Procrastination and School. That's why I'm late. No excuses I'm late and I'm sorry. Thankfully I now have a better idea of where I'm going with the story thanks to the extra week.
With this being the fifth chapter I just wanna thank everyone who's followed the story so far and left a comment. You guys are awesome. Seriously. This isn't a fanfiction that was based on the BRS anime or game or anything else. Just figured that there's some new world surrounding BRS every time I find something new about her I figured I'd do the same. Recipe: Take BRS, world generation powers, and add a little crazy with a gamers background. Bam, BRSO.
So yeah, thanks for sticking with me guys, hope to keep getting better as I go along.
COMMENTS ON CHAPETR 4
Crimson Homura: Sorry, I forgot that making sarcastic jokes on the internet is hard. But this isn't going to end quite how you think.
ArisatoKirin: Hopefully the detail here doesn't disappoint! Thanks for the support! : )
Chapter Five: Breakout
Day 2
Date: Saturday, 1st Month, 22nd day, 1017th year D.A. (Dark Ages)
Location: Obroseon Grand Stadium
Time: Roughly 8:00pm S.S.T. (Standard Sanctuary Time)
(20 minutes before Squad Keeper arrives at Thilan Factory Zina.)
Black couldn't believe what she was seeing, the very last Keeper that had fallen dead in the arena the night before was now standing in front of her. Dead Master looked perfectly fine, like the last second shot through her body hadn't happened. She looked like her normal self, the dark green dress, the dark wings on her lower back, glasses, two vertebrae-like curved horns on her head, and strange looking weapon called Dead Scythe.
But one thing stood out, instead of the neon green eyes she normally had, she had glowing red eyes. It only meant one thing, Dead had been revived to be placed under the control of whoever had taken over the Keepers the night before. Right now, Dead was not a friend, but an enemy. Once Black came to this conclusion, she pushed her questions aside and took the first shot, quickly bringing her rock cannon up and firing a small burst of projectiles aimed directly at Dead's chest.
With more than enough time to react, Dead simply jumped to one side and the rocks flew harmlessly flew by and exploded against the stadium wall. Dead pulled out her Scythe mid-jump as well as summoned her two skulls. Two large green circles appeared in the air, and out of each a massive green skulls flew out of each of the circles flying right towards Black at an astonishing speed.
Black managed to fire three shots at one of the skulls before having to roll to her left and dodge the skulls. It was one of Dead's abilities given to her when she was created, the ability to generate massive skull minions that could slam opponents with enough force to knock them out or even kill them. Black knew that Dead could only summon two skulls in any given fight, and if she had an opening it would be easy to gun them down, if the chains Dead had hidden in her dress didn't find her in the process.
Black was forced to split her focus between the two skulls, which were now behind her, and Dead whose unwavering gaze was fixated on Black's next move. Unwilling to sit around when Dead was in a favorable position, Black charged her opponent, returning her rock cannon to the harness as drawing her katana from what seemed to be thin air. Dead swung her scythe horizontally, forcing Black to stop and parry the blow. Dead continued her offensive attack, forcing Black to defend herself, waiting patiently for an opening in the other Keepers relentless stream of attacks.
Without any kind of warning, Dead jumped backward. Before Black had a chance to figure out why she suddenly stopped her attack, something slammed into her hard from the side. Sent flying, Black crashed into the ground and rolled a good ten feet before skidding to a stop. The pain in Blacks left right side registered in her brain for a moment before she pushed it aside. Black guessed that she probably had a broken rib or two, nothing in her mind that was serious enough to change her strategy.
Black picked herself off the ground using her cannon as a crutch, looking up to scan the field for Dead only to find herself leaping back intensively when she saw the scythe-wielding Keeper slashing horizontally at Black's head. Dead wasted no time after her failed kill attempt, clearly expecting Black to survive it, and jumped after her.
Black wasn't going to be drawn into the same trap twice. The second Black landed she jumped to her left, then right, making sure her movements were constant yet unpredictable in an attempt to keep as much distance between her and Dead as possible. While jumping around playing keep-away with Dead, she began to shoot at the skulls that were once again flying just under the roof of the stadium. Without the additional help from the familiars, Black could easily take on the scythe wielder alone.
Yet Dead wasn't going to have her assistants be killed so easily, and soon Black had to deal with the two flying skulls that began to dash around the field in random patterns. They became impossible to shoot, zipping around faster than Black was able to track. Within moments Black was now jumping both to avoid getting locked in a close combat battle with Dead and avoiding the skulls that were flying around like massive projectiles. The whole thing took up so much of Blacks focus that she couldn't find the time to shoot.
I'm not going to win like this. Black thought with her frustration increasing. It was one of Blacks bad habits and a symptom of her brain wanting to run on emotion in high pressure situations. Whenever a fight or a puzzle was causing Black problems, she would grow increasingly frustrated, often doing something reckless and stupid that got her in trouble with her instructors or even injured. "Black and Blue Rock Shooter" was a common joke by the scientists.
This time though, Black wasn't concerned with the consequences of losing her temper. If whatever rash decision she made worked and she survived this match who was going to complain?
Black hit a button below the trigger in her rock cannon. A blue glow could be seen from the barrel as a charge built up within the weapon. Jumping in the path of one of the skulls, Black fired her charged shot and watched as the creature exploded before skidding to a halt on the ground.
