A Quiet Day At The Museum (Final Part)
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I fly fast in towards the East Wing of the building, the pain of all the people left behind heavy in my heart, exhaustion heavy on my body. My broken arm in the sling Bud made me.
There were no bodies, their only capturin people. If they wanted to kill us they would have, which means there's still hope. Elan and the other kids from class can still be saved.
But where are they taking them? How are they going to get out? How are we?
When I make it to the end of the next hall of modern art sculptures I shut the doors the double doors behind me. To the side is a massive marble sculpture that I fly over to tip over with my good arm in front of the doors to barricade them shut.
Beyond the hall is the a long corridor to the foodcourt, after this it's the east wing where I'll meet Bud's men and we can finally fight back, maybe we can go back and rescue Elan and everyone else.
I deactivate my quirk and sprint across the floor to the East wing when I hear a small voice cry for help behind one of the counters.
When I get over the counter and into the back there's a sandman trying to get at something beneath the massive sink, when it notices me it rushes my way. I open my palm and aim, gathering my energy and firing off a blast that explodes it into bits.
"Is anyone here?"
When I make it to the sink I see a small boy in a shirt and cargo shorts cowering for safety. Small little feather flat behind his ears, his skin a light brown.
"Hey there, don't worry I'm here to help. Just take my hand, okay? I stretch out my good arm and offer it to him, but he just inches further away.
Come on, we don't have time for this!
"Hey, hey," I say over and over till I get him to look at me, "I'm Lucy, what's your name?"
He hesitates for a second before, "Robin." He answers.
"Okay, Robin, I'm going to where all your friends and teachers are okay, that's where I'm going right now. Do you want to come with me?"
Robin nods slowly.
I reach again offering him my hand, "Okay then let's go, I promise I'll stay with you the whole time."
Robin looks at my hand. "You promise?"
"Yes I- "
I hear a loud boom and I'm afraid that the barricaded door might not be that barricaded anymore.
"Yes I promise, now please, Robin, please we need to go now!" He finally takes my hand and I pull him to me carrying in my arm and sprinting to the East Wing of the museum.
We've almost exited the food court when yet again I hear a scream for help and on the other side of where the offices are I spy down a corridor to the rest rooms a couple being bared down by two sandmen. I can barely make them out except for their matching sweaters and terrified screams.
Damn it! I can't just leave them, but I only have one arm and I can't fight with Robin in it.
I'm in a straight line with the mouth of the corridor, maybe I could fire a blast from here, but my aim is bad. Shrike might have helped me figure it out but I haven't master this ability yet.
I look about the room and hover behind a pillar next to a table and chairs further in and set Robin down.
"Okay Robin, I'm going to need you to hide under here for just a little-"
"No, don't leave me!" Robin clutches on to me throwing his arms around my neck, "you promised! You promised!"
"Robin, please. I need to go help those other people. I'll be back, just stay right here and I'll come to get you. I promise I'll be back. Please."
Robin shakes his head into my shoulder.
"Please, Robin."
He hesitates for a second then slowly pulls away, setting down, hugging himself tight.
"I'll be right back, I promise."
I turn around again and the corridor is empty and silent. I get to the end and don't see anyone, I even check both the men's and women's restrooms and nothing.
Damn it! Why is this happening!
I head back, flying as fast as I can and head to where I left Robin but when I get there, to my absolute horror I don't find him.
NO! Please no! How? Where did he go, where did he go!
"Robin! Robin, where are you!" A slow avalanche of sand rolls in this direction.
"Hey, you there! Hurry we're shutting the doors." In the next hall from the food court a voice calls out.
A security guard, thankfully not wearing a mask, standing in the doorway in the standard grey shirt and black pants uniform, a cap on his head. He has a narrow head and a heavy looking thick mustache above his lip.
Him and another guard stand barely into the next hall where the east wing begins museum waves me over and I sprint in his direction, as I approach I see the backs of the couple I saw, in their matching red sweaters, rushing away.
They made it here, made Robin did too.
"Did a small boy run past this way, he's this tall, maybe five or six, little feathers behind his ears, you couldn't have-"
"Why are you wearing a security badge?" The man asks, interrupting me.
"I met Bud and he-"
"Bud? And he hired you, I take it? Fine, I can trust his judgement. I'm Jonah, I'll allow you to help out. Hurry up and follow the rest of the group." He says just as the doors behind me slam shut!
