ruined city from the safety of a nearby obedience dome. His Neutro-class robots had finished their rampage, and one could be seen carrying the form of an unconscious woman in its mechanical hand. Insano's grin widened as a message came through a computer terminal.
"Doctor, we found the woman. Shall I dispose of her?" A dark and malevolent voice crackled. Insano could not contain his glee and laughed. "No, take her to the prison bay at the Wyntech labs. I have use for her." With that, the mad doctor turned from the terminal and walked down towards lab s of screaming test subjects.
Not far from the Wyntech labs, a small pirate vessel rocked on the water, classic rock belting out from outside speakers. On the deck of the ship, thirty-one year old Scott Samuels, or Jigen as he was more commonly called, lounged in his chair while working on fixing a laser pistol. For the past ten years, Scott had lived alone on his ship, The King Andre; stealing from Insano and collecting video game relics of value. He was a regular pirate; long, curly black hair tied in a loose ponytail, ragged clothes under a vest and a wild grin on his face. He watched the moon rise as he stood and walked back into the ship. He was planning a raiding trip on Wyntech after having learned the where-a-bouts of an old cartridge for the SNES. With a smirk, he headed off towards Wyntech, unaware of the journey he was about to begin.
Deep within the confines of the prison wing, Captain Coleen Briggs, or "C" as she was called, began to rouse. She swore under her breath as she struggled against the heavy manacles that bound her wrists.
"Damn that Insano. How the hell could I have been so reckless?" She growled, standing up carefully to examine her cell. The prison wing was dark for the most part; the only illumination coming from an opening at the far end of the corridor where a set of stairs could be seen. C sighed, glancing at the metal cage that surrounded her. As far as she could tell, she was alone.
"Great. Just great. Now what the hell do I do?"
Jigen pulled his ship into a hidden docking bay he'd discovered on a previous study of Wyntech. He armed himself and carefully made his way into the labs. Quiet as a mouse, Jigen navigated through the base, setting explosive charges as he moved. Unbeknownst to him, a camoflauged robot watched from the shadows, setting off a silent alarm and alerting the building to the pirate's presence before firing at Jigen. The blast just barely missed Jigen as he turned pale.
"Shit." Jigen began to run, avoiding laser blasts as more robots appeared. He paid no attention to what was ahead of him and accidently fell down the stairs and into the prison wing.
C looked up at the sound of a stream of swearing and was startled to see a large figure emerge from the stairs. She called out and waved her arms through the bars.
"Over here! I could use some help!" The figure turned in her direction, running down the corridor and stopping in front of her cell. She motioned to the lock on the door and the manacles. "Mind helping me out?" The man nodded, examining the intricate keypad.
"Typical Insano—he makes it look complicated, but there's always an easier way to these things." He said in a gruff voice, using a nearby crowbar to rip the keypad off the bars. The man pushed on the bars, opening the door of the cage. "Captain Jigen of the King Andre, at your service."
C nodded in gratitude as Jigen picked the locks on the manacles. "Good to meet you Jigen. I'm Captain C-Squared of the Spoony Lanterns, Roanoke Division." She stood up as the steel manacles fell from her wrists. "Thanks for the help, you have impeccable timing," As she spoke, the sound of robots echoed from the stairwell. Jigen handed her a pistol quickly. "We're not out of the woods yet."
C accepted the pistol, swinging it up as robots came down the hallway. She fired three shots, hitting each robot in the head. Jigen stared at the small woman in astonishment. She handed the pistol back, walking up to a door near the base of the stairs. She opened it cautiously then breathed a sigh of relief, drawing out a black and silver staff and a pair of pistols along with a jet black coat and a ring. "Insano's guards must be pretty damn stupid to leave my weapons in easy access." As she re-armed herself, Jigen got a better look at her in the improved lighting.
C was by no means a tall woman, standing barely 5'3" when compared to his 6'1". Despite her height deficit, Jigen felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt genuinely intimidated, something he hadn't known for many years. Her hair was a sandy blond tied into a loose ponytail, falling halfway down her back. Her creamy white skin was marred by numerous scars, most present on her shoulders and arms. However the most terrifying feature of the woman was a long, jagged scar that ran vertically down the length of her face over her left eye.