There wasn't enough time for Black to realize that she had made a critical error before she was knocked to the ground in an instant, her nose breaking from the impact and blood running like a river down her face. With a surge of anger and adrenaline, Black looked up and took aim at the remaining skull that had managed to hit her. Taking only a second to aim from her position on the ground, she fired another charged up shot that impacted her assailant as it tried to fly upwards toward a safe altitude.
Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, Black's left eye erupted in blue fire and she rolled over, shooting directly above her, and Dead's head exploded. But the victory was short lived, and without any warning, Black felt the blade of Dead Scythe impale her head, and the world fell into darkness.
Day 2
Date: Saturday, 1st Month, 22nd day, 1017th year D.A. (Dark Ages)
Location: Coopers Inn, Suburbs of Obroseon
Time: 8:16pm S.S.T. (Standard Sanctuary Time)
(Four minutes before Squad Keeper arrives at Thilan Factory Zina)
Yeman had watched in shock as he saw who Black's opponent was. Having been in the booths above the stands in the Keeper's opening night, he had watched everyone but Black die in the arena. But there she was, Dead Master, once again alive, healthy, and still under whatever mind control spell they were under. He was now sure of two things, one, this was definitely some kind of experiment. Two, Eastil had somehow completed the technique of resurrection that he had been working on for the Keepers and later the Guardians for some time. This realization was also the reason why Yeman didn't panic when both Black and Dead died in the final moments of the match, because they would both be healed and as good as new in no time. The former councilor would be breathing a sigh of relief if it wasn't for what happened earlier that day.
Apparently Justin hadn't been as trustworthy as he had thought, that or whatever faction was organizing this had gotten to him, because Yeman had been accused of plotting against the council to get certain members removed on false accusations. While it had been partially true, the whole thing was ironic to him. He was the one removed by a false accusation, which was about plotting to false accusations himself once he knew who was involved.
Of course Yeman wasn't going to give up so easily. In fact he was glad for his removal, it meant that there were fewer strings attached to him. It made it easier to do something so drastic that probably would get him executed if it didn't work out.
"Yo Yeman, I've figured out where they keep those Keepers." Yeman got up from the couch he was sitting on and walked over to the table behind it, where a young man with dark skin sat in front of a laptop. The most wanted hacker in Blue Rift breaking into the security of the Obroseon system to figure out how they could liberate Black.
"What have you got for me Pike?" Yeman asked with calm anticipation.
"Well old friend it's just as we suspected, their keeping Black and the other Keepers deep underground directly below the stadium. Only two ways to get in, the first is through the elevators in the stadium itself which are only used when Keepers are entering and leaving the arena."
"Well we both know that isn't an option." Yeman grunted.
"True, which is why I took the liberty of locating the second entrance for you. It's in the alleyway behind the Guardian House across the street from the tower." Yeman patted Pike on the shoulder.
"Nice, so all we need to do is get in there and get Black out. Good work Pike, thanks for doing this for me." But Yeman's moment of victory was cut short when his friend sighed.
"It's not gonna be that simple Yeman, you should know that by now or you wouldn't need me. I also found what security this place has, and you're going to need a specialized team to get in there. Security lasers, a special forces defense team, drones, and not to mention the other Keepers that they have under their control. This looks more like a suicide mission to me." Pike turned around in his seat to look Yeman in the eye. "I don't think you can pull this one off man. Not on your own." Yeman crossed his arms and sighed. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Pike was right. They needed some muscle to get them in and out quickly, and thankfully he knew of someone that might help them. Yeman turned around and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Pike asked in confusion.
"To get the muscle and skill we need to get past the guards and Keepers. You work on a way to shut down the automated defenses. I want to get this done tonight." As Yeman closed the door he could hear Pike muttering about doing the impossible, but the older man knew that the hacker would get it done.
Yeman left the Inn and called up a taxi using a kiosk by the front desk. As he stood outside waiting he could see the spotlights from the stadium, where he knew tonight's Keeper battles were still in full swing. Yeman let out a long sigh. It was one thing to be plotting to break into what was probably the most well guarded facility on Blue Rift, but it was another to plan and execute it in less than six hours. He had never exactly been a patient man to wait for the perfect moment. In Yemans eyes, the sooner something got done, the better.
A green vehicle that hovered over the ground pulled up next to the curb and the drivers side window lowered to reveal a middle aged man in a black T-shirt and cap.
"You Mr. Yeman Aland?" Yeman nodded and got in the backseat. "Where to buddy?" The man's voice was somewhat raspy, like he hadn't had a glass of water in a few days. But that was common with Obroseon taxi drivers, most weren't in the best health or economic class. Often enough they could be connected to some kind of illegal drug, not that anyone paid any attention with the war against the Thilan Empire in the forefront of everyone's minds.
"Keepsake Weapons on Macfer street." The taxi did a quick one-eighty and sped off.
Yeman wondered if Black even wanted to be rescued. Considering the intensity of the Keeper's training, he doubted she would trust anyone let alone a former councilor. In fact, this whole rescue operation could go south because Black ends up killing every single one of them. There was just so much about Black that Yeman had wanted to know but hadn't been able to find out. Getting close enough for an interview with even the instructors had been deemed too risky, the council didn't want anything interfering with the training of their greatest weapon. More like their greatest test subject. They didn't even hesitate to turn the Keepers into test subjects when Project Guardian was introduced.
