Mutant Battle Brawlers
- Meeting an Inconvenience
A snowstorm was picking up at the distance. The wind howling as it swept by the cold white surface in Alaska; people shielding from the cold inside their homes, locking doors and turning up their chimneys. Few places were still open around the dim light city, a lonesome girl struggling to walk to a known pub, the wind pushing her and falling into the snow. The girl stood up with a scowl as she adjusted her black and worn out coat over her skinny body, walking once again to the pub a few meters away. Her pair of black combat boots and jeans weren't keeping her warm at all. She looked up, recognizing the bright red letters of the place and the door with a sign that read 'OPEN'. She didn't hesitate as she pushed the door, a chime announcing her entrance. The girl was met with warmth as she sighed in relief, instantly closing the door behind her. She removed the hood from her head, revealing a messy bun of black dyed hair. She also got rid of what seemed to be a scarf, and pushed it down her chest, revealing her striking aquamarine eyes. The girl dusted off the bits of snow that were caught on her clothes and let them fall to the floor.
The few people around the pub turn to look at her, but she ignored the stares. The eighteen year old, walked towards the bar and plopped down in one of the red stalls, drained from the whole walk. She examined the place, and just a few people were inside. A group of guys were huddled over in the tables at the center of the room, a couple was three stools away from her and the bartender, who was making his way towards her.
"The same thing?" The old man said in a monotone voice. He had some streaks of white hair around his head, and a moustache evident around his lips. The girl nodded as he placed a shot glass in front of her. She said nothing as the bartender poured what seemed to be vodka on her glass, leaving her to go back to the counter. She eyed the glass carefully as her eyes looked up to the TV placed up next to where all the liquor was stored. It was full on blaring, bright lights flashing in it as a woman started speaking a series of images flashed on.
"57 captures were accomplished today, thanks to the Mutant Special Unit" The woman said with joy, pictures of people of all ages being handcuffed and beaten as they were being taken away from their homes "The MSU is hoping that by the end of the year, the mutant population will be reduced to 10% around the world" The TV was now showing patrols of the MSU, all in full uniform of black and white, the logo of a red M on a circle, shown on their respective helmets and uniforms. A video played as the girl watched a group of people being attacked one by one by the MSU patrols. They were beating them with electrified cubs and whips, the people trying defending themselves. Suddenly a ball of fire made impact with a car nearby, shouts of distress filled the scene.
"Scientists are working everyday to find a cure for this disease" The woman spoke again as another video was played. People in lab coats running around with different vases on their hands, taking blood tests and scrambling down notes. "The Virus X will be eradicated in the near future" Another voice started speaking, a tanned broad man appeared in front of the TV. Surrounded by cameras and microphones, he looked like he was someone important from the government. 'Zenoheald Prince, Ambassador of the USA' appeared on the bottom of the screen as the man continued talking, a dark smile on his lips.
The girl only scowled at the television, blocking out the words of the man, as she drank down the shot of vodka. The warm liquid made her throat burn, but she ignored it, slamming down the glass on the counter. Before she called out the bartender he was already placing another shot within her distance. She drank the liquid effortlessly, the sounds of yelling distracting her. The girl turned towards the group of boys at the tables, which were now making a lot of noise. Three of them were relentlessly throwing insults at a blond short boy that was sitting with them. He looked like he wanted to defend himself but they would only shout louder.
She kept staring at them, no intention of interfering with the talk, curious about the whole fuss they were making. The couple also seemed to be taking interest at the lousy group.
"You should make us all a favor and kill yourself!" One of them said, clear disgust and arrogance rolling off of his voice. The other two around him, laughing and smirking at every sentence that came out of his mouth. The girl frowned.
"Everyone wants you and your species dead, so why not end it now?!" The same boy said. The one sitting in front of them had short blonde hair and blue worried eyes. He had on a pair of red glasses over them, and a very baggy blue coat around his short body.
"That's none of your business" The blonde muttered under his breath, eyes darting all around the place in a nervous manner. The three guys laughed harder now.
"Of course it's our business! You creatures should have never existed in the first place!" One of them accused the boy, as he got closer to him with malicious eyes.
