Syrus was in some variety of airship. It was mission day. Syrus was clad in some variety of full body suit with Kevlar worked into the material. And a T-shirt thrown over the top. He still didn't see the need for a shirt. No one had ever explained the concept. Probably to store bandages. He was also supplied with is mask. He had a collar tightly wrapped around his neck. It had been given to him to prevent him from running off. Incineration glyphs where carved into the metal
Trinity was in a separate ship with the other battle tacticians. He had been told one command. "Hit the ground, find your sister. Live" Syrus had been put in the ship with the swordsmen. Each man was in an all-white jumpsuit. They were all thin and fit. Well-built men. In sheathes across their backs where swords. Atlesian make, all regulation the higher ranked men where armed with dust infused blades. The ship shook and jittered. The lights flickered. Everyone was strapped into ports on the wall. All of a sudden as the ship halted in mid-air the men began to do a chant. Banging their arms on the walls twice before crossing them and shouting "Drop!" one by one more and more men joined in the chant. Syrus looked around to see everyone was chanting.
Syrus impressionable as ever copied the men. Bang! Bang! "Drop!" Bang! Bang! "Drop!" Bang! Bang! "Drop!" the chant went on and on. Getting the men psyched up. But why drop? One of the swordsmen strapped in next to Syrus noticed he had joined in. "Look! You guys! Shorts stack is joining in!" everyone cheered and the person next to him ruffled his hair.
The men stopped banging their hands on the walls and began chanting just the word "Drop!" over and over. "Drop! Drop! Drop"
Syrus was falling. And fast. He was lying in some kind of metal sledge. A glass window closed around the top of the vehicle. Leaving him encapsulated. A thruster in the back of his vehicle sent him speeding towards the ground as quickly as it could. He was stuck in a metal coffin speeding towards the ground incapable of seeing around him. Was he scared? No was the correct answer. He was exited.
The pod hit the ground and the glass flew off of the front with a jet of gas. He was ejected from the pod and he landed on his feet. All of the swordsmen got out quickly. They were ready for a fight. The man gave out cries of conviction. "Hell Jumpers!" they were charging for some variety of abandoned factory with some variety of tall tower in the centre. Somewhere between a wizard's tower and something from the future. It was all grey and completely run down. The terrain around was muddy ad it was raining heavily. Syrus was too psyched too exited too hyped to follow orders. Trinity could go find herself. Instead of Turing back to find Trinity's ship he charged forwards. On the frontlines. With the swordsmen.
He could see people as he drew closer to the Factory. No uniform instead choosing to wear a stag insignia across whatever clothing they were wearing. The people saw the wave of soldiers accompanied by Syrus and began to open fire. The Swordsmen where agile quick and balanced. They had some variety of evasion tech in their legs. Jets of gas stot from their legs in all directions allowing them to dodge bullets and become insanely fast targets. "Shields!" one man screamed. Everyone including Syrus grinded to a halt. Syrus looked up to see fireballs coming down from the sky. They landed with a hard crash sending mud everywhere. White metal statues of large men where in front of the swordsmen now.
"Sprinting phalanx" the same man shouted. He must be in charge. Metal panels fell away from the statues to reveal large men in gigantic suits of hydraulic armour. Bigger than ten men. Stronger than twenty. They all broke into a sprint. Gas venting from the joints of the beasts with very step. All of the gigantic suits dropped to their knees and punched their fists together even bigger shields dropped out of their arms. Tank treads seemed to form across their shins. And they began to roll forwards picking up speed. Some perfect unison between man and machine was met in the creation of these suits. All of the swordsmen grabbed onto handles on the back of the suits. They began to push aided by their jets on their legs they picked up speed.
They had almost cleared the field of mud between them and the factory. Bullets flying at them. Mud being thrown up. The men where brave solders ignoring the rain of chaos flying at them at all times. They were protected by their giant warriors. Syrus blinked and sprinted to try and catch up with one of the suits. He grabbed a hold and began to focus all of his energy on blinking. Even with his pump it was difficult. Only capable of moving the mass of power meters at a time but enough to make a difference. Syrus could hear the sounds of shouts, bullets hitting the shields of the metal protectors, tank treads grinding through the dirt. They reached the Factory and everyone dived off of the metal beasts.