Then of course there was the question of how the Guardian in the stands had the White Rock Cannon, which had drawn Blacks attention in the first Keeper match. Yeman was one of the few people who felt like they understood the true importance of that cannon to Black, and the understandable outrage of it falling into the hands what could only be seen as White's replacement.
Of course that could be reason enough for Black to want to escape, to hunt down that Guardian and find out what he was doing with her sisters cannon. The only problem with using that as a motivator was what Black would do to the Guardian afterward…
The taxi slowed to a stop and Yeman looked out the window to find the entrance to Keepsake Weapons with massive metal shutters lowered, signaling that they were closed for the night. After Yeman paid the driver and thanked the man he got out. The taxi sped off as Yeman walked up to the shutters, looking them over for a moment before banging loudly.
"Riho Kuse, Ms. Kuse are you there?" Yeman waited a few brief moments before slamming the shutter a few more times. Afterward he began to pace back and forth along the length of the shop, waiting for the shutter to open and the former general to answer. Eventually after what felt like an hour, there was the sound of a metal pulley opening and Yeman turned around to find the famous weapon smith and even more infamous war general Riho Kuse, leaning against the outside wall of the store with folded arms.
"Well well, if it isn't Councilor Yeman, you better have a damned good reason for making all this noise after hours. And by the way, it's still General Kuse, not Ms. Kuse. Just because the Kheawuton government haven't given me any orders in seventeen years doesn't mean you have the right to be disrespectful."
"Glad to see you're still as cheerful as ever Riho." Yeman replied with a hint of amusement. Riho looked anything but amused.
"What do you want?" Her tone was flat and her stare accusing.
"I need a favor." Yeman sighed, almost regretting that he was being forced to ask without a better diplomatic speech prepared. Riho raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What? No diplomatic speech? No first talking about how important this will be to society if we pull it off and that we can't do it without you?" Yeman shook his head. Riho pushed off the wall and took a step forward. "Then what is it?"
"I need your help to break Black out of that prison she's being kept in." Riho snorted in amusement.
"And what makes you think I'm going to help you? When I agreed to make weapons for your little Keeper project I wasn't expecting to watch them be used against each other when their replacements stole the front lines from them."
"That wasn't my decision and you know it." Yeman replied coldly.
"Of course not, it was the council's decision." Riho replied in mock belief. "Now do you expect me to believe that the council let the Thilan break into whatever facility you're keeping those kids in and take them away so you couldn't use them for whatever science experiment you're running right after you replace them? Like hell I'm helping you, better that the Thilan put them out of their misery." Riho walked past Yeman, headed straight for the entrance to the backside of the store.
"I'm not a councilor anymore Riho." Yeman admitted. Riho stopped and spun around sharply.
"What?"
Yeman turned around and looked Riho in the eye. "I'm not a councilor anymore. I was released because I was trying to figure out who in the council is using the Keepers."
Riho's eyes narrowed. "You'd better not be shitting me Yeman." The man gave an exaggerated shrug with raised eyebrows.
"Does it look like I'm wearing a councilor's uniform? I got removed because I was trying to find out what councilors were connected to whatever is going on with the Keepers!" Riho stared at Yeman for a few moments, and the former councilor felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. Eventually, Riho relaxed her shoulders slightly.
"All right, let's say for a minute I believe you. Why are we just rescuing Black and not every single Keeper?"
"Black's the only one not affected by whatever type of brainwashing that is being used to turn the Keepers against each other, making her the only one safe to rescue without being killed immediately afterward." Yeman answered calmly.
"How do you know Black isn't affected?" Riho pressed, clearly intending to test if Yeman had put with plan together with a clear head and wasn't just being stupid.
"The most notable sign of this mind control are the glowing red eyes. Black retained her bright blue eyes, and I have confirmed that the signal which allows this control wasn't being received by Black at any point. She is herself, I'm sure of it."
"Black died in the arena today." Riho pointed out. "What if they managed to get her brainwashed this time and this whole thing ends up being one giant mistake?" Yeman paused. He had been so focused on planning the rescue he hadn't given the possibility any thought.
"I'm willing to take the chance." Yeman finally answered. Riho raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side.
"Alright one last question, what's the plan after you manage to break Black out of there?"
"Keep her out of the hands of the council until I figure out how to break the mind control on the other Keepers, once that's done I free them too. Riho you know what the council did to the Keepers was something neither of us approve of, and they're just going to continue to be lab rats until someone does something about it!" For what felt like a week Yeman felt Riho staring into him, and he knew that she was debating whether to help him or not. The whole time Yeman was nervous, he needed Riho to pull this off. Without her, he didn't have a chance in Thilan of getting Black out of the facility. Eventually, Riho let out a deep sigh.
"Yeman you are going to be the death of me." Riho slapped her palm against the counter in front of her. "But why should I care about this? You talk about how neither of us like it, but I'm not going to throw my life away when I still have to look out for Oris. And don't give me the whole 'it's the right thing to do' routine. We both know I don't give a damn."
"I still have one last paycheck coming in, with the bonus for looking over the Keeper Project." Yeman offered. Riho pushed off the counter with a snort.
"What am I, a mercenary? Yeman I don't care about money, trust me when I say the salary of the council is a joke." From the way Riho said that Yeman guessed there was a deeper meaning behind those words, but now wasn't the time to press for those answers.
