Chapter Three: The District
"I understand that I have a lot of explaining to do." Miles cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd, the entire resistance was gathered for this, "The truth is, I don't have much of an explanation. I just saw how inspirational I was to you in death, and realized that I would never be able to live up to that in life. I thought I could do better for the movement as a cause than as a figure," he laughed, "if that makes any sense at all.
"I want to apologize for keeping this hidden from all of you. It was wrong, and I am sorry."
Lance Derikson cut in, standing alongside Miles, "But that doesn't matter now. What matters now is that Miles Animus is back!"
A cheer erupted from the crowd, and Miles shrugged, walking offstage with Lance.
***
Lance flipped through the D-District Prison plans, "Okay, Miles, now you say that Neos and Julia are both being held in this place?"
"Yeah, I'm not sure which floor though."
Peter cut in, "Does it matter? If Reist is taking prisoners, then they're our friends. I say we go in, open every door in the place, and go out."
Lance nodded slightly, "Not the most subtle approach, but I imagine it would get the job done."
Miles sighed, "Yeah, but I'm not sure how well it would work…"
"Well, look," Peter said, "we don't know where they are, and I'm willing to bet that everyone in there would gladly help. Not to mention an escape is a lot easier in the midst of a riot than when all is clear. Y'know?"
Miles nodded, "I understand, it just goes against our tactics so far. Up until now, we've been fighting a silent war, chipping away at points here and there, then sneaking out of the path of danger… this would be a big step."
Lance nodded, "I don't like to say this Miles, but we have to take that step at some point. And now is as good a point as any. I'm very confident in our abilities. I say we do it!"
There was a pause, finally Miles nodded, "Okay, its your army after all. But… we can't cause an outright ruckus."
Lance nodded, "Right, we'd have to sneak in a small team to open everything up and start the riot, then see where it goes."
Peter drummed his fingers on the table, "So… who?"
Lance grinned, "This shouldn't be so hard. Three-man team. Peter, I wouldn't dare keep you out of it. Miles, you're the man: always have been. And hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world. So let's get packing. Getting to D-District from here takes about a day by boat, so we should move quickly."
***
"I think I'm going to be sick."
Miles laughed, "What's the matter, Pete? You don't like boats?"
The small ship rocked hard, and Peter doubled over, "No, no I don't." He got down on his knees in the corner and just huddled. Miles nodded, leaving the man alone and approaching Lance in the bridge.
To call it a bridge would be an exaggeration. It was actually just the front of the small vessel. The boats were built to carry an optimal amount of people. Shaped like a pentagon, the boat gave maximum cargo space with optimal amount of speed. Not very good-looking, but it got the job done.
"Lance, how long?"
Lance turned to Miles, "A few minutes."
"Lance," Miles said, moving towards him, "do you have any sort of… official plan?"
Lance shook his head, "No. We're ad-libbing it, you know that."
"Yeah, I was just hoping you might have thought of something."
"Miles, can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Why are you taking the backseat in this whole thing?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Why are you letting me have full command? It doesn't make any sense."
"Because let's face it, Lance, you're a better leader than I am."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you can get these guys motivated better. I'm a lousy speaker, and a mediocre leader."
"Miles, you led Garden for how long?"
"And look what happened!"
There was a pause and Miles cursed under his breath.
Lance slowly nodded his head, "I understand now."
"Lance…"
"You blame yourself."
There were no words exchanged for a minute. Miles exhaled sharply and turned.
"Yeah, I blame myself. Happy?"
"No. I can't believe it."
"Why not?"
Lance turned back around, "You got there in a minute and were doing everything it took to save our collective asses."
"But in the end, nothing I did succeeded."
"There was little that could have been done, and I'm sure SeeD and everyone who died would have rather died fighting down to the last moment then just sitting around."
"If I had moved faster…"
"You moved as fast as you could. Holding yourself responsible for this is going to destroy you, Miles."
Miles reached behind him, unsheathing the rebuilt Dual Hyperion. He ran his finger along the blade, admiring his handiwork, "Maybe it will, but that won't stop me. It was my fault."
Lance sighed and turned, "We're here."
***
"Okay, D-District is about ten miles off." Lance looked back to Miles and Peter, "You two up for it?"
The duo shrugged.
"We need to make it to the road by dawn. It's midnight now, we've got six hours."
There was an audible pause, and finally, Peter shrugged, followed up by Miles. They all began the run.
