The ABC's of Beautiful Disasters

Chapter Three: C is for Colours

"Oh Squeaker, I have a mission for you." A couple of her men held back their laughter as the fat crime boss, Krew, came floating over. She spun on her bar stool and crossed her arms. She heard rumours that Krew was interested in more Metal Head trophies for his bar, he even tried to rope Torn into getting him some a couple nights ago but the Commander declined. Parker on the other hand wanted to leave the city for an hour or so, while the Krizmon Guard had interesting things to do within the city it was outside the walls that let them be free and reckless. Parker ran her finger around the top of her glass watching as the man swung around his pole. "A little bird told me there's a new type of Metal Head out at the Pumping Station, I want you and your boys to go out and collect me four of them."

She looked to her men. They hadn't seen any real action since, well to be honest she couldn't remember. Each one of them looked at her with excitement, they wanted this mission but she wanted something more. "Well we love to go out and get you some but my men's weapons aren't up to par. I think some upgrades are in order, don't you think boys?" They cheered raising their glasses to her.

Krew glared at them. "Fine." He flew up to a space above his bar, he pulled out a box and came back down. "Hot off the presses from Lena." Parker took out the first gun and pointed it at a Metal Head above her. It rested comfortably on her shoulder, she peered through the tiny orange eyeglass at her target. She pulled the trigger, a loud pop that made a couple of her newer boys jump. She walked over to the Metal Head on the wall, one bullet to the head with six other bullets in the walls around it. She smirked. Leave it to Lena to make her new favourite weapon.

"We'll take them." She said tossing the gun to a guard beside her. "Suit up boys, we leave in five."

"Squeaker," Krew said floating down beside her. "I have a request," She crossed her arms and glared at the man. "I have a special delivery coming in at the end of this week. I need a discreet group of Krizmon Guards to move it through the sewers for me."

"Talk to Erol about it," She said waving the man away. "Discreet is his speciality, but I'll be there." A newbie handed her a new gun, she nodded to him and walked towards the door. "Let's move boys!"

It took them ten minutes to reach the gates to the Pumping Station. The older more seasoned guards bounced excitedly on the balls of their feet, chatting loudly about who was going to get more gems and making bets –which included some bar tabs and rounds of drinks. The newbies, especially the two that joined last week, were standing in the back pale and silent. One seemed to be praying under his breath. She looked at all her men. Fourteen of them, plus her made a solid fifteen. Three of the men had been with her when they started out, if spots opened up for sergeants or officers she was going to recommend them. Seven joined over a year ago, they were around her age and loved to goof around. The four others, including the two recent joiners and the prayer, were still nervous around her and hid whenever a fight broke out or whenever someone shouted Metal Head. The airlock opened and she heard Amberly's voice come on the P.A. system.

"You are now leaving Haven City."

A shot was fired by one of her Seven. All of them howled like wolves before running out and going after the Metal Grunts that ran towards them. She rolled her eyes and followed behind, shooting at the Grunts above them. Behind her she could hear the older guards shouting at the newbies to get moving. She jumped onto the ledge above her and followed her Wolves as they shot down a couple Znorkle Tooths –which Parker hated so much she was glad her Wolves took care of them. One of them found the Metal Head Krew was asking for, she only saw the creature fall to the ground in a cascade of yellow bullets. A couple of the older men ran up behind her, dragging the newbies behind them.

"Glad you can join the party." Parker snapped at her newbies as they ran ahead of her, clutching their guns for dear life. One froze at the sight of a Glub, the bug eyed creature with yellowish green skin. "Shoot it!" She shouted at her guard, but he started to whimper as the creature started to jump towards them. She kicked the creature back, it fell off the cliff and into the murky waters. She whipped around on her newbie, the others had ran ahead with the older men. "Get up." She snarled. "Go back to the city and run around it."

The newbie whimpered. "How many times… ma'am?"

"Until I tell you to stop!" She screamed at him. He got up and ran back the way they came. She started after her men, giving a howl to get the attention of her boys. They howled back as a pact which was followed by a couple more shots that rang out. She stopped when she found one of her older guards dragging a Grunt back to the entrance. She found the Wolves near the pumping valve drinking water from their bottles.

"Where's the newbie?" An older guard with fading tattoos asked.

"Sent him back to the city," She pulled out her water bottle. "He's going to run around the whole city until I say to stop." She took a big gulp of water but gagged and spit it out. The Wolves started laughing hysterically, a couple of them rolling around on the ground. She sniffed the liquid in the bottle. Lime tequila. She threw the bottle at them. "You assholes! I'm going to run ya'll to the ground in training!" They kept laughing as she took one of their bottles and down the water, letting the cool liquid wash away the bitter and hot taste of the tequila. "How many did you guys take out?"

"Six." One of the Wolves answered. "Can't have too many dead Metal Heads!"

She capped her bottle. "Well let's get them back to Krew and head back to the Fortress for a much needed shower and the best dinner ever."

"Here, here!" They cheered raising their bottles.

The walk back was easy. Most of the Metal Heads were gone and the ones that were still around didn't last long to see the people who shot them. "So, who won the bet?" She asked as they landed on the small strip of beach.