"Alright, then what do you want?" Yeman asked with a note of frustration. "Name it and I'll see what I can do."
Riho leaned up against the wall and tapped her fingers against her arm. "Just name it huh? That's quite the generous offer Yeman. Very well, how about more of that metal I used to forge the Keepers their weapons. In whatever amount you possess." Yeman almost groaned out loud. Of all things, it had to be that. Yeman had been hoping to sell what he had left of the metal to find a place to live, but that was now out of the question. His mission to free the Keepers and figure out who was behind the whole thing was more important to him than finding an apartment in the outer districts, which left Yeman only one option.
"Alright Riho, you've got yourself a deal. Once Black is free I'll give you every ounce of Keytonium I have."
Keytonium, a recent discovery in the Zintis mines that proved to be the rarest and most valuable metal on Blue Rift. Not only was Keytonium the strongest substance ever discovered, but it was a brilliant metal for making energy based weapons out of, increasing the power of any weapon made with enough Keytonium. The Thilan had started using it seventeen years ago, when Project Keeper first started, and for seventeen years the armies of Blue Rift haven't won a battle because of the overwhelming difference the substance makes in combat.
What makes matters worse is the fact that the Zintis mines don't extract a lot of Keytonium. Prices for the metal are at an all time high, making it hard for smiths to get their hands on it and harder for the new Guardians to purchase. As far as Yeman knew, only about a hundred weapons could be made out of Keytonium for the Guardians initially.
Riho grinned at Yeman's offer and stepped out to the other side of the counter before leaning on it. "Well all right then, so what's your big plan?" Internally, Yeman let out both a sigh of relief and frustration before explaining.
"We know where Black is being held, and we know what were up against. I have a specialist who can turn off all the automated defenses, we just need to get past the guards and the brainwashed Keepers."
Riho raised an eyebrow "You expect to get past Keepers and survive? I think we both know conventional weapons won't do shit. From what you told me projectile weapons won't get past their clothing and standard energy weapons will only amuse them."
Yeman didn't even blink, he was holding an ace. "The word on the street is you've made another rock cannon with the last of the Keytonium I gave you when the first Keeper weapons were made. No one bothered to confirm it since the substance became legal shortly after so other weapon smiths could start preparing for the Guardians." Riho went from somewhat pleased to annoyed again when Yeman mentioned the rumor, but after another few moments of silence she gave in.
"Alright yes, I made another weapon using the last of the Keytonium have me, but it's nothing as glamorous as a rock cannon. I guess you could say more of a rock pistol." Riho took out the said pistol from her back pocket, the barrel looking like a standard rock cannon but everything else looking like a standard military energy pistol, almost like it was a hybrid weapon.
"Not exactly the prettiest weapon I've seen." Yeman observed. Riho turned the weapon over in her hands a few times.
"Unlike my customers, I don't care about looks, although you're right that most of my clients would say this thing looks like a piece of shit. I could have made it more pretty, but that won't make it fire any better. It'll kill a Guardian in one shot if I put the bolt in the right place." Riho looked Yeman in the eyes. "I can get you past the Keepers, assuming we're in and out quickly and the automated security systems are disabled. This plan is still a suicide mission, but one that's worth the price." Riho pushed off of the counter and walked to a small silver control panel on the wall on the other side of the shop.
"Thank you Riho, this means a lot to me." Riho typed in a command on the panel and the metal shutters began to lower.
"Save it, remember I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the Keytonium." Riho replied pulling a cigarette and a lighter out of her pocket. "I'm assuming you took a taxi to get here?" When Yeman nodded, Riho motioned for the man to follow her. Leading Yeman around the corner to the mostly empty alley that ran through the middle of the block, Yeman's jaw dropped when he saw what was about halfway down the alley.
"Riho, why do you have an Express Boltway hidden back here? That's the most expensive car on the market!"
"What of it?" Riho replied, unimpressed by Yeman's shock. Yeman himself was scrambling to find the words he was looking for. That car was worth four times more than what he made during his years as a politician.
"It's just… Where did you find that kind of money? Military benefits wouldn't come close, and there's no way you get enough traffic in the shop!" Out of the corner of his eye, Yeman saw Riho smirk.
"Let's just say that the top gangs on Blue Rift know better than to anger their favorite weapons smith and dealer." Yeman felt stunned. Never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that Riho was the weapons queen of the criminal world. Without another word Yeman stepped into the passenger side of the vehicle, the automatic door granting him access with a touch of a button on the keys that Riho possessed. Yeman have her the address of the Inn before the vehicle lifted itself off the ground.
"So how many other poor souls did you bribe into helping you with this little crusade? You mentioned that you already had a hacker, anyone I know?" Riho asked as the hovercar sped out of the alley, heading for the suburbs.
"Ever heard of a young man named Pike Harris?" Yeman asked.
"I've heard the name. Supposedly he's the most talented hacker on Blue Rift, wanted by every law enforcement organization and military branch out there." Riho glanced sideways at Yeman. "I've also heard that he's one tough son of a bitch to track down. Even the gangs can't get to him when they need him. How in Thilan did you a hold of him so quickly?
"He's an old friend of mine from college, just before he turned into the famous underground hacker he is today." Yeman explained.