***
When they arrived at the road, there was a dead silence over the area. The sun was just creeping out over the horizon, and a small motor could be heard in the distance. Lance turned to Miles and Peter.
"Just follow my lead, okay?"
Peter nodded, "Righto." Miles simply nodded.
The car approached them, and slowly halted. The driver rolled down the window.
"Can I help you?"
Lance nodded, "Yeah, you guys heading for D-District?"
The driver frowned, "Yes."
"Great! We're the new team in. Our transport broke down about a mile back."
"Where are your uniforms?"
"Back in the car, we'll get everything sorted out at the prison. Can we hitch a ride?"
The driver stopped and considered, "Wait. Isn't the ocean in that direction?"
Lance bit his lip, reached to his pocket, and ripped out his pistol, quickly placing it to the driver's forehead, "Okay, so we lied. Out."
The driver raised his hands, "This is stupid."
"Shut up. Out."
Peter and Miles exchanged a look, and grabbed their weapons as the driver stepped out of the car. Suddenly, the rear door flew open and two more soldiers came out, prepping to fire their guns. The first met the side of Mile's blade, and the second met Peter's fist, as the driver had an up close and personal session with Lance's pistol.
Lance smiled, "Not exactly the plan… but… well… uniforms."
A few minutes later, the redressed group was driving away, leaving three hog-tied soldiers in their wake.
***
The ragtag group silently stepped through the prison's main doors. The guard at the door gave them the once-over; "I haven't seen you around before."
Lance looked up, "We're the transfers. First day."
The guard frowned, "I didn't hear anything about that."
The three shared a look with each other, and Miles picked it up, "Strange."
That seemed to satisfy the guard, he shrugged, "Okay. Welcome aboard. Head on up to the control room for your assignment."
Peter played along, "Where is that?"
The guard grinned, "Just go up."
They all nodded, and started up the stairway.
***
The supervisor didn't notice the differences that the trio presented, and just assumed the usual, "Okay you three, you're on control room today. Lucky you." He motioned to the other guards in the room, "You're off duty."
They all nodded and left. Miles, Peter and Lance quickly filled in the positions of the guards, so as not to seem ignorant.
They were alone now, with the lone supervisor standing over a computer screen. As the man looked away, they all turned to each other, and nodded.
Lance was closest to the door. He reached back and hit the button as Miles and Peter approached the officer. As the door slammed shut, the man looked up, "What in the…"
He shut up quickly as two cold barrels were placed against his head, "Just who do you think you are?"
Lance grinned and ripped off his facemask, extending his hand to the officer's, "Lance Derikson, nice to meet you. These are my companions, Miles and Peter Animus." The officer held a noticeable look of shock as Lance continued, "And you… are unconscious." Lance smiled and waved goodbye as Miles lifted and swung the gun barrel across the officer's head, knocking him to the ground, out cold.
"Okay," Lance said, "Now to figure out where our friends are."
"Can I?" Peter asked, stepping forward. Lance nodded, and Peter stood at the computer terminal, rapidly entering words and phrases. The screen flicked and buzzed at speeds almost incomprehensible to any normal person. Miles gave up on figuring it all out, and Lance watched intently.
After a moment, Peter nodded, "Got it. Level seven. Cell 18."
Lance grinned, "Nice job. Do we know where their weapons are?"
Peter nodded again, "Long-term storage, check the cabinet behind you."
Lance turned and saw a large file cabinet, "Gotcha." He grabbed the handle and pulled, but it failed to open. He cursed and smashed it with his fist, "Damn! It's locked."
Behind him, Miles coughed. Lance spun around to see Miles holding the officer's keys, "You think these could help?"
Lance smirked, rolled his eyes, and snatched the keys, inserting them into the lock and turning swiftly. The cabinet came open and a small supply of weapons came out. Noticeably, Neos' Battleaxe and a rifle suitable for Julia.
Lance grabbed them and grinned towards his companions, "Set."
Peter nodded, "Okay? Are we still following the original 'wreak as much havoc as possible' plan?"
There was a pause, and Lance shrugged, "Yeah, sure."
Peter nodded, "Okay then, but I think we should secure Julia and Neos first."
"Agreed." Miles said, "So what's our plan?"
Peter looked to the keyboard, "Well, once we secure them, I can just hit this button right here, its all set to open the cells. Then, once you guys make it up here, I can lower the facility and we can make our escape through that door." He pointed to the giant steel passageway leading to the other building.
Lance nodded in agreement, "Okay, but how will we tell you when we get them?"
