Chapter Three: Roses for The Fallen

Within a matter of days, the unorthodox pair of Shyra and Omega had arrived in their newest location, the industrialized and debris blanketed Empire City. Empire City was the first place to be hit with the destruction so it could basically be called the epicenter.

Not many people died here because the Captain of the North decided to keep the civilians as slaves. Other than that, not much else was known about Empire City at the moment. The magenta cat slowly straddled along the ravaged pavement with Omega trudging along behind her.

Cyan pools scanned the surroundings, many homeless people peeking their heads out of the various windows and doors, the duo taking notice of this immediately. Omega began to increase its walking speed slightly to match Shyra's own, the feline staying calm before stopping dead in her tracks.

The android halted in its tracks as well, glancing around for any disturbances. With a swift gesture from the young female, the bashful characters slowly withdrew themselves from the shadows and bathed in the light of the sun.

"Is this the correct approach Shyra Tenku?" Omega asked monotonously.

"Sure it is. You make new friends by showing you're a friendly character and then you make a good impression with a warm greeting. It's easy, you just have to be patient." Shyra said with a sincere smile.

"As much as it is enjoyable for you to make friends, we must be on our way to the center of the city to find the Captain of the North." Omega stated, its comrade shaking her head.

Shyra walked up to one of the many people that revealed themselves and kneeled forward towards them. She looked at their bodies, bruises and wounds visible to the naked eye obviously. Most likely, the Captain here didn't treat them with much respect or they just struggled to survive each and everyday.

The feline reached into her vest pocket and pulled out a water bottle and some bread which was wrapped in tin foil. She then divided the amount so at least some of the injured could get some.

"I'm sorry that I can't do more for you. I'm trying my best to survive out here as well. You see, my buddy and I are trying to defeat the Captains so the world can go back to being peaceful again like it used to be. Don't worry. But right now, how about you tell me what's been going around here?" Shyra questioned.

The slaves gathered in a group in front of her and one spoke.

"Ever since the Great Tragedy, Empire City has been reduced to an industrialized and labor worker city. Everything used to run with machines but without any suitable power sources, the only choice was to turn to man to keep the city going. The Captain of the North, a seductive female, gets her guards here every day to wake us up and send us off to work in whatever section we work in. Many have died from machinery, health issues or the guards killed them for disobedience."

"Also, the captain has a mysterious power that we can't comprehend and there's something strange about her. She leaves roses for those who die and after, she goes back to her normal self. It's nice and yet in a way, creepy." another added.

Shyra tapped her finger on her chin and nodded slowly. The feline twirled her scythe between her fingertips and sighed before motioning for Omega to stand by her side. Immediately, the machine complied with her command, walking to her aid. She whispered near the robot's head, the Eggman creation nodding slowly to all her words before going off to do her bidding.

"I've sent my buddy Omega to do all of your work for the day so some of you can rest and have relaxation time for a while. I'll need some people to come with me so we can gather up some food and water for the sick and injured. Omega, if any sort of danger comes, defend the people. Understood?" Shyra questioned, Omega nodding as it passed by.

With the flick of her wrist, Shyra began to lead a voluntary group of people to the market area where they could pillage food and drinks for themselves. The feline crossed deep trenches, narrow pathways and so on until they reached the market area.

It basically looked like a group of different shacks lined up next to each other, going down until at least three blocks. The shacks were either trampled or ignited in flames, though not seriously. Shyra rubbed her chin in thought and assigned jobs for the people, the slaves working to find food in their position.

While some were lucky to find, others struggled to find even a crumb of food. After a few minutes of searching, they all returned to their first location.

"So we have gathered a good amount of fruits, vegetables, candy, desserts, easy to cook food, condiments and drinks that will last you a good month or two if you conserve and share with each other. So everyone, grab your assigned crate and I'll lead the way." Shyra declared.

The group began to march until one of the people dropped to the floor, wine colored blood seeping through his mouth as his attacker stood above him. It was a massive being made of pure sleek metal, its frame was bulky and durable. It took on the shape of a large human with a hammer in one hand and a grappling claw in the other hand.

From behind, another humanoid robot came ready for battle. This one was small though very fast, its two weapons were a flamethrower attached to its left wrist and an ion cannon attached to its other.

"Oh no, it's the guards and they've come to punish us for our foul deeds." one spoke.

"We're going to die now." another spoke.

"Nah, it's all cool because I'm here to protect you guys. These guys don't look so tough, they need to be taught a lesson in manners." Shyra declared, preparing herself for battle.

From above the battlefield, a figure emerged and sat down on the balcony from on top a building. The figure rubbed their hand on their chin and stretched their hand forward. A smirk made its way to the character's expression.

"Good job on killing one of the traitors Strike. Help your comrade in battle Hawkeye." the figure, a female easily told from the voice, commanded.

