Hey guys! I hope you are all well and enjoying the New Year so far. I'm rather pleased that I've managed to get this next chapter up so quickly, especially as my aim was two chapters a month! I've even made a start on the next one so you shouldn't have too long to wait for that one either.
I hope you enjoy the second chapter and I'd appreciate any feedback so please do take the time to leave a review!
"Will you stop doing that?!" Hana snapped as Jungo rapidly tapped the side of the car loudly with his finger tips. It was fine that he was nervous, heck, she was nervous too but she needed to concentrate. The three of them were sat in a hover vehicle hidden away in amongst a few wrecked buildings not far from the Cold's ship, which was almost empty, aside from a few low level Ki signatures and one massive one that Hana could only assume belonged to one of the Cold's. Whichever one of them it was, she could sense them moving towards the front of the ship.
"He's out" she stated flatly as she felt the power source finally emerge from the ship. "Just wait a moment, hopefully he's finally fucking off so we can get this done" she added when she felt the panic rise in Jungo.
Zee was as chilled out as he always was and seemed perfectly content sat in the front seat happily chain smoking while they waited. Hana had known Zee since he was a child, he had been among those who found her wondering the streets as a child after all. He had been practically raised along side her from there and they had been on so many jobs together since that they worked together like a well oiled machine. Zee trusted Hana and her abilities, and Hana trusted Zee. Jungo on the other hand was going to be an absolute liability, she could tell already.
Hana gave a small smile when she felt the Ki force she'd been tracking finally vacate the area and head in the direction of the city. Jungo swivelled in his seat, turning his head to watch the purple streak disappear across the sky.
"Show time!" Zee chuckled, slamming Jungo on the back, knocking the air out of him and kicking the door or the vehicle open as Jungo shakily reached for the backpack he would be using to carry the batteries once he's extracted them safely from the engine.
The three of them quickly flew towards the ship, immediately running up the ramp and entering the shiny metal corridors. Just as Hana knew it would be, the ship was silent and deserted, say for the odd few lifeforms, the majority of whom seemed to be on an upper level.
"Back of the ship, it's clear ahead" Hana spoke softly as she gently grabbed Jungo by the shoulder, pulling him along behind her to make sure he kept up with them. They were approaching a junction in the corridor when Hana manoeuvred them quickly and quietly to the left into a storage cupboard allowing the door to slide closed without a sound.
She didn't need to be able to sense his Ki to know how he was feeling. Jungo's usually pale blue skin was almost white and he hadn't stopped shaking since they left the car. Even in the darkness of the cupboard she could see his hands were slicked with sweat.
"Jungo.." she placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump "calm down, we're not going to let anything happen to you".
"You're with the safest team ya can be kid" Zee added in agreement, going silent as they watched shadows pass by the door. "In fact we haven't lost anyone since Goda.." Zee started before Hana forced her hand over his mouth glaring daggers at him.
Why the hell would you even say that!? Her brain screamed at him as Jungo descended further into his panic. Hana waited a few moments before quickly moving them on, and it wasn't long before they finally made it to the back of the ship.
Knowing the engine and server rooms were already clear they entered without hesitation, Hana closing the door firmly behind them. The room was huge, with large, box-like servers reaching up towards the ceiling like towers on either side of them. Down toward the other end of the room is what seemed to be the engines themselves. A series of levers, control panels, metal shutters and doors.
Still shaking Jungo made his way dutifully towards the back of the engine room, opening up the bag of various tools he had with him and set to work at extracting the batteries safely from one of the engines. Hana leaned against one of the server units, her arms crossed across her chest as she let her senses roam around the ship, wincing when Jungo dropped whatever tool he had been using with a loud clang.
He's going to get us fucking killed if he doesn't sort this shit out... she mused to herself, feeling a sense of relief that no one but them were currently at this end of the ship.
"So," Zee started as he produced a cigarette from his breast pocket, returning it again when he caught the look Hana gave him. "When are you moving out of that shitty flat of yours? I'm surprised it hasn't caved in on you"
Hana sighed running her hand through her dark silver hair as she fixed her ruby red eyes on her friend. "As soon as I can get the cash together," she shrugged, "if I didn't need it I wouldn't have taken on this job to be honest."
Zee chuckled "You've done well Hana. I don't think anyone thought for a second when we found you wandering the streets that you'd get this far." Hana allowed a small smile at this comment. Zee had been the closest thing to a sibling she had ever had. If not for him and those who had found her she was fairly certain she'd have wouldn't have survived long after that horrible day.
She was broken out of her thoughts abruptly when an alarm suddenly started to sound throughout the ship, red lights flashing above them. Hana and Zee both turned in unison to look in horror at Jungo who was in a flustered state of panic.
"What the fuck did you do!?" Hana yelled across at him.
"I, I... the security system, I c-can fix it..." Jungo was clearly panicked as he frantically started to hit various buttons and cut wires. Nothing he seemed to do made any difference as the ships alarm continued to assault their ears.