"Wait, you didn't answer my question! Robin, the little boy, please tell me you saw him." If he's not here I have to go back!
"There were some kids, I don't know if the one you mentioned was with them, but if he was close by then I'd say we got him."
That's not good enough. "I have to go back and make sure."
"Kid," Jonah grabs my good arm and holds me back and I watch as one of the other security guards flood hues lava on the line where the doors meet, melting them shut.
"No!"
"A tidal wave of sand is rolling this way kid and there are tonnes of people on this side of the door, we need to batten down!" Jonah says, "we probably have your friend, you aren't allowed to go back. We have to retreat and protect the people we have right now."
Please, Robin, tell you made it out, "Where are you going?"
"To the Great hall of Archaic paintings, there's a potential it was never reconstructed with denser wall, we might be able to break through, then we get everyone out."
What? "No, please, you have to send your men back and buy time for help to arrive."
"Help? You were able to get a message out?"
"Well... not me, my friend... and I don't know if she's been able to yet but-"
"So that's a no."
I groan in frustration. Bud said to hold the line, keep the civilians as far from the threat as possible and wait for back up. It's a good plan and besides that-
"My friends are still back there."
He finally looks at me with a sympathetic expression on his face.
"So are mine."
"Sir, all we have to do is stall, if we all run to the last room there won't be anywhere to fall back to."
"We don't have any other choice, and I'm not sending my guys to get killed waiting for help that we aren't sure is coming. The enemy is one step ahead of us and we don't have a hope of going toe to toe with them."
"But Bud said-"
"This is not Bud's Command! And it most certainly isn't yours!" Jonah scolds squaring his shoulders at me and speaking down at me with authority, "now I have to make sure all these people and my men are able to get out safely. Your job now is to do what I say, and I say to evacuate right now."
"It's done!" The guard with the lava quirk yells, the giant doors have been melted together not even all the to the top.
"Alright let's keep moving," Jonah tells the guard who sprints towards the end of the museum.
"This is plan kid, I suggest you fall into step." Johan says before following.
I look back at the door that is now welded shut. This will never stop him, it will barely slow him now... but what choice do I have.
I move my legs and follow everyone else.
Three more welded doors later and what must be over a thousand museum visitors and remaining security guards are all gathered in a massive circular hall with marble floors. Old rudimentary painting stretched out hide and on pots and hide line the Cape Industries reinforced kilotonne walls. Huge windows high on the walls too high to reach even if we had a comically tall ladder flood the place with natural light.
It's too bad we're here under these circumstances because it's a really beautiful hall.
Instead of facing the barricaded door, Jonah has gathered his men at the back wall and is throwing the full force of his command at a single point to try and break a hole in the wall to escape with the museum visitor in the center of the hall crowding their backs.
Each man with a quirk stepping forward one at a time to try weakening the structure, but it's been about 5 rounds of all his men trying including himself, and all they've managed in a crack.
"C'mon keep going, get us out of here." / "Do your jobs, you're supposed to protect us." /
"Where are the heroes! Why aren't they here." / "Are we going to die!" / "We're all going to die!" / "Somebody help us!"
The museum visitors fall into mass panic and being screaming to try and signal the outside.
"Jonah, please. Gather your men in front of the door and hold the line."
Jonah doesn't even look in my direction. "Form another queue. Hit it again!"
Damn it! I should've been more persistent, barricading the doors could have actually helped the initial plan. We could have brought all the civilians into this hall and barricaded them from the sand villain while all the fighters gathered further up and fought in multiple defensive levels. Some of Jonah's men could have even stayed with the main group and tried to get the people out slow through the windows or something.
We could have protected them, but now we've just gotten them in our way. When the sand villain gets here we'll be as much of a threat to them, even as we're trying to protect them.
Looking around I immediately realize that Jonah has just put everyone in the most dangerous place they could have ended up. In a giant bowl with no exits, that's about to fill with sand.
Another crashing booming sound. That's the second door.
Screams fill the air.
"Jonah!" I plead desperately.
He finally looks at me, there's panic and fear in his eyes, sweat rain down his face. The wall won't budge.
"Ditrix!" Jonah commands his heaviest hitting guard with massive iron fists to bombard the wall with punches and "don't stop till you or it breaks."
The guard goes to work, punch after punch, and to his credit, shallow dent forms after about fifty swings.
