Apocalypse: Dawn of the Dead
Alright, I'll start this off by giving you guys my opinion on Origins.
The soundtrack is incredible, the Easter Egg Songs are fantastic, the weapon selection is the best so far, the scenery and detail, as well as some of the buildables and such, are well done, and overall it's a very interesting map.
And the other hand, it's HARD AS HELL.
I have never gotten my ass handed to me on a Zombie map that many times that badly, most of which were caused by the Panzar Soldat, which always spawns by me for whatever reason. Seriously, this map makes my first attempts at Die Rise seem flawless.
Anyway, I'm probably going to cover Origins, though I'm not sure how. I could do a full length chapter for it, or just mention it in a short blurb like I have the others. I kind of want to do a long chapter with the four Original Characters battling it out in France, since that'd be pretty badass, but because of my schedule, that probably won't happen. I'll keep you posted.
I also just got GTA V, and Pokémon X and Y comes out this Saturday. So I'll be torn between getting the chapters out and playing games….so…yeah. I still plan to keep chugging along, simply because these next few chapters are ones I've been looking forward too, especially 40.
I may extend my Multiplayer experience on BOII to GTA. So leave your PS3 username in the review section if you want to add me.
Anyway, shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter, which included Justplainawesome, Justsomeperson7734, katerinavalentine62601, Princess Shahnaz, Dustchu, a Guest reviewer, Trapinchh, Bu11etB1iss115, hellfire lord, tjelledge262, Alec Damon, Killz718, MetaKnight0011, and a new reviewer known as Dogsled shepherd. Thanks for the support guys, I've had a few rough days over the past few weeks, and I can't tell you how many times my day was made by a review from one of you. Seriously, thank you so much.
Also, as this story gets ready for the final couple of chapters, I will start giving out more info for my next epic story, "Second Chances". Be on the lookout for new info on that project to come.
Also, due to lack of participation, I'm extending the AMA (Ask Me Anything) to this chapter and the next chapter as well. People who already asked questions can ask two more, all answers will be posted on my profile page. Essentially, you can ask me two questions about anything you want and I'll reply to them truthfully.
I also have a poll up. What's your favorite Zombie Map? Vote NOW!
Shoutout to JC785, who wrote a few bits of this chapter, mainly the bits that concerned him and Iva. This was sort of why this chapter took longer than it should've. Plus, school's been brutal lately.
So thanks again Joe. You rock man. :D
NOTE: Jonathan was Illuzio's name before he changed it to Illuzio. Just so you guys know, because the last time I mentioned this was chapter 9.
Enjoy.
Chapter 37: Let the Sky Fall
"The destruction of the past is perhaps the greatest of all crimes"- Simone Weil
Northern Europe:
Time: 1218 A.D.
Richtofen chuckled as Jonathan began to juggle the flaming rocks with quick hand gestures, making the rocks levitate. The Jester's abilities were indeed incredible, and though he longed to use them for his own purposes, he could not be swayed to leave his time.
"Ah, Jonathan. It is an incredible time you live in. Magic is plentiful and fantasy has become reality…it is like something from the books I read when I was a child!" Richtofen cackled madly.
Jonathan laughed as well and said "It is indeed a wonderful time we live in my friend. I shudder to think of a world without magic. What a terrible and boring thing"
"I agree. It is a shame that you cannot come back with me" Richtofen muttered.
"I know that, but I cannot take my fiancé with me to the future. I have a life here…you will find a way to realize your ideals my friend. I know it" Jonathan said as he made the rocks vanish.
Richtofen crossed his arms, glancing down at the Mauser C96 attached to his waist. His hand slowly reached towards the pistol, urged on by the voices in his head.
"Do it…"
"If you kill her, he'll have no reason to stay here…"
"End her…"
"With her gone, you can take Illuzio to the present…"
Richtofen drew his hand, rather forcibly, away from his pistol and forced a smile at the young man in front of him.
"Your confidence is appreciated mine friend" Richtofen replied, and the young man grinned widely at him.
"Jonathan! Edward!"
Both men turned to a beautiful young woman with flowing white hair. She had bright blue eyes and had a sort of calming aura around her.
"Elizabeth!" Jonathan said cheerfully.
"You two had better come inside. It looks like a storm is brewing" the young woman said as she pointed to the darkening sky.
Richtofen looked up and said "That is an odd storm…"
The sky was indeed dark like it was getting ready to rain, but the way the storm clouds were swirling around them was strange to Richtofen. He had a feeling that these clouds may not be exactly the forewarning of a physical storm, but a great darkness heading their way.
"Agh, I am thinking too much" Richtofen chided himself mentally before walking inside of the small cottage.
A massive surge of green energy flashed into existence a short distance away from the cottage, and a Zombified cowboy with blue eyes appeared in a ball of green magic.
"So…this is where he came from…" Richtofen murmured as he tapped his ball of magic.
"Illuzio said that there was a great cataclysm that ended all magic. He told me that when he went to investigate it, he found his fiancé dead…you need to find out what that Great Disaster is, and quickly"
"But what could it have been?" Richtofen murmured as he walked towards the cottage. He overheard the trio laughing from inside, and he recalled briefly that once upon a time, he was not like how he was now. He was sane, he was happy, and was content in his research with Dr. Maxis.
"You short-sighted fool...I didn't want to destroy you…now you've become worse than I…" Richtofen whispered to himself as he walked away from the cottage. The ball of magic had sent him to his particular moment in time for a reason. Why? He knew not. He just knew that there was something here he had to do.
Richtofen waited for roughly an hour before he got fed up with waiting.
"Enough is enough! Magic…" Richtofen addressed the semi-sentient ball of magic grasped in his palms.
"I do not know why you came to me, or why this magic is allowing me to do what I am…but I MUST have that man's power! Tear apart his life and bind his to mine! ALLOW ME TO CHANGE THE WORLD WITH YOUR POWER!" Richtofen howled, holding the ball of light to the sky.
Richtofen smiled in surprise when a column of green light shot from the ball of magic and into the sky with an incredible pulsating light. Richtofen heard the commotion of people in the town, and quickly ducked under a nearby pile of rocks.
Jonathan and Richtofen burst out of the house. Illuzio's arms with glowing, ready to use magic. Richtofen cautiously aimed his Mauser C96 at his surroundings.
"That power…is felt…very familiar" Illuzio muttered.
"Hmm…there are strange forces at work here mine friend" the human Richtofen said softly.
"Maybe it was nothing…" Illuzio said quietly.
"They are distracted…maybe…this requires another approach…" Richtofen said with an evil smile as he crept towards Jonathan's cottage. Richtofen found that the back door was unlocked, and he stumbled into the kitchen, where Jonathan's beloved fiancé was waiting for him to return. As Elizabeth turned around in surprise, Richtofen latched his powerful Zombified hands around her throat.
