Chapter 48: Regroup
Ryan ran into the clearing and could see the destruction from a battle. He gasped at the sight of holes in buildings. He was suddenly distracted by a large puddle of blood near a crater in the middle of the clearing. Ryan ran up to the puddle and bent down. He looked around the rubble franticly.
"This is where the battle happened, but where is Zach?" Ryan whispered to himself. "Who could cause this kind of destruction?" Ryan clenched his fist. Ryan then heard two set of foots hit the ground. Ryan turned around and saw Dustin and Sean standing in the same shock that enthralled him. Ryan glared at Sean.
"You!" Ryan pointed and accused Sean.
"Me?" Sean gave Ryan a confused look as he got off the ground.
"Yes, you did this. You are the unknown energy signal Tyler felt. You killed Zach!" Ryan yelled in a blind fury as he ran towards Sean, ready to fight. Dustin jumped in front of Ryan and he stopped. "WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM?"
"Because he is innocent. He didn't do this." Dustin said as guilt filled him,
"Then who?" Ryan demanded.
"Nate. Nate confronted him while we were searching. Nate demanded a fight with him, alone. Zach agreed. He wanted to handle this himself. I had no idea it would end up with Zach dying." Dustin hung his head in shame. Ryan took in a deep breath. Ryan took a step back and sighed. The platypus waddled up to Ryan for comfort.
"If I may," Sean ended the silence. "Where is your friend's body?"
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
"Well it does look like your friend got owned here, but not as much too completely destroy the body, so where is your friends body?" Ryan and Dustin looked around with no sign of the body, just the puddle of blood.
"Maybe the Xenomorph's found the body." Dustin pondered.
"I doubt it. Look they would not be clean enough to avoid the blood. We would see tracks from the blood on their feet. Do you see those? No. Someone came and picked up the body and carried it off." Sean said looking around.
"Is it possible he's still alive?" Ryan said with hope.
"Maybe," Sean looked back over to Dustin. "Do you feel anything from his energy signal?"
"No. But I am not sure if that means much. At this moment I don't feel ether of you. Maybe because were stationary and not using Chi or Chakra. But I don't feel him at the moment."
"We have to search for him!" Ryan demanded. Dustin shook his head.
"We have nothing to go on. If he is alive he could be anywhere. We will keep an eye out as we go for the last survivors group." Dustin said putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder. Ryan nudged it off in annoyance.
"I am not happy sitting here in the middle of a death zone. Can we go now?" Sean said impatiently.
"Ryan we will look for him. I mean worst case scenario we will search till the bombs come, I can just fly us out of here, we will be safe outside to barrier. But we have to get the survivors." Dustin said. Ryan sighed in defeat.
"Ok, let's get going." Ryan said as they begin to run.
-Bishop opened the small opening in the barriers as Tyler helped Grandpa threw and into the front seat of Bishop's car. Darkrai stayed behind the barrier and waited for Tyler.
"Tyler!" Katherine said in relief. "You have to go get Dustin and the others. The bomb will be here soon!"
"Don't worry, we will get out by the time the bombs come, and be safe outside the barrier. Right Bishop?" Tyler looked towards Bishop. Bishop shook his head.
"There has been a change in plans. A nuke has been replaced with the other bomb." Bishop said grimly.
"What? Are you kidding?" Tyler is in panic.
"Another government agent came here and told us of the decision." Katherine said.
"Yeah, as long as the city stands, the nuke will be deployed." Bishop said.
"Wait," Darkrai interrupted. "The nuke will be launched if the city is still standing, right?"
"That's correct." Bishop said curiously.
"Well then let's destroy the city ourselves." Darkrai said.
"That's not a bad idea." Bishop said thoughtfully.
"But how will we destroy the whole city?" Katherine asked.
"Ryan can!" Grandpa said in excitement.
"That's right! Ryan can cause a huge explosion!" Tyler said in excitement.
"It could work." Bishop pondered.
"Has the Clay Bloodline ever caused that big of an explosion?" Darkrai asked.
"Not anywhere close." Tyler said.
"So were putting our faith on a long shot." Bishop said.
"I know he can do it." Grandpa defended. "We just need enough clay, and place them all around the city. Ryan should be able level the city and destroy the monsters. Would that stop the nuke?" Grandpa asked Bishop.
"I would have to check, but it could work." Bishop said as he picked his phone from his pocket.
"Also get a truck load of clay; we will need as much as possible." Grandpa said.
"Ok I will get it delivered." Bishop said as he dialed numbers on his phone. Tyler turned to Darkrai.
"We have to get to the others and come back here. We have to coordinate this for this to be pulled off." Darkrai said as he turned around and started to head for the city again.
Tyler went for the barrier as another car door opened and a little girl walked up to him.
"Hurry, time is short." The little girl said. Tyler raised an eyebrow as he ran through the barrier.
-Dustin, Ryan, and Sean approached the Mayor's building.
"Here again." Dustin sighed as he saw the huge crater he formed during his battle with the Mayor.
"Hey at least there is no evil tyrant here this time." Ryan said.
"You have no idea." Sean said under his breath. Dustin and Ryan looked toward him and Sean ignored them and approached the door. "Are you guys coming or what?"
"So you feel an energy signal coming from here?" Ryan asked Dustin as they walked up the stairs.
