We drove through the thick snow towards the city. Ryder somehow managed to convert my car into a snowmobile. I'm not sure how, but I choose not to question it because it's freezing out here! Which reminds me of something…
"R-Ryder, where e-e-exactly are we h-heading?" I asked as I tried to warm myself up. I had to take a bunch of jackets with me and it was still freezing, even with the car heater turned up.
He didn't respond immediately as he drove past some cars stuck in the snow. "We're heading to a nearby hotel." This left us confused as to why his 'help' would be in a hotel. "Everything will be realized once we get there."
After a few more minutes of driving in the harsh blizzard, we parked in front of a fancy looking hotel. If who I'm thinking of was really here, I questioned her choice in vacation destinations. Anyway, we all got out of the car and made our way to the entrance. Jango had to melt the ice off the frozen shut doors as we went in.
Ryder went up to the front desk and ringed the bell. "Hello?" There wasn't a reply from anyone.
"Geez, talk about customer service." Diego sarcastically commented.
"I'm not surprised, really." Chase shared. "How would you feel if the world was being turned into a frozen tundra?"
"I probably sell a lot of hot cocoa and make a killing off of it." He replied.
Ryder ignored their little conversation and started searching through the guest book. "Let's see…Room 515. Everyone, into the elevator." We nodded at him and followed him into the elevator.
We went up to the fifth floor, along with the sound of generic elevator music with a holiday mood to it. Despite this, I never really enjoyed elevator music. It was always so repetitive and, well, flat out irritating after awhile.
The elevator doors open and we head down the hall. We walked past many rooms until we came up to the one we were searching for. Room 515, and there seemed to be loud music playing in there.
Jango sighs. "Oh yeah, it's definitely her." We, with the exception of Ryder, nodded in agreement.
"Now we just need to get her attention." Ryder pulled out his Skeleton Key and scanned the lock. A clicking sound unlocked the electronic lock and he opens the door, letting the music hit us at full blast.
And there she was, laying down on the bed with her eyes closed and jamming to the loud speakers booming throughout the room. She managed to hear them come in, but was none the wiser of their true personas. "Oh good, you must be here to bring me my dinner."
Ryder walks up to the speakers and shuts them off. "Not exactly…Laura."
The android Pikachu's eyes widened and she bolted up. She glared after processing his image. "Ryder…what an unpleasant surprise." She looks past him and sees the rest of us. "And look, you brought your little friends along as well."
Ryder grips the scruff of her fur and lifts her up. "Listen, I have a low amount of patience right now, so I'll make this quick. The city is accumulating a high amount of snow and ice at a disastrous rate. We need your help."
She couldn't help but snicker at that. "I'm sorry, you need my help? The great and powerful Ryder requires MY help?"
"Don't push it, I can easily shred you to pieces." He warned. "Look, there is a weather machine that is creating all of this. Normally, I would go up there and shut it down myself. The problem is that the blizzard is stronger at the machine. You have a better chance of getting to it and finishing the job."
Laura removes his hand and lays back down on the bed. "Tempting, but I see two problems. One, even I can't last in the cold. My circuits will freeze up if I stay out there for too long. And two, what makes you think I'd help the likes of you?"
Jango steps up. "Oh I don't know, how about that the world will be frozen in ice with you along with it?!"
Laura yawns and turns onto her side. "Still a no."
Diego narrows his eyes. "Well, reasoning isn't going to work." He slowly reaches into his bag. I stopped him before he could do anything rash. "Dude, she isn't going to listen. I say we use force."
"Let Ryder handle it." Still, Diego had a point. Laura was too obdurate to change her mind. Anything Ryder might say to tempt her could ultimately backfire.
"Now how about you do me a favor and buzz off?" She ordered us rather tiredly.
Ryder looked up slightly before looking back at her. "Question, you said the cold will freeze up your circuits, correct?" She nods wordlessly. "Good to know, because the room is starting to freeze up."
"WHAT?!" She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. True to his word, the ceiling was slowly starting to form a sheet of ice over it. She looks at the window and gasps as the same was happening to it. The room was slowly turning into a frozen tundra. "You need to get me out of here, now!"
Ryder turned his back to her. "I believe your exact words were, 'Now how about you do me a favor and buzz off?'" He mimicked in her voice.
I crossed my arms with a smirk. There's the mind twisting Ryder we all know.
Laura found herself biting her fingers nervously as she could feel the temperature dropping at an alarming rate. All she could do was swallow her pride and sigh. "Okay, save me and I'll help you, whatever it is. Because I want to live and Christmas is my favorite holiday."
Chase pumps his fists. "Oh yeah!"
"Just get me out of here!" She shivers as the ice formed around her feet. I picked her up and placed her on my shoulder.
We ran out of the room, only to come across more snow warriors forming right in front of us. "Oh, you have got to be kidding?!" Jango growled. He takes in a deep breath and fires a widespread Flamethrower to create a path.
"We need to get out of here before more come!" Ryder yelled as we head to the elevator. Much to our dismay, it was frozen shut.
"Now what?!" Diego complained. More snow and ice warriors popped up behind them and shot freeze rays in our direction.