"Beat it kid, if you're not doing it, we're doing it for you" The leader of the group said, now standing up from his chair. He walked towards the blonde in two strides, quickly grabbing the front of his coat before the boy could even register what was happening. The girl's eyes widened noticing a glint of silver from the man's hand. The blonde's eyes widened in fear and horror as little droplets of water started dripping from his hands. Before the girl could even move from her spot, the man holding the boy was sent crashing towards the other side of the room, a wall of water pushing his chest. It disappeared the second it was shown. The group was now furiously looking at the boy, his hand clenching in a fist, water coming out of it once again.
In a second the girl had crossed the room and punched one of the guys in the nose. He went tumbling down at the floor, blood pouring out and whimpering in agony. She attacked the other man, before he could even react, elbowing him on the ribs and successfully kicking him in his chest. He crashed with another of the tables and fell to the floor in an instant. The girl started breathing again as she turned to the blonde. He was looking at her, shock and awe written all over his face.
"Get out of here!" The bartender yelled in anger. They both looked up, seeing the older man fuming in red "I don't want mutants lurking in my pub! Out!" He was shouting at the boy. The blonde only bowed in apology, quickly fastening his coat and he was out of the place in a flash. The girl's frown deepened as she quickly took out a couple of dollars, slamming them with force at the bar. The man was going to retort but shut up once he noticed the glare she was giving him. She even picked up the shot glass and threw it at one of the boys who wanted to stand up. It sent him back on the floor.
"Get out here!" The man yelled. The girl only huffed, adjusting her scarf and walking into the storm once again. It looked like the snowstorm had subsided, but the cold winds and the thick layer of snow around the street was still present. The girl looked up, covering her hands in her coat's pockets and noticing the blonde boy just a few steps away from her. He looked tense and nervous as he paced from one side to another.
'He is way shorter than I thought' She thought in her head. The boy turned, noticing her piercing gaze on him and fell to the snow. Confusion written on the girl's face she walked towards the boy, who was trying to standup once again.
"Please don't hurt me!" He shouted in desperation, arms flailing all around him, trying to get up from the snow. The white layer was so thick that it reached the girl's knees and the boy's waist. "I was just looking for a place to stay, I'm sorry if I caused some disturbance but please don't hurt me!"
"I'm not going to hurt you" She said in a steady voice, making the boy look up at her. The girl took hold of his arms and swiftly pulled him up on his feet. His cheeks reddened at the action as he dusted off the snow from his coat. "Well goodbye" She didn't hesitate as she turned around and walked towards the edge of the town. Biting down on her lip, the girl tried to think of another place to spend the night. Her plan had been to drink too many shots and pass out at the bar, at least it was cozier than in a cardboard box. She looked up at the many houses around the street, maybe if she practiced enough she could convince one of the residents to let her stay for the night. Or she could go back at the pub and apologize to the man. Shaking her head, she listed off that idea, her pride was too big for doing such a thing. A yelp made her snap from her thoughts and turned around.
The blonde had once again fallen on the snow, closer to her than before. Her eyebrows knitted together as the boy stood up, a blush spreading on his cheeks once he noticed that she was watching him. An awkward silence passed between the two, and the girl was starting to get annoyed by the cold.
"Do you need something?" She asked quite coldly, making the boy almost flinch at the question. He took another couple of steps towards her, clearly nervous by the action.
"I'm sorry if I'm being a bother, but I just got here and I was looking for a place to stay" He said hopefully. The blonde was adjusting his glasses every second, fidgeting with the question.
"Why?" The jet-black haired asked, a curious hint on her voice. The boy was startled with the question, resulting in him looking more nervous than before.
"It's just that-t" He started whispering, resulting in the girl approaching him "I'm kind of a runaway" He looked up at her "My family discovered I had the virus and they called the MSU on me…" His eyes drifted off to the floor, clearly worried and heartbroken. The girl nodded in understanding. She was really wondering how some people could be that cruel with their own family, not that she was any better than them.
"I think I know a place where we can both stay" She said in a much gentler tone than before "But I suggest you hiding those powers you have" The girl started walking once again, remembering a barn that wasn't too far from the city, maybe they could find some sort of shelter there.
"Ah!" He exclaimed as he ran to catch up to hair, his face shocked at the sudden help "Thank you very much! I really appreciate it…" The boy drifted off as he looked up at her. He wanted her name.