Zee slapped his forehead with his hand as Hana stepped towards the door, her red eyes darting around as she tracked the reactions of everyone in the area. Then she froze, the blood draining from her face. She spun on her heel to look at the other two.
"He's coming back, we need to get out of here" she hissed causing a further spike of panic from Jungo.
"I've almost got this one" he stammered bravely over the blaring alarm pulling on the upper handle of one of the batteries.
"Well hurry it up so we can get out of here!" Zee yelled as he watched Hana closely, trying to read her expression. He eyes were narrowed, but aside from that her face was smooth and neutral. To anyone who didn't know her she almost looked unconcerned but the tiniest frown in her dark eyebrows conveyed her worry to Zee. He'd seen that face plenty of times before and knew she was intently focused on a singular target.
Moments later she picked her head up, the panic more than evident in her eyes. At that exact moment Jungo finally managed to pull the tube like battery and haul it into his pack. "Grab the pack, get between the servers and stay quiet" Hana hissed, he voice urgent.
She could feel the Ki signature on the ship and coming their way, she knew the Icejin couldn't sense Ki, but now that he was on the ship it was obvious that his return was down to the still blaring alarm. All they had to do was stay hidden long enough for him to go away again. Or at the very least move elsewhere on the ship so they could slip away undetected. They wouldn't be bringing back anywhere near as many batteries as they were supposed to, but something was better than nothing. The main priority was to get the three of them off the ship in one piece.
Zee didn't hesitate at her words and slipped into the small gap between two rows server units, his four large arms making it a tight squeeze. Hana ushered Jungo into the gap of the next unit along, quickly stepping back and slipping into the gap straight opposite as the door to the room slid open with a whoosh of air.
Hana held her breath as the tall figure entered the room. She had never been in such close proximity to anyone with a power level this high. Nor, come to think of it had she ever seen or met an Icejin in person. She prayed that Jungo could hold his nerve enough that this be the closest she ever got. Glancing across at Jungo she felt a pang of panic in here chest. He was shaking madly under the flashing red lights, more so than he had been all day and was rocking back and fourth on the balls of his feet. If she didn't know any better, it looked like her was preparing to make a run for it.
"Stay there" she mouthed across at him as she bat her hand slowly in what she hoped would be perceived as a calming gesture. His panic only spiked more as the Icejin passed and Hana got her first look at him. He was tall, easily over 6 foot with deep purple skin. His exoskeleton that Icejin were known for was a pure white and his large tail swung from side to side in what appeared to be annoyance.
The Icejin passed, not noticing the presence of any of them and Hana stole a glance out to look at him as he reached a control panel at the end of the room. He certainly looked as strong as he felt, and she was extremely glad he wasn't wearing a scouter, as it would no doubt be set off by Jungo's erratic Ki levels. Ducking back under cover she turned her gaze to Jungo, who was holding his hands over his mouth as he continued to tremble in fear.
The two of the made eye contact briefly and she froze when his intentions became clear. "Don't you dare" she mouthed across to him, but it was too late, in a flurry of panic he had slipped out from his hiding spot and bolted, instantly drawing the attention of the Icejin at the other end of the room.
Jungo's feet clanged loudly on the metal floor and he was out of the room in a flash, but as a streak of purple shot passed Hana she knew he wouldn't get very far. She emerged from her hiding spot at the same time as Zee who was giving her an incredulous look.
"What the fuck is he doing?!" Zee hissed as they rushed towards the door.
"Getting himself killed is what he's fucking doing" Hana responded as she darted out into the corridor, sprinting towards the direction Jungo and the Icejin had gone. She was much quicker than Zee and was quickly in sight of the other two just in time to see the Icejin drawing his hand back ready to fire a blast at the retreating form of Jungo.
It's now or never...
Just as the Icejin went to bring his forward to fire the blast at the retreating form of Jungo Hana pounced forward planted her right foot into the ground and shot forwards with as much force as she could muster, smashing into the side of the purple being with her shoulder, the surprise attack knocking him into the wall to his left. Moving quickly, Hana went to run forward when she felt a tail coil around her ankle, causing her to lose her balance and stumble forward.
She turned her upper body as she fell away from him quickly charging a blast in her hand and firing it directly at his chest. Due to her haste it wasn't an overly strong blast but it was sufficient enough to release her ankle and knock the purple Icejin straight through the wall behind him.
Scrambling to her feet she paused, eyeing the hole the Icejin had disapeared through as Jungo as Zee sprinted past her.
"Get a move on kid!" Zee yelled over his shoulder as he caught up with Jungo who seemed to have tripped over his own feet, sweeping both him and the backpack off the ground and flinging him over his massive shoulder as he continued to run.
Hana couldn't see him, but she could feel the Icejin flare his power level. He'd got over the surprise of being hit from behind quickly, and his emotion had switched from a mild annoyance straight to anger. Not wasting a moment she fired a quick blast through the hole at him, which he hastily blocked but was knocked backwards again.