"Alright so you have yourself a good hacker, who else you got?"
"There isn't anyone else; it's just you, me, and Pike."
Riho let out a deep sigh. "You want to raid a top secret facility with three people, only one of which has a gun that will make any difference?"
"You know of anyone else that has Keytonium that would help us?" Yeman countered.
"Well you got me there." Riho admitted. "If the security systems are disabled we might be able to get Black and get out before we're caught."
"That's what I'm counting on."
[After another fifteen minutes of driving the pair arrived at Coopers Inn, and much to Yeman surprise Riho parked her Boltway out in the open. Riho didn't seem too worried about it when Yeman pressed for answers, even calling him a kid despite the fact that he was twenty eight.()]
"Talk about one cheap dump." Riho observed when she walked into the apartment.
"Yes but it's out of the way and just right in cost, making it perfect." Pike replied without looking up from his screen as Yeman slipped through the door behind Riho.
"You must be Pike, Yeman's hacker."
"And you must be General Riho Kuse, the infamous general who ran away from Fort Zina after only five minutes of fighting. Labeled the biggest coward on Blue Rift and informally retired." Yeman glanced carefully at Riho, and he found that she looked ready to shoot him then and there. Turning around in his chair, Pike caught Riho's anger as well and laughed. "Relax General Kuse, we both know you made the smart decision that day. More lives would have been lost to those Keytonium weapons if you hadn't, sorry about messing with you, I do that to everyone so I can figure them out faster."
Yeman let out a sigh of relief. Pike had done the same thing to him when they had first met, although it had left him more embarrassed than angry at the time. Old habits die hard I guess. Thankfully, Riho seemed to be calming down, letting out deep breaths.
"Well now that introductions are out of the way, I assume you've managed to finish hacking their defenses?" Yeman glanced at Pike, who grinned and handed both him and Riho a blank white card about as thick as his old ID card.
"The automated defenses will recognize these cards when they scan you, so as long as you don't start shooting the second you walk in the door you should be able to navigate through the base without a problem."
"What about after they realize Black is loose?" Riho asked, a hint of anger and frustration still in her voice from Pike's earlier round of comments. "They're not going to let us get by those automated defenses the same way twice."
"Not to worry." Pike assured. "I've got a way to shut the entire system down manually from here. So once you have Black just let me know and I'll flip the switch."
"Why not just turn off all the automated defenses right away? Wouldn't it have been easier?" Yeman asked. Pike shrugged.
"Sure, had you given a week to turn off just the defense towers and create loops in the security cameras. With only seven hours, this is all I could manage."
Yeman sighed. "Alright well it'll have to do, thanks Pike, I'll let you know when we're ready to go." Yeman turned towards the door, pulling it open and about to walk out when Riho's voice stopped him.
"Wait we're going right now?" Riho asked in surprise.
"I see no reason to wait." Yeman responded like sitting around doing more planning was a stupid idea.
"Shouldn't we figure out when the best time is so we don't get caught, or how long it takes to revive a Keeper after they're killed? Details are important Yeman, walking in right now could be suicidal." Yeman didn't want to, but he had to admit to himself that Riho had some good points. Walking into a situation as blind as they were to some of the minor (yet just as important) details could be fatal. But simply put, Yeman didn't care.
"I've watched these fights Riho, and the longer we wait the more fights the Keepers have to go through, and who knows what that's doing to them. Hell the revival system may not even be safe! Yes there are gaps in the details but I'm willing to take the risk."
"This isn't smart Yeman." Riho warned darkly.
"What happens if we wait to gather those details and we find out that the Keepers are dead because there's a problem with the revival system? This whole thing will e for nothing!" Yeman pointed out bluntly.
"Yeah, the work of seven hours. Congrats that's a real waste of time." Pike muttered. Yeman whipped his gaze at the hacker.
"I'm not talking about just us! As much as we want to think of these kids as expendable their still human beings, and ones I watched grow up!" Yeman turned to Riho. "What would you do if Oris was about to die, yet you knew how to save him? I doubt you would sit on your ass and wait for 'details' when there wasn't time!"
Riho walked up and placed a hand on Yeman's shoulder. "Listen here kid, I get what you're saying and you're right. No way in hell I'd sit on my ass, but I wouldn't throw my life away either. That just get's everyone killed. Yes there is a risk in waiting, but there is a bigger risk in rushing into it. Take a deep breath and think about it for a minute." He did as Riho asked, attempting to clear his mind with deep breaths and think about the situation from her point of view. The more he thought about it, Yeman realized the General was right.
"At the same time Yeman's got a point though." Pike sighed, like he was regretting what he was saying. Riho turned her gaze to him.
"What are you talking about?" Riho asked with an annoyed tone. "What haven't you told us?" Pike raised his hands in defense.
"I didn't think it was important since you guys were about to go anyway, but Yeman was right about one thing. I managed to access the file Eastil kept on the revival system, and although it will work, there isn't a guarantee than repeated use won't cause lethal brain damage. Any one of these revival's could be their last, and from what I understand Eastil's regarding it as a waste of time to look into making the system safer."
An alarm started sounding from the laptop, causing Pike to jump briefly before turning around to pound commands onto the keyboard. A document popped up onto the screen. Within moments Pike was shaking his head.
"What is it Pike?" Yeman asked, worried. "Don't tell me they figured you out." Pike shook his head in a 'no.'