"Runo" The girl responded "Just Runo"
"Well thank you very much Runo!" He bowed and quickly walked by her side "My name's Marucho Maruka, pleased to meet you!" He was now smiling at her but her only response was a nod. Another silence was met, as the girl led the way out of the city and towards the barn not too far away. Feeling an intense gaze, she turned and found the blonde looking at her quite strangely.
"What?" she asked out of the blue, the boy snapping out of his train of thought.
"It's just that" He started explaining with a nervous tone of voice "…You aren't afraid of me?" His eyes shined with hope.
"Why would I?" Run asked, kind of amused by the question. If the kid was trying to be intimidating, it wasn't working at all.
"Well…I'm infected" Marucho pointed out, now gazing downwards but still keeping up the pace with her "I'm a mutant" The word made the girl's eyes twitch in anger.
"You shouldn't call yourself that" She stated, looking far a head, fewer houses were appearing on the place. To say that Runo hated the word was an understatement; she despised it. The people started calling the population with the virus mutants, as if they were deformities of the human race. It made her blood boil just to think about the word, and even more so coming from him.
"That's what everyone calls us" He mumbled "You learn to ignore it as the time goes by" The response made Runo bite on her lips out of frustration. The sound of shuffling caught her ear as she quickly turned. A frown appearing on her face as she watched the couple back at the pub walking in the same direction as them, but at a much slower pace. They looked no older than twenty years old, the guy with a messy mop of brown hair on his head and a full on black coat over his body, and the girl with wavy long bright orange hair and a similar coat as the guy's. Runo was sure they looked sort of drunk back at the pub, but looking at them now, they seemed perfectly fine.
"What is it?" Marucho asked with curiosity, turning to look at the couple "Is something wrong with them?"
"They're the couple that was back at the pub" The jet-black haired responded, her eyes still glued to them "I think they have been following us" Her frown deepened as she noticed that they were both not leaving any tracks by stepping on her and Marucho's footprints. The blonde seemed nervous now as he looked between her and the couple. Runo suggested to keep walking for a little while to see if they were really being followed. They kept walking at a slow pace, as the girl looked at the couple every now and then. They were still following them.
"I have an idea" The girl whispered to Marucho. He wanted to ask about it but didn't get the chance once Runo had held his hand. His cheeks light up but the girl didn't notice it "Just follow me" She instructed him, the boy nodding in reply. Runo took off in a sprint, running towards the forest that divided the town with the barn. Marucho was trying to keep up, but with the snow it was quite difficult to do so, so she opted for pulling his arm harder. She dared to glance back at the couple, her suspicions coming true, as she watched them running towards them.
"They're following us!" She exclaimed a little louder. Marucho was running as fast as he could now. The forest was not the best option she could think of for hiding, but it was the closest one. They kept running as they entered the maze of thick pines. They continued to run, with no direction at all, trying to get to the other side. The blonde boy released a yelp as he fell down on the snow, his foot tangled on a tree root. Runo cursed out loud, quickly trying to untie his foot as she noticed that they weren't being followed anymore. She let out a breath she didn't notice she was holding.
"I don't see them anymore" Runo tried to sound comforting as she managed to free the boy's foot. He whispered out 'thanks' and started trying to regain his breath. The girl kept her eyes glued to where they had entered the forest, not even a trace was left. She stood up, frown deepening taking some steps forward to the entrance, but only trees came into view. She closed her eyes, trying to listen to her surroundings. She could hear Marucho's ragged breathing and some animals inside the forest. Runo concentrated even more and finally she was able to pick up the sound; it was one from a motor. The girl looked at the entrance once again but nothing seemed to be wrong or out of place. She turned around watching the other end of the forest. Trees kept on growing, as the sound got closer. Her eyes widened once she saw it. It was a white truck coming at full speed towards them. It was sending the trees tumbling down, not bothered if they were on its way. She kept looking at it, unsure of what to do, until she noticed the logo at the front; the red M on a circle, identical from the ones on TV.
"Shit!" She managed to squeal out. Marucho hadn't even noticed the truck coming at them, as the girl considered her options. She could leave him behind since he would only slow her down. But if she left him, he would be killed either by the MSU or by the scientists that would experiment on him. She cursed once again. Runo took hold of Marucho's hand once again, yanking it hard and running back to where they had come from.
"What's happening?" She heard Marucho yell out, completely oblivious by the fact that they were being chased.
