Chapter 9

The one downside to using the pills was that they didn't last long. I had got my suit on and ran up the stairs by the time it wore off. To make matter worse; the steroid vial in my suit hasn't been refilled.

"Looks like I'll have to conserve these." I said stuffing the remaining pills into a containment slot on my chest.

I was doing more scans and I found at least fifteen Joes and some other signature I don't recognize.

"It's not a robot master?"

No, this one is…much more powerful.

"Great, just what I needed," I said "Where are most of the Joes?"

It looks like there are four in this hallway, three on the second floor, and four in the gym. That other signature is in the gym as well.

I braced myself against the wall and carefully stuck my head out enough to see down the hall. I saw one of the Joes already.

"How didn't he hear us?" I thought

Joes aren't too smart.

"If I use my buster will that alert all the others?"

They're already alerted since you killed one but it wouldn't hurt to go with the stealthy approach.

I crept out on my tiptoes as quietly as I could. It was a piss-poor effort, though because the Joe instantly turned around and saw me! I panicked and shot it leaving a hole in its torso.

"That could've gone a lot worse." I said

"WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?" a robotic voice asked

"IT CAME FROM DOWN HERE, FOLLOW ME." Another said

"Crap!" I said running

A bullet whizzed by my head while I ran. I aimed the buster behind me while trying to keep my pace. I let a shot go and one of the Joes fell. The other one was armed with an assault rifle and fired around like mad. I felt the bullets pelt the back of my suit. It felt like a bunch of people kept on punching my back. I dove into an open classroom.

"Am I hit?" I asked

No, the suit hasn't been breached. You're okay.

The Joe came through the doorway and was greeted with a shot to the shoulder. Its gun arm fell off but it tried to tackle me. I met it head on and tackled him back, which was a stupid plan! I was knocked into the wall, which hurts a whole lot more than it did last time. I tried to get up but it punched me with its shield arm.

While I was on the floor I shot my buster at its foot. It fell down and thrashed around to get up. I put one more shot into its face and it stopped moving.

"I can already tell I'm going to hate these things!" I said kicking the junk heap

Do you feel alright?

"I'm okay."

The gym was at the end of the hallway; you could tell because of the smell of old wood. I heard talking the closer I got to it…oh my god! They took the school hostage!

Alex, hide! The other Joes are coming down the hall!

The only place to hide was in a broom closet. I closed myself inside and accidently stepped in a mop bucket. As I heard the Joes walk by I clamped my hands over my mouth guard.

All the Joes are in the gym now.

"I'm gonna need more than this buster for all of them."

Take the microchip and inert it into the slot on the back of your neck.

I pulled the chip out and did as he instructed. A little bar appear on the top left of my visor.

"…well?" I asked

I'm not sure either.

"Well isn't that just grand!"

I eased out of the room and looked down the hallway. At the end of the hall I saw Joes leading students into the gym.

"How many hostages do you think they have?"

Hold on; let me check a few things. According to police reports there are squad cars outside the school and most of the students are outside. I don't think they have that many.

I waited until the last Joe entered the gym before I followed. I took out one of the pills and held it close to my mouth. I pressed my head against the door to hear what was going on.

"WE FOUND AS MANY STUDENTS AS WE COULD." A Joe said

"Good, this will get Light's attention." An unknown voice said

It sounded almost human with an accent to it. It was light and barely noticeable

"What is that?"

He has a light Jamaican accent.

"Any plans?"

We're outnumbered that's for sure. I don't know what we can do.

I didn't have many options. I could go in guns blazing but the Joes have guns and I don't know how many more bullets the suit can take.

"Remind me to tell the doctor to put a stats screen or something in this suit."

Noted.

I tossed the pill in my mouth and kicked the door. I had the element of surprise; I shot the Joe closest to me. There were a few students tied up and on their knees; maybe twenty or so.

"Freeze!" I shouted

The other three Joes opened fire on me. I rolled out of the way and let off another shot. It was sloppy and only grazed one of them.

"Damn!" I shouted

I let off two more and was a little better; the one I shot before fell over and I knocked the gun arm off another one. The last Joe aimed for me to shoot.

"Stop!" The Jamaican voice said

I looked around for the voice. There was no one around aside from the students who; by the way; were afraid and screaming for help. The Joes stood in attention.

"Up here!" It said again

I looked up to the rafters and there was a black robot. It jumped down in front of the Joes and to be honest the only thing I could pay attention to were the guy's ears. Well; I don't know if you could call them ears, they were more like orange bat wings on his helmet. He was almost all black except for purple line that went down his torso that split into two around his waist and went down the front of his legs.