Miles turned around and dug through a case, pulling out two headsets. He put one on, and tossed the other to Peter, who slipped it on quickly, "Channel three, dad."
Miles nodded and switched the frequency over. Lance shrugged and shoulder gripped his assault rifle, slinging Julia's bolt-action on his shoulder with the strap. Miles kept the Dual Hyperion and held out Neos' Battleaxe.
The duo stepped out the doors, leaving Peter digging for a weapon. He found it in a pair of automatic pistols.
***
Encountering no resistance on their path to floor seven, Miles and Lance shrugged to each other as they stared at the doorway to cell 18.
Miles spoke softly to the headset, "Okay, Peter, open cell 18 only."
A few seconds passed, and finally, the door slid open. The light cast upon the two figures within, one was sprawled out on the floor, the other huddled up in a corner.
Lance stepped into the doorway, and both figures slowly began to stand. Neos was sprawled out, and Julia in the corner. After a few seconds of silence, Neos burst out, "Lance! Is that you?"
Lance grinned, "You bet your ass, mano."
Another moment passed, Neos and Julia sighed relief, and tears were visible on the faces of both as they approached Lance in the doorway. Miles finally stepped into view, and Neos jumped back, "Miles! You're here! You're alive!"
"Yeah," he nodded, "but we don't' have time to catch up. Here." He handed Neos the Battleaxe. Neos gripped the weapon firmly with both hands, slashing up and down, left and right, getting used to the feel of its weight again
Lance moved to Julia, taking note of the bruises on her face, and offered her the rifle. She looked at him, the rifle, and back at him. Then she reached out and grabbed his automatic.
"I want something bigger, Lance." She spoke with a menacing determination.
Lance raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how to use that thing?"
She glanced at it and cocked the rifle, holding it up in a ready position, "You bet your ass."
Lance sighed and looked to Neos, who simply nodded at him. Lance grinned, "Whatever you say."
He placed a bullet into the rifle and nodded to Miles, who grabbed the Dual Hyperion and spoke to the headset, "Peter. Let's go."
***
The alarms sounded loudly as every cell door in the building flung open at the same time. There was a moment of silence, then screaming and cries of joy as prisoners burst out of their cells and into the hallways. Guards scrambled up from their posts to try and contain the mass of people, but they were of little help.
Miles, Lance, Julia and Neos stepped out of cell 18, their weapons raised and ready to confront whatever came to face them. They entered into a scene of havoc. The prisoners scrambled in whatever directions they could think of; some went up the stairs, some went down. Others were content to watch the madness and see how it all turned out.
The group of four quickly moved towards the stairwell. Lance took a moment to pause and look down the gap in the center of the area. Guards were making slow progress heading up, and he quickly guessed that guards would be coming from the top too, except from the other building.
He looked to Miles, "Miles, we got a problem." He pointed downwards.
Miles took a look, then back at him, and nodded, speaking into the headset, "Peter, watch your ass. You've got guards coming in from the other building."
The reply came back with interference to spare, "A little late…" Then a burst of gunfire, then silence.
Miles looked to the others and burst into a run for the stairwell. They all followed suit.
***
Immediately after the cells were opened, Peter caught the movements of the remaining guards in the complex. The ones on the bottom began a progression upwards. He also caught a large group of guards moving from the other building into theirs. Without hesitation, Peter slammed on the button to lower the complex, then ducked behind a console, readying his guns.
When the soldiers entered the control room, he could hear their footsteps. They stopped, and one spoke.
"Where are the guards on duty? Where's the commander? Something is wrong…"
Peter leapt up and fired off a shot to the first guard he saw. It nailed the man directly in the chest, sending him down to the ground. Without hesitation, Peter's other pistol fired twice, hitting another guard in the leg and the chest. The man collapsed in a screaming heap.
The gunfire came right back at him, so Peter ducked back down behind the console as his father's voice came into the headset.
"Peter, watch your ass. You've got guards coming in from the other building."
He rolled his eyes, "A little late…"
He was cut off as a hail of gunfire came upon the console. He tore of the headset and stepped out to the side firing three rounds into another guard before ducking back. Another guard quickly came around the other side of the console, and had a close encounter with the butt of Peter's pistol, knocking him out cold. He could hear more footsteps pouring in, and cursed before jumping up and taking out three more guards. As he fired the last shot, the pistol in his right hand clicked empty. He ducked down and threw the pistol to the side, jumping out to his left and using a two-handed grip on his other pistol, carefully taking a single shot to one guard's head before ducking back.