"I did!" A Wolf shouted behind her. "Guess who's buying drinks tomor-" An explosion cut him off. Parker was tossed into the grim waters, she choked on the waters before breaking the surface. Metal Heads stormed the beach from the air, the waters and from where they were just walking. She swam to shore and dove beside a Wolf.

"Ten Fourteen!" She shouted into her communicator. "Ten Fourteen! Metal Head sneak attack in the Pumping Station, requesting aid! I repeat! Metal Head sneak attack in the Pumping Station, requesting aid!" She pocketed her unit and started firing at the large Goons that shot back. A small group of her unit were stuck onto of a platform firing at a group that came at them. "You," She pointed at one of her guards. "In the tree."

He smiled. "Yes ma'am!" He took off running swinging his sharpshooter gun over his shoulder as he climbed the small tree. Up on the ledge she saw that it was all the newbies with about four Wolves and the rest of her old guards. She ran along the beach and grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up, she ducked as a Grunt fired at her. She shoot back the bullet hitting it in the chest and the rest of them hitting it's face, arms and legs. She slid under Spyder Gunner to get to her men, a Wolf pulled her up and started firing –with a smile on his face.

"You're enjoying this." She snapped at the boy. He gave her a big lopsided grin before taking out a grouping of spiders on the walls. The Metal Heads soon stopped attacking the beach and came onto the ledge. They smaller Metal Heads came in drones, attacking in large waves leaving the group tired. She turned around when she heard a scream. A grunt had jumped the wall behind them and bit into one of the newbies, he screamed as the grunt's claws dag into his flesh. The two newbies that were left started to back up and bumped into her and the Wolves.

"What do we do?!" They screamed.

"Abandon ship!" Parker shouted of the newbie's deafening screams. Both looked confused as the older guards and a couple of Wolves jumped off the ledge and into the water.

"What does that mean?" One of them asked. A Wolf ran up behind him and gave him a good shove.

"It means jump you idiot!" The last of the Wolves jumped, giving one last howl before splashing into the waters. Parker followed suit leaping off the platform just as the city's doors opened. Under the water, everything seemed calm. So peaceful and quiet, she looked up as a grunt fell off the cliff and into the waters. She swam forward but the creature's claw caught her back. She let out a scream but water rushed in, filling her lungs as she pushed for the surface. She crawled onto the beach coughing up the water, she could hear coughing to her left as the rest of her squad crawled onto the beach. She looked back towards the platform, it was painted red with the blood of her newbie –the prayer. Most of the Metal Heads were gone or hurrying away from the bullets that came from the rescue squad.

A strong hand yanked her up, the sudden jerk made her kneel over and have another coughing fight. She hugged her sides as Erol barked orders at his men. "Kill them all!" His men ran past her. Erol yanked her up again, she pushed away his hand. "Come on, get up."

"Give me a second." She said pushing herself to her feet. She pushed her soaking wet hair out of her face. "How many dead?" She asked.

"Three," A Wolf answered.

"Collect the dead," She ordered walking up the beach but she fell to her knee and bit her lip. Her side was on fire, she didn't want to look. A dull pain in her back also made her wince as she stood again, she turned to look at her men. They were all working on getting their friends, but it was Erol who was staring at her.

"What happened to your back?"

"Grunt caught me in the water."

"You need a health pack." He said going to a crate.

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do," He said breaking the crate and picking up to glowing health packs. "Don't be stubborn." She stumbled towards the gate. She used the wall to hold herself up, when the doors opened she stepped inside and fell to the metal floor. Erol came in after her, he didn't look happy. "If you die Lena will kill me with my own weapon."

"I know," She said through her teeth. "I just don't need health packs." She pushed herself up and leaned against the wall. She touched her amulet around her neck and closed her eyes, hearing the voice of her father in her head. "It isn't a curse, my dear. It's a blessing from the Precursors, just like being to touch your nose with your tongue or walking on your hands." She felt it bloom in her lower back, like the first flower of spring. Soon it began to spread like a weed, moving up her back, to her side and then across her shoulder. She took a deep breath before pushing herself to her feet.

Erol stalked over and turned her around, looking at her back. She crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder at him. "Lose something?"

"How'd you do that?"

"My family's been cursed with Green Eco." She said turning back around to face him. "You know that."

"No, well I heard the rumours but I thought they were just… rumours."

She rolled her eyes as the doors opened and her men came through with a couple trophies for Krew, all of her Wolves were still present but one of her older guards was dead. She knew about the one newbie that was torn apart by the grunt but she wasn't sure where the other one was. As if reading her mind, the last newbie spoke, "He didn't know how to swim, so he drowned." He kept his head down as the Wolves hooked their arm around his shoulders.

"Lighten up, kid!" A Wolf laughed. "You made it through your first out of city mission, making you an honorary wolf!"

"Now howl," The sharpshooter demanded. The newbie gave a pathetic puppy howl. "Come on Pup, louder like you mean it!" All the boys howled loud and strong. He howled again, a bit stronger but not strong enough. "Let's have a drink, to our new Pup!" The boys cheered and ruffled his hair, they left the airlock howling.

Erol looked to Parker. "You're men are weird."

"And I love them." She smiled back and ran after them, howling herself.


Author's Note

Two updates in one night? Yes I know I'm crazy but after I wrote the first one I couldn't fall asleep, I even went for a walk so I wrote some more. Luv, Paradise Eco.