"You're fiancé will become my greatest weapon. He will help me change the future! Isn't that great?! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Richtofen laughed as he strangled the woman, who gasped and choked helplessly as she struggled against his grip. After a few moments, Richtofen increased the pressure and broke her neck, snapping it like a twig. He let go of the woman, causing her to crash down onto the ground helplessly. She stirred feebly on the ground before Richtofen shook his head.
"You vill not survive this…you shall die…farewell" Richtofen said softly before stomping on the woman's neck, killing her instantly.
The Zombified Richtofen stumbled out of the house and closed the door as softly as he could before taking cover once more outside of the house. As he waited, he glanced once more at the sky above, and noticed that red, blue, and green lights were flashing in the sky.
All of a sudden, an object broke through the sky and soared towards the ground. The object was surrounded in a massive wraith of blue flames, and was rocketing towards them at an insane speed. It was a massive meteorite, the size of which easily dwarfed anything Richtofen, either of them, had seen before in their lives. The rock now fell towards the town with an aura of fire around it at a speed that could easily kill all of them. The screams of the terrified townsfolk's filled the air as the flaming meteor streaked down from the sky.
"Fire in the sky…how poetic" Richtofen muttered dryly as he glanced at Jonathan, who was staring at the falling flaming rock with horror.
"EVERYONE! TOGETHER!" Jonathan yelled as he flung his hands at the meteor and shot a beam of green magic at it. Others raised their hands to the sky and raised their hands, shooting beams of other colored magic at the falling rock. Other magicians and spellcasters from the village combined their magic in an attempt to stoop the falling rock, but the rock seemed to be too thick or too strong to just get rid of in that manner, so it continued to plummet.
"With that velocity, the meteor will kill all of us! Jonathan, we need to leave!" Richtofen yelled worriedly as the meteor drew closer.
Jonathan scowled, but acknowledged this point with sigh and said "Back to the cottage. Quickly! We can jump forward to your time with Elizabeth!"
Both men sprinted back to the cottage, where Illuzio let out a scream of horror upon discovering something truly terrible.
"ELIZABETH!" Jonathan screamed hoarsely as he saw his fiancé's body, her body broken on the cottage floor.
"What on earth!? Who…who did this!?" Richtofen demanded as Jonathan threw himself to the ground with tears running down his face. Richtofen knelt next to his friend and murmured a word of condolence to him as they beheld the dead bride to be.
"We don't have much time my friend…I am so, so sorry" Richtofen said softly.
"No…DAMN IT!" Jonathan howled as he clutched his beloved closely.
"Jonathan, I know this is hard for you, but the meteor will kill us all if you don't get us out of here!" Richtofen said softly yet urgently as the sound of rushing air filled the area. They had only moments left, the meteor was falling very quickly.
The Zombified Richtofen grinned widely and he held his hand to the sky. This was the Great Disaster that Yena spoke of. As it was now, this meteor would kill a great number of people from the impact. But with some tweaking…it could work to his advantage.
"I see now…I am the instrument of destruction…I will be the one to destroy all magic…" Richtofen realized as he raised the ball of magic to the sky.
"Destroy all of those with the magical gift, so that your master will be forever alone, His power will be mine, and mine alone, to manipulate. Make it so!" Richtofen murmured as the ball of light shot a beam of green light to the sky, slamming into the meteor that fell towards them.
"I…I can't leave her!" Jonathan sobbed, trying to bring his wife to life his magic, to no avail.
"Perhaps we can reanimate her using element 115?" Richtofen suggested.
"NO! I will NEVER let you do that to her" Jonathan snarled furiously and he embraced his wife's body, sobbing uncontrollably.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Richtofen went flying across the room and the incredible impact of the meteor slammed into the ground. If the two had looked outside, they would've seen a surging wave of blue energy enveloping the countryside, that would extend to the entire planet. Every person who was blessed with the ability to use magic would be vaporized on the spot while those who were normal were unharmed.
"Quick! You must come with me!" Richtofen shouted as the surge of energy rushed through the country, destroying magicians effortlessly and causing screams of the dying to fill the air. Jonathan rested Elizabeth's body on the floor and gently shut her eyes.
Jonathan had a horribly pained look on his face as he starred at his wife before saying "My love…my sweet…I am so, so sorry…maybe someday, we will be reunited…but until then…farewell…"
Jonathan waved his hand and a pulsating blue portal appeared in a flash of green light on the other side of the room. Richtofen ran through it while Jonathan lingered. He glanced back at the body of his dead beloved before firing a spark of energy at her. Her body began to disintegrate and turned to sparkling ash, which floated into the air and into nothingness.
"Farewell" Jonathan whispered before turning his back on his old life and stepping into his new one.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Richtofen roared as the energy from the meteorite slammed into him, causing him to experience immense pain. He felt fear course through him as the unknown energy surged through him…
And did nothing to him at all…
…The pain had been nothing more than just the surge of energy, nothing more. And…
"What…is this? It feels…very, familiar…" Richtofen said with a frown.
The Zombified Richtofen stumbled towards the massive crater in the ground and slowly made his way down to the large lump of rock that had fallen from the sky. Richtofen eyed the rock with suspicion, and then a growing amazement.
"This…is…no…it couldn't be…could it?" Richtofen murmured as he walked around the rock. It may not have been the exact some type of rock, but the signatures were unmistakable.
"Element 115…such a large deposit such as this…it is even bigger than the one in that wretched swamp…hmm…" Richtofen said as he examined the rock.
It had a series of intricate marks all around it, with large chunks of it glowing a bright blue color. It was similar, yet different to the one at the Rising Sun Factory, and Richtofen wondered why that was.
"So…the impact from this magical meteorite was the cause of the destruction of the magic in the world…I was the one who altered the past…now everything is as it should be…I can feel it…Richtofen said softly, starring at the rock for a few moments.
The meteorite began to flash green, and then white, and then a wide assortment of colors. Richtofen could only watch in amazement as the rock vanished on the spot into thin air, leaving behind a trail of nothingness.
"It seems as though there was a slight delay in the time it would take to make that rock vanish due to those spells…a little too late for Illuzio...I wonder where that rock has gone?" Richtofen wondered aloud to himself.
"Strange…very strange…" Richtofen murmured as he held out his ball of magic in front of him.
"Not much energy left…take me away…" Richtofen said to the ball, and he vanished once more in a burst of light.
Meanwhile:
New York City:
Nicholas fell down from the second story window and landed onto a hot dog cart, crashing into it and howling in agony as he fell to the ground.
"WHY DID I LISTEN TO YOU!?" Nicholas yelled to Nick, who was snickering.
"You would think after four times of falling for that trick, he'd stop fall off of the ledge" C.N. remarked.