"They haven't found me, but you're going to want to look at this report Yeman." The former councilor kneeled down behind Pike with a bent over Riho to his left. "According to this latest report from Eastil, Black almost suffered critical brain injury during her revival. He says she won't be able to survive another revival." Yeman froze. Black had one of the first matches tomorrow, there wasn't time to collect any data.
Riho turned her head to Yeman. "So, we gonna do this?" Yeman nodded.
"Yeah, looks like we don't have time to sit around after all."
Day 2
Date: Saturday, 1st Month, 22nd day, 1017th year D.A. (Dark Ages)
Location: Keeper Holding Cells, Obroseon Grand Stadium.
Time: Roughly 9:24pm S.S.T. (Standard Sanctuary Time)
(Two Hours Twelve Minutes Until Squad Keeper Attacks Thilan Factory Zana)
Black awoke to a splitting headache. Before she could get a hold of her emotions and block out the pain her hands were on her head and she moaned in pain. Why does my head hurt so much? I don't understand, when did I get hit… and then she remembered what happened in the arena. Dead Master, the scythe piercing her head. Black regained control of herself and slowly positioned herself so she was lying flat on her back.
It didn't make any sense, Black knew she should be dead. She and Dead Master had killed each other at the last second, the scythe had probably gone deep into her head. Then Black recalled that this wasn't the first time Dead had died. I'd heard rumors that the scientists were working on a way to revive someone, it looks like they figured it out.
With some minor pulses of pain still pounding through Black's mental barrier, she decided that sleep would probably be her best option. There was no way she could win a fight in her current condition. But as Black closed her eyes and let the veil of sleep wash over her, the door opened and Black sat up sharply. The movement sent a sharp pain through her head, and Black's hand immediately went over one eye in an instinctive reaction. Out of the other eye however, she could see Sy closing the door.
"I see you're awake." Black didn't reply, it was taking nearly all of her focus to control the pounding in her head. Sy sighed. "Alright enough with the emotionless tough girl Black, it's already a miracle you're even conscious right now. Lay down, you're going to need your rest." Black reluctantly did as Sy asked, even though that was what Black was planning on doing anyway.
"Why… are you here?" Black grunted after she returned to lying face up on the bed.
"To check on you first of all, you have no idea how close you came to dying." Black tilted her neutral gaze to Sy, his face was full of concern unlike the last time he came to her cell with his calm, cool, and collected attitude.
"Dead Scythe impaled my brain, I should be dead anyway." Black replied, gaining a little more control.
"True, but that's not what I'm talking about." Sy paused briefly before continuing. "The revival system that Head of Research Professor Eastil developed isn't exactly what you would call 'safe.'"
"What do you mean?" Black asked dully.
"I mean that the process could cause serious if not lethal brain damage to the subject. Every Keeper has been resistant to the side effects so far, except one." Black knew what Sy was trying to say, it didn't take a doctor or a scientist.
"So I have some brain damage." Black guessed.
Sy shook his head. "Thankfully no, it was close but you came out intact this time. However I had one of the scientists one the numbers for me. If you die even one more time, you're guaranteed to have brain damage the next time you come out of that thing." Black said nothing, but was happy to hear that there was no internal damage to her, but it also meant that she couldn't lose from here on out. There was no other option, now it really was win or die.
"Is that the only thing you had to say?" Black asked.
"No, just to tell you that I've found another book I think you might like." Sy placed a book on the edge of the bed. Without sitting up Black picked up the book and held it in front of her face. It was titled 'escape.' "I know you're not done with the first book I gave you, but I seriously recommend you read that as soon as possible." There was something off about the way Sy said his last sentence, it was fairly subtle but Black could tell that it was there.
"Very well, I'll read it as soon as I can." Black assured. She heard the door to the room open and close, signaling that Sy had left the room. After a few minutes of laying around and waiting for the pain in her head to subside a little, Black opened the cover of the book to find a hand-written note on the inside cover.
You're getting out of here tonight, at 9:40 the guards will be changing shifts. At that time I will place your rock cannon and black katana inside your cell. Use them to break out of your cell, don't worry about the shield I'll take care of that, and follow these directions. Right, straight, right, left, right. After the third right you should find that the hallway begins to lead upward to a door. Once you get past that door you're free. I understand you know about the Guardian who has obtained your sisters cannon, he is in Kheawuton breaking into a weapons factory with the code name Zana. Good luck Black. –Your friend The Book Keeper.
Black knew it was from Sy. He was the only person in the facility who cared about Black at all. Even if he was using a code name in the signature with this note he wouldn't be safe, but that wasn't her concern. One of her first lessons as a child was to estimate the time internally, and if she was right, there were only twelve minutes before her cannon would be given to her and she could break out.
There was no question she could do it, Black had been the first fight of the night based on how clean the arena had been when she fought Dead, meaning that there was only one other Keeper who could be up and walking around. Dead was good in an open field with her skulls, but in the narrow corridors of the science facility, Black would have the upper hand. All she needed to do was rest and gather as much strength as she could. It was hard to feel the rush of anticipation that was trying to work its way into her head. After all she was about to go find the Guardian who was unrightfully using White's cannon. Patience, control your emotions.