Another boom, that's the last door, only the one into here remains. We're out of time.
Jonah places his hand over his man's and stops him, there's a resigned look on Johan's face and the guard stops pounding the wall and drops his fists.
"What are you doing?" I ask, and Jonah doesn't answer shutting his eyes with a look of disappointment.
"No, you can't. You can't give up, you can't just..." I stop midsentence when I look at the rest of his men and the same defeated look spreads like a virus from one face to the next.
"You can't be serious, what about all these-"
I turn around to the museum visitors and I don't know how it happened but the virus has spread to their faces as well.
Heads hang low and they all have the same resigned and defeated look. The fight to panic it seems is now lost to them like it would be futile to do anything other than accept the inevitable. Families hug each other close and tight as if it might be their last chance.
"I'm sorry kid," Johan takes off his cap, "it's over."
We hear a hissing sound, and everyone turns to the other side of the hall where the doors are and see little bits of sand trickling through the crack of the rushed weld job.
Strangely there is no more screaming, everyone seems to have gone paralyzed with fear.
"Jonah..." I look back at him and his men, all their heads hanging low, resignation holding them in place.
More and more sand seep in and the doors begin to bend in.
Is this how it ends, are we just going to slowly wait to get killed. Is that really what we're allowing to happen, what I'm allowing to happen?
No. No way, no how, no chance. If going down is what's happening, I'll do it fighting.
I run through the crowd, no one stops me and they all begin to make a path to let me through while they all bunch close together at the far side behind me. I find myself standing alone at the front, I release my injured arm out of its makeshift sling. Readying to meet our unwanted guest.
The doors burst open and slowly I expect an avalanche of sand to come rushing in but instead the massive sand monster slowly creeps into the hall climbing higher and higher towering almost to the height of the windows which have to be over twenty feet above the floor. The Sleeper agent security guards following close behind, their faces covered by masks.
I feel exhausted and I'm sure I'm almost out of power, staring at this massive monster made of sand that towers over us.
I don't know what to do. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't beat this, but their people behind me and I know I have to hold the line. I have to. Even with my broken arm in a makeshift sling.
I activate and gingerly rise into the air, I don't have to look to know my aurora lights are dim and my hair has fallen around my face. It takes a second to confirm my suspicions.
I have no power left and in a second, I'll be as good as quirkless and just as helpless as the very people I'm trying to protect.
As I lift off the ground I hear gasps and murmurs come from behind me.
"Look at that." / "A Bruden?" / "She's that Bruden girl."
"She was here the whole time?" / "Can she beat that thing." / "She looks so tiny."
Hanging in the air, I don't know if I imagine it, but I think I see the monster flinch.
My eyes narrow with focus, and I feel ashamed of myself. How could I ever forget, that it should be afraid, after all I'm a Bruden. This is what we do best.
I point forward my one good arm and aim my shaking palm to its head.
The sand monster roars out an intimidating cry that makes my heart beat so much faster, and a choking feeling settles in my throat.
"Kick their butts, Bruden girl!" / "You can do it." / "Yeah! We believe in you!" /
"Bruden!" / "Bruden!" / "Bruden!" / "Bruden!" / "Bruden!"
"Your command." Its Jonah's voice.
I don't turn my head, but I can see them all in my peripheral. All the remaining security guards have formed up on either side of me. Arms drawn and ready to fight.
There's only one command I know, only one I need.
"Hold the line."
I prepare to fire a blast, just like Shrike showed me.
The chanting keeps going. This is where I make we make our stand, this is where-AH!
I groan in pain as my body cramps and my quirk deactivates.
"Ah!" I fall to the ground in a heap on to my bad arm. The chanting stops immediately and I lie on the floor in excruciating pain.
"..ow..."
"End them all." I hear the sand villain say.
Any hope I inspired officially dead.
The huge crashing sound echoes through the hall and the wall to our left explodes into pieces and a gold-colored car tumbles to a halt right between the opposing line covered in dust and rumble. I watch bits of heavy chunks of dense stone come falling from the air promising to crush us every with their weight, except... they stop short, in mid-air caught in...
"Are those..."
Bubbles.
Alistair! Which means that the car belongs to-
"The heroes and police are in the building, they're making their way over here right now, but please..." Mikey stands on top of his wrecked sports car facing the sand villain and the traitor guards, not injured in the slightest, standing tall and proud, "Don't let that stop you from putting up a fight."