Their rivals where clad in hoodies, shirts jeans. Hey looked ill prepared and weak. Syrus blinked up behind one with a pistol and threw him against a wall. Grasping his gun at the same time. The military had supplied Syrus with no weapons assuming that he would be escorted along with Trinity. The man slumped to the floor. Their adversaries where nothing compared to the battalion of well-trained soldiers. None equipped with any variety of range weapon instead boasting swords ad an agility matched only by Syrus' blinking capability he felt at home. The swordsmen cleaved through their opponent with ease. Suddenly the man in charge yield out another command "Brea-" he was cut short. The man was in the same suit of armour as all of the others except with two green stripes across the entire suit.
He was bleeding fast. He had been shot in the side of the leg. Syrus sprinted for him dodging, ducking, weaving and blinking to make sure get didn't get hit. Another enemy jumped in front of him raising his weapon to open fire Syrus blinked past the man and turned around. Firing his gun three times in his back. The man fell over and Syrus kept charging for the man in charge. Syrus dived for him and assessed his wounds. On his leg was a deep bullet wound. He grasped the man. The man looked back up at him. Yelling at him telling him to "save yourself!" but Syrus didn't listen. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate hard. Picturing the man in his mind the entirety of his body without the bullet. The mental image was complete in his mind he blinked a metre to the left. The two of them blinked but the bullet in the man's leg was left behind. It fell down into the mud. Syrus tore off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around the man's leg. He was patched up and wouldn't die of blood loss.
He pointed at one of the giant mechanical warriors. Syrus pulled the man to his feet and began to blink to bring the man closer and closer. To the beast. "Goliath 6-184!" he screamed the creature tuned around "Defensive assault" the goliath scooped the man up with one arm and carried on raising his shield with his free hand.
The battle was intense bullets, blood and mud flew in every direction. The enemy where slaughtered. Their bodies were scattered across the battlefield. However many swordsmen had died in the battle as well. Syrus looked at them all. Heroes.
"Breach!" the man yelled. The goliaths one by one began to get up on their feet. Standing as tall a building. These beasts where truly great. All of the goliaths but one punched the wall of the factory at the same time. The one that did not punch the wall was still cradling the man in charge holding up a shield to keep him safe. The wall came down and more enemies came charging from the inside of the building.
Suddenly Syrus realised he needed to get Trinity. He turned round to begin to run back for Trinity. When he heard a shout. "You'll need this" shouted a voice. Syrus turned around. In the arm of a goliath lay the man who Syrus had saved. He threw him a gauntlet and his sword in its scabbard. Infused with ice dust. "Aim it at a ship" he said. Syrus nodded before putting his fit to his chest to give a salute. The picked up the equipment and began running back towards a large fleet of airships that had landed. He threw the scabbard across his soldier and put on the gauntlet as he ran. He saw a ship fly overhead and aimed his fist at the flying machine. All of a sudden a metal device sprung from his arm attached to a rope it flew for the plane. It hit the vehicle and latched on.
He was being pulled through the air. Quickly. Dangling on the end of a rope he was being pulled by a jet. He saw the fleet draw closer and he pulled and yanked on the gauntlet trying to make it let go. He couldn't work it. How did this thing work? He blinked to break free of his shackle. He began falling. He had traded one bad for another. He couldn't see a way out of this fall. The floor was muddy anyway. Maybe the fall wouldn't be so bad. He flared his aura glowing a shade of purple.
He hit the ground in a splash of mud similar the landing of the goliaths. His ankle was twisted not bad for a fall from an air plane. He got up he had a limp. He limped for a tent with an infirmary sign. The tent was empty. Except for a few people walking around doing nothing. Syrus grabbed one of them and began to run away. Luckily for him he had grabbed an aura healer. He felt his ankle heal. He could run again. But he would need this person to stay for a while before the fix was permeant. He ignored the shouts of the person he was grabbing and instead darted around shouting "Trinity!" to no avail. He couldn't find his sister.
He ran around the base searching from his sister. Nothing. He saw people arming up. Pilots getting ready. Radio operators getting messages. But no Trinity. He heard a squeal "Syrus!" the voice shrieked. Syrus looked around but he couldn't see where it was coming from. Trinity appeared in front of him. "Were where you!" she yelled
"The swordsmen! They were awesome! I fought alongside them"
"The Hell Jumpers! Syrus that's suicide! They put you on that plane because everyone else was scared of you. You were meant to come back for me"
"Trinity they are amazing the heat of battle is exiting we need to go back you need to see it!"