"I told him that if you look off from here just right, you can see a sign advertising FlygonN's next story" Nick said.
"Can you?" C.N. asked.
"Yeah, totally. See?" Nick raised C.N. into the air.
"Huh. Not bad. Looks pretty good. Better than this piece of crap story anyway" C.N. said.
"I'll kill you both in your sleep!" Nicholas yelled as he tried to get to his feet, failing miserably.
"Why would he want to know what the next story is anyway? Doesn't he write it?" C.N. asked.
"He wants to destroy it. Not see it…unfortunately, he doesn't exactly have the best balance" Nick laughed as Nicholas finally managed to get to his feet.
"Screw it! It's not worth it…it shows a Riolu and a Jolteon, not much of a spoiler…" Nicholas panted as he hobbled away.
"Aww…I wanted to see him fall again" Nick pouted.
"Maybe we can try it with Jess?" C.N. suggested.
"Good idea" Nick said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Andrew, Vice, and Judith were making their way through the No Man's Land, looking for anything of use. Andrew saw a Zombie stumbling towards them and said "Judith, wanna try out the Scavenger?"
"You bet" Judith said as she took aim with the sniper rifle Wonder Weapon and fired it. The bolt flew across the stream and slammed into the Zombie's skull. The Zombie growled in annoyance and took a step towards them before being engulfed in a massive explosion.
"That's awesome" Judith said with a grin.
"Gotta admit. Pretty cool" Vice said cheerfully.
Judith moved the bolt and hefted the rifle over her shoulder, along with her newly acquired Dead Specimen Reactor.
"Dual-wielding sniper rifles?" Vice questioned.
"Get on my level" Judith joked as she took aim with both of them, aiming at two Zombie stumbling around from afar.
"No way in hell you're going to-" Andrew began to say before Judith firing both guns at once. The Scavenger's shot embedded in the skull of the Zombie to the left, while the DSR's shot blew the head off of the Zombie on the right. The resulting explosion from the Scavenger vaporized both of their bodies. Judith lowered both of her rifles and grinned at the two young men behind her.
"Well…that was awesome" Vice said with a wide grin as he watched the ash fall to the ground.
"Someone's got to keep you guys alive" Judith said with a small smile as she put the Scavenger back on her back.
"We should keep looking for supplies. I think I saw a shop down this alley" Andrew said, jerking a finger towards an alley down the block, pulling out his Skullcrusher. The trio made their way down the street, while Samantha watched them from a nearby fire escape.
"We need to get going" Samantha muttered to Sieger, who shrugged. He seemed to be a constant companion for her over the past few hours, much to her hidden pleasure. While he seemed to not share the same attraction for her that she had for him (as far as she could tell anyway), he seemed to respect her quite a bit, which she was delighted by.
"We've got to get ready for the trip to California. If we're taking all of the survivors with us, we'll have to have supplies for two days, since it's Thursday night…plus we have to find a way to get there in one piece" Sieger replied.
"Hmm…"
"Exactly"
"So…what happened?" Samantha asked Sieger.
"Like I said, I'll explain everything later. I don't even know the full story, I only know what happened after you guys escaped from the Moon. How this began is a mystery to me" Sieger admitted softly.
Samantha sighed and said "I know how this began…sort of"
"Sort of?"
"It's…really complicated" Samantha muttered.
"I bet…it seems our lives are nothing but complicated" Sieger laughed. Samantha chuckled as well, and the two returned to their silent vigil over the survivors.
Meanwhile:
An Hour Later:
Nicholas, Juliet, Jess, Starch, Iva, and Joe carefully counted out the old lab that the 115 node had been in before going inside of the building.
"What are we looking for?" Starch asked quietly as he aimed his ACR, (formerly the Adaptive Combat Rifle, now the Accelerated Combustion Rifle, due to the flamethrower on the underside of it instead of a shotgun) around the entryway.
"There might be something we missed here. It doesn't hurt to take a second look" Juliet said as she strode into the room, scanning it.
"OK. Joe, me and Nicholas will go into the main lab. You guys keep looking in here, there might be something more to this place" Juliet said as she walked towards the main lab.
"Whatever" Starch shrugged as Iva and Jess began to look around. Starch kicked over a paint can and said "Bah"
"Bah?" Iva asked.
"Bah?" Jess asked as well.
"Yeah. Bah. Sheep's go bah, and FlygonN likes to use that in his stories for whatever reason" Starch replied.
"Starch! What the hell did you just say?" Nicholas called from the other room.
"Nothing!" Starch sang in an innocent tone, grinning evilly to himself.
Nicholas sat down in a nearby leather revolving chair and spun around, crossing one of his legs and assuming the position of a brooding mastermind with his arms.
"This chair is fantastic" Nicholas muttered.
"OK Chair Master, help me look around" Juliet said with a grin as she walked around the room. Joe walked over to some of the devices on the wall and began to examine them. He began to fiddle with some of the wiring.
"Just wondering how it works. Despite everything, Richtofen's a genius" Joe remarked, and the others agreed silently and allowed him to go on.
Samantha walked over to a desk with several blueprints on them. One of them was a large cylindrical container labeled "Shadow Manipulation Chamber". Samantha picked up a small journal and said "What's this?"
Samantha flipped it open, and found to her delight it was in German and easy for her to read. She recognized the handwriting in the journal in an instant, and she flipped it open to a bookmarked page and began to read.
"Entry Number 5,971…today we will begin with the first true test of the Super Soldier Program. The tests I performed on those fools, all those years ago, are nothing quite on the same scale as my expectations with this. Harvey has agreed to be the first subject, with Porter, Illuzio, and Sophia coming after him. I have already increased my power beyond my wildest hopes, and I wish to do the same with those I consider my allies, or, dare I even think it, my friends.
"Perhaps I may have lost sight of what really mattered back when my mind was altered. I was so obsessed with power and destroying Maxis, I forgot why I joined the Project in the first place. To improve the human condition. With Illuzio's magic and my own powers, and with no one to stop me…success is all but assured. The human race will look to me as their savior, and will change this world for the better. I have as much time as I need, and I will make sure that the world will forever remember my name"
Samantha glanced around and slipped the small book into her jacket pocket and zipped it, making sure that it was secure. She turned around and looked over at Nicholas, who was tapping a metal briefcase.
"There's something in here. It's a top secret weapon or something, I know it" Nicholas muttered as he continued to try combinations on the lock.
Finally the teen got fed up and pried open the lock with the Golden Spork. What he found in the briefcase was a single gun, and it made Nicholas grin widely. The design had improved and it seemed to have several differences compared to its predecessor, but he knew what he had found.
"The Ray Gun Mark II" Nicholas breathed as he took aim and fired into the ceiling experimentally. The three green bursts tore through the ceiling effortlessly and Nicholas laughed at his success.
