Ranger24: Okay here's a new chapter. Damn writers block for slowing me down.
Chapter 8: First clue.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.`
Twilight Town, The old Mansion, 2001 hours day 5
"Come on, people. We have to find Gareth fast." Ranger snapped hammering off more sniper rounds.
"Once we deal with these bastards first," Seifer noted.
The coughing of the sniper rifles rippled through the night and dozens of fangirls below collapsed dead from the gun fire. The Twilight town milita fighters swept forward guns blazing killing anything that the snipers missed. Although it sickened Nukid to fight like this it was the only tactically sound option if they were to recover Ranger's contact.
It was then however that the roar of proppeller blades reached their ears. They looked up in alarm to see several helicopters flying straight towards a clearing just behind the milita fighters!
"Oh shit! With that kinda force my guys don't stand a chance!" Seifer said alarmed.
"We'll cut 'em off," Ranger said hefting his sniper rifle. Nukid pulled himself to his feet while Chiyo unslung a silenced and red dot sighted M7 Caseless submachine gun. They rushed down the slop trying to reach the gates before the fangirls could out flank the milita.
They arrived just in time as some twenty fangirls came out of the forest charging towards the mansion. Ranger hefted his sniper rifle and blasted one in the face while TSS, Seifer, and Chiyo opened fire with their weapons. Seras switched from the Harkkonen to a lighter smaller rifle and began hammering off rounds. Nukid slung his rifle and rushed into the fray fists ready. A fangirl saw him coming and drew a knife to fight!
"Shigan!" Nukid shouted firing off one off his deadly finger bullets right into the skull of the fangirl in question. Another at the same time rushed him rifle raised. She swung at him, but he bent double and the fangirl was sent toppling over him into the dirt and Nukid brought his foot down hard on her throat. A bullet grazed his shoulder and a second struck him square in the leg and he stumbled swearing. A third fangirl was keeping her distance and using her rifle to bring him down.
"Ranyuku!" He shouted flinging out his good leg. The air blade sliced the fangirls head clean off and her decapitated corpse collapsed in a pool of gore. But as she fell a forth fangirl came at him with a sniper rifle. Nukid knew there wasn't enough time to throw up any defense!
The sudden roar of a power saw cut through the night as Seifer rammed his lancers bayonet into the shoulder of thhe fangirl! She screamed in agony arms failing wildly, Seifer roaring mercilessly. Bits of bone and blood were flung all over the place and Nukid felt some bile rising to his throat as Seifer dragged the saw down through fangirls chest cavity and into the central plumbing before exiting out the left hip. Seifer stood there covered in gore and panting heavily.
"On your feet Nukid," Ranger growled above him. Nukid glanced up as Ranger grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Nukid winced as his injured leg touched the ground. He unslung his rifle and used it as a makeshift crutch.
"Well at least you can move," Ranger muttered.
The fangirls had been slaughtered and TSS was wiping stray dropplets of blood from his lips. Clearly he'd used his fangs on some of the enemy.
Seifer strolledover to the gate and smirked as he watched the milita rip down the front doors to the mansion and plant charges on the artillery.
"Looks like the final assaults ready to go. Now all you guys have to do is cover our..." Seifer started but Ranger nodded to Chiyo.
Chiyo grabbed Seifer from behind and slammed him into the wall before hitting him square in the back with her knee. Seifer's rifle clattered to the ground and he gave a cry of pain as Ranger pressed the barrel of Luna against his skull.
"Enough of this crap Seifer! Where's Gareth!?" Ranger shouted.
"What the hell do you...!"
"Where is he!?" Ranger demanded, flicking off Luna's safety.
"The Basement! They've got him in the computer room in the basement!" Seifer said panicking slightly.
Ranger nodded to Chiyo who released Seifer and gave him a swift kick to the legs sending him to the floor.
"Now that wasn't so difficult now was it? How about you just sit here and rest?" Ranger suggested holistering Luna.
Seifer groaned and lay where he'd fallen. Nukid glanced at Chiyo.
"Remind me never to get on your badside," he muttered.
"You wouldn't live to regret it," Chiyo replied.
"Alright let's move up, we've got to get Gareth and get out before reinforcements arrive." Ranger said unslinging his sawed off shot gun.
They rushed across the courtyard, Nukid hobbling slightly with his crutch. They entered the house which was a light with the sounds of gun fire. Ranger lead them away from the main part of the fighting however toward a side room. Inside two fangirls had barricaded themselves behind some crates. Ranger's shot gun bucked and the two fangirls were shreded before they could fire a shot.
"Rip open that book case," Ranger ordered pointing to the passage to the basement. TSS and Seras grabbed a hold of the sides of the book case and pulled away at the case ripping it away ffrom the wall revealing the door. TSS then tossed in a flash bang.
The flash bang went off and was folllowed by muffled cries of agony. Then they rushed inside and found four fangirls stumbling around half blind in the darkness. They cut down the hapless four with ridiculous ease and moved over the corpses. There lying in a corner was a man with messy black hair dressed in battered jacket and jeans, bound and gaged.
"That him?" TSS asked.
"Yep," Ranger replied.
He pulled out one of his knives and cut the bonds before pulling the gag of the man's.