"We have a mission Syrus!" he snapped out of his bout of excitement. He was sent here for a reason and it wasn't to have fun. He let go of the healer he was still holding hostage and the healer ran back to the infirmary. Syrus' ankle was better now. "What's the plan?" he asked
"Infiltration. We use the conflict as a distraction to break in and steal data"
"You got it boss."
"Drop that sword"
"No!"
"It is a Hell Jumper sword!"
"I know. The sword stays!"
Trinity frowned. The two of them began to run for the Factory followed by a platoon of armed soldiers. All equipped with rifles. Syrus thought them to be cowards. Bullets where impersonal there is no humanity to killing with a gun. Syrus and Trinity grasped each other's hand the two of them blinked. They were capable of blinking long distances together. They were across the field in no time. They reached the facility still being sleighed by the Hell jumpers. Goliaths keeping the smaller swordsmen safe. The swordsmen dispatching their adversaries in return.
The twins managed to sneak inside undetected. Getting behind cover, blinking to stay unseen and the occasional fight when they were noticed. They were behind enemy lines. The former factory was converted into a fortress. Sandbags gun emplacements gun lockers. Everything needed to make a base except for any overall look of control. Terrorists patrolled the facility. The twins dropped their masks. Trinity drew her fingers across her lips as if to be zipping them shut. Syrus nodded. The two of the crept pas the sandbags keeping low to the ground. They were trying to reach the base of the tower in the centre of the factory. It really seemed out of place much more modern than its surroundings. As if it had just sprouted from the ground in the middle of the facility at some point. The two of them had to sneak by undetected. In the meantime Syrus looked over towards the Hell Jumpers yearning to join in the fight. He wanted nothing more than to be in the action but orders were orders.
The two of them reached the door to the tower. An elevator door. Syrus reached up from his crouched position to hit the button. Only to find the door had been locked and electrocuted. There was no way out. They couldn't get in. and they couldn't get up the tower. "We need the Hell Jumpers"
"No we don't!"
"What do you have against them? They are warriors, heroes they fight when others won't!"
"Later Syrus we are in stealth."
Syrus was angry he stood up and began sprinting across the complex. Stabbing and cleaving at enemies as they came using the sword that was handed to him. He faced five terrorists all armed with guns. He blinked left and right frantically trying to confuse his adversaries. They begin firing wildly no real target in sight. Syrus blinked behind the man in the centre and tapped him on the shoulder "you missed me!" he said. Punching the man in the face knocking him out. Syrus though her hard the sound of a jaw breaking. The men panicked and turned around. Syrus drew his blade and flared his aura and a white mist emanated from his sword. He struck one of the terrorists with the sword. His entire arm was coated in ice leaving the terrorist's arm unusable. A bullet hit Syrus his aura prevented it from making a bullet hole but he was knocked over
The man screamed in surprise to see his arm completely frozen. Confused, enraged and not knowing what to do he charged at Syrus. Syrus leapt out of the way sending the man charging into a wall he hit the wall and fell over unconscious. Syrus looked up and saw his remaining adversaries. Upon his second glance he found that the group was now comprised of two men and one woman. The woman was tall tough and had a pair of broad shoulders. Resembling an Amazonian, she seemed to be leading the other two. The other two men where much smaller spindly looking men almost cradling their guns for protection.
Syrus stabbed his sword into the floor creating a small plume of ice around it. He raised his fits and got into a fighting stance. Lowering his body and his centre of gravity to prevent himself from getting knocked over. The woman smirked and ushered the two smaller men back. She lowered herself as well raising her fists. Syrus shouted his regular chant "To be human!"
"Is to be weak!" she shouted back cutting him off. Syrus was confused but didn't let his face show it. How did she know his chant? Only Greyson knew and that is because Greyson taught Syrus. The two carried on their chant "I am an animal!" the two bared their teeth at each other. Why did she know Syrus so well?
He charged and faked a swing at the woman instead following through with the other hand. She blocked the correct hand staggering Syrus and rendering him of balance. She swung her leg to kick Syrus in his thigh. He shifted himself backwards falling over but evading the kick at the same time. She dropped her gun and dived on Syrus pinning him to the floor. She punched for his head, he moved his head right. She punched for his head, he moved his head left. He attempted to roll to escape but he was stuck. He blinked and he was lying about two metres away. He sprung to his feet and readied his next attack.
The woman fell over. Lifeless. Trinity was stood over the body holding the woman's gun in her hand. Smoke wafting from the barrel. "Trinity!" Syrus said. Furious "Never! Ever! Never cheat a duel!" he saw his old foe dead on the floor a bullet hole in her back. She mustn't have had her aura up. He fell to his hands and knees dry retching. "Even this terrorist knew this! You are no better than them!"