He checked the magazine. He only had one shot left, and there were at least six more guards.
Suddenly, a rifle shot rang out, and Peter heard a loud thud as a guard hit the ground behind him. He looked to the doorway, and Lance Derikson stood, the rifle smoking. Lance quickly ducked down next to Peter and reloaded as an automatic rifle reported from the doorway.
A sickening battle cry was heard as Julia Leonheart unleashed an unrelenting hail of gunfire upon the remaining guards. They all went down quickly, shocked by the sudden emergence of such backup.
There was a pause as the smoke cleared. Julia still held the gun in a position to fire as a clicking sound uttered from the rifle. Lance carefully stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand gently on the gun and her shoulder, lowering the weapon.
"You got 'em, Julia. Relax."
She looked at him, her eyes still reeking of blood lust, and lowered the weapon, taking in a deep breath.
Lance looked over to Peter, who was disturbed by the sudden change in the previously peaceful young girl. He shrugged and looked around, "Okay guys, here's the deal. The building is lowered, cars are just across the way. All we need to do is get there."
Everyone nodded at the plan and stepped out into the daylight. Behind them, they could hear the rush of prisoners screaming to the top of the building, their freedom in close reach.
Upon stepping outside, they could hear a sudden hail of gunfire in their direction. Instinctively, the group put their head down, and began to run towards the parking garage. Miles got there first. He flung open the door to a van and flipped the visor down. The keys fell into his hands and he quickly put them into the ignition. The doors came open around him and the others piled into the van, bullets deflecting off of the van itself as the ignition started. Miles shifted the car into drive and slammed his foot on the pedal, sending the vehicle flying out of the garage and into the desert, soldiers still firing rapidly at the blur. Miles saw in the rear view as one car, a second, and a third begin pursuit.
Lance managed to climb to the front-side passenger seat and looked at Miles, "The ocean is the other way."
Miles nodded, "I know."
"Our boat is the other way."
Miles didn't even nod, "I know."
"Where the hell are we going?"
Miles grinned, "I know."
Lance sighed, and then allowed a curse as bullets crashed against the rear of the van. He looked up at the sunroof, "Anyone wanna take care of that?"
Miles took a hard turn right, "I will."
Lance looked forward and saw a train station, complete with train speeding through. Miles kept moving, straight towards the loading ramp. He was lined up and hit the ramp, flying across the ramp and landing on the other side, the train merely yards away. The car behind him tried the same trick, only to be met with a sudden, violent stop as the train slammed into its side. The car folded like a tin can, parts flying in all different directions as it flew to one side of the train, rolling over four times before landing on it's roof and halting.
The van continued its movement as Miles pulled a quick left and was back on his original path. The other two cars cut around the train and were quickly right behind the van.
Peter cursed as he saw one car pull right up alongside and a few of the soldiers begin to draw weapons. He looked to the front, "Floor it dad!"
Miles slammed as hard as he could on the gas, but the other car managed to keep up. Peter groaned and opened the side-sliding passenger door, then looked to Neos, "The axe. Now!"
Neos handed Peter the Battleaxe, and he quickly thrust it at the other car, slicing away. Metal grinded against metal as sparks flew through the air. The other car began to pull away for a scond. Peter yelled again, "Get closer!"
Lance gave him a look, and Peter grinned. Miles swung the car to the right, getting back alongside the vehicle. Peter lay prone on the floor of the van and stretched out with the Battleaxe, the blade stabbing into the front tire. The air quickly released itself from its rubber confinement, and the car slammed down onto it's front left side and screeched along towards a halt. A few bullets exited the vehicle and smashed into the rear of the van but were halted by the added armor. For once, the passengers were grateful for the other side's preparation.
The other car slowed down to assist their comrades, giving up the chase. The group packed in the van paused for a breath, and then erupted into cheers.
After they had calmed, Lance looked to Miles, "So, where are we going?"
Miles smiled slightly, "To visit some friends."
***
When the car finally stopped, the passengers, minus Neos and Lance, were asleep. Miles removed the key from the ignition and stepped out into the night, approaching the door. Lance and Neos stayed in the car as Miles knocked. Lance looked around. The house was in the middle of the desert, far from civilization. A small well was a few yards from the front door.
After a moment, the door opened and an older man with gray hair and a gash across his forehead answered, smiling widely.
Lance paused for a moment, interrupted by Neos Leonheart jumping out the door and running to great his father.