Spinning on her heel Hana sprinted away as fast as her legs would carry her, quickly catching up to the other two she charged a much larger Ki blast around her clenched fist, blasting the deep purple and black fire like ball forwards just as two of the Cold's henchmen rounded the corner ahead of them. Jungo squealed as the blast detonated on contact knocking both aliens backwards, the force enough to blast one through a doorway behind him.
As they descended the ramp of the ship Hana ducked a blast making a beeline for the back of her head. Planting her foot in the dirt she pivoted around on the spot to face the purple Icejin who was hot on their heels.
"I'll catch you up, get the hell out of here!" she yelled over her shoulder in Zee's direction, who paused for the briefest of moments before doing as he had been instructed and shot off into the sky and away.
Hana braced herself, her Ki flaring up around her as she powered up. The Icejin sent another blast her way for which she quickly responded with a blast of her own, the two exploding in a surge of dust and heat as they met in the air between them. Backing down the ramp Hana felt the presence of a much weaker form charge in from her left. She made short work grabbing him by his chest armour and throwing him up into the air and into slamming him hard into the ground behind her, letting off a quick blast behind her to nullify him.
The Icejin had paused, watching her with narrowed eyes from the top of the ramp as thick clouds of dust blew between them. He couldn't sense her power level, but she could sense his. His Ki level was certainly higher than that of anyone she'd faced before and she was fairly certain he was probably physically stronger than her as well. She could only assume he'd underestimated her as he'd fired much weaker blasts than he was capable of. Her saving grace would be her speed and her sensory skills, but she knew she didn't have to defeat him, just hold him up long enough that the other two could get away. Once they'd cleared a reasonable distance she'd use her superior speed to make an escape.
They continued to stare each other down until, suddenly, he moved. At blinding speed the purple being launched himself from the top of the ramp, appearing before her within a split second, suspended in the air with his leg drawn back ready to land a blow to her head. With equally fast reflexes Hana ducked the kick and responded with a powerful uppercut which the Icejin barely managed to dodge.
Not allowing him a moment to recover she used her trajectory to shoot upwards, drawing up her knee which collided hard with his jaw causing him to stumble ever so slightly backwards. Now in semi-flight Hana turned her body in a fierce round house kick which the Icejin blocked with his forearm. Swifter than she could fully react to his tail swung round, the hard muscle connecting hard with her ribcage and sending her flying sideways where she tumbled through the dirt.
She managed to correct herself and rolled to her hands and knees, facing the Icejin. Expanding her senses for a moment she could feel that Zee and Jungo had just reached the city, and more importantly; they weren't being pursued. Knowing she had stalled for long enough Hana shot upwards to take flight but the Icejin, apparently recognising that she was now fleeing shot up with her. He reached out a hand and managed to catch her ankle, dragging her down and smashing her back into the ground, releasing her as he did so.
Remaining on her back Hana shot a blast, much stronger than her previous ones straight up towards the purple being who returned it with a blast of his own. They collided together, detonating in a fiery explosion that swept up dust, sand and debris from around them. She much so that Hana could no longer see the being hovering over her, although of course she still knew exactly where he was.
Seizing her opportunity Hana sent another powerful ball of energy upwards, followed immediately by a second, before shooting into the air right behind both. Using the cover of the dust cloud to her advantage she felt him block the first blast easily, but barely block the second. The second the second blast connected Hana emerged from the dust cloud, fist clenched and landed a hard blow to his stomach, winding him. Flipping her body over so that she was upside down but still travelling upwards she blasted him straight in the back.
Hunched over and winded he didn't get a chance to respond and moments after the blast hit him Hana was back, her two hands clenched together as she slammed them into his back sending him careering towards the ground, re-aggravating the dry desert ground and stirring up a fresh wave of dust and sand.
Not pausing for even a moment Hana shot off across the sky headed back towards the city, dropping low for cover as she sped passed the abandoned buildings they had used for cover earlier. She could feel him pursuing her, or more travelling in her general direction. She knew he had lost sight of her.
Knowing all too well that the desolate land between the wrecked houses and the city provided little to no cover and the Icejin was in hot pursuit, Hana diverted and landed. Slipping in through the front door of a mostly there house as she leaned against the door and sank to the ground she allowed herself a small smile as she sensed the Icejin continue towards the city.
By the time Hana made it home hours had passed and the two suns had long set and darkness had descended over the city. She shouldered open the door to her small home and made her way over to her sink, splashing cool water over her grimy face. She winched as she removed her shirt, seeing the angry purple bruising already forming on her ribcage. She could feel a very similar bruising starting to form on her ankle where the Icejin had grabbed her.
Feeling both physically and mentally exhausted Hana collapsed on the small bed, immediately shifting herself to the side to avoid a busted spring. She kicked her boots off and onto the floor and dragged the covers over her aching body. Despite the overwhelming feeling that something wasn't quite right, it was only a matter of minutes she could feel herself drifting into an uneasy sleep.