Laura ducks her head and growls. "You did not just do that!" Her shoulder opens up and fires a missile into them, exploding in a flurry of snow. She closes it up and holds up her right arm. It started to transform in an arm cannon, where she started blasting plasma bolts at more.
I looked around in a panic as I tried to come up with a solution. That's when an idea popped up. "I got it! We get to the roof and jump!"
"There is no way I'm killing myself!" Chase shouted as he flipped over some snow warriors and destroyed them with Electro Ball.
"No, we'll be fine. With all the snow building up outside, we'll have a soft landing." I ducked away from an ice beam.
Jango punched out another group. "There's a ton of ice as well! I don't think we should take chances!"
"It's the best idea we have!" I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed some ice monsters that got too close to me and Laura.
Ryder beheaded multiple of them with his Bo staff. "Brad's right!" He uses Inferno to make a path towards the stairs. "They're keeping us from getting out! But the roof is probably the only spot they haven't secured!"
Diego eradicates a bunch with an explosive bomb. "It sounds crazy and we'll most likely die!" He smirks. "I like it!"
"Then let's go!" We charged right through the crowd, knocking back any that tried to grab us. We reached the doorway that lead to the stairs and busted in. It was a long way up to the roof, but we had to endure it. We started running up the stairs as more ice started to make its way into the building.
I looked up and saw ice birds fly down at us. "Are you serious?!" Fortunately, I came prepared and brought out my gun. "Take this, you flying nuisances!" I shot a large portion of them out of the air, shattering them to shards.
Jango looked back and saw an army of them running up. "Oh no you don't!" He stays behind a bit and slams his fist into the stairs. They cracked and fell apart, leaving a large gap between them and us. "Later, suckers!" He started heading back up to catch up with us.
Ryder threw shurikens at the ice birds, but found himself running low on them as the ice birds kept multiplying. "They won't let up!"
"We're not going to make it!" Chase screamed in terror.
Laura glared at him. "We're not going to die, you moron! Now quit acting like a baby and actually help!" I rubbed my ear due to the volume of her tone.
Diego handed Chase a yellow bomb. "Pour some electricity into that and throw it!" Chase was confused, but trusted his friend's plan. He zaps the bomb with all his might and throws it up. "Everyone, shield your eyes!" We did as instructed.
I felt a great warmth hit me like a tidal wave, and saw light through my arm. When it died down, the ice was temporarily melting, including the monsters. "Nice work, Diego!"
He grins boastfully. "Yeah, I know."
We reached the top floor and came to the roof. We covered ourselves as the frigid temperatures became worse. Laura was getting the worst of it. "W-Why d-d-d-did I agree to this?!"
Ryder runs to the edge and spots the car, buried in a thick blanket of snow. "There it is!"
I looked back and dodged icicle projectiles. "And there THEY are!" The ice warriors started coming closer to us.
"Everyone, we need to jump!" We looked back and forth nervously. Ryder sighed. "We're going to be find. Have a little faith." He stops an icicle from nailing him. "Now, JUMP!" He jumps off the building towards the car.
The ice warriors were starting to close the distance. I really hated the idea of jumping off a 20 story building…but being impaled with icicles wasn't exactly a pleasant option. I took a deep breath and jumped off the building, much to the shock of Laura as she screamed. The others followed in my example and leaped off as well.
We landed face first into the snow and, much to my great relief, it was a relatively soft landing. I pushed myself up and dug Laura out of the snow, where she developed a snow beard. I held back a snicker. "Hehe, L-Laura, you have a, hehe, little something on your, hehe…" I couldn't help it, she looked ridiculous.
She growled irritably and rubbed it off. "J-J-J-Just g-get me out of this bl-bl-blasted snow!"
Jango blew a Flamethrower over the car to get rid of the snow. We started piling in with Ryder at the front. He starts up the car, but it started sputtering. We saw icicles raining down from the sky. "Ryder!" We screamed.
"I know, I know!" He revved the engine a few more times before hearing in roar. "Hold on tight!" He slams his foot on the accelerator and we flew right out of the hotel.
Chase leaned back in his seat, panting with exhaustion. "Okay…let's never do that again…"
"Hate to burst your bubble, Chase, but we're not quite done yet." Ryder mentions, causing Chase to groan. "We're heading to the eye of the storm."
"WHAT?!" Laura stood up and grabbed him by the cloak, though it thankfully didn't distract his driving. "You saved me just to head into a BIGGER storm?! Are you crazy?! I won't survive!"
"You said you would help if we saved you, whatever it is." He repeated her earlier words.
She grinded her teeth. "You still can't expect me to survive out there!"
Ryder pulls out a briefcase. "I brought some gear with me to upgrade you. It'll allow you to withstand the frigid temperatures." Laura was dumbfounded by his preparedness. "Diego, Brad, you start adjusting her system."
"Right." I said in agreement. Laura could only sigh in defeat and lay on her back. I opened up her torso, revealing her power core. "Ah, that feels warm."
"If you break anything in there, you'll be eating through a tube." She warned before shutting down.
I chuckled nervously. "Heh, no problem." Diego and I took out the equipment and started working on her.
This was a short chapter, but whatever. Anyway, contest is still running and…(sigh) I've only gotten 1 submission. Seriously? Come on, where's the fun in that? Anyway, review!