"I understand that I have a lot of explaining to do." Miles cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd, the entire resistance was gathered for this, "The truth is, I don't have much of an explanation. I just saw how inspirational I was to you in death, and realized that I would never be able to live up to that in life. I thought I could do better for the movement as a cause than as a figure," he laughed, "if that makes any sense at all.
"I want to apologize for keeping this hidden from all of you. It was wrong, and I am sorry."
Lance Derikson cut in, standing alongside Miles, "But that doesn't matter now. What matters now is that Miles Animus is back!"
A cheer erupted from the crowd, and Miles shrugged, walking offstage with Lance.
***
Lance flipped through the D-District Prison plans, "Okay, Miles, now you say that Neos and Julia are both being held in this place?"
"Yeah, I'm not sure which floor though."
Peter cut in, "Does it matter? If Reist is taking prisoners, then they're our friends. I say we go in, open every door in the place, and go out."
Lance nodded slightly, "Not the most subtle approach, but I imagine it would get the job done."
Miles sighed, "Yeah, but I'm not sure how well it would work…"
"Well, look," Peter said, "we don't know where they are, and I'm willing to bet that everyone in there would gladly help. Not to mention an escape is a lot easier in the midst of a riot than when all is clear. Y'know?"
Miles nodded, "I understand, it just goes against our tactics so far. Up until now, we've been fighting a silent war, chipping away at points here and there, then sneaking out of the path of danger… this would be a big step."
Lance nodded, "I don't like to say this Miles, but we have to take that step at some point. And now is as good a point as any. I'm very confident in our abilities. I say we do it!"
There was a pause, finally Miles nodded, "Okay, its your army after all. But… we can't cause an outright ruckus."
Lance nodded, "Right, we'd have to sneak in a small team to open everything up and start the riot, then see where it goes."
Peter drummed his fingers on the table, "So… who?"
Lance grinned, "This shouldn't be so hard. Three-man team. Peter, I wouldn't dare keep you out of it. Miles, you're the man: always have been. And hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world. So let's get packing. Getting to D-District from here takes about a day by boat, so we should move quickly."
***
"I think I'm going to be sick."
Miles laughed, "What's the matter, Pete? You don't like boats?"
The small ship rocked hard, and Peter doubled over, "No, no I don't." He got down on his knees in the corner and just huddled. Miles nodded, leaving the man alone and approaching Lance in the bridge.
To call it a bridge would be an exaggeration. It was actually just the front of the small vessel. The boats were built to carry an optimal amount of people. Shaped like a pentagon, the boat gave maximum cargo space with optimal amount of speed. Not very good-looking, but it got the job done.
"Lance, how long?"
Lance turned to Miles, "A few minutes."
"Lance," Miles said, moving towards him, "do you have any sort of… official plan?"
Lance shook his head, "No. We're ad-libbing it, you know that."
"Yeah, I was just hoping you might have thought of something."
"Miles, can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Why are you taking the backseat in this whole thing?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Why are you letting me have full command? It doesn't make any sense."
"Because let's face it, Lance, you're a better leader than I am."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you can get these guys motivated better. I'm a lousy speaker, and a mediocre leader."
"Miles, you led Garden for how long?"
"And look what happened!"
There was a pause and Miles cursed under his breath.
Lance slowly nodded his head, "I understand now."
"Lance…"
"You blame yourself."
There were no words exchanged for a minute. Miles exhaled sharply and turned.
"Yeah, I blame myself. Happy?"
"No. I can't believe it."
"Why not?"
Lance turned back around, "You got there in a minute and were doing everything it took to save our collective asses."
"But in the end, nothing I did succeeded."
"There was little that could have been done, and I'm sure SeeD and everyone who died would have rather died fighting down to the last moment then just sitting around."
"If I had moved faster…"
"You moved as fast as you could. Holding yourself responsible for this is going to destroy you, Miles."
Miles reached behind him, unsheathing the rebuilt Dual Hyperion. He ran his finger along the blade, admiring his handiwork, "Maybe it will, but that won't stop me. It was my fault."
Lance sighed and turned, "We're here."
***
"Okay, D-District is about ten miles off." Lance looked back to Miles and Peter, "You two up for it?"
The duo shrugged.
"We need to make it to the road by dawn. It's midnight now, we've got six hours."
There was an audible pause, and finally, Peter shrugged, followed up by Miles. They all began the run.