The large android, Strike, raised its hand and motioned for Shyra to attack however Hawkeye took the offensive first, firing a wave of embers at the feline who leaped over the combustion and landed a direct kick to the top of the small robot's head. Strike shot its grappling hook at the female, the weapon wrapping around her scythe, dragging her along for the ride.

Strike aimed the end of the hammer at Shyra who put her feet forward and bounced off, releasing her grip of her signature scythe which the larger opponent placed on its back. The Tenku child landed gracefully on her feet and was met in hand to hand combat with Hawkeye.

The quicker machine slammed its palm into the ground, columns of earth rising from the depths and propelling Shyra off her feet. Then Strike brought his hammer down on the girl, setting her up for a direct hit from Hawkeye's ion cannon that sent her flailing into a building, debris and rubble encasing her in a tomb.

"She isn't as much of a challenge as the Captain of the East said she was." Hawkeye stated.

"That is only because she is weak against her enemies without her weapon. As long as we keep that away from her, her demise is imminent." Strike declared, the heroine rising from the rubble.

"Then you guys don't know anything about me at all. If that's the best you got, then you're in for a real surprise." Shyra exclaimed confidently.

The robotic duo nodded to each other and commenced battle, Strike firing his grappling hook at Shyra who was caught by the grip of the item. It reeled her in close enough for her to kick Hawkeye in the face, the speedy creation flying back and then the girl ran onto Strike's back.

Hawkeye recovered from the blow and fired his ion cannon, Shyra jumping out of range but angling her body so that the chain was destroyed thus one of Strike's weapons were useless now.

"Watch where you fire fool." Strike said.

"My apologies." Hawkeye replied.

Shyra grabbed her scythe from Strike's back and swiped her weapon in front of the massive being, the blade slicing open one of Strike's LED eyes. The magenta character then kicked the machine in its torso before sliding between its legs. Directly in front of her, Hawkeye stood aiming at her with his flamethrower, the inferno spewing from the object however the Tenku girl back flipped the streaming blaze that scorched the automaton's comrade from behind.

Stupidly, Strike turned around to see that Hawkeye had attacked and not Shyra, its LED lights probably would have widened if it could. As for the heroine, she grabbed the chain from the grappling hook and swung it around one of Strike's legs, pulling with tremendous strength and dropping the humanoid robot to its stomach, Strike dropping its hammer as well.

"Comrade, I'll save you." Hawkeye said, leaping towards the feline.

Quick to counter, she grabbed Strike's hammer and brought it down on Hawkeye's head, effectively crushing it and disposing of one of her two opponents. She dropped the weapon and made her way to Strike before raising her scythe in the air.

Without any remorse, she brought it down on the machine's neck area and permanently shut it down for good. Cheers of joy and excitement rang for the heroine who smiled and waved towards the crowd until a chain wrapped around her neck and brought her down to her knees, her scythe falling out of her hands. The female watching from above had obviously seen enough and was ready to end the cat's life.

"I see you defeated my best two guards single handedly but are you good enough to defeat me, Captain of the North?" the female said.

The pressure forced onto the chain increased, Shyra's vision fading in and out as she lost air rapidly. The spectators did nothing to save her, too scared to rebel or help the girl who had just protected them on her own free will.

The foster child desperately tried grabbing for her blade to no avail and then just stopped moving as the captain kept her hold for a few more seconds before letting the lifeless body go. She walked over and placed a rose on Shyra's comatose figure. A smile spread across the female's face as she took off the cloak which hid her identity.

The captain was a female wolf with vermillion fur and light hazel pools. The tips of her ears and the majority of her hair was highlighted in neon green, her hair being wrapped up into a pair of long braids. Her muzzle was a light tan color and underneath her eyes were two horizontal lines of jet black paint. Her arms were completely covered in tribal markings which were all in teal color.

She wore a wife beater that was ripped at the bottom, allowing her stomach to be seen. Her stomach was tan like her muzzle. Her hands were covered by thick ivory gloves. Her pants were jet black with a piece of white cloth wrapped around her right ankle and left knee. The final touch was the grey and blue sneakers she wore.

"Captain of the North. Krystilly Van Grovo the Wolf…could you not have spared that innocent girl's life?" one of the slaves asked, receiving a glare from the canine.

"NO! She had to die as punishment for trying to rebel against me and more intruding my domain. She was filth anyway…rebellious and worthless filth." the captain spoke only receiving whimpers as replies, her laughter echoing through the city. The wolf turned to get connected in the face with a high heel that sent her rocketing into a lamp post.

"Maybe at your funeral, I'll give you a rose but today, you're going to deal with me. Right here and right now!" Shyra declared, twirling her scythe around as the battle had only begun.

To be continued…


A/N: Oh yeah, Shyra's kicking butt and giving names! I just love the bubbly and vendetta driven cat, so unique in her own twisted but cool way. There is the third captain introduced and I wonder what she can do. I know but you'll have to find later on like say…next chapter!! Yes, review and have a Merry Christmas. Thanks! Bye.