"Yeah I do, and Bishop says there is something here as well." Dustin said as Sean pulled on the door. It was locked.
"Are you kidding me? Who had time to lock the doors?" Sean asked perplexed.
"Maybe the survivors thought they would be safe." Ryan said.
"Who cares, I will blow it apart." Sean said as he formed an energy ball in his hand. Dustin put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Let's not freak out the survivors, ok?" Dustin said as Sean put his arm back down. "Ryan, use some clay and blow the lock off. Just a small explosion." Dustin and Sean took a step back as Ryan bent down and plucked a piece of clay from the back from the platypus. Ryan stuck the clay onto the door.
"Clay, Detonate." Ryan said as a small poof of smoke came from the door and the door knob and lock fell to the ground. Dustin walked up to the door and put his hand on it.
"See Sean, it doesn't have to always been needlessly large explosions." Dustin said as he turned around to push the door open. Suddenly the door went flying off its hinges; pushing it and Dustin ten feet back on the ground. Dustin hit the ground with a thud. Sean and Ryan watched as smoke bellowed from the open doorway. Suddenly they heard a scream coming from inside the building.
"That didn't sound like a Xenomorph. Let's go!" Ryan said as he started to run towards the building doors. Sean tried to grab his arm.
"Ryan, don't go in their!" Sean yelled as Ryan disappeared threw the bellowing smoke. "Stupid kid." Sean muttered under his breath. Sean turned back and ran up to Dustin and lifted the door off of him. Dustin groaned.
"I told you so." Sean said as he held his hand out to help him up. Dustin got up and looked into the door.
"Where's Ryan?" Dustin asked.
"He went into the building, I said for him not to go in there, but," Sean was interrupted but the sounds of energy blast. "Wait, he is a Clay Blood? He can't produce energy balls."
"Then someone else is in there." Dustin said as they heard another energy blast hit. They heard the familiar scream of Ryan as he was hurdled out of the building. Dustin and Sean ducked their heads as Ryan flew over them. Ryan landed hand on the ground.
"STAY OUT!" A Familiar voice yelled from inside the building.
"Shayne?" Dustin yelled threw the smoke.
"Dustin?" The voice yelled back. Shayne ran out of the building. He looked at Dustin then Sean. He looked past them to see Ryan groaning on the ground
"Shayne, you're alive!" Dustin said in surprise.
"Don't sound too surprised." Shayne said with a smile. "Sorry Ryan. I thought you were an Alien."
"Yeah, because I look and sound like them." Ryan said getting off the ground. From inside the building they heard a hiss and growl.
"There are Aliens in there and a lot of them. We have to get out of here. Shayne said as the started to see shadows threw the smoke.
"Not for long." Sean said threw his teeth. Sean brought his arms and hands together and a purple energy ball formed. "Gallic GUN!" He yelled as they watched the beam enter the building and they heard the final hiss of a Xenomorph, which was followed by an explosion.
"What did you do?" Shayne yelled at Sean.
"I bought us time." Sean said.
"No you took away time! I had hundreds captured downstairs." Shayne pointed into the building, the smoke was dissipating and they saw a hole in the ground. "Now they are free, along with the Queen!"
"Queen?" Ryan asked as he got to the others.
"Yes the Queen Alien. They put her down there. Now they are all free!" They all started to take a few steps back.
"I think we should get out of here." Dustin said. "Let the bombs take care of these guys." They turned around to see Tyler and Darkrai running towards them.
"Guy's we have a problem!" Tyler yelled as he approached them.
"Yeah we have to get going. The bombs can take care of the Xenomorph's." Sean said as they backed up more.
"What about Zach?"
"No, it's more than that. The plan has changed." Darkrai said.
"What do you mean?" Dustin asked.
"They are sending a nuke!" Tyler exclaimed.
"An Atom Bomb?" Sean said in disbelief. "The barrier will shatter at that force. It will destroy a lot outside the barrier." Sean turned to Dustin. "What is your government agent thinking?"
"It was not Bishop's idea. The order came from above him. But we have a plan." Tyler turned towards Ryan. "If we place enough Clay around the city, Ryan can detonate them and cause a huge explosion, destroying the city. If we destroy the entire city and take out the Xenomorph's then the nuke will not be launched. But we have no idea how much time."
"I would assume an hour, maybe a little more, if we're lucky." Darkrai added.
"I don't know if I can detonate that much clay all at once." Ryan was doubtful.
"It's the only idea we have. Bishop is ordering a truck full of clay. Then we can place it in different locations around the city." Darkrai said.
"But I can't activate it all at once from outside the barrier." Ryan said.
"I can fly us up to the top of the city, you detonate, and I will fly us out the hole in the top." Dustin said. Dozens of growls and hiss's came from the building.
"This is all very interesting, but we have to get out of here." Sean said as Tyler and Dustin's eyes widen and they looked to the right.
"What's wrong?" Shayne asked.
"I feel an energy signal!" Tyler said with excitement.
"Really! Is it Zach?" Ryan asked.
"Maybe, but whoever it is, we have to go save them." Dustin said. The growls started to grow closer. They started to run towards the building. Ryan grabbed Dustin's arm.
"Hey, I have to ask you something." Ryan said in a low voice.
"Go on." Dustin said as Ryan started to explain.