***
When they arrived at the road, there was a dead silence over the area. The sun was just creeping out over the horizon, and a small motor could be heard in the distance. Lance turned to Miles and Peter.
"Just follow my lead, okay?"
Peter nodded, "Righto." Miles simply nodded.
The car approached them, and slowly halted. The driver rolled down the window.
"Can I help you?"
Lance nodded, "Yeah, you guys heading for D-District?"
The driver frowned, "Yes."
"Great! We're the new team in. Our transport broke down about a mile back."
"Where are your uniforms?"
"Back in the car, we'll get everything sorted out at the prison. Can we hitch a ride?"
The driver stopped and considered, "Wait. Isn't the ocean in that direction?"
Lance bit his lip, reached to his pocket, and ripped out his pistol, quickly placing it to the driver's forehead, "Okay, so we lied. Out."
The driver raised his hands, "This is stupid."
"Shut up. Out."
Peter and Miles exchanged a look, and grabbed their weapons as the driver stepped out of the car. Suddenly, the rear door flew open and two more soldiers came out, prepping to fire their guns. The first met the side of Mile's blade, and the second met Peter's fist, as the driver had an up close and personal session with Lance's pistol.
Lance smiled, "Not exactly the plan… but… well… uniforms."
A few minutes later, the redressed group was driving away, leaving three hog-tied soldiers in their wake.
***
The ragtag group silently stepped through the prison's main doors. The guard at the door gave them the once-over; "I haven't seen you around before."
Lance looked up, "We're the transfers. First day."
The guard frowned, "I didn't hear anything about that."
The three shared a look with each other, and Miles picked it up, "Strange."
That seemed to satisfy the guard, he shrugged, "Okay. Welcome aboard. Head on up to the control room for your assignment."
Peter played along, "Where is that?"
The guard grinned, "Just go up."
They all nodded, and started up the stairway.
***
The supervisor didn't notice the differences that the trio presented, and just assumed the usual, "Okay you three, you're on control room today. Lucky you." He motioned to the other guards in the room, "You're off duty."
They all nodded and left. Miles, Peter and Lance quickly filled in the positions of the guards, so as not to seem ignorant.
They were alone now, with the lone supervisor standing over a computer screen. As the man looked away, they all turned to each other, and nodded.
Lance was closest to the door. He reached back and hit the button as Miles and Peter approached the officer. As the door slammed shut, the man looked up, "What in the…"
He shut up quickly as two cold barrels were placed against his head, "Just who do you think you are?"
Lance grinned and ripped off his facemask, extending his hand to the officer's, "Lance Derikson, nice to meet you. These are my companions, Miles and Peter Animus." The officer held a noticeable look of shock as Lance continued, "And you… are unconscious." Lance smiled and waved goodbye as Miles lifted and swung the gun barrel across the officer's head, knocking him to the ground, out cold.
"Okay," Lance said, "Now to figure out where our friends are."
"Can I?" Peter asked, stepping forward. Lance nodded, and Peter stood at the computer terminal, rapidly entering words and phrases. The screen flicked and buzzed at speeds almost incomprehensible to any normal person. Miles gave up on figuring it all out, and Lance watched intently.
After a moment, Peter nodded, "Got it. Level seven. Cell 18."
Lance grinned, "Nice job. Do we know where their weapons are?"
Peter nodded again, "Long-term storage, check the cabinet behind you."
Lance turned and saw a large file cabinet, "Gotcha." He grabbed the handle and pulled, but it failed to open. He cursed and smashed it with his fist, "Damn! It's locked."
Behind him, Miles coughed. Lance spun around to see Miles holding the officer's keys, "You think these could help?"
Lance smirked, rolled his eyes, and snatched the keys, inserting them into the lock and turning swiftly. The cabinet came open and a small supply of weapons came out. Noticeably, Neos' Battleaxe and a rifle suitable for Julia.
Lance grabbed them and grinned towards his companions, "Set."
Peter nodded, "Okay? Are we still following the original 'wreak as much havoc as possible' plan?"
There was a pause, and Lance shrugged, "Yeah, sure."
Peter nodded, "Okay then, but I think we should secure Julia and Neos first."
"Agreed." Miles said, "So what's our plan?"
Peter looked to the keyboard, "Well, once we secure them, I can just hit this button right here, its all set to open the cells. Then, once you guys make it up here, I can lower the facility and we can make our escape through that door." He pointed to the giant steel passageway leading to the other building.
Lance nodded in agreement, "Okay, but how will we tell you when we get them?"