"Hey Gareth how's it..." Ranger started before he was punched in the gut by Gareth.
"You bastard!" Gareth snapped. "Do you have any idea what it was like being forced to read the crap they gave me?"
"What'd they give you?" Ranger asked.
"Twiliight," Gareth repled.
Ranger looked green in the face.
Shade's Fortress, Shade's quarters, 2010 hours day 5
Shade sat silently on his bed Soul Eater lying on the bed spread before him. He ran his fingers along the length of the spines of the sword that meshed along the swords length. The glimmering pink gemstone grinned up at him wickedly. He'd gone over the blade time and time again but had never found anything having to do with being a darkside king upon the sword.
Still he was doing well, two of his five new darksides he'd recovered and he would set out for the other two as soon as it was morning. But even with five darksides Drake still out numbered him. The manufactured darksides could hold their own in fight and he wasn't sure if he could win with out either stealing one of the tablets from Drake or capturing the last one that was free.
"Time is running out young Darkside," a weary voice said.
Shade looked up to see the old man again watching him from the doorway.
"You might want to consider knocking next time," Shade said not moving.
"As if you would care if I did knock?" The old man asked.
"True," Shade noted. "What are you here for? Another suggestion that I go to Amon Ere?"
"That and other things," The old man replied walking to the foot of the bed. "You seek to defeat your rival Drake do you not?"
"Indeed," Shade replied.
"His power is great through numbers, and while your own forces are strong they cannot long stand against the forces of Drake. Which is why a I give you this." The old man said raising a withered hand.
Then a bolt of dark energy shot from the mans hand and collided with Shade's skull! Shade cried out in pain as images flashed through his skull, forms and styles of sword play different ways of manipulating dark energy and chaos energy. He fell back on the bed panting heavily before he looked up.
"What was...?" He asked.
"I have granted you increased knowledge of the Dark Slayer style," the old man replied. "It will help you greatly."
Shade sat up frowning.
"Why do you seek to help me?" Shade demanded.
"Because you are the key to redeeming my sins," the old man replied before he vanished into a whiff of shadows.
Shade rose from the bed and lifted Soul Eater, the pink gem burning brillantly now. Shade gazed into its depths for a minute or to before lowering the sword.
"Then I accept your aid old man," he muttered turning back to his bed.
Defiant, Breifing room, 2047 hours day 5
Nukid winced slightly as Seamus injected the biofoam into his bullet wound. The anticeptic and wound sealent stung as it killed any stray bacteria around Nukid's wound.
"Ah quit bein' such a baby," Semus growled.
Gareth sat at the small table wolfing down some food ravenously while Ranger rubbed his temples and Waffle's brought in more food. TSS was sipping from a wine glass filled with blood while Seras was in a shower trying to wipe away the scars of hearing about Twilight. Chiyo was back on the bridge with Kanton making sure the ship didn't crash into something.
Seamus rose as the contianer emptied and he chucked it into a waste dispenser. "There ya go lad, good as new."
Nukid stood up uneasily his wounded leg itching horribly.
"Next time try to dodge the bullets," Seamus said slapping him on the back. Nukid promptly fell forward from the force of the blow and barely caught himself on the table before he nearly broke his nose. Gareth grabbed his plate as the table shook.
"Hey easy!" Gareth snapped.
"If you don't mind I'm gonna go make a super Koola," Waffles said turning to leave.
"Right you do that," Ranger muttered.
As soon as Waffles had left Ranger looked up at Gareth.
"Okay man, you said you had a lead on one of the other Twilight warriors..."
"Lead?!" Gareth said downing a half a glass of whiskey in one go. "I know where she is damnit!"
"Well who is it and where is she?" Ranger demanded.
Gareth smirked lowering his knife and fork and proping his feet up on the table. "Well it's little miss Abby, she's in Radaint Garden. Frequents a pub called the Black and Blue."
"Abby?" Ranger said raising an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Gareth shrugged. "Well she matched the discription well enough, now about my fee..."
Ranger however rose to his feet and hit the ship intercom. "Kanton, Chiyo. Set a coarse for Radiant Garden ASAP."
"Understood master," Kanton replied.
Gareth raised an eyebrow. "You? Master?"
"Yeah now shut up," Ranger growled sitting down at the table. "I'll get you your pay as soon as possible. In the meantime get in contact with any of your pals, see if they can find the others."
"Alright then, but I'd better be getting double for this," Gareth said.
Ranger stuck Sol right between Gareth's eyes.
"Last I checked, the guy packing the heat set the price." Ranger growled.
Gareth gulped. "Right my bad Ranger, I'll get right on it!"
Gareth then rushed out of the room without a backward glance.
"So who's this Abby?" Nukid asked.
"Another Twilight Warrior," Ranger replied.
Nukid rolled his eyes.
"No shit, I meant who is she apart from that?" He asked.
Ranger sighed. "She's an old friend."
"Oh I see," Nukid said smirking.
"No, you don't. We hardly knew eachother." Ranger dead panned.
"Oh, so you weren't?"
"No, I already have a girl Friend," Ranger replied.
"Well I haven't seen her," Nukid noted.
"And risk the constant love songs and shit like that?! Hell no!"
Ranger24: Okay thats the chapter. Next time, the first Twilight Warrior is found! Read and review!