"That's too cool" Joe remarked as he began to stuff some of the parts of the machine into his backpack he had with him. He began to pull out capsules left over from the Bolder Quarry Lab and began to take more parts of the machines, even taking some of the depowered meteorite left behind in the Node.
"Why are you doing that?" Nicholas asked as Joe finished storing everything.
"We can use some of these parts, I know it" Joe said as he slung and backpack over his shoulders with a grunt.
The group continued to scour the lab for the better part of an hour, finding nothing else of note. The lab was more of less abandoned, save for the journal and the Ray Gun Mark II, nothing else really stuck out.
However as the trio left the room, Nicholas's eye was caught by a small picture on the wall. He glanced at it for a moment before saying "What the hell?"
It was Edward Richtofen, standing next to Sophia. Both were holding hands and smiling widely. Standing next to them was a little girl, no more than seven. She was wearing a happy smile on her face and had long black hair. Nicholas frowned for a moment and said "Who is that?"
Nicholas walked over to the picture and removed it from the wall, starring at it intently. The picture was in black and white, but she certainly seemed to have some of Richtofen's characteristics. She had the same eye color as Richtofen and had Sophia's black hair…
"He…he had a daughter?" Nicholas murmured.
"NICHOLAS! Come on man, we're leaving! Something's happening at the camp!" Joe yelled, sounding panicked.
Nicholas turned to leave, but glanced back at the picture of Richtofen, Sophia, and the little girl. Without knowing why, Nicholas put the photo carefully into his backpack. Nicholas turned around, thinking that there may yet be a lot of the puzzle that they just didn't know yet…
New York City:
Times Square:
The "something" Joe had mentioned became very obvious when the teens stepped outside.
Each one of the search parties, whether they be for food or supplies, was swarmed by a massive horde of Zombies that had forced them back the way they came. No matter how many they shot, more would come. Nicholas and the others had run outside and were nearly overrun if it weren't for Samantha and Nicholas's Vitriolic Withering. Joe ran ahead while the others held off the Zombies for him.
"COME ON YOU FREAK-SACKS! BRING IT!" Dempsey yelled as he slammed his Lamentation into the skull of a Screecher Zombie before spinning around and unloading an entire clip into another swarm of Zombies, blasting their heads off with an expert aim. Kara, also holding a Lamentation, was doing her father proud, killing almost as many Zombies as he was with an aim created by years and years of practice and being the daughter of a marine legend.
"Nice job Kiddo, you're doing great!" Dempsey said as he clapped his daughter on the shoulder as he walked past her and to the next wave of Zombies.
"Well duh, I am your daughter" Kara said with a smirk as he shouldered her gun and followed her dad into the fray of Zombies.
Chan and Takeo stood back to back, slashing at hacking at the undead with their Katanas. Takeo was merciless with his blade, slashing and hacking at anything that came towards him and his beloved daughter. Chan had a wide grin on her face, even as she ran a Zombie through with her katana, yanked the blade out a beheaded a Zombie before spinning around and stabbing a Zombie through the stomach all in one move. Takeo pulled out a Cobra and shot the Zombie Chan had stabbed in the skull, killing it.
Nikolai, Joe, and Iva were standing in a line, unloading onto the undead hordes. Joe added one or two shots from his Wunderwaffe DG-7 whenever he could, but for the most part he kept on shooting the hordes with his Rettified-870 Mechanical Cranium Sequencer, not letting up.
"You fight well for an American. Maybe you will are not so pathetic after all!" Nikolai said jokingly as he grabbed a Zombie by the skull with one hand and slammed his knife into its skull before throwing it to the side like it was a toy.
Joe put away his shotgun and punched both of his fists together, letting out a small wave of electricity as the Fists of Thor slammed into each other.
"Pathetic? We'll see about that!" Joe yelled with a savage grin as he jumped into the horde, fists and electricity flying as he punched Zombie after Zombie to death.
"Hmm…I see why you like him" Nikolai said to Iva, who blushed pink as she reloaded her Afterburner.
"Hey, don't blame me. You liked mom for the same reason! Intellect and her wicked left hook!" Iva shot back. Nikolai shrugged, took a swig of his vodka flask, and said "This is conversation for another time. Back to shooting!"
"Yes Papa" Iva said, shaking her head with a grin, as she opened fire once more.
Vice ducked under the Zombie's swipe and swung Arbiter's Staff, decapitating the Zombie with a yell. Typer pulled out his shotgun and blasted a hole through a Zombies stomach before bashing its skull in with the other end of the gun.
"Shotgun to the face? I approve" Vice said with a grin as he caved in s Zombie's face with his staff.
Clutch Odd weaved in and out of the horde of a Zombies, bashing anything undead with his Tonfa, which was now Pack-A-Punched and decorated with intricate runes and deadly spikes and left a small wave of red energy in its wake whenever he swung it. He pulled out his B34R and began to shoot at the Zombies as he smashed them with his Tonfa, making quick work of anything that strayed into his deadly wake.
Starch and Red joined him and the trio ran down the street, firing nonstop into the horde. Serenity joined them firing her AK-47 with a yell of fury, while Nick ran by them, slashing and hacking at the hordes with C.N. and mowing down anything that came near him.
"Where did they come from!?" Samantha yelled as Sieger ran over to Samantha, blasting Zombies all the while. Samantha grabbed an RPK that was lying on the ground next to a dead Survivor and began to open fire on the hordes with Sieger.
"I guess Richtofen had some stranglers lurking around. Come on!" Sieger yelled as charged back into the fray.
Jax went to town with the Zeus Cannon, blasting anything that came towards the encampment into nothingness and making sure the injured survivors were safe. John, still injured, watched his back, aiming his Lamentation and carefully shooting the Zombies from afar.
Despite their impressive firepower, the Zombies were slowly pushing the group back. Sieger growled in annoyance and said "There shouldn't be this many! We destroyed the node!"
Nicholas glanced over at Juliet, who had torn off her empty Hades and hurled it into the horde, swearing at them as she activated Aegis, the Zombie shield.
"Juliet!" Nicholas yelled, hurling his Vitriolic Withering at her. Juliet caught it and fired it, shooting the crowd of Zombies with the acidic pods and causing a small chunk of the horde to stop attacking the move towards the Zombies that were covered in acidic pods. The Zombies exploded in a shower of acid, taking out fifteen or so Zombies at once. Juliet flipped the back of the gun open, reloaded and repeated the process. Nicholas pulled out the Mark II Ray Gun and took aim, firing controlled burst after burst at the heads of the Zombies and putting a dent into the undead hordes.