Miles turned around and dug through a case, pulling out two headsets. He put one on, and tossed the other to Peter, who slipped it on quickly, "Channel three, dad."
Miles nodded and switched the frequency over. Lance shrugged and shoulder gripped his assault rifle, slinging Julia's bolt-action on his shoulder with the strap. Miles kept the Dual Hyperion and held out Neos' Battleaxe.
The duo stepped out the doors, leaving Peter digging for a weapon. He found it in a pair of automatic pistols.
***
Encountering no resistance on their path to floor seven, Miles and Lance shrugged to each other as they stared at the doorway to cell 18.
Miles spoke softly to the headset, "Okay, Peter, open cell 18 only."
A few seconds passed, and finally, the door slid open. The light cast upon the two figures within, one was sprawled out on the floor, the other huddled up in a corner.
Lance stepped into the doorway, and both figures slowly began to stand. Neos was sprawled out, and Julia in the corner. After a few seconds of silence, Neos burst out, "Lance! Is that you?"
Lance grinned, "You bet your ass, mano."
Another moment passed, Neos and Julia sighed relief, and tears were visible on the faces of both as they approached Lance in the doorway. Miles finally stepped into view, and Neos jumped back, "Miles! You're here! You're alive!"
"Yeah," he nodded, "but we don't' have time to catch up. Here." He handed Neos the Battleaxe. Neos gripped the weapon firmly with both hands, slashing up and down, left and right, getting used to the feel of its weight again
Lance moved to Julia, taking note of the bruises on her face, and offered her the rifle. She looked at him, the rifle, and back at him. Then she reached out and grabbed his automatic.
"I want something bigger, Lance." She spoke with a menacing determination.
Lance raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how to use that thing?"
She glanced at it and cocked the rifle, holding it up in a ready position, "You bet your ass."
Lance sighed and looked to Neos, who simply nodded at him. Lance grinned, "Whatever you say."
He placed a bullet into the rifle and nodded to Miles, who grabbed the Dual Hyperion and spoke to the headset, "Peter. Let's go."
***
The alarms sounded loudly as every cell door in the building flung open at the same time. There was a moment of silence, then screaming and cries of joy as prisoners burst out of their cells and into the hallways. Guards scrambled up from their posts to try and contain the mass of people, but they were of little help.
Miles, Lance, Julia and Neos stepped out of cell 18, their weapons raised and ready to confront whatever came to face them. They entered into a scene of havoc. The prisoners scrambled in whatever directions they could think of; some went up the stairs, some went down. Others were content to watch the madness and see how it all turned out.
The group of four quickly moved towards the stairwell. Lance took a moment to pause and look down the gap in the center of the area. Guards were making slow progress heading up, and he quickly guessed that guards would be coming from the top too, except from the other building.
He looked to Miles, "Miles, we got a problem." He pointed downwards.
Miles took a look, then back at him, and nodded, speaking into the headset, "Peter, watch your ass. You've got guards coming in from the other building."
The reply came back with interference to spare, "A little late…" Then a burst of gunfire, then silence.
Miles looked to the others and burst into a run for the stairwell. They all followed suit.
***
Immediately after the cells were opened, Peter caught the movements of the remaining guards in the complex. The ones on the bottom began a progression upwards. He also caught a large group of guards moving from the other building into theirs. Without hesitation, Peter slammed on the button to lower the complex, then ducked behind a console, readying his guns.
When the soldiers entered the control room, he could hear their footsteps. They stopped, and one spoke.
"Where are the guards on duty? Where's the commander? Something is wrong…"
Peter leapt up and fired off a shot to the first guard he saw. It nailed the man directly in the chest, sending him down to the ground. Without hesitation, Peter's other pistol fired twice, hitting another guard in the leg and the chest. The man collapsed in a screaming heap.
The gunfire came right back at him, so Peter ducked back down behind the console as his father's voice came into the headset.
"Peter, watch your ass. You've got guards coming in from the other building."
He rolled his eyes, "A little late…"
He was cut off as a hail of gunfire came upon the console. He tore of the headset and stepped out to the side firing three rounds into another guard before ducking back. Another guard quickly came around the other side of the console, and had a close encounter with the butt of Peter's pistol, knocking him out cold. He could hear more footsteps pouring in, and cursed before jumping up and taking out three more guards. As he fired the last shot, the pistol in his right hand clicked empty. He ducked down and threw the pistol to the side, jumping out to his left and using a two-handed grip on his other pistol, carefully taking a single shot to one guard's head before ducking back.
