A/N: Sorry for the long wait everybody, but here is the first of a four chapter Arcanum release, to celebrate the 1st Anniversary of Universal Runners release!
Last time, Jordan, Zeus, and Amica, were transported to another world, and Zeus was kidnapped by a group of mysterious goons. Will Jordan be able to find her friend? And what is this mystery place they landed in? Find out right here, right now!
For the sake of 4 chapter release, we're not adding an AN until the 4th chapter. So here it is, Chapter 2!
Universal Runners: The Other Side of Arcanum
Light Rescue
Meanwhile in Pasay City, outside the Philippines branch office of CodeX United, Tina Reyheart walked out the front while chatting on her cell phone with somebody.
"Well, tell Randall that while his new game's storyline, format, and features, we cannot accept it until he eliminates at least 80% of the bugs in the controls and gameplay," Tina said to the person. "Only then can we accept it. Last thing we need is consumer complaints about our projects. Got that? Good, okay. Bye."
As she hung up, she sighed as she headed to her waiting limo. Suddenly, she heard a rapid beeping sound coming from her RunCom. She checked it and saw a blue light blinking on and off on the RunCom.
"No…," she gasped as she quickly realized what it meant.
Back at the abandoned building, a guard stood outside the entrance keeping his eyes peeled. However, he soon started to get bored.
"The things I do for pay," he sighed. Suddenly he heard the laughter of a boy, and quickly went on guard. "Hey, who's there?"
Just then a silhouetted young figure skated passed him at rapid speed.
"Hey, hey you! Get back here!," he said as he chased after the figure. The figure lead the guard on a short chase before slowing down and allowing himself to be caught by the guard.
"Alright punk, if you get out of here –," he said as he started to drag the boy. However, the boy turned around and grinned, causing the guard eyes to go wide with shock.
"It's –it's you!," he said in horror.
Inside the building, a small group of guards prowled the halls, patroling for any potential intruders. Meanwhile, in the camera control center, a couple of guards were discussing the captured Zeus and their superior's plans for him.
"You know, that boy reminds me of that detective whose been giving us all this trouble recently," one guard said.
"You think that could be why the boss wants him?," asked the other guard.
"Maybe, but what can we know, we're just security guards for this facility."
"Yeah, right. What would the boss tell us"
Back in the halls, as the guards continued to patrol, a silhouetted figure, wearing their uniform, walked by the cameras. Upon seeing the guards, he decided to go for one of their ray guns. He just need to get one of them alone, and steal it, while avoiding the cameras. The guards turned a corner and the figure followed, stiicking to the shadows and trying to avoid the cameras.
He then tried to grab the ray gun of the guard closest to him, but the guard sensing something behind him, turned around…only to find nothing there. Shrugging he continued on with the other guards around a coner.
Unknown to the guard the figure had jumped up and clung to the ceiling just in time. Seeing it was clear, he jumped down, in view of a security camera, but luckily the guards were still engaged in conversation with each other that they didn't notice. He quickly jumped out of view and continued to follow.
As he rounded the corner, he notice a lead guard going into another room. Deciding this was his chance, he swiftly followed and peeked in the door to see that it was a bathroom/locker room. The guard took his belt (which had its ray gun and holster) in it and went to use the toilet. Taking this chance, the figure ran in and swiped the ray and put it in his own holster. He then quickly exited the room and ran for cover from the cameras.
The figure then continued to sneak around the halls, avoiding the cameras and guards as fast as he could. He saw two more guards come out of a room, and walk down the opposite direction from him, talking to each other.
"Man, why do we have to help babysit that guy they got down there?," one said.
"Boss's orders, or do you want to complain to him?," said the other.
"No, thank you."
Unknown to them, the figure picking up on this, quickly ducked into the door before it closed. Seeing the door lead to a long stairwell, the figure went down it. He when down story by story, trying to be careful that someone wouldn't come in and see him and notice that he wasn't really on of them. Finally after a long decend, he reached the bottom and found a door that had a key card lock on it. Taking out a keycard he'd swiped from the first guard, he slid it into the mechanism and opened the door. He found himself in what appeared to be a prison room with several jelly-filled containment units. He then came across one with the silhouette of a familiar person inside.
"Could it be?," he asked himself as he looked on in shock and awe. Suddenly the alarm sounded, startling him as looked around. Upon seeing a security camera, he realized, "Oh shoot, I forgot the cameras! Well, no time for regrets now."