When I look over my shoulder the wall didn't explode, it was crashed into and now there's is a big hole in the wall, and it doesn't take anyone more than a second to all begin screaming again and sprint to the outside. I hear Allistair's voice somewhere in there trying to tell them to be orderly.
"ARGH!" The Sand villain rages and avalanches towards Mikey.
"Make sure everybody gets out!" Mikey yells at us, standing on the hood of his new sports car while Alistair is behind him floating people out to safety.
"Mike I don't think we can beat him!" I yell.
"Just go, I'll cover your exit!" Mikey yells focusing his eyes on the man at the center of the Sand monster.
But he can't on his own, "Mikey you-"
"I have a plan, just go!" He rages.
Mikey raises his arms and the car he's standing on begins to rise in the air, it's… flying? The doors and body slowly pull away, turning into a shiny and heavy looking liquid.
The car isn't painted gold, it is gold!
Some of the gold from Mike's car wraps around him in a golden suit of armor ending at his neck. He hovers in the air and flies to the forefront above liquid arms of golden tentacles sprouting out of a golden sphere.
Okay then.
"Men of New Sekai Pendela Historic Museum." Jonah yells, "Attack!"
They rush forward to attack their counterparts as Mikey and the sand villain collide. Mikey wipes his tentacles sends a rain of sand flying through the air and he actually manages to start pushing the villain back.
I hear the yelling of police and the heroes, they must not be able to enter through the hole Mikey made because of all the people evacuating through it, which means they're on the other side, but they're finally here.
The sand villain pushes Mikey back and is beginning to tower over him.
"Density Shift!" I hear a familiar voice. "Cannon Ball!"
Bud comes flying straight through the sand from the other side into the hall. Leaping effortlessly through the air and landing close to my side, Mandy in his arms drops to the floor.
"There you are," Bud says, he looks beaten, this face is even more swollen over his fat and his bushy beard is cut and torn, "sorry I took so long. Help has arrived." He says that while falling to one knee in exhaustion.
"Lucy are you okay?" Mandy asks and I nod weakly.
Mikey takes the advantage and whips hard and faster at the sand monster that seems to have all but given up the fight now that help has arrived. Sand flies through the air as Mikey gold whips and whips and turning into a smaller and smaller pile, then when it's no more than a small heap he stops and hangs back.
Jonah's men, with the help of the police and cool heroes flooding into the room, manages to apprehend the Sleeper agents.
When someone goes to dig through, to all our surprise, the sand villain, Vasa isn't there anymore. But it barely matters to me, because it's finally over. Except...
"Bud, were you able to rescue my classmates?" And Robin! I didn't see him the whole time we were in here. "And a small little boy!"
Bud shakes his head, "I'm sorry, Lucy."
Robin, I didn't look for him! I promised I'd protect him.
I sprint to the hole in the wall that Mikey created and everybody ran through to the outside. I exit the museum to the crowd of visitors gathered around with ambulances, police vehicles and even news vans all around.
I make my way to the crowd.
"Robin! Robin!" I yell over and over but nothing.
"Hey! It's the Bruden girl!" Someone yells and applause begins to ring out.
"She did it!" / "Our hero!" / "Alright Bruden!" /
"You're my favorite heroes!" / "Let's hear it for the Brudens!"
The people are cheering but I'm breathing in a heavy panic, my head turning on a swivel trying to find him.
"Lucy?" Ali is by my side, but I don't acknowledge her, because Robin has to here! He has to be.
Where could he be? Where could he be?
I activate my quirk and begin to rise in the air trying to get a better view if he's in the crowd. My breathing is short and I feel my muscles screaming in pain. The cheers get louder and Bruden chants start up again.
I look left and right frantically in the crowd of people, I keep rising, higher and higher. The people below me keep cheering, flashes pop in my vision.
Where? Where? I'm high enough in the air to see the whole crowd and I can't spot Robin anywhere.
No No No!
My exhaustion finally reaches its limit and my power shuts off and I begin to fall out of the sky with nothing left to catch me.
"Careful!" Mikey catches me in his arms, floating in the air in his gold suit of armor.
I hang on to him, my body now too tired and pained to move anymore and slowly my eyes shut and the world goes quiet.
I lost him.
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| Lucy Bruden: Quirk; Solar Aurora. Affiliation: K.I. Academy |