He checked the magazine. He only had one shot left, and there were at least six more guards.
Suddenly, a rifle shot rang out, and Peter heard a loud thud as a guard hit the ground behind him. He looked to the doorway, and Lance Derikson stood, the rifle smoking. Lance quickly ducked down next to Peter and reloaded as an automatic rifle reported from the doorway.
A sickening battle cry was heard as Julia Leonheart unleashed an unrelenting hail of gunfire upon the remaining guards. They all went down quickly, shocked by the sudden emergence of such backup.
There was a pause as the smoke cleared. Julia still held the gun in a position to fire as a clicking sound uttered from the rifle. Lance carefully stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand gently on the gun and her shoulder, lowering the weapon.
"You got 'em, Julia. Relax."
She looked at him, her eyes still reeking of blood lust, and lowered the weapon, taking in a deep breath.
Lance looked over to Peter, who was disturbed by the sudden change in the previously peaceful young girl. He shrugged and looked around, "Okay guys, here's the deal. The building is lowered, cars are just across the way. All we need to do is get there."
Everyone nodded at the plan and stepped out into the daylight. Behind them, they could hear the rush of prisoners screaming to the top of the building, their freedom in close reach.
Upon stepping outside, they could hear a sudden hail of gunfire in their direction. Instinctively, the group put their head down, and began to run towards the parking garage. Miles got there first. He flung open the door to a van and flipped the visor down. The keys fell into his hands and he quickly put them into the ignition. The doors came open around him and the others piled into the van, bullets deflecting off of the van itself as the ignition started. Miles shifted the car into drive and slammed his foot on the pedal, sending the vehicle flying out of the garage and into the desert, soldiers still firing rapidly at the blur. Miles saw in the rear view as one car, a second, and a third begin pursuit.
Lance managed to climb to the front-side passenger seat and looked at Miles, "The ocean is the other way."
Miles nodded, "I know."
"Our boat is the other way."
Miles didn't even nod, "I know."
"Where the hell are we going?"
Miles grinned, "I know."
Lance sighed, and then allowed a curse as bullets crashed against the rear of the van. He looked up at the sunroof, "Anyone wanna take care of that?"
Miles took a hard turn right, "I will."
Lance looked forward and saw a train station, complete with train speeding through. Miles kept moving, straight towards the loading ramp. He was lined up and hit the ramp, flying across the ramp and landing on the other side, the train merely yards away. The car behind him tried the same trick, only to be met with a sudden, violent stop as the train slammed into its side. The car folded like a tin can, parts flying in all different directions as it flew to one side of the train, rolling over four times before landing on it's roof and halting.
The van continued its movement as Miles pulled a quick left and was back on his original path. The other two cars cut around the train and were quickly right behind the van.
Peter cursed as he saw one car pull right up alongside and a few of the soldiers begin to draw weapons. He looked to the front, "Floor it dad!"
Miles slammed as hard as he could on the gas, but the other car managed to keep up. Peter groaned and opened the side-sliding passenger door, then looked to Neos, "The axe. Now!"
Neos handed Peter the Battleaxe, and he quickly thrust it at the other car, slicing away. Metal grinded against metal as sparks flew through the air. The other car began to pull away for a scond. Peter yelled again, "Get closer!"
Lance gave him a look, and Peter grinned. Miles swung the car to the right, getting back alongside the vehicle. Peter lay prone on the floor of the van and stretched out with the Battleaxe, the blade stabbing into the front tire. The air quickly released itself from its rubber confinement, and the car slammed down onto it's front left side and screeched along towards a halt. A few bullets exited the vehicle and smashed into the rear of the van but were halted by the added armor. For once, the passengers were grateful for the other side's preparation.
The other car slowed down to assist their comrades, giving up the chase. The group packed in the van paused for a breath, and then erupted into cheers.
After they had calmed, Lance looked to Miles, "So, where are we going?"
Miles smiled slightly, "To visit some friends."
***
When the car finally stopped, the passengers, minus Neos and Lance, were asleep. Miles removed the key from the ignition and stepped out into the night, approaching the door. Lance and Neos stayed in the car as Miles knocked. Lance looked around. The house was in the middle of the desert, far from civilization. A small well was a few yards from the front door.
After a moment, the door opened and an older man with gray hair and a gash across his forehead answered, smiling widely.
Lance paused for a moment, interrupted by Neos Leonheart jumping out the door and running to great his father.