"The MSU is after us!" Runo yelled, a nagging fear appearing at the pit of her stomach. They shouldn't know, no one but herself knew about her true nature. She cursed once again, as they both jumped a little hill of snow. Quickly pulling herself up, she kept on tugging at Marucho's arm the view of a clearing just ahead. She dared to look back.
The truck was now coming at them at full speed the only thing slowing it down was the trees. Her legs started to feel sore from the running, the thick layer of snow only helping them slow down. She could feel Marucho's hand slipping from her grasp but she held on to it even tighter. The sight of a clearing was now visible they just had to keep running some more. Runo felt all of her body heavy thanks to the snow, but she pushed herself forward, not willing to give up. The boy beside her was now moving sloppier than before, making her pull even harder. The motor of the truck was replaying on her mind, the sounds of trees and branches snapping or falling haunting her as they reached the clearing. Quickly Runo pulled Marucho to her chest. They both fell to the side on the snowy surface as the truck drove past them. The girl pulled herself up, pulling at the boy beside her to do the same but he was too tired. The sound of doors opening and closing made her head snap back up. There were being surrounded by patrols of the Mutant Special Unit, each of its soldiers holding a gun and an electrified whip.
The girl found it hard to breathe as she watched them. They were pointing at them with their weapons. Marucho by her side looked terrified. His eyes were wide with horror as he watched the soldiers around them. Runo looked all around them. She had to find a way to escape this mess. She tried making a run for it, pulling the boy by her side, but the sound of a bullet slamming into a nearby tree made her stop. The blonde was now shaking at her side, gripping on tightly to her hand. She was biting down on her lip, hard enough to taste blood coming out of it. Her legs could start to shake any minute.
"Marucho Maruka, we have received information by the Maruka Corporation that you have been infected by the Virus X since birth but hid it all of this time" A man's voice spoke from one of the speakers in the truck. He sounded almost happy by the capture "We are ordered to take you into our custody for your crimes!" He commanded as the soldiers as they started charging their guns. Runo could feel the boy shaking in fear at her side.
"Runo Misaki, we are ordered to take you to justice" Her head looked up at the sound of her name "You have been running from the police far too long, it is time to answer for your crimes" The girl was now furious. She had been careful these past ten years, why was this happening now? Avoiding the police and the MSU all together, she had been traveling from city to city in an attempt to out run them. Her fists were clenching at her sides as she felt an almost familiar tingling sensation. She tried calming down until it went away.
"You know Miss Misaki, we could strike a deal" The man said in amusement "You give us the mutant and we'll tell the police that you got away" Her eyes widened as she heard the suggestion. If she gave them Marucho, she could easily flee and forget that the incident had ever happened. She risked a glance at the boy. He looked so scared that made her heart ache. The boy met her gaze and nodded as if understanding that it was okay to give him away.
"What do you say Misaki, do we have a deal?" She could almost see the sickening grin on his lips. No, she wouldn't be a pawn in their sick game. She was better than that. With a new resolve, Runo looked at no one in particular, her gaze focusing on the truck. She now stood in front of Marucho a scowl all over her face.
"Go fuck yourself!" She yelled back, satisfied with the response. A sigh came from the speakers and a loud 'beep' was emitted from the truck. The soldiers were now running towards them, weapons fully loaded and ready to fire. The first soldier threw a punch at Runo, but she quickly dodged it. She brought her knee up, colliding with his stomach as she heard a gasp of air. The girl then pushed the soldier on to the ground, quickly knocking him out with a punch at his back. She picked up his loaded gun, and fired it at the first soldier coming at them. The gun seemed to be charged with bolts of intense plasma energy, that when in contact could stun or even kill. Runo didn't waste any more time, as she kept firing the gun at the soldiers coming at them, keeping a distance between them and her.
"Marucho you have to run!" She yelled at him, not taking her eyes of the enemy. The boy was now standing beside her, holding on to her coat for dear life, shaking from head to toe. "Listen to me! You have to leave! I don't know how much longer I can keep it up!" Runo kept on firing, the soldiers trying to do the same but failing the second a bolt collided with them.
"I can't leave you here!" He shouted back, desperation evident on his voice. The girl noticed a slight crack on his voice "I can't let you get captured!"