"So, you're Light's pawn?" He started "To be honest I was hoping for something a little more impressive but Light always scrapes the bottom of the barrel."

I couldn't really say anything. I wasn't good at the witty banter thing.

"Do you have a name?" He asked

"Um…Mega Man! My name is Mega Man!"

He scoffed.

"Get him." He said nonchalantly

A new squad of Joes crashed through the gym roof. He must've had these guys in reserve. They all piled on me grabbing my arms and legs. I couldn't move.

"Hold him still!" He shouted

He held out his arm and a box on his left arm opened up and folded out. His arm turned into a sniper rifle type gun.

"Let go of me, you assholes!" I shouted

Super strength is great and all but in situations like this it's about a helpful as fighting the Normandy landing with a super soaker. I couldn't move worth shit! He aimed the rifle at me and a red dot sight appeared on my neck. As I thrashed and yelled the suit began to spark. Numbers began to flash across my visor and the bar at the top left started glowing.

The suit became enveloped in a dark red aura. The aura went away and the suit was a different color. It was red and yelled. I pulled my arms and legs together and threw them out with all my strength. The Joes did more than let go; they went flying in all directions. They all crashed through the walls and ceiling.

Whoa!

"Did I just do that?" I thought

Watch out!

Shots rang out from his rifle. I jumped out of the way as one of the bullets grazed my arm. He held out his right arm and another box folded out into a purple blade. He took a fighting stance and then he just disappeared.

Behind you!

I really should have seen that coming. I turned as fast as I could and grabbed the blade stopping it a few inches from my stomach.

"Back off!" I shouted

I punched him in his gut and he went flying. He hit the ceiling and then the floor.

"Is that all you've got?" He yelled

He disappeared again.

"How the hell does he keep doing that?"

He's moving too fast for your eyes to keep up.

I expected him to be behind me again but he came from above. I crossed my arms above my head blocking his sword. He took the side of his rifle and smacked the side of my head. I stumbled back and he landed on the floor. He aimed his rifle at me and let out three shots.

Alex!

I fell on my behind. My stomach was burning. I looked down and saw two holes in my suit. I felt something warm oozing up my throat. I coughed and a liquid came out. My face guard couldn't let it up and the liquid went up my nose. I couldn't breathe.

I desperately pulled at my face guard and pulled it off. I hacked again and blood flew out. I could only smell my own blood. It was the worst thing I'd ever smelled. I tried to wipe it away the best I could but it only smeared and got everywhere.

"Too much blood," I thought "so much of it. My blood."

A puddle was forming below me as I kept coughing and wiping my face. A hand clamped around my neck and held me high. His sword arm was gone now.

"I must say, red is more your color." He said

I looked down and saw the color of my suit changing back to blue. It was then I saw how much I bled over myself. It was so red and dripping. I tried to cough up more blood but his grip was too strong. I was going to suffocate on my own blood.

I raised my buster arm to his face but he grabbed it and twisted it until I heard a wet cracking sound. I screamed an awful gurgling scream.

"What the fuck are you?" I strained

"If you must know, my name is Bass."

My lungs started to burn; begging for oxygen. I thrashed my legs around trying to kick him. My feet made contact but the steroid pill had long worn off.

"So sad, I hate to see an animal like you in pain." Bass said

Fuck off!

He aimed his rifle at me. I hacked as hard as I could and spit out a wad of blood and saliva into his eyes.

"Oh god!" He yelled dropping me and rubbing his face

The bar on my visor had a little left in it. I plunged my arm into the gym floor and took the last of my steroid pills. I use the last bit of my strength and pulled up as hard as I could. The floor began to crack and break. I pulled up a large piece of cement and hard wood flooring that was easily twice my size.

I threw it at him; it hit like giant bowling ball and sent him crashing through multiple walls. I sprinted after the ball; it continued to crash through two more walls before it and Bass were outside. The ball broke after that rolled away from Bass. I didn't give Bass any time to recover. I jumped onto him and used my good arm to punch him in his face.

I had forgotten all about the bullet wounds in my stomach and just kept punching. I soon started lurching more blood on him. I started to feel really woozy; so much so that my punches had no force behind them. I had lost too much blood. I rolled off of him and laid myself on my stomach.

Alex, we need to get you to the doctor. You're severely hurt.

"No shit." I said

Alex if you fall asleep you may bleed out before we can get you help!

I couldn't get up; I was too tired.

"I can't."

Don't fall asleep you son of a bitch!

"Sorry."

Rock continued to yell at me but as everything around me started to go black his words became harder and harder to hear until there was nothing.

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