Judith, Jared, Emmanuel, and Jordan were lined up at the far edge of the camp, shooting into the Zombie horde and blasting the heads off of several Zombies at a time. Judith smirked as she shot the head off of a Screecher that was about to slash at Marcus, who spun around and blasted apart the two Zombies behind him with his Calamity and Jane. Jess had a mad grin on her face as she blasted apart anything near her with her MP115 Kollider, yelling something about ending their lives with her unparalleled fury and cupcakes. But mainly she was yelling stuff about cupcakes.
"THAT'S RIGHT! DON'T LET UP!" Samantha yelled as she flung her hands to the ground. After a moment, several shadow tendrils shot up out of the ground and shot towards the Zombies, impaling several of them and killing them instantly.
Alex and Kris joined Andrew, who was currently launching grenades from his Skullcrusher with a scowl on his face.
"Richtofen's one persistent SOB" Andrew muttered as Kris and Alec added their gunfire to his.
Zero jumped over a large chunk of rubble and beheaded a Zombie with his flaming machete, spinning around and delivering a two-handed slash and cleaved a Screecher Zombie in half.
"You'd think shutting the node off would make things calm down" Zero said dryly as he slashed and hacked his way through the horde.
He let out a yelp as a Screecher Zombie tackled him to the ground, opening up his wound with a snarl. Jameson flung himself at the Screecher Zombie, slamming his KABAR into its skull with a snarl. The Zombie screeched in pain, falling backwards, where Jameson kicked the knife deeper into its skull and killed it. He yanked out his KABAR and helped Zero to his feet after injecting the wound with a bit of Quick Revive.
"T-thanks" Zero muttered as he pulled out an Ultra and Violet and opened fire on the undead hordes, Jameson nodded and dived back into the Zombie's ranks, slashing and slicing like a madman.
Sieger let loose a burst of flames, incinerating a long line of Zombies with the flames. The hordes simply just continued to pour in from the alleyways.
"How many of these things does he have!?" Tyler yelled as he continued to slash and hack at the Zombies with his Katanas.
"Just keep it up!" Samantha yelled as she tossed her empty Ultra to the ground and proceeded to use her fists and feet. Sieger switched to Fatum and Lux and opened fire on the horde, putting a noticeable dent in the horde. Sieger then let out a yell as a Minion Zombie tackled him from behind to the ground. Sieger swiftly kicked the Zombie in the head as he struggled with it, killing it with a burst of black fire. Sieger got to his feet, only for five of the Minions to swarm him. More of the speedy Zombies bounded into the camp and took down several of the remaining survivors.
"Sieger!" Samantha yelled, flinging an arm at and impaling three of them with shadowy tendrils, giving Sieger a chance to kill the other two. Sieger grunted in thanks, sporting bloody slash marks on his body, and began shooting the Minions with pinpoint accuracy, even hitting some in midair.
"Disgusting, evil little things" Sieger muttered as the last Minion fell.
Samantha was about to make a comment but felt suddenly weak and stumbled to the ground, her vision dizzy.
"Samantha!" Sieger yelled, letting out a wave of fire that fended off the Zombie and allowed him to pull the girl to her feet. Samantha blushed as Sieger grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her hand away, turning the other direction as she did so.
"I feel…weak" Samantha muttered, her blush fading a bit.
"You should practice with your new powers more. Just using them like that is bound to tire you out" Sieger said as he began to shoot at Zombies with Fatum. Samantha recovered after a moment and the two began to shoot at the Zombies once more.
"Hey…do you guys hear that?" Nick asked a he slashed at a Zombie with C.N. before looking up into the air.
Sieger paused for a moment before he heard it too. A faint buzzing sound off in the distance. Samantha stopped what she was doing and looked up.
"I hear it…is that a plane?" Samantha asked Sieger, who shrugged.
A strange noise suddenly became louder, followed by a voice on a loud intercom scream "TAKE COVER!"
Both Zombies and Survivors looked up see a large jet soaring through the sky, shooting a volley of missiles towards them. The survivors screamed while the Zombies carelessly surged forward.
"Samantha, your barrier! Use it!" Sieger said quickly to Samantha, who nodded and sprinted towards the approaching missiles. She flung her arms out and a massive blue wall of energy appeared in front of her, separating her and the others from the oncoming horde of Zombies.
The missiles then impacted the ground, creating an explosion that tore away at the rotten flesh masses, and causing a shockwave in the surrounding area. The survivors managed to make it behind Sam's barrier before the missile hit.
"Who in the hell is piloting that thing?!" Nicholas shouted over the roar of the jet.
"That's a military class F-16." Joe replied looking at the jet as it came around for another run. When the jet passed overhead, the cockpit opened up and 3 figures ejected from it. The jet then started to wobble at it surged towards the ground at breakneck speed. Parachutes opened up for the 3 jet pilots and they began their descent towards the ground. Along the way, they started shooting at the remaining zombies right below them.
"Wait, is that…" Juliet started saying, looking at 2 of the figures in general. One of them had an Elvis style going for him, with the zebra jacket and the pompadour hairstyle.
"You freakbags keep away from my lady!" the man barked as he blew apart the Zombies bellow with an Scorpion EVO. The woman next to him coming down had a red and white polka dot bandana around her neck, and orange leather jacket, and jeans on.
"Oh dear, you know I can handle these douchebags all by myself." The lady said. The first two finally touched down, and took off their parachutes. Taking care of the zombies around them, they finally turned towards the group, revealing them to be none other than…
"MOM! DAD!" Juliet shouted as she ran over to her parents. Juliet's mom and dad saw her and opened up their arms for her. She jumped in and started laughing and crying at the same time. "I missed you so much!"
"Aww, we missed you too baby-cakes." Juliet's dad responded as he blew the head off of a charred Zombie that hadn't been killed by the airstrike.
Before the heartfelt moment could continue, everyone noticed the third figure that was still coming down. He had a police issued SPAS-12 and M16 on his person, utility belt with Taser, Glock .35 Auto pistol. He had on a green uniform with Bradburn County Sheriff's Office of his arm.
"Wait, that's a cop from Bradburn" Andrew said, sounding surprised.
"Wait, a cop…" Joe started, but couldn't finish as the cop touched the ground and started taking out the remaining Zombies around him. He used his SPAS-12 to take out the close range ones, then pulled out his Glock and started taking out the ones that were a little further away. One got too close to him, but he pulled out his Taser and zapped it before it could get him.
"Damn, he's really good. I wonder who he is?" Nicholas said out loud. Everyone else watched in amazement, but Joe was the only one watching with his jaw dropped. He then dropped the Wunderwaffe without realizing it.
Once the cop finished off the zombies around him, he turned around to face the others. Needless to say, he was shocked with what was in front of him. A group of teenagers with all kinds of weapons looking battle worn from hours of fighting. But that wasn't the thing he was most shocked about. He was most shocked at seeing one individual in the group, the tallest one out of them.
"...Joe?" the man said quietly.