"Don't worry about me! Worry about yourself!" She didn't know how long the gun would be able to hold. If matters got worse she would have to resort to using it and she wasn't prepared for that. It had been far too long since she did it. But if it came to that, she at least wanted to make sure that she was the only one present while doing it. "Go Marucho! Run!"
"But Runo-!" He's sounded like he was crying, his voice wobbling and cracking all throughout the sentence. It made her heart clench even more but she wanted the boy to be safe. At least she could make sure of that.
"MARUCHO RUN!" She yelled back, looking at him. His blue eyes were streaming with tears and fear as he looked at her. Suddenly the power of the gun turned off. She whipped her head around just as a soldier was making his way towards them. The girl cursed as she dodged his attack and hit him with the unloaded gun. There were now fewer soldiers most of them on the ground thanks to her, but the rest were now coming at her furious. She swung the gun at another soldier, as the sound of the metal colliding resonated in her ears.
Suddenly the snow started to shift. Ice was now forming all around the base of the trucks, making them unable to move. Spikes made of ice spurted around the vehicles, some soldiers trying to exit the trucks but becoming trapped inside of it. Runo looked back at Marucho, surprised as she saw him lift up his hands, controlling the ice. He still looked afraid but also determined. The soldiers were now coming at him. The jet-black haired girl quickly returned to his side, defending him from the soldiers coming their way.
A smile made way to her lips. Maybe they could actually win this. Maybe they could defeat these soldiers and go on their way without a problem. Another kick made a soldier drop in the snow, the girl showing no mercy for them. She felt determination swelling up in her body. Marucho was still concentrated, keeping at bay the truck from moving. The girl elbowed a soldier on the ribs and kicked him at the back of his knees. He dropped as she punched his head, another body on the ground. She looked back at the blond, who seemed much calmer now. He shot her a bright smile. And she couldn't help but to give him a little one.
The happy moment was ruined in a second. Runo felt a burning sensation at her heart, as she was brought to her knees. She could feel her heart beat increase in frenzy and her body gasping for air. The girl looked down at her body. A burnt circle was in her coat, where the heart was. Red liquid started to sip out of the wound as well. Her body couldn't keep up and she fell to the snow. The coldness of the white texture didn't bother her. It felt almost soothing at the touch. Her head was throbbing now from the pain but she wasn't paying attention to it. Screams of her name felt like they were from far away and she wanted to tell the voice to be quiet. She wanted to sleep. Her eyes were clouding too but she managed to see another vehicle pulling up not too far away from them. Sounds of a battle arouse all around her, someone shaking her shoulder and trying to make her focus. She just wanted to sleep, was that too much to ask?
A silence was spread all around the place.
Was Marucho all right? She hoped that he was at least able to get away. Or was he able to defend himself? She didn't know but she hoped he was in one piece. Her body was now being shifted, more calls for her name were made but she paid no attention. She tried moving something, her legs, her arms, chest, head, anything. None of them were responding to her. Now her body was being lifted, the coldness of the snow vanishing from her skin. A shadow was looming over her. It looked familiar but she didn't think about it too much. Reddish eyes were the last thing she saw before the darkness took over.
LIST OF SUPERPOWERS:
- Marucho Maruka:
Water Manipulation (Every Stage: Gas, Liquid and Solid)
Hey guys! This is the first rewritten chapter for 'Mutant Battle Brawlers'! As you can read, I have in fact changed quite a lot in the story since for the most part Runo and Marucho are just meeting each other and don't know anything about the Mutant Battle Brawlers. I changed it a lot because the previous concept was good but I didn't feel that I was going anywhere with it, or it wasn't exciting enough for me to continue writing it. I think that the only things that are still the same between this story and the previous one are the superpowers that some of the characters have...
Anyways as you can see Runo is our protagonist for this story once again and she has a much darker past in this story than in my other ones (poor girl tbh) as for the reason she had black hair, fear not is for story purposes. Well let me know what you guys think about this new concept for the story, I'll love to read your comments about it! I think I will update this story every month or so, since my priority is my other story, but I'll try to update it as much as I can. Thanks for all of the support for this story and to all of the users (you know who I'm talking about) who suggested to update this story, hope you like the new story! Have a great week everyone!
Ps. Sorry (not sorry) for the little cliffhanger at the end hehe hope you can figure out who were the couple at the pub because they appear on the next chapter (but I think you know who they are)