He pulled out his ray gun and blasted the containment unit causing all the jelly substance to spill out along with…Professor Oak. Seeing he was still out cold, the now-more stunned figure quickly slung the unconcious Runner over his shoulder, just as more guards burst into the room, rayguns drawn.
"Hey you, freeze!," the leader said as they pointed their weapons at the figure. The figure quickly used his ray to shot the guards' out of their hands, he then quickly barrelled his way through them at a rapid speed knocking them all over like bowling pins and ran up the stairwell.
"Attention all units, we have a security breach in the holding sector!," the lead guard said into his radio.
The figure, carrying Oak, ran up the stairs as the alarm continued to sound. He found the door he entered from and ran out, trying to go back the way he came. However, several guards came his way and saw him, forcing him to retreat down the hall in the opposite direction with them chasing after him.
He continued to run and came to a crossroad in the hall. He looked to his left to see the door had already shut and locked, and the right to see the same. In front the door was coming down quickly and would soon lock on him too. He quickly ran for the door and slid underneath it with Zeus just before it closed and locked.
He quickly got up and continued to run down the hall…straight into about a dozen more guards. He used his ray gun to quickly shoot and stun half of them before retreating down the hall and rounding a corner, with the remaining guards chasing and shooting after him.
The figure continued to run through the halls, shooting and chasing guards. Deciding it was time he got out of the facility, he set the ray to a higher setting and blasted a hole in the wall and jumped out of it. He fell two stories and landed on a hoverbike. Propping the still unconcious Oak out cold up behind him, he started it up and zoomed away through the streets.
"Well, guess that's over," he thought. Just then he heard shooting behind him and saw 5 guards on hoverbikes chasing and shooting at him. "I spoke too soon."
Kicking up his ride's speed, the figure zoomed off trying to escape, but the guards managed to keep up with him. When they continued shooting, the figure took the ray gun and returned fire, eventually hitting one of the guards' hoverbikes, blowing it up and sending the guard flying through the air.
The chase then continued through the streets and through a mess of clotheslines with drying clothes hanging from them. The figure and 4 remaining guards zoomed through the lines trying to avoid the clothes but managed to get some of them stuck on themselves anyhow. Eventually, the figure grabbed a bed sheet and threw it at a guard covering him with it. The guard struggled to get it of as he couldn't see where he was going. He eventually did…only to be met with a clothesline that suddenly knocked him of his bike and onto the street.
The three guards continued to chase the the figure. One managed to eventually get close enough to jump on to the figure's bike. That proved to be a big mistake as the figure quickly grabbed him and threw him off, causing him to fall and crash into a nearby car.
"Okay, that's it," the figure said, as he throws some smoke bombs at the two remaining guards obstructing their vision. They both stopped and then slowly navigated their way out of the smokescreen. But by then the figure had disappeared with Oak.
"Great, we lost them," on guard said. "We might as well return to base."
"Yeah, but I'd hate to be the poor fool that has to explain this to the boss," the other put in as the two zoomed away. Unknown to them, the figure was watching from in an alley.
"Well, that was close," he said as he turned and satred Oak, who was still out cold. "Amazing, he looks just like–"
He then noticed a special looking device on his arm that seemed like a watch but was shaped like a white angel wing. Upon seeing this, his eyes glowed blue and purple as he then picked up Oak and carrying him out of the alley and into the night somewhere.
The next morning, the sun rose and it's rays peaked through all the windows of every building. Jordan then opened her eyes and yawned and stretched.
"Oh, wow, what a night!," she said as she started to observe her surroundings. "What, where am–?"
Then she heard a meow behind her and saw Amica wake up and yawn and stretch too. She then remembered, "Oh, yeah, we got transported to another world, and stayed here overnight. Man, Amica, your fur is really soft. Makes a great pillow."
Amica meowed an assumed "thank you" to Jordan. Jordan smiled at her, then sudden she remembered something else.
"Oh-no, Zeus!," she gasped. "He got captured by those goons! We have to find him! Come on Amica!"
Jordan then walked to the front door, opened it and walked out with Amica close behind. Upon seeing the city, they both stared memerized at the sunrise in the alternate-Manila city for a while.
"So, ready to do this?," Jordan said. Amica transformed into her tiger form and roared at Jordan. "I'll take that as a yes."
She then climbed onto the -Tigeria's- back and the two rode off into the streets of the city to find Zeus.