Black knew she shouldn't let the whole thing with White's cannon bother her, but it was a question of honor. The Guardians had taken the job of the Keepers, they had replaced them and forced them to be nothing more than playthings of the council. In Black's mind, they had no right to wield their weapons, and soon she would show them why.
Twelve minutes later Black heard a loud clanging sound as her weapons were tossed onto the floor. By this time Black's headache his dissipated and she felt good enough to move at combat speed. Black quickly jumped off of the bed and grabbed Black Blade, hitting a small button on the hilt, causing it to disappear into an alternate dimension for her to call upon later. Afterward she slid her cannon onto her left arm, and allowing her left eye to ignite, she pointed it at the cell bars. I've overstayed my welcome.
Day 2
Date: Saturday, 1st Month, 22nd day, 1017th year D.A. (Dark Ages)
Location: Outside Keeper Research Facility, Obroseon
Time: Roughly 9:41pm S.S.T. (Standard Sanctuary Time)
(One Hour Fifty-seven Minutes Until Squad Keeper Attacks Thilan Factory Zana)
In all honesty there was no real reason for Yeman to tag along with Riho on this rescue mission. He had no Keytonium weapon, no combat experience, and hadn't had any personal experience with Black in the past. In fact it probably made more sense for him to remain behind so he wasn't killed during their escape. Riho hadn't argued when Yeman said he wanted to come along, which he was thankful for. Yeman just wanted Black to know who was helping her up front so there were no secrets, and maybe to convince her to stay with Yeman after the whole thing was over so he could keep an eye on her. No way was the council going to let Black disappear on them.
Riho parked the car in a nearby alley, figuring that once the three of them were out of the facility the guards would stop chasing so they didn't make a public scene. It made sense, the idea that the Keepers were being brainwashed was completely unknown to the public. Yeman guessed it wouldn't be long before people would want to know the history of the Keepers, and that they would be fed lies as to their current situation. But with the Keepers brainwashed, it was the perfect crime, at least until someone goes missing.
Before Yeman knew it the pair of them were standing outside the entrance to the facility. A large metal door blocked the entrance, the only way in was to put in the correct code on the panel to the right of the door. Unless of course, you had the best hacker on Blue Rift ready to break it open for you.
Yeman sent a message to Pike's communicator. I've got the popcorn, do you want any drinks? It was the code they had agreed on for Pike to open the door. After a few moments there was a buzzing sound from the panel and the metal door slowly opened inward, revealing a well-lit passageway that led underground towards the stadium. Riho took out her pistol.
"Alright, stay behind me and don't make a sound, got it?" Riho had barely started working her way down the tunnel when alarms started blaring, they were faint, but you could hear them all the way at the entrance. "What the hell, I thought Pike said those ID's would work!" Riho turned around. "We need to get out of here Yeman, clearly their security system is better than we thought." Before Yeman could agree, he got a call on his communication pad. He answered the call using the speaker on the communicator.
"What's going on Pike, we didn't get two steps in the facility before they found us!" Yeman reported in a very frustrated tone.
"You two didn't trip the alarm, someone else did!" Pike answered, sounding like he was in a rush.
"Who tripped the alarm?" Riho asked while keeping her eyes on the tunnel.
"Your girl Black did." Pike answered with certainty. "Somehow she blew open the door to her cell and got loose. The whole base is on full alert and trying to hunt her down."
"Can you track her?" Yeman asked quickly.
"If I hack into the security cameras sure, but that means that the security systems are still online." Pike pointed out.
"Turn of the security systems." Yeman ordered. They'll be looking for Black at this point, not us. We'll find her without the cameras."
There was a pause for a moment before the alarms suddenly stopped and Pike's voice returned. "Alright the security systems are disabled, but you two probably have about fifteen minutes before they figure out how to turn them back on again."
Riho gestured towards the tunnel with her head, clearly suggesting that they start moving as soon as possible.
"Alright thanks Pike, we'll let you know how it goes." Yeman ended the call and stowed the communicator back in his pocket before following Riho down the tunnel.
The interior of the tunnel itself wasn't that impressive, smooth concrete walls and ramp led downward farther into the floating continent with the occasional dim light bulb sitting on top of a gray stand every two feet along a solid blue line. The tunnel led straight with no turns, although the decent got very steep every so often. Not a lot of cover. Yeman noted. If we get found out here we're as good as dead.
After another minute of walking they came to across two things, a ladder leading downward, and the sound of gunfire. Riho placed a hand in front of Yeman, stopping him a good seven-eight feet away. Slowly, Riho approached the edge of the upper level, right up to the ladder and peered over. Within moments she fired three shots, and silence fell over the tunnel. Yeman tried to walk forward but Riho signaled for him to remain where he was.
"I know you're there Black, those soldiers weren't shooting at air." Riho called out, her voice echoing in the tunnel. There was at least a good thirty second of silence before a reply echoed back.
"Who are you?" The voice sounded like a mature young lady, who was dead set on killing anyone in her path. Sounds like Black all right.
"General Riho Kuse, the weapon smith who forged your rock cannon, with me is former councilor Yeman Aland, who was removed from his position because he tried to stop what happened to the Keepers." Riho answered.
"I hope you don't plan on standing in my way." Black warned.
Riho let out an amused snort. "I wouldn't dream of it after seeing what you can do. In fact we were coming here to break you out before you did it yourself."
"How do I know you weren't sent to recapture me?" Black asked in a more monotone voice.