"DAD!" Joe ran over to his dad and tackled him to the ground, crying and laughing just like Juliet was a moment ago.
The group was looking back and forth between the two families before Sam said something.
"Ok, I'm a bit lost. How is it the Joe's father found Juliet's parents and took an F-16 all the way to New York, where they just blew up about a thousand zombies at once?" Samantha said, scratching her head with a confused smile.
"Well when you put it like that, it just sounds like something out of a bad fanfiction, I mean a really…." Before Nick could finish, Nicholas took his Speakeasy and started shooting at Nick's feet, making him dance around. With each bullet shot, Nicholas started speaking.
"Stop...breaking...the….fourth...wall...you….midge t….numbnuts!"
"Hehe, midget numbnuts" Jess giggled.
"Hang on, that wasn't numbnuts." Judith questioned.
"Hehe, numbnuts."
"I give up." Judith said pinching the bridge of her nose
"So, you gonna introduce us to your friends sweetie?" Juliet's mom asked.
"Sure. This is Nick, Andrew, Judith, Jess, Marcus, the one with his father is Joe, Sieger, Samantha…"
"Ah, Samantha, it's good to meet you again after so long." Juliet's dad said as he held out to Sam.
"Likewise sir." Sam replied shaking his hand.
Juliet then continued. "Then there's Jax, Iva, Chan, Kara, and…" Juliet paused for a moment before she walked over to Nicholas and held his hand. "This is Nicholas….he's my boyfriend daddy."
When the dreaded B-word was said, all the color for Nicholas's face vanished and he turned white as Juliet's dad was looking into his very soul. He then began a slow walk over until he was standing right in front of Nicholas, glaring at him with the intensity of a man who was ready to stab someone viciously.
"Uhhh...h-hello sir, it's nice to me...meet you. Juliet is a really good fighter…" Nicholas began awkwardly.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" Juliet's dad shouted furiously. Nicholas then yelped in terror before his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fainted.
"Daddy!" Juliet shouted as she caught Nicholas before he hit the ground.
"At least he didn't run away like the others. Although the one guy couldn't, considering he was just a head." Juliet's dad said with a grin.
"So now what?" Nick asked.
"We need a plan" Kara said, glancing at John.
"We need to get out of here. We're sitting ducks, and Richtofen knows that Sieger is helping us" John said, glancing over at the young man in question, who adjusted his sunglasses.
"Richtofen knows where my loyalties lie. We've got luck on our side though, since he didn't expect Yena to turn on him and didn't think we could take out the Blizzard Zombie" Sieger replied.
"You kids should fill us in. It seems like a lot's happened lately, and there's more behind this than just undead freaks walking around" Joe's dad said, stilling hugging his son with one arm.
"A touching reunion, is it not?" Takeo said quietly as he, Nikolai, and Dempsey watched from far.
"Yeah, good to see the kid's dad's alive in any case. Juliet's parents are here too, so that's a relief…I guess they forgot about us in the excitement" Dempsey said with a shrug. After the initial shock of seeing the Original Zombie Slayers were alive and well, as well as real, the real task turned to burning the dead and recovering from the battle with the Reclaimers and Yena's assault.
"We cannot stay behind to lead them into battle anyway, isn't that right Dempsey?" Takeo said shrewdly.
"You're damn right. They can handle the small fry. We'll need backup if we're going to make it to California in one piece" the marine said quietly.
"I agree, but how can we get more reinforcements? Your nation is in shambles" Nikolai asked seriously.
Dempsey closed his eyes and said "I've got an idea, but it'll take a bit of doing"
"What do you have in mind, American?" Nikolai asked slowly.
"We'd have to leave the girls behind. Just for a few days. We need a plane of some kind too" Dempsey said as he pulled out a small radio. He pulled out a small battery with a Group 935 logo on it and placed it into the back part of the radio.
"What are you doing?" Takeo asked.
"Calling for some backup" Dempsey said with a grin as he took a few steps away and began speaking to someone.
"Hey, it's Dempsey"
"Thought you died years ago Tank. How you holding up now that the Nazi is back?" the old man on the other end chuckled.
"Yeah, it's bad over here. Spread the word…Operation Sea of Fire is to go into full effect" Dempsey growled into the radio.
"That bad eh?" a raspy voice replied.
"You have no idea. We'll be there in a few hours. Just spread the word, OK?" Dempsey muttered.
"You've got it. We'll get everyone we can. We can even have a transport come pick you guys up"
"Just get one that can get three guys, that'll be enough" Dempsey replied.
"Got it. Stay safe Dempsey" the old man said on the other end of the radio.
"You too old timer. Dempsey out" the marine said with a grin as he ended the radio transmission.
"Our ride will be here in a few hours. Suit up guys" Dempsey said with a grin.
Nicholas finally woke up about five minutes later and found himself lying on the ground in the Camp. Juliet glanced down at him and helped him up, wearing a grin as always.
"So…that happened?" Nicholas said dryly.
"You fainted because my dad's a bit protective. He was surprised you didn't run away"
"The thought crossed my mind…so, what happened after I had a panic attack and passed out?" Nicholas asked with an annoyed tone.
"We caught them up to speed. Joe's dad and my parents are going to take control of the remaining survivors and we're all heading to California" Juliet said quietly.
"So…you introduced me as your boyfriend earlier…" Nicholas said slowly to Juliet, who grinned at him.
"Well, it's not every day someone holds off a small horde of Zombies while on ammo, just so you can get a cute outfit" Juliet said as though that was the supreme central trait of Nicholas's character.
"I'm not complaining. After this is over, you thinking of hanging with us in Florida?" Nicholas asked.
"I hear it's lovely this time of year" Juliet said with a grin.
"It doesn't get cold until like, January" Nicholas said dryly.
"I think you're exaggerating a little bit" Juliet said.
"I went to Wet N' Wild the day AFTER Christmas last year!"
"Wow…that's awesome!"
"Gotta love that optimism" Nicholas said with a sigh, to which Juliet replied with a tight hug.
Joe's father looked out across the crowd of survivors, smiling to himself as they got settled once again and began to nurse their wounds and get ready to go to sleep. Others got ready for their shift of keeping watch.
"What's shakin'?" Juliet's father asked as he walked over to Joe's father.
"Just surprised is all…this all looks like it came out of one of my son's games, and we're stuck in the middle of it. We could all die, just to stop one madman" Joe's father said with a sigh.
"It's crazy" Joe's father finished.
"We're all crazy" Juliet's father said with a smile.
"Your point?" Joe's father said.
"Life's a surprise man. You've gotta roll with it, just go with the flow, you hear me? If you can't adapt and survive, then you won't live to see the sunrise. Our family has made a life off of fighting these things, even for the government for a while…you've got to see the bigger picture"
"What would that be?"