As Jigen continued to stare, C threw on her heavy black trench coat over the silver and black ensemble she wore, covering her many scars before returning her lantern ring to its place on her right hand. "Come on, let's get moving." She spoke firmly, grabbing Jigen's attention. Jigen nodded, following closely behind.
"A Spoony Lantern...God bless. You people are incredible. I've fought alongside a fair few of your number before."
C smiled, making her way up the stairs past the destroyed robots. "What are you doing here anyway?" Jigen looked down at her as they ran. "I'm here to recover an old relic for my collection. It's up on the third floor." The two made their way through the maze of hallways, trying to avoid the attention of guards and robots as they finally reached the offices. As Jigen reached for an office door, the alarm went off. C smirked, pulling out her staff as Jigen threw the door open. "This just keeps getting even more fun…"
Moments later, the pair walked into the office, the pieces of robots at their feet. Jigen went to the desk, searching desperately for a moment before allowing himself a triumphant grin, pulling out the SNES gaming cartridge. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here." They ran out of the office and down the stairs. "My ship is docked in the lower port!" Jigen called to C over the sound of the alarm bells. Behind them more robots appeared from hallways, chasing them down with lasers. C saw an elevator at the end of the hallway, throwing her staff ahead to hit the button. The elevator door opened and the two fighters entered, realizing too late they were trapped.
"Great…" Jigen growled, shooting at the robots as they were pushed up against the wall. C looked around in an attempt to find a way out before looking up and smiling at the overhead panel. She pointed her ring at the panel, blasting it off with a beam of gray energy. "Come on!" She called, climbing up and out of the elevator. Jigen kicked a robot away as he followed her.
"Now what?" He growled, shooting down at the robots filling the elevator, who were firing back at him. C glanced around the elevator shaft before noticing an opening big enough for them just to the side of the elevator. "There!" She pointed out. "Get over to that opening, now!" Jigen nodded, jumping and grabbing hold of the gap. He climbed up, looking back at her. "How are you getting across?" He asked concern in his voice. C reached out with her staff. "Pull me up of course!" Jigen nodded again, grabbing the staff and pulling her away from the elevator. He was unaware of a pressure located near the end of the staff, and as he pulled C away, the staff broke apart into three pieces, all connected by chains.
"Gah!" C exclaimed, trying to gain footing against the wall. "Pull me up quick!" She yelled out as he scrambled to get her to the ledge. Once safely at the gap, C took back her staff and pressed the point again, causing the staff to revert to normal. Jigen gave her an odd look. "You'd be surprised how useful that can be in certain situations…" C said, answering the question Jigen silently asked. Jigen pulled out his gun, aiming it at the wires holding the elevator in place. "This'll take care of them…" He fired and a powerful laser shot cut through the wires, sending the elevator and robots falling into the black abyss of the shaft.
Slowly and carefully, Jigen moved to climb down the elevator shaft, C following him. They climbed for a time until they saw the wrecked elevator box. Jigen grinned at the destruction as they climbed down onto the destroyed elevator and crossed to the other side where a large opening was. "Alright, stand back." C warned, pointing her ring at the door and cutting a hole large enough for the two to fit through. They climbed out of the elevator shaft and into the hallway.
They finally made it to the docks, Jigen smiling as The King Andre came into view. "We're almost out!" Suddenly a voice was heard from the ledge above them. "Stop right there collector nerd!" Jigen and C turned around to see a large man with another army of robots behind him. "Schultz!" He growled, shooting up at the man. One of the robots took the laser shot for Schultz as he laughed. Jigen growled, grabbing C's wrist. "We have to get out of here!" He began to run as Schultz continued to laugh. "Run collector nerd! Run!" The robots followed, shooting at the runners. C turned around suddenly, pointing her ring at the bots and steeling herself. "Stand behind me Jigen…" She warned as her energy flowed around her. In one sudden burst, a cone of energy blasted from her ring, destroying the robots instantly. As it faded, she collapsed into the pirates arms, completely knocked out.
Jigen glanced up at the ledge, but Schultz was already gone. He looked back at the woman in his arms before boarding The King Andre. He pulled a remote detonator from his pocket, looking behind him once more before pressing the button. Explosions were heard from within the labs as plumes of flame destroyed the windows. Jigen pulled the ship away, C unconscious in the chair beside him as the sun rose, the horror of the Wyntech labs disappearing in a final, destructive blast.