"A fair question, but I can't give any guarantee's that you'd believe right now. But what I can say for sure is that taking a risk with us is better than staying here and having a one-hundred percent chance of getting captured." Riho's reasoning seemed to get through to Black, who returned he cannon to the harness and climbed the ladder.
Yeman realized that he was seeing Black up close for the first time, and he had to admit, other than the cannon on her back, and the dead serious look on her face, she looked like she could be an ordinary teenage girl attending an Obroseon college.
"Yeman Aland." Yeman extended his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, Black shook it. "Come on, let's get you out of here. Everything else is second." Riho took the lead as the three of them went back up through the tunnel. This is almost too easy. First Black get's free and then we don't see so much as a glance from the other Keepers, something's wrong. Clearly Yeman wasn't alone in his suspicion, as Riho kept her pistol and eyes forward, focused on any potential targets that might try to block their escape. Yeman kept watch on their rear in case any of the facilities soldier managed to follow them, but everything seemed quiet.
"The exit's up ahead. Get ready everyone, they might try to stop Black one last time before we're gone." Black pulled out her cannon again, and Yeman prepared to duck back into the tunnel in case they were shot at as soon as the outside came into view. However what they found wasn't a small army of soldiers, but another teenage girl with glowing red eyes standing outside the metal door with her scythe out. It was Dead Master. Black's eyes narrowed.
"She must have gone out through the stadium and worked her way here." Yeman realized.
"Looks that way." Riho grunted in agreement. "Not only that but we're stuck. We try to get out through that door and we get slashed, we stay here and we're as good as dead. This is bad."
"Leave it to me." Black said before immediately dashing forward, firing a spray of flaming rocks towards Dead, who was forced to back up before she could start deflecting them. Black continued forward until she burst out of the facility, somersaulting over Dead's head and landing behind her with cannon raised, firing another spray of rocks. This time, instead of deflecting the flaming projectiles, she jumped to one side, causing them to impact just to the left of the door, creating a number of small explosions that tore holes in the wall of the Guardian tower.
"Let's move Yeman!" Riho hissed before charging straight for the door. After a brief moment of shock he followed behind the former general roughly ten steps behind. As soon as Riho was out of the tunnel she began shooting to her left, the same direction that Dead had jumped a moment earlier.
Yeman stayed just inside the tunnel, peering around the corner to watch exactly what was happening. The alleyway wasn't exactly wide, meaning Black and Dead didn't have a lot of space to move left or right, this combined with Black's unrelenting assault with Riho behind her kept Dead on the defensive, using dumpsters and old cars as temporary cover when she couldn't slice or deflect every flaming rock headed for her. Where are Dead's skulls? Have they not regenerated just yet?
Turns out that spark of hope lasted no longer than a second. Hearing a loud groaning-like sound, Yeman looked up to find one dark colored massive skull with a green hue diving down towards Riho, who seemed too focused on Dead to notice.
"Behind you!" Yeman called out quickly. Thankfully his warning wasn't too late, giving Riho enough time to turn around and start shooting the familiar. Without any room in the alley to dodge, a total of eight direct hits to the center of the face caused the skull to shatter, breaking apart quickly.
Any sane person or Keeper would have admitted defeat by this point. From what Yeman remembered in his time in the old Keeper facility, Dead could only regenerate skulls one at a time, and there hadn't been enough time to regenerate a second. She was outnumbered two to one in a location that didn't favor her battle style, but taking the fight into the street wasn't an option. As it was Yeman expected the police to show up any minute, meaning that the three of them needed to disappear A.S.A.P.
Sensing that her current tactic wasn't working, Black backed off, giving Dead time to charge towards Black, who used the underside of her cannon to block a swipe from Dead. Yeman glanced at Riho, who was grinning like a maniac. It took the former councilor only a second to realize that Dead had fallen into some kind of trap.
Black jumped backwards again, this time going well past Riho and Yeman to the other side of the alley. Dead seemed to be focused on Black and Black alone, charging after her with no regard for the other two, a move she had pulled earlier in the evening to great effect. It was obvious that Dead was trying to force Black out of the alleyway, but had unintentionally left her backside open. Without a seconds hesitation Riho whipped around and fired three shots, two in Dead's left leg and one in her right, sending her crashing to the ground. Dead raised an arm towards Black, but was quickly stopped when Black shot Dead in the head, killing her.
"Are you crazy Black!" Yeman shouted, running out of the tunnel. "The revival system that the scientists use to bring you back isn't safe! What if Dead doesn't come out okay this time?"
"Not my concern, once we free her from the Councils control we can start worrying about her."Yeman was surprised by Black's lack of concern for her fellow Keepers. He knew that they were trained to care only about their mission, but he hadn't prepared himself for how harsh Black would be to her fellow Keepers.
Riho stepped in before Yeman could reply. "Alright you two can argue about this later, the cops will be here soon, and I'd rather not be around for that." Holstering her pistol, Riho walked out of the alley towards where her Boltway was parked. After a moment's hesitation, Black and Yeman followed, the trio getting away as the sirens could be heard in the distance.
Felt like I rushed the end of the chapter but I didn't want to be stalled for two more weeks so I forced it out. Nothing was really happening with Yeman for the last two chapters, other than him getting fired of course. Oh conspiracies…
See you all in two weeks (hopefully, If I'm not late again…)