"That those kids of ours represent something…hope. Innocence…all that stuff. They're a good bunch og kids, and they've got their hearts in the right place…that Richtofen fella…he must have went through something bad…really bad, and realized how terrible this world really is. This world is pretty darn messed up, and maybe it's just me…but there's a lot of people this world would be better off not having" Juliet's father said.
"That's a horrible thing to say" Joe's father growled.
"Maybe…but the convicts, corrupt politicians, and just plain bad people in this world…we'd be better off without em'. That's just me talking though" Juliet's father said as he began to walk away.
Joe's father sat down and sighed, putting his head in his hands.
"Maybe…maybe not. But the bottom line is that Richtofen can't get away with this…we've got to save what's left of humanity to save" Joe's father muttered as he looked up into the night sky once more.
Meanwhile:
City Outskirts:
Nicholas had told Joe and Iva to try and find supplies a bit further away from the camp. He never specified how far they had to go, so they went all the way out to the edge of the city where they ended up at a rail yard. The pair had been talking about random stuff while shifting around the area, looking for anything that could be of use.
"But wouldn't the compressor overload when connected to the transceiver?" Iva asked.
"Nah, that's when the modulator is connect with the compressor. That way, this thing doesn't cause a literal lightning storm." Joe replied, holding up the Wunderwaffe.
"A lightning storm?"
"Yeah. Think of a heavy story with hail, except replace the hail with long streaks of lightning coming down to the ground."
"...Well we certainly wouldn't have an energy problem anymore."
"Yeah, free energy for everyone!" Joe and Iva laughed together while moving closer to each other. Joe noticed this, and a small blush came over his face as they were nearly touching arms.
"So how do you feel about your dad being here?" Iva asked, breaking the momentary silence.
Joe smiled at this. "I feel great. We all had to leave our family behind when we escaped, so at least a small reminder of home has returned."
"It seems like it. Does he know about us yet?"
"No, but when we left, he was starting to drink some vodka with Nikolai."
"Uh oh."
"What?"
"When my dad starts drinking, he blurts out random things sometimes."
"...I guess we had better prepare for the teasing when we get back."
"Yeah."
The pair then walked up to a big metal door with train tracks leading into it. The door had a gigantic lock on front of it, with a keypad to the right of the door.
"Any ideas?" Iva asked.
"Just one." Joe then walked up to the keypad, pointed the Wunderwaffe at it…
Meanwhile in Reality:
"What would that even do? Shooting the Wunderwaffe?" Nicholas asked while looking at what Joe was typing.
"It'll overload the circuits and get the door to open." Joe replied, continuing to type.
"Do you realize how unrealistic that sounds?" Nicholas asked.
"Do you realize how much I don't care?" Joe replied as he grinned
Nicholas then backhanded Joe, causing him to fall out of the chair and onto the floor with a yelp. He then took Joe's former place and started typing.
"Now to make it believable…" Nicholas muttered.
Meanwhile At the Plot:
"Maybe I should try?" Iva suggested, yanking the Wunderwaffe DG-7 out of Joe's hands.
"Oh OK. But only because I really want to see what you do" Joe said with a sheepish grin. Iva cracked her knuckles and held out her hands in front of the door.
"What…what the hell are you-?" Joe began to ask.
"Open Sesame!" Iva cried out in front of the door.
Suddenly, the giant padlock fell off and clucked on the ground, and the giant door started slowly opening.
"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked." Joe stated.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" A thunderous voice in the sky shouted.
"What was that?!" Iva shouted, holding her ears.
"I don't know, but it kind of sounded like me…let's move on." Joe said.
"Yes, lets."
Joe and Iva walked into the new room, which was dark with do lights on. Iva walked over to the nearby wall and flipped the switch, lighting up the room.
"Let there be light. I have the POWEEERRRRRR!" Iva said and laughed. Joe didn't reply, as he was standing in front of the metal contraption, grinning with mischievous intentions.
"Oh this is gonna be fun." Joe said as he hopped up into the front of the train and began to examine it. It was a modern passenger train with a white and blue paintjob. It had only three cars to it, but despite its small size, could easily feet a number of people comfortably. It looked to be in fairly good condition, and was probably even operational.
"This looks like it could work, actually" Joe said with a wide grin as he pulled out his laptop. Iva looked over his shoulder and grinned.
"So, this thing does actually have an active track that it can go on…and that track does go through California" Iva said with a laugh.
"So we just got to get this thing going...I'm sure we can get it running so we can get to California in two days" Joe said as he cracked his knuckles, discharging a small burst of electricity into the air.
"Actually, we should aim for a day. It's Thursday night, and Richtofen's executing his plan Saturday night, er, Sunday morning at midnight? Whatever...We should have some time to plan and get ready to fight him" Iva said.
"Hmmm…"
"Any ideas?" Iva asked.
"A few. I took some parts from Richtofen's Node Lab thing before the Zombies attacked, and I've got some meteorite bits" Joe said as he opened the door and stepped into the dining car. Joe was surprised at how nice the inside of the train was, with several tables set up and upon further inspection, several freezers and fridges for storing food. Apparently this was a very high end passenger train.
"This is the passenger car. We can sleep here" Iva said, pointing to the comfortable looking seats in the room.
"I'm more interested in the front of the train" Joe said with a smirk as he walked up to the very front of the train.
Joe opened the door and looked at the main console before looking at the Russian girl standing next to him.
"Iva?"
"Yeah?"
"You want to help me get this thing going?" Joe asked
"Spend a few hours getting a ride west while working with someone as smart as me? Damn straight" Iva said, wrapping an arm around Joe's shoulder with a wide grin, causing him to blush.
"We've got our work cut out for us. This won't be easy" Joe said to Iva, who scoffed.
"Please. This will be a piece of cake" Iva said with a laugh as the two began their work.
Two Hours Later:
Joe's father and Juliet's parents took control of the camp, organizing the remaining supplies and effectively coming in and replacing Captain Thomas as the leader of the survivors. No one opposed this, even Sieger thought it was appropriate to have the parents be in charge. Most of the survivors were sleeping off the pain and blood loss, as well as resting up for the next day's events. As the sun began to rise and streaks of orange, blue, and pink streaked across the sky beautifully, Joe and Iva ran into the camp holding hands and panting heavily.
"Guys!" Joe yelled as he jumped over the Danger Line with Iva, holding her as they ran towards them.
"What happened Joe?" Joe's father asked worriedly.
"We found a way to California!" Joe said excitedly.
"What? How?" Sieger asked as he walked over with Samantha close behind.
"We found a train. It's in really good condition, and we've hardwired it to get us to California by Friday night" Joe said in a grin.
"Joe? You did that? H-how?" Joe's dad asked, sounding surprised.
"Chuck Norris unlocked a special part of his brain and now he's a technology wizard" Nick explained.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard" Joe's dad replied.