"This isn't training Syrus! They aren't Greyson! They will kill you!"
"She knew his chant! She fought like him! I don't know why! I don't know how! But she knew! She respected the rules of battle! Unlike you! You filthy cheat!" Syrus couldn't control himself. He was furious, disgusted, hurt he felt the sanctity of battle had been violated. He crawled over to the body of his fallen foe "To victory, to battle, to the next world. For we shall met another day" he whispered in the corpse's ear.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know it meant that much to you. I thought of the battle not you. Seeing wars on paper is very different than through your eyes" Trinity said hearing the genuine sadness in Syrus' voice. She put her hand on his shoulder. He got up. "Let's get the Hell jumpers" Syrus perked up. Stood up and wiped a tear away from his face.
The two of them snuck out of the facility and manoeuvred through the chaos that was the front line. Syrus was having a great time in the heat of battle. In the blaze of glory. In this element. Trinity however was not. Hiding behind Syrus. Using him for protection. Defending herself as a last resort. Syrus was searching for something. For what? Trinity couldn't tell. Syrus stopped in front of a goliath. Only capable of holding up half of its shield as it's other arm was being held behind his shield. "Goliath 6-184!" Syrus shouted. The beast turned around to see the twins standing there. "How far can you throw?" Syrus said pointing at the tower.
An explosion sheeted the back of the goliath. Knocking it slightly. It turned back and roared at the crowd of terrorists. Its hand collapsed in on itself and out from the mess of moving parts and grinding gears came a large chain gun. Spinning up it fired wildly into the crowd thinning their numbers significantly.
The beast turned back around to face Syrus. This was the first good look at one of these things Syrus had got. Long powerful wide limbs powered by hydraulics causing it to vent gas when it moved. It had giant hands capable of holding in a car with one hand. There was no sign of a human present in the machine. The pilot's head was covered by a helmet with tinted glass on the eyes. Some sort of exhaust was situated in the helmet. It functioned as some sort of fear tactic Syrus thought. Distancing them from humanity further. Fumes and the occasion flame wafted out of the vents in the 'mouth' area. All of the exterior armour and panelling was painted. The helmet gave no impression of a weak point. Tank treads lined the legs of the beast. A gigantic red hot rotating open furnace-like contraption was placed in the centre of the chest of the goliath.
The beast looked to the figure that it was cradling in its arm. It gave a quick nod and set the man who Syrus had earlier saved on the floor. "Goliath 6-184 is a siege weapon! Of course he can throw! Reinhardt Show them what you can do"
Steel beams shot out of the goliath's legs into the ground locking it to the ground. The furnace began to spin faster. Making a loud noise of it revving up. The sounds of bullets bouncing off of the back of the goliath. It held out its hand Syrus picked up Trinity and put her on the hand. He hot on the hand and he pointed at the top of the tower. Some sort of observation tower was situated at the top. Syrus pointed at it and the goliath gave out another roar revving its furnace. It swung its arm sending the twins careening through the air.
Syrus kept a firm grasp of trinity's shirt to keep her close in the air. The twins where flying. And fast. Wind rushed past them. The ground distanced itself from them. They drew closer and closer to the observation deck of the tower. They began to slow down in the air. They were going to start falling soon. Syrus pulled Trinity closer. He has survived falls before but his aura was weak. He tried to yell over the sound of the wind. "Blink!" Trinity held Syrus close. Her eyes closed tightly. She was screaming. He shouted again. "Blink!"
The two of them blinked higher and higher reaching the observation deck of the tower. They blinked past the window and fell to the floor in the room. Panting and full of energy the twins got to their feet.
In front of a monitor was a tall thin man. "Hey!" Syrus yelled. The man tuned around from his computer. He wore a smart, clean striped suit. Hand tailored no sign of a label or a tag. Must have been expensive. A tall top hat and a purple and red striped tie. A handsome man with tan skin and long limbs. He looked around Syrus age. A wide grin was stretched across his face.
"Harry Shirk at your service!" the man said taking a bow "leader, rebel, escape artist extraordinaire. So what brings you two to my humble abode?"
Trinity and Syrus exchanged glances. Harry Shirk did not look like any other man they had ever seen.
"Don't be shy my dear, I won't bite." But with this he gave a snap of his teeth. Trinity sensed the Syrus was about to lay him out.
"So… as I said. What brings you to my humble abode?"
