"Brown Trailer"
(Music: My Demons by Starset Nightcore: /watch?v=JdZ3ZuP8-eM)
"Insanity is just a synonym for imagination."
The shattered moon shone down on the land of Vacuo. Different warehouses lined an area far from the main villages. Two figures could be seen running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. One had a katana the size of a great sword and the other a bow. The boy with the sword stopped and gestured for his companion to stop as well.
He had short brown hair and wore sleeveless leather armor with shoulder pads, and a pair of dark black pants. "It's unknown territory from here on, little bro. Stay close and do as I say."
The boy with the bow sighed. "I can take care of myself, Lance. And don't call me little bro, I'm not a kid anymore." This was Sable Matsuo. He wore a brown suit with a white button-up shirt underneath. His black necktie was loose and gently floated with the push of the wind.
Lance let out a chuckle. "Alright then, will you do the honors?" He gestured towards a two large warehouses in the distance.
Sable smiled and took off his glasses. His eyes turned white as he activated his semblance. "Two snipers on both roofs of the warehouses… about four squads patrolling the ground. Wait… five composed of four men each. Damn, these guys are organized." Each soldier was equipped with what looked like Atlas military grade armor only modified and repainted black with red visors. The snipers had the same but their armor was designed for agility, small and thin.
"Well, they are an evil 'organization' after all." Lance patted his brother on the back. "How about the cargo? Do they have it?"
Sable squinted and looked through the walls of the warehouses. He could see large rectangular shapes inside the one on the right. "Yup. They're there."
"Good." Lance stepped forward. "We can't allow these criminals to make off with whatever these things are."
"Alright. I'm off." Sable dashed forward but was stopped by his brother's hand on his shoulder.
"Sable. May I remind you that this is my thing and that I only allowed you to join in because I thought you were ready?"
"But I am ready…" Sable whined. "Besides, it's just a bunch of bad guys. We'll beat 'em up or something."
"Sable. My mission. My rules. We come up with a plan."
"Fine…"
Sable made his way across the rooftop, hiding behind an air conditioning unit. Glancing over his cover, he looked at all four snipers. They were walking back and forth in regular intervals. He then spotted Lance scaling the left warehouse and stopping halfway. He performed a hand signal to his brother. The archer nodded and folded out his bow.
Eyes white, he grabbed two arrows from his pack and inserted them into the quiver. One of the arrows was infused with fire dust while the other had ice. Sable took both arrows and pulled back on his bow. With one swift motion, the arrows flew into the roof of the right warehouse. Both shattered at the same time. The ice mixed with the fire created a smokescreen that blinded the snipers. As they tried to regain their vision, Lance climbed onto the roof and took out both enemies with his katana. The ground troops noticed the smokescreen and were on alert. Lance took one of the snipers' rifle and gestured for Sable.
All the soldiers on the ground heard was the sound of punching and grunting from behind the smoke. All of a sudden, four fire arrows rained down on them. The explosion knocked the men off their feet. More squads came to help. Lance aimed the sniper and shot two men in the legs. To his surprise, the men dropped down in agony. The bullet had penetrated their Aura and their armor. Looking at the rifle, he waved his hand at his brother who waved back.
Both of them jumped down from the roofs at the same time. Sable used his bow to take out guards on his left and right, landing a kick on the third in front of him. Lance took out his katana and deflected the bullets fired at him. When he got close enough, he swung his sword to the left, knocking out two soldiers. The soldier on his right threw a punch but Lance caught it and returned the attack with a kick. At that moment, Lance closed his eyes. Using his semblance, he heard dozens of footsteps converging around their area.
Opening his eyes, he shouted. "Little bro! Look out!"
"Huh?" Sable moved forward. A bullet flew past, only inches away from his head. With a roll, the archer landed back to back with his brother. Soldiers surrounded them from all sides while two snipers landed on the roof.
"Reinforcements." Lance said. "Damn…"
"Two snipers on the roof now. About twenty other soldiers on the ground." Sable analyzed.
Both brothers smiled and nodded. Sable immediately shot both ice and fire arrows at the roof while doing a back flip. Lance blocked the incoming bullets one by one while Sable put more arrows into the assailants. The smoke on the roof was starting to clear. Sable took two electric arrows and activated his semblance. Able to see the snipers behind the smoke, he sent the arrows flying. The arrows detonated and electrocuted the snipers.
"Ice shock!" Lance shouted.
In less than a second, Sable pulled out four ice arrows. And fired them into the air. Lance jumped into the air along with his brother. Flicking his katana, it lit up with electricity. The ice arrows hit the ground and froze the floor. Lance landed with his katana and created an electromagnetic pulse that fried all the solders' weapons. Sable landed beside Lance with a smile. The men grunted, took out their combat knives, and charged the brothers.
Back to back, they fought valiantly. Sable parried a soldier's attack with his bow, flipping him over his head. Lance blocked two attacks with his katana and spun around, knocking them out. Once all the enemies had been dispatched, the brothers sheathed their weapons.
"Not bad, little bro." Lance chuckled.
"I told you to stop calling me that." Sable complained.
Lance listened carefully to the interior of the warehouse before leading his brother inside. The interior was filled with large, rectangular containers.
"Damn, what are they hiding?" The archer touched one of the storage units.
"Sable!" Lance called out. "A little help?"
Sable went to his brother and helped him pry open the doors to a container. Inside, multiple black boxes were stacked on top of each other. Lance took one of the boxes and opened it.
"Oh no…"
The boxes contained bullets that were colored dark green. Holding one against the moonlight, Lance examined the object.
"Bullets? They were smuggling bullets?" Sable asked.
"Not just bullets, Sable. Aura penetrating ones. Like the ones the snipers use." Lance replied.
"Aura penetrating? Like one shot one kill?"
"Yeah… and there's loads of them." Lance stepped back. "They could supply an army with all these."
Sable looked at all the boxes in the warehouse. "We need to destroy them." He pulled out five fire arrows and cocked them.
Lance suddenly heard a swish. "Sable!"
An explosion knocked both brothers off their feet. Lance grunted as he got up. He looked to his right where his brother was laying. He grabbed Sable and wrapped his arm around his neck. Bringing him to the doors, more fiery explosions occurred behind them. Lance threw his little brother outside as he regained his consciousness.
"Lance!" Sable shouted.
The archer's big brother stood at the doorway before one of the explosions created a chain reaction that ignited the dust inside the bullets of each container. The entire warehouse caught on fire and let out a mighty boom. The windows shattered and fire knocked Sable back. Looking back up, he realized his brother didn't make it out in time.
"Lance?"
Sable shot up in cold sweat. He looked around and found himself in a dark room. The moonlight gently illuminated the interior showing him the cracked wooden floor and walls. Sitting back on the creaky bed, the archer let out a sigh of relief. His frown slowly turned into a smile. Tomorrow was going to be the day he leaves for Vale. No more orphanage. No more staring at the empty, lifeless dunes of Vacuo. No more pain.
"Well, a little pain. No. A lot more pain… for THEM."