"It's true though" Joe said, shrugging.
"Alright then, we'll wake everyone up and start moving the supplies to the train" Juliet's mom said cheerfully. Juliet's father wandered off to go wake the sleeping survivors up while Joe's dad turned to him with a solemn smile.
"Here's the plan. You guys go on the train, get to California. We'll find a way to get everyone else to California as well and meet up with you" Joe's dad said.
"What? You want us to leave without you guys?" Joe said, sounding surprised and reluctant to part with his dad so soon after seeing him again.
"As much as I hate to say it Joe, Richtofen's targeting you all, not the survivors. If we travelled together, he'd try to take us all out at once, whereas he'll probably send a smaller threat after you if your numbers were lower" Joe's dad said quietly, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.
"I don't want to leave you again Dad" Joe muttered, and his dad enveloped him in a tight hug that Joe returned.
"I'll see you again. It'll just be a day or two" Joe's dad said comfortingly.
"Any volunteers?" Nick asked the others, turning attention away from Joe and back to the current issue.
"I'll stay behind" Jax offered.
Kara and Chan offered to stay behind with Jax, but that was it. The rest would take the train to California while the others made their own way there. Both groups would meet at in California, wherever the M.P.D was. According to Sieger it was a massive tower in Los Angeles, so they would find each other in the city and regroup there.
To their surprise, Dempsey Nikolai and Takeo would have no part in the plan.
"B-but why?" Kara asked, sounding confused and upset.
"We're not staying here. We're leaving" Dempsey said simply.
"WHAT!?"
"We must gather reinforcements. The remaining survivors are battered and weak, we will return before the final battle. That we promise" Takeo said calmly.
"Are you leaving the country?" Joe asked.
"Something like that" Dempsey said with a small grin.
"I can't believe you're leaving us to fend for ourselves" Jess said quietly. Takeo looked at her for a moment before saying "Sometimes, you cannot fight a war by yourselves, Jessica-san. Despite our strength, we need more. We must find help"
"Besides, Sieger's a pretty damn good ally to have anyway. With him and Sam, you guys will be just fine" Tank said with a grin, clapping Sieger on the back. The young man glanced at Dempsey in surprise and said "You'd trust me with that?"
"Yeah. You're a good kid, even if-" Dempsey began to say before Takeo said "You have much honor, Sieger-san. We know you can protect the young ones"
"He's not much older than me" Nicholas said with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe, but I have fire powers" Sieger said as he held out a fist full of black flames.
"Touché"
An hour later, the group was boarding the train. Joe and Iva would serve as the drivers while the others would protect it from any sort of threats that Richtofen sent after them. A good chunk of the supplies gathered, mainly food and the Perk-A-Cola Machines, was put on the train and stored in the Dining Car
"ALL ABOARD!" Joe yelled as he lazily stood in the doorway to the train.
John shot in the nuts with the Winter's Fury and walked past him as Joe fell down onto the ground, howling in pain. Jess skipped past him, Andrew snickered as he clambered up the steps, followed by the rest.
"Bye guys! We'll see you in LA!" Starch called.
"Bye! Be safe!" Serenity yelled, waving a scarf at them.
Joe looked out at his dad as the train moved past, locking eyes with him. His dad smiled warmly at his son and gave him a small nod, and Joe broke into a wide grin.
"At least he's safe" Joe said with a sigh of relief.
Joe yelped as a hand clasped his shoulder, and he found Nicholas standing next to him.
"You'll see him soon man. For now, we've got to stay alive and make it to California…something tells me Richtofen already knows our plan, and there's not a chance in hell he won't have something set up to stop us from getting there" Nicholas said with a sigh.
"Then we do what we always do" Joe said, pulling out his Wunderwaffe DG-7 with a grin.
Nicholas pulled out his Porter's Mark II Ray Gun and said "Blast the hell out of whatever he sends at us and keep on going"
"Damn straight" Joe replied.
"Yep. Now get back up front. As much as I like Iva, I'd rather someone sober drive us to LA" Nicholas said dryly as he and Joe walked back up through the train.
The train soon left the city, and for a while it travelled the countryside. Eventually it came into the sights of a young blond woman with crimson eyes.
"Train huh? That's too slow for my liking, I prefer shadow walking more!" Eris said with a smirk as she began to sink into her shadow.
"I wonder what Richtofen will send at them next…I guess we'll have to wait and see!" the young woman said with a laugh as she vanished into her own darkness.
Location: Unknown
Time Period: Unknown
Richtofen crashed onto the ground in the middle of a grassy field. He starred up at the sparkling, twinkling sky, and let out a sigh of relief. They were back in his own time, though apparently they had just reappeared in a field somewhere. It was probably better that way.
"That was too close…Jonathan?" Richtofen said as he looked behind him, seeing the jester collapse onto the ground and the portal behind them vanished.
"I've lost everything…everything…" the jester murmured as tears rushed down his face.
"Maybe…but you have gained something as well" Richtofen said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Come with me my friend. I will not leave your side. We are in this together now" Richtofen said seriously. Jonathan embraced Richtofen, who blinked in surprise at the contact.
"My friend…my old life…has been all but eradicated…I lost my love…my people…my home…EVERYTHING! I have no purpose!" Jonathan howled miserably as he broke the embrace.
"You will be reborn then! I will give your purpose Jonathan! I have no need for a friend who wallows in his own misery! Make something of your pain, use it!" Richtofen snarled, grabbing the young man by the shoulder and starring into his eyes fiercely.
"I've left everything behind Edward…everything in my life is gone now…I will go with you now…I will help you, however I can…" Jonathan whispered as tears continued to run down his face. Richtofen let go of him, and the two men sat down in the grass. Silence filled the air, and the two men just sat there for a while. Jonathan managed to gain his composure after grieving silently for a while, but Richtofen was patient. This required a delicate touch after all.
"I will be reborn again…my new life, is helping you however I can…" Jonathan whispered.
"I thank you my friend…we will change this world…together" Richtofen said softly.
"If I'm being reborn again, and leaving everything of my old life behind…then I need a new name" Jonathan said softly.
"Do you?"
"Yes. Otherwise I cannot leave my old life behind, and accept my new one…it's a magician thing" the jester said softly as he wiped his eyes.
"How about…Illuzio?" Richtofen suggested with a small smile.
Jonathan smiled sadly and said "Illusions? Yes, I am a magician, and illusions are my specialty…yes…Illuzio is perfect"
"Richtofen and Illuzio…together, this world will be ours" Richtofen said softly.
"Together…we will change everything…" Illuzio said softly as he looked into the sky, and began his new life.
End of Chapter:
So long New York! Time to go to L.A.! Where the final few chapters of the story will take place, and where the backstory of Richtofen and Group 935 will be explained!
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